#Something about applying that to Niko and seeing Niko - who never had anything he could really hold on to and was practically nameless

[toasteaa]

say toast... is it ok if niko's full name (or at least how ppl would refer to him) as niko dumont from eclair's last name ?

NIKO ADOPTION REAL? WAKJFNHAKJ HANG ON ECLAIR HAS TO GO SIT AND NOT CRY -

[tititilani]

I can't stop thinking about if Simon had taken Edwin's offer

Like Charles finds Edwin in the hallway as ever but this time there's another boy there too, cowering against the wall next to him. Maybe the dollhead spider doesn't care about Simon, too busy focusing on its favorite target, so Charles is left standing in the hallway with Simon when Edwin is taken.

They get out of hell, but Edwin doesn't confess due to Simon hovering behind his elbow. He doesn't want to confess his emotions in front of his killer, who he probably hasn't even properly figured out how he's feeling towards yet.

The Night Nurse is pissed they came out with an extra soul but Niko's same loophole still applies and Simon stays.

"This is Simon," Edwin says when it's all said and done, finally introducing the boy that's been hiding behind him since the door closed. "He was a...classmate of mine."

"He saved me," Simon says, looking up at Edwin moony-eyed and Charles knows that look and something settles heavy in his stomach.

"Glad to have ya, mate," he tells him even though the words taste sour. This other boy knew Edwin when he was alive, the thought is slightly terrifying to him.

Simon settles in fine with the agency even if the agency feels a little crowded now with five people in it but he continues to moon over Edwin and Edwin just...never tells anyone how they actually knew each other. He reasons it just doesn't matter, that he can't find the right time, whatever.

Charles never really warms up to him, though he tries to hide it, but he sees the looks Simon gives Edwin, a soppy smitten look that is somehow worse than anything Monty or the Cat King ever tried with Edwin because of all of them, Simon arguably knows the most about like Edwardian courting. That, like Edwin, Simon has also survived hell. Charles hates the idea that someone could potentially understand Edwin more than he does.

He hates it so much that nothing further happens between him and Crystal because the idea of Edwin being left alone with Simon bothers him so much. He sees Simon adjusting Edwin's collar one (1) time and it makes him feel sick.

And then there's the fortune-teller.

They only go to her sometimes for cases because she never fails to freak Charles out but her prophecies tend to be accurate like 60% of the time which is pretty good for a fortune teller. She looks at the two of them at the end, because it is just the two of them for once, and then looks just at Edwin.

"How kind you are," she says, the words a compliment but the tone snide. "To house your killer. Pray tell it doesn't come back to you."

"What." Charles says. "The fuck."

Charles is furious, of course, and it takes Edwin a long time to talk him out of smashing Simon's face in with the new cricket bat.

"He's like me," he insists in that quiet but firm voice. Charles wants to scream that Simon is nothing like Edwin - that he doesn't have a fraction of Edwin's kindness or pissiness, that his blue eyes are not nearly as beautiful as Edwin's green - but before he can even open his mouth, Edwin continues. "He...He likes boys, Charles. He likes me."

Oh. Oh.

Charles stares at Edwin who is looking back at him, trying and failing to hide the fact he's terrified, and Charles doesn't give one shit that Edwin likes boys because he's his best mate forever. He's still pissed that Simon is apparently staying but he has to hug Edwin at that. "I'm still pissed you didn't tell me about him," is all he says, swallowing back the other words he wants to say.

Charles grows even more paranoid about Simon being around, who has to get used to the fact that Charles takes to swinging his cricket bat ominously every time he comes within ten feet of Edwin. He finds out that adjusting clothing was an Edwardian courting thing and wants to break something. The very idea the very person who killed his best mate is now trying to put the moves on said best mate pisses him off.

It also makes him think of numerous times Edwin had readjusted his collar or jacket in the past and it makes his non-existent stomach flip.

Eventually, Simon decides he's ready to move on to his after-life and Charles keeps his hands from fisting when he looks at Edwin with that same soppy look. He knows Edwin has forgiven Simon by now but Charles has always been better at holding a grudge and he knows what is going to come out of Simon's mouth before he even asks. He knows that if Edwin says yes, he won't stop him.

Charles also knows that if Edwin does, there is no way he is going to find any kind of his own afterlife.

"You could come with me," Simon says hopefully and the moment after is the longest in Charles' life.

"Thank you, Simon," Edwin says kindly and Charles has to keep himself from crying. "But I have no interest in going anywhere without Charles."

He steps back - away from Simon and back towards Charles. Ears suspiciously pink, Edwin links their hands and they watch as Simon follows the Night Nurse.

[mondscheinprinzessin]

Well, you know how some people have driving gloves? It’s like that but for sex 😂 (to get you in the mood I guess? lol idk) and luckily you don’t need to visualize anything because Niko is already wearing them 🤣

As for the fic idea: the recent pictures of Joel where he’s looking SUPER feminine have given me brainworms of someone (who?) walking in on Joel trying on some mascara and lipgloss to make himself look real pretty and the ’someone’ is like ”woah 😳 he’s actually looking so beautiful right now gosh 🥴”. Joel is obviously panicking about being caught like that so the other person has to reassure them that it’s fine and that he looks stunning. Not sure what happens then but the fic ends with both of them having lipgloss smeared all over their faces 💖

But like is this a real thing people do? I mean you have a word for it so I guess? I've never been aware of this before, thanks for broadening my horizon. I still don't know what to think, but I'm seeing Niko's gloves in a different light now.😅

How much I love this. The picture of him at the table in the restaurant really did it for us. We’ve already had our wine aunt jokes when he had his sunglasses on and with his hair he did look kinda feminine but never that much.

After seeing how Joel applies his eyeliner I can only see him mess up with his mascara or get messy with it, maybe because he’s excited/nervous too. If it was Joonas coming in Joel would be so embarrassed because Joonas is always so cool with his looks and so confident in the way he dresses and here is Joel clumsily trying out something new, but then Joonas can calm him and help him with the make up to make Joel look all pretty 🥰 And Joel is so happy when he looks in the mirror and his smile is so pretty too so Joonas just has to kiss him.

Hm or it could be Olli and he would instantly get all excited and demand for Joel to put make up on him too so they both can look pretty and Olli is like “oh your lipgloss/lipstick is way prettier than mine, can I have some?” and just smooches it off Joel before he realizes what’s going on.

Or make it Aleksi who is really supportive and would instantly search for tutorials on youtube but he has now idea about make up at all so he wouldn’t try to put it on Joel and anyways being so close to him would make his hand all shaky and betray his crush but with Joel’s shiny pink lips there’s no holding back.

[mor-beck-more-problems]

Flashback Friday || Morgan & Luis

TIMING: Distant past, in the days of yee-haw

LOCATION: The Magick Cauldron, Houston, Texas

PARTIES: @ontheluis & @mor-beck-more-problems

SUMMARY: Luis wanders into a magic shop looking for some herbs, Morgan spies an opportunity, and the cards know more than either of them reckon. 

CONTAINS: Mellow yee-haw vibes

“Welcome, traveler, to the Magick Cauldron! Browse at your pleasure and inquire if you have any questions!” Morgan had given the scripted greeting so many times, it came out of her in full customer service cheer every time the shop door opened. She didn’t even look up from the book she had open under the cash register anymore, but flipped another page and let the customers let her know if there was something worth talking about by shouting ‘lady!’ or coming into her peripheral view.

The Magick Cauldron was the only occult shop still standing West Houston after the Y2K stress fads had died away and the first bout of shiny, corporate development had found its way into Montrose and bulldozed a crystal shop, a Greek deli, and one of the few ladies-only gay bars in favor of a mixed use building that so far only housed a nail salon and a Jamba Juice. Ralf, the fine proprietor of the Cauldron as he called himself, said that this space was protected. As the door chimed open again and Morgan made her welcome speech, bright and shiny as the plastic plate armor hanging in the kid’s section, she wondered if he was right. She never seemed to serve more than a dozen or so customers during her shifts, but the lights stayed on, day after sweltering day. If Ralf was right, it might just be the one piece of real magic in the place, not that she could say that to anyone’s face.

The warped outline of a boy rippled over the glass counter and Morgan blinked up from her book. “Is there something I can help you with, weary traveler?” She asked wryly.

“Sorry ma’am,” Luis assured, “didn’t mean to bring the stray in here,”

Evening had fallen outside, heat from the blistering still wafting off the pavement. Telephone poles and streetlights were thin black columns that stood stark against the blazing orange and wane blues of sunset.  

“Go on, git!”

At the Magick Cauldron’s threshold was an enormous black dog. Even while quietly sitting on its haunches the shaggy canine was easily as tall as the teenage boy snapped at it. Pupiless red eyes regarded Luis impassively, only an ear twitch showing that the dog wasn’t just a statue.

When the black dog gave no indication of actually entering the store nor stopping its scrutiny of Luis, the young man cut his losses and regarded the woman at the counter again.

“Here,” Luis reached into a pocket of his jeans and withdrew a crumpled piece of paper, smoothing it on the counter. The names of herbs and powders were written in someone else’s prime neat handwriting. “I uh don’t know what any of this is…,” he confessed.

Morgan took the paper carefully between her fingers, trying not to let her discomfort at how damp and sweaty it was show too much. It didn’t take much to figure out she was looking at an herbalist mixture for anxiety and sleeplessness. She looked up and the boy, and down to the list again. “We’ve got everything you need over here,” she said. She lead the boy over to the bulk aisle where the dried herbs and bottled oils were kept and alphabetized. “Did you want these bagged separate or together? Or--you probably don’t know how these work huh? We’ll do separate, so you can use any excess as you wish. But fair warning, we have a purchase minimum of one ounce for each item.” She put a small paper bag on the shelf in the middle of the display and started shovelling the herbs in. As she worked, she glanded sidelong at the kid and the dog that had decided to become instantly fond of him. Someone cared about them, to throw together this recipe, and he looked embarrassed enough for a kid his age to seem like he needed help. Would it be wrong to squeeze a few more dollars out of him if it so happened to brighten his day or give him some direction? Sure, he was scruffy, but not so much as to be desperate. He could afford a few extra bucks, right?

“Hey, you okay there?” Morgan asked him. “You seem a little lost. I’m getting some ‘needs direction’ vibes from you.” She gestured vaguely. “If you’re looking for Niko Niko’s, it’s just further down the street. You’re not supposed to leave your car here while you go over there, but I won’t tell. And if you need something a little less literal, I might be able to help you with that.” She nodded toward the oracle room at the back of the shop, with its hand painted sign hanging crooked from a nail and entryway draped with lavender beads. “I do have sliding scale rates, if it helps you make up your mind.”

The great black dog continued to watch Luis in silent stillness, the Barghest’s posture poised as if waiting for something.

“No offense ma’am but I don’t believe in…,” the teenager half-turned but caught sight of the enormous stray waiting for him in the darkening sunset. Those pupiless red eyes immediately filled Luis with a nameless dread. Cold sweat stained the back of his T-shirt as Luis’ skin went clammy despite the Texan heat. Luis couldn’t process why some random big-ass dog would wig him out so much. He wasn’t even afraid of it biting him or even the dog itself.

So why was his heart pounding in his temples?

“Yeah uh..s-seperate would be great,” Luis reaffirmed to Morgan needlessly. The labels on the tinctures and herbal selections blurred in his vision as Luis tried to get a handle on his thoughts. “Direction like, oh you mean to the interstate,” Luis replied in a misinterpretation of Morgan’s broader meaning. “I’m alright thanks, yeah merging on that triple hairpin by Foster is a pain in the ass but it's chill.”

Luis looked over to the oracle room with the dubiety of someone for whom the occult was just a vague ‘other’ mentioned at Mass or when abuela suggested a Sonora Market cure for whatever new cold was going around. He seemed about to decline again until the creeping skin-crawl of Barghest’s glare boring into his back made Luis amenable to any distraction.

“Yeah uh sure,” he said, taking a step towards the beaded shroud. “I’ll give it a shot.”

Morgan followed the boy’s eyes to the dog. He was looking pretty well fed for a stray, and his eyes--red, alert, sharp with an uncommon intelligence--made her shiver. Definitely supernatural. She didn’t know, how, or what, but it didn’t look good. “And I mean--” How to put this in just the right way? Or at least the more convincing way? “I mean your spirit, your chakras. Believe in your connection to the universe or not, but are you really going to say to my face that you know how you’re going to make your life worthwhile to yourself? That you know how to reach your greatest good?” No one did. Heck, she was a devout wiccan most days out of the year and even she didn’t know what her highest, greatest good looked like. “And if you’ve got the cash, I’ll throw in a cleansing, something to make--” she gestured at him vaguely, “Whatever negative heavy energy this is that’s stuck to you. Seriously, do you ever feel tired out of nowhere?” It was summer and the sun was exhausting; everyone got tired out of nowhere.

Maybe she was laying it on a little thick, but Morgan was tired of ordering off the dollar menu for dinner and she felt like she was taking her life into her own hands when she conjured money from school pens and laundry lint cotton. This kid’s money might get her a pot pie that didn’t come from the freezer, or enough tacos to last her a week, or maybe she’d blow it all on seafood, or a dress that hadn’t been worn by someone else. “I’ll ring you up first, and then we’ll see about getting the rest of you squared away.” Morgan did, and when that part of the transaction was over, she lead him into the oracle room.

In truth, the oracle room was an old storage closet with the door taken out. Morgan breezed through them and went to the antique flea market find armoire, where all the necessary items were kept. Morgan took out a small tray of tarot decks and took the one she liked best, a well loved Raider-Waite with stars on the backs and gold-gilt edges. “I’ll shuffle them myself, but you should tell me when to cut and start again and when to stop. When I’m done, you’ll spread them. You’re the one who needs to connect with the deck, after all.”

Rafael Martininez had given his son that smirking half-smile while Malia had given Luis the pale blue eyes watching Morgan shuffle cards. Sweaty light brown hair clung to his forehead beneath the Dallas Burn hat, stray strands dangling back his eyes. The lanky teenager sat awkwardly across from the cartomancer, doubting not only her veracity but that a term like destiny could even apply to someone like him.

Like many children who’re so profoundly blessed to grow up in a home of unconditional love, Luis had no idea that Rafael and Malia given him a protection rarer than talismans, weirds, or wards. Rafael had come to this country for a better life, and Malia had wanted a home that was safer then the hell she’d left. Together they’d given both dreams to their children, so Luis and his siblings would never have to go through what they had.

The freckled face that lifted to Morgan’s was innocent of hate, abuse, or fear of abandonment. Even in following a strange woman into a shrouded back room, it’d never occurred to Luis to worry about anything more sinister than carnival charlantry.

“So uh...like this ma’am,” Luis asked as he placed some cards face down on the table.

It was this very innocence in Louis that dulled the edge off Morgan’s guilt. It was wrong (if wrong was a real concept) to spoil something pure, but if she was really the worst thing that was going to happen to this kid in his teenage years, he was pretty darn lucky. At least he was getting some introspection out of the deal. Could he have gotten a tarot deck from the discount bookstore two blocks over for a quarter of what she was going to charge him, or thought everything out on his own for free? Yes. But he was also some bushy tailed high school kid; could happen wasn’t the same thing as would happen.

She’d had more instructions to give, some arbitrary waving of hands and maybe some visualization in what one of her co-workers called her ‘yoga voice’, but Louis, in his eagerness, had taken more than the requisite three cards she had planned on, wich just meant she had a ready-made excuse for the forty dollars she was going to take from him. “My, my, aren’t we eager?” She said. “What’s interesting to me already is that you have intuitively drawn out one of the more complex and energy taxing card spreads. Imperfectly, but--” She straightened them out at random until they made more of a geometric pattern. “See? I barely did anything at all. These cards must really like you. I don’t normally do something this involved, but it looks like there’s something here that wants to come out, and I’m not in the business of stifling anyone’s growth or energy.”

Morgan flipped the first card over to reveal The Fool and managed to keep her laughter light and soft. “Well, even if I hadn’t been doing this for so long, this is you, where you are right now. Don’t take the title personally, these are antiquated terms. He’s just young, and at the start of a great journey, not even begun, just on the precipice. He’s got his whole life ahead of him, and the sun, see? It’s shining on him to show that the universe is aligned with his desires. The world wants you to support you, wants to see you succeed.”

The second card. The Tower. Morgan’s eyes widened. Not really vibing with the story she’d been telling, but maybe the one after… Eight of Cups. Morgan flipped over the last ones. Death and The Moon. “Hmm...Fascinating...” Morgan said, stalling for a way to spin this. “The thing about the major arcana is the magnitude of forces. Forces like destiny and fate and the collective consciousness. These forces are bigger than a ten minute fight with your friends or what you want to do after graduation, these are ‘beyond your control’. And you have four. The universe really does have plans for you, that’s kind of exciting, right?” She smiled, hoping to get some confirmation from him, or at least some more of his trust. “What does your intuition tell you about this journey, honey?”

Morgan’s performative coaxing elicited a dubious look, but the striking illustrations of the Tarot drew Luis’ attention regardless. The fool was poised with one foot over the cliff, smiling blissfully as the sun warmed his back. The tower’s blackened crenellations tumbled down the cliffside as the once indomitable edifice was battered into ruins by a storm. A haggard traveler slumped down in relief on a river bank as eight golden chalice stood resplendent over the churning rapids. Death rode on its pale horse, a scythe clutched in one skeletal hand while offering an exquisitely detailed rose. The Moon slept in the sky above a verdant shore. Wolves howled in its light while pelagic creatures breached on the lunar tide.

“Woah that art on these is something else,” admitted Luis as he squinted at the intricate illuminations, clearly sensitive to aesthetics but not the higher esoteric meaning.

Unfortunately intuition is only as good as the experiences which inform it and Luis Martinez had been sheltered from the world’s cruelty. It was a blessing to be sure, but it also made Luis unable to imagine that evil doesn’t need consent to claim you.

“My intuition is uh,” floundered the young man who had about as much affinity for divination as the average block of cedar. “The ranch’ll catch on fire, maybe a relative will die, but we’ll find like eight things that’ll make it better before the next full moon,” Luis posited.

Morgan’s stomach rumbled as the boy ogled the artwork on the cards. She was tempted to commend the kid on his ‘uncanny insight’ into the realm of the divine and take her money and run down the street for a hot stack of tacos. But the kid was so bright eyed and easily awed. She felt like she owed him at least some of her knowledge, even if she thought the tarot was psychological self-talk at best.

“Fortunately for your relatives, nothing here is quite that literal,” she said, laughing warmly. “But this journey you’re on, both within and without, is going to be perilous.” Perilous to the point of being seriously dangerous and traumatic, if this really was his subconscious sensing something on the horizon. But that wasn’t something she was going to say to his face. She wanted money without having to lie to her mother about where it came from later. “Even though your desires are upheld by the earth and stars, there will come a time when it feels as though you’ve been cast out and lost everything. But the key to staying your course is to…” What was a precious uplift-y way to spin this? “Hold fast to your sense of self. Remember the core of who you are and what you want. Because, if you do, then you will survive the upheavals, and you will be able to choose wisely what to keep, what to leave behind, and end up so strong, it’ll feel like you’ve been resurrected and leveled up into a new, better, cooler version of yourself!” She had no idea how to make sense of the moon card in a positive five star customer service rating sort of way, so she moved it underneath the spread, smiling like this had been her master plan all along.

“This card with the moon and the wolves isn’t your endgame, it’s an indicator of the vehicle, the thing that encompases the whole. All this massive change ahead of you isn’t necessarily going to be visible to everyone. It comes from within, sometimes hidden, like how you can only see the stars when it’s dark out and most of the world is asleep, and wolves howl when the world is in shadows. It’s like that. And it’s going to be amazing.”

Morgan checked her watch and slumped back in her chair as if she were exhausted. Not a hard thing to do when it was this hot out. “So, that’s gonna be forty dollars for the energy and the insight. Technically, with how many cards you pulled, it should be a little more, but I can tell you’re taking a risk on something new here and I want to honor that. But we can keep going if you have any more questions!”

“Vehicle huh...not sure dad’s gonna let me spraypaint moons and wolves on the truck,” Luis mused, perhaps taking the ‘vehicle’ thing a bit too literally or not wanting to think too hard about the possibility of his life changing.

Luis looked over the intricately illustrated cards, eyebrows wrinkling as he tried to parse through the profound chicanery Morgan had spouted. A bite of the lower lip hinted that Luis had never really encountered those who could appear to say everything while stating nothing particularly specific.

“Well shiiiii..,” the teenager breathed before glancing up at Morgan and catching himself with a small hssk of inhalation, as if some inner parental voice had scolded him about cursing in front of a lady. “That was pretty cool,” he amended, clearly at a loss before everything he’d been told, too polite to claim he didn’t believe any of it, but also too much a child of modernity to heed the weird feeling in his gut that recognized something...hit different...about this chance prophecy.

Luis grinned bashfully and unknowingly let fate’s final warning pass him by.

“Forty bucks huh, I’ll havta explain that somehow,” the young man noted with the mild consternation of someone blessed enough to just worry about a family member who’d be more peeved about gas money going to “fortuneteller” then the actual cash itself.

The bills slid across the table after some awkward wallet-riffling. “Thank you ma’am.”

Morgan snatched up the bills and shoved them down her shirt before the kid could change his mind. Whatever ominous feelings his subconscious were trying to air out was no concern for her. She had too many problems of her own to bother with anyone else’s. “It takes a long time to read the cards,” she drawled smugly. “And lots of energy, to open oneself and reach beyond the veil.” She waved her fingers as if to say tootles, and went back to fanning herself until he was gone.

She helped a lady find some yarrow and made up a policy about consultation fees to get another $10 in her pocket. She was using her agency to bridge the gap between minimum shop girl wage and living wage, working her will to get the right kind of energy flowing her way. Mostly, the energy of not-starving and not invoking the ire of darkness from using alchemy to get ahead. It didn’t line up with the rest of what she understood, neutral magic forces should be lining up to help her right her cosmic access and be less chronically miserable, but that was a problem to untangle another day.

At the end of her shift, Morgan shuffled the cards once again and lined them up on the cleansing plate the shopkeeper wanted the used decks put on. By chance, or so she told herself, she picked up the topmost card to see what was there for her. But it was just the death card, and Morgan knew the last thing that was gonna happen to her life was a hard reset. She stuck it back in the middle of the deck and slipped away into the long shadows that marked the summer evening.

[kaialone]

Spirit Tracks Translation Comparison: Battle With Byrne

This will be a comparison of the original Japanese version and the US English localized version.

Specifically, this will cover the cutscenes before and after the battle with Byrne.

You can also watch these cutscenes for yourself in English and Japanese. If you want, you can check out the EU English version, too.

For the comparison, the usual points apply:

Bolded is the original Japanese text, for the reference.

Bolded and italicized is my translation.

Italicized is the official NOA translation.

A (number) indicates that I have a specific comment to make on that part in the translation notes.

As you read this, please keep in mind that with translations like these, it’s important not to focus on the exact literal wordings, since there is no single “correct answer” when it comes to translations.

Rather than that, consider the actual information that is being conveyed, in which way, and why.

--

Characters in this part who had their names changed between versions:

Dego = Byrne, Mallador = Malladus, Sharin = Anjean

--

Before the Battle:

Byrne:

…ついに結界を張り直したか 大したものだ

...So you've finally restored the barrier? An impressive feat.

I see you fixed the Spirit Tracks. My congratulations.

Byrne:

しかし あと一歩のところで 間に合わなかったな

However, even though you were close, you were still too late.

And you almost did it in time to prevent all this.

Byrne:

マラドーは すでに 復活への最終段階に入った

Mallador has already entered the final stage of his resurrection.

Unfortunately for you...

Malladus has already begun the final stage of rebirth.

His resurrection will soon be complete...

Byrne:

…お前たちにも これ以上の邪魔は させん

...And I won't let you get in the way any longer.

And I can't let you cause any more harm.

Zelda:

それは こちらのセリフです！ ディーゴ…さんとやら！

That is our line! Dego... or, uh, Mr. Dego!  (1)

Hey, that's what we were going to say!

Zelda:

わたしたちの 邪魔はさせません！

We will not let you get in our way!

Well... Maybe WE won't let YOU cause any more harm!

Link:

そのとおり！ / シャリン様は

That's right! / Where's Lady Sharin?

Yeah! / Mm-hmm!

Byrne:

…言ったはずだ 私は神を超える存在になると

...I told you. I will surpass God.  (2)

I will become as powerful as the spirits.

Byrne:

阻む者は排除するのみ…

Anyone who stands in my way will simply be eliminated...

And anyone who gets in my way will be eliminated.

Byrne:

それが誰であってもな

No matter who it is.

No matter who it is.

-

Boss Title:

勇往神魔 ディーゴ

Unwavering Divine Demon - Dego

Byrne

-

Byrne, if Link plays the flute:

この音色…

That sound...

That sound...

-

After the Battle:

Byrne:

馬鹿な… 人生の全てを 修行にかけてきた この私が…

This cannot be... I've dedicated all of my life to training...

Impossible…

I've trained for longer than you can even imagine.

Byrne:

人間の子供などに…

How could I be defeated by some human children...?

How could a pair of human children defeat me?

Zelda:

ええ わたしたちは人間です 神や魔の力など持っていません

Yes, we are humans. We have neither the power of gods nor demons.  (3)

Yes, we are humans.

We have neither the power of spirits nor demons.

Zelda:

でも そんな わたしたちでも 二人で力を合わせれば…

But when two people like us combine our power...

But when we combine our strength...

Zelda:

よこしまな思いに囚われている あなたになど絶対 負けません！！

We will never lose to someone trapped in malice, like you!!  (4)

No one can defeat us!

Zelda:

ね？ リンク

Right, Link?

Right, Link?

Zelda:

あっ！ 卑怯者っ… 待ちなさーいっ！！

Ah! You coward...! Wait up!!

Hey! Wait! We're not done with you!

Translation Notes:

In Japanese, Zelda first refers to Byrne with only his name, but then hesitates and adds the polite suffix さん/-san, too.

Like before, note that the word I translated as “God” could also be translated as something like “a god” depending on the context. Both could arguably work in this case.

What I translated as “neither the power of gods nor demons“ could also be translated as something like “neither divine nor demonic power”, but I felt the former sounded better here.

Note that what I translated as “malice” here simply refers to actual malice, no direct relation to the concept of “Malice” as it appears in the English localization of Breath of the Wild.

--

Comparisons & Thoughts:

These cutscenes don’t actually have any huge differences for me to point out, but I've also included a few bits of in-battle text for some trivia.

And naturally there are still several minor differences as always.

-

As I brought up in the translation notes, the Japanese version has Zelda first refer to Byrne with just his name, but then decides to add the polite suffix さん/-san, too.

Referring to someone with just their name and no other titles can be considered quite rude in Japanese, unless you are good friends.

In fictional settings it’s a bit more common to see characters not using these titles with each other, but they still come up a lot.

Zelda talks in a fairly polite manner, so here we have her addressing Byrne in a manner that would be considered rude in a normal context, before she hastily decides to correct it and be properly polite.

It’s a bit of a humorous character moment, seeing her trying to be proper even when addressing a dangerous foe.

Note that during the battle itself, she actually goes through with just calling him by his name, but she later goes back to using さん/-san for him, around the time he starts aiding them.

The English version doesn’t include anything like this, which I actually think might have just been an oversight?

I can’t say for sure, but the way Zelda starts her next line with “Well… “ in English makes me think that maybe the translators got confused about the part where she briefly fumbles for words in the original.

So it’s possible they didn’t realize that said bit was supposed to her hastily adding the さん/-san suffix.

-

In the Japanese version, one of Link’s dialogue options has him ask about Anjean, since he and Zelda don’t know what happened to her.

The implication appears to be that, for all Link and Zelda know, Anjean could have been killed by Byrne, especially considering his comment about eliminating anyone in his way, “No matter who it is.“

This is also why Zelda wonders if Anjean is a ghost when she does show up again later.

The English version changed this dialogue option to something else, possibly wanting to avoid the implication that Anjean could have died.

They do include the ghost comment from Zelda later, but at that point Anjean is already revealed to be alive, so there isn’t that same concern anymore.

-

Byrne makes the comment “I will surpass God“ in Japanese.

This is consistent with his earlier statements in this version.

This was adapted as “I will become as powerful as the spirits“ in English.

This is a bit of a change, since surpassing someone isn’t the same as being as strong as someone, but it’s also inconsistent, since Byrne previously said he would become “even more powerful than the spirits themselves!“

-

Notably, Byrne has an actual Boss Title in the Japanese version, like any other boss in the game.

While these titles are always a bit dramatic for effect, it is interesting to see Byrne being called a “Divine Demon” here.

It makes it seem like Byrne could be at least somewhat demonic at this point, which wouldn’t be impossible, considering the circumstances.

In the English version, he lacks a Boss Title and is simply labelled as “Byrne”, which is probably meant to allude to the iconic moment from Ocarina of Time where Ganon was simply labelled as “Ganon” during the final battle, in contrast to every other boss.

I get the idea they’re probably going for, but part of what made that moment so impactful was the fact that it was the very final battle in that game.

And as neat as Byrne is, I’m not sure if being likened to Ganon in such a manner really fits him.

Besides that, the English version ends up doing the same thing later for the battle with Malladus, which further weakens this localization choice, in my opinion.

-

As a bit of a bonus, I included Byrne’s optional bit of text that occurs if Link plays the flute during the battle.

I actually just wanted to show that it’s the same between the Japanese and US English versions, since this is another one of the few examples where the EU English version is the less accurate one.

The EU English version adds a whole extra line from Byrne here that is not present in the original.

If you’re curious, the line they added in the EU English version is: “You gave the sacred instrument to a child, Anjean? Pathetic!”

I don’t really think this line works, for multiple reasons.

We don’t know for certain if Byrne would have already been aware that Anjean gave the flute to Tetra, but if he wasn’t, he’d have no reason to assume Tetra was specifically a child back then.

If he’s supposed to be referring to Link rather than Tetra, it seems strange from a writing perspective to have Byrne assume something that isn’t actually true, with no pay-off to it.

Also, Byrne normally never refers to Anjean as “Anjean”, he always calls her “Master”.

I know I don’t usually bring up the EU English version in these comparisons, but I thought I’d better mention this one, since people might assume the added line was in the original, when it actually wasn’t.

-

In the Japanese version, Byrne says “I’ve dedicated all of my life to training…“, which the English version adapts as “I’ve trained for longer than you can even imagine.“

This is a localization choice I really like.

Byrne having trained all his life is impressive, but at this point the audience hasn’t been told just how old Byrne is already.

We know Anjean is very old, but so is Niko, therefore the audience can’t be certain about how long a Lokomo’s lifespan is yet at this point in the story.

By changing it to “longer than you can even imagine“ the English version makes it clearer that it was an incredibly long time from a human’s perspective, and I think this is a moment where being more clear in this manner benefits it, rather than detracting from it.

-

Last are two small details.

I like how in the Japanese version, Zelda says Byrne is “trapped in malice”, almost overly dramatic, and then calls him a “coward” when he flees.

It shows a bit of a somewhat childish, but innocent sense of “honor” that she has, which fits the mood of the scene.

The English version sort of hits these notes too, in slightly different ways.

-

The localization in these cutscenes is among the more accurate ones, though this might be due to how short they are.

With the small differences that are there, I do prefer the Japanese version a bit, since I think the English version loses out on some fun details again.

But regardless, I enjoyed these quite a bit, and the English version still got their core across well.

Not much else I can say here, so that’s the end of this part.

Feel free to check out the next one!

--

< Previous Part | Start | Next Part >

--

[what-you-dont-surrender]

K.E. 2x06 Analysis

The sex scene! I called it! Not going to go too much into this, it was basically what I said to a T so you can read that here. 

I also said the following in a gifset about V watching through the window: 

Okay but, look at her. She’s not crying, she’s observing, she’s calculating. That’s the face she makes when she’s observing and adapting. That slight raise of her head on the last gif, she’s decided her next step. Does it sting? Yeah, probably. And that’s part of her hashing out her feelings for Eve, but she’s also planning. That, to me, is far more important. She did tell him to try it with his wife, it was for a reason. 

The reoccurring theme of "you're not alone" here is perfect. This episode really strives towards letting Eve know that she has Villanelle, they're similar, and only they both understand what the other feels and thinks.

Ew V, brushing your teeth with Eve's toothbrush doesn't count as a kiss, come on. 

V is going out of her comfort zone for Eve! Look at her NOT killing someone, so endearing. And she really does struggle with it. 

V’s apartment:

"Who do you want?" Such a great question to start this episode off on because if there is something V establishes in this episode is who she is. 

She shows Eve all of these people she's been and she can be at will: change her accent, her language, her posture, her demeanor, her life story. But none of them are her and she is all of them. And part of this episode will be about just that, getting Eve to see and understand that V is not one dimensional, she is not just one thing at a time, she is complex and layered; both vulnerable and deadly all at once. 

And then there's the name: Billie - Bill. So is V doing this as her form of an apology or is it a jab? Maybe it's both. 

Eve calls Hugo Kenny, doesn't care for the mistake, is definitely detached from pretty much everyone. 

The Moscow Rules! Apply! To! Their! Dynamic! Too! I love the writing-between-the-lines going on in this episode. 

Villanelle recognizes that Carolyn is also on the spectrum. She can sense Carolyn's detachment from others, her demeanor, and (thought she doesn't know) Carolyn's inability to form lasting relationships. Even claiming she's careful about how much she loves her own son. I wonder if seeing someone like her in a different career, playing a different role, intrigues V. The possibility of a different future perhaps?

Eve are you jealous? You're no longer the "real boss", you're no longer the only one who V knows is like her. Interesting. 

The “us” scene:

Eve chose Niko BECAUSE he is normal; he works as a grounding mechanism. 

She knew when she entered their marriage that he'd never be up to snuff but stayed because she felt the pull of that darker side of her psyche. Eve is now becoming more accepting of it though, she even enjoys it. Hence why she didn't deny V's "us" comment. She's beginning to accept that part of herself. Villanelle, on the other hand, is becoming more insistent and more blunt because she sees Eve's underlying desire to break out of her shell. (Not alone, part 2)

SESSION TIME!

So many layers to this, lets dig in. 

Villanelle using Eve as her background story to spite her is gold, because yes, she uses it to provoke Eve but also because it places Eve as the patient. The counselor's reaction was super telling, expressing that Eve has constantly placed herself as a victim to those who will not comply to her whim. She is far too "up her own arse" per se, to see why Niko wants to leave her. She's focused on getting her way despite of, or even at the cost of, others, choosing to instead play the "blame game". Even better, Eve is forced to hear this herself. She hears a counselor and a group of people who have experienced mental health issues express that she's too focused on her self-pity. And while this angers her it also functions as a catalyst, forcing eve to see more and more how much she has been spiraling and that she is, indeed, part of that "us". 

And what does Eve do when confronted with this? She lashes out. If you ask me, her anger is a bit exaggerated, which tells me she's aware that V is right about her but hates having to face the reality. "...this is over...the first rule is honesty..." These lines feel like they're not about the case at all, but have an underlying meaning for Eve. And it shows given V's reaction: "You asked me to come work for you"/ "How can I be honest...?" She’s just as confused, Eve isn’t making much sense. Until things fall in line: "aren't YOU?" which Eve doesn't answer because, yes she IS, she has been playing a different person her entire life. And then Eve does it, she questions V's abilities and we see the tiniest flinch. I love V's lines here because we see her draw a line in the sand. V has lived her entire life authentically as who she truly is. She embraced her mentality and her darkness from a very early age and was not afraid to relinquish all possibility of a normal life as long as she could be true to who she was. And yet here is Eve, someone who has worked to oppress her own nature, questioning her capacity and her ability to perform something that's such a bit part of her identity. And so V places her boundaries: do not underestimate her, do not forget who she is and what she can do. And that last line. It's a jab of sorts. Eve refuses to accept her own nature, so if she wants to be normal then the only thing left interesting in her life is Villanelle. "We'll try again in the morning," Eve won't shut the door to the possibility of a different life, but she needs time. 

I don’t think Eve misses Niko, sociopathic individuals just don’t fare well with major life changes. He grounds her, she knows that, so she’s scared of what she’ll become now.

Session 2! My! Favorite!

So, once you guys get to read my full meta you'll see the breakdown of how I arrived here but for now just know I've diagnosed Villanelle with antisocial personality disorder. She's also an overt narcissist. With this in mind, let's dive in. 

V admits to an inability to be truthful but most importantly, she doesn't understand the concept of it. The why, the how. Reality, and thus truth, is so boring for her so why would she choose to delve into it more than she already has to? This is also probably why she enjoys her work, she gets to suspend her reality enough and focus on a task, serving as a distraction. She probably doesn't even enjoy her work per se, but finds it’s the only way she can allow herself to be who and how she is, as society has no place for her. 

She finds her life both boring and herself incapable of feeling anything. This lack of emotional response to any form of stimuli is a staple for people who're in the APD spectrum. It has been speculated that some people with APD aren't incapable of feeling but simply feel far too fleetingly and their emotions manifest themselves in very low levels for them to a. sense them or b. recognize them. Villanelle has self-awareness and that's a significant feat in itself. She shows a form of frustration or annoyance/displeasure at her reality. She knows there are things others feel, others experience, that she lacks and this state of not-knowing is something she can’t embrace. So she seeks anything that may arise a semblance of an emotion, however small. Her work, staring at her dying victims eyes, Eve; they're all things she chases seeking a sense of normalcy. 

I want to touch on a few details: while we must remember that V is calculative and thus this entire speech is done with the knowledge of Eve listening in so yes, ulterior motive, it is also based on V's truth. While the tears may be questionable and perhaps mostly there as a form of maintaining her appearance as a normal individual while she's undercover there are a few facial expressions that are classic V. Slight facial twitches here and there and then, what caught my attention the most, her searching eyes. "I wake up and I think 'Again? Really?'" Here her eyes search, moving from side to side, as one does when engaged in conversation. This isn't practiced or rehearsed, to me, this is a glimpse into V's mind, into thoughts she's had about her person. "I have to do this again?" And the steel eyes come in, a sense of frustration, of exhaustion, of mind-numbing boredom, takes over her features. 

Now lets take a look at Eve, she's so in-tuned with what V's saying. For one, it seems she didn't expect V to be candid after their last encounter but most importantly, she seems to recognize the sentiment. She is engrossed listening to all the things V expresses she does hoping to feel something, there is a sense of recognition, of familiarity. And this may very well be why V decided to voice such thoughts, stirring that feeling in Eve. A sort of "see? I feel this and I know you feel it too. Isn't it so dull? Isn't it exhausting?" This move is purposeful but it doesn't necessarily mean it isn't honest. (Not alone, part 3)

And then V kills the bodyguard! 

Because what does V do after she opens up every time? She deflects, she jokes, she redirects the attention to any other facet of her person BUT the tiny crack of humanity she just exhibited. Sure, on one hand it’s her way of dealing with this obstacle, in another its a way of showing Eve that she handles things her own way, and it also tells Eve "I am both. I am that person who just opened up and I am this. Accept me as I am, or not at all." We see how detached she is during the kill, how indifferent, showing how no matter what she does she can’t shake the feeling of nothingness. But let’s take a look at Eve too: there's the initial shock of surprise, the heavy breathing, and then she holds V's stare and she begins to calm. V is observing here, perhaps trying to read Eve, was this too soon? How will she take it? And then when she sees Eve cool and collected, head raised high, determined and daring, she smirks and then returns the gaze. "What if I don't really know how I feel?" Man, the soundtrack nails it. 

Lol Carolyn don't care Eve! She knew V would go rouge sometimes.

The Gemma scene! Pretty obvious its Eve being territorial and her pride being wounded but the most important part of it for me was: "Are you scared?" 

My dear Eve, are you mimicking behavior here? It's a lovely sight. It’s like when a lion cub is learning how to hunt, a bit messy but the intention is there. 

Peel's home 

"If it bored you, you must've studied it, so you can at least detail the argument for it." Interesting choice of words here from Peel, bringing back that idea of boredom. 

We can see V struggling to NOT kill someone and it's so captivating. 

Also, Amber SO loved that smack lol

And here we see Eve as her handler! 

Isn't it lovely? Look at Konstantin directing Eve, telling her to give her space, let her cool off. 

Teaching her how to manage V. 

And then we see the chase scene with the girls. Honestly, I haven't made up my mind about this scene because it feels like it's sort of a transitional scene with the next episode so it's up in the air. V obviously scares them to later show up and get them to lower their guard, allowing them to enter a state of comfort. She has a tendency to do that, manipulate a situation to lull the other person into a sense of safety only to strike or get her way. My guess is she's either going to kill those girls or sleep with them as a way to distract her from the failed mission she just walked out of. 

The previews! I'm gonna hold off on those for a bit. For now, I hope you enjoyed this until I finish the episode-by-episode analysis.

[silverwhisp-headcannons-blog]

(I’m sorry If mentions of parental abuse upset you, you don’t need to do this by any stretch if you don’t want to) If you don’t mind, could you write Ruby, Yang and Pyrrha reacting to their s/o dropping a glass and freaking out because their parents were terrible and would have punished them really harshly for that?

I have no issues writing about is as long as its from a third party and not a character since I don’t think any of them, Salem included, would abuse anyone if they loved them.TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF ABUSE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY

Ruby Rose:*When she heard the glass shatter she was worried for you and came running in shouting at you asking if you were okay. What she did not expect was for you to begin shaking when she did so. She then spoke softly to ask instead. She made sure to approach you slowly before she asked if she could hold you.*It takes some doing but eventually you tell her everything. How your parents beat and yelled at you over anything either it be literally nothing or even the smallest of mistakes. How they even broke bones as they did so and showed no remorse until you managed to get away to Beacon. She ends up crying for you hearing what they did to you and hugged you tightly apologizing over and over again.*She actually has to call her dad and talk to Blake on how to help you since she’s unsure. Her dad was a huge help in the more physical side, though he did have to step away when she explained to him what was wrong to punch a tree until it was splinters due to how mad he got. He likes you allot. Blake on the other hand offered the more emotional support. Ruby follows what they say as best she can and is careful not to trigger you. She also promises you’ll never be hurt again as long as she lives. She knows it won’t be easy and she will mess up sometimes but the love and support she offers is as pure as she is.

Yang Xaio Long:*When she heard the glass break she called out but you didn’t reply she got up and ran to the kitchen fearing the worst. She busted in and you turned sharply seeing her wide eyed. You began shaking and looking down with tears spilling out fearing the worst. She runs up and asks whats wrong only to be met by you mumbling. She has you sit and waits for you to calm down before asking whats wrong.*After a bit you tell her everything. From the beatings you got for so much as looking at your father or mother funny. The constant yelling and degrading of your person and everything in between. She was shocked before feeling her rage build. She actually had to step out for a moment and go to JNPR’s dorm to punch Pyrrha’s shield to calm down. She came back and knew exactly how to help you emotionally and physically.*This explained allot to her. How you shivered sometimes when you saw her angry or when you almost touched her hair despite the fact she said you could. How you were so timid around adults even her dad despite the fact he was pretty chill with you. She does everything i her power to make you feel safe and calm and said if your ‘parent’s’ so much as looked in your direction wrong she beat them. She didn’t let you argue saying people like that deserve no less. Yang has a good way about her to make everyone happy and she applies to all to you.

Pyrrha Nikos:*She heard the glass break and walked to you and asked if you were alright. As she approached she saw you’re shaking form and knew something was off. Pyrrha’s soothing voice is what pulls you out of the attack as she speaks to you softly. Once she thought you were safe she had you sit down as she cleaned the mess before coming back and holding you close. She asked gently what was wrong.*You told her everything. The beatings, the yelling, the scars they gave you mentally and physically. She was horrified at what you were telling her and ended up crying. Not for herself but for you and what you have had to endure. She holds you tight and apologizes over and over again. She makes several promises one being if you want, you can come home with her on Holidays.*She does seek help from the school therapist who tells her the best course of action. Part of it being you going to therapy with her if it makes you feel safer. She does everything by the book and is sure to be gentle with you when you feel overwhelmed like with the glass. She doesn’t baby you knowing you may need to be pushed sometimes, but she is sure you are never miserable again. You’ve suffered enough and she will make sure you never suffer again.

[ask-beacons-finest]

A Grimm Forever (Intermission)

“Truly a lovely home,” Penny smiles as she steps up towards the door of a small and modest home on the far outskirts of Vale, “But why the seclusion? And you’re incredibly far from the school, it must be a hassle to commute every-”

Penny stopped mid-sentence as she notices the solemn look on Ren’s face as he stands frozen with his hand outstretched toward the handle of the door. She felt her chest tighten as Ren turned, his mouth open to respond but painfully remains silent. The moment was heavy, a severe change of atmosphere from the Vytal tournament’s excitable cheers and celebrations. Penny could only drop her stare to the ground; while she wasn’t aware of the reason, and wasn’t entirely sure if she wanted to be, it seemed to pain her colleague greatly.

“Please,” Ren’s voice caught her by surprise, dragging her back to reality as he pushes open the door to his home and ushers her inside, “Come in.”

Ren’s voice itself was shaky, it seemed as though he was uncertain allowing anyone to cross the threshold of his home. His eyes intently followed Penny as she nodded her head in thanks and stepped forward into the dimly lit entryway. Penny stopped and admired the spotlessness of the house as Ren quietly shut the door and locked it. It was almost strange, how clean the home was; it was as though hardly one person lived here, let alone two.

“I see you keep it tidy, don’t-”

“Shh,” Penny’s delighted joking tone was cut short by a harsh whisper from Ren, her eyes shifting from a look of cheerful happiness to one of concern as Ren’s attention drifts up to the floor above, his words are almost inaudible, “There are...things I should tell you, about Nora.” “Friend Lie Ren,” Penny attempts to reassure him about her understanding, but he raises a hand to silence her. “Nora is,” Ren’s face appears to be crushed as he bites his tongue, his eyes full of a deep sadness that Penny has learned taints nearly all of the old Beacon students, “Nora is broken. There may be more than just a chance she won’t recognize you.”

Ren looks up to Penny’s saddened face, and traces her long red hair before speaking again, “In fact...there may be a chance she’ll recognize someone else.” “Ren,” Penny speaks up, pulling her friend from a small trance before it captures him completely, “I have spent far too long away from my friends. Ten years I have spent in Atlas. Many of those years were spent being rebuilt. I jumped at the opportunity to come to the Vytal tournament because I knew there was no other way for me to see those that once accepted and befriended me with no hesitation.”

Penny accepted Ren’s silence as a cue to continue. She placed a kind hand on his shoulder.

“I have seen Ruby Rose. I have seen Yang Xiao Long. I have seen both Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna. I have seen Jaune Arc. I have seen the memorial to Pyrrha Nikos. And I have seen you. I have seen you all, or, what’s left of you all. I have seen the pain in your hearts, I have seen some of you cover it with smiles, some with love, some with humor. Some don’t bother covering it at all. Some aren’t here to prove how they handled their sadness. I would like to say that my visit will not be complete until I’ve seen each one of the friends I had made so long ago.”

Ren remained silent, though gave a quick nod. His eyes met Penny’s and for the first time she saw how truly scarred he was, and she wondered how many sleepless nights he must have suffered over the past decade to appear so. It was only at this moment that Penny realized that they weren’t the only ones in this home and that the faint presence of aura could be felt from the floor above. It was weak and feeble, almost as if it were a small child. Penny’s mind immediately rid itself of the thought that Ren was a father, as it was rare in Remnant for Huntsmen of his caliber to have children before the age of thirty, not to mention the fact that Ren was not the type of man who would spend as long away from his child as the Vytal tournament would require. The only reasonable option was that the aura belonged to Nora, but it was impossible, Penny’s memories of Nora were crystal clear and she recalled how rambunctious and explosive Nora used to be. Was this what Ren implied by saying she was broken? 

“Are you coming,” Ren’s question halted Penny’s train of thought, she looked over to see him up a few steps of the staircase looking back towards her, “Please, be gentle though, the fourth step creaks and I’d like to be as quiet as possible.”

Penny nods her understanding and follows Ren up the stairway, carefully applying her feet to each step with robotic precision, skipping the creaking fourth step altogether. In moments they both stood at the top of the stairway looking down a small hall with three doors along the walls. Penny looks around and notes that this part of the house is just as clean as the downstairs, nearly spotless. It seems however that there’s a slight sign of living surprisingly, as the floor from one door to another seems to be slightly worn due to constant traffic, Penny makes the assumption that it’s due to one being the bedroom and the other being the bathroom.

“You wouldn’t be the first to make that assumption,” Ren whispers sadly, his eyes staring down the hall with such a drained expression it brings a tinge of pain to Penny’s mechanical heart, “The room on the left is the master bedroom, while the one on the right is my own. Over the years I have given up mending the floor in that spot, I tend to Nora so often that I spend more time running to her side than I do getting rest.” “You,” Penny strained to keep her voice as softspoken as Ren’s, “You do not sleep at her side?” “No,” Ren’s face stiffens, his lips sinking into a frown, “She’s not yet healed enough for that. Not to mention that due to her night terrors, especially during the early years, there’s a constant threat of suffering injuries should you be too close as she sleeps.” “Ren,” Penny turns to her friend, he responds with silence, refusing to look at her, “There must be something I can do.” “No,” Ren turns, his voice raising in volume only slightly, his eyes determined and stern, “The only one who can heal her is me, and I will do so even if it kills me.”

Ren begins to step forward before Penny could protest, so she simply follows him towards the door she now knows belongs to Nora Valkyrie. Whether it was the deafening silence of the house and the world around it, or Penny’s hypersensitive hearing she didn’t know, but she could hear the soft and rhythmic breathing of a sleeping person on the other side of the door as Ren slowly turns the handle.

“Please,” Ren whispers, “Allow me to prepare her for company, it’s...been quite some time since she’s been visited.”

Penny nods as Ren slips into the room and gently shuts the door behind him. His footsteps quietly move further from the door until they stop, presumably at the bedside. The ongoing silence afterward seemed to stretch on forever, and Penny could only assume Ren was struggling to bring himself to wake Nora.

“Nora,” His voice was soft and kind as usual, but there was something within it that separated it from how he spoke to his colleagues and students, there was a deep love in this voice, a love that Penny has never before heard, “Nora, you have a visitor.” “Ren,” a woman’s voice broke the silence, it was shaky, but not from lingering sleep, rather it’s unsteadiness was from fragility, “Is that you?” “Yes dear,” Ren’s voice softly caressed Penny’s ears, it’s gentle tone relaxing her even as she stood outside the door, “I came to check on you, are you doing well?” “Mmhm,” Nora’s agreement was almost missed even by Penny’s hearing, “You said there’s someone here?” “Yes,” Penny could hear the side of the bed compress as Ren sits down, “She’s right outside the door. I’m going to let her come in in just a moment, I’ll call her in and she’ll open the door and walk in.” “Ahh.”

Penny’s mind flickered with confused thoughts. Just how bad was Nora’s condition? Why did Ren have to explicitly tell her how Penny’s visit would occur? Why, again, was Nora’s aura so...pathetic?

“Come in,” Ren’s voice called out, a little louder this time as he was still under the impression Penny’s hearing was more so human.

Penny reached for the door handle and froze as she gripped hold. Her mind frantically searching for what she would say. What she would do. Maybe Nora wouldn’t recognize her at all? Despite what Ren said earlier. Maybe Nora would want her to leave before she could even say anything. Penny shook her head, all these maybe’s had no place here at the moment, she nodded to herself to boost her confidence and turned the handle. Once fully prepared she pushes her way through the door, walking past the threshold of the room.

Penny’s heart sunk almost instantly and her confidence was shattered as she looked at the bed. Within it was a woman that closely resembled the Nora Valkyrie that Penny met and befriended ten years ago. The only problem was that this woman resembled her too much, yet not in a proper sense. What Penny saw before her was as if Nora Valkyrie aged and grew, yet never enough to fit in with herself. Her body was obviously taller, despite her being bedridden, however, it appeared that she gained no more muscle or weight of any kind. In fact, the more Penny stared the more apparent it became that this woman most certainly weighed even less now than she did ten years ago. Her hair, which was once a blazing orange is now dull and lifeless, and it did little to distract from her sunken in eyes and ghastly face. If it wasn’t for the fact she could distinctly see the weak aura flickering within Nora, Penny would have presumed she was looking upon a recently made corpse.

“N-Nora Valkyrie,” Penny stumbled over her words as she struggled to keep a smile on her face, “Salutations.” Nora’s tired eyes lit up after a small pause, she struggled to sit up in bed even with Ren assisting her, “Penny...Penny Polendina? You’re alive?” “Yes,” Penny looks down to the floor, now noticing small splatters of deep stains on the wooden floors, the sight of it did even more to cement her sadness in the situation, “I was thankfully able to be recovered and rebuilt fully...though, I know not everyone has had that luxury.” “Ahh,” Nora’s face returns to its previous state, “Yes, I must be a sorry sight. Though thankfully you have caught me at one of my better times.”

Nora turns her attention to Ren, and a small smile trembles onto her face as she lifts a shaky hand to his cheek, “It’s all thanks to Ren that I’m still here, he’s given up so much for me-” “No,” Ren grips hold of Nora’s hand, his own just as shaky as hers, “I have given up nothing. I’ve told you that I shall stay by your side forever, years ago, I will not break that promise now.”

Penny’s certain at this moment that were she human her heart would snap. Despite the years and years of hardships that the both of them went through, their hearts, regardless of how fragile they may be, have remained connected and loving. Penny sees now the source of Ren’s pain, it is not the hatred for another like Ruby’s, it is not the loss and stress that plagues Weiss, it is not the pain of holding secrets from those you love that gives Blake her restless nights; rather Ren’s pain is very much similar to Yang’s, it is the pain you feel when one you love so much hurts so very badly that even you suffer. Even you feel it. Penny looks down at her hands and realizes that she too suffers this pain, she tries her best to stop the trembling fingers but they don’t listen and continue on.

“Penny,” Nora’s voice dragged Penny back into reality for the second time in such a short period, “Tell me something, why did you want to visit a broken woman?” “You’re my friend,” Penny’s words blurted out before she could even properly think, “I needed to see you before I’m made to go back to Atlas.” “You’re so kind,” Nora gives off a weak smile, “I suppose that’s just a common trait for redheads.”

Penny’s face loosens into a smile as Nora gives off a shaky chuckle, but quickly returns to one of concern as the frail woman jumps into a coughing fit. Penny noticed now that Nora’s clothes were extremely baggy, but due to the quick jerks of each cough the shirt would cling to her ribs and chest. It was a sorry sight truly, Penny ran through her memories and saw images of Nora always being fit and well-endowed, she was the center of attention for several people’s attraction. Even Penny was lost for words the first time she laid eyes upon the “Electric Queen” of Beacon Academy. Now it was obvious those days were far behind her, the ribs poking through her skin made clear signs through her clothing, and her stomach caved inwards in a way that made Penny uncomfortable. The contrast between then and now was almost enough to make Penny want to wipe the past interactions with Nora from her memory.

“Ah,” Nora speaks through several deep breaths as she recovers from her fit, “I forgot to ask, what was it that brought you here?” “She’s aiding Beacon teachers,” Ren spits out before Penny could even open her mouth, his eyes glaring at the long red-haired woman with a pleading look, “We’ve been a bit slammed due to all the incoming freshmen this year, General Schnee offered Penny’s assistance.” “Oooh,” Nora smiled over to Penny, though a tinge of sadness filled her eyes, “Yes, I suppose if I were there, doing my duties to the school it would be a bit easier on Weiss.” “Please Nora,” Ren gently rubbed his hand along her back, Penny tilts her head in intrigue as she notices Nora’s aura flash slightly, “You need to stay here and recover. I will support you as long as I can.” “Yes,” Penny jumps in, “We can’t have you teaching the next generation of Hunters if you aren’t at your best. Take your time, my friend, I enjoy teaching at Beacon anyways. It’s such a change of pace from the heavy military presence at Atlas.” “Of course, of course,” Nora smiles and slowly places a kiss on Ren’s cheek, “Ren? Could you get some tea?” “Anything,” Ren slowly stood up, “Anything for you.”

“I hate to say so,” Penny places her now empty cup of tea back onto its plate, looking up from her seat in a lonely chair at the foot of the bed, “But I fear Ren and I must return to our duties at the school.” “Ah,” Nora exclaims, giving a nod, “Of course, of course! I had enjoyed the conversation so much I had completely forgotten.” “I’ll be back as soon as today’s tasks are finished,” Ren promises as he collects Nora’s hardly touched cup of tea, “And to you Penny, perhaps we’ll have to do this again one day.” “Oh I doubt my stories of Atlas were that interesting,” Penny gives off a flattered smile, “I feel I’ve even spoken too much, I apologize.” “No no no,” Nora smiled and watched after Ren as he collects Penny’s cup and leaves the room, “You are the first company I’ve had in months. With the last being Weiss. I truly appreciate your visit Penny, it means the world to see people care about me.” “O-...Of course,” Penny was almost taken aback, of course she cares about Nora. She had since the moment she met her. “Penny, could you do me a favor and open the window? I’d like some fresh air, if you don’t mind.”

Penny nods and stands from her seat, stepping over to a  a shut window that was illuminating the room with early afternoon sunlight. She had to unlock not one, but two locks holding it shut in order to open it up. She wondered why so much security has been added to the home as the locks seem fitted onto the window with careful craftsmanship, the only tell is that the material is much different and modern than the window itself. Penny turns back to Nora after the window has been fully opened, but Nora’s attention was cemented on the world outside.

“It’s time for us to go Penny,” Ren speaks up from the door. “Of course,” Penny turns to the distracted Nora and offers a goodbye, but it falls on deaf ears.

Penny steps out of the room along with Ren, and in silence they walk down the stairs to exit the home. It wasn’t until they were at the end of the property that Penny speaks up with a question that ate at her since the start of the visit.

“Has she seen any,” A pause comes as Ren turns to face her, his expression almost frightening with its seriousness, regardless she continues, “Any professional doctors? It must be an exhausting effort to care for her all on your own.” “No,” Ren turns back away from his colleague and they continue walking, “I will heal Nora myself, even if it kills me. I told you this.” “Yes but,” Penny stopped as Ren raised a hand to silence her. “There is no argument,” Ren spoke, his voice grave with heartbreak, “Nora will one day have the same smile she once did, and I will make sure that comes true even if I won’t be there to see it.”

A smile spread on Nora’s face as a light flutter of wings comes to her window sil, she slowly sits up in bed and gives out a small cough. The beautiful and pitch black bird sits calmly upon the window, not bothered by the harsh sound coming from within the home.

“Hello little birdy,” Nora’s voice was uncommonly smooth, “Come to tell more stories?” “No,” a rush of air hits Nora’s face as boots drop to the floor of the room, a woman’s voice continues, “I’m here to learn about that Atlas girl.”

[newstechreviews]

Though it’s tempting to view the courtroom sketch as a quaint relic of legal decorum, the physicality of drawing is urgent in a way that camerawork can’t always match. If you’re so inclined, you can Google a color-crayon courtroom drawing from October 29, 1969 showing Bobby Seale—cofounder of the Black Panthers and one of eight men put on trial that year for staging anti-war demonstrations at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago—gagged and bound to a chair. Earlier, in a fit of justified anger, he’d verbally interrupted the proceedings; the judge responded by ordering court officers to remove him from the court and restrain him. The drawing, by Howard Brodie and preserved in the Library of Congress, shows Seale holding his strong posture to the degree it’s physically possible, as he strains to write something on a legal pad; a Stravinsky-like stanza of strokes, slashes and loops, the sketch is an urgent, evocative work of reportage. That this could happen in an American court of law was and still is unthinkable, yet not unbelievable. Brodie’s drawing challenges a nation to face its own shame. To look at it more than 50 years later is to recognize how slow we’ve been in taking that shame to heart.

Brodie’s drawing comes to life, with all its somber weight, in a key scene in writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, a movie as simultaneously entertaining and galvanizing as anything you’ll see this year. (It opens in select theaters on September 25 and will be available on Netflix beginning October 16.) Sorkin has detailed for us the half-circuslike, half-solemn drama of this intense pocket of American history, during which eight anti-war activists were tried for conspiring to incite violence at the convention. The Trial of the Chicago 7 is Sorkin at his Sorkinniest, in the good way, a work attuned to civic responsibility and small-d democratic ideals. It’s as lively as other Sorkin-scripted pictures like Moneyball (2011) and Charlie Wilson’s War (2007), and as astute as The Social Network (2010) was: we couldn’t have known at the time, though maybe we should have, that this story about the rise of opportunistic iconoclast Mark Zuckerberg was really a warning from the future.

Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX © 2020—© 2020 Netflix, Inc.Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Fred Hampton, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Bobby Seale, Mark Rylance as William Kuntsler.

And although The Trial of the Chicago 7 is only the second picture Sorkin has directed—the first was Molly’s Game, from 2017—in its construction, pacing and casting, it’s the work of an old soul. Sorkin takes a rather dense, complicated court case—one peopled with figures who clung to stubborn differences even in the context of their shared ideals—and keeps it aloft every minute, as if he were following the aerodynamic principles of hang-gliding rather than moviemaking. Best of all, he brings out the best each actor in this enormous ensemble cast has to offer; every character is rendered with jewelers-loupe clarity.

Read More: ‘The Violence Was Inevitable.’ How 7 Key Players Remember the Chaos of 1968’s Democratic National Convention Protests

You need that gift of specificity to tell this story properly. These eight men were anything but a homogenous group, though that didn’t stop the nation’s conservative forces at the time from lumping them into one: Tom Hayden (here played by Eddie Redmayne) and Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp) were clean-cut, crew-neck-sweater-wearing members of the Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS, a left-wing group active since 1960. Staid dad and Boy Scout troop leader Dave Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch) was a longtime pacifist and a member of MOBE, the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), members of the Youth International Party, or Yippies, were the Abbott-and-Costello wild card, a virtual comedy team steeped in marijuana vapors and leftist ideals. John Froines and Lee Weiner (played by Danny Flaherty and Noah Robbins) were two less-notable figures who were nonetheless happy to stand up for their ideals with the rest of the group. (One of them likens the trial to the Academy Awards. “It’s an honor just to be nominated.”) The eighth defendant, Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), of the Panthers, had never even met the others: he had arrived in Chicago to give a speech and departed within just a few hours. Even so, he was tossed in handily with this group, because the authorities believed the inclusion of a Black Panther in the proceedings would prove to the American people just how menacing this assemblage of citizens who had sought to exercise their right to protest truly was.

NICO TAVERNISE/NETFLIX © 2020—© 2020 Netflix, Inc.Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Ben Shenkman, Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne and Alex Sharp.

There’s a lot of talking in The Trial of the Chicago 7; it’s a courtroom drama, after all. But as fixated on words as Sorkin is, he knows they’re only part of the language of movies. The federal government’s prosecuting attorneys, Thomas Foran (J.C. MacKenzie) and Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), show up to court in dark suits so crisp they could stand up by themselves. Meanwhile, one of the two lawyers enlisted to defend the seven, William Kunstler—played with the perfect degree of low-key bull-doggishness by Mark Rylance— shambles in wearing a rumpled tweed suit, a fake-leather glasses case peeking out of the breast pocket. You know just by his rushed, shambling carriage where he’s coming from. (Kunstler did not represent Seale, who had unsuccessfully sought to delay the trial because his own lawyer was undergoing a medical procedure.) And when Judge Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella) sweeps in, the silent rustle of his robes suggest that he thinks he’s jurisprudence royalty. The rest of the movie shows him up as a pompous, vindictive serpent, and sort of a boob to boot. Watching The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a little like reading Dickens: much of the fun lies in picking up on the signals of individual characters.

Even if you already know the basic story of the Chicago Seven—also commonly referred to as the Chicago Eight, to include Seale, although his case was severed from that of the others after a mistrial was declared on his behalf—Sorkin’s movie is so richly layered with detail that you’ll surely find something new. The Chicago DNC protests began peacefully and erupted into stunningly brutal violence, and Sorkin captures its horror here, weaving in some archival footage in the mode of Haskell Wexler’s groundbreaking 1969 fiction-nonfiction blend Medium Cool. The trial, instigated by newly installed Nixon attorney general and flunky John Mitchell, applied as gospel the assumption that the riots couldn’t possibly have been started by police; surely, law enforcement would never instigate a public disturbance. But when Sorkin shows us the young, bespectacled, somewhat fragile Rennie Davis being cracked across the back of the skull with a police baton—and the unfiltered, visceral response of his best friend, Tom Hayden—it strikes like lightning. Even the simmering distrust between certain members of the group—for example, the disdain preppy-proper Hayden shows for goofball-intellectual Abbie Hoffman—is woven firmly into the movie’s fabric. Every detail has meaning in the end.

I can hear what some of you are thinking: This movie is just two-hours-plus of men talking; who wants to watch that? I, too, dread movies about talking men, but the Trial of the Chicago 7 won me over in its first, fleet 10 minutes. In places, it’s unapologetically charming, particularly when it focuses on Hoffman and his sidekick, Jerry Rubin. As the two saunter into the courthouse, dressed in their usual hippie gear of tunics and headbands, Rubin handily catches an egg that one of the many bystanders—some supportive, but many angry—has thrown. It’s a neat trick, and Hoffman expresses his awe, before asking, “But now what do you do with it?” The small shadow of sadness that crosses Rubin’s face—what do you do with it?— is as perfect as the smooth surface of his rescued egg. Later, the two will show up in court draped in judge’s robes. When Judge Hoffman angrily demands that they remove their phoney-baloney costumes, they comply, revealing the Chicago police uniforms they’re wearing underneath.

Niko Tavernise/NETFLIX © 2020—© 2020 Netflix, Inc.Sacha Baron Cohen and Jeremy Strong as Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin.

That really happened, because just about everything in The Trial of the Chicago 7 really happened. Including the shackling of Seale. From the moment Seale is led away by officers, Sorkin is careful with this scene. He shows the beating of Seale in flashes of fast cutting; the suggestion is that the officers’ kicks and punches were calibrated so they’d leave no visible marks on Seale’s body. But the moment Seale is led back to his seat, his limbs constrained, his mouth bound by a wide lashing of white tape, the very texture of the air in the courtroom changes. Sorkin somehow conveys this invisible yet shattering atmospheric shift; it’s hard to map exactly how, even beyond the fact that Gordon-Levitt’s prosecutor Schultz—who’s shown from the start to be a semi-sympathetic foe—verbally expresses dismay at the sight of Seale’s condition, and not just because he knows it will damage his case. Sometimes a great scene induces a kind of synesthesia in a viewer; an image you see onscreen summons a metallic taste in your mouth, or some other weird, specifically physical sensation. I felt that way watching Seale being led back to his chair. The Trial of the Chicago 7 reminds us of the chant that arose from the Chicago protestors as the police descended upon them with batons and, some sources have indicated, gloved fists fortified with metal: “The whole world is watching.” At what point do you look away? The Trial of the Chicago 7 details events that happened more than 50 years ago. The time to look away is never.

[ohnohetaliasues]

Haven OC

(Kat)

I reviewed this OC a very long time ago when this blog was newer. I decided, since it's been a while, and my gif folder has filled in a bit, it would be fun to review again.

Link to original review: http://ohnohetaliasues.tumblr.com/post/125717671213/this-oc-is-an-ecanon-interfering-mary-sue-you

Let's go.

Does she remind anyone else of Belarus (and England), or is it just me?

HAVEN

Haven (Human name: Sophie Nyan [ソフィーニャン]), Who declared herself a country even though she possesses no land

Like Ladonia who only exists online? Or Niko Niko? I guess she can be a micronation, but it just says she's a country.

Haven (避難所)

Character Info Name : Haven

Japanese Name: 避難所 (Hinansho)

Human Name: Sophie Nya

Uh.

'Nya' means 'meow' in Japanese. That's not a good choice for her last name.

I'll bet anyone that Sophie is probably the creator's name.

Age: 21

How does this correspond with her history? 

America is only 19 because he's a fairly young nation.

Appearance

She is usually seen in her trademark maid outfit, this consists of a Royal blue Dress, Light blue Blouse (Sometimes she wears an Apron oTie. She also likes to wear Black Gothic dresses when not being formal.

This just reminds me of Belarus. 

Also why black gothic dresses?

Her natural appearance consists of Lightly tanned skin, Long Blonde hair that reaches down around her waist, Green eyes and slightly thick eyebrows.

She has an ahoge much like America’s also.

Please tell me what that represents. Curls or ahoges usually represent something. America's represents Nantucket. Austria's represents Mariazell. The Italian brother's curls probably represent Rome and Venice. These things represent things that are important. This also applies to OCs.

Brief Story

Haven grew up as a normal English child in the middle ages, treated poorly by her father, she decided to move out into the crowded streets of London when she reached 16. 

She would die on her own. The middle ages in England were full of famine and disease. 

She soon decided that she wanted freedom, so that she could do whatever she wanted to do. Plucking up her courage she approached the head of country pleading for her to builld her own nation, Laughed at by many highly rated people, she was very nearly turned down.

Um. I would probably ask if she was on something.

You cannot just build a nation. It costs money. A freaking lot of money, I'd imagine.

If it hadn’t of been England sitting in the sthame room as her at the time, she would never of been allowed to build her own country.

I literally just explained why this is bad. Also, if England's boss didn't agree, why would England? He can't contradict his boss. His boss tells him what to do.

Following this, England decided to take her in under her wing, He taught her the basics of how to become a strong country just like he was and introduced her to many of his colonies at the time. 

Oh, how convenient.

Around the time of the revolutionairy

Revolutionary**

war, Haven insisted to fight by her dear Friends side, Who insisted he would not let a lady help him as it was too dangerous. After losing to America, America found out that he had a blood relation to Haven and claimed that he should be the legal guardian from now on

You said she was 21. America is 19. To be someone’s legal guardian, you have to be older than them

deeming any efforts against him useless. England had to agree to this deal and handed Haven over to America, This broke young Haven’s heart.

Labelling America as her ‘Big Brother’,

BUT AMERICA IS YOUNGER THAN HER????

The two got along well, Apart from when Haven refused to eat America’s hamburgers or when Haven cooked as she had apparently inherited England’s bad cooking. America raised her well but never let her stay in contact with England as he thought he was a bad influence, she has nothing against her big brother as she loves him dearly.

Haven then went to World Academy W at the same time as other nations were starting to join, this is where she met England for the first time in a long time, She had completely forgotten what he looked like but remebered what they did together whilst England on the other Hand remebered who Haven was clearly. 

Countries don't just forget each other.

England eventually reminded Haven of who he was and the two eventually became inseperable.

This is a picture of Haven and England.

It's spelled inseparable** 

This is going in a downward spiral.

Haven is still seen to this day with England and is often seen either attempting to help clean his house, which England put’s a stop too as she was invited to his house as a friend and not hired to clean, or drinking tea with him and his friends whom Haven can see.

Oh good, she can se magical creatures, too. 

When she’s on her own, she can often be seen planning what her counntry will look like, designing her flag or just lazing around

It takes more than that to be a nation.

Also, her flag apparently looks like this:

I could only find that tiny version, unfortunately.

Relationships

England

Raising her from when she declared herself a country, Haven cherishes England as one of her closest Friends and is often teased by other countries upon how much she loves England. She would do anything for him.

Wow.

Why am I not surprised?

Also, did I mention that the creator ships her OC with England?

...Yeah.

America

Blood brother to Haven and is good friends with her also. Raised her after the Revolutionairy war. Often seen bickering with eachother over oneanother’s cooking

She can’t be his blood sister because she started out as a normal British teenager. There’s no way they could be related.

Canada

Also a blood brother, A close friend to Haven and is quite suprised that she can actually see him.

THE CANADA WHO JOKE IS OLD. CUT IT OUT.

Romano

Although he denies it, he’s one of Haven’s Close friends. He is sometimes seen with Haven and Canada when she decides she wants to go out somewhere (Cinema or shopping)

Of course she's all buddy-buddy with everyone.

Germany

Haven get’s along well with Germany but lost contact with him during the World Wars, After them they met up again and became friends.

France

France approaches Haven like any toher nation, although he tends to flirt with her a lot. Haven doesn’t mind France but can be creeped out by him sometimes

I'm just going to leave this here casually.

If someone told him to stop flirting with them, he would listen. The picture above proves it. I personally think that if someone dated France, that he would treat whoever he was with like a friggin queen, and love her like one too. So leave France alone, and let him run free

Italy

Haven sometimes sits outside with Italy and paints with him as she enjoys painting a lot.

Why is she literally friends with everyone?

Japan

Haven visits Japan regularly, When visiting they often draw or read manga or watch anime whilst eating something cultural.

I'm so tired of all the OCs liking anime and manga that aren't related to Japan. It's getting old.

Sealand

Haven babysits Sealand often when no other countries will take him, Sealand gets along ok with Haven, mainly because they are both micronations. Haven usually gives tips to Sealand to help him be recognised.

#notacountry

Wy

Haven is good friends with Wy and the two can often be seen together joking about something (Usually about how they’re recognised and Sealand isn’t)

If this isn't hypocrisy, I don't know what is.

Seborga

As they are both micronations, they get along well. Haven is not at all phased by Seborga, even when he’s lying upside down on a tree with ketchup on his head.

That only happened once. I don't think that's something Seborga does on a day to day basis.

Ireland

Even though Ireland makes no appearence in the Anime or Manga, Haven has a good relationship with Ireland, mainly because some of her roots go back to Ireland.

Um, okay, but what roots? Please tell me.

Scotland

Even though Scotland makes no appearence in the Anime or Manga, Haven gets along with Scotland mainly for his weird sense of humour

Links (These links lead to videos/pictures that include Haven)

Youtube- [Link Removed]

DeviantART- [Link Removed]

The YouTube videos are basically just MMDs about their fan pairing of Haven and England. Deviant art is more art of this oc.

2P! Haven

That looks like female 2p! America.

Most Hetalia charcters have another side to them, or another colour. Haven is no exception as she also has another side to her. Her human name is Myriam Nyan (ミリアムニャン)

2P!Haven Chibi Appearence (Up ^)

Much like 1P Haven, 2p Haven keeps her long hair but makes it a lot more curly and is toned in a dark red. Her eyes are also a red colour but they’re much brighter in colour. She also wears a pair of pink sunglasses ubove her head for appearence. Her skin is much darker than 1p Haven’s. Clothes wise, she wears a short pale yellow dress with a pink tie. She also wears a black backpack, It’s contents is unknown. She also wears a black belt with a gold circular buckle.

This OC just comes off to me as unoriginal 

Personality

Her personality is very different to Haven’s as it usually is with most 2p Characters. 2p Haven isn’t sunshine and rainbows like 1p Haven, She fight’s to get most of the things she wants. She is much more brutal than 1p Haven. Her only flaw is that she is easily frightened.

One flaw?

ONE?

NO.

SHE NEEDS TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE FLAW.

Her biggest fears are mostly of Insects and being attacked by another person unprepared. In her spare time she can often be seen with 2p England in the kitchen making cakes oor biscuits., 

This person seems to have an unhealthy obsession with England. There are other Hetalia characters, Creator-san.

Her relationships are much the same as 1p Haven

They'd be different. I'm sure of it.

Nyo!Haven

Nyo!Haven Like most countries, there is alsoo a genderbend version of Haven. His name is Ethan Nyan (イーサンニャン)

Like.. Like the meme? Nyan cat?

Appearence

Nyo!Haven looks very differnt to Haven.in many different ways, but keeps some features. —

You know, other than the gender swap.

His hair is a light brown colour whilst his eyes stay the same green colour, just a little bit brighter. He has abnormally large eyebrows which are smaller than England’s. He dresses very smartly as he was brought up mostly by Nyo!England up until he was taken charge over by Nyo!America. He mostly walks around in suits all the time. When he’s not wearing suits he likes to laze around in a white polo shirt and shorts, He picks this trait up from Nyo!America.

You just described England to me.

Please be more original.

Personality

Nyo!Haven is a very shy character, He mainly likes to stay inside as he doesn’t like to go near strangers but he is very loyal to those he knows. There is one contradiction to his personality though, He likes to sing, and when he’s singing he’ll sing in front of anyone. If he’s not inside though, He’ll go outside for a walk.

Yeah, and that contradiction is not a thing that should happen.

Shippings

Oh goodie.

Most used pairing. Haven is known as affectionate towards England and England to Haven. But the two seem very well together. The pairing was well known throughout certain websites.

No, not really. I googled Haven x England and all I found was things from the OC creator's youtube channel and Deviantart. 

Haven/Germany

Germany does like Haven, Haven doesn’t know that though and just continues to be friends with him

...Germany was mentioned once, why is she pared with him?

Haven/Japan

Japan has some feelings towards Haven as they spend a lot of time together watching anime, Haven doesn’t mind Japan

That is not a deep relationship.

That's it, apparently. This OC is just as bad as I remember. You guys know how I feel about made up country OCs. They interfere with canon, and usually end up as sues. I'm out for now. 

~Kat

[niikolais]

´   ･   .   ✶   ⧼    bill skarsgard, cis male, he & him   /   the good, the bad & the dirty by panic! at the disco   +   deep red blood gushing from a nose that’s been broken several times over, and knuckles that seem to be permanently raw and stained black and blue. a phone screen that’s cracked beyond reasonable repair and yet, somehow, still works perfectly. putting your hand flat on a tabletop and using a grubby penknife to absently play bishop ( and stress your sister out in the process ). dirt and blood caught beneath your fingernails, and fingertips that are colored yellow from rolling your own cigarettes.    ⧽   ━━   meet NIKOLAI MATHIAS CHRISTENSEN   ;    the TWENTY FIVE year old who has sometimes been referred to as THE ALBATROSS. they originally hailed from THE SOUTHERN ISLES where they lived with their parent, HANS CHRISTENSEN. they’ve always been pretty METICULOUS & SELF-RELIANT, but i’ve heard that they can be pretty PERFIDIOUS & PHLEGMATIC, too. it’s common knowledge that they have the power of ASTRAL PROJECTION, but i don’t know how much good it does them, as an APPRENTICE MECHANIC. you can check out his stat page HERE & his pinterest board HERE.

he has HANDS like the apocalypse ;          you could start a war with hands like that.

your life is a series of lessons that come one after the other. you learn this quickly, and understanding it serves you well.

number one. though defined with care, family means nothing in the end. they say that there are SOME ties which bond, but you are one of few who knows that anything can break.the woman who brought you into this world proves this first and foremost, before you are even consciously aware. she abandons you and your twin sister to the mercy of a dog eat dog world, seemingly without a second thought. you do not say, but you know. if it was so easy for her to leave behind two tiny beings that had once been a part of her, it will be even EASIER for others.

number two. you know that there are no good fathers. you know that anyone who says OTHERWISE is lying - to themselves, perhaps, but especially to you. hans christensen was not made to comfort, and though it is the one thing that children need, you learn not to. when you fall and hurt yourself, you do not run to daddy. when you imagine a monster beneath your bed, you do not share your wild creation, because you know he will not tell you it doesn’t EXIST. you love him, in a sense - in that way that evades definition. when one parent leaves, it is easy feel something for the one who stayed ; but while calling him ‘father’ slips easily from your silver tongue, his parental care ends at providing the roof above your head.

number three. though sometimes both of you wonder if it’s something that you want : you will ALWAYS have kaela, and she will always have you. this is the gift of being born together, and the PRICE of being one soul split into two. for as long as you can remember, it has been the same way. you may look into her eyes and see your own gazing back at you, but whatever you ARE, she is not - and you know that the mind resting behind her vivid hues is where all the similarities finally end. you love her, you do, and you KNOW that she loves you too ; that no matter what you do, no matter who she BECOMES, the care you have for one another is everlasting and absolute. she is your weakness. your one soft spot. your loyalty is not a thing which can be bought - but kaela has it. she has since the womb.

number four. learn that there is nobody with your interests at heart, and if you need something, you must get it for yourself. if you fall victim of wanting, then the same rule applies. remember what you know of the phrase ‘dog eat dog’, that which seems to rule your life from the MOMENT you are born to it. it does not matter if you must lie, steal, cheat your way to a LIFE worth living, and your father goes so far as to support such things. only the weak of mind and of WILL succumb to morals, he will tell you, and you agree.

number five. it’s an age old saying from parent to child, but you take it heart : when someone hits you, you hit them BACK. it’s always been this way, since you were a little boy with an itch beneath his skin ( human / monster / something in between, begging to be freed ) and a temper that made nannies quit after one too many exposures. you are unique in the sense that, while your fathers rage runs hot, yours runs cold. like ice. it brims inside of you until it overflows, and once it does… no one wins. it terrifies people, watching you work. watching you break a nose without flinching, watching you hurt without REGRET. you can TAKE a punch like nobodies business, but you can throw one, too - and god help anyone who doesn’t knock you out the first time.

number six. university is for a certain type of person, and that is not you. it never has been. if an army of private educators couldn’t instill a love of education within you, then it was already destined : you would NOT succeed in the setting walt disney university provided you, but perhaps out of misled desires for pride, you did TRY. professors hated you from the very first moment they lay eyes upon your scarred hands and heard your biting words ; but you can at least admit, to yourself, that you made some sort of EFFORT for a time. quickly it became apparent that it was not for you. when you’re expelled, most people ( yourself included ) believe it to be about time

number seven. machines are easier than people. you know why that is. you can pull a machine apart and understand what makes it tick. nothing that it does is a surprise ; if it doesn’t serve its purpose, it is broken, and if it is, you can fix it. if it’s unfixable, it can be thrown away and replaced easily. humans are complex, and you don’t feel as if you completely understand them. you pick apart their minds in an attempt to, but you come up somewhat EMPTY. you wonder if everyone out there understands everybody else as little as you do, and whether it's normal to feel such a disconnect from them. somehow, you know the answer.

number eight. when they MADE you, they made you wrong. they made you run colder than the average man ; they made you with an insatiable fury, a vicious, nasty RAGE that hollows you out and fills you up, all at the same time. you are good at things you understand no good man is GOOD at, so you embrace the fact that you are not good. not tender. not merciful. the lines between who you are and who you perceive yourself to be blur more and more, day by day ; you know you are feral, and you know that will never change. the only questions which remain are how far are you willing to go? and how long will you SURVIVE to get there?

SYNOPSIS ( and headcanons ) :

nikolai mathias christensen was born june 1st, 1994. he’s a TWIN ( his sister being named mikaela ), and his father is the only parent he has. as far as niko is aware, his mother abandoned them post haste.

surprise surprise : hans was not a good father. for the most part this manifested in palming niko off on nannies, and keeping himself at an emotional distance, which in turn leads to niko becoming… quite stunted, in that department.

hans could be cruel, and he expected the best. niko tried to give it. he also had a temper ( which seems to be hereditary ). he was not physically abusive towards niko, but there were a handful of… accidents. he still has a scar on his forehead from tripping over his fathers leg and cracking his temple against a mahogany table.

kaela was it for niko. the one person he had a real CONNECTION to. the one he loved, even if - especially as they’ve gotten older - that seems to be quite skewed. they can say cruel things to one another, but niko would not ( and probably has not ) hesitate to put anothers head through a window for his sister.

he isn’t ambitious, per se - he simply learned that if he was going to get anything, it would have to be gotten for HIMSELF. he wasn’t taught morals, or really… right and wrong, full stop - and his own emotional detachment means it’s no skin off his nose to lie, cheat, scam, steal, etc, if he HAS to.

he also - if you could not guess - has absolutely ZERO problem with violence. he welcomes it, in fact. he solves most problems with his fists, and is honestly quite scary to watch in action. for the most part? he wins.

got expelled in his third year of a mechanics degree for something terrible, so he’s working as an apprentice in an autoshop now and is enjoying it WAY more. school wasn’t for him, and never was.

he’s an insomniac, and it began with his powers manifesting. niko can astral project, and without much control over it, does so subconsciously when he falls asleep - which in turn means… no actual sleep gang. he doesn’t love it. kinda sucks. would not rate high on yelp.

[gamerzcourt]

Microtransactions, Explained: Here's What You Need To KnowMicrotransactions, Explained: Here's What You Need To Knowvideo games

New Post has been published on http://www.gamerzcourt.com/microtransactions-explained-heres-what-you-need-to-knowmicrotransactions-explained-heres-what-you-need-to-knowvideo-games/

Microtransactions, Explained: Here's What You Need To KnowMicrotransactions, Explained: Here's What You Need To Knowvideo games

The topic of microtransactions dominated the headlines of video game news in the second half of 2017. EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II was a shining example of things going wrong, with a developer pushing too far and ultimately needing to apologise and reverse course. Battlefront II reignited the conversation around microtransactions, including loot boxes and other systems. But what are microtransactions, how do they work, and where are they going? To help make sense of the matter, we’ve put together a primer of sorts to help you understand the basic definitions, context, realities of why microtransactions exist, and more.

What Are Microtransactions?

There is no one catch-all definition for microtransactions that perfectly encapsulates and represents the term. But generally speaking, a microtransaction is anything you pay extra for in a video game outside of the initial purchase. For example, Activision’s Call of Duty series offers microtransactions in the form of in-game currency called Call of Duty Points for extra items like weapon camos. Overwatch sells Credits that you can use to purchase cosmetic items. The FIFA franchise sells FIFA Points for Ultimate Team.

The name derives from the fact that, oftentimes, a microtransaction purchase is small in price and function, typically no more than $ 10. Lower-priced microtransactions in the range of 99 cents to $ 10 may make up the bulk of sales, but it’s not the only option. Many games, on console, PC, and mobile, offer “micro” transactions that cost up to $ 100 or in some cases even more.

Microtransactions are extremely commonplace in video games today. In fact, it is often more newsworthy when a game does not have microtransactions. But not every game handles them the same way.

Why So Controversial?

The word “microtransaction” oftentimes conjures up memories of the worst, most player-unfriendly applications of the business practice. Just recently, EA found itself in hot water because Star Wars Battlefront II was set to allow you to purchase loot boxes with real money. These loot boxes can include items and abilities that actually affect gameplay, so some gamers saw this as a move towards a pay-to-win scenario.

The idea is that if you paid enough money, you could eventually acquire weapons and upgrades that would give you an advantage on the playing field. This was obviously met with a huge amount of criticism, and EA decided to pull the plug hours before launch. Microtransactions are coming back to Battlefront II, but it remains to be seen in what form.

Blizzard’s popular hero shooter Overwatch allows players to purchase loot boxes with real money as well. But the big difference is that those loot boxes only contain cosmetic items–that is, items that do not affect gameplay in any manner. Another element at play is the difference between microtransactions in full-priced games versus free-to-play titles. For free-to-play games, the business model is entirely dependent on people spending money on microtransactions, so microtransactions are expected. That’s typically the only way they make money.

Epic’s new Battle Royale game Fortnite: Battle Royale is a free download, but you can spend money on all manner of cosmetic items such as emotes and skins to customise your character. None of these items affect gameplay. Some developers will make the argument that free-to-play, as a business model, is the most democratic because if the developer doesn’t create content that’s compelling enough, people won’t spend money and the game will fail.

Some say it is icky for big-budget, AAA games to ask for more money beyond the initial sale price, which can be $ 60 or more depending on where you live and what you’re after. Developers like Ubisoft and Activision will point out that microtransactions in games like Assassin’s Creed Origins and Call of Duty: WWII are completely optional, and because they do not impact gameplay–or, if they do, are limited to single-player–they don’t affect balance or the general integrity of the game. If you want armour for your horse, buy it. Want a weed camo skin for your gun? You can buy it. Being able to craft a character that is uniquely you is part of the appeal of many games today. The issue for some is that games now offer the ability to buy content that, in the past, might have been included right away. Publishers might counter that the price of games has not gone up, despite inflation and rising development costs.

Legislative Action

In the wake of the controversy around Star Wars Battlefront II, lawmakers and regulatory bodies from around the world are taking a closer look at loot boxes to decide if action should be taken. The principle directive among these people and groups is to determine if loot boxes–which offer up a random reward–constitute a form of gambling. And if they are deemed to be a form of gambling, that could mean they are subject to the same or similar restrictions as casinos and the lottery. The idea is that you would have to be a certain age to buy a game with loot box mechanics.

A state representative from Hawaii has already submitted multiple bills into his local legislature in which he voiced his concerns about loot boxes and proposed that a law be enacted that bans the sale of video games with “gambling-like mechanisms” to people under the age of 21. This could be a landmark piece of legislation. While if it became law it would only apply to games sold in Hawaii, it could set a precedent for other states and countries to follow. Indeed, lawmakers in Indiana and Washington have put forth bills with similar language, while US Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) has called on the ESRB to review its practices and policies surrounding games with loot boxes.

In response to this request, the ESRB just recently announced that it will introduce a new label on some games with microtransaction systems. The overall goal is to inform consumers–and in particular, parents–about which games offer a way to spend additional real-world money from right within the game itself, but whether it will be effective is unclear. The ESRB’s new label, which will read “In-Game Purchases,” will be located near the rating category (E for Everyone, M for Mature, etc.) but will not be housed inside the same box as content descriptors (Sexual Content, Comic Mischief, etc.). The ESRB expects games to begin arriving in stores with the new label in the “near future.” This will coincide with the launch of a new website intended to inform parents about the ESRB’s ratings system, how in-game purchases work, and how to use parental tools to control what and how children play games. The new label will offer no specifics about the type of in-game purchases available so as to avoid overwhelming parents with too much information, the ESRB says.

The Entertainment Software Association, which lobbies on behalf of the video game industry, has a different idea. It would rather see self-regulation by video game groups like the ESRB than the kind of government-mandated changes that the lawmakers are proposing. This reaction is understandable, as a law that would, even in some small way, limit the sale of video games is not something that the ESA would so easily or willingly get behind. It is important to note that while legislation motions are in action, it is in the very early stages, and statistics show that the overwhelming majority of bills never become law on a state and federal level. Still, there is a discussion to be had on the topic, and it is a healthy one. In China, regulators have mandated that games with loot boxes clearly and transparently disclose odds–and games like Overwatch are compliant.

What Analysts Are Saying

Microtransactions are a relatively new addition to the video game business model. Video game analysts, who analyse trends and report back to clients to help them make investment decisions, generally agree that microtransactions are here to stay. Daniel Ahmad, who works for Niko Partners, said as much earlier this month when commenting on Activision Blizzard’s $ 4 billion in microtransaction revenue in 2017. “It further goes to show that add on content such as DLC, Season Passes, Microtransactions, and other post-launch monetisation content is becoming increasingly accepted and desired across console and PC, just like it has been on mobile for some time,” he explained at the time.

Why Do Developers Use Microtransactions?

The first and most obvious reason is that microtransactions have proven to be hugely and consistently lucrative. Almost every major video game publisher now reports microtransaction revenue; Activision Blizzard reported $ 4 billion in revenue from microtransactions in 2017 alone. Ubisoft said in a recent earnings report that digital add-on content is highly attractive because it can be produced quickly and cheaply. Not only that, but any form of digital sale is highly attractive to publishers because the margin ratios–that is, the difference between what the item costs and how much it costs to produce relative to revenue and profit–are excellent. There is no physical box to sell for a microtransaction.

Even with platform holders like Sony and Microsoft taking their usual 30 percent cut, microtransactions make a lot of money for publishers. Almost every major publisher that discloses microtransaction revenue has reported year-over-year increases, so you can expect publishers to continue this effort going forward. Take-Two, whose labels include Rockstar and 2K Games, has said it wants to have some form of “recurrent consumer spending” in every game that it makes. And that would include this year’s highly anticipated western, Red Dead Redemption 2.

Microtransactions are also attractive to publishers because, as video games become more expensive to produce, revenue from microtransactions can help offset the development cost of the main game. The price of a full-priced game went up from $ 50 to $ 60 during the Xbox to Xbox 360 and PS2 to PS3 transition, but no such price hike happened in the next generation. Developers like Ubisoft are now releasing fewer games but supporting those titles for a longer period of time with new content, some of which is paid. As an example, Ubisoft shipped Rainbow Six Siege in 2015, and instead of making a sequel, the developer plans to use the games-as-a-service model to support the game. The developers of Rocket League and PUBG are following a similar trajectory, and you can expect other games and franchises to follow suit in the future.

What’s The Future For Microtransactions?

Every major publisher in video games is already investing in microtransaction systems, and as mentioned, they bring in lots of money and at a high margin. You can therefore expect microtransaction systems to continue to exist and grow in ubiquity. Some publishers are saying the right things, like EA, whose CEO Andrew Wilson is promising that microtransactions need to feel “right” and player-friendly. Ubisoft said the same thing recently when questioned about loot boxes and microtransactions in Rainbow Six Siege. The game’s brand director made the case that Ubisoft’s golden rule about loot boxes is that the items they contain should never impact gameplay in any way whatsoever. What happens in practice at EA, Ubisoft, and other publishers remains to be seen. But what is clear is that microtransactions are here to stay.

GameSpot News

[girirajsblog-blog]

SUCCESS STRATEGIES

How to Succeed in Business Beyond Your Wildest Dreams R.L. ADAMS Entrepreneur, software engineer, author, blogger We live in a chaotic world, where the dichotomy between the haves and the have-nots is increasingly more apparent with each subsequent year. It's a world where people are immersed in a survival-of-the-fittest rat race, requiring them to evade a complex maze of distractions, bad habits and time wasters to reach their goals. Many are ill-equipped mentally, emotionally and physically to get ahead in life, much less to get far ahead. Most people know that succeeding in business could afford them a life of leisure, one replete in the ability to travel to far-off destinations, engage in extravagant purchases and to do anything their hearts desire. But overcoming the instant urges and sudden basal needs that plague much of the world often proves to be too much. What usually happens is the person who dreamed of greener pastures and riches beyond their wildest dreams, becomes so immersed in one problem after another, that it removes any joy whatsoever in building a successful business in the long term. Clearly, while many people yearn to start a business that will ultimately become a huge success, not everyone gets there. So, what separates the so-called winners from the rest? Why will eight out of every 10 businesses fail in the first 18 months of operation? What are the other two out of 10 doing so differently than the rest? And how is that only four out of every 100 businesses are still around after 10 years? What are the factors that lead to the 96 percent failure rate in business over the long term? In a recent conversation with Niko Contardi, co-founder of eliteLYFE, a high-end luxury villa rental company that caters to the world's most affluent jet-setters and an exclusive villa rental partner to some of the most prestigious concierge companies on earth, such as Quintessentially, I asked him how they did it. How can a company, in today's day and age, succeed when so many of the odds are stacked against them? Contardi, who's had a hand in building a near-$100 million dollar business in a few short years, tells me that it's all about delivering real value. "Delivering real value in business is what makes the difference between the so-called winners and losers. Those who try to cut corners and take shortcuts don't actually get ahead in the long term. They might make some short-term traction, but that's about it." That value needs to exist in everything the business does. By paying attention to all the meticulous details that are necessary to ensure that you deliver an impeccable product or service every single time, you can succeed. You might lose money at the outset, but as long as you continue to deliver enormous amounts of value, that's how true business success is achieved over time. In fact, the world's richest and most successful individuals have always focused on the need to deliver enormous amounts of value. They didn't necessarily get filthy rich at the outset, but it came over time, happening slowly but surely. People like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Mark Zuckerberg and many others have contributed real value to the world, making them some of the richest people in history. Principles for achieving success in business. Before my son was born, when he was still the size of a quarter inside my wife's womb, I began writing these daily journal entries to him entitled, "To My Unborn Son." We hadn't named him back then, so the journal entries just took on that title and held that title, even after we had an idea of what we would name him when he was born. In the journal entries, which I logged every single morning, I conveyed a lot of my thoughts and emotions. I wanted to teach him about success. Not just about how you can succeed in business, but more so, how you can succeed in life. But looking back on those entries, something became very apparent to me. I realized that the principles for success in life are universal. They apply to personal success in relationships as much as they apply to success in business or in your finances. So when we talk about success at its very foundation, these core principles play a large role in dictating any one person's ability to get far ahead in life. If you abide by these principles, not only will you succeed in business, but you'll succeed in anything that you do, no matter what that might be, great or small. 1. Gratitude While most people who dream about success in business imagine a life devoid of problems, it's quite the opposite. Every business has problems. The bigger the business, the bigger and more intricate those problems will be. In fact, the only time you'll cease having problems is when you're six feet under. Problems are a sign of life. Instead of focusing on the problems, you have to focus on what you're grateful for. Everything in your life was once a wish. We yearn for things, then when we attain them, we look toward the next thing. This Hedonic Treadmill is a defining factor of life and all the more reason why we need to be grateful for what we have right now, in this very moment. By focusing on the things that we're grateful for, no matter how small they might be, we open up the infinite wisdom, beauty and endless possibilities that exist in life. The universal ether that binds us all can help us attract the right things in life and achieve the seemingly impossible. But it all starts with an attitude of gratitude. 2. Integrity At the heart of every successful entrepreneur is integrity. Every business needs to be run with integrity, putting the customer first. It should always be the priority of any business owner to do things the right way. Not just because of the potential for bad reviews, but because of the sheer importance of putting people first and foremost at all times. In another recent interview with Ferrari collector David Lee, purveyor of the highly-successful Hing Wa Lee Group -- valued at more than $500 million -- and the son of an immigrant gemstone carver, integrity is one of his personal business rules for success. By treating people the right way, like you would treat your family, you'll eventually succeed in business over time. It might not happen as quickly as you'd hope for it to happen. It might actually take decades. But as long your focus is unwavering, you'll get there if you don't give up on your goals. 3. Value Real inherent value has to be at the heart of everything any successful business owner does. If you don't deliver value, you can kiss your chances of success goodbye. But most people don't focus on delivering value. They focus on taking shortcuts and finding the easy way to do things. Success doesn't quite work like that. While many people are concerned with doing the least amount of work for the greatest initial return, true success in business over the long term demands quite the opposite. You have to do the most amount of work for the least initial return while focusing on delivering true value. As soon as you compromise on that value proposition, that's when you'll find your business in a decline or even a free fall. But if you put value above all else, not only will you succeed in business, but you'll taste the most wild success possible at the highest level attainable. It just won't happen quickly or easily. 4. Persistence Giving up simply isn't an option. Building a successful business over time takes work. It takes an endless amount of struggle, breakdowns, tears and failures. You can't simply expect to succeed instantly. It doesn't quite work that way. But for those who are willing to stick it out and see things through, success will most certainly be reached. What most people don't realize is that even the world's most famous people failed numerous times. It didn't come simply or easily. It took tremendous amounts of struggle and heartache. Stay persistent no matter what happens. Even if you feel like there's no other way forward, you can't give up. KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders was 62 years old and had just a $105 social security check to his name when he finally found success. Even after 1,000 restaurants turned down his franchise chicken model, he kept persisting. Henry Ford went bankrupt twice, but never gave up, and J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was turned down by all 12 major publishers. That just shows you the power of persistence. 5. Loyalty One thing I wanted my son to understand about success was loyalty. Loyalty is important in life. You have to be loyal to people who helped you when you were just starting out. Rather than try to stab people in the back due to greed or some other desire to get quickly ahead, you have to stay loyal. There's simply no need to create negative energy by being disloyal. Don't go around someone or try to pull something over someone's head. Don't be conniving or underhanded. Take those who were there to support you at the outset to the top with you. Ensure they're around because they were there when no one else was. This isn't just about loyalty to family; this is about loyalty to customers, employees, friends, partners and everyone else who helped you along the way. Be sure to keep them around, because one day, when you least expect it, they could be there to help you achieve some of your biggest business goals. 6. Contribution Contribution should be at the heart of any successful business. As long as we're looking for ways to contribute something in this world and make it a little bit better than it was when we first arrived in it, we're doing ourselves and all others a huge service. However, not enough people focus on contribution. One of the things I wanted my son to take away from my principles of success in business or in life was the importance of contribution. We have to search for ways we can help others. There are far too many people in this world who are enduring endless hardships. We simply have to stop and think of them at times before we think of ourselves. Search for ways that you can contribute to those causes. It doesn't have to be money. Time is more valuable than money. Find ways you can help those who are less fortunate and give a little bit back to society. Not only will you feel great, but you'll end up attracting good things into your life over time. It's simply how the world works. #CopyPaste Thank-you. Giriraj Sahu

[ask-beacons-finest]

Information for Team VILT

Team Name: Team VILT Team Sponsor: Ask-Beacons-Finest School: Beacon Academy

Team member one: Verrus Phorona Syyklah - Human female - 16 General Description: Born and Raised in the deserts that exist between Vale and Vacuo, to a clan of Desert folk that are solely female, this causes a very heavy distrust and dislike towards men, some go as far to attack on sight. Due to their solitary lives, they speak a language unique only to them. Verrus was born to the village's PaahEe, or "Queen", being the closest translation. Due to being the next in line to take over the Village's affairs Verrus spent her entire life proving herself through the harsh challenges of her people, including killing the ShaSkro-Dhemva, known in English as, "The Great Demon Scorpion of the Sand", at the age of eight, with no weapons, locked within the Village's temple. Afterwards, she was tasked with filling her body with the imagery of defeated monsters (A ceremonial process of kill, take blood, and use the blood to tattoo self), which in turn expanded her pool of available summons. Her first kill, which was tattooed directly above her heart as is tradition, was a large Sand Scarab, she has lovingly named ShaPuun, "Sha" being a prefix meaning Sand, and Puun, a word meaning something along the lines of "An everlasting connection", she was able to collect nearly two dozen before her coming of age. She was exiled from her village at 15 as is tradition, tasked with traveling and learning about the outside world, something her mother had done before her, and something her future daughter will do as well, a good leader requires outside knowledge if they are to properly defend their people.

Verrus found herself lost in Vale's forest for several months, being sent in the direction of Beacon after bumping into a beautiful blonde woman, who later introduced herself as Yang Xiao Long, and holding her ground in the quick fight that took place afterward. After a quick explanation of her situation, as well as the reference of who sent her, Weiss and Blake agreed to allow her to stay and study as a student of Beacon, but only under the condition that she opens communication between her people and Beacon when she takes her place as the new PaahEe, something her mother and village elders would never approve of. She agreed to this promise.

Verrus is incredibly tall, 6'9", as is natural for her people and will grow even taller with time. She is muscular and toned, as it's needed to survive. Her skin is a dark shade of brown, resembling almost the sand she calls home.

   Aura: Gold colored, has a large pool (though most of it is lost due to her semblance rather than taking hits).

  Semblance: Can summon any and all of the creatures tattooed on her body, the drawback is that a summon requires both aura and blood. The amount of aura and blood used is dependent on the size of the summon, as well as her personal connection to it, it can be mixed, however. If it requires 5 whole parts to summon a creature, she can do 3/5 blood and 2/5 aura, or 4/5 aura and 1/5 blood, this is entirely up to her. She will not summon the ShaSkro-Dhemva, ever, due to the fact that it requires all of her aura and it's summoning will result in her death. No matter what.

  Weapon: Two Khopesh Swords that can combine together at the hilt, which expands to form a staff. The staff is necessary to use her semblance as well. Her weapons have no name as is tradition to her people, since names belong only to things with souls (This can also occasionally lead to confusion when speaking about Grimm).

 Personality: Very respectable, always attempts to honor the right thing to do. However, her general demeanor and dry way of speaking (combined with her physical appearance) tends to scares most people. Becomes much softer at night, speaking quieter and with much more emotion in her voice, her explanation for this includes her people's deep love and adoration of the moon, stating "The moon shall never see you harsh, for it will punish you with its tears." Her little knowledge about general life in the civilized world outside of combat can be the cause of a laugh or two, often depends on her team to help explain everyday things ranging from but not limited to, showers, candies with wrappers, and the general taboo-ness of public nudity (Something perfectly accepted in her desert home). Despite being oblivious to the daily livelihood of civilization she is extremely willing to learn, happily accepting lessons on how to blend in, this has caused issues in her trusting the wrong people and suffering consequences because of it. She has little tolerance for disrespect of authority, which is stated clearly by people's strength rather than status, this did cause an early issue with Professor Arc due to him both being a man and missing a leg. It was quickly set straight by Jaune easily obliterating her test of summons, she then spent the next month polishing the memorial for those who fell in the "Great Grimm Attack" as punishment for her rudeness, something she accepted happily, her outlook on Jaune has grown exponentially, and she is now one of his favorite students.

  Outfit: Nearly always wears loose brown bottoms that closely resemble a robe, as well as a white silk wrapping around her top with only one long and loose sleeve. The school's dress code has made her start wearing a black wrapping around her chest due to the silk being see-through, she does not entirely understand the reasoning behind this. She keeps her weapons sheathed along her back for easy access, very rarely removes them from her person despite school rules (Blake eventually convinces Weiss to allow it due partially to "cultural differences", but mostly due to "You will sleep on the couch tonight if you don't just settle it this way.").

Team Member two: Iccarus Athenia Augor - Faunus Male (Hawk Trait: Eyes, expects to grow feathers in his hair as both his parents do) - 16 General description: Born in the forests of Vale and raised by his mother and father, Iccarus knew nothing else aside from what they taught him and the things he learned himself on the road. His parents are travelling merchants and he's seen the majority of the continent of Sanus, throughout their travels Iccarus slowly learned how to defend himself from Grimm and humans alike from his father, while his mother spent time teaching him how to use dust the best she could, but her knowledge was limited; Weiss Schnee, the headmistress of Beacon Academy, would later personally tutor him in the art of dust manipulation. After first seeing her in action during the Vytal tournament, Iccarus fell in love with Pyrrha Nikos, going so far as to adopting her fighting style and picking a spear as his preferred weapon. The news of her demise crushed him immensely but also gave him new purpose.

After much convincing his parents agreed to allow him to attend Beacon, the next time they traveled to the city of Vale, he applied and was accepted (With a personal visit from Weiss herself) due to his abilities. It was a tearful goodbye to his parents, but they were very anxious being in the big city and had to take their leave. Iccarus would not learn the truth behind his parents for quite some time. There is, however, a sliver of doubt hidden away in the recess of his mind, as one night when he was very young two bandits attempted to assault his mother. Iccarus could do nothing but watch on in fear as they ripped their way through his mother's clothes. Before anything graphic could happen his father jumped to the rescue, committing graphic violence of his own upon one bandit while his mother took the opportunity to destroy the other, it was the first and last time Iccarus had ever seen his parents commit violence, and he has since repressed the memory. It has caused doubt in his belief that they are simple traveling merchants, though he would never admit it.

Iccarus is short, only standing at 5'7", with a thin and fragile looking body, this is reflected by his quick movements and "glass-cannon" approach to combat

  Aura: White in color, with the sparks taking on a more feathery aspect, very small pool of mana

  Semblance: Dust control. Can manipulate dust to his will, focuses mostly on ice and fire. Due to Headmistress Weiss's (incredibly harsh) private lessons, his manipulation has expanded to include lightning as well, and he has even proved to show some skill in mixing dust types for it to gain new form, something that even Weiss has a horribly difficult time doing. His best combination is fire and ice, creating scalding hot steam, despite being his best combination it is still laughable in terms of control. The drawback is obvious, dust is required and consumed on use, once out of dust completely he can no longer use his semblance. His control is also reliant on his current state of mind, with extreme focus being a heavy requirement.

 Weapon: "Milo Reborn" a spear heavily modeled after Pyrrha's, unlike many other students Iccarus's spear was not up to the school's weapon code, so before the entrance ceremony Weiss had Jaune bring him to Signal's weapon smithery (Jaune had an interesting heart-opening moment when Iccarus explained his admiration of Pyrrha and how he idolizes her, Iccarus is unaware why Jaune reacted as such) so he could create a new weapon. It is a long spear that can collapse into a heavy pistol, he dislikes the pistol version and tends to not use it much. His other weapon "Labyrinth and Minotaur" are two golden bangles that he wears on his left wrist, he knows them as heirlooms from his mother's family. They are what his dust supply is stored in and can surprisingly hold a fair amount of refined dust.

  Personality: A hot-headed fool, but one who will always follow his heart regardless of where it may lead. The constant running of his mouth has brought equal amounts praise and trouble his way, more often than not the praise comes immediately before the trouble. Enjoys pestering people but never goes too far, and feels horrid if he ever does, works hard to make up for it. Very defensive of his parent's and their profession, despite having thoughts in the back of his head about what their true livelihood could possibly be, he will never allow anyone to slander them and call them anything besides travelling merchants without a fight (With no consideration, or possibly no care, on the level of skill of the opponent). Regardless of all this, he maintains a heart of gold, and will sacrifice anything and everything for both his friends and the innocent people he feels he must protect as a huntsmen. He refuses to lose out on his share of the blame should things go wrong yet will still complain about the punishment despite this.

  Outfit: Commonly wears a white silk tunic (This has caused several outbursts from Verrus, as she is still confused as to why she needs to wrap her chest while he does not, despite his clothing also being partially see through) with a golden rope tied around the waist, wears his golden bangles on his left wrist, his weapon sheathed along his back in spear form normally

Team Member 3: Alician Levora - Faunus Female (Tiger trait, teeth, eyes, appetite) - 15 General description: Alician knows nothing about her birth parents at all, having grown up in the city slums of Vale she learned how to fend for herself through thievery and manipulation; once she discovered her semblance, however, she never bothered again with the finesse of criminal activity and preferred to take what she needed, and wanted, by force. This type of activity got her quickly noticed by a small splintered remnant of the White Fang, they offered her a place to belong and she took it at the young age of thirteen. Her stay in the White Fang was cut considerably short, only receiving basic training as well as having smithed her own weapon; After only a few months the splinter White Fang group she was adopted into was finally tracked down by Blake Belladonna on her quest to either change the remaining members of the Fang, or destroy them. Alician's comrades chose the violent option, refusing to give up their outdated ideology and quickly suffered the consequence. Despite maintaining a tracklist of criminal activities this was the first time she had ever seen anyone die, Blake gave her a choice rather than killing her, join her at Beacon or die that day. Alician took to Blake's side.

Until reaching the proper age of fifteen to enroll at Beacon, Blake kept Alician a secret from Weiss. In a way Blake was Alician's first mother, showing her both affection and enforcing structure in her life. Blake trained Alician day and night and kept her under strict watch through her network of ex-White Fang soldiers and spies. When she was finally old enough to enroll Blake introduced her to Weiss as a reformed White Fang member who wished to enroll in the school, Weiss was none the wiser about the nearly two years Blake kept her under her wing, and much to Alician's anger, Blake seemingly has cut any motherly ties to the girl, treating her no different than any other student. This has caused a slight resurgence of a dark spark in Alician's soul, whether or not that expands is up to fate, or a hand that has the power to shape fate.

Alcian is short, reaching only 5'6", and is quite scrawny despite her massive animalistic appetite.

  Aura: Beautifully purple, has recently discovered small red streaks through her aura however, has kept quiet about it. Her aura pool is ranked average.

  Semblance: The ability to enter a state of super-human strength, with almost immeasurable raw power, can also "focus" this state to specific parts of her body (Only her arms, only her legs, only one arm, etc. etc.). Several heavy drawbacks to this include; Entering the state begins a "countdown" of her aura, steadily dropping points as she spends time in this state. Considerable aura drop when sudden movements such as jumping or throwing punches, a single heavy punch would be enough to crush an airship, but will also drop her aura by nearly 15% in an instant. Has also recently learned from Beacon's nurse that her semblance is too strong for her body to handle, and spending an excessive amount of time in this state will destroy her muscular system, with no hope of recovery. This state also provides no sort of protection, so all incoming hits are still taken at full force, pain included.

  Weapon: "Blood Fang" a large broadsword with the ability to split along the blade to form a whip, a form she rarely uses and is therefore often a surprise to opponents. The sword itself was unbelievably heavy after its creation, this was only added to under her time training with Blake, who supplied her with and taught her how to integrate a new form of dust into her weapon. This experimental dust has both reinforced her weapon immensely and added a seemingly impossible amount of mass to her weapon, giving it a weight that is impossible for her to wield it without constant use of her semblance state; aside from her the only person to ever hold this weapon was Yatsuhashi, and even he commented upon its immense weight and unruliness, and could hardly lift it above his waist. Due to its extreme weight, her general approach to battle is to destroy the enemy as fast as possible to minimize aura drain.

  Personality: Alician tends to be as outward and talkative as Iccarus (and far more flirtatious, especially with their leader), much to the exhaustion of fellow schoolmates, faculty, and teammates. However, she's disgusted by his childish antics and will constantly punish him for doing so; the amount of money the school has spent refurbishing the dining hall and various walls around campus is much higher than Weiss wishes it was. Iccarus is not the only person Alician will send flying through school property, however, as her quick and fiery temper often shows itself in her fists. It has caused the student body to feel a range of emotions when they hear her name, ranging from respect and jealousy to hatred and fear. Alician states the latter doesn't bother her in the slightest, saying she's used to it from her past as well as faunus heritage. Deep down it's horribly crushing, as she desperately requires a constant sense of belonging, though this (along with her other insecurities) is not something she speaks about.

  Outfit: Often wears the school's uniform due to not having many personal clothes. Beacon's uniform did not change over the years, as Weiss was a fan of the original design.

Team Member 4: Nekros Thembrosa - Human (questionable) Female - Age Unknown, appears to be six- or seventeen, has looked this way for years. General Description: Being born to a hidden away Village in the midst of the forests of Vale cut off from most societies. A strange occult like village that has an unhealthy obsession with the creatures of Grimm. As was supposedly common for her people, her skin is pale white, with dark veins easily visible beneath. Very little is known about this village as it seemingly no longer exists, burnt down ruins are all that remains of her people. From what little she has explained to Weiss and Blake her people were obsessed with the power of Grimm and for generations worked on obtaining it, she has admitted that several new species of Grimm have been created by her people, the worst so far being the Whisp. A small tadpole-esque creature with sharp teeth and claws, its small size makes battle impossible, it can easily be crushed and killed with a bare hand. It does, however, latch onto hunters and begins to whisper dark thoughts into their ear while simultaneously feeding slowly off their aura. These whispers have driven several huntsmen and huntresses, even a small handful of experienced individuals, to madness resulting in their betraying their team and taking their own life. Nekros seemingly shows little remorse for this and has even been spotted toying with Whisps prior to destroying them. These actions have amplified Blake's and Weiss's concern about her.

Her enrollment at Beacon was a strange one, the remnants of Team RWBY found her sitting within the ruins of Beacon. Yang's immediate thought after a short explanation from the child was to get rid of her, as her bloodline seemed to be a danger to the world. Weiss and Blake refused, stating that this power, should it be properly molded into something good, would be a huge boon for the Huntsmen academy. Yang reluctantly agreed after some convincing but only under the condition she could keep an eye on the child. Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Nekros slowly began to rebuild the school two years after its destruction, slowly gaining more followers over time. Once the school was completed, Weiss and Blake (Yang had long since left to join Ruby) offered Nekros housing yet decided against making her a student at this time, as they wished to learn more about her, her history, her power, and her connection to Grimm. Two years passed until the school welcomed its first official wave of freshman, both Weiss and Blake denied Nekros entry to any of the teams as they were continuing their investigation into her, she was not hurt by this. It wasn't until two more years, when the first wave of students became Juniors that Nekros found a team that sparked her interest, despite Blake still feeling uneasy about this, Weiss allowed Nekros to join Team VILT. Nekros is not allowed to speak of her personal past or the fact she's spent the last five years at Beacon.

Nekros is 5'7", her body is incredibly scrawny and boney, a long thick scar stretches the length of her abdomen from her right shoulder to her left hip.

 Aura: Black in color, her aura pool is not well documented. It's thought to be average.

 Weapon: It is uncertain just what exactly Nekro's weapon is, Weiss theorizes it's a summon, while Blake says it's a manipulation of her semblance, Jaune shrugged the question off, stating, "Who cares, it kills Grimm." The weapon itself is a pitch black scythe that looks chaotic and jagged in design, with the ability to "grow" the blade into a scythe resembling a crescent moon, as well as a full moon glaive. The weapon is stored within her cloak it seems, however, due to the dimensions of the scythe that seems to be impossible. Nekros makes no comment other than, "It is a part of me."

 Semblance: Nekros has the ability to turn her body into a black smoke, both her whole body and only specific parts. This makes hitting her extremely difficult, and even if a hit is managed it's likely she'll allow you to pass right through her before materializing again quickly, crushing the intruding item be it a weapon or arm as her body reforms. There's seemingly no physical drawback, however, her teammates have stated that she looks slightly smaller every now and then when reforming from her smokey form. Blake and Weiss agree that a loss of smoke can result in a loss of physical mass. This smoke also appears to be what her weapon is formed from, there seems to be no other solid forms she can harden her smoke into. She also has the ability to "infiltrate" an opponent's body within her smoke form, taking complete control of their actions until she decides to leave. Leaving consists of giving the control back to the individual she took over, who quickly begins to cough out a fair amount of disgusting black sludge, Nekros shortly climbs out of the sludge as if it were a pool of water, despite being an inch deep at the thickest points.

 Personality: Nekros is horribly quiet and drawn away from social engagements. She's considered an oddity at best and a freak of nature at worst by students and faculty alike. Despite appearing as someone with no emotions, let alone emotional connection, she sticks to her team like glue. This has caused some levels of hilarity more or less with the sense of "personal space", especially with Iccarus, who she seems to have claimed as her favorite of the team. A fact that makes him very uneasy. Nekros also has an uncharacteristically strange love of sweets and will turn savage in order to get ahold of them. A single piece of candy has jokingly been named as her greatest weakness. Interestingly enough, she does wish to be a normal student, with friends who care for her as much as she cares for them, due to her physical appearance, mysterious semblance, and dodgy past, many tend to not trust her walking down the same hall as them, several students have even made a scene of attacking her on sight, all attempts have failed miserably. After one considerably horrible occasion where another student nearly lost an arm after lodging it through her chest, Nekros let out a (painful) sob and exploded into a cloud of smoke which quickly disappeared, she was gone for several days and returned after as if nothing happened. It is unknown to her team what she did during this time exactly.

Outfit: A heavy black cloak encasing almost her entire body, her face (and only a half) remains uncovered at any given time, allowing a pitch black eye to be seen. It appears the cloak itself is made from the very same smoke her semblance changes her into. The cloak also seems to function differently than one would expect, billowing when there's no wind, remaining still when it there is wind, it's thought that Nekros can control her cloak just as a faunus could control their tail. It also appears her arms can exit anywhere from the cloak, despite there being no visible opening in the cloak itself.