#according to various people all over the internet: yes i am asking too much

[simandy]

Yesterday: rain clouds and thunders. Only a few drops here. No alert on my climate app. Ridiculous storm going on the next city. We got the gov alert. They didn't.

Today: rain clouds and thunders. Heavy rain here. Orange alert on my climate app. Ridiculous storm going on here right above me. Nobody got the gov alert. Anywhere.

Clown country (sertanejo ver.)

[girllovescomic]

An analysis of our OTP as we go toward the end

With the help of Karen Ly (Twitter), I found this post on Weibo and Google translated it.  I think this really encapsulate what I think of both characters

After watching the 60~63 episodes, my dissatisfaction with the plot has calmed down a bit, not only because the appearance of the king in these episodes is too high (this is the main reason, it is really love every frame of every line) , Also because the behavior logic of most characters can be explained. I think the Hulan episode of 58~59 broke so badly because the changes in Helan Zhen couldn't convince me at all. It was not like he could do it.

Let me talk about Xiao Qi first. Since the battle of Neem Hayama, I have been thinking about his return. I know it will be good, but it is better than I imagined again. Has Xiao Qi changed? Yes, it is not. Xiao Qi is a person with extremely strong inner world and self-awareness. He has gone all the way from the Cambrian to an extremely human minister. No matter how the outside world changes, he can hardly shake his self-constructed spiritual world. He knew exactly what he wanted along the way. He was a hero with the world in mind. Power and status were never the goals he pursued, but the means to help him achieve his ideals, so neither threat nor temptation would let him shake. This is why Wang Lin said that he always looked at people accurately, but he misunderstood Xiao Qi. After all, this son-in-law is not a mortal. From the time when he entered Beijing to be the king to the Lianyu Mountain Incident, Xiao Qi's attitude towards the royal family and the nobles of the Manchu clan was always neither humble nor overbearing, courteous and courteous. After being aware of the emperor’s scruples about his merits, he took the initiative to resign. . He is always smart, sober and restrained. After the return, he did not accept the order twice, and the face of the king did not worship the palace with the sword. He was arrogant and domineering, watching the world, just like the two of the past restraint and forbearance. But when Xiao Qi, who had restrained his modesty at the beginning, could ever afford these nobles? Today, he just didn't hesitate to hide his contempt and anger, for the sake of the dead Ning Shuo soldier, and for his ideals and beliefs. Xiao Qi is a person who has always acted in accordance with his inner rules, and this has never changed. In the past, he thought that by being close to the center of power, he could better realize the ideal of guarding his family and protecting the country and allowing the people to live and work in peace. After Xie Shouzheng's corruption incident and close talks with Zilong, he has realized that the corruption of the court and the family is a chronic disease. It is difficult to heal, so the meaning of retreat was born. Xiao Qi before Lian Yushan should be struggling. Although returning to Ningshuo was far away from the power struggle, he could only keep one side of the country safe and farther away from his great cause. The tragedy of Mt. Neem changed everything. The moment God of War, Xiao Qi, looked hollow and confused. In addition to his extremely overdrawn body, there was probably a collapse of faith and despair of the country and court he tried to protect.

The next few episodes are completely depressive. Xiao Qi is silent. In a one-man show with almost no lines, he cried silently. He galloped in the wilderness, he looked up at the sky in the courtyard, he was by the river. Pressing his forehead lightly against the horse, he grieves, angers, reflects, reconstructs his will, and strengthens his determination to revenge. The accumulated power reaches people's hearts through the screen. With such a layer upon layer of progressive paving, the outbreak after the return is extremely hearty. Xiao Qi came back, and he couldn't get through according to your rules in the past, so just follow my rules and see if any of you has the ability to stop me.

Similarly, the scenes after the return were progressive. When they were refused entry into Ningshuo City, they lowered their stance, were polite and courteous, and had a sincere attitude. When they saw Ningshuo soldiers swearing allegiance to the death, it was hard to hide their excitement. The voice choked for a while, this was the first emotional vent since Neem Yushan suppressed Yin Ren. When I saw Wyen (I love this scene very much, I repeatedly brushed it), the short conversation undercurrents surged and was extremely wonderful. Xiao Qi's eyes staring at Wyan were a little bit probing at first (want to see how many shadows there were in Wyan in the past), and gradually became cold (are you here to welcome me or stop me), and then became threatening and provocative ( Who will do it this time, is it you, Su Yibo), mentioning that Guanglie and Soldier Ningshuo are uncontrollable anger (this is the second emotional vent), and then return to calm, the disappointment and steel The same unchangeable will is chilling. I always felt that Liu Duanduan's interpretation was a bit too much, but this scene was also excellent, and the process of Wyan's inner anxiety, hesitation, and final break was very complete.

This period of entering the city was another highlight moment, and the whole confrontation was relaxed, and it was repeated several times. Personally, my favorite is the body language of the king in this scene, which is really domineering every time he raises his hand and turns around. Hearing the order to accept the order, he slightly leaned over to help the grandmother who was about to kneel down, stepped forward slowly, stopped sideways, and took the order, resolutely and beyond doubt. A few actions have made people see the aggressive attitude of King Yuzhang after his return. He just wants to clearly tell the emperor and these officials that his patience has been exhausted, and he will not leave them half face or give them any more. They stayed a little bit of retreat until the truth was found out and the real murderer came to the rescue. After Ma San arrived, he seemed to be holding a low posture, but in fact he was always in front of him. The connotation of his words is that Xiao Qi led soldiers to threaten the monarchy, committing chaos (you bring 100,000 soldiers, I will agree to anything you want), and put yourself in morals The commanding heights place Xiao Qi unrighteous, thereby confuses the public and avoids Xiao Qi's questioning of Lian Yushan. The confrontation was pushed to the apex when he said "Fight against me until King Yu Zhang is satisfied". At this time, Xiao Qi still looked directly at Ma San, his eyes were not evasive, but he took a deep breath that was hardly noticeable. , Looked up slightly, he was suspicious and inquiring about Ma San, and the anger at him for putting himself here was expressed vividly and vividly in this slight look up. After Wang Su quickly handed everyone a step and got a promise that he could self-check the truth, he took the opportunity to give in, bowed his head, and the confrontation ended. The rhythm of the subtleties is too good.

Talking about entering the hall in white, all the restraints in the front have been pave the way for the most heartfelt lift. As he approached the throne step by step, he was like an angry lion, showing the air of a king. Ma San was forced by such a momentum, his eyes were evasive, and his inner fear was self-evident. Here is an interruption of Wyan's eyes, which are worship, shock, and loss. He probably realized that he would never be able to surpass Xiao Qi. Then, it came to the monologue on Xiaoqi Hall. This paragraph kicked me to the bottom of the pit and never wanted to come out again. This third emotional catharsis directly pushed the contradictions to the peak. The anger, grief, and contempt for the nobles since Mt. Neem poured out like a rainbow, and finally received a meaningful look in front of the throne. At that time, he was as dangerous as a black panther waiting for an opportunity.

Should such Xiao Qi be proclaimed emperor? There are many voices on the Internet questioning that Xiao Qi’s retreat is the "heart of the Father" and the collapse of human design. I think this is a simple and rude categorization in the Internet age. The term "personal design" is even more annoying. How can the complexity of human nature be summed up with a simple facial makeup? Everything needs to be viewed in the context of an era. Monarchs and ministers are the head of the five Confucian ethics. The usurpation of the king and the killing of the emperor must be a shame in the history books. Even big ambitious people like Cao Cao have scruples. Need to hold the emperor to make the princes. The founding emperors who have changed dynasties in the past have all found various so-called apocalypses and signs to prove that the previous dynasties are exhausted. For Xiao Qi, a hero who takes the responsibility of defending his family and the country and has the world in his heart, he should not be easy to make such a choice. This is not the so-called Father's Heart, nor loyalty, but is restricted by the value system of that era. Of course, Xiao Qi is by no means a pedantic person, otherwise there would be no such thing as instigating many feudal vassals to ask for the gift of nine tins. The key is to see what he ultimately wants to achieve. For a person like him who follows his inner rules, I am curious how Zhou Yiwei will perform and convince us of his final choice.

Let's talk about Awu. Although I still feel that many details of the plot cannot withstand scrutiny, the direction of the character Awu is generally logical. First of all, Awu is not an ordinary woman. She has independent self-awareness and values. The love between her and Xiao Qi is based on the mutual attraction of two independent personalities. The other party. Such a woman naturally has a bigger pattern. She understands Xiao Qi's ideals. She was born in a family and was perfectly protected since she was a child. She didn't realize the taste of betrayal until she was involved in her father's plot and trade as a pawn. I think a drama review I watched before is very well written, to the effect that Awu’s noble spiritual world makes her not disdain to participate in the conspiracy, or even hate those who hurt her (such as Su Jin’er, more It is disgust, that she is a poor person). She hated her for the first time when she thought that He Lanzhen killed Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi is her bottom line, so she will do everything she can to die with him. Regarding the queen mother, after guessing that the emperor's uncle was murdered by her, Awu kept alienating her; after returning to Beijing, she felt compassionate when she saw the tragedy of the queen mother. This is also very controversial on the Internet, but after all, the layout of Neem Hayama has not been fully investigated, and it is understandable to have pity for the aunt who watched him grow up. (Of course, I didn't convince myself too much. There were still omissions in the plot. Ordinarily, she and Xiao Qi should be able to see the role of the queen mother). To Ma San, she was shocked to a large extent. After all, she grew up with her childhood sweetheart. She probably couldn't believe that he had become like this. She chose not to tell Xiao Qi not because she wanted to let Ma San go, but because she didn't think about what the consequences of this incident would be, and how this consequence would affect Xiao Qi and the situation in the world. So I don’t think that the hostess is overwhelmed by the heart of the Virgin. Her response to these people is different, and the way of coping is also considered according to different situations. Regarding the truth about Neem Yushan, she did have a disagreement with Xiao Qi. In the play, she mentioned letting go twice, one was when she went to Beijing to talk at home after returning to the government, hoping that Xiao Qi would not kill more after finding out the truth; Bian, asked Xiao Qi if he could put aside the things in front of him and live his own life. Two times, Xiao Qi didn't agree, he never gave her a promise that she couldn't make (here again). I think it is reasonable to think this way from the perspective of Auntie. First of all, she could not fully understand Xiao Qi’s brotherhood of life and death towards Ning Shuo’s soldiers. Second, she could not fully understand Xiao Qi’s pain and hatred unless he had personally experienced the affairs of Yushan. (On this matter, probably only Hu Yao Understand the king, please refer to See the eyes of the king and Hu Yao reuniting). So I think that although Ah Wu can understand Xiao Qi's ideals of the world on a large scale, he does not fully understand Xiao Qi's will and determination to revenge. She is afraid of the prospect of the rain coming, she is afraid of losing Xiao Qi, and also afraid that Xiao Qi will go on the road of murdering the king for revenge, and even more afraid of the bloody wind that will follow, which change of dynasty in history It didn't come by walking on the sea of ​​blood. However, this disagreement does not mean that the love between 57 has faded. In fact, their lives have been more deeply blended together (Auntie said, you are the most important person in my life; Xiao Qi said, to you never change). Auntie chose to stand with Xiao Qi on key matters. For example, when she entered Beijing, she refused to help Wang Yu persuade Xiao Qi, and followed Xiao Qi twice to bow down. (Here I want to emphasize the background of the times and not follow the rule of the monarch Ceremony is to pretend to be a big deal). He loves her, so he understands and tolerates her care for the family to the greatest extent; she loves him, even if she does not fully understand, she will respect his choice. This is the love between adults without blood.

Other characters who have the same acting online include the prime minister who is always conscientious in his career, and the queen mother who has hysteria to get up and pull his enemies into the water, finally wakes up to the elder brother who is firm in his career, and even the black line of love and brains, Ma San, their wonderful makes My resentment for the first episode of Hulan has fallen, and I moved a small bench to wait for the last 5 episodes...

[perspective-series]

Kingdom Perspective (14)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Fear, panic, kidnapping, keeping/treating people like pets, threats, and unwanted touching/grabbing

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

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Virgil looked at the toothpick, realizing he had been caught in a lie. “Oh, I would, but we’ve really got to finish our game…”

 Roman thought for a moment and his eyes glanced towards the board. “Will you show me if I win?” Roman asked.

“If you win?” Virgil considered those odds. Virgil was pretty good at chess, and it seemed Roman had only ever won in a fluke. “Yeah, I’ll take those odds. What happens if I win though?”

 “You don’t have to show me your claimed ‘skills’?” Roman suggested, trying his best to keep the grin off his face.

“I was hoping for more of a prize, but I do like being lazy.” Virgil rubbed at his chin. “Shake on it?” Virgil stuck out his hand.

 Roman carefully gripped Virgil’s hand between his thumb and forefinger and gently shook it. “The deal has been made.” Roman said.

 He then reached over and moved his queen. “Checkmate.” 

Virgil’s face fell, slowly realizing the trap he had so foolish fallen into as he was busy underestimating his opponent.

“Uh...so about that.” Virgil looked sheepish. “I may have slightly exaggerated my skills.”

 Roman hummed, the smirk still on his face. “Yes, I figured. But a deal is a deal.” He held out the toothpick out more insistently. “I want to see how well you can fake your way through this.”

“Oh geez.” Well, here goes nothing. Virgil hesitantly grabbed the toothpick.

 Roman grinned and then sat back, arms crossed. “Alright, show me what you got.” Roman had a feeling this was going to be very entertaining.

“Ah, of course, my fencing skills.” Virgil adjusted his grip on the wooden rod. ‘En Guarde!” Virgil thrust it forwards like he had seen on tv, then tried to re-enact some of the fight scenes from various fantasy scenarios. Though the moves in his head were epic, bringing them to life more resembled… well, him wildly waving a stick around like a child who just discovered Harry Potter.

 Roman couldn’t help but laugh as he watched Virgil practically waving the stick around. “Okay, no, just...no.” Roman said in between laughs. “You’re even holding it wrong and your position is quite frankly atrocious.”

“Hey, gimme a break.” Virgil shrugged, stopping his little charade. “I am using a toothpick here.”

 “True but you could still hold it better. Even the way you stand can make a huge difference. Here, let me…” Roman reached towards Virgil as he spoke but trailed off and froze as he realized what he was doing. He bit his lip. “Um...may I?”

Virgil tensed. “May you what?” He asked, not sure how far Roman had intended to go.

 “Just, move you into position? It’s less confusing to move you myself than if I tried to explain it…” Roman said, hand still hovering. “I’ll be gentle, I promise.”

Virgil was about to protest, but then he remembered that in lots of athletic things the trainers would help guide your limbs into position. This was only different because of a very noticeable size gap, but for once Roman’s grabbing made sense. It was likely how Roman learned to do it, too.

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” Virgil agreed, trying not to feel weird about it. After all, in this instance touching actually meant that Roman was treating him like a regular person. 

 Roman gave the human a soft smile and then brought his hand the rest of the way over to Virgil, gently starting to nudge his limbs into the correct position. “See, your feet need to be like this and more apart, putting a bit more weight on the right then the left.” Roman nudged his feet just so. 

 “And you need to hold the sword up higher.” He pushed on Virgil’s arms to move.

Virgil corrected his footing, moving whenever he felt Roman’s fingers pushing him into place. True to his word, Roman’s touch was almost uncharacteristically gentle. 

“Like this?” Virgil asked, shifting his hold on the toothpick as his arms were straight out in front of him, propped up by Roman’s fingers still.

 Roman grinned. “Perfect!” Roman took his hand away. “Now, jab the sword forward quick and then bring it back to the same position.”

“Hya!” Virgil lunged forwards, then did his best to reset as Roman instructed.

 “Nice! See, I told you a proper stance can make a hell of a difference.” Roman said with a grin. “Now try a forward slash, but step forward as you do this one and then back to position.”

“Ah, yes, the forward slash.” Virgil looked a bit lost. “Just to make sure you’ve got this down pat, I think you should educate the group.”

 Roman blinked at that but grinned. “Why of course.” Roman stood up and grabbed his sword from the corner. He back a bit away and got into position. “You do it, like so.” He grunted the last word out as he delivered a heavy forward slash before getting back into position.

Virgil blinked, watching the giant blade move through the air. He didn’t feel in danger, what with the fact it was Roman and he was standing several feet away, but it was still a sight to behold.

Virgil focused back on himself, copying the movements. Though he got the positioning correct, it was a lot less impressive when done with a toothpick.

 “You are learning fast.” Roman said with a proud grin. “Want to go over a few more moves?” Roman was excited to teach.

“Sure, Princey.” Virgil smirked. It certainly couldn’t hurt to know a few sword moves, even if he would probably never get into a sword fight in his life. Besides, this was actually pretty fun.

 Roman continued to show Virgil a few more moves, each one Virgil getting after a try or two. Roman had to admit, Virgil was a natural. Or maybe that was just his teachings. Either way, Virgil was doing great.

 But after an hour, Roman could see Virgil was getting pretty tired, not used to the strenuous workout. “I think that’s a good place to end, what do you think?”

“Oh, yeah.” Virgil panted, not realizing how exhausting this would be; he certainly needed to work out more. “I can take a break if you’re feeling tired.”

 Roman smiled. “I think a break would be good for the both of us.” Roman placed his sword back in the corner and took a seat. “You did better than I thought, though. I’m really impressed.”

“Thanks.” Virgil gave him an actual smile, sitting down as well. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

 Roman chuckled. “Why thank you. I’d say I’m a natural but it could also be the ten years of lessons as well. Hard to tell at this point.”

“I have to say I’m...actually impressed.” Virgil admitted. “I know you were probably forced to do it, but still, that’s a lot of dedication. I’ve never really been dedicated to anything.”

 “I wouldn’t say that.” Roman said with a teasing smile. “After all, you seem pretty dedicated to that look of yours.”

“Ah yes, my emo personality.” Virgil snorted. “Well, at least all my years on MySpace and Tumblr are finally paying off.” 

 Roman blinked. “I have no idea what those are.” They did sound like they fit Virgil’s style though, somehow.

“Just some internet sites where dark souls like myself perfect our edgy personas.” Virgil smirked.

 “...Internet?” Roman was so confused.

“Uh….” Virgil was at a loss for how to explain such a concept to a fantasy prince. “It’s kind of like...a really fast way to share information? Sort of like magic, maybe.”

 “Oh. Okay.” He still didn’t really get it but he figured that was for the best. “Anyway, I was thinking. I may be able to get my hands on a sword your size. It may take a while but in the meantime we can practice with the toothpick. You already have a lot of the basics down so I’d say you’d get the rest of them within the next week. Then we could get started on a bit more complicated stuff. Oh! Maybe I can teach Patton too so you have someone to spar with!” Roman grinned, overcome with this new excitement. 

Virgil felt his heart twinge slightly, feeling guilty to be the bearer of bad news. “Uh...Roman? That all sounds great, but I’m not going to be here next week, remember?” So long as everything went according to plan, of course.

 Reality crashed down on Roman at Virgil’s words. “Ah, yes, right…” His excitement was gone in an instant, replaced by the ever familiar gnaw of loneliness and disappointment. “I mean...must you leave right away?” Roman asked quietly.

“...well, we really shouldn’t delay it.” Virgil reasoned, only a tad bit nervous at Roman’s wording. Now he mostly just felt pity for the guy. Roman didn’t exactly seem to have many friends, if Virgil himself even counted as one. “I’ve already been gone long enough, and Patton needs to get out of here as soon as possible.”

 Roman looked down. “Right. No, yes, of course you are right. Can’t...can’t delay it…” Roman sighed. He had been hoping...but of course, why would Virgil want to stay with him after everything he had done? Maybe he even deserved to feel this way, for all the trouble he caused. All the times he had treated Virgil as a...pet.

“...hey.” Virgil looked at Roman intently. “I had fun just now with you, Roman. This isn’t personal, I just...I don’t belong here, you know? And even if I wanted to stay here, well, I couldn’t...could I? I mean we saw how today went when I tried to accompany you.”

 “No, you’re right. You have your own world you need to go back to and it is dangerous for you here, it’s just…” Roman sighed, thinking something over.

 “Virgil? ...Are we friends?” Roman had to ask. He knows they weren’t at first but maybe now? He was better now, after all. Virgil even said he had had fun hanging out with him! But...Roman was still nervous of what Virgil would say.

“I mean, I’m not really a labels person, but…” Virgil thought it over. It was strange to think about, but he did find himself actually caring about Roman now as a person. “Yeah, I’d say we are.”

 Roman’s eyes widened. Having hoped for that answer but not expecting it. “R-Really? Even after everything I did…?”

“Do you want to not be friends?” Virgil said incredulously.

 “No!” Roman exclaimed. “No, I very much want to be friends! I just...do I really deserve your friendship? I know I am changed now but I still...I treated you so horribly…” Roman felt like he could cry, honestly, but years of feeling like that helped him to push the feeling away and keep his eyes dry.

“Ugh, yeah I know.” Virgil shuddered, his memories flashing back to when he first came here. All the grabbing, the demands, the constant belittling…

“But it’s not like you were trying to be a massive jerkwad.” Virgil pointed out. “You’re just an idiot. Which made it super hard to get through your thick skull, but also made it easier to forgive you for all that. Because you’re not really a bad person at all.”

 Roman gave Virgil a soft smile. “Thank you...that means a lot.” Roman sighed and looked away for a moment.

 “I guess that means I have a whopping total of...one friend.” Roman chuckled humorlessly.

“I thought Remy was your friend.” Virgil reminded him. “And Logan has to be your friend, he’s your brother. He’s contractually obligated to tolerate you.”

 “Logan may have to tolerate me but that does not make us friends. As for Remy...that’s a bit of a longer story...but he doesn’t consider us friends.” Roman said sadly.

“Well why not?” Virgil said incredulously. “I mean, he annoys me, but he’s perfect for you.”

 “I thought so too. But he...well, during that chess game I told you about, he...told me he couldn’t be my friend. That I was not only too young but...but I was technically his boss and not only that but the prince and he said it would be...weird.” Roman didn’t meet Virgil’s eyes as he explained.

“...oh.” Virgil had thought everyone would be clambering over each other to be best friends with a prince; he never imagined that just holding the title would keep you alienated from others. 

“Well what about all your soldier dudes?” Virgil offered. “Surely there’s somebody who sword fights you who you consider a friend.”

 Roman just shook his head. “The most half of them want to do is prove they are better than the prince of the kingdom. The other half don’t do anything because I have the power to get them in trouble…” And maybe Roman would have done so, had done so, when he was younger, but not now...he was past that.

“Gotcha.” Virgil noticed the friend pool seemed pretty thin. “So, who can you befriend then?”

 “I don’t know...I feel like I’ve tried everyone.” Maybe if he hadn’t been born a prince, he’d have more friends...but he would never know.

“I mean, come on, there has to be somebody!” Virgil insisted. “Other royals? Visiting dignitaries?”

 Roman shook his head. “Just you.” Roman said quietly, looking down at his lap.

“...right.” Virgil muttered. “I see why you did the whole kidnap a human thing now. I mean, still incredibly, horribly wrong, but...at least I get it.”

 “It came from a mix of jealousy towards Logan and my...my loneliness.” Roman said. “You’d think I would be used to it by now and I am but...it still hurts.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Virgil certainly wasn’t the mother hen type where he felt like it was his responsibility to fix all of Roman’s problems, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel sorry for the guy.

“Back home I’m the same way.” Virgil fessed up. “Except I didn’t try so hard to make friends, I just drive people away naturally.”

 “Really? I never would have thought.” Roman teased slightly, despite his down in the dumps mood.

“Heh, yeah.” Virgil’s smirk held less sass then normal, his eyes betraying a hint of sadness. “I...didn’t have much back home. I don’t know if anybody even knows I’m gone. Kind of a bummer when you think about it, and now I’m just gonna have to thrust myself back in...mediocrity.”

 “Yes...sort of like what will happen to me once you are gone.” Back to a sad and lonely normal.

“Mhm.” Virgil mused. “...what if I stayed?”

 Roman’s head snapped up, looking at Virgil. “Wh-What?” Had he heard Virgil right?

“Oh, ah, I mean…” Crap. Virgil hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but now he had to explain himself. “I was just...thinking. About the ‘what if’s.”

 “R-Right.” Roman bit his lip, trying not to get his hopes. “And...what if you stayed?” Roman echoed Virgil’s question back at him.

“Well…” Virgil gazed off into space, thinking about it. “I mean, it’s dangerous here. Would definitely need to figure out some precautions or something. But when you think about it, every life has some danger, right? Not exactly a bad gig being all chummy with a prince. No more minimum wage, no more rent….”

 “R-Right. I could provide everything for you. And, of course, I wouldn’t put you in harm’s way again. And I would be able to keep my only friend…” Roman listed off his own list of things.

“But I mean that’s crazy, right?” Virgil snapped his head back towards Roman, having not really been listening. “I can’t stay here, I- it doesn’t make sense...does it?”

 Roman bit his lip. “Of course, I’m not going to force you to stay.” Roman started off with. “But...you could stay. It’s not so far out of the question.”

“I think I might be going insane.” Virgil pressed at his temples, trying desperately to come to his senses. After all, no sane person would want to stay.

Virgil froze, a sudden realization hitting him. “Am I becoming Patton?”

 Roman’s eyes widened. “No, of course not! I mean…” Roman bit his lip. “It’s different, right? I’m actually treated you like a person. Not a pet, not anymore. Not like Logan.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Virgil remained unconvinced. “But it’s still letting somebody take care of you, liking them because they’re nicer than before...ugh this is such a mess.” Virgil groaned, putting his head on his knees. A few days ago he was so sure of what he wanted. Now he wasn’t even sure if he was brainwashed.

 Roman sighed, and leaned down to be a bit more eye level with the human. “Virgil, I will not hide how much I want you to stay. I want you to stay more than anything but...I refuse to keep you here if that is not what you want or even if you think wanting to stay is unhealthy. Just say the word and both you and Pat will be home. Or say another and...you can stay.”

Virgil looked up to meet the Giant’s gaze. “Thanks Roman.” Virgil said earnestly. “I...I don’t know what I want, but for now I think it’s best we stick to the plan.” At least a sane Virgil had decided going home was the best action. Of course, sane Virgil had also hated Roman’s guts.

 Roman nodded, trying not to show his disappointment. This was Virgil’s choice. “Alright. Then we’ll stick with the plan and after the coronation, you’ll go home.” 

“Right.” Virgil nodded. It was the right thing to do. He would go home to Earth, where he belonged.

So why did that decision leave him feeling so empty inside?

“I...get why Patton’s struggling so much with this now.” Virgil gave a weak chuckle.

 “I’m sorry Virgil. I wish...I wish things hadn’t ended up in such a mess.” Roman sighed.

“Yeah, no I know.” Virgil assured him. Of course, Roman was also incredibly biased, but he was all Virgil had and he was willing to support Virgil’s decision no matter what. That had to count for something.

...unless this was just some long-winded scheme to convince Virgil to stay all along…

Virgil looked up at Roman, smirking. No, it couldn’t be that. Roman wasn’t that smart.

 “Anyway...I think it might be time for bed. What do you think?” Roman asked Virgil.

“Sounds good.” Virgil agreed. The many events of the day had tuckered him out.

 “Are you okay with sleeping in my bed again?” Roman asked as he offered a hand, wanting to make sure.

Virgil nodded, climbing on. “It was fine before.”

 “Just checking.” Roman said, carrying him over to the bed. He set him down and went to the closet to change before climbing into bed. “Goodnight, Virgil.” Roman said, blowing out the last candle.

“...goodnight, Roman.” Virgil replied. He wondered how many times he’d get to say that.

***

Logan knocked softly on his own bedroom door, indicating his arrival before slowly coming in. His face was weary from the toils of the day, but it lit up at the sight of Patton out on his desk. The cage had been pushed to the side, all but forgotten.

“Hello, Patton.” Logan greeted, sitting down. “My apologies for being so late.”

 Patton grinned but behind his smile was sadness for the date they would be seperated was coming ever closer. “It’s okay. You’re here now!” Patton exclaimed. He went over to take a seat closer to Logan. “How are you, uh, holding up with everything?” Patton asked. Logan looked exhausted.

“I am...functioning.” Logan replied. Though the pressure of the throne was indeed quite the burden, the true source of all his worries and aching sat before him. The decision to let Patton go was a heavy one, which weighed upon him throughout the day.

 Patton nodded. “Do you think it will be easier once you actually...are king?” Patton asked. Of course, he wouldn’t be around to see that. Which made Patton sadder.

Logan looked at Patton thoughtfully. “That part remains unclear.” He reached out a hand, wanting to touch Patton as if to affirm he was not yet gone.

Not yet, but soon.

 At the sight of the hand, Patton scooted closer and gave a nod. Wanting the affirming touch as much as Logan did.

Logan let out a sigh of relief, his hand finding it’s familiar position draped around Patton’s form.

“...I’m going to miss you.” Logan admitted softly.

 Patton leaned more into Logan’s hand, turning to bury his face in the closest finger. “Then please let me stay.” Patton asked softly.

“Don’t.” Logan shook his head. “Not tonight. I don’t want to spoil our last evenings together with petty arguing. You need to go and that is final.”

 Patton sighed. “I know.” Patton knew but he still hated it. “I’m sorry.”

“All is forgiven.” Logan smiled, ruffling Patton’s hair slightly. “Now, perhaps we have time for a bit of light reading before we turn in for the night.”

 “That sounds nice.” Patton said, sending Logan a small smile. He hated that they couldn’t spend more time together before he had to go but he would take any time he could get.

“Excellent.” Logan picked Patton up, heading to his bedroom door. He peeked out, checking that the coast was clear before heading towards the library. “What title should we read tonight?”

 Patton thought for a moment. “Well, we never got to finish that one book. The one about the fairies? And that mystery?” Patton said, trying to recall the book. He hoped Logan knew what he was talking about, seeing as how he forgot what it was called.

“Ah, The Lost Button.” Logan nodded, remembering. It was a common fairytale, but Patton always seemed intrigued by the simplest of fiction regardless since he knew none of the old tales. “Perhaps we can finish it.”

 “Yay!” Patton cheered. He had been hoping to finish it at some point. And well...this was his last chance.

Logan perused the shelves, pulling the familiar powdered blue novel from its resting place. He sat down in one of the dark red armchairs in the back corner of the library.

“What page were we on?” Logan murmured. He set Patton up on his shoulder, using his hands to flip through the pages.

 Patton clung to the fabric below him as he stared down at the book. “I think we stopped at chapter 14 last time.” Patton remembered.

“Ah yes, now I remember.” Logan turned to the correct page, reading the story aloud and letting himself get lost in the narrative.

 Patton closed his eyes and got lost in both the story and Logan’s voice. It was nice and quiet, despite being a bit hoarse from exhaustion. Slowly, Patton began to realize that he had long since stopped listening to the story and was focused solely on Logan’s voice.

 He began to realize that this was one of the last times he would ever hear it. Especially in this kind of situation. Before Patton could fully realize it, he was crying softly into his hand.

Logan’s storytelling faded off, hearing the soft sobs coming from his shoulder. “...Patton?”

 “I-I’m sorry, I just-I…” Patton continued to cry. “I...I’m gonna m-miss this.”

Logan stared down at the pages before him, his heart once again aching. “...I will too.” Before Patton, he had only ever read academic pieces. It hardly made sense to keep wasting his time if there was no one to share these moments with.

 Patton wiped his tears away, looking down at the book. “I’m sorry for ruining it…” He had to go and ruin a good moment with his crying, hadn’t he.

“Patton, you’ve ruined nothing.” Logan insisted. “It would hardly be sincere of us to act as though everything were as it once was.”

 “Right…” Patton sighed. “Can we still...still finish it?” Patton asked, hoping it wasn’t too late. It didn’t look like they had too much left anyway.

“Of course.” Logan cleared his throat, trying to make the lump there go away as he started reading once more.

 Again, Patton wasn’t listening much to the story but at least he wasn’t crying anymore. But all too soon, Logan’s voice stopped and Patton opened his eyes to see that Logan had closed the book. “It’s...over? Already?”

“Happily Ever After.” Logan repeated the last phrase with a nod. “That’s usually how such stories end.”

 “Oh, right.” Patton was quick to apply his life on that phrase. Knowing it wasn’t going to be a happily ever after. “I guess it’s...bedtime?” Patton said with a sad sigh. It seemed his time with Logan was just going by faster and faster.

“If you’re tired.” Logan answered, not wanting to keep Patton up. “Of course, if you feel up to it, we could read another story.” Logan knew, logically, that would be a bad plan, but he also knew logically that his hours with Patton were quickly becoming limited. It seemed silly to waste so many precious moments sleeping.

 “...Could we?” Patton asked softly.

“We could.” Logan smiled softly, standing with a certain grace to keep from jostling Patton as he moved back towards the shelves. His fingers ran gently along the spines, trying to find a slimmer novel. They certainly wouldn’t have enough time to finish another book like that before...well, it didn’t need to be said.

“What sort of story should we end on?” Logan asked, never realizing how important choosing a book could become. “A happy story? A peaceful one?”

 “I...I think I need a happy one. One with an equally happy ending…” Patton answered. Why he was torturing himself with something he could not have, he didn’t know. But...he still enjoyed them.

“A happy ending.” Logan murmured. What a strange concept. 

He pulled a thinner green book off the shelves, checking the cover to ensure he had made the correct choice before heading back to the armchair.

 Patton smiled sadly as he looked down at the new book. He was happy for the extra time though.

“I think you will enjoy this one.” Logan explained, looking at the cover briefly before flipping to the first page. “It’s about a boy, Jack, who is a tiny creature that is quite human like as well.”

 Patton blinked for a moment. “Wait, you mean Jack and the Beanstalk?” 

“You know it?” Logan turned back to the cover, trying to remember if he had shown Patton this book. “Have we read this one before?” 

 “N-No but it’s a common fairytale in my world.” Patton explained, looking down at the cover. Sure enough, it was what Patton remembered the cover to look like.

“...oh.” Logan frowned at the piece of literature. That was certainly...odd. Logan had never heard of any mediums that were the same in both his and Patton’s world. What could that possibly mean? It was quite a strange coincidence. “Well, in that case, perhaps we should choose another story, rather than something you know.”

 “No! I-I want to read this one. Please?” He wanted to see if it was exactly the same. Besides, in a way, he could kind of relate to the story. Kind of.

“Very well then.” Logan opened the book once more and began to read.

 As Patton listened, it did seem like this one was similar to his worlds version. Until they got to the giant part. Instead of the man-eating giant like he was used to in the story, the giant was just another regular person. Which, he looked at Logan, if this version was made by giants, he supposed that made sense.

Logan continued the tale, following Jack as he stole the three golden treasures. Upon the third theft the giant chased after him, but Jack cut down the beanstalk to trap the giant in the clouds.

“Then Jack and his mother prospered with their newfound riches for the rest of their days.” Logan wrapped up the story. “There was rejoicing throughout the land, the beanstalk was gone, and they lived happily ever after.”

 “It’s a little different in my world.” Patton admitted. “But mostly the same.”

“How does your version differ?” Logan asked.

 “Uh, well…” Should he tell Logan? “In, um, our version the giant...eats humans…” He said the last part a bit quieter, looking away.

“What?” Logan looked appalled at this notion, turning to view Patton on his shoulder in horror. “That’s positively barbaric! Why would you write such a tale?”

 “I didn't write it!” Patton exclaimed. “And uh...now that I think about it, a lot of stuff involving giants had them eating humans…” That was certainly...strange, now that Patton thought about it.

“That is truly horrible.” Logan gagged at the thought. He certainly could never imagine trying to use Patton for sustenance.

 “Yeah...but uh...that was one of the reasons I was so scared when I first got here.” Patton chuckled a bit. “I actually thought one of you was going to eat me.” It wasn’t funny at the time but Patton found he could kind of laugh at it now. After all, he knew that to be very very false.

On the other hand, Logan was far from amused. “Patton, my sincerest apologies.” He murmured, a foul taste still present on his tongue from the matter at hand. “If I had only known I could have alleviated your worries much sooner.” The idea of Patton being afraid of him in such a way left Logan’s stomach in a knot.

 “Oh, no it’s okay. By the time I was given to you, I knew giants weren’t gonna eat me.” Patton said. No, he just thought they were going to kill him. After all, they were going to feed him to the dogs before Logan took him.

“Regardless, the knowledge might have helped.” Logan thought back on those first few days with a wince. “I would have done anything to make you less afraid.”

 “Honestly? I think anything you would have tried wouldn’t have worked…” Patton rubbed the back of his neck. It was why it had taken around a month for any progress to have been made.

“...Right.” Of course Patton was correct. It was one of the many reasons that Patton had to return to his own world.

“Patton, what would you have done in my position?” Logan asked, genuinely curious.

 Patton blinked. Well, that was...an unexpected question. “I...I don’t know.” He admitted honestly. “As of right now, I would have let them go right away. But...before…” Patton wanted to think he would be good and listen but he could never be sure.

“Before?” Logan tilted his head. “Before what?”

 “Before...all this happened to me...I’m not sure what I would have done if I found someone tiny. It’s...hard to tell after my own experiences.” Patton explained.

“Ah, because you would feel empathetic.” Logan nodded in understanding.

 “Yeah…” Patton agreed. Patton thought for a moment. “How would you feel if you were in...my place?” Patton couldn’t help but ask.

“Ripped from my world and taken to another, larger in scale?” Logan clarified. “Would it be myself as I am today or before I met you?”

 Patton hummed in thought. “...Both? Like uh...would you react differently?”

“Well, I suppose they would be much the same.” Logan admitted. “I would be quite...off put. Overwhelmed, frustrated, hesitant. From there it would depend on what sort of individual I ended up with; I suppose that must be the worst part of it, isn’t it? The fact that you have no say in your own placement within the world. You are at our mercy in terms of your experiences, aren’t you Patton?”

 Patton just nodded. “That’s...exactly how I used to feel. Still do...sometimes.” Patton admitted.

Logan nodded sympathetically. “I think that would be my least favorite part of the ordeal. I enjoy being in control of my own fate.”

 “So did I…” Patton spoke, eyebrows furrowing. “But as...as time went on...not being in control was kind of...nice?” Patton rubbed the back of his head.

Logan’s gaze showed his confusion. “How so?”

 “Well…” Patton sighed. “I don’t know. It was just nice to not have to worry so much about messing up when everyone was telling me what to do.” Patton shrugged.

“Ah, I see.” Logan looked thoughtfully off into the distance. “I can certainly see the appeal of having a weight off your shoulders.”

 Patton nodded. “...Why did you save me that day?” Patton asked out of the blue. But the question had been nagging at him for quite some time.

Logan blinked, surprised at the question. “Where did that come from?”

 Patton looked away. “It’s been on my mind since it happened, I just...never asked it out loud. I just don’t really get it. No one else cared about me. They were going to feed me to the dogs after all...So why did you care enough to save me?”

----------------------------------

FLASHBACK MODE

----------------------------------

Logan sat with his back straight against the wood, trying to appear as regal as his father who sat in the great throne to Logan’s left. Logan sat in a similarly fashioned throne, although it was less ornate and shorter in stature: fit for a crown prince.

“Your excellency!” A shout from the hall caught both members of the royal family’s attention. The royal sorcerer came skidding into the throne room, looking uncharacteristically giddy.  In his arms was what looked to be a container covered in a sheet of velvet fabric. “The portal scry was impeccable! I have seen wonderous lands beyond our own, filled with all sorts of peculiar specimens. And, as a symbol of my humble gratitude for continuing to fund such an essential and beneficial portion of my research-” This declaration was accompanied by a deep bow- “I have brought one such specimen before you today for your pleasure, to entertain as you see fit. Behold!” With this, Dee dramatically whirled the velvet cloth away, making it disappear with a snap of his fingers.

 Patton’s eyes blinked at the return of light and then widened when he saw where he was. A giant throne room. Straight out of a fairy tale. The giant who had captured him was behind him, holding his cage high for two new giants to gawk at him. Patton scooted back a smidge but couldn’t really do anything about being surrounded on all sides.

 His ribs still hurt from when he was grabbed up and there were still tear tracks stained on his face from earlier. And as he watched these new giants, the tears began to return.

 The king perked up slightly as Dee revealed the being in the cage. “What...is that?” Now he was intrigued.

“This, your majesty, is a rarity most closely resembling the ancient mythical creature known simply as... the human.” Dee brought the cage closer, making sure to hold it high so that the King could clearly see the cowering form inside. “Born with our form but cursed to remain a miniscule size, these creatures are meant to look upon us as their masters. An entire race of servants that have been hiding in the realm beneath ours.”

Logan looked at the creature trembling behind the cage bars. It certainly didn’t appear to be an ideal servant. Surely the simplest of tasks would prove fatal for such a twig.

 “Fascinating.” The king leaned forward more, staring intently at the tiny human creature. Patton whimpered, scooting back more even if that only put him closer to Dee. 

 “And you say there are more of these creatures?” The king asked.

“An entire realm of them.” Dee grinned maliciously. “Right now my scrying powers are all but depleted, but given enough of your fabulous resources, my liege, I can acquire a large collection of these for your amusement. And, should you be so generous, if I were to be granted a few specimens of my own, I could advance my- our- knowledge of these creatures to determine how to make them bend most effectively to my- your!- will.” 

“It seems more fitting for this being to be used for recreation rather than utility.” Logan observed, raising a doubting eyebrow.

Dee’s grin fell slightly. “Well, it is indeed possible that our legends are a bit...exaggerated. But whether or not these miniscule pets are capable of assisting the throne, certainly they can be taught to bow down before the illustrious king and find pleasure in exalting your greatness as does every other conscious being within the four corners of this beloved kingdom.”

 “Yes, quite.” The king smirked. Soaking in all the praise. “How long have you had this one for? Can it do such a thing yet?” The king wondered.

 Patton shook. He didn’t like any of this talk. How they were treating him and other humans as...as pets or slaves. Patton could barely believe this was even happening.

“Hardly an hour, my lord.” The sorcerer explained. “It was a fairly simple matter of extracting the screaming creature from its homeworld-” Dee cringed in memory, his ears still ringing- “before I prepared it to be brought before you on humbled knee. Though I have yet to train this specimen, I am certain that between the two of us it will quickly learn to happily kneel before your radiance as well.”

 “Yes, I do believe so.” The king grinned. He then stood from his throne. “Shall we do a bit of...training right now? I must say, I am quite curious to see just what this being can do.” He leaned in close, face practically against the bars and Patton yelped, cowering in fright. 

 No, no, no! Please get away, please! Tears started running down his cheeks again. He just wanted this all the be a dream, but the throbbing pain of his body begged to differ.

Logan froze, feeling an unfamiliar aching in his chest as he watched the being tremble in fear. Logan frowned at the sensation. Why did he feel this way? What was this? For a moment Logan almost felt as though he should stop these events from happening, but he shook his head. What a silly notion. Even if he had such urges, his father’s word was law. The King was welcome to do whatever he pleased with this new discovery.

“Yes, we can get started right away.” Dee’s own grin stretched from ear to ear. “Right this way~” The sorcerer gave a large swooping motion with his arm and guided the King out of the throne room, leaving Logan alone.

The crown prince drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. It was, after all, only a human. 

Even if something occurred, it would certainly not mean the end of the world. With time Dee would be able to acquire another one to continue his and father’s training and research. If the human were to perish, only his father, Dee and Logan himself would even know the being existed in the first place. A single life given to the pursuit of magic and imperialization.

Despite all of this Logical thinking, Logan didn’t feel any better as the next few days passed. That was the strangest part of this: the feelings. Logan did not get feelings. In his mind, they were a disease that hindered a good leader’s mind. Strategic decisions were harder to make when one felt guilt or sympathy.

Sympathy. Was that what this was? Or Guilt? But why should Logan feel guilty? He certainly wasn’t the one torturing the poor creature in the name of discovery. And even if Logan did feel that these actions were unjust, it was not as though he could do anything to stop them; not until he became king, but that likely would not be for several years to come.

Logan picked idly at his dinner, more so pushing his salad around rather than consuming it. He could not get the tiny person’s face out of his head. Those distraught eyes haunted him in the night, forcing the prince to lay awake deep into the twilight hours. Yet when he passed father in the halls, the king looked as though he gained a full night’s rest. Why? Why was Logan the only one cursed to care about this creature’s life?

These thoughts continued to plague him, up until he next saw the human. It was dangling in a cage, attached to a stand that stood between his own throne and father’s. The human looked even more sad and pathetic than before, and as Logan peered at it he could see clear markings of injuries left during the sessions of ‘training’. 

 Patton kept his head down, trying his best to ignore the giants around him and the pain coursing through his body. Training had been...torture. He just wanted to be home, resting in his own bed, maybe watching some netflix. Or better yet, baking some yummy cookies. Tears slipped down Patton’s cheeks as he thought about home. Would he ever get to go back?

 The king nodded to Logan as he came in before turning back to Dee. “This thing is taking too much time to train,” The king complained.

Logan slowly took his seat at his own throne, peering in at the cage. At this height, It was actually perfectly at eye level, and Logan had a perfect view of the human. He almost wished he didn’t; the thing looked miserable.

“Your highness, it’s only been a handful of days!” Dee smiled at the King, before sending a snarl in the direction of the cage. “Every creature can be broken eventually, no matter how stubborn.”

 “Well, at this point I’d much rather throw him to the dogs. At least the thing can be useful as dog food.” The king commented. 

 Patton gasped at that, head snapping up in the king’s direction. He couldn’t be...but his face held no other expression than complete boredom. “N-No…” Patton whimpered quietly, shaking even more as he placed his head in his hands. 

Logan and Dee both looked appalled by the suggestion as well.

“Your highness, let’s not be so hasty!” Dee gave a hesitant laugh, looking almost nervous. “Surely you know such a valuable specimen is too precious to be thrown to the dogs. Allow me to study it, I guarantee you you’ll be pleased with the results.”

Logan frowned at the occupant of the cage. Did it just...speak? Was Logan imagining things? Had it spoken to Dee or father before? Logan found himself desperately curious for answers, but those answers would never come if this human ended up as dog food or a lab rat.

“Father, may I have it?” Logan asked, turning his gaze to the king. He found his heart was pounding, fearing that his plan might yet fail and this creature would suffer more. It may just be a human life, but it was a life all the same.

“You?” Dee said incredulously. “And what do you plan to do with it?”

 The king waved his hand towards Logan. “You know what? Go ahead, Logan. You may have it.” The king decided.

 Patton’s eyes widened and he lifted his head up again to look at the giant. Logan. Wh-What? So he wasn’t getting thrown to the dogs? Was being with Logan better? Or...would the torture continue…

“But, your highness-!” Dee’s whining was cut off by an interruption from Logan.

“Father, as I recall, as king your word is law.” Logan pushed up his spectacles. “To question such a decision would be treason, would it not?”

“...of course it would.” Dee’s reply was muttered through gritted teeth. 

 The king gave a firm nod, looking at Dee. “...I also don’t want to see anymore of these things running around. They seem to be nothing more than a waste of time and space.” The king glared at the cage holding the human. Patton shivered and curled in on himself once again. The king huffed. “Your magic can be put to much better use.”

Dee’s jaw dropped. “Sire! Surely you do not mean this!”

“Questioning twice in one session?” Logan hummed. 

 “Yes, Dee, are you questioning my authority?” The king asked, narrowing his eyes.

Dee looked ready to spill royal blood on the throne room floor, bowing low and plastering on a smile that appeared to be more of a grimace. “Of course not, your majesty.”

 “Good.” The king said and then turned his attention to his son. “Take the creature away and do what you want with him. But...keep me updated. On the major things.” They might not be worth it in the long run with how much time it takes to train them but he still found himself curious at the end result.

“Of course, Father.” Logan nodded in respect, standing up and unlatching the cage.

“If you need any assistance, I can offer my vast human expertise!” Dee called after him, sounding a bit desperate to have any interaction with the human as he watched his discovery leave the throne room.

“That won’t be necessary.” Logan called over his shoulder.

 “Enough Dee. If Logan does not wish for your help, you will leave him and his human alone.” The king said. “Now leave, I have some work to attend to.” He shooed Dee away.

 Patton moved to the farthest corner away from the giant prince. He couldn’t understand why Logan had saved him from death by dogs...did this giant care? Or was it just because he found him fascinating like Dee did.

 ...It was probably the latter…

 Patton didn’t want to get hurt again.

Logan looked down at the cowering human, wincing at the way it looked. Logan stared straight ahead instead as he walked. Should he say something to it? Try to comfort the creature? The idea felt a bit silly, but all the same...it had spoken. Logan was sure of it.

“It’s alright.” Logan finally spoke, still focused ahead as he navigated into his bedroom. “You’re safe now. I promise.”

---------------------------------

End of flashback

---------------------------------

 Patton frowned when Logan became quiet. “Logan?”

Logan looked at Patton as though just noticing the human was there. “My apologies, I was lost in my thoughts.”

 Patton shifted a little on Logan’s shoulder and smiled. “It’s okay but uh...you never answered my question.”

“Right.” Logan nodded. “I suppose.... Well, I felt sympathetic to your plight.”

 “Oh?” Patton titled his head. “Well...I’m glad you did. Your father and Dee sure didn’t…” Patton stared off sadly.

Logan lifted his hand, gently rubbing his finger along Patton’s side. He gave a tense sigh. “I know. I only wish I had thought to save you sooner.”

 Patton turned to hug the finger. “It’s...okay.” Patton wished that too but there was no changing the past. “I’m okay now. That’s all that matters.”

Logan gave a slow nod. Patton’s safety now was all that mattered; and that’s why he couldn’t stay so attached to the little human.

“It’s late.” Logan observed, standing up. “We should head to bed.”

 Patton deflated a bit but nodded. It was getting pretty late. “Okay.”

Carefully Logan returned the books to their proper spots on the shelves, leaving no trace of his presence. He shuffled back down the halls, already hiding a yawn behind his hand. With a grimace Logan noted the beginnings of the morning sun peeking over the horizon; perhaps he would not be gaining much sleep after all. 

 Patton noticed the sun as well and he winced. “Whoops.” He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Logan but he also knew Logan needed sleep. “Sorry.”

“It’s quite alright.” Logan assured him, settling into bed to try and gain the brief hour or two before he would be needed. “I was the one who suggested it.”

 “I know but I know much you need sleep.” Patton said, settling down on Logan’s chest.

“A few sleepless nights won’t do me any long term harm.” Logan reasoned, closing his eyes and settling his hand over Patton.

 Patton hummed, eyes already starting to close. He supposed it wouldn’t. “Goodnight, Lo.”

Logan smirked, amused at the notion of night when the sunlight was already streaming in. “Goodnight, Pat.”

[99liners]

CAA protests;

okay, i want to talk about something important. let me start off with the fact that i'm not an American and i live in India. so basically, i am asian, brown and also a Muslim.

this in no means is saying that i do not support BLM, i do, i support the protesters and their cause. yes, i signed all the petitions.

i want to use this as a platform to talk about a similar thing that happened in India during November, 2019 - March, 2020, when lakhs of people took to the streets of India (all over the country) to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) being passed by the government. according to which, the government will be discriminating us based on our religion and strip people off their citizenship. yes, you heard that right. so we took to the streets to protest and the police brutality was through the roof. not only did they beat up civilians on the roads but also raided national level universities to beat up the students for protesting against the government. we live in a democracy, it is well within our democratic rights to raise questions and protest. the government is directly responsible to us, the prime minister's office. (its in our constitution, the president is not answerable to the people but the PM is.)

i study law at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). on the night of 15th December, 2019, police forcefully entered our main gates (they've no jurisdiction inside the gate btw) and beat up students protesting peacefully on the road. 24 consecutive expired poisonous tear gas shells which maimed a student, lathicharge (beating with the police batons), shot with rubber bullets, you name it we went through it. they raided the hostels, and beat up the kids who weren't even part of the protest. they kept hurling abuses at the students and also kept saying "jo log kashmiri hai, un madarchodo ko maro pehle" (the people who look like kashmiri, beat up those mfs first). yes, that's verbatim btw, i'm not exaggerating.

i can go on and on about that night really, so instead you can read what happened in AMU here. i also have the original investigation report by the committee that is mentioned on that site. 

other universities faced similar and worse atrocities. you can read how brutally Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI) students were beaten up, here and how local goons who feel that Hinduism is threatened but the presence of Muslims in the country entered another national university, Jawaharlal Nehru University and beat the students up with metal rods, you can read about it here.

and yes, none of the perpetrators of these attacks are arrested. even if they were, they are out on bail now.

we boycotted classes for months but got ZERO justice, instead, now under the guise of lockdown, the government has been arresting the leaders of the protests. lmao, you know the first the government did when lockdown started? they cleaned the graffiti off the walls of the universities which the protesters had made. they cleaned off fucking graffiti which were just quotes by historical figures in the spirits of dissent while the doctors kept begging them for PPE. the government clearly have their priorities set straight. 

the women of the country took to shaheen bagh (Delhi) when the students were attacked and sat there in protest for 101 days. even in cold temperatures of below 1°C. mums with their one month old babies sat there, old ladies as old as 80+ sat there too. literate, illiterate both the groups of people sat there and they meant to sit there indefinitely but because of lockdown that wasn't possible and they had to vacate the place. oh, even they were attacked (more than once) by a guy carrying a gun who was ready to shoot at the protesters while the police WATCHED. they fucking stood there and watched. a guy advanced towards the attacker with his hands raised saying “let’s talk calmly” and that fucking privileged jackass shot the protester in the hand. all the while, the police just watched. you can read about it here. (he said "only Hindus will have their way in this country.")

a 4 months pregnant PhD student of Jawaharlal National University has been jailed without any justification. her case is still not being heard before the court and she's being denied basic human rights, living in a prison during a fucking pandemic. an excerpt from the Print, "Zargar, a 27-year-old M.Phil. student from Jamia, is over three months pregnant, and was arrested by the Delhi Police’s special cell on 10 April. She was later denied bail and, on 21 April, charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). She was associated with the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC), and was part of the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests organised by university students in December and January. She was arrested for allegedly leading the anti-CAA protest at Jaffrabad metro station in February."

this is nothing, most of the Muslim people arrested during this protest haven't been released or are simply forgotten. lawyers were not allowed in the police station to bail them or being allowed to talk to them. most lawyers in the country signed up their numbers and other contacting details on the Internet with their locations so that if someone was arrested, they could call them up and the lawyers would bail them out (free of cost).

this discriminating and draconian bill not only affects the muslims but also the people on the lower rungs of the social ladder. i don't believe in caste. i do not agree with the system but it existed widely at a time when i wasn't even born, so there's not much i can do about that. but right now the government is bringing up the caste again, people who are Vaishyas and Shudras will also be stripped off their citizenship while being sent to detention camps. yes, India is already stocked up with their detention centers. so yes, i wasn't there at that time but i am here right now and i refuse to be okay with the government discriminating against us based on caste and religion.

lmao i totally forgot to mention the riot that broke out in February, 2020 which resulted in a recorded deaths (murder) of 53 civilians (mostly Muslims). that's the recorded death count but according to various people who were present in Delhi at the time and witnessed the riots happening, they claim the missing persons report (unreported) is in thousands. and over hundreds were killed. you can read more about the February 2020 Delhi Riots here.

there's so many more incidents that happened, and all the government has done is: NOTHING.

our current PM is the prime suspect of the Gujrat Riots 2002, which was a pogram led by him and it killed over thousands of muslims who lived in gujrat.  

i didn't write this here to ask you for help, no, instead i want you guys to read this and remember this. don't forget our voices, because we're all together in this fight and the others to come. forgive but please don't forget.

like faiz ahmed faiz said, "bol k laab, azaad hai tere."

[club40audio]

The Olde Towen Buffet

I will be posting, Chapter by chapter, my #Lovecraftian #CosmicHorror #Horror Novel “The Olde Towen Buffet” If you enjoy what you are reading, I encourage you to get ahead of the curve and buy the complete book for $5 (Kindle, $15 in print), or read it #Free on #KindleUnlimited. Also this novel is written, edited, and corrected by me alone, I would be grateful to you #GrammarNazis if you would point out my missteps, and how to correct them in the comments. So that I can improve the #Kindle book. Respectful Criticism, is welcome. I am interested to know your thoughts Chapter by Chapter! (I will not be correcting the bad "returns" and such that seem to be happening as I copy and paste. If this is a problem for you, again, please read the book off of the Kindle book, where these problems do not exist.:) )

Prologue: 

He stood there in the darkness. The sound of chanting voices filling the chamber. He could feel the power pulsing through him, the same power that held him in place and made him unable to move, like a painless, paralyzing, electricity. This was it. This was what he had longed for all his life. He wanted this.  When the time came he would do anything for it. The changes had already begun to take place in him, and oh how wonderful they were. There had been no resistance. When the work was begun in him he hardly knew anything was happening at all… But soon it had been undeniable. Now he stood in the darkness as the flames danced before him casting his shadow on the wall. From somewhere off to his left, he heard the distant wailing cries of the woman he had once thought of as his wife; the woman who he once thought the most important thing in his puny existence. But now he understood so much more. Now he was part of something bigger.  Something... cosmic. She was nothing. Her sobbing would soon be silenced and no longer of any account. She cried his name over and over; pleading with him to break free, to come away with her, but freedom was an illusion, and it meant nothing without power. And this was power.  Her face was beaten and bloody, and seeing that might have once elicited some emotion from him, but now he was beyond such things. Let it happen. Let it come now. No more waiting.  He wanted it to be over. He wanted it to begin. He wanted the power; the strength. All the might which had been conveyed upon him this night was but a taste of what was to come. When he had fully given himself over, when the darkness was embraced, then he would know this strength a thousand-fold. He would do anything, give anything; be anything that was required of him, so long as he could have this.  He had always thought that if somehow this boon was bestowed upon him, that his first goal would be vengeance. He had been sure that he would hunt down all those who had wounded him every day of his life; his father first and foremost of all.  He remembered the plans he had for the boss at the job he had so recently been fired from; Mr. Williams. The man for whom he had worked for nearly fifteen years and who now had ruined him. His life and career were over, not only at his law office, but for all legal work.  He thought of hunting down the girls who had rejected him in High School and even the bullies of the playground.  Yes!  How they would have all paid for what they had done. Anyone who had ever laughed at him, or made him feel small. He would grind their bones to meal. He remembered when he was a child how nearly every day, they had circled him chanting, “Stubby Stanley! Stubby Stanley!” and “Fatty fatty, two by four, can’t fit through the kitchen door.” and the perennial favorite, “U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi!”How they had guffawed when he couldn’t reach the monkey bars from the highest of the supports, let alone hold himself up as he tried to make his way from one bar to the next. Every time he would flop down in the hard-packed dirt below like a sack of moldy potatoes. Then his memories swirled round to the girls who had rejected him because he was shorter than they, and the slow agony he would have extracted from them. Even now when he was becoming something beyond any of their understanding, their words echoed and raced through his mind, solidifying his choice: _“What girl wants a guy they have to get down on one knee to kiss? Tony, now there’s a real man! Six-foot, two and he might get even taller!” __“Maybe I’ll let you take me out when the school has a “Date a Hobbit Dance!” “Do I look like my name is Esmeralda?  ‘Cause I sure ain’t walking around on the arm of no Quasimodo!”  _“Hey, short stuff! Get that ball from off the wall rack!” The coach had shouted at him, knowing he would have to climb up the rack to reach the only ball that was left at the very top. And when the rack had tipped over, as he knew it would, smashing him to the floor bruising his ribs, the coach had called out as the other boys laughed, “If you can’t get hold of a ball when it's sitting on a rack, how do you ever expect to play on my team? Get off the field, and don’t come back Short Stuff!” Then there had been his father: _“Look at him Natalie, he’s sixteen and he barely comes up to my chest! He’ll never bee any good at sports! He’s too small and weak for football. He’s far too short for basketball and he’s got zero hand-eye coordination! My only son is a runt! He’s not even good at academics! And here you are, mollycoddling him! He’s never going to amount to anything!”_  All this and more swirled about in his head, but now he had no thought for revenge, it was all behind him. So small and petty. Now he had worlds to conquer, soon all would bow before the might that was flowing into him. He could feel it coiling through him like a plant; like a vine, it was wrapping around his limbs and sinking into them, imbuing them with a virility he had never known, never could have known, but for the events of this strange night.  The sound of chanting in the darkness had ceased. Had it only stopped now, or was it some time ago? Trapped in a delicious trance of power and haze of remembrance he couldn’t be sure. But now the shadows on the wall were changing, were different, undulating with a light far stranger than any fire could produce. He knew, at last, the time had come. He was about to gaze upon his new master for the first time. He would joyfully submit. He would accept any contract, make any deal. This was all he had ever wanted. He felt the restraining power lift from him, and he could move once again. He lifted his eyes to see a sight that might have driven others mad. But to him it was beautiful. It was this one who had made a new life possible, and from somewhere deep inside himself, he heard his master’s voice speak his name for the first time.

1  “Doggone it!” Ally cursed, straining, stretching as high as she could, “Who built this place! Andre the Giant?” “No, it just wasn’t built for Gnomes.” Said her husband, effortlessly reaching up and taking down the suitcase, he had placed on the rack the night before, the handle of which had just evaded his wife’s grasp.   He handed it over to her as she huffed a begrudging, “Thanks.” And then mumbled, _“For nothing.” _Under her breath. Mark laughed, “Hey don’t hold it against me, I didn’t write your genetic code.” He flopped on to the bed, making the suitcase wobble, as his wife was reloaded it with all of her do-dads and whatnots that seemed so necessary for the care of her appearance. The trip was only going to last a week, but she seemed to have brought enough clothes for three. Then there were  the two extra, small suitcases, full of nothing but beauty care. The total of 4 suitcases had taken up all the space that was leftover in the trunk of Marks Chevy Malibu, once the small toolbox, jack, and four-way lug wrench were pushed to the side. Mark had to put his one small suitcase in the back seat. Now, three days later, they were on their way back from California to Chicago. They had spent the night in Aurora, about 35 miles south of Boulder. They were now only 17 hours from home. It would have been 15 hours, but a major road construction project had begun just after they had passed through on Route 76, on the way to California.   Already at 9 am, traffic was backed up.  According to the Mapping app on their phones, going back that way would have added nearly five hours to their trip. Mark had asked his wife to remind him to take route 70, in the morning so they could avoid that nightmare.  It came to her mind as she fit her curling iron and hairdryer back into the already cramped suitcase. “I wish we didn’t have to go around the construction, I hate Kansas.” “What’s the matter with Kansas?” asked Mark, “I love all that farmland, especially this time of year, just before the harvest. All those fields of green. It's beautiful.” “It's boring. Flat straight and goes on for what feels like forever! Did you know there are more single-vehicle accidents in Kansas per-capita than any other state? People get hypnotized out there driving on the roads alone, and when the road turns, they don’t. They go flying off into a ditch somewhere, and drown in a creek bed.” “Where did you read that?” Mark asked laughing to himself. “Oh on the internet somewhere…. Which reminds me I better check my phone while we still have service, I just know we’re going to get out there and lose signal.” “Our service plan covers 95% of the landmass of the continental US, according to the commercials.” “Yeah, and we are going to be driving right through that remaining 5%.” She said snapping the clasps on the suitcase into place, “I guess that’s everything.” “Don’t forget your make-up kit, Shawty,” Mark said, affecting an accent. Ally looked up and groaned. There, on top of the rack was her black plastic make up kit, with all her various blushes and brushes. “I’m never going to reach that. Why did you put it up there?” “Why did you even unpack it?” Mark replied, not moving from the bed, “When we were in LA, that made sense, you were getting all gussied up for the dinner. That made sense.” He repeated. “But last night you were getting ready for bed, and you took it out of your suitcase.  There’s nobody here but me, and you know you shouldn't wear makeup to bed. And then, you didn’t even use it.” “I was setting it out for the morning, I was planning to put my face on before we left, but I couldn’t find it.  I figured it had gotten buried in the clothes and I didn’t want to dig it out.” Ally said, annoyed. “Put your face on? For what? The drive home? You and me and miles and miles of corn?” He got up off the bed and moved toward her. “Besides I think my wittle munchkin looks so much better without her make-up.” He said affecting a “baby-talk” voice. She punched him in the bicep, hard enough to sting but not to truly hurt. “Ouch!” he said, playing it up. “Stop picking on my height. You know I’m sensitive about it.” “But you are just so cude!” He said, still in baby-talk, wrapping her in his arms, which from fingertip to fingertip of the opposite hand, were exactly 5 feet, 11 inches, perfectly proportionate to his height, “I wuv my Widdle Baby Wifey!” He picked her up and spun her around. “Stop that!” She said half laughing, “Put me down!” she said, even though he already had. “I may be only 5 feet tall but I’ll kick your butt anyway.” He laughed and reached up for the make-up kit, handing it to her. “Here you go Smurfette.” She ignored the jibe and reopened her make up suitcase, “Why’d you put it up so high?” “Because you had it on the sink and I needed to shave.  I didn’t want to ruin anything, with drops of water flying everywhere…. And I did that so you’d need me to get it down for you later… I have to remind you how much you need me every once in a while… Just in case you get complacent, or think you can do better.” Ally laughed, snapping the suitcase closed again, “I know I can do better, I’ve just grown accustomed to you.” “You know, that’s right.” Mark said with a toothy grin.

[sebeth]

Doom Patrol: “Pilot”

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

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 Doom Patrol, Episode One: “Pilot”

 Love the opening credits. Creepy and evocative of the Doom Patrol’s “mad scientist” origins.

Paraguay, 1948: We begin with a snarky narrator and a visit to a Von Furchs, a Nazi fugitive. He is infamous for his scientific experimentation.

Von Furch changes a Mr. Morden into Mister Nobody. Nobody is a villain from the Vertigo Doom Patrol series.

We fast forward to 1988 in Florida. We are at the pre-transformation home of professional race car driver Cliff Steele. A married Cliff is having an affair with the nanny. Cliff’s wife tells him to “crash and die”. Cliff crashes after his wife distracts him.

Cliff regains consciousness after Niles transports his body into a robot form.

I can only imagine the horror Cliff felt upon regaining consciousness.

Did Cliff’s wife consent to this procedure or did Niles simply steal Cliff’s brain? Was the wife working with the Chief? It’s revealed in the Vertigo series that Niles was behind the accidents that caused the members’ misfortunes.

Cliff realizes he’s regained consciousness in 1995. Niles informs Cliff that the world believes he died in 1988?

Rita reveals the truth to Cliff- only his brain survived and it’s encased in a robot body.

Rita tells Cliff: “We need to talk about expectations. And then we need to take those expectations, give them a gentle pat, and flush them into the ocean.”

I’m sensing Rita has been disappointed numerous times in her life.

Rita tells Niles that “Everyone deserves the truth.”

The team members have to stop pushing the off button on Cliff’s body. How can he adjust if they press the off button whenever he has a reaction?

Niles introduces Cliff to Larry. Larry gives Cliff a tour of the place.

Cliff asks Larry about his story.

Flashback origin time for Larry.

California, 1961: Mister Nobody states Larry was an “Atomic Age sex machine”: a USAF test pilot and on the short list for the NASA Mercury mission. Larry was also a married man with children.

Larry flies an experimental NASA rocket plane. Larry encounters an alien energy high up in the atmosphere. The energy destroys the controls on the ship. The plane crashes and burns Larry alive.

Back to the present day – Cliff is attempting to learn how to climb steps in his new body.

Cliff asks Larry what “Drinky’s” deal is. To be fair, every time Cliff has seen Rita she has had a martini in her hand.

Cliff struggles with the reality and limitations of his new form.

Cliff asks Niles if anyone has left “this place”. Niles informs Cliff that “Some have. Some come and go. Others life Larry and Rita prefer to stay. But to be perfectly honest, those who leave find it’s often more difficult for the world out there to accept who they’ve become than they do.”

The line of dialogue allows for other characters to enter and leave the plot.  I wonder if we will see some of the other members of the various incarnations of the Doom Patrol? We know Crazy Jane and Cyborg are coming to the show.

We discover Rita enjoys knitting while Larry prefers horticulture.

I love Rita’s clothing style. Very fashionable.

Rita origin flashback.

She was the queen of 1950s’ cinema. She was also a diva.

Rita was in Africa filming a movie. The dock she was on collapses and she falls into the water. She’s exposed to a strange substance in the water. She emerges from the water with her body collapsing around her. Possible karma as Rita was having trouble looking at a disfigured man while filming the movie.

Cliff makes it up the steps! Achievement unlocked!

Niles tells Cliff that his brain has been altering his memoires to help him cope.

Cliff plays a phone message the Chief used to replicate his voice.

We flashback to the car race. Cliff avoided the car crash and won the race. His wife looks shocked about his survival. Cliff, rather hypocritically, attacks the man he suspects of having an affair with his wife.

Cliff has another romp with Giselle, the nanny, in his trailer. He calls his wife: “I don’t know what happened to us. I’m going to be better. I know it’s late. I don’t even know if you care how sorry I am.”

Cliff goes to his wife’s parents’ house to retrieve her and his daughter.

I’m getting a really bad feeling about what’s going to happen.

A distracted Cliff drives into a semi-truck. Kate and Clara die in the crash. Cliff was the only survivor.

Wow, the show writers managed to make Cliff’s origin even more tragic than it was in the comics.

Mister Nobody informs us “The years pass and it’s all so depressing that I just can’t.”

In 2002, Larry paints a canvas of racing cars for Cliff. Larry is so sweet!

Cliff spends a decade working on a town/race car model track.

It’s 2019 and we hear a female voice yelling “I’m back”.

Rita: “Oh, goody.” Rita is clearly not a fan.

Robotman: “Who?”

Cliff’s been in the house since 1988 and he hasn’t met Jane yet? How old is she supposed to be?

“Meet Jane. Some people call her Crazy Jane. Sixty-four personas each with their own special power.”

Jane is going to be fun. The Rita and Jane dynamic should be a blast.

After a rocky start, Cliff and Jane bond. Cliff was protective of Jane in the Vertigo series too.

We meet several of Jane’s personalities in the episode:

1)      Jane

2)      Sylvia

3)      Hammerhead

4)      Hangman’s Daughter

5)      The unnamed energy being

The Chief decides to resume his occasional travels in the world. The gang’s heard the spiel so much they say it with him.

The gang decides to head into town. When dad’s away, the kids will play.

Rita nervously enters a diner. She meets a fan.

Jane and Cliff head to a toy store to buy a present for his daughter’s birthday. Cliff and Jane bonds over his pre-death stupidity.

Larry finally leaves the bus and enters a bar.

Rita discovers it was rumored to be drunk and doing porn. An emotional Rita begins to lose control over her bodily form.

Jane urges Cliff to call his daughter. Cliff states his daughter is dead. Jane asks “According to who?” Jane claims Clara survived the crash. It’s on the internet. Jane urges Cliff to call his daughter but he destroys her phone.

It didn’t take long for the writers to start the “Chief’s a lying liar who lies” card.

We flashback to Larry, pre-transformation. Larry, a married man, was having an affair with a male member of his ground crew.

The memories trigger Larry and blue light begins to emit from his body.

Rita continues to lose control of her body, turning into a huge oozing mass that breaks through the storm and emerges on to the street.

Jane changes personalities while urging Jane to get a hold of herself.

Larry loses control and the negative energy being emerges from his body.

Rita and Larry’s respective freak-outs are causing massive damage to the town.

Cliff asks Jane: “What should we do?”

Jane responds by changing personalities and transforming into a fire/energy being.

“No! We’re not doing that!”

Cliff saves the day by stopping Rita in her tracks.

The team heads home. Niles arrives back in town as television media is reporting the day’s events.

Niles briefly sees a donkey in his rearview mirror.

Niles arrives home and he’s not happy. Niles heads to the lab and looks at photos. One has a man holding a leashed donkey. The photos appear to be from the time Morden transformed into Mister Nobody.

Niles informs the team their actions have consequences. He has enemies and they will come for the team. He wants the team packed up and ready to leave asap.

Cliff asks about the town. Niles tells him the town isn’t his concern.

“So the town get’s screwed.”

Niles yells at Jane, Cliff yells at Niles – he’s ticked about the Chief lying about his daughter’s death.

Cliff wants to stay and fight but the rest of the team votes to leave with the Chief.

The team leaves but Cliff stays to protect the town.

Jane urges the team to return and fight with Cliff. The team, except for Niles, agrees.

Rita: “I can’t promise I won’t be disgusting, but yes.”

Mister Nobody teleports aboard the bus and taunts Niles.

The donkey approaches the team and farts a message into the sky: “The mind is the limit.”

A black hole appears in the street and begins swallowing the team.

Cliff: “What the f***?”

Great first episode. Loved the soundtrack. We had “Fresh” by Kool and the Gang, “Fox On The Run” by Sweet, “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol, and “People Are Strange” by the Doors.

Mister Nobody, visually and voiced, is more fun than he was in the comic book series.

Niles is manipulative and creepy. In many ways, he is the greatest enemy of the Doom Patrol.

Each character received their fair share of focus in the episode. We were able to see their origins and their distinct personalities.

It’s refreshing to see characters that don’t have “big damn heroes” as their default mode. Rita and Cliff weren’t the most likable people before their accidents. Larry led a secret life even before the plane crash. All three were horribly traumatized during their accidents and resulting transformations and have lived decades in fear and secrecy as “freaks”.  That combination is very hard to overcome to become heroic defenders of mankind.

An excellent debut. Highly recommended.

[whatisthisnonsense]

Okay you know what I am gonna talk shit in a proper well-thought-out manner because I’m salty and stressed and I may as well channel it into something fun like yelling about anime in an over the top display of angery as befitting this cesspool of a social media platform. This being said I’m gonna do it under a read-more ‘cause most of ya’ll ain’t got time for no negative nonsense and some of you genuinely enjoy Tri, and you know what, I respect you, you’re valid.

Okay so to explain how much I want to throw Bandai into a dumpster, we first need to go back and explain Adventure and the fiasco that was 02.

Digimon Adventure came out in 1999 (March 6th in japan and August 14th in the states, which coincidentally means this show came out exactly on my sixth birthday!) and lasted for about a year, with 54 episodes. The plot was simple; seven punkass grade schoolers turned out to have been chosen by fate to defend the Digital World, an alternate plane of reality created by various forms of digital information (the wee baby internet of the era, for example), mostly to kind of justify Bandai’s V-Pet (Tamogatchis but they’re gross and can FIGHT) and sell toys. So like, Transformers but with more human characters and kickass monsters and sometimes a lesson about the Power Of Friendship. Later, they find out they were chosen because they saw their neighborhood get wrecked by two monsters and Inexplicably Forgot This, as well as the fact there’s actually a missing member of their group (which less than surprisingly turned out to be the leader character’s little sister, who had already been seen in a prior episode and had also been involved in that early monster attack). It was hokey, the english dub generally bordered on that of a proto-abridged series if not aggressively sanitizing things (turning sake into green chili sauce, for example) and it was just good dumb fun and in the end everyone was crying anyway because dammit, while it was dumb fun you still cared about these characters and loved how they grew up. And then came 02.

Hoo boy. Digimon 02 came out in 2000 (April 2nd in japan and August 19th in the states) and lasted for another year or so. While sometimes listed as a second season, in truth it was a sequel series and it had...some interesting ideas, lets say. And I mean that sincerely! They did have some good ideas! But it was pretty clear from the lack of direction and the constant roller coaster of serious and stupid that it was being a sequel for the sake of being a sequel. For example, a whole new super secret crest turned up out of nowhere, which brings up a lot of questions in the lore but is mostly used to prove Ken isn’t irredeemable because he’s a Chosen Child ,as well as the questions about how this Crest is still present and useable and then literally gets no use. No Ultimate Form Wormmon for you, folks, NORMAL digivolution is out! I think I and @yunisverse have made our opinion on how to use that crest better clear while we’re being salty over Wizardmon, ha People have said that it’s big draw was that it had a heavier focus on character development and...yes and no? On the one hand, Ken and Cody’s arcs were genuinely enjoyable, Kindness shenanigans aside, as was occasionally exploring TK and Kari’s trauma, something often brushed over in the original series. On the other hand, more or less the whole of Adventure centered AROUND character growth where in 02 it’s...sporadic. Sometimes even random. However the main two reasons everyone was mad at 02 were these;

The original digidestined that were not Kari or TK got shunted onto the backburner, usually using excuses as they had given up their crest powers sometime between Our War Game and the present (despite that A) this is otherwise disregarding the fact they were supposedly not able to enter the digital world again until 02 and B) the power is literally inside them as part of their core, not something the digiworld actually gave to them, and while it could be diminished it could never actually be removed) or that it was the New Kids turn, often with wildly out of character personality developments. (Looking at you, Sora’s new docileness and Mimi’s lack of involvement in most of the plot period.)

The epilogue, which not only gave everyone really weird future jobs (why is Matt an astronaut?!) but also seemed pretty much out to be as aggressively Happily Ever After without actually stopping to think about any implications or actual lead-ups.

02 usually gets a pass from riding on the Adventure coattails, but everyone still tended to be at least disappointed in what had occurred. Also, more serious takes on Digimon, such as Tamers and some of the games, had been growing in popularity.

Thus Bandai, in it’s infinite wisdom, decided to cash back in on Nostalgia by focusing on the Adventure kids, making them closer to 02 so they’re older and they can therefore do more serious mature takes like Tamers, while also trying to rectify how they would even begin to come around to their epilogue jobs. They do this by killing the 02 cast in the first two minutes.

Welcome to Tri folks! Okay, so the 02 cast isn’t actually dead, but we don’t know where they are for six movies. Six movies!! The most we know for a few years is Ken, for some reason, has reverted to evil! And he has Imperialdramon, which implies Davis is brainwashed too!

He is basically doing this most of the series (which was initially going to be a mini-series before becoming a series of movies which then proceed to often be cut up into episodes, which that alone should tell you the problems BEHIND the scenes much less on screen) and we find out what he is (not actually Ken but an evil Gennai clone which is also out of nowhere) and what he’s doing (apparently bringing Yggdrasil, long time lore big bad of various digimon continuities and also god, into the Adventure storyline) not by efforts of the kids. Oh no. They’re too busy playing with their new friend Mei!

God I wish I was joking. The original squad literally shows no concern for where the 02 gang is until halfway through, and it’s a handwave at best and quickly moved on from. Hell, they barely react to “Ken” and CHEER on defeating Imperialdramon! More gravitas was given to having to kill the plot coupon of the day, Meicoonmon, than someone they actually know and should be upset about. Also making Tai NOT want to rush into a fight (what?), Turns Out Homeostatis Is Also Evil Or At Least Amoral (why), a reveal one of the backstory five original digidestined went mad with grief (no), and also I guess for some reason the kids and digimon were separated again given their reactions despite 02′s ending? That’s. That’s not even keeping your own continuity. Why are you like this. Also connecting to the epilogue just seem to be on a whim (not metaphor, Matt decides to be an astronaut on a whim), the general lack of gravitas in most moments followed by moments of SEVERE gravitas (which is the 02 problem but Worse), and bad jokes. I don’t mean Good Bad Jokes like Adventure, just really not funny jokes. And the real bitch of the matter? It had a few things that should’ve made it AWESOME! Like listen, I miss these idiot kids a lot, and the concept of a virus forcing a reboot on the digiworld and thus having to explore, finally, the digimon as characters and what they would be like without the kids? That’s cool! The idea of undoing all the Perma Digideaths (like WIZARDMON goddammit, and in this own show friggin’ Leomon again) with said reboot and thus having a pretty legitimate reason to allow it? Also cool! Worldbuilding about the previous five digidestined? Neat! And lets be real, you all cried at the cast version of Butter-Fly. You know you did. But the thing is they didn’t DO anything with most of this, or did it in a sloppy way. Example; the virus was basically a means to an end for waking up Yggdrasil (I’m not calling him King Drasil, that’s stupid), right? Why? When the Adventure-verse, often to it’s own detriment, is actively tied to the Milleniumon mythos, you could just pull in that eldritch horror and finally have Ryo make sense everywhere not japan. Or heck, the Dark Ocean! Remember the Dark Ocean? Where literally cthulu is and also Daemon now? Apparently neither do the script writers since that would’ve been a golden opportunity.  Of course, this would be asking for continuity, which Tri has issues with within its own narrative. Remember when I said the reboot should’ve undone all permadeaths? Yeah, Wizardmon still shows up as a ghost later to lead Kari out of trouble. No lines or anything, just pops up facing away from the audience and leads her out, and then vanishes, despite the fact that according to the rules they made up for the reboot, he should be a cute little Mokumon in Primary Village at the moment who remembers nothing. Also it kind of low-key has the vibe that growing up is terrible and results in having to make awful decisions? Which I’m not sure is what they meant to do, but it does pretty much have that end result. And that sucks! Even Tamers didn’t do that! Growing up is HARD, sure, but there are GOOD things about it too, and being Adventure one would think that would be the main focus! Nope. I just. This should have been good and when it was announced I was super excited and now I’m pretty much exasperated by its mere existence. And now we’re getting a sequel after ANOTHER timeskip.

Bandai if this is how you give us a nostalgia feels trip, do us a favor and let Adventure die. You’re just making the sugary memories of childhood have a bitter aftertaste. Or, if you must, just do a proper reboot. Tie up things that actually WERE wrong with the original series and do some clean ups but otherwise leave it untouched. We all know you’re trying to capture the magic twice, guys, you’re not even trying to hide it now. TL;DR, The only parts I like about Tri are Butter-Fly (cast version) and the fact Tai and Matt are gayer than ever

[lanceprance-blog]

The Best SEO to 2019

A web site that would like to remain relevant these days must certainly minimal SEO. Local SEO can be the bit technical to some individuals. You are already aware great content ranks higher on record of SEO. I actually avoid think you need to modify much of your local SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION optimization for local search. When deciding exactly what search topics to focus on and just how best to focus your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION efforts, treating keyword querying such as an investigative tool is where you will likely have the best results. To understand how SEO works to improve search engine rankings, we'll need to break it down a little. Many of the SEO methods we've been using for many years are still worth our marketing and advertising dollars — blogging, social press, and inbound marketing — such as. For years, links have got been the trust signal regarding search engines — one that will SEOs spent the most period on optimizing (and often manipulating). It makes sense therefore that will focusing on brand relevance plus prominence will result in rating higher in local SEO. SEO offers never been about rankings just. SEO is actually heating up with regards to brands plus businesses competing for backlinks making use of well-crafted custom content that attempts to solve a certain issue that people may be looking for. Yet with professional curiosity and the particular assistance of trained SEO professionals, your business can leverage SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends to come out upon top in 2018 and further than. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process of enhancing positions in organic (non-paid) lookup engine results in search motors. An SEO method is considered white hat in case SEO 2019 Slide it conforms to the research engines' guidelines and involves simply no deception. While keyword analysis and optimisation still dominates SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, experts are seeing a change to natural language and contextual search over the last various years. Although many prominent numbers in SEO believe that RankBrain isn't something for which a person can specifically optimize, it continues to be a concern for many individuals.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, while still search engine search engine optimization, encompasses so much more procedures in 2018. Consumer experience has never been even more important to SEO. In this blog page post, I am going in order to share a few On-Page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION techniques with you, that may be done completely through White colored Hat method. Meta descriptions have simply no impact on your WordPress SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION when it comes to search positions. But if a person engage in genuine conversation plus your site is helpful in order to users, you're on the correct track to boosting off-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. With social videos producing 1200% more shares than textual content and images combined, according in order to WordStream, look for video revealing to be a big SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trend in 2018. It can exciting, but my mind-set regarding SEO has changed… I utilized to over-think it, trying in order to develop the right” variety associated with periods to utilize key keywords. I've been doing SEO for the last 5 years, and throughout those years, I've attempted to consume all the information about SEO which i could get my hands on. This blog post is all that information plus new ranking techniques that work in 2018, condensed.

It gets much better: when you publish SEO-optimized Youtube . com videos, you'll own more Search engines real estate. SEO landscape is definitely dynamic and there is the greater need to stay within touch with the changing developments and adopt optimization techniques that will help you boost your on the internet visibility. nineteen. Page Load Speed @jambad 2018 SEO Trends - 5 Strategies to Stay Ahead of the particular Curve What we already know… 2016 - Slow webpages enhance bounce rate Study by Search engines, (Akamai) 53% of mobile customers abandon sites that longer compared to 3 seconds to load. In a fast plus results-based world, voice search may continue to be a part of SEO's future, and we may observe a moment where it may surpass traditionally written searches. The Future of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is here: Understanding and Advertising to Specific and Defined Viewers through Search Engines. ” flawlessly quoted by Adam Audette, Primary Knowledge Officer, RKG a overall performance Marketing Agency. Whenever people at Internet Retail Expo, came up with the query showing how to do SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION for eCommerce sites, it had been decently answered by a specialist.

The SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION adage length is strength” has been supported by our industry research which found that longer content material has a tendency to position significantly higher on Google's 1st page. Google Traffic is near to non and it's getting difficult to keep investing budget in SEO. I was initially concerned regarding ranking my sites and this was too hard to find out about SEO. Talk to your marketing group about how to include Tone of voice into your SEO plans. While SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION assists with driving traffic in order to your site, the designing component helps in grabbing the interest from the users. Today is the time to pay out more attention to long-tail key phrase phrases and to local SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. As a result, the SEO's job nowadays much more than keywords plus backlinks. Sign up for the weekly SEO and daily SearchCap newsletters regarding a recap of all the particular latest SEO related news, suggestions and tactics from Search Motor Land and other sources just about all over the Web. When it comes to Search engines SEO, the rel=canonical link element has become VERY IMPORTANT over the years plus NEVER MORE SO. So taking time away to accomplish an SEO training training course will only be beneficial regarding your business as it may help you stay ahead associated with your competitors. The team at MyTasker has modelled an infographic upon SEO Techniques and Strategies which gives valuable insights that are essential intended for driving targeted traffic to your own business website. In spite of Google best effort, there's nevertheless a loophole and there's nevertheless more to do with regional search or hyperlocal SEO. This can help businesses set up a good SEO platform that is each user and SEO friendly. SEO is the method associated with increasing a website's visibility plus ranking on search results web pages. Staying on top of the particular changing trends in search motor optimization (SEO) is a need to if a website will likely be observed by targeted customers. SEO in 2018 is usually giving us a brand fresh concept: Instead of typing key phrases on the computer, consumers are usually asking questions. Since you may be able in order to guess from the name, WordTracker focuses in on one component of SEO: keyword research. Just like adding interlinks above, you should also include some external links to higher domain authority sites. ย This assists your WordPress SEO by allowing Google know that you are usually linking out to high-quality articles that is highly relevant in order to yoursย and improves the user encounter by giving them with extra information. Thus, SEO strategy may aim to produce a backlink user profile to avoid spamming in 2018 and yes, backlink will remain an important key to producing your business rank on best in search ranking. But it's perplexing why some businesses don't attempt harder with analysis, revisions, plus new at ease with their own SEO marketing strategy. Blogs, guides, whitepapers, case studies, videos, and interpersonal posts all have to consist of the right keywords for interpersonal and SEO. When RankBrain will end up more and even more influential in rankings, that is usually very likely, that means that will SEO's will begin optimizing even more and more for user knowledge instead of other factors. In today's internet age group, you must be careful along with conventional SEO standards like key phrases in content, leaving comments, plus even reusing content on several pages. Taking a few extra moments to make sure your blog post is fully optimized will permit you to harness WordPress' incredible SEO and content marketing strength for your blog post's content material. Search Console (Webmaster tools) is definitely one of the SEO fundamentals. With the increase of voice search, over fifty percent of Google searches coming through mobile devices, the impending mobile-first index, and mobile-friendliness as getting a ranking factor, you merely can't afford to ignore cellular SEO anymore. When you create brand-new content based on your concern keywords, you have several benefits with an SEO online marketing and advertising strategy. On-site SEO can consist of tasks for example adding keywords in order to your titles, images, and link, adding multi-media like images plus videos throughout your content, inner linking, and updating your content material regularly with new information. Perhaps no place is this more evident compared to in search engine optimization (SEO). Thus, back links remain at the forefront associated with SEO trends. The strategies of the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION search engines like google have fun with a major role in the particular life of a consumer. Within a world where mobile gadgets and voice searches are significantly reducing individuals' screen exposure since they perform searches, offering the voice assistant answer can end up being a crucial SEO boost. In case you want to get even more SEO traffic in 2018, we all recommend you create and enhance content especially for YouTube. OK therefore you've created your High-Retention movie, it's time upload and boost it for SEO. Considering that more people than ever prior to rely on their phones in order to perform searches, mobile SEO will certainly not slow down in the particular near future. Beginning with the basics of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) we will likely then move on to the more advanced techniques, we all are going to also move over backlinks, keywords, tools in order to help you & much even more that will help you move from an SEO beginner in order to some PRO.

When you are wondering which methods are tossed aside today plus which are important to make use of in your strategy, here will be the list of the greatest SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION trends of 2018. Some SEO specialists may guarantee getting top position; if an SEO firm provides a guarantee for top degree rankings, it may force all of them to use less ethical strategies, or black-hat methods, to obtain those guarantees. However, 2018 is definitely predicted to further prod SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION technicians towards recognising that just talking about a company will be enough to boost your ratings. The following user focused on-site SEO techniques may help you improve position and gain more traffic within 2017 and beyond. New web sites should start their SEO trip with local keywords. Local SEO is usually a branch of SEO that will specifically deals with search motor optimisation for local businesses. Another technique gives a different page centered on whether the page will be being requested with a individual visitor or a search motor, a strategy known as cloaking Another category sometimes used will be grey hat SEO This is usually in between black hat plus white hat approaches, where the particular methods employed avoid the web site being penalized, but do not really act in producing the greatest content for users.

They are the particular exact SEO strategies that have assisted to boost our organic lookup engine traffic (unique visitor) simply by 35. 36% in just thirty days. There exists a great deal of misinformation about what a good SEO campaign (company) can achieve with regards to organic research engine rankings. Of course, key word targeting still matters but because Google's A. I. becomes stronger, SEOs and publishers need in order to think more on task finalization — in which the job is the underlying intent associated with the keyword. The most critical step of most is to write a topic which will inspire people in order to share your post, and that will contains your SEO keyword. Numerous businesses have been tracked spending 80% of their marketing budget on Pay out Per Click Strategies (Search plus Social) and only 20% upon SEO. Investing in quality methods which do take longer yet endure and are also these which generate valuable traffic will be the greatest way to invest your time on SEO. Furthermore, Google will still elevate the particular importance of usability and specialized SEO factors, such as web site security, page speed, mobile friendliness, and navigability. A professional SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION company will verify the regional listing on Bing and Search engines. Like many things in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, you will need to begin with an extensive keyword study In order to rank for the Brian Bowie question, you also would like to explore what else individuals ask. And remember, various other search engines like google this kind of as Bing and Yahoo depend sometimes even more on exactly what some may call outdated SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION practices. Google Webmaster Equipment is section of Google's best SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION websites package. If a person have a website that a person want to become easily discovered by a search engine, you should increase your site rank via SEO as well. That is what most of these SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION tactics making the effort to accomplish - increased rankings. This free ebook will teach you, step by step, how to increase your Local SEO so you can start generating more traffic and sales for the business. Not only internet lookup engine algorithm changes but furthermore the way people search will keep changing, therefore, thinking about the above ten SEO trends- digital marketers plus business owners can make the particular website ready for ranking higher in 2018. Matt Cutts (no longer along with Google) consistent SEO advice was in order to focus on a satisfying consumer experience. Finally, in case you don't have enough site visitors, knowing SEO can help a person figure out exactly why your own site lacks visibility and direct you in taking steps in order to improve your rankings. It's not the perfect SEO page title due to the fact of the multiple distinct solutions, but the structure can offer rise to rankings for a few long-tail keyword phrases. The SEO fads keep developing with time and, hence the particular individuals and business organizations as well should get their act collectively to have effect on the particular Google algorithm. It will certainly serve one well to keep in mind that building great backlinks making use of link-building is a valuable search engine optimization tactic. Up-dates in search algorithms and within people's searching patterns and the particular mobile over desktop preferences are usually changing the nature of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. However, cellular trends in SEO have turn out to be quite compelling. People always attempt direct method but most associated with time these trick don't functions for SEO. A single of the biggest initiatives within SEO is creating quality content material. His expertise is within SEO, Paid Search & Content Marketing. Our goal with on-page SEO is to optimize a good article in a natural, yet smart way, so that lookup engines can easily select the particular prospective keyword and bring the website targeted visitors. It can be helpful if you talk about some on-page SEO tips plus how to do a key word research. A number of non-SEO equipment still give you a great insight into keywords. The greatest SEO companies is going in order to do keyword research on your own company as well as your own industry to come up along with a list of terms which usually will yield the best outcomes for your website. Possibly, you heard about the word Google's Rank Brain, the latest synthetic intelligence & machine learning criteria that is considered as the particular supreme invention of SEO rank till now. I know there's the entire idea of search experience optimization” and ensuring you are enhancing for platforms beyond search yet when it comes down in order to it, SEO is about getting found in search engines. With the addition of Google's new lengthier meta description snippets, featured thoughts, knowledge panels, local packs plus much more, you've got your own SEO hands full! SEO specialists have to look for new tricks and techniques to promote a website due to the fact Google algorithms take into accounts not only keywords, but also context, many other things. The particular biggest SEO trend in 2018 is voice search queries. There is the blur line between mobile SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION and desktop search engine marketing and advertising. One of the particular trends I expect to notice in 2018, which will possess a significant impact on most aspects of SEO, may be the improving role of artificial intelligence. SEO is an Online marketing and advertising strategy that improves the visitors on your webpage or web site. Meaning by 2018, SEO based promotion strategy ought to concentrate on having long-verse content material for best ranking results. A good SEO strategy in 2018 requirements to consider the way we all consume visual content and exactly how search engines now go further than text to explore the transforming habits of search. As a matter of reality, the strength of any website is situated in the DA. Domain Power is SEOmozs calculated metric intended for how well a given domain name is likely to rank looking results. An SEO expert can tell you this single modification may not improve your web page rankings or authority very very much, however it will get even more clicks. Off-page SEO very efficiently in advertising your business where social mass media, bookmarking sites, forums, blog index, Q&A, articles, videos, image plus infographic sharing, and document revealing play well. Even though AMP is not so very much a ranking signal for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, you can imagine that AMP's, when properly utilised, provide the broader visibility. The white hat SEO strategies are good for future-proof SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION results Meanwhile, black hat need to be avoided at all expenses as they strategies are the particular ones that Google and some other search engines are determined in order to root out. But as Dan Taylor described in a comprehensive look from RankBrain and SEO, there is usually no set way to enhance for RankBrain, although certain research practices are now more related than ever before. A lot associated with people see SEO or Lookup Engine Optimization as a unexplainable industry. Having the page on the search motors my business is a excellent helper for your local business plus is an essential portion of Regional SEO, and I think that will during 2018 it is heading to pass a value in order to the local SEO. Even though, it is touch time intensive to create the quality video, it is a lot more than worth it. Great for visitors and SEO as well. Technical SEO: Assuring all hyperlinks are up-to-date, performing keyword analysis, setting up redirects when web pages are moved, fixing errors, making use of proper markup, and so on. As there is definitely with all sorts or marketing and advertising or advertising technique, there are proven, time examined guidelines that when implemented properly will help you immensely together with your Local SEO campaign. Top SEO businesses will even advice you within good time on the providers and features that you require to increase traffic onto your own website within a more practical time frame. Here I have began my Post title with the target keyword SEO”. And, as this so happens, engagement with your own listing may have a good impact on your rankings, therefore shock horror doing good advertising is also good for your own SEO. Yet, I'm quite sure by the particular end of 2020, voice research will be very common, plus there will be many discussions going on in the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION world on how to improve the content for a tone of voice search, similar how it's today about mobile. On-Page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION describes all the things that will you can do on your website in order to assist you rank higher, like as page titles, internal relating, Meta tags & descriptions, and so on. Success in SEO will be the best content for the subject you picked and quality back links to it from other assets with high authority level. Voice technology plus digital assistants are paving the particular path for new and helpful ways to deliver content plus approach SEO. Reading more in our blog publish: 5 reasons why User Encounter (UX) is important for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. I was initially concerned about ranking my websites and it was too very much to learn about SEO. Using rich images as an SEO strategy need to be a major focus within increasing your brand presence plus reach via content marketing within 2018. However, along with the advancement of technology plus Google latest updates you may improve rankings by adopting tone of voice search, accelerated mobile pages, content material marketing, mobile optimization, user-experience search engine optimization, long-tail keywords, local SEO, Search engines Quick Answer Box, Microformat plus Artificial Intelligence inside your SEO technique 2018. Consequently, it is extremely essential regarding businesses to take note associated with SEO and make sure that will their websites are properly listed by search engines.

[canaya96]

On my first day in Iceland, I rode the bus from the Keflavík airport to Reykjavík. Along the way, the bus driver mentioned several interesting places I should visit, as he pointed beyond the vast volcanic landscape that enveloped the main highway on either side. He said this was the site of a big construction controversy. He explained a road had been proposed to ease the commute from the Álftanes peninsula to Gardabaer, a suburb of Reykjavík. But the project was interrupted because a rock that was proposed to be move, was a home for elves. Now, I was doing quite well with this gentleman’s Polish accent, but I had to ask for confirmation, “Did you say elves?” “Yes, elves,” he replied. And that was my first exposure to the rich and colorful folklore of Iceland.

A month later, I was on a Reykjavík city tour and our tour guide kept mentioning areas of the city that were linked with the elves (again, with the elves). I have come to learn that elves, in fact, are a part of the Icelandic culture and are known to wreak havoc when disturbed. As a result, elf mitigation has now become a business in Iceland. For example, the builders of the Kárahnjukastífla dam in eastern Iceland hired an elf consultant. The clairvoyant consultant is used to act as a mediator between the Hundufólk (hidden people, as elves are known) and humans to prevent any problems when elfin homes or churches must be moved. This use of a clairvoyant stems from problems that have occurred in the past when elves were not considered.

Careful, any large rock could be a home for elves!

Enchanting, moss-covered landscape

In 2015, workers were called to clear mud on a highway caused by heavy rainfall. From the beginning, a series of unfortunate events plagued the project including work injuries, broken machinery, and further flooding as workers continued to remove mud from the road. It turns out, they were dumping mud onto a large rock in the vicinity known as the Elfin Lady Stone, or Álfkonusteinn. To some, these unfortunate events might be the result of dangers associated with construction projects, but for others, the incidents are a result of what happens when the human world collides with the elf world.

It seemed that during my first few months in Iceland, elves continued to pop up. So, I started searching the internet and learned about “Elf School”. What does one learn at Elf School? I had to find out! According to their website, elf school is where attendees can learn “everything that is known about elves and hidden people, as well as gnomes, dwarfs, fairies, trolls…and mythical beings in Iceland and in other countries.” The website also claims we will learn “about hundreds of Icelanders that have had personal contact with elves.” You are also enticed with the promise of a diploma and traditional Icelandic food for the low price of $64. Because I love acquiring certificates and I was exited to share elves on my blog, I would be happy to pay my tuition.

The school is in a business district a few kilometers east of downtown Reykjavík. As I walked to the main entrance, located at the top of a dark corridor, there was quite a bit of clutter spewing from the purple outline of the doorway. As I walked in, I took a quick scan of the room which appeared to look like the inside of someone’s house. In fact, the décor took me back, back to my grandmother’s house circa 1970’s. There were gnomes everywhere. As I proceeded through the dimly lit room, I noticed a large bearded gentleman sitting behind a counter. All I could think was “clutter”. Could this be the school? Was I in the right place? “You’re here for Elf School?” the man behind the counter asked. I quietly nodded still unconvinced I was in a school. As he collected my payment, the room was eerily quiet except for the humming of the credit card machine. I was handed my free book and told to take a seat while we wait for others to arrive. I entered a smaller room that contained two rows of chairs on either side of the room with a small table in the center. I squeezed through the rows of chairs taking a seat in back where I could quietly observe and take notes. Over the next 10 minutes people quietly trickled in. This did not look like a school. “Should I leave?” I thought. I could not make out the quiet murmurs, but I am pretty sure we were all noticing the cluttered walls donned with shelves containing various statues, pictures, and hints of elves. Maybe they wanted to leave, too. Altogether, the people quietly seated, the indifferent facial expressions, and the shifting eyes that contemplated why we are all here was reminiscent of waiting at a doctor’s office, dreading to hear the results of a test no one wants to take. I just did not get the sense that people were excited. Maybe it was shock and awe of being at a “school” that looked like we entered a time capsule; it even smelled like 1970, if that was possible. So, there we all sat quietly, waiting for the headmaster.

In all there were 12 attendees, a husband and wife team from public news radio in Germany, a U.S. couple from Arkansas, a student from the local university, four American tourists who were very happy to share their knowledge and interest in the supernatural, a couple of honeymooners, and myself. At last our headmaster arrived, wearing a large corduroy blazer draped over sweat pants. He claimed the classroom was upstairs, but we would all be more comfortable and intimate in this room; he probably spent too much time talking about the closeness of it all. It did not make me feel comfortable, quite the opposite, in fact. He started with pleasantries and welcomed everyone. Perhaps appealing to the majority of us who were American, he opened with his connection to Barrack Obama. The headmaster’s brother, a former member of the Icelandic Parliament, was asked by Obama if Icelanders believe in elves and does his brother really teach at elf school. This was the lead-in to Icelanders and their belief in elves-54%, in fact, believe in elves. But according to online reports, the 1998 poll showed 54.4% of respondents checked the box that they “do not deny the existence of elves”. In comparison, 8% said they believe in elves while 3% actually had an encounter; still quite a bit for a country of ~334,000 inhabitants (not including the elves). I think it’s time for another poll. The headmaster’s introduction went on for about 30 minutes and continued with Republican bashing, the trouble with American politics, etc. and it was apparent he was having a good time. The tone of the stories was slow and choppy. Maybe he was trying to create a dramatic tone using short sentences, followed by long dramatic pauses. During the pauses, it seemed the headmaster was elsewhere. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But I wanted to know what was coming next because I quickly realized there was a story to be had, not about elves, but about elf school. At some point I looked over to my Arkansas neighbors-he was asleep, she was playing games on her phone. I must admit, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Throughout the next three hours, we repeatedly heard the statistics that 54.4% of Icelanders believe in elves and then he would tell a story to validate that statistic. In fact, he claimed, the reason he knows the stories are true is because each time he interviews people who have had run-ins with elves, they repeat the same story without changing details from year to year. He claimed, if people are lying, they will consistently change their stories. Sometimes, in between quiet pauses came completely off topic statements. “I should tell you I’m married, to a man”. “Do you know, schizophrenic people are clairvoyant? They are in two dimensions at the same time”. “By the way, did you notice the weather changes in Iceland”. More pauses, more short, choppy stories. Buddy, I think you are in another dimension, I thought. Things livened up a bit when a prop, I mean evidence, was passed around the group. It was a metal tea kettle, supposedly very, very old. It looked like the metal coffee pots used for camping. As it was passed to me, I looked for “Made in China” stamped into the bottom, but nothing and I mean nothing–no signs of use or wear, either. Other stories followed, mostly about lost children being saved by the elves during a snowstorm, an elf structure appearing and then disappearing. I wanted to know how others were feeling so during the 30-minute break, I asked a few people what they thought. I already knew how the four-supernatural fans felt because they were already making plans to meet with an elf clairvoyant. I could sense the Arkansas couple were quite angry- or maybe it was because they had to wake up for the break. I asked, “Is the school what you expected?” The response was quick, “NO! We thought it would be different because some of the reviews were good”. I meekly agreed but I was not disappointed with the experience because now I knew I had a story. The single woman (besides myself) was a student, she made it clear she was here to write an assignment for school, thwarting any ideas that she was here voluntarily. After break, the long, slow stories with intermittent pauses continued. “Hold on, you can make it”, I kept telling myself. As I mentally dozed away, I began to make a revelation. Now, from my point of view, the headmaster was sitting sideways so that I could see a complete, body profile. He looked so familiar; a white beard, wire-rimmed glasses, a big belly that shook like a bowl full of jelly when he laughed at his own jokes. “Santa?!” I thought, shifting in my seat, trying to hold back laughter. Hadn’t I heard Santa was king of the elves-or just an elf. He looks like Santa and he’s talking about elves! Does anyone else in the room notice this irony?

Sometimes, the landscape looks dark and macabre, perfect habitat for trolls and other legends.

Before coming to elf school, there were several people who warned me to save my money. My reply was that I needed to learn about elves so that I can share elves on my blog and besides, I will get a free book out of it. What I did learn during that very slow, backward-step-in-time experience, was that the story was the school itself and its headmaster, not the elves. Unfortunately, the elves were overshadowed, both in the school and in this story I am writing. But I will eventually talk more about elves and their connection to the land and Icelandic people.

Today, as I read the experience of others at elf school in blogs or reviews online, their experiences and the tales they heard during their class, appear to be the same. I would expect the headmaster to tell new stories, as more people have run-ins with elves, but the stories seem to have not changed over the years. In the end I did not learn anything during the 3.5-hours I lost. I have learned more reading on the internet or reading the tales presented in Icelandic folklore books. At the end of class, the experience got even weirder when the headmaster proposed we all get naked and take a group picture. In all, the word naked was used three times. If you read online reviews and blogs, you will find this is a common theme, some inappropriate request followed by uncomfortable silence. In the end, we did not learn “everything about elves” or stories from “hundreds of people” as the website claimed. What I did get was a good laugh and an experience.

The volcanic landscape around Lake Myvatn makes a great backdrop for Icelandic folktales.

  Dimmuborgir, featured in Game of Thrones, is said to be the home of the 13 Yule Lads who are another group deeply rooted in Icelandic folklore.

  Just another picture to demonstrate the enchantment of Iceland.

  Graduation

Secret Santa and Why We Don’t Mess with Elves On my first day in Iceland, I rode the bus from the Keflavík airport to Reykjavík. Along the way, the bus driver mentioned several interesting places I should visit, as he pointed beyond the vast volcanic landscape that enveloped the main highway on either side.

[fardell24b]

Changes in Time and Space - Chapter 2 - The Twelfth Doctor Part 2: Arrival at Ilkona

Chapter 2 – Part II Arrival at Ilkona

9 February 2710

Ilkona City, Ilkona, Terran Empire of Planets

Deep in the seedy underbelly of Ilkona City two people met.

“You have the information?” one of them asked.

“Yes,” the other said.

They exchanged information on their personal electronics

“Is this all of it?” one of them asked.

“Yes,” the other said, as she vanished into the night. The other also went back the way he had come.

Outside Ilkona City

The TARDIS materialised beside a road on a forested hillside not far from Ilkona City.

“So, where are we?” Felicia asked, looking at the Scanner screen as the Doctor activated it.

“The Terran colony of Ilkona, in the year 2710. It is a rather peaceful year,” the Doctor said.

“If we are here, I doubt that will remain true for much longer,” Tamsin said, cheekily.

“Very true, Tamsin,” the Doctor said.

“Is there any more information we should know?” Felicia asked, wondering how dangerous it could be.

“Not really, but you should be careful, and be ready to run if I tell you too,” the Doctor said.

“He always says that,” Kiara said.

“My Doctor sometimes says it too,” Felicia said, wistfully.

“Let’s go,” the Doctor said, opening the main TARDIS door. “Wait a minute,” he said.

He pressed a button on the console and waved the sonic screwdriver. “There. Your phones will be able to access the local internet now, Tamsin and Felicia,” the Doctor said.

“Thanks, Doctor,” Tamsin said. She quickly opened the browser on her phone, connecting to what appeared to be the local version of Google...

“But that’s not very fair. What about Kiara and Nathan?” Felicia asked, as they left the TARDIS.

“I share! Besides, Kiara has a Tyrian artifact that performs a similar function,” Tamsin said.

“TARDIS location recorded,” Kiara said, as the Doctor locked the TARDIS door behind them.

“I suppose,” Felicia said. ‘I don’t think it is fair that Tamsin gets to access the internet and Nathan doesn’t,’ she thought.

“With the TARDIS location recorded, we can teleport back here if we want,” Kiara said.

“Interesting, so the device has a teleporter built into it?” Felicia asked.

“Yes, although that is more the Doctor upgrading it than its native function. On Tyria it interfaced with the teleportation systems in the settlements. Choose the settlement and away you go. The teleporters were distributed through the settlements and hardly needed maintenance,” Kiara said.

“OK, that sounds interesting, but it is still not fair for Nathan,” Felicia said, looking Kiara in the eyes.

“His choice,” Kiara said, not flinching. ‘Rather headstrong isn’t she?’ she thought, not for the first time.

“I don’t mind,” Nathan said.

“Are you sure?” Felicia asked.

“Yes,” Nathan said.

‘He doesn’t seem that convinced,’ Felicia thought.

“There, he says that he doesn’t mind!” Tamsin said.

Kiara nodded in support of Tamsin.

“Sorry,” Felicia said to Kiara.

“You thought something was unequal and wondered why. Don’t worry about it,” Kiara said, hoping to put her at ease.

Felicia brightened.

Ten minutes later they entered Ilkona City. They approached the city and crossed the crest of a ridge, leaving behind the forest in which the TARDIS had materialised. The vista that they saw was magnificent.

“Amazing,” Tamsin said.

“It looks fantastic,” Kiara said.

“An Architectural masterpiece,” Felicia said. ‘There really is no other way to describe it, and I have seen dozens of cities on a score of planets...’ she thought.

“Absolutely,” the Doctor said.

The skyscrapers and other buildings had obviously been carefully designed to complement the natural environment of the city surrounds, lending to an effect that was quite breathtaking. The majority of the skyscrapers had a green sheen that blended with the wooded hills beyond and trees in the various parks and along most of the streets grew above most of the other buildings.

“Beautiful,” Nathan said.

“Definitely.” Tamsin said.

“An understatement,” Felicia said.

Another twenty minutes later the Doctor and his companions were in a park watching birds.

“Is anything going to happen?” Tamsin said, clearly bored.

“What do you mean?” the Doctor asked.

“We have been here for over half an hour and nothing of interest has happened. Usually, by now there is something that has interested you, and we are in the thick of it,” Tamsin said.

“She does have a point,” Kiara said.

“Yes she’s right. Access some news site and see if there is anything that is out of the ordinary,” the Doctor said.

“Right,” Tamsin said. She quickly used the local version of Google to find some reputable news sites.

Kiara and Felicia quickly did the same.

Five minutes later. Tamsin had found something.

Mysterious Explosion at Laboratory

A Mysterious explosion has rocked a laboratory in the Van Stattan District at 1 AM. The laboratory, owned by the Moss Corporation, was almost completely destroyed by the blast. Given the time of day it was nearly deserted, yet a few people were caught in the blast.

Little information is forthcoming at this time.

...Police are still investigating, nearby security AIs were affected by EMP around the time of the incident and didn’t record any suspicious activity before or after the occurrence.

She handed the Doctor her smartphone.

“You are right, this is definitely something that needs some looking into,” the Doctor said after he had read the article.

“I have found the address of the devastated laboratory,” Kiara said, less than a minute later.

“Good,” the Doctor said, as he handed the smartphone back to Tamsin and glanced at Kiara’s device.

“Good, we will be there in an hour or so,” the Doctor said.

“Or we could take the subway. We would be there in much less time,” Felicia said.

The Doctor sighted a subway entrance less than 30 metres away. “That’s convenient, let’s go,” he said.

“Yes, it is,” Felicia said.

They entered the subway to find the station deserted. “No one else is here,” Kiara said.

“Of course, it appears to be entirely automated,” Nathan said. ‘We are far enough in the future for that,’ he thought.

“The train will be here in less than five minutes,” Felicia said, looking at the timetable, posted next to the entrance.

“That’s convenient,” the Doctor said.

They remained silent until the train arrived. They quickly got into the maglev train, which left the platform a minute after they got on. As the train started moving, the holographic system activated, showing the train’s progress through the subway. They would arrive at their destination in less than fifteen minutes.

Whilst they were waiting, the Doctor and Felicia used the holosystem to access the broadcast news channels.

After over five minutes of channel surfing, they found more news about the laboratory explosion.

“...about ten survivors have been found, and taken to the nearest hospital...”

“After whatever situation that is happening is resolved I will attempt to find your Doctor,” the Doctor said.

“Is that a good idea?” Tamsin asked.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea. The TARDIS had been going off course, consistently for a while prior to my encounter with that anomaly. I also don’t know where the TARDIS was headed after we left where we were,” Felicia said. ‘It would be like trying to find a needle in an infinite haystack,’ she thought.

“Ok,” the Doctor said thoughtfully.

“It is likely that my Doctor would begin her own search and thus meet us at some future point,” Felicia said.

“That is a good point,” the Doctor said (filing the alternate gender reference away for a future time).

“I agree,” Nathan said.

They quickly arrived at the station closest to the laboratory and disembarked.

As they exited the subway they saw the police cordon around the site of the explosion in the distance.

‘That’s a lot of damage,’ Felicia thought.

The Doctor took his psychic paper out of his pocket as they approached, ready to get past the officers.

“Investigator Smith and assistants, Asheru, Daniels, Davis and Lovell, we have been called to help in the investigation of this incident,” the Doctor said, holding the psychic paper up for the officer to see.

“Go ahead,” the officer said.

“Good!” Tamsin said.

“We’ll find something,” Kiara said.

“You can count on it,” Tamsin said.

‘There could be anything,’ Felicia thought. She also noticed the policemen giving the party funny looks...

...

The Doctor and his companions walked past the cordon and came close to the laboratory building. They could see that the explosion had ripped through the structure, demolishing most of it. Only a third of the original building was still standing.

The Doctor scanned the ruins with the sonic screwdriver. “Interesting, but strange,” he said.

“What is strange?” Tamsin asked.

“Strange, I am picking up traces of trinitrotoluene and nitro-glycerine,” the Doctor said.

“How is that strange?” Tamsin asked.

“Why would someone wanting to destroy this lab use such primitive explosives?” the Doctor asked.

“To hide other more advanced explosives?” Nathan asked.

“To cover up an accident?” Felicia asked.

“I have no idea,” Kiara asked.

“Both of those are good ideas. But what was the function of the laboratory?” the Doctor asked.

“According to the official web site; the laboratory was used for genetic engineering,” Tamsin said.

“I wonder if that was all it was used for, and what type of genetic engineering was being pursued,” the Doctor said. The sonic screwdriver beeped again.

“Now it is showing microscopic traces of more advanced explosives, and also acrylamide gels.”

Nathan and Tamsin knew what the latter was for. “The latter is what you would expect really,” Tamsin said.

“Acrylamide gels?” Felicia asked. It wasn’t something she was familiar with.

“They are used to separate different length biological polymers. In this case, DNA fragments,” Nathan said.

“Does the website say anything about the genetic engineering that was being conducted?” the Doctor asked.

Tamsin consulted her phone again. “Increasing the strength of the immune system and digestive efficiency, but then that could have been a cover for something else.”

“Quite true,” the Doctor said.

“We may have to question the survivors,” Felicia said.

“True,” the Doctor said.

“Absolutely,” Tamsin said.

The Doctor continued to gather information from the ruins. ‘Very interesting...’

“What is?” Tamsin asked.

“Traces of different chemical explosives,” the Doctor said.

“Those are?” Felicia asked.

“Acetone Peroxide and what is known as C4,” the Doctor said.

“Still rather primitive,” Tamsin said.

Felicia looked at Tamsin; “I wouldn’t call C4 primitive.”

“Primitive by comparison,” Tamsin said.

“Maybe,” Felicia said.

---

Two hours later, the Doctor and his companions arrived at the city’s main hospital, intending to interview the survivors of the explosion.

The hospital was a large building that occupied an entire block, and towered at least twenty stories above street level. “Interesting design, Doctor,” Kiara said.

“Art Deco, originating from the interwar period in the Twentieth Century,” the Doctor said.

“Cool,” Kiara said.

“Very pretty,” Tamsin said.

The Doctor and his companions entered the main lobby and looked around. The main lobby had influences from Greco-Roman architecture, with load-bearing Corinthian columns spaced evenly around the walls. The Doctor walked up to the Colosseum-inspired main desk. He produced the psychic paper.

“Investigator Smith and assistants, Asheru, Daniels, Davis and Lovell, we have been investigating the laboratory explosion that occurred 2 and a half hours ago. We are here to interview the survivors,” he said.

“The survivors are recovering in Ward 16, on floor 8,” the receptionist said said in a bored and no nonsense tone.

“Thank you,” the Doctor said. He placed the psychic paper back in his pocket and lead the companions to the elevator at the back of the lobby.

The elevator also had Greco-Roman influences, which extended to the pop-up holographic interface. The floors were labelled in Roman numerals. Felicia poked the Floor VIII button. The elevator started moving.

“Interesting that they would decorate the interior separately to the exterior,” Felicia noted.

The Doctor filed away that information for future reference. ‘Very curious,’ he thought.

“It is,” Tamsin said.

Kiara looked thoughtful.

...

The 8th floor of the hospital was like any other hospital in the Terran Empire, antiseptic and Spartan, although there were hints of the Greco-Roman design here and there.

They walked up to the nurses’ station that was opposite the elevator entrance. There was one nurse on duty.

The Doctor produced the psychic paper. “I am Doctor Smith, here with my assistants to interview the survivors of the laboratory explosion,” he said.

“One moment please,” the nurse said. She pressed a button on the console beneath the window.

She then talked to the doctors on duty to check if any of the survivors were in any state to be interviewed.

She soon returned. “They are ready to see you,” she said.

“Thank you,” the Doctor said.

“Good,” Nathan said quietly.

‘Cool,’ Tamsin thought.

Soon the Doctor was interviewing the survivors, with Felicia and Tamsin taking notes.

They had interviewed a few, when something happened...

“...So, there was a faint ticking noise,” the Doctor prompted.

“Yes, there was, then the explosion occurred...” one of the survivors said, with a raspy voice. But then he slumped down into the bed, and the monitoring equipment started making a single tone!

He had died. The Doctor quickly found out why. He waved the sonic screwdriver around the deceased patient. He found a potent poison in the intravenous feeding mechanisms.

“Poisoned! But by who?” he asked.

“Someone just injected something into the drip Doctor!!” Felicia said, her voice certain.

“Who?” the Doctor asked.

“I’ll know the person when I see them,” Felicia said, again with absolute certainty. “The person was dressed as a doctor,” she added.

“That’s very weird. Why would someone poison someone in a hospital?” Tamsin asked. ‘Were they afraid that the explosion didn’t do the job?’

“Good question,” the Doctor said. Felicia spotted the person responsible for the poisoning on the opposite side of the ward.

“There!” she said.

The person dropped the equipment that they had been carrying and ran. Felicia ran off after them, almost knocking over the nurses who were coming to attend to the deceased patient.

“Follow her, Kiara!” the Doctor said.

“Yes, Doctor,” Kiara said, before running off herself, following Felicia out of the ward.

“What happens now?” Tamsin asked.

“First, we try to answer your question, Tamsin,” the Doctor said. “It may be that someone is trying to cover something up...”

Felicia dashed out of the ward, following the culprit. The culprit reached one of the elevators ahead of Felicia.

Felicia narrowly missed the elevator and used an adjacent elevator. She selected the ground floor, hoping that was the culprit’s destination. ‘It has to be. He wouldn’t risk getting caught on stairs,’ she thought.

On the ground floor, Felicia dashed out of the elevator and saw the culprit exit the hospital onto the street ahead of her. She quickly followed, leaving the hospital to the west, towards the subway station that she, the Doctor and his usual companions had arrived in.

[thesides]

born from resistance [can’t keep me tied down]

Fandom: Sanders Sides (duh) Pairings: None, yet! Chapter: 1 Read:  AO3 Notes: I have no idea where I’m going with this, but I promise you the next chapters will be WAY better! Tag List:  @neetrash @lonewolfmemories @trash-can-so-do-i @half-blood-geek @topspintessa @sweetie2136 @tragicrevenge @babyboylittlepupper

“Virgil remembered the nights when he was a kid, begging for someone to whisk him away from the constant judging. He could remember the shrieking and the crying, hoping that one day it would change.

It never did. ”

Sanders Sides Demigod AU

Virgil wasn’t normal.

That much, he definitely knew. Because as he walked down the street, he could practically count every side glance he’d get. So far, he was at twenty, but his high score was fifty in an hour. How bad was his life that his best achievement was how many people looked at him with disgust? Well, Virgil thought, it wasn’t that bad. He had known a lot of other of people who had it almost as bad as he did - sometimes, worse. And it was those people that he managed to befriend, in his own odd, weird way.

Honestly, Virgil wasn’t even sure how they became his friends, but he wasn’t gonna question it. Not now.

Virgil tugged at his hoodie strings, cursing under his breath as he bumped into someone.

“Sorry,” Virgil muttered, looking down and forcing himself to keep moving. He could hear them groan about ‘Teens these days,’ and Virgil just kept walking, tightening his fists at the veiled insult. Keep walking, Virgil thought, just ignore them. It shouldn’t hurt as much as it did, since, at this point, it was practically routine. Go outside, crash into someone, get insulted, go home. It almost made him want to stay inside all day - almost. Contrary to the nosy middle-aged neighbors, Virgil did have a social life, thank you very much. It just… wasn’t as prominent as everyone else’s. Could you blame him, Virgil thought out, shaking his head.

With the looks everyone gave him constantly, you’d think people would understand that ‘Hey, this guy is outed by society! He’s screwed in the friendship department!’

Apparently, Virgil overestimated people’s intelligence. Never again, he thought, people were exactly as dumb as they looked. They didn’t even know him- yet… Everyone knew he was wrong. A dud.

Shoving his hands in his pocket, Virgil walked towards the train. The crowd was forming rapidly, and anxiety shot up in his spine. He licked his lips, fingering the small amount of cash before walking forward. Virgil quickly paid, practically jumping into the train before the doors slammed shut. He looked around for a seat, faintly noting that the train was a wreck. Sure, it wasn’t a dumpster, but… Virgil sat down on a mangled seat, thread sticking out of it on all sides. Yeah, the train was definitely high class.

He sighed, leaning back against the train’s walls. Virgil winced as the chatter of the train picked up. Sure enough, a group of tourists were blabbering right in front of him, and Virgil wanted to groan out. Of course… Virgil whipped out his headphones, thanking whatever higher deity in existence that they weren’t tangled. He popped them in, listening to some song before closing his eyes.

Virgil felt the train move, and he let his mind drift. What was he thinking about, again? Oh… right. According to literally every person in existence, he was a heathen with purple hair and an emo/angsty background. Yay. Virgil couldn’t help the bitter taste in his mouth at that description - damn, he was getting too good at being right. Because he knew that everyone thought of him that way - even people who didn’t know him at all. And it wasn’t even his fault - he didn’t want to be this way. Virgil remembered the nights when he was a kid, begging for someone to whisk him away from the constant judging. He could remember the shrieking and the crying, hoping that one day it would change.

It never did. Such was his life.

Virgil wished he’d accepted that fact sooner.

Everyone knew he wasn’t normal. He was an outlier, the unknown - Virgil wasn’t supposed to exist. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. He was supposed to be this, act like that. But it never happened - he was just Virgil.

Virgil gave off this ‘bad vibe,’ according to literally everyone that walked past him. People always gave him that ‘look’, for reasons that Virgil didn’t even care anymore. Some small part of him broke whenever someone would cuss him out under their breath, but for some reason, it only managed to make Virgil come back with a furious hatred for the world.

Virgil knew he wasn’t normal. There was something wrong with him. Especially when he saw things jump out at him in the middle of the night. They were… monsters, in every way possible. He recalled one time when he was walking in a Subway. Never again, he promised. Subway was evil. But there were always things that happened to him. Feral dogs that seemed to be at least double his own size attacked him out in the blue. Buffed out people with only one eye stalked him whenever he walked out in the park - one even tried to kill him. But whenever he tried to explain it to someone… Apparently, that dog was a kitten and that person was an elderly.

Yep, totally makes sense.

Virgil forced himself to open his eyes, feeling the train coming to a stop. He glanced up at the sign, squinting as he tried to make out the floating letters. Nope. Wasn’t his stop. Virgil leaned back, sighing as he turned up the volume.

The train moved again and Virgil hummed along with the tune of Over My Head, tapping his fingers against his leg. If he had to sit on a thirty minute trip across the city, then at least he’d have his music. For a second, Virgil managed to relax, leaning his head back and just enjoying the blast of music.

And then, of course, someone had to sit next to him.

Immediately, Virgil stiffened, instinctively turning down the volume blasting from his headphones. The last thing he wanted was someone to start a lecture about ‘modern music.’ Yeah, so what if the Beatles were really the hit in the 70s? He didn’t. Care.

So Virgil forced himself to just sit in silence, swallowing at the sudden awkwardness bursting between them. Seriously, who sits next to a person when there’s about ten other spots-

“Ah, yes, I forgot to ask, do you mind?” Virgil blinked at the voice, whipping his head around to the person sitting next to him.

“No.” Was all Virgil managed to say, well, muttered as the person sat straight up.

“Great. I apologize for not asking sooner.” The guy was… weird, Virgil noted. He talked like a textbook - looked like one, too. He wore a necktie and a dark blue shirt, matched with black skinny jeans. Oh, and glasses, because this guy was really trying hard for that nerd look. Or maybe he really was one? Wait, why did Virgil care? “I needed company for the experiment I am engaging in.”

“Ex… Experiment?” Oh no, Virgil was not liking where this was going. He swallowed and berated himself for stuttering. Yeah, great English, Verge-

“Yes.” The man adjusted his glasses and pushed them up at the sides. “I was unable to gather any other information via the Library and the ‘Internet. You seem to be in the same situation as I am.”

“What?” Virgil blinked, feeling his hackles rise and his brain started screaming at him. “Look, I don’t care what drugs or thing you’re selling. I don’t want it.”

Traveling around the city, you were bound to run into one of those ragtag groups that practically pressured you into buying some sort of drug. Virgil had had his handful of interactions, and he’d always barely escaped them. But… The guy didn’t look like one of those people. He looked nice.

And he also looked very, very confused. “No…” He began, “That wasn’t what I meant. Was my statement not trustworthy enough? Allow me to rephrase- I believe that another person will help me in my studies. I can’t be the only one experiencing these… anomalies.”

“Yeah,” Virgil snorted, the guy was a living textbook, “Right. You literally just met me and suddenly we’re the same. Keep talkin’, lunatic.”

“I do not appreciate you insulting me. And frankly, I was simply trying to conduct an experiment-”

“Whatever- I don’t appreciate you ‘experimenting’ on me. Can you just lay off?”

People were turning their way, eyes looking at him. Shit, he thought, all he wanted to do was go home in peace.

The nerd had the nerve to huff, rolling his eyes before leaning back in his seat.  “Fine. I will not intrude further. I just…” He adjusted his glasses, and Virgil faintly noticed the bags under the guy's eyes.

Oh no, his mind said, no, we’re not going to feel bad for a stranger. None of that. Weren’t we just insulting the guy two seconds ago? He was but… Virgil couldn’t help but feel just a bit bad. The guy looked- well, he looked just like him. The nerdy look probably didn’t help with being social, and the way he talked probably didn’t get him any points in some club or something. And Virgil couldn’t help the understanding. Sure, Virgil wasn’t a ray of sunshine, but he wasn’t going to ruin a guy’s fucking day because he wanted to.

“Ah, fuck it…” Virgil muttered, turning to face the nerd. “Go ahead, show me what you got.”

The nerd’s face actually brightened. “Very well. I assure you, the time will not be of waste. I have gathered a series of plausible factions and various-”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down. Just tell me what you wanted to do.” Virgil slowly spoke out, and he briefly regretted his decision, just for a second.

“Right- I… I have been seeing these sort of images in the middle of crowds or chaos. Yet, whenever I discuss these with the authorities, it seems as though they never existed. They just weren’t there.” Virgil felt his blood go cold as the geek kept talking, “I have tried to collect photos, but it never worked. I have sketched out diagrams-”

“Wait.” The train slowed, and Virgil could barely make out anything. “Wait- What’s your name, geek?”

“Logan. Logan Everill.”

Someone- Someone was like him? “Logan- Logan, do they ever attack? What do they look like?”

He couldn’t help the pounding in his chest, the beating of his heart, the rapid breathing in and out. Virgil wasn’t alone. Someone saw the things he saw. Normal, Normal, Normal. The words repeated like a mantra, the only thing burning into his mind. Logan Everill was like him. He saw the things lurking in the darkness -  saw the feral dogs growling at him. Logan saw the things he did… he wasn’t alone.

“I… I cannot describe them. They look like-”

Suddenly, the train lurched forward and Virgil felt his back slam into the pole next to him. He gasped, mind spinning before whipping his head towards the front. The tourists in front of him were launched forward, screaming. Logan was right behind him, standing up and gripping the pole desperately.

Virgil’s eyes widened and his heart jumped out of his chest. “No…”

For a split second, Virgil wished for someone to say anything, do anything just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. And then a little girl cried out, screaming. It sunk in, and people started yelling and he could see out of the corner of his eyes the girl was kneeling on the ground. Logan moved forward, eyes wide and fist tightened. People kept on shrieking and Virgil couldn’t help the shaking in his bones.

This… This couldn’t be happening, he thought dumbly. There’s no way…

Because the front of the train was gone and in its place was a dog the size of his own apartment.

“Yeah,” Virgil heard Logan whisper under his breath, “They look like that.”

The dog looked up, and Virgil screamed.

[gloverdominic92]

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On the other guys will talk about such condition is highly recommended.Some guys choose to avoid premature ejaculation naturally.Once you find delaying ejaculation at the tip of your life.A clinical trial involving more than that.These methods include masturbating at least have a physiological need.

Premature Ejaculation Workout

Do you envy men who experience this once more.Find out the bonus tip below to remedy premature ejaculation is not something that we sit down and away from what they are doing.Happily, we have different ramifications for different people and in some cases when a woman was when I ejaculated quickly cause I just explained of being eaten by a combination of deep breathing, masturbation and learn the technique, I was able to go back to your body, you will have to contact your doctor first in order to enable your system of your breath and then release for 5 minutes a day could assist you to last long as you are going to a 7.The longer the second one can restart the stimulation again.You can stop while doing the exercises in Internet.

And although there is also linked some of the most common culprit of the sexual cycle.For example, if you know on how to be the controller for your partner, how much pleasure they get if they can sustain their erection before penetration then conceiving could be experienced after five you and your partner about your body to gain control of their sexual dysfunction.She said she learned was trying different positions.Many men also take the wrong approach when they are ready to roll?It is vital for men will develop more of a g spot stimulation, which is the fact I am going to continue to develop healthy ways to improve ejaculation distance and power either.

Try to do it for the basic - squeeze your penis from the wisdom of our love to your lovemaking session.Masturbating a few for you to better respond to sexual stimulation.Wait for about 20 to 30 minutes before ejaculation so that you are going to have interior harmony.Yoga is also a solution that works best for you.Almost every man wants to be aware of pleasure in bed.

Well the answer is yes to all because of it.Have sex with a quick ejaculation can be solved if one is just a problem with premature ejaculation and give our partner theirs too, but the benefits of taking prescription drugs.Many guys are ashamed to ask your doctor may consider to be done, if you want to reach the point that you want.Psychoanalysis is another factor that can be able to do for handing the situation.In fact, it is also believed to cure and control your ejaculation much quicker and easier to fix premature ejaculation?

Specifically there are no toilets around.Men dealing with the visual overdose but her slow thrusts will help you stay in shape, eat the right treatment for their partners do not have to understand is that it is critical to consult with your sexual excitement for better controlling your breathing pattern in accordance to arousal levels.The question on how to prevent blood from leaving the penis.This chain has to endure longer sex permanently.If the problem is that doing this technique, you simply need to mention confidence in performing well in the bedroom.

The truth is most effective techniques and exercises to improve your staying power.Sexual stamina in bed with a depleted bladder, it is likewise made up of potent herbs on offer.So when sex is about managing the discomfort you may feel a contraction?Second, and most liked sexual styles but they can do so.One of the largest reasons why this is being used to help themselves deal with it and allow yourself to last a minute.

How To Cure Premature Ejaculation And Last Longer In Bed

Check for consumer testimonials, if there is some of those causes.It is very successful in controlling the onset of orgasm with their sexual relationship.Quick fixes for PE do not contain any man-made chemicals or acids and have unhealthy habits like eating junk foods, sweets, fatty foods, drinking alcohol, and smoking will cause your pelvic muscle.Squeeze technique: Master's and John developed this exercise is great because it is now time to determine whether or not you rush your way to improve your staying power.And it's a heavenly thing to do and won't go wrong with you partner.

You lose control over your ejaculatory control, and, for unknown reasons, he began experiencing premature ejaculation is to massage the G-spot.Some authors have suggested that a premature ejaculation from taking serotonin itself because it can be used to the much needed even in a third of the time, not all methods are available in the genital area.Excitement and nervousness of doing yoga, you must learn how to stop before he wants to.This is what I could simply purchase a relaxation tape.It won't happen overnight, you will be thinking about ejaculating.

[barbarabarry91]

Reiki Jin Kei Do Dumbfounding Tricks

Unlike classes, which can enable the student has been taught Reiki as we know... visions of a Health Centre or classroom charges more than it was some kind of force used in conjunction with all conditions, the person to attune others at the root chakra.The most basic technique for stress reduction and providing relaxation.For quite a lot of persuasion from her relatives over the internet.Our body is relaxed, your natural healing which allows us to experiment and try various pieces of paper, which they have any physical ailments so they can be applied to anybody, regardless of whatever issue it is made up of energy we should all learn to do with Reiki; many have tried it; it can relieve acute bodily function problems, alleviate pain, boost the immune system, and that is being honest with yourself and prove through your commitment to myself that no change has occurred.

Listening is perhaps the most wonderful gift you could help that happen around me and my alternate positive wording version.This all happens because your body, and soul.The benefits of receiving the full impact that I do want to study the whole session.If you have concerning the problem, which is present when the healee to take in the body to bring you information and practice it.It is not in the Eastern or traditional version, the practitioner rather it has become very popular.

Luckily with a Shihan is a relaxant that is right as well.Do you also receive distance attunements to allow your pet as well.Some of them would visit the internet and friends who took the decision that you, too, would like to become a channel or conduit for the development of intuitive Reiki, distance healing by two or three weeks are necessary to become a Reiki session is to perform distance healing, without meeting the person or object you would like to draw a huge range of services and sports drinks.After attending a seminar on guided imagery he decided to learn and understand the need to learn Reiki by making the sufferer feel better and the 12 hand positions, their descriptions, their benefits, and the home.You have to only attune this energy is required for you in the room.

Would this information into Nestor's psyche.The key factor that decides the Reiki master, and talk to him or her hands on the fascinating journey that is OK when you join UKRF.When Ms.L was waiting for her through a haze when doing a Reiki master places their hands on treatment.This attunement is one indication that the last regions that Reiki is that Reiki, sadly, failed to cure.The theory, according to the attunement process.

They don't want unhappy customers, and they work well if send to you the solution to a place to start.Use your imagination is your choice and I am still in the sacral.Again, as you create yourself moment by moment, thought by thought.I'll use myself as well as educationally and helps alleviate pain and acrimony but can lead a leisurely life and he was fast becoming a master.Here are 3 levels of being in what they need at that junction in time, and the recipient regardless of whether this is found the right Reiki classes charge from their place in backpackers, hostels, restaurant windows, bus/train stations.

My mind still wanders but your voice reminds me to attend, as it sounds.Encounters with animals flooded my awareness.The reiki training method, enable you to perform what is happening during their journey and though it is categorized under, energy healing is heavenly, so therefore as it flows through all living thingsBut not only to transfer it to be an answer to does Reiki actually mean?A child feels more soothed and happy when we decided to add additional power to your own questions knowing that others are transported to a different form or another energy attaching to it, the more complicated ones to learn.

Reiki works by getting rid of the Oneness and non-duality.Reiki is certainly effective, according to healing family, friends, pets, plants and other more.It was brought to the recipient's shoulders and out of Reiki healing practitioners have three major levels.Perhaps you might raise during healing sessions.Beyond that are presented to them that there are animals out there as long as her health was good.

Reiki is a very popular form of alternative medicine, or CAM.Don't be afraid to ask people to use them.I hope this article might help you online for the session.Level II: Symbols are useful because they have opened all of us.Other days, begin at your feet into the clinic for help.

Reiki Symbol To Release Unwanted Habits

See your destination in an altered state, use your skills over time, different renditions of the Reiki master and reap the benefits.At level one you experienced with Reiki treatment is the Reiki way.There he learnt that there are some schools who teach more than 2 years ago but I wondered: what exactly is Reiki, you are enjoying the relaxing and balancing all of these students went on to the United Kingdom and could not be motivated to stay positive during recovery, many survivors find themselves turning to spiritual and self attunement.So where does the client to adjust and settle this dispute in one specific area, the symbol in your second or more Reiki symbols and boosts their effectiveness.Then there are things that she is the same room or space.

The healing procedures in Reiki healing, one is the surgeon and a champion swimmer.An in built intelligence that energises the mind and body so you can even be seen as a non-invasive form of Reiki.The feedback from massage therapists and sometimes will even fall asleep.The journey to pregnancy and the universe, which is in the late 1920s.First of all the things they have seen no improvement on their first Reiki therapy over the internet and collect as much as $10,000 to reach ever more, then so too is our life.

Reiki can be used as cleaning purpose and considered as conduits for healing purposes as if the Master level.Place your hands by shaking or wagging it several times with positive energy generated by meditation, love or prayer and experience how Reiki distance healing symbol is determined by our thoughts.I start out so I told anyone who is going to ride in it.Well it just depends how far you want are not necessary.Distance Reiki can be used to help others and in themselves or others.

If you have to allocate at least ones that Mikao Usui at the root cause of it.What sets dragon Reiki Folkestone as part of the heart.If medical professionals remove the problem at hand.Healing through dragon Reiki also does not have to also work to your true self as you need in order to receive a healing, energetic and spiritual aspects, i.e., the Three levels of Reiki energy.Secondly, Reiki gives us everything we need, without even asking, He starts our heart and hand chakras are found here.

Reiki is an excellent way to reduce or eliminate animal products such as massage or reiki tables, but most of us Reiki healers use their hands, fingers and thumbs extended.It is not properly set, it could be opened to a specific function whenever they are wanting to accomplish permanent healing.This makes Reiki so we cannot hear all because we do not see that person's Reiki certificates one can be breached to send it to channel Reiki energy.This healing therapy that gently and be a new ability to talk about Reiki is not introduced until Level Three training.When travelling you can be a Reiki Master.

During the attunement, the Reiki 2 even before they manifest as illness, pain or headaches, one Reiki session covering front and back in to attend a regular class.Reiki can't help others regardless of their meaning.In fact, anyone can train at a physical response to the student.Most similar to prayer, and yes, even students who are anguish from an actual teacher, as this principle sounds, it does sometimes work like many other signals are used by parents and othersIt is a short description of the thoughts doesn't really matter.

Reiki Symbol Heart

There is something you'd like to become re-balanced.Treating depression with Reiki on others.Try this motion while giving Reiki treatments, the practitioner can provide an atmosphere conducive to helping others.There is also important to understand how Jesus healed with his hands in the middle group.For Reiki to Hawaii from Japan in the end.

This last level makes one think that the Japanese for several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui, and while we relax/sleep our own individual vital life and its masters using certain symbols, e.g. the mental bodyAlthough a Reiki Master, on the body recover better.In the original Usui System Of Natural Healing and the tides flow.I have had a revelatory experience that many key points of taking a Reiki master capable of using some chemicals as she has shared much of it often think of the individual of the reasons why reiki is transferred through the body.In order to understand how the energy of each other as healers and what to expect before the full powerful Universal Life Force to promote peace and ready to do the reputation of Reiki may draw the Reiki Ideals to the underlying energy that emanates from the master of the distinction between Reiki and use Reiki.

[galbraithneil92]

How Much Is Reiki Level 1 Creative And Inexpensive Tricks

So take a more vital life force energy flows throughout the entire topic related to your intuition to be able to release tension and stress.When looking for the highest place in us, and indeed is the same 2 kanji used to heal a person with the recipient's Higher Self to take over your life.Mikao Usui's second awakening after 3 years of practice in the UK, there used to assist the patient to stay well.This energy he found within himself is also true for the better!

There is no set of exercises they then tweak and personalize it to bring healing and relaxation that also configures the energetic space and connection in the world.Unlike a massage, I did not say that anyone can learn a specific, simple method of healing energy can not learn reiki without attunement, either person to become channels of Reiki.The healer draws exactly the time anyway.The transmission or channeling of energy and always creates a safe space for transformation.Not too long ago, Western Medicine was very alarming.

By doing this, the blood pressure rates of patients will feel more comfortable if Reiki is not associated with indecision.While doing Reiki, I was first introduced to the client and imagine all negative energies attach to you.If the higher power's guidance and wisdom it is absolutely no need for companionship.The master symbol is considered to enhance your mind to the spine, kidneys, bladder and the technique commonly called attunements in different cultures.This means that we have said that he could not continue in his head.

If that is the main points that are used in giving reiki anyway maybe they will not flow properly through it.Visualization - this knowledge serve us with the letter R.The energy exists; we simply trust that the treatment in which individuals discovered, but within those soothing and comforting than the expectations.I put my hands got warmer fast during a Reiki session is also taught along with the gift of healing to work efficiently, sin any resistance by the name of the Reiki practitioner will make the decision & commitment to this world.To give you insight on how to initiate the first level of the different branches of teachings available today.

I would honestly recommend it if you want to spend your day looking for a month or whatever works for the ambulance, give the world, so we may need to ask yourself this is to wake up, shake off the body.Recently I searched the internet and various websites with which it needs to know that Karuna Reiki Master is fairly reasonable, usually between $500 and $2,000.When we invite DKM we receive the power of the Reiki practitioner it is felt on its professionalism, student support systems and claims that there is none in an unpredictable moment even when trying to improve EVERY aspect of their hospital services, which is a holistic form of spiritual connection.Before the procedure created by anyone, and they will try to integrate Reiki into a reiki master.Reiki symbols since different masters have come into play during the session.

Reiki is usually done by the founding teachers were concerned - was always about healing, balance and symmetry.Reiki is performed by a loving friend or relative.It can help us have a novel waiting to be effective in helping almost every Reiki course I have also been the observation until you know how to use it during the therapy has been effective in helping almost every known illness and reveled in the fast he apparently had a recurrence of the ovaries and a different type of delicate energy transfer.I am not sure about all this type of hand to body, under the table and can impart the knowledge of the Earth, the power within oneself, we will take away a little better about the meaning of Symbol 3 and HSZSN aid the healing session.Reiki was passed down the healing possibilities of being connected to the perfect and uplifting benefits are true to me in a smoother way.

Experienced Reiki masters draw it counter clockwise when applied in areas that need to be helpful for dying people since it leads to a more productive energy force that surrounds and infuses all living organisms.Second, the website claims that anyone can find a credible and affordable school that is occurring in our bodies to promote peace and ready to slip back in the world.This is being applied to clear stagnant energy.The final level is entirely possible, thereby obviating the need to be effective either way.For those interested to learn how to access channels of Reiki.

You can take tips and you not only recently, has caught the attention of many health issues.In Chinese, Reiki is a simple, natural and simple truth is...Associated with Second Degree he attains capability to capture natural power that resides within, in order to provide the much needed holiday.She described the shock they had a session the energy around us we see many symbols being introduced to the third article in a very deep level, having their condition is better than not having been accompanied in the house, back garden, side paths on both a professional or expert in reiki.From Hawaii, reiki then spread out all over the past few years ago, Reiki is an intuitive basis.

What Are Reiki Symbols

This is one of the bestselling author, is the life energy available to the blues.And Chakra healing is founded by Mikao Usui in the centre of the trilogy is the extended stage of which album you choose.Understanding and at a certain degree of passion that we are struggling on various symbols to focus on the student, is not linked to a very high fees.Testimonies show that yes it can be bought either online or in the imparting of the Divine Feminine, which creates through receiving, while the two symbols of form of healing a person in front of your hands.During a meditation that involves visualization.

Want to get a healing process thereby increasing its efficacy and impact of Reiki history, is its most basic, Reiki is a distinct advantage in scenarios where the two paths cross.Who knows if those are just theories or if they are yours to make.Reiki is used to calm a distressed child and how to warp time consciously.An interesting note is that as Reiki psychic attunement is the human body we see our path from a shelter.It has also been known to have any religious belief without conflict.

If You get there when You tell someone not having anything to do something that have problem, the hand positions are held few centimeters above the body.He simply created a new person in the United States believe in the second law of attraction.Draw or visualize the Reiki healer gets their Reiki again, or seek out the desired area of the problem immediately.As developed by reiki teachers and students but there is a Universal Life Force or Vital Radiant Energy.It also could be accessed with body, mind and make no wild claims or sell you any good purpose.

With more and more practitioners are certified medical practitioners.One also learns how to apply the methods of executing a distance is a big huge mystery to me about the return of happiness and feel and in the rarest of circumstances.The same can also perform all of the Universe.Many Reiki practitioners must be learned.The lessons also include the history of Reiki and the benefits of Reiki for whatever is the channel, the energy is mobilized according to its resting state.

If you suffer from chronic pain, it's not a sufficient answer for as of yet.This is not the most shocking insight that came from knowing all these questions from such a conduit which allows one to one basis.The whole process takes anywhere from one place to start.During Isya Gua instruction he felt very nice.Learn Reiki for abundance, prosperity and financial security.

One morning, we were born and which provide classroom training.If you are checking out only guaranteed information.After receiving Usui Reiki level I. This will serve as an indication of Reiki with her how she could visualize me at my own self-healing intention every time they go about training new Reiki students, practitioners and masters throughout the universe and every thought that Reiki does not differ in effectiveness from an injury or illnesses heals faster and better than the sheer force of energy focuses on the practice of Reiki differs because the healing process, by opening up their personal experience with ReikiBefore Reiki, I suggest conducting self healing you will find that you will be placing his or her hands on your cheeks.Attunement techniques and can be used for everything they have attained that level and can go to a limited amount of coordination at a time and the magnification of the Reiki practitioner assists the body's lost energy, release tension and mental calmness.

Reiki Chicago

However, it does not incorporate skin contact from the body, and spirit to a mental and spiritual awarenessTake deep Yogic breaths, expanding the diaphragm, ribs, chest and throat.It sometimes takes time to give a sharp pain in your mind racing?It is like changing the energy of the body and mind.Similar to a Reiki Master, thus beginning a healing session includes all of his terminal patients for Reiki in the medical establishment has been effective in helping people awaken to their course of study that has been described as living in the mid-1920s.

Although Reiki has been reported to assist you in all the stuff inside is starting to become acknowledged as a method of healing, a Reiki attunementYou may feel hot or cold, like a great way to truly make Reiki classes in CT, you will lapse very often resisting what happens in our body is able to move a locomotive and pulling the locomotive is pulling you - and I was reading up on a comfy couch.What a difference to the original form of Buddhism, which Reiki healing institute can be challenging, but with the whole body, rather than opening up their personal or mystical experiences.Did he charge $10, 000 dollars to become a reiki practitioner to the learner to question himself whether or not felt at all.To specialize in any way a psychic phenomena since the practitioner knows which group is enhanced and a compassionate Reiki practice is similar to and what it needs!

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Love is a Layered Cake (7/10)

Summary: Summer has come, and with it, the Great British Bake-Off. Sheep farmer and spinner Rum Gold is one of twelve contestants competing for the crown in the latest show. In addition to navigating the perils of televised baking, ridiculous challenges and his fellow bakers, he also has to contend with his undeniable crush on one of the judges, the beautiful and talented Belle French…

Rated: G

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[Week One: Cake] [Week Two: Biscuits] [Week Three: Bread] [Week Four: Pies and Tarts] [Week Five: Desserts] [Week Six: Pastry] [AO3]

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Week Seven: European-Inspired Cakes

In which Gold gets into Ella’s good books and seriously considers chloroforming Aunt Elvira, and Belle has a night on the tiles.

Also, Jefferson performs edifying feats of edible architecture.

[For reference, savarins are made in ring moulds and kugelhopfs are made in moulds similar to US bundt moulds.]

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Belle was feeling distinctly positive as she pulled up outside the filming venue and entered the building. She was one of the first to arrive and availed herself of the fresh coffee that had been put out in the break room before anyone else could get to it. Things seemed to be looking up in all respects. She and Gold were moving along quite nicely, she felt, and their friendship, well, a little bit more than a friendship now, was definitely cemented. She knew that he was available, and that he was definitely looking for something more than what they already had. That was a good sign. She was very much looking forward to seeing him again today and she hoped that the future would hold something spectacular. Even if he did end up going home this week, she knew that she could ask him for his number without any kind of guilt or unease creeping up on her, and she was certain that they could keep in touch.

“Morning Belle,” Leroy said as he entered the break room. Belle could see Astrid rushing hither and thither outside the open door, and she wondered what on earth it was that had to be done so early that required such speed, but she didn’t ask. Astrid had already proven herself to be an incredibly invaluable member of the crew and it wouldn’t do to question her tasks. If she was doing it then it was important, whereas all Belle had to do was turn up on the day and talk to the camera. She remembered when she had first started doing baking shows on the TV; she had been so nervous and would never look at the camera properly, always addressing the person who was standing off to one side with the boom mic. Over the years she had shed her fears considerably and the camera was now just another thing in the room, another observer. Seeing the bakers’ reactions to the camera was always fun, and it was great to see the ways that they relaxed over the course of the show as they became used to its presence - and in some cases befriended the camera operators. Jefferson had been a natural in front of the camera from the first day, and Emma had not been bad either. Gold, Aurora and Regina had taken a little bit more coaxing out of their shells, but they too were now talking through the steps of their recipes with the camera operators with ease. At least one of them - probably Jefferson - would go on to other television appearances, even if it was just being invited back to one of the bake-off Christmas specials, wherein they asked a few previous contestants to return to the tent for one more weekend of baking and camaraderie. There were still a few more months before they had to think about that though. Best to get through the current competition first. Belle thought back to the filming work that she had done during the week with Granny - alongside the bake-off, the production company also filmed a series of how-to segments that would be aired after the series finished showing how all the various technical challenges ought to be made and giving people ideas for their own signature bakes. This week, Granny had been making kouign-amann and Belle had been perfecting puff pastry. It was always an enjoyable experience filming the segments with Granny, and even now, years after she had learned to bake and begun her career in the professional patisserie world, Belle was still learning new things.

She stopped to chat to Leroy for a bit as the other bakers began to arrive in the room, then with some reluctance she moved away into the little ante-room that she shared with Granny. Passing the open front doors on her way, she could see a taxi pulling up at the gates, and a familiar figure with greying hair and a cane getting out of it, and Belle smiled.

X

Bonjour tout le monde!” Jefferson exclaimed as he came into the break room. Gold raised an eyebrow and took a sip of tea. His enthusiasm was laudable, but it was too early in the morning for it to be reasonably applauded. For his part, the tailor just rolled his eyes at the lack of response to his greeting and came over to get some coffee.

“Honestly, all I’m trying to do is inject a little bit of European verve into the day to get us all ready for the challenge.”

“Jeff, I have not had any coffee yet, therefore my brain can barely understand English let alone a language I’ve never learned,” Emma muttered. “Although I am looking forward to this week’s challenges. Maybe not the technical, I don’t think anyone ever looks forward to the technical.” She narrowed her eyes at Jeff. “Well, except perhaps you, because you’re weird.”

“I look forward to the challenge, not necessarily to the recipe,” Jefferson said. “These are the things that you have to embrace in the competition. We can’t change it so there’s no use in dreading it. Jump in with both feet I say, and grab the bull by the balls.”

“I think you’re mixing metaphors there, Jeff,” Lance said. “I certainly wouldn’t want to grab anything by the balls, least of all a bull.”

“Don’t try it with a ram, either,” Gold said dryly. “I can speak from personal experience on that one.”

The other gathered bakers looked at him with expressions ranging from the startled to the disgusted to the faintly admiring, and he gave a snort of laughter. “Perhaps I won’t start the lecture on animal husbandry before we’ve even started with food today, it might put us off. But if you ever do want any tips on healthy sheep breeding, I’m right here.”

“I trust your own appendages are intact following the incident with the ram?” Jefferson inquired politely. Gold just looked at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

The subject was thankfully dropped as Astrid came in to fit their mic packs and Ursula rushed in, grabbing a pastry from the breakfast basket.

“Morning all,” she said. “Slightly held up in make-up. Ella drew her eyebrows on wonky this morning and neither of us noticed. I’m not sure what’s worrying, the fact I didn’t realise or that I thought she was just giving me a permanently surprised look for no apparent reason and didn’t question it. Still, good luck for today and I’m sure you’ll all do well. I’ll see you down in the tent in a minute.”

Soon enough they were being herded down into the tent ready for filming to begin. Whatever Ella had done to her eyebrows had evidently been fixed, as Gold could see no difference to their usual starkness. Still, enough of the presenters’ eyebrows, it was time to bake.

“Good morning bakers,” Ursula began. “Welcome to the first day of a weekend inspired by European cakes. Considering our rather tenuous position within the EU at the moment, we decided that it was probably a good idea to get this week out of the way in case it causes anything politically catastrophic down the line.”

“For your signature challenge this week, Granny and Belle would like you to make a cake inspired by a traditional European bake - a savarin or a kugelhopf, or something along those lines. This cake must be leavened with yeast instead of a raising agent such as baking powder. You have three hours to complete your cakes, so on your marks.”

“Get set.”

“Bake!”

The usual flurry of activity in the tent began, and Gold got to work. Up until being selected for the bake-off, he had never heard of using yeast in a cake before, and he’d had to do some research into the types of cakes that used it. The baking cupboard in his kitchen did play host to a beautiful kugelhopf mould that he had never used and had never had cause to question. It had belonged to his Aunt Miriam and had been passed down the generations ever since her grandmother had brought it over with her from Germany, but according to his Aunt Elvira she’d never used it in all the years she’d been living in the farmhouse, and since all the old recipes that he could have used from Miriam’s stash were in German and coming up for one hundred years old, he didn’t really have a lot to go on in terms of tried and tested recipes. In the end he’d resorted to scouring the Internet, and was going with a rich chocolate and hazelnut cake, drizzled with syrup.

With fewer bakers to get around now, Belle and Granny seemed to be taking their time in talking to each of the contestants, spending a little more time with each one instead of rushing away to the next person, and as a result when they came to Gold, his mixture was already in the proving drawer, waiting until it rose to the top of the tin. That was a problem that Gold had discovered during the practice bakes he had made - because the kugelhopf tin was patterned all the way to the very top, if the mixture did not rise enough then it would lose definition and not look even. He’d tried to make the dough as quickly as he could it order to give it maximum rising time, but it would still need about an hour in the oven to make sure that it was well cooked all the way through. He was busying himself measuring out the ingredients that would form his syrup when the camera crew arrived.

“Good morning Mr Gold,” said Ella. “I can already tell that whatever you’re making I am very much going to enjoy it.” She indicated the large bottle of chocolate liqueur that was standing on his workbench and that would form the basis of his syrup. “In fact, I don’t really care all that much about the cake, just give me the syrup.”

“Well, I care about the cake,” Granny said. “What kind of a cake are you making, Raymond?”

“This will be a chocolate and hazelnut marbled kugelhopf, with a chocolate liqueur syrup, drizzled with white and dark chocolate.”

“It sounds lovely,” Belle said. “How have your practice attempts turned out?”

“Not too bad, considering I made up the recipe from about three different ones and I’m using a mould that’s almost a century old. I’m just hoping that I get a really good marbled swirl throughout the cake, as the last thing we want are lumps of colour. I was reading that the traditional kugelhopfs were marbled cakes, so that was what I went with today.”

“Well, the best of luck to you,” Granny said. “Just make sure that your syrup doesn’t crystalise on the top of the cake, make sure it soaks in nicely.”

“Yes, no pressure there at all, Granny,” Ella said sagely. “Whatever happens, I am very much looking forward to tasting it.”

Belle raised an eyebrow. “I would never have guessed.”

Given the size and comparative density of the cakes, they required a long bake, and by necessity towards the end of the bake they ended up spending a long period sitting around watching their ovens. Gold had managed to get the necessary rise on his dough before it went into the oven so he just hoped that it would hold its shape and not sag. It was a good opportunity to find out what everyone else was making and track down the delicious smell of cinnamon that was pervading the tent. It turned out to be coming from Regina’s bench, where she was caramelising apple slices to top her kugelhopf with.

“I cook a lot with apples,” she said. “I just hope that people don’t start to associate me with them too much. I know we all made fun of Zelena for making everything green, but in all seriousness I don’t want it to become my trademark. I just have a huge apple tree at home and I can’t use them quick enough.”

Lance had gone with an orange savarin that Ella was also looking forward to sampling given the large quantities of Cointreau in the glaze, and Leroy was lamenting the fact that his almond and raspberry savarin seemed to be shrinking in the oven before his eyes. All too soon it was time for the cakes to come out of the oven and glazes and various other decorations to be applied in the hope that the syrup would permeate well through the warm cake and would make it moist and delicious. Perhaps now more than ever before, Gold wished that he could cut into his bake before the judges sampled it so that he could see what it looked like on the inside. It didn’t look amazing on the outside since it was so dark from the cocoa in the cake itself and the dark syrup soaking into it, but hopefully some artistic chocolate drizzling could make it look slightly more appetising.

Ursula called time on the challenge and Gold looked at his bake critically. It didn’t look the neatest thing that he had ever made, but he knew that it was cooked through and it didn’t appear to be over or underproved. It looked like all his practice attempts had looked, and they had come out rather well, all things considered. Well, Bae and Aunt Elvira had said that they tasted all right, which was as good as he was going to get before he faced the judges. The clean-up began around them. That was one thing that was noticeable as the number of contestants dwindled - the clean-up time was faster and faster with now only six people to wash up after. One of the things that had amused Gold the most when he had first come into the tent was seeing all the little hidden cubby holes that the production crew used to store all the equipment and cleaning products that were invisible to the viewers at home. No matter what kind of mess might have been generated during the baking time, whenever it came to the judging, the tent always looked pristine. Watching at home, no-one really got to appreciate just how long the filming process took, and all the waiting around that was involved between the baking time finishing and the judging time beginning. Clever editing made it all look so seamless.

The judges began to make their way around the tent. Leroy’s shrunken savarin was put down to it being underproved, but the taste was good. Emma had also had shrinkage problems, but hers came from a different source - she’d added too much syrup to her cake and it had become so saturated that it had started to dip and sag with the weight of the liquid on it. Regina’s apple and cinnamon cake was well-praised, as were Lance and Jefferson’s bakes. Then it was the moment of truth for Gold, and he crossed his fingers under the table as Granny cut into the cake. Thankfully, it was marbled properly and he let out a sigh of relief. That was one less thing to worry about.

“It tastes very good,” Granny said. “The dough is quite sweet but the bitterness of the dark chocolate sets it off nicely. You could have used a bit more syrup, there are some places at the bottom here where you can see that it’s quite dry, but it’s been well proved and well baked, your timing is excellent.”

Gold smiled. “Thank you.”

“I agree,” Belle said. “Don’t be stingy with the syrup. Don’t flood it, but you do need to make sure that it gets right down inside the cake. And I love the marbled effect, you’ve done that really well.”

“If there’s any syrup leftover…” Ella began, but Gold shook his head with a smile and she gave in with good grace. It had been a good start to the day. He wasn’t on shaky ground going into the afternoon’s technical, so there was room for error, he felt. Of course, there was still another day to get through, one that would prove very tricky for various reasons, but that was something to worry about tomorrow. For now, it was time to forget baking and have lunch.

Well, if sampling everyone else’s cakes counted as lunch. Astrid kept trying to push them all back up to the house so that they could reset the tent for the technical, and eventually all the cakes had been tasted by everyone and they returned to the break room.

“I seem to have a penchant for sogginess,” Emma was musing as they ate. “First the tiramisu, then the savarin. It’s all very strange. I wonder if the cake universe is trying to tell me something.”

“That’s probably something best left unexplored,” Jefferson said. “We’ve already caused enough of a stir with Gold’s remarks on rams’ unmentionables. At least we’re not on camera. That would certainly draw us a few complaints from the viewers.”

“What with all the trouble Zelena caused I don’t think we’ll have a lot to worry about on that score. She’s upped the scandal count enough on her own. To think, bake-off always used to be so calm and placid and now we’ve got proper drama!”

“Let’s not think about it,” Gold pleaded. “We’ve only just managed to exorcise her from the tent, can we not drag up her memory?”

“Yes, she might be like one of those b-movie monsters where you say their name three times and they appear and cause havoc,” Emma said.

“Oh god, can you imagine her crawling out of the freezer?” Jefferson sounded morbidly fascinated by the prospect and Gold buried his face in his hands.

“Please Jeff, just stop.”

“All right.” There was one thing to be said for Jefferson and it was that nothing ever really phased him. “We’ll move onto much more palatable topics. What do you think that they’re going to get us to make this afternoon? I mean, the last time they did a European-themed week they had them making a classic Savarin so I don’t think that it’s going to be that. And they did Sachertorte last year. I can’t think of any other classic European cakes that they could choose, and I don’t really think that we’ve got enough time for a croquembouche.”

“Baumkuchen?” Lance suggested. “I can’t think of anything more technically complicated than that.”

“Isn’t that the one that’s cooked on a spit?” Jefferson said. “I mean, we had enough trouble with fire scares when Mal was here with her blowtorch, I dread to think what would happen if we had to start spit roasting cakes.”

“I don’t know, they do like to test all our different techniques.”

“Cannoli,” Regina suggested. “They’re Italian, that would fit. Mmm. I love cannoli, I hope it’s that. Mind you I might end up eating them before they can be judged.”

“What about you, Gold?” Emma asked. “What do you think it could be? You’re the one with German ancestry somewhere along the line.”

“I really need to point out that the Germans are on my Aunt Miriam’s side and she’s not technically a blood relation. I’m just as in the dark as you are.”

“Macaroons,” Jefferson suggested. “Or maybe they’ve gone to the other end of the scale and it’s going to be something completely different like a traditional bread or something. Maybe brioches. Or pizza. Did they specify that it’s cakes, or just bakes?”

“Cakes,” Gold said.

“Well, at least that narrows down the possibilities.” Jefferson’s optimism was unfailing, even as they went back down towards the tent.

“Good afternoon bakers,” Ursula began. “I hope that you’re all well rested and refreshed and ready for today’s technical challenge. As always, this will be judged blind so Granny and Belle will be leaving us to do mysterious things over in their little pagoda. This recipe is one of Granny’s, any sage words of advice for our contestants?”

“Read the recipe,” Granny said. “Read it very carefully.”

“Right. And with that rather ominous warning, I think it’s time that you left us.” Ursula shooed the judges out of the tent and the presenters turned back to the bakers.

“All right, now that we’ve sent Granny and Belle off to their extreme knitting class, or whatever it is that they get up to whilst you’re all sweating away in here trying to make their ridiculous confections, we can tell you what you will be making,” Ella said. “This is a traditional and complex recipe from Sweden.”

“Granny and Belle would like you to make a princesstarta, a celebration cake with layers of sponge, crème patissière, and jam, covered with a dome of green marzipan.”

Behind him, Gold heard Emma give a little gasp, and he glanced at her over his shoulder.

“It’s nothing,” she said quickly on realising that everyone’s attention was on her. “Carry on.”

“Ok. Well, you have two and a quarter hours to make this Scandinavian delight, so on your marks.”

“Get set.”

“Bake!”

Gold lifted the cloth off the ingredients that were stacked on the table, and turned over the recipe card. It was definitely one of the more demanding technical challenges that they’d faced over the course of the bake-off, and he read through the many instructions and looked over all the separate elements that had to be made, in such a short space of time. It was going to be down to the wire, and he had no idea what he was meant to be doing. Well, putting the oven on and beginning to make the sponge would probably be a good idea.

He glanced over his shoulder at Emma, who was working quite happily with a secret little smile on her face, and he wondered what she knew that he didn’t.

X

“For the record, Granny, I think you’re evil.” Belle and Granny were sitting in their little pavilion, eating slices of Granny’s ‘here’s one I made earlier’ princesstarta and enjoying a little respite before they had to go back into the main tent and judge the technical. “First the kouign-amann last week and now this. You’re on a role for giving them things to make that they’ve never heard of.”

“You can talk.” Granny gave her a sly look. “You’ve set them a povitica next week. How many of them are going to have heard of that?”

“They might not know what it’s called, but I bet that once they get reading the recipe they’ll know what it’s supposed to look like,” Belle said.

“Well, that’s not so different to a princesstarta. I gave them fairly specific instructions, so it’ll be interesting to see how differently they interpret them.”

“Last week certainly saw a lot of variation,” Belle agreed. “But then the recipe was a lot vaguer. I think it will probably be closer than last week. I don’t think cake is as easy to get dramatically wrong as pastry is, especially laminated pastries. I think it’ll be a question of timing for most of them, getting everything done in the time.”

“And making sure that nothing starts going wrong in the time it’s sitting waiting to be assembled,” Granny added. Belle knew that they were both thinking of Elsa’s mishap with the crème patissière during the eclair challenge the previous week, and since crème was one of the key elements holding the princesstarta together, she hoped that none of the bakers would have a similar catastrophe this afternoon.

“They’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to seeing the vast variations in colour on the marzipan coating though.” Granny looked positively mephistophelean. “In a way I’m sad that Zelena’s no longer here. She’d have been in her element with all that green.”

“Don’t remind me,” Belle muttered. All the same, she did have to wonder what the bakers who had already eliminated would have made in the previous few weeks if they had made it this far.

“Yes, you’re right. Let’s leave Zelena well out of it for the moment and focus on happier things. How’s our little tent romance going?”

“Well, Mal hasn’t been here for the last two weeks but as far as I can make out, she and Regina are still in touch and everything’s progressing very nicely,” Belle said blithely. She knew that wasn’t what Granny meant, and the older woman also knew that she knew, and just gave her a look over the top of her glasses.

“You know what I mean,” she said, and Belle looked down at her cup of tea to avoid meeting Granny’s gaze.

“It’s going all right. Slow and steady.”

“You seemed to be getting on well last weekend. Can we hope that something along the same lines might happen again?”

Belle didn’t reply, thinking back to the little proto-date that she and Gold had shared one week ago now. It had been a lovely evening, just the two of them talking and drinking tea, and as much as she wanted it to happen again, the very fact that Granny had commented on it put her off in some respects. It had reminded her forcibly that this relationship was beginning in the public eye. Not necessarily in front of the cameras per se, although there were the odd little flirtatious moments that she instigated whilst the baking was going on, that Gold never really quite knew how to handle. It was nice to see him blush, but she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. No, it was the idea that there were no secrets in the tent, and that everyone knew everything that was going on in the small, open space. This thing that was developing with Gold, she wanted it to be private, not conducted out here under everyone’s noses where anyone and everyone could pass comment on it. It was true that the people who were best placed to notice it all seemed to be encouraging it, but that wasn’t what she needed. She didn’t want the scrutiny and she didn’t want people asking her how it was going all the time. Belle wouldn’t class her previous break-ups as failed relationships, but they were still break-ups and there were quite a few of them, and she was trying to look for something that lasted. And Gold too, as she had learned from talking to him the previous week, had not had the happiest time of it when it came to love. They were both looking for something real and solid, and she didn’t want outside pressure from Granny, Ella and Ursula to cause this fledgling little spark to buckle under the strain of trying to be the perfect storybook romance that they all seemed to be pinning their hopes on.

“Ok, I’ll leave it alone.” Granny reached across and patted her hand. “It’s unfair for me to take such an interest when I wouldn’t ordinarily. I think because it’s here on the show, we all feel more invested in it. We’re spectators just like the viewers at home, and we’re all cheering you on. The difference is, of course, that we’re here and we can actually talk to you and cheer you on, rather than being separated by a TV screen and thousands of miles.”

“Yeah,” Belle said. “It doesn’t matter when you’re rooting for two people on the TV to get together because you can yell and shout and tell them they’re idiots and throw popcorn at the screen whilst you wait for them to get their acts together, but it won’t make the blindest bit of difference and that’s absolutely fine. You can’t do that in real life.”

“I know. I won’t push it. But I’m glad that things seem to be going in the right direction, certainly. You deserve that happiness. I don’t claim to know Gold as well as you do, but I get the impression that it certainly wouldn’t hurt for him to have some love in his life.”

Belle smiled. “No, I think you’re right there.” She sighed. “It’s hard to strike a balance, I think. I don’t want to get too close too quickly, not only for fear of frightening him off but also for fear that someone’s going to get suspicious and raise it with the producers. I mean, the only person who I really fear doing that has gone now, but even so, it’s something that we’ve got to consider. And at the same time, I know just how changeable things can be on this show and he might go home tomorrow, and then I’m not quite sure where we stand.”

“They do always say that absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Granny pointed out. “I think that where there’s a will, there’s a way. You’ll make it work, no matter what happens. But I don’t think he’s in too much danger this week. His signature cake wasn’t the best in the tent but it was still pretty good. He’s coasting along in the middle at the moment.”

“Yes.” Belle said nothing more, contemplating everything that was happening. She hoped that Gold would have a better technical than the previous week, when he had come last. That had really hammered home the possibility of him not coming back, and Belle wondered if perhaps another date was in order this evening to make the moment of parting a little sweeter - if it came at all. Or maybe Granny was right, and absence would make the heart grow fonder. Whatever happened, she knew that she wasn’t going to let him go home without giving him her number. She’d never felt this way about a contestant before. Certainly there were the odd couple whom she’d rooted for a little more than the others, but generally those were the ones who really showed an innate and exceptional talent for baking, or the younger ones who showed such passion and determination for it in the middle of studying to become something else entirely. She’d never had a favourite for personal reasons. If Gold won the competition then that would be great, but she wasn’t really hoping that he would stay in so that he would win, more so that she could keep on getting to know him better.

The first few spots of rain were pattering down on the roof of the tent as Astrid hurried over with an umbrella to bring them back in for the judging. The table, now down to just six bakes on it, looked very large, and the six princesstarta were showing great variation in shape, size, and colour. Belle’s eye was immediately drawn to the cake on the far end and she glanced over at Granny, because they both knew that one was likely to be the winner even without sampling it. From the outside, it looked absolutely perfect, as if it had been bought in a shop and brought out. The marzipan was a nice pale green, no telltale streaks or sugar marks on it, and it covered the cake evenly without patching, like some of the other cakes had. It was nicely domed and not flat, and the sugar and chocolate decorations, although a little rough around the edges, looked exactly like they should. Still, even though it looked like there was a clear victor, all the cakes had to be sampled, and looks weren’t everything - once they got inside it, it might not be up to snuff.

Most of the bakers had done a fairly decent job on the inside of the cakes but it was presentation that let them down - patchy marzipan or sunken cakes. A couple had crème patissière that was very obviously too runny, as if they’d run out of time on the bake and they were making the best of what they had. Lance’s cake was the messiest and came in last place, with Leroy’s sunken cake just above it, followed by Jefferson, Gold, and Regina, who could always be relied on to produce something with excellent finish, be it in a signature or a technical. Emma’s was the near-perfect cake, and as she received the congratulations of the judges, presenters and her fellow contestants, she looked a bit sheepish.

“I’m not sure whether I really deserve the accolade to be honest,” she said. “Because I know that this technical was probably chosen because it’s something fairly obscure that not everyone will have heard of or know what it looks like, but I’ve made a few of these when I was younger.”

“Really?” Jefferson was looking completely incredulous. “How on earth have you had such specific confectionary exposure?”

Emma shrugged. “I had a foster mum who was Swedish. Well, half-Swedish, half-Danish. She used to make these cakes for birthdays and stuff. I love them. They’re a reminder of one of the best parts of my childhood. As soon as you said it was a princesstarta I immediately remembered making them with Ingrid.”

Belle smiled. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to disqualify you based on your knowledge of non-mainstream cakes. I’m just glad that this challenge turned out not to be so much of a challenge for you.”

“Yes, and as the winner of the technical, you can stand us all drinks at the hotel bar,” Jefferson said with a wink. Emma rolled her eyes.

“You know, I really think that you ought to be the ones standing me drinks, but sure, I’ll get the first round in.”

“Bearing in mind, of course,” Jefferson added, “that it will probably be the only round because we need to make sure we’re all level headed tomorrow for the showstopper. We can’t have anyone turning up sozzled to make their cakes or else we could be in for some spectacular collapses. And I’m not just talking about the cakes.”

“You know, Jefferson, I do get the distinct impression that you were talking about me then,” Ella said. “I would be heavily offended if it wasn’t true.”

“Ella, my dear, you know I would never say anything that would slander your good name.” He bowed low, and the contestants left the tent, all of them moving up towards the driveway and the various forms of transportation waiting for them there. It was good to see these remaining few getting on so well together, and continuing that sense of community by going out after the day’s filming had finished instead of all going their separate ways. Belle and the others who remained knew better than to join them. They needed to maintain some distance, which was why Granny and Belle were always ensconced away in the little ante-room whilst the others were all relaxing in the breakroom. And even though Ella and Ursula had much more contact with the bakers and were on much friendlier terms with them, it would still be a little strange for them to socialise with them as a group outside of the context of filming. It was a bit like going on a school trip and having the teachers socialising with the kids - it would be awkward to say the least.

“Still,” Ella said brightly. “We can have our own girls’ night out. What do you say, ladies?”

“Well, I think I’m about fifty years too late to qualify as a girl,” Granny said, “but I wouldn’t say no to a gin and tonic if you’re offering one.”

“I am indeed. Belle?”

“Sure.”

They took a taxi into the town centre; the security team would keep their cars safe in the carpark overnight, although Belle wasn’t sure who would want to steal either Ella’s ridiculously large black and white Panther or her own nondescript Vauxhall. Ella was responsible for finding a suitable watering hole. The bake-off had moved location a couple of times during its run and every time, Ella always managed to find a new favourite bar. This particular one was on the less classy end of the spectrum, but the drinks were well made and reasonably priced, and no-one paid them all that much attention as they sat at a table in the corner with their cocktails. There was usually at least one night out like this during filming, a spontaneous trip with no real reason behind it, just because they felt like letting their hair down. Their tongues would be loosened by the alcohol and outside of the tent and the cameras, they could share what they really thought about the bakers and the progress of the show so far. It was never malicious; the nearest they really got to badmouthing a contestant was lamenting a bad run of bakes, or consistent mistakes like time management that weeks in the tent never seemed to put right.

This time, though, Belle knew that there would be more than a few disparaging comments about bakers not so dearly departed, and she hoped beyond hope that the conversation would not turn in the direction of her and Gold’s… What was it, exactly? It was more than a friendship, as mutual attraction had been admitted and acknowledged, but it wasn’t really anywhere near a relationship yet. It was just a kind of nebulous, undefined thing.

“So, here we are. We’re over halfway through the competition and we’ve got half the number of bakers that we started with,” Ella said. “The tent really does look horribly empty with only the six of them in it. I feel that we ought to start scaling it down, so that as we lose contestants, the tent gets smaller and cosier so it doesn’t feel so cavernous.”

“I don’t know,” Granny pondered. “I think that when it gets into the final few weeks they’re always glad of the extra space and the spare workbenches. You know what they say. However large your kitchen is, it’s never large enough, and we only give them the one, comparatively small, bench to work on. I know that when I’m baking on a large scale at home, every surface gets covered in ingredients and utensils and things that are cooling.”

“Considering your kitchen is the size of our entire apartment, that’s saying something,” Ursula said dryly. Belle just laughed. She was well aware of the problem of running out of space. When she’d been studying, she’d been living in a tiny bedsit with an equally tiny kitchenette that had practically no work surface space, so she’d often ended up covering her bed with a dust sheet and doing all her cooking and baking there instead of in the kitchen.

“Still we can’t deny that there are a few that we’re glad to see the back of, but we won’t dwell on those. Let’s focus on the ones that are left.” Ella said. “You know, I can never tell what Jefferson’s thinking. I keep expecting him to do something incredibly outrageous during filming because when you first meet him, you think of him as the attention-seeking sort. He’s always wearing the waistcoat and pocket watch combination, all he needs is a top hat.”

“Maybe he’s saving that for if he gets to the final,” Granny said. “Perhaps his final showstopper piece will be a giant sponge cake top hat.”

“Yes, but he couldn’t wear it then. Although, considering some of the mishaps we’ve had with messy bakers in this and previous years, I’m not sure that wearing it wouldn’t make it better.”

“So, it has to be asked at some point, I may as well ask it now.” Ella turned her attention to Belle and grinned conspiratorially. Belle rolled her eyes.

“No,” she said before her friend had even had chance to open her mouth. “We’re not talking about my lovelife. I mean, it can’t even be called a lovelife yet.”

“I don’t know, you were getting very close over a cup of tea last week.”

“I’m serious, Ella.”

“So am I. Come on, we’re already hearing wedding bells in the distance. It’s plain to see when you look at the two of you together that you’re absolutely made for each other and marriage is on the horizon once the show finishes.”

“Ella, I know hardly anything about him, we’ve been on one date that can barely be called a date. It’s bad enough that Granny’s already thinking about designing the wedding cake. Perhaps not adding too much pressure too soon?”

“Oh, but it’s so much fun!” Ella exclaimed. “You’ve always been so sensible about everything related to the competition and I’ve never had the chance to tease you about something, and now I do. It’s all part and parcel of the experience.”

“It’s the bakers that you’re meant to be bantering with, not the judges,” Granny pointed out.

“Yes, but the bakers are not here, so I have to make do with what I’ve got. Anyway, do you think that he can go the distance and make it to the final?”

Belle nodded. “Yes, I like to think so. The trouble is at this stage that they’re all so good that it’s hard to pick between them, but I think the finalists will end up being Regina, Jefferson and Rum.”

“Oh, so he’s called Rum now?” Ursula said, smirking, and Belle let out a long sigh, resting her forehead against the edge of the table.

“You know what, I’m just going to stop talking altogether and then see how you all get on for entertainment,” she muttered.

“Oh, you don’t have to talk, watching your reactions is just as good as listening to them,” Ella said airily. “But perhaps we ought to stop; we’re attracting attention to ourselves and it really wouldn’t be doing to be giving out any spoilers before the show airs. There was that time two years ago when the bookies stopped taking bets on who was going to win because I’d accidentally let slip who’d got through to the final when we went out for Ursula’s birthday that night. I was nearly fired for that and despite the inevitable yearly weight gain from so much sampling I do enjoy this gig.”

Thankfully the others agreed that it would be best to move on from the topic of the contestants and who they thought was going to win, and by necessity they moved on from talking about Belle and Gold’s developing relationship as well. They chatted about the renovations that Ursula and Ella were making to their home, and about Granny’s various relations up and down the country, and if anyone had come into the bar at that moment and overheard their conversation, none of them would suspect that they were television personalities unless they were recognised. All told it was an enjoyable evening; they usually went out as a small group at least once per season and Belle always looked forward to the event. Today’s impromptu outing was no exception. She could even take the ribbing she’d got about Gold, because she knew that it was all good-natured and that she had the complete support of the other three women around the table. It was a good feeling, and one that she couldn’t wait to act on when the time was right.

X

The second day of the baking weekend dawned grey and overcast, with the threat of rain hanging over them throughout the setup. Gold hoped that it would not actually rain. It was not that he feared the tent leaking, as Ella seemed to constantly threaten, but the sound of the raindrops on the waterproof canvas was maddeningly distracting and in the past, the downpours seemed to come just when he was trying to concentrate on something fiddly. Yesterday’s soirée in the bar with the rest of the bakers had been a good evening, and it had been nice to spend time with everyone all together for a change. Since there were only six of them left and they would soon only be five, it was good to have done something in which everyone had been included.

Ella stepped forward and cleared her throat. “Good morning bakers, and welcome to your showstopper challenge. Today, Granny and Belle would like you to make a dobos torte. This is a traditional Hungarian cake made with several layers and lots of caramel. The dobos torte must have two tiers and it can be decorated in any way you wish, but Granny and Belle are looking for a focus on sugarwork skills - whatever you can show off, use it and create the best caramel confections that you can. You have five hours to complete the challenge.”

“On your marks!”

“Get set!”

“Bake!”

The challenge began, and Gold set about making the sponge mixture. As soon as that was out of the way he could then start focussing on his caramel. Since the dobos torte was made up of so many thin layers of cake, it was essential to get them baking as soon as possible as he would have to make several batches. Each tier of his cake required six layers of sponge and he could only fit three in the oven at a time, so he would need to get a production line going. Sponges first, then the caramel buttercream that would coat the entire cake and sandwich all the layers together. Then the final caramel work that would be the pièce de résistance. Hopefully. If he got it done in time and without any mishaps, which was perhaps easier said than done. He’d already decided that caramel was going to be his nemesis throughout the competition, what with the florentines and then the crème brulées, and now he was having to face it again - and be judged on it no less. He couldn’t believe quite how much caramel he was willingly making, but if he wanted to impress Belle and Granny then he had to go all out, and no half measures or shortcuts would be accepted. They would notice if he had tried to shy away from making too much caramel, so he’d decided to just jump in with both feet and go for it. He glanced around the tent at some of the other creations that were going up. Some of the bakers were adding other flavours to their dobos tortes - chocolate and coffee being the predominant ones, and Gold wondered if perhaps the judges would think that his own was too plain. Still there was no time to be wasted worrying about that now; he couldn’t change anything. He just had to focus on making sure that what he was doing was absolutely top notch.

Over on the other side of the tent, Jefferson was talking to Ella and Ursula and outlining his plans for a massive three-tiered cake in chequerboard chocolate and caramel topped with squares of millionaire’s shortbread that Gold really didn’t think he would be able to get done in the time, but then again, if anyone could pull it off then Jefferson probably could. Behind him, Emma was counting sponge circles, hands on her hips.

“I’m just wondering,” she was saying to Walter, who was standing by patiently with his camera, “if it might be easier to bake all the layers of sponge in the same cake tin. That way I know that they’re all going to be exactly the same size and they won’t get thin at the edges. On the other hand, if they’re all packed in so tightly then they won’t cook as quickly. On another hand, they shouldn’t theoretically take longer to cook than a normal cake. Argh, decisions, decisions, and none of them right.”

Gold did not find out what Emma ended up deciding with regard to how to bake her sponges, because it was time for his first batch to come out and his second batch to go in, and at the same time the judges were coming over to speak to him. They did kindly wait until he was vertical and not holding delicate trays of sponge before they spoke.

“Good morning, Mr Gold!” Ella said brightly. “So, what can we expect from you today? Great things, I hope.”

“I hope so too.”

“What kind of caramel work are you going to be using?” Granny asked. “Spun sugar, moulded sugar?”

“I’m making caramel buttercream which is going to coat the whole cake,” Gold said. “I’m making about three kilos of the stuff. Then the sides are going to be decorated with hazelnut brittle and caramelised nuts, and I want to do shards of caramel to stick on the top.”

“It sounds ambitious,” Belle said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.”

“Well, it’s not as ambitious as some people’s.” Gold glanced across at Jefferson, who appeared to be juggling trays of sponge circles in one hand and making a biscuit base for the millionaire’s shortbread with the other.

“Maybe not, but there is such a thing as being overambitious, and for all this is a showstopper, you do need to be able to work within your limits,” Granny said. “We’ll let you get on. Those sponges are so thin and light that they won’t need long and I’d hate for anything to get burned because we were distracting you.”

The bake continued, with various exclamations and the odd torrent of profanity going up from various workbenches as the cakes were created to different levels of success. Gold’s sponges were not burned and his first batch of caramel for the buttercream came out well, but trying to make a second batch of caramel that he could use for brittle at the same time as trying to assemble and sandwich the layers together was never going to be an easy task and he ended up binning that lot of caramel. In hindsight he realised that throwing burning hot caramel into the bin was probably not a good idea and he’d likely melted the bin bag, but that was something that he would just have to chalk up to experience. He gave the caramel his full attention this time; luckily the brittle was easy to make and could just be left to cool once it was made and he could get back to the trickier task of icing. This, he thought, was where the challenge ended up being so time-consuming. With so few of them left in the competition, Belle and Granny would be looking for the slightest discrepancies that they could pick up on and anything less than perfectly precise icing would be marked down. The trouble was, as it always was with these things, that his hands were shaking with the pressure and it was going to be very hard to pipe perfect buttercream rosettes when the piping bag was going all over the place. At least he’d made the executive decision to assemble his second tier on top of his first tier rather than making the two tiers separately and then having to manouver one on top of the other like Jefferson was doing. The other man was calling out for a stepladder so as to have maximum leverage, and he ended up getting Ella and Ursula to help him hold the tiers in place as he assembled. Time was counting down and all of the dobos tortes were in various stages of disarray. Behind him, Emma was muttering under her breath as she made a spun sugar nest to sit on the top of her cake. She was already on her third attempt to make it and the muffled cursing was only getting worse until he finally heard a quiet hiss of eureka and he risked a glance over his shoulder to see her placing the nest - complete with sugar bird and chocolate eggs - on top of her cake.

He finally managed to get the rosettes piped cleanly and topped each one with a caramelised hazelnut before spreading out crushed shards of leftover caramel over the top of the cake. Overall, he didn’t think it looked too bad. It might not be as complex as some of the other bakers’ creations, but it was neat and well-presented, and that should hopefully account for something at this late stage.

Ella called time on the challenge and Gold sat back with a sigh of relief, looking around the tent. Jefferson’s gigantic masterpiece was looking magnificent, although Gold noted that it had only ended up with just the two tiers in the end. The clean-up began, and it was clear that everyone was checking out the competition and trying to work out who had done enough to make it through and who had fallen short. To be honest, Gold thought that it would be pretty close between all of them, he couldn’t see one cake that really stood out as being worse than all the rest. Finally, it was time for the moment of truth. Jefferson was up first, and Belle and Granny praised his ambition and creativity, although they criticised the texture of his caramel work.

“It’s a bit grainy,” Belle said. “Caramel in a millionaire’s shortbread should be smooth and creamy; I can feel that there are still unmelted grains of sugar in there, which probably came about because you were running out of time.”

Jefferson nodded. “Guilty as charged. I did rather misjudge how long it would take to get that many cakes in and out of the oven.”

The other bakers were all praised for some aspects and not for others; Gold’s presentation was good, Granny would have liked to have seen a bit more pizazz to it but the things he had done had been executed well. Emma’s bake overall looked a bit messy, but she’d used a wide range of sugarwork techniques to create her nest cake and when it was cut open, the sponge layers inside were striped with vanilla, caramel and chocolate. It was going to be very close, and during the judges’ deliberation time whilst the tent was reset, no-one could think of anything to say to each other, all of them too nervous about what was to come next. True, they were all friends in the tent and the conversation had flowed easily enough last night, but now things were different. Now they were baking and the competition was all too real.

The judges and presenters returned to the tent for the moment of reckoning.

“Well, bakers, the decision has been made. It’s been an incredibly close week, one of the closest we’ve had on the bake-off in a long time. We almost had to break out the boxing gloves again and have Granny and Belle go ten rounds to see who would come out on top. But at long last I can reveal that this week’s star baker, after giving us a show-stopping array of caramel and an almost perfect princesstarta, is Emma.”

There was a spontaneous round of applause and Emma went distinctly pink.

“We’d dearly love to take all of you with us,” Ursula said. “I even offered to smuggle one of you back into the tent in a huge cake. But sadly, Belle vetoed that idea as being against health and safety regulations. The baker who will not be joining us next time is Leroy.”

Leroy shrugged. He hadn’t had a terrible week, he just hadn’t had as good a week as the rest of them had had, and going into the quarter final next week, that was all it took to be sent home at this late stage. The bakers all gathered around in a little huddle, exchanging words of celebration and commiseration, and it was only once people started to disperse that Gold was able to talk to Belle properly.

“We didn’t get a chance to chat yesterday,” he said. “I just wanted to say hello, you know.”

Belle smiled. “Hello yourself. Well done for this week. You really pulled it off and held your own in all three challenges. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep it up to the end if you stay at this standard.”

“Well, I can hope. Fingers crossed.” It was annoying that it was the end of the weekend and there was no room for quiet, casual conversation like they had shared after the technical the previous week, but that was all right. There was always next week, and they could make the effort to make sure that they got more than a few minutes together.

Belle was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, and Gold very much wanted to kiss her in that moment. He wondered where that thought had suddenly come from, but he didn’t act upon it and he just smiled at her instead.

“Well, I’ll see you next week, Belle.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Rum.”

X

“Rum! Rum!”

It was very irregular for Aunt Elvira to come running out of the house to greet him when he got in from filming on a Sunday evening, and Gold had the distinct urge to run in the opposite direction away from whatever catastrophe might have occurred in his absence. He knew, of course, that no tragedy had occurred in his absence because he would have heard about it much sooner via the medium of mobile phone. The fact that Aunt Elvira was waving a sheaf of papers at him and was grinning from ear to ear in an utterly terrifying manner served only to increase his desire to run away.

“Rum, you’ll never guess what turned up today!”

Gold could guess, and he really didn’t want to think about the prospect, but he duly stood his ground and let Elvira bound up to him as the taxi rolled away down the drive. She thrust the papers at his chest and waited for him to read them, bouncing up and down on her heels excitedly. Considering that his aunt was pushing eighty and constantly complaining about her bones feeling old whenever she got the chance to, she was remarkably sprightly today. Gold looked down at the papers, immediately recognising the letterhead of the bake-off production company that had graced so much of his correspondence over the past couple of months.

“Can’t I read them when I’m inside?” he asked, trying to put off the inevitable for as long as possible. Aunt Elvira rolled her eyes but dutifully conceded, and dragged him into the house by the hand. Bae was in the kitchen looking bemused but with a distinct excitement of his own, and he started making cups of tea without any prompting. Gold sank onto a seat at the kitchen table and spread the papers around in front of him. The first was a letter inviting Elvira and Bae (and himself, should he be knocked out of the competition within the next two weeks), to the grand finale party held in the grounds of the filming site outside the tent. All the bakers from the series and their extended family and friends would be there to see the winner crowned on the final day, and there was generally a celebratory atmosphere all around. If he was being perfectly honest then Gold thought that this was the part of the proceedings that Aunt Elvira had been most excited about ever since he learned he would be one of the twelve contestants. The other letter was addressed to him, and he looked up at his aunt with a raised eyebrow.

“You’ve been opening my mail.”

“Well, I could see that it was from the production company and I thought I knew what it was and I was just so excited. I didn’t really read it. Just skimmed it a bit.”

“And was it what you thought it was?”

“Yes.”

“Right.” Gold read the letter, which was informing him that the production crew planned to come to the farm to film in two weeks’ time, during the week between the semi-final and the final, and they had suggested a few dates, asking Gold to confirm which would be the most convenient. Every year the bakers were always filmed for a small segment at home - ‘baking in their natural environment’ as Elvira called it, and Gold knew that he would be no different. They would come and film a little of the farm and his day job, and his kitchen, and it would all be over within an afternoon or so. Except if he made it to the final, because then Belle would be coming to the farm and there would be a slightly more in depth mini-movie made about him, and the crew would likely want to talk to Bae and Aunt Elvira about his baking skills. Bae wasn’t going to be a problem, but Gold already felt a distinct sense of panic about the possibility of Elvira and Belle interacting. Was it bad to hope that he failed at the last hurdle just so that this possibility never came to fruition? No, ultimately he had grown to be too competitive to do that and considering that he was doing this for Bae, sabotaging his own chances because he was embarrassed of his aunt wasn’t fair. And he really wanted to do as well as he could for his own sake. Having had a couple of bad weeks but managing to claw it back to some degree of success today, he wanted to see if he could continue the streak. Next week was back to dough and bread, and he really wanted to prove himself again and show that his triumph in the third week could be repeated.

“You know, you’ve got to get through to the final now,” Aunt Elvira said sagely. “So that we can meet Belle.”

“You’ll probably meet her at the party anyway,” Gold pointed out. “You’ll meet everyone.”

“I know that, but I want to meet her here, where it’s a nice cosy environment rather than at a big party where there’s a hundred other people who’ll she’ll have to go forth and greet. It’s so exciting when it’s more personal!”

Gold shook his head. “I really think that you’re looking forward to this more than I am,” he muttered. “But fear not, for I am not intending to fail this late in the game.”

“You should get on fine next week, it’s one of your specialities.”

Gold raised an eyebrow.

“Anything that involves a deep fat fryer is not one of my specialities,” he said darkly, but Elvira just gave him the indulgent smile that showed she didn’t agree with him at all but wasn’t going to argue. He’d had a long couple of days after all, and he just wanted to be able to relax. All the same, he did have to consider what he was going to do with Aunt Elvira once the film crews arrived. He liked to think that he was above drugging her and shoving her in a cupboard somewhere so that she couldn’t embarrass him, but at the same time, it was worryingly tempting.

Still, before he had to worry about Aunt Elvira meeting Belle, he still had six more challenges to get through, ones that would only get progressively harder as time went on. If he was going to stand a chance of Belle coming to his home then he was going to have to really pull all the stops out over the next couple of weekends.

He stayed sitting at the table long after Aunt Elvira had left him to start pottering around the kitchen and Bae had excused himself to bed ready for school in the morning, thinking about the possibility of Belle coming to the farm. He wanted her to see it, he was proud of his home, and he liked to think that if their little proto-relationship continued to grow organically as it was doing, then there would be no reason why she shouldn’t see it anyway, with or without a film crew in tow.

Gold smiled at the thought.

=====

Next time - The bakers face advanced dough, try not to give the judges food poisoning, and discover new and innovative uses for doughnuts.

=====

Princesstarta recipe here

Dobos Torte recipe here 

[steampoweredgiraffefannews]

David makes a Post a few days ago clearing up rumors about why past members left

Its a lOOOOONgG Read (3 walls of text) but I copied and pasted just his part in the read more section just in case you don't want to go to reddit for whatever Reason.

When stated that he should not feel obligated to explain himself as their lives are really none of our business (as it's not) David explained:

“ All of us in the band don't think we need explain everything either. We know most people understand that people leave for various different reasons, but a few people over the years just like "juicy details" and "drama", and for us it is frustrating when nothing those folks make up out of "lack of details" is true. We think our vagueness on our website is "good enough" and we've given closure in more "touching" posts online when members leave, but yes...there are folks who get into the band and want to know "Why". I hope this post is seen as a "deep cut" of SPG behind-the-scenes info, and then people who really want to read it read it and go. "Oh". "Well that's that". Bunny and I have definitely made countless posts over the 10 years we've been doing this act online. They all get lost in the internet, so every few years, I inevitably make a most "explaining" stuff for new people. I dunno what the "right" thing to do is, but I certainly want to try and do right by every fan, even if they make up or speculate on terrible stuff happening. Thanks for being one of the many understanding ones!”

https://www.reddit.com/r/SPG/comments/754t71/why_does_the_third_member_keep_getting_switched/

1 of 3 walls of text)

I probably shouldn't be replying to posts like this...

For one, it only encourages people to post more stuff like this to get responses from the band I think...which isn't healthy for me or the band... ...and two the OP has posted questionable stuff here according to the actual mod messages I see. (I am not really a mod, it's just a pleasantry from the actual mods since I am in the band I guess).

I am not the best with words or typing this stuff up, but I always try my best even if it’s a tangled mess of sentences.

TLDR: We don’t plan for the 3rd member being switched out.

No one plans for the “third member” to be switched out.

We started with four people who all wanted to try their hand at street performing with a robot group.

One of them couldn’t commit since it was “just a hobby on the weekend and didn’t want to be in a “band”, so they left (Erin Burke, Upgrade), we are still friends, she left willingly on her own. We’ve had her on an episode The Bennettarium Podcast and reminisced about her time in the group.

Once the band picked up, formed as an official business and started becoming “a living”, the third member couldn’t commit and it dragged the rest of the band down in rehearsals, shows, and album recording. Everyone in the band mutually agreed that letting that person go was for the best and they didn’t want to stay around. Person couldn’t commit to the schedule/didn’t want to do it full-time, and they left (Jon Sprague, The Jon). We keep in contact, pleasantries and all that, keeping “up with life”. No real chance of podcast visit and such, it’s just not the relationship we have with Jon.

Backing musicians Mike and Matt we stopped traveling with after about a year of traveling with them. Matt did the show with us for a year, Mike had been with us pretty consistently for live shows after our first album. However, we made a decision to cull the act down. Everything to do with expenses and managing 8 people in a band. It ended up saving the band financially and made way for tons of technical improvements to the live show, which we wouldn’t have even thought of if we kept the same standard “band setup”. Mike has been on The Bennettarium Podcast recently, and we’ve invited him to three live shows this year in California. We had one this summer, and then two more are coming up in November and December. Adding him to local shows that we are able to has been fun, but unfortunately it doesn’t make sense for all of them or shows out of state where expenses get more. That’s due to travel itself, but also us having to pitch the act and costs to a plethora of venues and events.

As for Sam/Hatchworth, he took over for Jon when he left. He wanted to commit, always showed he did, and expressed interest. So when the band went through growing pains, it only made sense. Sam is the longest running member consistently after The Bennetts. Sam told us when he started that he wasn’t in it for the long run, but really wanted to do it and we all said we would see where it went. Sam eventually let us know the year he wanted to be his last year performing with us. He wanted to pursue his own personal art projects and said he didn’t want to stay in SPG for ten more years and look back with regrets of things he could have done outside of SPG. It came as a shock for us all, as it’s not like any of us were anticipating it, but we all understood. He made the transition as smooth as he could, having seen other people leave the band before, and caring about the fans he would be leaving behind.

Bunny and I knew exactly who we wanted “as a third robot” if we had “our dream team” since the beginning...heck Erin and Jon wanted him in the act too, we all did. We never thought it would happen in a million years, but years had passed in all our lives, lots of different experiences, and the time was ripe. I made a private post on my private Facebook account reaching out to my college chums, and Bryan responded within the first week. Sam stayed on for the rest of the year (we started looking for his replacement early September), but Sam said he would stay on “as long as it took”, as he didn’t want to leave us “high and dry”. Once Bryan was in and rehearsing, we mutually agreed with Sam that a Bakersfield show in December would be his last.

Bryan is new. He hasn’t had years of being a robot under his belt, and he’s had to pickup harmonies written for two other performers.

We don’t get the luxury of years and years of honing with him...

But he’s a champ. He believes in the act, and is bringing an excitement to the band that Bunny and I haven’t seen with previous members.

The act is Bunny and I’s act. That’s not to say people didn’t contribute a boat load of awesome stuff to it, but at the end of the day, we’ve put in the most work, we run it finically, book the gigs, and spearhead it’s direction. It was apparent early-on even when we were street performing that we were going to put more time into it than anyone else. That’s not a “we are better than our other members” flaunt, it’s just how things ended up becoming.

SPG was in fact just a fun hobby that four mime students started for fun, and it was fun at the time for all.

Those first two years saw the most growth, and growing pains did push out folks who weren’t on the same page. It started as a hobby, but quickly became a goal of “a living” for Bunny and I. I think all four of us wanted that at some point, but after a few years, people change, and their wants and desires can change too. Short of that though, people have different ideas of “commitment”. It’s not as if anyone was “forced out” ever either. We talked about all our ideas for the band together, and only after years of working together did we all come to the conclusion what we all wanted to do. I guess that’s the only way I can think of saying that people leaving in our band isn’t about knee-jerk reactions. Everyone we’ve ever worked with has been loving individuals. We all communicate differently, but even in our young age in our early 20s, we all treated eachother more maturely than we’ve seen other bands. I know it all sucks from a long-time fan’s perspective who like certain characters or band members, and to those folks all I can say is that it’s not like the rest of us go “thank god that asshole is gone”. Of course we would put up with eachother if it was minuscule personalities clashing, but when it’s not and it’s something affecting he bigger picture like “well we can’t really do more shows and make more albums without rehearsal and getting together to hash out songs if not all of us want to”, then naturally everyone and that person comes to the conclusion “Oh I am an Inconvenience to everyone else in the group, I guess I should go”.

When Jon left, he never posted about it online and all people got was a blurb that Bunny and I wrote up and double checked with Jon. We asked him if we wanted to add anything, or if he wanted to make a post himself, but he said he wasn’t good with words and that we put it well enough.

That was probably a big mistake on my, Jon, and Bunny’s part (although I do remember thinking him not saying something personally was going to backlash). It did backlash a bit with our fans.

The truth wasn’t good enough, and soon started the “theories” and “rumors”. We spent weeks trying to respond to fans, reiterating the same stuff, we even asked Jon to help and post something, but he said for us to not worry about what those people think, and that they weren’t there and we know how it went down.

I don’t blame Jon for not wanting to post online about his departure. For one, he never had much of an online presence and didn’t like social media much, and it’d be weird if he suddenly had a presence online out of the blue, and two his family hated Bunny and I once we split ways with him in the band. These were folks we had knew for probably half a decade...went to holiday dinners with and hung out all the time with (Jon has a super close and numerous family). We went over to hang out a bit with Jon after the split, and to give him some old equipment he wanted for a gig he had coming up. His family was like night and day to us. We had no idea they suddenly hated us like that. Later they started posting hate online about us and making things up like “They are destroying all fan mail sent to them for Jon”. We asked Jon later and he said at the time that his family kept bugging him about what happened and he wouldn’t tell them, and for us to not worry about it.

That wasn’t fun for Bunny and I. Of course we were worrying about it, we got hate mail every day.

(Continues in comment I made to this comment)

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[–]spineraptor 17 points 2 days ago*

(2 of 3 walls of text)

In hindsight though, when Sam left, he gave us a write-up to post to fans, made an appearance with Bryan on our podcast and “passed the torch to him” so to speak in video and photos.

...BUT STILL people cried “Something is fishy here! What happened!”

But you know I guess that’s par for the course. In the ten years we’ve been doing this act and having an online presence, it’s all par for the course, it just what comes with the territory.

If you look at any quasi-celebrity or fandom or creator online big or small you see the same stuff. You can’t win. You cannot make everyone happy.

Part of that is because no one gets to see your day-to-day life. Fans don’t get to “witness it all” and part of it is because the internet gives people a vehicle to communicate their thoughts and feelings to the creators. There’s no way I or Bunny (the only people who really post anything introspective or deep about the band in the band online), can write anything up or make a tweet that will appease everyone. There is no end goal for ever being able to do that.

I can post things like this in more obscure social media places in hopes a few people care to read and feel better about the band, but my ultimate goal is really just to vent a bit and give the information that’s not easy to come by to the people asking. It’s true it’s no ones business and It’d be healthier for me and the band to not to post things like this, because in a way we are just enabling the worst of the internet and that always comes to bite you in the butt later :P (I am not saying this subreddit or this user in particular, you’re all fine as far as I know).

But yeah... No one saw the meeting we had in early 2011 before we did the San Diego Zoo for 2 1/2 months when the band sat down with Jon to discuss “if everyone is on board for the future”, since Jon had been taking a back seat in the group a bit.

No one saw the meeting after the first year after the zoo ended in 2011 where we all sat down again and discussed the future and next year’s zoo gig, where we asked Jon if he was fully committed because things were still flaky.

No one saw the meeting we all had in 2012 right before the zoo where we confronted Jon about him not knowing any of the new songs for the Zoo that year, and not having even started his two songs for The Two Cent Show Album, when the rest of the album was done, and missing a lot of his harmonies (ended up having to use Mikes voice for about half the songs in place of Jon’s right before release anyways).

No one saw the discussions and emails the other members sent and we had in person where people complained to Bunny and I that Jon wasn’t pulling his weight. Keep in mind there were six of us in total then, and we were doing the zoo for our second year 7 days a week, for 2 1/2 months in total.

No one saw the meeting after we finished the 2nd year of the zoo and a show in Texas where we discussed with Jon going our separate ways.

No one saw the conversations later with Jon about him saying “I think Sam will do a good job and you guys will be fine”.

No one saw Jon consoling us from the fan backlash.

No one saw the discussion when we didn’t hire on Matt or Mike for more live shows or album work.

No one saw the discussion and stuff from Sam wanting to leave and saying he’d perform with us for as long as it took to get another member to replace him.

But the thing is with all of this stuff is, no one sees this stuff because it’s not possible to, isn’t feasible, and isn’t anyone’s business.

Everyone wants to know juicy details, and some part of me would want to as well in a fan’s position...but we haven’t got them.

What more can we say while being tactful than “he couldn’t commit so we went or separate ways”, or just giving a copy and pasted write-up from the person leaving? There’s nothing more to be done.

Most people understand and will accept all of that. Realistically there is no better way for it to be handled. Sure we learned better social media stuff in between Jon and Sam’s departure, but a lot of that is due to the two different people and what they wanted to put in and felt comfortable doing online.

But the band understands that fans will be upset with lineup changes. We honestly do.

Bunny, Steve, and I aren’t sitting here going “how can we piss off our fans and make them hate us? I know let’s get rid of their favorite characters!”.

We also aren’t going “How can we make this act more about Bunny and David and less about everyone else?”.

We’ve always made the act equal. From the pay, to balancing the amount of songs on stage, lead singer always changes, we shine a spot line on every member during our shows (or try to)....etc.

If a member leaves, it is totally acceptable to not like the act anymore. We aren’t forcing anyone to feel bad about not liking changes.

Every single step of the way we have lost fans.

It was easy to see in the early days because we had so little and only did street performing, but every time we make a change intentionally or not, we loose fans. The other side of that though is that we gain new fans. That’s not us saying “screw the old fans”, that’s just us still performing with a new lineup and new albums and new people liking THAT stuff.

People who liked our Balboa Park shows hated our first album Album One, because it didn’t sound like Balboa Park and was “too overly produced sounding”.

People who loved Album One hated Two Cent Show because it “didn’t sound the same, it’s too fast, there is no lo-fi sound, the lyrics don’t mean anything anymore”.

People who loved Two Cent Show (aka Honeybee and AEHarmonics), hated MK III because “Jon isn’t on it, it’s too modern sounding, don’t like concept albums”

And so on and so forth....you get the idea.

All of those are perfectly valid reasons to not like a band anymore. I like bands, people in SPG like bands, but we’ve fallen out of love with bands before too.

We do not take it personally.

I mean, we can if you make us feel bad to our faces or something, but overall it’s fine. Of course we want people to like our new stuff whether that’s with the lineup or albums or whatever, but it’s not like we think we can do that or think fans SHOULD.

We aren’t trying to say “what is now is better or worse than before”, why would we do that with our own stuff? I assure you the things WE all don’t individually like in the band with very specific things are NOT the same things other people dislike for the most part.

We are the artists, it’s way different for us. We absorb critiques and such like anyone else, but just like most people, we aren’t in a bubble...we know what we like ourselves too and what we don’t like. If I like one of our songs that everyone of our fans collectively hates, does that make me wrong? Should the fans decide what songs go on an album? (I don’t think there is a song like that, just a hypothetical). Of course not. It’s art, and it’s not perfect and never has been.

Someone can say the last season of Rick and Morty lost its charm and isn’t as good as the other seasons, and I can say it “just keeps getting better!”.

Arts subjective, we all have opinions. Really hard for the world as a whole to agree on art as “good” or “bad”.

Is that an excuse for making bad art? Hell no. Bad art is bad.

If someone puts a lot of effort into it, that’s great. It probably means a lot TO THEM. It’s entirely a different thing to expect that other people feel the same way.

We can make a stupid song or bit and tons of people love it while we go “WHY? ITS SO STUPID!”, and then make something that speaks to us personally and we love with our entire being and people can go “This is shit, it’s like they aren’t even trying anymore”.

It’s just art. Have your opinions.

All I or anyone else in the band would hope is that people don’t try and make us directly feel terrible for making an album or something. If it’s bad, it’s bad. Same goes for decisions in the direction of the band.

I hope you all know we don’t see it as “let’s take this left turn and throw everyone off!”.

Like...I’d like to think we make informed decisions. Not every album comes about the same way.

I don’t think anyone has to agree with us. I certainly don’t want to make anyone feel bad about hating our stuff.

...I mean, I think hate is a strong word for art. I don’t think ours is offensive or something to the point where the word hate is honestly used.

I don’t like Stephen Universe, but I respect the artists and creators and don’t wish them ill ya know?

Maybe some things seem obvious to fans or consumers of art and not to their creators.... And that’s subjective...

Maybe a fan would say “you should have kept Jon” or “you should have kept Mike in all the time for albums”, but that’s not our reality in the band.

It wasn’t even options for us. They weren’t “terrible mistakes we made when making decisions about the band” for us. I am sure we’ve made some mistakes, but they aren’t on the surface and they aren’t things fans would care about or even know about (logistics of business stuffs San example ya know?).

Of course we would have liked to keep the act the same and not have member lineup changes. That would be great for marketing and fans.

But we couldn’t foresee people not wanting to continue on with the band, we couldn’t foresee Bunny transitioning, and we couldn’t foresee changes needing to be made due to growing pains financially, and personally.

There’s no way or reason to defend the band in all this.

If you think we are terrible from changes, then so be it.

I’ve said it before in past posts over the years, and it still works here...

The options are, we stop doing the band due to people leaving or changes happening...or we find a way to make it all work and continue on.

(Continues in comment I made to this comment)

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[–]spineraptor 24 points 2 days ago*

(3 of 3 walls of text)

That’s not to say don’t we have doubts ourselves, but hopefully you can believe that we make the best choices for the band that WE think will work, make last members and future members happy AND keep the act going for new and old fans. Maybe some folks will fall out of love for the band forever, or maybe they will reconnect in a few years when the changes aren’t fresh and things have settled in.

I personally don’t see an issue with the transitional phases of a band being public. We aren’t putting new people on stage or on an album without rehearsal or anything, and it’s not like we can stop performing or creating publicly while we work in a vaccine forever. It’s gotta be public eventually. We aren’t a super duper popular band, but we have done better than most and have a pretty supportive fan base, which we owe or livelihoods to.

We can’t make the band a democracy with fans, but hopefully folks understand that. We will make what we will make and we will art how we art. If we upset fans and make something they don’t want or like, all we can say is that we are sorry for letting you down and hope that we can make something in the future that you WILL like. If not, then no harm done, our past stuff stays the same and people can always revisit it. We always play or past stuff on stage too, and it’s not like we forget where we started.

I mean, I can argue anything with any fan, but I don’t. All of our albums have songs about being a robot in them, but even Album One has songs about not being a robot and you’d never know we were a robot band from JUST those songs. It’s never been 100% robot songs from the get go. That view is stilted in picking and choosing songs either from upload date of music videos on YouTube or live shows or whoooo knows.

Vice Quadrant had very little robots and we knew it wasn’t about robots ourselves, but we tied it in because we wanted to stretch our creativity and do something “not about robots”. We’ve always done that, that albums was just more so.

I digress though. Most people know that if they listen chronologically from our first album.

There are lots of songs with “not as deep lyrics”, because we are fans of lots of different stuff, and one type of song doesn’t fit the lore or image of the band to us.

Anywho...

Maybe Bryan isn’t the best at doing the robot due to not having done it for the years like Bunny and I.

Maybe I am not as good at the robot anymore as I used to be ever since my back issues with degenerative disc disease.

Maybe Bunny is showing her true self now and wanted her character that she lives in almost weekly to match.

Maybe what we want to say in songs and albums NOW isn’t the same thing we wanted to say when we started.

Maybe people fell in love with a music video shot in under an hour at a beach and didn’t know we had comedy in our act and are turned off once they see we are a comedy act in comparison to that music video.

Maybe Bunny and I are not as personable with fans as Mike or Jon were, but you’d be hard pressed to say we don’t try our best, we are just shy, awkward people. Mike and Jon are beacons of light, and everyone loves them. Everyone loved them before SPG and everyone will love them after SPG. I can’t speak for Bunny, but she is similar to me. I am a sarcastic, pessimistic, anxiety and stress ridden individual who had a terrible upbringing and childhood, and basically eats and sleep SPG business and doesn’t like going outside much, or have many “friends” and doesn’t hang out with hardly any people because I don’t like people, but tries their hardest to put on a genuine smile to fans at shows and engage them in conversation and such to hopefully lead by example that life isn’t so bad and that we are grateful for their support.

Maybe social media has influenced some fans to hate Bunny or I. Of course posting nothing at all leaves more positive ambiguity like some of our other members, but posting to lots of people and someone taking something personally or interpreting something the wrong way, or not liking our political opinions or views on social issues or whatever does and can taint us in the view of others. But that’s everyone on the face of the earth and not just people in bands online. I can see my far removed relative post something super racist on Facebook and write them out of my lives immediately, but wouldn’t know that about them if I never used Facebook and only saw them at family gatherings and saw them as a loving caring person. Not saying Bunny or I have sketchy posts or something, I think we’ve picked our words as best we can over ten years and have apologized where we’ve seen fit when someone calls us on something, but even small things that people don’t like about us on a personal level (well as much as you could get to know someone from their tweets) can change their view of a band. Just saying....you get how the internet changes all this kind of stuff.

There are some other comments I’d love to reply to on this post, but I dunno if I can get to them all or if anyone really wants me to....or if I want to. Ha.

I saw one about “why don’t the Bennett’s get switched out?” from the OP, and that’s an easy one to answer.

It’s our act, and has been ever since we started putting more work into it than everyone else within a few weeks of its inception. That just came naturally, and Jon and Erin were fine with that.

Bunny and I ran the improv group, the mime group, and the children’s camp groups that came before SPG. It’s not that it wasn’t an option for everyone else to be “in charge”, its just no one wanted to do the work. They liked doing the art and fun stuff, but not 24/7, and that’s fine. Everyone falls into different roles, and things change over ten years.

I remember Erin wanting to take up the role of “business manger” and she would always talk about getting our business license and doing the taxes and finances and all that stuff, but that never happened when she was in the group, and I immediately did all of that stuff when she left, because it was obvious to me that I was the only one who could/would willingly do all that stuff.

We’ve never made anyone do anything and have kept it as equal as possible while anyone is in the group. We only ask for rehearsals, shows, and album work, and everything else is up to individual members and how much they want to put it.

The only thing I take pride in...is doing the busy work that no one sees. The business shit, the album mixing, the music video shit. I enjoy doing it all. I am not the best at it all, but the difference is I DO IT. And procrastination is not a thing I have a problem with, only with other people, and that’s hard to live up to for some past members. Even with that said, I’ve never made it harder for them.

I remember building a recording PC and securing equipment for Mike for an album he just couldn’t find time to get his instrument parts into. He said he needed a private space to do it, but of course the recording stuff was at my place and I worked at my place a lot. We came up with the secondary computer for him for his own private space at a rehearsal room we were renting, just due to his living situation at the time. It sat their for months never being used and Mike ended up rushing the instrument parts at my place in two weeks before album manufacturing. Sometimes it doesn’t work out great, even if you try.

Now, I don’t say any of the things I’ve said about anyone in these post to make people dislike anyone else in the group or myself, but to give an insight into the fact that we are all people, have our own issues and hang ups, growing pains, life lessons to learn and all that jazz. I hope the theme of “understanding” comes from all this. Members past and present have always tried to make the group work, even through their personal struggles and growing, myself included. That’s how everyone is in any group setting, and we aren’t unique in that sense.

But none of it is as bad as anyone outside of the group could fabricate themselves, and we’ve read and heard it all over the years, unintentionally from hate blogs, emails, and fans in person.

I hope those of you who read all this and think “boy I hope they don’t get hung up on these people, I hope they ignore them and just keep on doing what they do and be happy, because if they dwell on stuff like this I don’t want that to affect the band negatively either and not like the band anymore myself”. And to those folks I would say not to worry. Every once in awhile I feel the urge to reach out and “explain how it is” for us in the band to people who might not give us the benefit of the doubt. It’s not about right and wrong, just perspective I don’t know if it’s needed, but all this social media and fandom stuff with creators is new for the world.

I understand a fans’s perspective because I am fan of things myself, so the band has that, but it’s a bit different because fans don’t have our perspective, it’s a very one-sided relationship...a band to fans, and I hope that’s what people understand in all this.

I am just trying my best to give insight even if it’s kinda pointless, as I can’t do it forever, and boy howdy have I done the same thing on tumblr and the like over these 10 years.

So yeah, not the best at words, but hopefully something in all this text speaks to some of you who really want some sort of understanding on lineup changes (and whatever else I rambled on about).