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drvrslcense · 3 years ago

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🌹 + a random word or a prompt and a character, and i'll write a very short blurb with those two things!

happy advanced birthday cloy!! ^^ ok so i just have this soft spot for jason,, and imagine going on a picnic with him like,, picking flowers with him :(( feeding each other dessert :(((( (i realized this really isnt a word prompt now is it....) anyways i hope you enjoy writing!! and again, advanced happy birthday <3

hiii loveee aaa ilysm tysm for joining my celebration <33 i made soo many jason fics today lol so here's one from the celebration! hope y'all enjoyy <33 also, happy birthday jason grace imyy bbyyy <33

Jason looked stunning in being bathed in sunlight.

There was something about the way the sunshine hits him this sunny afternoon. Maybe it was his brother, Apollo, giving him the spotlight. Or maybe it was just the way he simply looks handsome. Wearing a button-down shirt with the first button undone, his blond hair a mess from the warm ocean breeze. He was absolutely stunning, and there was no denying it.

Finding a quiet spot in Long Island Sound this afternoon proved quite the task as wherever they try to lay their picnic blanket, over-enthusiastic campers joined you and Jason, wanting to eat whatever you and Jason have prepared to eat. Luckily, Leo and the Stolls created a bit of a ruckus back at the arena, which made campers rush back to see what happened. You made a mental note to thank them later, as you and Jason found a spot under the palm trees and beside the swaying tickseeds and sea asters.

"What?" Jason asked you, a small laugh escaping his lips.

"Nothing." You shook your head with a smile before reaching out and wiping the chocolate from the corner of his lips.

"Better?" Jason grinned.

"Yeah."

Jason picked out a couple of strawberries from the strawberry fields, coating them with chocolate, while you brought a small cake for the date. It was quite romantic, really. Jason had Leo prepare some tacos for the both of you and made strawberry-coated chocolates, while you and Piper tried to bake a cake and failed before turning to Percy for a bit of help.

"Here, try this." You sliced a piece of cake into your paper plate.

"What's the cake for?" Jason asked, although his eyes twinkled like he knew what it's for.

"Happy birthday, babe," you told him, taking a piece of cake with your fork and feeding it to Jason.

"Wait, this is...really good," Jason said, his voice muffled by the mouthful of cake you've given him. "Who made this?"

"I did." You smiled proudly.

The cake was a beautiful blue velvet (Percy refused to make anything other than blue) with white buttercream frosting and a minimalistic design on top. By minimalistic, as in there was nothing written in it. Percy ran out of blue food coloring, and that was the only color he has, so you went with a nude top.

"Really?" Jason actually looked surprised. Baking isn't really your specialty. It was never in your favor. Once, you tried making blue cookies with Percy, but the cookies grew larger than the oven and you had to evacuate the big house for fear of the oven exploding.

"Well....I may have had help from Percy." You sheepishly smiled, which made Jason laugh. "Only a little though!"

"You mean, most of it?" Jason nodded towards the cake between the two of you.

"Yeah," You laughed. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Jason shrugged. "It's the thought."

Picking a loose sea aster from the bunch, you leaned forward to Jason. "Here. Happy Birthday."

"I love you," Jason blurted out, taking the flower from you. "Here, come here."

He grabbed a piece of chocolate-coated strawberries and leaned forward to give you some of it. Cupping his hand in front of your chin and under your mouth, he fed you the strawberry, throwing away the left-off piece that didn't fit in your mouth.

Before he moved away, you held his hand beside him, encouraging him not to move away. Once you swallowed the strawberry, you leaned forward, moving the cake away from the two of you before leaning in to capture his lips. Unbeknownst to him, as he leaned further into the kiss, your hand brushed some icing off of the cake, making you cup his face and wipe the icing on his cheeks.

"Y/N, what-." Jason pulled away from the kiss as you laughed. Realizing what just happened, you saw Jason's finger swipe a bit of icing from the cake, preparing to get back at you. "Okay, come here."

You leaned in, ready to accept the icing on your cheeks. Instead of wiping the icing all over your cheeks, Jason used his finger to draw a heart from the corner of your mouth to the side of your cheeks, and back to your lips.

"How do I look?" You smiled at him.

Jason's scar tugged up. "Beautiful."

"Well, you're not so bad yourself, Grace," you told him, pulling him into another kiss. This time without the icing.

join my july birthday celebrations!!

#cloy's july celebration <3 #jason grace #jason grace x reader #jason grace x y/n #jason grace x you #pjo #hoo #hoo imagines #hoo fanfictions #happy birthday jason grace ♡

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madmensideblog · 3 years ago

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MAD MEN BOOK RECS

Happy pride/Don Draper’s fake birthday ❤️ Below the cut, I’ve listed info on my favorite Mad Men related books and a couple I haven’t read yet but I’m really looking forward to. Let me know if you check any of these out, or if you have any other recommendations! ❤️

Mad Men Carousel: The Complete Critical Companion by Matt Zoller Seitz

“Mad Men Carousel is an episode-by-episode guide to all seven seasons of AMC's Mad Men. This book collects TV and movie critic Matt Zoller Seitz’s celebrated Mad Men recaps—as featured on New York magazine's Vulture blog—for the first time, including never-before-published essays on the show’s first three seasons. Seitz’s writing digs deep into the show’s themes, performances, and filmmaking, examining complex and sometimes confounding aspects of the series. The complete series—all seven seasons and ninety-two episodes—is covered.

Each episode review also includes brief explanations of locations, events, consumer products, and scientific advancements that are important to the characters, such as P.J. Clarke’s restaurant and the old Penn Station; the inventions of the birth control pill, the Xerox machine, and the Apollo Lunar Module; the release of the Beatles’ Revolver and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds; and all the wars, protests, assassinations, and murders that cast a bloody pall over a chaotic decade.

Mad Men Carousel is named after an iconic moment from the show’s first-season finale, “The Wheel,” wherein Don delivers an unforgettable pitch for a new slide projector that’s centered on the idea of nostalgia: “the pain from an old wound.” This book will soothe the most ardent Mad Men fan’s nostalgia for the show. New viewers, who will want to binge-watch their way through one of the most popular TV shows in recent memory, will discover a spoiler-friendly companion to one of the most multilayered and mercurial TV shows of all time.”

A classic episode-by-episode look at the series from reviewer Matt Zoller Seitz.

The Legacy of Mad Men — Cultural History, Intermediality and American Television (Edited by Karen McNally, Jane Marcellus, Teresa Forde, and Kirsty Fairclough)

“For seven seasons, viewers worldwide watched as ad man Don Draper moved from adultery to self-discovery, secretary Peggy Olson became a take-no-prisoners businesswoman, object-of-the-gaze Joan Holloway developed a feminist consciousness, executive Roger Sterling tripped on LSD, and smarmy Pete Campbell became a surprisingly nice guy. Mad Men defined a pivotal moment for television, earning an enduring place in the medium’s history.

This edited collection examines the enduringly popular television series as Mad Men still captivates audiences and scholars in its nuanced depiction of a complex decade. This is the first book to offer an analysis of Mad Men in its entirety, exploring the cyclical and episodic structure of the long form series and investigating issues of representation, power and social change. The collection establishes the show’s legacy in televisual terms, and brings it up to date through an examination of its cultural importance in the Trump era. Aimed at scholars and interested general readers, the book illustrates the ways in which Mad Men has become a cultural marker for reflecting upon contemporary television and politics.”

This is a really beautiful collection. It was published in 2019. It’s rather expensive. (I found a used copy for much cheaper.) If you can afford it, I really, really recommend buying it. There is a pdf floating around if you know where to look though. But like I said, it’s really amazing work and the women who curated it deserve high praise and compensation.

A few favorite essays of mine include “Don Draper and the Enduring Appeal of Antonioni’s La Notte” by Emily Hoffman, “Mad Men’s Mid-Century Modern Times” by Zak Roman, “Mad Men and the Staging of Literature via Ken Cosgrove and His Problems” by Aaron Shapiro, and “What Jungian Psychology Can Tell Us About Don Draper’s Unexpected Embrace of Leonard in Mad Men’s Finale” by Marisa Carroll.

Mad Men and Philosophy: Nothing Is as It Seems (Edited by William Irwin, James B. South, and Rod Carveth)

“With its swirling cigarette smoke, martini lunches, skinny ties, and tight pencil skirts, Mad Men is unquestionably one of the most stylish, sexy, and irresistible shows on television. But the series becomes even more absorbing once you dig deeper into its portrayal of the changing social and political mores of 1960s America and explore the philosophical complexities of its key characters and themes. From Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle to John Kenneth Galbraith, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand, Mad Men and Philosophy brings the thinking of some of history's most powerful minds to bear on the world of Don Draper and the Sterling Cooper ad agency. You'll gain insights into a host of compelling Mad Men questions and issues, including happiness, freedom, authenticity, feminism, Don Draper's identity, and more.”

This collection was published just a month before the start of season 4, so it only concerns the first three seasons of the show. As such, it includes some assumptions that are proven false and a few strange misreadings that I’m sure would’ve been cleared up had they had the rest of the show at their disposal. But there are some great philosophical insights and analysis.

I haven’t yet read the whole collection, but my favorite essay of what I’ve read so far was “Pete, Peggy, Don, and the Dialectic of Remembering and Forgetting” by John Fritz.

The Fashion File: Advice, Tips, and Inspiration from the Costume Designer of Mad Men (by costume designer Janie Bryant)

From Joanie's Marilyn Monroe-esque pencil skirts to Betty's classic Grace Kelly cupcake dresses, the clothes worn by the characters of the phenomenal Mad Men have captivated fans everywhere. Now, women are trading in their khakis for couture and their pumas for pumps. Finally, it's hip to dress well again. Emmy-Award winning costume designer Janie Bryant offers readers a peek into the dressing room of Mad Men, revealing the design process behind the various characters' looks and showing every woman how to find her own leading lady style--whether it's vintage, modern, or bohemian. Bryant's book will peek into the dressing room of Mad Men and reveal the design process behind the various characters' looks. But it will also help women learn how fashion can help convey their personality. She will help them cultivate their style, including all the details that make a big difference. Bryant offers advice to ensure that a woman's clothes convey her personality. She covers everything from where to find incredible vintage clothing and accessories to how to pair those authentic pieces with modern shoes and jeans. Readers will learn how to find their perfect bra size, use color to convey a mood, and invest in the ten essentials every woman should own. And just so the ladies don't leave their men behind, there's even a section on making them look a little more Don Draper-dashing.

I recently ordered a used copy of this book and haven’t yet received it, but I’m very much looking forward to it. Like Mad Men and Philosophy listed above, it was published between season 3 and 4, so unfortunately does not cover the whole show. It sounds like it might just cover the women’s costume design, though I’m not sure. Janie Bryant is such a meticulous, genius costume designer that I can’t wait to read it. Relatedly, you should follow her incredible costume design instagram where she posts lots of her work from Mad Men and other shows with fascinating insight into her process.

The Universe is Indifferent: Theology, Philosophy, and Mad Men (Edited by Ann W. Duncan and Jacob L. Goodson)

Centered on the lives of the employees at a Manhattan advertising firm, the television series Mad Men touches on the advertising world's unique interests in consumerist culture, materialistic desire, and the role of deception in Western capitalism. While this essay collection has a decidedly socio-historical focus, the authors use this as the starting point for philosophical, religious, and theological reflection, showing how Mad Men reveals deep truths concerning the social trends of the 1960s and deserves a significant amount of scholarly consideration. Going beyond mere reflection, the authors make deeper inquiries into what these trends say about American cultural habits, the business world within Western capitalism, and the rapid social changes that occurred during this period. From the staid and conventional early seasons to the war, assassinations, riots, and counterculture of later seasons, The Universe is Indifferent shows how social change underpins the interpersonal dramas of the characters in Mad Men.

I only just found out about this collection, but I’m very interested in finding a copy. This was published in 2016. You can see the table of contents here. EDIT: This book is available to read on Scribd. They offer a 30 day free trial.

#mad men #books

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sophiexwrites · 4 years ago

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A Gift from the Ghost King

Inspired by this awesome headcanon from @give-nico-a-gun, thanks a ton for the inspo! It’s come to be a long-ish one, 2.2k words.

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Christianity and needles, but not in the medical context... it’s really just harmless and sweet.

Setting: General Riordanverse/PJOVerse with canon/established Solangelo.

Mentioned couples Christmas sweaters from the shop (link).

Note: because most people recognise American-English more than normal English, I’ve decided to go American this time, like dropping the u when I have to and using ‘sweater’ instead of jumper so that no-one gets confused (fingers crossed I do it properly).

Nico and Will, for all their opposites, had one major thing in common: they were raised Christian. Neither were quite sure why, since their mothers were well aware of the Greek pantheon of gods rather than a monotheistic one, but they supposed their childhood communities wouldn’t have taken sweetly to the change.

Which meant the emo teen wasn’t focusing on Halloween this October, but on Christmas. Already. What do you get someone who claims to have it all?

Talking to his friends didn’t help much. Most of them suggested medical equipment or a simple day off; there were even a few jokes about sunscreen that Nico didn’t quite understand. Those of them who knew Will better said they were buying him new arrows, notebooks or trinkets to fit his sunny-surfer-dude aesthetic - those were great ideas but Nico couldn’t copy them. Will knew him well enough to tell whether it was Nico’s idea or not. The pale teen scowled, wondering why he even asked. He was completely stumped.

Until early November, that is, when Will began to drop hints. Nico only realised it when when his boyfriend convinced him into a store just to look at their collection of couples Christmas sweaters, covered with sickeningly sweet messages and nicknames.

"Aww. look Neeks - this one says ‘Don't go bacon my heart’!" Will laughed a laugh that turned Nico's cheeks to bright red, pointing at the sweater closest to them. It was attached to another one, reading ‘I couldn’t if I fried’, along with a drawing of a fried egg reaching out toward the other’s bacon.

The hints came a few more times before Nico swallowed his pride and decided to learn how to make one from scratch. Why DIY? Because everything Will did for Nico was done himself: from writing and playing his own music (nevermind how Will’s voice was definitely not winning X-Factor material), to the fake Mythomagic set full of realistic depictions of the gods, or the admittedly adorable summertime picnics with more food and baked goods than Nico could ever eat. Nico felt it was time to return the favor, and step one was learning how to knit.

It started clumsy and full of holes. Nico seemed to have a talent for dropping stitches. The section he was working on started too tight, then so loose that it was almost falling apart. After two weeks of constant secret practice, however, along with more YouTube tutorials and undone rows than he was willing to admit, Nico made something basically shaped like clothing.

But it was just regular, boring clothing. Of course, Nico knew Will would be overjoyed at just that, but this was the first Christmas the couple planned to spend together, at camp. It was time to go big or go home.

Long story short, Nico swallowed his pride again: this time, to ask his step-mother how to embroider. He was met with suspicious glances and wary questions before Persephone began cooing in delight.

“Oh, that’s the cutest thing! Who knew you could be so soft?” She giggled, already rushing around for threads, test fabrics and needles. “Though I suppose you take after your father, he’s secretly a big softie, y’know - now, are we doing patches, appliques, or diving in the deep end and sewing right onto the yarn?” Nico had a rule not to dive into anything, but with Christmas soon approaching he had to learn fast. Somehow, too, he had to keep it a secret from Will. By December 10th, he’d pretended the wide-eyed needles poking out of his cabin floorboards were totally a prank from Cecile, and Hazel definitely left behind the scrap of paper filled with wobbly cursive last time she visited... Will simply hadn’t noticed. Nico was just glad his boyfriend didn’t have time to read what was on the paper before he snatched it away; that would have ruined it all.

Christmas came quickly, fronted by sleepless nights of embroidery and fingers full of pinpricks for Nico. But he was glad to have it done by Christmas Eve, all wrapped and stashed under the black tree in the Hades Cabin. Usually, he would be spending the night alone, but tonight a warm Will-shaped bundle of joy hugged him while they slept. Nico could only hope he would be as happy the next morning.

“Is this one from you?” Will asked, voice quiet with hidden excitement. Nico nodded, too nervous to speak, pulling at his plain hoodie. The wrapping fell away as Will teared and tugged, soon left left cradling a lump of fabric. “This is... beautiful, Nico!” The nervous boy’s chest sagged in relief, smile stealing onto his face as Will threw off the sweater he was wearing and donned the new creation, spinning around in his rush to the nearest mirror.

“Do you like it?”

“Oh Gods, Nico, of course! Did you make this? Thank you so much!” Will held it up before putting it on, gifting Nico with a laugh like soft rain pattering down on a warm summers day as he read the words out loud. “Significant Annoyance? That’s perfect!” Nico laughed with him, glad the nickname was still well-received, as the teen slipped it on.

He was the greatest model Nico could have asked for. A narrow frame showed off the fabric well: a stunning blue, deep and bright at the same time. Nico thought he’d chosen it because it was cheap, but when Will put it on he realised it’s because it matched the doctor's eyes perfectly. The body of it fit well, even if the arms were a little loose, which made Nico glad he hadn’t painstakingly added rows upon rows of purled stitching for a cute pattern or edge. It wouldn’t have been worth the struggle - the embroidered words were centerpiece enough. They spilled across Will’s chest in a haze of silver, grey and white; threads mixed and blended in the way Persephone had learn from Athena herself. The 20 letters had taken ages to get right, but to see them coupled with Will’s pure joy and excitement as he studied them in his reflection made all the effort worth it.

Needless to say, it beat Will’s gift to Nico that Christmas... which may or may not have been a good thing, because Will’s competitive nature soon swarmed up, and he was already making a gift of his own by the New Year.

“Kayla!” He rushed, panting, into the Apollo cabin from the infirmary. “Please tell me you know where I left my other needle?” Will held a lonely knitting needle in his right hand, pointing it at his half-sister.

“Laundry pile.” She replied, waving behind her towards said pile. It was mainly full of denim and orange cotton, but Will managed to extract the pale wooden tool after some digging. “Why, are you making something again?” It had been years since Will had done any knitting, having been taught by Malcolm Pace of the Athena Cabin during Will’s first few weeks at camp, so Kayla had every reason to be curious.

“Yep.” Will fell onto his bed, after fishing out a ball of yarn from under it. “You know the sweater Nico made me?”

Kayla laughed, sitting up straight. “The one you’ve been wearing almost every day since?”

“Yeah, I want to make him one too.”

“What, for Christmas next year or something? Are you just going to hand it to him now?” His head was bent too far over his busy fingers to see as she raised an eyebrow at him, but he knew her sass too well.

“Oh, totally. You know me, just can’t wait to be organised and do everything in advance.” He grinned down at his work, shaking his head slightly with concentration. He didn’t want to drop a stitch, after all. “It’s his birthday on the 28th, I’m going to give it to him then.”

His sister aww-ed in delight, deciding (for once) to leave him be so that he could get it done on time. Will appreciated that, because he had a lot of work to do in the coming month - or, rather, 27 days.

Will certainly worked hard in those four weeks. Between shifts at the infirmary, general camp stuff and counselor responsibilities, he barely had time to himself let alone keep spending enough time with his boyfriend to make everything seem normal and knit him a sweater. Much like Nico had, he considered just buying one ready-made or getting someone else to help him, but he was eager to do it properly. So, it was a relief after sleepless nights and busy days that Will was finally finished with the sweater three days early; only the embroidery left. But Will was tired and had already misspelt half the terms on his latest patient file, so he had to keep it simple.

GHOST KING 👻 He finished, snipping the end of the silver-white thread. Will held it up to Kayla and the light, dusting off any last threads. “What do you think?”

“Ghost King...” Kayla read, a small smile on her face. “With a tiny ghost, too! That’s adorable, Will.” She wandered a little closer, inspecting the gift in the light cast from the sunrise. “You used a template, right? Because you can’t draw, and your handwriting has never been that good.”

“Geez, Kayla, no need to be so harsh.” Will smiled, clearly joking. “Of course I did, it’s got to be perfect for tonight.” It was already Nico’s birthday; Will stayed up all night to finish on time. Kayla knew this and sighed, deciding to make her brother get some rest.

“I’m covering your shift today, you need to sleep before you have your date tonight.” She decided, swinging Will’s bag over her own shoulder and giving his weary face a last look. “Seriously, sleep. I’ll make up some worthy excuse and tell Nico, he’ll understand.” Will protested for only a moment before yawning, and flopping down onto his bunk. A sleep couldn’t hurt...

He woke up near sunset that day, almost time to meet Nico. It was a rush for him to get ready and properly awake, but he made it to the woods just as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

“Will!” Nico waved from the edge, a small look of worry on his face. “I was, um... beginning to think you wouldn’t come.” He admitted, and Will felt his face burn in shame for making his boyfriend worry, even a little.

“Of course I’d come, I just slept in all day. Sorry.” He said, and they wandered a little deeper into the woods, searching for the clearing. Nico insisted it was no problem, which made Will feel more at ease. He was still excited, however, to show Nico what he made (the gift was hidden in his bag, with food for the birthday picnic).

The two made their way into the clearing in content silence, Will secretly itching to see Nico’s reaction to his gift. But he remained as patient as he could, happy to enjoy Nico’s smiles, quiet laughs and stories, enjoying his birthday together in the peaceful way Nico loved. In fact, Will (and Kayla, but she was sworn to secrecy) was the only demigod at camp who knew it was the Italian boy’s birthday - all Nico’s other friends were off in New Rome or the mortal world, after all. It made for far less stress on Nico’s half: he didn’t want random people wishing him a happy birthday all day. No, Nico di Angelo was perfectly joyful to spend the night with his Significant Annoyance under the stars, especially when he surprised him with a gift.

“Here you go.” Will said, presenting a soft package wrapped in black paper with tiny ghosts. The Son of Apollo bought it specially for that, and the remaining roll would stay unused in his cabin except from wrapping Nico’s other gifts: so he was relived to see the other boy smile ever so slightly.

“Thanks, Will.”

“Don’t thank me yet, you haven’t opened it!”

“Okay, okay!” He almost laughed, ripping the paper to reveal an equally dark sweater. “Wow, did you make this?” Will hummed in excited agreement, watching Nico unfold and hold it up to the moonlight.

“Oh my Gods.” He read the words and for a moment Will thought he was going to hate it. But then Nico laughed - no, giggled - a clear, pure sound cutting through the crisp air like a knife through cake. “It’s pretty cool, thanks Will.” The compliment wouldn’t seem like much to an outsider, but Will knew it meant a lot. Nico turned to look at the blond with his dark brown eyes, plain and simple in a way Will could get lost in forever. They were creased at the sides as he smiled, a true smile with his eyes that Will enjoyed so much. He looked good, too, with the well-fitting black sweater on, small letters and tiny illustration embroidered on the neckline.

“Stop staring.” Nico suppressed a smile, going red as his boyfriend shook his head slightly before looking Nico in the eye again.

“Aww, but you look so cute!”

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movienotesbyzawmer · 4 years ago

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April 18: Rocky IV

(previous notes: Rocky III)

The Cold War one! I was in high school when this came out, and it seems like the Rocky movie that has most endured in pop culture for people my age, and even younger maybe? I haven't seen it in a very, very long time so I'm wondering if the Rocky-versus-All-Of-Communism logline is going to seem like a pathetically irrelevant conflict. Or, frankly, if that sentiment is going to sound like the dipshits that attacked the US Capitol just a few short months ago. It's definitely going to feel like just a slight twist on a formula that's been working, right? Let's see…

Totally different intro from the rest of the series, and surprisingly the recap of the end of the last movie also includes the hit single from the last movie. But also there is a thing about an American-flag glove and a Soviet-flag glove punching each other into an explosion.

They were so happy with the chummy chit-chat at the end of Rocky III that they just gratuitously include that whole scene here. It is a cheap way to eat up a couple of minutes.

Oh My God. The first actual new scene in this movie serves the important purpose of documenting for all time how dazzlingly technically advanced things were in 1985. For Paulie's birthday party, he gets a ROBOT! It talks�� ROBOT-style! Paulie is whelmed by how robot-y it is.

"Open your prize," Rocky tells her when asking Adrian to open her PRESENT. Why did he say "prize".

MEANWHILE IN SOVIET UNION… They do a quick montage that only vaguely suggests something about a boxer and the USSR.

Apollo Creed spots an innocuous news story about Russian boxer Ivan Drago coming to America to participate in sportsmanlike fighting. AC is PISSED! A Russian being competitive, oh hell no.

At least Drago has a female companion so there will be an actual female character who isn't played by Talia Shire.

"Commies Are Evil" isn't the only theme of this movie; there's also "The Marvels of Technology". Drago's unmatched strength is demonstrated for the press in a very electricity-filled gym. And the robot has been in three scenes already in the first fifteen minutes! Oh I hope they aren't going to get me to fall in love with Robot Character only to have it lose in a boxing match to The Commies.

Big press conference to announce that AC will be fighting Drago in an exhibition match. AC is all cocky and Drago literally says nothing the whole scene. He is characterized as perhaps yet another robot character. But his wife and some other Russian guy do all the talking, and if they're supposed to seem like the Bad Guy, I don't see it. They are perfectly diplomatic and AC is just acting like a tool.

0:23:23 - I remember this scene, we all do, oh yes we do. The Fight That Does Not Go So Well. It starts with a super flashy intro; they're at the venue in Vegas and there are showgirls and pretend fighter planes and Actual James Brown singing this movie's legit hit single, "Living in America", singing it all At The Russians as AC descends in front of a monster thing in spangly Uncle Sam garb. AC actually dances alongside James Brown and around Drago. What they're doing, these diabolical filmmakers, is going to make what happens next sting the audience pretty bad.

Right before the fight, Drago's first line is "you vill lose". Monotone. Robotic. Technology! #1985

Drago beats him to actual death, he twitches on the floor as Drago robotically says things like "I will not be defeated". It is a bummer, this turn of events.

New press conference. Rocky is going to fight Drago. "No money. It's not about the money." That's weird, addressing money in this press conference. They're not really addressing the monumental fact that Rocky is sitting next to the guy that killed Apollo Creed.

This time, the Soviets are less diplomatic. Rocky barely says anything, but the old Russian dude calls him little and weak. They have a good point, though, about how Drago gets death threats in the US on account of he is a killer of an American hero, even though the wife also says he is not a killer. But that's why the fight will be in Russia.

New montage with a very 80s pop song. Worth noting that we have not heard any of the famous music from the first movie. This montage also looks very 80s, with it's flashbacks using a lot of different, highly techologically sophisticated frame rates.

0:42:41 - Adrian eye-close sighting! Thank you so much for that, it is what we all want and only you, Rocky-movie, can provide it.

Flashbacks to all the other movies. He is thinking about it all as he anticipates The Hell Of Going To Russia. Remember when he pointed to the jacket in the window that one time? Rocky does. Remember when he looked at his statue? Rocky does. He even somehow remembers Adrian closing her eyes. This is a music video with mostly recycled footage from the whole series.

0:48:35 - Another "modern" pop song, I think it's the band called Survivor again. Were we supposed to love all the catchy tunes and go out and buy the soundtrack? We only remember the James Brown one in 2021.

It is snowy in Russia ha ha! Paulie has joined him on the trip because he is part of Rocky's staff, but he doesn't like how cold it is ha ha.

Rocky's quarters consist of a log cabin dripping with icicles at the foot of some really pretty mountains. I play Geoguessr a lot and I don't ever see pretty mountains like that in Russia, but they must have them, right?

Rocky has been assigned minders. He is told they will go wherever he goes. I'm pretty sure that's not an unfair characterization.

He's got Apollo's trainer guy there with him, but Rocky makes it clear that he just has to do this training stuff on his own or whatever blah blah.

Now a montage going back and forth between Drago training and Rocky just running through the snow-covered countryside. ON HIS OWN. Plus also sawing wood and displacing boulders on his own. Oh and being the dog in a dogsled pulling Paulie! Locals look at Rocky because, look, a man doing something, that's new and confusing. Drago has electric machines. Rocky fells trees! Drago is inside comfortable facilities. Rocky is growing his beard out! The minders observe it all. The minders observe it all.

There is a subplot about how Adrian is dealing with this whole thing. She had been unconfident earlier, and did not join Rocky in USSR. But surprise, she is now there in Russia suddenly because love! Rocky continues to train, not so alone-y now and with a new rock song with more major chords. That is Drago's weakness! Communism hates major triads.

Gotta have inspired running, right? This time Rocky runs up a snowy mountain, running so hard that the minders can't keep up! At the peak he does his trademark cheer howl in that pretty place… but he is saying "DRAGO!!!!!!!!!"

Just like that, we're at the big fight. This time it's in Russia and it's mostly uniformed soldiers in the crowd.

Ugh. Quick cut to Rocky's kid watching at home on TV with friends. He says "that's my dad" and one of them replies "what do you think we are, nerds?" Ladies and gentlemen, the wit of Mr. Stallone: Screenwriter.

Do we need to talk about Drago's hair? He has very styled hair. I think it looks like Vanilla Ice hair. Is that a strange choice? I don't know how to think about hair, I guess.

"I must break you". That's what Drago says to Rocky right before they fight. I remember it. It is an above average dialogue choice compared with other Rocky-movie-right-before-the-fight dialogue choices.

Drago punches Rocky a lot, and the commentators make sure we know that Rocky might lose and they may even have to stop the fight. But also, yes, it does just look like Rocky is taking a lot of rough beating.

"He's not human. He's a piece of iron." So speaks Drago in unbecoming monotone. I don't know what that means.

It's a montage now, an appealingly edited summary of a whole bunch of rounds. The two boxers are both doing well and maybe not doing well, both. Montage.

I guess I'm experiencing what I remember noticing back when I first saw this in the 80s, which is that they really did convince us that Drago was indestructible, and now we're seeing him be damaged and it's kind of satisfying.

1:21:15 - Whoa, I forgot about this. The Soviet Diplomat Man is giving Drago a hard time about not winning yet, and Drago lifts him up violently by the neck and says something about I Will Win For Me, For Me. It's a little like we're supposed to think Drago is increasingly inspired by American Freedom, maybe? But it won't help him if he's still the bad guy in a Rocky movie.

This fight is taking a long time. A lot of this movie's running time is being consumed by this fight.

Eventually Rocky wins, because it turns out that he is just better because Freedom, and it's that same tiresome "Rocky-won" music, maybe arranged a little differently.

What does he say in the mic at the end? What is his message? "During this fight, I seen a lot of changing…" he says that during this fight, like during the actual boxing match, they all grew to appreciate each other. And it's better to do boxing than do nuclear annihilations. The whole crowd cheers for Rocky! Even the important Soviet Boss Men, startling even themselves with their abrupt adoration of The Wise American. Then when he says Merry Christmas Kid to his kid at home, well this whole entire crowd clearly thinks Rocky is better than their whole entire country. We don't see Drago any more. We don't know if he, too, is moved by Rocky's profound monologue. And we never find out what Drago and Robot Character think of each other.

So that's it, that's the end of Rocky IV. I get why it fires people up in a simple way, but I don’t think it's good. It totally assumes you'll understand that Rocky wins because the USSR just kind of sucks. Or you won't care that it's improbable that Rocky wins because it's just so gratifying to see Drago falter. Which they achieve by making him look very perfect, and having no charming characteristics.

It's true, though, how cocky we were about technology in the mid-80s.

(next: Rocky V)

#rocky iv

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flightfoot · 6 years ago

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Apollo’s pretty terrible at reading people’s thoughts and emotions at first, but becomes an expert at it over the course of the books, once he starts dropping his facades

Apollo is only this good at reading people when he actually tries. At first, he often didn’t put in the effort, and just fooled himself into thinking that they were thinking or feeling what he wanted them to be thinking or feeling.

When Apollo meets Meg, he actually thinks about his own people-reading skills.

My highly advanced people-reading skills told me she [Meg] was hiding something, but that was not unusual for demigods. For children blessed with an immortal parent, they were strangely sensitive about their backgrounds. (THO 20-21).

Apollo wants to believe that having a god as a parent is a great blessing, so he doesn’t really choose to think about what kind of life a lot of these demigods lead, what with often being raised by a single parent, getting kicked out of schools, and being hunted by monsters constantly. He doesn’t care to know, so he doesn’t dig and figure it out.

He also misremembers how much he’s helped Percy.

“But Percy Jackson has always been reliable. You have nothing to fear. Besides, he likes me. I taught him everything he knows.” (24)

He’s only really interacted with Percy four times: when picking up the Hunters in Titan’s curse; when disguised as Fred the Hobo; sort of when he made Rachel the Oracle of Delphi; and when he sent Percy to retrieve his wayward Celadon in Singer of Apollo. And Percy was NOT happy with Apollo after Singer of Apollo. But Apollo wants to be partly responsible for Percy’s successes and he wants everyone to like him, so that’s what he remembers.

Speaking of Singer of Apollo, that short story really shows how little he used to listen to others, and how easily he could be fooled into believing that they are thinking and feeling things that are favorable to him.

“we’re kind of off duty, Lord Apollo. It’s Grover’s birthday.”

“Happy birthday!” Apollo said. “I’m so glad you’re taking the day off. That means you two have time to help me with a small problem!”

He’s not really listening to what Percy has to say here. He’s twisting Percy’s words to mean what he WANTS them to mean, and it’s not like Percy can really refuse him, for fear of incineration.

When Percy and Grover get back from retrieving the rogue Celadon, Apollo offers a reward, which Percy declines:

“Well, good job you two! As your reward, you’re invited to watch me perform on Mount Olympus.”

Grover and I glanced at each other. Insulting a god was dangerous, but the last thing I wanted was to hear more music.

“We aren’t worthy,” I lied. “We’d love to, really, but you know, we’d probably explode or something if we heard your godly music at full volume.”

Apollo nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right. It might distract from my performance if you exploded. How considerate of you.” He grinned. “Well, I’m off, then. Happy birthday Percy!”

Now apparently people exploding while listening to Apollo’s music IS a serious concern, but Apollo still should have been able to tell that Percy and Grover were actually just looking for an excuse to skip the concert... if he had cared to look more deeply into what they were thinking and feeling. Which he didn’t. He didn’t even care enough to remember that it was Grover’s birthday, not Percy’s. I strongly suspect that if post-TBM Apollo could rewatch his interactions with Percy and Grover during this quest, he’d face-palm at how oblivious he was. Or be tempted to punch himself in the face. Or both.

Back in The Hidden Oracle, he IS actually able to read Percy when he meets up with him a short time later, but dismisses his own reading of Percy’s expression, since it’s not favorable to him.

If I didn’t know how much Percy Jackson adored me, I would have sworn he was about to punch me in my already broken nose. (26)

He does this sort of thing a lot throughout THO and TDP, where he reads people and situations accurately, and then tells himself that that can’t possibly be the case. He mostly stops that by the time TBM rolls around, though.

Apollo gets this reading-accurately-and-then-denying-it thing a lot with Percy especially.

“Well, never fear,” I said. “There are always new opportunities to win fame! That’s why I’ve come to you for help!”

He gave me that confusing expression again: as if he wanted to kick me, when I was sure he was struggling to contain his gratitude. (33)

Apollo just can’t seem to accept Percy’s true thoughts and feelings, so he always just goes with the interpretations that’s most charitable to himself, like when Percy mentions that the Oracle isn’t working:

I swallowed back the taste of fear and seven-layer dip. “I just... I assumed - I hoped this would be taken care of by now.”

“You mean by demigods,” Percy said, “going on a big quest to reclaim the Oracle of Delphi?”

“Exactly!” I knew Percy would understand. “I suppose Chiron just forgot. I’ll remind him when we get to camp and he can dispatch some of you talented fodder - I mean heroes -” (47)

I suppose Apollo’s right in that Percy understands what Apollo means. Percy just isn’t thrilled about it, which Apollo doesn’t seem to realize. Or rather, doesn’t WANT to realize. He desires Percy’s respect and even adoration, so he keeps on fooling himself into thinking he has it.

This self-deception doesn’t hold up for very long. He gets better at reading people pretty quickly - especially Meg, since he doesn’t crave her respect or adoration the same way he desires Percy’s, so he’s more willing to take his own reading of her at face value, rather than trying to fool himself. Plus he knows very little about her, neither does anyone else, and she’s not volunteering much. So if he wants to know more about his new master, he has to become really perceptive and good at getting her to open up.

I glanced at the rings on her middle fingers. “So yesterday... those swords. And don’t do that thing.”

Meg’s eyebrows furrowed. “What thing?”

“That thing where you shut down and refuse to talk. Your face turns to cement.”

She gave me a furious pout. “It does not. I’ve got swords. I fight with them. So what?”

“So it might have been nice to know that earlier, when we were in combat with the plague spirits.”

“You said it yourself: those spirits couldn’t be killed.”

“You’re sidestepping” (THO 133)

A little later in the conversation, he’s able to acquire enough hints from her words and expressions to get an idea of what may be going on:

“I never met my mom.” she said. “I didn’t know who she was.”

“Then where did you get the swords? Your father?”

Meg tore her waffle into tiny pieces. “No... my stepdad raised me. He gave me these rings.”

“Your stepfather. Your stepfather gave you rings that turn into imperial gold swords. What sort of man -”

“A good man,” she snapped.

I noted the steel in Meg’s voice and let the subject rest. I sensed a great tragedy in her past.” (THO 134)

Apollo is able to ask just the right questions to get the hint that something is kinda weird about Meg’s relationship with her stepfather, and to get a hint that something traumatic is involved - and also that pursuing that subject would be bad for his health.

When he and Meg end up in Python’s cave, he’s also able to identify that Meg’s more terrified of the man’s voice, than she is of the giant reptile talking to him:

Next to me, in the glow of the apple, Meg seemed to have turned to bronze. Her eyes were wide with fear. A little late for that, but at least she was quiet. If I didn’t know better, I might have thought the man’s voice terrified her more than the monster’s. (THO 168)

Probably the best, and possibly his most important reading of Meg, was when he was able to identify what sort of manipulation Nero had used on her, to get her to obey him.

“Meg had been trained to regard her kindly stepfather Nero and the terrifying Beast as two separate people. I understood now why she preferred to spend her time in the alleys of New York. I understood why she had such quick mood changes, going from cartwheels to full shutdowns in a matter of seconds. She never knew what might unleash the Beast.

She fixed her eyes on me. Her lips quivered. I could tell she wanted a way out - some eloquent argument that would mollify her stepfather and allow her to follow her conscience. (THO 289- 290).

His ability to read both the situation and Meg is crucial to persuading Meg to fight back against Nero, even if it doesn’t last. Plus, it lets him identify much of the basics of what happened to her, even though he’s not outright told, which is useful in his efforts to help her throw off his brainwashing in later books.

Meg isn’t the only person Apollo can read - far from it. In the Dark Prophecy, he’s able to tell that Leo and Calypso have asked to stay at the Waystation:

“Assuming we live through tomorrow,” I said, “you two intend to remain at the Waystation.”

[...]

“How did you know?” Calypso asked.

“The serious conversations with our hosts?” I said. “The furtive glances?” (291)

He’s also able to persuade some blemmyae to blow up the Cave of Trophonious, and that a 5 second timer counts slower underwater. Blemmyae are stupid though, so that’s not as impressive as it sounds.

Over in The Burning Maze, Apollo’s able to read Jason pretty well, despite only having known him for a few minutes. He’s able to tell that Jason’s hiding something.

“All right,” I said. “What did the Sibyl really tell you?”

[...]

“What makes you think I’m holding back?” he asked.

“Please,” I said. “Don’t try to be evasively prophetic with the god of evasive prophecies.” (211)

Piper seems to have an idea that Jason might still be holding something back, but Apollo acts like he knows for sure, and is able to persuade him to open up.

Later in their conversation, Apollo reads the situation between Jason and Piper REALLY well.

“You would’ve let us lead you cheerily off to your death? How would that have affected Piper’s peace of mind, once she found out?”

Jason’s ears reddened. It struck me just how young he was - no more than seventeen. Older than my mortal form, yes, but not by much. This young man had lost his mother. He had survived the harsh training of Lupa the wolf goddess. He’d grown up with the discipline of the Twelfth legion at Camp Jupiter. He’d fought Titans and Giants. He’d helped save the world at least twice. But by mortal standards, he was barely an adult. He wasn’t old enough to vote or drink.

Despite all his experiences, was it fair of me to expect him to think logically, and consider everyone’s feelings with perfect clarity, while pondering his own death?

I tried to soften my tone. “You don’t want Piper to die. I understand that. She wouldn’t want you to die. But avoiding prophecies never works. And keeping secrets from friends... that really never works. It’ll be our job to face Caligula together, steal that homicidal maniac’s shoes, and get away without any five-letter words that start with D.” (214-215)

Apollo’s social skills here, his ability to read Jason, and knowing just what to say here is really impressive. He may have complained in the past about not being a silver-tongued orator anymore, but I’d argue that his skills there have IMPROVED, not lessened. He just needed to get over some of his self-pity and awkwardness first.

Jason’s not the only one he’s gotten good at reading and giving advice to, though. While on board Caligula’s wardrobe boat, he pressed her about the song she sang, “Life of Illusion”, and what it meant to her. That the way she sang the song, she was talking about herself, and her feelings about Jason. He got her to open up.

“I tried,” she murmured. “After the war with Gaea, I convinced myself everything would be perfect. For a while, a few months maybe, I thought it was. Jason’s great. He’s my closest friend, even more than Annabeth. “But” - she spread her hands - “whatever I thought was there, my happily-ever-after... It just wasn’t.”

I nodded. “Your relationship was born in crisis. Such romances are difficult to sustain once the crisis is over.” (263)

Piper confesses that the major problem she had with their relationship was how she had been manipulated and pressured into it by Hera’s and Aphrodite’s machinations, and how she wanted a chance to figure out who she is and what she wants.

“You’re wondering who you are without all the pressure.” (264)

She’s not even sure if she counts as Cherokee, since Cherokee heritage is matrilineal, and her mother is a Greek goddess, not Cherokee. Apollo has some surprisingly profound and comforting words of wisdom for her:

“It’s been my observation,” I said, “that you humans are more than the sum of your history. You can choose how much of your ancestry to embrace. You can overcome the expectations of your family and your society. What you cannot do, and should never do, is try to be someone other than yourself - Piper McLean.” (265)

Apollo now excels at really listening to people and offering comfort and support. He hasn’t done so in the past, either by choice because he didn’t care, or because he honestly wasn’t as good at reading people and seeing what they needed. But now he’s excellent at it, and I suspect that his skill will only improve.

Apollo’s also gotten really good at reading situations to manipulate his enemies, like when his party is captured by some pandai while infiltrating Caligula’s ships.

I scanned the deck. No additional guards were running toward us, no searchlights were trained on our position. No horns blared. Somewhere inside the boat, gentle music played - not the sort of soundtrack one might expect during an incursion.

The pandai had not raised a general alarm. Despite their threats, they had not yet killed us. They’d even gone to the trouble of zip-tying Piper’s and Jason’s hands. Why?

I turned to the largest guard “Good sir, are you the panda in charge?”

[...]

I studied his majestic ears, then hazarded an educated guess. “I imagine you hate people eavesdropping on you.”

Amax’s furry black nose twitched. “Why do you say this? What did you hear?”

“Nothing!” I assured him. “But I bet you have to be careful. Always other people, other pandai snooping into your business. That’s - that’s why you haven’t raised an alarm yet. You know we’re important prisoners. You want to keep control of the situation, without anyone else taking credit for your good work.” (241-242)

Apollo used some pretty limited info, managed to arrive at the correct conclusion, and then manipulated the situation to his benefit (though the others started helping at that point). Even Piper could scarcely have done better!

Later in the scene, when Meg is able to fight back, Apollo’s the one who notices that Crest doesn’t want to hurt them, and is able to persuade him to leave.

With a horrified whimper, Crest dropped his bow. He staggered backward, struggling to draw his sword. Meg yanked her first scimitar from Amax’s dust-covered chair and marched toward him.

“Meg, wait!” I said.

She glared at me. “What?”

I tried to raise my hands in a placating gesture, then remembered they were tied behind my back.

“Crest,” I said, “there’s no shame in surrender. You are not a fighter.”

He gulped. “Y-you don’t know me.”

“You’re holding your sword backward,” I pointed out. “So unless you intend to stab yourself...”

He fumbled to correct the situation.

“Fly!” I pleaded. “This doesn’t have to be your fight. Get out of here! Become the musician you want to see in the world!”

He must have heard the earnestness in my voice. He dropped his sword and jumped through the gaping hole in the glass, ear-sailing into the darkness.

“Why’d you let him go?” Meg demanded. “He’ll warn everybody.”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “Also, it doesn’t matter. We just announced ourselves with a literal thunderbolt.” (252)

Everyone has access to the same info about Crest that Apollo does, and yet Apollo is the one who tries to save Crest, is able to persuade him to retreat, and understands Crest well enough to suspect that he won’t raise the alarm (not that it mattered).

Later on Apollo sees Crest again.

“I think we’re being followed,” I said. “Our friend Crest.”

Piper scanned the night sky. “What do we do about it?”

“I’d recommend nothing,” I said. “If he wanted to attack us or raise the alarm, he could’ve already done it.” (266)

Apollo’s better at reading the situation than Piper is here - probably because he identifies with Crest, music-lover that he is. He’s able to read Crest really well, and make the correct decision. Much like with Meg, reading Crest accurately was key to getting his help later. If Apollo hadn’t been as good as he is, Crest would still be dead, likely murdered by Meg, and Apollo would be gone for good.

Apollo’s people-reading skills have grown so much, from not being able to/not caring to read Percy accurately in The Singer of Apollo, to being able to wheedle out what Jason’s hiding, to giving Piper some excellent support and comfort. I believe that these skills will again prove to be vital in the next book, particularly when meeting Reyna. Nico helped her somewhat, getting her to open up about her father and telling her that she did what she had to do, but they were interrupted before they could really finish their heart-to-heart, and she still hadn’t seemed to have totally come to terms with what happened to her father. I suspect that Apollo will be able “heal her heart”, not by starting a romantic relationship with her, but by helping her put her past to rest and being supportive.

#apollo #lester papadopoulos #TOA centric #trials of apollo #toa #tho #tho spoilers #tdp #tdp spoilers #tbm #tbm spoilers #the trials of apollo #the hidden oracle #the dark prophecy #the burning maze #This took so long to put together and required a few revisions as my plan for it changed #But overall I'm satisfied with how it turned out #I hope everyone likes it!#I'd love any discussion or comments you guys have for it!

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moonwatchuniverse · 2 years ago

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Happy 95th birthday to NASA astronaut Frank Borman In 1962, USAF test pilot Frank Borman was selected in NASA group 2 and he flew on Gemini VII (December 1965) and Apollo 8 (December 1968). Between December 21 & 27, 1968, as Commander of the Apollo 8 crew, he was the first of 24 astronauts to fly to the Moon. In June 1970, Borman retired from NASA and the U.S. Air Force as a full bird Colonel. After an advanced management course at Harvard Business School, Borman joined Eastern Air Lines on July 1, 1970, becoming Director of Operations in December 1970. Between 1976 and 1986 Borman was CEO of Eastern Air Lines, making the airline profitable by 1978, before retiring to his cattle ranch in Southern Montana. Borman's face was pasted into a group photo on the cover of English Rock band Led Zeppelin’s second 1969 studio album. Note in this October 1969 portrait, former NASA-astronaut Frank Borman wore his personal Rolex Datejust, as he had been wearing Rolex watches since his test pilot days at the USAF Flight Test School in 1960. Aged 95, Frank Borman remains the longest living NASA veteran astronaut, 11 days older than James Lovell, both true American Heroes. (Photo: NASA/AP)

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xflower-childx · 3 years ago

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The end of the best chapter.

I don't know where to start, this chapter has ended so abruptly that it still doesn't feel real. I've truly cried for the first time in a long time. It's brought me such joy, life, and love in a different way. I'm going back to NC a whole new person, that's for sure. I've arranged it in a way that it doesn't feel like I'm backtracking thankfully but... It's still so hard. I've grown to trust and believe in myself in ways I never thought possible, I've fallen in love with myself in way that even I would date me, and I find that funny because it's not in a conceited way or anything, it's just truly seeing the beauty in who I am and how I live my life. I've never felt more free and alive than now. I've basically quit smoking, only socially now, which amuses me because I can actually get high now 😂, I've broken my vegetarianism, I've gained weight that I'm not ashamed of (God I'm so fucking proud of myself with that one). I want to write all the happy memories, and I will but for now I want to feel the pain so I can move forward into the next chapter.

I wish I could say the fall out started this week, but unfortunately I think it started last month with the first flat. I had been stuck in Texas too long already, waiting for my new debit card to come in as someone got my old card number. Meek had mailed it out but it got sent back saying Apollo's address wasn't existent (Which I had just been at his apartment...It existed.) I decided to go down to beach and explore since I was waiting so long, which unfortunately led to a screw getting into my tire, I tried to repair myself but just couldn't get the plug in (insert dirty joke here) thankfully I was at Walmart and could drive over there to have them fix it. They said it wasn't fixable unfortunately and I needed a new one. I accepted that... Along with the fact that I needed two new front tires as they were as bald as my dad's head. So going in hoping for a $20 repair I left $300 more in debt. I continued on my adventures in Galveston and then drove back towards Apollo's.... Gaining ANOTHER flat the next week. I was stressed out of my mind with this one as it was one of the new tires. Not the one tire I didn't replace. I went ahead back to Wally only to find they wouldn't work on my car because it was missing a bolt. I begrungingly drove to Advanced Auto and bought not 1... But four bolts because I was missing one on each tire 🤦‍♀️ turns out when you have wheel locks removed you have to buy new bolts. I was not informed of this. I drove back to walmart and THANKFULLY they could patch it. I was so ecstatic in that moment.

I decided to ditch Houston at that point and head to Austin so I could celebrate my birthday there. It was truly the best birthday, I dedicated it all to what I wanted to do, free Starbucks coffee, Firebirds burrito with free chips and queso and the whole burrito bar and customers singing to me as I waited for my totilla to get warmed up, eating it by the pond at the coolest park with baby ducks swimming about and turtles swimming up begging for food, met this darling little 21 year old, Hunty, who questioned me on my adventures, dreaming of her own, and then went and saw Fantastic beasts at the top of a downtown Austin parking garage. It was fantastic.

I then moved further north into Austin, finding a wonderful little town to work in with great money. I was staying at a Walmart where I met my neighbor for the week, Bob. He worked on a pirate ship in California 🤣 we bonded over that and I found myself to be the only person he liked in Austin, I could tell with his hard exterior he had a soft spot for me, he hated all the vehicle dwellers that were parked near us, which I didn't mind them, but he was such a Virgo 😂🤦‍♀️ everything was going great until my AC stopped blowing cold air unfortunately. I went and bought some freon to recharge it myself, but it said it was full and I needed service maintenance. Ironically as Bob and I were looking into the hood a mechanic drove by asking if everything was okay. We explained the situation and he took a look at it, he informed that the compressor wasn't rotating and he would have to come back with some tools to try and see if he could bring it back to life. I said of course, and he came back an hour later, and did everything he could. Literally... Everything. He said he couldn't fix it and I would need a new part, I inquired on if he could repair and he replied he would be happy to, I informed him I didn't have too much money and he was fine with that and he would look for a new part that night that wouldn't be too expensive.

Turns out he never looked, I waited two days with no AC, two dogs in 90° weather, texting him with no response. The third day I called and asked him about it, he had me call him back 5 times because he was busy everytime he called. The fifth time he said he would come back out to the Walmart within 5-10 Minutes to meet me, and discuss price, I agreed. I waited an hour and he didn't show. I called a 6th time, he said he was on his and should only be 5 minutes. 30 minutes later he showed up. I had a bad feeling about him at this point. We discussed a part and price, it was something I could actually pay thankfully, much cheaper than any mechanic around. He ordered the part with his own money, and I would pay him back when it came in. He must have read my energy towards him and insisted I would pay him back immediately, I told him he would get paid the day he worked on it. He tried to pull dominant male energy on me... Which I don't fuck with and if you know me, you know that for sure, so he got some attitude from me 🤣.

I had a bad feeling after that though. It rained the next, making it a bit cooler thankfully, I stayed in my Wally spot watching old Disney shows that brought in a lot of nostalgia. The day after I was angry, and depressed, It was 90 and I was still feeling uneasy about Rick the dick mechanic. Bob noticed my mood and offered to get me a shower with his LA fitness pass. It was glorious. when you go weeks without a shower and live off of baby wipes and water bottle shower, any shower is glorious honestly.

I spoke with Ari after and boosted my mood too, she always does. She's truly the most amazing friend I've ever had and I don't know where I would be without her at this point. She gave a few suggestions on how else to get my ac fixed. I was planning on going to Colorado after Texas to then lead up to Ohio for the music festival we're going to in June. So she suggested that I get it fixed in Colorado instead. This led to me calling a mechanic in Colorado who was very kind and suggested that I honestly don't get it fixed in Colorado as the cost of living is so high it would be even more expensive than Texas. That honestly made sense and I figured that anyways but he gave me more insight about how I needed the part repaired anyways. After that I talked with my mother and father and they suggested that I just go up to Ohio as we have a lot of family friends there that are mechanics and my dad would start reaching out to them as I traveled up there.

That seems like the best option. So I decided to take that. At this point Rick the dick mechanic called me a few times to inform me the part had come in, each time I was already on the phone with my mother so I didn't answer. He then messaged me later that night threatening to return the part because I didn't answer his phone calls, I replied saying that I found him to be incredibly unprofessional and he had poor communication skills so he lost my business and that he should probably get better at his communication skills and professionalism if he ever wanted to have a good business. (Honestly...don't fuck with a Taurus. We know how to rip you to shreds.) I then blocked him, made dog food, and bid my farewells to Bob and hit the road at night to Ohio. I made it 5 hours and slept at a rest area around 2 Am.

The next morning I left around 11, not knowing this was the beginning of the end. As I was driving my RPM kept skyrocketing. I took a video sending it to my parents and sister asking them about it, I knew something was seriously wrong and deep down I knew what it was, I just really didn't want to believe it.... But they said what I didn't want to hear.

Transmission. The most expensive thing to go wrong.

I pulled off in the middle of bumfuck to gather myself and figure out the next step knowing it wasn't safe to keep going forward. Of course where I pulled off there was nothing around except a Lowe's distribution center, not even a real Lowe's. I looked up the closest Walmart, knowing that if I was stuck for a few days being that it was the weekend, I would at least be somewhere I could park and have access to a bathroom, AC, and basic necessities if need be. The closest one was 15 minutes away so I went for it. The highway was rough but not the worst part, I had to drive 40 so my car wouldn't overheat, pissing off other drivers, then as I pulled off the exit to Wally I noticed my car was NOT happy with me breaking, and would start to shit down on me so I immediately pulled into a gas station next to a Goodwill, trying to let my car cool down. I was 7 minutes from the Walmart at this point. Parking at the goodwill I decided to go pee, but it turns out they didn't have a bathroom so I had to go to the gas station.

Okay so this gas station deserves a paragraph in and of itself. I walk in and there are so many knick knacks scattered around that were so incredibly odd from skeletons to Jesus, the grim reaper, to cowboys. It also smelled like fried chicken. I find the bathroom and the doors are painted cowgirl for the ladies and cowboy for the men, literally cowboys and cowgirls painted on the door. I go into the cowgirls and I'm met with a huge mural of a unicorn, the stalls with pixies painted... Yes, pixies sitting on moons painted on it, and Jesus crosses. I get into a stall and saw some dirty slang written everywhere, and typical shit you would read in a shitty gas station bathroom, chuckling to myself as I read it all. After doing my business and washing my hands I go to leave, coming face to face with another ginormous unicorn mural painted on the door. Truly a unique gas station experience.

As I'm walking back to my car I look to my right and I see... A mechanic working on a car at an AC and transmission shop. I literally wanted to cry then and there because when I googled for mechanic all of them are closed, and there they were. Open and working in the same parking lot as me. I do want to take a moment to mention that when my car decided to stop moving the milage was at 111111 miles, and at that point I knew the universe was trying to tell me that this was all absolutely happening for a reason so I was staying calm and trusting the universe.

I went over there and asked if they could take a look at my car and they said that they would, was able to get my vehicle over there and they took a look at it and drove it around and confirmed it was in fact the transmission and it was going to be a $4,000 repair. At this point I owe just above $4,000 on paying my car off and knew it was not worth the time and effort of having it fixed on top of the fact that also my AC was shot.

I thanked them for taking the time to look and said that obviously I wasn't going to be able to do that and they knew that I wasn't going to. Said I was just going to go to the Walmart and figure out my next steps from there, the gentleman that was looking at my car, gave me directions that I didn't need... Because GPS... Then invited me to call him if I was bored while I waited to get back home 🙄🙄🙄 I will take this moment to point out he had by far the nastiest teeth I've ever seen in my life and he worked at a repair shop in the middle of bumfuck.

I laughed awkwardly and said I was good I'm more focused on getting home obviously, immediately got in my car praying to anyone who could hear me to let my car work so I didn't have to stay there in the sketchiest area around. Thankfully it did and I was able to make it 5 minutes away before I had to pull over into another gas station because my car didn't want to make it the final 3 minutes to Walmart. So I sat in that gas station which was not creepy thankfully, with two hot, crying, bored dogs, calling every number in the book that I could to figure out what to do next. Along with my parents doing research from Florida trying to figure out what I could do. After a couple hours of waiting I decided to try and make it to Walmart again.

I made it 2 minutes before I had to stop for a red light and had my car starting to stop in the middle of a turning lane, and at that point I was laying on the gas to get it to go again and pull into the Walmart parking lot, it was so close to stopping in the middle of the lane, but thankfully the parking lot had a little Hill down and my car just rolled down that tiny hill and I was able to just roll into a spot.

And I have not left that spot since.

My parents are going to be leaving tomorrow morning to drive up to me so that way we can attach a U-Haul front wheel dolly to their car and they are going to tow me back to North Carolina. We discovered it was going to be about $1,000 for me to rent a truck and Dolly myself so at least with this they can cut the cost and visit my moms cousin as well.

It'll be a few days but I am so ready to be done with Texas, get back to my best friend in the tiniest no traffic light town, single stop sign town with some of the best people I've met, live in the bus for a couple months and work at the general store so I can get a new car to get back out on the road.

It a blessing in disguise, I know that. It sad, but you know it's been such an amazing chapter when you're heartbroken because it ended.

But honestly, get me the fuck out of Texas.

Also the couple in the truck right next to me are having sex. They pulled up with her giving him a blowie in the driver's seat and then moved to the back. 😵‍💫

#fuck texas #may 2022 #life on the road #happiest year of my life #the end of the best chapter #Spotify

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crimsonrevolt · 6 years ago

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Congratulations Sass you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Cassandra Burke

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Sass, we’re so happy to see you return to the group! The development you’ve brought to Cassandra from her starting skeleton is amazing, and the passion you have for writing her is obvious in every part of your application. Your writing samples do a wonderful job of explaining Cassandra’s current position in the overall plot and exploring the way she’s been changed by the effects of the war, and we can’t wait to see what you do with her next!

*Your faceclaim change to Nina Dobrev has been accepted

application beneath the cut ( tw: PTSD, trauma, abuse, assault, knives, death )

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Hey, I’m Sass, twenty-four years old and from the GMT+1 timezone.

ACTIVITY

Oh, probably a 6-7/10. To be honest I do have days on which I can’t be online at all, because I do have a full-time job nowadays and other commitments, but I do intend to dedicate enough time to Cassandra to develop her further and fully push her into all the drama, all the good stuff.

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Originally through the first admin and I’ve been a member ever since (well, with a two month hiatus?)

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

Probably with Fred Weasley. As a twin I’m constantly with my twin brother and I’m fiercely protective of him. Also I feel like out of us I’m the one who speaks first and I’m also more outgoing than my brother.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I’m just glad to be back, y’all.

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Cassandra – From the Greek name Κασσανδρα (Kassandra), derived from possibly κεκασμαι (kekasmai) “to excel, to shine” and ανηρ (aner) “man” (genitive ανδρος). In Greek myth Cassandra was a Trojan princess, the daughter of Priam and Hecuba. She was given the gift of prophecy by Apollo, but when she spurned his advances he cursed her so nobody would believe her prophecies.In the Middle Ages this name was common in England due to the popularity of medieval tales about the Trojan War. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century. Morrigan – Derived from Irish Mór Ríoghain meaning “great queen”. In Irish myth she was a goddess of war and death who often took the form of a crow. Burke – Derived from Middle English burk meaning “fort or fortified town”. It was brought to Ireland in the 12th century by the Norman invader William FitzAdelm de Burgo.

BIRTHDAY / STAR SIGN

Novermber 5th 1957 – SCORPIO -- One of the most sensitive signs in the zodiac, Scorpio women feel their emotions intensely, though they may not always express them overtly. A water-ruled sign, Scorpio is symbolized by the submerged depths, like the pure waters flowing through an underground cave. But you may not see the currents or waves rippling through her facial expressions – much of what a Scorpio woman feels, she won’t always express overtly. Scorpios rule over the occult sciences, and the true meaning of the word “occult” is “hidden” – hence, the Scorpionic tendency toward secrecy and inscrutability. Only the most determined (and respectful) will be granted permission to explore the secret caverns within the heart of a Scorpio woman.

OCCUPATION

She used to be the co-owner of Borgin & Burkes, but is currently a neutral spy mostly affiliated with the Order of the Phoenix (but then again they threw her out, so it’s to being completely neutral again) I’d describe her as almost unemployed? Considering she’s still missing.

FACE CLAIM

Nina Dobrev

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

I once described her as poison, and she is. I believe every character who’d been with her received their dose of poison and only some managed to find an antidote. It’s not meant in a seductive way, not entirely, but more or less like real poison. Everything she touches gets corrupted, even the most innocent minds, and it’s pretty obvious that she’s a master manipulator and someone who looks out for herself, most importantly. She’d been a Death Eater, a seductress, a liar, a fiancee, a friend, daughter, enemy – anything you can think of, but all she wants to be is a free woman, alive and happy. It’s the old tale of having a strong, flawed character, who has been through hell and survived, who promised herself to change the world for the better, who loved and spent days remembering her happiest moments before being thrown to the wolves again. I remember describing her as this cunning, calculating Femme Fatale with only selfish intentions, but she has grown and learned from her mistakes. She’s almost altruistic nowadays, at least when it comes to her friends.

This war and everything else is something she’d lived with, one of the few who actively lived through the horrors of war – but she has no regrets whatsoever. In fact, Cassandra feels like it’s her main goal to not only be free, but to help end this war. I just love her so much y’all.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

She’s experienced both in love and sex – and some might even say she’s one of the best. Cassandra’s biromantic/sexual and goes by she/her pronouns as a cis female.

For ships, well, it’s a bit more complicated than that. I think I can’t really comment on that since a lot has changed over the past few months, so I’m not sure where new plots and ideas will lead to.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER

I have everything on my blog

Graphics, other stuff I made

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

“Easy. A spell that changes your personality permanently. Effective to hide or be someone else for a day, you know? In times like these it’s pretty effective and safe to just be a Muggle for a day or two.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

“I’d say Orion Black since he’s experienced enough and would most likely survive on his own as well, so I’m not at all concerned. And as an object I’d probably choose a Portkey, just to make sure we’d find our way out immediately.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

“Love. Always love – a bloody nightmare, I tell you.”

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

“That I lived my life in vain, not really accomplishing anything.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

Well, she did got captured. She wasn’t happy about being captured I can tell you all that much, also she wasn’t happy about being thrown out of the Order castle because others couldn’t warm up to her. She’s not really mad, but more or less frustrated. She did change and she’s not a Death Eater anymore, but there’s just no trust between the Order and Cassandra even though she did reveal her memories to Amos and the gang hoping it would make them trust her more. It worked on some, but not enough.

WRITING SAMPLE

1. – I AM RUINATION

April 4th 1979

trigger warnings: PTSD, trauma, abuse, assault, knives, death

“I am ruination,” her voice was merely a whisper, but the psychologist in front of her heard everything, every breath she took in their little zone, those four walls which were covered in a light grey, almost white tone. “How so, Miss Burke. Mrs. Rookwood?” he slowly tried to make sense out of her words, but he failed to understand her, as he should. “Burke, of course. I never actually married him. I couldn’t – not anymore,” Mr. Seymour, her psychologist, shook his head and gestured towards her engagement ring, which she still wore, polished everyday and kept clean over the past months. “A facade, that’s all,” she even wore Evan’s engagement ring, just because she loved the gem set between gold too much to ever take off the ring, at least for now. They were cruel reminders of what she’d endured, who she had to face in order to be free. She thoroughly pushed her thumb against her other hand, aggressively massaged the back of her hand to numb herself. “I never really cared if they were engagement rings or not – It’s already fucked up to know I have two,” she closed her eyes. “I wear them because they show me who I could’ve been if I hadn’t found the strength to follow my heart. I started to believe I had to follow my family’s path, that I have to believe in their lies, that I couldn’t be more than what they’d planned for me.” Cassandra took a deep sigh and she felt her throat contracting, resulting in her barely being able to breathe properly. “They judged me all my life and I let them. I thought I was a monster,” Cassandra watched Mr. Seymour and she realized, rather quickly, that she had to make him forget once they were done. “And you thought no one would understand? A typical case in Pureblood families. You felt like nobody would even dare to help you even if you’d have asked for it. But no one’s alone in this world, I hope you realize that.”

“But I’m ruination,” Cassandra muttered, gulping and shaking her head. “Everyone deserves to be saved, even if they believe they’re doomed. This isn’t the end, Miss Burke,” he was quickly cut off by Cass, who had now raised her voice slightly. “I have lead men to their death, I’ve risked the lives of the people that I love because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I endured immeasurable amounts of pain in return, just to keep them save. I still hear myself screaming, the Cruciatus curse running through my veins and I could never tell anyone about it, because it hurts so much, he broke me. I don’t want to live in pain – and I would’ve rather died than endure just one more second of the curse.” she breathed heavily. Mr. Seymour’s eyes widened in shock at how direct she was, something he hadn’t guessed from someone like her, especially not in front of an official psychologist for the Ministry. “The pain you’ve endured doesn’t define who you are and especially doesn’t mean you’re ruination. Others are, Miss Burke,” Cassandra tried to drown out her own screams, which were repeatedly resurfacing in her head. “The pain has shaped me to who I am now. The pain made me stronger.” “Yes, good.”

“I killed so many Halfbloods, Muggleborns and Purebloods, I lost count. I lured so many men to their deaths, that sometimes I feel like I’ve killed ten in a week, enemies, politicians, Muggles – for the sake of you-know-who and for the sake of my family. I sometimes wonder if Evan’s punishment was justified. He was right, you know? I’m currently playing my games, I haven’t leaned a thing. Nothing. I have scars to prove what I’ve endured, but I wonder if anything changed around me, except me.”

“You pity yourself – the hardships you’ve endured weigh you down. You need hope, love – you’re still here, you still breathe, that’s worth something.” Cassandra shook her head and chuckled slightly. “Do you honestly think those things will be my salvation? They’ve made me who I am in the first place. It’s the pain I cannot stand on its own, the memories. The sacrifices I’ve made until now have made me stronger, but I fear his judgement.” “Whose judgement?” “Amos. Amos Diggory?” He looked at her with a puzzled expression. “He has all my memories. He’ll see myself growing up, being formed into an obedient wife and Death Eater, how I’ve killed someone for the first time and how proud my father was. I never wanted to be such a problem, but I am. I have so much information stored as memories, but there’s also the pain and the darkness within he’ll finally see – and I don’t want to lose him, even if he said he’ll stay, those memories do not define who I am today.”

She took a deep breath. “He’ll see the pain, the love, the lust, everything. There’s so much you will never know, but he will. And I care more about his opinion than about yours.” Mr. Seymour leaned into his chair, slightly distancing himself from her, as if he tried to calm her down with that. “Do you know why I am here?” “Because they want to find out if I’m worth being pardoned. If my memories classify as worthy enough as exchange for my freedom?” “Precisely.” a quill next to his head wrote down every word they spoke, every stop, everything that could potentially be of use later on. As thoughts mixed inside of her head, Cassandra’s eyes fixed on different objects in the room, but never stayed there for too long as anxiety kicked in every few seconds. “And why are you here?” “Because I want to be free.” “There are few rules you need to keep in mind, but first – I’d like to enter your mind, so that I get a general understanding of what happened. You are not making any sense at the moment and I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed with my diagnosis – PTSD, illusions, Insomnia, nightmares and Bipolar Two Disorder, self-destructive behavior and thoughts. There’s a lot to consider, If we could only talk about the consequences and the severity–”severity? “I’m a murderess, Mr. Seymour, maybe I deserve everything that has had happened and maybe my broken relationships and fickle heart are just a result of who I was – they are a part of me. Maybe I deserve to feel empty, to be too broken to be loved. Maybe the person who did love me broke me in the end.” “You do not realize how toxic your mind will become if you do not let people in completely.” “Do you not listen?” she yelled at him, stood up and she could hot tears running down her cheeks. “I did and now I feel powerless, because I know they’ll only see a monster, the person I do not wish to be. I destroy everything and everyone I touch,” her hands shook as her fingertips reached for her mouth.

“I’ve lost my friends, my family, everything – on one day, because I was too afraid to talk to them, because I couldn’t bear the idea of working for him, of being a puppet. I’m not a puppet. I’m a puppeteer and I guide those around me to their deaths, right? And I try, so hard, to be better, to move on. But I can’t handle the pain. I just want the pain to be gone. I want to be enough, just once. I’m just a woman, I was never enough for my father, nor for my friends. I let everyone down, I lie and fake a smile just so that they still see me as confident. I stopped being confident and happy the day I lost him. And I left parts of myself in others, hoping they’ll love and care for them and one day return them to me with theirs attached. They never did. I am nothing in their eyes. Just a wanton,” she quoted Evan on this and looked down onto her engagement ring. Panic filled her heart, but she was stopped by Mr. Seymour, who’d grabbed her hand and entered her mind, now facing every memory she ever had as she let him in and his spell. He saw her childhood, her teenager years, the way she loved Caradoc and lost him the day she’d agreed to follow her family’s path, her Dark Mark, Borgin & Burkes, her engagement to Evan and her near death experience – the way she loved Amos and how she tried to protect everyone from Evan, their hands around her throat, the lack of control, the knife slashing through her skin, her screams, the pain which she endured from the Cruciatus curse – everything at once. He immediately sat down again, clenching his jaw and looking up towards her. “And I just want to feel normal, but I will never be, which is why everything’s so bloody complicated. I’m a disaster. And I don’t want to ruin everything I have right now. Because one day I will, and they’ll leave the second they see my real face, find out I’m a monster.”

Cassandra brushed away the tears from her cheeks and shook her head. “I control others just because I can’t control myself. I wonder if I’m still a monster, if I’ll never change, but I want to. I want to change, please – I just don’t know where to start. I feel like I can’t move, I can’t breathe. And I just want to stop drowning and breathe, survive. I have people who protect me. Orion, Caradoc, Amos, Rodolphus, Charity, Benjy, —- but I want to be strong on my own! I used to be stronger, independent, a lot less afraid.”

Mr. Seymour relaxed, as if he hadn’t just seen an entire life playing in front of his eyes, the trauma, the pain, the joy, the love – as if nothing of it really mattered. “You consider yourself to be a monster, but you haven’t killed me yet. How’s that? That’s because you know I’ll help you. The first step to becoming better is seeking help, reach out to others. You are healing, you have friends and people that love you for who you are - - you just have to open your eyes, Miss Burke. And if you survive through the pain and prove yourself, then you’re the strongest person I know.”

“No,” Cassandra replied, recovering from her panic attack. “I am strongest when I know what I want – and right now I just want to be free and happy.” she whispered, her grip tightening around her wand. A blue light took away all his memories from the past hours and she ignited the quill, which was still writing every word – and every paper lit on fire. “and I know I don’t have to conquer my monsters, I just have to keep them on a leash, because they’ll never see another version of me, the one that’s suffering and alone – I will remain standing, strong and proud. They will never suspect the cracks if no one knows about them besides one, the one I love – and if I still feel… love, then how bad of a monster can I be?”

2. – BRAVE NEW WORLD

Ministry of Magic, Cassandra Burke’s secret Wizengamot trial, the dungeons Date: April 13th 1979

Wind blew through her hair as she entered the hidden passage through the Ministry, a hood loosely falling over her face as she was abruptly grabbed away from the sun and into the dark tunnels. She kept on walking, didn’t really know which step to take next – maybe she didn’t want to know. Arriving at the Wizengamot, a place her parents warned her about, the Dark Lord had warned her about, as well, now looked even more frightening than everything she’d dreamed of. A few wizards were placed on a podium, watching down on her, judging, making comments, whispering and shaking their head. One of the Aurors moved closer, and the former Death Eater immediately thought of Caradoc, who could’ve been here with her, who could’ve been the one to pull the hood away. With dark brown hair now falling behind her shoulders, Cassandra looked around freely, saw Dumbledore, judges, Bartemius Crouch Snr. and not many others, actually. In fact, she wondered why there wasn’t an entire courtroom filled with judges just waiting to drag her all the way to Azkaban. In total, however, she counted eight people. Eight to determine her innocence or her guilt. Others were judged from twenty or more, so what exactly happened in between then and now? Oh, she knew what happened, but didn’t dare to speak of him.

“The trial may begin,” Dumbledore spoke, his voice louder than ever, well, except the last time she’d heard him speak in Hogwarts. Before the trial could even begin properly, she was pushed down on the seat behind her and her hands were wrapped with a silken, glowing substance – a binding spell. While the Aurors removed her wand and went on with their procedures, Bartemius Crouch Snr. stood up, reading a script. “Cassandra Morrigan Burke, daughter of Aurora and Cormac Burke, stand accused of murder, assault, arson, theft, using unforgivable spells and high treason on many occasions. These crimes are, and will be, punished with a life-sentence in Azkaban. As a known member of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his army of dark wizards, you’re an enemy of the Ministry of Magic and therefore judged as an enemy of this court. How do you plead?”

Cassandra sighed, her breath shaky and her eyes searching for something or someone to focus on. Nothing, no one. “Guilty.” after confessing, however, her heart sped up, but her eyes weren’t trying to focus anymore. She kept staring towards Dumbledore, hoping her memories would have an effect. “You choose to help him all on your own. You didn’t care, you regret nothing. Even though your mouth’s moving, your lips are shaking, you’re not sorry at all,” Bartemius started. “You cast your first unforgivable curse at the age of sixteen as you killed your first victim for the Dark Lord.” he looked like a raging old man, incapable of keeping his temper in check, even before Dumbledore, who was in charge. Did Amos keep her memories? She started to shake in fear, but as Dumbledore spoke, she immediately froze. “It does seem like we’re making false assumptions. Our accusations are not too far off, in fact, they’re identical with what I’ve seen,” Dumbledore held the vial between his index and little finger, shaking her tears slightly, almost delicately. “I bear witness her accusations are all true, but she’s here to strike a deal.” Cassandra’s eyes closed in relief. This wasn’t the end, not yet, at least. “Immunity, a symbolic death if you will, in exchange for all information granted in this vial. The Order wishes the Ministry would accept or consider her offer.”

“I offered my memories for a reason. I want to be free,” she pleaded, but Bartemius already tried to silence her. “Silence!”

“I didn’t just offer my past, but several memories of Death Eater meetings and faces. Vast knowledge of dark magic acquired through training and my family’s history in that field. Tom Riddle worked for my grandfather.” “I said silence! You did kill Darius Shafiq, have you not? You lured him into a trap on November 2nd 1978, didn’t you? You assassinated Clara Wilson, a hit-witch, who worked for the Ministry, after she’d been tasked with the killing of an ally of yours, of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”

“Darius was a Death Eater,” she then said, calmly. “I killed him because the Dark Lord knew he’d break.” Bartemius abruptly lost his voice and looked at Dumbledore, confused. She nodded towards the vial. “Everything you need to know’s contained in there. My entire life, my misdemeanors, my knowledge and relationships. I request you to have a look and judge for yourself. I’m willing to share them with you as I did with my link to the Order and Ministry before this trial.” She didn’t want to mention Amos directly. They’d find out sooner or later.

One week later

“Cassandra Morrigan Burke. You’ve been found guilty on all charges. Upon viewing your memories the Wizengamot decided to pardon your crimes and erase all evidence of this trial. Your memories will be stored to further the Ministry’s attempt in finding Death Eaters and stopping the war. Under oath we’ve agreed to never use your name outside of this court. You will be considered missing, if not dead after today. All your relatives will be told of your disappearance and your possible death in times of war. You’re free to leave.”

#lsrpg #marauders rpg #hp rp #nina dobrev rp

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borisbubbles · 7 years ago

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Eurovision 2018 Preshow #01

01. SWITZERLAND

youtube

Wild jokah on a gold frone ...x Blud daimendz in mah home....x

Ring the bells, sound the clarions and build the sacrifical pyramids for a miracle has happened. Switzerland actually selected a SWISS act which doesn’t suck!

Words can only come up short, as “Stones” is nothing but a puissant burst of spunk and energy. Kickstarted by two of the best opening lines in Eurovision everdom, no less. Coco’s husky voice is further supplemented by plucky backing vocals that provide mhmm-support as she rattles off other far-fetched metaphors <3. This magistral combination of creative vocal use and undying cadence creates a power vortex which transports me to happy, calm place for a whole three minutes. The ultimate immersive entry.

Extra props go to ZiBBZ for addressing the issue of bullying (cyberbullying especially) in a way which is both inspirational and soothing. More importantly,”Stones” does not coddle nor trivialize nor romanticize “bullying” but instead owns up to the daily struggle millions of people face on a daily basis, against others and their self. Being bullied is a fight which can only be won by embracing it and challenging it head-on, so that victims may heal and grow into the beautiful and strong people they’re meant to become. As a bullying victim myself, I’m forever grateful whenever someone chooses to aid that righteous cause.

At the core of this anti-Intimidation pamphlet we find a pair of sibling hipsterbrats eager to enlighten us with their stoner wisdom <3 She (CoCo) a hat-fetishizing, chainsmoker-voiced washed-up reality star, he (Stee) a jaunty, beatboxing drum-hugger <3 I mean, ZiBBZ refer to themselves as a “Swiss indiepop sibling alliance” <33333 nuff said <3

To think how close we were to not havng ZiBBZ at all tho, since the disabled but completely insipid Alejandro Reyes was telegraphed to be the Chosen One to win Die Große Enscheidungshow. Due to a very fortunately timed late-game maneuver which I can only describe as “Divine Interfuckingvention”, the Icelandic jury spearheaded a frontal assault to move ZiBBZ two points above OneHandro in the International jury. The latter of which was subsequently CRUSHED by the former in the televote. Sometimes, micarcle do happen y’all.

Qualification Odds: Poor/Dead

Which is good becuse ZiBBZ are going to NEED one to even have a chance at qualifying, lol. Every since I started ranking the preshow in 2012, my #01 has ALWAYS died a slow and painful death in either the semifinal or the final (my sincere apologies to “Never Forget”, “Crisalide”, “Children of the Universe”, “Black Smoke”, “Hear them calling” and “Dance Alone”) and I doubt it would be any different for “Stones” lol. Counting my luck, they’re probably last :’(

Then again,the first semifinal airs on my birthday and that last time this happened (in 2014), the first two qualifiers to be announced were erstwhile Boris random faves Sebalter and Tinkara <3. As much as I love Netta, Yianna, Sennek et. al, I’ll gladly burn them in a Nicholas Cage-shaped wicker effigy as an offering to Apollo if it were to ensure ZiBBZ or Ieva made in the final. (I’d say “and” but lol I’m never getting both)

The irony of the Swiss position in the first semifinal is that while their draw is excellent (Austria is their closest ally +17th in a very fortunate spot in the running order) and their song is excellent, they only have a TINY chance of making the final. Whereas in the other semifinal, ZiBBZ would comfortably fulfill their Tinkara Kovač Destiny of finishing 10th in the semi and second last in the finale. . Why must this world be such a cruel place.

Jury or televoting? Televoting

Given that ZiBBZ won largely due to audience support, I’d say the bulk of their points will come from the televote. They are in a really awkward position though, being good enough to gather support from both televoters and the juries, but not outstanding enough to gather what they need to advance. Their jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none position will ultimately be ZiBBZ’s very unfortunate undoing.

Projected placement: 10th-16th in the semifinal, 21st-26th in the Grand Final.

THE RANKING

See ya the week after the Grand Final, bitches!!

#Eurovision 2018 #Switzerland #ZiBBZ #Stones

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chibimonkeyhouse · 7 years ago

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Today is Apollo’s birthday!! My little man is three years old today!! I’ve known Apollo since the day he was born. He’s been a ham from day one. A very loud ham - the second I met him all he did was scream in his little squeaky voice. My baby boy’s little life hasn’t been easy. He’s epileptic - he had his first seizure at six months old, he has allergies, and he wasn’t as developmentally advanced as his two sisters. His mother’s owner did not treat any of them well and his mother was very, very sick when she was pregnant. Despite these issues - or maybe because of them - Apollo is the sweetest little boy. Everything is The Best Ever and he only really experiences happiness and sleepiness. I’m so glad to have him in my life, because every second he’s around, I am reminded that there is someone who loves me with his entire being. I love you, little man. Happy birthday.

#Apollo #cats #catblr #special needs pet #special needs cat #epileptic cat #birthday

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viulus · 7 years ago

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Master List of All My Blogs and the Tags I Use For Them

So I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, since I want to have all my stuff organized and in one place. In this you’ll find a list of all my blogs, as well as the tags I use for each blog, along with other things I feel are important (in relation to each blog, that is). Little disclaimer: this post is really long.

Jak and Daxter Shitposting

Tags:

#jak and daxter

#jnd --Serves the same purpose as the above tag

#precursor legacy

#tpl --Serves the same purpose as the, ‘#precursor legacy’ tag

#jak 2

#jak 3

#jak x

#jak 2 spoilers

#jak 3 spoilers

#not jnd

#reblog --Self-explanatory

#shitpost

#jnd shipping --All of my shippy posts will have this tag; mostly for people who aren’t really into ship-related content so they can filter out the tag if they want

#jakiera --Kiera x Jak posts

#ashejak --Ashelin x Jak posts

#ashetorn --Torn x Ashelin posts

#daxtess --Daxter x Tess posts

#jnd quotes --Quotes that are either taken word-for-word, or paraphrased from one of the games

#veganangst rambles j&d --Literally me rambling about the series

#my jnd experiences

#jak

#daxter

#ashelin

#kiera

#tess

#baron praxis

#erol

#errol

#flock off --Posts having to do with Pecker, since I don’t want to tag any of my posts as, ‘#pecker’

#jnd discussion

#va4 announcements --Usually important news having to do with me and/or the blog itself

Ships/Pairings (Ships that are crossed out are my NOTPs):

Jaxter

Jakiera

AsheJak

Ashetorn

Daxtess

Bio:

So, I’ve been into this series for a little over 12 years at this point, and needless to say, it was literally my childhood. When I turned seven years old, I got my first gaming system -a PlayStation 2- and the first video game I ever owned, Jak 3.

So I fell in love with the game, and I of course sought to own, and play, the whole series (when I was first playing the games, I played the third, fourth, first, and then the second game, in that order). When I was about nine some things went down that caused me, along with my brothers, to have to move out of state to live with our grandparents, thus forcing me to leave my PS2 behind.

So for about eight years I've been waiting to play the games again, and of course, I lost my mind when I heard that they were being ported to the PS4. They're literally the only reason I bought a PS4 to begin with! I've played all the games in the series except for Daxter and The Lost Frontier (the latter of which I'd only found out about last December, thanks to Wikipedia), but weirdly enough I couldn’t remember much of anything about the games after a year or two of not playing them (until I started playing them again in December 2017, of course!).

Currently, I’ve completed the whole trilogy, as well as X. I'm more than open to discuss any of the three, so feel free to chat with me about them!

Sly Cooper Shitposts

Bio:

I got into the Sly series somewhat recently (July 3, 2018). Since then, it’s been one of my favorite series, and one of the only series I play. I don’t really have much else to add here, other than this: if you’ve never played these games, either play them or watch a let’s play (play them if you can though). The entire trilogy can be found on Playstation Now if you have a PS4 and don’t want to hunt down a PS2 and all the games just to play them.

Ratchet & Clank Shitposting

Bio:

Like the Sly games, I got into this series pretty recently (March 26, 2018). At the time I was looking to try out some PS2-era franchises similar to the Jak and Daxter series, which is why I initially tried these games out. My first R&C game I played was the 2016 reboot, and while the humor, characters and all that weren’t the best, it was really fun to play and got me wanting to play the older games. After a couple months or so I played some of the earlier games on PSN (Quest for Booty, Crack in Time, and Into the Nexus) and enjoyed them a LOT more than the reboot overall (mostly CiT though, since although I played QfB I didn’t especially care about it, and I enjoyed the intro for ItN a lot but got bored with it).

Hamilton Shitposts

Tags:

#not hamilton

Bio:

I’ve known about Hamilton since mid-2016 (thanks to a former friend of mine), but I actually kind of hated it for a while, because of said friend (let’s just say that she constantly shoved Hamilton content in my face without properly introducing me to the musical first).

It wasn’t until last December (December 2017) that I finally got interested in the musical. My brother who lives out-of-state was visiting for the holidays, and he literally blasted Alexander Hamilton and Non-Stop in the house several times during his stay. After listening to them a few times I actually really liked them (especially Non-Stop), so when I got some free time (sometime on 1/14/18, since of course I still remember the exact day I got into Hamilton), I decided to listen to the whole musical, and I loved it.

Now pretty much all I listen to is Hamilton. I know I’m going to say this at the end of all these other bios, but seriously, if you want to talk to me about Hamilton, message me.

Guardians of the Galaxy Shitposting

Tags:

#not gotg --Not Guardians related, but you should probably still see what it is

Ships/Pairings (Ships that are crossed out are my NOTPs):

Starmora (My OTP)

Roquill

Drax x Mantis

Bio:

So to start off, I thought I’d just say that I’ve only ever watched the films, but I have read a tiny bit of the comics as well.

I got into the franchise in early June last year (2017) when I saw Guardians 2 with a friend, and let me tell you, I really wanted to see it, despite not caring about the series at all. If I didn't care about the series at the time, why did I want to see the movie so badly? Well, let's just say that I only wanted to see it for that sweet, sweet "plot" if you know what I mean. 👀 I also just needed something to distract me at the time, since I had been going through some really difficult stuff around that time (I plan on making a post about what happened at some point, so if I do, then you’ll be able to find it here). Once it was over I fell in love with the characters, and the franchise overall, since the second film had not only far exceeded my expectations, but it also helped me cope with the bad stuff that had happened to me not too long before.

Feel free to discuss the series with me, since I’m usually more than happy to talk about it. Thanks in advance!

Ace Attorney Shitposts

Tags:

#not aa

Favorite Characters (Characters that are crossed out are characters that I don’t like):

Apollo Justice

Bio:

I’ve been into this series for about two... actually, almost three years now! (where has all that time gone?).

My brother actually got me into this series! I watched him play Rise From the Ashes one night (I think it was somewhere around March 2015), and I was kind of interested in trying it out after that (although I kept my mouth shut about wanting to try it, since I was really self-conscious about trying new things at the time).

I didn’t get to actually play Ace Attorney until mid-June that year, when my brother one day shoved his 3DS in my hands, telling me to play First Turnabout. After playing through the whole case, I got obsessed, and I was also really excited, since he was going to buy the trilogy for me on our Wii (he didn’t live with us, so he couldn’t let me play the games on his DS). I didn’t officially get into the series until July 2nd that year, which is when I started playing the trilogy on our Wii.

I completed the first game in three days, and I was obsessed with Ace Attorney for about a year and a half after that (I think that’s the longest that any obsession of mine has ever been my, “Main Obsession”). I also had a huge overblown crush on Phoenix most of that time (which is surprising in hindsight, since I couldn’t care less about him anymore).

I’m now just a casual fan of the series, and I’m down to discuss Spirit of Justice any time (since it’s my favorite game in the series), but I don’t really care to discuss the others (not usually, anyways). So anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my blog!

Pokémon Shitposts

Tags:

#not pkm

Favorite Pokémon (Pokémon that are crossed out are ones that I don’t like):

Vanilluxe

Incineroar

Crobat

Zweilous/Hydreigon

Gastrodon

Skorupi

Magnezone

Scolipede

Glalie

Most of the Fossil Pokémon, honestly

Rayquaza

Kyurem

Zygarde

Charizard line

Talonflame

Swampert line

Decidueye

Greninja line

Mimikyu

Bio:

I’ve been into Pokémon for as long as I can remember. I know that I’ve been into it for at least 13 years, but I feel like I’ve liked it for much longer.

I didn’t start to really obsess over it until the age of 11, after getting Explorers of Sky for my birthday (one of the Mystery Dungeon games). Once Gen. 5 had started, I only got more into Pokémon. I mostly collected the cards, but I did also play a lot of Rumble Blast. And let me just say, I was honestly so into the TCG, that it was kind of unhealthy.

I lost interest in the franchise for a little over a year, starting at the age of 13 (thanks to My Little Pony), but once I stopped liking MLP, I just went right back to obsessing over Pokémon, but with a bit less emphasis on the cards, and more on the games (Who am I kidding? I was still immersed in the TCG world at this time! Just, not quite as much as before).

After about a year of being addicted to Pokémon (again), I started to become more of a casual fan of the series, turning my interest towards other things (i.e., Ace Attorney and Steven Universe).

It wasn’t until I started playing Sun (a month after it released) that I started obsessing over the franchise (for the third time). I became a casual fan again soon after finishing the game, which was somewhere in early March of 2017.

Currently, I’m just a casual fan of the series (aside from my several characters, who I’ve had around for three years at this point). I can’t really suggest you trying to discuss Pokémon with me, since I am just a casual fan nowadays (Unless if you want to know about my characters I mentioned!). Thanks for reading!

Miscellaneous:

Favorite generations: Five and two

Favorite types: Ice, Rock, Electric, Ground, Steel

Favorite Pokémon throughout the years (from oldest to my current favorite):

Pikachu

Drifloon

Cyndaquil

Oshawott

Dewott

Skitty

Archeops

Vanillite

Vanillish

Vanilluxe

The End

You’ve reached the end of this post; congrats! I will be updating this as needed, so check back here as often as you feel like. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!

#important stuff #master list

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