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no6secretsanta · 5 years

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TO: @cruria FROM: @glorifiedscapegoat

Happy Holidays, Cruria! Here’s your Secret Santa gift! I hope you enjoyed it! You mentioned wanting an AU of some kind, either fantasy or steampunk. I tried to combine the two, so I hope you enjoy what I came up with! It was a lot of fun to work on. I haven’t written a lot of stuff with Inukashi in it, so this was a fun little challenge to include them in it! I hope you like it!

***

Nezumi set the brass ball-and-socket joint on the counter. His fingers ached from twisting the wrench and securing the hex nut in place. He’d spent the better part of his morning assembling the pieces necessary to repair his client’s mechanical arm; the socket joint for the shoulder attachment had been the simplest part.

Copper sunlight spilled through the holes and patches in the cloth covering the roof of Nezumi’s little corner shop. He was stationed in the middle of the labor district, the market comprising the eastern part of West Block.

Unlike the floating city of Kronos—glowing such a beautiful silver that, in the darkness, it closely resembled a moon—West Block’s citizens were horrendously poor. Their shops, booths, and homes had fallen into an irreparable state of disarray. Finding a curtain large enough to cover the entire roof of Nezumi’s shop had been a hassle. Finding one that hadn’t been completely devoured by moths had been another adventure.

His client’s mechanical arm was like the rest of West Block: old, decrepit, and covered in rust. It had barely uncurled when Nezumi worked a screwdriver in the bolts around the elbow.

Nezumi had access to other parts—ceramic, heavy plastic, and even silver—thanks to a few favors and connections he’d accumulated over the years, but the men and women of West Block couldn’t afford such luxury. His client could sell her entire house, all the clothes in her possession, and any scrap of jewelry she owned, and still not afford the mechanical limbs the royals possessed.

Accidents and illnesses were not limited to the lower quarter. The citizens of Kronos simply had better access to resources, and they often flaunted it.

Nezumi set the wrench down and flexed his fingers. Sensa Paz, the Disposer’s wife who’d requested the repair of her right arm, would return at sundown for her limb. With the sun approaching the center of the sky, Nezumi knew he had less than eight hours to complete the limb enough for Sensa Paz to be satisfied with his handiwork.

I can afford a break. Nezumi slumped back against the counter with a relieved groan.

Inukashi had gone to the market to procure a few long screws, as Nezumi’s more recent jobs had depleted their supply. Nezumi figured it would take them at least another ten minutes to shove their way through the heavy crowd and stomp back to the shop.

He could afford to rest until Inukashi came barging around the corner and sniped at him for being lazy.

Nezumi and Inukashi had been West Block’s only mechanics for over four years. At twelve years old, little Nezumi had earned a place for himself among the citizens of West Block by taking no shit and producing the best products for the best price. Inukashi’s arrival and eventual hire granted Nezumi access to better materials.

His business had grown profitable enough, granting him access to at least a comfortable way of life. Nezumi couldn’t afford pointless luxury, but he preferred it that way. He never wanted to become as pompous as the royals gorging themselves to death in the floating city.

Nezumi’s shop was small, and his services were mostly limited to mechanical limbs. West Block had a fair assortment of folks in need of new limbs after workplace accidents. The old man who ran a clothes shop on the other end of West Block had traded Nezumi several new pairs of pants in exchange for a new foot after a gas leak, and eventual explosion, had left him minus one appendage.

West Block was busy in the morning hours. Sunlight meant life, and life meant warmth. The nights were cool in West Block. Folks did their shopping in the daylight, bundling themselves in their drafty homes at night and praying to whatever gods listening that the morning wouldn’t bring illness into their lives.

A few rusted droids rolled through the crowded market. Decommissioned soldiers from deep in the floating city whose memory drives had been completely wiped. Without a purpose, the royals dumped them in West Block’s junkyard. Some of the soldiers had reactivated, and roamed the streets with no purpose. Nezumi had once powered one down with a knife to the control panel, in hopes that tinkering with it might provide an insight into Kronos’s secrets. To his disappointment, the royals had thoroughly erased the droid’s memory. It had no sentience and no intelligence. Just a big, lumbering machine rolling on for eternity until rust and decay consumed it.

Nezumi dragged his fingers through his long, dark hair. He kept it tied back, lest it get tangled in the gaps and wheels comprising his equipment. Nezumi had often considered chopping it short, but his appearance sold his services almost as well as his skills. People in West Block thought he was “beautiful” and “charming”, and Nezumi’s appearance continued to convince them. If keeping his hair long brought in more business, then Nezumi would allow it.

“Hey! Hey!”

Nezumi looked up. He spotted one of the Disposers, a gargantuan man with a glowing red eye surrounded by a metal panel, charging through the crowd on the heels of a child clutching a loaf of bread in her little fist.

“You thief,” the Disposer snarled. His single red eye locked on his target, his other human blue one wild with fury. “Get back here!”

Nezumi frowned. The Disposers were men tasked with getting rid of junk (and on occasion, corpses) from the streets. Most of them had lost arms and legs and eyes in mining accidents, hired by the royals for construction projects, only to be tossed aside when damage and injuries made them unable to continue work.

Most of the Disposers stuck to their assigned tasks, but a few considered themselves enforcers of the unspoken laws of West Block. There were no officers or guards to keep the peace. No protections for folks aside from weapons and those who were paid to provide their services.

Nezumi narrowed his eyes at the Disposer’s retreating back as he chased the girl into the crowd. There was nothing to be done about it. Thieves were common in West Block, and if it wasn’t coming from his shop, it had nothing to do with Nezumi.

He stretched his arms above his head. The tension in his spine traveled down each limb as he rolled his shoulders. He had a long day of work ahead of him.

Inukashi should be back any moment now. Nezumi glared into the crowd. There were plenty of dark-haired folks shoving people aside, but none of them were short enough or angry enough to be Nezumi’s oh-so-wonderful assistant. Where in the three hells are they?

Nezumi picked up the ball-and-socket joint, admiring his handiwork. It was a bit pricier than his client could afford, but anything cheaper would prevent the arm from moving at all. Sometimes it was worth it to sacrifice a little extra. Nezumi was proud of his handiwork. His services were the best in West Block, and no one would tell him otherwise.

Nezumi looked over his shoulder. His client’s arm lay on top of his workbench, a dim light illuminating the rust around the wrist joint and three of the long, thin fingers. An android’s arm. Not his client’s original, and certainly not one crafted for her. The poor woman had most likely been forced to steal one from a less-than-fortunate android in the junkyards.

BANG.

Nezumi turned with a scowl. Inukashi edged around the counter, ducking into the shade of the shop, clutching a burlap bag in one fist and a metal can in the other.

Condensation dripped down the side of the metal can, and Nezumi’s quick eyes caught the flash of a white logo.

He shot Inukashi a blank look. “Let me guess, you didn’t get me anything.”

“You didn’t ask me to, now did you?” Inukashi’s brown eyes narrowed, and they dropped the burlap sack onto the counter, jarring the ball-and-socket joint. “Here’s the stuff you actually asked for.”

Nezumi caught the part before it rolled onto the ground, and set it off to the side. He undid the bit of rope holding the burlap closed and peered inside. “That’s it?” He glared at Inukashi. “I gave you ten bronze pieces.”

“Caro raised her prices.” Inukashi set the can on the counter and ran their fingers through their long, black hair. They’d tied it into a high ponytail to combat the morning heat. “That’s what six bronze pieces gets you these days.”

“I gave you ten.”

“Forty percent delivery fee. You’re welcome.” Inukashi picked up their drink and took a long sip.

Nezumi snatched it away from them, ignoring their startled cry and following “Hey!” He took a long drink, and wrinkled his nose. Citrus flavored and carbonated.

“Solar berry,” Nezumi said. “Gross.”

Inukashi grabbed it back from him. “Well, it’s not yours, jerk!” They moved just far enough away from Nezumi to be out of reach. “You got spit all over it!” They grumbled and wiped the rim with the edge of their threadbare red shirt.

“You’re lucky I didn’t pour it out,” Nezumi said.

“Screw you,” Inukashi said. “It’s a thousand degrees out here!”

Nezumi opened his mouth to say that if Inukashi had such a problem with it then they could spend the money to get an air conditioning unit installed—and he noticed a figure in a dark gray cloak slowly approaching the shop.

The figure was shorter than Nezumi expected, and much younger. Beneath the hood of the cloaked robe, he could make out youthful, round cheeks and vibrant eyes. The stranger had an idle smile on his lips, and Nezumi immediately knew he didn’t belong.

“Customer,” Inukashi said, taking another sip of their drink.

Nezumi watched the stranger approach. As he drew nearer, Nezumi began to recognize the shape of his face. The familiar curve of his jaw, the slender slope of his nose, and the shape of his big, warm eyes. Nezumi had seen that face countless times on the hovering screens lingering outside the floating city of Kronos.

“Good morning,” said the young man as he finally reached the counter. He gave Inukashi a big smile, and then turned to address Nezumi. “I was hoping you could help me.”

Inukashi snorted and took a sip of their drink. The can was almost empty.

Nezumi drummed his fingers on the counter top. The coloration was all wrong, but there was no mistaking it. Nezumi had seen this boy’s face before. Everyone in West Block had.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Nezumi said. He swooped into a theatrical bow. “To what do we owe the honor of Your Highness’s presence at our humble shop?”

Inukashi choked on their drink.

The young man’s dark brown eyes widened in shock. There was a distinct rim of crimson around the inky blackness of his pupils—a tell-tale sign that the pigmentation of his irises was the result of colored contacts.

The Prince of Stars was as famous in West Block as the floating city. Not born to the royal family, he’d been deemed special from birth due to his unnatural coloration. His silver hair and scarlet eyes were rumored to be signs of the gods’ blessings. The strange child and his mother had been taken into the royal family, dumped into the lap of luxury and treated like gods themselves, all due to the pigmentation of the child’s features.

“Ah, stars,” the prince said, defeated. His shoulders slumped. “How could you tell?”

Nezumi raised an eyebrow. “Your face is well-known, Your Highness.”

The prince glanced over his shoulder, and then back to Nezumi. “Ah, well, maybe we can keep this just between the three of us?”

Inukashi put the empty can on the counter. They stared at the prince as if he’d come to them flanked by a legion of guards.

“All right, then,” Nezumi said, the corner of his lips quirking up in a bemused smile. If the prince insisted on acting like a customer, then Nezumi would treat him like any other customer. “What can we do for you?”

“Shion,” the prince said.

“Excuse me?”

“Instead of the Highness stuff. You can call me Shion.”

The prince offered his hand out, and Nezumi didn’t take it. The prince wore gloves, most likely to conceal the scarlet scar wrapped around his body. Another blessing from the gods. The mark went all the way to the prince’s face, and Nezumi could see the blended marks of concealer painted on the prince’s face. His disguise had been thorough, at least.

“Is that your real name?” Nezumi asked.

“Real enough,” Shion replied with a pleasant smile. “How about you?”

“Nezumi.” He jerked his head to Inukashi, whose face had turned an amusing shade of green. “And that’s Inukashi.”

Inukashi quickly glanced at him.

Shion blinked. “Are those your real names?”

“Real enough,” Nezumi echoed.

Instead of being offended, Shion laughed. “All right. But my name actually is Shion.”

“And as far as we’re concerned, my name is actually Nezumi.” Nezumi folded his arms across his chest. “Now, what can we help you with?”

“Oh, right.” Shion reached up and lowered his hood. His silver hair had been dyed a dark shade of brown. Whoever had applied the color had paid special attention to the roots. It looked odd to see the mythical prince look so… normal, but Nezumi felt more comfortable with it than if the prince had come before him in his typical coloring. Whether people believed the rumors or not, Shion’s strange coloring was otherworldly. Alluring, Nezumi might say, even though the sight of it made his stomach twist with anxiety.

“I need your assistance,” the prince said.

Nezumi raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“My friend,” Shion said. “She lost her leg when she was little. She has a mechanical one. It’s made of porcelain. It breaks, all the time. She’s had all the mechanics in Kronos look at it, and every single time, it stops moving or it falls apart.”

“That’ll happen with cheap parts,” Nezumi said. “Or when the mechanic putting it together has no idea what they’re doing.”

“The parts aren’t cheap. That’s the problem. Safu keeps paying them everything they ask for, and nothing works.” Shion’s brow furrowed. Even his eyebrows had been dyed to match the shade of his disguised hair. “It’s almost like… Well, it’s almost as if they’re—”

“As if they’re building them to fall apart.”

The prince pressed his lips into a thin line.

“It’s possible,” Nezumi said. “It’s not surprising, given how you royals are willing to pay through the nose for their services.”

The royal family and elites privileged enough to live in the floating city had no idea what the citizens of West Block would give to have access to the resources Kronos took for granted. How many men and women in West Block starved every day because they couldn’t afford medicine? How many folks gave everything they had for a chance to survive?

“It’s still not right,” Shion objected. “If someone’s paying for your services, you should do your best work. Not design them to fall apart just to keep making money.”

Nezumi’s lips drew back over his teeth. “What a charmingly delusional world you live in, Your Highness.”

Inukashi’s eyes shot to Nezumi. They looked ready to snap back at him, but their lips remained stubbornly closed. Inukashi had no love for the royal family. To have the prince himself right in front of them, however, seemed to have knocked the fire right out of them. Inukashi was an angry person, but they valued survival above all else.

Speaking back to a member of the royal family was one thing.

Speaking back to the Prince of the Stars was a death wish.

Nezumi expected Shion to glare at him. He expected Shion to square his shoulders and raise his voice. To demand to know who exactly Nezumi thought he was talking to.

Nezumi valued his life. He could charm his way out of trouble with a pleasant smile and a feigned apology. He doubted he would be able to do the same to the Prince of the Stars.

Rather than look offended, Shion’s lips pressed into a pensive frown. His brow furrowed. He looked thoughtful, rather than furious. The sunlight cast a strange glimmer on the strands of his dyed hair, and Nezumi caught a quick imitation of the infamous silver beneath.

“I came to ask for your help,” Shion said. His voice was gentle and soft. “I know things have been… difficult for the citizens of West Block.”

Nezumi’s eyebrows shot up.

“I am the prince,” Shion said, lowering his voice on the word. His eyes darted around, doing a quick sweep of the crowd. No one had drifted close to Nezumi’s booth, and none of them seemed to notice the royal family member in their midst. “But my power is limited. The King and Queen of the Stars like to keep me… away from politics.”

Nezumi cocked his hip. “I tend to stay away from politics myself. Too confusing. It’s all just corruption and nonsense.”

Shion winced, but didn’t object. “I was young when they brought me in. My mother told me stories about what it was like when she grew up. She said things were bad, but this…” He looked over his shoulder at the patchwork booths and dilapidated buildings surrounding him.

“You came here for a reason,” Nezumi said, no longer interested in listening to the prince’s obvious attempt at an apology. Nezumi had no need for them. It wouldn’t change anything. “I do have other jobs to finish, so if you don’t need anything from us, then maybe you should be on your way.”

“I wanted to commission you,” Shion said.

“Commission me?”

“To build a leg for my friend. A better one.”

Nezumi raised an eyebrow.

“I asked around,” Shion went on. “Rumor has it you’re the best mechanic in West Block. Your handiwork is impressive. People talk in Kronos, you know. I’ve heard about you.”

“The elites in Kronos talk about me?” Nezumi pressed a hand to his chest. “I’m honored.”

Shion narrowed his eyes. “You’re quite sarcastic, aren’t you?”

Nezumi snorted.

“I wanted to seek your help,” Shion said. “Safu helps her grandmother a lot. It’s difficult for her to assist when her leg keeps breaking down.”

“There aren’t servants she could get to help her?” Nezumi asked, spitting the word at Shion like poison.

Shion squared his shoulders. “Safu prefers to help her grandmother herself. She doesn’t like taking advantage of people. Neither of us does.”

Nezumi barked out a laugh. “So you mean to tell me that you—the Prince of the Stars, the boy blessed by the gods—don’t use servants?”

“I prefer not to take advantage of people,” Shion replied.

Nezumi shook his head. He hadn’t been expecting the Prince of the Stars to be like this. The few times he’d glimpsed Shion’s face on the jumbo screens and holonets, he’d looked monotone and distant. Nothing at all like the boy standing before him. Shion stood before him, arms folded, his thin lips slowly quirking up at the edges as if he couldn’t help but be in a good mood. Happiness seemed to roll off Shion in waves. It was almost infectious.

“Commissioning an entire leg is a big task, Your Highness,” Nezumi said after a moment. “It isn’t as simple as repairing a limb.”

Shion’s eyes widened. “You’ll do it?”

“We’ll do it?” Inukashi sputtered.

“For the right price,” Nezumi replied. At Shion’s confused look, Nezumi went on, “Procuring the supplies needed to make a mechanical limb suitable for royalty demands a hefty price.”

“I have coins.” Shion reached into his pocket. Beneath his cloak, Nezumi caught sight of a plain gray shirt and a pair of black slacks. Shion had dressed down from the fine clothes Nezumi had glimpsed in the holonets, but his clothes were still nicer than anything in West Block. Shion dropped three silver pieces on the table. “I didn’t bring a lot with me.”

“A wise decision,” Nezumi remarked. “Someone might’ve mugged you.”

“But they didn’t.” Shion put his hands on his hips and grinned.

“It’s a difficult assignment you’ve tasked me with,” Nezumi said. “A time-consuming one, at that.”

Shion folded his hands on the counter and cocked his head to the side. “I understand if you’re busy. You have other jobs. And if you’re not up for the task, then I suppose I can seek out another mechanic.”

Nezumi’s eyes flashed.

“Of course,” Shion went on, “I was excited to commission the best mechanic in West Block.”

Oh, you little brat. “Well,” Nezumi said, pretending to give it some thought. “I would hate to have had you come all this way just to be disappointed.” He swept the three coins off the counter and into his closed fist.

Shion’s lips drew back in a smile.

“Three weeks,” Nezumi said. “Getting the things together will take some time. I also have other clients, and I operate on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

“I understand,” Shion said. “I don’t expect special treatment.”

“The limb I make won’t fall apart easily, but it will still require maintenance. Three months is the typical wear-and-tear limit on porcelain limbs.”

“The ones she’s been getting break down after three weeks.”

Nezumi whistled and cast a glance at the floating city. “The mechs up there must be scamming you big time.”

“Will you require payment before you finish working,” Shion asked, “or after?”

“The three silvers count as your deposit. I’ll need fifty percent after I get the materials, and the rest when you come to pick it up.”

“How long will it take you to get the materials?” Shion glanced over his shoulder again. He drew the hood up, settling it on top of his dyed hair. “It might be easier for me to sneak out again and bring you the payment.”

Sneak out, huh? Nezumi was almost impressed. “A week to get the materials,” Nezumi said. “The whole job will require eight gold coins.”

Shion barely blinked at the price. “Four gold coins in a week, then,” Shion said. “Is that with or without the tip?”

Inukashi dropped the empty can on the counter. They’d been standing silently during the course of Shion and Nezumi’s conversation, but the mention of tipping spurred them into action.

“Without,” Nezumi replied with a smile. “Tips are appreciated, but not expected.”

“Of course.” Shion returned his smile, and Nezumi couldn’t help the surge of excitement and terror that bubbled through him. It had been so long since he’d felt engaged in a conversation, it made him nervous but eager for more. He wasn’t sure what to make of it.

“So next week, then,” Shion said.

“Next week.”

“All right.” Shion’s brilliant white teeth glimmered in the sunlight. “Thank you, Nezumi. I look forward to working with you.” He turned to Inukashi and nodded. “And you as well, Inukashi.”

Inukashi’s teeth clacked together. Their wild eyes flickered over the prince’s face, searching for signs of mistrust and betrayal. When they didn’t spot any, their lips turned down in a frown, but they said, “Yeah. You, too.”

With one last look at Nezumi, Shion turned and marched into the crowd. He slowly eased his way through the gaps between people traveling between various shops and booths, offering soft apologies when people bumped into him. He stopped for no one and nothing. He simply kept moving forward, bleeding into the crowd until he was nothing more than a gray smear retreating into the distance.

The moment Shion was out of sight, Inukashi turned and landed a solid punch on Nezumi’s shoulder.

“Ow!” Nezumi reeled back. “What’s your problem?”

“What’s yours?” Inukashi snarled. Their face was pale. “You’re going to get us both arrested!”

“He didn’t want to be treated like a prince, so I didn’t treat him like one. Why are you so pissed off?”

“Gah, I can’t believe you!” Inukashi spun around and stomped into the back of the shop. “I’m not here! If the guards come and lock you up for running your mouth to the prince, it has nothing to do with me!”

“You’re an accomplice,” Nezumi called over his shoulder. “You watched the whole thing and didn’t say anything.”

“I was never here!”

Nezumi clicked his tongue. The weight of the silver coins in his hand was unsettling. He’d never been offered so much money for a job before. A single silver for his best work. To take a job worth eight gold pieces was insanity.

Shion’s smile flashed before his eyes, sending an unfamiliar bolt of warmth through Nezumi’s chest. He scowled and dropped the silver coins into his pocket. There was no point in worrying about it now. He had a job to finish, and then he would begin his task. There was plenty of time to sort his emotions out later.

He’ll be back in a week.

Nezumi felt a pang of disappointment that it was so far away.

…Dammit. Better get to work, then.

#glorifiedscapegoat #cruria #no6 #no.6 #no. 6 #no 6 #submission

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gotodigitalguy · 4 years

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What is a Sales Funnel and How Does it Work?

Hun, You're Speaking Greek To Me... My wife has an extensive computer and I. T. background, and she's fairly attracted to web site design and HTML code. Before she took on the full time job of being mom, and heck, even now, your lady talks computer language that I simply don't understand. It just never clicked with me. I'd always tell her I saw it no clue to what she was talking about when she and another computer tech would get together. Well, today, here I am as an internet marketer, and of course we have lingo that we use that most people have NO CLUE about. There are even a few internet marketers that have no clue as to what certain lingo actually means. I know I didn't when first started off this internet entrepreneur path. I remember reading Mike Dillards "Magnetic Sponsoring" almost two years ago and asking average joe "What the hell is a funded proposal? " And "How do you make a sales funnel? " I had virtually no clue at all what those terms meant. Fast forward 2 years and here I sit now instructing some others on what "Funded Proposal" and "Sales Funnel" actually mean. In reality they are truly simple concepts. Let's tackle gross sales funnel first, because as we get into what a sales funnel is, it becomes apparent what a funded proposal is usually. Sales Funnel - As I Was Taught A sales funnel is typically seen with an attraction marketing system. (I've supplied a diagram here at the bottom of the article since some people are more visual learners). It all starts off with the marketing techniques you're using. That's essentially the opening of the funnel. You have your marketing resources catching people's attention and attracting them into the funnel. They enter the funnel once they fill out the form on your PERSONAL lead capture page. My partner and i say "personal" because no one is going to opt in on your business lead capture page. They want to join a standard, not a business. The lead capture page is the entrance into the funnel - when they click that "Sign In place Now" or "Enter Here" button, they enter a whole new concept in network marketing. The best part is quite possibly qualifying themselves to do it. It is their decision. You've sold them nothing, other than yourself as a leader, some mentor, and as someone that can show them how to get more leads and more cash into their business. At this point when you start marketing properly, there should be a large number of leads pouring into the sale funnel from your social networking sites (Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, etc . ), flag ads, forums, and blogs. The number of leads will be even larger if you're using Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising - nevertheless that's a different topic for a different time. All of these leads have clicked on an ad, seen your lead seize page, and filled out the form. What happens now? Well, they immediately start receiving e-mail messages from your auto-responder enjoy clockwork on auto-pilot. Building Your List You have probably heard over and over, the money is in your list - ones list of contacts and prospects. Or maybe "monetize your list"? Does that sound familiar? If so, your list is simply that leads that have opted into your personal lead capture page. That's it! The more leads that opt in, the bigger your list grows. I only wanted to clarify this because some people still seem confused as to what a "list" actually means. The Auto-Responder What's in the messages? Well there are different things you want to have in there. First off, a greet message greeting your leads into your site and setting the tone of what to expect in the coming days to weeks, weeks, or months (depending on the number and scheduling of your messages). There are several things you can be offering to most people via the auto-responder. Things to help build your rapport with the lead - like links to valuable options, information about you (your background or your story), who you are, and what you're all about. Essentially ways for any lead to learn more about who you are. Of course one other way to get to know your leads, and vice versa, is to actually telephone them. Crazy concept I know! If a lead includes their number on the form, give them a call! It is a great immeasurable way to build that relationship with your lead and for them to get to know you. There are a METRIC TON of entrepreneurs out there that NEVER do this. Imagine how you will stand out from the crowd just because you took 5-10 minutes to help you call a new lead. They'll love you for it! You can also include an initial boot-camp or training camp scenario as a result of messages and video links that include the training information that you may have offered on your lead capture page. This is another smart way to promote you as a leader because you're giving away your valuable information for free. Back to the auto-responders. Now, don't forget, you're not slamming them with your business right off the bat. You introduce them to that later on down the road. You use the auto-responders so that you can simply tell them about you, help build your relationship, and put in your affiliate links to your affiliate web pages that you use to market yourself. That way, when they click on the links that you offer them, and they purchase something from which site, you get a commission from that sale. This can happen many times or just once. This is how you can get paid more and more even when your leads never join you in your primary business! Remember the Funded Proposal I was hinting about? Well this is the best place to introduce it because it ties in with your affiliate links. The Funded Idea The funded proposal is a vital part to your sales funnel. A funded proposal is the process of the providing of an inexpensive but very useful product to cover the costs of your business, then introducing your actual business later on when your leads have gotten to know you. What it does is fund your business long enough with immediate sales so you can advertise more which brings you more leads, meaning you can sponsor more leads into your primary online business. If done correctly, your expenses should equal $0, or you can actually be making a profit. Examples could be sales from the affiliate links you provide in your auto-responder messages. The resources for affiliate commissions are endless. To mention a few there is Mike Dillard's Magnetic Sponsoring course and all of those products, Ann Sieg's Renegade Marketer course, Perry Marshall's Definitive Guide to Google Adwords, list builders, auto-responders, social networks, e-books, etc . The list can really end up endless. The primary reason for a funded proposal is what I've just gone over - the sales of your low-cost products to fund your business. But there are other reasons as well. 1 . When you have someone that purchases products from your affiliate marketing links or buys your e-books, you have an existing customer as well as their contact information. They are a lead! It can be much easier to introduce them to your affiliate links and products later on rather than a "cold" prospect you've not produced a relationship with. This is how the REAL money is made in network marketing! 2 . Because of the help you've already provided by way of your valuable information in the e-books, you've positioned yourself as a leader, not a salesman. You've offered them simple solution, your advice, your help, and a system. 3. The information they've already bought from you via your online links or your written material is educating & training them. If they choose to become a part of your business along with downline, they're already trained. Your work is darn near complete. 4. The biggest problem with anyone joining your network marketing business is that it can take FOREVER before they feel any sort of positive cash flow. The funded proposal eliminates this issue. Your leads and downline get into positive cashflow quickly and this eliminates burnout or dropout, instead, it encourages confidence and momentum. If you use a funded proposal system, it means positive cash flow for you, endless leads for you, and then a monetary source for more advertising, and even more leads. This is the system that the top income earners are using. They may not be selling their biz opportunity upfront. They sell and promote everything BUT their primary business. The financed proposal drops money into their business and attracts more network marketers to them. Attraction Marketing! Back to the Sales Route Up to this point your leads are getting the e-mails from your auto-responder. They are learning valuable information, techniques, strategies, and even what it takes to become successful in this industry. They're also learning some information about you and the leader that you are. But, We one thing I always do is provide more of who I am. More of me so that my leads not to mention prospects get a better idea of who I am. I simply compose one message and add it into my auto-responder to send out to my leads. That message contains all of the links to my social networking sites - your blog, Face Book, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Better Networker. com, etc . All of those sites contain videos, photos, options, thoughts, tips, and strategies that I give away for free. This way, whatever I post in those sites, my potential customers can get updates about me instantly. Plus they get to look at what I'm up to at any given point and also realize that I'm just a regular Joe. I'm not doing anything special. I just figured out the method to get this to figure for me, so I teach others how to do it as well. Pay it forward! The leads that have made it this very far into the sales funnel are highly qualified leads. They've gone to my lead capture page, they've received a messages via the auto responder, and I've talked with them personally over the phone. They're attending the training phones or webinars. Some leads I even get to meet locally or at conferences. They've visited my web site, seen my profiles on Twitter or Face Book, and subscribed to my newsletters. I've been building a connection with them all. When a lead has made it this far, they are very qualified! The next step is the end of the sales route - the introduction of my primary business. This is where you hope to drive ALL of your leads to. It do not ever happens because some leads fall out of the funnel along the way. And that's o. k.! Fall out will happen no matter what sales funnel process you're using. But the ones that make it this far are introduced to my primary business. They are introduced because of several different avenues. First is through my auto-responder messages. A message containing the links to my primary internet business lead capture page is sent out and introduces the lead to what I do. Another route is through our blog site or Facebook. I simply send them a message when the timing is right, or they click on my the flag ads, or they are directed there by a message I leave, or they attend a training webinar and are unveiled that way. When I've done a good enough job with providing training for my leads and built this relationship with them, they will join my business because they see what I and my business can bring them. Truly, That's it! A sales funnel explained from top to bottom.

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thatdisneydame · 5 years

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The Rise of Skywalker

This is a FULL review so do not read this if you do not want spoilers. To read a basic review please go HERE.

To give a quick backdrop of the state of mind I am in while writing this review, it is 2 AM the night after watching The Rise of Skywalker. I have been thinking of only TRoS since walking out of the theater, trying to process and absorb all my feelings about it. In general, I give this movie an 8/10 or 4 out of 5 death stars. While I wholeheartedly enjoyed the movie I still had some small issues that just added up. Edit* after watching it again 48 hours later, I have changed my review to 8.8/10 or 4.4 out of 5 death stars.

In my previous review, I mentioned that the pacing was very quick. The movie opens up with Kylo Ren absolutely destroying everyone and everything in his way to get a Sith Wayfinder. We immediately see that Kylo Ren is on his way to a new planet called Exegol where Sheev Palpatine is “alive,” but literally looks like a zombie marionette. IMMEDIATELY Palpatine welcomes Kylo Ren. Palpatine has been expecting him and how he has been controlling Ren from the beginning. He was Vader’s voice that Kylo heard, he was Snoke and now as a returned Emperor he will give Kylo Ren all the resources, a sith fleet, he needs to make the First Order the Final Order and kill Rey. I am going to just digress for a moment here and say that by the end of this series of events maybe fifteen minutes have passed in the movie and that includes the opening crawl. The crawl did nothing to prepare me for Palpatine to be the way he was and let me tell you that he looked terrifying. His body looked like it was decaying, he was missing fingers, his eyes were clouded over and he was literally being hoisted around like a puppet.

Palpatine then tells Kylo Ren that if he truly wants to rule the galaxy, he needs to kill the girl (Rey), but to beware because she is not who Kylo thinks she is.

Continuing, we then find out that there is a message from a mole in the First Order which is retrieved by Poe and Finn on the Falcon. But where is Rey you might ask? Rey is being trained by Leia and our first shot of Rey is one of my favorites of her. Rey has been spending her time trying to connect with all the Jedi of the past by levitating herself and a bunch of rocks while she meditates. I do not do the shot justice, but in just a couple of seconds, the audience sees how powerful she has gotten. When she doesn’t connect and gets mopey about it, Leia does the coach thing and lets Rey take the Jedi equivalent of a lap which she does, but fails due to flashes of memories and visions of her childhood and a very brief glimpse of Dark Side Rey. Rey is very put off by this and gives Leia Luke’s lightsaber saying she has to earn the saber. Transmission over the radio from the mole signifies the start of rising action, the introduction of the Final Order and the total destruction of the remaining free systems. The resistance freaks out over the return of Palpatine “how is he back?” “Cloning, lol IDK.” We don’t really get an answer so my answer is, the dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. Well now the resistance needs to find him and nobody knows where...except Rey because she has been reading Luke’s diary. She says she doesn’t know where to find him, but she knows how because Luke was looking for a sith Wayfinder too and she will find (and kill) Palpatine with or without Leia’s blessing.

Flash forward to the desert where there is a dagger that can lead Chewbacca, C-3PO, Rey, Finn, and Poe to the Wayfinder. Rey heals a new creature, whose name I can not think of right now, which thanks to The Mandalorian ep 7 we know is a light side/Jedi ability which allows them to escape sinking sands and escape on a ship. This is also important for later in the movie. Well, the ship happens to be the same ship that Rey’s parents left on when she was a child. Also, this ship was captained by a sith sympathizer. Just as Rey, Finn, Poe, C-3PO, and Chewbacca start to leave Rey senses Kylo Ren coming in his tie fighter and waits for him. During this time the First Order has captured Chewbacca and the dagger and taken him on a transport ship. Rey uses the force to keep the ship from entering the atmosphere and Kylo simply plays with her and just starts using the force to propel the ship higher. Rey becomes enraged and OH MY GOD SHOOTS LIGHTNING OUT OF HER HANDS AND CAUSES THE SHIP TO EXPLODE! Sidebar: when Rey did that I was so absolutely shaken. I was both amazed by her ability and vexed that she had killed Chewbacca. In my other review, I said that some scenes seemed longer than they needed to be. Watching it, at the moment, I was wondering when something was going to happen because it felt like they could have continued their game of push and pull for the rest of the movie. Looking back I believe that scene was the perfect length. While the whole desert sequence maybe seemed/was too long, the build-up to Rey’s force lightning was perfect BECAUSE it was taking longer. You start thinking this is taking fore-OH, MY GOD! EDIT* after watching it a second time the scene was shorter than I thought, but the first time I watched it, it felt like triple the time it actually was. The whole desert sequence, in my opinion, lasted too long.

Well with Chewbacca dead and no knife, the group must travel to a different planet to visit a black market droid hacker to retrieve the translation of the sith runes stuck in C-3PO’s memory. Well, why doesn’t C-3PO just tell them the translation? Because it would make the movie 20 minutes shorter and not require two other characters. Just kidding. C-3PO’s programing is forbidden to translate restricted languages i.e sith runes. This will cause a total memory wipe though. They go through with it and have to escape the planet because the Knights of Ren and Kylo Ren are coming. As they start to head out Rey senses Chewbacca on Kylo’s Star destroyer. He’s alive. There is dramatic irony because we, the audience, saw that Chewbacca survived because of the second craft in the desert. The group and a newly rebooted C-3PO go to Ren’s Star Destroyer.

Once there they split up. Rey goes to find the knife which she feels she needs while Poe and Finn go to find Chewbacca. The knife is in Ren’s chambers. Just as she finds it, Kylo and Rey connect via the force, Ren is on Kijimi while Rey is on the destroyer. Kylo taunts Rey about her lineage and if she still counts the days since her parents left her. While she fires back asking if he still sees his father. It gets to be too much for Rey and they start a really cool fighting sequence where we see just how powerful their connection is. They accidentally destroy a pedestal with Vader’s helmet and Kylo figures out where she is, he is going to tell her exactly who her parents are. Meanwhile, Poe and Finn managed to break Chewbacca out but were captured. They are about to be executed when Hux takes a blaster from a trooper saying he wants to do it. We hear three shots and the camera turns to Hux and three dead troopers to which he says “I’m the spy!” Finn and Poe are blown away. Hux takes them to where they are keeping the Falcon but tells Finn to shoot him in the arm. Finn shoots him in the leg. Finn asks why he’s helping. “I don’t care if you win, I need Kylo Ren to lose.”

Cut to Rey and Kylo Ren confronting each other on the destroyer. Rey is ready to fight, but Kylo is not fighting, he’s here to give her the news. She should join him, they are a dyad in the force, two parts of the same element. Her parents weren’t nobody but chose to be. Her parents sold her to protect her from her grandfather. Rey’s father was the so of Palpatine. Rey is a Palpatine. Kylo asks for her to join him, but she refuses and Poe and Finn show up with the Falcon allowing the whole group to escape.

We then see Hux on the bridge reporting to Pryde about how and why Finn and Poe escaped. Pryde seems calm and orders the people around him to alert the supreme leader. He then snatches a blaster out of a trooper’s hand turns and kills Hux. “We found the spy.” I thought this was very anticlimactic for Hux’s character.

The group heads toward the Endor system to find the Wayfinder as 3P0 said it would be there. The group crash lands and gets the help of former first order troopers. Rey, being impatient and more resolved than ever to rid the galaxy of Palpatine and the Sith takes a skimmer to the Death Star wreckage to find the Wayfinder. After climbing we see her in Palpatine’s throne room where she discovers a hidden door that leads to the Wayfinder. She is confronted by her dark side self who has filed teeth. She gets knocked out of the room, drops the Wayfinder and is confronted by Kylo Ren who tells her she can never go back for the same reasons he can’t go back. Rey is not going to be goaded and sternly tells him several times to give her the Wayfinder. He destroys it which causes Rey to attack. They have a spectacular fight, possibly one of my favorite fights in the entire saga. They are totally utilizing the force and doing moves we hadn’t seen. Eventually, Kylo gets the upper hand and is about to kill Rey when he sees a vision of his mother calling his name. He drops his saber, but Rey catches it and impales him as Leia dies. Rey sees what she’s done and retracts the saber. She heals Kylo Ren the same way she healed the serpent, telling him she did want to take his hand, Ben’s hand. She leaves in his tie fighter, leaving Kylo on the Death Star to mourn and contemplate.

Poe, Finn, Chewie, C-3PO, BB-8, and D-O make their way back to the Resistance Base where they demand to speak with Leia and are told she’s gone. Chewbacca has a heartbreaking reaction. Poe goes to pay respects to Leia and asks how she did it. Lando enters the room and tells him that they had each other, Luke, Han, Leia, and Lando. Poe realizes that he needs help and promotes Finn to general. The two of them begin preparations to confront the Final Order and the Sith Fleet.

Meanwhile, Kylo Ren is still on the Death Star thinking when he is confronted by the memory of Han. I was not expecting this at all and it was handled so well. The two mirror the conversation they had on the bridge of Star Killer base. Han tells him that while his mother is gone the beliefs she fought for are still there. “I know what I have to do but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” “Yes, you do.” Kylo Ren gets emotional, “Dad.” “I know.” He then turns and throws his lightsaber into the ocean, officially coming back to being Ben.

We then see Rey throwing logs onto a burning Tie Fighter, crying. She then takes out the lightsaber and chucks it into the flames, when Luke’s hand stretches out of the fire and catches it. He tells her a Jedi’s weapon deserves more respect. She tells him she is going to stay there forever like he did. Luke tells her he was wrong, that it was fear and that she doesn’t need to be afraid of who she is, Palpatine is just a name. Rey realizes Luke and Leia both knew who she was but trained her anyway because of her spirit, her heart. Luke then brings her to a hut where Rey discovers Leia’s lightsaber. Luke tells her that Leia gave it up when she sensed the death of her son but would be used again by someone else. Rey has no way of getting off the planet or finding Exegol to which Luke responds she has everything she needs. Rey goes back to the ashen Tie Fighter and retrieves the only remaining Wayfinder. Luke is then seen lifting his old X wing out of the water mirroring the attempt on Dagobah years before, instead this time Luke succeeds.

At this point, everything gets kicked into high gear. Rey goes to Exegol, the Resistance follows her signal. Rey goes to confront Palpatine. Who is ready and waiting for her. “Long have I waited for my granddaughter to come home.” He then says one of the coolest and bone-chilling lines in the whole movie. “Welcome Empress Palpatine.” Rey refuses to take the throne and become a sith, she will destroy the sith as a Jedi. Palpatine can sense her anger and hatred and tells her that’s what he wants because if she kills him with her hatred all the sith will pass on to her. Meanwhile, the Resistance is fighting the fleet with the planet-killing canons. Finn rides in on the backs of animals to fight and target the signal that was made to guide the fleet out. Ben shows up on Exegol ready to help. He runs into the Knights of Ren and fights them, getting his butt kicked due to his lack of a weapon. Palpatine shows Rey that her family is losing and the only way to stop it is to kill him. She reluctantly agrees knowing that this is the only way to save her friends. Rey and Ben sense each other and right as Rey is about to strike she sends the Skywalker lightsaber to Ben like a cool magic trick allowing him to defeat the Knights of Ren and Run to help Rey. Meanwhile, Lando has returned with Chewie on the Millenium Falcon and hundreds of ships answering the Resistance’s call for help.

Palpatine realizes he is going to get nowhere when Rey wields Leia’s old saber and Ben wields the Skywalker saber. Palpatine decides he is going to kill them. But while using the Force on them he gets healed and finds out they are a dyad in the Force. Two parts of a whole. There combined souls give Palpatine strength and he reforms and heals himself in a way that reverse mirrors the healing ability. Instead of giving life, he takes it. Rey and Ben collapse, appearing dead. He sits on the throne of the Sith and casts Force Lightning, causing all resistance ships to short circuit. Ben starts to stagger up but Palpatine uses the Force to throw the last Skywalker down a chasm in his own twisted sense of poetic justice. Rey opens her eyes and sees the destruction happening in the sky. She tries to connect with all the Jedi of the Past while we zoom past the fighting into the atmosphere and into space when we suddenly hear the voices of the past Jedi giving me major Avatar: The Last Airbender series finale vibes. They all call out to her telling her that they are with her as all the Jedi were with them, telling her to get up and fight. This is truly a beautiful scene, an emotional one that tugs at your childhood. Rey stands up, weak but ready to fight. Palpatine uses force lightning, just playing with her telling her she can’t defeat him, he is all the Sith. Rey uses Leia’s lightsaber to block the lightning with ferocity. She tells him “And I. I am all the Jedi.” she uses the Force to pull the Skywalker saber toward her and she crosses them and advances forward causing the lightning to redirect and as she gets closer Palpatine disintegrates like Thanos snapped his fingers. The Resistance has defeated the fleet by officially destroying the leading ship and take out the planet-killing cannons causing them to explode.

Rey has completed the battle and retracts the sabers. She drops them one by one until she collapses. Dead. Finn senses it and suddenly stops and leans against a wall saying, “Rey.” I had been rooting for Rey since the beginning of the trilogy so this scene got me. I started getting tears in my eyes. Not because of the scene, but because she did it. Despite the odds being stacked against her more or less from the beginning. Because of the terrible life she lived before the events of TFA. We then hear Ben climb out of the chasm. How he survived, I do not know. He sees Rey’s body and begins to crawl to her as quickly as he can. He picks her up and cradles her while he tries to not cry. He then remembers the healing ability and heals her. She wakes up, smiles and calls him by his real name. “Ben.” They kiss, and Ben smiles, content with the way things turned out when he slumps over and we realize that Ben has died. In a really sweet moment, Ben and Leia’s bodies disappear simultaneously becoming one with the Force, at peace.

Rey and the Resistance meet back up with a tearful celebratory embrace amongst Finn, Poe, and Rey. Celebrations on various systems including Endor are seen. Chewie finally gets a medal, given to him by Maz.

The final scene of the movie is of Rey on Tattoonie at the Lars moisture farm where Luke grew up. She looks around and then buries Luke and Leia’s lightsabers deep in the sand. My first thought was ok so she did not just connect with all the past Jedi just to end the order by hiding the lightsabers. Then she pulled out another lightsaber. This is her own. She ignites it and it’s yellow/orange like Cal Kestis’ could be from fallen order. I’m uneasy about the color, but I’m just glad it’s still there nonetheless. A woman remarks that nobody has been at that farm for many years and wants her name. She says, Rey. The old woman probes more, “Rey who?” She looks in the distance and walking toward her are the force ghosts of Luke and Leia. “Rey Skywalker.” They smile lovingly at her. The final shot is Rey and BB-8 standing in front of a beautiful binary sunset. With that, the Skywalker saga comes to a beautiful full circle end.

I’ve read and watched some reviews where people were upset at Rey calling herself Skywalker. I loved it though. First of all, that’s what I wanted from the beginning, Rey Skywalker. But more importantly, it signifies that Rey got to choose her family. Rey chose to honor the people who took her in and loved her. Family is more than your blood. Rey Skywalker is so much better than Rey Palpatine. Rey Skywalker honors all the actions and sacrifices made by ALL the Skywalkers, Ben included. While I understand that some people did not like it, I personally did.

I have questions though that were just not answered.

What was Finn going to tell Rey while they were in the sinking fields? EDIT*: It was revealed that Finn was going to tell Rey he is force sensitive and I like that a lot more than the idea of Finn telling Rey he loved her. I could see why people thought he was going to say that, but I like the idea of the Force Sensitivity more.

Now that there is no more First Order to fight, what will Poe and Finn do?

What will Rey do?

Where does Rey go?

Will Rey train Finn as a Jedi now that we know for sure he is force sensitive?

Will Rey train other Jedi inductees?

If BB-8 is with Rey on Tatooine does that mean Poe is with her?

I do have a list of the things I did not like

The pacing- this could have easily been an Endgame length swan song and because JJ did so much to course correct from TLJ that we got so much information in such a short time. I needed a 4-hour long movie with slower parts to let my brain catch up. *EDIT* there are pretty credible rumors of a 185-minute cut and this is what I needed. Also, it makes it longer than Endgame at 181.

All the new characters that were introduced had such limited screen time. This goes with the above but a longer movie would have allowed more time for the new characters who I thought were so cool.

I’m going to get some serious hate here but...I did not like the Ben/Rey kiss. It seemed a bit much and a hug could have been so much more intimate in my opinion. Now, I hated Kylo Ren from the beginning, though he was plain evil, how he brought Rey back from the dead and died in her place was *kisses fingers* Que Bella, and an intimate hug would have pushed me over the top.

I wish Rey being Palpatine’s granddaughter was revealed later in the film. It could have hit harder and been a bigger shock. That knowledge in the back of my mind kept eating at me for the last two acts of the movie and sometimes it was all I could think about.

A list of things I absolutely loved

The lightning Rey shoots- just so freaking cool how she did that man. It was so unexpected.

The lightsaber fights. They seemed so different from the others.

“Empress Palpatine”-chills for days

The “match cut” shots of Han and Ben on the Death Star and how the scene was slightly different but ended in the total opposite of TFA. And MAJOR PROPS to the cast and crew keeping Harrison Ford’s part on the DL.

Leia and Ben dissolving like true Jedi

Daisy Ridley making me think she was actually dead for like 5 minutes. A+ acting.

Ben’s full smile.

Light Rey vs Darth Reydar

The force healing ability and the life-draining ability

“General.” “General.”

C-3PO. He kind of annoyed me the whole saga, but the comedic timing and the performance that was given was just so good.

ALL the Jedi speaking to Rey, I mean: Luke Skywalker, Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Aayla Secura, Adi Gallia, Ahsoka Tano, and Kanan Jarus all telling Rey to get up. Just beautiful and helped tie all three trilogies, TV shows, and novels together.

The Force abilities we had not seen before in the main movies. Weirdly enough I also have a “problem” with this. I really like the new powers, but I wish we had seen them more evenly distributed over the trilogy or the whole saga. But in general, I loved them. They had a purpose and that made it worthwhile.

Ben becoming one with the Force.

“Rey Skywalker”- so nice. so beautiful.

The full circle. The Skywalker story starts on Tatooine and ends on Tatooine and I love how poetic it is.

Things I would have done differently. Well, first let me begin by saying that anything I would have done differently is more or less of a minor change.

Rey’s lineage revealed- I’m still a little uneasy about her being a Palpatine, but I’ve accepted it. I just wish the reveal had been later, as I stated before. JJ having to reveal it early in the film is probably a way to undo/clarify what Rian Johnson did in The Last Jedi.

I wish Rose had a bigger part. I like what they did with her, but I wish it was more. Rose’s character was more sure of herself and I liked that so much more than the character we met in The Last Jedi. I’m not saying she needed her own side mission, but a couple more scenes with her at the center would have been great. Maybe she is leading a meeting or getting a squad ready, I don’t know, but just a couple more scenes. Kelly got absolutely trashed because of how, in my opinion, poor her character was written and some more scenes like the way Rose is now would have had great fan turn around I believe.

There would be no Reylo. I do not and have not shipped Reylo ever in this whole trilogy. I still don’t. I will yield to the fact that there were canon feelings for each other. I, however, would not have had that. Ideally, everything would have been the same, but instead of kissing after Ben saved Rey, there would have been a platonic hug, a friendly but loving embrace between two people who have fought for the same ideals and have had a roller coaster of a relationship. I feel like it would have been more impactful and a MUCH harder punch to the gut when he dies. I didn’t ship Rey with anybody because she was one of those characters to me that didn’t have to have a male counterpart. I’m not a huge Marvel fan, but I thought the same about Black Widow. I just didn’t see a need for romance or a romantic relationship.

Hux’s secret and death. Like Rey’s lineage being revealed I thought killing Hux so early may have been a mistake. The last scene with Hux before he was killed was extremely humerus and they could have kept something like it, but having General Pryde kill him after felt wasted. There were a lot of potentials. What I would have loved to have seen Hux sabotage something big, try to kill Pryde or whatever. I just thought it was an anticlimactic death, once it was said and done. The actual death came as a shock, but looking back I wish it had been more meaningful and bigger. This character had been built up to be one of the most “hated” characters and I just felt like his death should have been bigger and not just a shock.

The final battle. I wish it had lasted longer. This is supposed to be THE battle to end all battles. This is the conclusion of the Skywalker Saga and the final battle against Rey and Palpatine lasted like 15-20 minutes. I just wish it had been longer. Maybe a whole duel between Rey and Palpatine or Rey, Ben, and Palpatine.

The Jedi talking to her. I would have shown their astral bodies, their Force ghosts. The scene was beautiful in its simplicity, but to be able to see the Jedi would have been the icing on the cake. To see them give Rey their power to connect to the Force would have been very moving for many fans. Star Wars Theory on youtube has a pretty neat video about how that scene could have gone with the Force ghosts, I highly suggest you check it out.

Leia as a Jedi. While hardcore fans knew about this due to Legends, the casual fan would have been shocked. We saw Leia use the force in The Last Jedi, and I appreciate how JJ expanded on that. He did not leave anything unanswered. I do not know if that was ever going to make it into the mainstream movies i.e if this was going to be done all along, or if this was JJ’s answer to Leia using the Force in the Last Jedi, but I think it was done really well, and the CGI in that scene made me think I was looking at a young Mark and Carrie/ Luke and Leia. In general, this is a whole series “I would have done it differently.” We can keep Leia training to be a Jedi, but I would have planted that seed much earlier in the trilogy or even the saga. I think that the scene in TLJ would have gotten a better reputation if more seeds were planted.

The final scene- I understand why it was Luke and Leia, but I would have loved to see the whole Skywalker clan up there. Anakin, Luke, Leia, and Ben all smiling lovingly at Rey, the adopted Skywalker.

Before I conclude this review I want to make it clear about a few things.

I am not getting anything from anyone for doing this, this is purely out of enjoyment and so people can read a review.

I feel like I have been bashing on The Last Jedi a lot in this review, and while I liked the TLJ as a movie, I did not like it as a Star Wars movie. It is one of my least favorite in the entire Star Wars franchise. BUT, if you liked it, awesome. That is the best part about Star Wars, people can have different opinions. Without those opinions, we wouldn’t have some of the discussions that we have brought up.

This film was not perfect. It had flaws, it had things I wanted to happen differently, it had parts I did not even want to happen. This movie was a well done, emotionally exhilarating, visually stunning work of art that showed the heart the whole team that works on the Skywalker Saga put into this film. This film was 42 years in the making and like a thank, you note to the fans. To be honest, it is hard for me to accept that this is the conclusion of a series that I have loved so much. It reminds me of when I finished Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and just couldn’t believe that this was the end. This is not to say that this is the last Star Wars movie. We know of an unnamed 4th Trilogy that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are rumored to be involved with after the success of The Mandalorian. Rian Johnson is rumored to be working on more Star Wars projects as well. This is not the end of Star Wars, but to me, it is still like saying goodbye to a friend.

Please tell me what you thought of the film. Leave your responses. Do you agree or disagree with my opinions? I’d love to hear from you.

#star wars #The Rise of Skywalker #Lucasfilms #Disney #Review

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treatian · 5 years

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The Chronicles of the Dark One: The Dark Curse

Chapter 15: The Perfect Plan

Donna and Stephen; he'd gone through a lot of trouble to learn those names. He'd spent many nights spying on Jiminy Cricket and his new friend Geppetto, only to find that for once in their miserable lives Myrna and Martin had been telling the truth about the names of the "new puppets for the show." Fate worked in mysterious ways. At first, he'd lamented the loss of Martin and Myrna under his thumb, they weren't much, but at least he'd know what he was getting with the pair of them. Donna and Stephen were an unknown factor. The first time he'd made them human to assess their worth, he'd realized he was in luck. They were a young couple, so young their faces born little trace of stress or deceit. They were clean, baby-faced, and that made them easier to trust than Myrna and Martin. Though they had been good at playing the role of invalid and elderly, Donna and Stephen were welcoming, warm, and kind. They had faces that made it easy for others to have sympathy for, and trust with just a glance. And they were perfect for the job he had in mind.

In the two months since Granny's rejection, he'd learned that she was not the only werewolf in town, just the only one who didn't know or accept who she was. The Lucas Clan was a family of ten children, all of them wolves. He'd learned that every month at the full moon they left their home to go on a "hunting trip", which really meant they abandoned their home to go romp about the woods together. Happy as their little family trips seemed for them, it served a purpose for him, the small barn on their property was left unattended.

The potion that had turned Donna and Stephen into his puppets had ensured that none of their personality remained. And once he had their hearts in his hand and whispered instructions to them before placing them back in their chests, they were helpless but to do exactly as he told them to do. Stephen had one job in this, Donna had another.

Granny, he'd learned, made a living for her mother by selling pies that she made, breads as well. Every morning she took them into town hot and fresh in her little basket and stayed until they were all sold. She had a very unique strategy at the end of the day to be sure they all sold. She peddled food outside other places of business and only swore to leave when the pies were gone. The longer it took, the more of a nuisance she became. Eventually, the store owners bought her out just to make sure she'd leave.

On the final night of the full moon, he'd sent Donna into town with a horse, shapeshifted from a mouse he'd found in his castle, a cart, and a thick, heavy chain in the back. She left the cart in the square, and when Granny began to show, she pulled the chain out, only to struggle to push it back in again. He watched from the trees, underneath a heavy cloak that blocked his scent and hid most of his face. He blended in. Donna did not.

"Oh! Oh, please! Help me! Could you please help me?! Help!" Predictably, Granny, who was on her last pie of the day and just so happened to be standing outside the same store, put down her basket and came to her aid. The blessing of werewolves was that they retained certain abilities even in their human form, and he watched as Granny hefted the chain with ease. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" Donna choked out as she put her hand to her chest and tried to catch her breath. "Boy…you're strong!"

"What's the chain for?" Granny questioned, ignoring her praise and looking it over in the back. He'd chosen that chain for that very reason. If she was serious about chaining herself up, he was about to find out.

"Oh, you know…this and that," Donna answered. My husband and I just moved here and we're still getting the house done."

"Why isn't he helping you?"

"Oh, he's off at work like everyone else. Men! It seems to be all the men in this town do: work!"

"Well, tonight is the night of the full moon so, actually, later, all the men will be-"

"Hunting!" Donna provided quickly. "Oh, we know, someone already told us! Can you believe it?!" Donna shook her head and put her hand on her hip. "That poor creature. I just…I feel so bad for that poor wolf. They've labeled it a beast but it just doesn't seem fair. I think half the reason it gets so riled up during the full moon is because everyone goes after it with torches and pitchforks. I mean, if you were just minding your own business and someone started chasing you, wouldn't you get a little miffed?"

"Right…" Granny muttered. Her eyes had gone dark, blurred, sort of. She appeared distant as Donna spoke, and it was exactly what he wanted. That was exactly what he'd prepared Donna for after her sympathies were made known.

"You know…I know I don't know you very well, we've…we've only just met, but you look like you could use someone to talk to?" she offered with the friendly, innocent smile he was positive Myrna could never have pulled off.

Granny's eyes focused once more, first on the chain in the back and then on the woman before her. "Oh, no, that's just…that's just how I look," she dismissed.

"Are you sure?" Donna pressed in a warm tone. "I'm a really good listener, and you did help me with this chain. We could go back to my place!" she suggested with excitement. "Maybe you could teach me how to make one of those pies, and we'll tell each other all our secrets!"

Granny gave a small snort but didn't share the same look of enthusiasm Donna did. He was worried, this had to work, it was the last night of the full moon, they couldn't keep coming up with ideas. He summoned his magic and found the magical connection that pulsed from him to Donna.

"Press harder!" he snarled under his breath.

"Oh, please!" she begged immediately. "You're the first friendly face I've met since coming here, and I haven't really had anyone to talk to myself. My husband and I live so far from town."

"Yeah, well, everyone lives far from town out here."

"Yes, I've noticed," she muttered with a wilt in her voice. "Please, I'd be glad for the company. And you know, you've sold all but one pie. We could split it! Come with me?"

Granny cast a predictable look at the mid-afternoon sky, and a few minutes later, she nodded.

That was part of the plan, but Donna's job wasn't done yet. He followed them home, but this time he stayed high up in the firm branches of the trees where he could watch their progress, and his scent would be truly distant from Granny. It was going to be a long day; he knew that much. To the average person, it might appear that he'd accomplished his goal simply by getting Granny to go with Donna, but he wasn't a simple person. He was the Dark One, and he'd already judged that Granny wasn't the type to disclose her secret to a stranger on their first meeting, no matter how sympathetic or friendly she was. No, Donna's job of kindness was only half the job, the other half was endurance. For from now until the sunset, Donna was not to leave Granny's side, no matter if she begged, yelled, screamed, hit, or ran. Ultimately it wasn't out of trust that Granny would tell her the secret; it would be out of fear.

Once they arrived at the empty Lucus house and went inside, he lounged amidst the branches and attuned his other senses to what was happening inside that house. He watched as Donna carefully shut the curtains to the outside world one by one so that she couldn't see out and as smoke began to rise from the chimney. He heard a basic conversation about how long they'd lived there, lies about how Donna and Stephen had bought the house, what they were doing to decorate it. He heard descriptions of the townspeople, stories about Granny's mother and grandmother, he even had Donna question her about the scars on her arm. Granny answered with a sad version of the story she'd told him about her brothers and father, and then…it began.

Suddenly he heard Granny's heart begin to race. She realized how late it was; she'd lost track of time, she had to go!

"No, wait…I'll take you back on the cart. Surely you can't walk home in the dark. There are wolves out!" Donna stressed as Granny stormed out of the home.

"No!" she argued sharply, "I've lived here my whole life. I'll be fine, you needn't worry."

"Your word doesn't prevent it! And…I can't. I can't let you walk back by yourself. I'll walk with you."

"No! No, you can't!" Granny insisted, finally turning around to face her. If not for his perfect eyesight, it would have been difficult to see them in the dying light, the woman must have known that.

"Why can't I?"

"You just, you can't!" he watched as Granny began to jog away. But Donna, helpless against his wishes, jogged along beside her.

"What I can't do is let you go out there by yourself! Not this late, not with wolves and a hunting party out there!"

"Stop! You don't understand; you can't be around me right now, it's dangerous!"

"Dangerous? I've just spent the afternoon with you, what's dangerous?"

The woman was on edge, very aware of the path the moon was taking, and with his magic he created a howl that rose up in some distant place in the forest that made the young women stop in their tracks. She looked around with wide, terrified eyes. It was too late. And now her eyes fell on the cart by the door still weighed down by the heavy chain that Granny had helped lift. It was a perfect temptation. Just as he'd planned.

"Donna…I need your help!" she exclaimed suddenly, reaching out to take her hands.

"Yes, of course, anything, you need only ask."

"I need you to do something for me that's going to sound crazy, no questions asked."

Donna swallowed as if nervous, but the flicker of kindness never went out in her eyes. She was, in many ways, the perfect puppet. "Ask," she urged.

"I need you to take that chain you got at the market and chain me up inside your barn, make sure all the animals are out and don't come back until morning. No questions asked, can you do it?"

"Are…are you sure?"

"Yes! Can you do it?"

Of course, she could. It was the plan all along. If Granny found anything suspicious about the easy agreement, then she didn't mention it as the women hulled the chain into the barn together. A few minutes later only Donna emerged holding the key she'd used to lock her away. She closed the door behind her and locked it. Task complete, her shoulders instantly straightened, the kindness in her eyes evaporated into blankness, and the personality he'd given her faded. She walked with unnatural precision back to the house to await her next orders. Her job was done, and marvelously so, but he he'd worry about turning her back into a doll later because Stephen's job was only just beginning.

He'd sent him to work in the fields that day, to chop wood as Alexandra's husband would and then instructed him to join the hunt for the wolf for a very specific purpose.

"Hey, did you hear that?" he questioned, pulling Jethero to the side of the group. When he found the group, there were perhaps twenty of them, and they were going in the wrong direction. But he wasn't worried Stephen had his orders.

"Hear what?" Jethero asked, looking annoyed.

"That howl…hey, listen…I hear they are offering twelve shillings to anyone who can kill this wolf!"

That caught his attention. "Twelve shillings…I've never heard that before…who are you? I've never seen you before."

"I'm new here, just got into town today actually. But I've been hunting since I was six so when I heard about the search party, I knew I had to leave my wife at home and help. It's my duty, you know." In the treetops above, Rumpelstiltskin let out a small snort. Stephen did play his role well, though he had to admit that the bow and arrow he'd given him to hold certainly helped him look the part, especially next to the others who held only heavy branches for bludgeoning and pitchforks. Jethero seemed impressed. "So, when was the last time anyone killed one of these things?"

Jerthero shrugged. "Never, it's eluded us for years."

Stephen let out a sigh and shook his head. "They're going the wrong direction…"

"Okay…well then let's tell them and-"

"No!" he hissed before pulling Jethero to the side, away from the rest of the group blindly trampling through the forest. "We tell the group, and we have to split those shillings with everyone, we'll be lucky to keep two pence for ourselves, but…if we go together…" Stephen breathed before looking him over first with skepticism, then with judgment. The look he gave afterward suggested that Jethero was lacking but would do for the task at hand, and by the look on his face, it seemed like Jethero read that look as easily as if he'd said it. "Listen, I'm new here, I don't know this forest, but I bet you do. Help me capture this creature and make sure I don't get lost along the way, and we'll split the reward money, fifty-fifty."

Stephen straightened the quiver of arrows on his back before offering his hand to Jethero. There was a pause that he hadn't counted on, he figured a lowlife like Jethero would be pleased to take up such a deal without a second thought, but he did think about it for a few moments before he finally put his hand in Stephen's they shook with a nod.

"Fifty-fifty…" he agreed. Some people would do anything for money.

He followed them as they went in the opposite direction of the group, who didn't even seem to notice they were gone, only instead of hiding in the trees, he walked a fair distance behind them, darting behind trees whenever he got a moment. Unlike the women who were chatty, the men were quieter but strategic. As they wandered, Jethero provided the little bit of intel he could about where they were, who the property belonged to, what they were hearing, and Stephen provided an appropriate amount of bull shit regarding what he really didn't know about hunting a werewolf. All he did know was that they were nearing the property they were supposed to be at, and he knew it without Jethero having to say "we're right at the edge of the Lucas property, poor goat farmers, I think they sell milk and make cheese at the market, but I haven't seen them the last few days, and they never go on this hunt with us. They're reclusive and sort of-"

"Shh!" Stephen finally hissed as they made their way to the edge of the treeline so that the barn and house were both in sight. He was thankful that Granny was silent inside that barn, it hadn't dawned on him until this moment he should have put a silencing charm over it.

"What?"

"Hush!" Stephen insisted. "Stop moving!" With perfect fluidity, he reached over his shoulder, drew out an arrow, and notched it as Jethero stopped and watched him with scared eyes. Stephen remained vigilant, looking about, or at least appearing to look about and listen to everything. "I think…maybe…it's behind us…" he finally whispered.

"What?!"

"Shh!"

Rumpelstiltskin smirked as he stepped forward onto a branch he saw lying on the ground and deliberately let it snap. Jethero jumped. He looked over his shoulder and began to whimper when his pathetic human eyes turned up only darkness.

"When I give the word, run as fast as you can to the nearest shelter, don't look back, don't do anything until I come for you, am I clear?"

Jethero nodded quickly, his entire body trembling. Miserable, adulterating cur.

"On the count of three. One…two…three…go! Run!" Stephen cried as the pair of them took off in the direction of the Lucas barn. Stephen ran with him for a bit, until Jethero broke through the treeline. "That barn! There! Go!" he had Stephen shout, then, just because he could Rumple waved his arm and Stephen dropped to the ground with his quiver and bow, only now, Stephen was only a puppet of wood again. It was an easy disappearing act, but simple enough that when Jethero got to the door and looked back for Stephen, he was terrified to see him gone. He made a small noise of fear as he lifted the lock, opened the barn door, and quickly closed it behind him. Only then did Rumpelstiltskin emerge from the shadows and cast a new spell over the entrance to ensure that it was well and truly locked.

He smiled as a feeling of satisfaction passed over him. One monster had taken refuge from another in a barn without knowing the real terror was inside. It was a plan well executed.

He'd barely had time to smile with pride before the screaming began.

#Rumbelle #Rumple #rumpelstiltskin #Granny #werewolf #fanfic #ouat

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kewltie · 6 years

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Hi! The 'what's wrong with secretary kim' sounds super, super interesting and I have a burning curiosity to know when Izuku gained the name 'guillotine'?

Hi anon!!!

thanks so much for the interest and to answer your question:

it happened around izuku 2nd year w/ the group and katsuki is still trying prove himself to his mother and the board of directors that he can handle the job so he’s extremely critical of himself and those around him. one of the things he’s paying close attention is a small tech company. katsuki’s family owns MANY other smaller companies in variety of field as a large conglomerate but katsuki had acquired this v v v tiny tech company (w/ only 20 employees strong) all by himself (so it’s his in every way) that made software for people with varying disabilities as they go through day to day.

it’s not like a hugely profitable business bc their target audience was a minority group but katsuki knew there was value in it esp as technology advances and more and more people want to have their need met and accommodate in society w/o feeling left out just bc of their disability. so he invested in that company and bought it over so he can nurtured its growth and bc he saw a future in what they’re doing. so that company (let’s say X) was currently in competition to land a contract with a large and famous game company that is planning to make their all their future games accessible to people with disability. that’s a HUGE contract!!!!! X company was suppose to come up with a proposal and a project idea on how to carry it out but there are other competitors of for the huge contract (it��s not like X is the only company to create that kind of content but THEY ARE the only one who has more than 80% of the employees have some form of disability or another so when they’re making software for their intended audience they KNOW exactly what they’re looking for).

as soon as katsuki knew they were in competition for the game company’s contract, katsuki made it his mission to get it and he pooled in all his resources and hours to make it happen for his company. izuku was with him every step of the way as katsuki steered X company to a completion of the proposal and near GUARANTEE to get it bc he has utmost faith is in employees capabilities to carry it out (katsuki only wants the best and OFC HE ONLY HAS THE BEST) even though katsuki visits their floor everyday to hound them and he made them pull last minutes allnighters to work out the kinks of the project so there’s no error. he drove them INSANE by going over each of the detail with keen eyes and look it over and over again until he was satisified and JUST AS THEY WERE ABOUT TO LAUNCHED THEIR PROJECT and show it to the gaming company somebody else beat them to it and its… and as similar pitch idea as theirs.

now all their hard work WAS FOR NOTHING bc that rival company (let’s say Y) MANAGED TO BEAT TO THEM THE PUNCH AND it wasn’t just similar content but an exact raw copy as though it was stolen. and IT WAS. apparently they had a spy who stole their data and remade it with Y company mechanics and content but the core was ALL THEIRS. they can’t even say well Y copied theirs since Y launch theirs first and katsuki is so DAMN PISSED. it was one of the biggest setbacks for him bc he and the rest of X company put so much work in it :///. now to see it all gone… it was heartbroken. katsuki didn’t blame them at all NO HE BLAMED HIMSELF FOR LETTING IT HAPPEN FOR NOT CATCHING THE SPY FIRST. the spy was actually bought over with a better position in Y company and more $$$$$ and also bc they hate katsuki lol. not everyone was happy when katsuki bought their company esp when katsuki didn’t make himself endearing to them but nearly all of them was eventually won over bc they realize katsuki didn’t buy them to observe them into his family’s empire but to make sure they stand on their own two feet WITH ALL THE FINANCIAL BACKING THAT KATSUKI CAN OFFER bc he saw what they also saw in the future of their company. but there’s just one person that didn’t get along with katsuki and hATED katsuki for buying them out and thinking he know anything about what they’re doing by interjecting his opinion in their work etc etc.

so yea katsuki made an enemy and that inadvertently cost his company a HUGE contract and a lot of money too bc how much they had invested in that proposal. so he’s incredibly mad at himself for it bc his ppl work their ass off for it and HE SCREWED IT UP FOR THEM. izuku was there with them and watched it all happen. he brought the employees food & drinks as he tried to console them about their lost but even as he smiled izuku knows they’re not going to just leave it like this. THIS WAR IS NOT OVER YET.

katsuki had no plan to accept it either and izuku knew that very well so as soon as katsuki was done venting out his frustration, he immediately put izuku to work with v v v v specific orders. izuku research the large game company that handed out the contract & realized that the reason the game company was trying for inclusiveness bc the chairman of the company’s youngest granddaughter was born with only the use of her left hand so that apparently motivated him enough for his games to be more diverse and inclusive bc he wants his granddaughter to feel like she’s not alone and that SHE TOO can play games like other children. so with that knowledge that izuku had gathered (which wasn’t like in the news but izuku had made the connection of the granddaughter’s birth w/ the abruptly change in the chairman’s opinion about inclusive bc sometimes it take having someone close to us being affected for us to take notice of a problem), izuku planned for a way for katsuki and the head to meet up in some formal tech event. izuku gave katsuki all the necessary information for katsuki to properly sway the chairman to their side bc if you why bother with dealing with lowly peons (lol like the MIDDLE MANAGEMENT IS LOW) when you can just go to the very top instead?

katsuki’s tongue may be sharp but he doesn’t cut around the corner, just get straight to the point and never going into a negotiation if he doesn’t have all the cards on the table and fully aware that he’ll win 110%. so yea, he won the chairman’s favor by showing the chairman exactly why X company is worth his time, $$, and investment for future endeavor bc if katsuki can’t get to make future games as part of his company contract than HE’LL DO EVEN BETTER. so instead of having a line of title games (which will be small but slowly grow with time) that people can play he’ll make it so they can play W/E GAME THEY USE past, present, & future by CREATING A GAME CONSOLE THAT AIM TOWARD PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY. it’s actually something katsuki been thinking for a v v long time and he knows his company have the capability to do something like that with his backing. so the chairman CAN HAVE IT ALL if he chose to partner with them OR if he doesn’t katsuki will take his project somewhere else and surely they WILL take it bc the market for that WILL BE HUUUUUGE.

so the chairman decide to cancel out the contract w/ Y company bc they’re not going to make games w/ inclusiveness but NEW CONSOLES altogether with the X company instead bc better profit in long run, they dont have to section a few titles just for being inclusive, better pr for their company (bc they are working with X company which is widely known to hire people with disability to work for the so yea), etc. Y company took a huge hit with the cancel contract and izuku saw that opening to swoop in and stole all their best programmers, developers, etc for katsuki and completely gutted Y company in the process bc Y company tho is much bigger than X, like w/ 100 more workers, but COMPARING THAT TO KATSUKI’S EMPIRE is… lol not even a competition. izuku used katsuki’s money and influence to offer Y company best employees all the benefits of working for katsuki with better paid, benefits, and freedom to do w/e. now that Y company was stripped it bare bones X company swallowed Y company up so they’re one company now but under katsuki’s management and izuku arranged all that to happen in one easy seamless takeover once the head of Y company realize they have zero choice and this was the better outcome.

and the traitor who sold out X company’s secret to Y company? izuku made sure the guy never got hired again and was blacklisted from the industry. he made sure the very person who damaged katsuki’s reputation doesn’t make it out of this takeover alive and that’s why izuku is call the guillotine. he’s katsuki’s sword and executioner, carrying out his orders absolutely w/ knife like precision.

SORRY LONG STORY but tl;dr izuku helped katsuki take over a company and almost kill someone for betraying katsuki.

#anonymous #i started typing up this last night but i fell asleep midway lol /o\#secretary au

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melliflovs · 6 years

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For The Road - Gilbert Blythe

Requested By Anon: Hi! I was wondering you could write an imagine where Gilbert is traveling on the steamboat and meets a girl abroad in a town that he’s stopped in. She’s kind & he’s so enthralled by her. She works at a food stand with her parents, and he comes by everyday for a week buying the same fruit just to see her as he’s so suave until reader catches on and they go on little adventures in the town and talk about their desires. Then Gil has to leave a week later and they’re heartbroken. Thank you!!

Word Count: 2,098

Warnings: Just a ton of fluff

Summary: A quick stop in London leads to much more than Gilbert had originally anticipated

masterlist

The sounds of rain and hooves on stone filled Gilbert’s ears as he ventured through the busy streets of London, Sebastian at his side. Trinidad was their next stop, but the steamship needed to restock so Gilbert and other workers were given a week off to do as they wished during this short period.

Together he and Sebastian maneuvered past people flawlessly, both in the need of a warm meal and a hot bath in an attempt to clean the soot off their faces. It had been a long time since they’d been on solid ground. Gilbert felt odd without the familiar sway of a ship under foot that he’d grown so accustomed to.

Eventually Sebastian spotted a small inn. The two of them entered the small building and found a man snoring at the front desk. With a smirk the Trinidadian native reached behind the sleeping man and grabbed himself a key. Handing it to Gilbert he reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out some money, placing it on the desk beside the snoozing mans head and heading towards their temporary room.

The next morning Gilbert woke up bright and early, the lack of rain and the hunger growing in his stomach gave him motive to get dressed. Sebastian was still fast asleep as he stepped out the room, closing the door quietly as not to wake him and heading out onto the streets.

Gilbert had no knowledge about London or England past what little he’d learned back at school so he decided to walk around aimlessly until he found something to peak his interest. It had been a while before he came across a market, different vendors set up booths selling their wares. Whether it be food or furniture Gilbert looked around, saying hello to all who looked his way.

At the very end of the street where all the vendors began thinning out and not many people reached, Gilbert was met with a fruit stand. The bright colors of the produce clashed with the cloudy grey sky. He approached it, admiring the delicious looking fruit he reached out to pick up an apple.

“You better intend to pay for that.”

The random voice startled him, causing him to withdraw his hand. Gilbert was no thief, and he fully intended to defend himself. But when his eyes met hers from across the small stall he found himself stunned. All things considered, she blended in with everyone else around them, her clothes matched the grey of the sky and cobblestone beneath their feet but what had him so entranced was the depth hidden behind her bright eyes. The smirk on her face as she looked at him in amusement only appeared to only grow as he stayed silent, still in shock at the girl in front of him.

“Cat got your tongue?” She teased, her hands resting on her hips. It was obvious that he wasn’t from around here and she always liked to mess with the foreigners when they stumbled across her quaint stall.

“No, no. I was just…admiring your fruit.” He responded, his eyes darting to the assortment of food around him. Typically Gilbert wasn’t this shy, normally he was outgoing sweet guy who had everyone’s attention back in Avonlea, whether he wanted it or not. As far as he knew, nothing had changed on the steamship, he was still as nice and equally as outgoing - sometimes even annoying according to Sebastian - so his sudden coyness caught him off guard.

“Really now? What did ya think of ‘em?” Her accent brought a smile to his face, she was the first person he’d really heard talk other than Bash since they’d landed on solid ground.

He completely ignored her question, choosing to stick his hand out towards her, hoping she’d accept. “I’m Gilbert.”

She pursed her lips for a moment, considering her next move. She could either ignore him like he had her inquiry or she could give him the benefit of the doubt. She was almost positive that he’d be gone by tomorrow, never to been seen again. Just another foreigner making a pit stop before he reached his final destination.

Throwing caution to the wind she extended her arm towards him, shaking his hand. “(y/n).”

She had been wrong.

Everyday, for the past four days, Gilbert would show up at the market like clock work. Each time saying he was simply there to “admire the fruit”. As time passed (y/n) felt herself getting used to his presence, and after a few conversations she found him to be a really nice guy.

Each time he appeared, (y/n) would make it her goal to learn one new thing about him. So far she’d found out that he was from a small town located somewhere in Canada, that he was fairly popular amongst the other students, and that Gilbert’s dad recently died which brought him to revealing that he was temporarily working on a steamship and that London was indeed a pit stop like she’d originally assumed.

“Welcome back, Gil.” She said as she saw him walk up, a bright smile on his face. “Has anyone ever called you that before? I hope you don’t mind if I start.”

The brown haired boy shook his head lightly, laughing lightly at her comment. “I don’t think anyone has, but I like it when you say it.” His words caused a grin to spread across her face. She was positive that any passerbyers watching the interaction must think they’re mad as they stared at each other with dopey smiles. Gilbert just seemed to have an aura of constant happiness that made her heart spring to life. He brought a bit of color to the otherwise bland London streets.

“Do you intend on actually buying some fruit today or will you just look.” She said, teasing him. (y/n) knew full well she had a trick up her sleeve.

Gilbert looked at her with a smirk as he pulled up one of the empty crates, propping it upright and sitting down next to the selection of apples. “You know me, I prefer to eat with my eyes.”

She rolled his eyes at his response, reaching under into a hidden container with a fake frown. “What a shame, I saved this special for you yet you don’t even want it.”

His head immediately perked up at the idea of a gift. Curiosity getting the best of him as he looked at her hands. (y/n) held a purplish fruit in her palm, it was about the size of an apple but ultimately reminded him of a beet. He was sure he’d never seen it before.

“What is that?”

The faux frown on her face vanished at Gilberts question, he’d fallen for the bait. “This -” She said, holding it up towards the light, “Is a fig. We don’t sell many of them and on the rare occasions we do, they sell out almost instantly. This morning was the first time this season that we sold them and I thought you might like to try it.”

Gilbert nodded his head in excitement. In truth he’d opted to skip out of breakfast that morning in an attempt to get to her booth earlier. His stomach had been rumbling as he walked and the mention of food only made it worse. He watched as she sliced it open, juice running down her hands in small streams.

He reached for his half with greedy hands, prepared to taste the interesting new fruit. (y/n) pulled the food away, tsking at him jokingly. SHe held up one finger as she reached under the stand and pulled out a small jar with a dolden substance inside. Gilbert recognized the item immediately, his jaw going slack.

Honey.

It was a rarity back in Avonlea. The long autumn and even longer winters kept bees away for a large majority of the year. Honey was saved for those who could afford it and more often than not they couldn’t. The expression on his face didn’t go unnoticed by (y/n) as she continued to drizzle the honey over the fig.

“Its best like this.” She said passing his half of the fruit towards him.

The honey and juices dripped down his arm as he bit into the soft fruit. His taste buds immediately lighting up at the combined flavors of the fig and honey. He looked back at her in shock. “This is amazing! I’ve never had anything like it before!” He took another bite as she watched him, biting off a bit of her own half.

(y/n) nodded at him with a smile, wiping the extra juice off with a rag she had slung over her shoulder, offering it to Gilbert as she finished up. Accepting the small towel from her, their fingertips touched. It was a tiny interaction but it still made her heart beat rapidly in her chest.

Clearing her throat and regaining her wits, she smiled across from him. “So what new thing do I get to learn about you today, Gil?”

He thought for a moment before speaking, “I leave London tonight.” He’d intended to tell her sooner, but he never really expected to find himself returning to the same booth day after day.

His words hurt her to say the least. She knew his time spent in London was only temporary, he had a life to get back to but finding out that it was time for Gilbert to leave so suddenly caught her off guard. “O-Oh.” (y/n) said, her smile drooping slightly as she began to nervously rearrange the pears in front of her.

“We should do something tonight. Something other than sitting around.” He said, looking at the top of her head as she avoided his eyes. “This doesn’t have to be the end.”

His words made her shyly look up. “What would we even do?”

“This is London. I may not know much about it but I’m sure there’s plenty of things we can do my last night here.”

She nodded at him as she began to think about all the possibilities. “Okay.” (y/n) said as she began closing up the booth. “Lets go.”

The antsy girl untied her apron quickly, throwing it towards the stall in a rumbled ball. Not turning to look where it landed, she turned and grabbed Gilberts wrist, effectively dragging him away from the market and to an unknown destination.

The duo had been walking for quite a while. Talking all the way about whatever popped into their heads. No one had ever caused (y/n) to feel so at ease, the normally anxious and cocky girl was transformed when around him. She became calm and composed, yet still had an aura of confidence and adventure. The babbling mess that Gilbert had once been when they first met had disappeared also. Now he acted as if he’d known her all his life, conversation and jokes flowed freely and he felt like he was walking on air.

Gilbert had no clue where she’d been taking him and had even begun to question if she knew where they going. But once she stopped walking in front of a flower shop and turned around towards him, Gilbert got a pretty good idea of what was to come.

(y/n) plucked a flower from the vase in the front, showcasing the different kinds of bright and beautiful flowers. In a way it kind of reminded him of her fruit stand. The vibrant colors making everything look a little bit more cheery as they made their ways down the street.

Carefully she reached towards him, a small daisy in her hand, and lifted it towards his ear. Gilbert blushed a little as her fingertips parted his hair slightly, tucking the flower in safely and stepping back to admire her work.

Gilbert was careful not to prick himself as he reached for one of the roses, avoiding the thorns as he picked it up. He extended his hand towards her, holding the magnificent flower out to her. Bowing slightly he gazed at her from underneath his eyelashes. “M’lady”

Graciously she accepted it, taking it from him and holding it delicately. The light pink petals matched the soft pink hue that dawned on her face as yet again Gilbert extended his arm offering it to her.

Together they walked, linked arm and arm down the streets of London. Yes, Gilbert would have to leave soon, but she would make sure she got the most out of his visit. As short and sweet it may have been.

#gilbert blythe #awae #gilbert blythe imagine #gilbert blythe x reader #anne of green gables #anne with an e #anne with an e imagines #anne with an e imagine

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voltagefangirl19 · 6 years

Text

Too Late (kbtbb fic)

Summary: In an AU where MC (Sakurai Yuuki) helps all bidders but doesn’t start an immediate relationship with neither, she gets kidnapped by a very resourceful and strong Mafia. Are the bidders able to save her on time? Genre: angst Masterpost

<-- Previous Chapter 1 Next -->

She tries to breathe, that’s all she can do in the middle of the darkness and confusion, after all. To keep her mind busy, she starts counting the seconds, remembering how she got into the situation she’s currently in

Today is the IVC, it has been several months since the managers bought me in the illegal auction I, accidentally, stumbled in. So much has happened since then... I can’t stop reminiscing while working in one of the guest’s room: From when I helped Ichinomiya to make a deal with an Italian mob pretending to be his girlfriend to when I posed as MayLee Ling, one Chinese mob boss’ daughter that was under Soryu’s protection and I turned out to be her tour guide when she was in Japan, ‘At the end I think we end up as good friends’. My little and discreet smile at my memories transforms into a giggle as I remember how I got to be Baba’s partner in crime and Ota’s pet, not that it bothers me really, I just wish that the little artist would be more honest with himself, like when he got his art stolen, he was upset, but he didn’t say anything, it was good that he got the recognition he deserved afterward though, ‘after all, the bluebird was gorgeous’, I think while I enter my last room and start cleaning, it’s a bit messy, but nothing like Mamoru’s apartment, which I had to clean after the whole cult thing because how anyone can live like that? it really amazes me until now

As the memories keep flowing through my mind, a new coworker enters the room “Wow, you do a great job indeed, no wonder why you are the penthouse maid Sakurai” his comment is a bit odd, but I take it as a compliment anyway “Thank you!, you see, working in this hotel is no easy job, but it’s very rewarding” I say in a peaceful voice, but he looks more interested in the VIPs, of course I understand, it’s not like you always are close to the rich and famous, so while I continue cleaning, the new one keeps asking me about how they are, if it’s true that the CEO is living in the hotel, if it’s really Ota Kisaki who is staying here, etc. I remain careful to not tell anything dangerous though, those guys trust me, even if I don’t know why, but I want to keep it that way. We start walking through the hallway and I try to think an excuse to drove him away when the pager does that for me “Sorry, I gotta go” I say just as I feel the vibration in my pocket “Oh… sure I mean… let’s talk more later” that’s the last thing I hear him saying

I arrive at the lounge a bit before the 5 min rule ends “What’s up?” I ask casually, with all the things that had happened, I don’t see them only as my bosses or ‘owners’, but as friends. “Coffee” Eisuke answers with his usual expression, I roll my eyes but smile inwardly, I am used to it. I make a cup for everybody and put them on the table in front of the bidders, I stand next to them. “Anything else I can do for you?” I smile, for some reason, I’m really relaxed and happy “Did something happened today Yuuki? You are oddly cheerful this morning” Baba says with his usual gentlemanly tone. “Yeah, did someone declared to you or something?” Ota asks teasingly “O-of course not! I- I was just remembering all the time we’ve spent together, that’s all” I explain, my face feels warm, which is really embarrassing… But, I really wouldn’t mind if he did declare to me, to be honest; Even though I like all the bidders the same there’s one that makes my heart beat fast, yet my love is purely platonic, with zero probabilities that he would take me seriously. I try to stay away from depressing thoughts by asking them again after making sure all of them have coffee in their cups “Anything else you need?” “You’ll accompany us to the auction tonight, be sure to wear something appropriate if you don’t have any we can buy you something” king Eisuke says while looking at some documents “Understood” I answer with a smile and finally get out, I doubt that my heart would be able to resist any more time with him there; I let a sigh of unrequited love and get back to work with the satisfaction of being able to see him at least once in the day, I make a mental note to look out for a beautiful outfit for the night.

Through the lace that’s covering her eyes, the girl sees a light, interrupting the darkness as well as any form of thought “So she is the special one huh?” a deep and creepy voice sounds close “We are certain that she is their protected, we think that the clients are going to be pleased with the product and with her origins” another deep voice answers ’who are they?’ ’What are they going to do with me’ ’how can I escape’ are the only things that fill her mind

While she is busy trying to listen and feel anything that can mean her to escape, the two other men walk aside to discuss the types of clients, the starting bidding and most important… how are they going to get her out of the Three Spades Hotel before the auctioneers know who’s the person being sold “We must do it quickly, she has to be the very first item to be auctioned, because, if I know them, and I am certain that I do, they won’t compromise the entire mad hatter’s party just for a tiny guess” The older man said very confident “Also I need two or three of your men to act as eyes, and if the case presents, as a distraction inside the hotel” “Alright… what about the Ice Dragons?” “They already checked and interviewed our double, they won’t realize until is too late, but if you aren’t sure enough, the double will be in the buyer car at the checkout point, then we will be waiting for three blocks ahead to make the exchange, we will take her out in the trunk” The younger man was about to make a comment when they heard a commotion behind them, the girl was a troublemaker “Tie her tighter” the young boss says, his men do as they are told and she can’t move anymore because it only makes the ropes cut more into her wrists and ankles, which is very painful. The other businessman comes closer, looks at her struggling and smile, it’s a twisted and lustful smile “A fighter one huh? those are exactly my type, shame that I have to give her away… the virgins are the ones they pay for the most” “Take her away and prepare her, she has to look like the double” the men obey; after they are gone, the boss looks over at the older man with curiosity “You are taking a hell of a lot of risks here, why don’t just kidnap and sell her in the other black market auction directly?” “It wouldn’t be nearly as fun as to see their distressed and frustrated faces when they realize that she was in the auction and they could’ve saved her, but they didn’t” “You really want to get revenge on them, don’t you?” “Oh... The revenge part is only to take away their protected one and to make her suffer while I make a lot of money, this? this is just personal fun” The man says while his twisted smile grows wider.

#too late #too late fic #kiss by the baddest bidder #eisuke ichinomiya #Soryu Oh #baba mitsunari #Ota Kisaki #mamoru kishi #hikaru aihara #shuichi #Luke Foster #angst fic #voltage inc #kiss by the baddest bidder fanfic #repost #re edit

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bnha-imagines-hcs · 6 years

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oh no im curious about these sex pollen hcs. hit me up with some aizawa please if you want to and haven't already, whenever you have time?

( of course i had in mind some desperate guilty sex when i posted that, but it never wanted to write itself bc: aizawa wouldn’t. he just wouldn’t. so instead, have this sfw hurt/comfort thing – that is half summarised bc i didn’t wanna write everything out ❤❤ . )

| aizawa; drabble & headcanons.

it wasn’t even a quirk.

the sex industry, as always, is booming. tech levels rise through the ages and as man’s ability to mimic nature leaps ahead… we get a hold of that long sought-after aphrodisiac.as with any drug, it’s sold in degrees of potency - the most debilitating ones not commonly found anywhere but at the black market.

it wasn’t even an attack of any kind. just a fun game, let’s try this shit out with your friends - spice up a night of clubbing. someone had gotten hold of it somewhere, and fuck but they should’ve asked where.they didn’t. underestimated it; caution wasn’t enough.

weak. everything is so loud, so bright, so invasively intense– a lamppost’s dim light cause for skull’s pounding and the door’s slippery slick plastic like a hyperactive second skin.

not what you might call sexy.

and yet. of course this demonic fucking drug doesn’t give a shit– everything is aching. joints and muscles from the constant strain, head from the fucking stress and core because for the love of all that is sane, there needs to be something in there or around there.

“sh-shou-t-t-ta- fuck -please open the door- fuck please be home,” knocking has little result when it’s a jarring slide of skinskinskin on wetslipperywaterplasticyskinskinskin that renders their knuckles powerless. they slip sideways, flop against the bell until it finally ringsloudLOUDFUCKINGLOUD.

the tremor in their limbs is a racket, something that drives up through all the senses- then finds it’s got nowhere to go, ricochets off every thought and turns emotions into nausea.

christ. are you supposed to take a single grain of this shit-? it’d been dust, fine and easy to sprinkle into the foam that topped one beer, the fizz of someone’s coke. those combos a good idea?evidently not.were you supposed to take that shit at all? was it not fit for consumption, or– oh god oh god oh god

it’s a god awful time, waiting for that second skin to peel away and leave them the fuck alone. thumping reverberates, an amplified ache, and then the door falls away and they with it.

“shit– y/n? injured or drunk?” god, he’s so sweet. nothing useful registers; just blacks and grey [ stubble ] and pale skin / dark rings under [ eyes ] – there’s way too much sensation pouring in through every shred of skin held near.at leat the long kiss with the fucking front door desensitised that a lil bit.

“…..shouta………..hm?”

“tell me your name.”

oh lord, he’s worried. a stumbled reiteration soothes that some, but certainly not by much.

“what day is it?”

“oh god, please don’t make me do that–” somewhere in the century that’s passed in hng shouta smell yeaaaahhh, there’s a click that casts out so much noise. rain’s obnoxious assault on the senses is cut short and they sag in [ arms ] distantly familiar.

“what day is it?”

“shoutaaa… i’ hurts- uhm, uhm, fuck issit wednesday? should be wednesday night, went t’ club.”

“partied with someone you don’t know?”

“nno.”

something high-pitched and short-lived arches into what’s roughwarmfirm. loud and bright and overwhelming all else; clean strokes of way too much / please more and the misery of begging for a cure.there’s a thumb at your mouth / but time passes too slowly and it’s gone ere you can lick it, pulling up eye’s lids until the hallway light is piercing. “–fuck, don’t do that!”

“where does it hurt?”

“everywhere-” you squirm every time he lifts fabric just to uselessly look at your skin / cry for the skittering itching need when sure fingers check wrist, elbow, the inside of your knee - nothing lasts, not even long enough to fully register. “please, shouta-”

“tell me your address.”

“–right here,” then, less obscenely, follows the street you stood out in the rain at, the house you’re in just to cling to his solid shapes.

“where are your friends?”

“home. cab. took it together.” right, that happened. feels like oceans of drowning ago.

straight-up emergency calls Recovery Girl. she comes by despite the pouring rain; was on her way and also,,, u gonna help a pal out. goes yeah that’s what it looks like (completely unaffectedly asks shouta to keep his girl from rubbing themselves on her pls), then gives y/n a tablet that’s a sleeping pill & against inflammatory stuff, and a tiny smooch to help recover quicker - but a tiny one, cuz y/n is gonna need all of her energy. ( no not for that ya sickos >8) )

y/n remembers all that scattered intensity finally drawing into a focal point as shouta lets her grind on his thigh (he cannot touch her he just fucking can’t - and he’s right not to. he is not aroused in the slightest lmfao christ) before everything just. fades to black in her mind. she was not lucid enough to register the sleeping pill at the time (only swallowing smth), but come morning she can piece it together.she’s exhausted. and she’s slept – aizawa, sitting in a chair and at a desk to support him with what smells like bitter coffee, looks like shit. y/n cries for him, because they know how personally he takes things, how he worries, how it takes him a while to stop blaming himself for shit happening to ppl he loves. she’s sorry for burdening him - even if he prefers it, she’s just sorry to put him on the spot like that anyway. she cries for the scare– she cries for what could have happened.

shouta’s already called all the friends that went clubbing with his s/o and notified local police - both bc wtf this drug?? in civilian hands?? and obv to make sure they got home safe, and if they didn’t he’d call a hero to go find them. he’ll be questioning the friend who brought the drugs, find out whether this was a matter of accident or of someone dropping bad drugs in innocent hands.

y/n demands he come rest– shouta’s more than relieved to be able to hold them in his arms now without feeling dirty, though he remains cautious of reigniting smth somehow. but the drug’s immediate influences have passed - now their body’s exhausted both from it and from working it out their system. y/n couldn’t be less horny rn, just wants to cling to him & make sure he eats, gd. they take charge of the situation, of shouta and his guilt. he’s called in sick btw- sick, bc not spreading their private business all over w/o at least giving them time to prepare for it; it may go public anyway if it turns out to be a bigger problem. – s/o says ok. you’re going to eat. i’ll eat a lil too if i can keep it down. you can check on me in between making it (s/o is not gonna get up yet, that feels Not Good), then we drink some water, then we lay down here and rest. shouta’s won over bc logic and bc please let him physically curl arnd them to protect and wash away the night’s horrors.

#aizawa shouta #shouta aizawa #bnha aizawa #mha aizawa #bnh aizawa #mha #bnha #bnh #boku no hero #boku no hero academia #boku no hero academy #my hero academy #my hero academia #bnha imagines #mha imagines #bnh imagines #sex pollen

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tcohs-messenger · 7 years

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how would the arcana cast (plus muriel and lucio) react to seeing their apprentice s/o crying and holding a bunch of kittens because “they’re small babies” and they “love them so much”

I hope you don’t mind that I made it more of the apprentice and the love interest finding a bunch of kittens, because honestly, it’s so adorable to think about ;-; Thank you anon-chan~

Asra-

They would have found them in the street, an abandoned litter of kittens. Either that or from a homeless momma cat. Strangely enough, the mom was alright with them holding her babies- perhaps she had an owner once. Asra could clamber closer, more enthralled by how emotional they were. He’d offer to grab some food for them- and they’d come back with some meat and water. Funny enough, their positive attention made the cats follow them home. They didn’t have the space, but now they have a family of cats living in the back alleyway of the shop. Both Asra and the apprentice take turns bringing food out/leaving some for them.

Julian-

He’d laugh at first, thinking they’re being a little silly. Again, the kittens were actually abandoned, in a little box with an empty bowl of what might have been milk. The two of them didn’t really have a place to call home- but they couldn’t abandon them could they? In a heroic moment, Julian had an idea. So, with box in hand, they marched down the streets of town asking people if they would take a kitten home to take care of. It was bittersweet, because holding them had been so nice- but they knew it was for the best.

Nadia-

These kittens weren’t homeless. They were rare however, supposedly a wildcat but very small. The two of them found these kittens in the black market, being sold in horrendous looking cage. “Oh Nadia- look at them…” The moment those words left their mouth, Nadia knew she couldn’t just leave. It was no skin off her bones- she bought all of them, instantly. They now have their own room in the castle and are free to roam the gardens as they please.

Lucio-

“You know we’re not keeping these, right?” They glared at him immediately afterwards, not bothering to respond. They did know, but he didn’t have to say it like that. Besides, Mercedes and Melchior would probably eat them. They were being sold in the market, so they’d probably find a good home anyways. So they left them with only cuddles as a parting farewell. Of course, imagine their surprise a week later when a basket of kittens had been produced at their door. When they asked him about it, he shrugged it off. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Portia-

She brought them over, holding the bundle of four tight in her arms. They screamed over them together, caressing and patting the very poofy furs. Pepi had found them on the grounds, led Portia to them, and became the foster mother. Neither of them had any idea of where the mother might have gone. Portia kept them all in her cottage, letting the apprentice visit and snuggle them whenever they wanted. Besides- it just meant they’d spend more time together, right?

Muriel-

It was actually a really funny story. All it takes is having a warm cottage, apparently, and suddenly you have a mother cat giving birth to her kittens in the middle of winter right in your house. And it’s not like you could- well- throw them outside right? He was awkward about it, letting them handle the cats more than himself. But upon waking up, surrounding by the mewling bundles in what could only be a pile of affection- he realized he might be a cat person.

(Wanna see something else? Shoot me a message~!)

#the arcana #asra #julian devorak #countess nadia #count lucio #portia #muriel #tcohwrites #my kink is finding bundles of kittens

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schmidtchristmasmarket · 4 years

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Karl Follen came to America from Germany in 1825 as political refugee. As a young law professor he had written that people are justified in rising up against despotic regimes. Lafayette, returning for the fiftieth anniversary of the American Revolution, assisted with introductions.

Soon Follen was again a professor: at Harvard, teaching in German literature, church history, and ethics. Popular with students, he introduced German gymnastics and opened America’s first public gym. He married Eliza Lee Cabot, from a famous Boston family. In 1831, after the birth to their son, Charlie, she wrote a hymn, “Remember the Slave,” that began:

Mother! Whene’er around your child/ You clasp your arms in love,

And when, with grateful joy, you raise/ Your eyes to God above,

Think of the negro mother, when/ Her child is torn away,

Sold as a little slave, — O, then,/ For that poor mother pray!

Her husband clearly had her support when he joined the Anti-Slavery Society. He told her that it might mean losing his position. It did. In 1835, Harvard ended his professorship. Many donors were invested in textile mills using slave-picked cotton. Poorer whites, fearing that an end to slavery would cut their wages, had led anti-abolitionist riots– in Boston, where William Lloyd Garrison was nearly lynched; in Philadelphia, New York, and even Alton, Illinois, where another abolitionist editor, Elijah Lovejoy, was killed.

At Christmas, 1835, the Follens still lived in a comfortable house in Cambridge, built with help from Eliza’s family. Charles, as he was now called, was preparing for a second career: as a minister, mentored by Eliza’s influential Unitarian pastor, William Ellery Channing. Channing had summoned a protest meeting in Boston after the Lovejoy murder, and published book on Slavery — condemning it while also saying that many now calling themselves “abolitionists” were guilty of condemning not just the sin, but also all those tangled in its cotton threads; and with no plan to help those freed, as demanded, “immediately.” Suffering the endemic disease of the time, tuberculosis, Channing made Charles his personal representative in anti-slavery circles.

At the holidays, the Follens had a houseguest, Harriet Martineau, sister of a rising leader among British Unitarians, and a female pioneer in sociology and journalism. She had supported Britain’s abolition of slavery in its Caribbean colonies, then in a six-year transition period. Plantation owners were to treat former slaves as “apprentices,” using public compensation to prepare them to enter the labor market. Channing hoped that the U.S. might fund such a transition by selling public lands in the West.

Despite the danger, the Follens asked Harriet to go with them to an anti-slavery meeting.

There she said only that she felt slavery “inconsistent with the law of God.” That was enough. Many houses closed their doors to her. Her reports on America became one part dry statistics plus personal anecdotes. She lost her chance to rival de Tocqueville, in assessing the true nature of “democracy in America.”

Christmas, in 1835 Boston, was not yet widely celebrated. New England’s Puritan heritage considered it “popish.” New Year’s was, however. Follen, feeling nostalgic for the Christmas customs of his childhood in Germany, arranged for a New Year’s party for his son, Charlie, his playmates and their parents. Eliza greeted guests in the front parlor. Meanwhile, in a back parlor separated by sliding doors, Follen set up in a tub a spruce tree that he had cut. He and Martineau then decorated it – with small dolls, gilded eggshells, and paper cornucopias with candied fruit. They then placed candles in holders on branches where they would not catch fire.

Once he had lit all the little candles –with a bucket of water standing by – Follen flung open the doors. Charlie and the guests, young and old, looked in, amazed. As Martineau wrote:

It really looked beautiful; the room seemed in a blaze, and the ornaments were so well hung on that no accident happened, except that one doll’s petticoat caught fire. There was a sponge tied to the end of a stick to put out any supernumerary blaze, and no harm ensued. . . . The children poured in, but in a moment every voice was hushed. Their faces were upturned to the blaze, all eyes wide open, all lips parted, all steps arrested.

Those words, published first in a popular women’s magazine, then a pamphlet, gave the first vivid description in English of the German custom of the Christmas tree. The practice soon caught on, both in America and in England, where Queen Victoria’s 1839 engagement to a German prince made fashionable all things German.

Meanwhile, around Boston, younger Unitarian ministers, almost all influenced by Channing, some by Follen, in 1836 formed a group later called the Transcendentalist Circle. Later known chiefly as writers and individualists – as were Emerson, Thoreau, and Alcott out in Concord – many other Transcendentalists remained Boston church-based social activists. Influenced by German idealists such as Kant, they challenged materialism as the basis of moral philosophy. They saw that myfull spiritual, moral development depends upon promoting yours. They then sparked the American struggle for racial, gender, and social justice. Through spiritual friendship, they promoted Margaret Fuller’s feminism, Horace Mann’s efforts for free public education, and the crusade by Dorothea Dix for decent treatment of the mentally ill. Like Follen, all were disciples of Channing.

Sadly, Follen’s Christmas tree has gone largely forgotten, except perhaps at the Follen Community Church in Lexington, Massachusetts. Five years after lighting that 1835 Christmas tree, he was hurrying back from lecturing in New York to dedicate the building he designed for Unitarians there who had called him to be their pastor. While he had carefully avoided the tree catching fire, he himself perished at sea, amid burning bales of cotton, as the steamer Lexington caught fire on Long Island Sound.

That, however, is another story. One that I have tried to tell as touching on issues that should still concern us all this Christmas.

Read more of A Christmas Blog or Shop Now at Schmidt Christmas Market

Licensed from https://brewminate.com/karl-follen-an-abolitionist-and-the-christmas-tree-in-1835/

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topsolarpanels · 7 years

Text

Big oil v orcas: Canadians oppose pipeline that threatens killer whales on the brink

Conservationists say the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion project poses the greatest hazard yet to a killer whale population on the edge of extinction

On one shore there are snow-capped mountains. On the other side loom towering skyscrapers. These churning waters off the coast of Vancouver are marked by a constant flow of ferries and containers ships but they are also home to 80 or so orcas.

Known as the southern resident killer whales the group has long had a fraught relationship with the urban sprawl they live alongside, leaving them on the knife edge of extinction.

In the late 1960 s and early 70 s, dozens were captured and sold to aquaria and theme park around the world. Those who remained were exposed to runoff chemicals being implemented in local industry, inducing them some of the worlds most contaminated marine mammals .

But now the orcas of the Salish sea face what conservationists say is their biggest threat to date: an expansion proposal for a pipeline that would snake from Alberta to the Pacific coast.

Spearheaded by Texas-based energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan, the C $6.8 bn ($ 5bn) Trans Mountain Expansion project is designed to transport Albertas landlocked bitumen to international markets.

Canada pipeline map

The proposal which still needs the approval of the federal government, led by Justin Trudeau would expand an existing pipeline to lay nearly 1,000 km of new pipeline from Alberta to Vancouvers coastline. Oil tanker and barge trafficking in human the region would soar virtually sevenfold, to as many as 408 tankers a year.

Conservationists caution that the spike in tanker traffic would be disastrous for the resident orca whales a genetically unique population that is already classified as imperiled in both Canada and the US.

The approval of the project is also the approval of the extinction of the population, said Ross Dixon of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. No one is disputing it. Nobody is saying thats not accurate. Its been accepted.

In May, Canadas energy regulator wrapped up two years of review into the Trans Mountain proposal, recommending that the federal government approve the project. The acceptance was conditional, subject to 157 conditions that include 49 environmental requirements. The regulator also notedthe project is likely to result in significant adverse effects to the southern resident killer whale.

Trudeaus cabinet has until 19 December to make its final decision.

Anti-pipeline signs are considered on the side of a road in the First Nations village of Old Massett, British Columbia. Photo: Bloomberg/ Bloomberg via Getty Images

Analysts have long speculated that the approval of the pipeline is imminent. The selection between pipelines and gale turbines is a false one, Trudeau told attendees at a Vancouver conference on clean technology in March. We require both to reach our goal, and as we continue to ensure there is a market for our natural resources, our deepening commitment to a cleaner future will be a valuable advantage.

Trudeau has faced immense pressure from Alberta where sagging oil prices have sent unemployment soaring to around 8.5% to approve a pipeline, but promises by Donald Trump to resurrect plans for the Keystone XL pipeline could alleviate some of this pressure.

Many are not taking any opportunities. The Raincoast Conservation Foundation has joined forces-out with several other organisations to launch a legal challenge against the energy regulators approval of the project, arguing that it failed to take into account the impact on the orca whales and their habitat. The groups are currently waiting to hear whether their application for judicial review, are presented in June, will be given the go ahead by the court.

The anticipated increase in tanker traffic will heighten the physical and acoustic disorders in the water, said Misty MacDuffee of Raincoast Conservation Foundation. The noise of the propeller and the engine emits at a frequency that they are able mask the communication of the whales, she said. And the overall traffic combines to generate sort of a din so it reduces the actual space over which the whale can hear and be heard by other whales.

The result could hamper the whales ability to catch food, she said. Theyve got a unique diet, theyve got a unique language in terms of their dialect and theyve got a unique culture. And its that package thats in jeopardy.

Climate change has steadily lessened the availability of Chinook salmon, the whales main food source. Drone research has uncovered whales with altered body shapes and absence fat deposits, indicating they are starving. You can visibly actually consider the ribs on some of these whales, said MacDuffee.

A pod of orcas in Johnstone Strait, British Columbia. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

If tanker traffic increases, the whales will not simply move to another area. That critical habitat is not just a space on the map. It has these acoustic components, food supply components and water quality components.

The fate of the orcas is just one facet of the broad masses of the opponent the project is facing. More than 20 municipalities and 17 First Nations communities have come out against the proposal while hundreds of youth marched in Ottawa last month to urge the government to shelve project proposals. Thousands more are expected to turn out for a protest march in Vancouver this Saturday.

The existing pipeline which began operating in 1953 passes near several schools, at one site operating under a school playground, said Karen Wristen of Living Oceans.

It was fears over this trajectory that launched 92 -year-old Elsie Dean into action. It comes right through our community, said Dean, pointing to the pipelines route through her home of Burnaby, a city of some 220,000 people in British Columbia.

Since 1961, the pipeline system being eyed for expansion has reported approximately 82 spills to the countrys energy regulator, she noted. It just seems instead insane to consider putting this amount of bitumen in a community of people.

Those opposed to the pipeline say increased oil tanker traffic will hamper the whales ability to catch food. Photograph: Bloomberg/ Bloomberg via Getty Images

Dean helped launch Broke, or Burnaby Residents Opposed to Kinder Morgan Expansion, four years ago in an effort to steer Canada whose greenhouse gas emissions rank among the highest per capita in the OECD away from fossil fuels and towards meaningful efforts to tackle climate change. We know that if we dont cut back on fossil fuel, the future generation or certainly my grandchildren will be affected adversely by climate change.

One First Nations community has countered project proposals with a demonstration of the alternative. The Tsleil-Waututh Nation, which sits immediately across an inlet from the existing Kinder Morgan tanker terminal, lately launched a fundraising campaign to expand the communitys commitment to solar energy. Its a poetic route to exemplify the choices before us, said Charlene Aleck, a councillor with the community.

The Kinder Morgan project was analysed through the same lens as all others that come through the territory, said Aleck. Is it feasible, is it something good for the water, land and air? The community of 500 people was unanimous in its opposition. It didnt even pass the lowest entry form of how we would running business on our land.

Chief among the communitys concerns was the possibility of an oil spill, she said. One collision and the lives and subsistences of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as salmon, dolphins, whales, seals and a multitude of other aquatic and hundreds of thousands of avian species, would be destroyed forever.

Earlier this month, Trudeau announced C $1.5 bn in fundingto improve response measures. The move was widely seen as an attempt to quell some of the opposition to the proposed pipeline.

Aleck welcomed the funding as a route to address the issues arising from the industry already in operation in the region. But the best style to mitigate an petroleum spill is not to approve the Kinder Morgan expansion, she added.

When queried on the opposition facing the proposal, Kinder Morgan pointed to a series of connections on their website highlighting the companys funding of orca research and its efforts to engage communities affected by the pipeline.

Since 1961, the pipeline system being eyed for expansion has reported more than 80 spills. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

The project has received 41 letters of support from Aboriginal groupslocated along the pipeline and marine passageway in Alberta and British Columbia, said the company. More than C $13 m in funding had been provided to some 98 communities who wanted to learn more about the project, it added.

The pipeline does not run under any buildings, the company noted .~ ATAGEND Living or being active near our pipeline does not pose any health hazard. Where the pipeline operates near schools, it said, we are open to working with individual schools or districts to fully support their safety efforts and ensure their emergency response schemes and ours are coordinated.

If the project is approved, the company said it would invest more than C $150 m in marine spill answer in the region. The investment will fund five new reaction bases, about 115 new the workers and approximately 26 new vessels at strategic locations along BCs southern shipping lane, the company said.

The millions in funding does little to address what seems to be a certainty of the project health risks posed to the resident orca whales, said Dixon of the Raincoast Conservation Foundation. If this population runs extinct, its gone for good, he said. Theyre part of our identity, theyre part of the place in which we live. If we lose them, we lose a part of ourselves.