#and start another installment in the take me home lore at this rate

[sorryimananti-romantic]

I'm still stuck on the ATLA thing and I just realized that San can probably melt metals and throw it around to burn his enemies' flesh to the bone.

If Wooyo and Mingi combine their powers they can make a fire tornado. Yunho can bloodbend, make blood clot in your veins, make it heat up and expand so much that every single capillary bursts.

Hongjoong's light magic, if he can imbibe an arrow with it and it hits someone, can probably combust someone from the inside with the amount of energy light has. (Do you think he kinda has a glow from within because of his light magic tho? Whenever I think if him as the Prince of light, I imagine him glowing)

Wooyoung also probably does this

San/wooyoung/Jongho:

And Jongho is so Toph coded he WILL call you twinkle toes.

Also ever since the picture of Lightning bender Mingi took a seat in my head I've had this headcanon that whenever he gets flustered or shy little flashes of Lightning fly around him. Like you can literally SEE his fuse short circuiting

Mingi trying to flirt:

YES SAN CAN. also... isn't the iron in our blood a metal too? bloodbending for san, perhaps? (far-fetched tho i think yunho should be the only bloodbender out there loll also easy there mate-)

ah yes the combinations! wooyoung and mingi with the fire tornado, also wooyoung and yunho could do a water tornado (sth similar to a waterspout methinks)

hongjoong with his light arrows that would burn the flesh off your bones before it even gets to the combustion part. there's a reason i chose ginger haired bronzer makeup hongjoong as the prince of light bc i feel like he looks way too ethereal and prince-of-light-ey in that! the illusion mv, specifically. he looks etheral anyway but this:

also cackling at the gifs! so accurate haha wooyoung threatening the teezers with mini tornados between his hands. there's a reason i put wooyoung, jongho and san in one continent they have like similar? power types i think and can you imagine the chaos when they get together to practise? imagine them going to mingi's kingdom that has the only desert on their planet. they must be practising all that in the desert 😭

DSKLHFJKSDGH MINGI SHORT CIRCUITING WHEN SOMEONE CONFESSES TO HIM OR WHEN HE FEELS THE 'SPARKS' DFKJGHDJKGH if i write a mingi series in the lore that's exactly what we're exploring- his struggles with the lightning part of fire magic and how he finds a partner in between all of that and keeps getting his ass electrocuted 😭😭

[joebloggs88]

Chucky The Tv Series

Season 1 Episode One - Death By Misadventure.

Spoilers Ahead!

So before we start I am a massive Chucky fan boy! I’ve loved every movie from the original 1988’s child’s play all the way to 2017’s Cult of Chucky. I even have a soft spot for seed of Chucky. These movies are by no means masterpieces however they are fun, gory, scary and enjoyable. When I heard that Chucky was moving to the small screen I was instantly exited. Sitting down to watch the pilot of this episode filled me with joy and excitement for the future of this series.

Plot

The first episode introduces us to 14-year-old high school student Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur), Jake is your average teenager who likes podcasts and collecting retro dolls. Jake is also gay. Jake listens to a crime podcast that discusses the murders of Charles Lee Ray and the alleged rumours of his soul possessing a doll and going on a killing rampage through out America. Little does he know that all of the urban legends regarding Charles Lee Ray inhabiting a Good Guy doll who goes by the name Chucky are real, and he finds that out quickly after purchasing one at a yard sale for $20. Jake’s hobby is getting vintage and retro dolls and using their limbs to create scary sculptures. He intends to cut Chucky up and include him in his sculpture. However When jake attempts to remove chucky’s head his father arrives home from work in time to see that his son has purchased another doll His dad Luke Wheeler (Devon Sawa), is a blue-collar employee who doesn’t like the fact his son has this doll obsession. He also doesn’t like that Jake is gay, although he’s not even willing to admit that. This introductory scene not only implies an abusive relationship between father and son, but we also learn that jakes mother has died previously. Chucky soon realises he has an opportunity here to “have some fun” with Jake and his family and friends.

CHUCKY IS BACK!!

The first episode does a really good job introducing and establishing these new characters and sets up what I feel is going to be a very good series. Performances by Arthur and Sawa are very good and not forgetting Brad Dourif who never fails to impress with his vocal talents. Don Mancini the original creator of Chucky returns to direct and write this pilot and does a really good job of keeping things faithful to the original lore, while also not making it too reliant on the previous movies enabling new watchers to enjoy also. The Chucky doll is looking it’s very best. Chuckys look has been based heavily off child’s play 2 and it shows. The decision to use practical effects and an animatronic puppet over cgi is the best decision the show can make. Chucky feels alive and looks fantastic. The show being based in Charles Lee Ray’s home town of Hackensack is a nice touch and I look forward too the series exploring Chucky’s past and seeing what made an ordinary man become this world famous killer. Notably other “legacy” characters like Tiffany, Andy and Nica are not present in the first episode and I think this is a smart move from the director. Not including them allows us as the viewers to get to know the new characters before introducing the regulars. The show also incorporates a lot of LGBTQ+ themes and as a member of this community myself who has seen Chucky as an LGBTQ+ icon for years i am very happy the director is going full force in this direction. I will be interested to see what Mancini who is also gay has in store for the LGBTQ+ community in episodes to come! So my final verdict of the pilot is very positive. I am very exited to see where this show takes us in future instalments.

Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[mauserfrau]

Sepulchre - Chapter 1

>>> Story: Read The Tags >>>>> Music: Ambient & Retrowave Events leading up to and immediately after the birth of the Calypso Twins: a love story and a story about Leda and Typhon, though I wouldn't call it a love story about Leda and Typhon. Inspired by "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius", Bianca by Guido Crepax and those "naughty" fairy tale anthologies from the 90's. I got myself into a situation where I had to solidify the lore in Grimeverse and figured I might as well go absolutely off the wall with it considering where that story eventually ends up. Thank all of you for putting up with me while I was writing it.

Today's installment is pretty tame, covering how Leda and Typhon met. I mean, it's not G-rated because it's a Borderlands fic where Typhon opens his mouth, but there's no graphic sex. That's tomorrow or Saturday.

Enjoy & thank you very much, you lovely people. I put the first scene (note: violence) under the cut.

The truth was, she shot them. Well, a few of them. The ones who started thanking her once she’d put two bullets in that cowardly tyrant Sapphir weren’t going to make it on this planet. Letting them go was almost a cruelty. After spending the past Standard year with them?

She let them go.

From them she claimed one light transport truck with sixty days’ supplies for two people and two jugs of succ wine that tasted like acetate fumes.

She drove. The radio broke after forty miles and she had to shoot it to turn it off. Silence made her skittish, but she couldn’t take another minute of Bandits and Sandbillies and Psychos and shouting while Sapphir’s last words still rang in her ears.

“We’re going back.”

Nothing that had gone wrong on the expedition was his fault, of course. The crew screwed that dig up. Blame the weather for this one. We’ve got plenty of water. By the way, I’m keeping half of whatever you idiots find. Half of nothing was still nothing, though she doubted she was the only one in the crew who’d stashed a small find here or there in her pockets. She had a few of what Eridian researchers jokingly called dijes and some tablet pieces too small to read, the sort of stuff any half-assed museum could bum off of a corporation.

She had something, just not what she’d come for, a familiar turn of her thoughts that made it all too easy to imagine a motif running through her life.

Her father and step family had spared no expense, time or money, introducing her into the eccentric bushcraft debutante culture of Cygnus women. She got good at it, enough to attract attention. A boy had chosen her as his intended at one of the balls. She’d been fifteen and an off-worlder and most of all unwilling. She’d run back to her mother as soon as he finished proposing to her.

At her mother’s she grew bored simply existing in a cloud tower and started hanging around with the college students from two spires over. They brought her to their lectures with the name of whoever was hung over that morning. She took Overview of Terran Literature and Psychosexual Development and Intro to Xenolinguistics twice since she didn’t understand it the first time.

She never enrolled. She was assumed to be enrolled. In time she landed a transfer to another world entirely and, once again, she left. She still wasn’t sure if she said goodbye to her mother or the name of the senior she jumped into bed with in her celebratory haze.

She should have been angry about doubting those things until she forgot them, but staring into the shadowed streaks of hardpan beneath her, she felt only a background sensation of wanting to know, something she felt most of the time.

University life had almost suited her. She became a perpetual student, switching degrees, ignoring her own graduation because it was her third, working as an adjunct, sleeping in staff housing that was only slightly better than the dorms. She went to dances again, but on her own terms, and she brought home whoever she liked, seldom the same person twice. People argued about Shelley, Paglia and Austerbridge with her in public. She never said a thing about anyone hiding in the back of lecture, her own or otherwise. People came and went. Spring lasted forever. There was always a new semester, a new thing to learn, a certification she did not hold.

Until one day there wasn’t.

The dean of the language department introduced her as “our foremost expert on Eridian. She teaches a semiotics course too!”

And suddenly her room was too small, the databank was too small, her clothes were too small. Everything was too small. Mom didn’t answer when she called. She wouldn’t ask Dad. She was the only one of his children who hadn’t at least gotten engaged. So she took the job with Atlas’s research department and…

Shot Jean-Michel Sapphir in the face a year to the day later.

Part of her had always wondered what it felt like to slam a bullet into a man and not a target or a bird or the ground beneath her feet. Well, she felt like she’d been crying, except she hadn’t. She hadn’t shed a single tear since she’d gotten to Pandora.

She drove. Rakks passed over Elpis in the stringy, shuddering night.

Another chapter in her life closed. The motif, coincidental though it was, continued. At least she knew the name of the first man she had killed.

[battlestar-royco]

here is part 2 of my sci fi recs masterlist! again, i could’ve gone on with even more recs but i decided to draw the line here. this set for the most part errs on the darker side, thematically, visually, conceptually etc. i personally find it super thought-provoking and intriguing but that’s just me. i highly recommend reading the tw under the cut if you’re thinking of watching, especially the matrix and space gothic slides. please view at your discretion <3

part 1/2

If you like WLW (um idk why I only made this slide based on identity; it just kinda happened lmao but I think it works):

Siren: (tw: parent loss, grief, thalassophobia) a mermaid surfaces in a cove town looking for her lost sister. Polyamorous relationship between a man, a black/indigenous woman, and the mermaid!!!! Environmentalism! As a person who has thalassophobia, I didn’t find this too hard to watch. There aren’t that many underwater scenes, thankfully.

Black Mirror: San Junipero: (tw: grief, but otherwise none that I recall; it’s pretty lighthearted) two women meet in a beach resort in the 80s and fall in love. Interracial wlw!

Orphan Black: (tw: suicide, infertility, rape implication, VB, language, drug use) a woman realizes she is one of several clones and uncovers an elaborate corporate conspiracy. This is one of my personal favorites with great rep of complex women of all ages and bodily autonomy. Several central queer characters and a black male secondary character!

Starfish: (tw: grief, a few jump scares and brief monstrous imagery, blood) after the death of her best friend, a young woman breaks into the deceased’s apartment and discovers a chain of music tapes that could save the world. Weird, subtle, and experimental. Not to sound like a surfer but you kinda have to allow yourself to be in the vibe. The main character and her friend were definitely a thing imo.

Annihilation: (tw: body horror, VB, disturbing imagery) a team of women scientists explore an anomaly that rapidly mutates genes. There are canonical and coded wlw and multiple (light-skinned) POC in this but the rep is short-lived. I put it on because although it should’ve been more ambitious with the casting, I think it breaks *some* ground for Hollywood sci fi with the all-woman team and more than one WOC. Wack ending though.

Mad Max: Fury Road: (tw: rape implication, violence) I think everyone knows about this one but: in the apocalypse, a woman breaks 4 younger women out of a harem. A badass car chase across the desert ensues. A bit light on plot/worldbuilding, but sooooo cool-looking and very thematic!!!!

If you liked STRANGER THINGS:

It: (tw: VB) don’t actually watch this lmao I’m serious. It’s really stupid, and not in a funny way. But I do think Stranger Things was inspired by this story overall. The modern It films are better but they’re also really kjslsklskls stupid? Stephen King in general is obsolete imo.

The Thing: (tw: VB) an alien that can take the form of others wreaks havoc on a scientific facility in Antarctica. It’s dark and vibey, but I feel like it’s just Alien in Antarctica with truly terrible special effects tbh?? Others feel differently. It’s also classified as sci fi/horror, so stay away if you’re easily scared! Not too good on representation.

Super 8: (tw: some language) a group of preteens witnesses an alien-caused train crash as they’re filming a home movie. Not diverse but I definitely think it inspired a lot of sci fi for the 2010s, ESPECIALLY Stranger Things. Not too scary either!

ET: (tw: it’s been a really long time since I watched so I don’t remember but it’s rated PG) I think everyone knows what this is about!

Alien: (tw: VB) truckers in space discover a deadly evolving alien. One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the aesthetic and the mood and worldbuilding so much. Ellen Ripley is one of the first Final Girls in the horror genre. I personally found this more of a sci fi than a horror movie but I’d say stay away if you’re nervous!!

Terminator: (tw: VB) a deadly android is sent to kill a woman who’s destined to birth the man who saves the world. Terminator 2 is way better imo because it centers on Sarah rather than the dudes saving her and trying to kill her. But it’s still worth a watch, you know, for the culture.

If you liked CONTAGION:

War of the Worlds: (tw: blood) pretty straightforward aliens come to Earth to take over. Sorry to rec another T*m Cruise movie but I really like the alien design and the apocalypsey feel of this one. Baby Dakota Fanning is in it too!

Falling Skies: (tw: VB, body horror, rape) alien invasion yada yada but the alien lore gets more interesting as it goes on. It’s kind of cheesy and yeah maybe I did discover it by looking up the iCarly boyfriend (and what about it??) but it’s nice to have on in the downtime. An Asian woman co-stars.

Knowing: (tw: blood) school students unearth a time capsule that contains a sheet from a girl who predicted all the tragic world events between 1959-2009. This is NOT a good movie but it’s SO hilarious to me because of the acting and contrivances. Fun to group-watch!!!!

10 Cloverfield Lane: (tw: VB, emotional abuse) a woman wakes up in a bunker to a captor who tells her that the world has fallen to alien apocalypse. I think this movie elevates the original Cloverfield in pretty much every way. Again, super tense and moody. The conflict revolves around whether or not the captor is being truthful.

Train to Busan: (tw: extreme VB and disturbing imagery) a man and his daughter are on a train when a zombie hops on at the last minute. It’s Korean with an all-Asian cast; Choi Woo-shik co-stars. I definitely wouldn’t watch if you’re scared of blood and gore. It’s very gross and violent.

12 Monkeys: (tw: ableism, violence) a man from the 2030s is sent back to the 1990s to prevent the plague that will end the world. I think the aesthetics of this are really cool but otherwise it’s not a favorite. But I think it appeals to people who like apocalypse and time travel stuff!

If you liked THE MATRIX:

Strange Days: (tw: rape, sex, nudity, VB, racism, police brutality) memories can be saved to hard-drives and sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Very problematic and triggering presentation of rape, but young Angela Basset stars and there’s a condemnation of police brutality that’s still relevant 20+ years after its release.

Upgrade: (tw: ableism, VB, fridging) a disabled man installs an AI in his spine to help him move and investigate the murder of his wife. The premise is glaringly ableist and I feel weird even recommending it tbh but it’s got great visuals and a few good twists.

Altered Carbon: (tw: VB, weird interracial body switching, uhhh I haven’t finished this one IDK) in a society where human bodies are interchangeable, a man wakes up in a new body after 300 years of his mind being dormant. A Latina woman co-stars, two Asian characters in a subplot, a few other POC here and there as well. I think season 2 stars a black man.

eXistenZ: (tw: VB, anti-Asian racism, general weirdness? IDK it’s hard to describe. There are guns made out of bones and weirdly sexual visuals.) after someone tries to assassinate her, a video game designer and her bodyguard must play through her virtual reality game in order to save the only copy of the game.

Minority Report: (tw: VB, eye removal/insertion) all crimes are predicted and criminals reported before they are committed. The main character is preemptively accused of murder. This one is really white but it was one of the first movies that got me into sci fi. Early 2000s Colin Farrell <3.

If you liked WESTWORLD:

Humans: (tw: uncanny valley, objectification) androids are household helpers and public assistants throughout Britain until one day they start developing consciences. It hits a lot of the themes of Westworld without all the unnecessary pretentiousness, “edginess,” and “grittiness,” and it stars Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan!!

Blade Runner 2049: (^) an android is ordered to find and kill a human/android hybrid. It’s not without its issues but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, right up there with Alien. So beautiful, so thematic, so thought-provoking (to me, anyway. I know a lot of people thought it was way too slow).

Ex Machina: (^) a man is invited to a private estate to help test the intelligence of an android. It’s kind of predictable imo but you know Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno are in it so we have to stan, and so is Domhnall Gleeson, for the SW fans! I like how isolated and quiet it feels.

I Am Mother: (tw: blood, gaslighting) after an extinction event, a young woman is raised by a lone android in a human repopulation facility until one day a woman knocks. It starts off slow and a bit generic, but I’m obsessed with the 2nd and 3rd acts of this movie---good acting, dialogue, and fantastic visuals. It has that same isolated feel as Ex Machina with only three characters, all of which are women/woman-coded!!!

If you liked ALIEN (space gothic):

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008 reboot): (tw: genocide, war, colonization, VB, uncanny valley, rape, infidelity) space opera that follows humanity as it fights the ever-evolving and powerful enemy of their own creation: androids named Cylons. Um? I  L O V E  THIS SHOW SO MUCH and I truly do think it’s everything sci fi should be. There is a really unfortunate Miss Saigon-esque romance plot in season 1 and a lazily-written love triangle involving a black woman in season 3, but otherwise it’s one of my all-time favorites and I highly recommend. It’ll spin your mind and tug your heartstrings for years.

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire: (tw: genocide, war, nudity) soldiers in the near future protect citizens from mutant zombies, but one soldier starts experiencing strange hallucinations in the field. This is such an underrated Black Mirror episode starring a black man. There’s brief objectification of a black woman but it’s very anti-military and it has an interesting sterile aesthetic that reminds me of Alien.

High Life: (tw: rape, black holes/space anxiety, very disturbing) prisoners are given the option to join a space expedition and serve as experimental subjects en route to a black hole. Please please stay away if you are triggered by sexual violence of any kind. There’s almost no physical violence in this movie but it’s psychologically haunting imo.

The Faculty: (tw; VB, drug use) high schoolers discover their teachers are being possessed by an invading alien race. I LOVE THIS MOVIE LMFAOOOO. The cast is SO wild---Elijah Wood, John Oliver, Usher, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett??? And I’m probably forgetting more. The combination of the cast, the terrible dialogue, and shitty special effects is PEAK comedy imo. But bear in mind it’s bloody!!

Prometheus: (tw: body horror, VB, uncanny valley) a crew of scientists heads on a deep space mission to find the aliens who created the human race. A prequel to Alien, but I kind of view it as its own thing. Despite the plot holes, I love this movie too! It was one of my sci fi gateways and the visuals are stunning. It’s pretty gory though so if that’s not your thing stay away.

Life: (tw: extreme VB) a lesser Alien, but it provides all the space gothic tropes (jokey crew, shots of space, really pretty spaceship, everyone dies, creepy alien) with a well-known cast---Gyllenhaal, Reynolds, etc.

The X Files: (tw: a few episodes contain 90s racism, sexism, queerphobia etc but you can skip them) a lot of people have watched this so I barely have to explain, but it’s one of my favorites. Two FBI agents investigate multiple aliens and get involved in government conspiracies along the way. A good gateway!

A Quiet Place: (tw: child loss, VB, tension) I think most people know what this is about too. Alien apocalypse with aliens that hunt by sound. The daughter in the family is deaf, and so is the actress who portrays her. The representation of deafness was critically acclaimed.

[entamewitchlulu]

so i did a reading challenge this year and i wanna talk about what i read

transcription under the cut

i did Popsugar 2019 and wanna talk about what i read:  Book Reccs and Anti-Reccs 

1.) Becoming a Movie in 2019: Umbrella Academy (vol 1) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. A fascinating take on superpowers, dysfunctional families, and the apocalypse. Can get pretty gory, confusing here and there and you have to pay close attention to panels for lore, but overall an entertaining romp.

2.) Makes you Feel Nostalgic: Circles in the Stream by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Middle grade novel about the magic of music, belief, and of course, friendship. Definitely written for kids, and has some unfortunately clumsy Native rep, but overall an absolute joy to dive into once again.

3.) Written by a Musician: Umbrella Academy (vol 2) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba

4/5. Ramps up the confusion to ridiculous degrees with some absolutely bonkers, unexplained arcs, but still fun to watch this dysfunctional family do its dysfunctional thing.

4.) You Think Should be Turned into a movie: All That Glitters by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Continuation of Circles in the Stream, but with more unicorns, more rainbows, and more fae, which makes it automatically even better than the first.

5.) With At Least 1 Mil. Ratings on Goodreads: 1984 by George Orwell   

1/5. I understand why it's important and all but wasn't prepared for some of the more graphic scenes and the overall hopelessness of the message.  Would not recommend or read again.

6.) W/ a Plant in the title or cover: The secret of Dreadwillow carse by Brian farrey

5/5. A fantasy world where everyone is always happy, save for one girl and the princess, who set out to solve the mystery of their kingdom. Poignant and great for kids and adults.

7.) Reread of a favorite: Cry of the Wolf by Rachel Roberts

4/5. Yet another installment in the Avalon: Web of Magic series, which clearly I am obsessed with.  Please just read them.

8.) About a Hobby: Welcome to the Writer's Life by Paulette Perhach

5/5. A welcome kick in the pants, chock full of great advice told without condescension, and full of hope and inspiration for writers both new and old.

9.) Meant to read in 2018: The Poet x by Elizabeth Acevedo  

4/5. Absolutely beautiful coming of age novel told in verse.  Do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook version.

10.) w/ "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title: Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy

2/5. I think maybe I just don't understand this genre.  Or maybe the translation was weird. I was confused.  

11.) w/ An Item of Clothing or Accessory on the cover: Our dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

4/5. It had a lot more slurs/homophobia than I was prepared for, but otherwise is a very touching, relatable collection of queer characters living in a heteronormative world.

12.) Inspired by Mythology or Folklore: Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly

3/5. A girl goes on an impossible quest to save her brother from a child-eating witch. Really wanted to like it more because I loved the first one, Monstrous, but it dragged a little.

13.) Published Posthumously: The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones

3/5. I adore Diana Wynne Jones, but this one was missing some of the magic of her other books. Not sure if it was because it had to be finished by someone else, or if I just grew out of her stories.

14.) Set in Space: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

4/5. Powerfully written story of a girl straddling tradition and innovation, who wields power through mathematical magic, surviving on a spaceship alone with a dangerous alien occupation after everyone else has been killed.

15.) By 2 Female Authors: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

2/5. Ostensibly a story about a revenge pact in a small island town, but leaves far too many dangling threads to attempt alluring you to the sequel.

16.) W/ A Title containing "salty," "bitter," "Sweet," or "Spicy": The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith  

3/5. It's okay but I literally just never know what anyone means at any time. Are they being reticent on purpose or do i just not understand communication

17.) Set in scandinavia: Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura

2/5. Technically and historically accurate and well made, but the story itself is not my cup of tea.  Very gory.

18.) Takes Place in a Single Day: Long WAy Down by Jason Reynolds

4/5. A boy goes to avenge his murdered brother, but ghostly passengers join him on the elevator ride down. Stunning and powerful character-driven analysis.

19.) Debut Novel: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

4/5. Charming and then surprisingly heart-breaking comic about Nimona, a shapeshifter who wants to become a villain's minion. Really love the villain/hero dynamic going on in the background, along with the dysfunctional found family.

20.) Published in 2019: The Book of Pride by Mason Funk  

4/5. A collection of interviews with the movers, shakers, and pioneers of the queer and LGBTQ+ community.  An absolutely essential work for community members and allies alike.

21.) Featuring an extinct/imaginary creature: Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson

4/5. Incredibly charming, Calvin and Hobbes-esque collection of comics featuring the adventures of Phoebe and her unicorn best friend.

22.) Recced by a celebrity you admire: The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen

2/5. Recced by my fave author Brandon Sanderson. An unfortunately disappointing anthology proving that any story can be made uninteresting by telling the wrong section of it.

23.) With "Love" in the Title: Book Love by Debbie Tung

4/5. One of those relatable webcomics, only this one I felt super hard almost the entire time.  Books are awesome and libraries rule.

24.) Featuring an amateur detective: Nancy Drew: Palace of Wisdom by Kelly Thompson

4/5. REALLY love this modern take on Nancy Drew, coming back home to her roots to solve a brand new mystery. Diverse cast and lovely artwork, though definitely more adult.

25.) About a family: Amulet by Kabu Kibuishi

4/5. Excellent, top tier graphic novel about a sister and brother who have to go rescue their mother with a mysterious magic stone. LOVE that the mom gets to be involved in the adventure for once.

26.) by an author from asia, Africa, or s. America: Girls' Last tour by Tsukumizu

4/5. Somehow both light-hearted and melancholy. Two girls travel about an empty, post-apocalyptic world, and muse about life and their next meal.

27.) w/ a Zodiac or astrology term in title: Drawing down the moon by margot adler

3/5. A good starting place for anyone interested in the Neo Pagan movement, but didn't really give me what I was personally looking for.

28.) you see someone reading in a tv show or movie: The Promised NEverland by Kaiu Shirai

4/5. I don't watch TV or movies where people read books so i think reading an adaptation of a TV series after watching the series counts. Anyway it was good but beware racist caricatures

29.) A retelling of a classic: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero

5/5. We can stop the Little Women reboots and retellings now, this is the only one we need. In fact, we can toss out the original too, this is the only one necessary.

30.) w/ a question in the title: So I'm a spider, so what? by Asahiro Kakashi

4/5. Cute art despite the subject matter, and a surprisingly enthralling take on the isekai genre. Love the doubling down on the video game skills.

31.) Set in a college or university campus: Moonstruck (vol 2) by Grace Ellis

2/5. An incredibly cute, beautiful, and fascinating world of modern magic and creatures, but unfortunately falls apart at the plot and pacing.

32.) About someone with a superpower: Moonstruck (vol 1) by Grace Ellis

4/5. Though nearly as messy plot-wise as its sequel, the first volume is overwhelmingly charming in a way that overpowers the more confusing plot elements.

33.) told from multiple povs: The Long way to a Small, Angry Planet by becky Chambers

4/5. Told almost in a serial format, like watching a miniseries, a group of found-family spaceship crew members make the long journey to their biggest job ever.

34.) Includes a wedding: We Set the dark on fire by Tehlor kay mejia

4/5. Timely and poignant, a girl tumbles into both love and resistance after becoming one of two wives to one of the most powerful men in the country.

35.) by an author w/ alliterative name: The only harmless great Thing by brooke bolander

3/5. Much deeper than I can currently comprehend.  Beautifully written, but difficult to parse.

36.) A ghost story: Her body and other parties by Carmen Maria Machado

4/5.  It counts because one of the stories in it has ghosts. A sometimes difficult collection of surrealist, feminist, queer short stories.

37.) W/ a 2 word title: Good omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

4/5. Charming, touching, and comical, probably the best take on the apocalypse to date. Also excellent ruminations on religion and purpose.

38.) based on a true story: The faithful Spy by John Hendrix

4/5. Brilliantly crafted graphic biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his assistance in fighting back against Nazi Germany.

39.) Revolving around a puzzle or game: the Crossover by Kwame alexander

4/5. The verse didn't always hit right with me, but the story is a sweet, melancholy one about family, loss, and moving on.

40.) previous popsugar prompt (animal in title): The last unicorn by peter s. Beagle

5/5. Absolutely one of my all-time favorite books, it manages to perfectly combine anachronism and comedy with lyricism, melancholy, and ethereal beauty.

41.) Cli-fi: Tokyo Mew Mew by Mia ikumi and Reiko Yoshida

4/5. Shut up it counts

42.) Choose-your-own-adventure: My Lady's choosing by Kitty curran

3/5. Cute in concept, a bit underwhelming in execution. Honestly, just play an otome.

43.) "Own Voices": Home by Nnedi Okorafor

3/5. The storytelling style was definitely not my style; while the first book was slow, too, it felt more purposeful. I found my attention wandering during this installment.

44.) During the season it's set in: Pumpkinheads by rainbow rowell

3/5. Cute art, but precious little substance.  The concept simply wasn't for me in the first place.

45.) LITRPG: My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom! by Hidaka nami

5/5. An absolute insta-fave! Charming art, endearing characters, an incredible premise, and so much sweet wholesome fluff it'll give you cavities.

46.) No chapters: The field guide to dumb birds of north america by matt kracht

3/5. It started out super strong, but the joke started to wear thin at a little past the halfway point.

47.) 2 books with the same title: Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roger

4/5. A brave and enduring personal story of growing up in and eventually leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. Really called to me to act with grace and kindness even more in the future.

48.) 2 books with the same title: unfollow by rob williams and michael dowling

1/5. How many times do you think we can make Battle Royale again before someone notices

49.) That has inspired a common phrase or idiom: THe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

4/5. Definitely good and deserves it's praise as something that pretty much revolutionized and created an entire demographic of literature.

50.) Set in an abbey, cloister, Monastery, convent, or vicarage: Murder at the vicarage by agatha christie

3/5. I just cannot. physically keep up with all of these characters or find the energy to read between the lines.

ok that's all i got, what did y'all read and like this year?  (oh god it’s gonna be 2020)

[bubonickitten]

Hey, I saw an old post of yours about you finding a ton of dogs and bringing them home in Minecraft, and you mentioned that you were playing with mods. I was wondering if you'd be willing to recommend some good mods to me? Been playing with them for awhile but it's hard to find more good ones

I’m sorry it’s taken over a month for me to answer this – I’ve been using the mobile app way more than the browser lately and I always forget to check my inbox on mobile.

Anyway, I made a mod rec post before but it was almost two years ago and I’ve changed up my mod lineup a lot since, so here’s an updated list.

Right now I’m using Minecraft 1.12.2 and Minecraft Forge 1.12.2-14.23.5.2814. (Looks like there’s a newer edition of Forge, I just haven’t updated it yet.) Also some mods are dependent on other mods or require you to download additional resource packs/libraries/etc., so just make sure you check the requirements before downloading (probably goes without saying, but just in case).

I’m putting the list under a cut because otherwise this post will be an absolute wall of text. 

PERFORMANCE MODS

OptiFine: This one’s a performance mod that aims to boost FPS and improve the graphics.

NotEnoughIDs:This expands Minecraft’s ID limit for blocks and items, which is necessary if you’re using a ton of mods that add a lot of new content. 

CONVENIENCE MODS

Just Enough Items (JEI):This one is an item/block/recipe viewing tool with a search feature. There’s also a cheat mode that lets you just drop whatever item you want into your inventory.

Inventory Tweaks:This adds new options for managing/sorting your inventory (on your person or in storage chests) and some convenience features, like automatically replacing tools or item stacks when broken/depleted as long as you have more in your inventory (which also includes your backpacks, if you use the Backpacks mod listed below).

Multi-Hotbar:Just gives you 2-3 additional hotbars, so you aren’t just limited to nine slots and don’t have to constantly go into your inventory screen to move things around if there are more than nine tools/stacks you use regularly. 

JourneyMap: This one automatically maps your Minecraft world as you explore – there’s a minimap in the upper right corner of the screen, and it can be expanded to view the whole map if you want. It also lets you set waypoints (which you can teleport to), with an option to mark them with visible beacons that can be seen from the overworld. It also automatically creates waypoints when you die, so you can easily teleport back to where you died once you respawn.

Nature’s Compass:In-game biome finder, with teleport feature. Also works with biomes added by mods (e.g. Biomes O’ Plenty).

Find Your Way:Adds some new compasses to point you in the direction of various overworld structures (strongholds, mansions, villages, etc.). 

Backpacks: Adds recipes for backpacks. By default they’re 3x9 but by crafting and adding backpack pouches, they can be expanded. They start out brown but can be dyed. They can also be nested, so if you want a backpack within a backpack within a backpack, you can do that. Which I do. Excessively. My inventory situation is… hellishly recursive. But at least I can collect stuff forever before I have to go back home and stash it all.

Fence Jumper: A very simple convenience mod that lets players jump over fences. Doesn’t apply to mobs.

Survival Flight:This just lets you use Creative Mode’s flight mechanic in Survival Mode. Is it cheating? Probably, but it’s your Minecraft world and you can fly if you want to. 

WORLDGEN/ITEM ADDITIONS MODS 

Quark: This one adds a lot of new features – blocks, decoration, mobs, automation options, underground biomes, recipes, convenience tweaks, etc. etc. etc. Main website with descriptions of all the added features can be found here.

Roguelike Dungeons: As the description says, “a mod that generates large underground dungeon structures which have a procedurally generated layout and loot.”

Actually Additions:Adds a lot of random stuff, check the manual to see the full list.

Chisel:More decorative blocks, including many new texture variations of vanilla Minecraft blocks. 

Biomes O’ Plenty: Adds over 60 new biomes to the world, with new trees, blocks, plants, etc. Works best with the creation of a new world, but you can make it work with an existing world with some extra steps (see the installation section here). It’s pretty simple, but you need to download an NBT Editor to do it (last time I had to do it, I used NBT Explorer). 

Terraqueous:New fruit trees, flowers, mineable cloud blocks, tools, etc. 

Natura:More new worldgen stuff. 

Ferdinand’s Flowers:Literally just adds A Lot of new kinds of flowers to the overworld and makes things very, very colorful.

Pam’s HarvestCraft:More crops, food recipes, etc. 

Fairy Lights: Adds recipes for creating hanging lights, string lights, etc. for decoration and lighting options.

MrCrayfish’s Furniture Mod: Adds recipes for furniture. Mostly good for decoration, but some are also functional (e.g. cabinets and refrigerators that provide storage).

MOBS/CREATURES MODS

Mo’ Creatures: Adds a bunch of new mobs to the game (passive, neutral, hostile, and tamable).Many of the tamable mobs can be used as mounts, such as big cats, wyverns, manticores, giant scorpions, elephants, komodo dragons, dolphins, manta rays, bears, and several different kinds of horse (including unicorns, winged horses, ghost horses, and fairy horses). The config files are straightforward and easy to edit if you want to tweak the spawn rates of different mobs. Note: The Forge page says that DrZhark’s Custom Mob Spawner is required, but when I was having trouble with another mod’s custom mobs not spawning properly, Custom Mob Spawner turned out to be the culprit. I removed it, and it seems like Mo’ Creatures is still working even without Custom Mob Spawner, and it takes far less time to load a world than it did before. 

Dragon Mounts 2:Tameable dragon mounts. I love them.

Ice and Fire:Adds new mythical mobs – dragons, sirens, cockatrices, sea serpents, etc. 

Doggy Talents:Your tamed wolves can Do More Stuff.

Wolf Armor and Storage: What it says on the tin. Wolf armor is very similar to horse armor, and chests can be added to wolves like they can be added to llamas.

DIMENSIONS MODS

Twilight Forest: Adds a new dimension, the Twilight Forest. The list of added features can be found on the Wiki here. Each new biome has its own boss (usually with a corresponding dungeon) to defeat (bosses can be defeated more than once since there’s at least one per biome and, like in the overworld, there’s more than one of each kind of biome in the world). It follows a progression system, meaning certain areas (and therefore boss fights) are locked until you defeat other bosses (e.g. certain biomes having a weather effect that renders it virtually impossible to traverse until defeating the boss and getting the item that will allow you to pass through the area). It can be a bit laggy but it’s still fun.

Advent of Ascension:Adds several new dimensions with their own biomes, mobs, items, bosses, etc. It’s fun but I don’t recommend it if you hate clowns because there is an entire clown dimension and even though you can avoid that, there’s also this one clown mob that spawns in the overworld underground, you’ll just be minding your business mining and suddenly BOOM creepy murder clown in the shadows. Also, if you’re using Mo’ Creatures, don’t use the Custom Mob Spawner because it’ll prevent Ascension’s mobs from spawning properly. 

Cavern II:Adds new cavern dimensions to explore, new blocks and ores, and a miner stats/progression system. It’s the successor to the original Cavern mod. One of my favorite things is the randomite ore, which drops a random item when it’s mined (which can include items added by other mods). 

The Betweenlands:This one adds a dark, swampy dimension with its own lore and survival challenges (e.g. you can only eat what you can gather in the Betweenlands and any food from the overworld rots when entering the dimension; there are new mechanics like food sickness, player decay, and tool corrosion that occur when spending long periods of time in the Betweenlands; etc.). 

Erebus:Erebus is the “dimension of the arthropods” and is exactly what it says on the tin.

Better Nether:Some tweaks to the Nether that make it more fun to explore – new biomes, new mobs, new structures, etc. 

AbyssalCraft:New eldritch dimensions, mobs, biomes, items/blocks, etc. You do some inadvisable rituals, read some questionable tomes, collect some dubious artifacts, encounter things with lots of eyes and tentacles… oh and one time, when I was playing one of the earlier versions of the mod, Shoggoths invaded my home and killed all my horses and left a residue all over everything and I had to restore an old backup save, so. I recommend reading the wiki before you do any summoning rituals.

VoidCraft:This is an older mod no longer in development, but if you’re like me and get bored easily and download every new dimension mod you can find, have at it. 

The Aether II:This is the sequel to the old Aether mod (which also has a reboot for Minecraft 1.12, here). It’s still in development and I actually haven’t had a chance to explore the new dimension much yet myself, but it looks interesting. 

[seriouslyhooked]

Lost Souls and Reveries (Part 15)

22 part AU written for @cssns​. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6,Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14. Story available on AO3 Here and FF Here. Banner created by the amazingly talented @shipsxahoy​!!

Killian Jones is a wolf shifter without roots, without plans, and without a pack. He’s a rogue, someone humans should avoid and shifters should be wary of given his lineage. But one night years back set him on a path he didn’t realize he was taking, a path leading to a future he is destined for. That future is tied up in one woman – a human named Emma Nolan. Together Emma and Killian will find not only answers, but a love that’s truly fated. But will love be enough to set them free, or will past demons win out in the end? (Answer: love always wins – I am writing this so despite some tiny pockets of angst it’s basically a fluff-filled insta-love fest). Rated M.

A/N: Hey all! I am finally back with another chapter of Lost Souls, and after my last cliff-hanger I am sure you all have some questions in need of answers. It’s been so long you might have to go back and remind yourself of what happened, don’t worry I won’t judge. But hopefully I will be giving you some of those answers we are needing in this installment, though there are still lots of things yet to be fully explained. I also just want to warn you all this chapter is a difficult one. We don’t have a flashback per se, but there is talk of David’s past and one of the parts of his past is that his brother died when they were kids, as you will recall. This is obviously pretty sad subject area so if some of you want to skip and check in with me about what we’ve learned that’s totally fine. Just want to give you fair warning that there are some sadder moments here (even if there is still CS fluff!). Anyway excited to see what you all think and thanks so much for continuing with me on this ‘Lost Souls’ adventure!

Despite the fact that Killian had closed himself off emotionally for years, he’d always considered himself an open-minded person.

Growing up as a shifter in a human world left a person with a certain sense that more was possible. Magic had been a part of the lore of his life since he was born, and so too had strange happenings of fate. For Killian those twists and turns had mostly been bad, but then he found Emma and he thought his luck had certifiably turned. But in the past few days, things had been interesting, for lack of a better word. Truly, Killian could not conceive of a time when there’d been more surprise or unexpected happenings, but right now, at Emma’s parents house, He was completely and totally stunned yet again. So stunned that he had to ask Emma to repeat herself.

“I’m sorry, what did you say love?”

“I said I think she’s my grandmother.”

There were roughly one billion other things Emma could have said that would make more sense to Killian in that moment, because truth be told there was no way that this woman, this young, maybe thirty year old woman, could be Emma’s grandparent. She was younger than David and Mary Margaret, easily closer to his and Emma’s age than either of them, but from the way the woman had flung herself into Emma’s father’s arms and was currently clinging to David, Killian knew she had to be someone who loved him. At the very least she was relieved to see the man, and then Emma’s father spoke, and the claim his mate had put before them all was proved true.

“Mom? But how… you’re…” David’s voice cracked, something Killian had never heard from the man before. Emma’s father was a collected and put together person, but right now he was clearly struggling to comprehended all that stood before him.

“Dead,” Mary Margaret finished in a whisper as she came to stand by her husband, and though Emma’s mother was usually the embodiment of kindness and enthusiastic greetings, she seemed shocked and somewhat aghast when their new guest pulled her into a hug too.

“Oh David, look what a fine job you did. She’s beautiful. I always knew you’d have a lovely wife someday. A real soul mate, like you deserve. I used to dream of how it would be, ever since I knew that I was pregnant. I just thought I’d be there for all those other milestones too. You were just a baby, and now here you are, a man, a husband, a father.”

For a few more moments everyone continued to look on with fascination and complete disbelief. It was as if all of them were frozen, and the only one who wasn’t beholden to this state of complete bewilderment was the newest arrival. David’s possible mother – Mrs. Nolan? Ruth? Killian didn’t know what to call her really – looked positively elated, and she was standing there taking everything in about the man she claimed was her son. While she did that, Killian moved his attention to Emma. Her green eyes were filled with wonder and she was spellbound by the sight of her parents and the woman claiming to be their kin. Then she shook her head, as if trying to clear her thoughts and her eyes found Killian’s.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Emma whispered, low enough that only he could hear her. “My father has a picture of her holding him when he was just born, and she looks the exact same. But how could that happen? How can she be here and how can she look like this?”

“I don’t know, love,” Killian responded, pulling her closer to his side. “But we’ll figure it out together.”

“How is this possible?”

As David asked the question, Emma looked back to the doorway. Meanwhile, Killian looked over to Ruby for guidance. She should have seen something about this, right? At the very least her gift should give her some intuitive glimpses now. But when he glanced his cousin’s way she shook her head. She had nothing to offer and her face spoke to her disappointment and confusion at not being able to read the situation. This grew stranger and stranger by the second and that made Killian nervous. Maybe this woman wasn’t who she said she was. Maybe they had to be more cautious than the original shock to the system would allow.

“It’s okay, Killian,” Anna said, calmly from across the room. He had stiffened considerably without realizing it, and he was about to rise up, putting himself in the direct way between Emma and this stranger when Anna spoke. Killian, along with everyone else, looked to her quizzically. “She is who she says she is, right Els?”

“Yes,” Elsa agreed quickly. “But I don’t know how it’s possible.”

“I can help with the particulars," the woman said, making it perfectly clear that she could hear everything going on inside despite their attempts to keep quiet. “But it’s a complicated story, one that merits a little more than a quick recount in the doorway.”

After silently exchanging a look that spoke to the easy connection of long time true loves, David and Mary Margaret let the woman inside. Killian watched the way Emma’s mother stood by her husband’s side as this familiar stranger entered their home. Mary Margaret was trying to protect David, and Killian could feel Emma’s want to do the same though she stayed rooted where she was. She squeezed Killian’s hand lightly, and he knew that she was staying put for his benefit. He would worry if Emma wasn’t right here beside him, and he was so grateful that Emma understood that about him. Too many bad things had happened in his life for him to trust easy, and despite everyone’s attempt at making him comfortable, he wasn’t going to find comfort, not until they knew everything and had absolutely checked out this woman’s story as the truth.

Killian’s eyes tracked their movements back into the living room closely, seeing the way David and Mary Margaret were still stiff and a bit unsteady. Meanwhile Emma’s grandmother was radiating joy, and then she turned to Emma and her eyes went wide again. In a split second she looked just as happy at seeing his mate as she had at seeing David, which made no sense. If Killian was understanding this correctly, David’s mother had died, or left as it were, when David was only an infant. She should have had no encounters with Emma on any level at any point. Yet the recognition in her gaze was instant, and as impossible as this whole situation was, this was an added layer of abnormality.

“Emma! Oh my goodness, look at you,” she said, rushing forward and only stopping when she was just about to touch Emma. She seemed to remember that the happiness of their meeting was not a given on both sides, and she kept herself from grasping for Emma even though her look of joy remained. “You’re exactly as I dreamed you would be, honey. So beautiful and all grown up now.”

“You’ve dreamed of me?” Emma asked, clearly shaken by the thought and the woman nodded even as she looked unsure of how to proceed.

“Why don’t I start at the beginning, yeah?”

“That’s usually a good place to begin,” Killian stated, and he noticed the way this woman - supposedly Emma’s grandmother - smiled at him. She gazed upon him and Emma with the same satisfied look that Emma’s mother was prone to using, and he could sense her genuine delight at seeing them together.

“Before you do though, maybe we should leave?” Elsa asked, not wanting to intrude. It was very telling that her good manners remained even in a time of upheaval, but though Killian knew she meant what she said, he could see Anna’s despair at the thought. Clearly the younger sister was incredibly intrigued and she had no want to leave the scene before them. “You all could use the privacy.”

“I think it’s probably best that you stay actually,” David said, coming to take a seat after seeing his mother had found a comfortable spot in a chair just beside him. “Whatever is happening here, it’s clearly not normal, and given the way things are right now, I think we should all be aware of everything out of the ordinary. Besides, we’re family, all of us.”

The words packed a powerful punch for Killian and he had to wonder if they were the product of David’s true feelings or if he was simply overwhelmed by it all. It was one thing to say that Anna and Elsa were members of the family:  these girls had grown up with Emma and been very close to the Nolan’s for years. But he and Ruby and Granny were far newer additions, and though Killian knew he would forever be a permanent fixture in Emma’s life as her mate, he was still honored to have that be recognized. When David nodded at Killian he knew that Emma’s father had meant what he said, and Killian’s slight feeling of discomfort shifted back to curiosity and protectiveness towards Emma.

“Well, I guess I should start with the basics. My name is Ruth Nolan. I was born in a small town in Washington State, well outside of Seattle -,”

“When?” Anna interrupted, clearly thinking the same thing everyone else was – how had this woman not aged from the time she had David?

“The summer of 1950. But we’ll get to how that’s possible soon enough,” Ruth said offering a sad attempt at a smile as she pressed on. “The family I grew up in was…unique you could say. It was my parents and I and my older brother George. I had cousins as well, a big extended family on the whole, but beyond them I knew very little of the world and very few people. We stayed rather insulated in the woods where we lived because… well because…”

“Because they were hunters,” David filled in, saying the words his mother had been afraid to say in mixed company. “Everyone here knows about the shifter world. Actually wait, did you guys hear about hunters?”

The question was aimed to Elsa and Anna, and Killian could see the softness of a father’s love extended to Emma’s friends from David. It was clear that he saw them as extensions of his children too, and his ability to be mindful of them and where they were in knowing things spoke to his love for them.

“We did. Well we caught the basics anyway,” Elsa clarified. “Enough to know we want nothing to do with them.”

“Good,” David said sternly before looking back at his mother. “Because we aren’t hunters and we never will be.”

“Oh thank God,” Ruth exclaimed, closing her eyes and looking relieved. “That life was all I ever knew growing up, and I didn’t see it as evil or wicked when I was young. When you’re raised on stories of danger and monsters in the dark, you don’t question it. You’re taught to trust your parents and to heed their counsel. So I listened to them and I carried their teachings, but it was still very abstract to me. I always thought of myself as an ordinary girl, even if we didn’t have an ordinary life, and then, when I was sixteen my parents were gone, killed by a clan they’d been hunting for a few months.”

Killian could sense the surprise that everyone was feeling, including Emma. The only one’s who weren’t taken aback by the words were David and Mary Margaret. Killian knew that would have changed eventually. After speaking with her father and learning the first pieces of her family’s legacy, she was bound to find out more. But time hadn’t been on their side. So many things had happened between now and then, and as Ruth proceeded, Killian knew she was going to bring far more with her.

“Well actually, tormenting is a better word for what my family did to that pack. My father and his brothers were as merciless and they were clinical, with very few rules and absolutely no empathy at all. They were not above torture, and half of their joy came from stalking a party before the hunt. Women and children didn’t register as being any different. Shifters were shifters and they had to be eradicated.”

Killian’s anger at the very notion was difficult to contain. He had heard talk of hunters before, but it still filled him with rage to think that there were men and women out there in the world who lived solely to harm his kind. Didn’t they understand that shifters were just like everyone else? Having the ability to shift into an animal and some added bonuses of increased healing or faster reflexes and increased strength didn’t make him someone who lacked humanity. He was still a person, and he and his fellow shifters were worth more than brutal slaughter based solely on their gifts. True, there were good and bad shifters, just like there were people, but for the most part, all shifters wanted was to go about their lives and live in peace away from the dangers of the world.

“I didn’t understand that fierceness of feeling,” Ruth confessed, drawing Killian’s attention back to her story. “I could never seem to muster the hatred it took or the coldness one had to have to kill without feeling. Girls weren’t trained like boys were back then, not typically. We were more supporting figures –running house, creating supplies, helping raise the next generation of shifters - but when my parents died and George took over as the head of our family, he let me into the true world of hunters. He thought that the anger and rage he felt at my parent’s death would be mirrored in me. He thought if I knew the realities of the world in which we lived I’d come to hate shifters as much as he did. But he showed me too much without realizing that I myself had experience and a sense of what was right and what was wrong. I knew the world wasn’t really as he said it was because I saw the destruction he was causing first hand. No being deserved the kind of cruelty my brother saved for shifters and I knew all shifters couldn’t be monsters. It just wasn’t possible, and then, one day I met Robert and it all changed.”

“Who is Robert?” Mary Margaret asked and Ruth gave a soft, somber smile.

“Robert is David’s father.”

“My father? But who was he? What happened to him?” David asked, clearly dying to know. It was the first time that David had seemed unsure of a part of the story. “George said he was a fellow hunter from an old family, but I never believed that. If he were, then why wouldn’t he and his family be raising us? Why would he leave heirs to his family’s legacy?”

“Ha! A hunter? No, quite the opposite. Robert wasn’t a hunter, he was a shifter. A wolf to be exact.”

There would have been complete silence in the room at that wildly unexpected announcement if not for Ruby’s instinctual response of, “Oh. My. GOD! I knew you guys weren’t totally human!” The looks she drew from Ruth, David, and everyone else reminded Ruby that this was a moment that wasn’t strictly appropriate and she demurred. “Sorry, my bad.”

“It’s quite alright, dear, and you’re correct…” Ruth said, looking to get his cousin’s name and showing a lot of patience when others might not have.

“Ruby.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ruby. And as you’ve noted, my sons were not fully human. David and James were born hybrids, and as far as I could tell they were the first of their kind.”

“Wait, you had cubs with a shifter? So were you mated?” Emma asked, her voice curious even as it sounded a bit hoarse from the shock she was still feeling. The implications of her father being a hybrid shifter – if that was even possible – were astounding, and it would no doubt have a deep and real impact on Emma.

“We were,” Ruth said, a sad smile spreading on her face. “Humans and shifters aren’t usually mates as I am sure you know, but I found out later that we could be because of old hunter practice. When women are pregnant in hunter clans they drink shifter blood for strength. It’s believed that blood makes for stronger hunters, and the only way to kill shifters is with added strength.”

“Ew!” Anna exclaimed at the same time that Emma and Elsa winced. Killian had heard rumors of that ritual and it disgusted him to his core, but to find out it was real was galling. What a twisted way of living these hunters had.

“Yes, it’s hardly a sound or logical choice. But that little bit of blood seemed enough to allow Robert and I to be fated mates. I don’t know the particulars, but I do know he was mine and I was his,” Ruth said, her eyes going glassy with the memories of her mate. Killian wondered where this Robert was, but he had a sense of foreboding that it wasn’t anywhere good before Ruth confided the truth. “But our time was over far too soon. We were going to leave, run away together and start a family in a place without the baggage of his clan or my family. But before we could, Robert was killed. Murdered by my brother.”

“I’m so sorry,” Mary Margaret said, and Killian didn’t know if she meant it more for Ruth or for her husband, but both of them seemed to take comfort in her words and soothing touch.

“It was a long time ago, though to be fair, not so long ago to me. Five years give or take.”

“Which brings us to the ultimate question,” David said gruffly. “How is it possible that you’ve barely aged? So many years have gone by, but you’re still exactly the same.”

“When I lost your father I was devastated,” Ruth said, her breathing little shaky as she recounted the emotion. “It was the worst kind of pain I had ever known up to then, but I couldn’t even begin to show my sadness. I couldn’t grieve for risk of giving everything away. If I had, your Uncle would have known what we were to each other. I can’t even imagine what he would have done if he knew I mated a shifter. Sister or not it wouldn’t have mattered. I’d be the enemy because of who I loved. The only reason I’m alive now is because he never found out. But I couldn’t hide the truth forever.”

“Because you were pregnant,” Anna whispered and Ruth nodded.

“There’s no way to describe how I felt when I found out. At first I was elated. I always wanted children, and I loved you and your brother from the start, David. But then I was so sad, sad that your father would never get the chance to know you and that you boys would never know him. It was cruel and unspeakable, and then, to make matters worse, the fear set in. How would I ever explain that I was pregnant? My brother knew everyone in my life except for Robert. But even more than that there was a danger of how I could ever find a way to hide your true nature from everyone.”

“But I thought shifter children weren’t detectable,” Emma said, voicing a confusion a few of them shared.

“They aren’t, not usually, but given that the babies were both were a mix of human and shifter I just couldn’t be sure. All I knew was I had to protect them. I thought about running, but I didn’t trust that I could go off the grid enough to elude my brother and that we’d ever be safe. So I made a decision. I told my brother I was going on a solo trek. I claimed that I wanted to be like the other hunters in our family so I would go for six months alone into the wilderness and identify another pack that was vulnerable. He agreed, but instead of finding other shifters I tracked down a male witch, supposedly the most powerful in a thousand miles. He went by the name of Gold.”

“Oh God no,” Granny said aloud and though no one else knew why she said it, Ruth agreed.

“Oh no is right. That man – that monster - told me that he would help me. He said he would block David and James’ true natures so they would never be discovered. I was so relieved that there might be an answer that I barely noted his warning: ‘magic always comes with a price.’”

“That’s bull shit!” Ruby said angrily. “Magic is freely given if a witch is good. There’s no price that comes with it.”

“And so it is, at least it’s supposed to be, but with Gold there was a transaction required, and I didn’t know what it would be. I didn’t imagine it would be some huge sacrifice, and I had inherited money from my parents. I assumed it would be some sort of goods that he wanted, and I only found out after I had the boys what was actually expected of me. I was in the hospital, holding them both, thankful they were both well and healthy after fighting so hard to get them here. I had no one with me, so the nurses took some pictures. I thought they would just be snapshots – one moment of so many - but then he came. He came and he told me that it was time to pay, and it turned out the payment he had in mind was me.”

“You?” Mary Margaret asked, her dismay ringing out clear as day.

“Me,” Ruth said grimly, and Killian could sense she wasn’t past the trauma such an exchange would have caused. “He came to the hospital and he told me that the spell he’d created had built in fail safes. He could undo the spell at any time, and doing so wouldn’t just expose the boys. This was a magic that had never been used so there was no telling what would happen. I was devastated. I begged him not to undo anything. I begged for your life David, your life and James’ and he said the only way he would leave things be was if I left right then and there.

“It broke my heart in every way to say good bye to you, but I clung to two little lights in my new sea of darkness – one, you both had each other. You would never be alone,” Ruth said, her voice breaking as she cried, no doubt for the son she had lost. Emma hadn’t been super detailed, but Killian knew that David’s brother had passed of a childhood illness, the same illness that her brother Neal had suffered from years back. As Ruth allowed herself to give in to some of her grief, David enveloped her in his arms, and Killian saw the tears Emma’s father let free at the same time. Still, Ruth pushed forward, adamant that her story must be told. “But more than that, I also believed you were free. Free of the Nolan burden. I used a totally different name. I left no contact for the hospital, and though I was terrified of what leaving you to the system would mean, I had to believe it was better than my brother.”

“But we still ended up with him,” David said, pushing through the emotion that clung to him.

“It was Gold. That heartless bastard. He decided to test his magic. He was as proud as he was terrible, and he wanted to prove to himself and to everyone that his magic would be smart enough to outwit one of the greatest hunting families in the Americas. He told your Uncle I’d been found and had given birth. And though I don’t know what else he offered as explanation, I do know Gold still believes that George had no idea.”

“So he took you. And then what happened?” Emma asked, trying to push her grandmother towards resolution so this pain and agony would subside.

“I was put under a sleeping curse. It froze me essentially, and while I was frozen Gold ran these magical tests, so to speak. He was consumed with the possibility of humans and shifters being together. He thought it could mean a whole new world order. And he didn’t like the idea of that world.”

“No, I can’t imagine he would have,” Granny said, reminding everyone that she had heard of the man in question before. “Anything that gets in the way of Gold and praise and power is something he’d detest.”

“Exactly right,” Ruth said, the two women sharing a look that spoke to a mutual understanding. Meanwhile Killian was struck at the fact that these women were actually similar ages. It was crazy though that time had essentially stopped for one of them.

“So how did you get out then?” David inquired. “How did you escape him?”

“It was the strangest thing. I was asleep for decades, aware to some degree, but not really. Enough to know I was an occasional magical test subject but nothing more, and soon I was essentially forgotten, left in a room he had filled with other enchanted objects. Then one day I woke up. I woke up and all I knew was I had to get out. That was five years ago now.”

“Five years?!” The questioned was asked aloud by multiple people in the room, but no doubt thought by all of them. Five years? Killian assumed that she’d awoken only recently. Honestly he thought maybe this was another effect of his and Emma’s mating. But five years ago?

“What happened five years ago?” Anna asked and Ruth shook her head, shrugging.

“I was honestly hoping you all might know. It wasn’t Gold. He’s still alive, and you can imagine very angry that I managed to slip away. But for whatever reason his magic doesn’t seem to have any more effect. I’m free of him and there’s no real reason I can guess as to why. So I assumed it must have something to do with you all.”

“I don’t know what it could have been,” Mary Margaret replied. “Five years ago we were in Boston. We were just praying and hoping Neal would be all right. It became our whole life, and then, by some miracle he got better.”

“All I know is I woke up on October eleventh. Does that date ring a bell for anyone?”

“The eleventh?” Emma asked, her eyes finding Elsa’s and Killian watched as the friends looked curious.

“Wasn’t that the day I came to see you all?” Elsa asked and Emma and her parents nodded.

“It was also the day Neal finally took a turn for the better,’ Mary Margaret said. “The first day of the end of his illness. The treatment he was on… we didn’t think it would work but the doctor’s called it a miracle.”

“Unless it wasn’t,” Emma whispered, low enough that Killian believed he was likely the only one to hear her. Then her voice grew louder as she started to fit the pieces of this mystery together. “What if it wasn’t the medicine that made Neal better? What if it was Elsa?”

“Me?” Elsa asked and Emma nodded.

“I left you two for a few minutes, remember? I went back to the alley to look for signs of the attack and when I came back you were passed out. You said you were just tired but what if you weren’t? What if something happened… something magical?”

“Neal was expecting me,” Elsa said, as if the memory was more foreign to her than Emma, but they all watched as she started to recall whatever part of the story she’d forgotten in the past. “And it was the strangest thing because I woke up in the morning and I knew I had to get to you guys. But usually when I feel like that my dreams are vivid. They tell me everything I need to know. But not that night. I just remembered going to the hospital. I took Neal’s hand and then he said it was time. I was so freaked out, I thought he meant it was time for him to go. He was so sick, but he was also so happy still. The next thing I knew I was warm. I was burning up with his hand in mind and the room… it was filled with light… I don’t.”

“Oh my God you reversed the block,” Ruby murmured aloud, her eyes glazed over in the way Killian knew meant she was having a vision of her own. No doubt she’d accessed Elsa’s memories and she was witnessing it all first hand. “I don’t know how – I didn’t even know witches could undo the spells of another – but you settled him. He was sick because his shifter soul was restless, soaking up all of his energy and life force because it was rejecting being split from the part of him that was human. To block their powers Gold separated the pieces and Elsa put them back again.”

“That must have been what woke me up!” Ruth exclaimed. “The deal was that my family would be blocked from recognition. Those words turned out to be so fatally important in the end. I meant to say that they would be safe, but clearly that wasn’t the case for James. I stole away some of Gold’s old journals filled with the notes about my case. James rejected the spell in the end. That was what took him from us. But when you shifted the block entirely, the deal was broken and Gold’s magical hold of me had to break, right?”

“Yes,” Ruby said. “Transactional magic is absolute, and once it’s broken it’s broken for good.”

The conversation from there was still involved, and there were more revelations and details pieced together. Ruby, Anna, and Elsa began to try and figure out how Elsa’s magic could be capable of overriding the magic of another. At the same time Emma’s parents continued to ask more questions about where Ruth had been for all of these years and about the logistics of tracking them down. It stood to reason that her ability to act would be substantially halted given the situation: she had been put to sleep decades ago, well before the internet or modern digital world. Everything she knew was different and she no longer had anyone she could consider a friend to help her. She had to start from basically nothing, her only saving grace being that Gold had no need for money. She’d taken enough originally to start a life for her and her sons, and she eventually used it to get away and to try and track down what had happened to them without notifying her brother. That turned out to be an incredibly complex task because David’s Uncle had done everything he could to keep them off the grid, and when James had died he moved David to a new hunter circle hundreds of miles away.

While all of this was happening, and Ruth was trying to track down her long lost family, the dreams had begun to crop up more and more. They were particularly noticeable in the first year since she’d woken up, and over the years the dreams decreased, not cropping up as much as usual. Most nights Ruth didn’t remember them the next morning, but the one’s she did remember always had Emma in them. In the beginning she didn’t know who Emma was. Ruth was confused and befuddled, but then, when she’d finally managed to track down David, who also had taken every care to not be so easily discovered, she saw a picture of their family. It was from the last inauguration for Mary Margaret as mayor, just a few months before, and immediately she knew that this was a sign. She believed it was residual magic from being tested on by Gold somehow at work, but Killian knew it wasn’t. These dreams involved Emma because Emma was special, and though not all of her abilities had been explained or fully articulated tonight, it had become very clear that she was more than she always imagined.

Despite everyone’s want to get to the answers tonight, Killian knew that would never happen so quickly, and eventually a time came when Killian had to put the good of his mate over her continued curiosity. Emma could have likely stayed for hours more, asking questions and trying to make sense of the huge changes that had just come hurtling at them, but Killian reminded her of how long of a day they had had. She’d risen early, worried about Elsa and Anna, gone on an emotional journey with her best friends and family, and then discovered all sorts of new parts about herself in a little more than twelve hours. That was too much for the mind to bear peacefully, and more answers could wait until tomorrow, but right now what his mate needed was rest and a bit of reprieve.

Luckily as they were gearing up to depart for the night it was decided that Ruby and Granny would stay with Elsa and Anna. Emma’s friends had the room at their house, and as much as Emma and her family had to deal with, Elsa and Anna truly had just as much to come to terms with. That process would no doubt be helped by being close to Ruby. And despite the fact that he loved Ruby and Granny, Killian was glad for the solitude. He needed to be alone with Emma now, to make sure she was truly okay, and to help her get through this moment of substantial upheaval.

“Do you think it’s always going be like this?” Emma asked, when the front door was closed behind them, and they were back safely inside his cabin once again. She looked so beautiful across the room even though he could see that she was tired and uncertain. “Do you think there’s always going to be another big surprise coming down the pike? Or do you think we’ll ever be…”

“Normal?” Killian offered and Emma nodded as she exhaled a sigh, glad for his understanding. He closed the space between them and pulled Emma into his arms, feeling every bit a champion when she leaned into his embrace and held on just as tight as he did. “I doubt normal in the traditional sense will ever be a descriptor for us, love. But I also know that eventually this will all pass. We’ll find our version of normal, and it won’t always be like this. This was just one day. Tomorrow is another.”

“But even with tomorrow, there’s still more coming. Liam is heading here. Elsa and Anna have to essentially go to magic school with Ruby. My parents have to figure out where my grandmother fits in our lives. She’s closer to my age than she is to theirs, Killian, I mean that’s just crazy. How are we ever going to manage that? Then we still have to tell Neal everything because he’s off at camp completely clueless, but his souls are blended again. Because people can apparently have more than one and they can be meddled with. And meanwhile I…”

Emma tried to find the words to explain her feelings and thought it was difficult Killian patiently waited for her to complete her own thought, not wanting to speak for her when this sentiment was so important. It was undoubtedly the biggest reveal of the night, that Emma and her father and brother had wolf shifter lineage, but it was something Emma had to come to terms with even more than he did. Yes it had tremendous impact on Killian, and he found that he was amazed, awed, and excited at the prospect of Emma being like him, but he didn’t want to project those feelings to her. Whatever Emma felt, it was her right to feel as such, but he could only hope that she was going to be okay with all of this.

“I always knew something was off. You know what it was like for me, I told you about how things were a few years back, but I truly believed it was just nightmares. I thought it was all in my head, and then you came into my life and I found out about shifters and everything and I assumed this was another part of my bond to you. I was fated to be yours and this was just that link manifesting. I never imagined that I was a shifter, just a human with a shifter mate, but it’s so obvious now. Those dreams had you in them, yes, but they also had me. Or my wolf I guess. I knew it deep down, but I could never quite accept it. All this time there was another part of me just waiting to get out, and it might not be as restless as Neal’s was, thank God, but it was never truly settled either, not until you got here.”

Killian pressed a kiss to Emma’s temple as she hugged him tight and he was so glad that he had been a soothing balm for her. God knew that her presence had revived him. He had never been so happy, and never truly known peace, but now he had that with his mate. She lit up his world and gave him an anchor and a home at last. To know that he’d eased any of her burden or calmed the anxieties of her mind was enough for him. He just knew that whatever may come he’d do whatever it took to keep being such a force for good in her life.

“And we know those dreams she was having totally had to do with me. I mean am I projecting something? Is my lack of soul cohesion making me some sort of beacon? I don’t know because I don’t know how any of this works and the reality is no one does! We don’t have any answers and that terrifies me, because all I want to know is that we’re going to be okay and we’ll get past this.”

The fervor of her words made Emma’s breathing irregular. She seemed winded, not from exertion but from the intensity of unknown that lurked all around them. There were tears in her eyes, and that mistiness tore at his heart, but while Emma was worried, Killian was calm, at least in one regard. This was a storm for sure, but like any other storm in life this would eventually pass. He knew that deep in his bones, but he wanted her to know it too, and he thought of how to say that to her as he reached out to brush a wayward strand of hair from her face. His fingertips brushed lightly against her ear and then his hand cupped her cheek. She leaned into the touch, her eyes closing briefly, and then she looked back at him and Killian could see she already knew the truth he was going to speak. She only needed to be reminded.

“We will absolutely get past this, Emma,” Killian vowed. “And I swear to you that I will keep you and your loved ones safe no matter what. There’s upset in our world right now, but not with us. We are constant. We are solid. There’s no debate or doubt when it comes to us. You are mine as I am yours and we will be more than okay. I promise.”

“I want to believe that so badly,” Emma whispered, the sound of unshed tears spilling into her soft tone. “I do believe you. I just… I don’t want to deal with this tonight, you know?”

“Aye, love, I do. So I have a proposal,” he said and Emma’s brows immediately rose as her eyes grew big. He could see shock and a bit of panic at his poor choice of words and so he backtracked. “Not that kind of proposal. Not yet. I was going to say we can pick up where we left off earlier.”

“You mean back in my room? When we were pretending?” Emma asked, her cheeks flushing a beautiful shade of pink as she recalled how they’d been back at the house just hours before. It felt like ages ago, but also like mere moments. Instantly they were both at that same level of wanting, and now they hadn’t any need to wait. Thank God for that, because Killian didn’t think he could take it. After a day like this he needed his mate, needed reminding of how right the world could be when they brought things back to the foundations of the two of them together.

“None of it was fake or forged on my end, Emma. The story might not be entirely ours but everything that matters was real.”

“I know,” Emma agreed, holding him tighter and pulling him towards the bedroom. “And I want that again. Make me forget, just for tonight.”

“As you wish.”

And with that, Killian brought his mate back to their bed, intent on ending this trying day with the best kind of medicine either of them could acquire. They made love until exhaustion set in, losing count of all the peaks they climbed together, but his last thought as he slipped of to bed was surprisingly certain and assured: everything really was going to be okay, and somehow, someway they were going to get through this together.

……………………..

I’d rather be running.

Despite the thought that had been plaguing him all night as he sat in the passenger seat of this eighteen-wheeler truck, Liam knew that right now he had to ignore his animal instincts.

It wouldn’t be possible to do so for very long. Truth be told, Liam had maybe an hour or two tops before the gnawing in his mind that manifested as a wolf’s sharp whining sound would get too much to bear. When it did he’d have the driver stop and let him off and then he’d feel a weight lifting off his shoulders. He hated the confinement of the truck and the caged feeling of driving on the highway versus tracking in the woods. But he had to get to Killian sooner rather than later, and since he wasn’t shifting on this journey, he couldn’t very well run the whole way coast to coast.

As a compromise Liam was hitchhiking with forested stops in between. He could handle the road in five to six hour increments and then he had to stop. He found food, not for any enjoyment or satisfaction, but to keep his energy up. He needed to be as sharp as he could for what was coming, and he also needed to treat his animal delicately. Even if it made the trip that much longer he had to abide by it. Flying wasn’t an option. Short of tranquilizing himself with enough sedative for four horses there wasn’t a force that could keep his animal anywhere near calm on such a journey. And trains, though grounded and often surrounded by woods and hills weren’t really the same. It still felt too industrial and too man-made. Things of that nature irked his animal now, and since the bite had taken hold of him Liam had to let his wolf win nearly every fight. It was a struggle to stay concealed and in control, so he sacrificed ease and comfort in the hopes of a return down the road.

“You know I meant to say it earlier, but you don’t exactly look the hitchhiking type.”

The driver of the truck who had let him tag along had been good at not bothering him with questions the past few hours. He would have gotten off the truck if too much talking ensued, and right now he knew he had to shut this conversation down too. He had no interest in discussing how he’d gotten here or what kind of person lived this way. The truck driver had no idea of his life or his choices. He was trying to sketch his likeness but it couldn’t be done. All that would happen was Liam would be irritated and the man would be left wondering.

“That probably means you’re a runner. Only question is are you running from something or towards something?”

Liam tried to keep from snarling at the comment. He looked over to the man, and though he knew he sent a glare his way that would make any shifter cower, this human seemed unfazed. In fact, he broke out into a smile at Liam’s standoffishness.

“Towards something. Definitely towards,” the man mused aloud. “I get a lot of runners but not so many with a place in mind. Kind of refreshing actually.”

“Glad I can be of service,” Liam growled out and now the man laughed.

“Ah so he speaks at last. I was wondering if you’d forgotten how. Still can’t believe I picked you up when all you said was ‘Chengwatana.’ Usually I ask a few more questions, but despite the big scary thing you got going here I can tell you ain’t got ill intent.”

Liam was relieved when the man stopped talking. He was hoping he was out of the woods with that, so to speak, but unfortunately a few seconds later he started up again, causing Liam to tense noticeably.

“Now don’t go getting yourself all worked up. I ain’t asking any questions aside from one. We’re gonna hit the forest in an hour. It’s the middle of the night and you ain’t got shit with you. You equipped to handle this? Biggest state park in the state of Minnesota. There’s animals out there, and the elements ain’t always too friendly.”

“I’ll be fine,” Liam said, looking at the man and hoping to impart that to him. The concern he saw there was well-meant, and Liam knew this man had done him a great service. He had helped a stranger for nothing in return and was making sure he’d be okay hereafter. That was a kind thing to do, but it had been a long time since kindness came naturally to Liam.

“Well all right then. Why don’t we go back to silence then? Seems you like it best that way.”

And without any more conversation, their drive continued on as Liam watched outside the window at the country that was passing by him. A few more days of this and he’d be where he needed to be. He’d find Killian and he’d do what needed to be done.

Post-Note: Hey all. So there we have it – a pretty busy chapter with a lot of reveals happening. I will say that the next few chapters we kind of move from everyone just talking about stuff to more action and doing so to speak, but that being said, the train stops here. I have not actually written any more chapters, and since school is still in full swing, I might not have the chance to write anything for some time (though my hope is to post again in a month with a new installment). Not to worry though because I have so many plans still for this fic and there is much more to come in this crazy (but somehow still fluffy) story. Hope you guys all enjoyed and would love to hear what you thought. Thank you all so much for reading and for all of your support and I hope you have a great rest of your week!

[zeroadult479]

Matchmaking Near Shawneetown Il

Thanks for watching my videos!! Please remember to rate and comment. All feedback is welcome (positive or negative). Also subscribe to my channel. Matchmaking changes in – posted in Game Discussion. The covered site of your Rashi, Lagna, Dasha, Antar Dasha and Nakshatra including your near future. In Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Classic, a way to play WoW near-as-dammit as. In Ground Forces Realistic mode, matchmaking is performed based.

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Matchmaking

May 14, What the blazing hell is that? We dedicate this article for the new buyers, the old buyers, for those who love them, for those who cannot stand them, for low tiers and high tiers, in short, for everyone. Because this tank brings out emotions from all of us. Have you ever got the feeling, that something just does not belong? A sale stunt for the biggest market on Earth became an every hour reality on all servers. Forerunner of the pay to win? The Type then stood out among other toned down premium tanks compared to fully teched same tiers.

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Comments Shares There are not many games that can attract 21, visitors to an exhibition centre in Moscow in December. Temperatures drop as low as minus 22 degrees centigrade, fresh snow becomes ice on roads and pavements and strong winds add further to the dominant air of hostility. With million registered users, however, World of Tanks has enough followers to overcome the elements.

In World of Tanks, your crew plays an important role in improving the combat effectiveness of your vehicle. In this guide, you’ll learn all about crew rank, skills, experience, training, and .

First daily victory with the vehicle Coefficient of 2 No Exiting battle during loading screen or countdown No “Joining a battle” bonus. Since your tank is actually present in the battle until it gets destroyed, it can passively earn XP e. No “Joining a battle” bonus. Since your tank is actually present in the battle until it gets destroyed, it can passively earn credits e. Exiting battle after countdown There is a penalty for XP earning, but only if the tank has not yet been destroyed.

Also, if the tank was not destroyed before exiting, further XP can be earned passively while it remains on the battlefield, e. Credits as earned, there is no penalty. If the tank was not destroyed before exiting, further credits can be earned passively while it remains on the battlefield, e. Team Damage inflicted Small penalty, supposedly twice the amount of XP you would receive for causing the same amount of damage to the enemy. Penalty to an amount of four times the repair costs required to fix the damage that was inflicted, limited by the total amount earned during battle.

Team Damage received None. Half the repair costs required to fix the damage or a quarter of the penalty paid by the player s who caused the team damage, whichever is lower. You will NOT get experience for: Damaging an ally’s tank, even if said ally is “blue” i.

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For a WoW veteran, World of Warcraft: It felt strange, walking into rooms filled with memories, where everything felt smaller, older. It was also the house where, on Christmas Eve , I came home with a copy of World of Warcraft , an exciting new game based on the lore of a strategy game I already loved. In Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Classic , a way to play WoW near-as-dammit as it was when it first came out. Blizzard have made no secret of how they feel about unauthorised versions of the game, but the time has finally arrived for an official one.

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Starting from Update 2. Read below for all the details. Legendary Camouflage In Update 2. A legendary camouflage is a special colour scheme applied to only one vehicle model. Just like universal camouflage, a legendary camouflage can be installed in any slot for winter, summer and desert maps. Tanks were available for purchase before the introduction of this camouflage type will be able to resupply their legendary camouflages for free after each battle. The distinctive feature of legendary camouflage, in addition to its stunning design, is the possibility to temporarily remove it and repaint the tank according to its standard historical pattern.

In such case the name of the tank will also change to the standard one: Type 62 In the future, legendary camouflage will have the standard resupply price in credits, which depends on the vehicle Tier, for all vehicles with the exception of the already given out.

Matchmaking

Battle ratings are calculated by examining how well an aircraft or ground unit fares in different game modes, and they may differ for each game mode for the same vehicle for example, an aircraft or ground unit may perform considerably better in arcade mode than realistic battles mode, and so will have a higher battle rating in the former. This allows for a balanced game at all ranks and using all vehicles, meaning that certain nations having technological advantages at different periods in the game’s timeline is not an issue when playing, and planes that are too powerful do not ruin gameplay for those flying less effective aircraft.

Aviation In Arcade mode Comparison sheet of fighter aircraft’s BR in Arcade For Arcade Air Battles, a formula is in place that calculates your overall Battle Rating, aka the Battle Rating that the Matchmaker will use to match opponents against you, based on the three highest aircraft in your lineup in regards to their individual BR. That said, the important thing for you to know are three short facts:

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Leave a comment Wizard My current spell in Wizard has come to an end. I was part-way through the second Grizzleheim sequence when my time came to an end. All in all it was good fun to play in the Spiral for a bit, and I may very well return on and off. World of Warplanes Very sporadic playing, on the whole. I did manage to achieve my second Ace, which made me smile.

I have also gotten a few games in on my second Tier II aircraft, the Demon.

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First daily victory with the vehicle Coefficient of 2 No Exiting battle during loading screen or countdown No “Joining a battle” bonus. Since your tank is actually present in the battle until it gets destroyed, it can passively earn XP e. No “Joining a battle” bonus. Since your tank is actually present in the battle until it gets destroyed, it can passively earn credits e. Exiting battle after countdown There is a penalty for XP earning, but only if the tank has not yet been destroyed.

Also, if the tank was not destroyed before exiting, further XP can be earned passively while it remains on the battlefield, e. Credits as earned, there is no penalty.

World of Tanks overhauls its matchmaking system

You pay your money, you take your choices (Last Updated January 18 ) There are quite a few premium vehicles in World of Tanks, sprinkled across the various nations, classes, and tiers. As stated above; premium vehicles come in a variety of forms, and there are a few limitations on what they can be. Generally speaking and there are exceptions , premium tanks will be slightly inferior to fully upgraded tanks of the same class and tier. They span tiers 2 to 8 and have a few special quirks; as one example, a premium vehicle can use crew trained on vehicles of the same class at no penalty.

Premium Tank Guide: You pay your money, you take your choices (Last Updated January 18 ) There are quite a few premium vehicles in World of Tanks, sprinkled across the .

In the game, you are fighting with giant, walking robots in 6v6 pvp matches controlling territory by capturing beacons, and, of course, by destroying other robots. Last year was a very good year for War Robots. The number of installations was tripled, and reached 50 million. DAU is about , players. Why does War Robots attract players so much? Judging on its dynamics, War Robots is the only adequate game in the genre niche of slow shooters, which is dominated by World of Tanks WoT.

In a slow shooters game, exchanging of fire lasts longer than in the mainstream shooter games. It looks more realistic when long fights occur between combat vehicles with armor and survivability.

2018 Gameweek 2 Discussion (No new threads, include all GW2 yarns here)

That’s 6M paying customer, in the same league as WoW, despite much smaller developer budget. The only gameplay is going to the field and battle enemy tanks, head on. PvP games are killed by the “PvP spiral”:

As I have spent many hours looking for World of Tanks mods, bonus codes, free gold, t-shirts and more, I’m pretty sure you’ll find something for yourself as well. To start, take a look at the main menu above or pick one of the popular categories below.

In Air Realistic mode, matchmaking is performed based on the aircraft selected for the battle. Since the vehicles not selected cannot be used in the battle, there is no need to include them in the calculation. In Ground Forces Arcade mode, matchmaking is performed based on the tank with the highest BR in the set. In Ground Forces Realistic mode, matchmaking is performed based on the tank or aircraft with the highest BR in the entire set depending on which vehicle has the highest BR. Many players have a preference for several modes.

For their convenience, there is a ” vehicle preset ” mechanism, which allows players to save preferred and frequently used vehicle arrangements in their hangar. This allows players to prepare for any type of battle in just a few clicks. Matchmaking by Bracket Air Simulator battles use this matchmaking method. When the player opens the Air SB interface, they will see several identical missions where the only difference is the BR of the permitted aircraft.

Matchmaking Near Shawneetown Illustrator

All you have to do is select the desired battle rank and assemble the required aircraft in your set.

Let’s Play! WoT 92 – Premium Matchmaking Tanks

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[pauldron-pieces]

Destrier Revel: Light And Home

Fandom: Dungeons And Dragons (5E)

Pairing: Destrier Revel/Illeria Stennas (F!NPC)

Rating: Holy shit tame.

AN: This is a hypothetical scenario featuring original characters in a world created by my Dungeon Master. As usual, this is non-canon and I own nothing aside from intellectual properties specifically attached to Destrier Revel. This installment is mechanically unsound in a multitude of ways and ignores certain important lore facets. Trigger warnings are listed inside. Enjoy!

Taglist: @sporadic-fics and @cookiethewriter!

Inspired By: Peder B. Helland: Bright Future

Destrier Revel’s Backstory: Burn The Wicked 

For Leofore

[Kulls are a monstrous race created by crossbreeding urgals and hill giants. They are the size of hill giants, with large tusks.]

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains emotional duress and doubt/self-worth issues. Stay safe!]

Thranrok had promised to meet him later that evening at Maplecrest, though Destrier had known the actual likelihood of that happening was incredibly slim. In the city around him the festivities carried on, civilians and nobles alike celebrating the safe return of the prince, queen and Leofore.

  It had been a very good night, and an even better day prior to that. 

  Revel's face was a bit sore from all the grinning he was doing, but it had been too long since he'd smiled so much. After all the grim events that had led up to this celebration, the months of doubt and self-loathing…

  He sighed, shaking his head at himself. It would do him no good to linger on such thoughts. Everything had worked out in the end, truly better than anyone could have anticipated.

  The blond man tarried a while outside Maplecrest, absentmindedly studying the familiar structure. He could recall when the inn had simply been a bar, back when he was nothing but a faceless squire in the king's army. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. 

  Destrier heaved another heavy sigh, undoing the stiff folds of his ascot. He should have known that Thranrok would be chest-deep in merrymaking, perhaps he should return to the castle as well-

  "Knight Revel?" 

  Illeria's voice startled him out of his staring contest with the ornate moulding over the door and he flinched, turning towards her. "Yes, Illeria?" 

  "What are you doing out here all alone?" She inquired, raising an eyebrow. Destrier's words escaped him for a moment. She always looked lovely to him, but she seemed to be especially so tonight. Whether it was the relief of returning alive or just a trick of the soft starlight overhead, Destrier found himself hard-pressed to take his eyes off of her. 

  Ganymethios and Leofore both had teased him relentlessly for his mooning , even while Thranrok begged for details, " strictly for research purposes, I'm reading another romance and I could really use a human's perspective. " It led to the knight's endeavors being tinged with wistful glances and foolish thoughts of presenting prodigious bouquets of roses. Gold, or perhaps vibrant orange to compliment her warm skin tone.

  "Thinking." Revel replied finally, flushing a little when he realized how long he had been gawking. "Memories are closer tonight, I fancy. I er, I was recalling our first meeting. The circumstances were...less than ideal."

  "To be fair, you and your battalion friends should not have upset my horse." She chuckled, giving his shoulder a light tap.

  Destrier cringed, recalling the racket his armor had made when the old Clydesdale donkey-kicked him through the barn door. And of course, what had transpired shortly while he laid on his back in the mud...

  The barn exploded outwards in a hail of splinters and clapboards. Squire Destrier, acting on instinct, grabbed the infuriated young woman's arm and yanked her down to the ground with him.

  A massive truss beam sailed by overhead and the bellowing call that followed threatened to shatter Destrier's eardrums. The woman, who moments before had been brandishing a truncheon and threatening to finish the job her horse had started, went still against his chest. "Goddess." She breathed. "What is that? "

  "Kull." Destrier whispered in reply, squinting through the rain to catch a glimpse of the hulking beast. He carefully tugged at the laces of his oilcloth cloak, sliding the durable fabric off over his head. "I need you to put this on." He instructed her, still keeping his voice soft. "Once I have gotten its attention, I need you to run."

  "Once you've what?! " She hissed even as she obediently pulled on the cloak. 

  "They have terrible eyesight but a keen nose. That cloak will mask your scent as well as your form." Destrier rolled to his feet, starting to scrape some of the mud off of his breastplate. The ground shook with the Kull's approaching footsteps. Where there was a Kull there were bound to be Urgal ground troops, though the longer legs of the ponderous brutes always outstripped their smaller kin. "Run to the barracks. Find Knight-Captain Leofore." 

  She tilted her head when she looked up at him, her eyes wide in the darkness. "But what will you do?"

  Squire Destrier, spotting two of his comrades struggling out from beneath the rubble of the stables, permitted himself to smile briefly. "I will distract the creature until aid comes. I am counting on you."

  Her hand squeezed his briefly before they parted...

  "What came afterwards though...it may sound nonsensical, but I am glad we decided to encroach upon your stable's hospitality that night. If the barracks had not been full-up of wounded, we might not have arrived until it was too late." Destrier mused, troubled by his vivid recollections.

  "True enough. I suppose I should be grateful for your breaking and entering?" Illeria teased back in the here and now, tilting her head when she looked up at him.

  Destrier's heart thudded painfully in his chest at the memory and he broke eye contact, clearing his throat. "Even if you are not, I am." 

  "Hm, I suppose I should be. After all, you and your friends brought me plenty of business over the years." Illeria allowed grudgingly. "Despite Thranrok always lighting the drapes on fire," She paused and gestured vaguely at her rebuilt stables, "I had coin-over to fix the barn up right, and expand Maplecrest into a proper inn."

  "Could have gotten a new plow horse." The knight suggested, only partially serious.

  "I should think not. He survived a Kull attack, after all! Few people can say that about their horses." She retorted proudly, fishing around in the many pockets of her ornate waistcoat until she found her keys. Beckoning the Knight-Captain to follow, she unlocked the heavy door and entered Maplecrest.

  Destrier tapped the lintel of the doorway as he passed beneath it, his fingers lingering on the carved insignia that had given the establishment its name. It depicted fans of samaras flanking a single, expertly-rendered maple leaf, and the lower half of the piece was worn a smooth honey-brown from locals touching it. Those who frequented the inn seemed to trust that it would bring luck or safety, and that was where Destrier had picked up the ritual. Every time he felt the sturdy maple leaf beneath his palm, he knew that he had returned.

  Home . He had been so bold before, taking her into his arms to all but admit his affections! He scolded himself roundly for it afterwards, blaming the relief of their return for his lapse of judgement and propriety. Believing that she had any sort of future with him was a fool's game, and there was no greater fool than Destrier Revel.

  Illeria busied herself with coaxing the embers of the common room fire to life, leaving Revel to light the lantern that graced the bar. He could feel her eyes on him as he leaned against the bar counter, but he chose to focus on the flicker of the lamp instead. 

  "So, Sir Knight Revel ." Illeria's inquisitive tone caught his attention and Destrier found that he was smiling unintentionally as he glanced up. Her gaze was thoughtful, more so than he had expected. "You are the King's Elite. As such, you are afforded certain liberties. You have the choice to stay wherever you wish for free." The young woman tapped her chin, pantomiming deep thought as she continued to study him. "Should you want a house, it will be provided. Yet you keep coming back here." 

  Anticipatory dread slowly began to curdle whatever warmth Destrier was experiencing at her presence, his smile fading. With his friends beside him he had managed Urgals, Kulls, liches... Leofore . He was a wielder of an ancient and terrible power, one that hailed from beyond the stars and time immemorial. Yet somehow he knew, marrow-deep, that this diminutive woman was about to raze his achievements to the ground.

  Illeria's voice softened. "Why?" 

  The question was like a death knell. Destrier felt as though someone had punched him in the gut, butterflies turning to lead in his stomach. He tried to weasel out of it, the flush creeping up the back of his neck to the tips of his ears as he mumbled, "Illeria, you…you have to already know why. You are incredibly intelligent. I refuse to believe you don't know why." 

  "I have my suspicions. However, I would appreciate hearing your explanation." She was relishing his panic, the fiend . 

  His doe-eyed fondness for her softened his indignation at being teased without mercy, though it was still present. This seemed almost too cruel to bear. Destrier raked a hand through his messy blond locks, inhaling deeply in an attempt to steel himself. 

  "I cannot offer you anything you don't already have. I can do naught to enrich your life, Illeria." He began helplessly. "You have thrived here. You are a creator , a builder. I am...I am not that."

  It pained him to speak so bluntly, yet he knew that honesty was the only thing that would see him through this discussion. Her silence was not overly encouraging, but he soldiered on.

  "I did not think I would survive the war. I did not dare to dwell on what would happen afterwards, because I did not believe I would be there to see it." Destrier was uncertain if he should even be admitting such things. No person would want a partner so dour and despondent. "Somehow though, somehow we managed to return and I now find myself at a loss. I have to carefully consider the future I did not believe I would have." 

  Illeria put a hand on his arm. "This world has as much of a need for people like you as it does for me, Destrier. You're too quick to sell yourself short." She chided. 

  "I destroy , Illeria. Much more than a few gold's worth of drape cloth." Destrier replied dejectedly, taking her hands in his own. They were so small, yet her knuckles were nearly as scarred as his. It was a strangely comforting detail. "Your place in this new era is assured. Someone like me, though…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I am a product of times which are now over, nothing more. I would not ask that of you."

  "You wouldn't ask what of me?" Illeria sounded frustrated, her hands squeezing his tightly. 

  When Destrier brought himself to meet her gaze again, he was startled by the way she was looking at him. His words died in his throat and he just stared dumbly, knowing in the back of his mind that this was his moment and he was squandering it! "T-To ask...I would not ask you to share your...um, life with me." He managed to stammer, muttering a curse under his breath at how foolish he must sound. 

  "And why wouldn't you ask that?" Illeria asked sharply, stomping her foot. "I refuse to believe that all you can do is bumble around and ruin things, Desty ."

  The childish nickname got a quick chuckle out of the knight before he mastered himself. "Illeria-"

  "No, hush. You've said your piece very prettily, but you're still wrong." The young woman interrupted firmly. 

  " How? " Revel protested. "I've spent so long thinking about this, Illeria. Nights upon nights I've laid sleepless, mulling everything over. Someone such as I cannot make you happy."

  "I think I'll be the judge of that." Illeria murmured. "I have survived on my own for long enough. Watching you set out every time with the King's Elite and your battalions, never knowing whether you would come back, I..." She rested her forehead on his chest, her hands coming up to grip the fabric of his shirt with surprising ferocity. "I don't want you to leave ever again, but I will not beg. I have a reputation to uphold, you understand." The young woman said frankly.

  "So you do. Far be it from me to tarnish that." Destrier could not keep from smiling. He knew he must look like a fool . "You wish for me to stay with you? Truly?"

  "I wish for much more than that, but it's a start." 

  Her wry response had him laughing until he was breathless and he cupped her face to tilt it upwards. "Illeria," Destrier said softly, his eyes searching her own. "You have always been what I come back for. As soon as my fingers graze the crest on the doorway I breathe a sigh of relief, for I know I am home ."

  "Your flattery falls on deaf ears, Revel." Despite her dismissive words, he felt her hold on his shirt tighten.

  " You are my home, Illeria." He said plainly, entirely enamored with the way her brown eyes widened in wonder. "Forgive my boldness, please, but I-"

  "-need to stop being so polite before you accidentally light the rug on fire again." Her hand cupped his cheek and he leaned into the touch dazedly, almost certain he was dreaming. Illeria, precious Illeria, looking at him like that even while she teased him-! This had to be a dream.

  Destrier prayed he would never wake. 

  Let me have this brief moment of ever after, with the kingdom saved and the woman I love at my side. 

  "Are you alright, Desty?" Illeria asked softly. 

  "Aye." The knight sighed, utterly content. "I daresay I'm a fair sight better than that."

Part Four: So Little Time

[longforgottenunofficial]

Here Comes the Bride, Part Four: Constance, Hat Boxes, and the Meaning of The Attic

(Photo by Jeff Fillmore)

Warning label.  We're going to get pretty heavy here before we get light, but you'll get no apologies from me.  I happen to believe that people always and everywhere keep talking about the same old things, whether they're writing big, thick theology books or scripts for situation comedies.  Stupid jokes or philosophical systems—it doesn't matter.  We are all natural born theologians and moralists, and darn it, we just can't help ourselves; everything we discuss with each other echoes into and out from something vast and serious.  No matter how trivial and superficial we think we are being, Deep calls to Deep (Ps 42:7).  Connie will show up some paragraphs down, but if what goes first is not your cup of tea...well, no doubt there's a blog out there dedicated to hidden Mickeys in the Haunted Mansions.  Google, and go in peace.  Rest assured that there will be another installment of "Here Comes the Bride" to deal with some of the interesting inspirations for Constance and even some intimations of her future. It's all good. The current incarnation of the attic bride is a unique and ambitious attempt to swell the Mansion's cast of characters and expand and solidify its backstory.  No longer is the HM simply a retirement home for ghosts from all over the world, brought here by invitation but getting stuck in the fabric of the house itself until Madame Leota fixes the snag so that they can materialize and start schmoozin' and boozin'.  Until now, this basic plot has been the only backstory to the HM that could claim official sanction, and indeed it accords with what the Ghost Host tells you and accounts for most of what you see.  But it has never completely covered the phenomena presented.  For example, the Ghost Host has a further tie to the house.  (The other end is tied to his neck.)  What's with that?  Was he an owner at one point?  That would explain why the hosting duties fell to him, and perhaps the retirement home idea was his, but it suggests that the house had its own haunted history before that. The other thing that suggests a previous history is the attic.  Attics are places of concealment, of hidden horrible secrets.  Moreover, the attic has always functioned as the asterisk on the big Marc Davis joke.  The first thing to do is make it clear what that joke is, because that joke accounts for 90% of the HM.  That joke is the broad, firm base from which other, smaller things may deviate. As we saw in an earlier post, at first you think the ghosts are malevolent and out to get you, but it turns out that "they pretend to terrorize" and really don't care about you at all; they just want to get to a state of comfortable materialization so that they can enjoy themselves.  Ha ha, the joke's on you:  you thought they were hostile, and you were wrong. The point of the joke, the moral of the story, the message of the Mansion, is that fear of death is overblown. That's it in a nutshell.  I mean, you really don't know if it's a chamber of horrors on the other side of the veil, do you?  No one really knows, right?  Perhaps the scary hauntings you hear about are just naughty pranks, perhaps all is forgiven and all is well and everyone's having a jolly good time over there.  So long as you don't know which is the case, you might as well take the optimistic view.  That's the vision presented to you by Mr. Davis.  In his portrait of the afterlife, the executioner and the knight he dispatched are now best buds.  There is no revenge, no bitterness, not even any residual hierarchy of power on the other side of the grave—kings and queens are playing like children!  Yeah, there are those two duelists still going at it, but it's more a matter of both of them being humorously stuck in a cycle of irresolvable earthly business than a tragic vision of implacable hatred.  You almost suspect that they're doing it as a game now.  After all, what happens when a ghost shoots a ghost?  Is he going to die or something?  See?  Joke!  Ever'body laugh. Without going even deeper than we need to, we might briefly note that there is a certain resonance between this joke and traditional Christian theology, wherein Death is defeated and rendered harmless ("where is thy sting?"), and ultimately the story of the universe is told as a comedy and not a tragedy.  In this sense, the Haunted Mansion is simply expressing an optimistic hope firmly rooted in Western culture.  "All shall be well." Okay, now the asterisk, now the "yes, but."  Equally part of the Western and Christian worldview is the notion that the afterlife is also the place where justice is finally served (it sure as hell ain't on this side of the veil, in case you hadn't noticed).  Justice implies judgment, and judgment is bad news for the bad.  That happy optimistic vision hopes that enough mitigating circumstances will ultimately be found so that everybody, or almost everybody, gets off, but if the wisdom of the ages is given any weight, there remains a residual pool of those who choose evil without any possible excuse for it and put themselves beyond the reach of even the most generous of post-mortem visions. Disney traffics heavily in traditional fairy tales, correct?  You'll note that the villains in fairy tales are often very villainous indeed.  It might sometimes be possible to understand them, but you cannot excuse them.  They have made their alliance with Death.  You cannot redeem them; what you do is, you kill them.  In truth, the world of traditional fairy tales is pretty stark and grim, and Disney has always faithfully represented this fact.  Fairy tales are also a good place to check out the aforementioned wisdom of the ages.  It's not surprising that Davis's warm bath of good feeling has a sober asterisk attached. The HM is just complex enough to give a nodding acknowledgment to this darker truth while celebrating the rosier vision.  This could have been accomplished in a number of ways, but the route the Imagineers chose (by intuition—don't ever think I'm claiming that they sat around and thought about all of this consciously), is the detective mystery.  What is it that motivates the sleuth in all of those whodunnits?  Bringing the criminal to justice.  Making sure the guilty party doesn't get away with it.  You don't associate Sherlock Holmes with forgiveness, do you?  Now ordinarily, writers of detective fiction banish the supernatural from their pages.  That's because the readers are supposed to be able to figure out who did it based on clues dropped along the way.  If you throw angels and demons and ghosts in there, it spoils the whole thing.  No one can reasonably be expected to anticipate a deux ex machina resolution to a mystery.  But the reverse is not true:  crime and detection are not absent from ghost lore.  Too many ghosts busy themselves with revealing where the body is hidden, or where the knife was buried, or by terrorizing the guilty into confessing their crime.  These ghosts, at any rate, are not in a forgiving mood.  They want justice. In our discussion of the Hat Box Ghost, we showed that the whole attic scene originally was held together by the head-in-a-hatbox symbol, which hails from the world of crime mystery.  You're in the attic, which is one of the two places in an old house where horrible secrets and crimes are hidden (the other is the cellar, of course).  You see that hatbox, and you have a dreadful suspicion that there's a severed head in it, and when your suspicion is confirmed, you realize you're looking at a murder, and you wonder what happened and who did it.  Like a good murder mystery, the attic gives you just enough clues to conclude that the bride is the guilty party, as we saw.  What's the Hat Box Ghost up to, anyway?  He'sshowing you what happened.  Got his noggin whacked off and hidden in a hatbox.  The murderer evidently got away with it, but now the victim's ghost has come back to reveal the awful truth to the world.  The crime is illustrated before your eyes and it is linked to the bride via the synchronized heartbeat.  Very efficient storytelling—this all takes about a second and a half.  These guys are GOOD. Note that the question of justice enters in here—you wonder who committed the crime—whereas when you see the knight in the graveyard, who is just as beheaded as the HBG is, you don't ask any such questions.  The perp is right there, after all, and neither of them care any more, and you don't even know which was in the right and which was in the wrong.  And you don't care either.  You regard the two beheading victims in completely different ways.  Creepy atmosphere + a hatbox in the attic = bingo,  you're in murder mystery land. Oh, all right, I hear those fingers drumming on the tabletop.  You've been good, so here.  Here's a few more Connie shots by Jeff Fillmore (aka ~Life by the Drop~ at flickr).  She's miserably hard to photograph, and I don't know how he does it, but IMO Mr. F. has got the best Connie shots on the Web.

From beginning to end, the attic scene has never been free of the grisly-hatbox symbol.  It is just as fundamental as the bride herself.  We noted how the two blast-up ghosts were skullish heads popping from hatboxes.  They were there from 1969 until 2006.  You can go back earlier.  Here again is a shot of the scale model, which we've seen before:

Let's pan to the right and see what got cropped out.  Well looky there.  I see two hatboxes, and one of them is suspiciously isolated.  You look inside, I just had dinner.

Next up, some Claude Coats concept art for the attic:

Well, I'm not so sure that it isn't an innocent hatbox in this case.  But this is an attic.  No doubt something horrid is hidden there.  Any guesses where the body is?  Possibly the trunk, but if you didn't think, "Maybe walled up in the brickwork of that chimney," you really need to read more books and see more movies.  See how it works?  They know that you just know these things. When they were kicking around ideas for a New Bride in the mid-2000's, there was a range of ideas put out there for consideration.  One widely-reproduced sketch that passes as "concept art for Constance" actually stayed very close to the then-current bride.  Still has the candle, still has the beating heart, still has the bouquet, and still has the blank white eyes.  Just a coked-up version of the "middle bride," really.

Oh, and if you come across a less-severely cropped version...well whaddya know:

Here's the Frank tableau in the finished make-over at Disneyland:

Nice.  And here's a piece of concept art for it.  (Nudge nudge:  lower left, atbox-hay on the oor-flay).

Just in case you think I'm imagining things, some concept art for Constance throws subtlety to the wind and takes us directly back to Hat Box Ghost territory.  Oh, and notice how close this Connie is to the finished character:

Ewww.  That'll put you off your Eggs Benedict.

Reportedly, there were plans to put a stack of five hatboxes across from Constance in the HBG's old spot, with the names of her five husbands on them.  Hatbox city.  One report even suggested that they would light up and glow from within.  That didn't happen, but they did put a hat-rack there, with hats on it matching Connie's hubbies in the portraits.  Heh heh.  When they put Constance into the WDW attic in 2007, they too got a hat-rack, but they also got the stack of hatboxes.  No name tags or lights though.

Wouldn't want to be in there on a warm day.  Notice the swords laying around.  You don't suppose that means anything, do you?

With the grisly-hatbox symbol, you've got CRIME looking for PUNISHMENT.  You've uncovered something deliberately hidden.  There's a murderer out there somewhere, a score to settle, a vengeance yet denied.  Question:  How has the attic bride always been different from most of the other ghosts you see?  Answer:  She's not happy.  No socializing for her.  Even Constance is only experiencing the lunatic glee of the criminally insane.  If you insist on calling it "happy," then it's kind of a Charles Manson happy, you know?  I wouldn't say she's happy.  She's not forgiven or forgiving, not within the embrace of any resolution.  But is justice being served?  Well, if she wasn't so utterly wacked-out, she'd realize that she's exposing herself and being exposed.  Hattie with his damning heart-beat box is gone, but now we've got five haunted wedding portraits with the husbands' heads disappearing.  Those portraits are five ghostly fingers from beyond the grave laying accusation.  And yet, those guys aren't happy either, and they don't even get the relief of being too crazy to care.  You don't see forgiveness, but you don't see just deserts either.  The ghostly revelations inspire no remorse in Connie, and she's suffering no reprisal.  Her madness has taken her to a place without punishment, but also without love.

This is a very sour note in the HM, and it may well be a thematic blunder.  The Connie addition is seriously flawed.  Unlike the knight and executioner, there has not been any post-mortem reconciliation in this case.  They're grim ghosts without the grinning part.  If there were a way to show the husbands yukking it up with Connie, all of them laughing at the silly fuss their earthly crime drama stirred up, then they'd be part of the Marc Davis all-is-now-well joke.  Or, alternately, if the hubbies were allowed to show some sense of satisfaction that at last the murderer has been caught out, putting their spirits to rest, avenging them, giving them something to grin about like the old Hat Box Ghost, then they would fit into the traditional role of the attic as the "justice must be satisfied" asterisk added to the otherwise merry universalism of the Haunted Mansion.  As things stand, the message of the attic is, "the Devil wins," however lightly and humorously expressed.  Yes, you will survive death and live forever; but no, there is no guarantee that you will find either justice or forgiveness on the other side.  That's a common enough stance in modern horror, of course, but it is utterly foreign to the Mansions.  Or it was, until May 2006.

Originally Posted: Wednesday, June 2, 2010 Original Link: [x]

[spryfilm]

“Deadpool 2” (2018)

Action

Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds

Directed by: David Leitch

Featuring: Ryan Reynolds,  Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, and Jack Kesy

Deadpool: “Sorry, I’m late. I was rounding up all the gluten in the world and launching it into space where it can’t not hurt us ever again.”

Critical Commentary:

Here we are after the undisputed success of “Deadpool” (2016) this time two years ago, there was never a doubt that a sequel would be produced to cash in on what was a tough road to the screen for the self-titled ‘merc with a mouth’. The perfect combination of R rated violence, humor and action was something sorely missing in comic book movies to that point – it could have been said to have filled a niche with it’s over the top everything. Not only that but its main champion writer/producer/ star Ryan Reynolds who after years of trying to be an A lister was, before this breakthrough, being shown the door to ignominy. In fact, the first movie was not even on studio Fox’s’ radar until test footage was leaked that gave a taste of the possibility of what “Deadpool” could be – the rest is history, on a modest US$58 million budget managed to not only set the record for the opening R rated weekend box office but generated over US$750 million worldwide. “Deadpool” also led to the possibility of other serious R rated comic book movies being produced which now seems like a no-brainer but until this time it was thought to be commercially unviable.

After a few false starts, the main one being the jettisoning of original director Tim Miller for “John Wick” (2014) and “Atomic Blonde” (2017) director David Leitch, this new movie arrives fully formed as well as being a very good sequel,  and compliment to the first – audiences will be pleased with the ramped-up action, characters as well as fourth wall breaking humor while sidestepping the issues of success, as the budget for this movie is still modest by Hollywood comic book standards. I have to be honest that when I heard that Leitch had replaced Miller as director my heart had sunk as his first solo outing “Atomic Blonde” was not close to being a movie I thought was good, in fact while the action was acceptable, the narrative was wholly unoriginal as well as being sparse. However, given that both Deadpool movies are light on story but heavy on action it seems any issues with director are going to be on the back burner, for now anyway.

This time around Deadpool forms a team of mutants called the X-Force to protect young mutant Russell from the time-traveling soldier Cable. That’s pretty much the story, the complications arise with the interaction of our titular hero with almost everyone else in the movie, so it’s basically a pretty familiar plot with the twist that no-one really likes the hero and the fact that it plays much more comedy than anything else.

There is no doubt that both Deadpool movies are driven by Ryan Reynolds who has taken it on himself to not only be the face of the franchise (yes, I know he wears a mask) but will seemingly shy away from nothing to remind everyone who the hero is as well as what kind of movie he is making. It may seem like his efforts are tireless but after two failed goes at superheroes as well as a few other franchises Reynolds recognizes what he has, that it may not last long so he had better make hay while the sun shines. To his credit he carries out everything Deadpool related with as much originality as he can, no one is safe from his humor, no star, studio or property which in the days of trying not to be offensive, he is a welcome relief. This new instalment may not have the cutting wit of the first but it still manages to bait and switch many characters and storylines in under two hours.

What the filmmakers have done with this new movie is to expand the cast as well as bringing a character that many readers will recognize from marvel lore, not only that but he is a major part of the Marvel Comic book Universe, that being the time travelling mutant, Cable, played here by Josh Brolin who is perfectly cast as the movies central antagonist. The definite new star of the movie is Brolin who seems like perfect casting as the gruff Cable who really does steal the movie, as he has already done this year as Thanos, in fact as he does in almost all of his performances – he plays off Reynolds like a master, in fact this is more like a buddy comedy movie than anything else which is where it succeeds over the first instalment. Returning after the first movie are Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller and Brianna Hildebrand who all serve very different purposes as girlfriend, comedy counterpart and a link to the X-Men which are always made fun of. While I enjoy Baccarin I can see that she may have a been a character to hold Deadpool back, as for Miller he is having issues of his own so he will not be back for a third. As for Hildebrand who was dynamite in the first film as well as featuring in the second season of “The Exorcist” television show, here she has grown more assured and is a bright spot among bright spots, I hope she returns for a third film or even a possible X-Force movie. The newcomers include Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, and Jack Kesy who all add so much, along with Brolin, but of the three it is Beetz who has spent a few years in small roles grabs the reins and runs with the best character in the movie besides the titular hero. Beetz as Domino is as much fun as Deadpool who has a super power just as odd, she has great lines and at times is a co-lead as capable as Deadpool himself – I hope she returns for any sequel or spinoff.

One of the major strengths of the first movie was the humor which is on full display here with the breaking of the fourth wall to address the audience as well as to make comments on not only the incestuous nature of hero films but of the repetitive nature that all audiences have to recognize by now. Deadpool the movie and characters are all about trying to subvert expectations so it is with great relish we see “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” (2016) star Julian Denison here as a young mutant as well as the maguffin of the piece, he has a natural wit that fits in well with Reynolds and compatriots as well as again not being the typical ‘kid’ in a movie as the annoying brat that is more the norm in Hollywood movies. This all goes back to the humor as well as commentary that is to be made which is done by Reynolds himself who for the most part speaks from experience having been through the mill himself, as a young and now a middle aged actor.

My only concern is with director David Leitch who on the surface may seem like a good fit but obviously has a hard time understanding the difference between plot and narrative as well as how to seamlessly fit these two elements together while maintaining the action as well as the edge to the movie, this was something Tim Miller from the first movie was able to do, his absence in my mind is all too noticeable. The problems that befell Leitch’s first solo outing “Atomic Blonde” are all to visible here, what makes for a great stunt co-ordinator may not make for a good director.

If you enjoyed the first movie then this will be right up your alley, it moves the story along as much as possible and also lays some groundwork for a spinoff or direct sequel. It is apparent Reynolds has as much fun playing the part as audiences do going along to see him. This is that rare sequel that raises the bar delivering what should be one of the blockbusters of this year.

Technical Commentary:

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray:

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment brings Deadpool 2 to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a four-disc combo pack dubbed the “Super Duper $@%!#& Cut.” The accompanying flyer is a code for a Digital HD Copy, which can be redeemed via FoxDigitalMovies, Movies Anywhere and VUDU, unlocking the 4K HDR10 version with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio. A pair of dual-layered UHD66 discs — one containing the 119-minute theatrical version and the other the 134-minute extended cut — are joined by another pair of Region Free, BD50 discs containing the movie and special features. The added fifteen minutes are a variety of extended sequences, like Deadpool’s samurai fight in the bathhouse, or new never-before-seen scenes, like the different ways Deadpool tries to commit suicide.

All four are housed inside a black, eco-elite keepcase with a center spindle and a glossy slipcover. At startup, the UHD hilariously commences like a badly-aged VHS tape that’s been recorded over a few times and in 4:3 aspect ratio while a-ha’s “Take on Me” plays in the background. With full-motion clips and the usual options along the bottom, the effect lasts for about a minute before switching to a more traditional appearance in 16:9 aspect ratio.

Video

Deadpool comes to Ultra HD with a great looking HEVC H.265 encode but its not the best within the format.

“Deadpool 2” was shot on a combination of digital cameras capable of 3.4K resolution and traditional 35mm, which was later mastered to a 2K digital intermediate, the  transfer enjoys a notable improvement in overall definition and clarity. The fabric and coarse stitching in costumes are finely detailed. The occasional aliasing rears its head from time to time along the sharpest edges, but it’s mild. Detailing also remains strong in the darkest corners, making the prison scenes a highlight when overlooking the aliasing. The 2160p video comes with rich, velvety blacks throughout with excellent gradational differences between the various shades, providing the 2.39:1 image with a beautiful cinematic appeal.

Audio

“Deadpool 2” comes with a great Dolby Atmos soundtrack that offers a few improvements over the Blu-ray.

There isn’t a lot going on in the ceiling channels, noticeably going unused on several occasions, but when employed, they manage to generate a satisfying hemispheric environ that places the listener in the middle of the action. Various ambient noises, such as city traffic or the crowded commotion in the mutant prison, fill the above space nicely and effectively while helicopters and planes flawlessly pan across the overheads from behind and into view. The many action sequences shower the room with debris falling everywhere and convincingly raining down to the sides and rears, creating an awesome dome-like effect.

The front soundstage feels expansive and continuously broad, as many of those same atmospherics travel between the three channels and the top heights with excellent directionality. The added breathing room allows for slightly better clarity and separation within the mid-range, displaying superb detailing and distinction during the loudest, ear-piercing segments as well as in the song selections and musical score.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Star Ryan Reynolds and director David Leitch join writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick for a delightfully funny and highly amusing discussion on the production. Naturally, with Reynolds’ presence, the chat is filled with lots of sarcasm and silly wisecracks while the other three share various anecdotes and technical details.

Deadpool Family Values (HD, 15 min): EPK-style piece with cast & crew interviews and lots of BTS footage centering around the characters, performances and the plot’s themes.

Deadpool’s Lips Are Sealed (HD, 13 min): Everyone shares their thoughts on the studio’s extreme measures for maintaining absolute secrecy and the work on visual effects.

David Leitch not Lynch (HD, 12 min): The director is given a few minutes to talk about his involvement with the production, his aspirations and tons of praise from cast & crew.

The Deadpool Prison Experiment (HD, 11 min): As the title suggests, interviews talk about the “Ice Box” scenes, its production design and its role in the overall plot.

Until Your Face Hurts (HD, 9 min): An amusing discussion on the script’s genesis, various ideas considered, the aspirational focus on the comedy and Ryan Reynolds heavy involvement.

Roll with the Punches (HD, 7 min): A closer look at the fight choreography, the action sequences, praising the stunt performers and the preference for practical effects over CGI.

The Most Important X-Force Member (HD, 2 min): A brief but funny chat on the specially ordinary Peter, who joins the team despite a lack of abilities, and actor Rob Delaney.

Swole and Sexy (HD, 2 min): Praise for Josh Brolin’s physique and friendly nature on set.

“3-Minute Monologue” (HD, 2 min): Watch Brolin joking around as makeup is applied.

Deadpool’s Fun Sack 2 (HD): Two separate collections of various media, starting with one titled “Videos” (35 min), which stockpiles all the theatrical previews & international promos, an IMAX PSA, the music video for Celine Dion’s “Ashes,” BTS featurette for said video, another music video for Diplo, French Montana & Lil Pump ft. Zhavia’s “Welcome to the Party,” and a pair of hysterical videos making fun of the movie. The second is titled “Stills,” which is an assortment of promotional material.

Deleted & Extended Scenes (HD, 3 min): A pair of excised scenes.

Gag Reel (HD, 3 min).

  4K Blu-ray review: “Deadpool 2” (2018) "Deadpool 2" (2018) Action Written by: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds Directed by: David Leitch…

[xoxoholla-blog]

Better Late?

Hear ye! Hear ye! Here’s your Danish round-up! I am only one month in, and already three weeks behind in blogging, so LET’S. GET. INTO. IT.

To be perfectly honest, Denmark was a bit of a blur of old host families, friends, language, and memories. The weather was tremendous for my first week, and after a night out celebrating with my dear friend Eva (and perhaps a bit too much wine), the two of us took off the next morning for Aarhus, back in Jylland. There, we stayed with her mother (the lovely Berit) by the sea, and even got some sunbathing and swimming in. Eva was singing at a confirmation the second day, so I got to sit in on a very common Danish practice for teens making the commitment to Jesus (pronounced YAY-Suess). It was nice, if that’s your thing. What I was more tickled with, was the harbor-side lunch the three of us had afterward, during which I got a sunburn (in Denmark!). The next day, we drove back to Copenhagen and met the rest of Eva’s family on the beach for a barbecue. The weather was lovely, the company even more so. 

Unfortunately, Eva had to work much of the time I was visiting, but the plus side was that I got to explore Copenhagen on my own and do all the touristy things my heart desired. My first move was to take a canal tour, which strangely, I had never done, and which gave me a better sense of the layout of this beautiful city. Beer in hand, I took in every canal dotted with Danes with such wonder--people live like this! There is a concept in Denmark that strictly belongs to the Danes called “hygge.” To “hygge” is to spend quality time, or roughly translated, “cozy” time, with others, though that is a simplification that only scratches the surface. But to paint the picture, it was thirty degrees (Celsius, people), and Danes were out in droves drinking beer, talking, taking in the sun. It was delightful, not least because everyone in Denmark looks like a supermodel. 

After my canal tour, I wandered around Christiania, a self-sufficient city within the city that was originally re-appropriated by ex-cons and the homeless population almost forty years ago. Formerly empty military barracks, this part of the city is now a free society that is totally self-sufficient due to these overlooked Danes that had some wherewithal. Thank you, socialism. After strolling through what seemed like a little chunk of the Oregon-Country-Fair-In-Denmark, I climbed the famous Vor Frelsers Kirke (Our Savior’s Church), whose spiral staircase takes you all the way to the top, with magnificent views of Copenhagen. I then treated myself to ice cream. 

I allowed myself to wander, and in doing so, found Kongens Have, or the King’s Garden, a beautiful, ambling green space that, yes, used to be the King of Denmark’s garden. Gorgeous. By that time though, the sun was waning, and I had blisters, so I made my way home to Eva in Kongens Lyngby. 

The following day, it was time to head to Sweden to see my darling Kielmanns. My second host family had moved up to their summer house full-time since last I’d seen them, and after a six hour bus ride from Copenhagen, I was in Tanum, Sweden. Their home was a beautifully updated turn of the century traditional Swedish farmhouse set amidst lush nature, a little more wild than pristine Denmark, and Kirsten and Jan and Signe were gracious hosts, as always. Our first day was spent down by the lake, where Jan and Kirsten kindly gave me a tour of their ample inland sea, and then relaxing on the porch with a cup of tea and a good book. Perfect. The following day was for history, as was Kirsten’s and my tradition, but not before they took me to their little town center and showed me around. Strangely, Swedish people love American culture. I wandered through a store that was eerily identical to Bi-Mart, which are few and far between in Europe. A store where you can by potting soil, doilies, blue eyeliner, AND underwear? Talk about one-stop shopping. I think it’s because Sweden has much more space to work with, meaning much of their population is spread out and rural, that these Scandinavians feel a kinship with this idea of the Wild West. I could be wrong, but I did see a lot of dirt bikes.

Side note: when we stopped at a shopping center for groceries (Jan is the most excellent cook), I started buzzing upon entry and got pulled to the side where I was made to empty my whole purse and walk through the alarm system SIX TIMES. Even when I stopped buzzing and it was determined that I hadn’t, in fact, stolen any of their precious moments knock-off figurines, I still got Swedish side-eye and no “sorry.” Hmph. 

The more culturally significant stop was to see the petroglyphs near Tanumshede that have been there since approximately 1800-500 BC. The rock carvings are multitudinous and far-spread (covering 126 acres), and truly a sight to behold, though they are eroding at a dangerous rate due to tourism and acid rain. The truly curious thing is that we can only guess about their meaning. Are they recitations of Bronze Age lore? Information for travelers? Even the scientists studying them can’t be sure, but they are there for us to wonder at.  

It was wonderful to see the Kielmanns again after seven years, and after a brief two days, I was back on a bus for Copenhagen. Of course, the trip was overshadowed by the loss of Kirsten and Jans’ son Kaare, a wonderfully gentle and gracious man who is greatly missed. 

But my trip down memory lane did not stop there! The next day I caught a bus to Vejle, back on Jylland where I first spent time as an exchange student. My first host father, Ove, was there to greet me, and he promptly whisked me away to the family’s summer house. This house is like something out of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, all gingerbread trimmings and birdhouses, and loft beds and playrooms. It was always a special place for me, and I’m so grateful to be welcomed there still, as it was here I chose to bury a time capsule from that first year in Denmark. Ove pointed out where it was, but I think I’ll wait a little longer before I unearth that buried treasure.

The next day, we drove back to Ejstrupholm, the village where I lived ten years ago. Reentering that first home was odd--familiar but smaller, much like returning home always is. It was emptier, too, as Ove’s wife Susanne, who always filled the room with her smile, had also passed away in recent years. 

But Ove, not one to waste a moment, made an excellent tour guide and drove me back to Aarhus to see the Aros Museum of Art, with a fabulous color wheel installation that you can walk around to see the city, literally, in different lights. From there, we had lunch with his lovely daughter Anne and her family, and carried on to Moesgaard Museum, home of the Bog Man, and a startlingly huge collection of artifacts from throughout Denmark’s history. I could have spent three days in the museum--there was just so much to look at! I highly recommend a visit, should you find yourself in that particular corner of the world. On the way home, we drove past a deer park, and yes, it is what it says: a park, with no guards or rangers, that the public can enter, AND PET DEER. This sort of thing would never--could never--exist in America. Someone would try to shoot Bambi and it would all be over before it began. But this place was such an amazing sanctuary where nature and man commingled and agreed not to fuck with each other. Of course I made Ove stop.

I spent the following day with my fourth and final host family, the Christensens, and man, nothing makes you feel older than seeing the nine-year-old you remember asking you to play on the trampoline as a full-fledged man, driving you around in his convertible. I also spoke mostly Danish for seven hours, which was quite gratifying. 

On our last full day together, Ove drove me down to SønderJylland, the Southwest part of Denmark, and we stopped in Viborg (fairytale city), Tønder (which strangely boasts a huge collection of Henry Moore in a museum that also has a large Danish furniture wing, a teaspoon collection, and used to be an 18th century prison), and Rømø (a thin island that draws staggering amounts of kite and windsurfers, and people who just like kites). But the main attraction for me was actually the Emil Nolde museum, which is located in northern Germany, close to the border with Denmark. I hadn’t known much about the artist before, and though I don’t enjoy all of his work, most of it, I really did, not to mention his home, surrounded by gardens was some of the loveliest scenery I’ve seen in a while (see: Aventoft). It was an exhausting, but beautiful day.

I saw my third host family, the Kristoffersens, on my last day in town, and they, as always, had put out the best spread. We caught up and laughed, and promised to Skype. The only other thing I did that day was walk around Ejstrupholm Lake, thinking about the ground I’ve covered in ten years, everything that led me back to this place. And, corny as it sounds, I thanked this ground--thanked it for challenging me, pushing me out of my comfort zone ten years ago, and instilling in me a sense of strength in wanderlust as I step out into the world again. 

My few remaining days in Denmark were, luckily, spent with Eva. She and her lovely boyfriend, Nick, and others, took me out in such style and with such aplomb, that I remember only slivers, but I know we laughed a lot. The one afternoon she did have to work, I walked around her neighborhood and found--you guessed it!--another palace. I wandered around the grounds with classical music gently guiding my steps, as though I were a lady-in-waiting in the 17th century, and thought myself so lucky to be amidst such beauty. I spotted another palace up ahead, but as soon as I got up close, it was simply someone’s home. It seems my whole time in Denmark, I was exclaiming to myself: “People actually live like that!” I don’t think I will ever tire of the rich history and culture that surrounds most other places in the world. Having grown up in a place with a rich natural beauty, I do appreciate home, of course, but there is something more--a different smell, a feeling that seeps up from the ground that reminds one how transient we are in the grand scheme of things, but how grand man can be all the same.