#brian ching too

[jewishcissiekj]

i should make a post with my list of favorite artists who drew Asajj

[allsportsnews]

Way-too-early look at USMNT's depth chart for 2026 World Cup

Way-too-early look at USMNT’s depth chart for 2026 World Cup

Danny Karbassiyoon was definitely on the list at some point. Gedion Zelalem, too. Freddy Adu, obviously. Brian Ching was exactly what we needed. We’re old enough that guys such as Jesse Marsch and Taylor Twellman were almost certainly on the list at one point. Oh, what could have been, Charlie Davies. I’m still holding out hope, Joe Corona. You broke my heart, Bobby Convey. For years, some nerd…

[jamilhossain]

Way-too-early look at USMNT's depth chart for 2026 World Cup

Way-too-early look at USMNT’s depth chart for 2026 World Cup

Danny Karbassiyoon was definitely on the list at some point. Gedion Zelalem, too. Freddy Adu, obviously. Brian Ching was exactly what we needed. We’re old enough that guys such as Jesse Marsch and Taylor Twellman were almost certainly on the list at one point. Oh, what could have been, Charlie Davies. I’m still holding out hope, Joe Corona. You broke my heart, Bobby Convey. For years, some nerd…

[thetopbestguide]

Way-too-early look at USMNT's depth chart for 2026 World Cup

Way-too-early look at USMNT’s depth chart for 2026 World Cup

Danny Karbassiyoon was definitely on the list at some point. Gedion Zelalem, too. Freddy Adu, obviously. Brian Ching was exactly what we needed. We’re old enough that guys such as Jesse Marsch and Taylor Twellman were almost certainly on the list at one point. Oh, what could have been, Charlie Davies. I’m still holding out hope, Joe Corona. You broke my heart, Bobby Convey. For years, some nerd…

[newswireml]

Way-too-early look at USMNT's depth chart for 2026 World Cup#Waytooearly #USMNTs #depth #chart #World #Cup

Way-too-early look at USMNT’s depth chart for 2026 World Cup#Waytooearly #USMNTs #depth #chart #World #Cup

Danny Karbassiyoon was definitely on the list at some point. Gedion Zelalem, too. Freddy Adu, obviously. Brian Ching was exactly what we needed. We’re old enough that guys such as Jesse Marsch and Taylor Twellman were almost certainly on the list at one point. Oh, what could have been, Charlie Davies. I’m still holding out hope, Joe Corona. You broke my heart, Bobby Convey. For years, some nerd…

[embervoices]

I, too, find little correlation to accuracy. It's not the cards that carry the accuracy, physical or digital, it's the reader.

Or rather, I do think it depends on the app, since it's possible to make a negative correlation if you program it wrong, but most apps and bots I've seen do a reasonable job of dealing cards randomly.

What I find compromises my accuracy is the lack of process. It's a bit too easy to get a reading from an app, I don't have to prepare the cards, handle them, etc. That somatic preparation process is important to getting into the right state of consciousness for divination to function.

On the other hand, that means if I make sure to undertake those steps, a digital divination tool works just fine as long as I understand how to use its physical equivalent effectively.

I quite like several apps, especially for learning:

The Fool's Dog Sampler has a lovely pile of layouts to choose from, and I generally find that brand's individual (paid) apps for decks I like are worth it. They're on both Android and iOS for sure.

Galaxy Tarot for Android is clean and easy to navigate for beginners learning the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.

Deepware Changes - only for Android - is a really excellent I Ching app that I find highly educational. It was clearly made for love.

Alas, some of my favorites are gone:

There was, for a while, a divination tool based on Afro-Diasporic 4 shell readings that included detailed instructions for appropriate prayer and reverence that I found educational and highly useful, but it's gone now.

For a long time there was a website hosting The Crowdsource Tarot, which is a text oracle to which I had contributed. I found it excellent for blunt clue-by-four answers. When it died, I asked my partner to make a little Discord bot that does nothing but serve Crowdsource Tarot readings (TCT is under Creative Commons for that sort of thing).

Similarly, there was, for a long time, a version of Brian Froud's Faerie Oracle online that I found often better than using the physical deck. I hypothesized that perhaps the Fae involved especially enjoyed mucking about on the internet. Alas, it's gone now.

[pinkfloydbt]

“Syd was an extraordinarily creative, talented, buoyant, lively, wonderful, beautiful guy. And he wrote songs. That's the only thing that matters in a band. Somebody has to have something to say, and Syd had a lot to say.

He'd read Hilaire Belloc, Lewis Carroll, the I Ching, and taken things from them. And some of the stuffhe did was absolutely rooted in experience. Bike is a love song, obviously. It's a child-like ditty, but the way it scans is extremely strange and quirky. There's a lot of Cambridge in there as well - bucolic sketching of the life of a young person on the banks of the River Cam discovering their sexuality and intellectuality and individuality.

First records represent 10, 15 years of work.So the Syd i knew was represented by those [The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn] songs. They could easily have been written by someone who wasn't about to become ill. But, equally, the side of him that was teetering on the edge, that couldn't really cope, was [later] represented by Vegetable Man and Dark Globe.

It was always my plan that Syd would stay on as a sort of Brian Wilson character and write, but he was too ill, so the rest of us were forced into writing, or else going back to being architects."

As told to Mark Paytress | Mojo Magazine, 2018

[oonathefaewitch]

Hey so I'm a self-taught witch who practices independently and I was hoping to learn a little bit from others as well. Do you have any books/resources/people you recommend looking into?

Hi there!

I'm a self-taught witch as well and I'm still at the beginning of my journey, at the moment I'm yet to finish the big blue book Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft of which I'm also sharing the lessons (you can find tose posts in my archive here) so for now I can only really recommend that one, but I'm marking down all the recommendend supplementary redings at the end of every lesson if you wanna check them out!

I'm also reading a very interesting and complete book about tarot called Holistic Tarot which i really recommend, it's a bit expensive maybe but it's totally worth it

Other than that I can write down here the list of recommended reading at the end of the blue book (with extra books other than the ones already listed at the end of every lesson), I can't recommend those personally (even if I did buy some of them but I still have to read them) but I think they're worth a shot if you'd like to know more, I'll add the other two I mentioned above in the list, in any case if you find other books online read carefully all the reviews cause many books are not serious about this topic

Also I'm not sure but I think these books below are all from white people and mainly about white cultures (and most of them are very old), so If you (or anyone else) have some recommendations about other cultures' book about witchcraft or ancient traditions I'd be glad to know more about that too!

As for people and other resources, I follow some witches on Twitter that shares interesting stuff, it would be too long to link all of their profiles so I can give you directly the list of people I follow here

I hope you'll find this helpful~

Color Healng by Mary Anderson

Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece by Edward E. Jr Barthell

Crystal Gazing by Theodore Besterman

I-Ching: The Book of Changes by J. Blofeld

Primitive Song by C. M. Bowra

Gerald Gardner: Witch by J. L. Bracelin

The Lost Gods of England by Brian Branston

Development of Religion and Thought is Ancient Egypt by J. H. Breasted

Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft / Amazing Secrets of the Psychic World / Color Magick / Gypsy Dream Dictionary / A Pocket Guide to the Supernatural / Practical Candleburning Rituals / Scottish Witchcraft & Magick / The Tree: Complete Book of Saxon Witchcraft / Wicca For Life / The Witch Book: Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, WIcca and Neopaganism / Witchcraft From the Inside by Raymond Buckland

The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Zsuzsanna Budapest

Amulets and Talismans by Sir E. A. Wallis Budge

Egyptian Language by Oxford University Press

How to Read the Aura, Practice Psychometry, Telepathy and Clairvoyance by W.E. Butler

Ancient Ways by Dan and Pauline Campanelli

Handbook of Unusual and Unorthodox Healing by J. V. Carney

Handbook of Bach Flower Remedies by Philip M. Chancellor

Color Therapy by Linda Clark

Precious Stones: Their Occult Power and Hidden Significance by W. B. Crow

Lid Off the Cauldron / The Witches Speak Athol by Patricia Crowther

Complete Herbal by Nicholas Culpeper

Earth Power / Living Wicca / Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham

Practical Guide to Astral Projection by Melita Dennings and Osborne Phillips

The Silent Path by Michael Eastcott

Patterns of Comparative Religion / Rites and Symbols of Initiation - Birth and Rebirth by Mircea Eliade

The Dream Game by Ann Faraday

What Witches Do / Eight Sabbats For Witches / The Witches' Way by Janet and Stewart Farrar

Magical Rites From the Crystal Well by Ed Fitch

The Golden Bought by Sir James G. Frazer

The Wisdom of Pagan Philosophers by Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy

Totem and Taboo by Sigmund Freud

Witchcraft Today / The Meaning of Witchcraft / High Magic's Aid / A Goddess Arrives by Gerald Gardner

Complete Herbal by Gerard

Stalking the Healthful Herbs by Euell Gibbons

Witchcraft, the Sixth Sense, and Us by Justine Glass

Seasonal Occult Rituals by William Gray

The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft by Rosemay Ellen Guiley

Ancient Art and Ritual Kessinger by Jane E. Harrison

Palmistry, the Whole View by Judith Hipskind

Myth and Ritual by S. H. Hooke

Witch: A Magickal Journey by Fiona Horne

The Runes and Other Magical Alphabets by Michael Howard

Witchcraft by Penethorne Hughes

Memories Dreams and Reflections by Carl G. Jung

Aradia, Gospel of the Witches of Italy by Charles Godfrey Laland

Witches: Investigating an Ancient Religion / Gogmagog - the Buried Gods by T. C. Lethbridge

Healing For Everyone by E. Loomis and J. Paulson

Numerology by Vincent Lopez

Commond and Uncommond Uses of Herbs of Healthful Living by Richard Lucas

The Herb Book by John Lust

Pagan Parenting by Kristin Madden

Witta: An Irish Pagan Tradition by Edain McCoy

The Principles and Practice of Radiesthesia by Abbè Mermet

The Hearbalist by J. E. Meyer

The Craft by Dorothy Morrison

Green Witchcraft series by Ann Aoumiel Moura

Sexual Occultism by John Mumford

The Family Wicca Book by Ashleen O'Gaea

Reclaim the Power of the Witch by Monte Plaisance

Potter's New Cyclopedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations by R. C. Potter

How to Make and Use Talismans / The Art of True Healing by Israel Regardie

The Seventh Sense by Kenneth Roberts

High Magic's Aid by Scire

The Book of Charms and Alisman by Sepharial

The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion L. Starkey

Medical Palmistry by Marten Steinbach

Is This Your Day? by George S. Thommen

Magic and Healing by C. J. S. Thompson

Where Witchcraft Lives / An ABC of Witchcraft Past and Present / Witchcraft For Tomorrow by Doreen Valiente

The Rites of Passage by Arnold Van Gennep

Herbal Manual by H. Ward

Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen

The I-Ching by R. Wilhelm

The Christians As the Romans Saw Them by Robert L. Wilken

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca and Witchcraft by Denise Zimmermann and Katherine A. Gleason

[barcarole]

I saw pictures of philosophical texts & i was wondering for someone who's interested in reading philosophy where should i start?

Philosophy is an ample spectrum of diverse subjects, perspectives, and unanswered questions. I’m by no means an expert, but below are several works that can serve as an introduction. I have also included second-hand reference/guide books, as well as databases, courses, and podcasts that can help for general orientation. Feel free to explore as you wish (don’t feel too compelled to follow linearity — rather your own instinct and interest). Keep in mind that philosophy is not just about studying ideas and notions, but also about your judgment and reaction towards these according to your own experience or speculation. It’s also about questioning your own beliefs in different areas and discovering your own standpoint. It’s preferable to have a historical notion of influence, context, and consequence, but it should be a stimulating endeavor for you. Discovery shouldn’t feel like a chore but a challenge. You will eventually find yourself drawn to particular conceptions and thinkers that will create more questions and compel you to explore certain areas more than others. [Other kinds of literature are complementary to philosophy, so I have also included texts that might aid and encourage further inquiry].

Philosophical Works

The Upanishads

Tao Te Ching, Laozi

Meno | Theaetetus | Phaedo, Plato

Nichomachean Ethics, Aristotle

Letter to Menoeceus | Principal Doctrines, Epicurus

Enchiridion, Epictetus

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

Letters from a Stoic, Seneca

Of Idleness | That It Is Folly… | Of Experience, Michel de Montaigne

Discourse of the Method | Meditations on First Philosophy, René Descartes

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, David Hume

On the Improvement of Understanding, Baruch Spinoza

Political Writings, Voltaire

Groundwork for the Metaphysic of Morals | Prolegomena, Immanuel Kant

Aesthetic and Philosophical Essays, Friedrich Schiller

A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollenstonecraft

Essays and Aphorisms, Arthur Schopenhauer

Fear and Trembling | The Sickness Unto Death, Soren Kierkegaard

The Gay Science | On the Genealogy of Morality | The Birth of Tragedy, Friedrich Nietzsche

All Things Are Possible, Lev Shestov

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin

In Praise of Shadows, Junichiro Tanizaki

The Myth of Sysiphus | The Rebel, Albert Camus

The Ethics of Ambiguity, Simone de Beauvoir

The Human Condition | Eichmann in Jerusalem, Hannah Arendt

The World of Perception, Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Discourse on Colonialism, Aimé Cesaire

Mythologies, Roland Barthes

On Beauty, Umberto Eco

Philosophical Literature

[Aeschylus (The Oresteia), Euripides (The Bacchae), Horace (Satires), Attar of Nishapur (The Conference of the Birds), Rumi (Masnavi), Petrarch (Secretum), Lawrence Sterne (The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy, Gentleman), Voltaire (Candide | Micromégas), Denis Diderot (Rameau’s Nephew), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein), Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Crime and Punishment | Notes from Underground), Ivan Turgenev (Fathers and Sons), Chekhov (Ward No. 6 | The Black Monk), J. W. von Goethe (Elective Affinities), Edgar Allan Poe (The Imp of the Perverse), Honoré de Balzac (The Magic Skin), Oscar Wilde (The Portrait of Dorian Gray), Franza Kafka (In the Penal Colony | Before the Law | A Country Doctor), Thomas Mann (Death in Venice | Disillusionment), Stefan Zweig (The Royal Game), Albert Camus (The Stranger | The Fall | The Plague), Dino Buzatti (The Tartar Steppe), Natsume Soseki (Kusamakura), Christa Wolf (No Place on Earth), Maurice Blanchot (The Madness of Day), Jorge Luis Borges (The Library of Babel), Samuel Beckett (Molloy), Ernesto Sábato (On Heroes and Tombs), James Baldwin (Just Above My Head), Roland Barthes (A Lover’s Discourse), Thomas Bernhard (Wittgenstein’s Nephew), Audre Lorde (Sister Outsider: Lectures and Speeches) Toni Morrison (Song of Solomon)]

Reference Books

The Oxford Companion to Philosophy

History of Philosophy, William Turner

A History of Women Philosophers, Vol I | Vol. II | Vol. III | Vol. IV

The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laertius

History of Western and Eastern Philosophy, Radha Krishan

Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy, Brian Carr & Indira Mahalingam

Classic Asian Philosophy: A Guide to the Essential Texts, Joel Kupperman

History of Islamic Philosophy, Henry Corbin

A Short History of African Philosophy, Barry Hallen

Sadhana, Rabindranath Tagore

Databases

The Internet Classics Archive

Monoskop

Early Modern Texts

Forgotten Books

E-Books Directory

Gutenberg

UC Press

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Philosophy Pages

Marxists.org

Online Library of Liberty

Lucian of Samosata

Ontology/History of Logic

Medieval Philosophy

Ethiopian Philosophy

Free Online Courses/Podcasts

King’s College London, LMU

Coursera

University of Oxford

MIT

OpenCulture

The University of Edinburgh

Open Yale Courses

[hinnalee]

Why gripped is embracing an internet income method — and you need to too?

We don’t need to inform you that the b2b has shifted to online income — the beyond year has made it pretty obvious. Those not embracing a web income technique could be collateral sufferers of what the pandemic has added. It’s now not totally approximately face-to-face anymore. Right here are 3 motives why:

The times of doing all commercial enterprise with cheques and coins have—for excellent or unwell—long gone away. We stay in a seo services system. The cha-ching of cash registers has been replaced by the clicking of keyboards and automatic online transactions. On-line commerce has skyrocketed because of social distancing fueled via the covid-19 pandemic. Virtual-first strategies are popping out on pinnacle and historically slow-transferring b2b environments are suffering to capture up. This is in part due to the fact digital marketing agency in nottingham are fueled by means of shorter income cycles and faster coins glide, so it’s less difficult to live agile. Irrespective of what is spurring the boom, on-line income are without a doubt better. They may usually play a role due to the fact the web sales manner blessings from automation and more attain and velocity. That pace is more advantageous via low-friction purchasing with saas (software-as-a-service) products. This text will cowl the basics of a web income process and why embracing these is so crucial for b2b saas enterprise.

Saas — examine from it and use it

Saas (software-as-a-carrier) is a first-rate example of an industry that grew up on-line. Essentially, the success of saas has to do with the ways in which saas itself is aligned with the needs of on-line sales. Integrating saas products into your portfolio can help supercharge on-line income. However, on a extra primary level, by way of looking at what facilitates saas be successful online, you can try to reflect a lot of those abilties inside different contexts. Saas points to ponder:

With saas, sales cycles emerge as lightning rapid. B2b customers can see the whole thing at the saas platform to make a brief purchasing decision. Saas may be a frictionless way to onboard new clients and drive sales with free trials and freemium variations of your product. Saas can be a bridge or tie breaker for an not sure b2b client in addition to a course to constructing consider—the foundational detail of patron retention and repeat income. Even as we right here at gripped don’t provide a saas product, we attempt to undertake comparable practices. As an example, we attempt to onboard clients frictionlessly for you to ensure the rest of the commercial enterprise dating works. We provide flexibility to assist clients revel in our services with constrained commitment, and are searching for to offer value prematurely. That is all critical in building trust — our clients ought to recognize from the get-cross that they’re making an investment in a marketing corporation that works for them.

READ MORE: Top 15 essential link building tools for SEO

Code advertising — applying the saas technique

the term that we use to describe this “saas-stimulated” approach to online advertising and income is “code advertising” — a time period coined by means of hubspot’s brian halligan to describe b2b corporations that allow their customers to try merchandise through self-carrier and on-line channels as part of the sales method. So, code advertising and marketing lets clients get a flavor of what you provide before committing to an real buy or making a long-time period commitment, e. G. “try before you buy.” this method, by means of the manner, is the muse of the gripped method, and relevant to our recommendation on how to move your b2b sales technique on-line. We provide a loose growth evaluation to capability clients who want an concept of how gripped may want to help your b2b tech enterprise develop.

Aligning income with advertising

Any other considered necessary of a b2b advertising strategy is wherein sales and marketing groups work collectively. Your marketing group and the statistics they gather, curate, and make to be had to the sales crew can certainly enhance your sales method. The vital connection between sales teams and marketers is content material advertising, which attracts leads that, in turn, bring about sales. Content material advertising, as a core of sales method, calls for excellent and sincere writing approximately your product and setting that content prominently to digital marketing company newcastle internet site pages, blogs, downloadable white papers and ebooks, etc. Alignment comes into play while the awesome content you put together suits your “complete advertising and marketing” method. Seasoned tip: in getting ready your internet and marketing content material, don’t awareness too much on seo (seo). Instead, focus on good first-rate content that objectives your product’s persona. Yes, pay attention to logical key-word placement, but don’t get distracted. The search engines like google and yahoo praise best content material with excessive ratings.

[dramaclover]

Ending & Thoughts: Line Walker: Bull Fight

This is my most highly anticipated drama of the year. I’ve always loved the Line Walker series and Raymond Lam returning was just the cherry on top. It wasn’t bad but something was just missing. Line Walker is known for polices going undercover to solve cases. And one of the most prominent aspect was “figuring” out who is the hidden undercover. This aspect was missing in this sequel. I understand it in a way cause how many series can you make focusing on finding a UC? But the mystery of it was what made it fun. So I thought alternatively they could focus the mystery on finding who is the “black” cop. They didn’t do that either though. This is probably gonna turn into a very long post.

The Characters

In this sequel we see the return of Bao Seed (Raymond Lam), Cheuk Sir (Michael Miu), Tin Tong (Benjamin Yuen), Shuk Mui (Priscilla Wong), Foon Hei (Benz Hui), and guest appearances from Sin Ching (Elena King), Yuk Huen (Shiga Lin) & Wing Cheung (Tony Hung). And then there’s the new cast joining this sequel in Madam G (Mandy Wong), Lam Lam (Serene Lim), Ah Dou (Sisley Choi), Ho Yeung (Owen Cheung) and of course Ngai Tak Lai (Kenneth Ma). Wow this is a huge star- studded cast and I didn’t even include the numerous special guest stars that appeared in this series. It’s an attractive cast for sure but due to it being such a huge cast a lot of characters ended up getting sidelined.

Foon Hei was a huge character in the first and second, but for this one he was just there. He helped Cheuk sir and the others to solve cases but he doesn’t offer much other than that. The only thing that would’ve made him interesting is if we saw the return of Lok Siu (Pakho Chau), who he saved in the prequel. Unfortunately we don’t find out what happens to him in this version. I’m hoping that the TVB version that airs on tv will show him cause until then it’s up to our imagination.

Another pointless character was Ah Dou. Which is such a pity cause she was soo exciting to watch in the beginning. From episodes 1-10 she was interesting but after that it just went bad. It started focusing on her going undercover and falling for Ho Yeung one of the triad leaders. Boy, that was sooooo boring. It was love at first sight for him while Ah Dou just fell in love with gentleness I guess? After that it was just Ah Dou moping cause she feels extreme guilt & wants to quit. And goodness that bothered me so much. Cause love was all it took for her to want to stop pursuing justice that she wanted when she first joined the police force. After that she was mostly in the background. She didn’t help solve anymore cases and just talked when spoken to. At the end she helped find a chip that incriminated Tak Lei but even then he got away with it. I have no idea why the writers didn’t do more with her character. She wasn’t even there for the final villian gun shooting show down. Her potential was literally wasted in this. Also off topic, but she’s always wearing short-shorts in this series whether undercover or not and that’s how she dresses. I have no problem but yet when Rachel Koo from Al Cappucino dresses formally everyone disses her saying how she shouldn’t be dressing like that cause she’s a cop. Yet here Ah Dou is always dressed in that and no one says anything? I guess when you hate someone, you’ll also hate them over the dumbest thing.

Ho Yeung is literally a supporting character yet he managed to get more screentime then Bao Seed and Tin Tong. WTH?? Another unfair tactic used by TVB to promote Owen. Now this character isn’t bad but he’s pretty bland. And I’m not gonna lie, when he found out that Ah Dou was actually a UC and he had a standoff with her. That scene was pretty touching, he was so hurt but at the same time he couldn’t hurt her. It felt sad but too bad I just wasn’t invested in their love story. His performance here wasn’t that special. He was just mono-toned the entire time- so I don’t get where the praises is coming from? He was waaaay better in Al Cappuccino.

Tin Tong. One word WHY?? What happened to you? I loved you in the prequel. You were that comic relief playboy. You were hilarious and full on flirtatious. But in this sequel you were way too bland and wooden. I don’t even get what happened. This was a horrible character development. And before you say “he was only flirty cause he was undercover”. That ain’t true when he met up with Cheuk Sir and the rest he would show his true form and there he was still playful! Also there were flashbacks from before he went undercover and he was suuuper serious there too. So he went from serious to playful to back to serious. And it’s a pity cause Benjamin only excels in fun roles and becomes wooden with other ones.

Madam G was a failure. And even more of a disappointment then Ah Dou. She starts off amazing too! A cop with a great sense of justice, and quick witted. Yet, the writers messed up her character as well. Her character is literally a rehash of Madam Yuen from Brutally Young. Where she gets used by people around her and her being so dumb to not figure it out. It’s worse here because once she realized her sister is evil, she does nothing. She leaves the police force and huddles herself alone. While more crimes are committed, & more people are dying. She criticized Cheuk sir so hard when he betrayed the force to save his wife. Yet she’s doing the same thing with her sister but worse cause she chooses to keep this information to herself. If she had revealed what she knew, more people could’ve been saved & honestly her sister could’ve survived too. In the end the only reason she got evidence to arrest Tak Lei is because HE CHOSE to let her go or else she would’ve been dead. Another waste of a potential smart character. Another bland performance by Mandy but it could also be because the character faltered in the end.

Ngai Tak Lei, why are you so indecisive? You’re like evil and then you’re not. You’re just like going back and forth before going fully on evil mastermind. It took him way to long to even begin to avenge his brothers death. Kenneths protrayal was pretty bad and uninteresting. I was never scared of his character in the show. When I watched Death By Zero I was literally terrified of Brian Tse. To be a good villain you would have to be able to invoke fear from the audience. I never felt that way with this character. He was just annoying but at the same time he was only annoying cause the other characters were too slow to realize how evil he is.

The Plot

Episodes 1 - 10 were AMAZING. This arc featured selling organs in the black market. And wow it was great. Bao Seed became a handler for Chu Sin (Mayanne Mak) and worked together to find the mastermind behind this trade. In the process Chu Sin dies while saving someone else. Bao Seed is overcome with extreme guilt as she died under his watch. The sadness I felt was no joke. Chu Sin only appeared in the first episode and dies yet I felt such huge anguish & pain when she died. She died a hero and when Bao Seed avenged her death it was done with great justice. Along with this arc Cheuk Sir opens a coffee shop with his wife Sin Ching but she is later diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Cheuk sir in order to save his wife betrays the police in order to get a liver transplant for her. Unfortunately after going through all that Sin Ching passes away anyways. It was so touching to see them go on one last date together, and they danced together and then she finally passes away in his arms. I was almost in tears cause they went through so much together. I just wanted them to be happy. The flashbacks and the songs they played were perfectly in sync. And then that’s it. After this amazing black market arc it goes downhill.

From episodes 11- 20 it focused heavily on Ah Dou & Ho Yeungs love story. It got to the point that we barely saw Bao Seed, Madam G and well basically any other characters. All the other characters were like just in the background going through the motions. It was so slow paced and boring. I kid you not, you can watch episode 10 & 11 then skip to episode 20 and you would still get what’s going on. That’s how uninteresting and useless those episodes were. And even now I still don’t get the point of this arc. It was about them duking it out to become the top official leader of the triad. Yet I was not invested at all. The sad part is even after Ho Yeung gets arrested and was no longer part of the main story, it was still boring.

Episodes 21- 30 focused more on flashback scenes of two undercover cops that died in the prequel. Along with Bao Seeds secret son that they focused way too much on. With a side story of Shuk Mui and Tin Tong finally getting together. These episodes here were pretty much all over the place. The flashback scenes were not needed at all & I’m pretty sure it was only there cause TVB really wanted to give Shiga & Tony more screentime. I would rather have TVB write a different prequel with them starring in it, then to see them act as filler in this drama. And seriously Tin Tong ends up having 2 girlfriends that worked undercover dead? It’s like he’s cursed. The writers could’ve done so much more with Bao Seed but writing in a secret son is just lazy writing. It didn’t help advance the plot & in the end his son still doesn’t even know that he’s the real Dad. I thought it would end with his sons fake father (whose also a cop) turns evil and uses the son against Bao Seed. But that does not happen so it just ended up being more filler than anything. One thing I did really like is how they written the relationship between Bao Seed and Lam Lam. It wasn’t romantic and never got romantic as Bao Seed still loves Ah Deng (Charmaine Sheh) and Lam Lam only had a one sided crush. But I really appreciate the “platonic -esq” of it. It didn’t turn into anything more but I really liked how they have an understanding of one another. Lam Lam knows he won’t love her but is so kind and still willing to help him instead of being bitter & jealous! I also liked the mentorship that developed between Bao Seed and Ah Dou. I’d rather have them write more about that then the stupid love line she got instead.

The story started to pick up in episodes 31 - till the end. But it really aggravated me that no one suspected Tak Lei as the mastermind. It would’ve been interesting to see someone go undercover to capture him but that didn’t happen. I thought Cheuk sir would realize it quicker. He already knew about him orchestrating to have someone stab Wai Kit (Tak Lei supposed Father). So I thought Cheuk sir would look into him more. Cause wouldn’t he find it weird he was willing to kill his own “father”? Madam G is literally his girlfriend at this point and was able to suspect her own sister but not him? Are you serious? It just seemed like everyone was blind to his actions. I still don’t get why Madam Gs sister didn’t expose Tak Lei as evil. Like why is she helping him? I don’t understand? Was she evil all along? But if she was, why did she plan to expose him but then chose against it when he decided to not kill her? Was she touched cause he did love his sister? I just don’t understand. Bao Seed is a sharp character he should’ve been able to find out sooner. The writing just got sloppy with this part. The ending was nice, justice was served. Madam G is confined to a wheelchair which I’m glad cause she literally indirectly caused a lot of the unnecessary deaths and drama. Cheuk sir is reinstated as a police. Bao Seed decides to go look for Ah Deng. And ends in a good old fashioned cliffhanger. This one I can get behind as most of the main points were resolved.

The Surprise Ending

Tak Lei is killed by another mysterious figure played by Michael Tse. That’s a nice surprise! A pity that he isn’t reprising his role of Laughing Gor though. Madman (Joseph Zheng) who we thought died earlier turns out to be alive and held captive by another mysterious figure portrayed by Philip Keung. This was also a nice touch! Especially when it was revealed that Madman is not who he says he is. I would definitely watch a fourth sequel. Madman was on the way to becoming my favourite character but he had so little screentime I couldn’t really write much about him. He’s a good fighter, smart and he’s able to adapt in situations. So I was pretty sad when he died. But good thing that was not the case. I wonder how they’re gonna write how he survived though in the sequel. One part that annoyed me is that after this whole drama we still don’t know what happened to Ah Deng. They strung us along with saying “she died” to “oh she didn’t die” to having her go MIA. I get why though, TVB wants to leave it open ended should Charmaine ever choose to reprise her iconic role.

My Prediction for the Sequel

If there is one, I don’t see Bao Seed coming back. Mainly cause Raymond doesn’t seem to be interested especially with how his screentime got reduced for Owen. I can see that the fourth one would continue on with Tin Tong and Cheuk sir moving on to a different case. But of course Michael & Phillip would disrupt it. Madman will show up and throw them off. They’ll probably say Bao Seed left to go look for Ah Deng and write him off. I’d rather not see Madam G. Ah Dou would be pointless to bring back unless they kill off Ho Yeung so she gets a new love interest. I hope for the fourth one they bring back the who dunnit concept.

Final Thoughts

I remember on my post on Al Cappucino, I talked about how unrealistic it was with how they portrayed handlers and undercover cops. And that if you wanted to watch a realistic one watch Line Walker... well I take that back. Well for this sequel anyways since it’s super unrealistic how everyone knew Bao Seed was a UC and how they also knew Ah Dou was undercover as well.

This drama had so much guest stars that I lost count of how many appeared. But I was severely disappointed they didn’t bring Sharon Chan in to guest star. She literally played Sin Yan aka Sin Chings younger sister. It makes no sense that when her sister died she didn’t come back to see her one last time! It would’ve been fine to have her cameo or something. It’s like the writers forgot her character existed. But then again they brought back Owen when he already played a different character (Ah Fo) in the first one and ignored it. Also Pakho scenes getting deleted greatly upset me. In the prequel we were left wondering what happened to him and yet we still don’t know right now.

One of the flashback scene that I really enjoyed was Muk Sat (Oscar Leung) meeting Tak Q (Brian Tse). They both were basically the obligatory best friend to the male lead who dies tragically. So having these 2 meet and since they both were goofballs it was super hilarious and intriguing to watch!

I like how they kept the story interconnected with Bao Seed taking over Ah Dengs massage parlour while he waited for her to come back. A pity they couldn’t replicate how the parlour looked in the first one. But it has been 6 years so it would be fairly difficult. Ah Mui dying was sad especially since Tin Tong waited 10 years to be with her. I still feel that 37 episodes made the drama too draggy. And they added subplots that weren’t crucial to the plot.

All in all. It wasn’t terrible but wasn’t great either. There was too much filler & useless flashback scenes. The first ten episodes were perfectly top notch! The middle part was a downer but the ending was thrilling to watch. But my top series of the year would still be Brutally Young, Death by Zero & Al Cappuccino.

[niftyiffty]

City Lights - a wip

Hey there, I thought I would make a post about my latest wip, City Lights. City Lights is a LGBTQ+ love story detailing the romance of two boys who attend high school in a rural area. As their senior year comes to an end, the two find themselves having to part ways as they go to different colleges on opposite sides of the country. Ultimately, it is a test of their love in a small-minded community and the strain of time. 

So, I’ll introduce my main characters. I’ll be using images I’ve found on Google images that match my own image of them, but their descriptions in the text are light so that they could really look however you want.

Dan Hoffman

Dan Hoffman is seventeen years old at the beginning of the story. He is a bit of an outcast, listens to emo rock and metal, and smokes a little bit too much weed. His best friend is Abby Pewitt. He has known he was gay since he was in middle school, but never told anyone about it. He grew up in Eastwood, Indiana where many people are very religious and very homophobic. He struggled with his sexuality for a very long time. His best friend, Abby, had a crush on him for a long time and, to help spare her feelings upon his rejection, told her his secret. Since telling her the truth about his sexuality, Abby has been his biggest advocate and supporter. Dan began spending time with jock, Jonathan Walsh, during his junior year when the latter was forced to participate in the spring school play. Dan worked as a part of the stage crew and developed a friendship with Jonathan that carried on into the summer. Dan is not confrontational, but has been known to carry a grudge. He struggles with depression, and, while he hates that no one in his hometown would ever accept him for his sexuality, understands that it will never change.

Jonathan Walsh

Jonathan Walsh is eighteen years old at the beginning of the story. He plays on the Eastwood High School football team as a tight end. Jonathan is still struggling with his sexuality. Until forming a close bond with Dan, Jon solely dated girls. As a jock, he always followed certain “protocol” to blend in with the others despite his growing sexual curiosity. Jon met Dan when he was forced to participate in the spring school play during his junior year. He risked failing his music credit if he did not agree to participate. He began to spend time with fellow junior, Daniel Hoffman, who worked as a member of the stage crew. Their friendship carried over into the summer months. Jon is very insecure about himself and his image, due to his underlying sexual confusion. He has a good heart but struggles with doing the right thing at the expense of his image.

Abby Pewitt

Abby Pewitt is the long-time best friend of Dan Hoffman. The pair met in kindergarten and have been best friends ever since. For a long time during their friendship, Abby had a quiet crush on Dan. In freshman year of high school, she confessed her feelings. Dan rejected her, to her embarrassment. To help ease her feelings, Dan confessed his homosexuality to her. Abby struggled with this for a while, mostly dealing with the fact that he would never return her affection, but was always supportive of him. Abby is very protective of Dan and dislikes Jonathan Walsh. Like Dan, she is a stoner and enjoys going to rock concerts with her friend.

________________________________________________________________

Below is the preface to what I am working on. Please ignore the grammatical errors for it is rough and unedited. I also recently changed Dan’s name (it was originally Brian, but my real life boyfriend’s brother is named Brian and it became a little confusing to my brain so I changed it) so there may be a few “Brians” in there. But feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Dan’s head had been throbbing for four hours of his eight-hour shift. Midway through, he had grown irritable and was curt toward the customers that came through the door of the gas station. He especially grew to despise those that came in to buy cigarettes only to complain about their $6.17-a-pack price. The bell positioned above the door became a herald of his pain—ringing so often the door itself was worn down from the constant friction. It penetrated his ears and reverberated off his skull. He just wanted his day to be over, but the persistent bell kept ringing.

           A break in his perpetual torture finally came halfway through the fourth hour. He leaned over on the counter, his head in his hands. Rubbing his temples, he savored the relative quiet.  Even though there was a roaring of vehicles outside as they pulled in and out of the gas station, for a moment, he did not have the bell in his ear, nor any voices to pester him. The pain in his head began to subside, and, for a moment, it wasn’t so bad.

           Ching! Ching!

           “Fuck,” the word slipped past his lips in a whisper as he raised his head. He rubbed his eyes as the headache returned in full force. He looked at his new customer and felt as though he were slapped across the face and punched in the gut all at once. His eyes widened as he observed the familiar face in front of him—familiar though it was, there was also an alien-like quality to it; a stranger was wearing the face of a man he once knew. Wispy strands of brown hair hung in front of dark eyes.  Those eyes studied him with such precision that Dan felt as though he was being picked apart cell by cell.  Words sat in his throat—the usual greeting of “Hi, what can I do for you today?”—and could not find their way out.  

           “I’ll have a pack of menthols,” the familiar stranger said. His voice was just as deceptive as his appearance—familiar, but distantly so. It had a low vibration to it that made Dan shudder. The stranger flashed a smile, pearly teeth encircled by full lips.  Dan felt himself falter, words still heavy on his tongue.  There was so much he wanted to say in that moment—so much more than just his usual cashier shtick.  Get out, Fuck you, and I miss you all raged around in his mind, begging to be released from their prison.

           Instead, Dan forced himself to turn his back to the customer to retrieve the cigarettes.  “What kind can I get you?”  These words held no trace of emotion—monotonous and empty.

           “Just a pack of Camel menthols will do.” His voice tickled his ear.

           Dan grabbed a pack and rung it up in the register. “I didn’t know you smoked,” he murmured—an utterance that he had failed to hold back.

           “I don’t,” the customer replied. This caused Dan to meet his eyes, albeit uncomfortably.  The familiar stranger was smiling. “I just wanted an excuse to come in here and see you.”

           “Your total is $7.22.” His reply was cold. Dan forced himself to keep his back straight and not cower beneath those dark eyes. His eyes and heart hardened as he stared down this walking memory. He refused to yield to the stranger behind the mask.

           The customer’s face fell slightly, his dark eyes softening. “Daniel—”

           “Your total is $7.22. Will you be paying with cash or a card?”

           He pulled a dark brown, leather wallet out of his front left pocket. Dan allowed his eyes to follow the movements of his hands, briefly lingering on the button of his pants before returning to the man’s face. He opened his wallet and pulled out a ten. “Keep it,” the stranger said, tossing it on the counter. He strode out the door, the bell signaling his departure. Dan watched him until he disappeared inside the red Chevy truck he’d always driven. As he sped off down the road, Dan looked down at the counter at the money and realized: he had left the menthols behind.

________________________________________________________________

Please like, reblog, and let me know what you think! Criticism is always welcome.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Zelienople

Zelienople, out of Chicago, has been making drone-y, atmospheric music for ten years, following collaborations with Souled American’s Scott Tuma and others. In his review of Hold You Up, Tim Clarke observed, “The foundations are always shifting, creating the waves that give these songs their uneasy, melancholic sway.” Here guitarist/vocalist Matt Christensen and drummer Mike Weis list some influences—musical and otherwise—that shape their work.

Matt Christensen:

Popul Vuh—Agape-Agape (Love-Love)

Favorite records change over time, but this one has stayed with me the longest, so I guess I might have to say it’s my favorite record. At this point, I’ve been alive and with this one long enough to be able to say that. There are so many things about this record that I emulate, but half the time I’m not trying to steal anything but the headspace it creates. The record also sounds like it was recorded direct to cassette tape, and I love it.

The Master, Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

This might be my favorite film of all time. I once read an interview with the 2 guys from the band America, and they said that one person wrote about the indoors, and the other about the outdoors. I mostly write about people, so I would maybe be an indoor person. I feel that this movie is perfection. I don’t like to use the word “amazing” unless it’s warranted, but Joaquin Phoenix is amazing in this. The acting, tone, look, sound, and overwhelming complexity of the characters is amazing.

The Les Paul Jr.

I never really connected with guitar for a long time. I started out on bass and didn’t even play guitar live until after our 3rd record (Ink) was released. I then switched to a Telecaster (that blue one on the right is a Tele that I converted to an Esquire). I then played Teles live and on all of our records up until “Show Us The Fire”, when I switched to an LP Jr through a ’74 Fender Pro Reverb amp (no pedals!). I fell in love with this guitar. The simplicity, it’s almost piano-like sound, and the way I feel connected to it hasn’t gotten old. I really love this guitar.

My music room

My favorite place in the world. Clean, bright, minimal. Saturdays are my alone/ music days. I’m always working on recordings, and I will lay on the couch (just out of frame, at the bottom), and listen to what I/ we’ve done, on a loop. If I can fall asleep while listening, that’s a good sign.

My girl, 13

My favorite person in the world. I took this picture after we had been cooped-up for 2 straight days. We walked the mile down to the Chicago Lakefront to play volleyball. It was 55 degrees out, so all of the self-isolating people were out, and the streets and beach were more crowded than usual. With the pandemic in its 2nd week (for the U.S.) I would sometimes imagine it being just the two of us surviving in a post-apocalyptic world, and that didn’t seem like the most horrible thing.

Mike Weis:

During this period of isolation, uncertainty, anxiety and just feeling a bit bat-shit crazy as a result of being a working parent during this global pandemic I’ve found that what I crave the most right now is spaciousness. For weeks I’ve been voraciously consuming information, breaking news and first-hand feature stories concerning the Coronavirus. This overdosing on media was starting to get to me so I decided to decrease my clicking, scrolling and tuning-in to a manageable limit and using the breaks for more empty space. We are fortunate that our family are able to “shelter in place” in the woods of northwest Indiana at my wife’s parent’s house. I’ve turned to nature for relief since this thing happened and it’s become my raft. I spend most of my free time in the woods, just listening to the sounds of wilderness waking up from Winter. However, as a “billboard photographer”, I need to be on the roads for a few hours every weekday. When I’m not tuning into my book on CD (The Overstory) I’m finding that the only music that doesn’t make me feel claustrophobic is stuff that is non-narrative, non-linear, without subject and is chock full of a good chunk of emptiness. As John Cage says, “there’s too much there, there” So this list is all about the father of this kind of music... John Cage.

John Cage— 4'33"

Of course! This “composition” has probably had the most influence on my mid-life years. Cage’s idea of listening indiscriminately to the everyday sounds of our surroundings has been a radical shift in how I perceive the world around me. When I tune in like this, immediately I feel an expansiveness that “lifts my feet off the ground.” “The wisest thing to do is to open one’s ears immediately and hear a sound suddenly before one’s thinking has a chance to turn it into something logical, abstract, or symbolical. Sounds are sounds and men are men, but now our feet are a little off the ground.”—John Cage

John Cage—Branches

Ideas must have flowed ceaselessly out of Cage’s head because this one is pretty nuts and it seems ridiculous on paper. “The instruments to be used are amplified pods, cacti, and other plant materials, such as pod rattles from a Poinciana tree, which Cage specifically mentions in the score. Other instruments are to be selected by the performers, using I-Ching chance operations. Cacti are played by plucking needles with toothpicks, amplifying their sounds via cartridge-like attachments.” I love the idea of using plant material as sound generators. Whenever I walk in wilderness I’m constantly looking for things to create sounds with on my hike. During this pandemic shut-in period I’ve been recording rhythms in the woods using sticks, trees, seed-pods, water, etc. and then sending them to Matt and Brian to be formed into Zelienople songs.

John Cage—Ryoanji

The first time I heard this piece I absolutely fell in love with the sounds before I even knew it was inspired by the beautiful rock garden at Ryoanji Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, a place that I fell in love with during a visit a few years earlier. I like that the score instructs the performers to “play in ‘Korean unison,’ their attacks being close, but not exactly together.” These parts are a series of quarter notes (as in the percussion part), which (different for each instrument) are to be played slightly before, slightly after, or more or less on the beat. So many of my favorite things coming together in one piece of music, it feels like it was written specifically for my ears!

John Cage—Imaginary Landscape no. 1

1939! This piece was composed in 1939! Holy shit, it sounds radical even by today’s standards. Most likely the first electro-acoustic piece ever composed. Pretty sure most of my solo work can be traced back to the influence that this short piece had on me.

John Cage—Fourteen

This is from Cage’s later period,1990, composed less than two years before his death. It’s a really beautiful piece of soft, resonant tones made mostly by bowing objects. You Ambient kids out there should dig this one.

[oosteven-universe]

Lady Mechanika Sangre #2

​Lady Mechanika Sangre #2 Joe Benitez Productions 2019 Written by M.M. Chen & Joe Benitez Illustrated by Brian Ching, Joe Benitez & Martin Montiel Inks by Studio J-13 Coloured by Beth Sotelo Lettered by Michael Heisler     While on the hunt for a dangerous killer haunting the Spanish countryside, Lady Mechanika must also solve a peculiar mystery: who - or what - is La Madrina? Features a main story by guest artist Brian Ching (Supergirl, Star Wars) and a prologue story drawn by Joe Benitez and Martin Montiel.     Every single time an issue of this comes out I get extremely excited. Somewhere along the way, more than likely with the first issue I read, I fell in love with this character and her quest. So while her personal answers have to yet to be answered or even come close she has been able to find a place in this world. In her new role she constantly finds herself up against people and beings that only her unique physiology seems capable of handling. Detective, protector of the innocent and driven to finish what she starts Lady Mechanika is from top to bottom one of the best series, of arcs, in comics and she's the best female lead around.     The prologue here is gorgeously done. I love how intriguing it is and seeing how, where and why the beginnings of this demon, whom we've yet to see, got it's start. The location is perfect as is the era in which it's set so that we see that perhaps there are answers to what happened to those people only we've not been able to find graves or anything else because well read the book and see for yourself.     I am a huge fan of the pacing here and how it takes the story & plot development and the character development and wraps them around and through each intricately while providing both solid story and action moments. I love Chen she is an absolutely thrilling writer to follow and she and Joe really keep developing Lady Mechanika so that she's constantly evolving, growing and becoming even more formidable. This is how you do it too, you want you audience to see that your character doesn't stop evolving and growing otherwise the stagnation will kill off your readership. At the same time this book has this great intelligence and smarts to the writing and dialogue and it really makes the reader think and become engaged in what they are reading. Going off script, and or page, is a wonderful thing because it helps the reader learn, grow and use their minds in ways they might not even notice they are doing.     So the interiors here are bloody stellar! The opening from Joe and company is to quote Tina, simply the best. The way we see the linework utilised to create the attention to detail and how that extend and incorporates the backgrounds yeah. Brian unfortunately isn't as skilled at utilising backgrounds as Joe and you notice that which is kind of a shame because he too has some mad skills and talent. His linework that we see through all the varying weights and how that creates the attention to detail that we see is good stuff. Plus when we see La Dama De La Muerta in action that is totally a wow factor as the movements are so well executed in creating the motion and how it makes the reader feel. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a strong, talented eye for storytelling. The colour work is amazing and how we see light sources utilised to create the shading and shadows through colour blocking and tones is extremely well executed. ​     As the story continues and we see the twists, turns and revelations unfold before us you can feel all of this in your bones. This really is one of the best of the best and if you haven't checked this out you definitely need to do yourself the favour and find it now to see what I am talking about.

[svucarisiaddict]

UC Alt. Ending #1-Loyalty

“I have to go out of town,” Luis informed you when you came in from your morning run. He was putting folders into his briefcase and there was an open suitcase on the bed.

“Oh. Okay. I thought, I mean you said we were going to-”

“You didn’t let me finish. I want you to go with me,” he clarified as he rose from the stool. “Vegas baby.”

“Really? I’ve never been!” You jumped into his arms.

He caught you easily and chuckled. “Go pack a bag. Jet is being fueled, ready to go in an hour.”

After landing, you and Luis along with Fernando, Sonny and one of the other new security guys, Brian, headed to the hotel.

The suite was amazing with an incredible view of the strip. “This is incredible Luis,” you said still looking out the floor to ceiling windows. He had taken you on a lot of trips, but this one was going to be the most exciting in your book.

He slid his arms around your waist. “Just wait til dark and all the lights on the strip are lit.” He kissed your head. “I have to go out for a couple hours.”

You sighed. “Right. Work. I almost forgot,” you responded.

“I’ll be gone two, three hours tops. Go to the spa, get a massage, play the slots. Have fun,” he encouraged you.

“Teach me to play craps later?”

“Whatever you want mi amor.” Luis checked his buzzing phone. “Gotta go. Remember, have some fun.” You followed him out to the main living where Sonny and Fernando were waiting. “Sonny stay with Y/N. Fernando and Brian will be with me.”

Your eyes darted to Sonny when he spoke. “Yes, sir. I’ll have Brian bring the car around.”

Luis kissed you. “I love you. Remember what I said.”

“I love you too Luis.”

“After you,” Sonny said when the elevator door opened. “So been to Vegas before?”

“No. Have you?” you asked. You fidgeted with your earring. Sonny was standing close.

“Yeah. Once for a buddy’s bachelor party.” He looked over at you. “You still do that thing where you play with your earring when you’re nervous.”

“Huh?” You dropped your hand to your side. “You’re very observant.”

“I’m a detective. It’s my job.”

You smiled. “Probably not a good thing to say out loud.”

When the two of you exited the elevator you were both laughing. You put a hand on Sonny’s arm and you felt him tense under your touch. “Sorry.”

“No apologies. Just been a long time since you’ve touched me.” He looked down at his shoes.

Before you went UC, you always made an excuse to touch him somehow. Now both of you pulled away from the others touch. “Yeah, well…” You cleared your throat. “Let’s go play some slots.”

Sonny nodded and ghosted a hand to the small of your back. “Lead the way.”

“One more play, then I’m walking away. How do people get addicted to this? I hate losing,” you complained as you hit the button one more time.

“It’s a thrill. Some people play slots, some skydive and other people sleep with the enemy,” he said in a teasing tone.

Your hand slapped the spin button again as you looked at Sonny. “Then you have the ones that are sassy to the fiance of a drug kingpin.” You tried to keep a straight face but it was useless. Both of your started laughing. The Jackpot sign lit up on your machine and made a cha-ching sound.

“Doll, you won!” Sonny exclaimed.

“Oh my gosh!” You turned and Sonny gave you a high five.

“Having fun?” Luis’ voice got your attention.

“Babe! I won the jackpot!” You threw your arms around his neck. “This is so cool!”

“Congratulations mi amorcito.”  Luis gave Sonny a pointed look when you turned back to the machine. “Sonny. You’re free to go back to your room. Your services won’t be needed any more this evening.”

He nodded. “Good evening Mr. Saez. Ms. Y/L/N.” There was an emphasis on the Ms.

“Let’s go cash you out then head to the craps table, then we’ll get some dinner.” Luis intertwined his fingers with yours.

The last day in Vegas was uneventful. While Luis finished up business you went to the pool, then got a massage. As you were finishing your makeup your phone dinged. ‘Running late. Meet you at the restaurant. I have a surprise for you. Love you’  You responded,  ‘Can’t wait. See you there. Love you too.’

“Not too bad,” you complimented yourself as you turned in the mirror. The dress you were wearing was black, hugged your curves, and was the right mix of sexy and feminine. After you slid on your black heels you went to the front room to wait until it was time to go.

“Are ya ready?” he asked. His voice startled you, making you jump.

“Jesus, Sonny. Don’t sneak up on me like that,” you chided him. “I’m almost ready, just having trouble with the clasp on this necklace. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Here. Let me,” Sonny offered gesturing to your necklace.

“Thanks,” you replied. A chill went down your spine as Sonny brushed your hair off your neck. His fingers barely touching your skin. He was close, too close. His breath was hot on your neck.

“Got it.” A hand ghosted down your arm. “Still have such soft skin.”

“Y/N?” Luis’ voice boomed through the suite.

“In here,” you called back. Sonny immediately stepped away, but your skin was on fire where he touched you.

“Sonny. What are you doing here?” Luis asked.

“He was getting ready to take me to meet you, babe,” you answered the question, even though it wasn’t directed at you, your eyes darting to his.

Luis crossed the room and gave you a kiss. He held you at arm's length. “You look amazing as always carino. Now ready for your surprise?”

The day you landed back in New York was gloomy, misting rain and cold. The leaves had fallen from the trees, leaving a grey, barren landscape. The hot cup of tea in your hand did nothing to warm you. “Blah,” you said as you looked out the large window. When you turned you gasped as you almost ran right into Sonny’s chest. “ Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What did I say about sneaking up on me, Sonny?”

“Sorry.”

“What do you need?” you asked perturbed as you flicked hot tea off your hand.

He stared at you for a moment. “Just wanted to let you know, it’s going down tomorrow night. I’ll make sure Carmen is safe.”

“I’ll make an excuse to get her out of the house,” you said softly.

“You okay?” Sonny gently ran a hand up and down your arm. “I know this job turned into more than…”

“Ms. Y/L/N. Mr. Saez wanted you to know-” Neither of you heard Cesar come into the room. He looked between the two of you.

Sonny dropped his hand to his side. You recovered quickly. “Thank you. Tripped over my own feet.” Turning your attention to Cesar you asked,  “What does Luis want me to know?”

“Uh-just that he- uh he is had to go out for a couple hours.”

“Thank you, Cesar,” you acknowledged. You turned to Sonny. “Thanks for your help.”

Both men nodded and turned to leave the room. Sonny glanced a look back at you.

“Hey what are you doing?” you asked as you entered Luis’ office. “You didn’t come down for dinner and you’ve been cooped up in your office all day.”

“Not much of an appetite.” He looked at you with heavy eyes while an empty glass tumbler dangled in his hand. “Cesar said he saw you and Sonny yesterday, seemed like he was interrupting things.”

“What are you talking about? Are you drunk, Luis?” In the time you had been with Luis, you never saw him drunk. He had the occasional cocktail, a glass of wine or a couple fingers of bourbon. You sat on the desk in front of him and took the glass.

“I know all about you. You are good,” he laughed mirthlessly. “Tell me. How long have you known Sonny?” He grabbed your hand. “Don’t lie to me, amor.”

You swallowed hard. “What are you talking about?”

He stood framing your body with his arms, his lips close to your ear. “You’re sleeping with him aren’t you? The way he looks at you like he knows what you look like naked. You two have been way too familiar with one another, too comfortable.” His voice was calm and that made you nervous.

“I would never cheat on you. I love you, Luis.”

He straightened. “Fernando.”  Fernando entered the office, pushing Sonny ahead of him. He had been roughed up. Your breath caught. “Sonny. Maybe you can clear things up.”

Sonny’s eyes darted from you to Luis. What the hell was he going to say? How the hell were you going to get Sonny out of this situation?

“It’s all me. She, she rebuffed every advance. Warned me to stop. I didn’t listen,” Sonny’s blue eyes settled on you. “I’m sorry.”

The room was eerily quiet for a few moments. Luis strode over to you and grabbed your face. “Why didn’t you tell me? Answer me,” Luis yelled.

“Let go of her,” Sonny commanded. “Now.”

Luis turned to Sonny. “Who the hell do you think you are?” Luis strode over to him and punched him in the gut. Sonny fell to his knees, holding to his abdomen when Luis delivered a swift kick to his ribs. He pulled his gun and aimed it at Sonny’s head.

“No! Please don’t!” you pleaded. Luis didn’t even turn to look at you. He cocked the gun that was still pointed at Sonny. Fernando grabbed Sonny by the hair.

“Give me one good reason not to blow his fucking head off,” he bellowed. “You disrespect me, my home, my fiancée-”

“I’m UC,” you blurted out. “Sonny, he got suspicious. Confronted me on it. Said he was coming to you.”

Luis turned slowly, the gun now pointing at you. “What did you say?” He grabbed your throat and put you against the wall. Both Sonny and Fernando were behind him, both telling him to put you down. “I fucking trusted you. I told you things I’ve never told anyone.” Luis’ expression went from anger to hurt in a split second and he sat you down. “I love you.”

Air filled your burning lungs as you coughed and gasped for air. If he hadn’t let you go when he did you would have passed out.

In that moment all hell broke loose. Sonny elbowed Fernando in the stomach, knocking him off balance. There was shouting, glass breaking and wood splintering and gunshots from downstairs. The bust was going down just like Sonny told you. Sonny and Fernando were caught up in a struggle for the gun when it went off, the sound deafening. The shot missed both men going into the ceiling. Fernando regained control over the gun.

The next series of events happened so quickly. Luis trained his gun on Sonny once more. With all three men distracted you were able to pull the gun from your waistband. Your first shot was to Fernando and he went down like a ton of bricks.

“Drop the gun, Luis,” you ordered. When he didn’t move or say anything you repeated your order. Luis kept the gun pointed at Sonny.

“Why should I? Whether I shoot him or not, I’m done. I’ve lost my money, my freedom...you,” he cursed.

“Luis. Your mom would be devastated if she lost you. You don’t want to do that to her,” you said evenly. Trying to keep the emotion out of your voice was difficult. “Please. Give me the gun.” You could hear footsteps. “Luis. NYPD and agents are going to be-”

A pain tore through your side. It felt like someone had stabbed you with a hot poker. Your hand was wet with your blood when you pulled it from your side. Cesar had shot you. Another gunshot and Cesar was down too. You crumpled to the ground. Gunshots and yelling erupted in the room. It was getting harder to keep your eyes open.

A voice you recognized was calling your name. “Liv?” you whispered.

“We need medics in here!” she said into her mic. “Hey. No. Lay still,” she ordered softly and held your hand. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”

The harsh fluorescent light made you squint your eyes. Shit. Everything hurt. Even your hair. “Ow. Geez.” You put a hand to your side.

“She’s waking up,” Amanda said to someone. “Hey.” She smiled when you fully opened your eyes. “How ya feelin’?”

“Like I got shot,” you grumbled.

She laughed. “There’s the humor I missed. Welcome back.” She squeezed your hand.

“Wait. Sonny. Is he okay?” Tears were stinging your eyes.

“I’m fine.” Sonny stepped into your line of vision.

“I’m going to step out.” Amanda kissed your temple.

Sonny gestured to the edge of the bed. “Do you mind?”

You were only able to nod your head as you wiped tears from your eyes. “I’m sorry, Sonny. I’m sorry for all the things I said. I’m sorry for any doubt I put in your head, I’m sorry for-for…”

Sonny repositioned himself so he could hold you. “Shhh..hey. It’s okay.”  You buried your face in his chest and let the tears you had been holding back for so long roll down your cheeks and onto Sonny’s soft T-shirt. The feel of his arms around you and his scent brought you some comfort but it also made you sad. He soothed and kissed your hair.

Once your tears subsided you sat up. “So, uh Luis. Is he, is he alive?”

“Yeah. Took a bullet to the shoulder,” he murmured.

You took a deep breath. “What the hell happened?”

“Are you sure you want to do this now?” he asked you softly. You nodded. “Okay. After Cesar shot you, Luis turned his gun and shot him. When everyone came into the room he wouldn’t lower his gun. Liv tagged his shoulder, he shot grazing her shoulder. She’s fine.”

“Sonny?” you sniffed.

“Yeah doll?”

“There was a point when I didn’t know if I wanted out. If you hadn’t come, I’m not sure...thank you for getting me out.”

Sonny sighed. “You’re my partner, my best friend. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“Sonny? How do you just stop loving someone.”

He gave a short mirthless laugh. “When I figure it out, you’ll be the first to know.”

[comickergirl]

kentclarks

replied to your

post

:

If we lose Orlando on Supergirl, who would you...

in that case, who would you like to see art wise? :)

I was HOPING someone would ask! :D :D :D (Thank yooooou)

OKAY, SO! First round is, ‘They’ve drawn Supergirl before and might actually be viable options. Maybe’:

Carmen Carnero - Her style works well with both emotive stuff and action-y stuff. (And the emotive stuff is really important, in my opinion. All the time, really, but particularly for characters that, you know...emote a lot.) Loved her art paired with Sandra Molina’s colors for Adventures of Supergirl, but I also dig Michael Atiyeh’s work on the Rebirth title, so EITHER WAY.

Matias Bergara* - His issues of Supergirl were AWESOME. Similar energy to Brian Ching, but a little more rendered in terms of facial features, which plays into that ‘emote’ thing. Again, I dig Atiyeh’s colors, it worked well in the issues...why mess with a good thing?

SECOND ROUND, ‘I have no clue what these artists are up to currently or if they could squeeze in a Super book but  ♫WOOOULDN’T IT BE NICE IF THEY COULD DRAW IT♫’:

Mirka Andolfo - I really liked her work on the Killer Frost issue from Justice League of America. Her art’s just super appealing, and (I’m totally gonna sound like a broken record) EMOTIONS! Arif Prianto’s colors were also great in that issue. SOLID TEAM.

Mike Norton - Killed it on Mystik U, would no doubt kill it on Supergirl.

Mingjue Helen Chen - Certainly a more...painterly? style, with something of a youthful vibe. Maybe it wouldn’t be suited for the main Rebirth title; might be better for a DC Ink or DC Zoom book, but. Regardless, I feel strongly that it would jive with Kara’s character. SHE’D LOOK GREAT.

FINAL ROUND, ‘It will never happen but I can dream’:

Bengal - Death or Glory starts next month, which, YAY, but also, RATS.

Bilquis Evely - Do we remember that issue of Sugar and Spike? No? Well FOR SHAME. Because it featured a truly WONDERFUL Silver Age Kara. (Beautiful, and I mean beautiful rendering of texture, fine detail, and pattern when she’s handling her own inks. Downright stunning. That doesn’t really have anything to do with drawing Supergirl necessarily; I just thought I’d mention it.)

Jorge Jimenez - IT WOULD BE GREAT. But he’s too busy drawing the heck out of the rest of the DC universe. And, really...we don’t want to interrupt that.

There are...tons of others, I could go on, (and almost all of them would fall on the ‘NEVER GONNA HAPPEN’ list) but I tried to make it a bit more, ‘these would work for both the character and visual storytelling necessary for a book about Supergirl’ and less ‘I just wanna see my favs draw my fav.’

Not sure if I succeeded there, but. Oh well. XD

*UPDATE: CODA starts in May as well, so that’s another ‘YAY but also RATS’