#either way i shall write my predictions just in case.. still need to write my musical predictions as well..

[shi0n]

i think the ending of no.6 is thematically perfect. the 9th novel did have pacing issues (something asano atsuko herself has admitted) but no.6 beyond was amazing and a great final touch to the series so i've nvr really felt like we needed any more books.. HOWEVER I trust asano as an author. there must be something she wants to convey no matter what, something with meaning and something that is meant to be there. I feel like she wouldnt write about the two if there wasnt deep intent and thought behind it.

[spidernuggets]

note: i thought your idea was so cool and wanted to write for it. it’s the way i said i’m writing this and not my papers due tomorrow. it's also not finished hence why it doesn't include all the plot points and i don't think i'll continue it cause it sucks but wanted you at least read it. i also noticed that you said the titan not the teen titan and that who I based this off of and then reread your plot again and realized (another reason why i feel like not continuing it) gosh this is mess but enjoy!

“tell me, are they going to be okay? 

the question is from starfire who carries a concerned look on her face while everyone else’s eyes are still glued to the tv screen.    

“don’t worry star, course they will. it’s just a movie after all, none of it is real.” dick’s attempt to comfort kori comes from a place of trying to remind her that movies are in fact not documented disasters but purely made for entertainment purposes.

“no.” beastboy blurts out out of no where, but is lucky that starfire is too focused to hear what he says.

both you and raven shoot him a look from your places on the couch, one that clearly reads ‘don’t you dare say anything that’ll even come close to spoiling anything again.’

“i mean no it’s not. the titanic was an actual thing that happened. it is real right?” he turns to you who’s plotted on the ground with him to defend his case.

you only shushes him with a hand gesture and signal to keep watching.

“—i see now. i believe i understand. titanic. titans. surely, a collective of superhero’s like us shall show up and rescue all in the ship.” star looks proud with her predictions.

everyone freezes.

you eye dick who’s next to you and his eyes are wide and saying ‘maybe showing her this movie wasn’t the best of ideas.”

you’re amazing with this eye reading thing.

you glance at raven. she shrugs.

“we’ll just have to se—.”

your voice is interrupted by what sounds like footsteps trotting up the stair. everyone looks back to the unthreatening intruder to only then look back when he’s identified.

he’s invisible.

he makes no effort to glance at anyone. you make no effort to look away from him.

…

the sticker of [blank] on jason’s room stares back at you. technically speaking it’s the spare room that stays vacant which he only uses whenever he’s around.

which is not often.

before you can raise a hand to knock, the door flings open and you’re met with an unexpected glare from jason.

“hi.”

“hey.” he looks out into the hall and back at you. “wasn’t expecting you.”

“sure you weren’t.” you poke your tongue out.

“of course I wasn’t.”

“says the person swinging open doors.” he needs to be reminded.

“to the person snooping around floors they have no business being on.” you need to remember.

you narrow your eyes at him, and smile starts to play on your lips. the one he’s been holding back since you came hasn’t gone unnoticed by you either.

“okay jason. i’m here for you because i miss you so much and maybe, just maybe, i want a hug, 4 kisses and 7 different responds to my question of ‘how are you doing?’”

jason’s can’t help but laugh at your admission. “yeah?”

“are you making fun of me?” you pout.

“i wouldn’t dream of it. c’ mere.”

grumpy and moody is what he is in others presence but for you he’ll show you any side. as he pulls you into a warm hug, you can’t help but feel a sense of victory. it might be your playful way of breaking down his walls, but you know that deep down, he appreciates your effort to bring a bit of lightheartedness into his world.

to you he’s never invisible.

you nuzzle your head into his chest as he wraps his arms around you.

“you took forever.”

“i know.”

…

jason’s room lacks curtains, a detail most evident in times like these when the sunlight infiltrates in and rouses you from your sleep.

you’d offered getting him a pair from the storage a couple of times, but his response was always the same: he wouldn’t be around for too long.

so you don’t need to turn around to know he’s gone.

...

U g hhhh!!! STOP they little cuties

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

The two of you laid in his bed for a while longer, your head on his chest and his arms wrapped around your waste.

"I wish you'd stay longer," you say quietly. A wish, a hope, a desire you crave every day. You couldn't help but lean closer into his body as you whisper that, wanting to hold him tighter, closer, as if he would permanently fall off the face of the earth if you'd let go.

"I know, mama," He replies sadly. He mirrors your movements, arms holding you close. Holding on, rewinding the fantasy he's been playing in his head. The fantasy that he could just take you away with him. Settle down in someplace far from Gotham. Far from any worries. But that's all it was. A fantasy. A fantasy he couldn't make come true, and you couldn't either.

"We're going to be okay?" You ask. It was meant to come out as a statement. But though you gave so much faith in your relationship, you couldn't help but question how long you can hold on.

"We're going to be okay," Jason states. Neither of you make a promise. Neither if you can guarantee that you'll be okay. But for now, you cherish the moment. With tight hugs, lingering kisses, and fading fantasies.

Your hand trails down to his. Your thumb caresses his calloused skin. Reminding him he's not invisible. Not to you. Never to you.

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

IK UR LIL STORY ISNT FINISHED N U WONT CONTINUE IT, BUT I LOVE IT SM STILL 🫶🫶 I WANTED TO CONTINUE ON LIKE A LIL COLLAB!

THANKS SO MUCH ANON, THIS HAS FILLED THE EMPTY HOLE IN MY SOUL THAT LACKED MY PROMPT, EVEN IF IT IS LACKING PLOT POINTS, STILL ADORE IT NONETHELESS!!!

HOPE YOU GET YOUR PAPER DONE!! I'M CURRENTLY READING YOUR SHORT STORY INSTEAD OF WRITING MY ESSAY TOO!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

[whumpsday]

Kane & Jim #41: The Contents of Several Unopened Envelopes Delivered to Kane de Sang

Masterlist

content: vampire whumpee, angst / emotional whump, discussion of abusive relationship

beginning takes place a few days after Clean Break.

-

Dear Kane,

I’ve moved into my own house. It feels strange, living in a house by myself. It’s quiet. Not that my family home was loud, but there were people. Now there’s no Father, no Mother, no sisters, no servants. No you. Just me.

I’m not alone, of course. I’ve talked to you about my other friends before. They’ve been marvelously helpful, Sylvia especially. I know I’ve said this before, but I think you would like them all. I know they would like you, too, as long as you don’t say anything rude. As always, if you ever want to meet them, let me know.

I’m sure you’ve heard all about the disaster of my eighteenth birthday party, though you didn’t attend. I thought Father might faint. You should have seen the look on his face when I told everyone, it was glorious! He was even more upset than you were.

I know you said not to read your letter, but I did. I apologize. For the record, my answer is a resounding YES. Should you still like to move in with me, nothing would make me happier. I know it was a rather big fight, but you’re my best friend. We’ve made it through worse, have we not?

My new address is attached for you to reply. You don’t need to put a name on the envelope, if you want to keep it a secret. That way your parents wouldn’t know who you’re sending it to.

Yours truly, Bellamy Verta

-

Dear Kane,

We haven’t seen each other in the longest we’ve ever gone without, I believe. Unless you count the just-shy-of-a-year between my birth and yours. If you sent along a reply to my last letter, I’m afraid it was lost in the mail before it could make its way to me. Or perhaps my own letter was the one that was lost. Though I understand it’s far more likely you simply didn’t reply, just in case, I shall repeat the most important point: I’ve read your letter, my answer is YES.

I’ve managed to acquire ethically-sourced blood. I must admit it is not the most delectable, as you’d predicted, due to the considerable distance it must travel from an area with more amicable interspecies relations. However, such is a small price to pay in order to sustain myself in a way that does not harm others.

I’ve been wondering what you’ve been up to since I left. I think about you quite a lot. Honestly, you’re the only one I still think about, although it’s only been a month. I’d be happy if I never spoke to Father again. I’ve an urge to go back under the cover of day, with one of those full-coverage suits and a large brimmed hat, just to throw garish paint over his house. But I know you would say this is improper and irresponsible behavior, so I will make an effort to restrain myself.

I miss you.

Yours truly, Bellamy Verta

-

Dear Kane,

I kissed a man.

I don’t know why I’m telling you. It’s been three months and you haven’t replied, so it’s unlikely you’ll respond to this one either. But you would have been the first one I’d tell if things were still like before, so I felt as though I have to. I won’t bore you with the details, but it was nice. I thought you’d like to know, maybe.

We’re not courting. It’s different out here in the real world. You’re allowed to just try things out. The nobility is properly cultish in ways, quite honestly. I think you would like the real world a lot if you gave it a try. My offer still stands. My answer is still yes.

Yours truly, Bellamy Verta

-

Dear Kane,

I really miss you. I was thinking about it and decided I must write you another letter. I know you were always the one more inclined toward mathematics in our studies, and I’ve taken a page out of your book. Doing the proper research and all. Were you aware that there is a 0.0027% chance that all three of my letters were lost in the mail? I must say, my academic interests still tend toward art and literature, but probability can be fascinating in certain scenarios, when it matters. Not that it matters, as I’m no longer a schoolboy. I’m an adult now. Only 5 months until you are as well!

I was wondering how you were doing. Are you planning on taking a human? No one expects you to have to do that, you’re aware. It’s dangerous due to your condition. I don’t mean this in a condescending way, you know I would never. I simply worry for your safety. Humans have upped their defenses in recent years. I’ve never taken one, and in half a year I’ve managed to make a nice life for myself. You could too, if you wanted.

You know I don’t agree with human-keeping. But if you do, please be safe.

Yours truly, Bellamy Verta

-

Dear Kane,

Happy birthday!

I couldn’t not send a letter, even if you won’t send one back. Congratulations on coming of age. I’m otherwise strictly not in contact with my family, but I asked Katarina just because I was concerned, and she said that you do not plan on taking a human. It’s for the best, really. You don’t need that. Your parents are even bigger pricks than my own, somehow.

She also told me there will be no celebration, despite the milestone. I know how crushing that must be for you, especially as I’m not even there for our usual bash with just the two of us. I want you to know that my door is always open to you. I will be sure to be home on the eve of your eighteenth. I’m hoping this letter arrives a few days before then. Should you like, you can stop by and we can celebrate.

Yours truly, Bellamy Verta

-

Kane de Sang

🎊 You have been cordially invited to Bellamy Verta’s 19th birthday! 🎊

Flip this card for time, date, and location information.

-

Dear Kane,

I know by now that you don’t read these, but I’ve found myself in a bit of an uncomfortable situation, and I’m desperate for your advice. You always gave the best advice, before. Or you usually did. Sylvia says I need to stop writing to you because I’m only hurting myself, but she doesn’t know you. She would like you if she knew you like I do.

I started seeing someone several months ago. My third relationship now, actually. Quite a lot has happened since my last letter. I am proud to now call myself experienced in the art of homosexual activity!

Anyhow, regarding the matter at hand. Henry is a lovely person who I get on with quite well. He reminds me of you in some ways. However, lately he has been acting differently. To put it bluntly, he has become violent with me on multiple occasions. But then afterwards, he’s always back to his normal, kind self again, and I’m all healed by the next night. All my other friends are telling me to break it off, but he’s not always like this. Only sometimes. And other than that, he’s perfect. But it has been more often as of late. It’s hard to explain it all in a letter. If you are in fact reading these, would you be willing to meet and catch up?

I can picture it now. You would shake me by the shoulders and demand I come to my well-lacking senses. Or perhaps you would complicate matters by exchanging blows with him. I don’t think you would be pleased with the situation. But I believe this can be salvaged, if only I can find the right thing to say to him to make him understand that this is frightening me.

I’m also curious as to what you’ve been up to. I miss you.

Yours truly, Bellamy Verta

-

Dear Kane,

Maybe you do read these. I’m unsure. I thought I’d send along an update, just in case you are reading and not responding. I know you would have been worried about me if that was the case. I did end up breaking things off with Henry. He did not react well, but it’s over now.

I’m still interested in catching up, should you like to. I apologize if that was too much to put on you. We aren’t even really friends anymore, I suppose. But I’d like to be again.

Despite that bump, things have been pretty wonderful. There are so many things I wish I could share with you. I think you would be really happy here, if you gave it a chance.

7.29e-8%, otherwise known as 0.0000000729%. I think the point at which they start introducing “e” to mathematics is when the whole subject becomes truly irredeemable.

Yours truly, Bellamy Verta

-

Dear Kane,

I anticipate that this will be my last letter. Unless you respond, of course.

There will always be room in my heart for you. I would not be the person I am today without your friendship. But I have a new life now, a far better life than I did before, even if there are still troubles. And, though supportive, my friends are tired of hearing my heart ache for you. I find myself agreeing with them. I’m tired of it, too. It’s been a year and a half.

I wish nothing but the best for you, always. My door is always open to you should you change your mind and decide to get in contact. If I ever have a change-of-address, I shall send notice by mail, so you will be able to reach me.

I suppose this is goodbye. I would rewrite this on paper clear of teardrop stains, but I sincerely doubt you’ll be reading this anyway, so I shall leave it as-is.

I always loved you. I still do.

Bellamy Verta

-

drabbles posted between #40 and #41:

Accident (Epilogue #1.5)

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[uservillanelle]

Killing Eve ― 3x01 (Review)

I didn’t rush to write this review right after the episode, as I sometimes need to rewatch the episode several times to actually appreciate it and spot a thing or two. I know, everybody’s writing these, their thoughts, so I’m sorry if some of them will be repetitive, but I do want to get my thoughts out! Soo shall we get to it?

Dasha

What is interesting to me is that they chose this flashback of Dasha being a gymnast in her early age as the very first scene of the episode. And let’s not forget, it is the first scene of the entire season, meaning it has to be very important one. I don’t think they brought her in just to play Villanelle’s next handler. She was her mentor before, which makes it a lot more personal to both of them. There’s more to her, I’m sure. So far I’m loving the dynamic between her and Villanelle. There’s this... old-friends reunited kind of vibe, but then again, they can be laughing one moment and trying to choke each other to death the next. In this aspect they are very similar. 

That brings me to Dasha’s killing style. It is unique, something we haven’t seen in the show before. It can only mean competition to Villanelle. And she’s so confident that her work is better than Dasha’s. Not only does she say it to Dasha, but later on copy her style during the spice kill ― which, by the way, I think is very underrated. 

Villanelle had to ask Dasha about her part of the deal, twice. Then she brought up the possibility of going back home ― back to Russia. It might be true, but I don’t think that’s everything she was promised. And it’s one more reason for us to keep watching to find out, hm?

The Wedding

All I can say about the wedding is ― WOW. I was looking forward to it and it didn’t disappoint. Actually, it’s the best part of the episode for me. Many people have said that it was ‘waste of potential’; ‘they only did it to set up a meeting with Dasha’; but really. I don’t think we would’ve gotten the Villanelle wedding in any other circumstance. Like, think about it. A wedding is not something Villanelle would normally do, right? She doesn’t care about such things, yet in this case she does it. Yes, she LOVES a good show and attention as well as being rich and have everything she ever wanted including having the power and control of it all. And since she’s getting over Eve, why not find another woman and marry her to prove to everyone and to herself, that she is totally over the Asian woman with amazing hair? She’s extra like that and I love it. And don’t get me started on the tuxedo blazer AND black tulle ruffle top. She wore THAT for her own wedding. Just thinking about it makes me want to go feral. 

Mooving on, the irony of Villanelle not only bringing up Eve during her wedding speech, but saying she is ‘so much happier now she’s dead’ while immedially afterwards glancing around the place almost as if she’s expecting to see Eve. She hopes she’s there... and it makes me wonder, what if Eve actually was there? What if she somehow made it to Villanelle’s wedding and just... can you imagine? What their interaction would look like? Plus having MARIA there the entire time and the guests? Damn. 

Then there’s casual Villanelle simply enjoying her wedding cake, because why the hell not? And on top of that ignoring her new wife during the dance. I mean... this is SUCH Villanelle thing to do. She couldn’t care any less. Then again we are reminded of how awkward/uncomfortable she could get around people when she’s being.. more or less herself. I haven’t seen her like that for a hot minute. She has always been brilliant in slipping into other groups of people, pretending to be a part of a conversation, it never really was an issue for her. Yet this time she’s not really pretending to be someone else. She is Villanelle and yes, she is awkward. I love that we got to see that bit. 

And of course... it wouldn’t be Villanelle’s wedding if there wasn’t a fight involved. Why not start a fight herself? It’s exactly what she did and having Dasha show up only highlighted the wedding scene even more. It wasn’t all about Dasha being there, it was about Villanelle trying to prove to herself that she’s finally moving on and I, personaly, needed that. It’s a shame the wedding scene ended so quickly, I mean we could’ve gotten a kiss or two, since it’s a damn wedding! Though I’m still really glad we got to see it. We actually got to steal a glance at Villanelle’s wedding. That sounds so surreal on itself. Are we sure they didn’t take this from any of the fanfics? 

Carolyn

(warning: possible spoilers/predictions ahead)

She’s still a very shady lady. Carolyn must be the most mysterious character on the show, based on how little we know about her, her work and her family. I’m glad that someone is finally confronting her about the previous operation in Rome. What’s even better ― Hugo sued MI6 and he has EVERY right to do so. The entire mission was a blood bath and someone has to answer for it. Yet, despite given circumstances, Carolyn remains completely still during all the accusations she has received and even refuses to apologize during her conversation with Kenny. None of the previous events that took place seem to be valuable and important enough for her. And that makes me wonder.. that maybe the Twelve ordered Kenny’s death to stop any further unofficial investigations AND to punish Carolyn, because Kenny’s all she has, right?

Well, now they will be bringing up Carolyns daughter ― Geraldine. Up to this point we knew that Kenny was Carolyn’s only child, but since he’s gone now, there has to be someone else related to Carolyn and we got Geraldine. From what we know now, they do not have a great relationship which makes me even more excited to see them interacting. 

Since the Twelve put a hit on Kenny... I’m starting to think that maybe Carolyn is next on their list, and possibly Konstantin. In S3 trailer we got a quick shot of Carolyn in a car with a driver. And there’s Villanelle, pretending to be a police officer, chasing someone down. If I’m correct, Villanelle will come after Carolyn and will try to assassinate her. Now why would Villanelle try to kill Carolyn? Either she will find out something related to Eve and Carolyn being involved, maybe wanting to take revenge? It’s not very likely is it? But the Twelve deiciding to take out Carolyn, and Villanelle doing the job sounds more like it. At least to me.

Eve

First off... the scene in the store is not only the first scene of Eve we see in this episode, but it shows exactly where she is right now. Where her mind is, how she’s dealing with everything around her. Cearly, she’s done with everything, running on auto-pilot for the most part of it. She’s one huge mood. Eve really must be the most relatable character for us as viewers. If something like this happened to us... we would basically be Eve. 

It’s been 6 months and that’s the Eve we see. She’s struggling. And she should be. She almost died and now everything seems to be reminding her of Villanelle. The song in the store, the cashier’s talking about spaghtetti and Rome?! Then the other cooks at the restaurant talking about one of their’s crush and how it started with infatuation and now it’s love. Everything about it screams Villanelle. We know it. Eve knows it. And most importantly... the SCAR itself. No matter where she goes, what she does... she won’t be able to erase Villanelle. She has been scarred for life and so was Villanelle and guys... that is just so brilliant. They are meant for one another and that’s a fact. Either they will end up together (hopefully) and somehow manage to create some kind of future together or they will die together. Either way.. they can’t hide from one another and that makes their next meeting so... so special and important and intense and all of the other things. I simply cannot wait.

Knowing how the episode ended, I didn’t think I’d appreciate Eve and Kenny’s scene together so much. It’s so deep and sincere and reveals a lot about what happened and where they are separately and together. I’m glad their first and last interaction this season was a light, positive one. They even talked about getting beers at the office during weekends. And knowing that.. Kenny was basically the only person who understood Eve and where she’s coming from, his death is exactly what can and WILL push Eve forward in investigating the Twelve and eventually reuniting with Villanelle. Back to S1, when Bill was killed, Eve was so determined to catch Villanelle and ‘kill her with her bare hands’ that no one seemed to be able to stop her. So this time... will be similar to it, if not even greater. 

Villanelle

Soo... Oksana wants to be a Keeper. Oksana the Keeper! It actually makes sense to some extent, that she will eventually want to get a ‘higher’ position in the industry and why not be the Keeper then. She has always wanted power and control and Keepers have that. They hold valuable information about the organisation that no one else knows. It’s a very important and dangerous position too. I can see why she’d want to be a Keeper, and not only that... she is still curious about who is in charge. How the whole system works. Though, at the same time.. knowing Villanelle, this might get tricky. She’s still very childish and impulsive and all other things.. she still needs to be handled by someone. That’s why I’m a bit concerned that if she ends up becoming a Keeper or having to handle other assassins (which she will, in next episode), things will go terribly wrong. I hope I’m wrong about this, because god, do I want to see Villanelle as a Keeper and continue being the top boss bitch in the industry.

Her confidence continues to fascinate me. Especially her confidence around Dasha. She knows she’s better than her and that’s all there is to it. Not only she says it but she proves that by her first kill this season. I honestly can’t wait to see her future kills, because so far it looks very promising.

Konstantin

Only a couple of scenes of the show’s dad this episode. Apparently he has several phones which he is struggling to deal with. He’s living several lives and that shows. In S2 he was all determined to get back to his family. But what we see in this episode is that he’s not with his family anymore. He’s working again. And based on Irina’s voice mail, he and his wife are separated. His wife has a boyfriend now and Irina is there with them. (I hope they will bring her back, what an iconic, hilarious yet annoying child) 

Konstantin receives several shady messages, one of which reads “time to go fishing”. It can mean literally anything. But for some reason I’m feeling that they want us to think he had something to do with Kenny’s death. It could be him, it could be an assassin Konstantin is handling right now. Or it’s not him at all, but we believe it’s him based of what we saw so far. Too many questions and not enough answers so far. 

He was the Twelve’s target back in S1 and had to stay low during S2 as a “dead man” so now.. I’m not really sure what his status is. Some of us saw the leaked photos of S3 finale and what might possibly happen... and that just brings me back to my previous point of Carolyn and Konstantin being the Twelve’s targets this season. Will they survive? And if they do... how? If they don’t... does that mean Villanelle and Eve will now be completely by their own and possibly on a run from the Twelve?!

Kenny

There’s not really much to say here. We ALL loved our dear Kenny. He’s probably the most innocent character on the show and he had to go. Now, I don’t believe his death was done for shock value. Not his character. A huge, meaningful character had to die in order for the rest of characters to get moving. For the entire story to move forward. They are setting up a serious plot here and I am excited, despite being really upset about Kenny’s death. 

I think Eve will be the mostly affected character in the show by his death. Carolyn doesn’t seem to be very affectonate towards her son, but hopefully it will make her realize just how big of a trouble she in. Eve, however, will be forced to get back to investigate the Twelve and she will not stop until she does so. She’s all by herself now. The determination, the anger as well as other feelings will drive her this season to get the much needed answers and get to the bottom of the whole thing. Meanwhile... Villanelle seeks information and control as well. She is trying to investigate the Twelve in her own way. So why not pair them up?

Overall thoughts

As many have said it, the episode felt different to me as well. I think that’s mostly because we have set our standards so high, that we immediately become disappointed if the episode doesn’t deliver as much murder, Eve/Villanelle scenes or something else we might be expecting in particular. 

I found myself wanting to compare the episode with other seasons and that is a mistake. We shouldn’t be comparing it because previous season had different plot, the overall feeling was different and the characters weren’t as developed as they are now. Furthermore, the show runner changes each season and that is what we need to look at. Phoebe and Emerald have done incedible job during those first two seasons but now it’s Suzanne’s time to shine. All three of them are different people and have different ideas and views as to how they see the characters and where they want to take them. So I think we might need to “forget” the previous two seasons and be way more open minded when it comes to third season. After all it’s the most personal one and it has a different feel to it. It’s more serious, and it is setting up an actual plot for the series. It’s a good thing. And as much as we hate changes like these... I think we should embrace them this time and let the show go in the direction it is going without the need to criticize it or control it. 

I’m beyond excited to see how everything will unfold and where this season will take us. Based on all the trailers and interviews I’ve seen so far... this will be a one helld of a ride and I am NOT prepared for it!

If any of you reached this point, you seriously deserve an applause! Hopeuflly you enjoyed reading my nonsense lol! Let me know if you’d like me to write a review for the next episode, because I do have plans for writing for the entire season, but it’s always better when I have an audience to write for! 

Now if you have any theories or thoughts don’t be shy to comment or message me so we could chat about it! I’d love nothing more than a good conversation about the show we have a common obsession for! 

[wolf-with-a-pen]

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door Part 4

TW: Lots of Swearing, Unreality, Kidnap, It Gets Really Dirty At One Point

Previous, Masterpost, Next

Sorry it is a week late, I should be able to write more now that I don't have to go out for just under 7 hours a day by law. If you want me to mention you when I post, ask, if you want me to tag something or add another trigger, also ask.

Enjoy!

Word Count:3975

EDWARD HAD NO CLUE WHERE THEY WERE. All they knew was it was within an hour of the flat, and that they weren’t there by choice. What’s going on you might ask me? Why are they there? Well, in order to tell you that, I have to go back to just after they arrived back at home, around 8 hours before.

Edward had spent the last half an hour trying to adjust their room to be exactly how they wanted it, however, they were failing dismally. Despite the lack of actual stuff to put in the room, they physically could not find something that felt right enough and a way that the room felt like home. Probably just because of the aftermath of being forced out of their home literally less than 24 hours before, but still, they tried everything and just gradually made a bigger and bigger mess of the place, eventually just stopping to look at what they’d done and realising they couldn’t see half of the stuff. It was at this point they decided to stop. Grabbing the few things they’d need urgently, they managed to find a way to the single bed in the corner of the room looking out at it. To their right lay the white door, and in front of them was the single window. To the left of the window was a bookshelf with stuff strewn over it and on the opposite side was a desk and chair. Next to them was a small chest of draws that they stored the few things they grabbed in, before laying down and trying not to think. It was at this point the welcome distraction of Isi knocked on the door.

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah, sure, could use a distraction.”

“Why?” it asked, gently pushing open the door. “Oh…it looks like you’ve dropped a bomb in here.”

“Yeah. It does, doesn’t it?”

“You want some help after what I came here for?”

“Please.”

“Ok, now, what did you think of Vanny?”

“Why?”

“Just want to know.”

“Okay. Not how I was expecting, but in a good way.”

“Why, what were you expecting?”

“Heavily opinionated, extrovert. Can’t really explain it more than that.”

“It’s cause of Biff right?”

“Probably. Still thought she’d be an extrovert though, even without Biff.”

“Cool. And how is Vanny different to how you were expecting?”

“She’s pretty quiet, to the point, and honestly she seems cool to me.”

“Cool. That’s good. Now then, how about this room?”

It was another half an hour later when Vanny called them for their sleepover, and honestly, it looked worse than when it started. Somehow, despite it already being war zone, Isi turned it into a nuclear bomb site. You could not see any of the surfaces. But Edward did not care that much- all they knew was they had fun with a friend. And in the process made more work for themselves, but, oh well, they wouldn’t need their bedroom tonight, and they could probably sort it out tomorrow. Quickly they slipped on some comfortable clothes, before emerging to find Isi in the most laid-back clothes they had seen them in and Vanny somehow looking less laid-back than normal. “Come on in Edward and sit down. We’re planning on starting with movies and pizza, before moving onto games. Any requests?” Vanny inquired, beckoning them closer.

“No, thank you,” replied Edward, gently sitting down on the floor, taking a few of the cushions off of the pile to sit on.

“Ok, well we’re starting with Lilo and Stich, then Coraline and finally RED. You ok with all of those?”

“Sure.”

“Ok, good, shall we get started?”

It was half an hour later that the silence was broken. Edward had spent the time either sat on the arm of a chair, or on the cushion on the floor, while Vanny and Isi were cuddled up on one end of the sofa. Surprisingly, Edward was the one that broke the silence. It took them a quarter of an hour to get the confidence to ask. “Should we build a pillow fort?”

“Yes, I haven’t built one since I was a kid!” Vanny exclaimed in approval.

“Why did you think we brought all of the blankets out? If we order pizza, by the time we’ve built it, it’ll be here.” Isi inputted

“Thank, you, that sounds good.” Edward replied

“Of course, and don’t worry too much. This will be the best pillow fort ever.” Isi, replied realising that it was probably with Ansel that they last built one.

“Yeah, it will.” Vanny confidently added.

If you already guessed from the fact that with more than one person, all they did was create a bigger mess, you can imagine what the room looked like. I mean, what did you expect? I mean, they managed kind of a pillow fort. There were walls and a roof and pillows on the floor, but the rest of the room that they couldn’t see looked like someone dropped a bunch of pillows on the building, and if they even tried to leave, half of it would fall down, but they had fun and managed something. That was all that mattered. The pizzas had arrived before they blocked themselves in and they had grabbed as many drinks and sweets as possible to stock the fort with. By this point they were all laying on the floor. “So, what should we do next?”

“Truth or dare?” Vanny asked.

“Really?” Isi groaned.

“Come on, it would be a good idea to get to know each other. You down Edward?”

“Fine,” Isi sighed

“Sure,” they answered.

They had all just about managed to drag out three rounds of truth or dare, and it had landed on Edward. All of them were running out so they were expecting them to just pass their round to the others. “Both of you, truth or dare?”

They looked at each other, kinda worried. “Truth,” they replied, almost in unison.

“How did you meet?” They inquired, not realising what they had got into, while Vanny and Isi were both stuck remembering how they did meet.

It was 10 years ago that they first met, aged 16, though not in the best circumstances. For both of them everything seemed to be going wrong that day, literally everything. Big and small. But still, they regarded it as one of their better days- just because they found each other. [A/N: will be writing a short dedicated to this later]

However during this flashback, they left Edward alone in a sense- both were zoned out looking into the distance, and after a while, they began to worry about them. It’s not every day you see your friends just completely go unresponsive while still being awake. Kinda creeped them out. So, they decided to wait it out in their room, where they couldn’t see the creepy half-dead look the others were giving everything. But they had forgotten the fact it was a chaotic mess, despite everyone’s best efforts to clean up. Not even they knew how it wasn’t better. So, they grabbed a few things off their bedside table that they might urgently need and shoved them in their backpack, slinging it on their shoulder and entering the kitchen, grabbing the pen and piece of paper they saw when they entered. Once they had done this, they grabbed a second piece of paper, wrote a note for when the two woke up, picking up a set of keys and leaving, quietly and carefully through the front door.

You see, Edward did not know the city. That they’d already established, from the fact that Isi was practically leading them around by tugging on their sleeve. Yeah, they didn’t particularly like that, knowing that they would be useless if the Guardians arrived and they had to leave quickly. So, they had decided to create a map of the surrounding area, noting the landmarks along the way. Hopefully they wouldn’t get lost. If they did they’d have to talk to people, but oh well. It would make them feel better they decided, as they noted down the number flat and the name of the flat block as a dot in the centre of the paper. As they walked down to the ground floor of the block, they realised how late it was- you could barely see the sun, and light was quickly fading beyond the horizon. Unfortunately, this meant it wasn’t as safe as first predicted. Thankfully, angels don’t get hurt unless a guardian or demon does it.

“Hello?” an unfamiliar voice called out. “I couldn’t help but notice you came out of Vanny’s place, and I was wondering if she was ok, I haven’t seen her in a while.” Turning on their heels, they looked for the source of the voice, finding it to be an older looking woman, on the second floor of the building.

“Hello, yes I did come from Vanny’s, currently me and my friend are staying with her,” Edward replied as calm as they could manage, trying not to let slip that said friend was most likely known to be dead.

“So, she’s finally letting people in, that’s good. She’s been so lonely since Isi died, all of us were worried about her. Look after her for me will you?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. What is your name?”

“I am Edward. And you?”

“Margret, Margret Grey. Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

“I’d better go, see you around.”

“See you.” They replied, watching as she picked up a newspaper of the floor, before disappearing into a flat. Number 25. They made a mental note of it, in case they ever needed any help. The conversation went better than they were expecting. Almost too well. They turned on their heel, leaving through which ever path they believed would be the best, making a note of every junction and landmark along the way, keeping an eye on the rapidly fading light.

It was only an hour later that Edward realised how stupid an idea they had. First, it was now dark. Very dark. Almost pitch black. Second, they had chosen the wrong path. Somehow they ended up in an alleyway, somewhere. It looked vaguely threatening, with the graffiti and sense of someone watching you. Plus, the little canisters of who knows what were coating the floor. All they knew is it was probably a drug, and likely not a legal one at that. Never a brilliant sign. And finally, they had no clue where they were. Unsurprisingly, their map was practically useless, and just a jumble of lines. Literally, it looked like someone had grabbed a piece of paper and randomly squiggled on it. Almost certainly, they were regretting their choice. And the lack of forethought to check they had their phone on them. “Just wander around until you find a main road,” they thought, “What could possibly go wrong?” They didn’t bother answering that. They knew something would.

As you know, it was 8 hours after they got home. At least, as far as they knew. Who knew how reliable the weird people’s word was? They remembered that decision, and nothing else. It was as if they passed out then. I mean, they knew they had passed out at some point, but it wasn’t right there in that alley was it? They strained trying to remember what had happened, and was severely failing. Then they checked the rope tied around them. Solid- no way out. As far as they knew they would be trapped there forever. This increasingly depressing train of thought was disturbed by the sounds of the person returning, not that they could see who had taken them, not with the lights off. The only thing they could tell was that they were under another floor, and that the floor was concrete. That was it. The mysterious voice of the person holding them hostage startled them from this tangent.

“Hello Edward. You’re probably wondering what you are doing here. Well, you’ll never know. So, stay here for a while. Not that you can leave. Anyway, you just have to stay here until our friend comes back, then you might be able to go. OK?”

Edward nodded, confused as the kidnapper removed the gag they had placed on them. They got a small idea, one that would be unwise, but it worked in Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, why wouldn’t it work in real life as well?

Above them, Salami was sat. Yep, the three of them had kidnapped them. Despite telling Satan they wouldn’t interact. I mean, what did he expect? You can’t tell someone not to do something and expect them to not then do it. Especially the three who were unfazed with breaking his rules, and who he didn’t mind breaking the rules because they usually managed to complete the job. They had no clue how they found them so quickly- what was the chances that they would stumble into the road leading straight to their house, and that they would be so easy to just take. That was the only reason they realised how much help Isi and Edward would need. If they could barely defend themselves, how did they expect to take over heaven? So, they interfered. Eventually, Sal decided to go check on the two, finding them locked in combat. They were at opposite each other, and so, they pulled up a chair next to Sprite.

“Are you that interested in me that you want me to stay?”

“Fuck you.”

“Why don’t you darling?~”

“Why don’t you shut your pretty mouth?”

“Why don’t you do it for me?”

“You know, you’re pretty handsome for a bastard.”

“Aww, you think I’m handsome?”

“No, bitch. Go fuck yourself.”

“Why don’t you fuck me instead?”

“What’s up?” asked Sal, raising their eyebrows.

“I don’t know, wanna see?” Edward quickly replied, with no idea how they managed to keep it up for this long.

“No thank you, why would I want to see a matchstick?”

“It may be a matchstick, but I sure know how to show you a good time.” Edward lied. They really didn’t.

“Who says you’d be the one showing the other a good time? By the end of the night, you would be a blubbering mess.”

“Don’t be so sure, you look like you wouldn’t hold up that long.”

“Looks are deceptive dear, just like you looking like you would be unable to flirt. And like a virgin.”

“As you said, looks are deceptive.”

“h, but I can tell, the second part is true. Honestly, I’m surprised you aren’t a slut.”

“And I’m surprised you’re able to talk. I thought I would have broken you by now.”

“Try harder then.”

“Oh, I certainly can if you want me to.”

“Yeah right, you look 5 seconds away from being shattered.”

“You’re the only ones who will end up shattered. Don’t think I didn’t notice you watching us, person 1.”

“Well, I couldn’t miss that conversation, if it goes any further, I might have to gag you.”

“Kinky.”

“I’m done now, let’s go back upstairs.”

“Don’t be too loud now, the walls are thin.”

“Yeah right, as if you wouldn’t enjoy it.”

“Oh, I would, but the neighbours wouldn’t, I’m sure.”

“Fuck off.”

“Oh, but we’re having so much fun.”

“You might, asshole.”

“So, you’re denying the truth now are you? Why would you stay if you weren’t enjoying yourself?”

“To break you. Let’s go.” Sprite answered turning on their heels.

“God that was exhausting. And impossible to end.” Sal stated, not thinking that Edward would hear him.

“It would be even more tiring if I did what I wanted to you, and it wouldn’t have to end if you didn’t want it to.”

“Dream on, whore.” He said closing the door on themselves.

“Wow, that went better than I expected,” Edward thought, “I kept up for who knows how long.” Then they sat and waited, falling back asleep pretty quickly.

Meanwhile, Isi and Vanny were panicking. I mean, who wouldn’t? It was about half an hour after Edward left that they snapped out of whatever trance they were in, and realised that they were gone. Both took a few minutes to realise what had happened, and after looking at a clock realised they had left Edward alone for way too long. Vanny was the one who saw the note, calming Isi who had ran around the flat looking for them worried that they had been kidnapped or worse, taken back to heaven. That didn’t fully tell them that they were Ok, and the fact they didn’t take their phone- it couldn’t help but worry. Not after everything. Eventually they had managed to get to sleep, reassuring themselves that they would turn up in the morning, but it was to no avail-while Edward was happily flirting with their captors, it had realised they were not coming home anytime soon. Something odd for the size of the city. But it knew it couldn’t do anything so it stayed where it was.

It was half an hour later that Edward woke back up, and even then, only because the door had slammed. Muffled above they heard 3 voices. The two from earlier, and a third, deeper voice. An unfamiliar one, yet it still felt as though they had heard it before. Straining, they listened in. “I couldn’t find them anywhere. This is going to be hopeless isn’t it?”

“We found them, they’re in the basement. I will warn you their flirting is on par with yours.”

“Thanks darlings. I’ll check them out later. Any other news?”

“Not beyond finding a map with only one legible location written down, that must be their place.”

“Perfect. We can check that out later, if we can’t get them to work with us.”

“OK.”

“I’ll go down then, since there is nothing else to do.”

“Good luck, you’ll need it.”

They heard the door gently click, and watched the person descend down the stair they could now just about make out from the time they had to let their eyes adjust to the gloom. The room was mostly empty, except for the shelves they could see out of the corner of their eye with what seemed to be some sort of weaponry on it. They hoped they wouldn’t use it on them.

“Hello, Edward. Might I say, you look so much more handsome in person than from your photo.”

“Thank you. How did you get my photo?” They asked, knowing they wouldn’t reveal it, but hoping to disarm them slightly.

“My sources shall stay unknown. The reason I’m here is to ask for you to join us darling. You’d be a fool not to.”

“Why should I join you? I haven’t seen any of you yet and how am I supposed to trust a kidnapper?”

“We are not going to keep you forever, the second we have your answer you are free to leave, but I recommend you don’t be rash. We have something you want. You have something we want.”

“So, you are suggesting an alliance? What is it that you want from me?”

“You and your little friend Isi on our side, helping us.”

“And what would I get in return?”

“Protection, information, and help with your so called “revolution” of 2 people against all of the angels. I know you are looking for help. But are you willing to accept it?”

They pondered the kidnapper’s offer. It did sound good. They needed help, and protection would be good as well. The information they could give would probably be priceless. However, were they really meant to trust a faceless person who could easily stab them in the back? They didn’t know.

“I will consider it, but only if I can know who you three are and why are interested in me and Isi.”

“Alright. My name is Riley, he/him. I will untie you. All of the windows and doors are locked and we know where you live. You will not be able to escape.”

“Ok.” Edward replied.

“Now then, no running or shifty business. I wouldn’t want to have to ruin that pretty face of yours,” he said warningly as he gradually untied the mass of knots holding them to the chair. Gradually he became more and more frustrated, as the knots simply wouldn’t come undone. At all. You couldn’t even cut it- it was all tied together. “Who the fuck tied these knots?” he shouted upstairs. Both of the people wandered downstairs to watch him fail at untying them. “We did,” one of them replied. “You going to help?”

“No, I think you’re doing fine on your own.”

For Edward and Riley it went painfully slowly, but you could tell the other two were enjoying themselves at their pain. It felt like hours later that he had managed to get them untied. Mainly because it was- it took him around an hour and a half just to get them loose.

“So, can I meet all of you properly now?”

“Why?”

“Go along with it, they said they’d consider joining us if we showed them who we are and why we wanted them.”

“Alright. I’m Salami, but call me Sal, I’m a he/they,” said the second person.

“Fine, I’m Sprite,” the first begrudgingly revealed.

“Thank you. Now why do you want me and Isi?”

“We are all demons, well except Sprite, they’re a half demon, half angel. And our Boss heard of your escape, and finds you interesting. He wants us to help you, and in return you give him information. You see, we all want rid of the Guardians- all except the worker sheep that you call angels. You used to be part of them my dear, but you managed to break out of that way of thinking and heaven. That’s rare.”

“Ok. So, because we have insider information, you want me to help you.”

“Yes.”

“And if I don’t agree?”

“You’d be a fool not to, but I would be unable to stop you. But remember we know where you live, and if our leader gives us the order we will kidnap both of you and force you to co-operate.”

“Ok, I’ll work with you, but only because there is currently no other option.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, can I go home, the others will be worried, since I’ve been gone a while.”

“And how do you expect to get home when you were already lost?”

“I’ll find a way.”

“No, you won’t. I’ll take you home, my damsel.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, thank you.”

Half an hour later they arrived home, waving Riley off. Most of the journey was a flirting battle between the two of them, and it only ended when Riley had their number. Somehow they had already managed to memorise it. Before long, they were back inside the flat, being confronted by a worried Vanny and Isi.

“Are you ok?”

“What happened?”

“Why were you gone so long?”

“Just, don’t ask, you don’t want to know. I made some allies though. 2 demons and a half demon half angel.”

“Ok. Wait, was one of them called Sprite?”

“Yes, why?”

“Not brilliant but ok.”

“Why?”

“They work for Satan, and not just in a sense that they are down the command chain form him, they are his personal group of investigators and only really work on secret important stuff. This means Satan not only knows we’re here, but is interested in us. That could be good or bad, but we will have to wait and see. What did they ask you?”

“If I would help them in return for them helping us.”

“Did you accept?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see their faces?”

“Yes.”

“Ok. Good. Now, shall we continue where we left off yesterday?”

“Yes please.”

[rideboldlyride]

One Final Question (a prediction)

(I'm just putting this out here in case my wildest fantasies come true, and it happens in show and I can look back and say "CALLED IT".

It won't, but I can dream. Don't @ me.)

***

Behind the young woman, a door opened. Qrow entered the room, even as the name left Ruby’s lips.

Time slowed, and the eerie emptiness of Amity Arena echoed with the sound of her chains rattling. She laid on her stomach, resting her chin on her hand, blue skin glowing in the dim light, and her eyes studied the young woman.

"To say that I am surprised to see you again would be a lie. You have many questions, and while I would love to satisfy your curiosity, you only have one question left."

Ruby nodded. 

“I know. But... I just need to know. Especially after- well, after all of this." She gestured at the ruins of the once proud stadium.

“Ruby?”

Turning, she spotted her uncle moving towards her, a look of concern across his face. She backed away slightly, shaking her head.

“I need to know, Uncle Qrow.”

He stopped, concern peaking his brow.

“I - I understand.”

Furrowing her bow, she stepped forward. “Unless you know more?”

“No!” He shook his head fervently. “No, kiddo, I don’t. But there are some things from around that time... things that... well...”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Well. You might not know.”

“Then I’ll find them out.”

Eyes downcast, he nodded. As she turned back to her task and the large blue piece of myth before her, she didn’t hear his next quiet words.

“I’m sorry.”

Any hope that he may have had that the answer to the question might not reveal some of his deeper secrets was quickly dispelled.

“Jinn. What happened to my mother? Why did she leave?”

A smirk pulled at her impish face, and she leaned back.

"That is two questions… with the same answer."

In a flash, the world turned to white.

“Once upon a time, a spirited huntress by the name of Summer Rose lived happily with her new family.”

Before Ruby, a white caped figure stood, with their back turned to her.  But the sweet voice that emerged felt familiar, as foreign as it was. Rounding the figure, she looked upon her elder doppelgänger. In her arms, she cradled a baby Ruby. Her words were sweet and calm, even as a tall, lean figure stepped in from nothingness to wrap them both up in his arms. 

It took a moment to recognize the lanky man. Embracing the small family wasn’t a young Taiyang Xiao Long. It was Qrow Branwen. Only then did she realize she wasn���t isolated like the last time, as she heard her uncle sigh.

“Damn.”

Turning, she saw the older man. 

“What?! What is this, Uncle Qrow??”

Instead of looking at her, however, she watched him move past her to stand before Summer. As he reached out, as if to touch her cheek, the scene shifted. They found themselves in a familiar space - the kitchen back home in Patch. 

Summer smiled as the younger Qrow entered, a small Ruby on his hip. They giggled and babbled around the room as Summer finished up washing dishes. 

"Qrow," she turned hesitantly, "I hate to do this, but..."

Jinn's voice returned, the all knowing narrator. 

"There had been something, though, that had been weighing on her mind."

Summer continued. "I have a mission I need to go on." 

His face fell slightly, but he nodded. "Alright, when do you need to leave?"

The small woman's face pulled into a grimace. "Tomorrow morning?"

Brow furrowing, he stopped playing with the baby Ruby.

"So soon?"

"Well, it wouldn't have been, but your mission went over, and if I don't go, I'll miss my opportunity. Then all the Intel will be wrong and I'll have to start from scratch again. And you know how that--"

"I know, I know." A smirk had returned to his face. "Just as long as you aren't gone for too long, it'll be ok."

He brought the toddler even with his own face, and contorted his into a silly mask. As she giggled, he continued. 

"We won't be able to keep doing this kind of schedule as she gets older."

Drying her hands, she slipped one into the crook of his arm. 

"I know. And I hate to do it now, even."

He nodded. 

The scene shifted again, and they were outside the home, as Summer waved goodbye to Ruby, Qrow, Tai and Yang. There was something relieving in seeing the last two for Ruby. She still was processing the relationship of her mother and Qrow, but Tai and Yang's presence eased some of the queasiness in her stomach.

Jinn's narrative gave her no time to digest the information around her. 

"For months, Summer Rose had sat in meetings, taken in Intel from across the world of Remnant. And while most of the parties and playing pieces were accounted for, there was one vital one that wasn't."

With a flourish, they were in Ozpin's office, atop Beacon tower. A much younger Ozpin sat behind the desk, fingers steepled. The younger Qrow slumped down in his chair rubbing at his forehead with an exasperated expression. Summer sat cross legged in her chair, rapidly taking notes. Between them stretched the map of Remnant.

"So, Autumn is accounted for currently, but she's... Tiring." Ozpin's calm voice listed off the current statuses of the maidens. "I am relieved to hear of Fria's good health and eagerness in our cause. Blossom is... young. She concerns me. But outside of training, there is little more we can do."

Summer's head shot up. 

"What about the Summer Maiden?"

Shaking his head even before she had finished, Ozpin sighed. "I see no reason to pursue that course. She's made it abundantly clear that she has no interest in helping us."

Qrow raised a brow. "So you're saying we have a loose cannon out there?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I fear we will have to wait until she dies before we try again to bring in the Summer Maiden."

Summer interrupted. "But isn't that a bit reckless on our part? What if Salem gets to her?"

"Then she will meet the same resistance I did."

"But--"

"No, Miss Rose. I will not waste time and resources on this matter. There are many other items that call for more of our attention."

As the world shifted around her, Summer dropped her head to her notebook and continued to write. Her location shifted again, and this time, in the darkness of her bedroom, in only the light of a single lamp, she poured over maps, Intel from local sources, interviews and rumors, even as the rest of her family slept.

Jinn pressed on. "Summer Rose was determined to find the Summer Maiden."

Qrow, the other observer let our a curse. His brow peaked.

"Dammit, Rose, I told you to let it go. I thought you did..."

Ruby was distracted by the older man's response, and had yet to notice her surroundings change when Jinn continued unyielding.

"And so she pressed on, hours, days, weeks, and months of research until she found the lead she was looking for."

In the darkness, Summer Rose let out a small gasp.

"I've got you. Sol, of Kasbah, Vacuo. I'll see you soon..."

And the darkness was quickly replaced with the blinding brilliance of golden sands and blue skies. The change left the two observers blinking. A pause in the narration was enough for Ruby to turn to the older man.

"Uncle Qrow," she reached for his arm, " what's going on? What did all that me--"

Her grasp met no resistance, and she realized that he held no more substance than the rest of Jinn's story. She was observing his reactions, much like they both were observing Summer Rose's last few days.

Taking a step back, and feeling so very alone, she wrapped her arms around her waist and settled to watch the rest of Summer's story unfold. 

"Once the information was received, it took no time for the skilled huntress to arrive at her destination- and her quarry."

Hood up, and sliding in amongst the crowd, she moved with ease deep into the city. She paused briefly at a door before knocking a two beat pattern, and then moving into a nearby alley. 

A slender bearded man, draped in the rough fabric of the natives, emerged from the building and surreptitiously entered the same alley.

"Fahlaz, my friend." She smiled as they clasped each other's forearms.

Nodding once, he spoke quickly and hushed. 

"I can only speak of what I saw this morning. She is here, yes, but there is a child with her. You did not speak of a child, no?"

Summer's brow snapped together. 

"No, I didn't know about a child." Looking up at him, she queried. "Are they both staying in the same location we spoke about?"

"Yes."

"Then that is what I need to know. My mission is short, and my patience for it to be finished, even shorter."

"Yes. That little one of yours, I must meet."

Clasping arms again, she threw up a hearty smile. "You shall, my friend."

Qrow sighed. "I never thought to ask Fahlaz. Which... is why Summer asked him to help."

He shook his head. 

The narration pressed on. Daytime rapidly slipped away as night swiftly fell. 

"This mission was to be easy. Either convince Sol to help, or bring her in. They were the only humane ways to prevent Salem from reaching her. So when Sol returned to the loft she had been renting, she was surprised to see a hooded figure waiting for her."

Inside the loft, the hooded figure of Summer Rose turned to face the fiery haired woman that had just entered. 

"Sol, I am here only for one reason."

A red brow lifted and a hip cocked. "Oh?"

"I need you to help."

"Helping isn't exactly in my nature, sweetheart."

Behind her, a small red headed boy cowered. 

"Please. I know you have no desire to help, but you were gifted with a beautiful privilege that could help the whole wor--" Her pleading words were cut short by the bitter laughter of the woman before her. 

"'Beautiful privilege'? 'Gifted'? I was cursed with this by the woman that I killed to feed me and mine. There was no kindness on my part. I will do whatever it takes to survive."

Furrowed brow, Summer moved forward to continue the conversation, but the other woman waved her off. 

"You sound like one of those Brothers Zealots. Listen lady, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not helping with anything."

Summer sagged. "Please understand that I don't want to cause you harm. But one way or another, you need to come with me." 

The red headed woman narrowed her eyes at Summer. 

"If that's the case, there's going to be harm. Just not to me."

Her eyes flashed, and Ruby recognized the spark of magic that only the maidens possessed. Beside her, but oh so far away, Qrow sagged.

"Oh Sum... This wasn't the way." 

Before them, the fight raged on. Furniture was used and thrown, sheltered behind and destroyed. While Summer was obviously underpowered, her expertise was showcased. The handful of blows she rained upon the woman had broken her Aura, but the brute strength of the maiden's power, even in inexperienced hands, was enough to break hers. 

A final blast of air sent Summer into the wall. Encroaching like a predator on a wounded prey, Sol neared her. 

"And this is why I told that meddling Ozpin to leave me alone! Now I'm going to have to take care of a body, and try to get out of here before they try to lynch me. Again!" 

From her sheath, Sol withdrew her small dagger, and raised it over head. In a sudden movement, Summer withdrew her own hidden blade from her boot top and flung it. It embedded deep into the red head's throat. 

The sight of it made Ruby turn away, but she was surprised to see Qrow staring down their scene in confusion. From behind her, she could hear the woman's final gurgle, and her mother retrieving the knife, but she couldn't find the courage to turn back until she heard Summer sigh.  

Kneeling beside the woman, her face was crumpled with confusion.

"I will say, this is not how I expected a maiden to go. Or for the powers to transfer in a whisper..."

Even as she spoke a bright light arched between them, and Summer fell back, clutching at her chest, where the arc had landed. There was no mark on her skin, but she clawed at it anyway. Gasping, she patted at her skin as the sensation grew across her flesh. 

"Fire..." she gasped out, "... burns... It burns!"

She rolled on the floor, tears falling, before curling into a fetal position. During the commotion, the small young boy slipped out of the room.

Finally calming down, she rose, breathing in deep gulps of air. A bone rattling shudder ran through her body, and she turned away from the scene. 

The scene shifted once more to broad daylight on the sand dunes. 

Jinn continued. 

"Summer Rose had failed her original mission, but was now faced with a new challenge. Now the Summer Maiden herself, she knew the two things she was to do. One was to report this to Oz. The second was to confirm the Relic of Destruction's safe keeping in the vault. And since her second objective was significantly closer than her first, she opted to come back with a full report."

As she spoke, Summer impossibly entered the gate of Shade Academy, and greeted the headmaster.

"The headmaster was more than happy to help and graciously brought her to the vault. What Summer had not forseen was the betrayal at their hands."

"Thank you, Boq." She was led up to the gate, easily, with little trepidation. Raising a brow, she threw a smirk over her shoulder. "Got any ideas on how to open it?"

The small man shrugged. "No idea, Miss Rose."

As she shrugged she reached for the door, but paused inches from it as the headmaster spoke again. 

"I'm sorry- I just- how did you get your powers again? Last time Ozpin and I spoke, I am certain he had not mentioned you gaining these abilities?"

Qrow growled. "That lying piece of-- he told me he hadn't seen her!" 

Ruby wanted nothing more than to ask him all the questions buzzing through her mind, but she was going to have to wait.

"Old maiden died, right time, right place, ya know?" Her small chuckle belied the growing feeling of discomfort she was obviously beginning to experience. 

"Ah!" He proclaimed, "Lucky you!"

"Yeah, yeah," muttering, she touched the surface, "lucky me."

At first, the feeling was negligible, much like the beginning of the sensation to sneeze. But from her fingertips, she could feel every divot, every flaw, every microscopic crack in the vaults surface. Then the sensation grew, till it was across the entire gate. She gasped as she opened her eyes to find all the flaws lit up. A little push in the right spot, and the gates crumbled to dust before her. 

Stretching in a confusing way, the vault laid open before her. Unlike Haven's vault, this one was lush and vibrant, but inhabited by vague hints of reality, rather than identifiable plants and creatures. Stepping forward into the vault, she was surrounded by the obscure sounds of the forest. Embedded in a stone near the foot of an almost waterfall, was the Relic of Destruction. A sword. 

Turning around, she began to make her way back to the entrance. And while there was confidence in her actions, worry perched at the corners of her eyes. 

Boq waited at the entrance. A strange smile was on his face. 

"All well, Miss Rose?"

She shrugged. "It would seem so."

"Yes. Yes it is." With a tap, the gate began to materialize again before her.

Her eyes grew wide as she charged the gate, and she seemed to be able to reach it in time. 

Jinn returned to her narration.

"It seemed as though Summer Rose might escape the fate of the pocket dimension that houses the relics, but for a few more steps."

A blast rang out from Boq, and while not enough to break her Aura, it was enough to send her back the precious few steps she had needed. The gate sealed shut. 

"It was not to be. But our traitor was not as cunning as he thought himself to be."

A scene shift, and Boq hovered over a small Grimm, Salem staring back at him through it. 

"But my lady, she is imprisoned! Neither stronger not weaker, she will be exactly as I left her when you arrive. Then you will have a maiden and a Relic! Qrow has already come and left, and he will not be back. They don't suspect me."

Ruby glanced at Qrow, curious to his reaction. She was surprised to find him wide eyed, rather than spitting murder. 

"Tell me Boq," Salem purred from the Grimm, "how do you expect to open the vault?"

"But he had not thought it through." Jinn purred. 

While the scene faded to black, a thump was heard, followed by a final death rattle. 

"With the only maiden able to open the vault, locked inside of it, the only one left to have the capability to open it was Ozpin. Unknowing of the current Summer maiden's identity, and her location, he never attempted to open the vault himself. He had no need. 

"Now, with Ozma's knowledge locked away, who is left to open it?"

As the world returned to normality, Jinn and her story disappeared into a mist, leaving Ruby and Qrow alone in the empty arena. 

There were more questions, and most of them could and would have to be answered by Qrow. She felt the anger well up in her, and she rounded. 

Instead of finding the confident huntsman of the previous few months, of her childhood, she found him kneeling, head bowed. Raising his eyes to her, he met them for a moment, before squeezing his own shut. 

"I'm so sorry, Ruby."

While his actions had paused her, his words stirred up the embers of pain. 

"You're sorry?! You've lied to me all these years, and you're sorry?"

Releasing a great sigh, he opened his eyes and shook his head as if to clear it. 

"I never meant to lie, Ruby. I just... Let you follow Yang's lead and didn't correct you."

Her hands shook, and in a motion she didn't even recognize doing, she slapped Qrow hard.

She gasped at her actions, but the lanky man's expression was resigned. 

"It's ok, Ruby. It really is."

He stood up and turned, nodding. The young woman watched him start to move away, but instead of letting him go, grabbed his arm. Red eyes glinting, he turned to her. The spot she had struck him had reddened, and she felt some shame. There had to have been a reason, but what? What could it be?

Only Qrow would have that answer.

"Why? Why not tell me? Tell us? I mean, I assume Yang doesn't know?"

Shaking his head, Qrow's voice was soft, broken.

"I doubt it. She was still so little when it all happened."

"Then why?"

"Ruby, I- I-" he turned away, eyes wide as he took in the ruins of the arena. "I failed. Yet in one more way, I screwed up. I couldn't even find her body. And if there was something strong enough to take Sum out, and our partnership, even if not our relationship, was common knowledge… combine that with my semblance… it was better for you to be associated with Tai. Safer."

She heard him sniff, and she noticed the tears falling freely.

"I couldn't even save your mom. How could I trust myself to save you?"

He turned back to her finally, eyes steady but haunted.

"So when I finally came back, and you had taken to calling Yang your sister, it… just made sense. And I quickly fell into the role of Uncle."

"Oh." Deflated, she wrapped her arms around her waist, studying her toes. "I just... don't know how to feel about this."

She looked back up at Qrow, eyes wide. 

"I'm angry. But… I kind of understand? I don't think it was right. I just…" sighing, her shoulders sagged, and her own tears began to brim, "I don't know."

For the first time in many years, Qrow was hesitant to show his affection. Things had changed suddenly, with no preparation. But he also knew his daughter was hurting, and it was his fault. He touched her shoulder, and when she didn't shy away, he stepped in and pulled her close. Her arms snaked around his waist and she clung tightly.

"I know. You're right to be angry. And I know this is not going to be resolved overnight, but… I'll answer any questions you have for me."

She buried her face into his chest and nodded.

"Thank you, Qrow."

The gut punch of his title being stripped nearly bowled him over, but he swallowed hard. The huntsman was going to have to earn her trust once more.

"Well." His voice cracked, and she lifted her head up to look at him. She could almost see the memories that Jinn had shown them replaying behind his eyes. "At least there's some good from all this."

"Really?"

He nodded, smirking despite the tears. 

"It got the truth out there, for one. And secondly, we might be able to win something for a change."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. 

"It means your mom is not a body I just couldn't find - and all that we need to do is get Oz back and out to Shade."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Summer's still alive. She's stuck in a pocket dimension, with no comprehension of time passage, but she's still alive."

(I have another part to this I'm writing, but... It's still in the works, and will be the last part I write for this. No more AUs for me... I already have too many 😭 Also, I'm not sure who it was that posted the idea of Summer being stuck in a vault but... I kinda ran with your idea-- hope you don't hate me for it! ❤️)

Part One / Part Two / Part Three

[riskeith]

omg hi. sorry i disappeared for a few days, been super busy with school. i missed you a lot. how have you been?

i haven’t had the need to eat any food since i got barbara and noelle on my team. if one of them can’t shield, the other comes in a clutch haha. *bows* thank you ladies for your service.

i’d pay hard earned money to see fanart with the boy scouts playing with guoba.. :( and YEAH. that would be so fitting? + it’s gonna be liyue themed which is super nice. do you know any predictions over which four stars will be in xiao’s banner? and who do /you/hope will be there?

last time i played three days ago unlocked dragonspine.. i even did albedo’s quest i can’t believe i defeat that evil place sjshdksk. meaning i got so some primogems and some intertwined fate. i’ve been itching to use some of the intertwined fates to get xiangling c rate up... should i?

october 20 is such a cute bday. you know how some dates just look nice? that’s one of them shskdhs. i want to say my birthday too but i feel like if anyone reads our messages they’ll know who i am... sorry. you’ll have to wait for that information until we privately talk some day. big promise. 🤍

ooh. you kind of wing it too, then! in some ways. if you’re not feeling it do you leave the fic for the day after or give up on it for a while? (so many question... shut up @ me) i’m the same as you! but i also write sometimes in the day time and i feel like that’s when i produce my best work. yesterday i was at a cafe studying and during a break i just started writing a fic and for some reason it just flowed so nicely? so yeah idk skdjdhsk. whenever it strikes i suppose.

i do borrow my books sadly. i kind of have to because i don’t have anymore place to put my books (we live in a small apartment) and books are kind of expensive :( i don’t mind borrowing though because i don’t really reread books unless they’re super special so it’s fine. do you buy yours? I HAVE READ LEGEND. i read it waaaay back in grade school haha, it’s been ages ago. i’ve never seen anyone say it’s their favorite but i can see why you feel that way. it’s kind of underrated in the community for sure.

dude fuck... chongyun and xingqiu live in my mind rent free. i kid you not i just can’t stop thinking about those boys... please send me all the fanart you find i’ll literally give you my life for that <3

i just listened to the g-idle song and AAA? wtf? i used to really like them while i was into kpop and this is so nostalgic to me. i haven’t listened to kpop in literally years shdkdhdk. this song is great thank you for sending it, do you like g-idle? <3

WAIT ARE YOU MAKING A SECOND ACC? I WAS LITERALLY CONSIDERING DOING ONE IN ASIA FOR YOU... shdjdhdjshsjsj our minds. and yes i’m in american server... oh god. our co-op date can happen? 🥺 but if it’s too much work for you i’ve seriously actually considered doing one in asia for me i’m totally fine with starting all over so.. 🥺

god i’ve missed talking to you so much. once again i’m sorry for not being here, but hopefully after tomorrow’s exam school will be a bit more chill and i’ll be yours again.

hope you’ve been well babe. mwah!

hi!! that’s alright ahah, i assumed that was the case. i’ve been well!! and then not so well bc we weren’t talking 🤪 needless to say i’ve missed you a lot too <333

omggg QUEENS!!! i don’t have any healers but i don’t eat food either... LMFAO unless it’s a boss fight i’ll just keep going until i’m done with whatever it is then go heal at a statue fsdhfkdjs

!!! brb just gonna go get good at art so i can draw that for u 😩 i don’t have any predictions myself, but i’ve seen people say it’ll be ningguang + beidou + barbara possibly?? but of course, i would hope that xingqiu was there <3333 he can appear twice in a row come on mhy <3333 just think about that <333 and omggg i’d wish if chongyun came as well.. i really want to get him to c6 (but he was only two banners ago?) hbu do you have any thoughts on the matter~

AHAHAH good job im proud of you 😤😤 show that nasty place who’s boss!! if you want to, I don’t see why not! it’ll get you closer to pity as well so by the time venti is near, hopefully it won’t take you much to get him! lmk how it goes!!!! manifesting c6 xiangling for you 🔥

fhskdf thank you... is it weird to say i agree? FHDSKFHSDKFKJ like. 20/10 or 10/20... nice even multiples of ten numbers.. AHAHAH. no need to apologise at all!! 🤍🤍🤍🤍 share whatever you’re comfortable with whenever you’re comfortable <33

hm it depends. (i just reaslised i said this exact phrasing last time too lmfao) i think i usually give up on it for a while? but sometimes i try to force myself through it too, just to get over that section so i can hopefully move on to a better one wait sorry i misread your question LOL. i usually leave it for the day as opposed to give up on it for a while! if i’m actively working on something i’d prefer to continue working at it slowly, even if the progress is just me opening the doc and then exiting after 5 mins fhdskj. are you the same? (NO!!! DO NOT SHUT UP @ YOU i never get to talk about writing processes pls im enjoying this a lot)

nice!! the vibes when writing during the day are sometimes better as well, bc it’s still light and stuff you’re not sitting in the dark or with a light on.. lol. it’s more ~natural~ & omg legendary... i love that for you!! on that note, do you usually study at school/cafes/libraries? i pretty much can only study at home, i hate doing it anywhere else. 

ahh that’s fair :( and yeah i agree books can get so expensive? like the authors def deserve to be compensated for all their hard work but damn lmao. oh that’s a good point! i do buy books yeah, and i don’t even necessarily reread them i just like having them on the shelf fhdskfd (there are many i haven’t even read for the first time... oops.) what ages do grade school cover? sorry i have no idea what that means fhsjfkshsdkjs the different names for education levels will never not confuse me. !! yeah i really wish legend was more popular aaaaa

here are some recent arts i’ve bookmarked!! (rip i should find one more so every word is linked but cbs hfskdhfs) i’m also considering making a genshin twitter! idk why i’m so averse to following these amazing accs on my normal account lmaoo but i’m also thinking of posting pics from the 52485 photoshoots i do with chongyun..

oh nice!!! i’m really happy you liked it 🥰🥰🥰 and yeah i do like g-idle but i don’t stan them! that’s me with most groups tbh fshkfjsd but i do watch most of their MVs when they first come out~

FSHFKJSDHFKSD wait what if.. this but it’s us surprising each other in the other’s servers <33 and if i’m telling you the truth... i kinda despise the idea of playing in am*rica server FHSDKJFHSDKFHSDKKDSHFKSDHKKJ but we could compromise and both start again in europe?? ahah let me know what you think! if you’re happy to just do one in asia tho that’s fine as well~ 

me too!! and no worries for real, school comes first!! (even if it fkn sucks... @ school i hate you. i say, when i’m still on holidays FHDSKJFJS) aaaa good luck on your exam!!! i hope you smash it 💪💪 

also um “and i’ll be yours again”??!?!?!?!? be still my beating heart 😩😩😩😩 i shall be waiting for you wifey hehe

hope you’ve been taking care of yourself!! kisses, c.r.

[gothamslimpestwrist]

s1e2 selina kyle

killcount:

“doug” the childsnatcher: “soldier” (homeless guy)

oswald cobblepot: douchebag college bro from the car, probably the other douchebag college bro as well.

jim gordon: quillan’s janitor

“patti” the childsnatcher: cat scratch fever dude w/ no eyes

episode total: 5 total count: 12

the dark knight rises: shit is clearly fucked in gotham. crime families are ruling the city, yes, but honestly that’s the least of it; look at the police force. we see that bo, the first responder, is late to the scene of the crime because he takes protection money from a local restaurant & gave them first priority (in other words, he’s a crooked bitch demanding a racket, AND it gets in the way of him actually doing his job). the cops are pretty much, explicitly, just an extension of the mob at this point. 

interestingly, we also see the start of an exploration of the wayne’s corruption; falcone refers to “the wayne empire,” mirroring the way they talk about the crime families And Also setting the waynes up as, like, a picture of the wealthy elite taken to a whole ‘nother level. gotham is the last modern vestige of the city state--and that is the wayne empire. who takes the crown now that the emperor and empress are dead? 

in OTHER news, the waynes really fucked bruce over. the murder itself was the lynching pin, causing him to jump over the fucking edge, so to speak, but he is Just A Little Boy! he is so troubled! he’s self harming and alfred yells at him and HITS HIM for being stupid, he’s listening to loud music and drawing fucked up shit, he’s both burned himself and is apparently cutting, and alfred, seeing all of this, refuses to get the boy who saw his parents shot a therapist, because the waynes told him to essentially let bruce raise himself. “the children are thoroughbreds,” basically. 

quoth barbara (thinking about essen shushing the child snatcher case in fear of bad press): “i can’t believe the system is so corrupt.” quoth jim (thinking about how he was yelled at for not beating a perp, thinking about the cop/mob connection that demanded he kill a man to prove his loyalty, thinking...): “you have no idea.” 

oh! and jim tells bruce the kids need more than money to keep them safe.

sliding scale of barbara kean’s sanity: she seems to be doing alright, but she’s troubled by jim’s troubles. also, this episode sets up some shit that will lead to irreparable damage later on; jim, even when he’s telling her things, isn’t telling her everything. she knows it. she hates it. he specifically hasn’t told her about oswald, which gives her reason to believe he’s a murderer pretty soon. plus, what she does w/ the information he does give her about his work (go straight to the press) gives him immediate reason to start trusting her less... and so they spiral.

sliding scale of ed nygma’s sanity: he’s a little bit more of a lurker this episode. creeps outside the captain’s office until someone notices him, lingers inside until everyone in the room makes it obvious he’s not welcome. he’s trying his best, but he’s not... very... “well liked,” shall we say.

continuity: montoya and allen are looking into the murder of oswald cobblepot. he was their snitch, after all. so that’s problems... many things are subtly set up in this episode: falcone and fish discuss maroni and his anticipated power play (adding another piece to the political chessboard of this season), the atp drug the child snatchers use is established to have been developed for arkham asylum, which is also established to have been closed for the past 15 years AND to have recently been in the works for a reopening, specifically by thomas and martha wayne. and that’s all just offhanded discussion. also related to the atp, when ed is listing the only three places that still stock it, it’s quillan pharma, drakatech (?)... and welzyn, which isn’t relevant at all to THIS episode (quillan’s the one dealing with the childsnatchers) but WILL become relevant to everyone in a few episodes, when welzyn manufactures viper. oh, and naturally the identity of the man the childsnatchers are working for: the dollmaker. hm!! on a lighter note, harvey’s ex-white knight tendencies that we explore in spirit of the goat are foreshadowed here; essen accuses him of leaking the child snatchers story to the press, w/ the reasoning that he’d done it before. after jim & barbara established that it was the right thing to do....

parallels: jim & selina meet in this episode. they are... The Same™. (look, i’ll come back to it later, but even tho my parallel in the pilot was btwn selina and oswald, and even tho they’re the two that are the villain counterparts to our heroes, jim and SELINA are the matched set.) also, this is the episode where fish expresses the wish that penguin wasn’t dead (because she wants him to suffer), but also she tells jim & harvey that she knew it was a mistake to order them killed as soon as she did it. so that means something? 

neither here nor there, but gertrud tells montoya & allen how elegant and well dressed oswald is, and bruce comments on the orphans’ scruffy appearances and buys them new clothes... we love a dandy, i guess.

characterization: we meet some irrelevant street kids that selina knew; zeb, smoke, and mackey (corey in the house). i’m basically using the characterization tab as fanfic reference so i might as well record that.

lazlo, fish’s lover, is relevant, in that falcone beats him to get to her. it definitely does affect her, though she says she only keeps him around for exercise. maybe more b/c of falcone’s threat and the fear of what it implies, though. 

and gertrud! ozzie’s mom. everyone connected to oswald, even outside (maybe even especially outside) of his mob connections, is a little twisted. she’s no different; she’s clearly a bit out of her head, she mistrusts the police (which i guess we’re supposed to think is suss, though really...Fair and Just), she’s got that almost creepy codependency with oswald while not really knowing what’s going on there. (other examples: elijah, oswald’s gothic horror father, martin, oswald’s lowkey homicidal son, edward, oswald’s fascist dog, jim, oswald’s corrupt boyfriend...) she also seems to think oswald has run off with some painted lady (actually, she says painted slut), which might be indicative of her experiences w/ van dahl and some unstable jealousy more than it is of oswald, who’s... you know. 

in other news, jim is all over the map here. he stops harvey beating mackey (and later, quillan, after they’ve already gotten info out of him) and protests that they should leak the story to the press, but he also seems content to keep his mouth shut until barbara takes doing good upon herself. he adapts to the mob shit pretty quick, but expresses disgust w/ the corruption in the system. he gets off on the wrong foot w/ mayor james because he disagrees with locking up the kids w/o a trial, but he doesn’t... step in... either. we see this willingness to compromise and bend the knee that means he’ll never be the hero gotham deserves. 

also, not to be a jim apologist on main or anything (ha, ha), but he’s just so... brainwashed. all this, & he still tells alfred that being a cop, which has thus far caused him nothing but pain & misery, is the “best job in the world.” because he thinks he’s helping people. (and he likes getting to feel like a hero... so where do the misguided good intentions stop and the selfish motives begin?) he also kills a man for the first time on screen this episode because for all its examinations of dirty cops... gotham is still, at the end of the day, Copaganda. in an actual moment of me drinking I Love Jim Gordon juice, jim is the one who advocates for bruce going to therapy, and tries to convince him to go personally, even when jim himself is too emotionally stunted for it to help him. 

also, backstory: harvey pegs his love life, saying, “high school sweetheart, then a bunch of hoes (read: eduardo dorrance) overseas only made you sad... and then there’s barbara.” he also calls jim a monkey riding a race horse; jim’s face is really good @ that. i misinterpreted the line about high school sweethearts back in the day to mean that barb was jim’s highschool sweetheart. this is on account of auditory processing disorder and also general dumbassery. anyway, the point is that jim is a boring, predictable bitch! whom i love.

...in terms of characterization from the episode that i don’t agree with, i can’t really see oswald writing all the shit that they had on his conspiracy board, lmfao. “crybaby brucie,” “gordon=STOOGE,” & so forth. i pretend i do not see it.

[razorblade180]

RWBY Melody 8

Adam:So......who’s going first?

Yang:Blake obviously.

Adam:Excuse you, I didn’t realize you spoke for her.

Yang:I don’t, I just know nobody cares to hear your opinion or singing.

Villains:We’ll listen to spite you all though.

Yang:Of course.....

Mercury:Don’t act surprised.

Tyrian:Villain code.

Qrow:Might as well call it the crazy code.

Tyrian:Guess that means you’re with us. Only a madman would deny a goddess and follow a fool. Or is it the girl you follow? Terrible decision either way.

Cinder:Horrendous.

RWBY:You trying to pick a fight!

WTCH:Bring it!

🔥SHUT UP!🔥

Everyone:......

Ozma:Can we remember the flame will incinerate anyone it wants?

Salem:Seriously, be civil here unless the song you see is a diss. Now then, can we move on with this? Who’s going first?

Blake:I guess I’ll go first. *stands up* I have a feeling it wasn’t a choice.

🔥It wasn’t really. Drag Adam in a love song. The crowds overall opinion will decide your fate. Adam shall sing second in response. One secret person holds the true weight of his life. Everyone could hate his performance but that one person can save him regardless.🔥

Adam:What?

Sienna:That seems like a handicap.

Salem:Well it makes sense. I might not know all of you but it’s clear to see some of you aren’t very popular. I have a feeling some of you would be dragged into the flame immediately otherwise.

Cardin:(I’m not doomed at the start, thank god)

Jacques:(I have absolutely nobody here that would vote for me anyways.)

Adam:*looking around* (Handicapped or not, the chances of a hero getting it are high. Add that with the people who have no reason and like Blake/on of her friends.....) Looks like I better cross my fingers and bring my A-game.

Salem:That’s the spirit! You ready Bl-

Music started playing before she could finish. Blake stood confidently with embers around her that quickly jumped to the people that’s supported her through her life. Adam took a long sigh and waited to take this dragging like a man; she was definitely gonna pass.

Blake: 🎶Now I'm out here looking like revenge.

Feelin' like a ten, the best I ever been and yeah, I know how bad it must hurt to see me like this, but it gets worse.🎶 *pulls Yang up*

Sun and Neptune: 🎶wait a minute🎶

Yang:🎶Now you're out here looking like regret. Ain't too proud to beg, second chance you'll never get.

And yeah, I know how bad it must hurt to see me like this but it gets worse!🎶 *grinning*

Sun and Neptune: 🎶wait a minute🎶

Bmblb:🎶Now payback is a bad bitch

And baby, I'm the baddest

You fuckin' with a savage

Can't have this, can't have this 🎶

Ruby and Weiss:🎶Aaaaahhhh!🎶

Blake:🎶And it'd be nice of me to take it easy on ya, but nah......🎶

🎶Baby, I'm sorry!🎶

SNI:🎶I'm not sorry!!!🎶

Yang:🎶Baby, I'm sorry!!!!🎶

JNPR:🎶I'm not sorry!!!!!🎶

Blake: 🎶Being so bad got me feelin' so good. Showing you up like I knew that I would!🎶

🎶Baby, I'm sorry!!!🎶

Kali and Ghira:🎶I'm not sorry!!!!🎶

Yang:🎶Baby, I'm sorry🎶

STRQ: 🎶I'm not sorry!!!!🎶

Yang:🎶Feeling inspired 'cause the tables have turned Yeah, I'm on fire and I know that it burns.🎶

Blake: 🎶Baby, fineness is the way to kill. Tell me how it feel, bet it's such a bitter pill and yeah...

I know you thought you had bigger, better things, bet right now this stings!🎶

Sun and Neptune:🎶wait a minute!!!🎶 *steps aside*

Ilia:🎶'Cause the grass is greener under me. *smiles* Bright as technicolor, I can tell that you can see and yeah.....

🎶I know how bad it must hurt to see me like this but it gets worse!!!!!🎶

Sun and Neptune:🎶wait a minute!!🎶

🎶Now payback is a bad bitch

And baby, I'm the baddest

You fuckin' with a savage

Can't have this, can't have this🎶

Ruby and Weiss:🎶Aaaaahhhh!🎶

Blake:🎶 And it'd be nice of me to take it easy on ya, but nah!!!!!🎶

🎶Baby, I'm sorry!!!!🎶

Ruby and Weiss: 🎶I'm not sorry!🎶

Yang:🎶Baby, I'm sorry!!!🎶

CFVY:🎶I'm not sorry!!!🎶

Bmblb:🎶Being so bad got me feelin' so good. Showing you up like I knew that I would. Baby, I'm sorry!!!!🎶 *embers rise*

ORNJ:🎶I'm not sorry !!!!!🎶

Ilia:🎶Baby, I'm sorry!🎶

Sun and Neptune:🎶I'm not sorry!🎶

Yang and Ilia: Feeling inspired 'cause the tables have turned. Yeah, I'm on fire and I know that it burns.

Adam:(Is this over yet?)

Sienna:🎶Talk that talk, baby🎶

Adam:(Nope....)

Sienna:Better walk, better walk that walk, baby.

If you talk, if you talk that talk, baby

Better walk, better walk that walk, baby. Oh yeah.....

Sienna and Ilia:🎶Talk that talk, baby!

Better walk, better walk that walk, baby!

If you talk, if you talk that talk, baby!

Better walk, better walk that walk, baby!

Blake:🎶Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhh!🎶

Yang:🎶Baby, I'm sorry!🎶

Heroes:🎶I'm not sorry!🎶

Ilia:🎶Baby, I'm sorry!🎶

Villains:🎶I'm not sorry!🎶

Blake:🎶Being so bad got me feelin' so good!Showing you up like I knew that I would!🎶

Blake: 🎶Baby, I'm sorry!🎶

Everyone:I'm not sorry

Blake:🎶BABY, I’M SORRY!!!!!🎶

Everyone:I’M NOT SORRY!!!!

Blake:Feeling inspired 'cause the tables have turned.Yeah, I'm on fire and I know that it burns.

RWBY:🎶Payback is a bad bitch and baby, I'm the baddest.

I'm the baddest, I'm the baddest..........🎶

The embers turn into color flames as they swirl around the entire crowd and back into the flame. A majority of everyone claps and whistles for Blake as her team hugs her excitedly. Blake and Adam take a moment to look at each other before she sits down.

Adam:Did everyone really have to chime in at the end there?

Sun:Feeling the pressure?

Adam:(yes) Not really.*walks to piano*........

Everyone:..........

Penny*whispers* Is he pausing for dramatic effect?

Winter:I think he’s stalling, or.......

Ironwood:This world makes everyone musically talented, but he’s still trying to play when he’s half blind.

Penny:Oh, if that’s the case...*runs to him* let me play half of the piano. I can synchronize with you to any song.

Adam:Ummmm okay?

Ruby:Penny!?

Penny:What? He obviously wants to play; what’s wrong with helping?

Ruby:.....You know what? Have fun up there. *smiles*

Penny:Ready when you are Adam Taurus!

The man nods curiously at his surprised helper. Everything around him started to mentally disappear as he took a deep breath; he had to do this right. Adam was gonna treat this like his only performance and not a chance to escape. Slowly his fingers hit the keys and Penny instantly knew what song he was going for. The two of them played in sync just like she said; the faint glows of embers around them.

Adam: 🎶I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to save me🎶

Yang:*chokes* (why is his voice nice)

Adam:🎶 This all or nothing really got a way of driving me crazy. *inhales*

I need somebody to heal, somebody to know... Somebody to have, somebody to hold.....

It's easy to say, but it's never the same. I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain~

Now the day bleeds into nightfall and you're not here, to get me through it all!

I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug. I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved....! 🎶

Blake:......

Adam:🎶I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to turn to. 🎶*rubs chest*

Penny:*smiles at him*

Adam:🎶This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you.

Now, I need somebody to know; somebody to heal Somebody to have, just to know how it feels!

It's easy to say but it's never the same. I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escaped!

Now the day bleeds into nightfall, and you're not here to get me through it all!

I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug. I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved! 🎶

*embers expand*

Adam:🎶AND I~

tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes I fall into your arms~

I'll be safe in your sound 'til I come back around... For now the day bleeds into nightfall, and you're not here to get me through it all.

I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug. I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.🎶 *shakes*

Adam:🎶But now the day bleeds into nightfall, and you're not here to get me through it all.

I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug. I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.

I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug.......🎶

🎶I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved.🎶

Penny played the last note almost mournfully. She was so focused on the song that she never bothered to assess the crowds reaction or Adam’s for the most part. Maybe it was because of how bleak the situation really was. The duo nodded at each other before looking across a ghostly quiet crowd. Embers have definitely reached a few listeners but most remained skeptical or dead set on ending him. His shoulder relaxed and closed his eyes.

Salem:Someone is rather calm in this situation.

Adam:I knew from the start I was basically singing my swan song. The writing was on the wall; maybe I should’ve sung that instead. Either way, I appreciate the unexpected help.

Penny:It my pleasure. *bows*

Adam:I’m curious though. Blake, what were you thoughts?

Blake:.......

Blake:Too little too late.

Adam:Fair enough. Gues I lo-

🔥pass🔥

Everyone turns to the flame on utter disbelief.

Ghira:He lost the majority!

Kali:Which means he impressed the person who gives him a free pass.

Yang:Okay, who saved his neck!?

Neo:*smiles* Someone who appreciates the simplicity of it all. Not to mention likes his voice.

Adam:You saved me?

Neo:Hehehe It would suck to go out like that because you’re not liked. You would’ve had to completely bombed for me not to help. *pats a spot next to her*

Adam:*sits down* I owe you one I guess.

Neo:More like several but as long as there’s a chance for you to save my butt and you take it then I guess we’re even.

Adam:Sounds good to me.

Yang:Damn, I guess we can’t predict the wild cards like that huh? Then again, I guess he got two wild cards thanks to Penny.

Blake:Looks like it. (Honestly...I’m a bit relieved) anything could happen here.

Ozma:(Looks like alliances and deals are starting to shape up. This just keeps getting more intense.)

[michelles-garden-of-evil]

Episode 24 Review: Top 5 Reasons Why the Holly Portrait Subplot Doesn’t Work

Welcome back to Maljardin, where the melodramatic master Jean Paul Desmond is God and the Devil is a snarky talking portrait.

Speaking of portraits, today we will be looking at the subplot about Tim’s portrait of “Erica” (or, rather, of Holly) and the main things that are wrong with it. This subplot is, in my opinion, the worst in the Maljardin arc and I’ve been holding off on writing a detailed explanation of why I feel that way until my review of this episode, which mostly centers around the damned Holly portrait.

The portrait, circa Episode 18. There aren’t any good shots of it from Episode 24, so I had to settle for this one.

To recap: After the death of Erica Desmond, her husband Jean Paul hired Tim Stanton, a young artist in debt to the mob, to paint a portrait of her. Erica being both dead and encased in a cryonics capsule which both Jean Paul and THE DEVIL JACQUES ELOI DES MONDES refuse to open, Tim must instead use young heiress Holly Marshall as his model until Erica comes back to life as Jacques promised that she would.

Sound like a reasonable plan? No? I didn’t think so, either, and now I shall explain why. Here are the top five reasons why I think this subplot is stupid:

#5: Holly neither looks like Erica, nor knows what Erica looked like.

This screencap is actually from Episode 13, but I’m including it because it’s relevant.

I sometimes wonder if this criticism is unfair, because the only viewers up to this point in the show’s broadcast history who would have seen Erica were the viewers of Episodes 1, 2 (where Tim shows Alison his sketch of her), and 4. In the first scene of Episode 4, the Cryonics Society froze her corpse in the cryonics capsule, meaning that anyone who started watching after that scene would not have seen her face before Tim got his assignment from Jean Paul. Even so, neither Erica resembled Holly, which makes it absurd for her to sit for it. Why not have Alison pose instead when she’s not working? After all, they are sisters and they share a strong family resemblance according to the original pilot script. Holly barely resembles either Erica beyond being pretty.

Tim’s sketch of Erica from Episode 2, with a screencap of Alison from Episode 17 for comparison. With its upturned nose and full lips, the sketch is clearly intended to resemble Dawn Greenhalgh (Alison) and not Sylvia Feigel (Holly).

Because Holly hardly looks a thing like her, Tim complains in Episode 13 that he “can’t use her for anything but position and play of light.” In spite of this, later episodes including Episode 24 show that he has painted a sort of semi-abstraction of Holly’s face, with features about halfway between those of Holly and those of Erica. This means that he’s only making more work for himself for when Jacques brings Erica back to life--if he brings her back to life--because he will need to paint over the semi-abstraction with Erica’s face. In short, he’s wasting his time.

Besides, it’s unclear why Holly doesn’t know what Erica looked like if Erica was a very famous actress and she and her husband were stalked by the paparazzi until they escaped to Maljardin (as previous episodes have indicated). Surely she would have seen a photo of Erica in the newspaper at some point, or her face on the poster for one of her plays, or something. I realize that’s not the same as seeing someone in real life, but it’s just odd that she doesn’t know.

  #4: Tim doesn’t have even a photo of Erica with him and so has to rely mostly on memory.

He even says so in Episode 13: “I have to depend on my memory of your wife and that sketch I made of her at the café,” he tells Jean Paul (or, rather, Jacques while he is possessing him). As we saw in that episode, opening the cryonics capsule and posing Erica’s thawed-out corpse for Tim is too devilish even for Jacques, so the starving artist is left with a dilemma. Jean Paul, being a fancy rich guy of noble descent, naturally assumes that any criticisms of his assignment is just a case of beggars trying to be choosers and ignores them; in his mind, he did him a favor by paying his debts and taking him to his island, so Tim should obey his every whim without question. But the truth is that Jean Paul has no understanding of how artists work, nor why Tim needs the real Erica to complete the painting, and he may not even understand the creative process behind painting a portrait.

This could make for interesting social commentary if the writers had had Tim take a good hard look at the situation and realize that Jean Paul is not just imprisoning him on the island but flat-out exploiting him. They could have made his subplot about class conflict, the establishment’s lack of empathy towards creative types, or both. However, they choose not to use the subplot for such commentary, instead going in a much more conventional direction.

#3: The Holly portrait is mostly used to drive a clichéd romantic subplot.

Two people meet and hate each other at first sight--or at least pretend to--although they are clearly attracted to each other. They argue, bicker, treat each other indifferently at best and abuse each other at worst, until one day they realize that they have fallen in love. When was the first time you read or saw this story? Do you even remember the first time? Most likely you don’t, because the exact same plot has been used and reused so many times since Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing premiered that Western media is saturated with it. It’s not a bad plot in and of itself, but it’s been overused so much that you can usually see it coming from a mile away. When Tim and Holly first bickered over her being too young to order booze, I predicted that they were setting up a romance between them. There are many signs: Tim confesses to Vangie that he feels sorry for Holly, Elizabeth suspects that he’s hitting on her, and, while she claims to dislike them both, Holly seems slightly less irritated by Tim than by her former captor, Matt Dawson. Ian Martin was clearly setting up a romance between the heiress and the artist, who are gradually bickering less and less: a telling sign that they are getting closer to falling in love.

As creepy as it is and as much as I don’t want them to get together, I actually find the Matt/Holly subplot more interesting to watch than Tim/Holly. Danny Horn of Dark Shadows Every Day may have written about how “groovy priest attracted to the beautiful young girl that he wants to take care of” is an old soap cliché, but I’ve seen it done far less often, which I suspect has something to do with all the church scandals in the past twenty years. The Belligerent Sexual Tension plot, on the other hand, is still very popular, so it feels less fresh to me than Matt and Holly’s subplot. (That doesn’t mean that I don’t still think he should leave her alone. Personally, I ship Reverend Dawson with his right hand and I think they ought to stay together.)

#2: The use of the Holly portrait on the show doesn’t connect to the show’s use of portraits for symbolism.

This one is really nitpicky and based mostly on my personal interpretation, but bear with me. Although far more complex than the Dark Shadows ripoff that many critics reduce it to, Strange Paradise nevertheless relied on many of the same tropes and themes, including the way its writers used portraits. On Dark Shadows, the writers often used a trope that Cousin Barnabas of the Collinsport Historical Society blog calls the “Portrait as Id,” meaning the use of paintings to symbolize and illustrate the truth about whatever character they represented. We see this in Strange Paradise as well with the portrait of Jacques, who tells Jean Paul that he is “the man you are, the man you might have been,” implying that the ostensibly good Jean Paul is not so different from his evil ancestor. Later on after Robert Costello becomes producer and the show becomes more like Dark Shadows, we’ll meet another character whose portrait does not turn out as intended because of the evil in said character’s heart, which also connects to this idea of portraits reflecting hidden reality. Although the conjure doll also resembles and represents Jacques, he does not generally use it to communicate with Jean Paul the way he does with the portrait. This makes sense, given that the doll and silver pin ended his life, while the portrait was painted at some point while he was alive.

In contrast to the portraits mentioned above, Holly’s portrait does not convey any additional information about either her or Erica. Because it represents the late Mrs. Desmond in name only, the Holly portrait says nothing about Erica’s id, her personality, or the state of her soul. It doesn’t even say very much about Holly. Instead, it’s mostly just used as an excuse to force Holly and Tim to interact with each other and bicker until they can finally admit that they’re in love.

#1: It goes (almost) nowhere.

And when it does finally go somewhere, it’s only relevant for a few episodes before it’s forgotten about. Holly’s participation in the portrait sittings soon becomes completely irrelevant, much like so many of the show’s early subplots which Late Maljardin’s headwriter Cornelius Crane chose to ignore. I suspect that the Holly portrait would have eventually became more significant in the main plot had Martin not been fired around Week 9. We may never know how it would have become so, nor how significant it would have become in his original outline. Who knows? Perhaps Martin would have crafted a shocking plot twist involving Holly that justified its existence. Perhaps he would have connected the portrait and its eventual fate somehow to the nightmare she had about Tarasca, having it reveal some terrifying truth about Maljardin’s past. At the very least, he might have used it to cement the romance between Tim and Holly. But instead the subplot ends with little payoff.

Tim on his subplot.

Still, despite the focus on the Holly portrait, this episode isn’t entirely a waste. Raxl saves it with her pleas to the Serpent and her attempt to contact the Conjure Woman, in all her scenery-chewing, melodramatic glory. There’s also a scene where Holly pressures her to read the two Tarot cards--the King of Swords (whom Matt identifies as Jean Paul) and the Queen of Cups (whom he interprets as Holly)--that she dropped on the floor earlier in the scene “just for kicks,” and she refuses, shouting “No!” repeatedly. If you love Raxl like I do, you’ll enjoy her scenes. They’re not Best of Raxl material, but they’re fun.

So long until my next review, which will cover Episode 25, followed by Week 5′s long overdue Bad Subtitle Special. I know that this is a change of pace from my usual recap-style reviews, but I really wanted to go into more detail about why I don’t like Tim’s subplot. I hope you enjoyed this post and I’ll see you again soon.

Coming up next: Elizabeth continues her attempted seduction of Jean Paul as we explore inter-generational conflict on Maljardin.

{ <- Previous: Episode 23   ||   Next: Episode 25 -> }

[therojul]

The Daily Habits of Great Minds: Lessons From Nietzsche, Kant, Tesla, Darwin, Einstein And Hemingway

by- Thomas Oppong

I have always wondered what great minds do daily — the tiny details that help them achieve their goals and purpose? Do they strive to read or work a certain number of hours a day? How much impact does their downtime have on their work? What do they think about in solitude? And why do some of them devote a lot of time to their work, while others spend very little but still achieve more?

Mason Curry’s book Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration And Get To Work has answered a lot of my questions. The path to greatness is paved with habits, routines and rituals.

The one true lesson of the book, says Currey is that “there’s no one way to get things done”. Still, some patterns do emerge.

Great Minds Stick To A Predictable And Stable Routine

Extraordinary minds start their day on purpose.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Routine provides a sense of structure and familiarity. You wake up with a sense of ownership, order, and organisation of your life.

Routines are the secret weapon of great minds and have been for centuries. Many thinkers do what they do with iron regularity.

It’s how they function at their best without thinking too much about daily structures for high performance. Habits and routines free our brains from continual small decisions, so we can easily do our best work.

Poet W.H. Auden recommended a routine approach to better work:

“Decide what you want or ought to do with the day, then always do it at exactly the same moment every day, and passion will give you no trouble.”

A lot of highly productive philosophers and creative minds depend on predictable daily routines as a safe place for work.

Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher who became one of the most influential of all modern thinkers was an early riser and spent a lot of his time alone at the peak of his career — mostly by choice.

In his book, Friedrich Nietzsche: A Biography, Curtis Cate wrote:

“With a Spartan rigour which never ceased to amaze his landlord-grocer, Nietzsche would get up every morning when the faintly dawning sky was still grey, and….work uninterruptedly until eleven in the morning.”

“He then went for a brisk, two-hour walk through the nearby forest or along the edge of Lake Silvaplana (to the north-east) or of Lake Sils (to the south-west), stopping every now and then to jot down his latest thoughts in the notebook he always carried with him.”

And Nietzsche worked — a lot. He used almost the same routine to focus on writing, reading and understanding ideas. His schedule was disciplined, consistent, but a lot of wandering and thinking.

He once said, “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.”

Immanuel Kant, an influential German philosopher and one of the most influential philosophers in the history of Western philosophy was also a man of stable routine. Here’s his schedule according to Manfred Kuehn, the author of Kant: A Biography:

“He got up at 5:00 A.M. His servant Martin Lampe, who worked for him from at least 1762 until 1802, would wake him. The old soldier was under orders to be persistent, so that Kant would not sleep longer. Kant was proud that he never got up even half an hour late, even though he found it hard to get up early. It appears that during his early years, he did sleep in at times. After getting up, Kant would drink one or two cups of tea–weak tea. With that, he smoked a pipe of tobacco. The time he needed for smoking it “was devoted to meditation.”

“His lectures began at 7:00, and they would last until 11:00. With the lectures finished, he worked again on his writings until lunch. Go out to lunch, take a walk, and spend the rest of the afternoon with his friend Green. After going home, he would do some more light work and read.”

A life without a daily routine or structure is so much more draining mentally, physically, and emotionally than you can ever imagine!

Without a routine, life just sort of happens to you. The day either gets wasted as you try to decide what to do, or you find yourself tangled up in the wants and needs of everybody else. Routines help you achieve your goals.

Benjamin Franklin asked himself each morning (at 5 am), “What good shall I do today?”; every night before bed (around 10 pm), “What good have I done to-day?”.

He used this habit to help him focus on his most important priorities. What’s your answer to the question What good shall I do today ?

Charles Dickens famously took three-hour walks every afternoon, and what he observed informed his writing.

Ludwig van Beethoven also took long walks after lunch, carrying a pencil and paper with him in case inspiration struck.

Ernest Hemingway tracked his daily word output on a chart “so as not to kid myself” he said.

Not only do routines and rituals allow you to do more, but, as with all daily structures, they simply give your life more rhythm, order and even pleasure.

Marie Curie, a renowned scientist and known for her huge contribution to the fight against cancer was literally described as a “mad scientist” or a “maniacal worker” because of how insanely interested she was by what she was doing.

Nikola Tesla , who made dozens of breakthroughs in the production, transmission and application of electric power maintained a rigid schedule.

He used to walk about ten miles a day, thinking through ideas for new inventions — the habit eventually becoming something of a compulsion.

“As a young apprentice in Thomas Edison’s New York office, Tesla regularly worked from 10:30 in the morning until 5:00 the following morning,” writes Curry.

History’s great minds knew the relevance of stepping away from work every now and then to think, make better connections and ponder over existing problems.

Studies have shown that regular downtime (taking breaks on purpose) boosts alertness, energy, productivity, creativity, and mental focus.

Although Charles Darwin followed a rigid schedule, he made time for contemplative walks.

While working on his famous theory of evolution, Darwin took daily walks to think, and most importantly to observe and notice nature. Walking the same route each day from his house, through shady woods Darwin referred to this as his ‘thinking path’.

Albert Einstein played the violin to take a break and think about his projects. claiming that it was in some ways an extension of his thinking and that it helped him to solve tricky problems.

Einstein apparently slept contentedly for up to 10 hours a night, on top of which he’d take several naps during the day.

Modern life, increasingly defined by unpredictability can be stressful. A productive routine can provide the anchor of predictability you need to function at your best. Pablo Picasso once said:

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”

History’s greatest minds optimised their daily lives to get on top of their games. Routine was their secret weapon. Daily routines help us make time for what matters most to us.

Daily practice is a game-changer for your life and career — but it pays to review it once a while to find out what works and what doesn’t. That way, you can keep doing more of what works whilst wasting less time on unproductive tasks and activities.

[tfw-no-tennis]

One Piece Readthru

heyo ive decided its time for me to catch up on the one piece manga finally!! i last read it uhhh sometime late 2018?? MAYBE early 2019....anyways ill be liveblogging it, basically for myself but if anyone is interested then enjoy lol

so w.out further ado hers 927-931 hya 

uh ok i left off kinda in the middle of the wano arc, so im scanning thru some stuff to see what i remember.....i dont really remember what the deal is with that ginger (?) pompadour guy lmao. theres a lot of new characters and intricate politics in this arc from what i remember. 

i havent really gotten spoiled for anything....i know that something bad happens to kid & killer, somethins up w/sabo (but we dont know what), luffy fights kaido (more than once i think?) uhhhhh we get roger flashbacks and hear the yonkous bounties....thats abt all i really know. so im hype to find out what else has gone on....

im gonna start around 927, i defs read this but i want a refresher 

wow its amazing how sanji can oscillate so fast from being unbearable and annoying to like one of my favs

i loveeee the panels where those dudes start trashing sanjis soba stand and usopps like lol lets back up yall we KNOW sanjis boutta kick some righteous ass....YESSS

franky supplexing a guy....ily franky 

toko!!! i forgot abt her!!! cute kid, whats her deal? iirc she works at the uhhh wherever komurasaki works and she almost gets murderized later

sanji and little kids is so cute ;_; more of that and less stuff of him being gross w/women 

ok exposition....i do remember a lot of this

928, i feel like i remember this stuff so ill kinda blow thru it 

oh yeah i remember luffy n the prison shennanigans....good times

and kidds here too, talkin abt how he lost his arm trying to fight shanks...lol dude 

dude is really like oh i couldnt take down shanks, so ill aim for a different yonkou, im sure this will go much better a second time (and down an arm)

omfg i forgot abt this dude who apparently sold his FAMILY to get money for komurasaki....

i think we’re supposed to feel bad for this dude and think komurasaki is cruel or w/e but man honestly i just respect the hustle. girl knows whats up

HVBJSDKFBDS I FORGOT THE HILARIOUS LINE WHERE SHES LIKE ‘I HATE POOR PEOPLE <3′ IM....its literally like a weird twitter shitpost lmaooo

they cut immediately from komurasaki to tama asking momo if he has a sister....LMAO SUBTLE......

i dont even remember if that twist was spoiled for me, but either way it was my like immediate thought upon komurasakis intro lmao 

ok 929!

omg kanjuro selling some-drawn fish lol

OUGHHH CARROT AND THE OTHER MINKS....i miss carrot sm i hope she shows up more :( i really wish she would join the crew....

lmao that guy calling zoro a pretty boy and saying girls are probably all over him....zoros like uh ew no im gay 

OOOH PLOT SHITTTTT....caesar and doflamingo name drops...

VEGAPUNK HM [eyes emojiey]

orochis defs gonna get fucked up at some point. his design reminds me of wapol and other like corrupt king archetypes 

oguhfdbsjkgjdfbh laws head basket i forgot abt that. also i love when people call him traffy thats weirdly cute 

oh right the other supernovas who became kaidous bitches are here to fight...i recall that fight somewhat 

920 time! 

oh yeah the weird place where all the poor starving people laugh constantly...inch resting

OHH YEAH BIG MOM!!! man i definitely read a lot further than this lmao. w/e i was SO fucking hype when she showed up, imo the whole amnesia thing is pretty lame. we’ll see where it goes tho 

the art here is just so good oh man. the panel of big moms ship charging up the waterfall while she laughs? fantastic 

EPIC arrival. i hope big mom gets to do cool stuff even despite the impending amnesia

i ALSO hope her kids get to do cool shit too. im still holding out for a zoro vs amande battle (if shes even there? i dont see her, but thatd be such a waste)...and smoothie vs robin....

and she wants zeus back....NAMI FIGHT??? PLEASE???

oh its bdsm dinosaur guy....hmm never thought id type that

LMAOOOO law is like Dont You Dare Fucking Snitch On Us and usopp is like uh luffy pls come pick me up this guy is too hardcore

FINAL BATTLE thats so dramatic law please

sanji saying he’ll protect usopp omfg

oooh theyre destorying all the soba shops....here comes sanji to bring the PAIN

OMFG THE RAID SUIT i forgot he busts that out....hilariously quickly all things considered

931! ok but first my obligatory thots on how sad i am abt how the women of op look nowadays lmao revisiting old one piece just makes it all the more obvious how ridiculous its gotten....like nami and robin dont even look human, its insane, and the sameface has gotten so bad...idk i miss when op women used to look normal and could just exist without being Sexy Women bc that was a thing at the beginning and i really loved that...now its just like wow all titty no waist legs are 100x longer than normal....not to mention the writing for women in op has gone way downhill...ugh. ANYWAYS onward 

ofc as soon as i say that theres a rlly cute and p normal looking cover w/nami...i love her sm shes my fav character thats part of the reason this bothers me so much lol 

i miss her short hair tho...the long hair is pretty and i like her different hairstyles but i defs prefer the short spunky look. i wish she wouldve gotten a cool bellmere-esque haircut after the timeskip at least

ok im p sure i didnt read this...? i dont remember hgbvhjaksdfk

GERMA THEME SONG HBVJSDUIFJBSF are you telling me that the raid suit activation process involves a THEME SONG....please i need to hear this. thats so fuckign funny

‘GERMAAAAAAAAAAA’ [sanji doing an unironic magical girl transformation] IT CANT BE OVERSTATED HOW HILARIOUS AND AMAZING THIS IS LMAOOOOOO 

i think we saw this w/his siblings during whole cake but i forget lmao

of course franky and usopp are like OOOH FUCK YEAH 

HHBDSJKFJSB the implications of law knowing Exactly who that is....like i really need to see an omake of a campy power rangers/sentai/whatever-esque show/comic with all these germa personas omfgggggggg

and law having read the comics is SO funny 

also. sanjis hair is SO unfortunate lmaooo

O SOBA MASK HBVHSJDKUFJBDSK

germa was the bad guy group in the comics....good lmao 

law was defs a fan he knows ALL the lore LMAOOO

A BABY SANJI....and then sanji being weird. skip! 

ironic hows theyre like oh shit gotta challenge this dude so he doesnt destroy the town and their fight is gonna level the place anyways lmao 

oh i did read this i think cause i remember all those ninja busting robin for sneaking around

which ok theyre ninja but robin could grow eyes for surveillance so it doesnt make much sense that shed be caught so easily...alas

THAT GUYS HEAD HBVHJFKD LMAO

oh yeah then big mom washes up w/amnesia lmao. i hope that plotline doesnt suck, i dont have too much hope...normally i really like amnesia plotlines and honestly i think itd be cool to explore w/like one of the strawhats but in this case it just seems kinda like a lazy way to take big mom out of the game :/ my prediction is she’ll get her memory back at a certain time thats convenient to the plot, just in time for like an all out war w/kaidou and the straw hats and the yakuza maybe? we shall see (possibly) 

ok its past 6 am so its bedtime. more later! 

[madcapmoon]

Highway to Hell: My Life on the Road with the Dead Kennedys

by Amy Linden

In 1981 I moved back to New York City after spending four years in San Francisco. I was 22, and a childhood friend and I shared a two bedroom apartment—rent $300 and change—on East 4th Street, just off Avenue A, kitty-corner to the building where Madonna lived back before she actually was Madonna.

One day, I got a phone call from my friend Klaus Fluoride, the bass player for the seminal punk group the Dead Kennedys. During my last 18 months in SF, Klaus, his girlfriend, three other roommates, my boyfriend/we-got married-for-his-green-card husband, and I shared a huge flat in the Mission District. I wasn’t as close to the other members as I was to Klaus; I had spent a decent amount of time with Darren, (a.k.a. DH Peligro), East Bay Ray, and the inimitable Jello Biafra. It was great to hear from Klaus, especially since he had good news—the Dead Kennedys were embarking on their first East Coast tour.

“We’re coming to New York!” Klaus exclaimed. “You should come out on the road with us!” And why not? I could drink all the band’s beer! I could go backstage. And most of all, I could meet cute punk rock boys! Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about giving my boss notice because I barely had a job.

After arriving in NYC, the band took the Amtrak down to Washington, D.C., where the mini-tour was going to kick off. On the ride down, Klaus raised the possibility of my helping out in some way. Maybe I could write up setlists, maybe arrange the guest list, maybe help move equipment, or maybe I could get up on stage and do “security,” which consisted of grabbing the mic back whenever singer Jello Biafra propelled himself into the audience, keeping the flow of stage divers moving at a brisk pace, and tossing—or more specifically shoving—anyone who climbed up on stage and showed little inclination to move.

That I was totally ill-suited to do security for anyone at anytime, least of all for a high-energy aggressive band with high-energy aggressive fans, should have been obvious. Clearly, none of this mattered. Just like that, I was on stage at the legendary 9:30 Club, wearing a short kilt, beat up cowboy boots, and bandanas wrapped around my wrists, looking out at a packed house of pumped up fans, and trying my best to look butch. Pushing sweat-soaked twenty-year-olds off the stage was not my idea of meeting cute punk rock guys.

Arguably, punk rock’s birthplace was New York. However in 1981, D.C. was the epicenter of the East Coast hardcore scene, with much of the momentum coming from a tight knit, committed crew—many just out of their teens or still living at home—who adhered to a DIY philosophy/lifestyle known as “straight edge.” Being down with straight edge meant just saying “no” to liquor, cigarettes and drugs, which at the time were three of my four basic food groups.

The leading lights of the straight edge crew were Ian MacKaye and Henry Garfield. Ian’s resume included Teen Idles, Minor Threat, and later Fugazi, in addition to founding the influential indie label Dischord Records. Garfield, who worked at a Häagen-Dazs in Georgetown, was the front man for S.O.A. In time, he would change his surname to Rollins, join Black Flag, and become a heavily tattooed, singer/spoken word artist and actor. Henry and Ian looked a bit scary, but like most of the D.C. crew, were as sweet and courteous as their music was aggressive. When they weren’t following me around like I was Bo Peep and they were lost skinhead sheep, Henry and Ian took it upon themselves to protect me from whatever it was they thought I needed to be protected from.

By the time the Dead Kennedys finished up the first of two D.C. shows, I was a cross between big sister and mascot, the affection strictly platonic. There may have been lots of unity, but not many of the D.C. kids were coupled up. All of the passion was directed at the “cause.” It was as though sex, like drugs and alcohol, indicated a lack of discipline.

I remember an odd but telling conversation with Henry. He had invited his friends, the DKs, and me to his small apartment in Alexandria, Virginia. He asked me to come to the kitchen. With utmost sincerity Henry, who was at most  two years my junior, said that he really didn’t like girls, but he liked me because to him I wasn’t really a girl. If memory serves, it was then that he opened the freezer and showed me a dead rat. Touched as I was by Henry’s attempt to let me into his world, I let him know that I was enough of a girl to find a rat-cicle kind of gross. Bless his heart, but this whole meeting cute punk boys was clearly not in the cards.

Ian on stage 3:28

Ian, Henry, and my new skinhead besties travelled to the Baltimore show where they stood in front of the stage, their arms reaching up towards me and sang, “Amy, dance with us!” I might not have been the best security detail but I sure was the most popular. Such displays of affection only served to make my already rocky relationship with Biafra even worse. It was bad enough that Klaus had brought me along, but to Biafra my being serenaded undermined his punk cred, not to mention that he had no interest in sharing the spotlight, especially with some girl in a miniskirt and cowboy boots.

Oddly enough, Biafra’s ire grew even more pronounced when I developed a nasty cough and took to swilling cheap, high-octane cough syrup. Convinced that I would get him sick and that my fits of coughing somehow made the band look lame, Biafra turned mean. He decided that part of my job description involved looking after the equipment, and therefore I had to sleep in the van parked on the streets of the nation’s then-murder capital. This edict was quickly and angrily squashed by Darren, Klaus and guitarist East Bay Ray, who generally paid me no mind, instead concentrating on picking up women. For the remainder of the tour, Klaus and Darren chipped in for a hotel room and kept Biafra off my case. He was a charismatic front man, but Biafra’s actions further convinced me that he was a dick.

Before heading down to Charm City, we drove out to a farm in Virginia to meet the Bad Brain’s explosive lead singer H.R. The Bad Brains were and remain a sheer force of nature, but H.R. could be, shall we say, strange. His home was a punk rock crash pad/Rasta commune filled with kids, women, the other three-quarters of the Bad Brains and the ever-present smell of weed. The Kennedys were there to finalize plans for the punk pioneers to open up at the first of two upcoming NYC dates. Unbeknownst to us, H.R. was in the midst of a verbal fast, something that he did to cleanse himself of negative energy. Instead of talking, he gestured wildly and occasionally scribbled down notes. The next time we saw H.R. and the Bad Brains, they came “this close” to blowing the Dead Kennedys off stage. In fact, they just might have done so.

We encountered a bit of drama in Boston. The concert tickets and local advertising said “DKs” rather than the “Dead Kennedys.” Was it censorship? Maybe. It wasn’t uncommon to shorten the group’s name, yet it wasn’t lost on anyone that the name change had happened in the home of the actual Kennedys. Looking back, I think that Ray, Klaus, and Darren knew that taking umbrage over the promoter’s decision was not worth the energy. But with his customary lack of concern for anything but his own agenda, Biafra became furious.

Adding insult to perceived injury, Biafra began the set ranting and making snarky comments about imprisoned IRA martyr Bobby Sands, who had either just died or was dying as a result of a prolonged hunger strike. It was not one of Biafra’s most sensitive moments. It was also in Boston that the band picked up Microwave, a good natured, muscley young fan who approached them after the show. Microwave was a far better fit for tossing skinheads and guarding amps than a sleep-deprived and tubercular girl. Much to Biafra’s delight, Microwave took over most of the heavy lifting. Literally.

After six cities in two weeks, the traveling circus ended at NYC’s Irving Plaza. An old Ukrainian theater, Irving Plaza was largest venue, and that night it was packed with hundreds of bodies, including the D.C. Straight Edge Boy’s Choir/Amy Appreciation Society. Even though Microwave was now head punk-in-charge, I was in my customary spot off to the right of the bass amp, poised to help out if needed. The energy level was off the charts and the crowd roared, sang along and danced as the Kennedys tore through songs like “California Über Alles,” “Kill the Poor,” and “Holiday in Cambodia.” 

Ian and Henry Rollins dancing onstage during Too Drunk To Fuck

By now I was so in sync with the band’s rhythm that I could almost predict when Biafra would dive into the crowd. And when he did, I ran to the front of the stage to reel him in. Suddenly an over-eager fan grabbed the mic and refused to loosen up his grip. Biafra was floating on top of a sea of bodies, and I had lost control of the mic. A tug of war ensued, and the next thing I knew, the fan got a hold of the mic stand and clonked me. Unfortunately, I was a little drunk; having hit the end of the already-frayed rope, I lost it and tried to kick the fan in the head. Before I could make shoe-to-forehead contact, my opponent put his hands around my left foot and twisted it.

Microwave sprung into action, secured the stand, got the mic and brought Biafra back to the stage as Klaus pushed me behind an amp. The skirmish took less than a minute. As soon as the show ended and the band headed to the dressing room, I became acutely aware of a nagging, swelling sensation radiating from the side of my foot. The pain was intense, so I kept drinking in the hopes that beer would make it all better. I didn’t want to look like a baby or miss the fun—Saturday Night Live’s John Belushi and Mr. Bill were there!

When I was unable to move my toes, it was clear that something really bad had happened. I needed to get it checked out immediately. Ever the gentlemen, Henry and Ian carried me ten blocks down 14th Street to St. Vincent’s Hospital and stayed in the waiting room while I was examined. By now, my foot was completely swollen, and the only way to take x-rays was to cut the boot off, which I begged the doctor not to do. Turned out that I had a severely broken left toe. I was given something a bit stronger than cough syrup, a pair of crutches, and just like that my road trip was over. The Dead Kennedys went back home. I’d had fun. I was littered with bruises but I’d had fun. I never did meet any cute punk rock boys...

*Both videos seem to be from the same 1981 Irving Plaza show but they are dated wrong*

[dimples-of-discontent]

“Whatever is begotten, born, and dies”: Sailing to 14x08

Ok fam! I intended, I really did, to write a nice chewy piece of speculation about “Byzantium” and what it might be referencing and how I think it ties into the “sacrifice” Castiel is likely to make. But then Tumblr went kablooey and also I have a huge series of events at work that are taking up all my time and also really wearing me out. So I’m going to push through and see what I can do! I also had some thoughts from this post I made before (which I know that @amwritingmeta​ added a lot of great stuff to the original post but Tumblr is being a total ass and not showing me those additions...reblog with link?)

Onto the new stuff! So, W.B. Yeats wrote a poem, “Sailing to Byzantium,” that is super famous and that you probably had to study in school. People like to use Yeats for titles so this may not even be relevant but I am a literature nerd of the highest order and I am not going to pass up an opportunity to geek out here. (Also: there is a 70s band called Byzantium that has a self-titled album and one called “Seasons Changing.” I guess that’s probably a more likely referent but idgaf I am going with this Yeats thing!]

[Fairly wild speculation based on a Yeats poem below the cut. Tl; dr is that I think Jack will die in 14x08 and that he will want to. The “sacrifice” Cas makes and the thing that Dean thinks is “unfair” is the same thing and that’s letting him make his own decision to die. But don’t worry he’ll be back.]

I That is no country for old men. The young In one another’s arms, birds in the trees, —Those dying generations—at their song, The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas, Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. Caught in that sensual music all neglect Monuments of unageing intellect. II An aged man is but a paltry thing, A tattered coat upon a stick, unless Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing For every tatter in its mortal dress, Nor is there singing school but studying Monuments of its own magnificence; And therefore I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium. III O sages standing in God’s holy fire As in the gold mosaic of a wall, Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre, And be the singing-masters of my soul. Consume my heart away; sick with desire And fastened to a dying animal It knows not what it is; and gather me Into the artifice of eternity. IV Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form from any natural thing, But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make Of hammered gold and gold enamelling To keep a drowsy Emperor awake; Or set upon a golden bough to sing To lords and ladies of Byzantium Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

Gorgeous, right? Definitely read it out loud if you can. Do it! You know Misha would want you to. I’ll wait.

Now, although this poem is uplifting it is also about dying (yeahhhhh poetry!). In fact, the phrase “sailing to Byzantium” itself can be taken as an expression that means “dying.” The famous first line, “That is no country for old men,” contrasts wherever the (aged) speaker is coming from with where he is going--Byzantium, a place that is for “old men.” It’s true that the speaker doesn’t fit in. Even as he imagines young people in the fecund richness of his native country he refers to them as “those dying generations” who forget to make “monuments of unageing intellect” (aka art) because they are so caught in sensual pleasure. But they should not forget that “Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.” 

The application to TFW at this point is clear. Jack is dying. He’s young, residing in a country where he was literally just catching fish at the “salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas.” Whatever is begotten, born, and dies. We were there when Jack was begotten (with that Christ-like language) and born and now we are going to be there when he dies. And death is very much on our minds these episodes - it’s the flip side to being alive, to being human.

The next stanza, “An aged man is but a paltry thing,/ A tattered coat upon a stick, unless/ Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing/ For every tatter in its mortal dress” (a thing which, of course, is accomplished through art). This initially made me think of Cas because of the “tattered coat upon a stick,” but THEN last episode Cas put his coat on JACK in a moment that emphasized his frailty, his humanity, and his move toward death:

(gifs originally by @supernaturaldaily)

“And therefore I have sailed the seas and come/ To the holy city of Byzantium.”

Now, it’s not a perfect match, but in the show Heaven is the closest you can get to this paradise of art Yeats describes. And if Jack dies, well, that’s likely where he’ll be going. In the poem, the speaker calls upon “sages standing in God’s holy fire” and envisions them as works of art. (*nods about resonance of “holy fire”*) He also asks that they “Consume my heart away; sick with desire/ And fastened to a dying animal.” He’d rather break his soul away from earthly limitations, the “dying animal,” and he wants it so badly it makes him “sick with desire” (though you can also read that line as saying his heart is “sick with desire” because he’s full of carnal needs and desires).

Could it be that Jack will want to die?? That that is what Dean and Cas are talking about in the hallway? He seemed to be going along that path already and goodness knows it would make him into even more of a Christ figure (waves at @postmodernmulticoloredcloak‘s beautiful piece about Dean being posed with Jack like a pieta at the end of 14x06). Incidentally, the poem ends with the speaker saying that, once he’s free of his body, he will never take a natural form again but constitute himself into a work of art - either a physical object or a song. I don’t find that super relevant yet but who knows?

So, now what do we know so far about 14x08? We know that it involves the Heaven plot line and that “angel radio is playing a distress call” and that “all of heaven’s gates are open.” Yikes. And we’ve got Lily Sunder there (yaaassss) being asked to help with some kind of “miracle” involving angels which she says she can’t do. In our other promo, we have an emotional DeanCas hallway convo (sidebar: I kind of want to track all the emotional conversations in hallways these guys have like I was doing with “front seat feelings”) in which Dean talks about the unfairness of something Jack-related and Cas tells him that of course it isn’t fair but Jack needs him. 

What does Jack need Dean to do? I see a two distinct possibilities. It could be contacting Michael, or letting him back in, to get another vial of archangel grace. Or it could be....letting Jack die. I certainly know which of those two options is more likely to upset Dean that much!

So this episode will involve: 1) Heaven in distress and an attempt to save it; 2) Dean having to do something difficult that isn’t fair to try to save Jack; 3) Castiel making an “enormous sacrifice.” It’s fairly clear that the “enormous sacrifice” will be related to the Heaven plot while the Jack plot is (likely) separate.

In terms of “enormous sacrifice” I think there are only a couple options for Cas. I was initially saying “his grace” and speculating that Cas would become human for Jack but then 14x07 told us so explicitly that Cas would give his grace up in a heartbeat but that it couldn’t help Jack that I now thing that option is pretty much out. The only way it could still be his grace on the off chance that it can be used to close the doors of Heaven with the spell that Metatron took it for before (for which he needed Castiel’s grace specifically). 

The other option is someone in, or all of, his earthly family. If Cas has to close himself off in Heaven to save it that would be an “enormous sacrifice” that lost all of them. If Dean had to be possessed by Michael again that would be a huge loss for Cas and my Destiel heart would love it. But, honestly, I think letting Jack die is the huge sacrifice that they are ALL going to make. And it would be hugely significant, in a way, if they actually let him decide to die because that’s been a fairly major sticking point (and example of codependency) in the past.

Byzantium is the place you sail to when you die and the speaker cannot wait to get there. Context clues suggest that Jack is in the position of the speaker. I predict that Jack is going to want to die, to demand it even, and that the hardest thing they all have to do is respect his wishes and let him. It is, after all, the season of “What do you want?” so if he knows they should darn well listen!

Tagging @elizabethrobertajones @tinkdw @bluestar86 @amwritingmeta @7faerielights @naruhearts @intelligentshipper @emblue-sparks in case they have thoughts to add or just really like poetry.

[thejiaqiverse-planniverse]

3. The wild-card prediction (HAPPY\BAD ENDING)

Analysis source material: 20% | My own imagination: 80%

Check these approaches out too if you’d like: approach 1 | approach 2

Ok ok, let’s all take a deep breath after surfacing from the deep dive of approach 2 shall we? Be relieved because we are NOT diving back down there again!!! YAY!!! This approach is also a villain perspective approach, so what exactly were King Dice and the Devil up to in this version of the story? And how will this tie to the Cuphead DLC or more?

The conclusion is: in reality it makes not much sense for the Devil and King Dice to end up in a fight for life or death. To expand, they could even be a true “power couple”.

From King Dice’s POV, it seemed all he stood for was literally loyalty to his boss and his job. Although he would portray himself as someone so powerful that no one was allowed to “mess with”, never once did he isolate himself from or place himself above the Devil. Needless to say there was no sign of King Dice being defiant here, certainly nothing for the Devil to be paranoid of!

Now from the Devil’s POV, it only makes sense that he would from the very beginning let someone not just capable, but also he’d trust completely run any of his major establishments, share access to the earnings and be his right hand man (if King Dice did not exaggerate his role in his song). A trusted employee or partner can take care of the Devil’s weak spots and save him tons of time, and they’d unquestioningly have his back whenever he was weak and in need of help (no bribe or manipulation needed). King Dice in fact was this ideal loyal and powerful candidate. Let’s bring up the soul contracts again! Both their names were on there, I mean, King Dice must be very trusted right? (Thinking again, why would the Devil agree to let King Dice know of or put his name on something with such power if he wasn’t trusted to begin with? To give him very good arsenal to defend himself or perhaps fight the Devil off?) this quite solidly disproves the theory that the Devil plotted so carefully to cut off then end King Dice.

Besides, if we toss away the reasons listed under both of their perspectives and even more, which means, somehow the Devil did end up following the long six-step plan in approach 2, shouldn’t this plan in reality be no longer necessary if the first step is to work together and build a stable, intimate, trustful, and mutually beneficial relationship?

King Dice and the Devil made a great team too, they probably had the same interests in mind; we can see from the start of Cuphead: Don’t Deal with the Devil, they flawlessly joined efforts to lure Cuphead and Mugman into their trap;

King Dice set up the risky scenario and the Devil came in at the end to seal the deal. From the looks of it they’ve likely done this a lot before: they’ve probably joined forces to trick other Inkwell residents into signing soul contracts or doing something else too.

From looking at the DLC trailers we learn that Inkwell is not just limited to isles 1 to 4, which means there’s more space for our protagonists to explore and vice versa, more areas King Dice and the Devil would like to claim or maintain in the future. For this purpose King Dice and the Devil’s masterplans will be directed toward the outside world rather than each other.

With that in mind, all the cutscenes and in game information will be here looked at in a completely different way than in approach 2.

Plus I’ve been thinking of the HAPPY ENDING, the cups easily freed everybody just by throwing soul contracts into the hell fire? I mean, it just appears the Devil was too careless, losing a large sum of his resources gathered throughout years of work in a blink, poor guy—mindlessly putting hard earned stuff at high risk, thinking he’d manage to keep everything under control all the time—he lost oh so badly!

Now we almost covered where this wild-card theory stems from, we need to bring up the soul contracts yet again! This time however we bring the BAD & HAPPY ENDING of Cuphead: Don’t Deal with the Devil along with these contracts to explore the possible true nature and purpose of these papers.

Here’s where my wild guesses kicks in. Keep in mind there’s little evidence for or against these guesses that I’ve known of.

Why didn’t the Devil himself pay these debtors a little visit and get the contracts right from the start? Is he that incapable? How would him agreeing to send someone like the cups out for the job make sense in another way? Well, let me resume a familiar writing structure here shall we: the Devil and King Dice’s five-step plan to train some good fighters for their use in the future.

Step one (we can say it’s slightly “evident” in the game?), get as many people to sign away their souls as possible, once they signed their soul contracts immediately have everyone working at the casino pounce on them to take their souls. Once the debtors realized that they were losing their souls for what they wished for they’ll be fighting for their lives. They would either win and flee with their contract, or lose and perhaps be transformed into one of these purple minion demons.

Step two, note down the escaped debtors and start the game! Now the Devil and King Dice would send sometimes some random run-and-gunners or sometimes their own employees to “retrieve the contracts”. Cue the death battles! Only the fittest would survive these battles, with all this going on, whoever survived would live in fear thus try to grow their powers further to avoid their souls being collected as long as possible. This is exactly what the Devil and King Dice would like to see!

Step three, the tricky multiple-possibilities step. At this point the debtors whom lost will already be in the Devil’s possession; with their contracts still existing, the Devil could either go and claim the remaining debtors as soon as he saw them as being ready or keep going with the death battles for training purposes. However, the innocent good fighters Cuphead and Mugman became the game changers. What the Devil expected was probably them bringing back some or all of the soul contracts they were tasked to retrieve. He would then send King Dice in their way to raid all the contracts out of their hands, now Cuphead and Mugman would have no choice but to give their souls up and become his minions. He did not see King Dice failing to defeat these two! Mission: “making the cups feel good about themselves winning all this time” would then be a go, as the last resort to try and get them to join the Devil’s club. Well all would be fine if the cups gave in and joined the Devil after that (BAD ENDING)! In the worst case scenario for both King Dice and the Devil, they not only beat both of them but also destroyed all the contracts (HAPPY ENDING)! No! The plan to train fighters and force them to serve the Devil in the future blew apart completely!! Or did it?

Step four, carrying on or temporary retreat. If the cups joined the Devil (BAD ENDING) and the Devil had all the contracts, he would carry on, sealing new contracts, collecting the fallen and/or souls deemed ready to do his bidding and preparing for the next round of death battles, just casually repeating steps one and two. And now the plan B if the soul contracts were no more (HAPPY ENDING), which consisted of King Dice and the Devil slowing the casino business and the Devil moving/hiding away with their money they still had to heal and rehabilitate.

Step five, finally putting their collection of trained fighters to use! So now here are the two main ways of doing so: the regular way according to plan and then the plan B way. When would they need these trained fighters? Remember when I mentioned there might be more areas than Inkwell isles 1 to 4? King Dice and the Devil could have planned to concur these new areas, or maybe others whom were formerly friendly with them/formerly not a threat would try to attack them whenever they were weakened. Therefore King Dice and the Devil would need troops. If all goes as planned (BAD ENDING and similar), with their money plus army of good fighters, they would win and then possibly gain power over new areas. Repeating steps one and two again, King Dice would continue to get them money or something, meanwhile the Devil could grow his power and when someone else dared to fight them again, he’d be ready. However, if the cups had destroyed the contracts they brought back (HAPPY ENDING, the cups burning the soul contracts had loosened the Devil’s grip on the debtors completely), what could the Devil do then? Well, the Devil already owned a sizable army of fighters by then, he could just admit defeat then go on to defend themselves\invade other areas like nothing happened after his recovery; but, what if the Devil felt his current army was not enough, he could really use King Dice’s help for this one. See the next few paragraphs.

Marvel at how deep King Dice and the Devil’s plan went—calling King Dice his “good-for-nothing lackey” was probably just the right thing to do after they’d discussed about it. Being all beaten, King Dice and the Devil would split up—the Devil would go into hiding. Quite the opposite, King Dice would openly portray this loyal, betrayed, and now heartbroken man with nowhere else to go as the Devil “abused his trust”, “never valued or respected him”, had “been disappointed with his defeat” and “officially chased him out”. Cuphead and Mugman being his witnesses would confirm the Devil’s “ill treatment” of King Dice they’d seen, unknowingly aiding King Dice and the Devil’s plan. With all the sympathy he’d get, King Dice, during his recovery from the fight with the cups could maybe get a ordinary job and new home within Inkwell isles 1 to 3 to patiently wait for an opportunity—catching the eye of their target group or individual, interested in not only his skills of earning/scamming away money, but also his experience of working alongside the Devil.

So who would be interested in that way? Someone or groups like the snow monsters. They could be the Devil’s relatives, minions or simply someone competing with the Devil, wishing to grow their own reign, and perhaps already seeing this as an ideal opportunity to get rid of the Devil when he was weak and take the resources he had. King Dice would join them when he was asked to, maybe he’d also fake reminiscent a bit saying how he thought he was so close to and so trusted by the Devil as he had an important role next to him, learnt so much about him, etc. King Dice would possibly even hire new people and reemploy his gang to assist him, too. Thrilled they now had King Dice on their side, they would listen to him when he convinced them to get the Devil’s big loot—firstly looking all around Inkwell isles 1 to 4 to find the Devil, as the last King Dice knew, he was still in bad shape and in hiding somewhere there.

Greed driven and/or eager to win, these new monsters would tear apart the town convinced they’d find evidence of the Devil’s location. When they still didn’t find the Devil they would terrorize the residents for clues. With their now supposed-to-be peaceful lives severely disturbed, the isle 1 to 3 residents would join forces to get the snow monsters away from their homes. The monsters would fight to keep their investigation going. (Well, this could be a plausible reason for the cups and Chalice venturing out to fight the snow monsters in the DLC as so little info is given in the trailers; or I may have over-imagined as they could’ve just wanted a tasty meal and/or some tales from Chef Saltbaker) Now if the residents couldn’t defeat the snow monsters, King Dice or even better, one of the workers King Dice recruited would suddenly break down and say something along the lines of “when I started work with you guys I didn’t expect your ways to be worse than the Devil’s!” (King Dice would have driven this idea so deep into the minds of whoever he recruited by then) Pouncing on his new employers, King Dice would help the Inkwell residents defeat them.

Remember the Devil could shape shift? So where can he possibly be all this time according to this wild guess? King Dice did make a notion to employ more workers, the Devil could totally disguise as someone looking for work and be invited to the snowy lands with no one suspecting at all (meaning the info that the Devil was still in bad shape and In isles 1 to 3 was falsely provided)! Now with most of the snow monsters gone to look for him in isles 1 to 4, the Devil could finally get rid of the remaining guards that opposed him and claim these lands for himself. (Well I mentioned in approach 1 that the Devil might be in these snowy lands; only in this case he could appear as a possible ally of the cups and Chalice’s in defeating the snow monsters if the isles 1 to 3 were indeed invaded by them. Or entirely not...) After King Dice played hero and returned, he would start fresh with the Devil, with their new areas. Well, there was one last thing King Dice must do: making peace! Now being more of a friend to the Inkwell isles 1 to 3 residents, simply reflecting on the Devil’s past mistakes for him, then promising to never let him sign a soul contract again if he resurfaced would be sufficient. After all the idea of King Dice keeping the Devil in check from then on would sound appealing. So you point out that King Dice and the Devil gave up a lot not being able to sign new souls contracts? I don’t think so, because this did not forbid King Dice the Devil from training/tricking others into joining their operation/reign (kinda the same as what the contracts were intended for in this approach), they’d still find a way. With a little cooperation, planning and patience, all would lead to a win-win situation for King Dice and the Devil!

Is there room for even more wild guesses? Oh yes there is!

This time they stem from the Devil’s identity; if the Devil is meant to be a biblical reference, which means someone directly opposite from the Devil may exist as well—yes I’m talking about God. I’m just not sure if we are already introduced to God in Inkwell at this point, either as an actual character, or as the ideology of love, innocence and good within the cups, elder kettle and other Inkwell residents (reminder, this could be why the cups were able to defeat the Devil as good will always be more powerful than evil, as stated in approach 1). If we weren’t introduced to this God character before, I’m also not sure if we will be introduced to them in the future.

If a God did exist in Inkwell, the Devil gathering souls and trying to collect and train an army would make even more sense, as this would be not just for taking over the world of Inkwell, but also to one day face off God. If it does come to this, I wonder what will happen. How do the Inkwell residents react to the introduction of God and possibly his angels? Will King Dice and the Devil have the opportunity to spin lies and stuff to turn the entirety of Inkwell against them? And a more pressing thought, will King Dice and the Devil eventually get away with it, because if there was good within the Inkwell residents, there would also be a dark side, which can be victorious at times? Or will they just fail and get their butts handed to them? Can’t say for sure, all this is nothing but a wild guess for fun and games!

You know what’s fascinating after making two opposite theories?—one of King Dice and the Devil fighting each other to the death and one of them cooperating ever so smoothly—if we do see King Dice around in the DLC without context (from the cups and Chalice’s perspective), and if he says nothing or delivers a hate speech against the Devil, we can only wonder if he’s really traumatized and telling the truth (approach 2 when the Devil tried to kill him) or if it’s just part of their plan (according to this approach).

So... that was the wild-card prediction; and please let me mention this one more time, parts of this prediction and the approaches before are also the basis of the Jiaqiverse fancanon (The Inkwell Paradox, my long, outlandish fanfic, which I’ll write a summary for soon after). Stay here with me if you’re also interested in that, and thanks again for reading XD

[hub-pub-bub]

The European Union’s copyright directive finally passed last week, with 56% of the European Parliament vote, after several rounds of significant changes to the text. On its way to final passage, the controversial Article 13 — now Article 17 — went through yet another round of changes that are worth discussing here. Two issues in particular stand out: how the law will affect startups and niche-market content services, and the nature of copyright filtering requirements.

The first issue is about how this law will affect startups and online communities that serve niche audiences by imposing legal risks and costs of licenses or filtering technology. The final text attempts to be more specific about the types of online services that are exempt from Article 17. But it ends up both ambiguous and needlessly burdensome on startups.

On the one hand, the text now includes elaborate definitions of online services to which the law is supposed to apply that are intended to protect small and niche-market services by writing them out of the law. But on the other hand, that same elaborateness invites years and years of disputes over interpretation that will only be accessible to organizations that can afford lawyers to argue them.

The latest definition of “online content-sharing service provider” that is supposed to either take licenses to copyrighted works or take steps to keep them off their networks is this mouthful:

“… online services that play an important role on the online content market by competing with other online content services, such as online audio and video streaming services, for the same audiences … the main or one of the main purposes of which is to store and enable users to upload and share a large amount of copyright-protected content with the purpose of obtaining profit therefrom, either directly or indirectly, by organising it and promoting it in order to attract a larger audience, including by categorising it and using targeted promotion within it.”

In other words, the law is — presumably — targeted only to major content-sharing services (YouTube) that compete with media companies’ owned or licensed services that don’t accept user-uploaded content (Netflix, Spotify). The list of types of services that are exempt from the law has changed a bit from the previous version of the bill: business-to-business cloud services (DropBox) are now exempt but “service providers the main purpose of which is to engage in or to facilitate copyright piracy” (Sci-Hub) are not. The enacted legislation maintains exemptions from previous drafts for the likes of Wikipedia, GitHub, iCloud, Google Drive, and non-profit scientific and educational content repositories.

At the same time, paragraph 4 of Article 17 — which contains the meat of the license, takedown, and filter provisions — contains language that will be worrying to startups and their potential investors. Despite the fact that other parts of Article 17 attempt to exempt small and niche-market services in general, Paragraph 6 calls for three tiers of responsibilities that depend on the age and size of the online service:

Services that are less than three years old and have annual revenues under €10 million (US $11.2 million) must make “best efforts” to take licenses to content or, if no license is available, respond to takedown notices.

Of those services, those with more than 5 million average monthly users must also “ma[k]e best efforts to prevent [] future uploads” of works that have been taken down pursuant to takedown notices — i.e., to implement what has been called “takedown and staydown.”

Services that are more than three years old or make more than €10 million also have to make “best efforts to ensure the unavailability of specific works and other subject matter for which the rightholders have provided the service providers with the relevant and necessary information[,]” i.e., to filter content proactively instead of just reactively after takedowns.

In other words, new and small services — as a practical matter, and provided that someone decides they meet the criteria for “online content-sharing service provider” shown above — will need to implement a notice-and-takedown regime similar to the U.S. DMCA — but also possibly be liable for not making “best efforts” to obtain licenses.

The lighter requirements are not difficult to administer, assuming that “best efforts” to obtain licenses is understood to mean working with the usual collecting societies and not tracking down arbitrary copyright owners for every piece of content uploaded. The problem is that the requirements expire in three years. In other words, when an entrepreneur or investor embarks on a new venture, the clock starts ticking until legal risks and expenses increase … maybe, depending on those definitions of applicable services above.

At least for the foreseeable future, this scheme will cast a pall not only over entrepreneurship but also over online services that serve niche communities. It also gives large copyright owners — and, indirectly, large service providers — perpetual leverage over the little guys, which is not good for competition. Contrast this with U.S. regulations for Internet radio (webcasting): while big commercial webcasters have to record stream data and pay royalties on a per-stream basis, small ones (as defined by revenue and/or non-profit status) can get away with simply paying nominal annual fees. (Advantages for small commercial webcasters have been whittled away over the years but they remain for the smallest educational non-profits.)

The second issue is the law’s requirements for copyright filtering. Under the new law, larger and older content services that choose not to take licenses to content will need to implement “takedown and staydown” (No. 2 on the list above) and then ultimately “ensure unavailability of works for which rightholders have provided information” (No. 3). In fact the final version of the legislation is more forthright about the filtering requirement than the previous version, despite its protestation (required under European law) that “[t]he application of [] Article [17] shall not lead to any general monitoring obligation.”

The difference between No. 2 and No. 3 is meaningful but not huge as a practical matter. The former requires service providers to keep lists of identifying information about content that has been the subject of takedown notices, while the latter requires them to use lists of identifying information about all content that rights holders don’t want uploaded in the first place. The latter implies the type of content recognition scheme that’s most widely used nowadays — such as Google’s Content ID or Audible Magic. A technology like those could be used for “takedown and staydown” by simply applying it only to items of content that someone has tried to upload instead of applying it to every item that rights holders submit to the vendor.

In other words, the now-official version of this bill lends credence to MEP Julia Reda’s statements that certain types of content-sharing services will have no choice but to implement filters — though the way I’d prefer to say it is that many of them will want to choose the filtering option as the less legally risky option. At the same time, there’s been a lot of talk about how expensive and elaborate filtering schemes will need to be in order to satisfy both rights holders and content service providers under this law; I never believed these doomsday predictions, and I still don’t.

My previous views, before the final round of text changes, were that it would take many years of high-powered lobbying and litigation to figure out what the filtering requirements actually are (given how vaguely they are worded), and that content services will shy away from overfiltering (false positives of content identification) because it will cost them audiences compared to competitors that don’t overfilter. While I still believe the latter, the latest changes to the law lead me to a different view on the former point.

There are two reasons why I suspect that content services will manage to avoid taking on expensive R&D-level projects that push the envelope of content recognition technology. First, paragraph 5 of Article 17 calls for the principle of “proportionality” — a fundamental concept in French law — to take into account the availability, cost, and complexity of technical measures as well as the online service’s type of content and audience. In the case of content identification technologies, it’s generally understood that advances in technology lead to diminishing returns in improved accuracy and effectiveness — particularly with regard to the fair use-like cases enumerated in paragraph 7 of Article 17, which are basically impossible to automate in filtering systems. In other words, fancy R&D initiatives to improve filtering are easily shown not to be “proportional.”

The second reason has to do with a little-noticed yet important new provision in the legislation that passed last week. Historically, deliberations between copyright owners and service providers about filtering technologies have have taken place in the dark, mostly hidden under private nondisclosure agreements or courts’ protective orders in lawsuits. U.S. courts have offered limited guidance through a few decisions about the adequacy of these technologies (or lack thereof), in cases such as Arista v. LimeWire, Universal Music Group v. Veoh, and Universal Music Group v. Escape Media (Grooveshark). The world at large knows little about how, and how well, these technologies work.

That secrecy and reticence could come to an end in Europe. Paragraph 10 of Article 17 sets up mandatory “stakeholder dialogues to discuss best practices for cooperation between online content-sharing service providers and rightholders … regarding the cooperation referred to in paragraph 4.” There are two important new wrinkles to this provision in the final version of the text. One is: “For the purpose of the stakeholder dialogues, users’ organisations shall have access to adequate information from online content-sharing service providers on the functioning of their practices with regard to paragraph 4.” The other is: “The [European] Commission shall, … taking into account the results of the stakeholder dialogues, issue guidance … regarding the cooperation referred to in paragraph 4.”

This means that online services that choose to filter rather than license will need to disclose what filtering schemes they are using. Service providers may try to use ambiguous and opaque language to meet this vaguely worded requirement in hopes that no one sues them. But everyone would be much better off in the long run if the European Commission could define standards for this information (akin to labeling standards that have been suggested in the U.S. for DRM) so that everyone understands who is using which technologies. When the European Commission issues its “guidance,” which presumably will be precedential on service providers, everyone will be better informed.

If this happens, the dialogues and guidance will not necessarily lead to more stringent filtering schemes — in fact, I’d say probably not. First, they could give users information to help them choose services with the most reasonable filtering schemes, which in turn will encourage more reasonable filtering, since the services with stricter or coarser filtering schemes will die off.

In addition, it’s important to remember that regulations or government-issued “guidance” never establish lower bounds that stakeholders are motivated to exceed; on the contrary, they establish basic standards that stakeholders have to barely meet. It’s safe to assume that the tech industry will argue vehemently in stakeholder dialogues against filtering requirements that cost them lots of money. Therefore if any innovation comes out of the process, it’s more likely to be in the form of more cost-efficient ways of doing the bare minimum.

It’s possible that these forces will balance each other out and minimize the burden on service providers that this law imposes while maximizing services’ utility for users. There’s no doubt that this law will burden online services and users alike; but at least as far as the stakeholder dialogues are concerned, it’s possible that balance and (yes) proportionality could prevail. And let’s not forget that it could also actually achieve its core objective and put more money in creators’ pockets.

Of course, all this depends on a process of clarifying the highly complex and vague language in the Directive and implementing it in the laws of all EU Member States. This process will take many years — at which time it remains to be seen if it’s even relevant anymore.