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justforbooks · 18 days ago

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This is a necessary book. At a time when the future of cities is being discussed worldwide, Joseph Rykwert offers us an overview of the subject from its tentative beginnings in the Middle East some 10,000 years ago to the extraordinary experience of Mexico City today, with its population of 20m and rising. Has the city been a force for good or bad? When do measures of creative chaos in the life and form of cities tip over into conditions of alienation and dystopia? And what can we do to make our cities happy and healthy places to live in when they are shaped in part by economic forces largely beyond our control?

These are important questions. But before any answers, it must be said that the title of Rykwert's beautifully written book is a bit of a lie. This celebrated architectural historian is really telling us the intriguing story of how our cities - including London, Paris, Berlin, Mexico, Canberra, Brasilia and the author's beloved New York - got to be the way they are today. Rykwert is at his best when guiding us effortlessly through the past 10,000 years of city-making and at his happiest revisiting the individual buildings he cares most about.

As to how we can best influence positive change in our cities, instead of looking for strictly 21st-century solutions he takes us back to ancient Greece where the city was perfected - or so those of us at the tail end of long generations of classically educated Romantics still like to believe. The Greeks, says Rykwert, used the word "polis" to describe both the city and a favourite dice and board game rather like backgammon that depended on the interplay of chance and rule. Chance and rule: this is how they played games and designed cities. It remains, he says, perhaps the ideal way of making humane cities 2,500 years on from the completion of the Parthenon.

The city has not been shaped, Rykwert believes, by the kind of relentless impersonal forces of which Marx wrote; instead it is a "willed artefact . . . a human construct in which many conscious and unconscious factors played their part. It appeared to have some of the interplay of the conscious and unconscious that we find in dreams". Like dreams, the form of cities is malleable, and as a happy consequence we can do something to change them for our own ends.

Cities, says Rykwert in a revealing history-is-about-chaps moment, "are the aggregate products of the choices that were made by individuals". They do not develop organically - "they are too consciously manipulated" for that - but "develop quite unnaturally by jumps, by fits and starts". This "abrupt and uneven jigsaw of conscious and unconscious workings is exactly what I have always found both fascinating and perplexing". You and me both, professor.

So when did the city go off the rails in so many people's minds and experience? What happened to the golden age of fifth-century Athens? Rykwert, an unashamed city-lover, reminds us that the city has always been under attack by critics who have seen it as a symbol of humankind's fall from grace. Here is Andrew Marvell, quoting from Genesis: "And Cain . . . builded a city; & called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch" (Gen 4:17). What the poet wishes to say is that the first city was built by a murderer as a shelter for sinful humanity driven out of the garden of Eden.

Not a promising start, then. As for the Greeks, not all of them were in love with the "polis"; it was mocked by Aristophanes, while Horace, Martial and Juvenal all laid into Rome. Rykwert might have quoted Julius Caesar here, too: the great soldier and controversial republican dictator com plained loudly in letters about the noise that continued throughout the Roman night and kept him awake. As for the early Christians, their ideal city was, of course, the heavenly or New Jerusalem described in gridded detail by St John in the Apocalypse. Intriguingly, Rykwert goes on to show how idealistic Christian sects - the Shakers, for example - were to build earthly settlements and buildings along St John's divine lines. The heavenly city could, in an unsatisfactory temporal way, be recreated in outline on earth.

Earthly cities, full of people making things and money, dancing, eating, singing and making love, can never be as squeaky clean as the New Jerusalem. A healthy, happy city will always be a bit messy, abounding with energy, passion and creativity and the disorder these qualities bring in their Dionysian wake. Rykwert is not against disordered cities, but against those that have lost their soul. No ideal resolution is possible, he argues, in big cities, partly because we all have different visions of what a city might be - the Shoreditch artist's idea will be as different from the Mayfair property developer's as the child sewing dresses in a Calcutta sweatshop will be from a Hollywood starlet shopping for the latest six-figure frocks on Fifth Avenue.

There may be no solution, says Rykwert, but by learning from history we can begin to understand the rules of the city-making game. We can see what to do and what not to do; what will make us happy and what will make us sad. What seems to have made so many of us sad at one time or another is the industrial city on overdrive and the subsequent dumb attempts - postmodern architecture with all its trite, whimsical conceits, for example - to tidy it up as it moves into a post-industrial phase. Rykwert spins through the creation of the industrial city and the ills spawned in its wake. But he is never so bald as to suggest, like some latter-day Aristophanes, Martial or Marvell, that all was wrong with the industrial city. It gave Rykwert himself his favourite "polis", New York. Without Bessemer and his invention of steel smelting or Otis and the first safe passenger lift, the charismatic Manhattan skyline would never have lifted off.

What Rykwert shows to devastating effect is the degree to which architects paid little heed to the plight of the inexorably expanding 19th-century city. They toyed with the design of public buildings, compounded grand urban planning theories (some quite mad), but only rarely considered the dystopian plight of the masses somehow surviving among rows of shabby buildings not fit to be called architecture, awash with sewage and ravaged by disease. "From this filthy sewer flows gold," wrote the social observer Alexis de Tocqueville in 1835; he was describing Manchester, workshop of the world.

A linear city that would have stretched from Madrid to St Petersburg, a gallery of railways set on arches around central London, garden cities, cities of towers: all these get their turn under Rykwert's microscope. When the professor gets to the 21st-century city, however, you can see him beginning to throw up his hands. We now live in a world of theme parks, of ersatz urban experiences, cyberspace and SimCity (city making reduced to a digitised game in which money rules). We have the city as all-but-redundant tourist attraction (Venice) and the instant new cities of southern China (Shenzhen, for example) as parodies of their old western counterparts. In a "the world is too much with us/getting and spending we lay waste our powers" moment, Rykwert turns to Wordsworth for solace. Faced with such inanities, he finds comfort in these lines:

The eye - it cannot choose but see;

We cannot bid the ear be still;

Our bodies feel, wher'er they be,

Against or with our will.

In other words, as sensual, sentient beings, we react viscerally against these dystopian visions, from SimCity to Shenzhen. And, in Rykwert's case, retreat to the glorious bustle of Manhattan. Here the city, for all the attempts to denigrate or undermine it by crude planning, mean building or escapist criticism, "remains unbeaten . . . though under constant siege [New York] has maintained its astonishing and contrary vitality". The greatest game of "polis" ever played, he might have said. You may well take issue with Rykwert and question whether New York is indeed the Athens of our day; but few authors can take you on such a convincing, rigorous and enjoyable journey from the fall of Adam and Eve to an electric-aided sunset over Manhattan. Rykwert's city game is well worth playing.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

#just for books #Joseph Rykwert #The Seduction of Place #book review

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noxwithoutstars · 20 hours ago

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hiii . ur asks are closed on lucancore and i didnt knyow if it was alright for me to dm you i hope you dont mind me asking on here ... do you hauve . any kpop recommendations . smiles so sneetly /silly

AUGH I HAD NO IDEA ASKS WERE CLOSED

anyways... rubbing my hands together.. we gotta start with the best of the best of course (i'm gonna go heavy on the older groups)

Boy bands

tvxq: mirotic

2pm: my house, heartbeat, adtoy, again and again

shinee: ring ding dong, lucifer, replay, sherlock, view, juliet, dream girl

infinite: the chaser, man in love, be mine, the eye, bad, back, paradise

exo: growl, call me baby, monster, love me right, tempo, the eve, overdose

got7: if you do, you calling my name, lullaby, girls girls girls (lol)

vixx: error, shangri-la, chained up, eternity, voodoo doll

monsta x: jealousy, love killa, love, gambler, dramarama

day6: you were beautiful, congratulations, shoot me, zombie, time of our life, love me or leave me, not fine, 121U

seventeen: literally all of their title tracks up to 2019 (from 2015-9)

nct (all nct subunits; there are 4): my first and last, kick it, beatbox, firetruck, love talk

other groups with banger songs: oneus, a.c.e, onf, sf9, pentagon, ikon, btob, wanna one

Girl groups

girls gen: all of their songs tbh but -> the boys, i got a boy, mr. mr, run devil run, lionheart

t-ara: roly-poly, sexy love, day by day, cry cry, sugar free, 느낌 아니까

kara: mr, step, lupin, pandora, mama mia, when i move

sistar: touch my body, i swear, loving you, ma boy, alone

apink: mollayo, luv, mr. chu, dumhdurum, eung eung, my my

f(x): electric shock, 4 walls, nu abo, la cha ta, hot summer, red light

exid: i love you, up and down, lady, ddd, hot pink, ah yeah

mamamoo: hip, egotistic, gogbebe, decalcomanie, yes i am

red velvet: bad boy, psycho, feel my rhythm, russian roulette, peekaboo

oh my girl: secret garden, dun dun dance, the fifth season

other groups: weki meki, dreamcatcher, lovelyz, fromis_9, clc, wjsn, ioi, girl's day, after school

#it's a long list sorry #tl;dr #check out shinee #asks #endearie

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froppy-butterflyfan2000 · 6 months ago

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🧶🌊🌈💖🗡️🐉💙🍪⚡️ for Vincenzia!

Sure! Oh by the way, it is Vincenza.

🧶 - Do they do any arts, crafts, or creative hobbies?

In the aftermath of the war between the Queenguards and their allies and The Titanic Ten, the resurrected legendary warriors, and rebel monsters whose side with them, and the arrival of the continent, Sweetopia, where The Candyfolk Kingdom reside (created by @cooltmoney95) coming to help aid everyone in the rebuilding of Mewni, she take up baking to help provide food aids for the people of baking. Vincenza is fast enough magically to delivery messages (if her crow, Salem is needed by the Second Division) to Captain Fum and food aids. Even considering helping Spikeballs (Her knight, Vega’s dad) out in construction work in repairing villages. But baking is what she got into the most in the rebuilding phrase of Mewni. The scent of breads rising up in the oven, freshly baked are so wonderful. This is all thanks to Vincenza spending her time with Gino Churro.

Cartography (when exploring Mewni in her free-time).

Occasionally singing (Warning: Covers your ears! She sounds like a combination of a mirror-phone vibrating, scratching on the chalkboard, and crow.)

💙 - Describe their bedroom! Is it personalized, unchanged? Messy, neat?

Vincenza tried to make her room neat and tidy to be presentable of her royal status. Her clothes are kept in her dress cabinet (it is where she stash board games and a box of her maps). She make sure to dusts it before the maids do. However, the room will occasionally have eagle feathers and outdated maps of Mewni, that she drew, scattered on the floor. Vincenza make sure to pick up the outdated maps and put them in a box for safekeeping. Otherwise the maids will throw them away by going into the trash, or worst, her mother see them.

Vincenza personalized her room to be a mix of Bloomcore and in-between Gothpunk and Whimsigothcore.

🍪 - What are their favorite scents?

Earth/Dirt (Thanks to Fum)

Cherry Blossom

The smell of freshly baked breads (Thanks to Gino Churro, @cooltmoney95’s Breadfolk and a part of the Sixth Division)

Bergamot Musk Scented Candle to ease her fatigue (useful for her because it delay her hunger whether she use her magical ability). It also help ease her anxiety.

Roses from Eclipsa’s Garden

Pig-Goat Stew and Smoked Pig-Goat Leg

Goblin Dog

Smell of the maps

Fresh air and floral scents of the the forests (both from Pixtopia and Mewni)

🌈 - Do you associate any colors with them?

Teal Blue

St. Patrick’s Blue

Navy Blue

Cerulean Blue

Vermillion Orange

Red Orange

Bright Red

Cherry Blossom Pink

Magenta

🐉 - Very serious question… are they more like a dragon, or a unicorn?

A unicorn, due to how rare I am in writing stories about her that I promise to, and her being one of the first Pixie Hybrids in existence in Tales of Mewni. Vincenza only appear in @kururu418’s Tales of Mewni (main storyline), the stories I typed using prompts, and the story of her and @laylaylamode’s Jia exploring Noceto Forest. I really need to finish the sequel. 😥

🌊 - Does this oc have a secret or repressed desire?

Her secret desire is to marry Fum (this character is The Captain of the Fifth Division and he belongs to @kururu418), but everyone in the Queensguard know. Her colleague, Robin Skylight (@cooltmoney95’s ToM SVTFOE next gen character) calls her Simp. 😂. That is why she is honing her size manipulation, in order to becomes bigger. By bigger, I means giant-sized, so she can challenge Fum to a duel of love. However, Lilli (ToM Brownie OC of @doomface) seem to beats her to it 😂.

People to play with in Dungeons and Dragons. (Although, I don’t know how to write a story of people playing that game. 😔)

⚡ - Does this oc have any unusual or “irrational” fears?

Ice Magic (because it is responsible for her unable to fly because of a broken wing), specially Astro’s Ice Magic.

Rubella’s cold stare when Vincenza is late for her lesson on diplomacy. Rubella Lucitor belongs to @cooltmoney95.

Losing control of herself when she get very wrathful/apeshit.

The Grove Guardians in the forests of Pixtopia Dimension.

🗡️ - Does this oc have a signature object, accessory, or weapon?

Her scythe, The Befallen. It is forged in The Waterfolk Kingdom and is a gift from her twin sister, Cordelia.

Her red flowers hair clip.

Navy Blue hooded cape/Snowy Owl (A Beast in Pixtopia that was slain) Feathered Cape

💝 - How much effort do they put into appearances? Do they have a favorite article of clothing?

Vincenza doesn’t put much in though. Usually always wear her double dutch braids in her duty as a knight.

When it come to social events and representing the pixies in Pixtopia, Vincenza put a lot of effort in her appearances when it come to social events. She wears a Dutch Braided Bun when attending meetings with the heirs of Mewni Kingdoms and Monster Tribes on Cordelia’s behalf.

In her time on Earth, Vincenza is low-key into gothic fashion (Originally Pastel Goth. Vincenza is trying out a combination of Romantic Gothic Fashion and Faerie Gothic Fashion). Her theme of fashion is a cherry blossom theme.

#tales of mewni #Vincenza Dolittle #thanks you for asking!#This feels like my first ask about Vincenza.#laylaylamode

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fandomassimilator · 7 months ago

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I know people hc that Fred II and Roxanne are the next generation of Weasley twins but I always imagine it as Molly and Lucy. Percy watched Fred die, so emotional damage, and identical or not, he would still know to raise his daughters like different people without as much pressure of ‘the Weasley twins’ on them. It follows the pattern of the sibling of the twins having the next generation.

Screw it, rant time. You can tell which gen people prefer by how they characterize the next gen. Rose isnt the next Hermionie, Hugo isnt just another Ron, Albus isnt Regulous, Scorbus isnt Drarry or Jegulous for that matter. Most importantly, kids named after dead people arent those people. The pressure of having to live up to James Potter, Sirius Black, and Fred Weasley isnt going to shape these kids into them.

Imagine it like this: Mcgonagall sees the names James Sirius, Fred II, Teddy Lupin, and thinks it’s all over. But James is a good kid, he likes being liked. He plays Quidditch, but isn’t obsessed with it. They pull the occasional prank, but it’s nothing ingenious. They grew up on stories of the mauaders, prewetts and Weasley how can you blame them. Teddy tutors younger-years, James makes non-magical maps for first-years, Fred’s fireworks are the silent type as to not wake anyone. All is well.

Then Lilly Luna Potter strolls in, followed closely by the next generation of twins. Lily’s in Slytherin, Molly in Gryphindor and Lucy in Ravenclaw, though Mcgonagall finds herself questioning it twice a week. They have access to three common rooms, the RoR, Lilly nicks the Mauaders map from James three weeks in, Albus lets them borrow the invisibility cloak. Gravity is reversed in the great hall, everyone’s dragonhide gloves are filled with itching powder, thornless roses block corridors, hundreds of marbles are released down the staircases. Mcgonagall writes to Percy twice to confirm he only has two children because Argus keeps swearing there are four, one in each house.

It’s a miracle to see any of them wearing the correct tie, Huffelpuff tries to stay out of it, a ‘war’ starts between the entire house of Ravenclaw and Slytherin that ends with a school-wide assembly because oh my gods its all the geniuses of the school going to war the Gryphindors and Huffelpuffs need to actually learn. Molly plays Beater for Ravenclaw, Lily takes Teddys job of commentator. In third year Iily and Alice Longobottom take polyjuice so there actually are four of them during Christmas dinner, Rose has never looked so afraid.

Molly gets every detention, though probably split them 50/5o with Lucy. Lucy’s record is perfect as a Result, she makes prefect. A mistake. She catches a group of muggleborns trying to set up Wi-Fi and actively helps them. Lily finds out she inherited Parseltounge from her dad in fifth year, they of course turn the Chamber of Secrets into a lounge (their parents had the baskalisk cleared out) Most letters send home say: ‘Something has happened, we cant prove it was your daughter, but who else could train two hundred garden snakes to follow Albus around so kids stop picking on him’

#Molly Lucy and Lilly are the menaces #Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk #harry potter #harry potter fandom #hp #molly weasley ii #Lucy Weasley #lilly luna potter #hp next gen #harry potter next generation #minerva mcgonagall

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drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 1 year ago

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Nothing and Everything - Part 4

Summary: Certain times of the year are harder than others. This is the first year where they have all been present to face the memories of all the trauma. How can they come together when they each have their own traumas to face?

Pairings: Gen fic (they love Layla and she loves them)

Warnings: Heavy dissociation, Mentions of child abuse, some mentions of violence, Depression, mentions of self harm, mentions of hospitalization, PTSD.

Word Count: 5094

Part four: With the moon boys approaching crisis, Layla has called in an expert. But this expert knows that this is no easy task, after all, he's worked with them before. Is it mission fail or will it work?

Previous Chapter HERE

Jean-Paul sat waiting at a cafe in the high end of London. He had always wanted to try this place. It served croissants that just about melted in your mouth and coffee that reminded him of a night he once spent in Turkey.

The table was set with a fruit platter, macaroons, a chocolate croissant, and two cups of coffee. He was considering ordering a slice of quiche to top it all off.

It was extravagant and the bill far exceeded the quantity of the meal, but he didn’t care. He had made a promise to himself after his last mission that he would never deny himself a moment of happiness.

He was retired. A label that most mercenaries never lived to see. Considering that all his former comrades and friends were in the ground, he took a special moment as he sipped his coffee to savor the moment.

The smell brought him back to bright string lights across a street, vendors lining the path with food and drinks, the bright neon signs that advertised bars and clubs and the dark paths that lead to drugs and other unsavory places.

Most of all, the taste brought him back to a young man at his side, smiling and laughing as they ate kebab and celebrated being alive. Dark eyes and dark hair, and a smile that was so rare and beautiful…

Jean-Paul breathed in the smell deeply, holding the cup gingerly. Bitter sweet as it was, the moment was gone, along with the regrets and opportunities that he had let pass him by.

He set the cup down as a familiar head of curls appeared next to his table.

“Ma chérie… It has been too long.” He smiled up at Layla and gestured to the open seat across from him.

Layla sat down and looked down at the spread before them. “Jean-Paul, thank you for coming.”

She immediately picked out a macaroon and bit into it with a sense that she had needed something sweet and wonderful in her life right now.

He waited for her to settle in, knowing that sometimes you just need to remind yourself that life outside of stress and pain and panic existed.

At last she sat back and looked up at him with a smile. “How are you? Are you staying here in London?”

“Ah, we are starting with the small chat?” He smirked and picked up a slice of honeydew. He took a bite and waved his fork vaguely. “I have a lovely hotel that overlooks some favous garden that I could care less about, but it does serve the most wonderful breakfast and the mattress is perfectly firm to support my poor back. I cannot stand these super soft beds people like these days. False decadence, is what it is. I would just as soon sleep on the floor.”

Layla laughed and reached for a strawberry. “I’m all about the pillows, really. Give me five and I’m happy.”

“Five? Hmmm… Two for the head, one to hug, one for the hips…Where does the fifth one go?” He smiled sat back in his seat.

Layla blushed and gave him a mischievous grin. “Depends on if I’m alone or not.”

Jean-Paul feigned a scandalous gasp. “If only I were straight. I would steal you away from Marc and go on a wild romantic excursion through all of Paris with you.”

“I have been through enough wild excursions.” She shook her head. “And I am sure there are plenty of men begging you to fly them away.”

“Not as many as there used to be.” Jean-Paul shrugged. “I’m not as handsome as I used to be. I’m waiting for time to turn me into a silver fox. Perhaps I can turn into someone’s… What do you call it? Candy daddy?”

Layla made a face. “I just call Marc a dirty old man.”

They burst out laughing, her stress finally melting away and letting her relax for the first time in weeks.

When the laughter faded, she ordered a cup of coffee and a pastry filled with jam. Her sweet tooth was just as bad as he remembered.

They chatted a moment about mundane things. Her life in London and work in translation and identification of artifacts. His life in private flights and mechanics.

They talked about old days and the more recent adventure he had missed in Egypt. Of all the talk, he noted that she kept a wide circle around the actual subject of their meeting.

At last, she stared down into her cup and found nowhere else to go. “Have you heard from Marc?”

“No. Not since you all came back from Egypt. It was more of a courtesy call, really. I think he felt bad for ghosting me. Perhaps he feared I too would track him down like an angry ex-wife.” He smiled at Layla gently.

“Idiot didn’t sign the papers. We were never ex-anything.” She rolled her eyes. “Did he talk to you about…Steven?”

Jean-Paul took a moment to cross his legs and arms, deep in thought. Perhaps to her, it looked like he was trying to remember.

In reality, he was deep in memory.

“Swear to me, mi corazon…. Don’t tell him. He cannot know…”

A memory filled with dark eyes and a deep regret for things lost.

“If you are asking if I know about his… condition…” He treaded lightly.

“Dissociative identity disorder. D.I.D for short.” Layla said it with the air of someone that has had to explain it a lot. “You knew?”

Jean-Paul looked down into his coffee and at last put the tiger to bed. “I knew about Jake.”

Layla dropped her fork. “Jake? Jake Lockley? You knew about Jake?”

He groaned and looked up at her sheepishly. “Please tell me that you know him now. I do not like being the one to cause problems.”

“Oh, I know about Jake.” Her jaw was firmly set in a line. “That man… That man…” She sat back and shook her head. “It took a long time for me to know about Jake, though. Steven showed up when the whole thing with Egypt happened. It’s how I found Marc when he ran off. Jake took his sweet time to introduce himself to the rest of us. Marc certainly didn’t know.”

A lot of things were starting to click into place and Jean-Paul laughed softly to himself. “Does Steven happen to sound like a little English fellow? The sweetest smile you’ll ever see? The kind that melts into your heart and makes you wish life were different?”

Layla stared at him for a long and hard moment before she nodded. “Did you know about Steven?”

He tapped a finger on the table, knowing full well that the tiger may be in bed but it was still dangerous. “I met him once. We had brunch.”

She raised an eyebrow and Jean-Paul held up his hands in surrender. “Marc is not as in control as he thinks. When things were hot, of course he was Marc. I would not want to see that sweet English tart out into the things that we got into, either. But when things cooled down… When it was quiet and we went into town to spend money and have fun… Sometimes the quiet could set in and we went to the right town…It was like he couldn’t help but let Steven out to enjoy it.”

Layla mouthed the phrase ‘sweet english tart’ incredulously.

“Steven probably thought he was there to have brunch and some strange French tourist randomly joined him. I’d be surprised if he remembered it.” Jean-Paul sipped the coffee with a smile, remembering the smile and the joy. Joy he had never seen on Marc’s face. So open, so beautiful…

“What about Jake?”

Jean-Paul picked at his croissant, eating it piece by piece. How much to say? How much did Marc know at this point?

We have to keep him safe, do you understand?

“Sometimes things were very hot. Very stressful and we both have our fair share of scars. Sometimes Jake was needed.” He sat back and smiled at the past. “My god that man knew how to fight. Marc was good, but Jake…” He placed a hand over his heart as if to ask it nicely to be still. “Sometimes after the fight, Marc could not settle. We all had troubles sometimes. Things we wished we hadn’t done in the moment… Things I wish I could forget. Jake was there for him. For me. He could help the nightmares fade away.”

Layla nodded and looked away. “He stayed hidden really well. He saved us in Egypt. Marc had no idea. Denial I suppose. It wasn’t till Steven insisted that someone else was there that we found Jake. Even then, it took a long time for Jake to start to trust us enough to talk.”

Jean-Paul laughed. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. Jake didn’t just saunter up to me and introduce himself. I was the only one he spoke to of the group. Pretended to be Marc for years. It took time for him to trust me.”

Layla relaxed a little. Perhaps she had felt insulted or left out at the idea that Jake had so openly been around Jean-Paul when she had been with Marc for years and not known about him.

“I must be the worst wife in the history of wives.” She hunched down in the chair over her coffee. “Steven and Jake… How do I miss two whole people?”

Jean-Paul reached across the table and placed a hand on her arm. “Non… Chérie… If people don’t want to be seen, you will not see them. They could be sitting here plain as day and if they don’t want to be known, you will never know them.”

“How do I help them? If they don’t want help?” She held his hand gently. “Marc is depressed, Steven is depressed, and Jake won’t talk to me. Jake talked to me all the time when things were fine. Now he’s shut up again and I think he’s trying to handle it all on his own.”

“Is that why you called me?” Jean-Paul leaned forward.

Layla looked up at him, looking tired and like she was utterly exhausted. “You’re his friend. Maybe seeing you will put him in a better mood. Distract him. Or… Talk him into maybe… getting help.” She sank down, looking ashamed.

Jean-Paul raised his eyebrows. “You want me to talk Marc into seeking help? Like with a psychiatrist?”

“Or a therapist.” She mumbled.

He ran his fingers over his mustache, smoothing it out. “Does he still have a temper?”

Layla waved a hand in a way that suggested that he still very much had a temper but she didn’t want to say so.

“You know about his past, right? Has he told you?” Jean-Paul looked at her seriously.

“He mentioned that he spent some time in a hospital once. He didn’t elaborate and Steven didn’t know anything.”

He finished his coffee and stared into the empty cup. She didn’t know. It wasn’t his place to tell her.

Yet, she had come to him for help. Perhaps she sensed something there. Perhaps this was a line she knew she couldn’t cross alone.

He pulled out a wallet and tossed down enough money to cover the check and tip then stood up. “Finish up here. Don’t let this go to waste.”

“Where are you going?” She looked up at him in alarm.

“I’m going to go make sure my affairs are in order before I do this suicide mission.” He muttered and put on his sunglasses and looked up at the English sun. His instincts told him to wait until evening.

“Thank you Jean-Paul.” She sat back and ate another macaroon. “I owe you.”

“Mmhmm.” He looked down at her again. “Between you and Marc, I could ask for the world.”

“Give me a day. I need to plan. You don’t go on a mission like this just jumping in. Text me his schedule, address, and car information. I need time to steak-out the area. And don’t tell him I’m in town.”

“Thank you. I’ll get you the info you need.” She grabbed her phone to start sending him the info.

Jean-Paul headed out. “You’re lucky you and Marc are beautiful.”

A simple mission. He just needed to look at this like it was another mission. Find the target, track the target, get a feel for their movements and come up with the best time and place to ambush him.

Back in the day, he would have called this sort of mission a breeze. Find one man in the city. Easy.

The problem was the target. He knew this target. He knew the files that would have come with this target. He would have taken one look at this target and charged a king’s ransom.

Marc Spector. Not many people who crossed paths with Marc Spector were still alive. Friend or foe, the man was cursed.

It was enough to make him wish he hadn’t given up smoking.

He spent the first half of the day walking the paths near Marc’s home. He watched the building and looked up at the window, taking in the view that Marc must have during the day. No one would be able to look into his flat without difficulty, but he could see down into the street easily.

The location was good. Something discreet yet close to many public transit lines and a lot of good shops. It was obviously chosen with the idea for convenience and discretion. No one could even see who was going in and out of the building without walking down a side street that was narrow and crowded.

It was clear that Marc had thought this through when going into hiding. It would be unwise of him to approach while Marc was near his home.

The next thing he had done was locate the car.

That had taken quite a bit of thinking. Layla had listed several streets where the car could be parked, which implied that he moved it a lot and seldom picked the same location.

Most people would find a good street near their home and keep to it.

If it had been Marc, he would have parked as far away from home as he could. He might have paid for a spot with cash and kept that spot. The fact that he moved it and parked it in the street and not a garage made him think that this was not Marc’s car.

When he found the car, he had to change the file on who his target was.

Jake Lockley loved his car. It was clean and well kept, but it still had enough trash inside and dirt outside to help disguise it from being too obvious of a target.

Going after Marc was bad enough…But Jake? He would have charged triple his normal asking price back in the day.

Jake was like trying to find water in the desert. You knew it was there. You could see hints and traces of it having been there, but actually finding it?

If Marc didn’t want to be found, Marc wasn’t found. If Jake didn’t want to be found, you might as well be looking on the wrong planet.

He continued down the streets, slowly widening his path until he stopped before a bookstore. It was a small run down looking one with a sandwich board out front and old hand painted signs in the windows.

He had to double check the addresses that Layla had sent him to make sure he was even in the right place.

Jake was not a big reader. The man liked to work with his hands and had liked more practical things like newspapers and magazines. He’d even caught Jake working with crossword puzzles and sudoku a few times.

Marc was a very particular reader. He liked to quote big classics that he had obviously read while in school, but he never touched more modern things. He didn’t read for escapism. His attention span never stayed long enough to dive into a mystery and thrillers hit too close to home.

Of the three of them, this file scared him the most. An unknown and unpredictable asset.

He thought back to his brunch. An excursion into London for reasons he didn’t want to think about. Marc had been bothered the whole while there, constantly looking over his shoulder and acting far too distracted for his taste.

Once the mission was over, he had disappeared altogether. It had been pure chance that he had come across Steven sitting at an outdoor cafe looking pleased as punch to be there.

Expecting Jake or Marc, he had been fascinated by the childlike joy and wonder Steven had exhibited as he talked about London and how much he wished to live there someday.

It wasn’t until partway into the conversation when Steven had suddenly quoted something in perfect French that Jean-Paul suddenly got the sense that Steven was incredibly smart and hiding it very well.

By the end of the conversation, Jean-Paul had felt more than a few heart flutters and was utterly prepared to die for the man.

What little information he had on Steven, made his head spin.

Avid reader, researcher, self taught, multi linguistic, and well skilled in the art of negotiation and sass. Not to mention advanced knowledge in Ancient Egypt, poetry, astronomy, puzzles, and according to Layla, a very fast study and pretty good at fighting.

His only advantage was that Steven had no idea who he was. Yet, Steven left it all out on the table. There was no mystery and Steven did nothing to hide himself. It was Marc that had hidden Seven. Marc that had been so protective of Steven that he had gone to scary and often self destructive tactics to keep the man safe.

And leave it to Marc to put them all in danger as he chose the most dangerous profession. Keep him safe, as long as Marc didn’t get them killed.

The more he thought about it, the more he wondered who he was eventually going to approach. How was he going to get them to listen? How did he get Marc to listen?

Marc, who he knew the best, was also the most trouble he had ever experienced in his life.

Jean-Paul wondered if Jake might be better to approach, but Jake was so protective of Marc… Not to mention what Jake had told him about his experience with the medical field.

Any time one of them had been injured enough to mention a hospital, Marc had resisted. At least one occasion had Jake jumping out the back of the truck with a bullet in his shoulder.

It was time for the next step and the most dangerous one.

He waited at a safe distance until one of them left the house. He was not prepared for the bombardment of emotions that hit him when he saw those familiar locks of curls. Even from this distance, he could see the dark eyes and familiar shape of his nose and chin.

Years. How many years had he ridden side by side with this man…These men?

How long had it been since he last saw them? Since that last moment in the desert with Marc dying and bleeding in the sand? That last moment as he and Layla left on their last adventure?

Jean-Paul took a moment to compose himself then started to follow at a reasonable distance.

He knew that walk. The weave between the people as he seemed to slip through them without leaving a trace. He somehow managed to take that body and make it smaller, closed off and impervious to the outside world.

Jean-Paul pulled back further. Jake would know if he was being followed too closely.

Jake would also know if Jean-Paul came at him with an ulterior motive and shut him down.

The day dragged on as he tailed them. He watched Jake get coffee and food at some diner. He watched Jake smile and talk to people that he obviously saw often.

Did Jake have a life here? No longer hiding in the shadows and popping out when no one was looking? Something he never thought he’d see.

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t just a little jealous.

The more he watched, the more he started to realize how free Jake was. His sense of style, the way he moved, and even his relaxed demeanor now that he was no longer expecting to be shot at every second of every day.

Jean-Paul backed off, slowly letting Jake fade into the crowd. Who was he to bring the past back in when it was clear that Jake wanted nothing but to move forward?

He pulled out his phone and pulled up Layla’s number. He couldn’t do this. Maybe he was selfishly thinking of his own pain or maybe he just couldn’t stand to see the look of betrayal in his target’s eyes.

He was about to text her a mission failed status update when he sensed someone standing at his six.

“It is incredibly hard to tail someone with a mustache like that.” Jake’s accent was no longer strangled out by pretending to be someone he wasn’t. His voice was confident and soft.

Jean-Paul smiled weakly then looked back at him. “Mon Ami… Tailing was never my specialty.”

Jake looked him over, hands in his pockets as he contemplated something. “You look good.”

“I’m alive. Mostly in one piece.” He shrugged.

Jake hesitated then pointed to the phone. “Layla?”

“Yeah. Is Marc…?” He felt like an awkward teenager again and he did his best not to show how defeated he felt.

Jake shook his head. “No, but he’ll be happy to see you. As happy as Marc gets, anyways.”

Somehow, that made him feel a little better. “Can we talk?”

Jake shifted his stance then pulled a hat out from his coat pocket. He pulled it on and adjusted it carefully as if it were some sort of ritual.

He glanced at Jean-Paul and sighed. “Grounding. I don’t want Steven to try anything.”

“And Marc? Are you keeping him away too?”

Jake tilted his hat back and gave Jean-Paul a hard look. “Until I figure out why you’re here, yeah.”

“Fair. Is there somewhere we can go?” He glanced around. “I don’t suppose you’d let me into your flat.”

“You guessed right.” Jake continued to give him a look that made him sweat.

“Still playing the protector.” Jean-Paul shook his head. “Come. We are near my hotel. There’s a garden patio I’ve been told is very nice.”

Jake walked at his side, hands still in his pockets and silent.

How many times had they sat in silence together? How many times had Jake been forced to stay silent as he pretended to be Marc? How long had it taken Jean-Paul to notice?

He let the silence be. It was familiar and comfortable. Silence was safe.

When they reached the hotel, Jean-Paul guided him to the back patio with a fancy garden full of large tropical things that would surely die in the winter and a fragrant rose garden that must have been hell to upkeep.

Stepping out into the area, Jake paused for just a moment and pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering softly to himself. “No, Pendejo. Go away.”

Jean-Paul moved to take a seat at a bench and waited.

Jake sighed and moved to take a seat at his own bench. “Steven likes the flowers. Thinks this place is very fancy.”

“Fancy enough.” Jean-Paul shrugged. “Reminds me of that place in Brazil a bit. But that’s the problem, isn’t it? Every place reminds you of somewhere else.”

“Marc hated it there.” Jake shook his head. “He was pretty pissed about the language issue.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t know they spoke Portuguese.” Jean-Paul smiled. “I’ve never seen a man so confused and angry at the same time.”

Jake laughed softly then held up a hand. “Enough reminiscing. You’re going to wake him up.”

He knew Marc wasn’t really sleeping. It was something else. Floating in a void? Hiding in the back room? Jean-Paul didn’t really know, but the way Jake spoke of it, it made it sound like Jake had tucked Marc into bed and was standing watch for nightmares.

“Do you have a cigarette?” Jake looked at him hopefully. “Steven tossed all mine out. Pretty pissed when he found out about it.”

“No. I quit a year ago.” He smiled to himself. “I’m six months fully sober come next week. Do you know how hard it is to be a Frenchman and sober? Mon Dieu…”

There was surprise on Jake’s face. “Everything? I’m impressed. What changed?”

Jean-Paul looked away. “What was the point of surviving all of that shit if I was just going to kill myself? The drugs weren’t going to bring any of the people I killed back. I had to face the fact that I was miserable and I didn’t want the past to win anymore.”

Jake took off his hat for a moment and ran a hand through his hair. For just a moment, Jean-Paul got the feeling he was sitting with Marc, nervously wringing his hands as he stared down the demons of his past.

The hat went back on and Jake shook his head a little. “Layla threw out the alcohol last month. Marc keeps a bottle of whiskey hidden behind the wall. I let him keep it there. He likes knowing that he can trash himself should the need come. I wouldn’t exactly call that sober, but so far he hasn’t broken down and drained it.”

“Merde.” Jean-Paul laughed. “I kept drugs taped to the back of my ceiling fan for ages. I used to lay there watching the blades spin and wonder how long it would be before I cracked. I didn’t need to use it to be under the spell. My sponsor helped me get it down and flush it when I was finally ready to admit I needed the help.”

“Can’t flush all our problems away.” Jake muttered. “Marc would have tried to flush himself if that were the case.”

“That’s sort of why I’m here.” He leaned back a little and looked at Jake fully. It was time to take the leap. “I want to sponsor you…three.”

“We don’t do drugs.” Jake paused as if asking someone inside just to be certain. “Only Marc drinks and I just need Steven to keep tossing out my cigarettes.”

“Not that kind of sponsor. Though it would be nice to see Marc give up the drink.” He took a deep breath. “You need help. Layla thinks it’s getting pretty bad. She’s worried.”

Jake stiffened. The look of terror that flashed across his face shot through Jean-Paul’s heart horribly. It was the look of a man trapped and desperate to escape. The look of a wounded animal that knew it was only a matter of time before it was hurt again.

“No one’s going to commit you.” He rushed ahead to try and reassure him. “Not unless all of you agree that it’s bad enough to need it. I’m not here to lock you up.”

Jake swallowed hard. “I have this. I told her I had it. She didn’t have to call you up. I’m sorry I wasted your time.” He stood up and made for the door. “It was nice to see you again, Frenchie.”

“I spent three months in the hospital.” Jean-Paul stood up. “Self committed.”

Jake stopped but didn’t turn around. “Because of the drugs?”

“Because of the memories. The guilt.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “Because I couldn't stop seeing the face of the woman I killed in the crossfire. I was a mercenary before you were. A legionnaire before that. We all did things in our endless search for gold, glory, and attempt to escape the past. I burned down villages before Marc crossed his first battlefield.”

“Did it help? Do you sleep at night now? Did you forget her face?” Jake looked down and worked his jaw, clenching it till Jean-Paul worried about his dentition.

“I don’t want to kill myself anymore. I also joined a veteran’s support group. It wasn’t just one thing, but it was the first step for me.” A step that he had struggled with the whole time. One he had wished that someone had been there to support him on.

“I’m not going to a hospital.” Jake clenched his fists at his side, prepared to fight anyone that disagreed with him. “They don’t know the first thing about our…problem. Half of them think they can drug away the issue and the other half think we’re faking it. And that doesn’t even consider the ones that think it’s fascinating or the ones that think we just need to heal into a full grown singular normal person.”

“I’m not asking you to go.” Jean-Paul sighed. “I’m asking you to consider the possibility that if you are so far down the hole that one of you tries something… If Marc tries something… You might not get that choice anymore. I don’t want you to get that far.”

“So what do we do? Hm? Tell me that.” Jake turned to look at him and the anger was gone. “What choice do we have? Do you have any idea how hard it is for someone like us to find the proper help? I can’t put them through that. The let down as yet another so-called doctor or therapist offers the wrong solution or hurts us again. How do I get Marc on antidepressants without Steven being terrified that somehow the drugs are going to make him disappear because he thinks he isn’t real? How do I get Marc to talk to someone without putting up so many walls that even I can’t reach him again? How do I… How…I can’t do it again. I can’t. I have to hold us together. Just let me do this.”

“Mon ami…”

“Don’t you fucking dare follow me again, amigo.” Jake turned again. “If I catch you trying to get Steven to agree to any of this, you’ll regret it. Don’t even go looking for Marc. Marc isn’t as forgiving as I am.”

With that, Jake was gone, once more leaving Jean-Paul alone in the garden.

Part Five HERE

#Moon Knight #Moon Knight fic #Jake Lockley #Marc Spector #Steven Grant #Layla El Faouly #Jean-Paul Duchamp #Frenchie #This one took me forever to finish #He's doing fine everyone #Real concerns though #That's the second time he's watched that man run off on him

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bestworstcase · 1 year ago

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Do you think the Ever After could act as a parallel to the Garden of Eden?

you know what. asking me this when my latest post leads with me identifying myself as an evangelical apostate and after i’ve been caterwauling again about how rwby isn’t a christian narrative is kind of a power move, ngl. all biblical quotations to follow are from the NASB 1995.

one sidebar i want to make before getting properly into the actual topic of the garden, because it’s something i’ve been mulling over, is the absence from rwby’s cosmological mythos of a primordial ocean. that’s an interesting omission because of how common a motif it is in real-world mythology, christianity included. (In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. […] Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. Gen. 1:1-2,6-7)

i’ve mentioned a handful of times before that rwby takes some noticeable cues from hellenistic philosophy and in particular heraclitus is pretty visible in the ever after—which is salient to the absence of a primordial ocean because the interior of the tree strikes me as a cosmic river flowing both from and around the everliving fire of the forge. see fragments B12, B30, B31, B36, B91, here is a general summary.

this has very little to do with the garden of eden question beyond the, like, broad comment that if analytical comparison between rwby and real world mythological and philosophical traditions is something that interests you generally, peruse what very little remains of heraclitus and also read plato’s timaeus and critias, because the influence is pretty strong.

anyway. back to genesis. the biblical story of creation goes like this:

on the first day, the deity speaks light into being, illuminating the formless waters of the void, and separates the night from the day.

on the second day, he creates a separation between the waters, above and below, and names the waters above the heavens.

on the third day, he parts the waters below and gathers them all into one place, drawing up the earth, which he calls the land and the sea. then he bids the land to become lush with vegetation.

on the fourth day, he creates the sun and the moon and all the stars to govern the passage of time, to mark the days and the seasons and the years, bringing order to the separation between night and day.

on the fifth day, he speaks into being all the creatures of the sea and the sky, the fish and the birds. (and this is no more arbitrary than the creation of the land together with vegetation; the air, remember, is the separation between the waters above and the waters below.)

on the sixth day, he creates all the animals that roam the land, and then he creates humankind in his own image, to “rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (1:26)

and on the seventh day, he rests, and sanctifies the day.

ok. so, i’m not going to get into the weeds of christian theology (<- apostate) so our engagement with genesis here is strictly as a literary text. with that in mind, there are two things i want to make note of:

first, that the biblical creation story is fundamentally about categorization: the deity creates things by naming them and the work of creation is made possible by the separation and definition of what had been a nameless and formless void. the deity first differentiates between day and night, water below and water above (separated by air), land from sea, and then systematically creates things to fill each new category. each day ends with the deity examining what he has made in order to determine that it’s good, and all the living creatures are instructed to “be fruitful and multiply,” in accordance with “their kind,” which is to say that all things are supposed to remain in their categories.

second, that the deity creates the celestial bodies to govern the heavens; he creates plants first, then animals, and to the animals he gives the plants; and lastly he creates man and woman in his own image to govern the whole of creation. the creation of the world itself is indistinguishable from the creation of a natural hierarchy: each new creation is given authority over what came before.

while there are some loose similarities here with how the ever after as it exists now came to be (in that one could make an argument for the separations of the primordial ocean as being akin to the clearing of the wilderness), the fundamental ideas articulated in genesis 1 and in rwby regarding the ever after are diametrically opposed: the notion of an inviolate natural order is, in rwby, textually rejected. balance “cannot be restored by force or calculation” because it “finds its own equilibrium”—and of course the whole point of ascension is that things do not need to remain as they are if they would rather be something else. a girl could become a cat, if she wanted to. the ever after is preoccupied not with designated purpose but chosen purpose, whereas the biblical creation myth is about the designation of purpose.

nevertheless there IS a clear parallel to draw here—between the biblical deity and the god of light. (this is where i stress, again, that i am not making a theological argument but a literary one.) consider the creation story of ‘the two brothers’ as it is told in the fairytale anthology:

first, the primordial dragon separates himself into light and dark.

second, the brothers create the heavens (celestial bodies) and the land.

third, they create animals (and grimm). it is at this point they begin to quarrel, because they cannot agree on whether dark’s contributions are good or bad.

fourth, they decide—to settle the argument—to create a new kind of being in their own image, capable of reason and will, which they agree will be given the freedom to “rule or ruin this world we have made for them.”

fifth, they fail catastrophically to leave well enough alone, fight about it, and go to sleep with the intention of judging humanity’s worth when they awake.

the similarity between this creation story and genesis 1 is much more pronounced, with the crucial difference being that the brothers, unlike the singular deity of the biblical story, cannot come to an agreement on what the natural order should be: every time one of them looks at what they’ve created and deems it good, the other disagrees and changes it.

revelations about their origin in V9 provided a great deal of context to their disagreement and vindicated me on the matter of dark not being the one who’s ultimately causing the problem; the details do not matter particularly to this discussion. the salient point is that light approaches the act of creation in the same manner as the biblical deity, but he exists in a cosmos to which that notion of inviolate, deliberate order is anathema. he is in the wrong story in a very literal sense.

now, insofar as the ever after might be intended as a kind of eden it would have to be for the brothers, yes? because they are the first emanations of the tree and the ever after is theirs to cultivate until their departure. and bearing in mind that at the heart of the narrative conflict is light being, in essence, the biblical deity transposed into a cosmos whose fundamental reality is diametrically opposed to the fundamental reality of biblical myth, there is an interesting angle to tease out here because:

Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Gen 2:15-17)

and

The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. (3:2-7a)

and

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. (3:22-24)

again, there are loose parallels one could draw here with the blacksmith’s tale of the brothers, but the ever after simply does not function the way eden does: no part of the ever after is forbidden to the brothers and their departure from the garden is a gift, rather than a punishment. but consider the beats of the fall of man in the context of how light sees himself.

the temptation of the forbidden fruit is the temptation of divine knowledge—of becoming knowledgeable, and thus becoming godlike. the deity curses adam and eve to punish their disobedience, but that is not why they are cast out: they are made to leave because they have become like gods, and the deity does not want them to eat of the fruit of the tree of life. the expulsion from eden is a precautionary measure to ensure that humans continue to be mortal now that they have the capacity to understand (and thus fear) death.

now lay that against light’s perspective of the events leading up to his and his brother’s departure from the garden: they grew curious. they wanted to do more. they made the cat in deepest secrecy, and learned that they could make things to do their jobs for them. they make the jabberwalker—but he turns out wrong. they have introduced death into this world. their eyes are opened—they become gods. jabber is their fruit of knowledge. light (like adam, like eve) reacts to his newfound understanding with fear and shame, and tries to erase jabber for the same reason adam and eve scramble to hide their nakedness.

but creating jabber was not a sin. that is the critical difference: the tree does not judge or condemn; jabber and the cat find their places in the ever after and the tree gives the brothers a door to other realms where they can blossom into their divinity. the fear and shame light feels is his own creation—a self-inflicted curse—one he passes down to all his creations in the form of death as ending instead of change. his exile from the garden demands that the permanence of death be codified as a natural law, for the same reason that adam and eve are sent away from eden clothed. who told you that you are naked? who told you that things can die?

nothing guards the ever after’s door. light could return whenever he wished; but he cannot return because his own shame and his fear of what he created forbid it. how this is carried to its conclusion remains to be seen—although it seems inevitable that light will ascend, because he desperately needs to for his own and for remnant’s sake—but i do think rwby is doing something really interesting here with light in relation to biblical creation and the fall of man.

to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge is to become like god; the last act of creation is human defiance and apotheosis, and the experience of apotheosis is the creation of shame. for light both the defiance and the shame are illusory but, to him, deeply and painfully real, and this shame is at the center of him. he is eve who became god and exiled himself from his own garden.

#light: i’m not like a regular god i’m a cool god i have catholic guilt.#dark: what is wrong with you

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redratt · 1 year ago

Text

realized i have 5 bratoviches

I only have art of 3 of them . . .

Rattler Bratovich, 33, Second in Command of the Family Homestead and local menace. She wasn't Embraced, not like Molly, but is the oldest of the Bratovich girls there and the second-oldest of the 'Kiddos' at the homestead-- the only older one is Elijah, who spends most of his time off the land and looking for meat to kidnap for the Tzimisce. Rattler's fucked up eye lets her see spirits/wraiths/etc if she closes her other eye and focuses and is an implant from Gulo, the Tzimisce who maintains their home.

More Rattler Sketches, because she's a terrible woman and I love her dearly. Rattler is both victim and perpetrator; she's trapped in a situation she had no chance of escaping, and has been made into something truly horrid -- but the fact that she never had a chance to be anything else makes her a bit... tragic. It's one thing to be a monster because you wanted to, but another entirely to be born into a Revenant House-- and in particular, the house with the reputation for being the most fucked up out of them all, you know? She's not a good person by any means, but she is a good character. You've all seen Molly, of course, and she's Bratovich number 2 -- 7th/8th gen Tzimisce, got locked in a shed for a while until she picked up the flesh-warping practices properly, all of that.

Abbot of the Garden Snakes, Molly has a sense of hospitality that makes her a natural for the position. She shares what she has with the rest of the pack, and gets very frustrated when dealing with Cainites who are more selfish. She understands it, but... c'mon.

Then there's Patchwork/Patchcoat "Patch" Bratovich, the Bone Gnawer Hillfolk Ahroun who hates humans, hates the society of Garou, and refuses to listen to a lot of what the Nation proposes. She hates you, if you're a Silver Fang, a Black Fury, a Talon, a Coggie -- she fucking hates you, because where the fuck were you when the Kin-Blooded Bratovich were suffering? Where were you?

Black Furies in particular really make her mad.

Patch fights the Wyrm, but she doesn't have a pack. She doesn't often attend Moots. She refuses to associate with a lot of the Garou of the Nation, because she thinks they're all just fucked up angry failures who don't actually care about the world beyond their narrow view. She does a lot of work with the poor and the suffering, though, and actually knows a few healing gifts. Patch's Rage is fuelled by what she's seen.

When she was first-changed, Ma Bratovich leashed her up and put her in a silver cage. The muzzle and the scars that are burned into her skin left Patch in a near-constant state of Frenzy. It was there that Rat reached out to her and offered something more than just... being imprisoned.

The fourth Bratovich is Mar'yagh, and she's a Black Spiral Dancer Galliard. Not from Molly/Patch/Rattler's branch of the family, Mar'yagh was fourteen when she Changed, and was immediately driven out to a rural Pit where she was made to Dance the Spiral. Mar'yagh seems pretty normal, and actually has a series of gifts to hide her wyrm-taint. She's amicable, ambling, and has a series of good jokes.

But the Rage is there, and the Wyrm is there, and sometimes her head just hurts, you know?

Her personal Patron is Singing Bat.

The fifth and least-developed Bratovich is Winona (Winnie/Wyn) Bratovich. She's either going to be a Hunter of some kind or a Widderslainte, and I'm not too sure what I want to do with her yet.

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carrrothead-vol2 · 11 months ago

Text

Masterlist for my Queen fic (Kaakson @AO3)

Poly

Japan: Cultural lessons by One English Rock Band (Japan shenanigans, humour)

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (bakery AU, magical realism, fluff, light angst)

I’ll Cruella DeVille you (heist AU, Met Gala, humour)

hold me (I killed a man for you) (dystopian AU, resistance, angst and feels, dysfunctional relationships)

Waves (dystopian AU, character study, angst and feels)

so sad it ends (as it began) (Dystopian AU, imprisonment, angst and feels, dysfunctional relationships, Maylor heavy)

hang me (I saved the world for you) (Dystopian AU, resistance, angst and feels)

Gen

Oh Lady Moon, shine down a little people magic if you will (Hogwarts AU, coming of age, humour)

Ride the Wild Wind (Hogwarts AU, hurt/comfort, platonic Joger)

Your smile speaks books to me (Breakthru filming, HP AU, hurt/comfort, platonic Maycury)

Do cars dream of electric guitars (pining, crack, cars)

And time is but a paper moon (Doctor Who AU, humour, platonic Maylor)

Maycury

Wings of Future (1920s AU, aviation, slow burn, PTSD, pining)

starving, hysterical, naked (Sandman AU, angst, dark comedy elements, light smut)

Froger

The Fifth Element (The Fifth Element AU, sci fi, adventure, fake marriage, humour)

Maylor

Disappear here (American indie teen movie AU, pre-slash, vibes, drugs, eating disorder)

hold me (I killed a man for you) (dystopian AU, resistance, angst and feels, dysfunctional relationships, v polyamory)

Waves (dystopian AU, character study, angst and feels, polyamory negotiations)

so sad it ends (as it began) (Dystopian AU, imprisonment, angst and feels, dysfunctional relationships)

hang me (I saved the world for you) (Dystopian AU, resistance, angst and feels, polyamory)

Joger

hold me (I killed a man for you) (dystopian AU, resistance, angst and feels, dysfunctional relationships, v polyamory)

Waves (dystopian AU, character study, angst and feels, polyamory negotiations)

so sad it ends (as it began) (Dystopian AU, imprisonment, angst and feels, dysfunctional relationships, poly)

hang me (I saved the world for you) (Dystopian AU, resistance, angst and feels, polyamory)

Johnica

Ladies Night (girls’ night in, sex talk, humour)

Brissie

We’re in a pretty pickle, my dear (making out, gardening, secret passages, humour)

#i now have a masterlist!#first new year's resolution down #queen fanfiction #queen rpf #queen #queen band #freddie mercury #roger taylor #brian may #john deacon #kaakson creates stuff

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prettyprettyplumbobs · 1 year ago

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🍓 100 Berry Baby Challenge 🍓

FROM THE BEGINNING | RECENT | CHARACTERS | GENERATIONS

SIMBLR PROGRESS: 17/100 Babies {Teal GEN} IN-GAME PROGRESS: 74/100 Babies {Green GEN}

🍓Introduction

The 100 Berry Baby Challenge is a colorful twist on the original 100 Baby Challenge. The goal is to have 100 babies, but over 10 generations of family gameplay. This style of challenge is great for any simmer looking to for more family-style game play, whether you use berry sims or not!

🍓 Rules

The originally TS4 100 Baby Challenge rules are by SnarkySims. The rules I am following have been adapted for berry sweet sims by Tainoodles and can be found here.

🍓 History

I started playing this challenge in 2020. Originally developed for Youtube (playlist here), I found that it was hard for me to stay on top of producing and editing high quality videos. I have also posted bits of the challenge on Instagram, though inconsistently. My goal is to reboot the challenge from the beginning here, meaning I already have THREE YEARS of content to add to the queue. I want the challenge to have a singular home, both so I can look back on it and so that others can enjoy it, too.

🍓 Road Map

This is my roadmap for the challenge. Feel free to adopt or adapt it if you plan to do the challenge on your own!

YELLOW- My founder Sim is a yellow sim. Every generation's heir will have to inherit a yellow skin tone in order to be eligible to carry on the family.

PURPLE- This is the first generation spouse's color. This generation will be themed around desserts, meaning all of my sims will have dessert-themed names. The heir must inherit purple eyes and purple hair.

TEAL- The second generation will be the teal generation, and will be themed around crystals and stones. This generation emphasizes eco-living. The heir must inherit Teal eyes and Teal hair.

PINK- The third generation will be the pink generation, and will be themed around fruits and berries. The heir must inherit pink hair and pink eyes.

ORANGE- The fourth generation will be the orange generation, and will be themed around teas and spices. This generation also has a heavy emphasis on Spellcasters. The heir must inherit orange hair and eyes.

WHITE- The fifth generation will be the white generation, and will be themed around winter. This generation will live in Mt. Komorebi and incorporate winter sports. The heir must inherit white hair and white eyes.

RED- The sixth generation will be the red generation, and will be themed around music. This generation will incorporate werewolves. The heir must inherit red hair and red eyes.

PLUM- The seventh generation will be the plum generation, and will have a spooky theme. This generation will incorporate vampires. The heir must inherit plum-colored hair and plum-colored eyes.

GREEN- The eighth generation will be the green generation, and will have a garden theme. This generation will live simply off the land. The heir must inherit green hair and green eyes.

BLUE- The ninth generation will be the blue generation, and will have a ocean theme. This generation will take place in Sulani and incorporate mermaids. The heir must inherit blue eyes and blue hair.

PEACH- The tenth generation will be the peach generation, and will have a fabric and sewing theme. This generation will focus around traveling the world. After this, the challenge is complete!

🍓 CREDIT

The picture at the top features sims made for me by @simbersanders, @purpleleopard96, and @anxiousmoodlet as spouses!

#100 berry baby challenge #100 baby challenge #ts4 challenge #ts4 gameplay #berry sims #berry sweet sims #ts4 simblr #100BB

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highwaytothedangerzone502 · 1 year ago

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Foxtrot Alpha Alpha - Chapter 23

Pairing: Hangman x Female OC

Word Count: 3365

Warnings: Swearing, reference to sex

Summary: Hangman learned his lesson a long time ago to never show his true feelings when someone's words or actions hurt him. To do so showed weakness that could be exploited, and Seresin men couldn't show weakness. Of course, there was an exception to every rule, and Jake's always came in the form of women, three in particular: his mom, Juliette Kazansky, and the girl whose name he could no longer bring himself to speak. She was the girl that got away; she was his biggest 'what if' and his biggest regret; she would forever be the ghost that haunted his dreams. Jake believed that's where she'd stay, for he would surely never see her again after what he did.

Or so he thought.

Notes: This is the sequel to India Lima Yankee; I'm using the same callsign for the Female OC as in Ghost Story because I just really like it, but they are different characters; chapters in italics are flashbacks.

Chapter Songs: Long Hot Summer American Country Love Song

****

Hangman

Sleep evaded the Texan all because of three little words spoken days earlier: "Fine. I'll come." Coming from anyone else, they would've meant nothing. This, however, came from Ghost. The girl who refused to speak to him, let alone be around him, ever since Ghoul's death. The girl who discarded him from her life like an undesired weed in a garden. He understood why, of course. Why would Ghost keep him around? The guy who killed her best friend and nearly killed her? She'd made it clear their first night at the Hard Deck that she still blamed him, specifically after her 'watery grave' comment. He'd given up hope that night that they could ever be more than 'old acquaintances.'

Therefore, when Ghost agreed to have him pick her up on Saturday morning for dogfight football, he'd been more than a little taken aback. Even if he'd used a cunning argument in an attempt to get her to agree, Hangman had not expected it to actually work. Ghost hadn't called or texted him to cancel the pickup and say she'd changed her mind, deciding to drive herself; she hadn't canceled the plan altogether, either. No. She had confirmed the pickup with Friday evening, to which he naturally responded yes.

By the time Hangman was meant to head over to Ghost's place, he'd been up for four hours already, spending most of that time working out to alleviate his nerves over being alone, truly alone, with Ghost for the first time since the accident.

"Come on, man," Hangman mumbled to himself, shouldering his duffel bag. "You've faced a fifth-gen fighter in a fourth-gen and won. You can handle a twenty-or-so-minute car ride to get coffee and to go to the beach."

He tossed his stuff into the back and slid into the driver's seat. Country music blaring, he cruised over to Ghost's apartment. He texted her: Here. Hangman exited the truck and waited impatiently at the passenger side door, keeping his hands tightly clasped in front of him to stop himself from mindlessly fiddling his thumbs. Ghost appeared a moment later, somehow holding her guitar case and tote bag in one hand, locking her door with the other, and having her phone sandwiched between her ear and shoulder, a smile lighting up her face. As she approached Hangman, he heard her say: "That sounds great! Listen, my ride is here, but call me later, and we can talk more about it... sounds good. Bye!"

"Hey, stranger," Hangman greeted happily, relieving Ghost of her baggage and opening the passenger door for her.

Ghost returned the sentiment with equal enthusiasm. "Morning!"

"You're in a good mood this morning," he said after putting her stuff in the back and sliding into the driver's seat. "What gives?"

"Do you remember Leo Wolfe?"

Hangman thought back to the chubby, baby-faced cadet he'd sat next to a decade ago. "Yeah, he's Wolfman's son, right?"

"Yeah. You only met him once at my high school graduation dinner, but we've stayed in touch. He's in San Diego for his friend's bachelor party and wanted to visit. I haven't seen him since a little after we graduated from the Navy, so it's been a long time coming."

"That'll be nice. Isn't he a pilot, too?"

"WSO. Followed in his dad's footsteps. Callsign Wolfie."

Hangman chuckled. "Fitting. So, let me guess-" he pulled into the Starbucks drive-thru- "venti iced chai and a ham and Swiss croissant?"

"Yeah, how do you remember that?" Ghost queried, tilting her head.

"You've ordered the same thing for as long as we've gotten Starbucks together. The only time you differ is when the weather turns cold, or Fall hits because then you order a hot chai latte or an iced pumpkin chai latte, respectively."

"Why try something new when my current drink orders are perfection?" Ghost scoffed in mock offense. Hangman shot her an impish grin in response, then leaned out the window and put in their order. As he pulled to the window, she asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"It's on me," he said nonchalantly.

"Jake-"

"No protests. You can repay me by explaining why you're bringing your guitar to dogfight football. Pretty sure we can't throw it, nor do I think you want us to."

"Thank you. That's sweet of you." Ghost shoved her cash back into her wallet. "As for the guitar, Juliette said Penny was hosting an open mic night today, and I thought if I wasn't too sweaty and gross after football, I might do a set or two."

"If you want a partner-"

"You'll have to fight Rooster and Jules for those spots, but you're welcome to try."

"I'll take my bets with Rooster. I know better than to go against Princess."

"Don't we all. How did you two become so close? I know you two became friends during the training detachment, but she seems closer to you than the other Daggers."

Hangman shrugged, hoping to convey indifference despite having had deep feelings for Juliette at one point, feelings that still occasionally arose. "We had a very short, what did you use to call it... flirtationship?"

"You and Juliette were a thing?" Hangman could've sworn Ghost's voice went up an octave.

"Not unless you count a couple of spontaneous kisses a thing before Bradshaw reeled her back in. I don't know... we just kind of clicked. It probably helped that I saved Rooster's life." Hangman did not elaborate further, but the words he wanted to stay remained on the tip of his tongue: Juliette reminded me of you, and I fell for her because of that before I had the chance to stop myself. Unable to gauge how Ghost would react to such a statement, he decided silence as the best option. "What about you and Bradshaw?"

Ghost flushed. "Oh, well, uh, we were always friendly, but we both were going through some shit after we graduated Top Gun. We got drunk together, one thing led to another, and we- we might've hooked up..."

Hangman gasped over-dramatically, clutching his heart. "You didn't!"

"I wasn't friends with Juliette yet! I didn't even know they had dated!" Ghost protested, her cheeks flushing an even deeper maroon.

Hangman laughed good-naturedly and patted her thigh. "Don't worry. I'm messing with you. I already knew about it."

"You- how?"

"Word spreads fast, and one of my associates saw you two leave the bar together and then also saw y'all leave Bradshaw's apartment the morning after."

Ghost narrowed her eyes, mulled over her thoughts briefly, then said, "It was Firefly, wasn't it?"

"It was Firefly. Gotta ask, though, does Princess know?"

"Oh, yeah. Jules could tell by the absolute evaporation of color in my face when she showed me a picture of Rooster that I knew him. It didn't help that I'd literally told her maybe five minutes beforehand how I'd had the best one-night stand of my life right after Top Gun. To say I was mortified barely covers it."

"You getting with Rooster isn't surprising. In fact, I'm shocked you two never dated. No, I'm more surprised that you had a one-night stand with him."

"He's the only one-night stand I've ever had, and I swear to God, if that leaves this truck-"

"I'll be the victim of friendly fire. Don't worry; your secret's safe with me," Hangman promised, handing Ghost her drink and food. Grabbing his, paying, and thanking the barista, he pulled back onto the main road and headed toward the Hard Deck. "Speaking of dating, outside of Kyle, have you dated anyone recently?"

"Not really. Dated one guy for a few months, but he got shipped to a different place, and we broke it off because of the long distance. Maybe if we'd had more time to spend with each other, it could've worked out. I met him because of Leo, actually. He asked me to keep an eye on his friend because he'd just lost his mom." Ghost leaned her head back against the seat and rolled it to look at Hangman. "What about you? Any girlfriends?"

"Nah. You know me. I don't have a habit of settling down. I did have a couple of potentials, but those crashed and burned."

"How come?"

"One loved another man, and the other girl hated me." Hangman purposefully left out the girls' names, considering they were, respectively, Juliette and Ghost.

"Their loss," she said. Jake tried not to think about the irony of the statement coming from her. "What about Coyote? Has he dated anyone?"

Jake frowned. "I thought you two stayed in contact?"

"Not religiously. We'd wish each other happy birthday, happy holidays, and whatnot, but that was it."

"He's dated, but no one serious. Longest one lasted maybe three months."

Ghost nodded in acknowledgment but said nothing else, munching on her croissant. Hangman tried to formulate a new topic of conversation but failed miserably. For him, an awkward silence fell over them, but thankfully, it lasted only a short time because he pulled into the parking lot not long after. The pair hopped out and grabbed their belongings.

"Where is everyone?" Ghost asked, scanning the near-empty beach.

Hangman tossed a football in his hands. "I think we're a little early. Don't worry; they'll be here soon. Want to toss this around for a bit? Warm up?"

"Yeah, that sounds-" Ghost jumped at her cell blaring Lily Allen's 'Fuck You.' She scrambled to turn it down, but Hangman caught a glimpse of the name on the phone and felt his blood boil. Not even bothering to hide his annoyance, he growled, "Kyle's still calling you?"

"Yeah," Ghost muttered, rolling her eyes and hitting decline. "Thought I had that turned down."

"If he calls again, please let me take care of it. All I need is thirty seconds. If that."

Ghost raised an eyebrow at him. "And what exactly are you going to say to him?"

"Let me answer that ringing phone and find out," Hangman insisted, nodding at the phone in her hand, which had started ringing again. Ghost hesitated, then handed the phone to him. Grinning, he happily took it and answered. "Hello?"

"You're not Annalise. Who the hell is this?" Kyle's irritated voice caused an unhealthy rage to surge into Hangman's blood. He sounded more irritated that Ghost hadn't answered rather than being concerned that some "random" guy had picked up her phone instead.

"You're right; this isn't, Annalise. She didn't pick up for a reason, and the hundreds of unanswered calls should give your tiny brain an insight as to why."

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I will be your worst God damn nightmare if you continue harassing her." Hangman glanced at a guy shouting that the Hard Deck wasn't open yet. "Listen carefully because I'm only going to warn you once: they call me Hangman for a reason. If I see you call her one more time, or if Ghost tells me you've reached out to her again, I will rain down living hell on you."

Kyle scoffed. "Yeah? You and whose army?"

"How about the US Navy? Now, I may not have the power to set nine four-star admirals on your ass myself, but-" Hangman smirked at the sight of the blonde hopping out of the familiar blue Bronco that parked next to his truck- "I know the person who can, and they don't take kindly to people messing with their family."

"... Seresin, is that you?" The amused drawl in Kyle's voice caused Hangman's lip to lift in a snarl. "I'll be damned. I thought Annalise cut you out of her life after you killed her wingman."

"She did, and you know what? It speaks volumes that she'd rather hang out with me, the guy who killed her best friend, than answer one of your phone calls."

Ghost stiffened. "Jake-"

He ignored her and continued, "I will say this only once more: leave Annalise alone. Do not call her, do not text her, do not reach out to her. She does not want anything to do with you. Move on or find out what happens when you don't have my brother and father to back you up in a fight."

Hangman hung up before Kyle could utter a syllable in response. He turned to Ghost and said, "He shouldn't bother you again. If he does, let me know. I'll talk Princess into setting some admirals on him."

"I'm not worried about that. About Ghoul-"

"I said what I needed to get the point across to him." Hangman then pointed out that Rooster and Juliette had arrived, declared they should head over to greet them, and then clapped Ghost's shoulder as he left the conversation. He didn't want to talk about what he'd said with Ghost, not now nor ever. He already knew she blamed him for Ghoul's demise and required no reminder, let alone a conversation about it. Hangman didn't need to hear the blame straight from her lips.

Upon approach, Juliette chirped, "Hey! You're here early."

"Yeah, I thought the line would be longer at Starbucks, so Ghost and I got here pretty quickly." Noticing Rooster's brow shoot up, Hangman said, "Put that back down."

Rooster failed to oblige. "So, you two are hanging out?"

"She offered me an olive branch, and I took it." Hangman knelt to pet Raptor and Lightning. "Are the others on their way? I haven't checked my phone recently."

"Weren't you just talking on the phone?"

"He was on mine to my stalker of an ex-fling," Ghost replied, walking up to the group and kneeling next to Hangman to pet the German Shepherds, who had both rolled over onto their backs for belly rubs.

"Kyle?" Juliette asked.

"Kyle," confirmed Hangman and Ghost simultaneously.

"Have I missed something?" Rooster queried.

Juliette patted his shoulder. "I'll catch you up later, honey. What-"

A buzzing phone caught everyone's attention. Judging by how Ghost flinched, Hangman guessed correctly that it was hers. He growled, "If that's Kyle, I swear to God-"

"Hey, Wolfie," Ghost said, placing a calming hand on Hangman's shoulder. His heart lurched at the voluntary, gentle contact.

"Wolfie?!" Jules exclaimed, perking up.

The muffled voice on the other end said, "Is that Juliette Kazansky?"

"Yep, that's her! We're waiting for the rest of the Daggers to get here for dogfight football."

"Dogfight football?"

"I'll explain it when we see each other. What's up?"

"I was standing next to this blue Bronco, looking out over the ocean, and I noticed the most beautiful girls petting some extremely happy German Shepherds." At his words, Ghost stood instantly, scanning the parking lot eagerly. She seemed to zero in on an unfamiliar figure beside Rooster's vehicle. Hangman stood with her just in time to hear Wolfie ask, "Should I go talk to them?"

Ghost beamed broadly. "There will be hell to pay if you don't."

Hangman watched a man jog over, and as he closed the gap between them, he recognized the 'unfamiliar' figure, and his heart inexplicably sank. A ripped man had replaced the former chubby cadet, albeit with some of his baby face left. He was a spitting, younger image of Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe.

"Wolfie!" Ghost gleefully exclaimed as he swept her up into an air hug. "What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"I swear this is just a coincidence. We're meeting here for our day of shenanigans. Considering we're inevitably going to end up drinking copious amounts of alcohol, we're all taking Ubers here." Wolfie turned to Juliette and glanced down at her bulging belly before leaning forward and gently hugging her. "I'd greet you more exuberantly, but I don't want to hurt you or the babies! It's good to see you, Kazansky!"

"You too, Wolfe." Pulling away, she said, "You remember Bradley, right?"

Wolfie snorted. "How could I forget Bradshaw? How you doing, man? Long time no see. What's it been? Ten years?"

"More, I think. And I'm doing good. Yourself?"

"Never better. Good to see you two back together." Then, turning to Hangman, he said, "You look familiar. Where do we know each other from?"

"This is Jake Seresin," Ghost introduced quickly. "Jake, this is Leo. You two met at my graduation party."

A flicker of recognition flashed in Wolfie's eyes. He extended his hand and replied, "Oh, yeah! Callsign Texas, right?"

"It's Hangman now," Jake corrected with a charming smile as he shook the man's hand.

"Hangman?" Wolfie repeated. "Why Hangman?"

"Fly with me and find out."

Wolfie chuckled. "Not sure if I want to find out with that callsign. Well, listen, I won't keep you guys from whatever you're doing, but we need to catch up before I leave."

"I'm not sure what you and your friends have planned, but you're welcome to join us for football. The more people, the better. I'm sure Mav would love to see you, too!" Juliette said sincerely, leaning into Rooster. The color in her face had drained a little, making him wonder if she was getting nauseous or dizzy. Both were concerning to Hangman. Rooster subtly slipped an arm around her waist, his eyes flicking to her to gauge the situation. Whether he observed anything or not, his gaze reverted back to Leo.

"Let me check with the boys. There are six of us, myself included," Wolfie explained, taking out his phone and shooting a text off to a group chat labeled 'Bachelor Blowout.' "There's my pilot, Jackal. You don't know him, but we do have four other eighty-six legacy babies: Sunrise and Diva-"

"Who are they related to from the eighty-six flyboys?" Ghost queried.

"Sundown and Hollywood, respectively. And then, of course, y'all know Jack and Joey Kazansky."

Juliette stiffened. "Oh God. My brothers are with you?"

"Yeah, why?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ooooh, I'm going to get an earful from them about a few things, mainly how I kept some of my pregnancy complications from them."

Wolfie blinked. "Uh, excuse me, what pregnancy complications?"

"Just a few fainting spells and some high blood pressure, all of which I have under control now. I didn't want them to panic if they learned I had more than one blackout, but they did, and now they're pissed. Shit..." Juliette's eyes locked onto two buff, blond men approaching from the distance. "I'm going to take care of this early on. I'll be back."

Juliette hurried off. Rooster excused himself to join her, stating he should help, leaving Hangman alone with Ghost and Wolfie. He felt like the odd man out between them. Hell, between the current group at the beach, he was the only one that didn't have a relation to the infamous "Flyboys of '86." Even Ghost did, being the daughter of Charlotte Blackwood. Where was Coyote when he needed him?

"I'm going to call Jackal and see what he wants to do. I'll be right back!" Wolfie clapped Ghost gently on the shoulder and walked off, talking to his pilot. For better or worse, this left Hangman alone with Ghost.

"Well-" she began- "this morning has certainly turned interesting."

"I know. Feeling kind of like the odd man out with all you legacies," Hangman teased in an attempt to hide his insecurity about it. He moved to stand next to Ghost, watching Juliette and Rooster with the Kazansky boys and Wolfie chatting on the phone.

Ghost caught onto his hidden concern immediately, though. "Don't worry. I feel out of place with them, too. Rooster, Wolfie, and the Kazanskys all grew up together, even if they didn't live next door to each other. Mom never really stayed in touch with anyone except Wolfman, so I never met anyone but Wolfie. I met Sunrise and Diva a handful of times and heard about them through Wolfie, but never met Bradshaw and Jules until I joined the Navy. Funny, considering how close our parents all were at one point."

He turned his head to look down at her. "Guess it's you and me against the legacies today."

Ghost met his gaze, the corner of her lip tugging upward. "Forever?"

Hangman's heart soared. "And always."

****

Tags: @lgg5989 @shanimallina87 @polikszena @summ3rlotus @icemansgirl1999 @supernaturaldawning @thedarkinmansfield @lyannaforpresident @lapilark @getmyprettynameoutofyourmouth @simpofthecentury @shadeops21 @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @double-j @bradshawsandbridgetons @catsandgeekyandnerd @peachiicherries @multifandomcnova @fandomsstolemylife00 @bookloverhorses @mak-32 @midnightmagpiemama @luckyladycreator2 @ellamae021 @kmc1989

Chapters: Chp 1 Chp 2 Chp 3 Chp 4 Chp 5 Chp 6 Chp 7 Chp 8 Chp 9 Chp 10 Chp 11 Chp 12 Chp 13 Chp 14 Chp 15 Chp 16 Chp 17 Chp 18 Chp 19 Chp 20 Chp 21 Chp 22 Chp 23

If you're not on the tag list and want to be, just let me know :)

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nextgensquad · 1 year ago

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What are your headcanons for Molly Weasley II ? She's my favourite next gen character.

Molly Weasley II is Going Places.

That's what everyone says, anyway, all the time, about everything. Her father is the Minister for Magic; her mother is the best damn prosecutor the Ministry has ever seen. All her aunts and uncles are war heroes; her family is the best-connected in the entire United Kingdom. Of course she's going places.

As she gets older, the narrative shifts a little. She might be the only one who's Going Places. Lucy certainly isn't interested in those same places; most of her cousins aren't, either. Molly is the only Head Girl in the entire family -- Louis made Head Boy, and he's the only other prefect besides her. The rest of her cousins, well, they're going places, but probably not the same places. All the others shooting off like stars and she's the one left on planet Earth, trying to root herself to the ground so she won't blow away in the aftermath.

Molly struggles with them a lot. Lucy is a wildfire, never cares who she burns or how far she runs. James carries grudges like battle armor. Albus digs himself in so deep and covers himself with thorns so that it's impossible to cut through to him. It's so hard to help people who don't want to be helped.

When her parents divorce, her world shatters.

Molly spends most of that summer before her seventh year hiding out at the Burrow. Her grandfather eagerly accepts help in his endless quest to reverse engineer muggle artifacts out in the shed, and her grandmother always has a task in the kitchen or in the garden for her to do. It keeps her busy, keeps her sane, while Percy and Audrey battle it out in the courts for custody of the house, the pets, their daughters, their money.

Lucy is god knows where. Off chasing some high, racing against the world. Trying to outrun the monsters. Molly's not a Gryffindor like her. Never known how to be brave enough to run. Only knows how to hide.

When she gets the Head Girl badge in the mail, she almost hides it, too, but her grandmother finds out and makes her tell her parents - her father is so achingly proud it hurts, and even her mother's hard-won approval is like a knife to the gut. She doesn't tell Lucy. Lucy won't care.

The trouble is, Weasleys aren't raised to be authority figures, and they're not raised to follow the rules. Molly's mother comes from a Ravenclaw pureblood family that puts every expectation on their children to be the smartest wizards and witches alive. But Weasleys are Gryffindors, Weasleys are heroes. Weasleys save the world.

Molly doesn't know how she can save the world if she can't even save her own family crumbling down.

Being smart is its own kind of battle, in a family so notoriously anti-authority. Hugo makes fun of her for it every time she catches him and his friends trying to sneak out at night. Rose calls her a narc when she puts a stop to some rather unflattering graffiti in the fifth floor boy's bathroom. James, already graduated, smuggles in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes pranks through letters to his little siblings.

Louis tells her it is what it is. Of course, it's easier for him. He's older, he's a boy, and he carries all of Uncle Bill's effortless cool. Even when they're mad at him, the others respect him. But she's the Minister's daughter. One of the girls in her year steals her notebook and scribbles 'nepo baby' in large scrawling black ink over the top of it. Molly spends hours meticulously copying her notes over to a fresh one that night, too exhausted to turn it in to the teachers.

Lucy takes all the pressure their parents pile on them and explodes it outward, but Molly turns it inwards. She has to better than good, better than perfect. She has to prove she deserves it. That it wasn't just handed to her because she has red hair and freckles, because her dad signs bills into law and her mum made Death Eaters cry in court.

She gets amazing job offers in the Ministry, but she turns them all down. The Daily Prophet begs her for an application, since she had told her Head of House she wanted to be a journalist, but she never gets back to them.

She takes an internship at a different newspaper. Just fetching coffees, contributing a few ideas, some fluff pieces that nobody else wants to write. She has to prove herself here. She doesn't want the job just for walking in the door.

One day, she'll be the best investigative journalist in the country -- in the world, even. One day, her parents will be able to handle being in the same room as each other again. One day, her mother will remarry, and Lucy will be happy enough to attend the wedding without making too many snide remarks, and one day, her father will fall in love again, and one day, maybe, it'll be okay.

#molly weasley ii #hp next gen #hp next generation #hp fic #hp next gen fic #ours #writing #pearl #omg so sorry this ask has been sitting in our inbox since 2021!!#i just went in to clean it out i'm sorry anon; i hope you're still around!

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laresearchette · 1 year ago

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Friday, November 10, 2023 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: FOR ALL MANKIND (Apple TV+) THE CURSE (Paramount +) EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS (W Network) 9:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT? AFTER THE BLAST: THE WILL TO SURVIVE (ABC Feed) BELLE COLLECTIVE (TBD - OWN Canada) THE CURSE (TBD)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

AMAZON PRIME CANADA 007: ROAD TO A MILLION DINA HASHEM: DARK WHISPERS KANDAHAR TREVOR WALLACE: PTERODACTYL

CBC GEM CRIME (Season 2) LE COYOTE TRAMPOLINE GYMNASTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (starts today, goes until November 12th)

CRAVE TV A CHANCE FOR CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE FIRE HORSE FOUR CHRISTMASES GODFATHER OF HARLEM (Season 3, Episode 1) INTO THE DEEP THE JOURNEY HOME LAMBORGHINI: THE MAN, THE LEGEND MIRACLE IN MOTOR CITY ONE WEEK PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH SISU STILL MINE VIOLENT NIGHT

DISNEY + STAR BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT

NETFLIX CANADA AT THE MOMENT (TW) THE KILLER TEAM NINJA WARRIOR (Season 2)

2023 FIFA MEN'S U17 WORLD CUP (TSN/TSN4) 6:48am: Spain vs. Canada

GRAND SLAM OF CURLING (SN) 11:00am: National - Draw 14 (SN) 3:00pm: National - Draw 15 (SN) 7:00pm: National - Draw 16

NHL HOCKEY (SNWest/TSN4) 7:00pm: Flames vs. Leafs (SN1) 7:00pm: Wild vs. Sabres (SN) 10:00pm: Sharks vs. Knights

NBA BASKETBALL (TSN/TSN3/TSN5) 7:30pm: Nets vs. Celtics (SN Now) 8:30pm: Clippers vs. Stars (TSN/TSN3/TSN5) 10:00pm: Lakers vs. Suns

AMPLIFY (APTN) 7:30pm: Anishinaabe electro-pop artist Wolf Saga draws inspiration for his music from a painting his grandmother bought, which connects him to his culture. This episode features Richard Gracious, Janis Monture, Elder Mary Lou Smoke and Betty Albert.

THE FATHER (CTV2) 8:00pm: A man refuses assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and the fabric of his reality.

7TH GEN (APTN) 8:00pm: Matthew Monias - Mattmac: Many people know Matthew Monias by his stage name, Mattmac. Discover how this Oji-Cree blind recording artist from Garden Hill First Nation is taking the world by storm with his music and blazing a trail with his advocacy work.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF JERSEY (Slice) 8:00pm: La Finn

PLANET WONDER (CBC) 8:30pm: How the language used about climate change affects the motivation to do something about it.

A DASH OF CHRISTMAS (CTV Life) 8:00pm: To apply for her dream job at a foodie startup, an executive must learn to bake. When she recruits a handsome baker to help her, she inadvertently ends up in a Christmas Bakeoff.

FRIDAY NIGHT THUNDER (APTN) 8:30pm: The inaugural NASCAR Pinty's race finally arrives at Ohsweken Speedway and Aaron Turkey proves to be a hometown hero in the historic event. Meanwhile, Joshua Hill hustles to get his car back on the track after getting into a wreck the night before.

THE FIFTH ESTATE (CBC) 9:00pm: The Girls Around Robert G. Miller: In partnership with Radio-Canada's investigative program, "Enquête," "The Fifth Estate" examines troubling claims that a Canadian billionaire had a long history of paying teenagers for sex.

TRANSPLANT (CTV) 9:00pm: Bash reconnects with the man who got him to Canada.

BEAT BOBBY FLAY: HOLIDAY THROWDOWN (Food Network Canada) 9:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Katie Lee Biegel cracks the wishbone with Turkey Day classics and makes this holiday reunion a surprise family affair. Chefs Darnell Ferguson, Bryan Voltaggio and Michael Voltaggio attempt to squash Bobby Flay with a new turkey tradition.

CATWOMAN: HUNTED (Cartoon Network Canada) 9:00pm: Catwoman attempts to steal a priceless jewel.

VIOLENT NIGHT (Crave) 9:00pm: An elite team of mercenaries breaks into a family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone hostage inside. However, they aren't prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he's about to show why this Nick is no saint.

W5 (CTV) 10:00pm: The Mystery Bomber: "W5" investigates the identity of a would-be bank robber who exploded in a dramatic heist.

CRIME BEAT (Global) 10:00pm: Nothing is What it Seems: Part 1: A man walking his dog comes upon a neighbor's garage engulfed in flames; when the smoke clears, a woman is found dead with drug paraphernalia nearby; nothing is what it seems, and police are left combing through a web of lies to find the killer.

#cdntv #cancon #canadian tv #canadian tv listings #amplify #7th gen #the real housewives of jersey #planet wonder #friday night thunder #the fifth estate #transplant #W5 #crime beat #fifa men's world cup #curling #nhl hockey #nba basketball

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crowdvscritic · 2 years ago

Text

round up // APRIL 23

A selection of words capturing my April pop culture experiences:

Museum

Podcast

Amy Sherman-Palladino

Muppets

Vampire

Nike

American Girl dolls

Read on for everything that brought me joy this month!

April Crowd-Pleasers

1. Renfield (2023)

Did I write a review of Renfield, an ode to the two Nic(k)s, or analysis of the Great Resignation? Yes, yes, and yes. Read whatever, in fact, I wrote at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

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2. SNL Round Up

Whether they’re spoofing my childhood toys, my young adulthood wedding commitments, or my love for the Jonas Brothers, the crew in Studio 8H has been keeping me laughing this Spring.

“Southwest Airlines Announcement” (4811 with Michael B. Jordan)

“The Big Hollywood Quiz” (4812 with Pedro Pascal) - A great example of how no one watches the same things anymore

“Waking Up” (4812)

“Protective Mom” (4812)

“Lisa From Temecula” (4812)

“American Girl Café” (4814 with Travis Kelce)

“Bridesmaid Cult Documentary” (4816 with Quinta Brunson) - I feel seen

"Weekend Update: Co-Worker Who's Extremely Busy Doing Seemingly Nothing on Returning to the Office” (4817 with Molly Shannon) - I feel attacked

“Sally O'Malley: Jonas Brothers” (4817)

“American Girl Doll Movie Trailer” (4818 with Ana de Armas)

3. Descanso Gardens

Because I can’t resist a botanical garden! Gardens are becoming a go-to attraction for me on vacations, and the Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles did not disappoint. The day we went was not too crowded but was impressive enough to earn a huge crowd—a hidden gem for LA tourists!

4. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Panel at PaleyFest

The gardens were lovely, but there were two other attractions that were the real reason for my visit to Los Angeles. The first was PaleyFest to see Amy Sherman-Palladino, Daniel Palladino, and the cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel! Just before the fifth and final season started on Amazon Prime, we heard Alex Borstein and Rachel Brosnahan share their mourning process for the show’s ending, Caroline Aaron and Michael Zegen reflect on what these roles have meant to them, and Tony Shalhoub crack up the crowd. (And who knew I would be so starstruck by him? When he came on stage I wanted to scream, “YOU WERE SO GOOD IN GALAXY QUEST!”) Check out SO IT’S A SHOW’s Instagram for more highlights from when my podcast co-host Kyla and I visited the Dolby Theatre (home of the Oscars!).

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4. John Mulaney: Baby J (2023)

A full year ago I saw John Mulaney on his From Scratch tour, and now you can enjoy the set at home. His joke about not being interested in science “from magnets to ducks” did not make the cut (and alas now I can’t remember the setup for that punchline), but the other 90% of a show that made me laugh so hard I cried is preserved forever.

5. The Muppets. (2015-16)

Why did this gem only last 16 episodes? In this one-season single-cam sitcom, the Muppets are working on Late Night with Miss Piggy, a setting that could’ve produced comedy gold for years. With the frazzled Kermit producing, the Electric Mayhem as the in-studio band, and celebrity guests through the felt nose, I’m glad I checked out these 16 eps even though they ended on a cliffhanger. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like for Miss Piggy to date Josh Groban or to hold grudges against every blonde actress in Hollywood, you won’t want to miss it either.

7. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023)

Special in the way that the best coming-of-age movies are. I suspect Margaret’s insecurities about boys, bras, and besties will feel relatable to Gens Z and Alpha if for no other reason than this movie’s depiction felt scarily accurate to my own experience in the mid-2000s. I promise I will never start a review with the story of my first period ever again! At least, probably—at the rate we're going, it will never be apropos again. Read the full review at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10

April Critic Picks

1. AIR (2023)

Is it controversial to say Matt and Ben’s collabs only get better? If we're playing Greatest/Best/Favorite, this might be my new ranking:

Greatest: Good Will Hunting

Best: The Last Duel

Favorite: AIR

Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

2. The Academy Museum

The other reason I went out to Los Angeles: After years of pandemic-caused delays, I finally made it to the Academy Museum! Six floors of movie and Oscars history and memorabilia? You know I’m in my happy place, but casual movie fans will find something for them, too. Some of my favorite exhibits included the several-stories high Mount Rushmore backdrop used in North by Northwest, the gallery that used The Godfather to show each element of filmmaking, and the pianos from Casablanca. Fanny’s (named for Barbra Streisand’s character in Funny Girl) serves exceptional museum food, and I learned about deep cut filmmakers and movements I was only vaguely familiar with before I went. I’d give the Academy a gold statue for museum execution if I could!

3. Good Reads

A miscellaneous round up of good stuff I’ve read lately…

Final thoughts on 2022 Awards Season:

“How Avatar: The Way of Water Can Make $2 Billion and Still Feel Irrelevant,” Vox.com (2023)

“How Did We Let the Golden Globes Back In?” LATimes.com (2022)

Unexpected responses to Cocaine Bear:

“An Attempt to Define the ‘Good for Her’ Cinematic Universe,” Vulture.com (2023)

“The Case for Cocaine Bears,” Slate.com (2023)

Glitches in the Sports Industry Matrix:

“America’s Bad Bet on Expanding Legal Sports Gambling,” Vox.com (2023)

“Will Damar Hamlin’s Injury Change the NFL? Why a Safer Game Could Turn Away Fans,” LATimes.com (2023)

Watching trends that need to be fixed:

“Mumbling Actors, Bad Speakers or Lazy Listeners? Why Everyone is Watching TV With Subtitles On,” TheGuardian.com (2023)

“Television Is Going Exactly the Wrong Direction. I Know the Solution.” Slate.com (2023)

Explorations of our malaise at work:

“How to Care Less About Work,” TheAtlantic.com (2021)

“The Age of the Crisis of Work,” Harpers.org (2023)

All the ways—okay, just some of the way—social media is on the struggle bus right now:

“Why Every App Now Feels Like TikTok, but Worse,” NYMag.com (2023)

“How Elon Musk Turned the Blue Check Mark Into a Scarlet Letter,” Slate.com (2023)

“Commentary: If Twitter Finally Dies, Where Do We Find the Smart People?” LATimes.com (2023)

And even more miscellaneous good reads:

“You’ll Feel Better if You Go Outside,” NewYorker.com (2021)

“The Oral History of Helm’s Deep,” Inverse.com (2022)

“I’ve Had It With Stunt Ice Cream Flavors,” Eater.com (2023)

“Clothes Make the Con Man,” NYTimes.com (2023)

“Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez, and the Easter Egg-ification of the Hollywood Feud,” Vox.com (2023)

“Why Are TV Writers So Miserable?” NewYorker.com (2023)

4. Current Exhibits at the St. Louis Art Museum

My membership to the SLAM always pays off. In April I indulged in two special exhibits:

The Age of Armor, which showcases the history of armor and battle gear with an emphasis on suits of armor. The galleries did a great job explaining how the armor functioned and provided model pieces to try yourself, but you know my favorite part was the Black Panther and Star Wars costumes at the end!

Monet/Mitchell: Painting the French Landscape compares the work of Claude Monet and American expat Joan Mitchell, and it brought me back to my magical trip to Giverny last summer!

5. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

Sumptous costumes and sets, Bette Davis doing the most acting, and Errol Flynn at his handsomest. This Queen Elizabeth I costume drama from Michael Curtiz is maximalist in aesthetic and romantic at its heart. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 9/10

6. Under the Umbrella: A Little Women Podcast (2023-)

Little Women superfans unite! Kate and Kelsey (friends and both teachers) are analyzing the book and film versions from every angle, and if you love the March sisters, Louisa May Alcott, or Greta Gerwig, they are going to be your new best friends.

7. Just Like Us: The Tabloids That Changed America (2022)

Last spring the Ringer Dish podcast did a deep dive into the ‘00s tabloids and their obsession with Brangelina, Bennifer, and ‘90s child stars gone wild—so basically everything I obsessed over in middle school. Bottom line: They probably didn’t make our world better, but those mags (and emerging online blogs and reality TV) sure tapped into parts of our brains that made them addictive. This eight-episode series challenges any assumption we have about about celebrity gossip being harmless—or frivolous.

Until May’s Round Up…

In spite of the current state of things, I’m still tweeting in denial as @tblake24. Come join me until this platform burns to the ground!

If you want real-time updates on what I’m watching and loving, you can also find me as @tblake24 on Letterboxd.

Photo credits: Good Reads, Under the Umbrella, Just Like Us. Descanso Gardens, PaleyFest, Academy Museum, and SLAM my own. All other IMDb.com.