#guys if you haven’t seen our precious casts you’ve missed it!!!

[oyangzhimo]

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: January 5th, 2021

How exactly can we get the option to gift cove a bracelet at the start of step 3? I really only get that option with having a ponytail-black shirt-black pants-no accessories cove but i dont know the specific requirements for the option to show up

Cove’s gotta wear a bracelet in Step 2. If he doesn’t it means him liking bracelets isn’t a very long-standing trait and so the MC wouldn’t think to get him one as a gift.

I am very sorry if this was asked before but I have noticed "Our Life: Beginnings and Always" and "Our Like: Now and Forever." Did I miss something? Is "N&F" going to be a sequel or DLC? Are we going to see a geriatric Cove? (haha) Thank you in advance for the reply. ^_^ 

Our Life: Now & Forever is a new game in the franchise, but it’s not a sequel. It’ll have a new cast, new story, and new setting. It will still have all the best features of the original game and be about creating your own character/growing up from childhood!

Is there a specific reason why Cove gets so flustered and has to jump out if bed and walk it off when they share a bed in step 3? It seems a bit over the top for something they've already done twice! Once with the late night visit when Cove finds out his mom is coming and once in the RV.

Is just because they are older and the implications are different, even though the crush was already there in the RV/latenight visit scenes? Or did I miss something that made Cove more reluctant or more apprehensive towards sharing a bed/touching?

Sharing a bed with the person he likes/love is different for him at eighteen than it is at thirteen. Some things get easier when you grow up, like he’s more comfortable sharing food, but some things get harder/more complicated to him. Sharing a bed is one of those for Cove. It feels a lot more intimate and meaningful as time goes on, rather than less of a big deal.

Hello! First, I wanted to thank you and congratulate you for this amazing game. I enjoyed every single second! In a year full of stress, this was a little cozy light. Do you have any plans to make it available for other languages? Thank you again 💕 

Thank you! I’m afraid the game is still in pretty active development so we can’t consider translating the script in it’s semi-incomplete form. And we’re not a big enough company that we can promise translations will definitely come when the game is done, unfortunately. We can see what things are like when all the words are truly set, though.

Did Cove's name come from that Cove restaurant on Holden beach? Whenever I search up his name I always get those results haha 

No, haha. His first name was based on his character and the game’s theme, his last name is a reference to something of a personal joke.

Will the NSFW DLC have CGs too?

Yep!

So, to start off, I need to thank you guys, from the bottom of my heart, for creating Cove Holden. I want every single one of my MCs to be able to get engaged and married to that precious angel, so I was wondering how transitioning into step 4 using save files will work? Will I be able to load up a save file saved right before the end credits after step 3, or will I need to load one from before the transition section after step 3? I’m sorry if this has already been answered somewhere, but if it has, I haven’t been able to find it. Thank you!!!!!! 

Thank you very much c:. You’ll be able to load any save file, unless it was taken as the credits were actually rolling, and the Step 4 epilogue will simply start going once you’ve played through whatever was left of the main game and seen the credits. There are rare cases where a save file breaks between updates, but generally continuing where you left off should work for people.

Hi! I absolutely adore our life, and I was wondering is there a way to have Shiloh remember the MC and Lizzie in step 3?

I’m glad you like it! Sadly, no matter what you do Shiloh will act the same in that scene.

Hi! I'm the Australian that asked about ever including an Aussie VA, do you have any future plans for Our Life 2 or any other games to include an Aussie character and VA? 

Right now we don’t have any guaranteed future Aussie roles. But we don’t have fully developed character lists for our upcoming games yet, so that may still change.

Will OL2 also follow the tradition of "Blonde Adult That We Cannot Date"? 👀

Haha, maybe. There isn’t one right now, however we still have a lot of side characters to plan.

Hey, are the houses in the game furnished based on items in the Sims 4? I’ve noticed some similarities, but I’m not sure if it’s just a coincidence. (If it is, that’d make me building it in TS4 MUCH easier...)

For me, I use real world pictures as references as well as text notes. I loved Sims 2 when I was young but haven’t gotten into a new Sims game since. I don’t believe the artist checks Sims 4 when creating their work, though it’s not impossible. Maybe they do.

is it possible to still get your name in the voiced dlc [I'm not sure how you would do it, is it from patreon ??] or is it too late ?? 

Currently there’s no way to get your name voiced. But we are looking into opening up a method for that one more time later this year. You can keep an eye out for that!

Will we be able to ask Derek out to the dance if we get his DLC? Not a Derek fan but I'm planning to surprise my friend with this 

Yeah. Taking Derek to the dance is part of his DLC.

Hi! I have a question I've been curious about, if you're comfortable with answering! If Cove and the MC remain just friends into Step 4/MC dates one of the other guys, will Cove canonically be in a relationship with/interested in somebody else at that point or shortly after? Thank you!

He won’t. There’s not really anyone in his school, and certainly not the neighborhood he grows up in, that he’d be into other than the MC. As a pretty newly independent adult he hasn’t had enough time to truly find a special someone in Step 4. It takes a while for him to make that kind of move, haha. It’s totally fine to headcanon that sometime after Step 4 he finds love with someone else, but it won’t happen in-game.

i just wanted to share this cute little playlist that i made about cove! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5wM7GNiJh5eRqhvLBperfQ?si=4FocdBsNTpeF053yOwaLSA

Cool! Thanks for sharing it with us.

No, no, no create longer ask answers please. 😌

The ask answers are not too long. If anything I'm greedy and wish they were longer... I'm already subbed to your guys patreon and I still can't get enough 👀 I'm in love with you guys 

Will you post more of those long form ask posts? I love them 🥰

Haha, thank you for these messages. I’m glad you’re enjoying the content.

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Thank you very much for all the questions! Also, if you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter Eight: Heat/Ice

Pairing: Captain “Sy” Syverson x OFC (Shane Benton)

Summary: Playing hooky leads to more delicious food (Sy cooks! Swoon!), some deep conversation, and new revelations about Shane’s past.

What? You’re behind? Don’t worry! CLICK ME to catch up before reading this chapter!

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings:  Language, mature themes, more food sluttiness, shameless nerd speak, unfettered and shameless sappiness.

Author’s Note: So, guys, I’m sorry. I really wanted to get this chapter to you Sunday. Life has just been a bit disheartening of late. Between being upset over some personal turmoil some friends are going through (two of my oldest friends are getting a divorce!) and coming home from work utterly exhausted on all possible levels, it’s been hard to write about lovey dovey things. As I said in my recent reblog of my masterlist, though, I’m working on some prologues, one for each character. I don’t plan on them being terribly long, but I want you guys to have some more back story.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism.

Tags: 

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@bloodyinspiredfuck

@agniavateira

@oddsnendsfanfics

@omgkatinka

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Hope I’m not forgetting anyone! If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

It was hard to feel guilty for calling out of work for the afternoon under false pretenses when she was curled up on the sectional in Sy’s “nerd lair” with his head in her lap as they watched John Wick on the massive TV he had down there.

“You mean to tell me we watched the entire Bourne franchise upstairs on that…that iPod Touch, by comparison, when we could have watched down here on this majestic monolith!? In what is essentially a theater!?” She’d asked immediately, derailing the grand tour of the museum of things she would soon find amazing.

“Hey, I haven’t been coming down here a whole lot since I hurt my knee. Stairs haven't exactly been easy or, ya know, possible. I had my gaming computer down here for weeks, too, couldn't do a damn thing about it, because I didn't trust a'one of my buddies or my neighbors to haul her up the stairs for me. Leia's a custom machine worth thousands a' dollars. If she's getting' broke, it's all gonna be on me."

"You named your gaming computer? Leia?" So many emotions were flooding her. Adoration, sympathy, lust, and just a sheer need to squeeze the bejeezus out of him.

"Yeah, it's a common thing. And…not to be that guy, but…you do know who Leia is, right?

"If by Leia, you mean Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan, true daughter of Darth Vader, adopted by Bail Organa at birth, sister of Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion against the Empire?"

"Hey, I thought you wanted to take things slow, sunshine." he pulled her close, flush with his body. "Then you go talkin' all sexy to me like that." he lingered at her cheek with light kisses.

"Well, you did the same with your baseball talk the other night." she moaned into the contact with relish.

"I can't help it if certain sports terms have made their way into everyday speech. Your…exposition there, about my boyhood crush was intentional."

"You had a crush on Leia?" he nodded, shyly. "I had a crush on Han! Heck with Cap and Widow, THERE'S our couple's costume for next Halloween!" she said, excitedly!

"Oh, I didn't know you were talking about costumes for public use." he said, a naughty smirk in his eye.

"Stop it, you. Finish your tour. I want that soup on the stove." she said, patting her tummy.

He showed her the various memorabilia he'd procured over the years. Posters from a few of her favorites, and a few others that she recognized but wasn't as excited about. Die Cast models of several famous film vessels and vehicles, and a "life size" LEGO R2-D2 which would have had her salivating even if she hadn't been hungry. Apparently it took him almost a month to assemble the droid, but he did it all by himself.

"Aww…I wish I could have helped." she lamented.

"Maybe I'll pick up the Death Star and we can do that one together."

She nodded excitedly, eyes wide, rubbing her hands together in front of her chin with greed.

"Okay, little mouse." he chuckled. "Let's fill that belly and start this movie."

They filled massive bowls with generous portions and took the crackers down stairs so they could start the marathon. If they wanted to get through all three films tonight, they'd best get started.

They were both fairly quick eaters out of habit given her often truncated lunch breaks and his typical ten minutes in the mess hall. Even savoring the delicious creamy, cheesy concoction, as she tried to do, it was hard to slow down on. It did give her something to focus on during the first, emotionally devastating part of the film though. Once she finished, she expressed a final  groan of delight and thanked Sy, kissing him on his cheek as she held the other. She felt the smile bloom across his face as she prolonged the contact.

They were about halfway through the movie, a big fight scene in a night club, when something dark and grim hit Shane in the chest. Watching Keanu Reeves pretend to beat up and kill all of these actors and stunt men, it occurred to her that the man with his head resting gently on her lap, long body taking up the rest of that side of the sectional, had fought and killed. The man letting her play her fingers through his hair and beard had shot and blown up people. He was told to do it. Ordered to do it. But even though he was doing it lawfully and by military order, as far as she knew, it was still his job…at least some of the time. She knew that was an oversimplification of the function of the armed forces, but…sometimes, it was an apt description.

She had never thought of Sy like that before. Someone other than the strong but gentle teddy bear that had come to be such a comforting presence in her life. She needed that, after all she'd been through…she tried not to think about the hurt of her last relationship. She hadn't discussed it with Sy. It was history. Ancient history. But she was, after all, a believer in the fact that those who knew nothing of the past were doomed to repeat it. She'd tell him…one day. Everything that Elliott had done to her…had put her through. But not tonight. Suddenly, she thought being on the arm of a soldier, someone who'd lived the kind of life that Captain Logan Syverson had lived, might make her feel more safe than she had in ages.

"You're awful quiet, sunshine." he said, cracking a beer open and handing it to her before doing the same for himself and sitting down with his thick arm around her.

"Just…trying to be respectful of the movie experience. You know." she smirked at him as the menu music to the second movie played.

"It ain't that. I know this is still new, what we're doin', but I've watched enough movies with ya over the last few weeks to know that you don't keep quiet for a full length feature." Shane worried the tab on her cold Miller Lite. She wasn't sure how to bring this forward. "Spill it, sweetheart. What's eatin' ya?"

"What…what do you think about when you're watching movies like this, Sy?"

"Guess, same as anybody. How awesome the fighting and driving is. Wondering when Keanu got to be a badass. And if there's really an underground society of assassins. Why, hon?"

"I, umm, I only wondered if it…it doesn't make you miss…your job?"

The smile he gave her was both bemused and amused. "Come 'ere." he prompted her to lean her head into him, and sat his beer down on the buffet behind the couch so he could better hold her. "Do we need to go over the function of a captain of the Army of These United States? Because as flattered as I am that you think so highly of me, I'm no John Wick, nor do I know anyone like John Wick. Or five guys that would make one John Wick. Ten guys. Maybe twenty."

"The fighting doesn't bring anything back?" she smoothed the creases in his shorts as she tried not to act like she was over thinking his past.

"That fightin’s…it's like dancing. It's choreographed, precise, and the outcome is predetermined. Real fights are the exact opposite. They're chaos, unpredictable, and the right guys don't always win. Trust me, I've seen a lot of them go south in a big way." they both let a moment of silence pass before Sy broke it. "What’re ya really askin’, Shane?"

She wanted to ask so many things. The questions seemed to clog the ventricles of her brain like leaves in a rain gutter. Bottlenecked traffic.

"I just…couldn't help but think…about things you must have had to do when…when you were active, and I just…if you need to talk about anything, I'm here." She imagined that taking someone's life, no matter how personal or impersonal the act itself seemed on the surface, would create some level of emotional scarring.

“Oh, sweetheart." he kissed the top of her head, making her feel as warm and cozy as the soup had…perhaps more so. "You are important to me for so many reasons. You've shown me how to smile again. Laugh. Real, genuine happiness. No sarcastic shit like I had to use on my men in my squad. But although I'd feel comfortable talkin' to ya 'bout near anything, there's a counselor on the base who's specifically trained to help guys like me. Who've seen what I've seen and been through…similar situations. He makes sure I don't feel like less of a man for what happened to me. You make me feel…like more than a man…something stronger than I thought possible."

She was straining hard to corral the tears within her waterline, but they broke free when he squeezed her tightly to him with both of his massive arms.

"So…that HEP I gave you is working?" she laughed, knowing full well that his home exercise program had no bearing on the strength he meant.

"Come on, Shane." he raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to see herself the way he saw her. "Them handouts you give me don't mean a hill o' beans in this conversation and you know it. The way you hold yourself, speak to others. There is so much quiet strength in your kindness that comes right out of your beautiful little heart. Some days I'll see you working with kids, if I get in early, and I know they annoy you and freak you out, but you never let that show." He looked into her eyes, misty from emotion, and he wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "I'll never be able to explain it right, the way you inspire me to be a better and stronger man. And my heart just breaks to hear you put yourself down. And don't say you're just kidding, because I know you think you are, but behind every one of those jokes is a truth, at least as you see it." He'd seen her make to argue and knew her tactic before she had attempted it. "Give yourself some credit, Shane."

"I'm too busy blaming myself for the bad stuff to give myself credit for anything good." she sniffed. "You're the first guy I've…I've been involved with that's acted like I was worth anything more than a meal ticket. Someone who was only suitable for enough sex to make it an official relationship just so they could have a place to live, and do whatever quasi-job was a thing. First serious boyfriend was a freelance writer, but he never seemed to be writing. Then there was the guy with the internet start-up…but he could never tell me in a satisfactory way what the company actually did…so that was brief."

He seemed to know she was bracing for something big. Something difficult. He gave her silence and stroked her shoulder in encouragement to continue. She took one of her deepest ever breaths.

"Then came Elliott. Elliott Thomas. My last boyfriend. The worst of them all. Most useless and greatest offender. I ignored all of the signs, of course. He had a YouTube channel and an Instagram that he was trying to gain followers on and become a so-called "influencer." she rolled her eyes. "He had no life skills. He had a bit of an eye for photography and he could find humor in uncommon places, which he thought made him insta-famous and vlog-worthy."

"I hate him already." Sy growled.

"Well, maybe I shouldn't tell you the rest, then." he asked her to go on. "He always seemed to find these ways to cheat on me and lie to me that I couldn't quite prove, but I was just certain of. But I just…I didn't want to believe it. I wanted THAT one to work. Well. I came home one night after work, and he had another girl in our bedroom. I told him he had until the next day when I got home to leave. Things got a little physical, but I can hold my own." she said, proudly, "and I bolted with my purse. I stayed with Heather, our evening secretary, and we hashed it out, and got a little blitzed on moscato, and cried together."

"Wow."

"He was gone the next day. All I heard from my landlord was, 'you shouldn't be hearing from him anytime soon.' so I guess he had his cop buddies send him a message. He blocked me on all social media and I haven't heard a peep from him since. That was five years ago."

"What a scum bag." he stated, obviously.

"Yeah, I haven't been able to really think about a relationship since then…until…" she let the word hang there, knowing they both knew what the end of the sentence was. "Until I met you." Drifting unsaid in the ether of the unspoken.

"It's been a long time for me too. I mean…I haven't quite been a monk, but I haven't…I haven't cared for a girl since…actually, I've never felt this way about anyone."

"I didn't mean to unpack all of that tonight when we're only a third of the way through our marathon. I really wasn't even going to bring it up at all. It's just…been on my mind. Ya know. I once heard a very poignant parable about keeping your mouth shut if you're warm and happy. I was attempting to do that." she chuckled.

"Yeah, but we need to be able to open up to people in this life. Keeping a bottle stopped under pressure ain't no good for the bottle. Or what's inside."

"Such wisdom. You know just what to say to me." she grinned into him.

"Just seen what keeping yourself closed off can do to a person. And the people they love."

Love…there was that word in the air. Not officially said, but felt in all ways. They held each other close as the opening to the second movie played.

Up Next: Chapter Nine-Group Therapy

[realityhelixcreates]

Dance of the Spheres Chapter 5: Martian March

Chapters: 5/?

Fandom:  Marvel Cinematic Universe

Rating: PG 13

Warnings: drugging, kidnapping, forced marriage

Characters: Loki(Marvel),

Additional Tags:  Loki Goes Overboard, But When Doesn’t Loki go Overboard, Mature Reader, Disabled Reader, Political Intrigue

Summary:  

I'm going back to Saturn where the rings all glow

Rainbow, moonbeams, and orange snow

On Saturn, people live to be two hundred and five

Going back to Saturn where the people smile.

                                              Saturn-Stevie Wonder

our rooms glittered. They were faced in massive scale pietra dura stone patterns from floor to ceiling. Gray, black, and white dominated, with a surprising amount of green mixed in, as well as startling pops of orange-red, blue, yellow, purple, and bright pink.

The designs were large and geometric, almost a sister style to the classic Art Deco that you saw on the older buildings downtown, mixed in among the flavorless glass towers and Brutalist boxes that defined the 'modern' era.

This main room housed a delicately carved stone couch and chairs, around a low stone table, and several stone shelves and storage boxes. These were all made of a black stone that held numerous yellowish-green crystals in their matrix, all polished so that the crystals shimmered.

This same stone appeared in the patterns on the walls and floor, as very thin panes on a pale backing, highlighting the colors of their crystals. This, along with a similar black stone with reddish-orange crystals, and a dark gray, large-grained stone that sparkled at any angle, was contrasted against the now familiar creamy white and pale orange. Here and there, inlays of silvery wire brought organic shapes to the mix.

The cloudy crystal made a reappearance in a round, well-lit, domed room Loki described as a 'Solar', even though no sun could reach this place. Instead, the clearest of the crystal had been set into the dome, all of it covering the mysterious lights, creating a bright light source that illuminated the room to something close to midday. The walls were covered in the cloudy crystal, which, in the bright light, shone with veils and flashes of iridescent blue.

On one wall there was a subtle inlay of  translucent gray stone, in the shape of clouds, that shone in splashes of blue and purple. Cleverly inlaid within them were specific pieces of the same type of stone, in the shape of lightning bolts that sparked yellow when viewed at the right angle, but were invisible from others.

He showed you the antechamber that connected your rooms and his, all in black and green. Even the lights were covered in thin panes of green crystals thickly packed in black matrix, casting a dim, viridian light over the whole chamber.

You decided that room was extremely creepy, and you never wanted to be in it.

The bath room was much better, ridiculously large, with a shower just out in the open, a wide counter with a mirror of polished metal, a huge tub carved right into a semi-finished block of stone, and a strange toilet tucked away in a stall in the corner. It was all big enough for you to move around in easily, though you mentioned that you would need a chair for the shower. Loki vowed to have one brought immediately.

But your bedroom was the obvious jewel. Loki puffed up with pride as he showed it off, as if he were the one who designed it. There were jewels in here, bright, bubblegum pink, golden yellow, and apple green in elaborate platinum settings, affixed to the walls. There was more cloudy gray and white crystal in here, with their blue and purple, pink and yellow flashes. The lights were clustered around the ceiling like stars, and the bed was another of the precious rare wooden objects, a four poster canopy bed, draped with a gauzy veil.

Most surprising of all, the bedroom had a window-or rather, a doorway out to a semi-circular balcony that overlooked what must be the main palace courtyard and entrance. When you stepped out onto it, you could see lines of guards-more people than you'd seen in one place since you'd been here. They framed the long, rectangular space every ten feet or so, in bright, brassy armor and sunny yellow capes.

This was clearly a cape kind of place.

It was very strange. You could have sworn you hadn't climbed any ramps, and you certainly hadn't gone up any stairs, but here you were, at least six stories up, and there were more stories above you.

“You must be clever builders.” you said without thinking about it.

“Our engineering capabilities are the envy of the galaxy, it's true.” Loki boasted. You believed him. All around the courtyard more balconies jutted out. Several dozen feet to the side of yours, the balcony you assumed must belong to Loki was connected to another large balcony on the opposite side by an elegant walkway, supported by slender pillars. There was a round platform in the center, and red curtains obscured the balcony on the other side.

“We can address large crowds from there, or call emergency meetings of the guards, or the other high nobles.” Loki said, following your gaze. “That's who lives on this floor. Myself, my brother, all of the most important Asgardians, and now you.”

But not for long, if you had any opportunity. “Uh, I'm honored.”

“How do you like them, though?” he pressed, “Is the décor to your liking? The size? We've been working on it for months, but we can still change things if you need.”

“Months?” you gasped, shocked. “You guys did all this in just months?”

Asgard had come to Earth a little under two years ago, decimated and begging for assistance. Thor led them, but no one knew Loki had come along. Thor himself served as his own liaison to the United Nations, bringing his case before the leaders of Earth, to secure a place for his people.

Obviously, it had worked. Thor's reputation and high-profile friends, as well as his surprisingly diplomatic and optimistic outlook had both charmed and discombobulated most people who spoke to him. People liked and respected him, but no one expected him to be savvy.

It had worked out very well for him and his people. They had secured some secret land that the entire U.N. had remained tight-lipped about. Then, a few months in, Thor had stopped making appearances, leaving Earth-Asgard relations to his advisors; an abrasive, undiplomatic woman whom you loved to watch, and a stoic and imposing man with unsettling eyes. Rumors flew for a while, but you hadn't paid much attention. There had been so much to fight for at home.

Did anyone even know you were gone? You were supposed to attend a march tonight. Or last night? You didn't know how long you had been asleep. Surely someone noticed you were missing.

But if they did, how would you even know?

“-harness the sun's energy over the long rotation period so that we can build even more efficiently.” Loki was saying. “We've done an admirable job for such a reduced population, but there is so much more to do.”

“And you took them away from that to build this for me?”

“I took them away from this to build special chambers for the princess of Asgard.” Loki corrected, “It was not a waste, nor was it superfluous. It was for someone important.”

“I'm not.” you insisted, “I'm just some rando they snatched up and tossed at you. I'm not princess material.”

“I will find out what is behind this.” he said, “But until I can, I want you to feel comfortable here. This is all yours now, and more.”

You couldn't, you couldn't allow yourself. You weren't supposed to be here. It was only a matter of time before this mix up was discovered, and a swap was arranged. You'd go home, and some other woman would take your place.

How horrible.

“But is everything to your liking? Do you need more light? More space? Is the bed all right for your leg? A good height?”

You were more than a little wary about getting into bed with him here, but as you hobbled over to it, he remained at a distance. You sank onto the plush mattress, with it's silky green sheets and thick comforter. It was very nice, soft and smooth, and warm, despite being placed on solid stone. Hopefully the blanket would ward off the slight chill that followed everywhere you had been so far.

“It's a good height,” you said, “especially if I get a new cane.”

“Excellent. Would you like to see my quarters?' he asked, “You may come and go between them as you please.”

Which meant that he could too. You didn't find that reassuring.

“Uh...isn't that, um, inappropriate?” you asked, casting about for any reason to refuse. “We haven't even, um, there hasn't even been a wedding!”

He paused, then his face broke into a beautiful, glowing smile. “Of course. I understand. You want that big celebration, naturally. Well, it is only fair, isn't it?” He sat down on the floor next to your bed, as if forgetting that he was a prince and a god, a powerful figure, abandoning his dignity to sit on the floor like a child.

“Do you want to plan it, or leave it to the advisors? Asgard is very good at grand weddings, but if you've had some specific plan for it, I'm sure we can accommodate it.”

“Uh...” This would be the perfect opportunity to stall. You could buy so much time with this! “I would like to plan it. There's things I've been wanting to do since I was a little girl. It would be a dream come true, to plan my own wedding.”

Not strictly true. Certainly, as a little girl you had contemplated flowers and a dress. There being a groom was far less important.

“Then begin any time you like.” Loki said warmly. “I'll have notebooks brought to you, and you can plan out whatever you want. Whatever it is, we can do it for you.”

You almost felt bad for what you were going to do, but on the other hand, you didn't trust him and his terrifying adoration, and horrible power over your life and safety. You'd make as many impossible demands and take up as much time as you possibly could. If it kept you safe. If it kept you from the nightmare scenario.

“I will have your bathing chair brought. You seem tired; shall I have dinner brought to you? We can dine in your audience room. We can have you measured for a new prosthetic, and for a new cane as well. The artificers will set to work on them immediately.”

“Um, sure. That sounds fine.” Dinner would be welcome, after only one apple and one cup of water. And a new, higher tech leg and cane might help you escape faster. You should take every opportunity available to you.

Loki helped you out to the largest room, with it's bookshelves and seating, and saw that you were comfortable. Then he bid you stay put and wait for a bit, while he got everything set up. You were in no shape to try for an escape right now; you would just bide your time.

You waited patiently, taking in the details of the beautifully precise stonework that made up your new-temporary-living quarters. What incredible workmanship. Shame it had been wasted on you.

Maybe someone else would have been thrilled. To have wealth and power, security and luxury, a handsome prince just handed to them with no effort on their part at all. That wasn't what you wanted though; you didn't want to join the lucky ones. You didn't want to be lifted out of your hardships and set above your peers, you wanted those hardships to be eliminated for everybody. You didn't want to be a social climber, you wanted a more equitable society. This fantasy was worthless to you. It had all been done without your consent.

A quiet knock on the door grabbed your attention. You didn't answer immediately, and the knock was hesitantly repeated.

“Um, come in?” you called.

The two adolescents you had run off before cracked the door open and peeked their heads in.

“Your highness?” the girl asked.

“May we enter?” the boy finished.

“Yeah, come in. I'm in a better mood now.” you said calmly. No need to be rude to them now that she knew what was going on. If Loki hadn't even known about the kidnapping, there was no way these kids were in on it.

“We were sent here to get measurements?” the boy-Andvarri wasn't it-asked shyly. “For a prosthetic leg, and a cane?”

“Yes, I was told you might be coming. I'm sorry about earlier: I was very disoriented and confused.”

“No harm done, your highness. This won't take long.”

The girl-Bjarkehilde-helped you stand as Andvarri took several measurements and asked about your preferences in weight and materials, flexibility and points of articulation, even colors and decorations.

They were going to put in a lot of effort to help you escape. A fine efficient leg, a sturdy lightweight cane, and Bjarkehilde even asked about what kinds of medication you needed, and for what.

Bjarkehild was surprisingly close to your height and build as well. That stayed in the back of your mind for a while after the two of them left.

As the minutes passed, you began to realize that you were going to need some kind of clock. You had no idea what time it was. There was no visible sunlight, the lights in your rooms hadn't changed at all, and no one had mentioned it at all. How did the Asgardians know? Was some kind of internal timekeeping part of their natural abilities?

Maybe it was the nebulous grasp of time, maybe it was the fading adrenaline and setting in of weariness, maybe it was residual drugs working their way out of your systems, but you began to feel strange as you waited for Loki to return. Either you felt hot, or the slight chill that was prevalent in this place was getting worse. Perhaps you had been staring at the artistic walls for too long, because the colors seemed to be vacillating between painfully saturated, and fuzzy at the edges.

It seemed to take forever for Loki to return, carrying a tray of food and drink. This he set on the lovely stone table before you, and then took a seat in a nearby chair.

“You must be ravenous by now.” he said, and you were. You leaned forward to inspect the offerings. The metal tray was filled with small stone bowls and plates, and two small cups of liquid. Was this how meals were traditionally served in Asgard? A great variety of small portions?

One of the cups turned out to be orange drink, from powder. You recognized that taste from your childhood. The dry air had made your tongue rough, and the acidic flavor was a blast on your tastebuds, as bright as the colors on the walls. The second cup was some kind of brown broth, possibly also from powder, as it got thicker at the bottom of the cup. There were dried apricots, soaked in honey, and dates, a barley porridge with a swirl of honey and a dash of cinnamon. There were common Saltine-type crackers that went with a very strange stew that looked like it was made, not just with re-hydrated vegetables, but re-hydrated meat as well. It tasted fine, but the texture left something to be desired.

You barely noticed. You wolfed it all down as Loki just sat and watched, having brought nothing for himself.

“I see you needed the fuel.” he commented, after every bite was gone. “Yes, I think you will need it. Beloved, I must tell you something about that apple you ate earlier. I can see it's effects are starting to take hold. Like I said earlier, I had thought to feed it to you slowly.”

“The apple? What...what's it doing to me?” Beloved? He was taking things a bit far, wasn't he? But you definitely were feeling weird. Uncomfortable. “I had just woken up and I didn't know where I was, or what was going to happen. I didn't know where my next meal was coming from.”

“And I understand that now, as I did not then, or I would have refrained from putting it out at all. But it's too late now. For several things. We will simply have to adapt and endure.”

“Endure?”

“I will not leave your side, you may count on that.” He promised. “But that was a special apple. Its tree came from a cutting, taken from a remnant grove in Vanir territory, as part of their peace treaty with us. A sacred tree whose fruits provided the Vanir with ageless warriors. For us, they heal terrible wounds and sickness. But for you, they are known as the Apples of Immortality, and they confer a great gift indeed. But it is not without price.”

You doubled over in pain.

[howlnikiforov]

Black Swan

Chapter Six: Sweet Love

Pairing: Hyungwon x Reader

Word Count: 1847

Summary:  Sequel to Trespass; Sometimes, some people can’t handle the idea of another’s happiness. Sometimes those people are those who were once close to you

“Lovely girl Please look at me Don’t fly past me like the soft spring wind I wanna stay with you and love you You’re a flower, I’m softly melting at your scent Oh my gosh what do I do? I just like you My hardened heart is blossoming If only your footsteps will come to me now That’s how our spring will start My soft love Please go out with me to that cafe I can’t leave you alone Because it feels like you’ll blow away with the wind, girl What other words are needed? I’m kind of obsessed with you I can say words that make you cringe (really?) Hey, come to me now”

You swayed side to side in Hyungwon’s arms, spinning around the dimly lit room as he sang quietly. It was just the two of you in the house tonight, so you were spending it quietly, together. Your head rested on his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart and rumbling of his chest. It was perfect.

Candles were placed around the perimeter of the living room, casting a soft glow. Hyungwon’s angelic voice was only loud enough for you to hear; it didn’t echo off the walls like usual. It was peaceful.

The two of your built a bubble for yourselves; a safe place for you. It was just what you needed. There’s been too much stress with YG attacking again, your brother missing, Daniel showing up in strange places, your father trying to interfere with your life. It was too much. You needed a break, so you were taking one.

Being in his arms was the best feeling in the world. Really, nothing could compare. And the best sound in the world? That was his voice. Listening to him talk, scream, sing, could make you cry because he was so beautiful. A day never went by where you didn’t thank the universe for blessing you with him.

“Y/n,” Hyungwon whispered after he ended his song, “have you thought about having kids?”

You stopped your movements, looking up at him. “I’ve had a couple thoughts about it, but I never felt inclined to think deeply about it.” You answered. “Why? What’s brought this on?” “I don’t know,” He sighed, “it’s just-” He stopped.

“It’s just what, love?” You questioned, pushing hair off his forehead, “Tell me.”

“It’s just, I keep seeing all these ads and shit about newborns, and everyone seems to be talking about starting their own family.” He revealed, “And I don’t know. I thought it might have been a sign but...a family is too dangerous for us.”

“You’re right. It is too dangerous for us.” You carded your fingers through his hair, “I think that’s why I haven’t thought much about it. Do you want to start a family, Hyungwon?”

“Yes? No? Maybe? I don’t know.” He closed his eyes, “I don’t think now would be the time to do it. Not with Jinho missing and your father and Daniel on our asses. But maybe someday? If things ever settle down enough. Would you...would you be okay with that?”

“I think I might be okay with it later down the line after we talk more about it.” You replied, your voice barely loud enough to reach your own ears. “We’d definitely have to wait. There’s no way I’d bring a child into this world only to endanger it.”

He opened his eyes and looked at you. “No. No, no. Definitely not now. Later though, yeah?”

“Yeah,” You agreed, “I know how much you want to have a family. I’ll happily share that dream with you.”

His grin lit up the room, his eyes sparkling. “Thank you Y/n. Thank you.” He pressed his lips against yours.

You laughed, putting your hands on his cheeks. You pulled away from him, “We were dancing, yes?”

“Yes. Yes we were, My Love.” He said, swiftly picking you up and twirling you around. You giggled, holding onto his shoulders tightly. When he set you down, he began guiding you around the room again.

“Hyungwon?” You stared up at him.

“Yes, My Love?” He questioned.

“I love you.” You exclaimed.

“I love you too.” He replied, kissing your forehead. “I don’t know what I did to deserve a soulmate like you.”

“You were you,” You said simply, “because you were yourself, you got me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Can I take you to bed?” He questioned, “Not to like, make love or anything. We’ve been dancing for quite some time and I’m tired.”

You rolled your eyes, chuckling at his choice of words. “Yes, you can take me to bed.” You allowed.

He swept you up in his arms, holding you bridal style. “Well then, My Dearest, let us go to sleep and enjoy the second best thing in the world.”

“The second best?” You quirked an eyebrow, wrapping your arms around his neck, “What’s the first?” “You.” He said cheerfully, beginning to walk.

“That’s so swe-wait. We have to put out the candles.” You realized, staring at him wide eyed.

“Oh. That’s a thing.” He said blankly, setting you down. He went about the room and blew out the candles. You waited with your arms crossed over your chest, smiling fondly as you watched him eagerly take care of each candle. He came back over and picked you up again, now taking you to your room. He was happy. He was relaxed. That’s what mattered.

Upon arriving to your shared room, he laid you down on the bed, joining you seconds later. You wrapped yourselves around each other, holding one another like you usually did. You shared your goodnights and your final kiss for the day before succumbing to sleep.

Waking up was a very unpleasant experience. The worst thing anyone could do is wake you up with a blaring sound, and that’s exactly what whoever was calling you was doing. You groaned as you forced yourself up, carefully untangling yourself from Hyungwon’s grasp.

“Hello?” You droned out, feeling the start of a headache.

“Y/n? It’s your dad.” You pulled the phone away from your ear and realized the phone in your hands was one you rarely used. You just left it to sit on your nightstand and slowly drain of battery.

“What do you want?” You asked exasperatedly. You really were not in the mood to deal with his shit right now.

“I want to meet up.” He replied.

“Yeah well, too bad because I do not want to meet up.” You bit back. Hyungwon stirred beside you, causing you to cringe. You were being too loud. Your precious love needed his sleep, so you quieted down a bit.

“Y/n, you’re my daughter. I just want to see you.” He sounded like he was trying to guilt trip you. You could’ve laughed.

“Why? Last time you wanted to see me, you thrust Daniel into my life.” You questioned, curious to know what his answer would be.

“I didn’t thrust Daniel into your life. I just wanted to show you that H.One is not the only option for you.” He said

“Dad, H.One is the only option for me. He’s the one I love. I can’t love anyone else. Don’t you understand that? You know how soulmates work. You’ve been with mom for decades. Why can’t you understand I’m happy with him? We’re bonded on the third tier; we can’t be separated.”

“Y/n, it’s not a matter of how bonded you are; it’s a matter of your safety. You’re not safe being with someone in the mafia, my precious daughter. You’ve been kidnapped! You could die in the blink of an eye because-” You didn’t get to hear the rest of his sentence because your phone died. You shrugged and tossed it onto the floor, settling back in beside Hyungwon.

He looked so calm while he slept. His mahogany colored hair was a disaster, but it was cute. Somehow he worked the bedhead. You tried to fix it a little bit without waking him up, but when he shifted you decided to leave it be. It wasn’t worth waking him.

You’ve been working with Kihyun to help take some of this stress off him. He’s been thinking a lot, and those thoughts haven’t always been good ones. Lately, many things have been reminding him of his parents. You were worried.

This shit with Daniel and your father wasn’t helping either. You honestly had no clue what the hell they were on, especially Daniel. You didn’t know what he was trying to do with you, and that scared you. Did he really think he could come in and wreck your relationship? Your bond with Hyungwon was immensely durable. Death itself wouldn’t be able to break it.

He wasn’t even good looking. If you’re going to try and home wreck, you should at least put some effort into hygiene. Yet here this guy was, constantly looking like he just got out of bed. Really, who did he think he was?

And, was he really insinuating that Hyungwon was some kind of monster you needed protection from? Hyungwon was the last person you needed to be kept from. He was the first one to protect you. He’d go to any length to make sure you were safe; especially since he’s already lost you once.

You really couldn’t fathom why your father thought so harshly of Hyungwon. The mafia thing could be totally overlooked. If you didn’t already know he had a dark side, you’d never be able to guess it existed in the first place. Hyungwon was soft, fluffy, fun, loving, and everything you’d always imagined him to be. Sure there was a time when you had a deep disdain for him, but now, now you could see through the man you thought you knew back then.

You sighed, deciding to worry about this all at another time. You had other things to think about. Things like what started a family would entail. Things would definitely have to change. You wouldn’t have to leave the mafia, but the inner workings would need an upgrade.

You’d be indisposed for awhile. No doubt Hyungwon wouldn’t let you do anything remotely dangerous once you were pregnant. He’d coddle you until you’d threaten to cut off one of his limbs. Even then he wouldn’t stop nurturing you.

He’d be a great father. He was already such a spectacular husband. You’ve seen him interact with kids before, and each time it warmed your heart. He was so good with them, you weren’t worried about him. You were worried about yourself. For a good majority of your life you hated children. They were annoying, and all they did was cry and complain. You were worried you wouldn’t be a good mother because you have a history of being less than patient with children. Still, before you could wake Hyungwon with your worry, you stopped thinking about it and tried to go back to sleep. Too bad Kihyun had to burst into the room.

[latinalesbi]

Bradley and Peter admitted they knew in October re cancellation and spinoff. Awkward chat on the tv insider podcast. You were right!! Poor Sherri et al still pushing for season 6 back then. It was all money related apparently.

I keep losing the replies to these questions. I am going to probably be brief.

Yeah, these guys are liars. And it breaks my heart to think of Sherri still trying to get this renewed in January. They were committed to the show and I am happy to see them working because their talent was too good for all involved.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I’m excited for the eps the moms will be in. I haven’t watched the spinoff so far so i have no real context re storylines but I don’t care, just to see them back will be awesome. Maybe certain people will realise just how great and missed they are 😜            

I mean, I am not one who thinks that anything we do will bring them back more often or at all. But yes, I look forward to them being on and getting any kind of recognition. They deserve it. The problem I fear is that they have probably shared the best scenes. All we are going to be left with is the moms propping up this shitty cast. I think they will especially be targeted to prop up the new lesbian icon.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Why wasn’t Freeform and the producers of the Fosters not called out for the blatant ageism that took place? Older women clearly not welcome on the network even though their characters probably had more effect socially than anything else they produced. The Stef and Lena characters were groundbreaking imo. There was no reason for the cancellation as the ratings were good. The network won’t survive much longer with whomever makes the decisions in charge.    

It was blatant, and I tried to point that out. I read recently that Gen Xers are ignored by media, so this would def. fit that narrative. We are silenced. Stef and Lena were absolutely groundbreaking and for a couple to be the lead, married, solid for 5 years. You aren’t going to see that for a long time. Freeform is in a freedive to hell. No one there can run a business. The thing about Stef and Lena is that they were so socially relevant that they hit the nail on the head. Since then, they’ve been trying to be socially relevant and they just are pathetic doing it. Trying so hard, ticking all the boxes. 

Anonymous said:                                                                      Upsetting your fan base that you took five years to build up was never going to be a sensible idea. Then in promoting your new show you dismiss your old show by making it sound like it was for children. Madness.      

Absolute madness, where do they think they were going to get an audience? They had a base, but they just insulted everyone. Idiots.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I watched an interview Maia and Cierra did on KTLA re GT- They basically admitted they knew before it was going to happen ‘ we had an idea’ ‘we knew it was in the works’ ‘the opportunity had popped up’ lol… all the lies we were told this time last year, it’s funny now. The creators have been the same too. They just handled the whole thing so badly, was it worth it considering how their ratings are tanking - I’m sure they’ll put a ‘spin’ on it but nope!   

More proof. People doubted me when I said it but basically they were planning it from late summer, then they signed deals in October. Sherri is still tweeting about renewal in January, while the cows had stopped doing so. Then came both news and they announced it in the worst possible way. I hate them. I am glad it’s not looking good. Freeform has released a press release for every premiere this year, not for GT. There is nothing they can spin to look good. And they would if they could. Yesterday showed the precious demo dropping again, 12%. Awful.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Hypothetical question but if and it’s a big if GT gets cancelled (don’t think it will as it would be a big dud for Freeform) I wonder if the producers would regret having started the whole thing. I guess it’s a business at the end of the day and they get paid but all the sh*t it caused and still is they must have been affected by it I think. They had a lovely little fandom in comparison to other shows and they kinda ruined it. There is still so much animosity a year on from the decision. 

I think Freeform already has regrets about Noah. They should have signed him when they had the chance. They really hung their coats on the worst of the cast. Idiots. The producers won’t ever admit it. According to Joanna, I am not really gay, Johnson, working with the judge actor is the highlight of her career. Ok girl. Yeah our fandom was nice and small but active. GT can’t get GT trending at all. Not top 20 nationally, nothing.

Anonymous said:                                                                      The Fosters ratings were always good for Freeform that’s why it was so weird the cancelled it. They were always so stable. For a network struggling it was a strange thing to do. I’ve heard money was an issue, but apart from the casts wages they didn’t seem to spend anywhere near as much as they have done on the spinoff. Look at the director they chose for the pilot. Do Freeform hate family dramas that much?        

I think part of it was that Freeform didn’t own the show so they didn’t get as much money. The other part was that it was on Netflix, they didn’t have a deal with Hulu and it seems Freeform is exclusively on Hulu. They dumped us and shadowhunters, which was also on Netflix. I think that they would eat the loss if it meant the ratings and critics favor that the Fosters generated. But it’s clear, whoever runs freeform doesn’t know anything at all.

Anonymous said:                                                                      They can’t spin those ratings, they are sooo bad. All the money they spent on promotion I got sick of seeing it. Will people really not watch the moms episodes live do you think? I’m torn, I don’t want to give the show ratings considering how they treated the rest of the cast but I also want the ratings to go up to say ‘see look what you lost getting rid of the moms’ I have seen that those who have had advanced previews of the first 5 ep’s of Good Trouble says the moms episode is the best!!!!   

The ratings are so bad. And they spent tons on promotion. I think it doesn’t hurt the moms but if it goes up, it’s good things for Sherri and Teri. I am sure when they come in, they will give the show heart and then when they’re gone it will go.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Hated it too how they belittle The Fosters. If FF were so willingly to give them free reign for GT why not The Fosters. You chose the storylines. Instead we had repetitive Callie getting in trouble whilst trying to save the world-yawn! Weirdly the tweet that pissed me off was back in Dec, Joanna- Smthg along the lines of ‘didn’t think I could love a cast more than the Fosters but I do’ -you worked with those people, ur family for 5seasons you’ve been with those people a few months -fickle as f! 

Yeah, it sucks that they have chosen to bad mouth the fosters. It’s not helping them. There’s no need to do that. I think it just shows how all of them hated writing for Stef and Lena. Joanna is a traitor and a liar. No wonder she’s in such a frigid marriage. I don’t think it’s being fickle though, it’s more like fake. They haven’t worked for long and already a family. You want to hear Hollywood honesty? Listen to Teri and Sherri. Sherri will tell you that she didn’t know what to do with Teri for a long time, then it was like. bam, forever love.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I made an effort to watch the first good trouble episode but honestly made literally no effort to watch the second. I might watch it, if there’s nothing on tv that sounds good, but I’m not exactly planning on it.             

I am like on a forever boycott of Freeform. So, yeah, I would rather watch youtube than Freeform.

[themyskira]

Wonder Woman: Earth One, Vol 2 - Part 2

Previously, Morrison’s Amazons are the same awful people we met in book one, now with added mind control. Diana wonders whether her mission might be easier if she just conquered the world and forced everybody to follow the Amazon way.

This time, Doctor Psycho the pickup artist gets his hooks into Wonder Woman.

Steve is test-piloting a cutting-edge experimental aircraft. He races Diana in her vagina plane, struggling to keep up with her. The effort of maintaining the speed causes Steve’s plane to explode, and Diana rescues him.

Steve tries to explain to Diana that the military’s top brass perceive her as a potential threat and that she needs to tread carefully.

Steve: And on that subject… you still planning on leading that big angry ladies march?

um, excuse you?

Big angry ladies march?

What was wrong with ‘women’s march’? Why did Morrison feel the need to colour this line with sexist language? Is he suggesting that Steve Trevor believes that women who take part in political protest are angry and hysterical? Or was he just so busy polishing off his Homeric meter that he didn’t even notice he was being a sexist arse?

Well, all of it goes in one ear and out the other, anyway. Diana just shrugs and goes, ‘welp, they can’t hurt me, and if they provoke us then we’ll just crush them, soooooo…’

The military asks for Diana’s help rescuing an American negotiator who was captured by terrorists while attempting to secure the release of a group of hostages in the Middle East. She gets another very cool outfit for the mission:

She saves both the negotiator and the hostages with ease, of course. Afterwards, back at a US military camp, she shares a bottle of whisky with the hostage negotiator.

He’s interested in discussing Amazon philosophies. Submission to loving authority as a model for all human relationships, for instance. Surely that would be dangerous, unless one could be assured that the authority was benevolent. “Well, of course,” says Diana blithely. “That’s why women are best placed to lead.”

He points out that she comes from a civilisation that practices eugenics and uses mind control technology. That, moreover, she’s an outsider who comes to this world from a place of hyperprivilege, with no understanding of the societies she’s trying to transform. “How can you hope to understand us, let along change us?”

(Those of you who’ve figured out who this guy is yet, please join me in facepalming over the fact that this evil slug of a human being has managed to talk more sense in one and a half pages than Diana has in the entire book.)

At one point he also asks her if she’s “ever thought about submitting to the loving authority of a man”, and somehow it doesn’t end with his face being punched in.

Before they part, they exchange contact details, agreeing to meet up again in DC. Diana tells him, “I’ve enjoyed our adventure together, Dr Zeiko.”

Yeah. This is Morrison’s take on Doctor Psycho. While I have problems with the execution, it’s actually a reasonable base concept. Whereas Marston’s Doctor Psycho uses hypnosis, mediums and ectoplasmic illusions to deceive and manipulate people, Morrison’s Zeiko is a pickup artist-type who works in psy-ops, employing a combination of scientific techniques, staged simulation and good old-fashioned manipulation to identify and get inside people’s defences, and destroy them.

Zeiko: ‘Wonder Woman’. They’re all just the same. < by dr-psycho > If I had just one piece of advice, one precious axiom to impart to you losers, cucks and gamma dudes, it would be THAT singular nugget. Beautiful, smart, wise, powerful, principled. They’re all just the same.

There are a few things I like about this: it reimagines Doctor Psycho’s misogyny and his manipulation of women in a form that is both recognisable and relevant to today. Whereas the original is a cartoonishly depraved gremlin -- an exaggerated, ableist caricature of a misogynist who hates women because they laughed at his ugliness — this Psycho cuts a far more recognisable figure: a white, able-bodied, heterosexual man who abuses his position of power to manipulate women.

But it bothers me that Zeiko’s ability to control people draws so liberally from the pickup artist’s playbook. According to Morrison,

We really went deep with it in the sequences between Psycho and Diana. When he sits and talks to her, it's based on the actual script used by pickup artists with the movements he makes, he mirrors all her gestures, he makes this 'casting off' gesture every time he wants her to perceive something as negative. It was really tightly worked out to follow those scripts.

Pickup artist tactics are rooted in thoroughly debunked pseudoscience like neurolinguistic programming (which is specifically referenced as Zeiko’s field of expertise) and evolutionary psychology. Yes, these are men who prey on and seek to manipulate women, but let’s not afford them any more power or legitimacy than they’re due. By basing Zeiko’s power over women in his mastery of pickup artist theory, and ultimately having him successfully use these tactics to overpower Wonder Woman, Morrison appears to validate some very toxic, pseudoscientific ideas.

In the same interview quote above, Morrison says that he sought to draw awareness to this kind of predatory behaviour:

Part of it was my revenge on having seen [this level of manipulation] actually done to someone. You can see the narcissist type, the sociopath type and how easy it is for them get to people -- people you wouldn't even imagine could be that manipulated by anything. It's a very real problem for young people in the world. There are people out there who are quite willing to use these techniques so I kind of wanted to draw attention to it, but, you know, on the Wonder Woman scale where the guy is a supervillain. I wanted to put these paragon of femininity up against that threat and see how she deals with it -- because even paragons of intelligence and grace I've watched having real trouble with people like this. Here are the techniques. If you see anyone using these techniques against you, the warnings should go off.

Here’s where I think he goes wrong with this.

First, as I mentioned, he attributes Zeiko’s ability to get in Diana’s head directly to bullshit pickup artist theory and neurolinguistic programming. Morrison’s intention may have been to express disapproval and alert readers to predatory behaviour, but he’s nonetheless presenting pickup artist tactics as highly effective, affording them a level of power that’s neither warranted nor constructive.

This is where I think it’s helpful for Doctor Psycho to retain a measure of supernatural power. A writer can still incorporate manipulative and gaslighting behaviours and phrases that are familiar to women into such a character. His uncanny abilities may afford him a greater capacity to inflict wide-scale hurt than the average abuser, but at his core are attitudes and behaviours that many people will recognise. And rather than deriving a near-mystical ability to control women from the vile, pseudoscientific ideas of a real-life community of misogynists, he’s just another creep who abuses his power over people. It might not be a power that exists in our world, but it’s power all the same.

That’s the first problem. The second is that — spoilers — Zeiko kind of wins.

Well, okay, he does end up being captured by the Holliday Girls and sent to Amazonia for brainwashing, so it doesn’t end great for him personally. But ultimately, he achieves everything he sets out to do in the book. He plays Diana like a fiddle, he gloats over her weakness, and she only breaks free of him when it’s far too late to change anything. She is never allowed to triumph over him.

At the start of the book, Zeiko says he’s never met a woman that he couldn’t break, and this book proves him right. His methods never fail.

So at this point, it’s clear that the entire rescue mission was a set-up. General Darnell, we discover, has been ordered to go along with it, and he’s not happy. Even less so when he’s introduced to the secretive Project A.R.E.S.

It’s basically exactly what it sounds: a project aimed at producing highly advanced war machines capable of taking on even the Amazons. Max Lord shows Darnell the fruits of their labours: the Armed Response Environment Suit. It’s now being produced en masse.

A horrified Darnell confides in Steve what he’s seen.

Next, we cut to Amazonia. After some gratuitous perving on naked ladies as Hippolyta and Nubia bathe in the Fountain of Youth, Mala arrives with a bound Paula in tow. The temple was found vandalised again with a swastika, and Paula was found lurking in Hippolyta’s chambers. When asked to explain herself, Paula will only say that she yearns for Diana, her idol. Okay...?

Hippolyta consults the Fates, and returns to Nubia and Mala looking grave and resigned. It’s not explicitly stated, but it’s clear from her reaction that her death has been foretold.

Hippolyta: How I love you, Nubia. Your skin, your mind, your great heart. The time we’ve spent together. And Mala, sisters both, and lovers, and my friends ‘bove all. I’ll miss you all so much.

wait, Hippolyta is sleeping with her daughter’s ex-girlfriend? That is nasty.

(In fact, come to think of it, Nubia was originally Diana’s twin sister. Just to add an extra layer of ick.)

Back at Holliday College, Etta and Steve warn Diana that the government is out to get her, and Zeiko is part of it.

Steve: They’re onto you, Diana. Powerful, dangerous people. Think about how you’ve changed since you started hanging around with this Zeiko dude.

How she’s changed?

No, piss off, mate. Diana literally has not appeared on page since her first meeting with Zeiko. It’s not just that we’ve seen no change in her behaviour, we haven’t seen her at all. I realise that you’re working with limited page space, but if your characters are going to stage an intervention, then you need to at least make a token effort at seeding the warning signs.

Steve tells Diana that Zeiko is deep into psy-ops, mind control, neurolinguistic programming (which is NOT A FUCKING THING), the works. Diana laughs and surmises that Steve simply doesn’t like Zeiko.

Later, Diana hangs out with Zeiko at the firing range, inviting him to shoot at her while she deflects the bullets with her bracelets. When they’re done, Zeiko appears troubled. He feels sick to his stomach, he says! That he — who hates weapons — could so easily talk himself into firing a gun at a woman! At somebody who means so much to him!!

Yeah, Morrison is going there.

Zeiko kisses Diana, then immediately leaps back apologising, saying he doesn’t know what got into him. Diana’s just amused — is that what the men of this world consider a kiss? She decides to school him with a real kiss, and Zeiko bemoans that he feels like he has no control over his actions when she’s around. Oh god, he’s so confused! He’s saying all the wrong things! He doesn’t usually get close to anyone, not like this! He needs to prove that she can trust her!!

ugh, god, this is gross.

Anyway, it ends in Zeiko, under the power of the Lasso, revealing just enough of the truth to serve his ends: that the US military thinks she’s an advance scout for an Amazon invasion, that he was brought in to compromise her and uncover her weaknesses, and that he’s tried to tell them there’s a better way.

Diana runs off, devastated. Zeiko gloats.

< by dr-psycho > Target achieved. Wonder Woman emotional meltdown. Beat that, boys! God, I love my job. She’ll take off in her magical jet. No one treats a princess this way! But she’ll blame HERSELF — superior types always think it must be THEIR fault things went wrong. It has to her her fault for misunderstanding the rules of “Man’s World”. What will she have to do to be treated with the respect she deserves? This princess, this super-10. This prey of the day. What will she give up? How can she prove to me she’s for real…? At her speed… I give her 20 minutes. She gives me 19. Pushover.

PS, we’re eighty-odd pages into the graphic novel, and thus far Diana has done nothing but hit a baseball and get yanked around by the villains.

[sadisticsmiles]

Beyond a Thief’s Power Episode 21

In Preparation for the Abrupt

             Just as Claire and Elizabeth had completed their plans for the night, a knock was at the door.

           Elizabeth turned around from her right side a little to look at the door and asked, “Who is it?”

           Standing outside their door, a familiar dark silver-haired woman’s back could be seen. “It’s Kuruha. Is Claire with you?”

           Kuruha listened for her friend’s answer, which was, “Yes, he’s with me. Was there something important you wanted to tell us?”

           “Not really,” the dark silver-haired female replied. “I’m only checking since none of us have seen him for a while.” A faint sigh escaped her lips. “I’m glad he has you with him, Elizabeth. He can be hopeless sometimes.”

           “Hey, I heard that!” Claire’s comment came quickly. “I’m not dillydallying, Kuruha. You should know me better.”

           Kuruha frowned. “I do know you, idiot.” She shifted her left arm and placed her hand on her hip. “What on earth are you doing? We haven’t gotten any word from you about the final concert yet.”

           “Do you honestly think I haven’t been working on the schedule? Geez, you’re so impatient.”

           “Why don’t you wait a bit longer and let him rest until he’s ready?” Elizabeth suggested. “He’s quite drained from working for our sakes.”

           “Oh~!” Claire said. “That’s my darling!”

           Kuruha’s eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance. “Fine, have it your way. You’re so disgusting, anyway.”

           “That’s not very nice!” Claire shouted.

           Kuruha turned around completely. “Life isn’t nice. After all, you remember all the lives we’ve spent together as well as anyone else between the four1 of us.”

           As the dark silver-haired woman walked away from the couple’s hotel door, Claire smiled, still facing the direction of his laptop.

           “Indeed,” he noted. “Life isn’t generous to anyone, even with these memories that are supposed to be erased for each reincarnation cycle the four of you have gone through.” He sat up straight, removing his arms from relaxing and placed his right hand on the laptop. Its smooth surface soothed him. “Oh. I should say, the six of us instead, shouldn’t I? This man’s body has always been mine—or, bodies from being reborn many times.”

           Elizabeth turned back to gaze at her sweetheart with a somber frown on her face. “So has this young lady. She is only a mere vessel for me, as that young man is for you, Circ.”

           “Faye,” Circ addressed his wife in Claire’s body. Then, he turned around in his rolling chair. “We’re finally back even if we’ve had to lay dormant in these bodies for a long time.”

           Faye sighed. “It took many years after being destroyed once more to come back. We’ve weakened tremendously against the magicians. It’s pathetic that we’re now relying on human bodies that can hold us.”

           “All the more reason to take our revenge,” Circ responded. His menacing grin appeared shortly afterward. “Now, how should we play things out for the magicians and their precious humans?”

           Soon, Kuruha entered a room where Kokoro and Kenshi were in, and the door automatically locked.

           “Welcome back, Onee,” the younger sister greeted. “Were you able to find Claire?”

           Kuruha folded her arms in front of her abdomen. “I can’t say that I ‘found’ him, but I stopped by his and Elizabeth’s room.” Her eyes narrowed. “He was inside, but those two didn’t open the door, so the only thing I was able to do was talk with them while standing outside.”

           “Is he sick?” Kokoro asked.

           “Far from it,” the older Mamiya sister replied. “He’s just tired.”

           Kenshi gave a soft laugh. “Haha. You positive he wasn’t busy with the concert prep?”

           “If he were, he’d be finished by now.” Kuruha let her arms go back to the sides of her body. “I know I can be harsh on him, but he’s never been plagued with illness.”

           Kokoro nodded. “Yup. He’s always been healthy, and so have all of us.” She paused for a few seconds. “We just… died early in all of our lives.”

           Kenshi’s smile faltered and converted into a sympathetic frown. He eyes were also triste as he glanced at Kokoro and then at Kuruha. “I suppose that’s the consequence of eternal reincarnation.”

           Kokoro lifted her head up slightly to look at the cedar-haired man. “Without a doubt, yes. Who wouldn’t want to continue living in this world?” She spun around once and looked at Kenshi once more. Her amaranth pink hair and lime-green eyes were shining with the happy look on her face. “It’s beautiful, even though there are the nastier sides to it. Onee and I have had fun memories before and after we met Claire, but it’s thanks to him that we were able to come to Europe and meet Elizabeth. That’s why, I like this world.”

           Kenshi’s eyes widened with curiosity and confusion. “Huh? What do you mean, Kokoro?”

           Kuruha nodded. “Those words are the truth, Kenshi.” Her dark silver eyes cast downward to the floor with a distant, yet serene look in them. ”In the past when we were in our first lives, we lived in Japan. But…”

           Understanding the dark silver-haired young woman’s words, Kenshi slowly smiled. “Oh, right. Your father was originally a travelling merchant, and your mom…” He trailed off, wondering if his own mother was alright. Once again, it couldn’t be helped for him to think about those he left behind to stay with the Hidden Resistance. His mom was also a single parent, but the Mamiya sisters currently had both parents in their lives, unlike their past ones.

           Kokoro smiled. “What, you’re still having sympathy for us? We’ve been able to endure at least this much since then and time again.”

           “You’re certainly a softy in comparison to the rest of us,” Kuruha agreed. “I guess that won’t change in spite of our current situation.”

           Kenshi made a cute, pleading frown. “You two can say that it’s not much to care about now that your mom is with you after all the centuries since then, but…” Tears started to form and travel down his cheeks. “I find it to be a miracle.” He was blinking, but his tears kept coming to blur his vision of the two ladies in the room with him. He was still such an emotional lad himself after all the time he spent with the group. “Who wouldn’t miss having a full family, and…” A sniff came from him right away.

           “Oh my,” Kuruha smiled at seeing the grown cedar-haired man cry for them. “You haven’t changed at all. Honestly. To think about us and the fact we’ve been reunited with our lovers in this… last life of ours.” She closed her eyes. “Thank you. It means a lot to us.”

           “It would be nice if Naomasa and Kiyo-aniki2 were here to hear this,” Kokoro added.

           Kuruha’s eyes opened. “Don’t forget about Sakuya.”

           The amaranth pink-haired loli’s eyes narrowed and she averted her gaze. “…Well, yeah. Him, too.”

           “Don’t be letting your guards down at a time like this,” a familiar male voice said. As soon as the owner of the voice magically made their entrance in the back of the room, it was Aaron. His attire was amazing to behold: a navy blue fingerless glove [that went up past his left elbow a bit]; an onyx cape-like shirt that slanted down from his left hip to his right ankle, and had a medium-sized gold ring on his left side [near his shoulder and above his heart that revealed the area from his neck down a bit from his chest and left shoulder, due to the curve from his right]; matching color for his pants and his suave ankle boots.

           “Aaron,” Kenshi and Kuruha simultaneously called the teal-haired magician’s name.

           Kokoro glanced at Aaron. “What’s with your outfit? You look… cool.”

           “Obviously, the situation has changed,” the Magician of Power declared. “It’s fight or die without trying.” He looked straight at Kuruha. “Claire and Elizabeth are no longer in control of their bodies.”

           A staid look was on Kuruha’s visage as she narrowed her eyes. “You mean… They’ve been taken over?”

           “Exactly,” Aaron replied. “All the magicians that are currently in Neon sensed a sudden change in the Human World, which had some familiarity to it.” He frowned shortly afterward. “Yet, who would’ve thought they were this close to us the past six years we’ve been with you.”

           The Mamiya sisters’ eyes widened.

           “What’s going on?” Kenshi asked; he was perplexed by Aaron’s words.

           “Claire and Elizabeth have been taken over by Rozanne’s parents, Circ Sinclair and Faye Feris,” Manjuki answered as she teleported next to Aaron’s right side. She wore a purple long-sleeved shirt with a collar that covered the area right below her neck, amethyst-colored pants without pockets, and raisin wedge low heels.

           “How are we going to fight them?” Kokoro asked. “They’re on a larger scale than Roxanne herself, and we haven’t taken down the entire 14K yet.”

           “Don’t forget that we’ve been lowering their forces for years,” Aaron reminded the humans. “We know how hard you’ve helped us, even by a little effort.” His stare had a hardened look at the three people who weren’t gifted with powers. “We’ve dragged you in this, but you have us.”

           Kuruha’s dark silver eyes were moved with gratitude. “Aaron…”

           “Da—“ Kokoro was about to finish what she was saying, but Aaron cut her off.

           “Don’t call me that,” the teal-haired magician said. “You already have one, despite the fact that he’s too busy to stay with you two and your mother at the moment.”

           Kokoro gazed a bit more at Aaron before puffing her cheeks out. “Way to ruin my feelings. You know you’ve been like one to me from the start.”

           “I’m not one and I don’t ever want to be one,” Aaron grimaced. “Futaba isn’t your parent, either, and she doesn’t ever want to be one.”

           “You’re mean,” Kokoro deflated her cheeks.

           “And you’re a brat,” Aaron retorted.

           Kenshi smiled dully. “It’s hard to believe you and Riki worked together.”

           “I’ve kept away from being rough towards him,” Aaron told the cedar-haired male. “He’s a kind guy for someone with an ego that hides his insecurities.”

           Kenshi’s smile grew wider. “You know, you aren’t bad yourself, Aaron.”

           The teal-haired magician brushed off the compliment. “Eh, I don’t care about being like your leader.” He glanced at Manjuki. “Anyway, we need to get things done.”

           “Circ and Faye will make their move soon,” the purpureus-haired Magician of Intelligence relayed.

           Minagi and Futaba appeared immediately after using their teleportation. The latter was next to Aaron’s other side and the former stood on the picton blue-haired Magician of Power’s right side. Futaba wore a long-sleeve white V-neck jacket with ruffles for the collar, the lining cut a bit over the middle of her chest, and the cuffs, over a curved cantaloupe tank top; her pants were linen white and were rolled up to show a cloud gray color; her socks were stone blue and she wore sage sneakers. Minagi, on the other hand, was wearing a sparkling golden flower resembling a mix between a lily and a castor bean due to its pointy, sharp leave, which was slanting slightly upward on the right side of her head; a shiny, solid black, light fitting turtleneck beneath a kimono that had the same golden color as her flower for the collar and obi; the right side of her collar and right sleeve were loose over her shoulder, and the rest of the kimono was fuchsia. With its simple but elegant outfit, she wore white socks and a pair of plum-colored zori with lilac straps.

Kenshi’s eyes widened in admiration for the attire of the two women who had just made their appearance. “W-Wow… You two look fantastic.”

           “No duh,” the Mamiya sisters commented.

           Hearing that, Kenshi couldn’t help but laugh playfully. “Ahaha.”

           “Having fun at a time like this,” Minagi softly said.

           Futaba faintly smiled. “You three certainly take the tension away.”

           “No laughing matter, though,” Aaron remarked.

           Manuki nodded and gave her attention to the cedar-haired male. “Kenshi, send an email to your friends. They need to know what’s going on before they’re drawn into wherever Circ decides to send everyone he wants to involve.”

           “What will you guys be doing?” Kenshi inquired.

           Without taking her gaze off him, Manjuki reached for her pocket with her right hand to the space near her pants, and gradually pulled out a sword. As it formed, it took on the shape of a marigold hilt and a violet blade shaped like a long, slow-curving wolf fang for the tip. She walked over to Kokoro and held the sword horizontally in front of the amaranth pink-haired girl.

           “Take Islander along with you,” she instructed.

           Kokoro looked into Manjuki’s eyes. “He’s your precious weapon, Manjuki. I shouldn’t take him when you need to defend yourself.”

           “I’m not so weak without him,” Manjuki responded calmly. “You’re the one who won’t be able to keep yourself unharmed. You can’t fight alone unless one of us is with you, so I‘m leaving him in your care. He now has a power boost to stop Faye.”

           “I’ll be fighting the being of Fate?”

           Manjuki nodded. “For Elizabeth, she wants you to see her in order to spend more time with you.”

           “So that’s her wish…” Kokoro trailed off before looking at Islander’s weapon form. “I’ll make sure to fulfill it.” She slowly extended her right arm and enclosed the handle in her hand.

           Next, Minagi put her right arm out in front of her and took out her sword by moving her hand to the right side in a swift motion. A sword with a very small light blue and white round crystal was attached to the hilt before the blade had a curve in the shape of a medium sized coral pink spiral seashell, and then became elongated for the rest of the blade which had a pistachio green color.

           When she had finished stepping toward the elder of the Mamiya sisters, she said in a stoic manner, “Kuruha. Be careful. As they are now, your dearest companions will not be able to hear your voices. Claire wants you to be strong and overcome any obstacles to save the people who need to be protected the most. Therefore, I am also expecting you not to hesitate for his sake, as well as everyone else’s.”

           Kuruha stared at the light green-haired magician’s eyes. “I don’t have Zen’aku with me, and I’m not powerful enough without it to defeat an adversary with a vast amount of power.”

           “I know,” Minagi replied. “We all do.3 Circ has called your sword back to him because it was never meant to be yours; the investigations we did on them were far too late for us, which makes apologizing pointless. At any rate, Manjuki and I will come back to your and Kokoro’s side. Aaron and Futaba will accompany you to the battle with them.”

           A worried look overcame Kuruha’s visage’s expression. “What about Elise and Aikishi?”

           “They’re with the rest of the palace’s staff. After all, they were meant to serve the Royal family years ago after graduating from high school.”

           “They’ve gone back and forth between our two worlds,” Manjuki added. “It’s not as if they can’t handle their jobs as a maid and butler.” She glanced at her cousin. “You did enlist their help after we came here, Minagi.”

           Minagi let out a relaxed, nonchalant sigh. “We’re teachers, you and I. We shouldn’t make our students wait for us. That would’ve been irresponsible of us to stay as idols if we didn’t return to the school.”

           “As long as it wasn’t the same high school we went to,” Aaron stated. “Good thing it wasn’t.”

           Futaba giggled. “Aha, it was still fun.”

           “Hardly,” Aaron and Manjuki answered at the same time.

           “Well, things happen,” Minagi said.

           Kuruha and Kokoro smiled. The banter between the four magicians erased their tension. It may have been because Aaron, Futaba, and Minagi were childhood friends, along with Manjuki being Minagi’s cousin that the Mamiya sisters instantly remembered being childhood friends with the Nanahoshi brothers. One of those brothers had made a childhood promise to marry Kuruha, and they were still together as an engaged couple. Another memory appeared in their minds and was one of the Fuse Investigations agency’s other grown members with the Nanahoshi brothers: the famous actor Rui Wakaba, a lawyer with glasses, and the chief of the team, smiling at them warmly.

           “Onee,” Kokoro said, “we have to make it back to everyone.”

           Kuruha nodded. “Yeah.”

           Kenshi had been listening to everyone else’s conversations while he had been sitting on an armchair at the table with his laptop opened He had already sent the email right after Manjuki instructed him to and after his last words in the exchanges within the room. He was currently looking over at the emails that were sent between him and Takuto, who had asked who he was, but the sniper of the Black Foxes could not reveal himself.

           “That should do it,” he informed everyone as he turned his head over his right shoulder and shut his laptop.

           Aaron’s eyes narrowed with the will to settle things. “Let’s make our move, then.”

           “Right,” everyone else stated.

           On the other side of the email, Takuto stared at his laptop screen. “What’s with this guy? He wouldn’t even tell me who he was, and he hasn’t answered back. I guess he left.”

           “Yet,” Atsumu said, “it’s thanks to him that we got more information on what’s happened. We need to plan our next move.”

           “A total heads-up from a stranger,” Hiro noted with a serious expression on his face. Then, he frowned in concern. “How are we going to prepare ourselves? We’re missing Sayuri and Rina, and we don’t know if we’ll get Ains back anymore.”

           Taiga glanced at Hiro. “Well, we can’t rely on them to be with us. Rina’s sword will also have to wait to be rescued. There are some things that can’t be helped.”

           “But we can’t just do nothing, either,” Hiro said while directing his gaze with his eyebrows furrowed at the underground doctor.

           “How do you suppose we get the sword back when there’s nothing we can do about it?” the smokey topaz brunet asked. “We’ll need to fight an impossible battle soon.” He paused for a few seconds. “I hate to say this myself, but don’t get worked up over who and/or what’s not here. We don’t have much time left.”

           Hiro’s eyes lowered as he looked down at the floor with a sad and defeated frown. “Yeah…”

           Meanwhile, in Ibuki’s room, she was still sleeping and breathing soundly in her baby blue bed. The blanket and pillow were sky blue and she had a peaceful, relaxed sleep to rejuvenate her body. Soon, she heard a voice in her head.

           Ibuki, it’s time to wake up, a woman’s voice called out to her.

           It sounded familiar to her, but she could not pinpoint the identity of the person who called her in her resting state.

           Who… she wondered in her mind. Who’s calling me?

           There was no one to answer her as she kept her eyes closed the entire time, but then… Her eyes opened suddenly and were filled with a light, which made them as beautiful as a magician’s.

           Downstairs in the basement, the alliance was still gathered. It was quietly tense for them to wait for the worst to happen. However, the door rapidly burst opened, causing everyone to quickly turn their attention towards it. There at the basement entrance was none other than Ibuki herself. She was in her long light blue nightgown which covered her neck down to the top of her bare feet.

           Riki’s eyes widened with the most shock out of all the other members of Black Foxes gathered in the room. “Ibuki?!”

           “Wha!” Hiro could barely say anything.

           Mitsuki felt paralyzed. “This can’t be…!”

           The rest of the alliance members: Hyosuke, Taiga, Nao, and Miyuki weren’t fazed by Ibuki’s appearance; Atsumu showed a brave face and was stern, and Takuto’s eyes narrowed with suspicion while he frowned. His facial expression displayed contempt, despite that he and the boss of the team were already braced for the worst, along with the rest of the alliance members without actually loathing Ibuki.

 XXX

 1)      Kuruha is referring to herself, Claire, Elizabeth, and Kokoro from the seventeenth chapter of the story.

2)      Naomasa Sakura from True Love Sweet Lies is mentioned as Kokoro’s lover, and Kiyoharu Nanahoshi is Kuruha’s.

3)      Minagi gives a reminder from when Aaron told Kenshi, Kuruha, and Kokoro about all the magicians in Neon knowing about the turn of events.

[caddeter]

Hey, Knight, I have a serious question for you:  Are you fucking illiterate or something?

Okay, looking through the notes, I can’t let this go.

Soku, You JUST described what you do.

Soku made a grand total of two posts in this chain.  You can find both of them here.  One of them is an actual explanation on why Savage’s post is stupid, the other is him simply saying ‘eh’ in reply to Xenodweeb.

“Instead of making the White Fang this way, do it this way that justifies my political beliefs because I deserve validation. 

1.  That had never come up in that chain at all, Soku pointed to utilizing the school setting as an example.

2.  It has nothing to do with his political believes, it has everything to do with putting fucking effort into a point of your show!  How is pointing out that a show displaying an extremely black and white stance on a real world issue that is excessively grey a political stance?

3.  If your talking about what Xenodweeb said, allow me to simplify it for you:  They hyped up a character, only to kill her off not five minutes later.  Even if we ignore her skin color, that’s still incredibly stupid.  And it’s made worse with her skin color.  Even then, there’s a grand total of twelve named dark skin characters in a cast of over 70 characters.  Five of them are villains, the rest are unimportant.  Seriously, what does any black character, who isn’t Emerald, Ilia, or the fox brothers contribute to the plot?  And aside from the guy based off an Achievement Hunter joke and the guy from the team they only remembered half the members of, I bet you and the rest of the fandom don’t even remember they exist.

Also: Listen to me and only people like me because I deserve to be solely pandered to while you don’t deserve a say in your own show.”

First of all, is Savage a member of CRWBY?  Is Savage one of the lead writers?  Is Savage even a Rooster Teeth employee?  You and your little posse constantly remind us that RWBY isn’t our show, yet whenever it’s convenient, it’s your show.

Secondly, that’s your argument, not ours.  You constantly pride your opinions above everyone else’s, from people with experience with the subject they’re talking about, to people who have researched the subject their talking about, to scene analysis, to fucking shit posts.  And you’ve done this over on Deviantart, where there is no RWDE tag, and was just people criticizing your precious little show.  The RWDE tag was made so that the main RWBY tag wouldn’t need to read through all of our posts.  We’re trying to keep our opinions away from you jack asses, and this is the thanks we get?  You know what, screw it, this is going in the main tag.

I just boiled down your entire collection of RWDE posts down into this because THIS is how you act each time:

And I’m a dragon who breaths Popsicle, living on top of the Eiffel Tower making reviews of late night talk shows.  How many times have you said that, and how many times have we proven you wrong?

Only your worldview (even if it’s blatantly wrong and fucking stupid) deserves to be seen and only YOUR iteration) deserves to eb seen and only people like you get to have media in their tastes.

Mirrors are a rare thing in your house, aren’t they?

Okay, that was a little too fast, let me slow it down for you:  Mirrors are pieces of shiny glass you look at to see yourself.

Even then, what are you judging this on?  The fact that people complained about plot holes, unfortunate implications, terrible execution, wasted potential, a side character steeling the spotlight?  That’s not a matter of taste, that’s a matter of desiring quality.  People would be complaining about RWBY’s flaws even if RWDE never existed, just look at how the anime reviewing community treated Sword Art Online.

Everything about RWBY must conform to what you think you deserve, regardless of fucking quality or what the Writer’s want to do or why other people like RWBY.

Yes, because a consistent plot, stable world building, and an understanding of what it’s doing is completely subjective.

RWBY’s quality is objectively terrible; it’s full of plot holes, we get more development for the side characters than we do the main characters, and the world building is excessively muddled.  It also has a bad habit of flat out lying to its audience and constantly ignores the easier solutions.  And with how many details are missed between the writers and animators, I’m left with the impression that the production of this show is a big game of telephone.

Calling RT sexist, racist and homophobic is not criticism.

Jaune gets away with, and is rewarded for something that Yang is demonized for.  That is sexism and criticism.

RT constantly portrays the White Fang, who were left with little other option than to become a violent group like many real world minorities, are treated as completely evil with no redeeming qualities.  And then there’s the count of black characters in the show an their importance to it.  That’s racist and criticism.

It took RT five years to reveal an LGBT character, after years of excuses that for some reason never applied to straight pairings.  That’s homophobic and criticism.

Do you read selectively or something?  We’ve explained several times over how one could get these impressions.  Just because you plug your ears and shout, ‘LALALALALA I’M NOT LISTENING!’ doesn’t mean the evidence stops existing.

Lying about the show is not criticism.

Knight, the only people who have ever lied about RWBY is you.  We have backed up our claims with explanations, comparisons, examples.  You have changed evidence to work with your conclusion instead of changing your conclusion to work with evidence.  You’ve flat out admitted to doing that, yet you still act like we’re in the wrong.  Why can you get away with something like that, but we constantly get demonized for you’re lies?!

Spreading controversy like a manwhore with STD is not criticism.

You really don’t understand how criticism works, especially for a show this popular, do you?

Okay, even ignoring the fact that that’s a load of bull, that’s all you do.  Every time there’s a new RWDE post, you jump to the front lines to start a flame war.

You do not criticize, you complain.

My god, it’s almost as if that was the basis for the RWDE tag in the first place!..  How do you breath?  You can’t wrap your head around this simple concept, yet you still haven’t suffocated yet?  How does that work?

People HAVE refuted you:

Yeah, badly.  And then they got refuted right back.

I’ve had to have done it at least fifty times.

First of all, you’ve had way more chats with people in the RWDE tag than just fifty.  If your track record is so bad, why is your ego so huge?

Second of all, where exactly?  Was it here, where Delvin asks you for evidence of what you’re accusing him of, and then you ran off?  Was it here, where Delvin throws every one of your notions back at you in the end?  Was it here, where Dudeblade explains why you think it’s wrong to compare RWBY to other shows based on IMDB scores, before doing just that with shows with lower scores than RWBY?  Was it here, where Lycanheiress took everything you said and utterly destroyed it?  Was it this one here, where a transgender lesbian explains homophobia to you, and why people accuse you of being homophobic?  Or was it here, where Xenodweeb boiled all of your stupid notions down to the basic level to show why they’re wrong?

Thirdly, you’ve had to do it?  Did we make you?  Is Rooster Teeth paying you to paint their fanbase in a negative light?  Are they holding a gun to your head as you type this out?  Are they threatening your family?  Is the RWDE tag doing that?  Did anyone even ask?  I’ve already explained this to you, KKKoB, no one but you is making you write these.  You chose to do this.

Fourthly, for every one time you’ve attempted to debunk us, we’ve debunked you ten time over.

You just ignore them, block them or throw variations of the word “bigot” at them so you can disregard it

You mean like you did with Delvin?

You’re like that child who keeps changing the rules to make himself invincible because they suck at the game.

You mean like you did with Lycanheiress when you guys were arguing the shows focus on Jaune.  Also, when did we change the rules?  I’m pretty sure we’ve kept things pretty damn consistent in all of our debates with you.

And as for YOU, Xenodweeb,

I don’t wanna hear YOU try to talk about nuances when, looking at your entire conversation on this post (https://savageoppressme.tumblr.com/post/169718979263/xenodweeb-savageoppressme-xenodweeb), you look at everything in Black and White.

“>Racism is a non-issue>Civil rights movements=extremists”

Knight, cursory glances tell us why you’re full of bull.  Also, who do you think I’m going to believe, the guy who admitted to stalking and harassing people who blocked him, constantly acts as the exception to all of the rules he lays out, and almost drove someone on Deviantart to suicide, for Xenodweeb, who has, at worst, criticized RWBY.

Also, you’re one to talk about seeing things in black and white:  You view the RWDE tag as an irredeemable evil that must be purged no matter what each individual blog has done and yourself as the one true fan of RWBY.  What you’re asking for isn’t that we try to look past RWBY’s flaws, your asking for blind devotion to the all mighty Rooster Teeth.

Skipping a bit, because I’ve already established why the next few lines are bunk a few paragraphs back.

To you, “Nuance” does not mean “subtle differences in meaning or expression.” No, it means “my fucking view” without even taking the time to consider that maybe, just maybe, you are wrong and your blind.

How can someone be so in love with the sound of their own voice yet never hear what they’re saying?  Knight, you almost drove someone to suicide because you couldn’t handle the idea that they had a different view then you did.  You aren’t one to talk.

Fuck, there is a reason why I blacklisted the RWDE tag:

Wait...

!?!?!?!?!?!WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!

So you actually did that thing the RWDE tag was meant for?  Why are you still here then?!  Why are you still bitching about the tag you no longer need to look at!?  Why are you so dedicated to proven Darwinism wrong?!  There-there are no words to describe the level of stupid you are!  It doesn’t matter what insult I throw at you, it will always only ever be an insult to the people I’m grouping you with and a complement to you.  I feel sorry that people call you a Nazi now, at least those guys have some brains.  Retards, homophobes, racist, sexists, pedophiles, none of them deserve to be compared to you.  The FNDM would be disgusted if they saw you, hell, Rooster Teeth would be disgusted.  It’s a good thing Monty’s dead, because if he saw you, he’d jump right back into his grave!  You deplorable, inconsiderate, obnoxious, cruel, immature, cruel, judgemental piece of shit!  If the human race died tomorrow, we’d all die happy, because you would have finally have been removed from the gene pool!  I’ve seen super-villains more likable than you.

You know what, screw it, I don’t care what the rest of the post says.  I’ve made my point, I’m done here.

[pinkrocketimagines]

Carousel: Part 2 (COLE X READER)

CAROUSEL: PART 2

 SUMMARY: Your second day in the set of Riverdale. How your friendship with the cast escalates, even more so- your crush on Cole. 

Playful and funny- with a surprise ending.

 A/N: I’ve decided to make 5 parts out of this storY, so I apologize if it’s too slow for your liking :( It’s my first fanfic so I thought I might as well take it slow and make it a good one. Requests are open if you would like to read something else <3 Thanks for reading, here’s a cup of tea !!!!

-

 Today you have an introductory scene with Cole. The last time you met, which was the day before, he was really friendly and although you didn’t have much of a conversation with him, you could easily tell how cordial and nice he was.

 You arrive really early on set since it’s only your second day ( and also because you were really excited to work with Cole). Mark tells you to rehearse your lines since Cole might take some time to come. You sit there in the hair and makeup room and go through your lines over and over again. It’s a really small scene but you don’t wanna mess it up- for obvious reasons. Lili and Camila soon join you and you guys have a long and easy chat as you get your hair done.

 “So, (y/n)” Lili gives you a cheeky grin “ second day, huh? How’s it going for ya’?”

“Okay, I guess. I have a scene with Cole today” you give her a small smile.

“Ah! Good luck working with that one! He’ll probably arrive late” Lili groans

You snicker at her comment.

“Speak of the devil” Camila remarks as a handsome and sleepy Cole enters the room like he owns the place!

“Was that for me? Aw Cam, you really know how to crush a poor guy’s spirit early morning” Cole makes a puppy face. AND YOU SWEAR YOU COULD’VE JUST DIED RIGHT THEN AND THERE.

You try to keep you cool and stay quiet. “ (y/n), was it?” Cole walks towards you “we have a scene today”

 “Yeah” you quietly answer and give him a small smile. Lili and Cam snicker at how shy you get around other people. “Be nice to her okay, Cole!” Lili warns

Cole rolls his eyes, “You guys make me sound like I’m such a bad boy” he places his hand on his chest dramatically. He looks up at you and clears his throat,”So my lady, may I escort you to our precious set?” he extends his hand. 

You chuckle and take his hand.

Lili and Cam laugh in the background, “ (Y/N)! You really need to break out of your shell” Cam exclaims

 “Nah, I like her this way. Shy and cute” Cole remarks, and then he looks at Lil and Cam, “ Not like you two crazy ass loud hyperactive oompa loompas” he blurts abruptly and runs out of the room before Lil and Cam gets a chance to hit him- all the while still holding your hand.

 Did he just call you cute?

 -

It has been three weeks since you joined the cast of Riverdale. Everything has been great so far. Your crush on Cole has only gotten bigger, and suprisingly you’ve done a pretty great job in keeping it a secret. I mean, you’re really close with Lili and Cam now, they’re your girls but you still see them as huge tv actresses you take pride in calling them your friends. I guess you happen to feel that way because the show hasn’t gone out yet, so no one really knows who you are.

 Today’s just like any other day. Nothing out of the ordinary. You haven’t seen Cole all day because you had several shots to take care of. You were in the set, practicing your lines when-

“Hey kiddo” you hear a voice from the back.

You turn around to find a certain red-haired guy, “ C’mon KJ! Stop calling me that” you groan. He taps your head like you’re a 5 year old boy and sits next to you.

“Yeah, KJ. She’s an infant. How dare you call her a kiddo?” Cole teases as he makes his way. Ah! As handsome as ever.

“Whatever” you grunt and pretend to be mad.

“Aw, hit a nerve there, did I ?” Cole comes closer to you, making your heart flutter, ”infant” he whispers.

“COLE!” you start hitting him with your transcripts as he and KJ laugh horrendously.

“(Y/N)!” Mark yells

“Okay, guys. That’s my cue. Don’t miss me too much”

Both of them scoffs, “I won’t. I don’t know about KJ though” Cole jokes

KJ pretends to wipe a tear, “I can barely hold it in”

You roll your eyes, “Whatever,” and wave them a temporary goodbye.

-

What an exhausting day. You’ve had 6 scenes altogether- you’ve never been this tired in set before. Exhausted, sleepy and hungry, you groan and fall on the sofa placed near the stage.

 You decide to take a quick nap before packing. So tired.

You’re awakened, some 10 minutes later, by a very unfamiliar snort and the sound of someone breathing heavily, close to your face.

You yell in fright as you open your eyes to find a hideous face staring back at you.

Damn it, Cole.

He had just beaten all the records of funny faces with this scary one, he had his eyes so big and his mouth of enormous, it scared the living daylights out of you.

This boy, I swear. As much as you adore him, he is also the most annoying person you’ve met! 

“What is wrong with you, Cole!,” you yell, “What is wrong with you,” you hit his arm.

He couldn’t help but laugh out loud, he apparently found it so funny he even had tears form in his eyes, “ HAHA, I knew that would scare you. But not that much. You should’ve seen your face!!”

“Whatever,” you give him an angry face and fix your hair, “ you’re annoying!!!” you make your way out.

“C’mon, don’t be like that!” he runs over to you, “Fine, I’m sorry!” he tries to sound apologetic but he still can’t stop himself from laughing.

 “You’re still laughing, oh my god.”

 “No, No.” he controls his laughter,” Let me make it up to you,” he says.

 Interesting. “How?” you try to sound angry.

“Dinner?” he suggests.

 Dinner with Cole Sprouse? Am I in heaven?

[militaryspouse101]

New Post has been published on Military Spouse

New Post has been published on http://militaryspouse.com/spouse-101/at-home/9-binge-worthy-shows-on-netflix/

9 Snow Day Binge-worthy Shows on Netflix

Soooo that Nor’easter is coming down strong and leaving us all in the cold. Fight back. Don’t get dressed today. Crawl back into bed and take full advantage of the gift you’ve been given – the elusive Snow Day.

It could be worse. Your house could look like this:

Whether you’re house is a big ‘ole snow cone are not, pretend your locked inside with just your Netflix today. 💻

In honor of Storm Stella, we’ve pulled together the 9 Snow Day Binge-worthy Shows on Netflix. Watch a few pilots today. Watch a whole season. You do you today. #FTW

9. Sons of Anarchy

Originally described as The Sopranos with motorcycles, Sons of Anarchy is violent, intense, gritty, and addicting. You’ll find yourself loving the bad guys, hating the good guys, and unsure what side of the law you fall on anymore. Plus, there are 7 seasons on Netflix, soooo, winning.

8. Arrow

Arrow will make you fall in the love with justice. Arrow is superheroes, action, mystique, and a ridiculously attractive cast. It’s fun and fierce and so easily binged. This storyline will keep you going for all 5 seasons all the Snow Day long.

7.  Better Off Ted

Portia de Rossi. Enough said. This hilarious, strange, offbeat comedy basically takes everything you know about office culture and flips it on its head in the most charming way possible. Really similar feel to Arrested Development, we are so sad there are only 2 seasons of this show. But you could honestly watch the whole thing today. And you should.

6. Parks and Recreation

If you haven’t watched Parks and Rec yet, I’m so jealous of you. Because if I could be so lucky to watch it for the first time again, I would die. But I can’t, because I’ve already watched it 6 or 7 times through. And don’t regret a single time. Best comedy on Netflix, charming, hilarious, AMY POEHLER. Every character is endearing and wonderful. 7 seasons waiting for you….

5. Gilmore Girls

No Netlix list would be complete without our precious Gilmore Girls. Be still my heart. I love this show just as much today as I did when it ended in 2007. So does the rest of the world. If you were in a coma and missed the “A Day in the Life” GG reprise, you can watch that on Netflix too. But, it doesn’t even TOUCH the culturally brilliant and hilariously endearing original 7 seasons. Enjoy!

4. Daredevil

Best. Superhero. Show. Ever. Not only is the Daredevil storyline incredible (c’mon, blind, kicka** fighter, brings justice to the streets of Hell’s Kitchen by night) but this show has depth that will draw you in immediately and repeatedly. And The Punisher is quite possibly the most lovable skull crusher that there ever was. You’ll be in tears. Please, Netflix, MORE seasons. We need more Daredevil.

3. Mad Men

Mad Men is set in the 1960’s and shares the lives of the men and women of Sterling Cooper Ad Agency on Madison Avenue (ahem, “Mad” Men.) The 7 seasons will have you on a rollercoaster of emotions  and you won’t know what to do with yourself until the next episode. The writing is brilliant, the characters are perfection, and plot is engaging as heck. No regrets.

2. Friends

You’ve seen it before. But there is a reason that show takes the #2 spot on our list. It’s SO re- watchable and never disappointing. If anyone judges your binge-watching, your immediate response is: “WE WERE ON A BREAK.” Cue the laugh track.

1. Breaking Bad

Quite possibly one of the best, if not THE best show of all time. You will see the very depths of human failing in the most dramatic, well-written, and brilliantly performed series ever to grace our presence. Watch the pilot and you’ll be hooked.

Well, these are 9 of the best options for your Snow Day Binge-watching pleasure. But this is just the beginning. The point is, today is for you. 💻

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