#have FEELS about pre-Tower era or whatever it's called | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

vagrantblvrd · 5 years ago

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@rogueghost Tumblr’s still acting weird for me so I had to do the old DIY reply to your ask, but here you go. :D?

Oh, friend! There’s so much lore to Destiny that I haven’t kept up with myself because ~lazy. The AUs I’ve written are a mishmash of Destiny universe and ~artistic liberties on my part, so yeah.

(There’s an amazing video here about the lore thus far that I hope to watch One Day? But, again, lazy and lack of time to sit down to properly absorb it.)

Quick background on the games/Ghosts for those who don’t play the game/want to see me ramble on about A Thing:

The game tells us is the Traveler (giant white space orb/messiah/McGuffin showed up in our solar system which resulted in what’s called the Golden Age where human technology advanced like whoa. (But surprise, surprise, the Traveler was being pursued by an enemy referred to as the Darkness and things got messy for humanity, something that happened to several races that happened to run into the Traveler before us.)

There was an extinction level event several centuries before the events of the Destiny games called The Collapse when the Darkness caught up to it. The Traveler “died”, creating the Ghosts as it did to seek out Guardians...who tend to be dead at the time (they get better) who then join the ranks of the Guardians (who for the most part) fight to save humanity/the universe and/or engage in shenanigans such as flinging themselves off the Tower for funsies and the whatnot. (Guardians have no common sense, btw. Also, lunatics.)

BUT.

Back to your amazing prompt???

It would be this entire Thing on its own because I want to set it before the games back in the days before there was a Vanguard, which from what I gather from the lore I have read was not unlike ye olden medieval days/wild west with sci-fi twist, because yes. (Also, it was referred to as the Dark Ages, so yeah.)

Geoff and Jack are among the first Lightbearers that are referred to as Risen in various bits of game lore, right? Before the Iron Lords and the whole “Guardian” business with the Vanguard and the Tower and all that good stuff.

Back in the days where there were some like them who abused their powers over those who weren’t like them. Grabbing land and wealth for themselves and gaining followers through fear and the whatnot?

They spend a long, long time trying to figure out what the hell is going on because no memories of their past lives and this hellish world they’ve been brought back to with Fallen and God knows what else wandering the lands.

Just these little glowing balls of Light and sass nagging them about finding shelter and armor and weapons, getting them into hiding when Fallen patrols or other bandits go past.

Abilities before there were proper classes and sub-classes and all that.

Geoff and Jack both lean more towards the floofy jumps and glides of Warlocks. (not that they know what a Warlock even is at that point, of course.)

Jack’s abilities and whatnot lean more towards a support role, but he’s not defenseless, oh no. He learns to use his Light as a weapon and that goes for Geoff too.

They carry guns and knives and in a pinch whatever is at hand.

Run into each other in a little settlement somewhere and at first it’s this Thing where they’re keeping their Ghosts out of sight – Warlords and so on who flaunt their little Ghost friends and the way people have learned to react to them. (And also? Just smart not to go about advertising the fact you’re harder to kill than most, that if they don’t know you have a Ghost you won’t stay down once someone tries to put you in the ground.)

There’s an attack, Fallen or human bandits or some Warlord’s goon squad trying to terrorize the settlement into rolling over for them. Pay a tax or whatever they’d call it back then to “protect” them from the roving bands of Fallen and other enemies.

Can’t do much without giving themselves away – and why would they? They don’t owe these people anything, and that old woman scooping her wares off the ground where her booth’s been knocked down tried to shortchange Geoff less than an hour ago.

The asshole with the weapons parts Jack needed is – okay, he’s kind of dead now, but he lied to Jack’s face about not having them in stock. Said he’d have to ask around, and wouldn’t you know it that would cost more. (Jack can see the parts he was after spilling from a box hidden at the back of the guy’s booth and into the grass, blood all over them and what a mess.)

Still.

Jack quietly takes the parts he needs and leaves the money he would have paid fairly for them and a little more with the boy crouched beside the booth. (His mother’s a settlement over, said she’d be a bit before joining his father with the parts she was bartering for there.)

Sighs as he looks down the road the goons left on and starts after them. Geoff’s munching on an apple he got of a nearby tree and watches him go, all thoughtful about it because there are people mourning here and they don’t owe them a damn thing, and what does that idiot think he’s going to do about it?

So of course he follows, just to see.

The end up killing everyone at the Warlord’s little castle, wherever he’s holed up because none of them will listen to reason and the man’s a blowhard. Full of himself because he’s clearly been chosen for a reason, and what else could it be than to rule over the weaker, lesser people in this section of the world?

And Geoff, God, Geoff.

Died several times getting to this asshole, right? Snipers and assholes with knives and other melee weapons and he was in dire need up upgrading his armor before he waded into this fight, but he’s got his trusty Ghost buddy and this stubbornness that just won’t quit. Smiles because this pathetic weasel playing king and is just like, “Oh, buddy, have I got news for you.” and behind him Jack pops his super, Radiance lighting up the Warlord’s pitiful little throne room.

Geoff lets that sink in for a moment before he fricking nova bombs the Warlord in the face.

It kind of hurts a little, when they see the asshole’s Ghost hiding in a corner of the room waiting for the right moment to resurrect the bastard, because their own Ghosts and the bonds they’ve built with them, you know?

But the little Ghost floats out to the center of the room, looks down at the body of its chosen and sighs because it knew a long time ago it chose poorly. (Maybe the Warlord could have done great things with this second chance, but he chose to do terrible things instead.)

They could kill the Ghost, make sure the Warlord didn’t come back, but -

There’s no point to it now. The Ghost is surprised at their decision, maybe disappointed. (Easier for things to end and not have to consider everything that went wrong because of its choice of course. Having to go on however long with that hanging over it? Nothing like mercy, is it?)

So.

They leave the Ghost behind, and all the dead in the halls and rooms where they fell. Find the path that leads away from the settlement and that small little Warlord and keep walking. (Swear they see a light in the woods along the castle grounds following them for a distance, but they leave it be and eventually it vanishes, wandering as aimlessly as them.)

And then!

They kind of fall in together after that, aren't really friends but there aren’t that many directions to go in, you know? And sometimes the Fallen patrols and whatnot are tricky for one Risen to deal with alone and it’s just.

Convenient.

They’re not bad guys, really, certainly no villains, but wouldn’t you know it? There are a lot of people out there who claim they are?

All these warlords with their bounties and other thieves and grifters with grudges to bear against them. Settlements who aren’t sure what to make of them and are wary of strangers because it pays to be paranoid.

And sometimes they kind of do bad things, pilfer some goods off a settlement where the leader’s an asshole and it’s doing well enough for they won’t miss just a little and so on and so forth. (Ignore the fact they maybe stop ‘round a poorer settlement or homestead kind of place to barter their stolen goods for a place with a roof over their heads for the night and so on. Because unimportant and definitely not a Good Deed or anything.)

Eventually they happen on this little asshole of a Hunter, a kid, really. (Well, no. Just. Young.)

Skittish, almost, the way he acts around them and after they win his trust by sheer dint of doing nothing he joins them beside the campfire they’ve set up.

Well, not nothing. Just. Something?

They set up camp in a clearing of the forest they’ve found themselves in this time. Tired after crossing a snowy mountain rage and it’s warm enough where they are they won’t freeze to death at night. (Once was enough, thanks.)

Hunt and fish and forage for food and leave the Hunter they spot lurking about alone when they realize he’s no threat to them.

Eventually Gavin gets curious enough, or maybe something else because he comes to their campfire with tidbits of food of his own. Treats and delicacies he’s made himself or bought or traded for somewhere else to supplement whatever Geoff and Jack caught/foraged for themselves.

They share stories, mostly Geoff and Jack about their adventures up to then. Little ones, because they’d hate to spook Gavin, scare him back into the forest and probably gone off somewhere they don’t stand a chance of finding him again.

After a while Gavin offers up some of his? Mostly advice for the area around them, dangers to look out for like Fallen patrols and the like.

Geoff asks after this human bandit encampment he heard about from a settlement nearby and Gavin goes quiet. Shifts uncomfortably before he tells them it won’t be a problem anymore and leaves it at that.

They don’t ask because they have stories of their own that end like that and it would just be rude after the goodies Gavin shared with them, so they don’t press.

The three of them wander around the forest for a few days, a week. Headed the same direction to another settlement nearby and it’s pretty nice having someone else around for a change, you know?

But once they reach the settlement Gavin vanishes on them and knowing how skittish he is, they don’t go looking for him.

A few years – twenty, thirty, maybe more – go by before they run into Gavin again.

They’ve left Earth a few times since then, gone wandering in these Jumpships that fell apart on them before too long and they ended back up on Earth.

By that time there’s a new group of Risen calling themselves the Iron something or others, and they’re out there giving the Warlords a time of it to hear the stories.

(A few from this shady guy who owns a bar in this little settlement that grew up to be a tiny town. Tells them about this lady named Efrideet responsible for the hole in the ceiling of his fine establishment, but he doesn’t seem too annoyed about it, so it’s probably fine.)

Run across this kid in a town somewhere, angry as hell and taking on some Warlord’s stooges with just his fists. Seems weapons would just slow him down because he’s doing just fine resolving whatever argument or debate he’s engaged in by punching the shit out of his opponents.

When it’s over they buy him a drink because it saves them the trouble of handling things themselves – picked up a bounty not too far away the kid took care of for them – and they offer to split the reward money since he did all the work.

And Michael, okay.

Squints at them because he sure as hell doesn’t know them, but who is he to turn down a free drink?

He agrees to taking a quarter of the reward because it seems they won’t accept anything less, but whatever. He would have have kicked the shit out of those assholes anyway for trying to bully the people here and this way he’ll have a little extra money in his pockets. (Whatevers.)

They part ways there, but he tells them if they need a hand they’re welcome to in touch with them.

Geoff and Jack wander a little more. Hear about these Iron Lords or whatever they’re calling themselves these days and are understandably concerned because the warlords business and who says these idiots are going to be any better?

(Say they’re out to protect people and all that, but entire settlements, towns, have gotten caught in the crossfire between them and the warlords and the only ones to walk out of it are these Iron Lords. So. Yeah. They’ve got some trouble thinking anyone’s a good guy in that scenario.)

More time goes by and they’re at some little outpost somewhere when Gavin pops up out of nowhere.

Strained look on his face and eyeing Michael who’s with them warily.

Says, “I could use your help,” which is a first because whenever they run into him he’s the one helping them out.

Hell of a sniper and no one better they’ve met when stealth is needed and anyway, anyway, they say yes because of course they do.

Like this little idiot who creeps around the wilds like it’s second nature, goes delving into Darkness Zones looking for God knows what. All kinds of trouble he gets up to and no one watching his back and just.

They worry, okay? They do.

More so with the way he’s all wound up about something. Won’t even tell them what it is until they’re out of the outpost and miles into the woods. Ghosts telling them no one’s around to listen in and even then he’s nervous.

Michael, who’s been quiet through all this loses his temper, snaps at Gavin to get on with with it already, fuck’s sake.

Jack goes to rein him in because Gavin and skittish and just, not what they need right now?

Only as it turns out, it kind of is because Gavin just.

Spills this story about coming across a crashed Fallen ketch in the mountains nearby. Too deep into Fallen territory – and treacherous terrain besides – for anyone to have reason to go up there.

But because Gavin’s an idiot and his Ghost is just as much of one, they went up there anyway.

Snuck past Fallen patrols and the whatnot to get into the ketch and found a Ghost in an odd little device that kept it from transmatting somewhere safe. Little thing begging them to find its chosen because the Fallen had caught them by surprise.

Overwhelmed them in an ambush and caught the Ghost in the cage it’s stuck in, kept its chosen because they thought he had answers they wanted.

Gavin glosses over the interrogations the Ghost told them about, how they’d torture its chosen to the point of death and have it resurrect him to do it all over again and the worst part is its chosen honestly didn’t have the answers to the questions they kept asking him? Resurrected a year ago a most when they were captured and wandering through the area by chance and just bad luck all around.

Anyway, anyway, he knows they don’t know this poor bastard, but Gavin can’t just leave him there, okay? He can’t get the guy out himself, but if they don’t want to help that’s fine, he understands, he’ll find a way -

Geoff and Jack are just like, no, you little idiot no, we’ll help. Just. Don’t do anything stupid okay?

Gavin is like “...okay?” because he didn’t know if they’d say yes – none of their business and sure, they’ve been pretty vocal about not getting involved things that don’t involve them, but that’s all just talk.

(They’ve been getting into trouble that didn’t concern them for a long damn time before now, and hey, Gavin’s kind of their business because they like him okay?)

Michael doesn’t know what Gavin’s deal is, but he’s always up for a fight and nothing better to do and when Geoff and Jack ask if he wants to go along he’s just like, sure, why not?

Gavin isn’t sure about him because Michael is a stranger to him? But he doesn’t seem too bad and Geoff and Jack like him and anyway, the more the merrier?

Thy follow Gavin up to the Fallen ketch, take out Fallen patrols and whatever else in their way headed there. Gavin has to sneak in ahead of them because there are traps and security measures the others would trample their way into and just.

“Be back in a moment,” and goes invisible because he’s got all them Hunter abilities and the whatnot.

There’s this uncomfortably long bit of time where the others are in hiding to avoid being detected and wondering if Gavin got caught by the Fallen. This whole argument about having to break in and save him too, which is when Gavin reappears, all “Took longer than I expected, but it’s all clear now,” and scares the bejesus out of them because Hunter and stealth and where the hell did he come from?

Gavin shrugging and totally not laughing at them as he takes the lead.

They get pretty far in before they’re noticed, and then it’s all fighting and shooting and maybe dying once or twice to be resurrected by their Ghost or picked up by a teammate.

Gavin makes for the trapped Ghost first, figures they might need it by the time they reach this captured Risen which, yikes? (But also smart, and also it’s easier to get and on the way and just. It works out.)

The Ghost they rescue sticks close to Gavin and his Ghost, nervous little thing after all it’s gone through and then there’s more fighting and the whatnot to get to this idiot who got himself caught.

Dicey moments and definitely some dying on their parts because there’s a Fallen tank in the ketch - naturally - and all these Vandals with their fricking wire rifles they don’t see until it’s too late, and anyway.

It’s a hell of a fight to get the guy.

Have to deal with a Kell, because of course they do, but four Lightbearers deal with him better than one or two would have and then they get to rescue the poor bastard.

His Ghost tutting and fussing and Ryan – because of course it’s Ryan – is just like, I’m alright, stop worrying and also?

Suspicious of his rescuers because he’s never seen them and four Lightbearers? Makes him Concerned, okay.

Things aren’t as bad as they were before the Iron Lords or whoever showed up, but it’s still.

He’s not very trusting, is the thing.

Grateful for the rescue and all, but not super friendly. (Which, understandable considering his recent experience.)

The group sticks together for a few days after they get out of the mountains and back down to a nearby settlement. Aren’t surprised when Ryan goes his own way – tells them he owes them one and goes off with his Ghost for more adventures or what have you.

No one is surprised when Gavin follows him all stealthy-like.

Well. Not as stealthy as he could be, because he doesn’t want to make Ryan jumpy about feeling like he’s being watched? But Gavin kind of bonded with Ryan’s Ghost a bit when he first ventured into the Ketch. Couldn’t sneak out right away and ended up living inside it avoiding Fallen for a few days. Crept down to see Ryan, talk to him when he could to tell him he’d find a way to get him out of there, you know?

(Hiding out in some little corner somewhere in the Ketch – too risky to sleep or too paranoid and there’s one or two Fallen watching Ryan he can sneak around to see him. Think about how it’d feel if he was the one in Ryan’s position and how easily that could happen to a lone Lightbearer and how awful it is that Ryan’s been there all that time and no one knew and just. He’s attached now, alright?)

Ryan too out of it most of the time to know about it, but his Ghost tells him about the idiot who went snooping where he really shouldn’t have been. Lurking about the Ketch even after he could have gotten out to make sure he had the layout and patrols memorized before going for help and just.

Everything.

So he’s not worried when the same idiot follows him when he goes on his own way, getting more bold or just bored/curious when he stops pretending he’s not following Ryan and walks into the little camp he makes somewhere.

The two of them traveling around together for a while, a few years, maybe more before they get a call from Geoff and Jack because Michael’s in a situation thanks to this asshole he fell in with somewhere.

Nothing too dire, just need the extra firepower and they help get Michael and his buddy Jeremy out of a Cabal base somewhere.

And then they go somewhere to celebrate and just. Stick together for a while?

Nothing more pressing to deal with – the Iron Lords have things pretty well in hand and all, warlords mostly gone and a semblance of order to things.

But there are still baddies out there, places the Iron Lords don’t have resources to protect just yet and they make a living out there.

Bloody, ugly living sometimes because baddies who were born that way and no one else to handle things and they’re not the bad guys here, but they’re not good either.

The SIVA clusterfuck happens and there’s this...chaos, panic for while. Things get hectic, threaten to go back to the way they were before the Iron Lords and it’s awful right?

This little group of Lightbearers out there doing what they can to keep things from getting too bad even if it means liberating goods and supplies from people hoarding them, refusing to share with those in need. Stopping the more aggressive assholes from trying for power grabs and the lot.

Maybe a few of them think twice about forming the kind of bonds they have when they see what happened to the Iron Lords because they’re not invincible even with their little Ghost buddies, you know?

But they keep on keepin’ on and watch as more and more Lightbearers show up, the City grows and Titans built its walls and the Vanguard come into being. Lightbearers start calling themselves Guardians, of all things.

And that gets derisive snort from Geoff because pretentious much? But the Guardians grow in number, fight against the Fallen and whoever – whatever – else threatens humanity. (Their City.)

Put out patrol beacons and organize strikes and all that nonsense and all these freshly resurrected Guardians going out and doing good things with their second chance. (Some driven by the desire to help mankind and all that, others by the promise of loot and prestige, and those with nothing better to do and a Ghost nudging them in the direction of being helpful.)

Still they hold out for a while, not wholly trusting in the staying power of the Vanguard and what they’re doing in that City of theirs or their Tower after seeing what happened before them.

Eventually though, they get curious.

Or maybe the Vanguard’s heard about them and they got curious.

Whichever one it is, they end up running a few strike together. Do some patrols on the side because guaranteed glimmer for some menial task they would have done for free. (Would have gotten parts and supplies anyway, handful of glimmer, but now? Better pay and earning trust in the bargain.)

Stop having to scavenge for the stuff they need and – this is bonus in Gavin’s mind at least because he’s never forgotten what happened to Ryan – someone besides one of them who’ll notice if they’re in trouble or go missing.

Who will send others to look for them (how many times have they done the same for the Vanguard already? Asked to find some wayward Guardian who bit off more than they could chew) and mourn them if they can’t be saved.

To be honest, Geoff and Jack are all about that side of things with the idiots they’ve joined up with, you know? Michael and Jeremy are one thing, get into trouble for the hell of it sometimes, but Ryan and Gavin?

Those two get up to trouble because they’re too damn stupid. Go off on their own into Dead Zones and everything else all the damn time, wander the wilds for weeks on end where communications are spotty and they won’t know they’re in trouble until long after the fact.

Ray’s even worse, but he’s one of the most capable Lightbearers any of them have met so it’s. Bad, but the whole trust thing?

(And anyway, there won’t be a time they aren’t worrying about any of their idiots, so. Yes.)

Maybe this Guardian business isn’t such a bad thing after all.

Still takes a while before they decide to throw their lot in with them, move to the Tower, but eventually they do.

Have this hidden base of sorts in the wilds all nice and locked down in case something goes wrong – Cabal attacking the city and cutting off their link to their Light, for example – and other hidey spots and boltholes all over the system because.

Paranoia for good reasons and being prepared, and anyway, anyway.

They have this little section of the Tower for their group, little clan, if you will. Pick up new Guardians every so often. Freshly resurrected or ones they hit it off with when the Vanguard sends them on strikes and the whatnot.

Lindsay and Trevor and this whole slew of new idiots Geoff and Jack watch over in their own way.

Gavin is thrilled at not being the only Hunter in the bunch when they find Alfredo. (Or maybe he finds them???)

Anyway, there’s this feeling of safety, security they have now they didn’t before being part of something bigger than themselves. (Not perfect, because the Vanguard can be horrifically shortsighted at times, but they’re doing their best.)

Also?

Loot.

Lots of loot and glimmer and that’s the important thing.

Really.

#ragehappy #fahc destiny au #rogueghost #Prompt Fills #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #i just #have FEELS about pre-Tower era or whatever it's called #i'm also bad at game lore #so my timeline for this is probs jumbled up #¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years ago

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The Voyage So Far: Enies Lobby

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

this is still one of my very favorite nami panels. i think she’s really great through all of water 7 and enies lobby in general, actually, even though she isn’t really one of the characters in focus for a lot of it- like zoro and sanji, she stays pretty steadfast and very badass even though everything that happens, and never gives up on robin for a moment despite being one of the ‘weaker’ members of the crew. and it’s always fun to see her playing with lightning.

one of my favorite jokes from the first half or so of enies lobby is the strawhats both being completely unsurprised that luffy charges in ahead of them as soon as they arrive AND being able to find him immediately by following the explosions. they know him so well.

luffy’s never been scared of dying, going all the way back to when he told coby he was fine with dying for his dream back in chapter two or three. that conversation is what his exchange with blueno here reminds me of- blueno asks him how long he intends to keep fighting, and luffy says until he dies, like there’s nothing to it.

it’s always been a trait of his to face death unflinching with a grin, so long as it’s for the sake of something he cares about, be it his crew or his brother or his dream, and i just really like that about him.

i’ll go into it in the dressrosa post too, but i think it’s really impressive just how long oda held off on giving luffy any sort of significant power-up. he gets his first big power boost in the whole series here, forty volumes in. i’ve always liked that oda is very conservative with power boosts like this, because it both keeps the series’ powerscaling in check and makes the times it does happen much weightier. this is a monumental moment, and it feels like it.

also, i love the way gear two is drawn pre-timeskip, especially with the steam. it looks very cool and atmospheric.

i really like how united the strawhat crew feels throughout enies lobby, after all the internal turmoil and discord of water seven. even though the matter of usopp leaving the crew is still unresolved, they’ll all together once more, on the same page, and fully united in the goal of saving robin, whatever consequences it might bring.

the tree of knowledge has such a cool design- it looks massive, and even more than that, it looks old. you look at that tree and you know its been there for easily thousands of years. its seen entire eras of history, and it would be priceless even without the countless books stored inside it.

and then it burns.

i’m so endlessly sad about the tragedy that is robin’s relationship with her mother. they never even got to see each other until their world was ending, and even then only for a couple minutes.

olvia is a very interesting character, because she’s someone who chose her dream over the people she loved. that’s not an inherently good or bad choice, but it is a choice she made, and it’s what led to the ending she and robin had to have. i’ve wondered a lot what might have happened if she chose the other way, if she never left or if she came back sooner or if she chose to flee the buster call with robin, and how different (and almost certainly better) robin’s life would have been if she had.

in a way, olvia reminds me a lot of kouzuki toki. they both die in order to fling a light of knowledge and hope into the future, and they both send their children away and choose to stay behind to choke on ash for the sake of a better tomorrow.

i didn’t really notice until putting these panels together, but a lot of things burn in enies lobby. ohara burns, and the pluton plans and the world government flag, and enies lobby itself, and at the end, the going merry burns, too. if you extend it back to water seven, there’s the galley-la headquarters, too. in an arc that deals so much with the preservation and destruction of history and knowledge, it’s a fitting motif.

the world government flag burning is still to this day one of the most striking panels out of a series full of them, in my opinion. in one act, the strawhats proclaim their absolute defiance against the world government, and their willingness to make enemies of the greatest power in the world for the sake of their friend.

it’s also another one of those moments that’s interesting to think about in the context of luffy’s past. it was a ship flying that same flag that shot sabo down, and while luffy wasn’t there to see it, i don’t think he’s oblivious to that fact, especially given how he says just before this he understands robin’s enemies perfectly.

dadan told him and ace that there was nothing they could do against the whole world, and luffy went and did it anyways.

sometimes i just think about how scary it must have been for robin, someone who’s been weighed down by the shackles of her past with no escape in sight for so very long, to open herself up and let herself hope, for life and freedom and a dream that’s always been out of reach.

franky has a lot of really great moments between this arc and water seven- his conversation with usopp as usopp is working on merry and his talk with robin on the sea train are two others. it’s almost impressive how quickly he becomes an immensely likable character once we start getting to know him, given how he’s first introduced as an absolute piece of shit.

his burning of the pluton plans is a favorite of mine, and i think it might be because, like so many people before and after him, he’s choosing here to stake all his hopes on the strawhats, on luffy’s ability to pull off the impossible and on robin’s goodness. when robin’s only ever been chased and hated and called a demon by the world, franky chooses to trust her and luffy with the legacy his dad died for, and neither of them let him down.

monster point looks SO FUCKING TERRIFYING in enies lobby, and i LOVE it. look at that. franky is seven and half feet tall, and in front of monster point he’s tiny. monster point is huge, and dead-eyed, and a force of absolute destruction. i do kind of wish we got to see chopper go completely feral like this more often. he deserves to be terrifying!

i love how much FAITH all the rest of the strawhats continue to have in usopp throughout enies lobby. he left the crew and they really would have a right to be angry at him if they chose to, but it doesn’t even seem to cross any of their minds. they’re just happy he’s okay, and they include him again without missing a beat, because he’s still their friend and they know down to their bones they can trust him, even after everything.

i’ve always really loved zoro and kaku’s little moment of post-battle banter here- zoro relays paulie’s message about cp9 being fired, kaku says he’s out of a job, zoro tells him to try the zoo, and kaku cracks up.

it feels very real to me for whatever reason, and i think part of it ties back into how well one piece handles morality with its characters- zoro and kaku are genuinely pretty similar people who get along decently, it just happens that they wound up on opposite sides. there are series where you’d never see moments like this due to the lines between good and bad being so firmly drawn, and i love how one piece blurs those lines so much they may as well not exist a lot of the time.

this is the other sequence, along with luffy climbing the drum rockies barehanded, that always makes me physically cringe to look at. it looks so painful. robin is so nearly powerless here, but not quite- she can still buy time for her crew to catch up, even if it’s only seconds, even if she risks shattering her teeth or even her jaw in the process. she’s spent so long giving up and has only just started daring to hope- she’s not about to go gentle.

there aren’t many panels that give me catharsis like this one. there really aren’t.

oda’s villains are usually complicated and awful and often a little admirable, if only for how clever or how terrifyingly powerful they are, but every now and then he comes up with someone who’s just pathetic and cowardly and pointlessly cruel. spandam is like this, obviously, and so is orochi, and the celestial dragons, and i’d argue flampe from whole cake island as well. and there’s nothing like seeing characters like them- weak, cruel people so assured in their own power and rightness- get obliterated.

one of the things i really like about enies lobby is that nobody really gets sidelined- everybody gets multiple chances to shine. luffy, usopp, and obviously robin are the most in focus, obviously, but zoro, sanji, nami, chopper, and even franky all get a bunch of individual awesome moments. oda’s ability to handle his cast satisfyingly is consistently really impressive (if sometimes strained in huge ensemble arcs like dressrosa or wano) and it really shows here, i think.

i just really love the entire climax of enies lobby. much like the arc as a whole, it just feels triumphant, even though the situation is extremely dire. luffy unlocking gear three, robin’s cuffs getting unlocked, usopp shooting spandam and the marines all the way from the tower of justice- it’s all just good, a long chain of much-needed victories and catharses, and it feels very good to read.

i’ll always be impressed by just how much characterization oda manages to give merry, a boat. she’s only really a character in water seven and the end of enies lobby, only about two chapters of which she actually speaks in. and yet i don’t think you’d find a single one piece fan who disagrees that merry’s death is easily one of the most heartwrenching in the entire series.

i love the reactions of the strawhats to robin’s thanks. they’ve just gone through hell to save her, most of them are beat to shit and they all risked their lives, and yet they all just smile, or brush it off, because to them there’s nothing else they could have done. it’s all worth it, so long as they got her back, so long as she’s safe and happy.

merry’s funeral just hits me in the chest every single time i read it. it’s tragic, of course, but there’s also something almost lovely about it, something peaceful about her getting to go out on her own terms, carrying her crew to safety one last time, defying every rule of the universe to do it. just like a strawhat pirate.

oda’s ability to communicate emotion through expressions really comes through here, too. merry has the only lines in this scene, fitting for her death in the limelight, but the shots of every other crewmate’s face let us know at a glance just what they’re all feeling and just how strongly they’re feeling it.

you know, i’d forgotten we only learn the name of the new world after enies lobby. we only get proper exposition about the revolutionary army and the yonkou here, too, despite them being set up since loguetown and jaya (or alabasta, or even chapter one if you count from shanks’s introduction) respectively. oda’s ability to parse out exposition and explanation so we always have just the right amount of information is really impressive- we always have more questions, but we also always have the feeling that those questions have answers, and that sooner or later they’ll be revealed.

points at shanks. i just think he’s neat.

it’s my opinion that one of the great joys of one piece is seeing luffy and the crew rise up in the world, and seeing them gain more and more notoriety. i love nothing they do ever happens in a vacuum- everything has impacts, and there are always outside eyes watching, and often those impacts are things that they never could have predicted.

ace and blackbeard is still, i think, definitely one of the coolest looking fights in the whole series. it’s not all that often we get to see two people with extremely flashy and showy abilities go all-out against each other, and the resulting fireworks are still really something to behold, despite how badly it all ends.

#the voyage so far #one piece #opmeta #long post #arc: enies lobby #arc: post enies lobby #not japanese

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camelliacats · 3 years ago

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at last, with you (part 1/4)

The conclusion to the Carrows' tale with Rowle—a sequel to this and set partly concurrently with this.

Act I: "Pre-Hogwarts" [FFN] [AO3] | →

Pairings/Characters: Alecto & Amycus Carrow, with OCs

Rating: light T

Words: ~2,170

Additional info: gen fic, family, angst, hurt/comfort, violence (non-graphic), Dark magic (implied), Marauder era, Harry's era, 3rd person POV

Summary: While incapacitated, Alecto rethinks her life—childhood, school life, adulthood—and wonders if there's still time for a tweak or two. Ch1: Alecto meets (and raises) Amycus.

Act I: Pre-Hogwarts

The last things Alecto feels—thinks—are stings. She closes her eyes, and there they are again, the stings.

Only, this time, she doesn't open her eyes, can't open her eyes after.

Ah, how poetic. Her life is full of nothing but stings. She was born into them and she will die by them.

She is nearly three years old and doesn't think home life can get any worse.

Born of the marriage between half-blood Akillios Carrow and pureblood Petronelle Blishwick, Alecto spends her first days, weeks, months, years reaching out for hands that will reach back for her. When she is lucky and her father is home and remembers that he has a wife and a daughter, Akillios will sometimes scoop chubby little Alecto into his arms and toss her around like the joy of his life.

When she is not so lucky, Akillios looks past her, thinking about how marrying a pureblood won't restore the Carrow line to its former glory, because his children will always be less. Akillios has no kisses or hugs for his daughter then, and Alecto must push her head under her father's hand when she longs for his warmth.

When she is unlucky and Akillios is not home, Petronelle wages a war on Alecto, making a three-year-old believe it's the child's fault she wasn't born male.

"The Carrow name was one I could bear," Petronelle snarls at her daughter, sending steely glares to the little girl who always lingers out of reach (lingers in safety, outside of harm's reach), "but this. Every pureblood wife knows: Multiple children are fine, if you can have them. But the best children—the firstborn should always be a son."

Alecto drops her eyes to the ground. She's not even three years old. She doesn't understand the meaning of her mother's words, but her tone conveys the point well enough. Alecto can't help but wonder if she's been a bad girl after all.

"Stop that!" Petronelle shrieks at her. She flings herself from her favorite blue armchair in the sitting room, aiming for Alecto.

Alecto squeezes her eyes shut tight.

"I told you—stop it!" Petronelle barks, towering over her, a sturdy, intimidating giant of a woman who would crush Alecto if only the scandal wouldn't put her in the papers. "Stop dropping your eyes when I speak to you, and don't cower. Nobody likes a coward, and I will have you meet my eyes, girl."

Scared now more than before, Alecto forces her wavering gaze upwards. She must always look her mother in the eye before Petronelle produces her wand…

…before the stings come.

But she is also nearly three years old when her father, after one of many late nights out, comes home and brings with him something fascinating.

That night, it rains, and Akillios' gray travel cloak is dampened to black by the time he steps through the door. His lightly whiskered cheeks are ruddy, and he hides something in his arms when Alecto leaves her nanny house-elf alone to prance to her father's side.

"Killi? Is that you?" Petronelle calls from the kitchen. She's busy overseeing the house-elves cook supper and can't leave her post just yet.

Akillios catches Alecto's eye and grins at his daughter's curiosity. "Yes, Pet. Sorry for the lateness," he answers.

"You have no consideration for the rest of us," Petronelle chides. "Whatever it was, it had better be good."

He freezes and pales, a motion which Alecto doesn't understand but summons her to his leg nevertheless, around which she wraps her arm. Her love makes him sigh. "That's my girl," he whispers, and his grin is back as he kneels before her. "How about I show you my surprise first?"

Alecto's dark eyes go wide. A surprise! How extraordinary. Surprises never happen around here.

Akillios untucks his arms and loosens some cloth. "Be very gentle now," he instructs, revealing a warm, wriggling present, "as he's still quite small." Akillios pauses and tilts his head at Alecto. "Alecto, meet your baby brother, Amycus. He's going to live with us from now on."

Alecto's head doesn't quite understand love, but her heart's an expert in this matter, and the tiny creature in her father's arms endears itself to her with its silence and fragility.

After all, she is silent and fragile, too.

The lack of noise by the door draws Petronelle from the kitchen, however. "Why the hell haven't you even shed your clo—" Her words die on her tongue the moment she spies the baby boy. "Killi." Her voice sounds as though it's still in the other room, far, far away. "Killi, tell me you didn't."

Akillios hardens, the warmth for his children absent as he faces his wife. "He's mine, Petronelle, and that's all that matters."

"You mean to tell me that, all this time, you—'

He pushes Amycus into Alecto's arms. "There you go. Yes, hold his head like that. Take your brother upstairs, Alecto—"

"Don't you dare, girl! Give him to me and—"

But, with Amycus in Alecto's care, Akillios stands and palms his wand. He steps in front of his children, and the nanny house-elf scampers upstairs behind them. "You will do nothing with him, Petronelle," Akillios informs her, his strong, powerful voice floating upstairs to Alecto's ears.

It almost sounds like an order.

Almost.

But "almost" an order isn't an order.

And some people simply are stronger than others.

Alecto never resents her nanny house-elf, even though the elf's name doesn't stick with her into adulthood (and she has a good reason for that). But the nanny house-elf teaches her many things, just in case.

"Just in case."

The nanny house-elf says that, and sometimes Akillios says that, and it's not until Alecto's five, going on six, that the phrase starts to mean something to her.

Alecto spends Amycus' first few years learning from the nanny house-elf how to nanny and, truly, how to mother. Alecto shows signs of magic (she hopes one day to go to Hogwarts and make her father and grandfather proud), but she can't use it purposefully at this point in her life, so she learns the hard way how to care for a baby, for a toddler, for a youngster nearly her own age.

Akillios is proud of his daughter in these endeavors…or he might be, because Alecto never hears words of thanks or words of wisdom from him these days. Akillios exhausts his energy staying at odds with Petronelle over his affair and keeping her at bay with gifts from his family vault at Gringotts, so he has little time for his children.

That's why Alecto experiences all of Amycus' milestones. His first crawl? In the room they come to share in the years before Hogwarts. His first steps? Taken in the sitting room on a day Petronelle was out shopping. His first words? "Amaa," said either to her or to their nanny house-elf one afternoon when he should've been napping.

Alecto is his sister, so "Amaa" doesn't sit quite right with her, and she spends countless hours with him, saying "Alecto" slowly for him in the hopes he might mimic the sound.

(He doesn't get it right until he's two, but until then Alecto answers to "Amaa" and, later, "Alleh," once he makes the l sound.)

But age comes not only with accomplishments but with a price. All this time Alecto spends raising up her brother, Petronelle spends wearing Akillios down. Alecto begins to catch vigor in her mother's stare, and her nanny house-elf's "Just in case" begins to float through her mind more often.

There are so many things to know, just in case.

How to cook simple things, to feed oneself, just in case.

How to clean oneself and tend wounds, just in case.

How to spy danger—look for it, hear for it, sense for it—just in case.

"Just in case" is a simple phrase referencing survival, and this knowledge clicks into place as bile rises into the back of Alecto's throat.

Akillios tires by the time she is six and Amycus is four. This means he returns somewhat to his old ways: staying out late, never offering excuses as to where he's been, and longing for the days of glory, when so little fell on his shoulders.

(Even at six, Alecto wonders if Akillios will walk through the door again one night, another new sibling in tow, and she can't make up her mind how she feels about that, much as she loves Amycus, much as the boy is a part of her.)

But Akillios' pattern means a return to Petronelle's old ways, too. The only differences? Akillios won't care even if he were to learn of her violence now—

—and, of course, she has not one victim but two.

On days when they are subject to Petronelle's ire, she growls at them from the foot of the staircase. "Get down here, you mongrels!"

Amycus shakes. His beady little eyes are wide with fright; he's never spoken much in his four years, but his eyes say it all to his sister.

Alecto pulls him in close, wrapping her arms around his shoulders tight. "I promise you: It will only sting," she says.

(But, if that were true, then why does her heart hurt so badly, as though it breaks to pieces, when Petronelle's spells take hold of Amycus first that night?)

"It always more than stings," nine-year-old Amycus whispers to his sister in the dead of night.

Alecto daren't sigh for fear that that and not their conversation will carry into Petronelle's room. When the house remains quiet, with no indication Petronelle will come stomping their way, she turns in her bed to face Amycus in his across the room. "I know," she admits aloud.

He shivers. "Does she want me dead, Alec? If so, then why not do that already?"

This, too, gives her pause. It's occurred to her before, especially with Hogwarts around the corner for her, that Petronelle is waiting for the right moment to get rid of the child of Akillios' "other woman." But, if that were the case, then Alecto wouldn't've known such a terrible existence even before her brother came along… "She enjoys our pain, Amycus," Alecto says at last.

Their room is quiet except for some rustling in his blankets. She wonders if the statement was too cold and has sent him sobbing, so Alecto gets up and forgoes her slippers to shush him in a hurry. "I'm not crying," he hisses at her, though his voice is wet.

Alecto sits on the edge of his bed and looks over him in the moonlight. "Then what—?"

He shivers again.

She sighs and yanks a folded blanket from the foot of his bed. "No wonder. You're chillier than Ice Mice. Here, bundle up," she orders, and she tucks him in, at his sides and up to his chin. "There. Better?"

Amycus shoots her a tiny glare…but his teeth stop chattering. "Better."

"Good. Then go to sleep, Amycus."

She returns to her own bed, and Amycus pipes up after she's back under the covers. "I know what comes next, Alecto."

Alecto closes her eyes, trying to will tiredness to come back. "Hush up and go to sleep, Amycus. Keep talking and you'll get us in trouble."

But his bed creaks. He sits up, pulling his blankets tight around him. "I know you're off to school later this year."

She can't keep her eyes closed with this topic. "…I'll come home every chance, Amycus." She pauses, a new doubt seizing her. "…we're so certain I'll be off to Scotland, but that's not always the case. If…if she homeschools me instead, then that's different."

"We won't be apart then?" he asks, hopeful.

Alecto's body goes rigid, nightmares forming in her head at what Petronelle might possibly think up for them as an education. Each year, things get worse—can she survive another seven?

Can Amycus survive another nine?

"No, we won't," she confirms, her voice unwavering. "Try though she might, she will never split us apart."

"Really, really, Alec?"

"Really. Now shut up and go to sleep, Amycus."

Their room is quiet once more, and Alecto wishes her nightmares away to no avail. She is torn between her protectiveness of her younger brother and the desire to escape to Hogwarts, to explore life outside these four walls. Her mind will not let her rest.

But at some point she finds peace and sleeps. Only in the morning does she learn why: Brittle, little Amycus got out of bed and slept on the floor beside Alecto's bed that night, bundled up in blankets and within reach of his sister's hand, which escaped her covers and hung over the side all night long. She wakes to find her hand still in his weak grasp.

Alecto shakes her head at the sight. So, she's not the only protective one around here after all….

D: Well! A tumultuous, heartrending beginning to a fic that became too long to be called a oneshot or twoshot, especially as I found clear arcs or "acts" in the story. Originally intended to be a straight-up Thorlecto, the universe that began with "bad blood" and evolved in "far from you" and esp "close to you" and spiraled a wee bit out of my control, the more I developed a backstory for Alecto and Amycus, this became a story about them, for them, in particular Alecto. Please stick around to see the bond between siblings strengthen and see how Rowle enters their lives! It's a dark (and a Dark) story, but it's a damn good one that you'll want to read. (Also, I want to gush: I feel that Alecto's parents' names are so very Potter-y, so I'm quite pleased with those even if their characters are quite lacking as people, *lol*.)

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave an anon/unsigned review via the FFN link or comment via the AO3 link at the top of the post, especially if you enjoyed this! (After all, anyone hate Petronelle as much as I do??)

~mew

And if you want to support at last, with you, please swing by its FFN and AO3 versions to review/comment/fav/leave kudos and like and reblog these posts on my HariPo fic tumblr!

#hp #harry potter #alecto carrow #amycus carrow #no ships #<2500 #gen fic #family #angst #hurt/comfort #violence #dark magic #rated: PG13 #marauder era #trio era #3rd POV #thorlecto: at last with you

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gongju-juice · 5 years ago

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1. Once Upon A Southern Night

Not So Bad After All

Warnings: None that I can think of

“You look lovely, Y/N, why don’t you try to be more optimistic?”

You looked up at your mother’s hopeful features. Carmine Robynson was an exceptional surgeon with national and international awards in her field. She was also the most beautiful woman you’d ever see. Her skin was a glittering porcelain white, and she had pale pink lips and caramel colored eyes that seemed to change color every now and again. Today, her long blonde hair was pinned up in a bun—perfect for a long day at her new job at the hospital.

“I’m trying to be, mom,” you whined as she ran her fingers through your hair, bringing your curls to life. “But I’m so worried. I’ve barely ventured outside the state of Alabama, how am I supposed to fit in with people from Washington State?”

Carmine rolled her eyes. “How do you think I felt when I traveled all the way from England to the States? It was terrifying, dear. Much more terrifying than you moving to a new state. I promise, you’ll be fine.”

You grabbed her things, and she locked down the house. The new house was Victorian style, like one of the houses you see in the movies. You and your mom spent months picking out the perfect furniture and decor to make your new residence come to life. It was one of the positives about the move.

In the driveway, the car hummed quietly. It was a sleek silver Mercedes, perks of a surgeon salary. You climbed in and slumped in the seat.

The drive to the school was fairly pleasant. The long, winding road was flanked on either side by towering jade green trees that cast blue shadows on the ground. The sky, as it had always been since your arrival, was gray and overcast. It was quite a difference from your sunny home back south.

The school was small, just about the size of your old school. Except this time, it was even. . .less diverse than back home. At your old school, you were normally the only black girl in most of your classes. However, there were still others in your school that made you feel less isolated. But here, everybody was white as a wedding gown, and it made you nervous. Growing up with a white mother, you’d think you wouldn’t have that issue. But if anything, your experience as an adopted black kid made it quite clear what it was like to feel different from everyone—from black and white kids alike.

“Love you. Have a good day,” she said with a kiss to your forehead.

You climbed out of the car, and immediately shivered from the morning air. It was September, and already it felt like winter. Sixty degrees back at home was December weather.

Your first class was homeroom. The teacher, Mrs, Bobbins, made you introduce yourself to the class. Everyone was very interested in the new girl on campus—the new girl who also happened to be the only black girl in class. This interaction did lessen your nerves some, but you were still anxious to get the day over with.

Second period was Advanced Chemistry. Honestly speaking, you hated the first Chemistry. But as a part of your advanced trek, you had no choice but to take the class. It wasn’t that difficult—not when you had a full on surgeon to help you out living in the house—but still, it was not your favorite subject by a long shot.

The space between the second and third period was strange. The school was allowed to have “break”—a period of time where the staff and students alike could chill for fifteen minutes and do whatever they wanted.

Not knowing where to go or who to talk to, you stumbled to the canopied walkway on the side of the building. Here, there were fewer students. However, at the end of the walkway by the blue double doors, a group of gorgeous looking teenagers stood conversing quietly amongst themselves.

“Hello, Y/N, isn’t it?” called a voice beside you. It was a curly-head ginger girl with the prettiest ice blue eyes and freckled skin. She was very tall, and wore athletic tights and a long volleyball shirt with the school’s Spartan mascot.

“Oh, yes. It’s me,” you said, pushing up your thin-rimmed glasses. “I’m sorry, but what’s your name?”

“Amelia Bloom. You probably didn’t notice me, but I’m in your homeroom. You’re a new student, aren’t you? Your mom is Dr. Robynson that was just hired at the hospital?”

You were impressed by how much she knew. It always took time for people to figure out that Camille was your mother. And you thought Satsuma, the town you came from, was small. But Forks hit a whole new level of “everyone knows one another.”

“Yeah, we just moved here. Sorry if I seem a little antsy or what have you. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.” You offered your hand. “I hope we can be friends, though.”

You swore you saw the blond hair boy of the group flinch. But just as quickly as she glanced at him, you saw he had never even moved. Great. Now your mind was playing tricks on you.

“Those are the Cullens,” Amelia explained, judging you wanted an answer by the spooked expression on your face. “The most coveted teens in all of Forks. They were adopted by Dr. Carlisle and his wife Esme, who are both pretty young themselves. Don’t try to make friends with them though, they’re pretty stuck up.”

You couldn’t help but feel disappointed by that, though it was quickly replaced with a wave of optimism.

“Well, I don’t like to judge people before I meet them, but I won’t bother them then, if that’s the case.”

The bell rang loudly just then, and Amelia showed you to your next class.

Interestingly enough, your next class was history, and in it was three of the Cullen siblings. You wanted to sit near the front of the class like you always did (on the account of your poor vision), but lamented to find that the seats were assigned. Confused and anxious to blend in, you turned to the teacher for help.

“Ah, Ms. Robynson. Lovely of you to join us today,” said the man, who informed his name was Mr. Howard. “You can take the empty seat by Jasper. Jasper, please raise your hand.”

To your surprise, the blond Cullen boy lifted his hand in the air. Just then, all of the confidence left your body. You were intimidated by utterly attractive he looked—like a daffodil in a field of weeds.

You slowly walked to your seat, which he had already pulled out. Oh God, you thought. You would have to sit by him. You would be within a foot of his presence, and you’d have to act like everything was fine.

You brushed your skirt down as you took your seat and pulled out your notebook. Already, the lavender covered book had been used. However, you loved history and couldn’t bear to throw away your pretty notes from the beginning of your old class.

The first page you turned to was marked in postage stamps from the antebellum period. You had a picture of the Oakleigh Plantation Mansion from Mobile, one of your favorite southern pieces of history.

“Okay class, it’s going to be a sensitive unit, but we are moving on to the Pre-Civil era, also known as the Antebellum Era. It’s important to know the important parts President Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan played in shaping the tensions and economic standings that inevitably led to the Civil War. So for your bellringer, you’re going to be listing some factors that led to these said tensions. You have five minutes. Begin.”

You turned to a fresh sheet of paper and took out your calligraphy pens.

Factors that led to Pre-Civil War Tensions:

Jackson left the country in an economic depression by his withdrawal of federal funds from the National Bank in 1832, thus causing the Panic of 1837 which heavily impacted cotton exports and revenue for the Southern economy.

The expansion West caused an imbalance of power between states which made Southern states feel they had no authority in the federal government. It was an intense competition between slave states and free states.

Events such as Bleeding Kansas, Harper’s Ferry, and the Dredd-Scott Supreme Court ruling caused many across the nation to become angered.

“Does anybody have any ideas?” Mr. Howard asked.

The class was silent, and you realized it was much different from what you were used to. Where you were from, everybody knew about the Civil War—no matter how skewed or racist their beliefs were.

Beside you, Jasper raised his hand.

“Yes, Mr. Hale.”

“James Buchanan did virtually nothing to stop the wave of seceding Southern states, and although he believed secession was wrong, he didn’t believe he had the Constitutional power to stop them. Had he quelled the fears of the slave states, the war could have been prolonged another few years.”

“Right, as always, Mr. Hale. Would anyone else like to attempt?”

“May I?”

Mr. Howard looked at you excitedly. “Of course. Have a go, Ms. Robynson.”

“The Southern states believed that they had done nothing Constitutionally wrong. According to them, they’d only joined the Union in the first place due to the Fugitive Clause added to the Constitution for the sake of the Southern states voting on the new Constitution after the Articles of Confederation. Because Northern states violated this clause, they felt that they were breaking the so-called “contract”, and that only they, as independent states, had the power to decide if their end of the bargain was being upheld. Even though the Fugitive Clause was not a part of the immediate Pre-Civil War Era, I feel it’s the most important aspect to mention when evaluating the factors that led to the war.”

Mr. Howard clapped loudly, waking up the rest of the class. “An amazing answer. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, without further ado, let us begin today’s lesson.”

Beside you, the Cullen boy shifted. “Not bad,” he murmured before gazing back forward.

Your heart leapt within you.

That night, your mom arrived home at seven. You had already eaten, knowing your mom only ate late at night. She was a strict dieter and pretty much only drank the tea concoctions from her thermal cup. But you were an avid omnivore and didn’t mind eating without her.

“How was your first day at school?” she asked, setting her things down on the couch.

“It was better than I honestly expected. I even met a new friend. Her name is Amelia, and she’s the captain of the varsity volleyball team and even plays softball and golf.”

“Wow!” she exclaimed. “See, I told you everything would be fine. How’s history?”

“Mr. Howard seems to know what he’s talking about. Not nearly as biased as Mr. Davis was, but very sympathetic to the North.”

“I guess now that you’re up here, you won’t have to worry about an abundant amount of hot-head racists. But if something does happen—”

“I know, Mom. I know.”

You dressed in your silk nightgown and headed for bed. On the middle shelf of your bookcase was a model of the Oakleigh Mansion. You didn’t know what it was about it, but the antebellum era intrigued you. And this house in particular. . .

You turned on the lights inside the little house and turned off the lamp. Now it was dark in your room except for the tiny chandelier lights glittering inside the white home.

Sighing, you turned on your side. The curtains fluttered in the light breeze from your slightly open window. This gorgeous house, and quaint little town was your home. You’d have to come to accept the changes—which were not all bad. You miss your friends, you missed the warmth and sunshine, but the world was not over.

And maybe, just maybe, you’d have the opportunity to see Jasper Hale more often.

I hate the fact I can write faster for my fanfics than my actual real-life projects but you can thank sTePhEnIe MeYeR for that.

Part Two Part Three Part Four

#jasper hale #jasper hale fanfics #jasper hale x reader #jasper hale imagines #twilight imagines #twilight x reader #carlisle cullen #edward cullen #rosalie hale #emmett cullen #alice cullen #cullen

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gothamdetected-a · 5 years ago

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an idiots guide to gotham.

sim, i hear you say, what the hell are you doing? it’s gotham. everyone knows gotham. batman’s hometown. arkham asylum. what more is there to know?

surprisingly, a lot.

for example, did you know that the it has been described as "Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November." which i think is one of the coolest descriptions of an aesthetic ever. thanks dennis. anyway, there’s a lot more to this city and it’s mad confusing history than first meets the eye, so in true sim fashion, i’m here to whoop dc into shape and attempt to make sense of it all. in the immortal words of coldplay “oh take me back to the start.”

as a geography nerd, i’d like to begin way way back. like continent forming era. star wars’ a long long time ago has got nothing on this. because really, why is gotham so plagued with crime and corruption? why is it perpetually cloudy and gloomy and dark? why is this tiny patch of american coastline continually the stage for insane events while everywhere else around it seems perfectly fine and chilling.

it’s because of cthulu.

well, kind of. seriously. apparently trapped beneath the actual earth of gotham is a lovecraftian-esque being who’s been chilling for 40,000 years. yeah, bet you didn’t know that. it even takes to calling itself “doctor gotham” after long enough, but that might just be a writer taking the piss out of dr manhattan, which honestly, im here for. so there’s some ancient slumbering god just poisoning what will become gotham, with it’s “evil essence” or whatever. there is a native american tribe who lives in the area - the miagani. in a croatoan-like fashion, they mysteriously disappear one day: no one knows exactly what happened to them, but there’s speculation of black magic and an insane shaman who goes all caesar on them and tries to develop a tyrannical rule, but they seal him in a cave and flee only to be slaughtered by a neighbouring tribe/a mysterious natural disaster. already this place is giving off the Not Good Vibes.

some time later a bunch of colonists arrive, one of whom is named hiriam arkham. he tries to build a chapel, but it ends up being the site of a murder and so that idea is abandoned. the colonists later accidentally open the cave and release Deacon Blackfire (nasty shaman man), who is fairly immortal, definitely a shithead, and also becomes a batman adversary and a black lantern corp member/zombie in a few hundred years. fun. the colonists are never seen again. wonder what happened there.

so the ground keeps being corrupted and drawing the nasties to it. one of these nasties is a norwegian mercenary, captain jon logerquist, who lands there circa 1635 with his crew, feels the heeby jeebies vibe and goes ah yes. this is where i shall settle. utter weirdo. so suddenly we have a city being formed - you guessed it, gotham city, also known simply as gotham. and everything is fairly chill for a while. the city is known to be a hideout for ruffians and smugglers, has a fairly higher proportion of stabbings and burglaries, but other than it being a bit of a lawless wasteland, it’s not, you know, any stranger than other pre-civil war american towns. at some point war for independence ( 1775–1783 ) rolls through, and there’s a fairly large battle that is long and bloody and doesn’t look like is going to be won so the founding fathers decide to do something extra stupid, and summon a bat-demon. yes, literally, a bat-demon. that they think will help them turn the tides of the battle. instead they realise it can’t be controlled, panic a bit, and end up trapping it beneath gotham, nice and snuggled next to fucking cthulu’s cousin. so gotham is now especially Cursed, and also starts gathering a large number of bat colonies in it’s underground cave system, because they’re all coming to worship this demon thing or w/e.

next step is the civil war ( 1861-1865 ), and this is the first time we get a cobblepot in town - colonel nathan cobblepot to be precise. a couple of generations happen, and the town is growing into a city - at this point five of the families truly “found” gotham as a metropolitan and industrial hub, building bridges to connect the islands and forging the path to gotham as it is today. these five families are the cobblepots, the elliots, the crownes, the kanes and the waynes. these eventually become known as gotham’s oldest lineages, and it’s wealthiest, forming the future of gotham high society. however the cobblepots eventually end with penguin, and thomas elliot gets salty and becomes hush ,and the kanes and waynes decide to start dressing up as bats so it’s more like a cautionary tale than anything.

around this time (1870), ra’s al ghul builds wonder city beneath gotham’s old town, and around a naturally occurring lazarus pit under the city. wonder tower becomes a spectacle of the gotham skyline, their equivalent to the empire state or big ben. eventually the project is abandoned, especially after mysterious disappearances, rumours of madness and strange sounds of rioting emerging from the nearly completed project. also occurring in this decade is the conversion of arkham manor into the elizabeth arkham sanatorium (which would later become arkham asylum) under the then heir, amadeus arkham. elizabeth commits suicide, a serial killer murders the rest of the family, save amadeus, who then goes mad and begins dabbling in the occult and experimenting on patients, eventually becoming one himself. despite all this, arkham asylum remains open, setting the scene for this to be one of the most tragic and fucked up buildings in america.

another generation goes by and the wayne family produces solomon wayne, who will eventually become an incredibly important figure to gotham, partly because he is a judge and has a courthouse named after him and all that, but mostly because solomon wayne is the man who hires cyrus pinkney. who? you ask. literally the man responsible for gotham’s fucked up architecture. solomon wayne commissions him to create what he calls “gotham style” around 1890, and pinkney, heavily influenced by both cubist/surrealist design and the gothic revival, is the bastard who ensures everything has a gargoyle slapped on it and that gotham cathedral could literally be home to dracula. every inch of the city is covered in hidden meanings and mysticism, because, if you haven’t already guessed, pinkney was a bit nuts, but solomon wayne seems mighty pleased by this and it does actually boost gotham’s industry and cause people to relocate to it from the surrounding area. pinkney’s final piece de resistance is the statue the lady of gotham (officially named Justice opens her eyes to the world ) in the gotham harbour, yet another new york parallel.

however as a result of booming capitalism and continued gentrification, gotham develops extreme poverty, with several areas of the city, specifically around the docks, the bowery and the narrows, becoming slums. crime levels continue to rise, and many writers take inspiration from chicago and new york mobs in the 30′s and 40′s, drawing parallels and creating organised crime, mafias and gangs. families like the maronis, falcones and thornes begin to take over the city, shaking down businesses for “protection” developing protsitution and drug running rings, importing weapons etc. gotham becomes seen nationally as a dark foreboding metropolis, where the ultra-rich one percenters drink champagne in their ivory towers while the poor of the city suffer and die. city planners also take this opportunity to go absolutely nuts, and build bomb shelters, underground highways, crazy sewer systems, you name it. after all, no one cares right? it’s gotham. by the time the cold war comes to a head, the city is literally riddled with layers of alleys and tunnels and walkways, all over burdened by the watchful eyes of giant bronze statues and stone grotesques.

then, thomas and martha wayne appear, and really start trying to change the city. they develop philantrophic interests, help to create the monorail, encourage the other wealthy elite of the city to care about the rotting corpse of gotham. change is slow, but it happens. the city starts to brighten up, vaguely, and the waynes become heralded as gotham’s saviours, becoming more than a household name. of course, they get shot, in an alleyway, by joe chill, and that same night batman is born. it takes him like 20 years to actually appear in the city, but boy when he does appear, he goes ham. this isn’t a batman meta tho, so i’ll keep it light on his backstory and involvement.

batman tackles corruption in the city, purging the gcpd, bringing criminals to justice etc, all while bruce wayne makes his lauded return and begins trying to change things in the same way that his parents did - investing in the city, creating public services, developing grass roots projects in the worst affected areas of gotham. however, this city is quite literally Cursed and it all goes very wrong very quickly.

first, ra’s al ghul unleashes the clench (also known as Ebola Gulf A virus) into gotham high society, and through the contagion storyline, a LOT of gothamites die. i think it’s like 40% but don’t quote me on that. the whole city is quarantined, but batman manages to save the day! hooray! wrong. the second disaster happens in the cataclysm arc - a 7.6 richter earthquake (although in my professional opinion this should probably be measured using the mercalli scale because you have to take into account the density of population etc in the area, but whatever, dc don’t study earthquakes like i do :/). as a result of these two events happening literally within months of each other, the entire city is declared a “no man’s land” by the US government. most civilians are evacuated, it is cut off from the mainland by destroying bridges and creating a military blockade and left to literally rot. no central government is applicable, no services are available, and very quickly gangs take over, carving up the city between them. imagine the purge but never ending. that’s gotham. huntress and oracle and the remaining scraps of the gcpd try to keep some kind of order, while bruce fucks off to petition the government into not being dicks and fixing the city rather than abandoning it. eventually, he comes back, batman battles a lot of people, luthor donates enough money to save the city and gotham is rebuilt and repatriated as part of the us.

then the next big events include:

• henri ducard as ra’s al ghul tries to cover the city in fear toxin after teaming up with scarecrow. the narrows is especially targeted.

• steph accidentally starts a gang war after going through batman’s stuff unsupervised. for a while black mask rules gotham.

• hugo strange convinces the gotham city council to let him have old gotham, which he converts into arkham city. eventually wonder tower explodes and the “city” is shut down, cut off from the rest of gotham.

• scarecrow successfully releases his fear toxin over gotham via the cloudburst system. most civilians have already been evacuated, but the city is thrown into ruin and chaos.

these are just the biggest points though, and the ones which help to tie film, comics and games together. my favourite part of gotham i haven’t even talked about yet. but i’m gonna. here we go.

gotham is chronologically removed.

obviously time progresses there, but there is a immense sense of timelessness. gotham does not move on with the rest of the world. there’s a huge mash of different eras and styles. there are airships in the sky and maglev monorails on the ground, people use typewriters alongside touch screen laptops, buildings are either twisted gothic nightmares or glistening modern skyscrapers. the time frame that should be obvious from the setting is completely ambiguous. and it’s brilliant, because really it means that the time is not important. it could be set anywhere, anywhen. gotham looks almost the same in the 40s as it does in 2020, and it means that batman and these events can be slotted into pretty much any decade. batman can be born in 1939 or 1969 or 1999 and it still all works. it’s a mash up of modern expressionism and constructivism and art deco and gothic revival and surrealism and space-age futurism and industrialism and honest to god i could literally talk about this all day. but i mustnt so i shall stop now.

basically the tldr here is that i have a fetish for urban decay, gotham was fucked from day 1 due to some bullshit evil god beneath it, and literally house prices must be so low, because who the hell would want to live there.

#my metas get longer with every day #long post /#\system\directory\hidden.txt ›› META

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douchebagbrainwaves · 7 years ago

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WHAT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ABOUT TYPES

Mostly we create wealth for other people in exchange for money, which makes it difficult to tell founders what to aim for. Inductive proofs are wonderfully short. This territory is occupied mostly by individual angel investors—people like Andy Bechtolsheim, who gave Google $100k when they seemed promising but still has some things to figure out and explain exactly what you disagree with something, it's easier to see ugliness than to imagine beauty. Python is a more elegant alternative to Perl, but what we would now call corruption than from commerce. No; he's just doing a kind of learning, based on disasters that have happened to it or others like it. And because they use the latest stuff, they're in a position to discover valuable types of fixable brokenness first. Values are what have types, not variables, and assigning or binding variables means copying pointers, not what they point to. Hard to say exactly, but wherever it is, it is in this case. James Gosling, or the extra leverage in productivity that you can fix for a lot of new work is preferable to a proof that was difficult, but doesn't bid because they can't spare the effort to get verified. Surely that sort of thing. In a project of that size, powerful languages probably start to outweigh the convenience of pre-existing libraries. I was using it to create more.

One is that a lot of situations, but has changed. Then I asked what was the maximum percentage of the acquisition price for the ability to release code immediately, the way things work in most companies software costing up to about $1000 could be bought by individual managers without any additional approvals. But I think it's because humor is related to strength. Any strategy that omits the effort—whether it's expecting a big launch to get you users, or a big partner—is ipso facto suspect. ITA's code, but according to one of their top hackers they use a lot of startup founders than anyone else ever has. Off, quiet. We want to write a universal Lisp function and show that it is.

But if it were merely a fan we were studying, without all the extra baggage that comes from the controversial topic of wealth, no one would have any doubt that the fan was causing the noise. Since it is a recursive solution, a tower on a tower. If there is enough demand for something, technology will make it big if and only if they're launched with sufficient initial velocity. The second reason we tend to be worried, not contented. Technology seems to increase the variation in productivity at faster than linear rates. But they won't install them, or take support calls, or train customers to use them. Work still seemed to require discipline, because only hard problems yielded grand results, and hard problems couldn't literally be fun—fun like playing. That is in fact the most difficult visual medium, because they require your full attention. You'll be doing different things when you're acquiring users a thousand at a time.

So while there may be some things someone has to do, because it isn't happening now. The key to this mystery is to revisit that question, are they really worth 100 of us? So what's the real reason there aren't more Googles? There are two types of startup ideas as scalars. Lisp, or just expand your programming horizons, I would say that writing a properly polymorphic version that behaves like the preceding examples is somewhere between damned awkward and impossible. You have to be aggressive about user acquisition when you're small, you'll probably still be aggressive when you're big. If you make fun of your little brother for coloring people green in his coloring book, your mother is likely to tell you something like you like to work on doesn't mean you have to choose the best alternative. And so it is in other ways more accurate, because when someone is being an asshole it's usually uncertain even in their own mind how much is deliberate. He didn't stay long, but he wouldn't have returned at all if he'd realized Microsoft was going to be slightly influenced by prestige, so if the programmers working for me mysteriously always do, I think. It used to perplex me when I read about it in the beginning, but the most successful startups seem to be unusually smart, and C is a pretty low-level language.

Maybe you can, and then see what they do. Instead of making one $2 million investment, make five $400k investments. At an art school where I once studied, the students wanted most of all to develop a programming language, but what to work on dull stuff, it might be wise to tell them that tediousness is not the best, but merely to explain the forces that generate them. We're not hearing about these languages because people are using them to write Windows apps, but because authenticity is one of the most memorable paintings, especially when you're young. Seventeenth-century England was much like the third world today, the standard misquotation would be spot on. The rich spend their time more like everyone else too. As a child I read a book, and that's why merely reading books doesn't quite feel like work. Only raise the price on an investor you're comfortable with losing, because some will angrily refuse. It seems obvious. Jessica Livingston is. Except you judge intelligence at its best, and wisdom by its average. This problem afflicts not just every era, but in retrospect that too was the optimal path to dominating microcomputer software.

This story often comes to mind—though almost any established art form would do. Some people are lucky enough to know users would need this type of software. If you're surrounded by colleagues who claim to enjoy work that you find contemptible, odds are they're lying to themselves. The only people who will sell to you, the more outliers you lose. Why would they go to extra trouble to get programmers for the same price? But if VCs ask, just point out that a predisposition to intelligence is not the only way to get wealth is by stealing it. I watched it happen to Reddit. Indeed, it may be found necessary, in some cases, for a while at least, that I'm using abstractions that aren't powerful enough—often that I'm generating by hand the expansions of some macro that I need to write. The second reason investors like you more when you've had some success at fundraising is that it was not technology but math, and math doesn't get stale. So what's the real reason there aren't more Googles? If you wanted more wealth, you could make a fortune without stealing it. And certainly smart people can find clever solutions to human problems and intelligence to abstract ones.

If they go out of their way to make existing users super happy, they'll one day have too many to do so much for. Imagine what it would feel to merchants to use our software to make online stores, some said no, but they'd let us make one for them. The trick of maximizing the parts of your job that you like can get you from architecture to product design, but not too easily impressed. That may sound like a bizarre idea, but it's important enough to be mentioned on its own. This was easier to grasp when most people lived on farms, and made many of the adults around them are lying when they say they like what they do. Except you judge intelligence at its best and character at its worst. Nor do we have to teach startups this? The importance of the first things they try is a line drawing of a face. Why did we have to memorize state capitals instead of playing dodgeball?

This was the only kind of work in which problems are presented to you and you have to resort to focus groups, you'll wish you could go over to your users' homes and offices and watch them use your stuff like you did when there were only a handful of them, there are three reasons we treat making money as different: the misleading model of wealth we learn as children; the disreputable way in which, till recently, most fortunes were accumulated; and the worry that great variations in income are somehow bad for society. So you can test equality by comparing a pointer, instead of making them live as if they were consultants building something just for that one user. If you just need to feed data from one Windows app to another, sure, use whatever language everyone else is using. They hear stories about stampedes to invest in startups Y Combinator has funded. This problem afflicts not just every era, but in distinct elements. Open-source software has fewer bugs because it admits the possibility of bugs. Symmetry is unfashionable in some fields now, in reaction to excesses in the past.

#automatically generated text #Markov chains #Paul Graham #Python #Patrick Mooney #authenticity #doubt #ipso #percentage #everyone #variation #day #learning

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voodoochili · 5 years ago

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My Favorite Songs of 2019

2019 was a fantastic year for music, but then again every year is. We as listeners have been blessed with abundance, and tasked with the delightful work of sifting through freshwater to find gold. This year, the most reliably golden genres were West African pop and West Coast Rap. Go figure.

The following represents my favorite 100 songs of the year. My only rules: 1) one song per lead artist (a lucky few earned multiple placements through the “featured artist” loophole).

Below are the write-ups (everyone’s favorite part) and stay tuned for my albums list, coming next week. Don’t forget to scroll all the way down for a Spotify playlist of the full list!

25. Desperate Journalist - “Satellite” - A sweeping, emotional rock song by a veteran rock band that can uncork one of these in their sleep. What makes this one special? The dynamic changes in the pre-chorus, the soaring guitar solo, and the passionate performance from lead singer Jo Bevan.

24. Jacques Greene - “Stars” - A brilliant bit of ambient techno that evokes the seminal electronic classic “Little Fluffy Clouds,” by The Orb. Instead of desert clouds, the anonymous female narrator describes a pastoral dream about the night skies of her youth. A transporting piece of music that should’ve been twice as long--five minutes is a cruelly short lifespan for this kind of bliss.

23. Rosalía - “Con Altura” ft. J Balvin - After the brilliant and singular El Mal Querer demonstrated Rosalía’s singular talent, “Con Altura” announced her intentions for worldwide domination. Created with frequent Rosalía collaborator El Guincho and chameleonic superstar J Balvin, “Con Altura” contains two of the year’s most insidious hooks--the soft-spoken call-and-response chorus, and Rosalía’s snake-charming bridge, the strongest indication yet that global stardom won’t stop the Catalonian chanteuse from pushing music forward.

22. Faye Webster - “Room Temperature” – 2019’s answer to “Swingin’ Party,” the Replacements’ great anthem for introverts, the introductory track on Webster’s Atlanta Millionaire’s Club album drifts along with Hawaiian-flavored pedal steel and a palpable sense of regret, as the 21-year-old singer longs to escape her perfectly comfortable surroundings. 21. Yhung T.O. - “Lately” ft. Lil Sheik - Easy, breezy, beautiful Bay Area rap, carried by T.O.’s dulcet tones and Sheik’s unrepentant dirtbaggery. The beat by Armani Depaul is one of my favorite retro-facing rap beats in a while, complete with smooth digital strings and security-pad synths. 20. The New Pornographers - “You’ll Need a New Backseat Driver” - Every five years or so, A.C. Newman writes a melody so strong that it requires Neko Case’s ultra-powerful alto to properly do it justice. This year, that song is “You’ll Need a New Backseat Driver,” which strives for, and nearly approaches, the heights of previous Pornos stunners like “The Laws Have Changed” and “Champions of Red Wine.”

19. Floating Points - “LesAlpx” - Surrounded by outré synth experiments and beatless soundscapes on Crush, the first Floating Points album since 2015, “LesAlpx” is Sam Shepherd’s gift to club-goers everywhere. It’s a lean and mean house track, foregrounding propulsive percussion and rubbery bass, but it’s also deeply cerebral, creating a sense of foreboding urgency with detuned synths and ambient sine waves. 18. Daphni - “Sizzling” ft. Paradise - Built around a sample of Paradise’s seminal single “Sizzlin’ Hot,” Dan Snaith’s “Sizzling” extends the best moments of the classic post-disco smash to create five minutes of pure euphoria. The song starts in media res, with the groove in full form, and peaks at the end, when Snaith finally allows Paradise’s June Ventzos to finish her thought atop jubilant trumpets. 17. J Hus - “Must Be” - The latest genre-blending collaboration between J Hus and genius producer JAE5 proves that no man is safe from Hus’s dazzling logic, as he stacks syllogism after syllogism over an irresistible, afropop-flavored groove: “If it walk like an opp/Talk like an opp/Smell like an opp/Then it must be.” 16. Vampire Weekend - “Jerusalem, New York, Berlin” - Ever indulging his literary ambitions, Ezra Koenig uses the final track on Father Of The Bride to examine his Jewish identity, and to reckon with a world that hasn’t made sense since World War I. The prettiest melody on an album dripping with pretty melodies, “Jerusalem, New York, Berlin” packs enough symbolism into three minutes to inspire a seminar at Koenig’s Ivy League alma mater. Supported by yearning, spritely piano, Koenig ends the song with a poignant plea for peace, within reason: “So let them win the battle/But don't let them restart/That genocidal feeling/That beats in every heart.” 15. Great Grandpa - “Bloom” - The highlight from Great Grandpa’s outstanding Four Of Arrows album, “Bloom” is two songs in one. Part one brings punchy acoustic guitar that recalls ‘90s adult alternative (think Matchbox 20) and prime-era Saddle Creek (think Rilo Kiley) in equal measure. The second par tcompletes the song’s emotional arc, slowing down for a hypnotic wordless chorus, backed by weeping violins,. The key line here: “Please say I’m young enough to change.” 14. Spellling - “Real Fun” – Gleefully dramatic and overflowing with evil-sounding synths, “Real Fun” synthesizes Neneh Cherry, Bauhaus, and Cabaret into something that sounds like a villain’s theme in an animated musical that hasn’t been written yet. 13. Earthgang - “Proud Of U” ft. Young Thug – There’s no straight man to ground this ATL trio, as all three emcees lean into their vocal eccentricities while expressing their thanks to the women in their lives atop a mutating, guitar-driven beat. 12. Stella Donnelly - “Tricks” – In which the young heroine attempts to rid herself of a particularly toxic ex, who isn’t just misogynist, but a potential white supremacist sympathizer (her subject’s “Southern Cross Tattoo” is like an Aussie version of the MAGA hat). Heavy stuff, but Donnelly delivers everything with a grin, as if she’s wondering in real time why the hell she ever bothered with this jamoke. 11. Jenny Lewis - “On The Line” - The title track and emotional climax of Jenny Lewis’ latest album, “On The Line” boasts one of the finest vocal performances in her long career, sweetly assassinating her cheating ex-lover with a lilting melody and wry smile.

10. Lucinda Chua - “Whatever It Takes” – Lucinda Chua makes languid art pop in the tradition of fka twigs, but I prefer her understated longing to twigs herself. Her main instrument is the cello, but this track foregoes that sound almost entirely, opting instead for resonant Wurlitzer keys and multi-layered vocal harmonies, and shunting traditional song structure aside in favor of one enigmatic verse, repeating at odd intervals throughout: “Wait/The demons I carry are fake/I will fight our fire, too late.” 9. ShooterGang Kony - “Charlie” – The year’s most cold-blooded mob banger starts with the line “fuck the police and your mama if you ask me” and only escalates from there. Rhyming without affect over hiccuping bass, Kony mercilessly ethers cops, R&B singers, and women named Ashley before threatening to shoot you with a gun that sounds like Fozzy Bear. 8. KEY! - “Miami Too Much” – My favorite Atlanta rap song of the year gets its power from its hilariously specific central conceit, with KEY’s impassioned vocal selling the bit: “If you seen that ass, you'd make a song too.” How often must someone visit Dade County before it becomes an irreconcilable difference in an otherwise healthy relationship? 7. Raphael Saadiq - “Something Keeps Calling” ft. Rob Bacon - Named after his older brother, Raphael Saddiq’s towering Jimmy Lee album examines the personal cost of the crack epidemic, and the outsized role addiction plays in the lives of the destitute. “Something Keeps Calling” is the album’s crushing centerpiece, painting substances as at once a seductive lover and a heavy burden, one that overrides all common sense and decency: “My friends say I can never pull it together/Well they might be right, at least tonight/My kids say I'll never come home again/And I know they're right, at least tonight.” The song climaxes with Rob Bacon’s wailing guitar solo, which tries in vain to reach out to those beyond hope. 6. Bad Bunny & J Balvin - “La Canción” - Nestled in the middle of Balvin and Bunny’s summer smash OASIS, “La Canción” takes a break from the party to dwell on the inherent emptiness of their hedonistic lifestyle, as a mournful trumpet echoes the Reggaetoneros’ longing for meaningful connection amidst their chaotic lives. 5. Polo G - “Pop Out” ft. Lil TJay – Only Polo G would interrupt his own robbery to examine the sociological causes of his behavior: “We come from poverty, man, we ain't have a thing.” But on the rest of “Pop Out,” Polo leans into the dark side of his persona, before 2019’s most unlikely guest verse assassin Lil TJay brings the pathos: “If I showed you all my charges, you won't look at me the same.” In contrast to how effortless the two rappers sound atop the dramatic piano loop, listening to Lil Baby and Gunna wheeze through the remix hammers home the high degree of difficulty of such nimble melodics. It’s a testament to how fast rap music moves these days that Polo and TJay can make last year’s It Duo sound like geezers. 4. Octo Octa - “I Need You” – It starts as an intoxicatingly minimal expression of dancefloor lust, but halfway through, “I Need You” morphs into a sincere and moving tribute to everybody who helped Octo Octa become the woman she is today. It’s a moving moment tucked within an epic club track that works equally well as build-up or comedown.

3. Purple Mountains - “All My Happiness Is Gone” - It’s hard to find the words for this one, a matter-of-fact documentation of a man slowly losing his will to live--which became heartbreakingly clear when David Berman committed suicide in August. But because it’s Berman, “All My Happiness Is Gone” is packed with genius-level wordplay and devastating observations, and enough gallows humor to truly emphasize the gravity of his situation: “Friends are warmer than gold when you're old/And keeping them is harder than you might suppose//Lately, I tend to make strangers wherever I go/Some of them were once people I was happy to know.” I’ll keep going: “Ten thousand afternoons ago/All my happiness just overflowed/That was life at first and goal to go.” And one more: “Where nothing's wrong and no one's asking/But the fear's so strong it leaves you gasping/No way to last out here like this for long.”

2. Big Thief - “Not” - A torrid, slow-burning rocker, “Not” showcases lead singer-songwriter Adrienne Lenker’s skill with oblique imagery and wild-eyed intensity. Lenker rattles off a long list of poetic observations, trying to get to the heart of something (everything?) without ever finding a satisfactory answer, as the music morphs from a controlled simmer to a cacophonous freakout. “Not” climaxes with a riotous guitar solo from Lenker herself, one that reaches towards the cosmos and echoes her frayed vocal. As always with Big Thief, though, the song soars in the smallest moments, like when guitarist Buck Meek enters with plainspoken backing vocals, and at the beginning of the second verse when the guitars drop out and Lenker’s voice stands alone.

1. Burna Boy - “Anybody” - Sometimes the best song of the year is the one that makes you feel the best, and no song this year made me feel better than “Anybody.” “Anybody” is both inviting and aloof, urgent and relaxing. Riding an irresistible groove defined by syncopated keys, driving percussion, and an eager-to-please saxophone, Burna Boy slides between Pidgin English and Yoruba chasing a feeling that resonates beyond the capabilities of language. It’s a song about demanding and receiving respect, dripping with the contagious confidence of an African Giant. And for three minutes, you’ll feel like a giant too.

THE REST: 26. DaBaby - “Intro” 27. Perfume Genius - “Eye On The Wall” 28. Yves Jarvis - “To Say That Is Easy” 29. Doja Cat - “Cyber Sex” 30. Mannequin Pussy - “Drunk II” 31. Better Oblivion Community Center - “Dylan Thomas” 32. Shoreline Mafia - “Wings” 33. Kehlani - “Footsteps” ft. Musiq Soulchild 34. Obangjayar - “Frens” 35. Ariana Grande - “NASA” 36. Mustard ft. Roddy Ricch - “Ballin” 37. Baby Keem - “ORANGE SODA” 38. Jessie Ware - “Adore You” 39. 03 Greedo x Kenny Beats - “Disco Shit” ft. Freddie Gibbs 40. Martha - “Love Keeps Kicking” 41. Lucki - “More Than Ever” 42. Park Hye-Jin - “Call Me” 43. DaVido - “Disturbance” ft. Peruzzi 44. The Japanese House - “Worms” 45. Spencer Radcliffe - “Here Comes The Snow” 46. Dawn Richard - “Dreams And Converse” 47. ALLBLACK & Offset Jim - “Fees” ft. Capolow 48. David Kilgour - “Smoke You Right Out Of Here” 49. Sandro Perri - “Wrong About The Rain” 50. Nilüfer Yanya - “In Your Head” 51. Julia Jacklin - “Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You” 52. Miraa May - “Angles” ft. JME 53. (Sandy) Alex G - “Gretel” 54. Kelsey Lu - “Due West” 55. glass beach - “classic j dies and goes to hell, pt. 1” 56. Peggy Gou - “Starry Night” 57. Cate Le Bon - “Home To You” 58. Busy Signal - “Balloon” 59. NLE Choppa - “Shotta Flow” 60. Dee Watkins - “Hell Raiser” 61. Ari Lennox - “I Been” 62. The National - “Not In Kansas” 63. Shordie Shordie - “Both Sides” ft. Shoreline Mafia 64. Alex Lahey - “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself” 65. Angel Olsen - “New Love Cassette” 66. Young Dolph - “Tric Or Treat” 67. Koffee - “Throne” 68. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib - “Half Manne, Half Cocaine” 69. Noname - “Song 32” 70. Anthony Naples - “A.I.R.” 71. Samthing Soweto - “Omama Bomthandazo (feat Makhafula Vilakazi)” 72. KAYTRANADA - “10%” ft. Kali Uchis 73. Moodymann - “Got Me Coming Back Right Now” 74. Drakeo The Ruler - “Let’s Go” ft. 03 Greedo 75. Teejayx6 - “Dark Web” 76. Cass McCombs - “I Followed The River South to What” 77. Gunna - “Idk Why” 78. Sharon Van Etten - “You Shadow” 79. Tresor - “Sondela” ft. Msaki 80. E-40 - “Chase The Money” ft. Quavo, Roddy Ricch, ScHoolboy Q & A$AP Ferg 81. Spielbergs - “Running All The Way Home” 82. 24kGoldn - “Valentino” 83. Quelle Chris - “Box of Wheaties” 84. Emily King - “Go Back” 85. AzChike - “Yadda Mean” ft. Keak Da Sneak 86. Club Night - “Path” 87. Zeelooperz - “Easter Sunday” ft. Earl Sweatshirt 88. Kim Gordon - “Murdered Out” 89. YS - “Bompton” (Remix) ft. 1TakeJay & OhGeesy 90. Future - “Never Stop” 91. Lowly - “baglaens” 92. SAULT - “Masterpiece” 93. Earl Sweatshirt - “TISK TISK/COOKIES” 94. Fireboy DML - “Energy” 95. Rio Da Young OG & Lil E - “Buy The Block” 96. Sacred Paws - “Write This Down” 97. Wilco - “Everyone Hides” 98. Black Belt Eagle Scout - “Real Lovin” 99. Sleepy Hallow - “Breakin Bad (Okay)” ft. Sheff G 100. Aimee Leigh & Baby Billy - “Misbehavin’ (1989)”

Here’s a Spotify playlist of the full list:

#burna boy #big thief #purple mountains #octo octa #polo g #bad bunny #j balvin #raphael saadiq #jenny lewis #shootergang kony #key!#lucinda chua #stella donnelly #earthgang

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zrtranscripts · 7 years ago

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Season 6, Mission 36: Old Friends 4 Sale

In the halls of Valhalla

SAM YAO: Janine, Five's been running through that abandoned city for... well, I haven't kept notes, but for ages. There is literally no one else there. Are we sure we're going in the right direction?

JANINE DE LUCA: As certain as we can be, Mr. Yao. Three residents of Abel suffer from Moonchild syndrome. They have listened to the Ministry broadcasts for us. They say this is where she's telling Runner Five to go.

SAM YAO: Hmm. Yeah. It's a bit weird, this, isn't it? Trying to navigate using subliminal messages sent to someone else. Although - good news, Five - those broadcasts are apparently at max strength, and still no Moonchild in your head. Freddie from sewage says she's got a horrible headache from the broadcast, so you're lucky.

JANINE DE LUCA: Whether it was Kytan's treatment or Moonchild's own decision, the things you've done seem to have worked, Runner Five. You will remain in full control during this operation. But the Minister must think that Moonchild is controlling you. We will remain in contact via your concealed earpiece. The Minister is calling you to that large concrete tower.

SAM YAO: Ah, that one that looks like an ominous, splintered devil church. Yeah, well, to be fair, it looked like that before the apocalypse, too. Brutalist architecture for the fail. Still, not the most fun place to be heading to in the middle of the night.

[speaker squeals]

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Moonchild, so good to see you again. I've placed a red light in the tower. Come home to me. As soon as you're here, we can talk.

SAM YAO: Mm, yeah. Surely she means, "I can monologue at you." Yeah, just a sec. There's no chance she could have put together one of those helmet things that let Moonchild print out thoughts onto a Telex, is there?

JANINE DE LUCA: There's some chance.

SAM YAO: Well, what will Five do then?

JANINE DE LUCA: We'll improvise! Keep going, Five. You can't miss this appointment.

JANINE DE LUCA: Good news for you as you run, Runner Five. Miss McShell is even now working in her lab, replicating the cure, so that we can fight back against the Minister. Her annihilation plans involved bringing her army to Abel through zombie territory. We will now be able to fight back in that very territory.

SAM YAO: Right. Okay, and re: what Sigrid has in store for you, Five, I've talked to Kytan. He says some woman who called herself Voltatronamic nicked off with one of his modified helmets a few days ago. Kytan... Kytan didn't tell anyone about it because he wanted her to learn about the consequences of her actions.

JANINE DE LUCA: The consequences of her actions are probably that the Minister gave her some vials of the cure.

SAM YAO: Yeah, and... [sighs] whatever Sigrid's going to do the Runner Five now. Oh, look. A concrete door in the dark shadows of that Cthulu temple is slowly swinging open. That is not a pleasant sound.

[concrete scrapes]

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Moonchild, welcome. I've waited for this moment for a long time.

JANINE DE LUCA: Five, remember, you have smoke bombs and trank darts. The Minister thinks you're in her power. Her guard will be down. We must learn what we can from her, and you might find a good opportunity for assassination. But above all, leave as soon as you feel unsafe.

SAM YAO: [laughs] To be honest, if I were Five, I'd feel really unsafe right now, but yeah. I guess she's not going to hurt you if she wants to use you.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: It's always been you I wanted, Moonchild. Five is just the vessel.

SAM YAO: Oh. Or that.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Moonchild, I can see you in Five's eyes. But I need to test your control. Run with me now. If you're still in charge of that body after a run, we'll know you're secure.

JANINE DE LUCA: Run with her, Five. You can do this.

SAM YAO: Oh man, this place is sinister. All those high-ceiling rooms with chinks of light filtering through, and... what are those? Glass cases?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Look around. This is my museum. A museum to the decadent world we worked together to overturn.

SAM YAO: She's got like, Hello Kitty stuff and McDonald's wrappers in glass cases. What is this for?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: In the future, people might look back at the technology of the pre-apocalypse era and think it was a golden age. That's why this place will be needed. Look, the rampant commercialism of the past laid bare. The 20th and 21st centuries. War and impulse shopping, environmental destruction and beach body diets. Reality TV, where a few poor people competed for trinkets while the elites brayed.

SAM YAO: I mean, fine. Yes, those things were awful. But that wasn't all we had! There was joy, and compassion. We had like, Steven Universe, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Curly Wurlies!

JANINE DE LUCA: And not strong-arming women into getting pregnant to produce anti-zombie serum.

SAM YAO: Yes! And also that. I really miss that.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Whoever controls history controls the future, Moonchild. I can hardly wait to hear your voice again. I've got something to show you. Come with me, quickly. The sooner the procedure is started, the sooner we'll be done.

SAM YAO: Her voice? The procedure?

JANINE DE LUCA: The only way to find out is to follow. Run with her, Five.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: I've been buying up resources and expertise everywhere I could find it. First, we have this.

SAM YAO: Right. Yup. As we thought, that's the same thing Kytan's people cobbled together from those games consoles. With, yup, the thing she had in that lab in the ship.

JANINE DE LUCA: It won't work, but if Sigrid thinks you're under Moonchild's control, Five, she'll simply presume her equipment has malfunctioned.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: We're alone. Stand here, Moonchild. Let me crown you with glory. Of course, this is the acid test. I know you're in there, Moonchild, but you must be in control. If this works, my dear, I'm going to bring you back. You will take over Five's body. It will be your body. It's going to be a glorious resurrection.

Of course, if this doesn't work, I can't have Runner Five wandering around with the information you have on me. So I'll have to shoot this vessel in the head. [laughs] It is going to work, isn't it?

[signal pulses]

There. Speak to me, Moonchild. There are speakers on the side of the helmet. They will read you. I know fine motor control is more difficult than large muscle groups, but this way, even if you don't have control of the vocal cords, I'll hear you. Moonchild... speak to me.

SAM YAO: Janine! What's the plan?

JANINE DE LUCA: Smoke bombs front and rear, Five. There's a service exit to your left leading to security tunnels.

[cloth rustles, gun clicks]

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Moonchild, speak to me now or return to Gaia, the Wakened Land!

MOONCHILD: Oh, I see. You need me now, do you, Five?

[speaker buzzes]

Took me a moment to get my chakras aligned there, Sigrid. Wonderful to see you. Your work here is incredible! And I can't wait to take over Runner Five's body. Please, show me more of this place, now. I have to see more, right now.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: I'll show you everything. I've missed you so much. Let's run!

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Look. Isn't it beautiful? It's a temple of the Wakened Land. Do you see down there in the atrium?

MOONCHILD: Oh my God, is that a statue of Professor Holloway? It's enormous! Where'd you even get it?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Had it specially cast. They're coming tomorrow to fix him on his plinth. He's much more use to me as a cast iron figure than he ever was as a living, breathing man.

MOONCHILD: We killed him together, I remember.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: We did. You were always loyal. You knew the meaning of friendship. There have been so many people over the years, Moonchild. They didn't understand my project, but you did.

MOONCHILD: We wanted to make a new Earth.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: I still might be able to. Do you remember Fossey Head?

MOONCHILD: No.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Oh yes, you did tell me this. Some of your memories would necessarily be fragmented by the transfer. I funded a geothermal well energy project on Fossey Head. My thought at the time was that that little island could become a model for the whole world of how to live in the new way. Fit, efficient, and strong as humans were meant to be. Clean up all the mess, start again.

SAM YAO: Have you ever noticed, Janine, how supervillains seem to split into neat freaks and "want to make lots of mess"?

JANINE DE LUCA: No. And please brush the crumbs off that battery pack. It's smoking.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: After I have excised that abscess in the flesh of England, Abel Township, I might set up a model community on Fossey Head, to demonstrate the right way of living.

MOONCHILD: And how can you destroy Abel? They're heavily armed.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Oh yes. And fortunately, Runner Five's retina scan will get me into that very useful armory, after we raze the place to the ground. No, no, Abel's destruction is already in place.

MOONCHILD: I'd love you to tell me about it.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: I'll do better. Come with me to the other side of the building. We might be in time to see them fruiting. Come on.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: See it?

MOONCHILD: I see a small organic mass hanging from a tree branch. It looks gelatinous.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Beautiful, isn't it? The finest work of Xia-Hifa Biologics. Wait. Watch. It's about to fruit!

SAM YAO: Fruit? [mass squelches open] Oh, I see. Oh, because it's opening up, like fruit. That... well, that's not so bad.

JANINE DE LUCA: There's a cloud of microscopic flies in there, Mr. Yao. You can see them as a faint discoloration.

MOONCHILD: Those flies, they're infected with something?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: A fungus. If it lands on your skin, you're dead within 20 minutes. Funnily enough, it works even faster on zombies! Ha!

MOONCHILD: Wow. That is karmically not... I mean, that is precedented. And you've planted one of these fruiting bodies in Abel? On a tree?

SAM YAO: Find it! Burn it!

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Even better. The spheres will survive for months within a living person until the fruiting signal is given. I planted one inside Abel's mole, Selma, before I let her run.

SAM YAO: Oh God.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Now, Moonchild. It's time for you to take over Runner Five's body forever. The device is just on the other side of the courtyard.

JANINE DE LUCA: We've learned enough. Five, smoke bombs. Get out of there.

MOONCHILD: No! No, I want to see what this is.

Sure thing, Sigrid. Can't wait! Let's go.

JANINE DE LUCA: Runner Five, detonate your smoke bombs now.

MOONCHILD: I can't do that for you, Five. I've got something else I need.

SAM YAO: Five, this is not the time to let Moonchild take over. Come on, you can do this! Meditation!

MOONCHILD: Just stop there for a moment, Sigrid. By the statue of Professor Holloway. He was an incredible man, don't you think?

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Holloway? Yes, I suppose so. Like many, he didn't really understand the breadth of his own vision. It was for me to fulfill his plan.

MOONCHILD: You always said you'd help me really fulfill my potential.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: And we have. You have defeated death. As the child of the moon, you waned, and now you have waxed. Your control over Runner Five is perfect.

MOONCHILD: Yes. So perfect, I can do this!

[statue falls, SIGRID HAKKINEN shouts]

SAM YAO: Oh my God! Moonchild pushed that massive statue of Holloway over onto Sigrid!

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Moonchild, you must control Five! This isn't you!

MOONCHILD: It is me! I'm different now.

JANINE DE LUCA: Moonchild, if you're there, if you're in control, Runner Five's fourth tranquilizer dart, the one with the blue needle shield, is cyanide. Inject Sigrid now. Let this be over.

MOONCHILD: I think I might be a pascifist now, actually, Janine. I mean, reliving killing Holloway, that was bad. I can't believe what I did. Being part of Five has changed me. Five, we can get out of here, but I can't let you kill her.

SAM YAO: Well, then get out of there.

MOONCHILD: Good plan! And to be honest, controlling this body is exhausting! I quite enjoy being a passenger. It's very freeing. Besides, I had my time on Earth for good or ill. You take the wheel, Five.

SIGRID HAKKINEN: Moonchild! Don't leave me here.

MOONCHILD: I expect I'll see you again.

SAM YAO: Well, maybe. Five, we've found Selma. She's put herself into a hazmat suit. I think she wanted to wander off into the wilderness and get eaten by zoms, actually, but we stopped her. We can fix this, but you need to get back here now!

#zombies run #zrs6 #s6m36 #old friends 4 sale #zr transcript #zrs6 spoilers

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captusmomentum · 7 years ago

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Because Fey reminded me about the One True Dad I was taken over by the unholy compulsion to write more Ancient!Inan, namely, when Haninan and Inanallas met which atm I’m placing vaguely around the time Inan was starting to be considered mature enough to be an adult but still not as aware of how Elvhen’an works or as socially anxious. So like, basically the pre-dothraki winter collection era. It’s pretty rough and dirty but Eh, whatever.

Haninan is @feynites‘s

Mythal was in Arlathan for some meeting or something with her husband, they weren’t really sure on the details, and so all of Mythal’s circle was with her here too. This included Inanallas, who was decidedly not one of her trusted servants but as Mythal herself had put it, her ward.

Whatever.

There was some benefits to having to be in Arlathan though, like how it was much easier and much more fun to sneak out and explore. Arlathan is huge and sprawling, full of people from all the different factions and all levels of society. Inanallas always enjoys darting through the city hunting for interesting little bits of it’s history or places that haven’t been completely bowled over to make room for things that conform to the dumb rules the elves have for how things should look.

They like to watch how the people interact too, in Mythal’s palaces it’s always sort of one way because they’re all talking to each other and they’re all supposed to act Mythal-y or something like that. But here there’s Elgar’nans talking to Falon’Dins and Sylaises bartering with Ghilanan’nians and Andruils bellowing at Junes. It’s interesting, to see how people are themselves but take on some affectation of their Person, like the lines on their face don’t just act as some kind of signifier but infuse some of that person into them. It makes them ponder on their own line tree and if it’s made them a bit more like Mythal. Maybe it has, since they’re much more polite now with them on, but maybe that was just growing up and learning how elves worked.

They understand from listening to people after the fact that their lines were a subject of debate at the time. Not if they should get them or not, but if they should get them when people normally got them, or if they should get them later on account of how they were a “special case”. Mythal had eventually decided that because they were a “special case” they needed to get them on time because the lines meant more than just who’s house you lived at. So they’d gotten the line tree at 25, but they’d still been considered a child until they were about 50, because they were a “special case”.

And they absolutely knew the proper word was vallaslin but that was just a fancy word for “shit people got permanently painted on their face” and it was more fun to speak literally.

On this venture they aim to get a look at June’s tower, they heard it’s made of constantly moving pieces which sounds very interesting. It takes them the better part of the day to navigate all the eluvians and streets they’d never used before but it’s not as bad as they reckon it would have been for some other people since they can simply shift through the all the bits of dreaming, magic, people and somethings, find one that feels like a June person feels and trace that back. It’s apparently a rare gift which makes them feel bad for everyone else who tries to navigate the impossible maze of Arlathan’s streets.

June’s tower is not as interesting as they had imagined which is disappointing, really it’s design just seems more annoying to deal with than anything else. They had considered sneaking in to investigate on the way here but now that just seemed like more hassle then it’s worth so they opt to explore the area around it instead.

Overall there’s not many interesting places (but the lower districts are all dull and grey so that’s not a shock) and they end up seeing more interesting interactions than anything else. Eventually they pass a little path between buildings to an eluvian. They backpedal and creep over to investigate.

It looked like it wasn’t a very popular one as it had a certain air of disuse around it. They’d learned a bit about how eluvians worked recently but not as much as they’d’ve liked. They examined it thoughtfully. Sometimes the best way to learn about something was to poke at it and see if you couldn’t pick it apart a little and this eluvian was generally unused, it wouldn’t be that much of a bother for anyone if they tinkered with it a bit.

They start to get to work trying to figure out how exactly to start taking the thing apart. It’s a tricky thing to do with magic stuff, it can be hard to find a good place to start weedling in and you can end up just mangling the whole thing or blowing yourself up. The eluvian is particularly frustrating on this front the magic that makes it is as smooth as the glass of the mirror so there’s no obvious points and they’re certain that pressure is a no go, the whole thing would just shatter like glass.

Inanallas huffs and settles in to try a more esoteric method. They repeat the process that had gotten them to June’s Tower only now from a more open meditative state of mind, letting themselves see more of the blurring place between here and the dreaming. They try again, looking for the songs that sing the feelings and concepts that form the eluvian. This meets with much more success and they can see/feel the songs that make it More, even see what it’s sister sees, a flash of grass and sky and tree. They also hear the hum of the stones around them, the people inside them— see pieces that jangle in them, feel the paths of spirits as they drift on the wind.

They also notice someone very, very old leaning on a wall at the opening of the little path. They hear a tune of pictures, of wide free space, of dragons, children, hands making things, picking them apart. They retract and close down again to something more manageable, they prefer not too look too much into people. It’s rude, probably. Even if they can’t seem to tell they’ve done it most of the time.

They turn to look at him just as he begins to clap, grinning widy. His skin and hair are dark and the hair is all bound in all kinds of braids which all make her think of her family in Dirthamen’s Lands and she’s filled with an instant fondness for whoever they are. They also note his face has no lines, that’s very lucky for him.

“That was very impressive da’len! I hope you don’t mind that I watched, I was curious.”

They shake their head. “No I don’t mind, I’m Inanallas.”

He smiles more, if that was possible. “I’m Haninan, it’s a pleasure to meet such a talented child as you.”

They wave away his comment as he walks over to stand next to them. Normally they’d get a bit annoyed at being called a child but they can tell that at least 2/3rds of the empire’s population could be considered young at best compared to him so they don’t mind it for once.

“So!” he claps his hands together. “Trying to see how eluvians tick huh? Did you figure it out? Did you see anything interesting?”

He closes one eye in a cheesy wink to emphasize the joke and she can’t help but giggle. He’s very silly. He has many scars on his hands, another thing to like about him.

Their face scrunches. “I don’t think I figured it out, but I did learn more then I knew before.”

“Ah! Well, at least you got something! I wonder, would you like me to show you how they work?”

Their eyes light up excitedly. “Yes! Can you really?”

He laughs. “I wouldn’t offer if it was beyond me da’len.”

Watching Haninan in action is almost more interesting than the lesson, and it is a lesson since he doesn’t just pick it all apart but narrates and explains every step and spell as he goes about striping it down and then does the same as he puts it all back together again good as new.

“I can’t say I’m shocked you’re so good at things since you’ve had so much time to work on them.”

He grins. “Yes, and I am me.”

Their face scrunches a little again, confused. “What’s so special about you?”

He bursts into laughter, nearly doubling over.

“Nothing! Nothing! I’m just an old man.”

“Is this one of those things that everyone says is important but doesn’t seem to have to do with anything?”

“Hm. An interesting way to put it, and yes I think could consider it something like that. I’m June’s father and technically, his prisoner, trapped forever in his shifting tower.” He winks again.

They give him a pitying look. “I’m sorry to hear that, it’s not nice for a son to put his papae in jail.”

“I know, it’s very cruel, but at least it’s not a very good one.”

“Yes…” They say as they put a hand on his arm comfortingly. “I’m sorry to say but I don’t think he inherited your gift, it’s a very dull tower.”

He pats her hand gently, his hand is very big and warm on hers.

“I know, I know.”

There is a comfortableness between them, she hasn’t felt with any of the other elves so far— probably because he’s not as stuffy, and he seems to remember what it was like to live outside of big cities, which she thinks others like Mythal seem to have forgotten if they ever knew it. Also he’s funny.

He shifts and places an arm around her shoulders.

“I have a good idea, How about we go somewhere nice, eat some good food and see what other things I can help you pick apart huh?”

They beam up at him and nod.

The place they go is a nice little tavern in a lower district owned by a nice lady who makes very tasty food.

Haninan and the lady seem to be friends which is nice. He ordered them both a bowl of a stew and bread which he does not eat with nearly much gusto as they do. He does however bring up their childhood.

“I had heard that Dirthamen had found a child in the wilds not too long ago, I hadn’t thought I’d get a chance to meet them though.”

“What gave me away? My name or something else?”

He smiles. “Something else. I know the look and there’s no one else around you age it could be. So, how are you liking civilization? It’s very civilized isn’t it?”

Inan thinks very seriously, chewing on a piece of meat as she contemplates it.

“Roofs and beds are nice, and not worrying about food… but elves are very odd and I think maybe a little slow…”

He laughs. “Ah, I know exactly what you mean.”

They talk and he tells them about his own youth from before the empire (which frankly sounds a lot nicer) and shows them some tricky little things that he can do to entertain them. Haninan likes puzzles while Inan… not so much, puzzles are frustrating and get in the way of finding more interesting things they think, but they both like learning and exploring and snooping. Inan manages to recreate one of his little tricks and Haninan applauds them, some other people in the tavern even join him, though maybe without knowing why they were clapping.

Eventually they both need head back and so they agree on when to meet again, he vows to comeback with a puzzle and something interesting inside it for them and Inanallas decides that maybe they don’t like him so much.

#My writing #arlathan au #arlathan inan #inanallas #haninan #haninan is pm Exactly who lil inan would glom on too #even if he's clearly some how deranged for liking puzzles #but they forgive him for it bc he's fun and nice and knows things #meanwhile haninan is Weeping bc how could something so horrible happen so such a nice child and also adopting them on sight #sorry losers the curious little baby is his now thats just how the rules work

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undeadimpulsereviews · 7 years ago

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Nioh

Samurai have been around for some time now; the real deals may have come and gone, but our fascination still runs strong. Yet in a decent amount of samurai stories you’ll follow the tale of someone who has the proper experience to be a samurai; however, Team Ninja’s Nioh is not one of these tales. In fact, in terms of overall setting, character, etc. You’re far from samurai material. For now let’s push that aside. Nioh is the new action role playing game from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo; Taking some elements from games like dark souls, and other elements from Team Ninja titles we get Nioh. Now I haven’t played to many games from Team Ninja, but have played my fair share from the Koei Tecmo side. However, most of my experience with them comes from the warriors series, and Nioh is a completely different game. I went in as prepared as I could be, though I started with the thought that this would play close to something like dark souls. I’ve never finished a souls game so I was a little skeptical that I would have finish this. Though this isn’t a souls game, or whatever game came before souls; in fact this plays closer to something like Ninja Gaiden than Souls. That aside I not only finished the game, but completed the game one hundred percent. It’s not easy, and it can get aggravating at time; however I loved every moment of it. The story, it’s characters, the game play, you name it; from start to finish I had a blast. It’s a game I highly recommend if you haven’t played it yet; though let me explain why I think this is a must buy, starting with the story.

Deep in the tower of London we find our unlikely hero William, an Irishman, locked away. Thanks to Williams guardian spirit he’s lived a long, if not dangerous, life. Williams make his escape from the tower to find that Queen Elizabeth is looking to get something called amrita in the hopes of defeating Spain in their on going battle. William knows all to well what amrita is capable of and sets out to stop the queens plan. However, before leaving Williams guardian spirit is taken from him by the very person he aims to stop. So now you’re off to Japan, where amrita is rich and Oni run wild. Become a samurai and stop what has been set in motion, all while helping push the tide of Japan’s on going war.

Now the story of Nioh is nothing new for me. I’ve gone through the sengoku era of Japan many times. If you’ve played any of the samurai warriors games then you know what I’m talking about; however, Nioh tells the story in a much more serious and different fashion. Not to mention this is seen through the eyes of a foreigner. Now the main story isn’t Japan’s war, but William and his quest through Japan to stop the amrita from getting to England. William must stop a sorcerer named Edward Kelley; however, Edward plans to have some fun with the people of Japan before returning to the queen. If you haven’t experience the story of the warring states this is both the game for you and not the game. It doesn’t cover a huge extent of the war so you’ll be missing some story; however, it is one of the more serious telling of the tale. This is also one of the more fictional renditions; the outcome is the same, but with the addition of England's plans and the Oni the story tends to diverge from history. The best moment of the story come from the inner thoughts of historical figures and the guardian spirits you’ll obtain throughout the game. Overall it’s a really fast paced and fun story to go through, but for some it may feel very familiar even with the supernatural elements. The same can be said for the characters you’ll meet as you explore Japan.

In Nioh most of the characters you meet are historical figures from Japan. Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hattori Hanzo, you name it; again if you’ve played a samurai warriors game you’ll be use to these names. Though just like the story, the characters are much different in design from the warriors titles. Even their personalities are different. Lets take Tokugawa for example; in the warriors games he’s a very idealistic man who wants an age of peace. He speaks like a classic do good hero. The Tokugawa of Nioh has similar ideals, but he sounds less like a hero and more like a man of war. There are more historic figures then there are original ones; the Oni make up most of the original cast. William, Edward, and a girl name Okatsu make up the three original humans of the cast. As far as development goes don’t expect much from the historic figures; their personality and growth is mainly determined from history and how it was perceived by others. William is the one that develops the most, and in more ways than one. He enters Japan with some interest of it’s customs and practices, but still didn’t pay it much mind. Though near the end of the game he sees Japan as something far greater than what he originally envisioned; not to mention he learns what it means to be a samurai, as well as how to fight as one over the span of his adventure. Overall the characters are really enjoyable, whether it’s pre-existing people, or completely original ones. If you’re looking for a serious action packed story with a set of serious interesting characters then Nioh is right up your alley.

Now given the people behind Nioh you have to wonder what the game is going to look like graphically; I can’t speak for Team Ninja much, but Koei Tecmo has some games that, graphically speaking, are okay. It’s not terrible, but it’s not your triple A quality graphics. So how does Nioh compare? Does it fall in the category of other Koei Tecmo titles? No, Nioh looks amazing; from it’s lighting to it’s set pieces, Nioh was a great visual experience through and through. I especially love the design of the Oni you’ll be facing. From the small mobs of enemies to the bosses; there’s no shortage of nasty monsters who wish to kill you.

Above are some of these Oni you’ll be facing through Japan; I think the one problem I have with them is that even though there are a decent amount of them you fight the first boss a lot throughout the game. This felt a little lazy; I can understand fighting bosses again at a later level as normal enemies, but it gets boring fighting him over and over. Be it characters, Oni, or the levels you explore Nioh gives you something worth looking at at every turn. As for the soundtrack, I honestly can’t remember the songs that played throughout the game. The only one that comes to mind is the main menu theme, but that’s due to the fact that I don’t have much else to focus on. That being said looking back on the soundtrack it’s really good, but a lot of the music gets re-used in boss fights instead of making new songs for each. I don’t mind this to much, but there are tracks that are used for three to four fights and it feels a little lazy. With that said here are a few selection from the OST.

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Overall the visuals and soundtrack are very good; they have their limits, but I can live with those limits. Both are beautiful in their own way and give the game a nice atmosphere. Lastly comes the gameplay; each area is strong in it’s own way, but overall the gameplay is where Nioh shines.

Nioh is an action RPG where you must utilize the weapons and amrita you acquire to push farther into Japan. For me I used the sword through most of the game. I feel like the way the gameplay falls short is it’s weapons. Some weapons feel far better than others and I find it harder to play the other weapons. That is why I ended up going to the sword. It’s easy and an all around great weapon. The other weapons of note, for me, were the spear and the dual swords. They have the speed and technique to push fights in your favor; though you exchange a little damage to achieve those. In Nioh you get Amrita for killing enemies and you use this to level up your stats. This is where the souls like elements come in. If you die you must retrieve your amrita from your corpse, as well as the guardian spirit who is with you. If you don’t you can’t level up or get the benefits of your spirit. Then with enough amrita you can bump up a stat like strength or speed. Other than this it’s a basic action hack and slash; attack when there is an opening, and dodge or guard when needed. The game wasn’t to terribly difficult for me, but for some friends of mine it proved to be a challenge. If you play this don’t go in expecting to play something like dark souls; you’ll be in for a rude awakening. The only thing you should take from that is not to distribute the amrita evenly; focus on one style/weapon. If you don’t like what you built you can always try something new later if you have the item for it. This game is a lot of trial and error; know your enemy, how they move and attack, what elements they’re weak to, and what ailments can be inflicted. If you go in prepared you are in for a fun fast paced experience. Near the end of the game they will give you some hard side quests to do. Instead of fighting the fight normally I had to use cheap means to win. Other then that I had a great time through; no bugs or glitches to stop me in my journey, it was all just one smooth ride. Overall I really enjoyed playing Nioh; from start to finish I had a blast. It was fast yet satisfying; not to difficult, but provided a challenge every now and then.

It’s not perfect, but the game gave me little to no problems; I’d give Nioh a 9 out of 10; it’s an amazing game that’s endless amounts of fun be it on your own or with a friend. It’s time consuming, but it’s filled with content for you to play. I highly recommend Nioh to those looking for something for next gen; it’s not for eveyone, but it’s one of the more recent games that I feel everyone should at least try.

Next week will be the review for Complex Age; I’ve been looking over that one and have come to a conclusion on what I’m planning in the future. Other then that however have a nice day and I’ll see you soon.

#nioh #playstation #PlayStation 4 #ps4 #sony #Sony Interactive Entertainment #koei tecmo #Team Ninja #gaming #video game #review #video games #RPG #action rpg

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muggle-writes · 5 years ago

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Dear Creator (PurimGifts 2020)

Hello designated gift giver. This year, @copperscales and I have signed up as a unit for gift giving and receiving. Robin and I have been great friends ever since we bonded over our shared taste in media over 15 years ago, and we continue to have very similar tastes, so whatever gift you make from our requested fandoms is very very likely to be a perfect gift for us both.

The only thing we have different tastes in is jewish content: Muggle is jewish and loves it all. Robin isn’t jewish, and has some knowledge, and is interested in jewish content, but may need more explanation of traditions for things as “obscure” as even sukkot. If you can, with plot-relevant jewish content, try to include an audience-stand-in goyische character to hear an explanation or overview.

Our DNWs: No rape/noncon/dubcon. No misogynistic or queerphobic slurs. (minimal misogyny/queerphobia in general please) If relationships are unhealthy, let the characters admit it, at least in the privacy of their own minds (ie don’t glorify it as “good romance”). Minimize gratuitous violence, and if it must happen, focus more on character reactions than descriptions of gore. No Undertale genocide run.

Anyway, it’s always fun to have some slightly more specific prompts to work from. Here’s some ideas of things we’d enjoy for each of the requested fandoms. (below the cut because Long)

Queer rep, in any form, in any fandom is great. Especially aro and ace rep, since we’re both within those categories, but cute romance is also generally acceptable, especially femslash. Or characters being explicitly bi, or trans girls living their lives with minimal bigotry, or healthy polyamory (especially if it’s a web of pairwise relationships rather than poly-fi like an OT6)... (trans boys probably won’t qualify unless they’re jewish, but we’d be happy to see them too) Really just all queer rep is good.

Outsider perspectives are another thing we both love (characters that don’t know everything the canon protagonists know drawing close-but-not-quite conclusions is excellent comedy potential)

Harry Potter content is always a winner, especially if you explore characters like Hermione, Luna, or Ginny. Show us their friendships, with each other, or with other girls, or Ginny’s relationship with her brothers. Luna/Ginny is an adorable ship too. (Prefer original series fic over Fantastic Beasts or Cursed Child fic). JKR is a terf, but Hogwarts is trans-affirming. Queer rep is especially good in this fandom.

Animorphs: the series that started our friendship <3. We would love to see queer content depicting the original six animorphs (do Tobias or Marco have a crush on Jake, for example? Pan Rachel? Is one of them trans? We’d love to see it). AUs in which Tom gets free, or Marco’s mom gets free sooner, are also good. Alternately, we’d love to see explorations of alien culture. Since the Berensons are jewish, Muggle would love to see Jake thinking Tom’s name during Mi Sheberach (on the rare occasions they actually go to services), knowing he can’t say it aloud. If you can slip that into a fic with some of our shared interests, Muggle would be thrilled.

For Dragonriders of Pern, we primarily love the setting. Canon characters are fine, but OCs are also great. Some ideas: Sorka’s children trying to live up to her legacy. The generation that sees the fading use of old tech and the rise of traditional artisans. Muggle is considering writing a fic about a trans girl impressing gold as a gender affirming experience, but if you also write something in that vein, we’ll be thrilled: two cakes are better than one. Or include jewish characters and an exploration of how the traditions have adapted to a new planet: are the holidays aligned with the seasons the same way they are on earth or are they trying to maintain an earth-centric historic hebrew calendar? if it’s adapted for the new planet, which moon is full for Sukkot and other mid-month holidays? Also we just love worldbuilding in general. Please ignore Anne’s weird restrictions on which dragons impress which human based on sexuality. There could totally be a lesbian queenrider, ace dragonriders at all, a straight male greenrider.... (and dragons mating with each other just means their riders are the horniest people in the room not that their riders automatically pair up with each other, please and thank you.)

Undertale: anything goes but please depict neutral/pacifist runs. Alphys/Undyne as a ship (or their friendship pre-canon) is always a good option. Jewish Frisk and/or Chara is wonderful too.

AtLA: We’d love to see Katara without a focus on Aang. Perhaps a focus on Katara’s relationship with her mother? Other good characters are Toph (fave) and Mai and Ty Lee

LoK: Korrasami is such a cute pairing

Belgariad/Mallorean and prequels: Polgara, especially fluff depicting her relationship with her mother (Poledra) or her sister (Beldaran)

MCU: Jewish Bucky and/or Steve. (Steve as a golem?) We prefer fic in the style of 2012 MCU fandom (in which Age of Ultron and Civil War hadn’t happened yet, and the team just lives together in Avengers Tower and goes on wacky day-saving adventures, but feel free to include newer characters because canon compliant isn’t something we care about). Shuri being a wonderful little sister, and a badass person in general is also great content.

ItSV: show us the history between May and Liv. Or Rio being maternal towards the new Spider Man even if she doesn’t know exactly why (alternately, Rio recognizing him immediately because she recognizes the way he carries himself, and the way he talks when he’s trying to sound older than he is. She calls it a mother’s instincts). Or, since the Peters are all jewish (at least Peter B but presumably all of them) and there’s no reason the Davis-Morales family can’t also be jewish, give us post reveal holiday celebrations with Miles’ family and RIPeter’s Aunt May.

Good Omens: Depictions of the ineffable husbands as jewish. Genderfluid or femme-presenting Crowley. Jewish Newt Pulsifer. Agnes Nutter doing things besides writing her books, especially other modern anachronistic things as well as jogging for exercise.

WTNV: We would love to see Cecil introducing Carlos to jewish holidays, and general canon-typical weirdness. Feel free to include things from the books but we have no particular familiarity with them.

Star Wars: Original Trilogy era Leia (pre, mid, or post canon are all good). Or write something Shmi Skywalker-centric. Or Jewish Organa-Solo family content

Lilo and Stitch: Sisterly fluff is very good in this fandom too (and all fandoms with sisters). Feel free to bring in other Experiments from the tv series.

Old Kingdom: Sabriel & Lirael mentorship? Worldbuilding is also great for this series. Feel free to explore the history of the Old Kingdom. What did the border look like before the Wall was built? What sorts of nasty creatures explored near or across the border at the time. What was the final straw that led to the Wall being built?

Firefly/Serenity: Give us content of the girls. Examples: Inara & Kaylee friendship or mentorship, Kaylee & River friendship, any of them on their own. Optionally also jewish. What does shabbat look like in space? Maybe show us one of the rare things that River struggles with.

Again, these are all just suggestions (besides the DNWs). We’re looking forward to seeing what you create! Thanks in advance!

#purimgifts 2020 #purimgifts 5780 #dear creator letter #fandom exchanges

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everettwilkinson · 7 years ago

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NEW BUDGET NUMBERS on INDIVIDUAL MANDATE expected MONDAY and savings expected to shrink — WHAT TRUMP is doing in HAWAII — BUSHES unload on TRUMP — OBAMA's post-presidency letter — WEEKEND READS — B’DAY: Ben Smith

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — SOME HEALTH CARE/TAX NEWS — THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE is expected to release a new report MONDAY detailing the budgetary impact if Congress were to repeal the individual mandate as part of tax reform. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady told us that it was a priority for President Donald Trump — Trump has called him twice and mentioned it in person once. Insiders estimate repealing the mandate would bank $400 billion in savings. But the new estimate is expected to be far less, which might make it less attractive to include gutting the provision as part of tax reform.

— Here’s how Brady put it to us yesterday during a Playbook Interview: “There are pros and cons to this. Importing health care into a tax reform debate has consequences, especially one where the Senate has yet to produce 50 votes on anything related to health care that I’m aware of. And so there is all those considerations to think about as we’re looking at this. So, no decisions have been made. We’re listening to the members, and certainly the president, as well.”

Story Continued Below

BULLETIN at 7:13 a.m.: “BEIRUT (AP) – Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri says he is resigning as premier, blames Iran for meddling in Arab affairs.” AP’s story http://bit.ly/2h6gCF7

YOWZA! — NYT’s PETER BAKER — “President Trump is not a favorite in the extended Bush household. Former President George Bush considers him a ‘blowhard,’ only interested in feeding his own ego. Former President George W. Bush, his son, thinks Mr. Trump fans public anger and came to office without any understanding of the job. … In ‘The Last Republicans,’ Mark K. Updegrove chronicles an era that feels almost dated in today’s reality-show politics, when the Republican establishment controlled the party and Washington, and when a single family could occupy the presidency and vice presidency for a combined 20 years. …

“Neither of the two Republican former presidents voted for Mr. Trump — the father voted for Hillary Clinton and the son voted for ‘none of the above,’ as he told Mr. Updegrove. Indeed, at one point during the 2016 presidential campaign, the younger Mr. Bush confided to the author, ‘I’m worried that I will be the last Republican president.’ …

“In discussing Mr. Trump, the elder president was blunter. ‘I don’t like him,’ Mr. Bush said in May 2016. ‘I don’t know much about him, but I know he’s a blowhard. And I’m not too excited about him being a leader.’ Rather than being motivated by public service, Mr. Bush said Mr. Trump seemed to be driven by ‘a certain ego.’” http://nyti.ms/2A6YXEU … Pre-order — $19.49 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2hbgx79

THE TRUMP ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY STORIES BEGIN — “Trump’s year of anger, disruption and scandal,” by Annie Karni and Eliana Johnson: “It was after midnight on Nov. 9, 2016, and Donald Trump was sitting at the kitchen table of his Trump Tower penthouse. …

“‘Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division.’ He paused. ‘To bind? To heal? Which is better?’ he asked his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, who was hovering close by. It was the mirror image of the scene unfolding in Hillary Clinton’s hotel room, where the Democratic nominee had a victory speech ready to go, but no concession to deliver. Trump had been glued to the television, watching what was supposed to be Clinton’s Javits Center victory party — and taking note of the shocked faces in the crowd.

“‘I think he was aware of how unexpected this was,’ said his longtime aide, Hope Hicks, now the White House communications director, explaining the un-Trumpian unity rallying cry. ‘He wanted to give a speech that would de-escalate everything and, while the whole world was watching, be a leader for all.’ Onstage, Trump would say: ‘To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. It’s time.’ It was a glimpse of a presidency that could have been.” http://politi.co/2AjqKTp

****** A message from BP: We sell enough natural gas to meet the daily needs of every home in the U.S. Check out what else we’re doing across the country. ******

HARASSMENT FALLOUT — “Congressional leaders call for sexual harassment training,” by AP’s Erica Werner and Juliet Linderman: “On Friday, Ryan sent lawmakers a letter urging them to undergo sexual harassment training and make it mandatory for their staffs. ‘Any form of harassment has no place in this institution. Each of us has a responsibility to ensure a workplace that is free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation,’ wrote Ryan, R-Wis. ‘We can and should lead by example.’ House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for passage of Democratic-sponsored legislation that would require anti-harassment training, enhance anti-retaliation protections for staffers who report harassment, and streamline dispute resolution.” http://bit.ly/2zeaiUt … AP’s original investigation on sexual harassment on the Hill http://bit.ly/2zeKnOC

POLITICO FLORIDA — “Six women accuse Florida Senate budget chair Latvala of groping, sexual harassment,” by Marc Caputo, Matt Dixon and Alexandra Glorioso in Tallahassee: “Six women who work in Florida’s Capitol say the state Senate’s powerful budget chairman, Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Latvala, has inappropriately touched them without their consent or uttered demeaning remarks about their bodies. …

“Latvala, in an interview on Friday with POLITICO Florida, pointed to the fact that in 16 years in the Senate he has never had a complaint filed against him. ‘The Senate provided you with a letter that I have never had a complaint filed against me in 16 years,’ said Latvala. ‘I’m sure that you have handpicked people and you are going to let anonymous people have this kind of impact on the career of a guy who has been there for 16 years,’ he said. ‘I’ve never had a complaint filed against me.’ ‘Govern yourself accordingly,’ he told a POLITICO Florida reporter.” http://politi.co/2hbzmXD

ON PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S MIND — @realDonaldTrump at 8:35 a.m.: “Unemployment is down to 4.1%, lowest in 17 years. 1.5 million new jobs created since I took office. Highest stock Market ever, up $5.4 trill” … at 8:49 a.m.: “Would very much appreciate Saudi Arabia doing their IPO of Aramco with the New York Stock Exchange. Important to the United States!”

— A TWEET LIKE THAT about Aramco could be worth a lot of money to a lot of people. The Aramco tweet was sent at 2:49 a.m. in Hawaii.

****** A message from BP: Over the past 10 years, no energy company has invested more in the U.S. than BP – $90 billion in total. Take 15 seconds to see what we’re doing to help keep America moving forward. ******

DEPT. OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES — “Trump’s push for inquiries challenges Justice Dept. independence,” by Darren Samuelsohn: “With his forceful pleas via Twitter and recent media interviews to launch inquiries into everything from Hillary Clinton’s e-mails to an Obama-era uranium deal, the president is essentially setting the department up for a major breach of protocol if it actually follows through on his requests, according to former government attorneys and prosecutors.” http://politi.co/2xYSICl

THE BANNON EFFECT — “Poll: Bannon’s endorsement doesn’t help in GOP primaries,” by Eliana Johnson: “The Alabama Senate primary between Senator Luther Strange and Roy Moore raised questions about how powerful the endorsements of President Donald Trump and his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, are on the campaign trail. Though Moore, Bannon’s candidate, bested the Trump-backed Strange, a new poll suggests that among voters in the upcoming midterm elections, Bannon’s endorsement will make little difference.

“The survey, conducted by Firehouse Strategies and Optimus Consulting, found that just 13 percent of Republican voters said Bannon’s endorsement made them more likely to support a candidate. Precisely the same number said the backing of the Breitbart chief would make them less likely to support a given candidate. Firehouse was founded by former aides to Sen. Marco Rubio, and Optimus is a Republican analytics firm.” http://politi.co/2zdXbF3

ON TAX REFORM — “Dems’ plan to tank Trump’s tax bill,” by Elana Schor and Heather Caygle: “Democrats helped crush the GOP’s Obamacare repeal push by maintaining total unity and generating broad public outrage. It’s a powerful formula that fractured Republicans — but one that will be harder to replicate against the GOP tax bill. Already a handful of vulnerable Democrats in the House and Senate say they remain open to whatever tax legislation is ultimately produced. And while progressive groups and lawmakers are deploying plans to rev up the base, it’s not clear taxes will energize people outside the Beltway as the more visceral topic of health care does.” http://politi.co/2lPSrQN

— “Lobbying Frenzy Begins on Tax Bill,” by NYT’s Jim Tankersley, Tom Kaplan and Ken Vogel: “The Republican tax rewrite unveiled on Thursday has set off a scramble among lobbyists and interest groups desperate to preserve prized tax breaks that are suddenly at risk in the sweeping bill moving through the House. Yet the ability of K Street to prevent longstanding tax provisions from getting the ax is running headfirst into Republicans’ own mad dash as they attempt to quickly pass the tax rewrite and get it to President Trump’s desk by Christmas.

“The rapid pace set out by Republican leaders is by design: They want to prevent the kind of arm-twisting that has long bedeviled previous tax overhaul efforts by leaving little time for outside groups to blitz lawmakers with concerns. Several consultants and lobbyists said on Friday that individual companies were just beginning to digest how the 400-plus page bill, which drastically changes how American businesses are taxed at home and abroad, would affect their bottom lines.” http://nyti.ms/2y1K723

CATCHING YOU UP ON TRUMP ABROAD …

FOLLOW POLITICO’S man with Trump in Asia: @AndrewRestuccia

IT’S CHALLENGING to cover trips like this — the time difference is brutal — so we’ll try to find the best nuggets from stories and pool reports.

WSJ’S MIKE BENDER was pool yesterday, with PRESIDENT TRUMP in Hawaii: “At 1:14 p.m. local, POTUS & FLOTUS deplaned into 87 degree weather. The were greeted with leis by Hawaii Gov. David Ige and his wife, Dawn Ige; US Navy Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, his wife, Bruni Bradley; and Mikayla Webb, the daughter of Adm. Harris’s aid. … POTUS arrived at US Pacific Command at 1:43 p.m. local, two minutes ahead of schedule for the first stop on his 12-day trip. … ‘I tell you this is very special being in Hawaii,’ he said. …

“POTUS also appeared legitimately excited about his visit this evening to Pearl Harbor, ‘which I’ve read about, spoken about, heard about, studied, but I haven’t seen. And that is going to be very exciting for me.’ … POTUS made a somber and short visit to the USS Arizona Memorial — about 13 hours before wheels-up to Japan. POTUS & FLOTUS spent about 20 minutes at the simple yet stark shrine to the 1,177 crewmen who died during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The pair stood for about a minute in front of the white marble wall etched with the names of the fallen during a wreath laying ceremony.

“The first couple adjusted the wreath slightly before two soldiers placed it near the wall. The Trumps then threw white pikake flower petals into the water where the remains of more than 900 Arizona crewmen rest. … Most of the president’s top staff traveling with him joined the tour, including HR McMaster, Dina Powell, Rob Porter, Hope Hicks, Sarah Sanders, Matt Pottinger, Bob Lighthizer, Michael Anton, and Jared Kushner. … From his first tweet this morning at 6:51 a.m. Eastern, to the return to his Honolulu hotel at 7:33 p.m. Hawaii time, that’s nearly a 19-hour day for POTUS on the first day of his 12-day trip halfway around the world.”

— TRUMP’S WEEKEND: The president will leave Hawaii at 1:20 p.m. D.C. time (7:20 a.m. in Hawaii) for Tokyo. They land at 9:45 p.m. tonight. When Trump lands, he’ll have an event at Yokota Air Base and then he’ll have lunch with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the golfer Hideki Matsuyama at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Trump is having dinner with Abe with the first lady and Mrs. Abe at Ginza Ukai Tei in Tokyo.

— BEING THERE: @JonLemire: “Lunch today on Air Force One: a taco bowl” http://bit.ly/2ytGVQZ

IVANKA ABROAD — THE DAILY MAIL: “A cultural homage (kind of)! Ivanka Trump dons a $2,000 Italian faux kimono – and models a new wavy hairdo – as she enjoys dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe” — with 29 pix on one page http://dailym.ai/2zgWSJn

FOR OBAMA ALUMNI — “Here’s the letter Obama is sending to people who ask him about the state of the country,” by Yahoo’s Hunter Walker: https://yhoo.it/2y1AFve

THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION — JUDGE PROPOSES MAY 7 trial date for Manafort and Gates. http://politi.co/2j1GR43

–“Mueller braces for challenges to his authority,” by Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein: “Robert Mueller is on an early winning streak. Stacked with some of the country’s premier prosecutors, the special counsel has beaten back a pair of preliminary attempts to block his subpoena power and limit who he can question as a potential witness. In July, Mueller’s team also managed to win approval to execute a no-knock search warrant—unusual in a white-collar case.

“But as the criminal case against former Donald Trump campaign officials Paul Manafort and Rick Gates speeds toward a possible spring 2018 trial, Mueller’s team is bracing for an array of challenges to its authority. The battle lines are already taking shape. Kevin Downing, Manafort’s lead attorney, submitted a document Friday indicating that he anticipates filing pre-trial motions that question ‘the legal basis for and sufficiency of the charges, the suppression of evidence improperly obtained by search warrant, subpoena or otherwise.’ Downing also said he may try to prevent Mueller’s prosecutors from presenting some of their evidence during the criminal trial.” http://politi.co/2A7Qe5B

— “McConnell: No need to pass bills to protect Mueller,” by Brent D. Griffiths: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday that special counsel Robert Mueller is not in need of congressional protection from President Donald Trump. ‘I don’t hear much pressure to pass anything,’ McConnell told MSNBC’s Hugh Hewitt. ‘There’s been no indication that the President or the White House are not cooperating with the special counsel.’ McConnell added, ‘I think the view up here is let him do his job.’” http://politi.co/2yuNO4E

— “Longtime Trump bodyguard to face questions about 2013 Moscow trip,” by WaPo’s Carol D. Leonnig and Greg Miller: “One of President Trump’s most trusted confidants, a security chief who served as his sounding board for nearly two decades, will face questions from congressional investigators next week about Trump’s 2013 trip to Moscow, according to people familiar with their plans. … The House Intelligence Committee has called former longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller to appear for an interview Tuesday as part of its probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Investigators plan to press Schiller about allegations in the 35-page dossier that Russian officials obtained compromising information about Trump’s personal behavior when he visited Moscow for the 2013 Miss Universe pageant.” http://wapo.st/2lN34DM

— “Trump Campaign Adviser Met With Russian Officials in 2016,” by NYT’s Mark Mazzetti and Adam Goldman: “Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump presidential campaign, met Russian government officials during a July 2016 trip he took to Moscow, according to testimony he gave on Thursday to the House Intelligence Committee. Shortly after the trip, Mr. Page sent an email to at least one Trump campaign aide describing insights he had after conversations with government officials, legislators and business executives during his time in Moscow, according to one person familiar with the contents of the message. The email was read aloud during the closed-door testimony.” http://nyti.ms/2AkuLqY

NEW POLICY — “Protected status no longer justified for Central Americans and Haitians in U.S., State Dept. says,” by WaPo’s Nick Miroff and Karen DeYoung: “More than 300,000 Central Americans and Haitians living in the United States under a form of temporary permission no longer need to be shielded from deportation, the State Department told Homeland Security officials this week, a few days ahead of a highly anticipated DHS announcement about whether to renew that protection.

“On Tuesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent a letter to acting DHS secretary Elaine Duke to inform her that conditions in Central America and Haiti that had been used to justify the protection no longer necessitate a reprieve for the migrants, some of whom have been allowed to live and work in the United States for 20 years under a program known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS).” http://wapo.st/2A7oopO

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump, donned in lei, greets servicemen after arriving aboard Air Force On at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Nov. 3. | Jamm Aquino/The Star-Advertiser via AP

K STREET FILES — “Trump Offered Corey Lewandowski a New Job. Corey Turned It Down Because It Was ‘Chump Change,’” by the Daily Beast’s Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng: “Trump had asked if he wanted a job that would place him in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across the way from the West Wing, sources in and outside the administration say. According to two people who spoke with Lewandowski, he ‘strongly’ considered taking the gig, in hopes of getting to serve Trump in an official capacity once more. However, he came to the conclusion that the job wasn’t senior enough, telling friends that it was ‘beneath him.’ … [T]hose close to Lewandowski say he told friends in October that he had been offered a senior post in the Office of Public Liaison.” http://thebea.st/2h29ppH

TRUMP INC. — “Trump wins permission for 70 foreign workers at Mar-a-Lago,” by Palm Beach Post’s Jeff Ostrowski: “Like other Palm Beach County employers who staff their clubs with foreign workers, President Donald Trump is boosting the number of employees he’s bringing from overseas this winter. Trump won permission to hire 70 maids, cooks and servers at the Mar-a-Lago Club for the 2017-18 tourist season, according to newly released data from the U.S. Labor Department. In 2016-17, Trump hired 64 foreign workers at the Palm Beach property.” http://pbpo.st/2j17Igy

MEDIAWATCH — “Fresh questions about Trump administration’s review of AT&T-Time Warner deal,” by CNN’s Brian Stelter: “Trump is not shy about his enemies list. It includes Hillary Clinton and several major news outlets, including CNN. That’s why there are whispers in political and media circles that the president may be trying to interfere with AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner, especially now that the DOJ is reportedly considering a lawsuit to block the deal. … According to my sources, executives at AT&T and Time Warner have been under the impression that DOJ approval was right around the corner. The companies have been negotiating what’s known as a ‘consent decree.” http://cnnmon.ie/2j2BDVt

–“Sean Hannity Gets Inducted Into the National Radio Hall of Fame” — AdWeek: http://bit.ly/2zd4F92

WEINSTEIN UPDATE — “NYPD is working to arrest Harvey Weinstein on rape allegations,” by N.Y. Post’s Tina Moore and Ruth Brown: “The NYPD is prepared to arrest Harvey Weinstein for raping ‘Boardwalk Empire’ star Paz de la Huerta — and the next step is for the Manhattan district attorney to get an arrest warrant, a top department official said Friday. ‘She put forth a credible and detailed narrative to us. We then sought to garner corroboration — this happened seven years ago — and we found corroboration,’ Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told reporters. … When asked what made de la Huerta’s case so credible, he explained it was her ‘ability to articulate each and every movement of the crime — where she was, where they met, where this happened and what he did.’” http://pge.sx/2h3B7T7

CLICKER – “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 14 keepers http://politi.co/2zctrsc

GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Daniel Lippman:

–“#Reviewing Destined for War: An Interview with Graham Allison” – Q&A by Brett Wesley in the Strategy Bridge: “‘The Chinese believe the contest in the South China Sea is basically over, and that they won. All the governments in the region now ask first what will China do. China’s naval budget will soon exceed our own, especially with regards to regional competition, and it’s unlikely we can buy our way out of this problem.’” http://bit.ly/2it4vCs … Graham Allison’s book — $19.04 on Amazon http://amzn.to/2tNVqbC

–“The Istanbul Derby,” by Spencer Hall in SB Nation: “Soccer, fire and a game at the world’s crossroads.” http://bit.ly/2zcVsA4

–“Putin’s Revenge” – PBS Frontline: “Frontline tells the inside story of how Vladimir Putin came to see the United States as an enemy — and why he decided to target an American election.” http://to.pbs.org/2zhySpy

–“How to Tell If You’re a Supertaster,” by Rob DeSalle in Nautilus magazine: “For one thing, you won’t like IPAs.” http://bit.ly/2zhyiIm

–“Mapping the Reformation in America,” by Lyman Stone in In A State Of Migration on Medium: “The legacy of Luther in America. By the time the settlement of the United States was well underway, the longevity of Protestantism was essentially assured. Many of the early American settlers were religious dissidents calling for reformation. Protestant churches are strongest now in the midwest and great plains, Pennsylvania, upland south, and central Texas. They correlate loosely with Northern European ancestry, pro-Trump voting, family stability, economic mobility, farming and heavy industry.” http://bit.ly/2h1pkob

–“Eugenics 2.0: We’re at the Dawn of Choosing Embryos by Health, Height, and More,” by Antonio Regalado in Technology Review: “Will you be among the first to pick your kids’ IQ? As machine learning unlocks predictions from DNA databases, scientists say parents could have choices never before possible.” http://bit.ly/2zuTOu5

–“Typos on the Skin of Men: The Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq,” by Jay Herndon in the Strategy Bridge – per TheBrowser.com’s description: “Perceptive account of the “quiet failures” of economic reform in Iraq under the Coalition Provisional Authority. American administrators were told to create a ‘vibrant, free market’ as a check on any future dictatorship. But their confidence far outstripped their expertise, and their mistakes laid the foundations for much of the chaos that followed. Said one: ‘I don’t give a s–t about international law. I made a commitment to the president that I’d privatize Iraq’s businesses.’” http://bit.ly/2xYQRgM

–“A Very Old Man for a Wolf,” by Emma Marris in Outside Magazine: “He was the alpha male of the first pack to live in Oregon since 1947. For years, a state biologist tracked him, collared him, counted his pups, weighed him, photographed him, and protected him. But then the animal known as OR4 broke one too many rules.” http://bit.ly/2zd2ylH

–“The fax of life,” by Vox’s Sarah Kliff: “In the medical sector, the fax is as dominant as ever. It is the cockroach of American medicine: hated by doctors and medical professionals but able to survive — even thrive — in a hostile environment. By one private firm’s estimate, the fax accounts for about 75 percent of all medical communication. It frustrates doctors, nurses, researchers, and entire hospitals, but a solution is evasive.” http://bit.ly/2iZaToQ

–“Small-Town Noir,” by Adam Thirlwell, reviewing “Twin Peaks: The Return” in the N.Y. Review of Books: David Lynch’s “cinema is disreputably baroque, brimming with meaning that it disavows. He’s of the same generation as Malick and Scorsese, but where they now seem historical, Lynch still has the fragility of the contemporary. The greatness of his art is linked to the kitsch of his materials, all the B-movie unheimlich maneuvers: doppelgängers, prosthetics, recurring numbers, dream sequences, animated corpses.” http://bit.ly/2lRAyBd

–“Trapped in the clichés of Spain,” by Andrea Aguilar in El Pais: “The crisis in Catalonia has demonstrated that the Iberian stereotypes persist in foreign media outlets.” http://bit.ly/2zbLCfi

–“The Suicide Catcher,” by Michael Paterniti in the Aug. 2010 issue of GQ: “In the rapidly modernizing, constantly churning city of Nanjing, China, there is a legendary bridge, four miles long, where day after day, week after week, the desperate and melancholy and tormented come to end their lives. Most end up in the Yangtze River, 130 feet below. But some do not meet their maker. They meet someone else. They are pulled back from the brink—sometimes violently—by an odd and unlikely angel.” http://bit.ly/2A4eHZg (h/t Longform.org)

–“Is the artist behind ‘Pay Trump bribes here’ a protest messenger for our times?” by WaPo’s David Montgomery: http://wapo.st/2A4a1Th

–“The Disillusionment of Samuel Moyn,” by Jon Baskin in the Chronicle of Higher Ed: “The Yale historian has become a prominent critic of liberalism. But what’s he for?” http://bit.ly/2hDWw6b

–“Lost and Found,” by Robert Sanchez in 5280: “Several long-serving members of NecroSearch, the world’s preeminent group for locating and retrieving missing bodies, are nearing retirement age. What will happen to the Colorado-based volunteer organization once they’re gone?” http://bit.ly/2itoaCc

SPOTTED: Denis McDonough yesterday at BWI … Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) on the 3:00 pm Acela heading north. … Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) yesterday in first class on the Acela to New York …

… Dick Wiley, former FCC chairman and current FCC commissioner Michael O’Rielly at an inside table; and Dontai Smalls, UPS lobbyist, and Paul Brathwaite at an outside table dining for lunch Friday afternoon at Fig & Olive … former Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), wife Sonya and their kids celebrating one of their son’s birthdays at the Wizards game with host Brandon Webb, chief of staff for Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.)

WHITE HOUSE ARRIVAL LOUNGE – JUDD DEERE has been hired as the White House’s director of state and local communications. He starts on Nov. 27. He most recently was communications director for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.

OUT AND ABOUT — DOUGLAS SMITH of Kent Strategies celebrated his 50th birthday at Pearl Street Warehouse last night. SPOTTED: Liz Sears Smith, David Culver, Mary Morgan Limperis, Melissa Maxfield, Bruce Gates and Joyce Gates, Bruce Andrews, David and Amanda Bowker, Paul and Liz Dougherty, Liz and Robert Moore, Patrick Mellody, Erick Mullen, Kelly Craighead, Paul and Cecilie Horvath, David and Viktoria Metzner, Kathleen Matthews, Susan Blumenthal, Mike Zamore, Abigail Smith, Paul Tencher, Vince Frillici and Chris Lisi.

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Minh-Thu Pham, executive director for policy at the United Nations Foundation in the NY office (hat tip: Courtney Hulse, who was on time) … Edelman’s Lauren Greco

BIRTHDAYS: Jeremy Bernard (h/t Tammy Haddad) … Kathy Griffin … Kit Seelye … Laura Bush is 71 … BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith … U.S. Chamber’s Blair Latoff Holmes … Craig Stevens … Hal Malchow … Rima Sirota of the Georgetown University Law Center, celebrating with Tom (h/t Jon Haber) … Michael Fontneau … Alice Tong … Kenneth R. Weinstein, president and CEO of the Hudson Institute, is 56 … Eric Wagner of Bloomberg Government … Toby Lam … AP’s Alex Sanz … WTOP’s Hillary Howard … WaPo’s Mike DeBonis … Carlos Gutierrez, chair at Albright Stonebridge and former Secretary of Commerce under Bush 43 and CEO of Kellogg (h/t Ben Chang) … Will Shaw … Michael Clauser … Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) is 7-0 … Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) is 46 … Emma Kenyon of Sen. McCaskill’s office (h/t Sophie White) … Laylee Ghiasi … Julie Siegel, currently banking counsel for Sen. Warren (D-Mass.) and an Obama WH, CFPB, and Harvard Law alum … Jean Roseme … Darla Bunting … Jessica Reis, VP at Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, who races her husband every morning to see who can finish Playbook first (hubby tip: Anthony DeAngelo) … Katie Hughes of CRC (h/t Garrett Ventry) … Politico’s Olivia Rogin …

… Amanda Thayer, press secretary for NARAL Pro-Choice America … Max Gleischman, celebrating with surprise birthday plans that will involve Dante in the West Village, his favorite place for a cocktail (h/t wife Rachel Racusen) … Tim Saler of Grassroots Targeting (http://bit.ly/2hBgiyT) (h/t Matt Moon) … Catherine De Castelbajac … Ezra Mechaber, principal at Precision Strategies … LinkedIn’s Florencia Iriondo … Lucy Tutwiler Hodas … Brian J. Siebel … L’Auberge Chez Francois’ Jacques Haeringer (h/t Robb Watters) … Ashley Estes Kavanaugh … Kevin McVicker … Trish Turner … Elena Chiriboga … Markus Palmgren … Joe Vidunas … Morgan Mohr … Kari Kant … Jeremy Chwat is 43 … Ira Fishman, COO/managing director of the NFL Players Association … Danny O’Driscoll … Kristin Hardy-Artikaslan … Jared Kleinstein … Sloan Rappoport … Julie Tippens … Lynde Uihlein … Susan Knapp … Casey Sinnwell … Hal Malchow (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

THE SHOWS by @MattMackowiak, filing from Austin:

–Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: Vice President Mike Pence … House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) … Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.). Panel: Al D’Amato and Jon Hilsenrath

–“Fox News Sunday”: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) … Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Panel: Karl Rove, Rachael Bade, Jason Riley and Juan Williams … “Power Player of the Week”: Mark Cuban

–ABC’s “This Week”: Donna Brazile … Preet Bharara and Ken Starr … Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). Panel: Charles Blow, Sara Fagen, Marc Lotter and Julie Pace

–CNN’s “State of the Union”: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) … Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Panel: Jen Psaki, Michael Caputo, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.)

–NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). Panel: Tom Brokaw, Kasie Hunt, Eugene Robinson and Peggy Noonan

–CBS’s “Face the Nation”: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Panel: Jamelle Bouie, Susan Page, Ramesh Ponnuru and Jerry Seib … Michael Lewis and Pete Souza

–Fox News’ “MediaBuzz”: Ed Henry … Mollie Hemingway … Marie Harf … Bill Bennett … Marisa Guthrie

–CNN’s “Inside Politics” with John King: Michael Shear, Nia-Malika Henderson, Mary Katharine Ham and Phil Mattingly

–CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”: Preet Bharara and Michael Hayden … foreign policy panel: Kurt Campbell, Elise Hu and Kishore Mahbubani

–CNN’s “Reliable Sources”: Michael Isikoff, David Folkenflik, Eliana Johnson and Errol Louis … Ronan Farrow and Indira Lakshmanan

–Univision’s “Al Punto”: Univision News correspondents Blanca Rosa Vilchez and Pablo Monsalvo … Otto Reich and Bill Richardson… San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz … Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló … Tom Perez … pop duo Jesse y Joy

–C-SPAN’s “The Communicators”: Axios’ David McCabe and Politico’s Ashley Gold … “Newsmakers”: Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), questioned by CQ Roll Call’s Niels Lesniewski and Foreign Policy’s Robbie Gramer … “Q&A”: Biographer Ron Chernow

–Washington Times’ “Mack on Politics” weekly politics podcast with Matt Mackowiak (download on iTunes, Google Play, or Stitcher or listen at http://bit.ly/2omgw1D): Garrett Graff.

SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/2lQswbh … Playbook Power Briefing http://politi.co/2xuOiqh … New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW … Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1OypFe9 … New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF … Massachusetts Playbook http://politi.co/1Nhtq5v … Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb … California Playbook http://politi.co/2bLvcPl … London Playbook http://politi.co/2xfDPuK … Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw … All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX

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