#he was making deep comments about our potential future. like talking about baby names and meeting the parents

[baited-beth]

Urghhhh I need to dump a guy I’ve been seeing for a very short period, but my friend has been like ‘he’s made clear he’s super into you, has been has been love bombing you and he’s been to your flat. You need to do this slowly in case he turns aggressive’.

And I hate that this is something women have to think about. I just want to text him and say ‘sorry this isn’t working for me’.

[s-brant]

Baby Names

(gif: @mishellejones) (SERIES MASTERLIST)

Summary: Y/N gets frustrated while putting the crib for her and JJ’s baby together and finds herself missing her dead brother more than ever.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Fluff and minor angst.

A/N: Asks and ye shall receive, here’s a little blurb about what happens after Tokens! You don’t really have to read the other parts to enjoy this fic if you don’t want to, but I do recommend it for some backstory. This was slightly inspired by this fic by @cognacdelights, so go give her stuff a read! Let me know if you liked this. Have fun!

Y/N Routledge thought she got over her brother's death long ago.

Though you never truly "get over" losing a loved one, though there will always be a small part of you, however small, that aches for their presence again, she thought she moved past the tragedy to the best of her ability...until last week.

To say that the pregnancy was a surprise would be the understatement of the century. She and JJ were both on the same page about children when their relationship began, and that page was that neither of them wanted them yet. Sure, the idea of it in the future stirred their hearts with fond emotion, but considering that they had yet to graduate high school and barely scraped by on their own, they weren't jumping headfirst into that aspect of adulthood.

They were meticulous about safe sex. They couldn't afford another mouth to feed, she wasn't sure she could handle the emotional trauma of having an abortion, and, underneath it all, he had some reservations about being a father. It wasn't that he didn't envision a future with kids in their relationship, he did, but the topic of fatherhood always took him down a dark path within his mind.

So, she went on birth control once they started dating and they went along with no scares for the next six years as they graduated and started figuring out what the next step for their lives was going to be.

Y/N could get lost thinking about it, honestly, but she tries not to get too swept up in the minor mistake that led to this.

"You, my friend, need to stop moving around in there," she whispers down at her protruding belly with a hand cradling the heavy weight of it, "I'm trying to get your crib set up without JJ yelling at me for not asking for help, and if you don't stop kicking me, I'm not gonna get anything done."

She's sprawled out on the floor in the living room of the Chateau with her legs stretched comfortably in each direction while she hunches over to read the directions of the Ikea furniture. The sugarcoated description makes her want to hunt down the company CEO for sport, because for how "simple and easy!" the construction of it claims to be, she is at her wits end.

The last thing she needed after having her grief over John B's death reignited by their decision to name their kid after him last week was to stress herself out over something as stupid as this, but she won't quit. With how much JJ has been coddling her the further into the pregnancy she gets, she wanted to prove that she could do something for herself.

Whenever she brings in the groceries from the car and goes to lift the bag of dog kibble out of the trunk, he rushes up behind her back and scoops it out of the trunk before she dares to touch it. It always ends with her hollering after him that it's under twenty pounds, the upwards limit of the weight she's allowed to carry according to her doctor, but he refuses to hear any of it.

Inside of her, she feels a sharp sensation of something hitting her right in the ribs in response to her comment, and she groans in frustration. It's as if he did it because he knows she wants it to stop, the feisty little fucker.

"You're definitely your daddy's son, aren't you? It's already enough having one of him, the last thing I need is a JJ clone."

Their three-year-old Rottweiler rescue huffs a sigh from where he lays, frog-legging it, on the floor next to the unboxed crib pieces she can't put together to save her life. His drooping jowls produce a puddle of slobber on the her favorite carpet that is past the point of saving from his constant wear and tear. After a year of having him, she decided to stop trying to prevent him from ruining it. There’s no point.

She smiles at him as she leans forward to read through the directions for the billionth time, saying, "I actually think he'll be a lot like his uncle, but that's just me. If he isn't, I'll feel a little stupid over the name situation."

John Booker Routledge-Maybank.

Hell of a name if you ask her yourself, but for every internal struggle it reopened inside of her, she couldn't help but love it as soon as JJ casually proposed the idea on his way out of the door for work one morning.

Going on without John B has been a learning experience in every aspect. Any time she wanted to turn to him for advice or tell him something about the recent events in her life, she had to walk out back to their dying magnolia tree and sit under the shade to talk to the wind. Then, once the tree finally died and they were forced to cut it down, she took to sitting on its stump and doing it there.

It got easier as time went on, but she can't keep herself from wondering what it'd be like if he didn't die ever since she saw the results on the pregnancy test six months ago. Whenever she does something like going to her OBGYN appointments or, case in point, setting up the crib, she pictures him there.

She can see him here now, petting Bowie's shiny coat until he falls asleep with his head propped onto John B's outstretched legs. He'd be twenty-three years old by now with his life barely starting to blossom to its full potential, yet here they are. Correction, here she is, and he's off somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, already decomposed to the extent that not even his bones can be salvaged anymore.

Her chest sinks in another sigh, and she flips through page after page of the instructions with increasing aggression.

"This crib is so fucking—"

"What are you doing?"

The sound of her yelping in surprise at JJ's voice coming from the door is enough to make him laugh to himself, though his amusement is buried partway by what he's walking in on. He specifically asked her to wait for him to put the crib together, knowing damn well it wouldn't be the easy task she thought it was, but he should've known she'd do it anyway.

She looks over her shoulder with a mixture of guilt and frustration painting her features as she throws her hands up in the air and gestures vaguely to the unassembled crib. Her eyes are shining with the rapid onset of hormone-induced tears.

"I can't put this crib together 'cause the instructions aren't right, all the pieces are labeled wrong, your son won't stop kicking me, and I miss my brother so much right now," she spews the words with no pauses to breathe until the very end, when she stops short to suck down a breath as soon as she gets the last part out.

It leaves JJ standing at the entrance to the house with this stunned expression.

There's no amusement to be found anymore. Once she turned and flashed those wide, teary eyes that never fail to spark an ache in his heart at him, his tired smile vanished and his feet started moving before he could say anything to her.

The floorboards creak beneath his half-laced boots on his way across the room to her. It prompts Bowie to pop his head up from around the side of the coffee table to catch a peek of whoever it is that's approaching his emotionally distraught owner. Upon seeing JJ's familiar face, the dog relaxes back into his lounging position atop the carpet and tracks JJ’s movements until he's seated next to her.

"This is about John B?" he asks.

Her cheeks are flushed in embarrassment at her sudden outburst, and she can't bear to meet his gaze right now. Despite him being her closest friend and husband, she feels as small and vulnerable as she did six years ago when she first learned of her brother's death from Shoupe. Time might as well be shaped in the form of a never-ending circle for them, directing them back to their seventeen-year-old state of mind every time things turn sour.

Y/N finally lifts her hanging head to look over at him after another few seconds and thinks she might crumble at the look on his face. He hates watching her cry.

"I guess," she says through a sniffle, "It's about the crib too, but I've been thinking about it a lot more since we picked the name. Our baby’s gonna grow up never knowing who his uncle was..."

With that, JJ takes it as his cue to pull her closer.

He scoots up behind her and lets his chin rest on the curve bridging her neck and shoulder together as he twines his arms around her body. It's a closeness that's as natural as breathing for him, so natural that he can hardly remember the years before it became normal for them to take part in little moments of intimacy like this. The warmth of their bodies cohabitates in the blurred line distinguishing where she ends and he begins, and he feels her relax, sagging in his embrace in appreciation of his miraculous ability to make her feel better no matter how worked up she is.

One of his hands rests on the swell of her bump in an absentminded effort to calm him too. Even though he isn't consciously thinking of it, he knows that her distress must upset the baby too. The contact steadies her, keeps her grounded to the moment rather than allowing her to slip away into the current of her negative thoughts, and she clings to every word he has to say.

He says, "You and I both know that isn’t true. He's gonna grow up seeing all the pictures you have of John B and ask about him all the time. And we'll tell him all the stories"—there's a pause of contemplation as he recalls a few particularly non-PG memories of his best friend—"Well, maybe not all of them, but you know what I mean."

This draws a soft bout of laughter from deep within her chest that he feels with how her body shakes ever so slightly with it. It seems so wrong to laugh with tears in her eyes but she can't help it. Her emotions have been scattered in every direction since the pregnancy began, and it has only gotten worse the further along she gets.

"If you ever tell him about the kief incident, I'm never giving you a bl—"

His free hand smushes over her mouth before she can say the rest.

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence.”

It's said so frantically, it makes her erupt in laughter hard enough to tickle her abdomen muscles with the aching sensation of it. The vibration of it under his palm makes him drop his hand a second later with the need to hear the beautiful sound. After seeing her cry, it's a welcome shift in mood, even if it's at his expense.

Her head is thrown back on his shoulder, mouth parted into a smile with the gleeful giggling filling the room. His stomach churns with butterflies at the sight of her. Even after all these years, he has the same reaction to her laughter every time. It makes him smile to himself and watch her in quiet reverence. It makes him ache with the same inklings of longing he felt for the first time when he was much younger.

Her laughter begins to die down by the time she can draw enough breath in to murmur a soft, "Sorry, angel," to him and reach down to hold the hand he rests on her belly as consolation for her joke.

They remain this way for another few minutes, tangled up in each other's arms on the floor of the living room with Bowie snoring a few feet away, before he manages to convince her to let him be the one to set up the crib instead. It takes a good five minutes of playful back and forth before she concedes under the condition that he'll let her paint the nursery by herself when the time comes, and that's all it takes for her to abandon the task in favor of finding something to snack on in the fridge.

In her defense, the crib is actually quite difficult to put together.

JJ doesn't consider himself an expert handyman by any means, at least not with anything outside of his area of expertise as an electrician, but he likes to think he knows enough to put together a "no assembly required" Ikea crib without wanting to bang his face against the wall.

In the end, it gets finished by the two of them in the middle of the night over a box of cold leftover pizza from the previous day. It takes them two hours of struggling before they get it fully assembled and placed where they want it in the room that'll soon belong to their son.

He pretends not to notice her sneaking back in to tie John B's old bandana around the wooden railing before they go to bed.

Tag List: @gabiatthedisco, @fangirlvoice, @black-syren, @apparrio, @particularcth, @planetdemon, @idk-ijustworkhere, @krisphann, @astrydis, @k-k0129, @zarahsloves, and @stilesflannels.

[geekkatsblog]

Making my heart race for 45 minutes every week season 17x5 or like everyone else likes to call it Grey's Anatomy.

"A VERY LONG BUT IMPROTANT PART TO READ BELOW."

Now before I get started I was idly scrolling through Instagram instead of studying like I was supposed to and I was recommended a Grey's Anatomy confession site to torture myself (because most of the time I feel irrationally sad after reading when I see my faves being bashed) and I was a good few confessions in when I noticed that someone had taken a part of lasts weeks review word for word and submitted it. I never really thought I would have to but I beg please don't do that. Confession sites tend to make my heart race and when I realized it was my words that were used I was already in the comments, none of my opinions in these are final so I'd rather not have my words posted anywhere else where people can't see the complete picture. Its definitely fine to use it as inspiration but Please do not post my reviews anywhere else, or at least ask first.

*Now finally onto the review*

All in all the episode was like I expected in terms of outcomes however Grey's has got to come up with another genetic disorder besides Alzheimers, because this is yet another doctor with the gene. Not much happened besides the main event so let's hope I don't talk all over myself again.

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Catherine Fox and Jackson Avery

Refuses to wear the mask like the pig headed woman she is. Her especially should take no risks because as it was pointed out in the episode she is immunocompromised. She didn't actually appear in person but I thought I would mention her part in the episode because it gave us Richard and Jackson scenes which I have grown to love and appreciate because they're always wholesome the one they had tonight on systematic racism was great and one that I hope managed to educate viewers on the situation. It's great to see Jackson have someone there who has a parent figure there to listen calmly. Catherine as great of a mother as she is in my opinion sometimes she can come across as an eccentric aunt. I'm glad Richad managed to tame the wildcat and convince her to wear a mask with his sexual promises. We've lost enough Grey Sloan staff and family from it so far.

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Meredith

A hopefully temporary resident at the fake beach where nothing is real. Unfortunately there were no new visitors at the beach. Like I stated last week, I'm not entirely sure if we'll see anymore of the greats such as Mark Sloan, Lexie ect but there's still a chance next week although it seems like she might be waking up, but like I always say with Grey's expect the unexpected She may or may not be out of the deep end yet but I'm just thankful for the few glimpses we got to see George and Derek grace our screens again the nostalgia was great. However as much as I enjoyed seeing them again, I want Meredith to wake up I miss her, she may not be as fun and quirky as she used to be in the earlier seasons but without her working in the hospital it's hard to deny that something's missing from the episodes.

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TEDDY / OWEN/ TOM

(Here we go again.) 😔

This triangle has been going strong for a long time almost too long, and once again they flipped the switch its always back and forth. A few episodes ago she was begging Owen for forgiveness and now she's telling Tom they have a future. I feel like she needs some time to process what she's really feeling most of the time it seems like she's confused and fair enough it all happened so fast the time between her being with Tom and Owen expressing his still lingering feelings to her but now she needs to make sure that the decision she makes now is the one she actually intends to stick with.

On another note Tom seems to be out of the woods, for now at least which is great when he asked for his son I was a little concerned for a bit I wasn't sure if he was really going to make it. He's a douche and a hard ass but he has the potential to have a great character development, so I'm glad he got another chance. And my comments about wanting Helm to be his new protege remains in that small scene they had last week something just clicked with me and there's also the fact that she wanted to treat him despite the risks.

Owen was here as a filler basically, and to reinforce the love triangle again.

___________________________________________

Jo Wilson

Is thinking of switching specialties, if Ben can do it like changing sweaters why can't she switch? I do think it will be a good fit for her the way she has been fawning over the babies of recent it was either that or give her one of her own which in my opinion I don't think she's ready for. But even in all of the excitement I can't help but think that she's only looking at the cupcake and rainbow side for now because although it's awesome being the first one to hold the babies and everything, not every delivery goes well sometimes the babies don't make it or in other cases the mothers die I hope she's ready to face that side of the package as well.

Just mentioning as well that I love the friendship between her and Schmitt. It was an unexpected but pleasant pairing one of which I'm looking forward to seeing more of in the long run.

On the other hand if Jo switches this gives us more of a chance to see Carina as well because she was signed on a a series regular yet we don't get to see her enough except for on Station 19 and on there she's only Maya's girlfriend. I hope it changes soon and they give her more of a plot or something.

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Amelia/Link

Not much relationship content other than Link finding out about her and Koracick's fling and he took her going into the hospital before the end of her maternity leave quite well. They are one of the healthier relationships in Grey's. Right now at least things always get trickier later.

I'm glad she went in though it let Koracick know that he still had people who care about him and she managed to make Teddy who everyone was treating like garbage as well feel a little better.

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Maggie

No Winston today but we got a lot of Maggie content which was great. She was the moral support once again but today I was fine with it I always enjoy her moments with Bailey and at least she was able to be there for her seeing that Ben was MIA and Webber was busy taking care of her patients along with Jackson. Once again a very needed conversation between her and Bailey and I loved that she still went to comfort her despite the fact that rehashing her own mother's death had to be painful to do.

___________________________________________

Bailey

(Thanks for ruining My Girl for me Grey's now instead of feeling happy I'll forever think of Bailey saying goodbye to her mother.)

We all know that whenever Bailey starts spouting out her feelings and asking for help and advice things are about to go down.

Before we get completely into it I'd just like to express my disappointment in the fact that Ben literally dropped everything took the aid car to save his in laws no questions asked then dropped off his mother in law at the hospital with Covid and left his wife who has anxiety without even checking in. I know he's a first responder as well and he isn't allowed into the hospital that easily either but geeze no other phone calls or messages to check in?. He better have been stuck putting out a huge fire or something equally as bad, besides being him being hurt himself at least.

Another foot note to appreciate Bailey primping before her facetiming with Ben. Go get it hun. Their relationship be cute as usual.

Then the big revel her, mother has dementia, yet another doctor with the alzheimers gene. The moment between her and Meredith was heartwarming to be honest it's a foreign thing seeing them so close and having life conversations still but it's something I hope we get to see often they've had them as semi rivals/ semi friends long enough.

It was hard to see her have to say goodbye and the fact that her father couldn't be there to tell his wife any final words and be there to hold her as she passed made it worse, his wife that he was married to and loved for so long had to die without the comfort of her husband by her side and her daughter could barely hold her hand because of the bulk of her suit, then one of the saddest parts was that she possibly didn't even know what was happening to her. But thankfully Bailey could have been there to sing to her and keep her calm, a lot of people don't even get that much of a chance during the pandemic their loved ones die alone.

The moment I saw the conversation with her dad and the way she was only half listening I knew she was going to blame herself at some point over what happened, it remains to be seen if Maggie's speech worked or if she's going to continue to blame herself. Like I stated before I love the conversation her and Maggie had. One of the reasons why I haven't stepped off the Grey's Carousel is because they touch on topics that others don't cross they aren't afraid to touch the important and controversial things.

I was too being sad over her mothers death at first but I also want to talk about her and Webber's friendship he immediately postponed everything to be there for her, he took over her workload and still made sure he was there in time to be there and support her when she watched her mother flat line.

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The pandemic has always been real to me but somehow seeing the names of those that passed at the end was surreal I found myself just staring at the screen for a few minutes later reflecting on everything.

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Next week is the winter finale and I have no idea how it could get anymore dramatic than it already is. There's been so much already but Grey's always manages to surprise me. Then after that episode it's back to nothing until March 😭😭😭.

[itsbebachan]

Unfortunate Soul Chapter 4

Hello again my lovelies, I��m truly sorry for the wait. Covid has really made a mess out of the airline industry which has really affected my job. I haven’t been able to get as much time has I would have liked to write seeing as I had to get a second job to make up for not being able to fly as much. But like I have promised in the past I will finish this story. Thank you for all of those that have left comments, liked and have even subscribed to my story. You truly have no idea how happy you all have made me, it truly gives me inspiration knowing people out there like my work. So Thank You So Much, I will see you next time.

I woke to the chatter of voices. I looked around my small white wall room and realized that I was in the hospital. I could see my parents talking in soft voices about what had happened the day prior. I stayed very still, giving the illusion that I was still asleep. I need to hear their conversation; I wanted to know what it was all about. I looked around the room and saw a few files on my bedside table; I know that those must be my potential mates.

"This can't be happening, Toshi. Izuku had so many dreams that he wanted to accomplish. Katsuki took that away from him! I can't believe that Katsuki would do something like this. I should have tried harder when I spoke to Mitsuki, and maybe we could have come up with a better solution than Izuku having to go through this arranged marriage."

"Shota, having Katsuki marry Izuku would have been the ideal plan, but do you want our son to be with someone that clearly doesn't want him. He may go along with it if we force him. But in the long run, it would be very detrimental to Izku's mental and emotional health, and God only knows if that kid turns out to be a complete asshole and causes physical harm to our boy."

"But an arranged marriage, Toshi. Don't you think that's a little bit extreme? Shouldn't we at least let him find someone that would be right for him instead of choosing for him?"

"Sho, Honey. It's the best solution. We can't wait any longer. The doctor already told us that he is already at the end of this first trimester; he will start showing soon. We are running out of time; our society will not accept him otherwise."

"Dad, mom. I really don't mind seeing what will become of this arranged marriage."

At my words, they both stopped and stared at me. Confusion mirrored their faces. I continued and hoped that they wouldn't stop me in the middle of my sentence. "Look, I understand what has to happen. I truly am disappointed that I can't marry my child's father, but if he doesn't want us, then fuck him. I'm not going to raise my child with a man that hates us both. Yes, Katsuki is the love of my life, but I have to do what is best for my baby."

Following my words, my mom came to sit on the edge of my bed. "I'm so sorry, baby. I wish this were not happening to you. And if I could change it, you better believe that I would. I wish you would have come to us sooner, then maybe things could have been different."

I reached out my hand to hold his with a small smile on my face. "I know, mom, this is all my fault. You and dad are the most important people in my life, but I was so scared that you would hate me and abandon me. Can you ever forgive me for not coming to you first?"

"Zuku, my boy. You have nothing to be scared of, your mother and I will always love you. No matter what happens. We will figure things out." Dad said as he also made his way to my bed.

"Now, don't misunderstand. This situation is not what we dreamed for you and damn Katsuki. He will not get away without being made responsible. You can be sure about that; your mother already informed his parents that he would have to pay you child support, but we believe it is best if you find another mate. I'll be DAMNED if I let that son of a bitch hurt you again."

I smiled at my parents, knowing that everything they have done has been for my well-being, and I know deep down in my heart that they would always be there for me when I needed them. I sat a little bit straighter on my bed and looked at the stack of files on my nightside table, the thought of meeting a complete stranger made me nervous, but I know that there was no other way. Kacchan would never change his mind about us, and I was too scared to raise my kid alone. Reaching over, I pulled the files to my lap and grassed my fingers over the covers. In these files were the names and photos of my future husband. Having the flies so close truly made my situation feel extremely real. There was no turning back now.

"You don't have to go throw them right now, baby. Just rest for today. Will let you sleep, and we will be back later to take you home." With a kiss on my forehead, my mom started heading to the door. "Sleep, my boy. You still have plenty of time tomorrow to go through those. It's best to go into this with a clear head." My dad ruffled my hair and followed my mom out the door.

Sighing, I looked at the folders again; this was it. The moment my life would change. I wonder what my future husband would be like if he would be understanding of my situation. The thought of him not accepting my child was heartbreaking. But I knew I would do anything to protect my baby, even if it meant marrying a man that I did not love. Picking the top file and placing the other two on the nightstand, I open it to the first page. The guy in the photo was around my age, with lovely corn color hair and a babyface. His tiny blue eyes had a scene of adventure and fun. They grabbed my attention instantly, which made his smile appear like a ray of light. He looked very handsome in his white shirt and green pants uniform. He was handsome, indeed.

Name: Togata Mirio

Birthday July 15, 2516

Age: 19

Birthplace: Chiba Prefecture

Quirk: Permeation/Formally

Occupation: College Student at Tokyo U

Favorite Color: Green

Favorite Food: Ramen

Hobbies: Comedy

He enjoys making people laugh and sees life as a beautiful adventure. He works part-time at an orphanage where he is well-loved.

With a small smile, I placed his file to the side and reached for the next one. Once I opened it, it blessed me with the most captivating face I have ever seen. He had a small smile on his face, but his beautiful blue and grey had so much sadness in them. It tugged at my heartstrings and made me want to know more about him. His beautiful white and red hair was unique in its beauty; it suited him well. The red mark around his left blue eye makes him intriguing and mysterious.

Name: Todoroki Shoto

Birthday: January 11, 2513

Age: 22

Birthplace: Musutafu

Quirk: Half Cold - Half Hot

Occupation: CEO Todoroki Industry

Favorite Color: Grey

Favorite Food: Cold Soba

Hobbies: Going to the gym and visiting his mother

He loves visiting his sick mother in a lovely home that was bought by him. He is a very loving and caring child and makes sure that his mother has everything he needs.

Knowing that he took such great care of his mother frankly spoke to my soul. I would do anything in my power for my mom, and it showed me that he had a kind soul. I reached for the last file, wondering what kind of man he would be. So far, I had two beautiful candidates, the anxiety that had been building over the past few days had started to lessen. Opening the last file, I see a man that was in desperate need of sleep. He reminded me of my mom with these heavy bags under his eyes. His dark purple eyes are so intense that it brought a shiver up my spine. He looks intimidating, giving off the impression that he has lived a hard life. His long tufts of indigo hair were messy and flaring out everywhere.

Name: Hitoshi Shinso

Birthday: July 1, 2512

Age: 22

Birthplace: Santana Prefecture

Quirk: Brainwashing

Occupation: Accountant for Angelic Hormonal Watch Monitor

Favorite Cool: Burgundy

Favorite food: Gyudon

Hobbies: Going for bicycle rides and playing with his cat named Mimi

He works very long hours as an accountant, which doesn't give him much free time. He enjoys going walking his cat Mimi in the park and going camping.

After reading his file, I understand why he looks so tired. I couldn't imagine being stuck in an office all day. Closing his file, I laid my head on my pillow and closed my eyes. Reading about these men had brought a little bit of hope into my heart. Being without Kacchan was killing me, the pain of his loss still too fresh, too new. But with time, I know that I could learn to like or even love one of my new suitors. Only time would tell.

That afternoon my parents came to pick me from the hospital. The weather outside was cloudy and cold in the autumn afternoon. The drive home was silent, which gave me plenty of time to let my mind wander. My mind was still reeling from the information I had read. They all seemed like good candidates. They all have something in common with me, Togata sharing my birthday or the fact that Hitoshi's love for cats just like me. The matchmaker listened to my mother's advice when it came to finding the right mate for me. The excitement of meeting them was overwhelming. My mom could see my excitement too. He turned around in his seat and asked if I was feeling well.

"Yeah, mom. I was just thinking about my suitors." At my words, his eyes widened, a small smile appeared on his face.

"So you read over their files. Is it worth getting to know them?" He asked me with pure curiosity. My dad was listening very intently for my answer.

"Of course, it is. Did you know that one of the guys shares my birthday? His name is Togata Mirio. He is 19, only a year older than me. He's a college student, but he works part-time at an orphanage. Then there is Todoroki Shoto, his 22 and is the CEO of the Todoroki Industry if I'm not mistaken, that's one of the largest computer companies in the world. The last guy reminds me of you, mom."

"How so, baby? He asked with a smile on his face, the look of confusion evident in his eyes.

"Well, he works as an accountant for dad's company, so he doesn't get much free time. His bags under his eyes can rival yours." I say, giddy. I was covering my mouth so I wouldn't laugh.

"I do not have bags under my eyes, young man." My comment on his beauty affronted him.

"Honey, it would help your health if you would take it easy once and a while. Zuku is just looking out for you." Dad tried to help but only got a nasty look from my mom.

"Nevermind all that, tell me more about this guy. What's his name?"

"His name is Hitoshi Shinso; he is 23. He loves going outdoors and has a cat named Mimi. If I were to be stuck in an office all day, I would love the outdoors too." I finished with a smile.

"That sounds fantastic, honey. The matchmaker sure picked out some quality candidates. I'm just a little concerned that two of them are a bit older than you."

"Sho, I'm three years older than you. What's the big deal?" He looks at my mom with a smile on his face. "It's not that different from us, and one of them is a CEO. You can't get a better mate than that." He turns his gaze back to the road; my mom gives up the argument. "All right, you win. I don't know why I even bother." Turning back around on his seat.

I start laughing at their antics. After all these years, the love they felt for each other was in every word they spoke. I wish that I could feel that way too. I look outside my window and see the city passing by; my thoughts on the man I love and the hurt I fell, knowing that he will never be mine. But there was hope, hope that one of these incredible men would fill my life with happiness, and after everything I have been through these past few weeks. I was looking forward to a new beginning.

@alovelie @girl2257 @strawberry-panic @0-ddball @monkeyzz-r-ur-bff @dragon-lover-idk @iyemicomic1920 @leynly @otaku-chan-world @jawazia @im-the-villin-in-this-story @itsatomichyena @rainytears2 @nevergrowingup101 @littlelovebug98 @koyukiy @justthememes1

[cheseyre]

good news, sluts! my brain's no longer being completely stupid (only mostly), i've seen the new asides and...have some thought-y thot thoughts:

*deep inhale*

Okay, first things first: this art style is soooo fucking cUTE and I'm a jealous, squealing bitch. Anyone who knows who the artist is, could you link me to them, stat? I think Thomas mentioned them at the beginning of the ep, but nYeh, brain hurt, doesn't wanna do wooork-

Okay, I'll admit, I was a little...apprehensive when I first saw the thumbnail and title. Part of it's just me being a bitter Remus Stan, but also...okay, deep breaths, controversial opinion time, get ready:

I don't ship Prinxiety.

Like, at all. 

I can see the appeal, and these dorks were so very, VERY cute in this particular ep, but I was honestly turned off by the ship long ago due to how overwhelmingly popular it is and how some fans characterize these two and treat this relationship as if it's the only valid one, y'know, the works—slight tangent, but that's also why I don't ship Logicality or Remile. I honestly vibe much better with ships like Roceit or Analogical, y'know?

Cutting in for another brief tangent: I'm surprisingly okay with Demus/Dukeceit/Receit/Trashnoodle/Whatever-Their-Ship-Name-Is-Oh-God-Why-Do-They-Have-So-Many-Fucking-Names; maybe it's cause they haven't actually interacted in canon and the fan content gives me such good Gay Disney Villain content, idk man im weird—).

Still, their interactions were both hilarious and sweet and like I said, I see the appeal, it's just not my cup of tea. y'all Prinxiety fans got fucking FED and I'm happy for you nerds. Enjoy ze happy boys!

I guess another factor in my...low-key hesitance when I first saw what the ep was about is that...okay, get ready, another controversial opinion, le gasp: well, I'm not a big Virgil fan. In fact, at times, he swaps places with Patton as my least favorite sides—especially with some of his recent behavior in eps like DWIT (the "prohibit your breathing comment" really triggered me, for example). Sometimes, his attitude, especially around other sides like Roman or Janus, reminds me a little too much of my sister, who I don't have...a very good relationship with. Add to that how the more...intense side of the fandom has a disturbing tendency to turn him into the 'uwu precious woobie emo baby who can do no wrong' while unnecessarily villainizing other CERTAIN sides in the process, and...I think you all see where I'm going with this little rant 😅

However, upon actually watching the ep, he wasn't...that bad? I don't think? I enjoyed watching him be a flustered, disaster-y mess and genuinely excited at the end, his interactions with Roman were nice enough, and him literally pushing Thomas to make a move with Nico despite his obvious panic attack was a nice moment of genuine character development. I like seeing that, that's the good shit right there. And him being all flustered and shit, and smiling so much at the end of the vid was just...well, adorable. This man has no fucking right to be this cute, my god

alsoooo 

pURPLE EYESHADOW

PURPLE EYESHADOW HE LOOKS?? SO GOOD?? WTF?? SLAY EMO, SLAAAAAAAY FUCK, DOES THIS MEAN I HAVE TO CHANGE MY HALLOWEEN COSTUME NOW?

alsoooo 

hAPPY ROMAN

YESSSSS~ MAH BOI MAH SON MAH DUMB BITCH HIMBO PRINCE MAH EXTRA MESSY CINNAMON ROLL

ITS  BEEN SO  LONG

AND HIS LITTLE HEART EYES THROUGHOUT THE VID, OH MY GOD-

IMMA JUST IGNORE THAT "ADDING [MISTAKE] TO THE LIST" COMMENT I AM LOOKING AWAY I DO NOT SEE IT LALALALALA

THOMATHY, SIR, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT MAKING THESE TWO GAY IDIOTS SO BAEBY

Okay, but Virgil not realizing that "cyberstalking in real life" is literally just stalking is both a big ass mood and further proof that, yes, Logan is indeed the only one holding the braincell out of this disaster of a lot. God help them all if he ducks out in the next ep.

👀

And Thomas x Trash Can is my new OTP.  I dub thee ✨ "Trashmas" ✨

we sTAN TRASHMAS

Wait, does that mean Remus actually WAS in the ep? Cause, y'know, trash man?

hmmm

👀 👀 

Okay, okay. 

With how much Virgil and Roman were going off about Thomas constantly lying, I was (understandably) a tad bit disappointed my snek son didn't even make a fucking cameo, but y'know what? In hindsight, I'm okay with this it's fineee~

He was just off playing with shadow puppets and stealing money from us desperate, content-starved peasants with his sheer extra-ness and, honestly? Gotta respect the hustle. 

Get that precious, precious coin, dapper snake! Wring us poor losers dryyyy!

*evil snek laugh*

Also, this is a breather ep and adding Janus in probably would've caused unnecessary drama with the Roceit breakup and the constant antagonism between Virgil and him. It probably would've distracted from the point of the ep (flirting with social anxiety, exactly what it says in the tin)—much like it wasn't really Virgil or Remus's place to show up during POF. Does that make sense? I think it makes sense. Sorry, brain going brr-

Still, I can't believe the "Fuck Janus Sanders" Club is actually canon now 😂

God, first Patton in a skirt and now this. 

Thomas Sanders, you delight in fucking feEDING this gremlin nest of a fanbase, don’t you? You RELISH our screams of joy and pain and suffering, dON’T YOU?

What's next, actual canonical Janus and Remus interaction? Patton saying the fuck word? The Dragon Witch comes back? Janus's bowler hat gains sentience and takes over the world, Doris-style? What do you have planned, Thomas? Joan? WHAT ART THOU PLANNING, I MUST KNOW YOU HEATHENS YOU FIENDS-

And Virgil's little "would it be fair to him" comment, tho.

👀

Like, I get in the context of the ep, he was likely talking about Nico and how it wouldn’t be good for a potential relationship with Tomas to be founded on lies, but still...my anxceit heart aches, man. 

Gimme that sweet, sweet angst with a side of mutual regret and possible future reconciliation and maybe something more wink wink nudge nudge on top, pls

...and fries.

Honestly, tho, that entire bathroom monologue was fucking beautiful, man. And relatable, too—i can't tell you how many times I've talked to myself in public restrooms because I just didn't know how to get the words I wanted to say out. It's...kind of embarrassing, tbh

Speaking of embarrassing, uh, crying stall guy.

Just...

Crying Stall Guy

Like, I was expecting someone to come out the bathroom stall after Thomas stopped talking, but...I honestly wasn't expecting that. God, that whole scene was so cringe worthy and fucking hilarious

Honestly, Thomas in the ep in general was a huge ass mOOD and we collective gay/bi disasters ALL related with him, and if you say you don't, you're either lying to yourself or a demon. 

There is no in between 

sorry I don't make the rules

Like, I get this series is literally a gay disaster talking to himself for thirty minutes or longer, but like- EMPHASIS on the 'disaster' part 😂

Like...Thomas, you're lucky you're such a goddamn bean, because GOD, I cringing so hard when he first started talking to Nico

Although, I too have apologized profusely for genuine mistakes and am a flustered bi mess around my crush sooo

😅

And god, Roman's "thirty = old man" jokes made me feel old...and I literally just turned twenty, like, come on, man!

Maybe that's because I was literally watching this ep after finishing my ACT and had been sitting with a bunch of high schoolers, with their tiny fucking desks and tiny fucking water fountains smeh

*clears throat*

Anyways, uh, we STAN Nico Pintrovert Florés in this house

Like

He gives me such big Carlos from WTNV vibes for some reason and this makes me sooo happy

and YESS, he's a WRITER

And he's??? So sweet?? A pure bean?? Just sits on his laptop at the mall food court all day, like a god-fucking iCON?? A Nightmare Before Christmas fan?? weARS GLASSES??

my hEART

*cries*

The fandom seems torn between "Nicomas" and "Karrot Kings" as a ship name atm—personally speaking, I'm casting my vote for the latter

*crosses fingers* please dont be another janus x remus multiple ship name issue guys, please please please I can't keep track of them all-

*clears throat*

On that note, I'm guess I'm gonna go try and whoo over my crush with carrots now. If THIS disaster can do it and make it actually fucking work, god damnit, so cAN I

Meanwhile, in hell, my brain's just screaming "CANON LOVE INTEREST CANON LOVE INTEREST CANON LOVE INTEREST-"

God, I hope Nico isn't just a one-shot character, he's too pure and Thomas and him are adorable gay Disney fans and I stan

Oh, I wonder how the other sides'll react to him.

Wait.

Oh god.

Oh god.

This ep just unleashed a new fresh hell of potential Nico x Sides ships, hasn't it?

Welp, time to prepare for ze incoming flood of fanfics, I guess. I'll get my umbrella and rain boots.

That last shot of Virgil during the endcard was so fucking ominous oh my god mom im scared can you come pick me up-

Goddammit, Thomas and Joan, I'm NOT fucking ready to be traumatized again, fUCK

I wish I wasn't a broke ass university student so I could contribute to Thomas's gloriously extra Patreon—both so I can support my favorite content creators who make this amazing blessed content and also, to join my boi Janus in fucking  destroying society by giving money to the people who actually deserve it, fuck YOU GOVERNMENT-

Okay. 

Okay. 

New headcanon time as to why Patton, Remus, and Logan weren't in the ep: they were helping Jan film that Patreon promotional video. 

Like

Remus directed it, Logan helped with the lighting and script, and Patton was just there as the cheerleader. 

The reason Janus made a dog with shadow puppets wasn't just to flaunt his deity status and prove how he is truly above us mere wretched mortals 

despite that being the absolute truth and we all know it, don't lie to yourselves

No, it was really him trying to do something cute and silly for Patton, because Moceit rights, daMMIT

*inhales*

noww 

guys, gals, and nonbinary pals

it’s time forr

the most wonderful time of the yearrr

WAITING FOR THE NEXT EPISODE

Step right up, folks! Hear ye, hear ye, my prediction for the next episode: Prinxiety v. Moceit! With special guest stars: Karrot Kings vibing in adorable gay and Intrulogical, bitter at being excluded aGAIN

Who will win? Who will lose? 

here’s a hint: we all will because in this sick twisted game they are no winners only losers-

Place your bets, folks! ✨

Haha im not readyyy~

tl;dr

this episode has cleared my skin, watered my crops, and ended my suffering—an adorable calm before the... angsty fucking shitstorm that’s coming far too soon. Prinxiety stans, enjoy your food. Place an 'F' in the chat for me and my fellow grieving Remus stans. Trashmas is the true OTP, but Karrot Kings is cute too I guess. I've only had Nico Florés for 24 minutes, but if anything happens to him, I'll kill everyone in this room and then myself. Purple eyeshadow Virgil makes me question my sexuality aGAIN, and happy gay disney prince rights y'all. Say a big ole 'fuck you' to capitalism by giving your local dapper snake moneys. Concussion makes brain go brr and imma go buy some carrots and be gay now.

psst hey @quarantinevibes2020​ you wanna join me in being disaster-y? i’ll bring my best gay stare and you bring the wine

Until next time, my lovelies! ~ Ches 🖤

[milas-imaginarium]

Cadenza; witchcraft  /Jason Todd x Reader/

I'm writing as much as I can since I'm inspired, I guess is the Jason effect. Here is part three, I said this is a short story but...Not as short as you may think!

WARNINGS: Smut and swearing that's all! 

ººº 

PART ONE  PART TWO

Gotham's East End

Four months after Mia's graduation

The first traces of a sunny morning came across the curtains, a soft and warm sunbeam caressed her face gently lighting up that smooth skin she had. His lashes waved as she opened her lazy eyes, oh...It was morning already and Mia was not ready for a new day, not since last night. 

"Morning babe," said Jason with that sexy hoarsely voice while strengthening the grip he had in his fiancee's waist "Morning, Jay" answered Mia moving her body to face Jason's. His hair was messy, his cheeks flushed, eyes incredibly light blue, one of Jason's features Mia loved the most was the fact his color eye changed, sometimes that blue was deep, dark, sometimes clear, sometimes even with a green trace "What? Do I look that bad?" Asked Jason catching Mia's attention, she smiled and got close to kiss his soft lips. 

"You know I love your sleeping being with all my might." Her voice was lower than usual, her throat ached the same as the rest of her body, arms, legs, and in between them. Jason was a fucking savage and she loved that. "I gotta go, bae, the interview is today" Jason didn't move, Mia smiled playfully outlining a line in Jason's shirtless backbone "If you intend to get out of bed...You're doing terrible. I'm not letting you go."

Jason never believed in love stories and it wasn't his fault, her mom and dad were not the best examples of a healthy relationship "I don't want to be late but...How I'm supposed to leave you like this? All hot, naked and horny"  as a teenager the only thing in his mind was his life as Robin until he met Mia until he saw himself looking forward to a new concert, a visit from her, a call, a message. "How do you know I'm horny?" Mia proved that being alone or expect a shitty relationship were not his only options "Oh, baby, I don't know...I feel it." 

Mia rubbed her tight against Jason's cock gaining a groan from him  "Quickie?" and that question in that husky voice was enough. "I'm sore from last night...But hell, I want you so bad." Without hesitation, Jason took Mia's lips in his on a passionate kiss as she positioned on top of him. "You want what, babe? Tell me." Not able to answer or speak, Mia let Jason's dick slide inside her slowly "I want this, fuck Jay, yes.”

"Ride me, babe. Show me how much you like my cock..." Jason slapped Mia's ass enjoying his fiancee movements, it was hard for him not to lose composure when her body looked so hot; breasts bouncing deliciously, her lips parted and that sweet voice calling his name "Ah, shit...How can you be so damned hot?" murmured Mia before kissing him twisting her tongue with his in a delightful dance.  Three years of relationship and the only thing that was different, besides Jason well build body, was the sex...Now dirtier. 

ººº

"Are you okay Mia? It's fine if you're nervous, I'm capable of control this situation and handle the interview," Said the youngest Wayne full of confidence, Mia tilted her hear, at the instant, her hair followed the gravity cascading in her shoulder.

"Dami, I'm not nervous...What are you talking about?" uttered mia walking inside Channel 9 building, the paparazzi blinded her for an instant.

"You're walking strangely, it's clear from your posture that you didn't want to be here." 

"Hey...I'm well prepared for this interview, you know I'm the face of some projects in Wayne foundation" She explained with a smirk. "And yes, sometimes I prefer to linger with your brother instead of doing this whole-"

"Don't say it, if you were with Todd I understand why your body language is so...Incorrect." 

"Oh, shut up wise guy." Mia punched Damian's arm softly "The time when you find someone special is getting close, that day your body language will be...Incorrect too, or maybe your partner's, yeah, more accurate."  

And with a satisfied giggle for a flushed Damian, Mia went to studio 7. The interview's main objective was to promote some charity events in more than five countries to support families in need, Damian was there to explain some other things related to Wayne commitment with education and as a representation rather of Bruce.

"Our followers in Gotham...and some in Metropolis are asking something. Do you mind to answer, Mia? " The young woman holding a phone looked at her with hopeful eyes. The interview was successful until that point both Damian and Mia were public figures, they were conscious and tried their best to focus on the main topic; Wayne foundation but since the show structure included a big influence of digital media all kind of questions popped out. After Mia nodded the reporter grinned. 

"You and Jason Todd are as followers describe, a power couple. In the last weeks, some photos caught people attention, a ring in your right hand!" unconsciously Mia glanced at her ring "That one, yes. It means...Some wedding bells? Some followers are talking about a new little Wayne in the family, is that true?" 

Mia sighed and immediately place a hand in Damian's, a soft touch for him to relax, something that triggered the little demon inside him was strangers trying to put their noses in his family privacy "What an imagination, people. I see so much detective potential out there." Mia was annoyed and was far from being shy "Don't wast it in cheep gossip like this." Her smile was wide but she wasn't happy at all, Damian was pretty proud in fact "Now if you're curious don't lose that curiosity, it makes this life spicier. The meaning of this ring will remain a mystery."

"But what is not a Mystery is how to apply for a Wayne scholarship, education will help to focus your hidden talents to benefit your community." Damian put the cherry on top and the look in the young reporter's face reflected what everybody in the studio though, not exactly happy thoughts at all. 

ººº

"Miss de la Fuente, are you okay?" asked the gentle butler with eyes locked in Mia's face. 

"Call me by my name and yes" Mia paused rolling her eyes from the phone to Alfred's face "I'm distracted and you know? The interview was..."

"Odd" Added the youngest Wayne. Mia nodded and the old man smiled shortly he enjoyed the interview feeling proud of how both of them handled the situation, however, Mia was not distracted, she wasn't thinking in the interview, the journalist or even in the foundation, no, her mind was far away from that bus. 

Eyes locked again in the bright screen while something grew inside her; she was about to jump into a cliff, her decision would change her future for one...Darker.

"Where are you? I have it already." 

"I'm with Jay's family. " Mia gazed Alfred and  Damian who was reading "I'll go wherever you're to get it and Timmy...Thanks." 

One hour later

"I know you have your suspicions but I don't think this is a good idea." Said Tim slurping his iced coffee while drawing some lines on the old book's cover.

"What if I lost him?" with watery eyes Mia spoke "And perhaps I'm not doing this only for him but for me"

"If what your mother told you is true...You should be careful"

Mia kept silent waiting for his friend to tell something else but he didn't, he just placed a hand on her shoulder supportively. 

"Maybe not, maybe yes. What is important is that this book can help me to know the truth and to develop an ability in the case I have one"

A waitress got close to them bringing a second bourbon with coffee for Mia, more alcohol than caffeine but the second she placed the beverage in the table her sight was attracted by that book, the girl turned pale and uncomfortable "Noctis grimoire" was the title. 

"Put the book away, Mia." Suggested Tim as the waitress blushed and moved away from their table. 

Mia did as her friend said, it was risky to have such a book at sight of everyone "I should go, Timmy. I'll call you if it happens to be real."

ººº

This is part one, I didn’t want it to be too long. 

Comments? 

Hope you liked it, please wait for part two, some things will change, else worlds can be...Interesting places. 

[clairebeauchampfan]

Tripe. Bollocks. Absolute tosh. Deliberate distortions?  Anyway, how would they know? Many ES claimed they only watched the first three episodes, then gave up because there wasn’t enough sex..(I mean, intimacy). did these people watch the whole series? Were they paying attention to what was actually going on? 

gaelic-fullmoon-lady

Only at the start…😩 Season 4 she’s soap-opera-equipment

accardi1921

Yeah,where did this character go she's talking about? Not badass in S4 & doesn't always have to be but S4 Claire was Just so unhappy looking.

mylessanchez

Session 4 she’s an after thought.  She had nothing in season 4.  She entertained his admirers and rubbed his shoulders.  Had to have irked Cait to no end

Etcetera etcetera (and ‘liked’ by people who should know better) . What a load of absolute cobblers. So here we go, Claire apparently had NOTHING to do in Season 4. Perhaps they’ve forgotten. Most likely they just blindly followed the reviews of people who were absolutley determined to be negative about the Season, about Outlander  and about Caitriona Balfe, as they  have been since 1st January 2018. I wonder why? 

Episode 1 Claire rescues Bonnett from hanging. Badass Claire  Claire sets off with her husband into a new land where they have only one relative, aunt Jocasta  Claire loses her wedding ring; has presence of mind to swallow one. Badass Claire.

Episode 2 Claire encourages Jamie to reject Aunt Jocasta’s inheritance; a life of ease and luxury, because she can’t own slaves. She faces down the lynch mob; patches up Rufus, then has the courage to give him a poison to spare him from a lynching, thus breaking her hypocratic oath - first, do no harm. Badass Claire much.

Episode 3 Claire sets of with her husband into the wilderness. She can ride a horse, confront ghosts, load and fire an eighteenth century rifle. Claire is badass Claire

Episode 4 Dr Claire fixes up Myers and , husband wounded after confrontation with the man bear: makes friends with wise woman from  potentially hostile indigenous people, the Cherokee. Does Claire run screaming back to civilisation? No, Claire is badass Claire. 

Episode 5. Dr Claire brings baby into world. No epidurals, no midwife....Dr Claire is badass doctor.  Dr Claire stops Mueller from starting war with cherokees by interposing herself between them. Badass Claire. ‘Vulture’ recap:  “Claire gathers her gun, Rollo, and some decent beef jerky, and hunkers down in the cabin. She’s terrified, but in a very badass way. Mueller finally arrives, but not to kill Claire — he wants to make sure she’s okay. He also wants to give her a gift. In a horrifying reveal, Claire opens the package to find Adawehi’s scalp. I’m sorry, but the fact that Claire hasn’t had some type of breakdown yet after suffering through an unreal amount of atrocities just seems ridiculous at this point. But she soldiers on. She throws Mueller out, gives Adawehi a proper (as proper as she can) send off, and still, the carnage continues”

Episode 6  Dr Claire saves Lord Johyn from the measles, survives having her husband’s would-be gay lover and Jamie’s by-blow son drop in on them, exchanges some brutal truths with Lord John. Badass Claire

Episode 7 Yeah, okay, Claire wasn’t in THIS ONE frigging episode. Oh My God! Her badass daughter is instead. 

Episode 8. Dr Claire works with her husband to save Murtagh from arrest, performs operation on local corrupt official . As Vulture says:

“There is chaos! There is commotion! Claire says he needs surgery immediately or he will die! Even in the midst of this, men are like, “But you have a vagina, how can you wield a scalpel!?” Honestly, Claire should just let Fanning suffer, but she’s a professional, so she orders everyone INTO THE LOBBY to get set up for emergency surgery. Meanwhile, she gets the low-down from Jamie, who needs her to distract Tryon as he runs off to warn Murtagh of the trap; Tryon can’t know Jamie’s gone.

Jamie uses George and Martha Washington as a sort of Colonial Lyft to get to Fergus and Marsali’s (they had a boy, BTW), and has Fergus find Murtagh while Jamie tries to slip back into the theater unnoticed. Don’t worry guys, it all works out! Although, it’s a little unsettling that Tryon knows exactly who Murtagh is. Keep an eye on our guy, Jamie!

And sure, saving Murtagh is exciting and all, but the most exhilarating part of the entire excursion to the theater is Claire, back in her element, crushing some impromptu surgery. Before you know it, she’s three knuckles deep in that dude’s abdomen and not even breaking a sweat. Governor Tryon is impressed, Fanning’s dummy doctors are impressed, we’re all impressed. You also must remember that while Claire is successfully performing surgery under less-than-desirable circumstances, she is also successfully saving her husband’s ass by distracting Tryon. She manages both tense tasks with a cool composure. Never forget that Claire’s the true hero of this show. If only the entire episode had just been Claire, Jamie, and George Washington”

Episode 9. The reunion. Claire is bowle4 over by her badass daughter travliing back through time to warn her mom about the fire. Claire , badass Claire, says nonchalently: we’ll just go have a holiday every year on that day. 

Vulture recap again:

“Brianna is pregnant and Claire figures it out. After a hilarious fight about why Brianna didn’t pack condoms for her trip to the 1700s (moms are moms no matter the century), Bree confesses that it might not be Roger’s baby, and the truth (without naming Bonnet) comes spilling out. This is definitely Sam Heughan’s episode, but can we give it up for how incredible Caitriona Balfe is in this scene as Claire processes a whole slew of emotions at once? “

Episode 10 No much badassery, to be sure . Here’s Vulutre again to remind us:

“As important as that Jamie-Bree conversation is, and as nice as their shared moment commenting on how at peace Claire seems in the wilderness is, the parent-child moments in this episode that moved me the most belonged to Claire and Bree. The ladies talking about what they missed back in their time — cheeseburgers, Led Zeppelin, and toilets that flush, to name a few things — was a rare lighter scene on Outlander, and brought me so much joy! Claire compassionately and tactfully discussing abortion as an option for Bree was a great reminder of both how Claire is a woman ahead of her time literally and figuratively and of the strength of this mother-daughter relationship. It’s all pretty great.

and Badass Claire takes the side of her daughter against the man she loves, like a real mom! And rides into the wilderness to find and rescue roger from that seriously badass tribe, the Mohawk, just a 700 mile ride away in upper NY state. Badass? 

Episode 11 Vulture again; my memory’s not what it was

Regardless of their scant airtime (in this episode) , Jamie and Claire get the best scene of the episode — maybe the best of the season.Things between Claire and Jamie are still very icy since separating from Bree, and no amount of ignoring it to focus on Claire’s fabulous headband will change that. Even Ian is begging Mom and Dad to make up. Finally, Claire gets to a point where she just can’t watch Jamie in so much pain over what he’s done to Brianna.She (Claire) he goes to him in his tent one night and explains that she’s not mad at him — she’s mad at the world. She explains that after Frank died, she and Brianna shared secrets and they belonged to them — so she’s sorry she didn’t tell Jamie about Bonnet as soon as she found out, and she blames herself for this entire mess. She explains that their marriage is different now because they’re parents. Listen, you guys, two people talking about the difficulties of balancing being a parent with being in a marriage is typically a snoozefest, but Balfe and Heughan are just so freaking good together (what’s new, I know) and imbue such vulnerability and honesty in this moment (I’m still sobbing over Jamie admitting that he’s worried both Bree and Claire think Frank was the better man), that I’ll be thinking about this scene for days. Sure, after Claire assures Jamie that Bree didn’t mean what she said and knows that Jamie for sure didn’t mean what he said and they both say “I’m sorry” and they both wipe away tears from their gorgeous faces, they have sex in that tent

Episode 12 OMG this episode didn’t feature Claire. Shock, horror

Episode 13 Badass Claire and her husband try to rescue Roger from the Mohawks. it all goes wrong. There’s a fight. Badass Claire is wearing the stone from the future! How badass do you have to be as a woman to go, outnumbered, under armed, into the wilderness, to rescue your daughter’s husband from a people whose track record is um.er...(how can one put this in non-judgemental terms?)..to use extreme methods when putting people to death. 

So there you have it: ‘not badass’ in Season 4? In Season 4 as an afterthought? Soap opera equipment ? She had ‘nothing’ in Season 4? I’ve gone on about how Cait-Haters have misused pictures of Claire holding her arms (which she does in EVERY season) as proof she is unhappy. Well, lots of unhappy things happen in Season 4, to Claire, to her friends, to her daughter. It would have been odd if she’s looked happy the whole time, wouldn’t it. I know I’d have been terrified, most of the time, in her position. Here’s some pix of Claire looking sad in Season 4.  

#Badass Dr. Claire Beauchamp

[ggdeku]

Iron Blooded Orphans broke my heart [SPOILERS]

I finished all of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans last night, but the show I once loved made me feel hollow and unsatisfied.

I quickly fell in love with IBO and that feeling persisted through the whole first season. The journey of Tekkadan from Mars to Earth, and that amazing conclusion in Edmonton had marked it solidly as one of my all time favorite Gundam series ever. The strength of IBO to me was it's characters and world building. I was invested in the group of kids taking control of the private military company CGS to help fight for the betterment of their lives while forging deep family bonds. While most of the members of Tekkadan didn't get all that much screen time, I really enjoyed the personalities of the primary characters. Mikazuki and Orga's longtime, co-dependent relationship was really compelling, you could really feel the longtime emotional bonds between them. Kudelia's lofty goal of independence for Mars, combined with Tekkadan's underdog nature made it a group I was really engaged with and emotionally invested in. The antagonists weren't the most compelling, but the dynamic between McGillis, Gaelio, and Carta gave the opposing side some more depth beyond their immediate goals. You got a good sense of what each of those three Gjallarhorn officers were like as people. I also really enjoyed the political struggle of the series, the fight for independence from Earth is a common theme of Gundam, but I thought it was portrayed well here.

I deeply loved this show throughout all of the first season, but the direction taken in season 2 slowly beat me down until I could no longer pretend I was enjoying it. The last four episodes really kicked the wind out of my sails and felt cheap. IBO season 1 had one focused plotline that made sense and felt cohesive all the way through. Season 2 is a bunch of loosely connected mini-arcs with no clear focus, vision, or message. The way character death is handled in this season is one of main reason why I'm upset. It's not just because almost all of the primary characters are killed off, it's the way in which it occurs and the way the epilogue plays out. It doesn't lead to, or accomplish, anything. The ending feels stolen from the characters in a really sick way. 

Biscuit's death in the first season had a ton of build up, and we really got to know him as a person and learn about him through his relationships to Orga and the crew. His death informed the decisions and actions of Tekkadan in a meaningful way. In season 2, it felt like the writers just wanted to kill everyone to seem sad or intense, but it doesn't work. By the time Mikazuki and Akihiro are killed in the final episode, I was numb to impact of their death. I didn't feel sad because of their circumstance, I felt sad that the writers drew out this whole series of characters deaths to the point where it felt formulaic and predictable. The deaths of Naze,  Amida, and Lafter was unnecessary but drove the plot forward by having Tekkadan take revenge of Jasley Donomikols, which ultimately led to nothing.

Shino, Orga, McGillis, Hush, Akihiro, Mika. They all die losing. Tekkadan utterly loses, but is able to protect the lives of the rest of their crew.  If through their sacrifice they were able to create the positive future for their friends, that would be one thing. But they don't and Gjallarhorn wins. Julieta holds the Gundam Barbatos' head on her sword triumphantly, and Rustal Elion maintains his power and influence through successful corruption, controlling the media message on the truth of Tekkadan and McGillis.

The loss and following epilogue really made me angry as I watched. For some reason, despite being shown to be a corrupt leader who crushes everything in his path, Rustal Elion decides to dismantle the Seven Stars system of leadership in Gjallarhorn and reform it as a democratic organization (he, of course, is elected to be it's first leader). Rustal lets Kudelia becomes the chairperson of the newly independent Mars Union and works with her to abolish Human Debris (slave) trafficking. The antagonist won and through his power let the rest of Tekkadan live, all knowing that he unnecessarily killed their friends and tarnished their names as a scapegoat to punish McGillis. The only reason they still live is because of Rustal and they just have to accept it. It's embarrassing and degrading. Yet, everyone seems fine with that (with the obvious exception of Ride).

Watching the epilogue made me to realize that much of the character work throughout the series really didn't make much sense. Rustal Elion specifically. As the main antagonist of the series, we know nothing about him or his ideals. We only see him act as a mustache twirling villain throughout the whole series, but for some reason he ends up enacting McGillis' idea of reforming Gjallarhorn. We have no reason as to why he has done this. It feels really unearned and like a desperate attempt to make a comment about there not being a difference between good and evil, just different pathways for change. This explanation feels extra hollow because the whole show absolutely depicted the different factions as good and evil.

Julieta and Gaelio's ending was ridiculous as well. These two awful characters get a "Let's go eat meat! Anime! lol XD" ending after a whole season of being half-baked uninteresting grunts. Julieta in particular has no character at all. "I need to get stronger" to the ultimate cliche degree. She is a consistently annoying presence that has almost no connections to other characters and offers nothing meaningful to the story through the entire season. While Gaelio wants his revenge against McGillis, their confrontation ends in a rather anticlimactic showdown. Iok Kujan is a ridiculous cartoon clown that only exists to ruin everything. His presence actively made the show worse at every turn.

McGillis' mysterious intentions were interesting in season 1 but once he started to realize his plans, and they started to blow up in his face immediately, he showed no signs of recognizing his failure and this rapid loss of control. McGillis was a frustrating idiot to watch every time he was on screen, an incompetent Char clone. We never really knew what his plan to reform Gjallarhorn was all about outside of removing the corruption from within. But as soon as he got his hands on Gundam Bael, he demanded that the entire organization follow his every order like a dictator. He didn't use his platform to expose corruption, he used it to gain power and forgot everything that led him to that point. He had no plan to counter Rustal, who was obviously going to oppose him. The show wants to portray him has some sort of scheming puppet master, but the writing consistently fails to demonstrate this in any way. Why is Bael some sort of icon of leadership? Why does McGillis think that as soon in as he pilots it everyone will obey him somehow? 

With such a large focus on the Gjallarhorn side of things this season you would think we would get some sort of new insight as to the ideology or internal conflicts of the organization, but that doesn't happen.  Everything presented is so shallow. Also the entire character of Almiria goes absolutely nowhere. 

Tekkadan also saw some new recruits join the team this season, but they remain underdeveloped hangers-on in most cases. Hush, the most prominent of the new recruits, gets almost nothing to do and his relationship to Mika is not well developed at all. His death felt like it should have had a strong emotional impact, but because he was so underdeveloped I felt nothing. He didn't have that much interaction with the other characters this season, spending most of his screen time as Mika's assistant. He says he wants to learn from Mika, but we almost never see the two of them talk. We never get a chance to care for him or understand what he adds to the group dynamic. 

The treatment of Atra and Kudelia was awful. In season 2, they are given nothing to do aside from fawn over Mika. Because it's not anime unless every woman in the show is somehow in love with our antisocial, quiet protagonist boy. Atra and Kudelia are most often seen talking to each other, and it is always about Mika. They only ever talk about him and about loving him. This does a real disservice to the characters who had so much potential. As the Founder/President of the Admoss company Kudelia could have been playing politics to help Tekkadan through the entire season. Atra could have actually helped out with the Tekkadan crew in person and had her own independent goals. Kudelia’s love for Mika was not convincing at all to me. Atra has the benefit of knowing him for most of her life and their relationship goes back the longest outside of Mika and Orga. Their romance wasn’t too out of place. But I don’t think IBO ever made a convincing case for Kudelia’s love for Mikazuki outside of his role as the “main character.” I think Mika and Atra having a baby and Kudelia becoming the step-mom after Mika’s death is a cool idea on paper, but it’s execution in the show was brutal to watch.

Season 2 felt like the writers did not know where to take the story so they threw everything they had on the page. It resulted in a muddled mess of themes and story lines with not enough time to give any characters their due. None of the deaths made much of an impact on the main crew at all. Everyone got over each death extremely quickly. You get one scene of brooding then you move on.

There is a part of me that's just angry about seeing characters I liked die, but it only serves to back up my opinion that death is often a lame way to create drama. The removal of a character is not interesting. You are eliminating a person from your story that (hopefully) had relationships, motivations, goals, and hopes. The interactions between your characters is what gives depth to your story and shows how they each grow individually and as a group. Removing all the characters removes possibility. You can show pain and suffering in other ways. Killing off almost every single one of the primary characters was a boring move.

And it makes me sad.

[lovelyagnesblog-blog]

Oh Agnes, won't you go with me? We'll be married in style And we'll cross Lake Michigan, so blue and so wide We'll cross over Lake Michigan, 'til we come to the shore And our orchards will blossom for our babies as they're born

Two wonderful friends of mine sang this song for me and my husband at our wedding. It’s a lovely tune, and it’s obvious from this chorus that it’s a nice choice for a wedding. Once you check out the verses, though, there are some bits that some folks might find questionable--no one said anything, because we only invited well-mannered people who wouldn’t make obnoxious comments, but I can imagine some people might have been like why am I crying over this song about a 92-year-old woman and her weirdly-named children.

Some people might have preferred to feature a song that primarily focused on romantic love, rather than (grand)motherhood, for their wedding. I get that. You’re young, you’re madly in love, you’re the hottest you’ve ever been (and probably ever will be because never again will you spend this much time and money on looking good for one day,) why not have someone sing about all of that? It makes sense. I’m not knocking it.

But from the first time my wonderful friends sang “Lovely Agnes” to me (yes I was weeping openly by the third line, what’s wrong with that) I knew that it was perfect for our wedding, and that it would be very important to me for a very long time.

Obviously, I am a deeply sentimental person. I’m the type of person who makes playlists to recall the mood of very specific moments in my life; I’m the type of person who keeps mementos for way too long given how much I hate dealing with clutter; I’m the type of person who almost never fails to fill up every square inch of the inside of a greeting card with my sappy ramblings to mark an occasion. But it’s not just my deep-seated love for the saccharine that draws me to this song to the point of naming my blog after it.

See, in addition to my sentimentality, one of my defining characteristics is my domesticity.

What is she talking about, say my friends, who know I haven’t seen the floor of my bedroom or the bottom of the kitchen sink in weeks. You always tell people you love to bake, but when was the last time you made me a cupcake?

You are not wrong, friends. But I didn’t say one of my defining characteristics is being good at domesticity. I love and value domestic life incredibly highly; that doesn’t mean I do it well.

The only life goal I have consistently, consciously dreamed of and planned for is homemaking and the raising of children. I used to read my parents’ parenting books (I’m talking from the age of eight or nine, here.) I loved when pastors would give sermons on parenting. I whiled away many an hour comparing the parenting techniques I saw in my own mom and dad with my friends’ parents, my neighbors, my aunts and uncles, TV characters, anyone I could think of. As a sentimental thirteen-year-old, I would write letters to my future husband, and plans for our kids were heavily featured (alongside promises of extreme chastity.) When I decided it was my destiny to be a high school English teacher, one of my primary reasons was because it would allow me to spend more time with my kids. Even in college and early adulthood, behind every permutation of what I thought my future would look life, I knew that what I really wanted more than anything was to care for a home and a family. I have read the complete archives of more than one mothering-focused blog. I was forever trying out new apps, systems and methods to try to get my life together and become the tidy, presentable, Ideal Housewife type I dreamed of being.

Here’s the major problem, the reason I feel I need to write about this, the reason behind the tagline--I am so not that type.

There are so many complicating factors in my pursuit of domestic bliss. First and foremost, I have ADHD, which really effs my ability to form habits, stick to routines and follow through on tasks, making it super difficult to live up to my own standards for cooking and cleaning and whatnot. Secondly, not to be disregarded, there’s feminism--I’m a smart, well-educated, independent woman, damnit! Shouldn’t I want more out of life than motherhood? Shouldn’t I be reaching for some grand career? Shouldn’t I do something with all this potential, since I was lucky enough to be born in a society that would allow me to?

On a related note, there are the privileges I hold in class and race. Does the world need another upper-middle-class white mom? Wouldn’t I contribute more to the human species if I focused on a profession that would help lots of people, instead of dedicating most of my time and energy to my spouse and offspring alone? Isn’t it selfish of me?

And yet, as I’m entering my late 20s, having tried my hand at a few wildly varying jobs; having considered more school and having experienced un-, under- and over-full-time-employment, I can’t shake the feeling that domesticity is what I’m made for. I’ve never felt more deeply content than the few scattered stretches in which I’ve had the time and energy I need to keep up with household chores to the extent that satisfies me. I’ve never been more excited about the future than I am now, when I’m about to move across the country and start over completely with a new living space and new habits.

So that’s where Lovely Agnes comes in. Having my friends sing about Agnes at my wedding gave me a sense of security and comfort; it was a way for me to feel that my goals and dreams were being acknowledged. My husband and I had had plenty of times when our little romance was celebrated--maybe sometime I’ll write out the whole story of how he proposed, or the time when one of our best friends acted as chauffeur for an anniversary dinner, or our romantic week in Spain--and I wanted our wedding to be about more than our feelings. Our wedding was about the life we were going to build together and the community that was going to help us. It was about crossing the wild, blue lake--not to seek mad adventure, but to seek the orchards that would nourish our souls with their beautiful blossoms as well as our bodies with their fruit; not to change the world, but to create a refuge where the family can all join in the summertime.

I keep starting new paragraphs that go into completely tangential ideas that I really need to save for posts of their own, so I’m going to end with this: I’m starting this blog to process the complicated thoughts and feelings I have about womanhood, femininity, domesticity, homemaking, marriage, emotional labor and parenting in the 21st century. I will also probably write much less serious posts about the struggles of moving from the Midwest to the East Coast, finding a new job, getting a dog for the first time, and any other life happenings that I flatter myself might amuse people. I hope somebody finds it interesting, because nothing motivates me like internet notifications.

[peachhoneii]

Board Meeting Baby:

Wanted to write this for a while now. It’s such a fun concept to think about, and it’d be awesome to see what would’ve happened if Scrooge had ever done this (with Donald/Della/both).

There’s a reason the board didn’t voice a single complain to Louie’s presence at the board meeting.

Scrooge had done it before, but they’ll admit it wasn’t as destructive.

@peeka-boo-blogs, @donaldtheduckdad, @humanityinahandbag (it ain’t angst), and @robinine-blog

Happy New Year everyone!

Santiago Reyes preferred the comforts of his uptown office.

These comforts included his desk, his table, his vending machine, his secretary, and the fifteen-minute drive to and from home. The last was consequentially vain of him, he knew, but he was of the opinion that his office was far more aesthetically pleasing compared to the titanium-cinder block rock that was a rock blotch on the puny if usually lovely island.

Scrooge McDuck was not the sort of man to hold a board meeting where he didn’t want to. He was known to avoid such meetings if he could, which was frequently, and preferred to meet at his expressed approval, a habit that had become exceedingly rare in the past five months.

The decision to make the forty-minute drive to the Money Bin was not made easily. He, Alcides, and Frankie made the terrible drive from the safety of their offices, and settled into preparation for what was to come.

Santiago prepared the balance sheets. Alcides took upon the income statements. Frankie bit down into the cash flow statement, right eye twitching at the numbers. He felt for the slightly younger buzzard. It must be difficult, so recently incorporated into the board.

“What do you think he’ll say this time?”

“I’m not sure.” Santiago answered, “He isn’t the type of man to give excuses, just answers and demands, but,” he sighed as he straightened the balance sheets on the table while Frankie prepared the presentation along the wall, “he has been…distracted as of lately. My secretary has informed me all calls from my office have been put on indefinite hold.”

Alcides sniffed loudly, “As you may know why.”

“Alcides,” Santiago warned.

Frankie’s turned to stare wide eyed at them, “What?”

“Oh you know,” Alcides straightened his papers on the table, “it seems he has become reacquainted with an old friend from his prospector days,” he sent a chilled glare down the table, “we’ve discussed this, Santiago.”

“As I am well aware, Alcides.”

“And what did you say about the rumors?”

“I said it was best to ignore them.” That alone did not sway Alcides, “It would only fan the flames if he or any of us gave comment, and we don’t want the flames to grow.”

“Why are we worried about flames,” Frankie dug through his suitcase.

Alcides sneered, “As long as Mr. McDuck stays true, we may not have to,” and even quieter, “fortunately, we may not have to worry about this matter today.”

“Fortunately.” Santiago glowered in Alcides’ direction, “Let us focus our attentions on what is important.”

“And this is not important?”

“It is not relevant.”

“And who are you to say it is not relevant?”

Santiago sighed, “It is not pertinent to financial business, and knowing Mr. McDuck,” a dark tremor passed along his beak, “if we were to bring it up, it’d make him even more adamant. It is best to let it pass its natural course, and as it did not come to fruition previously, we can be safe assured it will not now.”

Alcides glared tightly. His right eye bulged as if it would shoot right out of its socket. He sighed, collected his papers, and faced Frankie, “It’s a waste to flatter him. Be direct, blunt, and to the point, he respects that.”

“Yes, yes, I am well aware of it.”

“Duckworth, inform Quackmore Ah’d like ta' take a look at the books for the renovations.” A powerful timbre of Scottish origin drummed to the meeting room, “Please remind Matilda and Hortense we’ll be visiting this afternoon.”

“Yes, Mr. McDuck.”

The door opened. Scrooge entered, and a deathly silence ensued.

Scrooge huffed as he dropped his luggage to his right. He sat at the head of the table, deep scowled, and ready to work.

Santiago flinched.

Alcides’ mouth was left agape.

Frankie stared bright eyed, a nervous grin passed on his lips. He wasn’t able to identify immediately what was wrong, but knew something was not quite right.

Three sets of eyes fell on Scrooge’s chest, unable to turn away.

“ ‘Suppose it’s that time of the day.” Scrooge pointed to the oversized projection screen behind the three men, “Ah don’t have all day.”

“What is that?” Alcides’ muttered, scandalized.

“What is what?”

“That.” He repeated, gesturing hotly at Scrooge’s chest, “What is that thing hanging around your chest?”

Scrooge frowned, glanced down, then back at up wearing the most obvious expression on his face, “Ah don’t know what ye’ talkin’ ‘bout, it’s just a baby.”

“And may I ask why is there a baby hanging around your neck,” Santiago asked.

“It isn’t a baby.” Frustrated, Scrooge shifted the wrap the child was carefully swaddled in, “It’s my baby, and her name is Opal. She’ll be joining us from now on.”

As if this was the cue for introductions, the small infant cooed loudly for all to hear. To his horror, Santiago saw a pair of tiny, little fingers reach for Scrooge.

Scrooge’s obstinate scowl cracked under gentle smiles and warm eyes as he cooed gleefully in return, “There she is, me wee bairn, now, now, say hello to the Executive Board, yes, yes, ye’ll be comin’ with Poppa from now on, won’t ye?”

“I suppose this explains your frequent absences, sir.”

“Yes, Mr. -,” Scrooge peered curiously at him, “may Ah ask which one are ye, Condor is it?”

“Frankie Condor, yes.” He smiled at the baby, “Congratulations, sir.”

“Thank ye.” His scowl returned, “Now, that’s out of the way, let’s get on with this.”

Santiago stared at his downcast reflection on the table. When he raised his head, his flabbergasted irises met with Alcides’ incensed pair glowering back at him.

Her preferred not think of what his call to his secretary would sound like.

“Mr. McDuck.”

“Yes?”

“What are you doing?”

Scrooge looked up from his task, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“I wish it wasn’t, sir.”

“She needsto be changed.” He flicked his chin towards them, “And Ah’m listening, ye said what about the renovations?”

Alcides’ straightened his tie, “I said there was no need for the amount of money spent for the renovations of the mansion.”

“Ah did say renovations.” He lifted Opal’s tiny feet, gently wiping the poop off of her bottom, “It was for the nursery.”

“Nursery?”

“Yes, nursery.” He flinched at the odor, “Me darlin’, Ah must say, this formula makes ye a monster.”

The child’s giggles grated on his ears. Alcides' teeth grinded loudly, “Sir, you must say, the funds used for this nursery are atrocious.”

“Ah, yes, yes.” He said dismissively, “But do ye have any ideas how many revenge curses and diabolical plans have crossed me head over the past ten years?”

“I doubt these curses and plans cost $250,765.75.”

“Who knows?” He powdered the baby’s bottom, “Ah don’t know what it’s going to be like in the future if Ah keep going the way I do. Ah might have tae’ start some kind of magical defense.”

Alcides sat down quietly, “You had to hire Von Drake for this?”

“Certainly, Von Drake is a man out of time, beyond time.” He scrutinized the standing man, “Not like Ah’d expect ye to understand it.”

“And why is that?” Alcides drawled, “An infant doesn’t need so much protection.”

“Aye, she does.” He strapped the diaper and cooed proudly, but Alcides glared at the steady gleam over the man’s gaze, the warning that didn’t need to be said aloud, “When her poppa’s Scrooge McDuck.”

He sucked in a sharp breath, “Moving on, may we discuss the revenue reports, Mr. Reyes.”

“Yes.” Santiago coughed, “Lets hurry, there’s much to discuss.”

Scrooge’s crooked brow lifted slightly, “Ah’m not surprised.”

A self-proclaimed man of cleverness and crippling astuteness, Alcides was at a loss for his next action. Scrooge’s penetrative gaze mocked him, tested him as he divulged critically in the statements they prepared for the meting. He listened carefully, making harsh comments when he felt necessary – rapid defense of specific purchases, and harshness slipped into tenderness whenever the child was concerned.

The quick spasms from unforgiving businessman to doting father was baffling, maddening, and potentially dangerous.

“Light o’ my life, don’t drool on Poppa’s coat.”

“Something needs to be done quickly.”

Frankie didn’t understand what was so wrong.

“Alcides, there isn’t much we can do.” Santiago massaged his temples, “The child is here, there isn’t more to be done.”

“So you say!” Alcides passed back and forth, forth and back, his hands twisted anxiously, “A lot of things can be done.”

Santiago dismissed him with a roll of his eyes, “We’re talking about a child, Alcides. Scrooge isn’t going to announce the baby’s birth, but surely, reporters are going to notice.”

“I don’t see the problem.” Frankie packed his things into the suitcase, “I think it’s…progressive for him have brought her here, to think she may take over one day.”

Alcides growled, “I highly doubt it.”

“It’s certainly possible, bringing her to board meetings, saying it’s going to be something we’ll get used to.” Frankie frowned at each of them, speaking softly, “It’s just a baby, Alcides -,”

“Just a baby!”

“And he isn’t the only one doing it.” Frankie added, “Flintheart Glomgold brought his own daughter to a diamond mining expedition, and I don’t think she’s much older than little Opal.”

“He also had a nanny,” Alcides huffed.

Santiago cocked his head debatably, “And what of the Rockerducks?

“The young heir recently had a daughter of his own.” Frankie explained testily. This was information they should have acquired far earlier, “He and his bride welcomed a daughter into the family a few weeks ago.”

Santiago leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping softly against each other, “Excellent points, Frankie, but Mr. McDuck’s scandalous circumstances have made this…complicated.”

“Exceptionally so.”

“Can anyone inform me before he returns?”

Santiago nodded, and Alcides sniffed, “His old acquaintance was a harlot in Dawson City…the Klondike.”

“My sources say she was a dancehall girl at a saloon.”

“She drugged him and robbed him.”

“Maybe, he's into that kind of stuff,” Frankie whispered, “I’ve read articles about it.”

“About what?”

“About certain activities couples indulge in.” He closed his suitcase, “I find it extremely interesting. Human sexuality is a marvel.”

Alcides glared, “We are not dealing with a mere human. This is Scrooge McDuck, and when this gets out,” he pinched the skin between his eyes, “consider the damage to his reputation.”

“He already seemed to have damaged his reputation.” Frankie shrugged, “He is known for his terrible temper, unyielding obstinacy, and savvy business skills…I doubt the fact he has produced an illegitimate child will do much harm to him that he hasn’t done already.”

“Do you think this will help?” Alcides slammed his hands on the table. The roar of the projector drowned his heavy breathing, “It is our job to protect Mr. McDuck’s best self-interests.”

“And his daughter isn’t?”

His cold glare sent a tremor up his spine, “No.”

“You can do what you like, sir.” Frankie said quietly, “But I think this is one battle you cannot win. The Hippie Movement is in full swing, and it is not unheard of for unwed mothers and fathers to take charge in raising their children these days.”

Alcides slid into his chair, “Damn hippies. We cannot allow Mr. McDuck to be associated with them.”

“And he won’t,” Santiago declared.

“How do you know?”

Frankie stood from his chair, “He’s a capitalist, and one of the greatest known to the world. He represents everything they hate,” he thought for a moment, “most of the things they hate," he turned around with a bored sigh,"this meeting has been adjourned.”

“I must say,” Santiago placed his papers into his briefcase, “you are in a hurry, Mr. Condor.”

“Well, Reyes.” He grinned as he looked back at their mildly interested and disinterred faces, “My wife and children are waiting for me. We’re going to Funso’s Funzone!”

He ran out the door, leaving his two colleagues dumbfounded.

Santiago blinked at Alcides, “What is a Funso?”

“I don’t know.” He glared at his briefcase, shutting it with a definite click, “But I hate it.”

Opal kicked.

“Ah know, my darlin’.” Scrooge strapped the belt around and under the baby seat, “Ready ta’ go, ready ta’ sleep, but we’ll be at Auntie Hortense’s soon.’

He grunted as he readjusted the strap. This never did get easier.

Duckworth stood to the side, watching carefully as his employer struggled with the seat belt, “Mr. McDuck, do you require assistance?”

“Nah, nah, Ah donnae any help.” He grunted and pushed the metal into the slot, and cackled when it clicked – locked, “Good riddance ta’ ye!”

Opal giggled, legs kicking towards him, suddenly excited.

“Ye ready to make noise, are ye?” He sat beside her, and stared across the seat, “And did ye’ have fun watchin?”

Quackmore shrugged, “It was more comical than I was expecting the work day to be,” he smiled at Opal, “but it’s also far more cuter than I expected too. Nice to meet you, Opal.”

He offered his finger to her, and laughed when she took hold of it, “Yes, I’m your Uncle Quackmore.”

“Not married yet.”

“Will be soon.” His stare flickered to Scrooge, “And what of you and Miss O’Gilt?”

Scrooge huffed, “There isn’t anything to say.” He glared guardedly at his soon to be brother-in-law, “My board nearly had a heart attack when they saw her, and with her being in the Andes for the unforeseeable future, I

Opal craned her head to look at Scrooge.

“Here ya’ daddy, don’t ya’?” Quackmore eased back into his seat, “It’s amazing that the cheapest, stingiest, most miserly, turnip-squeezingest, penny-pinching tightwad on Earth could help create a precious, darling, adorable, and divine little creature as you.”*

She giggled and coughed. Scrooge raised his head for that, and started to dig into the diaper bag.

“Ah didn’t want to use this in the meeting.” He placed the pump above her mouth, “Ta’ think what else they’d have to say. Was positive Vultur was about to have a heart attack right then and there.”

“Can they do anything about it?”

She fought him for several moments, “No, they can’t,” he pumped gently, relaxing as her breathing eased, “but that doesn’t meant they won’t try to convince me other wise.”

“I don’t know why you decided to get a board.”

“Ah need to make sure Ah’m not wasting money, to make sure it’s circulating as it should.” He counted each pump, “Ah know they don’t like the sound of her.”

What they thought of the baby and her mother didn’t faze Scrooge in the slightest. Quackmore had never seen a man, as more in love with a child, not even his father was as tender with Daphne when she hatched.

But after all, Daphne’s extraordinary luck had soothed the majority of his parents’ fears.

“Boot’ it doesn’t hurt to give her an early lesson about business,” he returned the pump to its diaper bag, “an’ who knows, she may want to run her poppa’s financial empire some day.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“A possibility.” The future was a long way from the present, “But we just want her to be happy…that’s all…and healthy too.”

“But…”

“Boot’ Ah donnae think it’d hurt to learn early about earning your money fair and square, and the work need ta’ become a success.”

“That’s extremely thoughtful of you.” Quackmore glanced down and softened his tone, “Extremely thoughtful. I think she’s going to be fine, even if it’s a bit too soon to say.”

Scrooge peeked over her head, “She’s asleep?”

“Yep.”

“Good.” He grinned and reclined in his chair, “She was never going ta’ go down for her twelve o’clock, but Ah hate the board and their meeting.”

Had they been drinkers, they would’ve drunk to that.

[orionsangel86]

13x01 - Episode Review - Part 2

"Nougat Winchester” and narrative mirrors in 13x01

It has taken me forever to finish this part of my review to the extent that we have already had another episode before I finished it! But rather than curse my inability to focus I’m gonna press on and complete this before I start my 13x02 review.

Ah Jack, Jack our little nougat Jack. The way the fandom has embraced you is very touching. The internet screams of “PROTECT HIM” certainly show that Alexander Calvert has done an exceptional job of “pulling a Misha” and making us fall in love with him by the end of his first scene. I was not expecting that one bit. 

I’ll be honest and say that over the hiatus I haven’t paid too much attention to him. I did read some of the meta and speculation that @tinkdw and others put out there, but it was never really something I focused my thoughts on. I figured he would be another character that would test the team free will dynamic and would be a good avenue for the writers to comment on the concepts of nature vs nurture. I remember reading some speculation once the episode titles first came out about “The Scorpion and the Frog” and anyone who knows that story knows very well that the title itself foreshadows Jack going darkside – to his own potential destruction. (The scorpion, in carrying out its own “nature” and stinging the frog that carried it – not only doomed the frog, but doomed itself as well.)

Jack has officially won me over though. He was a charming innocent and funny character, and I think his interactions with Clark brought a lot of light to an otherwise terribly angsty and painfully heart breaking episode. (#bringbackClark2k17)

But what really blew me away was how both Jack AND Clark were such OBVIOUS mirrors for Dean and Cas and to a lesser extent to Sam. It amused me to no end. Therefore this review will focus on those mirrors, and what they mean. 

Long post under the cut

Jack is a narrative mirror of Team Free Will

This is the important thing to remember. He is all of them, and will have aspects of all them characterised into his personality as we continue to get to know the character in the coming episodes. 

I am sure that there are already thousands of words of meta on this topic (since I’m over a week late to the game) but I’m gonna throw my hat in the ring anyway.

The most obvious mirror we get from Jack is for Castiel. I have said already that Castiel was all over every single scene of 13x01. That Dabb didn’t want the audience forgetting him for a second. (thank you Dabb you wonderful man). I have already seen the many gifsets floating around comparing all of Jack’s “Cas” moments to the original famous Cas moments in the show - and we know that this carries over into episode 2 as well. 

Firstly, we can see immediately in the way Jack is dressed that he is coded as a Cas mirror:

Look at the tan jacket, the pale blue shirt, visually he is already a mini Cas. Remember they could have dressed him in ANYTHING. They chose a tan Jacket and pale blues. They chose these colours because this show has a visual library and certain things always mean certain things. Put someone in a tan coat or jacket and they are a Cas mirror. This is how these things work. 

(the bulls horns hand symbol does however have Lucifer connotations which ties him to his biological father whether he likes it or not - but more on that when I go on about signs and symbols).

Probably the most “Cas” like moment in this episode was this one:

(x)

Poor baby is just as literal as his dad:

(x)

But there are many more. The constant confused expression for starts:

(I’m still waiting for the moment he actually does the head tilt as we all know it’s coming)

The scene with the candy was delightful - and gave him the fandom pet name of “Nougat Winchester” which I have stolen from Lizzy as my new tag for him because its so fitting.

(and we like you sweetheart)

(on that note - I did find it interesting that Jack isn’t able to answer the Sheriff when she asks him for a last name. Surely he knows his mother’s name was Kline? Why didn’t he give her that? We were all calling him “Jack Kline” over hiatus, but now it doesn’t seem like its the case - personally I think this is because he will indeed get “adopted” as a Winchester and will use the surname at some point in future - probably in front of Lucifer causing a hell of a lot of anger. God knows the show has pointed out enough times over the past season that Castiel is a Winchester - leading to mainstream media giving him the last name:

Why yes I did add my destiel adjacent quiz results to meta about Jack. I have no regrets. :P

Anyway, as I was saying Jack is a huge Cas mirror, and his adorably gluttonous love of candy was a call back to:

Perhaps we can once again talk about angels and addiction and how this may affect Jack? Because they really don’t have the self control that human’s do (even though Cas was affected by famine at this particular moment).

So why is Jack a mirror for Cas? Well this is probably the first clue:

I screamed the first time I watched this moment. I think we all expected it to remain subtextual. We all know that this season will explore the role of fatherhood and how it affects each character, but this was so much more than we were expecting. Jack is a Cas mirror because he has majorly imprinted on Cas from the womb. He is first and foremost a Cas mirror because Cas is on his mind from the moment of his birth, and this reveal confirms it. Every question of “Father?” that he says so ominously in the first part of the episode is directed at Castiel. It is Castiel he was looking for, not Lucifer. 

I did say that Castiel was in every second of this episode, forcing the audience to continuously remember him and his importance - and this moment made me jump for joy. 

The way the episode continuously plays with the audiences expectations is really interesting. They want us to assume the worst of Jack, but each time he surprises us by delighting us with some adorable Cas like thing. Jack says “I’m hungry” and we are supposed to feel uneasy about that because just 2 seasons ago we had another very hungry powerful child who fulfilled her hunger by eating human souls. We are supposed to worry about Clark in that moment, and to follow the Sheriff down the darkened halls and flickering lights terrified of what Jack has done - but he is sitting there cross legged on the floor with Clarke surrounded by candy wrappers and proclaiming how much he likes nougat. Its a lovely moment and it forces the audience to change their minds completely. 

When Jack reveals that he thinks Cas is his father, our reaction is much the same as Sam’s, but we fall for him just like Sam does, and it sets the season up nicely because for once the audience is NOT supposed to be on Dean’s side here. (I’ll talk about this more in my review of episode 2 where it is more relevant but basically, we are supposed to feel sorry for Dean because we know that he isn’t seeing things clearly. We are supposed to root for Jack and be on Sam’s side in all this, and to see Dean as a character shrouded in a deep grief and anger)

I love that they made it textual that Cas is the father. (major flashbacks to 11x06 right now though)

“Jenny, he is not ready to be a father!”

I’ll continue jumping for joy over this as the season goes forward, but for now I want to talk about how Jack is also a mirror for Dean. Because he is and it again, wasn’t subtle. 

(x)

A young boy on a quest to find his father, to have to accept the death of his mother right at the start, and who is forced to grow up far quicker than he should? Yeah that sounds about right. 

Whilst Dean and Jack seem at odds with each other from the start, they are both set up as mirrors in their joint grief for Castiel. That heart wrenching moment at the end of the episode where Dean is wrapping Castiel’s body for the pyre comes only moments after we get to see Jack’s own grief for his mother so touchingly portrayed as a grip to her covered foot. Both Dean and Jack are only shown touching the feet of those they lost, there is probably some deep symbolic meaning to that linked to Christ and washing the feet of his disciples or something but I’ll leave that meta to someone far more versed in bible lore than me. 

We know that in episode 2 the Dean parallels get much stronger, with Dean being the second Winchester (after Cas) that he imprints upon. I’ll talk about this in my episode 2 review, and instead leave this here. Jack is Dean for his grief, and his ties to humanity, and how he has been robbed of his childhood. I am interested to see how they go about keeping Jack innocent. He is in the body of a man, but his mind is still so childlike. I hope that he becomes a symbol for Dean’s own innocence in a theme started in 12x11. 

Finally, the one touched on the least in episode 1 but probably the most significant to Jack’s own arc going forward - Jack as a mirror for Sam.

What so far is probably the least obvious in terms of mirror’s is actually the most obvious in terms of story lines. There is a reason Sam so desperately wants to believe in Jack, believe that he is good and can do good things. Because Sam has been in this situation himself. 

Sam’s entire early series arc was about fighting the darkness inside himself, fighting against his own dark powers that came from a place of evil, and resisting Lucifer’s pull. Sam’s been there. So of course Sam is rooting for the kid. Sam and Jack have the biggest connection in terms of their connection to Lucifer. Sam immediately tries to see things through Jack’s point of view. Yes, he’s not as tied down with grief and anger as Dean is - Sam hasn’t just lost the love of his life (though the deancas parallels to SamJess are very strong throughout 12x23 and 13x01 as well).

Sam still has hope, because he see’s himself in Jack. He knows he managed to resist that dark power, and he has faith that Jack can to. I expect the Sam/Jack mirrors to come through far more strongly in episode 3 when we see them interacting together without Dean there to cause conflict, so it will be interesting if we get to delve more into Sam’s past and trauma this season, as it’s about time the show focused on his issues around Lucifer.

Clark as the exposition for Cas’s return... among other things

I could talk for hours about Jack and everything he stands for, but right now I just need to add this about Clark, because boy did he pull focus. In an episode so heavy with grief and full of reminders of Castiel as well as establishing Jack into the audiences mind, Clark comes out of no where and almost steals the show (almost). 

When we are introduced to Clark only 5 minutes into the episode, he is mucking around with the menu changing every item into something ‘butt’ related. I could meta on this but tbh its so very on the nose that I don’t think it’s needed. You all know exactly what Burgers and Butts are making us think of. Its juvenile but its hilarious (my personal favourite is the salty butt combo - a bit of salt is a good thing especially in destiel fandom!).

So skipping past those obvious jokes, what interests me most about Clark is this:

“He’s fired me like seven times... and I keep coming back.”

Look at this face! Dark hair, Blue eyes, extremely charming? Hello Cas mirror!

also:

4x22 - Killed by Raphael

5x22 - Killed by Lucifer

7x01 - Killed by returning the souls (Dean thought he was dead before he healed himself)

7x02 - Killed by Leviathan

8x02 - Left for dead in Purgatory

9x03 - Killed by April

12x23 - Killed by Lucifer

At this point in the show, Dean has watched Cas “die” seven times. I don’t think the above was an accident. 

The fact that Clark then says “Around here, I’m untouchable” is kind of hilarious. Since Clark later gets stabbed with an angel blade - AND SURVIVES.

However for the rest of the episode, Clark is so much more of a Dean mirror, to Jack’s Cas mirror. Clark shows Jack his humanity. He makes Jack happy enough for his powers to make the lights flicker (honestly if this doesn’t make the whole grace orgasm blowing out the lights head canon real I don’t know what does). He feeds him candy, jokes around with him, and is generally such a playful and charming character that we can’t quite help but associate him with Dean.

I love how Clark’s mum the Sheriff tells the police officer that “There’s no such thing as weird, everyone is normal in their own way” because isn’t that just a massive shout out to anyone who is slightly ‘different’? All of us who identify with this show about the ‘weird’ things because we are a little bit weird ourselves? Whose to say what is normal and whats not? 

What I love about this line is that it backs up my claim that the show is trying to prepare the audience in a way for things they may not expect... especially the part of the audience that watches for macho men, guns and death - the Republicans, the dudebros, the right wingers, the assholes who think that to fit in in this world you have to fit into some idealistic little box. Well, believe me this show has a few surprises in line for those people. I can’t wait for it to all come to a head.

Team Free Will 

Ultimately, what 13x01 has shown us is that Jack is a combination of ALL of team free will. He is his own person of course, but he shares elements and traits with all of them. I think it’s so fitting that so soon after Dean’s memorable speech to Cas in 12x19:

“You, Me, and Sam, We’re just better together. So now that you’re back, lets go Team Free Will”

In which Dean brought this term back for the first time in canon since it was used in 5x13, do we now have a character who is the embodiment of all three of them. For me, it seems that this was intentional and that Dean’s words really were the truth - that once Cas comes back, all three of them will be able to save Jack from himself, along with any other nastiness that comes their way. It is my absolute belief that the moral of season 13 will be that Dean, Sam and Cas need each other, and need to work together in order to defeat whatever evil comes their way. Jack is proof of that. How he mirrors all three of them, and is at this point in time, internally divided:

He has Cas’s innocence, naivety and endearing curious nature, as well as his angelic power.

He has Dean’s humanity, his desire to be good, and a need to reach out to people and bond with them.

He has Sam’s inner darkness, linked to his emotions and leading him to question his own monstrous nature. His struggle between his own inner good and evil. 

When these three sides of him conflict, it will cause problems. Just like how conflict between Dean, Sam and Cas is usually the primary cause of disaster in the supernatural universe. Jack’s fate, and his ability to control himself and his opposing sides, is intrinsically tied to Team Free Will themselves coming together and actually working as a team once again. 

And I bloody well can’t wait to watch this story play out. 

[jumunkrp-blog]

RESIDENCY DIRECTORY UPDATING...

LOADING RESIDENT INFORMATION:  ❝ — [ YOO JINSEOK ], also known as [ WANG-JA ] is currently 22 YEARS OLD, a YOO and PUREBLOOD, and currently is a CONSULTANT TO THE YOO BUSINESS GROUP. Please click here for more information on this resident.

ACCESSING DATA...

—  LOADED PERSONALITY:

his eyes are always rimmed with dark circles.

it’s thesis season, he says, but the way his hands are covered with the scars of tell-tale wand rebellion (gumiho cores are incredibly stubborn) would suggest otherwise. this is why his hands are always kept in his pockets, one set of his lean and long fingers fiddling with a golden galleon he once took home from his family’s short trip to London. fiddling, because he is struggling hard to focus on the conversation, an impossibility as his brain wanders instead to his slowly delaying schedule, the looming threat of unbalanced balance sheets and mismatched inventory lists gaining volume in his conscious.

yoo jinseok. open a lifestyle magazine on a page discussing siblings in power and his name will be plastered in bold. he’ll give a bashful smile if asked about it, but only to hide the heavy bitterness that seeps from never getting what he thinks is rightfully his. on good days, he’d probably slip in a half-hearted comment about how his brother, his dear eldest brother, inspires him to achieve more in his life, but the glint in his eyes motions that admiration is not the cause of this drive. he does the same when the days are bad—the glimmer in his hues just turn a bit more sinister.

he’s been described as many things by many words that almost always fail to encapsulate the whole of his manners. he’s been tagged as an heir, an elite, a socialite, a genius—a rising star of his own generation with the privilege, the power, the looks, and the smarts needed to conquer. to public eyes and the press’ lenses, he is calm and collected—the closest thing a person (ha!) could ever get to achieving the dictionary definition of perfect.

but he isn’t. far from it. he’s aware but he’ll deny it to his grave. hubris.

the pages do not write how hot-headed or abrasive  he can be. only a few can bear witness to his obsessive need for more and more power, and even fewer can read his strikingly utilitarian way of dealing with people. for him, there are only business associates and family members. it takes one hand to count the number of people he genuinely cares for and his most genuine smile can only be seen in the presence of magical creatures.

yoo jinseok. the press calls him the perfect millennial heir, almost unlikely for his generation. mothers all wish their sons would grow up to be like him. his best friend, however, thinks he’s nothing but an asshole with a heart.

—  LOADED BACKGROUND:

i.

he is born in the middle of a solar eclipse.

his mother screams and writhes in the posh delivery room, and the moon occults the sun the moment he exits the womb. his father thinks this is a good omen, a sign of a near future where his youngest son will conquer. his brother, then twelve years old, waits outside the delivery room, his expression unreadable at the news of a baby brother. it is unease, perhaps, that clouds his usually bright hues, but it could also just be the gloom from the missing sun.

they name him jinseok—a precious stone to be set in the crown of family glory.

he is barely hours old when the heavy burden of being an elite is passed onto his conscious. “he will show us great things,” his father murmurs, out of ear shot from his eldest son poring over ancient books. his gaze is steely, yet brimming with immense expectation. his mother’s lips form a solemn line as he is cradled upon her bosom—it is unclear if she approves of her husband’s sinister tone. “he is a boy born to vanquish.”

ii.

a fallen cherry stem grows into full bloom the moment he takes it into his little hands. he is two and he is overflowing with magic, and everything he touches springs into life. they call him a genius—a pureblooded wizard with abilities too advanced, too powerful for his age. his father notes this with much approval, and jinseok grins whenever the man gives his hair an affectionate pat and endearing ruffle after he sings of his achievements.

he is young and his heart is yet to be hardened.

the little boy longs for nothing more than to make his family proud.  

he is four when he finds a dancing partner with the water, the rippling tides and the congealed droplets swirling around his tiny form as his little feet splish and splash on the shallow end of the pond. he is six when the lights from their banquet’s overhead chandelier goes out once he sneezes, only to return to its majestic illumination when he bursts into an airy giggle. he is nine when he befriends a wild phoenix, injured from a hasty trip from the markets, and he finds solace in the downy softness of her glorious feathers when she allows him to nap with her on the field.

his father never fails to remind him of the omen that heralds his birth, and the boy grows confident to where his fate is placed. like the moon that covered the sun as he came wailing into the open, the man expects the darling boy to overtake a looming empire that has been in power for too long. jinseok nods, taking in every praise, every syllable.

he has yet to know of the murk that swims beneath all the glitter.

iii.

he is twelve and he is tall for his age, all long limbs and modelesque proportions that have earned him the cover of many teens’ magazines for the young and the rich and the famous. his brown locks match the deep pools of his sleepy hues, his eyes bordered with lashes so long it could make any girl jealous. he is twelve and his magic still overflows, but it is far more controlled upon receipt of his wand during his last birthday. his hands are covered with scars he has charmed into disappearing (ah, the gumiho, ever stubborn), but he hides the pair in the pockets of his oversized cardigan, as he stands, ever-attentive, in front of the family’s stern patriarch.

“honor is to be earned,” his father tells him. the room is dark save for the grandiose chandelier that hangs overhead, the same one that he once  made glow with a simple giggle. but that was ages ago, and simple tricks do not anymore entertain the man. “our family has worked and toiled for century upon century just to get us to where we stand.”

jinseok nods without question. he knows that this is the truth he has been born to.

the elder continues on with his litany, prattling about duty and the moral pillars the yoo family is built upon. hard work trumps all. privilege falls second to true talent. determination is the true essence of success. anything can be achieved with enough ambition. there is no tradition that cannot be overthrown by a turn of the tables.

he takes it all in with zero disbelief, every syllable tightly ingrained into his conscious. he recites it back with utmost sincerity, and his father beams with much pride. it is then that he is asked to come forward, and his father takes his slim hands in his. cold, he thinks. rough. but he doesn’t mind. not even for a second.

“your potential with magic is astounding.” the patriarch sings with much praise, rubbing circles onto the back of his scarred hands. jinseok tries his hardest not to wince .”you will only grow more powerful, more grand—like fine wine once aged.” his smile drips with mystery, but the young boy is much too focused on his father’s words to notice that something was amiss  “our family would be safe in these hands when you come of age.”

iv.

it is tradition, they answer, every time he poses to ask. still, he fails to understand the novelty behind attending a school infested with muggles, when he has been doing so well with the tutors at home. they tell him it’s to prepare him for his life outside of the protective barriers of their manor, to set him up for even greater challenges, but hubris makes him think that he can handle himself well enough without the influence of the lower class.

he has no choice, though. he’s already been enrolled.

he finds it hard to fit in with the kids who’ve known each other for far longer, but he has no plans of ever blending in with their crowd. he is raised to think that muggles are of a lower stature than wizard-kind, and it pains him so that he has to breathe the same air that they do on an almost daily basis. but he’s an heir and it is because of this that he has to maintain his airs, so he keeps his vile thoughts to himself and focuses, instead, on graduating quick.

his classmates hear news of his being an elite and do their very best to earn his favor. the girls giggle and blush when he walks past them in the hallways, and he scoffs at their whispered praises towards his looks. they all want to sit with him, to be with him, to talk to him, possibly thinking that forging friendships with an heir will transfer blessings to their baskets. perhaps it would’ve worked on others, but it only all it did was piss-off the haughty boy.

yosul is no different. they all awe and sing praises at his prowess, but he could feel the empty  flattery beneath their tones. these are children of parents who owe his family debts, children of fathers who are in need of a pay raise. they want to be called his friend for the benefits, and jinseok refuses to allow them the privilege.

(one succeeds in gaining his friendship, though. and they remain close to this day.)

in the morning he is hounded by pink-cheeked girls aiming to earn a million-dollar smile from the stoic ice prince, chased by sweaty guys who want to pull him into their muggle sports teams. in the afternoon he is surrounded by overeager wizard kids  asking him how he does his tricks in the most exaggerated of ways. at night he comes home to shower thrice and rid his skin of the filth it has touched, and he slips in one more scrub as a precaution.

just a few more years, jinseok, he thinks to himself as his forehead rests upon the shower’s wet tile, a mantra to keep himself sane amidst his unfortunate circumstance. it will all be over once you’re head of the family.

v.

his hopes and dreams collapse  a few hours after graduation.

he is told to go home for a sort of celebration, and jinseok wholeheartedly thinks that it is to congratulate him for his stellar performance at the school. he arrives to the manor to see a banquet laid out, and his arrogance leads him to believe that the festivities are all done in his name. their entire clan is in attendance and he greets all of them with a sweet grin, barely wondering why only a few offer their congratulations, too engrossed in his own hubris.

it is only until the heirloom is revealed and handed to his brother that he realizes that the ceremony isn’t for him.  

he moves on instinct and runs, out of the compound and into the busy streets of gangnam. he is met with a torrent of rain and he curses the sky for its heavy need for dramatics. he feels crushed, humiliated, betrayed by the words-the promise!— of the father he so trusted. the tears in his eyes mix with the droplets of rain that hit his handsome face, crumpled by the weight of a dream that slipped out of his hands  before he could even achieve it.

“that should’ve been mine,” he coughs out in between choked sobs, dragging his aching legs to the hongdae station, his wand feeling like fire against his tightly clenched fist. “that heirloom was promised to me.”

he enters the arena after six in the evening and exits at dawn with an unparalleled win streak.

he disappears for two days to collect his thoughts, his wizard guards unable to track him down, their spells blocked by a protection charm he cast for the sole purpose of solitude. he returns to the manor with dark-rimmed hues, his brown eyes clouded with a need to reclaim what he thinks is rightfully his. he announces that he will move out in the morning  to the sound of his younger sister’s shock, and he declares war to his brother for the family head’s most prized seat.

his brother only laughs at his challenge. jinseok vows to make him regret every second of glee.

vi.

he’s in his second year at university when the government commends him for his undergraduate thesis. it’s a masterpiece, reporters quip, quite intrigued by the innovations the twenty-one year old’s ideas  would bring to seoul’s underground transportation system. he answers every question with studied ease, his smile soft and his voice gentle as he smoothly explains his work in layman’s terms to the eager presses.

“did you brother have a hand in your thesis?” a newsman carelessly motions.

jinseok feels the muscles in his jaw clench for a second, but he is quick to school his expression to a more appreciative front. “aside from giving me inspiration,” he begins, his tone sounding most sincere despite his syllables being nothing but mere lies, “my brother has never touched my work. everything i wrote was from my own research.”

the magazine headlines read “brotherly love and friendly competition.” the young man smirks and scoffs at the irony. with a flick of his finger and a wordless spell, the flammable bunch bursts into flames and crumbles into ashes.

vii.

there is a blanket of fog that always envelopes the black market’s premises.

it is especially strong around the dueling arena, the view from inside the cross-hatched cage obscured by a thick layer of smoke, the only visible thing being the sparks of magic that hint at an ongoing battle. the screams from the audience grow louder with each strike, and they get to their feet when a victor emerges. the duel for the championship trophy is over, and the fog lifts to reveal an empty stage, devoid of any more of the noisy onlookers.

there are footsteps on pavement that echo lightly in the enchanted chamber. the new champion is led to one of the inner rooms, expectant of a lavish banquet to be held in his glory. the room is dark when he enters, abysmal when the doors close. his frightened snigger bounces upon the hollow walls.

“this is not fu—“

“incendio!”

the silence breaks with the incantation, and the new victor barely moves in time to avoid the incoming inferno. he grabs his wand from his pocket and aims at the blackness, blinking his eyes to will them to adjust to the dark. they do not. not before another spell is called and it hits him right above his chest, effectively knocking out the air from his lungs which leads him to crash to the ground in a pathetic heap of former glory.

from the darkness emerges a tall man with brown hair, half of his face concealed with a hard golden mask. his hand, tight against his darkwood wand, is etched with remnants of scars, a tell-tale sign of a most stubborn core. he heaves a tired sigh at the sight of the fallen victor, his head shaking in what looks like utter disappointment.

“master yoo,” the man behind the masked one begins, but he is cut-off with his male’s  raised hand.

“get him out of my sight,” the masked one commands with venomous spite, removing his elaborate headgear  to reveal the youngest male heir of the revered yoo clan. “there is no place for the weak in the yoo undergrounds.”

[bountyofbeads]

THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY: A special series from The New Yorker.

OUR DEMOCRACY IS IN CRISIS. Many institutions of our government are dysfunctional and getting worse. Our electoral system has produced, in a single generation, TWO Presidents who RECEIVED FEWER VOTES than their opponents. A changed media landscape has—with the shrewd assistance of malicious actors at home and abroad—loosened our collective grasp on reality. Our POLITICS have become ALARMINGLY ACRIMONIOUS; one of the potential disasters of the 2020 election is a result that is widely considered illegitimate. Technology is enriching some and leaving many others behind. Meanwhile, as the country’s demography shifts, a nativist far-right is resurgent. Although President Donald Trump, with his scant regard for the values of justice and the rule of law, is undeniably a leading actor in this crisis, it precedes him and seems certain to persist after his departure, whenever that may be.

Between now and the election in November, The New Yorker, enlisting a wide range of writers, will be exploring the past, present, and future of American democracy: tallying our problems, reckoning with their implications, and inspecting proposed solutions. If the TRUMP ERA has PROVED anything, it is that AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, which has never been without profound flaws, CANNOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. And yet institutions, movements, thinkers, and citizens—countless citizens, of all kinds—have shown their determination to preserve what is vital and necessary to a liberal-democratic society. We hope you’ll join us as we learn how our democracy might be made stronger, fairer, more responsive, and more equitable.

—The Editors

THE LAST TIME DEMOCRACY ALMOST DIED.... Learning from the upheaval of the nineteen-thirties.

By Jill Lepore | Published January 27, 2020 | The New Yorker | Posted February 16, 2020 |

THE LAST TIME democracy nearly died all over the world and almost all at once, Americans argued about it, and then they tried to fix it. “The future of democracy is topic number one in the animated discussion going on all over America,” a contributor to the New York Times wrote in 1937. “In the Legislatures, over the radio, at the luncheon table, in the drawing rooms, at meetings of forums and in all kinds of groups of citizens everywhere, people are talking about the democratic way of life.” People bickered and people hollered, and they also made rules. “You are a liar!” one guy shouted from the audience during a political debate heard on the radio by ten million Americans, from Missoula to Tallahassee. “Now, now, we don’t allow that,” the moderator said, calmly, and asked him to leave.

In the nineteen-thirties, you could count on the Yankees winning the World Series, dust storms plaguing the prairies, evangelicals preaching on the radio, Franklin Delano Roosevelt residing in the White House, people lining up for blocks to get scraps of food, and democracies dying, from the Andes to the Urals and the Alps.

In 1917, Woodrow Wilson’s Administration had promised that winning the Great War would “make the world safe for democracy.” The peace carved nearly a dozen new states out of the former Russian, Ottoman, and Austrian empires. The number of democracies in the world rose; the spread of liberal-democratic governance began to appear inevitable. But this was no more than a reverie. Infant democracies grew, toddled, wobbled, and fell: Hungary, Albania, Poland, Lithuania, Yugoslavia. In older states, too, the desperate masses turned to authoritarianism. Benito Mussolini marched on Rome in 1922. It had taken a century and a half for European monarchs who ruled by divine right and brute force to be replaced by constitutional democracies and the rule of law. Now Fascism and Communism toppled these governments in a matter of months, even before the stock-market crash of 1929 and the misery that ensued.

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“Epitaphs for democracy are the fashion of the day,” the soon-to-be Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote, dismally, in 1930. The annus horribilis that followed differed from every other year in the history of the world, according to the British historian Arnold Toynbee: “In 1931, men and women all over the world were seriously contemplating and frankly discussing the possibility that the Western system of Society might break down and cease to work.” When Japan invaded Manchuria, the League of Nations condemned the annexation, to no avail. “The liberal state is destined to perish,” Mussolini predicted in 1932. “All the political experiments of our day are anti-liberal.” By 1933, the year Adolf Hitler came to power, the American political commentator Walter Lippmann was telling an audience of students at Berkeley that “the old relationships among the great masses of the people of the earth have disappeared.” What next? More epitaphs: Greece, Romania, Estonia, and Latvia. Authoritarians multiplied in Portugal, Uruguay, Spain. Japan invaded Shanghai. Mussolini invaded Ethiopia. “The present century is the century of authority,” he declared, “a century of the Right, a Fascist century.”

American democracy, too, staggered, weakened by corruption, monopoly, apathy, inequality, political violence, hucksterism, racial injustice, unemployment, even starvation. “We do not distrust the future of essential democracy,” F.D.R. said in his first Inaugural Address, telling Americans that the only thing they had to fear was fear itself. But there was more to be afraid of, including Americans’ own declining faith in self-government. “What Does Democracy Mean?” NBC radio asked listeners. “Do we Negroes believe in democracy?” W. E. B. Du Bois asked the readers of his newspaper column. Could it happen here? Sinclair Lewis asked in 1935. Americans suffered, and hungered, and wondered. The historian Charles Beard, in the inevitable essay on “The Future of Democracy in the United States,” predicted that American democracy would endure, if only because “there is in America, no Rome, no Berlin to march on.” Some Americans turned to Communism. Some turned to Fascism. And a lot of people, worried about whether American democracy could survive past the end of the decade, strove to save it.

“It’s not too late,” Jimmy Stewart pleaded with Congress, rasping, exhausted, in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” in 1939. “Great principles don’t get lost once they come to light.” It wasn’t too late. It’s still not too late.

There’s a kind of likeness you see in family photographs, generation after generation. The same ears, the same funny nose. Sometimes now looks a lot like then. Still, it can be hard to tell whether the likeness is more than skin deep.

In the nineteen-nineties, with the end of the Cold War, democracies grew more plentiful, much as they had after the end of the First World War. As ever, the infant-mortality rate for democracies was high: baby democracies tend to die in their cradles. Starting in about 2005, the number of democracies around the world began to fall, as it had in the nineteen-thirties. Authoritarians rose to power: Vladimir Putin in Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey, Viktor Orbán in Hungary, Jarosław Kaczyński in Poland, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, and Donald J. Trump in the United States.

“American democracy,” as a matter of history, is democracy with an asterisk, the symbol A-Rod’s name would need if he were ever inducted into the Hall of Fame. Not until the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act can the United States be said to have met the basic conditions for political equality requisite in a democracy. All the same, measured not against its past but against its contemporaries, American democracy in the twenty-first century is withering. The Democracy Index rates a hundred and sixty-seven countries, every year, on a scale that ranges from “full democracy” to “authoritarian regime.” In 2006, the U.S. was a “full democracy,” the seventeenth most democratic nation in the world. In 2016, the index for the first time rated the United States a “flawed democracy,” and since then American democracy has gotten only more flawed. True, the United States still doesn’t have a Rome or a Berlin to march on. That hasn’t saved the nation from misinformation, tribalization, domestic terrorism, human-rights abuses, political intolerance, social-media mob rule, white nationalism, a criminal President, the nobbling of Congress, a corrupt Presidential Administration, assaults on the press, crippling polarization, the undermining of elections, and an epistemological chaos that is the only air that totalitarianism can breathe.

Nothing so sharpens one’s appreciation for democracy as bearing witness to its demolition. Mussolini called Italy and Germany “the greatest and soundest democracies which exist in the world today,” and Hitler liked to say that, with Nazi Germany, he had achieved a “beautiful democracy,” prompting the American political columnist Dorothy Thompson to remark of the Fascist state, “If it is going to call itself democratic we had better find another word for what we have and what we want.” In the nineteen-thirties, Americans didn’t find another word. But they did work to decide what they wanted, and to imagine and to build it. Thompson, who had been a foreign correspondent in Germany and Austria and had interviewed the Führer, said, in a column that reached eight million readers, “Be sure you know what you prepare to defend.”

It’s a paradox of democracy that the best way to defend it is to attack it, to ask more of it, by way of criticism, protest, and dissent. American democracy in the nineteen-thirties had plenty of critics, left and right, from Mexican-Americans who objected to a brutal regime of forced deportations to businessmen who believed the New Deal to be unconstitutional. W. E. B. Du Bois predicted that, unless the United States met its obligations to the dignity and equality of all its citizens and ended its enthrallment to corporations, American democracy would fail: “If it is going to use this power to force the world into color prejudice and race antagonism; if it is going to use it to manufacture millionaires, increase the rule of wealth, and break down democratic government everywhere; if it is going increasingly to stand for reaction, fascism, white supremacy and imperialism; if it is going to promote war and not peace; then America will go the way of the Roman Empire.”

The historian Mary Ritter Beard warned that American democracy would make no headway against its “ruthless enemies—war, fascism, ignorance, poverty, scarcity, unemployment, sadistic criminality, racial persecution, man’s lust for power and woman’s miserable trailing in the shadow of his frightful ways”—unless Americans could imagine a future democracy in which women would no longer be barred from positions of leadership: “If we will not so envisage our future, no Bill of Rights, man’s or woman’s, is worth the paper on which it is printed.”

If the United States hasn’t gone the way of the Roman Empire and the Bill of Rights is still worth more than the paper on which it’s printed, that’s because so many people have been, ever since, fighting the fights Du Bois and Ritter Beard fought. There have been wins and losses. The fight goes on.

[ PHOTO IMAGE: In the thirties, community leaders across the country ignited debate on the meaning and the future of democracy, inviting Americans to assemble in the same room and argue with one another—to stretch their civic muscles.Courtesy LIBRARY OF CONGRESS]

Could no system of rule but extremism hold back the chaos of economic decline? In the nineteen-thirties, people all over the world, liberals, hoped that the United States would be able to find a middle road, somewhere between the malignity of a state-run economy and the mercilessness of laissez-faire capitalism. Roosevelt campaigned in 1932 on the promise to rescue American democracy by way of a “new deal for the American people,” his version of that third way: relief, recovery, and reform. He won forty-two of forty-eight states, and trounced the incumbent, Herbert Hoover, in the Electoral College 472 to 59. Given the national emergency in which Roosevelt took office, Congress granted him an almost entirely free hand, even as critics raised concerns that the powers he assumed were barely short of dictatorial.

New Dealers were trying to save the economy; they ended up saving democracy. They built a new America; they told a new American story. On New Deal projects, people from different parts of the country labored side by side, constructing roads and bridges and dams, everything from the Lincoln Tunnel to the Hoover Dam, joining together in a common endeavor, shoulder to the wheel, hand to the forge. Many of those public-works projects, like better transportation and better electrification, also brought far-flung communities, down to the littlest town or the remotest farm, into a national culture, one enriched with new funds for the arts, theatre, music, and storytelling. With radio, more than with any other technology of communication, before or since, Americans gained a sense of their shared suffering, and shared ideals: they listened to one another’s voices.

This didn’t happen by accident. Writers and actors and directors and broadcasters made it happen. They dedicated themselves to using the medium to bring people together. Beginning in 1938, for instance, F.D.R.’s Works Progress Administration produced a twenty-six-week radio-drama series for CBS called “Americans All, Immigrants All,” written by Gilbert Seldes, the former editor of The Dial. “What brought people to this country from the four corners of the earth?” a pamphlet distributed to schoolteachers explaining the series asked. “What gifts did they bear? What were their problems? What problems remain unsolved?” The finale celebrated the American experiment: “The story of magnificent adventure! The record of an unparalleled event in the history of mankind!”

There is no twenty-first-century equivalent of Seldes’s “Americans All, Immigrants All,” because it is no longer acceptable for a serious artist to write in this vein, and for this audience, and for this purpose. (In some quarters, it was barely acceptable even then.) Love of the ordinary, affection for the common people, concern for the commonweal: these were features of the best writing and art of the nineteen-thirties. They are not so often features lately.

Americans reëlected F.D.R. in 1936 by one of the widest margins in the country’s history. American magazines continued the trend from the twenties, in which hardly a month went by without their taking stock: “Is Democracy Doomed?” “Can Democracy Survive?” (Those were the past century’s versions of more recent titles, such as “How Democracy Ends,” “Why Liberalism Failed,” “How the Right Lost Its Mind,” and “How Democracies Die.” The same ears, that same funny nose.) In 1934, the Christian Science Monitor published a debate called “Whither Democracy?,” addressed “to everyone who has been thinking about the future of democracy—and who hasn’t.” It staked, as adversaries, two British scholars: Alfred Zimmern, a historian from Oxford, on the right, and Harold Laski, a political theorist from the London School of Economics, on the left. “Dr. Zimmern says in effect that where democracy has failed it has not been really tried,” the editors explained. “Professor Laski sees an irrepressible conflict between the idea of political equality in democracy and the fact of economic inequality in capitalism, and expects at least a temporary resort to Fascism or a capitalistic dictatorship.” On the one hand, American democracy is safe; on the other hand, American democracy is not safe.

[ PHOTO IMAGE:In 1939, the World’s Fair opened in Queens, New York, featuring an exhibit called the Democracity, a model of utopia that was in keeping with the event’s chipper motto, “The World of Tomorrow.”Photograph by Fritz Goro / GETTY]

Zimmern and Laski went on speaking tours of the United States, part of a long parade of visiting professors brought here to prognosticate on the future of democracy. Laski spoke to a crowd three thousand strong, in Washington’s Constitution Hall. “laski tells how to save democracy,” the Washington Post reported. Zimmern delivered a series of lectures titled “The Future of Democracy,” at the University of Buffalo, in which he warned that democracy had been undermined by a new aristocracy of self-professed experts. “I am no more ready to be governed by experts than I am to be governed by the ex-Kaiser,” he professed, expertly.

The year 1935 happened to mark the centennial of the publication of Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,” an occasion that elicited still more lectures from European intellectuals coming to the United States to remark on its system of government and the character of its people, close on Tocqueville’s heels. Heinrich Brüning, a scholar and a former Chancellor of Germany, lectured at Princeton on “The Crisis of Democracy”; the Swiss political theorist William Rappard gave the same title to a series of lectures he delivered at the University of Chicago. In “The Prospects for Democracy,” the Scottish historian and later BBC radio quiz-show panelist Denis W. Brogan offered little but gloom: “The defenders of democracy, the thinkers and writers who still believe in its merits, are in danger of suffering the fate of Aristotle, who kept his eyes fixedly on the city-state at a time when that form of government was being reduced to a shadow by the rise of Alexander’s world empire.” Brogan hedged his bets by predicting the worst. It’s an old trick.

The endless train of academics were also called upon to contribute to the nation’s growing number of periodicals. In 1937, The New Republic, arguing that “at no time since the rise of political democracy have its tenets been so seriously challenged as they are today,” ran a series on “The Future of Democracy,” featuring pieces by the likes of Bertrand Russell and John Dewey. “Do you think that political democracy is now on the wane?” the editors asked each writer. The series’ lead contributor, the Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce, took issue with the question, as philosophers, thankfully, do. “I call this kind of question ‘meteorological,’ ” he grumbled. “It is like asking, ‘Do you think that it is going to rain today? Had I better take my umbrella?’ ” The trouble, Croce explained, is that political problems are not external forces beyond our control; they are forces within our control. “We need solely to make up our own minds and to act.”

Don’t ask whether you need an umbrella. Go outside and stop the rain.

Here are some of the sorts of people who went out and stopped the rain in the nineteen-thirties: schoolteachers, city councillors, librarians, poets, union organizers, artists, precinct workers, soldiers, civil-rights activists, and investigative reporters. They knew what they were prepared to defend and they defended it, even though they also knew that they risked attack from both the left and the right. Charles Beard (Mary Ritter’s husband) spoke out against the newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, the Rupert Murdoch of his day, when he smeared scholars and teachers as Communists. “The people who are doing the most damage to American democracy are men like Charles A. Beard,” said a historian at Trinity College in Hartford, speaking at a high school on the subject of “Democracy and the Future,” and warning against reading Beard’s books—at a time when Nazis in Germany and Austria were burning “un-German” books in public squares. That did not exactly happen here, but in the nineteen-thirties four of five American superintendents of schools recommended assigning only those U.S. history textbooks which “omit any facts likely to arouse in the minds of the students question or doubt concerning the justice of our social order and government.” Beard’s books, God bless them, raised doubts.

Beard didn’t back down. Nor did W.P.A. muralists and artists, who were subject to the same attack. Instead, Beard took pains to point out that Americans liked to think of themselves as good talkers and good arguers, people with a particular kind of smarts. Not necessarily book learning, but street smarts—reasonableness, open-mindedness, level-headedness. “The kind of universal intellectual prostration required by Bolshevism and Fascism is decidedly foreign to American ‘intelligence,’ ” Beard wrote. Possibly, he allowed, you could call this a stubborn independence of mind, or even mulishness. “Whatever the interpretation, our wisdom or ignorance stands in the way of our accepting the totalitarian assumption of Omniscience,” he insisted. “And to this extent it contributes to the continuance of the arguing, debating, never-settling-anything-finally methods of political democracy.” Maybe that was whistling in the dark, but sometimes a whistle is all you’ve got.

The more argument the better is what the North Carolina-born George V. Denny, Jr., was banking on, anyway, after a neighbor of his, in Scarsdale, declared that he so strongly disagreed with F.D.R. that he never listened to him. Denny, who helped run something called the League for Political Education, thought that was nuts. In 1935, he launched “America’s Town Meeting of the Air,” an hour-long debate program, broadcast nationally on NBC’s Blue Network. Each episode opened with a town crier ringing a bell and hollering, “Town meeting tonight! Town meeting tonight!” Then Denny moderated a debate, usually among three or four panelists, on a controversial subject (Does the U.S. have a truly free press? Should schools teach politics?), before opening the discussion up to questions from an audience of more than a thousand people. The debates were conducted at a lecture hall, usually in New York, and broadcast to listeners gathered in public libraries all over the country, so that they could hold their own debates once the show ended. “We are living today on the thin edge of history,” Max Lerner, the editor of The Nation, said in 1938, during a “Town Meeting of the Air” debate on the meaning of democracy. His panel included a Communist, an exile from the Spanish Civil War, a conservative American political economist, and a Russian columnist. “We didn’t expect to settle anything, and therefore we succeeded,” the Spanish exile said at the end of the hour, offering this definition: “A democracy is a place where a ‘Town Meeting of the Air’ can take place.”

[ PHOTO IMAGE: Public forums that began in Des Moines grew so popular that the programming became a part of the New Deal. The federal government paid for it, but everything else fell under local control, and ordinary people made it work.Photograph from ALAMY]

No one expected anyone to come up with an undisputable definition of democracy, since the point was disputation. Asking people about the meaning and the future of democracy and listening to them argue it out was really only a way to get people to stretch their civic muscles. “Democracy can only be saved by democratic men and women,” Dorothy Thompson once said. “The war against democracy begins by the destruction of the democratic temper, the democratic method and the democratic heart. If the democratic temper be exacerbated into wanton unreasonableness, which is the essence of the evil, then a victory has been won for the evil we despise and prepare to defend ourselves against, even though it’s 3,000 miles away and has never moved.”

The most ambitious plan to get Americans to show up in the same room and argue with one another in the nineteen-thirties came out of Des Moines, Iowa, from a one-eyed former bricklayer named John W. Studebaker, who had become the superintendent of the city’s schools. Studebaker, who after the Second World War helped create the G.I. Bill, had the idea of opening those schools up at night, so that citizens could hold debates. In 1933, with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation and support from the American Association for Adult Education, he started a five-year experiment in civic education.

The meetings began at a quarter to eight, with a fifteen-minute news update, followed by a forty-five-minute lecture, and thirty minutes of debate. The idea was that “the people of the community of every political affiliation, creed, and economic view have an opportunity to participate freely.” When Senator Guy Gillette, a Democrat from Iowa, talked about “Why I Support the New Deal,” Senator Lester Dickinson, a Republican from Iowa, talked about “Why I Oppose the New Deal.” Speakers defended Fascism. They attacked capitalism. They attacked Fascism. They defended capitalism. Within the first nine months of the program, thirteen thousand of Des Moines’s seventy-six thousand adults had attended a forum. The program got so popular that in 1934 F.D.R. appointed Studebaker the U.S. Commissioner of Education and, with the eventual help of Eleanor Roosevelt, the program became a part of the New Deal, and received federal funding. The federal forum program started out in ten test sites—from Orange County, California, to Sedgwick County, Kansas, and Pulaski County, Arkansas. It came to include almost five hundred forums in forty-three states and involved two and a half million Americans. Even people who had steadfastly predicted the demise of democracy participated. “It seems to me the only method by which we are going to achieve democracy in the United States,” Du Bois wrote, in 1937.

The federal government paid for it, but everything else fell under local control, and ordinary people made it work, by showing up and participating. Usually, school districts found the speakers and decided on the topics after collecting ballots from the community. In some parts of the country, even in rural areas, meetings were held four and five times a week. They started in schools and spread to Y.M.C.A.s and Y.W.C.A.s, labor halls, libraries, settlement houses, and businesses, during lunch hours. Many of the meetings were broadcast by radio. People who went to those meetings debated all sorts of things:

Should the Power of the Supreme Court Be Altered?

Do Company Unions Help Labor?

Do Machines Oust Men?

Must the West Get Out of the East?

Can We Conquer Poverty?

Should Capital Punishment Be Abolished?

Is Propaganda a Menace?

Do We Need a New Constitution?

Should Women Work?

Is America a Good Neighbor?

Can It Happen Here?

These efforts don’t always work. Still, trying them is better than talking about the weather, and waiting for someone to hand you an umbrella.

When a terrible hurricane hit New England in 1938, Dr. Lorine Pruette, a Tennessee-born psychologist who had written an essay called “Why Women Fail,” and who had urged F.D.R. to name only women to his Cabinet, found herself marooned at a farm in New Hampshire with a young neighbor, sixteen-year-old Alice Hooper, a high-school sophomore. Waiting out the storm, they had nothing to do except listen to the news, which, needless to say, concerned the future of democracy. Alice asked Pruette a question: “What is it everyone on the radio is talking about—what is this democracy—what does it mean?” Somehow, in the end, NBC arranged a coast-to-coast broadcast, in which eight prominent thinkers—two ministers, three professors, a former ambassador, a poet, and a journalist—tried to explain to Alice the meaning of democracy. American democracy had found its “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” moment, except that it was messier, and more interesting, because those eight people didn’t agree on the answer. Democracy, Alice, is the darnedest thing.

That broadcast was made possible by the workers who brought electricity to rural New Hampshire; the legislators who signed the 1934 federal Communications Act, mandating public-interest broadcasting; the executives at NBC who decided that it was important to run this program; the two ministers, the three professors, the former ambassador, the poet, and the journalist who gave their time, for free, to a public forum, and agreed to disagree without acting like asses; and a whole lot of Americans who took the time to listen, carefully, even though they had plenty of other things to do. Getting out of our current jam will likely require something different, but not entirely different. And it will be worth doing.

A decade-long debate about the future of democracy came to a close at the end of the nineteen-thirties—but not because it had been settled. In 1939, the World’s Fair opened in Queens, with a main exhibit featuring the saga of democracy and a chipper motto: “The World of Tomorrow.” The fairgrounds included a Court of Peace, with pavilions for every nation. By the time the fair opened, Czechoslovakia had fallen to Germany, though, and its pavilion couldn’t open. Shortly afterward, Edvard Beneš, the exiled President of Czechoslovakia, delivered a series of lectures at the University of Chicago on, yes, the future of democracy, though he spoke less about the future than about the past, and especially about the terrible present, a time of violently unmoored traditions and laws and agreements, a time “of moral and intellectual crisis and chaos.” Soon, more funereal bunting was brought to the World’s Fair, to cover Poland, Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. By the time the World of Tomorrow closed, in 1940, half the European hall lay under a shroud of black.

The federal government stopped funding the forum program in 1941. Americans would take up their debate about the future of democracy, in a different form, only after the defeat of the Axis. For now, there was a war to fight. And there were still essays to publish, if not about the future, then about the present. In 1943, E. B. White got a letter in the mail, from the Writers’ War Board, asking him to write a statement about “The Meaning of Democracy.” He was a little weary of these pieces, but he knew how much they mattered. He wrote back, “Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of a morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is.” It meant something once. And, the thing is, it still does. ♦

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Published in the print edition of the February 3, 2020, issue, with the headline “In Every Dark Hour.”

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Jill Lepore is a staff writer at The New Yorker and a professor of history at Harvard University. Her latest book is “These Truths: A History of the United States.”

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I personally love hot yoga and we didn't have a hot yoga studio in my local area so I wanted to include that in the name so people knew in advance that we offer hot yoga. I love the idea of creating a space that helped people feel happy and healthy. I started to fall in love with the yoga practice personally after years of hating it (I only went in the start because my physio told me too ) . I was practicing it at a local studio not too far away from my house and one day I arrived to see that the class had been cancelled and to be honest i had the shits. I was so over the way that the studio was being run that i thought to myself (gosh how hard can it be to open a yoga school and run it professionally - nothing against that yoga studio, but it just wasn't the way I would have it) . That night at dinner I was telling my boyfriend at the time about my day and how I was frustrated with the studio and he said to me (well why don't you open your own studio, how hard can it be? ). This got my brain ticking over, 3 months later I was a yoga teacher and a yoga studio owner at Happy Hot Yoga.How did you get your first three clients?The day we opened i had an open day- free yoga classes for anyone that showed up along with some healthy treats and my family were all there wearing shirts helping me talk to people and get them and show them what Happy Hot Yoga was about. We offered an intro deal at the time $25 for 10 days unlimited yoga. This enables new students to come and try out as many classes as they wanted in 10 days.The thing with yoga is - you do it once, you may get a little confronted, your mind racing as you cant help but look at what others are doing. You do it 2 times a week and you feel good after , you do it 3 or more times and you give your body a chance to really feel the benefits. I have found that so many people don't really love the first class - our intro offer encourages you to try it again and hopefully again.How did you validate the idea?Did you have any experience/expertise in the area? I did lots of shopping and trying other yoga studios not only in my local area but also in the country and overseas. I look at what other studios offer (what is value for money and what is not). I then chatted to some other yoga teachers and came up with my price structure (this has evolved and changed throughout the past 4 years)My demographic is anyone between the age of 18 and 70. Our main clientele is women between the ages of 38-60 (but we have lots more men joining our classes these days which is awesome.What is the most common class you run? We run a range of classes on the timetable, our favourites are Power yoga and Yin Yoga. Power is a dynamic class that mobilises and detoxifies your body. The flow part of the class comes from the natural transition from one pose to the next where your focus will be on connecting your movement to your breath. A sweat-dripping class leaving you challenged, refreshed and fulfilled. This class is a stronger flow in the heat a great workout. Yin Yoga - This class is  like heaven on earth. Yin yoga targets the deep tissues of your body in a way unlike any other yoga practice. A Yin pose is one that is held for a long time. In return, your connective tissues are gently stretched. Your body responds by making its tissues longer and stronger.How do you attract clients? Facebook, instagram, local letter drops, word of mouth, brochures in cafes, website , google. After spending money on all types of advertising I still don't think you can beat word of mouth - This is why I also do my best to treat every person that walks in the door like a unique soul as you never know who they know. What is the funniest/most strange request you have received from a client/prospective client? Funniest thing is people doing (farts) in class, it always cracks me up and it happens to all of us at different times. We often also experience people becoming so relaxed that they start snoring in class (also always makes me laugh)  How did you fund the idea initially?I had this great idea and went and spoke to my biggest support (my father) after some long and hard discussions we decided to become business partners and I have not looked back since. My dad is my fix it man at the studio and pops into the studio for regular classes when he is not caravanning around the country. My father and are equal partners.Any tips for finding first employees?Being honest about who i am my mission and purpose in life and at the studio.  Making sure to  set out my expectations from the start. I also make sure I understand the employee purpose  and mission,  and why they want to become part of my team. Did you run any companies prior? Yes, I had been running an Anytime Fitness franchise for the previous 3 years ( taught me so much and still does).What motivated you to start your own business?I saw a need in the area and I tend to become frustrated when I see potential for a great business and no one else is doing it or if they are doing it and I feel that things could be done  a little better What were your family and friends first thoughts you creating your own your company? Initially my family were a little lost with the idea of a yoga school. “Carla, yoga schools don’t tend to make much money” - was a comment I recall getting.My answer was, “It's not always about making money, I want to help people and trust me i can make this work”. From that moment on my family were on my team (friends and acquaintances were a little different but the type A personality/ capricorn that I am loves to prove those people wrong). It seems weird but i just knew that I could make it work, I felt it in my guts. What motivates you when things go wrong?I am continually indulging in books and watching and listening to other success stories - this motivates me always and i am naturally motivated. I want to do and be the best person I can be. I understand that life is a journey and it’s the daily small steps that fill me up. It helps that I love what I do. I love teaching, I love our community and I love to help make an impact in whatever way I can. What is the end goal?My end goal is forever growing and evolving - I am going to have a studio that is known Australia wide for being a place where people can come and take time to nourish themselves, possibly a few studios around Australia. I have a goal to make an impact globally- for this reason I partner with BIG1 and microloans. Every time someone takes a yoga class or makes a purchase at the studio, we share this impact by providing a loan for a woman entrepreneur in Malawi or providing a meal for a child in poverty in India. Do you have any advice for someone just starting out? I always say that if you are going into business make sure it's something that makes your heart sing, you could do it everyday without getting paid and have a purpose to make an impact to help others (i believe this helps keep you driven, focused and smiling everyday. What is stopping you from being 3x the size you are now?To be honest probably myself and my own limiting beliefs. I have not yet really thought about partnerships to date but always open to ideas on how to  accelerate my growth. What are you working on now?I am on a huge mission to help as many people live a happier, healthier life. My goals moving forward are to grow the studio and to share my message with not only my local community but also globally through my speaking engagements and my podcast (Get Happy Hour).Would you ever sell the company?Possibly one day in the future but that's hard to envision now as its my baby and a mother always has issues letting go, but yes one day for sure.For more, see here.

[realblackhelix]

Regarding Season 5 Legends of Tomorrow

Spoilers mostly because of two paragraphs of quotes hinting at Season 5 but it's not really spoilery.

So everyone seems a little worried about the season finale spoilers which are hinting about what season 5 may be about and while I am a little something has been niggling at me, a lot of somethings.

If you are here only for Avalance. Check #4 it's a theory that I haven't been able to shake since I read the Season 5 spoilers.

Here for potential episode count of Season 5 of Legends of Tomorrow and/or the potential reasoning behind it's midseason, next year move? Try #3

Or here for a potential theory regarding Season 5 entirely. This also includes Avalance and has a little more backbone then #4. Check out #5

Here for Crisis on Infinite Earths? Check the last part.

So I made a list and dug back through almost every episode of Legends from season 3-4 to try to calm my fears and honestly I think there are some huge clues buried deep in there.

1. People are worried that next Season will be Legends of Tomorrow's last and I honest to god think Legends of Tomorrow will end with a Season 6 and not 5. Why do I think this? Mostly because the CW renewed it for season 5 didn't mention it was ending and renewed Arrow for season 8 and mentioned that it would be it's final season. Plus I doubt they'd end two of the Arrowverse shows one after the other. I know it hasn't been running as long as Arrow and Legends isn't the flagship show but I do believe they would've let people know if that would be it. Though that said I do believe Legends will have a Season 6 and that will be it's last, do I want it to be? No.

Should it be? That's to be determined.

There are hundreds of stories a show like Legends could tell but honestly ask yourself is it worth the risk of Legends losing what makes it Legends, let it and those in it go down as Legends I say.

2. And what happens when the Legends awaken the original guardians of Time (no, not the Time Masters, sillies, that was season one!) who wish to erase everything the Legends have “screwed up for the better” over the past four seasons?

I needed to especially hit this nail on the head, considering I began writing a fic back at the beginning of 3B about original guardians of time, I literally even called them Time Guardians and tied the original 2 of them to Adam and Eve and there was this whole plot surrounding what if and honestly Im scrapping it now, I was probably never going to finish it but I was almost half way through so thats something.

Now to get on with the actual point of this quote, I dont know if anybody has noticed but this entire season offset with the actors and actressess and onset as their characters, especially the closer it gets to the finale has been extremely focused on the wrongs season 1 did, how bad it was, how much the actors didn't like it (example - Dominic Purcell's quote, Phil Klemmers comments about it and on and on with the other actors), the quote above even mentions the fact that these guardians will try to correct the past 4 seasons and then there's Sara's and Mick's mention to it in "Nip/Stuck", the offshoot moment that had everyone going awwww when Mick mentioned they were the last of the originals and Sara mentioned they were different back then and that they are growing up but hopefully not apart (a huge hint I believe that this show is ready to tie the knot, just not season 5 ready because they'll need to be adults for that ending and they aren't quite there yet) season 4 was about coming to terms with that fact and season 5 will be about them acting on it, season 6 will be the realisation that every Legend has an ending. This is where season 5 'them acting on being adults' comes into it, I believe Legends is going to try to write season 1's wrong in a way they haven't done yet, do I mean they'll literally go back and rewrite season 1? No, i swear to god they better not that would be another level of unbelievable yet to be achieved but that doesn't mean certain aspects of season 1 won't have a huge impact, season 1 brought them together as in Sara's words "the original losers, not important to history" and now look at them. Season 1 of Legends will play a pivotal plot point to Season 5, a realisation of soughts. It's time for the Legends to grow up, realise that every action truly has consequences and that nothing lasts forever, something they couldn't fathom when Rip tried to keep them from fixing their mess in 3x01 forcing them to get normal lives and not be time travelling superheroes. Though they'll surely have their fun discovering this.

3. Midseason Return and episode count

Okay, I am not worried at all about this. Is it shitty? Yeah definitely. We won't be getting episodes until at least at minimum January next year but let's be honest with Batwoman hitting our screens, this was going to happen.

Legends of Tomorrow is the CW's most outrageous, crazy, no ordinary run of the mill show they have. It's no longer able to fit with the nitty gritty of the Arrowverse, it's in a league of its own.

These things are what make Legends of Tomorrow, Legends of Tomorrow. It wouldn't be the same if it resembled the street show Arrow is or the teen superhero show the Flash is or the normal, kind of? that Supergirl is or whatever type of darl thing Batwoman will be. Just like Black Lightning (which if you aren't watching, why?) Legends is something of its own. Unique.

Moving Legends away may very well be them realising this.

As for episode count, I don't expect anything above 16 episodes but I certainly don't expect anything below 13. This whole 10 episode rumour going around, I find it hard to believe, Arrow got 10 mostly because it's the last season and Stephen Amell requested a shorter series to end on.

4. Avalance - let's be honest most of you reading this are only here for the Avalance. Probably.

What do I think of Avalance leading into season 5? I think we got our answer perhaps in the form of Clexacon, 4B and the spoiler. Everyone is so concerned with the fact that they may break up that they haven't considered something entirely different.

In attempting to change her future, Zari Tomaz (Tala Ashe) will accidentally change not just the past she shared with Nate Heywood (Nick Zano), but fundamentally change who the Legends are in season five.

From this one paragraph everybody assumes they are going to be broken up in this new reality. If that turns out to be the case I am all here for a finding their way back to each other season. Remember, Sara and Ava are who each other want. They'll find their way back to one another.

Though this isn't what I get from this, remember Clexacon. Remember baby Beebo's? Remember Ava wanting a life with Sara and Sara not entirely sure she could give that to Ava with her past, remember everything with Sara's father, remember Ava wanting to talk about kids and so on and so on. Now I'm not saying Quentin will make an appearance but I am suggesting that what if this new reality is everything they ever wanted, what if it's paradise, Ava has a kid with Sara, Sara has her father and she's in a good place with Ava but nothing feels right. What if it changes their lives all for the better and season 5 is them coming to terms with the fact that they can't have something that isn't really real. Imagine Ava having to let go of a child, Sara having to say goodbye to a living family, Nate saying goodbye to his Dad again, Mick having to let go off being some famous writer and so on and so on for every other character. It's not their reality whether it's perfect or not at the end of the day they are heroes and now they need to prove it.

Will Avalance have a rough patch? No doubt.

Will they be broken up at the start of next season? Who knows, I don't, not really.

Will they find their place together? Definitely, I'd bet my life Legends Season 5 ends with Avalance. Though Season 6 may start with only one of them.

5. What if the opposite of the above happens?

What if it's the fact that Zari erases herself from history or never meets the Legends and detrimentally changes the future, I mean that was a theme through all of season 3 and looking back at the fantastic episode "Here We Go Again" Gideon and Zari figure out that without her they can't stop Mallus, what else would've happened without Zari.

If Zari never met the Legends what would the impact be?

First we need to take a look at Zari and what brought her too the Legends, namely her brother and the desire to save him, he gave her the totem, so let's think this through, if Zari some how manages to save her brother (I'm gonna say she saves him with her dragon, that dragon will come into play somehow, leaving it at Zari's was in no way a random thing), she never gets the totem, she never joins the Legends and the Legends no longer have six totems.

What then? What about Mallus? What about Nora?

What about Avalance, Zari (with the help of the cheeky bot, Sara's words not mine,) were catalysts for them, is it possible that without her push to Sara, Ava moved on with that ex in Vegas or someone else. It would give Legends and opportunity for some hilarious Sara jealousy and pining something we haven't really ever seen. Could you imagine? They would be friends with or without Zari but would they be together? Sara is a little stupid when it comes to admitting feelings and Ava is a little dense when it comes to anything Sara related, it would make for a joy to watch as Sara and Ava fall in love all over again but never truly get together until everything is fixed with time and they realise the lynch pin to their relationship starting was Zari.

What about Charlie? Or Constantine? Zari had a huge impact on both characters, "Legends of To-Meow-Meow" is all the proof you need.

Would Constantine even be a part of the team?

Would Charlie?

Would Mick be a writer, Zari gave him the push he needed, to be out as a writer and to be a writer. Without Zari, Here We Go Again never happened.

Zari impacted every one of Legends, willing or not. Mostly not.

What about those donuts? Would the Waverider be overrun by donuts? Poor Gideon.

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Alright this is because this makes me more nervous than Season 5 of Legends spoilers does. Probably because we haven't heard anything really and only have the comics to truly back the crazy theories surrounding it.

Lets give it a look. Canon flow of the story between all shows hasn't been the CW's greatest forte, their plot holes only seem to get bigger and bigger with every second or third episode that hits the screen as they try to tie all these shows together.

That said, one thing that has yet to become a plot hole, at least not that I've seen. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

The Legends were picked because they wouldn't impact history in any great way. Sara dying or any Legends dying to save the multiverse would throw a wrench into this and blow the biggest plot hole in Legends that would be pretty hard to turn around from. I'm not saying that they might not try because it is the CW but let's be honest going into Clexacon, Jes and Caity knew how Legends was going to end, Caity will be back for the next season which would be awkward if she died in the crossover (Though she does have a habit of coming back from death), so relax chill and wait to see that most likely this Crossover will show what happens with Oliver Queen the Arrow, one final Arrowverse send of for the one who started it. Love or loathe Arrow, personally for me it went downhill around season 5 but I hold a soft spot for it, love or loathe you probably wouldn't have everything else without it. So give it a round of applause when it finishes, Stephen Amell and the rest of them deserve it.

That said it is Crisis on Infinite Earths, who's to say that the new season of Legends will take place on the Earth we are familiar with, after all they're time travellers, who needs Earth, time will do just fine. Just have to wait and see.

If only we had a time machine right?

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include A Night In The Woods' cartoon realism, a history of Loom, and much more.

Well, it's almost GDC time (latest announces here), so next week's Video Game Deep Cuts will be the final one before the show. Then the weekend after that may turn into a 'Game Developers Conference 2017 highlights' joint, because I may be a BIT too busy to find new links that week, heh. BTW, while you're waiting for the show, read up on this year's IGF finalists and with alt.ctrl.GDC exhibitors via the linked Gamasutra interview series.

- Simon, curator.]

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Why road-building in Cities: Skylines is a pleasure (Alex Wiltshire / RockPaperShotgun) "Cities: Skylines is a sim that feels uncommonly alive and reactive to your planning... They may walk or take a bus or train, but you’ll mostly notice them driving, creating traffic which fundamentally represents the health of your city, a pulsing network that’s driven by Cities: Skylines’ beating heart."

'Metacritic' Still Matters, But For How Long? (Chris Baker / Glixel) "Marc Doyle was headed off for a weekend getaway in Santa Barbara with some of his old college buddies when he received the news that the Washington Post's critic did not enjoy the video game Uncharted 4: A Thief's End."

Coming to Video Games Near You: Depressed Towns, Dead-End Characters (Laura Hudson / New York Times) "In the coming video game Night in the Woods, a young woman named Mae decides to drop out of college and return to the former mining town where she grew up. It’s a place where there is little opportunity and most people are struggling to make ends meet."

How to Make the Best of Working on Licensed Video Games (Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "Bowler is used to games with unique challenges; after shipping Game Party Champions, he was seen as someone who could shepherd others like it to the finish line. It's how he ended up as lead designer on a mobile tie-in game for Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, Man of Steel."

Why Yakuza 0 is a Masterclass in Managing Tone (Writing On Games / YouTube) "Yakuza 0 is a wildly dissonant experience, swinging violently between super-serious gangster intrigue, slapstick violence and over-the-top melodrama. It's the absolute best. In this episode of Writing on Games, I analyse why embracing this dissonance allows the game to tell more human stories."

Direction (Rob Fearon) "We are in times where games are in abundance. I wrote about this a few weeks back and I think it’s (hopefully) a useful primer for understanding why Valve are doing what they’re doing. We’ve gone from not many games being sold under our noses to lots of games."

What do developers and publishers really think of SteamSpy? (Ben Barrett / PCGamesN) "It’s constantly referenced by players, journalists, publishers and developers for a variety of reasons - but how accurate is it versus Steam’s unpublished numbers? What do developers think of it, and the ways it’s used? Importantly, do they wish they could be removed from it?"

The long and troubled history of Apocalypse Now, the video game (Adi Robertson / The Verge) "In late January, an exciting and unlikely project showed up on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter: a request for $900,000 to make a video game adaptation of Apocalypse Now, officially blessed by the film’s director Francis Ford Coppola."

Bonchan Looks Back on His Rise in eSports Unfold (Mike Stubbsy / Red Bull eSports) "Bonchan’s Street Fighter origin story is one of the most unusual we’ve heard yet. As he tells us in the latest episode of eSports Unfold, back when Street Fighter was on something of a hiatus, Bonchan met up with a legend of the scene, and quickly rose to the top when things started to pick up."

The Gamer Motivation Profile: Model and Findings (Nick Yee / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2016 GDC session, Quantic Foundry's Nick Yee presents the results of a global survey that help inform game developers about the different motivations of players, showing the different types of potential customer that exist in the video game market."

Game Director Ion Hazzikostas Explains Blizzard’s Newest Experiment, the 'WoW' Token (Heather Newman / Glixel) ""It’s kind of my baby," Ion Hazzikostas says about the WoW token. Though he's now WoW's game director, Hazzikostas has worked on the initiative since its inception. Here, he talks with Glixel about how the death of the Diablo RMAH made the WoW token possible, what people have been spending it on, and its impact on gold farming."

How Chicago's Overlooked Video Game Creators Scored an Extra Life (Sam Greszes / Thrillist) "Yes, dear Chicagoans, your humble hometown, the Second City, the City of Broad Shoulders, the Many-Nicknamed City That Is Barely Habitable Eight Months Out of the Year, deserves some recognition when it comes to gaming. It doesn’t get as much credit as the tech havens on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, it really is at the forefront of video game development -- and has been for years."

Metacritic's 7th Annual Game Publisher Rankings (Jason Dietz / Metacritic) "Which game publishers released the best games last year? For the seventh straight year, we have sifted through 12 months of data to determine the best and worst game publishers of the year, based solely on the quality of their 2016 releases. [SIMON'S NOTE: I find this a little bizarre, but it's certainly interesting to peruse!]"

Loom (or, how Brian Moriarty Proved That Less is Sometimes More) (Jimmy Maher / The Digital Antiquarian) "In April of 1988, Brian Moriarty of Infocom flew from the East Coast to the West to attend the first ever Computer Game Developers Conference. Hard-pressed from below by the slowing sales of their text adventures and from above by parent company Activision’s ever more demanding management, Infocom didn’t have the money to pay for Moriarty’s trip."

For Honor's mastermind: "My greatest fear was that I would die before I could share this with the world" (Wouter McDutch / GamesRadar) "According to Jason VandenBerghe, creative director on Ubisoft’s For Honor, there are only a handful of lucky developers who get to create the game of their dreams. It took him almost ten years to get the vision he had for For Honor greenlit and the game has since been in development for almost five."

Art Of The Title: Doom (2016) (Will Perkins / Art Of The Title) "DOOM’s end credits are the perfect coda for that kind of gameplay experience. A four-minute reprise of the player’s gib-filled journey, the title sequence is a hard rockin’, shotgun-blasting, demon-dismembering battle across Mars and into Hell itself."

The story of Warframe: how a game no publisher wanted found 26 million players (Tom Marks / PC Gamer) "In early 2013, Digital Extremes finally released the free-to-play space-ninja shooter it had wanted to make for over 13 years, but that doesn’t mean it was a happy time for the studio. Every publisher with an opportunity to back Warframe had passed, and most even said outright it would fail."

How the Yakuza helped sell Nintendo's first game (Chris Bratt / Eurogamer) "Join me in today's episode of Here's A Thing, as we take a look back at a very different kind of Nintendo and how, surprisingly, the Yakuza helped ensure its first game was such a massive success."

Other Places: Hitman (Other Places / YouTube) "Other Places is a series of short films celebrating beautiful videogame worlds. [SIMON'S NOTE: not writing, but certainly beautiful and a great idea - there's a whole YouTube channel of more if you like 'em.]"

Devs discuss the history and the future of so-called 'walking sims' (Jon Irwin / Gamasutra) "In many games, walking around is just something we do before jumping over that wall or shooting that menacing enemy. But an increasing number of independent games are tamping down on feature-creep and reimagining how we consider putting one step in front of the other."

The Story Behind YouTube's Strangely Compelling 'Hot Pepper Gaming' Channel (Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "Nothing lasts forever, not even a YouTube channel about people eating obnoxiously hot peppers and trying to talk about video games. On February 6, Hot Pepper Gaming uploaded its its final episode, a tear-filled video about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's recent remastering."

Meet Hungrybox, the Most Resilient 'Smash Bros.' Champion (Justin Groot / Glixel) "'God, I'm crying a lot, I'm sorry,' said Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma, one of five Super Smash Bros. Melee players (the others being Adam "Armada" Lindgren, Joseph "Mango" Marquez, Kevin "PPMD" Nanney and Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman) known as "Gods" for their lopsided domination of the modern competitive scene."

Darwin's Demons - Natural Selection Applied To Space Invaders (Scott Manley / YouTube) "Darwin's Demons is a student game project which applies genetic algorithms to space invaders to make each level harder than the last. "

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[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to vgdeepcuts@simoncarless.com. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]