#i like tech-challenged vamps

[igotsnothing]

Beginning/Previous/Next ⋆♱✮☽🦇☽✮♰⋆

[plunderwater]

Slayin' Alive, Slayin' Alive

TIMING: Recent, before Emilio got cursed LOCATION: Somewhere Downtown PARTIES: Emilio (@mortemoppetere) & Fang (@ronin-for-hire) SUMMARY: Fang and Emilio cross paths when their respective quarries end up together. CONTENT WARNINGS: None

—

There was a moment, then, when it all came back to her—how it was to be ignorant: to have no knowledge of the shadows that lurked underneath all that she knew; to sleep soundly at night believing light always triumphs over darkness, that love and peace and heroes would always find a way to make sure everyone was safe; to not chase after stupid vamps on what could have been a sensual Friday night. “I could be boning someone by now,” Fang groaned to herself as their chase finally ended.

Her target was trapped. Between her and a dead end. Fang smiled underneath her oni facemask as her fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt of her katana, a borrowed weapon from her late mentor. She narrowed her eyes at the creature, who mostly just resembled an idiot boy if not for the fresh blood around her mouth, almost challenging them to come at her and fight back. Her target looked like he was about to…but then he threw a kick at her, sending her shoe flying toward her face, which the slayer instinctively slashed in half, all while her prey threw themselves over the dead end and continued to run. “Motherfucker!”

Sure, she could have continued to chase after the damned vamp, but maybe she didn’t have to. Fang squinted when she caught a glimpse of a piece of crumpled paper on the ground. She quickly retrieved it, and upon opening it, smirked like she just won against a stupid idiot. “Is this his address? What in the actual fuck?”

—

In the beginning, just after the massacre, it felt like Emilio was tracking down another one of the vampires responsible every week. There’d been so many of them and, just after it happened, they’d been so proud of themselves. Bragging about it in bars and street corners, excited to say that they’d been a part of the group that finally took down the Cortez family of slayers once and for all. Finding them had been easy. Picking them off, slowly and painfully, had been simple. He’d learned a lot, in those first few months, about how much a vampire could take before its body gave out, before it exploded into dust, before it begged for it. He missed that, sometimes.

It was harder now. Word had gotten out, eventually, that someone was tracking down everyone involved. No one knew it was him — as far as both the undead and the hunter community knew, Emilio Cortez had died with the rest of his family in Mexico — but they knew enough to stop their bragging. Tracking down just one vampire who’d been involved now took weeks instead of hours. It took months, sometimes. 

So finding one in Wicked’s Rest felt like a win.

He’d tracked the thing to an apartment building downtown. It was a hell of a lot nicer than Emilio’s apartment, which might have pissed him off if he’d cared anything about where he was living. As it was, it felt about as empty as everything else did. The slayer sighed, making his way towards the building… only to pause when he felt someone nearby. Not someone undead, which seemed odd given why he was here. Just a presence, watching. He turned towards the shadows, slayer vision allowing him to see through them to spot a figure in a mask, holding a katana in one hand and clutching a slip of paper in the other. Huh. That was new. “What are you supposed to be?”

—

It didn’t take long for Fang to track down her prey’s apartment. Despite the way she looked and acted, she was pretty savvy with all the new tech. Well, at least for someone in her line of work. A quick browsing of Google Maps and she was all set. What she found more difficult was to not get annoyed at the fact that the monster she was hunting lived in a better place than she did. Probably some place they stole from its original owner. Probably even murdered the original owner. Yeah, that’s probably it. Fang strengthened her resolve by thinking the worst of the damned vamp, which she believed was what they deserved.

Fang had slinked into the shadows when she realized she was not alone. She raised an eyebrow when the man easily spotted her. The slayer was already on a roll with thinking the worst of others, so in her head, she instinctively thought he was an associate of her prey. How else would he had seen him so easily? Another slayer? Pfft, what were the chances? And even if they were truly another slayer, then they might be after her prey. No way she was sharing her bounty. There’s rent left to pay this month. So she took out her katana and swung at him. Like a complete psychopath. “Your Maker, monster.”

—

Whatever he’d expected, it wasn’t this. Emilio had dealt with plenty over the years, but a woman in a mask leaping out from him wielding a goddamn sword? That was new. He jumped back just in time to avoid getting cut in half, whipping out his stake instinctively. She wasn’t undead — he would have sensed it if she were — but the stake happened to be the most easily accessible weapon he had on him at the moment. And a stake through the heart would kill most things, to be fair. It just happened to work especially well on vampires.

“You practice that line in the mirror at night?” It had been pretty well timed, and he had sort of unintentionally set her up for it, but it sounded like something out of an action movie. Or… what Emilio assumed would come out of an action movie. In all fairness, he supposed, he’d never actually seen one. “You come at everyone like this, or am I a special case?” He wasn’t sure whether to fight her or just walk away. This wasn’t what he was here for, after all.

—

When Fang saw the stake in the man’s hand, she had to take a step back. It wasn’t a weapon a vampire would have, at least not any vampire she’s fought before, though to be fair, the rules here were different from the rules in Japan. Also, not that many vampires in Japan. At least not the ones like in this town. Or maybe even in this part of the world. But she digressed. A vampire didn’t need a stake. Even with just its fangs and claws, it could take down a fellow vampire. A vampire with a stake just seemed as dumb as a Charmander with a bucket of water on its head.

“You’re not a vampire, are you?” That much was fast becoming obvious. Maybe if she took a second to check, this awkward and definitely dangerous moment could have been avoided. But Fang’s quarry had been testing her patience since they first encountered each other all those days ago. She didn’t have the patience to hesitate going into this place, this supposed hideout for the undead vermin, certainly not the patience to trade quips, even though she wasn’t that creative. “A thrall?” With a stake? Maybe a jilted lover, an annoyed servant here to take vengeance on his master through murder? But her quarry looked nothing like Nicolas Cage, and this man was no Nicholas Hoult. “Are you here to… The creature in this place is mine. You should leave.”

—

He felt oddly offended at the question, the very idea that he could be mistaken for something undead, for something like the things that had ruined his life before it began at all feeling more like an insult than a general inquiry. It made him feel a little sick, with a tightness in his chest and an acidic taste on his tongue. “No,” he snapped, a little harsher than was absolutely necessary, “I’m not a pinche vampire.” 

And then she continued, and Emilio found himself impossibly angrier. She wanted him to leave? He had every right to be here, had more of a claim to the vampire in that apartment than she did. What was she after it for? Did it matter? To her, it was probably nothing more than another undead thing. But to him? This was a deeply personal mission. He was far too stubborn to give it up. “Fuck off. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been looking for this pendejo for months now, and I’m not letting you take it from me. I’m going to go up there, and I’m going to kill it slow. You can go home.”

—

Fang began to lower her weapon when he confirmed the obvious but raised it again when he declined to leave. Fact was, Fang wouldn’t kill an innocent civilian, even if they were wielding a stake, even if they were making her job harder. It wasn’t a wrong vs. right thing either, not a morality issue. To her, it would just be a waste of time. Innocent civilians could never defend themselves against people like her, slayers, hunters, trained from a young age to contend with monsters the former wouldn’t even know existed, wouldn’t even be prepared to fathom.

But Fang was now thinking of making an exception just for this asshole. “Look, dude,” Fang used that word in a derogatory manner, which was barely effective compared to the many other words she could have used. “Someone wants this vamp from down under dead so much, they’re paying top dollar, and I’m not sharing that bounty with you. So you either leave, go home to your video games or whatever, and spend the rest of your miserable, lonely life doing whatever makes you sleep at night…OR you can go up there, die to vampire Hugh Jackman in give or take five seconds, and then I’ll swoop in to get my rent money. Your choice.”

Fang growled at the end to emphasize her point, but she did get a few things wrong: One, the vampire she was after wasn’t Australian; it was from New Zealand, a foreign exchange student who had been alive for much longer than they were in school. Two, top dollar, the bounty wasn’t. It was just double her rent money, which wasn’t really a lot to anyone with a stable job. Fang did not have a stable job, though, so this was all she had. Three, she didn’t have to share that second part with him. Fact was, if she did just let him go at the vampire, believing it would make quick work of him, then she’d still be able to get her rent money after. Now he could just leave, making her lose a would-have-been advantage. Fang was no sly, cunning mind.

—

Ah. So it was money she was after. Emilio had heard of this, the side of the supernatural underbelly that exchanged lives for currency. Even in Mexico, there had been similar organizations. His mother had found it distasteful not because she believed any supernatural creature deserved to live but because she believed hunting to be more a righteous duty than a career option. Emilio’s own distaste for it came from a similar place. You believed what you were taught to believe, regardless of who taught it to you or how. Some things were just hard to shake.

“I don’t care about a bounty,” he snapped. “You want the money, you take it. It means nothing to me. The reasons I’m here are personal. It isn’t going to kill me, because I have been doing this my entire fucking life. I don’t carry this as un accesorio.” He waved the stake adamantly, frustration very clear. “And I don’t play video games.” 

If it were any other vampire, he might have been convinced to just walk away. Emilio was stubborn and possessive to a fault, but he wasn’t going to waste his time arguing with someone he assumed was another slayer over who got to kill a particular vampire. If the vampire was dead, it was dead. But this one was different. It had been there, in Etla. There was very little that would convince Emilio to leave that.

—

Fang raised an eyebrow. She found the guy incredibly rude, but then again, most of them in this line of work, and even those simply aware of the truth of the supernatural, were also incredibly rude. She’s been called incredibly rude herself, and she was, in a way, proud that those people kept their distance because of that perception, maybe even reality. She did find that last part funny for some reason, smirking from behind her facemask as she eased up on him, “Yeah, that much is obvious.”

Another thing that was obvious? Fang realized the other guy wasn’t going to just let this go. He seemed serious enough. About using that weapon in his hand to take out his vampire. Their vampire. Did it really matter if he’d die? He’d at least open some opportunity for her to swoop in while her quarry was busy with his corpse. Or he could be telling the truth and instead do her job for her. He didn’t care about the bounty, and the anguish in his voice, in his eyes, seemed to support that statement. Seemed like a win-win situation for her.

“All right then,” Fang shifted her attention to where their similar prey was supposed to be. “You just want the kill, right? Have at it. I’ll take the bounty when you’re done, so lead the way, Inigo Montoya. Let’s get this son of a bitch.” What better way to utilize the other slayer to his full potential than to use him as bait, or if he was really as good as he made himself sound to be, a weapon. She could at least sympathize with the need for revenge, as it was basically the same reason that brought her to these shores, trapped her in them as well.

—

For a moment, he thought she was going to argue with him. And he would have fought back, of course — Emilio was nothing if not damn stubborn, after all — but he was so goddamn tired. He wanted to get up there, wanted to dust that vampire, wanted to pretend it made him feel a little better, wanted to go home and drink himself into a stupor after and tell himself it was a celebration instead of a fucked up method of coping. He wanted to do all of that without arguing about it first, without having a stranger ask questions he didn’t want to answer.

But then she shrugged, and she didn’t argue after all, and there should have been relief in that but he felt just as empty, just as tired. Nothing ever fixed him. Nothing ever came close. 

He nodded as she spoke. “I just want the kill,” he confirmed. His brow furrowed a little at the name, and he shook his head. “My name’s Emilio. Not Inigo.” Not that it mattered, but he didn’t want to do this whole thing with her calling him the wrong name. That’d be annoying. Head up, he brushed by her to the entrance to the building. No elevator, though he would have refused to take it anyway. His knee would ache for days, he knew, would be so bad that he might not be able to walk once the adrenaline of the fight wore off, but he’d rather be in pain than reveal weakness to a stranger. Given the choice, Emilio would always prefer hanging himself to asking someone he didn’t know to cut the rope. 

The trip upstairs was a quiet one, since neither of them were particularly interested in talking. His heart was pounding in his chest, anticipation of the fight filling him with a pleasant buzz that never lasted long enough to amount to anything. “Just stay out of my way,” he warned the other slayer lowly. “You can have your bounty, but the vampire’s mine.”

—

“Fang,” she growled, back in her unnecessary Batman-esque voice. Back in Japan, it was the norm for the local slayers, deepening their voices so as not to reveal any hints regarding their true identities, their civilian identities. Fang already thought it was strange back then, even when she just started her training with her late mentor, considering they were already wearing the oni facemasks that was meant to scare the monsters, to remind them that they weren’t the only group stalking the night. She didn’t think the voice was, how the kids would say, extra until she got in this town, until it was just here cosplaying a character now played in the movies by the same actor who will never escape that time he played a sparkling vampire. “Have at it, Emilio.”

It didn’t matter, whoever got the kill. At least not with this job. It was just a simple elimination bounty, basically just take the vampire out and take a photo or a souvenir as proof that it was long gone. Come to think of it, one could just fake all that as easily as photoshopping a corpse or bringing back some other guy’s ashes. Didn’t even have to be the ashes of an actual corpse. Could just be ashes from something else, something burnt down. The people who put out these hits, surely most of them knew that. But then again, there was no price great enough for a good night’s rest. Fang would know.

Fang also, even if she would never admit it, harbored a liking for the extra work, the nitty gritty of the job. For most of her life, after her parents’ death and before her mentor’s passing, this had been all that she had, all that made her feel like her life had a purpose, why she was spared instead of her parents. If this was taken from her, the very concept of being out here and hunting down vampires and whatever else goes bump in the night, she wouldn’t know what to do. Maybe repair more VCRs. God, that thought almost made her vomit. “All right,” she let him go first, not even making any effort to watch his back. Worst case scenario? They eat him, which could still be a golden opportunity for her to kill them all while they’re chowing down on an Emilio taco. “No takebacks.” 

Whatever this guy had on this particular vampire, Fang didn’t really care. All she cared about was the money, the bounty. Still, she followed his lead while keeping a safe distance between the two of them. In her mind, she wouldn’t even make the effort to help him fend them off, if there were even more than one or two. It was wishful thinking, though, because when it comes down to it, when the vampires attack? Fang’s instincts would never let her not slice and dice at least one of them. It’s just who she was.

—

No takebacks. He nodded curtly, pleased with the words. The last thing Emilio wanted was someone getting in his way, slayer or no. His vengeance was his, and his alone. The thought of letting someone else do it for him, of allowing a stranger to kill what should have been his… It felt like a betrayal. His family, his daughter deserved more than that. He’d already failed to save her. What kind of father would he be if he failed to make the people who had killed her pay for it, too? What kind of man? 

They stood outside the door to the vampire��s apartment now, and Emilio let the feeling of the undead inside wash over him. That all-too familiar shiver up his spine, the way his stomach clenched in anticipation. He liked the fight but, if he was being honest, he liked this part, too. The part where the adrenaline was just starting to build, where his body’s knowledge of what was coming kick-started its response to it. 

He let himself revel in it for a moment before lining up with the door and delivering a solid kick to the wood with his good leg, the vibrations reverberating through the limb as the lock gave way. Thanks to his superior strength, it only took one kick; no time for the vampire inside to prepare.

Or vampires, rather. Three of them, all staring at the now-open door. Emilio zeroed in on his target single-mindedly, gripping his stake as he surged forward. “Looks like you get to have some fun, too,” he commented to Fang, ducking as one of the vampires recovered from the shock and came at him. He shoved them in Fang’s direction; they weren’t what he was here for, and he wasn’t doing anything else until he’d taken care of his business. 

—

“Fun?” Fang psh’d. She wasn’t here to have fun. More importantly, she wasn’t here to help this suicidal Emilio guy. “Oh, no, this is all you, amigo.” If he wanted so badly to kill the vampire, he’ll have to do this on his own. He’ll have to kill the other vampires, too. Fang was NOT going to lift a finger until they were all dead, him and/or the vampires. Fang was only here for the bounty. Fang was going to do the smart thing and bide her time, swooping in at the last second after everyone else was spent. Fang was—getting a vampire shoved in her face! What the actual fuck?!

In retrospect, Fang should’ve known this was going to happen. A part of her did. When one of the vampires ran toward them, mostly at Emilio, she already had her hand on the hilt of her katana, tightly wrapped around the handle, ready to slash at something that came her way, something undead. It was her instincts. It was her entire being. So, when the vampire was shoved toward her, she had little hesitation to draw her late mentor’s sword, greeting the oncoming idiot with the steel across its chest. “How much are YOU worth, baka?”

The stupid vampire was confused, but not confused enough to realize it was biting off more than it could chew, so it leapt back, away from the half-masked slayer’s range. Another vampire lunged at Fang, the other one that wasn’t Emilio’s target apparently, but she managed to avoid its attack by simply stepping back. Realizing they had the numbers advantage, the first vampire joined in the frenzy, with Fang forced to be on the defensive. Lucky for her, she was still faster than these guys and they were very predictable. Newly spawned? Inexperienced with their new state? Under some sort of distracting influence? Whatever the case, they were going to die if they didn’t stop tempting her blade. “Only here for one of you, but I can do this town a solid by taking you two out as well.”

—

She was stiff, but that was hardly surprising. She reminded Emilio of his sister, just a little. Rosa had been similarly serious, dedicating herself to the cause above all else. It was the reason why their mother had made no secret of preferring her to the rest of them, the reason why she was set up as the heir to the ‘top’ position in the family in a way that was never in question. Rosa had been a far better slayer than Emilio, and Fang probably was, too. But better didn’t always mean as much as people assumed it would. Rosa still died. Emilio still lived. The world still spun on, despite making very little sense. 

He had no doubt that Fang would leave him to die in a heartbeat if it meant furthering her own cause. In a way, there was some relief in that. Knowing where you stood with people was always better than not knowing, even if you didn’t stand anywhere good. He watched as the other two vampires combined their forces to go up against her, but there was little concern in the way he glanced back at her. She seemed like she could handle herself. If she couldn’t, he’d take the sword after she was dead. It was a nice sword.

Turning his full attention to the guy he’d actually come here to kill, he threw up an arm and shoved it against the vampire’s throat, pushing back with all his strength until the creature’s back met the wall hard. “¿Sabes quién soy?” The words were a quiet growl, meant only for this vampire and not for the other two or the slayer refusing to fight them. The vampire’s eyes widened, and he nodded, eyes flickering back to his companions. “I am going to kill them next,” Emilio told him, taking some joy from the way the vampire’s eyes shot back to meet his again. He cared about the other two. Emilio wondered what they were to him. Friends, lovers, family? It didn’t matter. He’d taken all of those from Emilio, back in Etla. 

Deciding he was no longer content with just killing the vampires, Emilio grabbed the one he was holding by the hair and tossed him across the room, sending him sprawling. It caught the attention of the other two, who turned away from Fang. “I changed my mind,” he announced. “I am going to kill them all. He dies last. I still don’t care about the money, but you can help me with these two if you want. If you don’t, that’s fine, too.” 

—

The pair of vampires threw themselves at Fang again, in a desperate bid to take out the woman with the sword. The half-masked slayer managed to dodge the first idiot by simply taking a few steps back, a look of disappointment behind that oni mask. It seemed the two lackeys didn’t appreciate her earlier comment. No matter. Fang didn’t appreciate them either. When the second guy tried to have a go at her, she didn’t pull back this time, slicing off his hand by his wrist in one clean slash. If only she could do the same to non-undead perverts. With a kick, she pushed the newly christened Captain Hook back.

That was when Emilio made his bold announcement. Or stupid, if you’re on the vampires’ side. Fang simply shrugged. “I already gave you a hand,” she delivered that quip dryly, even though she intended it as a snide remark, as if it was just a meaningless fact. To emphasize her point, however, she pointed at the vampire’s floppy hand on the ground. Gross. “You want some head, too?” As if on cue, the first vampire from before tried to attack her from behind, only to get his throat pierced by her katana’s blade.

Fang didn’t even turn to look at the other vampire guy, already knowing he would try the same. All of them did. It wasn’t a bad strategy, really. Sometimes, you have to take all the advantages you can. Shame Fang heard him a mile away with that shuffling and growling. With her eyes glued to Emilio’s, she forced her blade through her victim’s neck, cutting its way to freedom to the side. The vampire’s body plopped to the ground, though half of the neck was still attached to its shoulder. “There,” she heaved a sigh, calmly walking away from the lackeys and toward the couch in the other side of the room. “Have at it.”

—

As she fought, any of that earlier stiffness melted away. Her movements were fluid, easy. She was good. Definitely better than Emilio, something he could confirm now as he really saw her in action, saw her actually trying to fight instead of just sidestepping to avoid one. He had plenty of training, knew all kinds of moves and tricks, but most of his fighting was based on brute force instead of fluid movements like Fang’s. He was a tank — designed to take damage as he dished it out in hopes that he’d give more than he got. It had gotten him this far, but it was certainly less fun to watch than what she had going on.

She busied herself with her two vampires, and Emilio focused on incapacitating his. He wanted the vampire dead, but he wanted him to suffer first. The foot of his good leg came down hard on the vampire’s knee, the resulting crack and scream bringing a feral grin to the slayer’s face. It felt karmatic, in a way, even if this vampire wouldn’t live long enough to develop a limp or suffer in chronic pain from the injury the way Emilio had. This wasn’t the specific vampire who’d caused the slayer’s injury, but that didn’t matter. Specifics rarely did, with Emilio. Not when it came to this.

By the time he turned back to Fang, she’d already ‘disarmed’ one vampire and piercing the neck of them both. Not enough to kill them, but enough to put them to the floor. The vampire whose leg he’d just broken scrambled into a sitting position, attempting to crawl towards the other two. “Please,” he begged, “please just let them go. They weren’t there. I met them after, they’ve never even been to Mexico.” Another day, the pleas might have had some effect on him. He might have softened, might have at least let the vampire’s companions live. But today? Today, he was running on such little sleep after a night of memories playing out like horror films on the backs of his eyelids, and the vampire on the ground behind him had been one of the directors. Emilio had no kindness left to offer today. Maybe he never had.

He stepped towards the two vampires Fang had incapacitated, kneeling down next to the closest. Already one hand short and sputtering from the wound in its neck that wouldn’t kill it, sliding the stake between the vampire’s ribs almost felt like mercy. There was no fanfare to this kill, no words uttered to the vampire before it dissolved into dust. This was not who Emilio was here for. This was collateral damage. The wails of the vampire he’d come to confront were nice all the same. That’s what it feels like, he thought viciously. Now you know. Lifting himself back up, he walked over to the second vampire and repeated the move, making more dust in the floor. It felt as empty as it always did, but there was still that moment of thrill. There was still that split second reprieve. It was all he ever really got these days.

—

Fang had been too busy with her own problems to fully study Emilio’s fighting, though she didn’t really do that, even if she wasn’t busy. The stolen glimpses did tell her that he wasn’t messing around. Dude was a slayer, all right, and he wasn’t a newbie. Might not even be one of those annoying locals she’d encounter once or twice. Those guys are the worst, especially since one of them stole her kill, her attempt to avenge her late mentor, the only reason she risked everything to come to this part of the world. What an asshole.

“Mexico, huh?” Fang raised an eyebrow, still using that gruff fake voice of hers. She took out a small digital camera, previously abandoned at Sara’s repair shop, now fixed (as fixed as she could make do) and working, to take some photographic evidence of the vampires they’ve just slain. Well, Emilio, mostly. But her client wouldn’t know that. Nor would they care. Most clients she had that wanted these damned things dead (again) tended to focus on that part, the part where the damned things were dead (again). Or finally. For the last time? “Glad I’m fast.”

Or at least she thought she was. Fang managed to take a quick shot of the one of the hench-vamps she’d neutralized but she only got the other hench-vamp’s leg, with the rest of that other guy’s body already dissolving into dust. It looked like a half-finished Photoshop attempt at removing the dead undead from the rest of the photo, but blurry as fuck. Oh, well. She had that guy’s other shoe from before anyway. Should work fine for the client. “Eh, should be fine,” she heaved a sigh and shrugged before stowing the camera away again. “So, that seems personal. Should I leave the room? So you guys can fuck?” It didn’t dawn on Fang that she forgot the rest of the phrase: “each other up”. Not that the other guy can do much with that broken leg anyway. Yikes.

—

He’d almost forgotten Fang was in the room at all. So focused on his empty vengeance, he’d let everything but himself and the vampires fade into the background. It was a stupid move, he knew; the kind of thing that got slayers killed. But Emilio didn’t much care about dying anymore, if he ever had at all. Not that it mattered much here. Fang didn’t want him dead. If she did, she would have left the room when they realized they were dealing with three vampires instead of one, would have just let him fend for himself. He still would have come out on top, but she wouldn’t have known it by looking at him.

Glancing back to her now as she seemed to take what one of the vampires said and roll it over in her mind, he shrugged. “Mexico,” he repeated with a nod, offering no further explanation. It wasn’t as if he could hide his country of origin; his accent was heavy enough to give him away. Anyone who knew dialect well enough could probably even pin it to a specific region. But the details of his story, the reason why he did what he did, why Mexico mattered… That was just for him. Him and the bastard whimpering in the floor a few feet away.

Emilio turned back to it, rolling his eyes as Fang spoke. “Stay or leave,” he replied. “I won’t be long.” He didn’t think the vampire knew anything. If it had, it would have said something, would have used it as a bargaining chip to save its friends. “Do you need anything else from this one?” He didn’t care about her bounty, but she had given him a helping hand in that fight. He wouldn’t dust the last vampire until she was ready for it. That’d be enough to repay whatever debt he owed her for her help here.

—

“Nah, I’m good,” Fang simply shrugged after taking a quick photo of the last vamp. She had spent days on this job, though mostly on the tracking part. Fortunately, he slaying was made easier by this guy from Mexico apparently. Real class act. At least according to what Fang had seen with her own eyes after this first encounter. No sexist remarks about her thicc thighs or whatever. Not that anyone has ever had the balls to make those remarks, considering she ran around with half her face masked by a demonic visage and with an actual katana. Ball busting would not have been just a phrase. “I’m good…”

Fang took a look around the apartment as she tried to buy time for her mind to once again become uncluttered. Whatever this Emilio guy had with these vamps, it seemed personal. More importantly, that meant he wouldn’t try to fight her for the bounty, right? He’d said as much, and acted like he wouldn’t, but Fang never did trust these gaijin slayers like she did her old band, even though she was a gaijin herself and most of the time the only gaijin at play. There were a few things that seemed valuable, but her pride prevented her from taking anything of the sort. It wouldn’t have looked cool. Definitely not as cool as this Emilio guy and his personal revenge thing was. “I got the photos. Thanks for those, by the way.”

As she started to walk toward the door, having turned her back on him without any hesitation, Fang kept her wits about her. Just in case he tried to do something funny. Like take her out for the bounty that he wouldn’t even know how to cash in probably. She’d been betrayed by slayers in this town before. It wouldn’t have been surprising if Emilio followed in those assholes’ footsteps. With one foot already out the door, she called out to him one final time, fuck that last vamp if it heard him. It’d be dead anyway soon. “You ever hear of a similar bounty, keep me in mind, all right?” Fang took a business card from her pocket, with nothing on it but three different phone numbers, clearly of burner phones. “A girl’s gotta pay her rent.”

—

She was good, and that was all he needed to know. Ignoring the final desperate pleas of the vampire, Emilio drove the stake home and watched as the monster dissolved into dust beneath his hands. And the world was still dark, even without that vampire in it. He still felt empty, but he’d known he would. He always did. Today, at least, he chose not to let it show. The other slayer had already seen a little more than he would have liked for her to see, already heard more than would have been ideal. He wasn’t going to give her any more than she’d gotten already.

Nodding at her thanks, he straightened up and kicked at the dust gathering in the floor, sending it scattering. “No problem. Glad you got what you needed.” He didn’t care anything about bounties, but it was clear she did. So long as she never got in his way — and so long as none of the bounties she was after were people he gave a shit about — there’d be no problems between them. 

Looking towards the door as she called back to him, he nodded to the now-empty apartment. “Sure thing,” he replied. “I hear of any bounties, you’re my first call.” It probably wasn’t true. If Emilio heard of any bounties, he was more likely to immediately forget it. But it would be a good idea to keep her number on file anyway. If he was going to stay in this town, he’d need to keep track of the slayers in it. For better or worse.

[zephyrcove]

Zephyrcove’s Fic Masterlist

Masterlist in progress of all my writing to date. Organized by fandom, Title tag is the AO3 link, tumblr posts are tagged on the ‘x’, ffnet separately :)

Harry Potter

“if u like pina coladas”

Lily is desperate for a date to Petunia's wedding, James has been pining, and their friends meddle ;) (Multichap, texting fic) (banner by @the-dream-team​) –– x

“Oh, Bollocks”  

A collection of jily one-shots I wrote ages ago and put up on ff.net. I'm re-vamping them and posting here! Based off a set of one line prompts I found on tumblr circa 2015 :) (banner by @the-dream-team​)

Are you flirting with me?

Don’t make it into a big deal.

I need this.

You didn’t have to stay.

Wait right there, don’t move!

Stop trying to cheer me up.

Please stay?

Come on.

“Slander”

A tech-based semi-crack fic featuring a series of emails from the Marauders university accounts (Prompt: “This is pretty funny, though.”) –– x

“tis the damn season” 

wip xmas oneshots (updated around December lol)

always winter but never christmas

“Trust” 

Prompt: "I'm sorry- will you just listen to me, please" (canon Hogwarts angst) –– x

“You’re my favorite person” 

Prompt: James and Lily at Slughorn's shit party and then they sneak off to snog cause James is irritated and Lily is annoyed about Snape –– x

“Summer Thing” 

Prompt: “I know this is just a summer thing, but I want you to know that when I’m with you, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. These summer months that we’ve been together have been the best I’ve ever felt.” — x

“Definitely Not”

Prompt: “do you have any idea how long it took [for him to get over me?] to be [his] friend? if you think i’d endanger that for a little crush–which i don’t even have, by the way–you’re crazy” (Jily Challenge July 2021!) Partner: @justfinishthis — x

Not the slide, Harry!

Quick TPT Drabble 7/20/21

PJO

“Just Go With It” 

“I’m Percy. Just go with it, yeah? Whoever didn’t bother to show up is a dick.” The nosy diner-goers shrink back, their pity receding with them. –– x , ffnet

“New Year’s Day” 

Percy groaned from his spot face up on the couch as he looked around blearily at the post-party chaos of his apartment. The floor was scattered with glittery confetti, polaroid snapshots of the night before, and drips of wax by the windows where the sparkler candles had gotten out of hand. Now he was just alone in his apartment, overwhelmed by the alcohol and the bits of the evening that were slowly coming back to him. (insp. by Taylor’s song “New Year’ Day”) –– x

“Wasn’t Ready”

Annabeth leaves Percy when she gets pregnant in college. What will happen when they come back into eachother's lives? (Multichap) (honestly don’t read lol, very old and needs A LOT of work, but I keep it up as a reminder of immense progress lol) (ffnet)

[supernaturallyobsessedchic]

Imagine...Breaking Dean’s Nose

Brother!Dean x Sister!Reader; Brother!Sam x Sister!Reader

Warnings: Mild Angst, some fluff (I think), minor back story, first fic written since [spoilers] Dean’s Death in 15x20 (spn finale)[spoiler].

Summary: The siblings have a minor disagreement that leads to a fist fight. And ends with Dean getting a broken nose and a realization, he has to let her grow.

Mobile Masterlist

a/n: I write and edit all my works, hope you enjoy. This is my first time back writing Dean since the Finale.

~

Y/N sat in the back seat of the impala as they drove back to the bunker from the hospital. Sam driving his brother in the passenger seat, his nose swollen, a black eye swelling his eye.

The two siblings were at a disagreement.

Ever since she joined the brothers, it was after she lost her family. Nothing weird about their deaths. But state officials did DNA tests to find any family relatives. Turns out she’s related to Sam and Dean, as their half-sister.

The pair disagreed on something simple. Going out, but their sister was always careful. But since there was a project due soon and it was a group project. She had to sneak out, without Dean or Sam knowing. And came back to a pissed off Dean. Dean then got on her nerves, hovering over her, always concerned about her over the simplest of things. But she was still 13 years old.

Sam pulled into the garage, parking it and killing the engine, they weren’t as fast as Y/N to get out of the car. She had walked quickly to her room, locking her door.

The next morning, Y/N got up early to shower, and make Dean a big breakfast, Sam too for putting up with their crap. She may not have any idea how to cook, but to anyone’s famous last words before burning down a kitchen, how hard can it be?

She began making the pancake batter, cracking some eggs, adding some oil, and she began cooking them. Flipping them was a whole other story, some looked perfect circular, golden pancakes. But others would look over done or under done. The under done ones, she played the safe card and threw them away. Next were the eggs. She cracked some eggs in the skillet, flipping them once the whites were solid enough, making them over easy. Giving each brother 3 pancakes, 2 eggs over easy. Next was bacon for Dean. Dishing up their plates, giving Dean and Sam their morning coffee’s, and Sam some O.J, she put them on trays and sat them in their rooms just moments before their alarms went off.

Dean woke up to the smell of food in his room, Sam woke to his alarm with the combo of good smelling food. Both with notes from their sister. 

Sorry for being a pain. Was written for Sam.

And the other note, reading, Sorry for breaking your nose. For Dean.

She cleaned up the bunkers kitchen, cleaning the dishes, and then bolting to hide in her room for the rest of the day.

Dean knew she wasn’t backing down, not really. Not entirely.

Their argument, he knew he was stopping her from getting a homework assignment for school and getting it done. But he didn’t want her out where he couldn’t protect her.

“You can’t always protect her Dean.” Sam says. Knowing full well about their argument. Well, he practically, unwillingly, had front row seats to the screaming match and fist fight.

“Just watch me.” Dean challenged.

“Dean.” Sam says in a knowing tone. “She’s got a school project, due Monday, it's Saturday. And she’s going to fail it if you don’t let her go.” Sam explains.

“But what if something happens?” Dean asks. “Like, what if one of the kids is a shifter trying to get at us. Or a werewolf, or a vamp kid, or even--”

“Dean, just stop. We taught her everything she needs to know about hunting. And she knows what to do.” Sam says.

Dean just sat back in his chair, with folded arms, grumbling to himself. But after about five minutes of thinking. Sam’s right. Dean doesn’t want to get in the way of his sister's education. She’s 13, about to go into high school next year. Those next four years are going to be important to her. And she has shown she'll kick his ass if he gets in her way. 

He lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine.”

“Let me go talk to her.”

“Yeah, talk. No yelling. Okay Dean.”

Dean simply waves him off.

He walks to her room, farthest from either of them. And gives it a few knocks. But gets no response. He tries to open it, it’s unlocked. So there’s something. He pokes his head in her room.

She's on her bed, with her wireless headphones on, playing some loud rock music but one ear piece is off her ear and sitting behind it. Doing her homework on her laptop.

“Guys, I gotta go.” She says to the laptop.

“Okay, but thanks for your help on the project. We’ll let you know if we need more info.” Her classmate says from the laptop.

“And, Y/N, go easy. I live with my older brothers too. And he’s just trying to protect you. He’s doing the best he can.” said another one of her classmates. Seeing her nod at them.

“You can do it girl, see you in class on Monday." They said. She gives a small friendly wave, and ends their video call. Taking off her headphones, she gets off of the bed.

“I’m sorry, I really had to get my portion of the project done and to the rest of my team.” she said to Dean, casting her gaze down. Waiting for him to yell at her.

“It’s okay, that’s what I was coming in here to talk to you about.” He says.

She looks up at him, not saying a word.

“I can’t protect you from everything out there. Not even life or the supernatural itself. Deep down, I sure as hell don’t want you hunting.” He explains.

That’s why he doesn’t let me out on hunts. She thought.

“I want you to live the normal life. I want you to get an education, a job, a life you are happy with to call your own.” He continues.

“But what if you guys need help?” she asks.

“Cas can always lend a hand. Same for Jack. but you are off limits. You’re 13, you have a long life ahead of you. And I want you to live it.” he says.

She nods.

“Are you almost done?” he asks.

“Almost, I just have to write my research down so we’re ready to present it on Monday.”  

“Well, finish up. I say, you deserve some you time in the Dean Cave.” He says. She smiles, he never lets her do whatever she wants in the Dean Cave. She has the same gadget and tech know-how like Sam. And with her XBox One, she always wanted to play it on his big screen TV in the Dean Cave.

“Just, put everything back the way you found it. You know how I am with technology.” he says. Making her giggle.

“Sure Dean.”

“Oh, and Uh, thanks for breakfast. The eggs were a bit over hard, and the bacon wasn’t quite done. Maybe one of these days I’ll teach you how to cook.” Dean tells her.

“Okay.” she smiles.

She went back to writing her research essay and he went to his room to chill out. And once she was done she hooked up her console to his TV in the Dean Cave and binge played Fallout 4.

Sam was just happy there was some peace in the bunker, not just that day, but the days throughout.

~

Did you like it? How’d I do? Comment, Like, send an ask, feedback is fuel that keeps me going!

Dean Tags:

@luci-in-trenchcoats​, @supernatural-jackles​, @becs-bunker​, @winchesters-favorite-girl​, @mlovesstories​, @winchest09​

~

Copying and reposting someone else’s content is plagiarism and illegal. This work is property of supernaturallyobsessedchic. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. These works contain material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of these works may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher. An electronic reference link to the original posted work may be provided for purposes of promotion or assistance of publication by the readers discretion, if proper credits are given to the author in the re-post. 11/28/2020

[linkspooky]

League of Villains vs Meta Liberation Army

The end of the My Villain Academia arc ends with the swerve of both the meta liberation army, and the League of villains working together. This however, was most likely planned from the start as every single character that gets development this arc Himiko, Twice, Spinner and Dabi faced off against their foil in the Meta Liberation Army Curious, Skeptic, Trumpet and Apocrypha. 

The fact that most of these characters survived their encounters means we will likely see continued interactions between the Villagin’s League members and their MLA counterparts for the sake of development. More of their foiling underneath the cut. If you want to read about Shigaraki and Redestro I already covered it [here]. 

Himiko vs Curious

Curious and Himiko resemble each other heavily on the surface, and have a lot of elements in common with their characters. They’re both the femme fatalle archetype of their groups, and dress in an overtly feminine way. Magne and Apocrypha are also female members of both respective groups, but they are not femme fatalles in the way that Himiko and Curious are. 

A femme fatale sometimes called maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers and who deliberately leads them into dangerous or even deadly situations. She’s a commonly used in literature, able to entice, enchant, or even directly influence others sometimes to even supernatural extents. They’re tied mythologically to archetypes of enchantress women, or women who use some kind of magic or ability to seduce and deceive men.

One of the most common traits of the femme fatale includes promiscuity and the rejection of motherhood. Femme fatale, french literally translates to disaster woman it’s the appearance of a woman that leads ultimately to the destruction of the male. 

Both characters are connected to the Femme Fatalle archetype, not just in the hyper sexualized way they present themselves. Himiko herself is a vampire (fitting for someone who can be called a vamp) she also is capable of taking the appearance of other people to enchant them and lure them into a sense of false safety when they are around her. She’s also a serial killer who falls in love with men, and becomes motivated to kill them, making her a literal bringer of disaster for the men she becomes interested in. When Himiko took the appearance of Cammie in order to get closer to Izuku, that scene has a lot in common with the typical femme fatalle ploys, women tries to use womanly charms to deceive the male main character. 

While Curious lacks the kind of quirk that would increase her ability for deception like Toga has, she uses her position as a reporter and an executive in the meta liberation army to keep people under her sway. We see them literally at her beck and call throughout the entire fight, and because she’s able to control the crowds so effecitvely she almost kills Toga. Another important detail is intrepid reporter is a pretty common femme fatalle character archetype especially in noir stories, the woman who would do anything, even use her seductive wiles to get the story. Curious is also blue skinned, which is most likely a reference to mystique one of the more famous femme fatalle super heroes. (Considering that Toga’s power is just... literally mystique from X Men her coloring makes a lot of sense).

Curious also reflects Toga’s relationship of bringing disaster to other people as well, she turns her own loyal followers into bombs the same way that Himiko stabs the people that she loves. 

While they are on the surface the same character, this is where they actively begin to differ. Himiko’s motivations are internal, she’s driven by her own obsessions, whereas Curious has an external motivation her primary motivation is to capture a story about someone else’s life. They are both people that obsess over others and try to make them theirs by stealing some part of them, Toga that person’s appearance, Curious by changing that person’s narrative stealing their story away for her own gratuitous use.

 However, their motviations are entirely different, Himiko knows what she wants inside of herself  and is incredibly intune with her own desires mostly following those. Toga is so full she’s overflowing. Her greatest desire is to live as herself, and for Toga living as other people is just an expression of living as herself. 

While Curious finds her own self lacking. If Toga is overflowing with self identity, Curious is lacking. Which is why she steals the story of others instead, trying to make up for what she sees as missing in herself. She’s jealous, because Toga knows what she wants out of life, and is living a life true to herself and seems to be enjoying it much more. Toga lives an eventful, attention grabbing life, and she tries to change Toga’s headline to strike back.

Curious dies too quickly to be a fully fleshed out character, but there’s a lot you can infer from her projection on Toga. The most important thing to remember for all four of the MLA members is that they are most likely people who have been raised from birth to devote themselves to the ideals of the MLA in a cult-like fashion. Rikiya tells Curious that her writing is lacking in something, that it won’t move people. Curious herself is someone who lacks heart, which makes her the polar opposite of Toga who always lives true to her heart in an almost love crazy fashion. 

However, if you assume Curious does not really believe in the cause of the Meta Liberation Army but rather it was sometyhing that was forced down her throat, therefore she does not have any ideals of her own what she is yelling at Toga makes a lot of sense. 

Curious had no chance of a normal life if she was born into the MLA. Which means to her, Toga is someone who was given a chance at a normal life and turned away and chose to become a villain instead. Which is probably why Curious is so desperate to make Toga a martyr for their cause, not only for projection and jealousy reasons, but also because if Toga really were someone who was driven crazy by her quirk and suppressed by society then Curious’ world view would make sense. What she had been taught since birth was right after all and the framework of the world was not wrong. She doubts it but ultimately, she chooses to try to reinforce her belief in the MLA propaganda in the end rather than challenge it. Toga loves her life, Curious does not. 

So you have someone robbed of a normal life trying to convince herself that she really believes in all this stuff, facing off against someone who had a normal life but instead just chose the life she wanted. Toga is comfortable with her life, she believes this is her normal life where she is accepted by the LOV, whereas Curious is not. This difference is also why Curious ultimately dies, because Toga loves her life enough that while she does chase after her obsessions she actually has highly trained survivalist instincts and will run away, or bail when things become too dangerous to protect her own life. Whereas, we see Curious get lifted into the air before she’s dropped but she makes no move to save herself and instead dies still thinking about the story she is going to write.

Twice vs Skeptic

There’s also a contrast in how the other characters react to their grievious injuries, Curious gets false sympathy from the MLA members, whereas Twice genuinely caring and wanting to protect Toga ends up fighting for her sake. We see Skeptic only react to Curious’ death by calling her a valuable asset, whereas Twice is genuinely distressed. 

The reason that Twice and Skeptic come into conflict is also because of Curious death. Skeptic wishes to kill Toga to avenge her, while Twice wants to protect Toga. 

Once again these are two characters that have a lot in common on the surface. They share designs where most of their face is obscured, Twice because of his mask, and Skeptic because of his bangs. They are characters who act as the comic relief for their groups, and have little to no social skills. Both of them have a tendency to get in the face of other characters rudely. Both of them have overexaggerated and dramatic mannerisms and body language. 

Their quirks are also similiar, Twice creates doubles of things and Skeptic changes things into human sized objects that they can control. They can both create minions with their abilities, but Twice’s have free will and can turn against him, whereas Skeptic’s are just puppets with no consciousness. 

While both of them are an odd combination of social, and antisocial. Twice is the one who wants friends the most, but also tends to be rude and have no idea how to pick up on social cues, and also in life was a jobless burnout who had no friends or relatives to sympathize with his problems. Skeptic is the only member who specifically fights to avenge a fallen member of the MLA. Skeptic is also pretty devoted to Redestro the same way that Twice is to the league. However, he’s also tactless and inside his own head in the same way twice is. 

They start the ar with complete opposite social status. Twice is a mess psychologically and otherwise, and was living basically as a homeless vagrant on the absolute bottom of society. Skeptic may also be a weirdo, but he’s a succesful tech ceo and on top of that a prodigy who is hailed as a genius despite his eccentricities. 

Twice is also someone who has little to no control over his own life, whereas Skeptic being a highly rich and influential CEO who had control of all the cameras in the city and also the ability to manipulate those puppets is a control freak who focuses on making everything go exactly his way. 

His want to repay the league is what strengthens Twice in the end. The genuine connections and his acknowledgement of his mistakes, made him stronger. Whereas Curious’ subservience to the MLA, and his own perfectionism end up causing him to come crashing down just while Twice is rising up. 

Spinner vs Trumpet 

An important detail between the MLA and the LOV is that the Liberation Army members are all subservient. They regard themselves as nothing more than tools serving the cause which is why they don’t mind all charging the guy disintegrating people with a touch at once, or being blown up to be used as a weapon against Toga. Whereas, while Shigaraki is still the leader the LOV members are allowed to question him, talk with him as an equal, and even poke fun at him. Shigaraki is seen as one of their own.  

The arc starts with Spinner calling out Shigaraki in front of everyone, and also questioning him to no consequence at all. Shigaraki was not even going to get violent he was just asking Spinner to wait to let him explain himself. 

Spinner joined the league out of empty admiration of Stain and soon realized the reason he was staying with the league had nothing to do with Stain anymore. He didn’t believe in Stain so much as the feeling that Stain gave him, that he could change things. Spinner’s entire arc is him coming to terms with this, that he’s not really motivated to act on his own, he’s no one special on his own, he’s a follower that wants to cling to another person’s dream.

Spinner and Trumpet are different as can be on the outside. Trumpet is a charismatic and succesful politician in the upper crust of society, who also has a transmitter quirk that lets him provide power to his followers that trust in him. Spinner is not a leader in any sense of the wrod, and he’s alsoa discrimminated against member of society. 

Trumpet is someone with a useful quirk, connections, a high social status and a social group he is a part of with people who are willing to trust him with their lives. Spinner was just a neet who got bullied too hard. He was one of the dregs of society. Not only that even though he has a lizard quirk that changes his whole body, his quirk does not even give him that many powers. He’s not even useful quirkwise as say Tsuyu. According to his profile he has the weakest quirk in his whole family of lizards and can only stick to a wall. 

Trumpet and Spinner are the same however, because they both try to change the world based on ideals that are not their own. They’re followers who cling to other people’s ideals, and try to make other people’s visions real. Spinner admits this, while Trumpet is in denial.  Trumpet is also a hypocrite, he claims that he believes in quirk liberation and treating all quirks equally then goes out of his way to degrrade Spinner based on his quirk. Spinner is also a hypocrite in that he doesn’t actually care that much about Stain’s ideals, and only gives the most token adherence to them but again he is someone who knows that he’s just a cosplayer. 

Trumpet is a mebmer of a cult trying to make Destro and Re-destro’s dreams come true, and despite being a politician and a leader he’s fiendishly devoted to someone else. That, and his quirk that relies on inciting others rather than fighting himself makes him a natural support member to. 

Spinner’s goal becomes to support Shigaraki, which is different than his empty worship of Stain, because Spinner got to know Shigaraki as a person and decided to support him after that fact. While he may just be clinging to Shigaraki, one he knowingly does it, and two this time around he chose to support Shigaraki as a friend instead of just an empty cosplayer. They are both support characters who are weak on their own but fight on the front line anyway. Spinner makes up for his lack of a quirk with violence and sheer effort. Whereas, Trumpet actually does not need to put himself in harm’s way as his quirk would work perfectly find without him standing in front of everybody. Trumpet is naturally suited to lead but doesn’t, Spinner isn’t even suited to fight on the front lines which is why we see him try so hard to change and put the effort in. 

Spinner grows, he gets to know the person he is supporting, and decides to support them because he wants to help them with their trauma and lighten their personal load. Trumpet continues to follow ideals that aren’t his, and refuses to admit his personal connection with Re-Destro and therefore he fails to grow and ends up losing. Spinner witnesses Shigaraki’s triumph, while Trumpet observes Re-Destro’s fall, because unlike Spinner he was never able to be there for Re-Destro as a person. He only ever saw him as the symbol of Destro, and left Re-destro alone in his burdens until Shigaraki came to liberate him. 

Dabi vs Apocrypha

This one is most likely going to be the shortest because not a lot about Dabi or Apocrypha’s characters were revealed during their initial fight. The two of them however have a lot of similiarites from the start, they both again have obscured faces. Apocrypha’s face is entirely covered by their hood the entire time, if Dabi is Touya then his dyed hair and stapled together face and burn marks serve as his disguise. They both only go by one name, Apocrypha is given no real name even though the rest of the MLA members have them, and Dabi is the only LOV member who we only know their alias and not their real name. 

They both follow extremists seeking to revolutionize. Dabi follows Stain’s ideals, whereas Apocrypha follows Re-Destro. There’s a lot of similiar and opposites at play between them, the most obvious being fire and ice. 

Also in their real apppearances, once again if Dabi is Touya that means he looks far more like his father Endeavor and even inherited his father’s quirk, but his actual ideals of becoming a villain and trying to reform the hero system are in rebellion to his father.

Apocrypha has an ice quirk and resembles Rei, however her ideals are not in rebellion but rather she accepts and spits out everything the MLA told her and buys into their propaganda completely. While looking like, and having an ice quirk like Rei, she lives ironically by Endeavor’s values that having a strong quirk is more important than anything else.

Apocrypha was even raised in the same way presumably Touya, and Todoroki were raised. That is she was trained from a young age, not allowed to go to school or socialize and worked only on developing her quirk. She was raised by Re-Destro specifically for the purpose of becoming a strong quirk user the same reason Endeavor bred children, however unlike Dabi who hates his father for this Apocrypha believes this makes her special and chosen.

Once again these are opposite reactions to the same abuse. Touya choosing to disregard what his father tried to force him to learn, and Apocrypha trying to accept it and live up to her role as the tool, and weapon she was raised to be. They are opposite reactions, but both of them are still victims of abuse. 

Apocrypha also carries out the role that she was perfectly born to be, not only has her quirk experienced a serious upgrade in the same form of Shigaraki’s, but she also can control it perfectly. While Touya’s quirk is in exact opposition to his body, and trying to use it burns his body even worse. Touya the rebellious child could not be a tool even if he wanted to be, he’s thrown out as a failure, burned by his own quirk. Apocrypha fits into the mould that she was raised as perfectly, the willing tool, but because of that she doesn’t question the way she was raised, see how she’s been used, and overall failed to develop as a person. There’s a reason her face does not show underneath her parka, it’s because she’s entirely lacking in a sense of identity or beliefs of her own besides what the MLA told her to believe in.

Apocrypha and Dabi are also both close to their respective leaders. Apocrypha has fondness for Re-Destro and was trained personally by him, however in the end she’s just a devotee, a sycophant. While Shigaraki and Dabi do not get along on the surface, Dabi is also given much more freedom and trust in the league because he’s allowed to go off on his own on several occasions he is basically Shigaraki’s number two. 

As opposites as their beliefs are, their methods are shockingly similiar. Remember, I know the MLA’s beliefs are bad and they are all hypocrites ultimately, not to mention they have parallels to their real world ableism in comparison to their views on quirks. I am not saying that Dabi and Apocrypha have similiar ideals, they’re the opposite, and Apocrypha’s are definitely more twisted. However, the two of them have similiar methods. They both believe in killing those who do not fit their standards.

Dabi follows Stain, who killed heroes who were not good enough heroes, and even heroes who were not true to the spirit of being heroes just as an example. While there are definitely corrupt heroes, people who were innocent were caught up in it as well as casualties. Iida’s older brother may have only been a career hero who treated it like a dayjob, but not only is Iida’s big bro a genuinely good person he also uses his corporation in Vigilantes as a way to employ as many people as possible in hero work so therefore even people without immediately useful quirks can contribute on their own. Quirk elitism, and individualism are definitely what created Endeavor’s circumstances, because he had a powerful quirk he’s accepted as a hero despite what he did to his family and having no ideals of a hero.

However, at the same time Stain took out somebody who was basically Endeavor’s exact opposite. Older brother Tensei literally was against individualism, and promoted cooperation and helping people without traditionally strong quirks and letting them have a chance to help the hero industry because teamwork and greater efficiency would result in more people saved. However, by culling, and focusing on trying to create really strong individual heroes to hold the system on their backs Stain is in fact achieving the opposite of what he wants with his methods. He’s endorsing individualism, and right of the strong, the things which allowed Endeavor to become so corrupt in the first place. 

Basically by achieving everything alone with strength, Stain becomes a reflection of the corrupt, strength obsessed, hero system that he despises so much. Apocrypha said those who do not have strong quirks are better off dead.  Dabi regularly kills people who do not meet his standards for following Stain’s ideals.

If they do not meet a certain quality, Dabi will treat them as fair game to kill.  (Though to clarify Dabi’s want to rebel against Endeavor or even kill him is not something I see as wrong, it’s more like how he burns random thugs on the street, some of which probably had families or loved ones too. Considering Dabi’s entire motivation is that he comes from a broken house it’s in direct opposition to his ideals). While the ideals are different, Dabi is employing the same methodology as Apocrypha here. He suffers from the same dangerous extremism that even pushes him to act contradictory to his ideals, and makes him do things he regrets. 

It’s not just something that will eventually counteract his ideals, (because once again Dabi does not believe what Endeavor tried to force on him, but he does use brute strength to try to accomplish his ideals because it’s the only viable option for someone like him, or all he knows) but it’s also incredibly unhealthy for both of them in the end. Apocrypha is barely a person, and Dabi is burning himself from the inside out every time he pushes himself to extremes to make his ideals a reality. 

It’s not only destructive to other people, it’s destructive to themselves. Which is why it’s a trait both of them should grow out of if they are going to have continuing arcs in the story. 

[rgamesnmore]

Sims 4 Perfect Sim Challenge

I tried to find a place online where the “Perfect Sim” Challenge was listed and up to date with the expansions, but I couldn’t find one. So, I modified a version I could find and added in more to make it include the newer expansions. I have not fully play tested this yet to see if it is even possible, but if you want to try it, here it is, under the cut. Enjoy!

*I don’t have Dine Out or Jungle Adventure. So, any aspirations that came with those are not included because I don’t know what they are lol*

I will be posting a let’s play of this challenge starting on March 20th. Check it out on my YouTube channel here.

Begin with a teen human or alien in CAS. Traits can be whatever you choose. Make aspiration Chief of Mischief. Move sim into any lot you wish but it needs to be empty, whether by bulldozing the house on it, or having it start that way. Once on the lot, set sim's money to $2000. Set lifespan to long. No cheats or mods to help with challenge. CC is fine. You are allowed to use the Fountain of Youth potion twice in total of the entire Sim's life if you need to. See how far you can get before you die!

Stage 1- Mischief Only Mean or Mischief Interactions allowed. Complete Chief of Mischief aspiration. NO JOBS

Stage 2- Friends Make aspiration Friend of The World and complete it Only Friendly Interactions allowed. Make at least 10 friends. NO JOB

Stage 3- Painting Make aspiration Painter Extraordinaire and complete it Max out Painting skill NO JOB

Stage 4- Gardens! Make aspiration Freelance Botanist and complete it Max Gardening skill AGE UP ONCE COMPLETE

Stage 5- Big Brain Time Make aspiration Nerd Brain and complete it Max Handiness skill & Logic skill NO JOB OR WOOHOO

Stage 6- Higher Education Make aspiration Academic & complete it NO WOOHOO/NO JOB UNTIL NEEDED FOR ASPIRATION

Stage 7 – Love for Many Make Aspiration Serial Romantic & complete it Have romantic relations with at least 10 people NO WOOHOO

Stage 8- Soulmate Make aspiration Soulmate & complete it Spouse required to have a job NO JOB FOR YOU

Stage 9- Kids & Kids Make aspiration Super Parent & complete it Have at least 4 kids with spouse NO JOB FOR YOU

Stage 10- Cook it up! Make aspiration Master Chef & complete it Join Culinary career Max Cooking, Baking, & Gourmet skills

Stage 10b- CHEESE!! Unlock grilled cheese aspiration and complete it

Stage 11- Get Swol! Quit culinary job Make aspiration Bodybuilder & complete it Max fitness skill NO JOB

Stage 12- Salt Life! Make aspiration Beach Life & complete it NO JOB

Stage 13- Fam Success Make aspiration Successful Lineage & complete it Make 1 kid reach top of career

Stage 14- Making Money Make spouse quit job Make aspiration Public Enemy & complete it Join Criminal Career

Stage 15- Master Actor Quit Criminal Career & join Actor Career Make aspiration Master Actor & complete it

Stage 16- You Like Me... Make aspiration Celebrity Superstar & complete it Max Acting skill (if not already)

Stage 17- Hax Make aspiration Computer Whiz & complete it Join Tech Guru career Max Video Gaming & Programming skills

Stage 18- JK Make aspiration Joke Star & complete it Join Entertainer career (comedian branch) Max comedy skill

Stage 19- Music Magic Make aspiration Musical Genius & complete it Quit comedy job Max guitar, violin, piano, DJ, & singing skills NO JOB

Stage 20- Richy Rich Make aspiration Fabulously Wealthy & complete it NO JOBS!

Stage 21- Big House Make aspiration Mansion Baron & complete it

Stage 22- For Animals Make aspiration Friend of The Animals & complete it Buy Vet Clinic Max out Vet & Pet Training skills Have at least 2 pets Have them breed at least once

Stage 23- Party Time Make aspiration Party Animal & complete it Throw at least 10 parties

Stage 24- You're a Wizard! Make aspiration Spellcaster & complete it NO JOBS

Stage 25- Brew Fame Make aspiration Potions & complete it NO JOBS

Stage 26- City Native Make aspiration City Native & complete it

Stage 27- Grandparent Make aspiration Big Happy Family & complete it Have at least 4 grandchildren

Stage 28- Collector Make aspiration The Curator & complete it Complete a collection

Stage 29- I Vant to Suck Your Blood Make aspiration Master Vampire & complete it Become a Vamp Quit job if you have one. Must either leave SO or turn them

Stage 30- My Lovelies Make aspiration Vampire Family & complete it NO JOBS

Stage 31- Redemption Make aspiration Good Vampire & complete it Can cure yourself of being a vampire if you wish, but not needed

Stage 32- Good at Everything Make aspiration Renaissance Sim & complete it

Stage 33- Drink Master Make aspiration Master Mixologist & complete it Join culinary career (mixologist branch)

Stage 34- Family Trips Make aspiration Outdoor Enthusiast & complete it Go on at least 3 family trips

Stage 35- Fisher Make aspiration Angling Ace & complete it Max Fishing skill

Stage 36- Author Make aspiration Author & complete it Max writing skill Write book of life once completed

Stage 37- Training Make aspiration Leader of The Pack & complete it Create a group that requires sims to max skills. Train them

[cyberqueen-13]

This Was A Gamepack

I love the game, but I thought it was more of a game pack too. The fact that the box art was for a game pack only makes me believe more that this was actually a game pack. All they had to do was not make it a vacation world and they could charge double for it. And they did. Yes, it's a beautiful world. No, I think it's not adding enough to effect the other worlds to call it an expansion. One thing all the game packs have in common is : You have to go to THAT WORLD to feel the effects on the game. Granite Falls, Strangerville, Forgotten Hollow and the one takeaway is that you can enjoy all the CAS assets and the build/buy items and never play with vamps, possessed sims, or hermits and not feel like they intrude in the regular game play. BECAUSE IT'S A GAME PACK things traditionally stay in the world they were introduced with.SEASONS affects every world. CATS AND DOGS affects every world. GET TO WORK affects every world. Because they are EXPANSIONS. I actually would have prefered this be a vacation world so that all sims there stayed in the island clothing and behaviors designed for that world. We easily could have earned visa points to buy a vacation home and live there just like we did in TS3. I was actually looking forward to the challenge of earning a visa to buy a home there. Oh well. It is what it is. I hope they don't screw up witches. I hope if they use the vampire system when they make the witches they do it even better. Tech is suppose to improve with each new concept, kinda how APPLE keeps getting ppl to buy the latest phone. LOL. I hope they make witches even better than the vamps! And they did well on the vamps, just need a larger neighborhood.  But yeah, this feels like a game pack (that does not take away from its beauty.) I just need more animations, more gameplay. More response/actions to cue when playing. Fingers crossed they stop recycling animations too. I love all the new items and the shiny pretty new world, BUT you didn't talk much about the game play or lack thereof. I find it hard to give points for a pack that wants to be called an expansion when the items for game play can't be used outside of this world, except the Kava bowl (which simply is mixed like any other dish we prepare). It would have been nice to get a blender or smoothie machine or food processor all with new animations and can be used in any world. An expansion to me means it adds game play to any world you play in and this pack is lacking there. No new skills. All new jobs are rabbit holes except one. Mermaid didn't get the attention vamps got.  It's a pretty game. But lacking in game play. And dear lord please stop recycling animations from previous packs. I own them all and I spot the recycled animations immediately.

[rcttingflowers]

VidVamp Review

Introducing VidVamp

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[caseymalone]

Top 10 Games 2017

Here are my top 10 games for 2017! Minor spoilers for a few of them, but nothing major. You’ve been warned!

10. Resident Evil 7: BioHazard

There have been 27 Resident Evil games, including remakes, remasters, 3DS releases but excluding pachinko machines and Tiger Electronics handhelds. Of those near thirty games, Resident Evil 7 brings the total I’ve enjoyed to… two. I guess this is my way of saying that between being a huge scaredy cat and irked by the stuffy, smothering control scheme of the originals, there’s no nostalgia weighing me down whenever Capcom reinvents Resident Evil, first with Resident Evil 4, now again with 7.

But where Resident Evil 4 took the fantasy of being a special agent in a world full of monsters further than ever before, Resident Evil 7 drops it completely. In it, I’m a wimp, a nerd with a camera at the whims of this family of maniacs, trapped on their grounds by a drive to find my wife, who is changing into… something. Capcom smothers me with a pervasive sense of helplessness playing RE7, forcing me into a desperate scramble to escape the unstoppable Daddy (side note: “The Unstoppable Daddy” was my nickname in college). Filling me with absolute dread when the disgusting creature Marguerite becomes clambers through holes and onto walls. And forcing me to freeze up and take a deep breath at the sinking realization that my next goal is all the way across the grounds.with god knows what between me and it. Even the change to a first-person view means your helpless doesn’t stop at your ability to fight - you don’t even know what’s around you. Resident Evil 7 left me terrified and anxious throughout, which is saying something since  played it on Easy.

9. Gorogoa

It’s now an annual event that, despite a perception that Adventure Games are dead, someone releases a labor of love whose beauty and finesse showcase the best the genre has to offer. Gorogoa asks you to interact in the simplest terms - zoom in and out, or drag and drop. What makes Gorogoa special is that when I do those things, it feels like I’ve changed fundamental ways that I think. My perspective on the world has shifted about ten degrees to the left and all the rules are new. That combined with hand-drawn visuals, stark sound design and desolate narrative made Gorogoa a brief yet crucial experience for anyone looking to see games as more than loot-box dispensers.

8. Star Wars: Force Arena

Oops, speaking of Loot Boxes. Well, card packs? Is there a difference? Where have we come down on this? The conversation around gaming in 2017 has been dominated by a debate about the ethics of selling random pulls at cards, skins, characters, horses, buggies, whatever, and I’m going to level with all of you - my perspective is skewed. I make mobile free-to-play games, which use this mechanic, and I’ve been playing collectible card games since the Revised core set for Magic: The Gathering came out in 1994. So one way to look at my opinion is that I don’t have a problem with this way of selling people games, and a much less charitable one is that I’m fully indoctrinated. Either way, being able to get emotionally side-step this entire debate has lent me the clarity of mind to tell you all that Star Wars: Force Arena is good as hell.

Force Arena is the real-time, head-to-head gameplay of Clash Royale, but with direct control of a Hero, MOBA-style, then Star Wars’ed all the way up. Every system is implemented in a smartly and cleanly, facilitating my ability to get into the game and getting out of my so I can let people know my Han Solo deck is not to be flexed with. The whole thing is catnip for Ol’ Maloney over here, and I am straight rolling.

7. Star Wars: Imperial Assault - Legends of the Alliance

Is spaghetti a sandwich? Is Chewbacca a dog? Is Matt Kessler a mongoose? Is Legends of the Alliance, an app for Star Wars: Imperial Assault, a video game with physical components or a board game with a digital accessory? The line between board games and video games is get blurrier, as outstanding digital components have begun to take the place of cumbersome bookkeeping, or allow designers to add elements that would be impossible to achieve otherwise. Or, in the case of Legends of the Alliance, replacing the Imperial Player entirely.

Traditionally played as a team of rebels against a monolithic Imperial player, Legends of the Alliance turns Imperial Assault into a fully cooperative experience, running the campaign as a virtual dungeon master, setting up your next level and directing Imperial enemies to attack your heroes. But more than simply emulating a now missing player, Legends of the Alliance takes this chance to add something to the experience.

Without the app you bounce from one XCOM-esque tactical mission to the next, but now… now you go on non-combat missions. You make friends in the world. You feel a real sense of betrayal when you learn not all the Rebels are working for the greater good, and you deal with the emotional aftermath with other characters when the Empire manages to grind you under their heel. These things weren’t in the box of plastic and cards I bought years back - they were exclusively part of Legends of the Alliance, and creating new memories and experience while justifying asking you to bring your laptop to your tabletop.

6. Horizon Zero Dawn

There’s a vital sincerity to Horizon Zero Dawn. After borrowing mechanics liberally from Far Cry/Assassin’s Creed, adding giant robot dinosaurs, and then putting the voice actress behind Borderlands 2’s (in my opinion, brutally irritating) Tiny Tina front and center, it would have been so easy for Guerrilla Games to smarmy one-liner their way through this post-post-apocalypse adventure. Instead they cast that all aside to carefully bring you into a world without even a hint of irony.

At the center of the game is Ashly Burch’s Aloy, full of wounded confidence and strength tinged with kindness, a performance so natural yet thoughtful that Aloy stands above any other character in games this year. That sincerity doesn’t make Horizon a serious or grim affair - there’s jokes, and boy howdy is there a lot of flirting - but it serves to draw the player into the world, rather than establish a safe ironic distance from which both the player and the game can remain “cool.” Every choice shows that Guerrilla Games truly wants me to care about Aloy and the world of Horizon. It turns out I do.

5. HQ

For me, 2017 was a year of shared gaming experiences. I’ll get to the other two big ones below, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include this nightmare of a Black Mirror episode, this scheduled dose of Quiz Daddy Scott Rogowski, this twice daily car crash with a cash payout, HQ.

For months at 3 PM, I’d jump into Discord with my friends and join in the collective hypnosis of a new game of HQ. We were beyond captivated. We had a million questions - who is Scott? Why does he vamp with the intensity of someone hosting at gunpoint? Where is he broadcasting this from? And when he’s not there, where the hell is Scott? Who is this rando who claims to be ‘Scott’s Boy’? How does the player count keep growing, and how does this thing make money? It was a mystery wrapped in tech startup poppiness and a screaming man in a suit, and we wanted to know everything about it.

Like any mystery, as we’ve learned more about Scott and HQ, our interest has waned and my friends have fallen off the Trivia Train. But for months, once a day we’d simultaneously drop everything and delve into it. Something nothing else in games or television has gotten us to do for years. Also, uh...

…

I’m playing a game called HQ Trivia. You should play too. Use my code “caseymalone” to sign up.

4. Super Mario Odyssey

In late October 2017, was there anything I needed more than some unabashed joy? A full-on celebration of bright colors, silly characters and bizarre hats? Super Mario Odyssey would be an incredible game at any time in history, but the timing of its release felt like more than just a game; it felt like a balm. A warm weighted blanket sewn from my old t-shirts, taking nostalgia and making it into something new, something calling me to come back and crawl under it all day, every day. A game that rewarded me for just being in the world, asking me to challenge myself at your own pace, issuing pats on the head and individually wrapped chocolates as a reward for just wandering around and doing my thing. 2017 was a year where Nintendo was dedicated to challenging what people expect from them with their hardware, their mobile ports, and another of their major franchises. When it came to Mario, though, Nintendo clearly just wanted to make people happy. And I’m so, so grateful for that.

3. Destiny 2 & 2. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Destiny and Battlegrounds seem like pretty starkly different experiences, but what I got out of them in 2017 was the same - time with some of my best friends. Friends who live in Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, England, San Francisco; people I never get to see, people I don’t even get to talk to that often. But those friendships got actually stronger this year through these games.

That wouldn’t be possible if the underlying games weren’t outstanding - Destiny 2’s shooting feels incredible, and its endless list of chores made sure there was always a mission for me to suck friends into, or a goal for me to help them out with. There aren’t (currently) many Strikes for us to go on, but honestly that helped - when you know all the beats, a zen-like state takes over and you can enjoy the lock-on and kickback of hand cannons without worry. All the while catching up, making goofs, or ranting about the state of the world without the game getting in the way.

Destiny 2’s not perfect - a lot of the changes made from Destiny to Destiny 2 to make it smoother and more welcoming turned solo play into a dull shade of its predecessor. But as a part of a Strike Team, Destiny 2 hums with efficiency, getting out of my way and letting me and my friends have fun.

And it would be second to none this year if wasn’t for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Battlegrounds is insane, it’s a fun-time mess-around machine paired with an intensely hardcore military shooter, a game that’s thirty minutes of a goofy chatroom capped off with two minutes of a game-ending firefight. Except for when that fire-fight lasts for twenty minutes and it’s the most intense experience of my life. I’ve had as much fun losing PUBG as I’ve had winning (the few times I’ve managed to snag a chicken dinner), and I’ve had even more fun when I die and get to stay in voice-chat to cheer on the rest of my squad, spectating through to the end.

While I don’t get much out of watching strangers stream on Twitch, I’ve been lucky that enough of my friends stream this game, for a while on an almost daily basis, that I had just as much fun watching them as actually playing it. I laughed so hard when friends would get motorcycles trapped in a tree, cheered when they’d have from-behind victories, and feel heartbreak when the squad’s last hope would get shotgunned from behind after escaping tough spot after tough spot. Somehow all these feelings were just as strong as when I was behind the controls myself. There’s magic in this game, which boggles the mind, because with its bugs and frankly generic style, it could not possibly look less magical.

I cannot fucking believe I’m typing this but it turns out the real game of the year was the friends I made along the way.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Just kidding, game of the year is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

I always have less to say when I get to the top item on my list because what could I possibly say about Breath of the Wild that hasn’t been covered already? Nintendo stripped so much out of the Zelda series that honestly when I started playing it, I felt uncomfortable and exposed - what do you mean my weapons break? Wait, I don’t have to buy bombs, I just HAVE them? When are the DUNGEONS going to show up, what are these shines? I don’t like this at all. But as I bristled against those, I was slowly filling with wonder. Every canyon I walked out of, every corner I turned, every hole I climbed out of revealed a field with towns and caverns, or small forests full of unknown treasures and monsters.

Lots of games do open worlds, but where Skyrim feels like I could get lost in it, the Hyrule of Breath of the Wild feels like I am conquering it. In Skyrim I feel like I’m exploring the map - in Breath of the Wild, I’m making it.

I remember so clearly, late at night, climbing to the top of a bridge that crosses Lake Hylia. I don’t know why I was there, or what I thought might be at the top of the tower, but Nintendo put it there, so maybe. Maybe there was something. I climbed to the top and there wasn’t anything for me to take, but as I looked over towards the horizon, Hyrule stretched on forever. I felt overwhelmed with the possibility of disappointment - that I would feel the need to climb it all, that there wouldn’t be a thing for me at the top of most of those towers, under those rocks. And as I thought about that the music changed. From the water of the lake emerged Farosh, the lightning dragon, soaring, completely oblivious to me. He was beautiful, powerful, made me forget about any of my goals or collectibles and forced me to take in his majesty. Forced me to realize there were no rupees or arrows up there because this moment was my reward. And that there would be moments like this all throughout Hyrule. I just needed to go looking for them.

Near Misses: Injustice 2, Everybody’s Golf, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

[un-enfant-immature]

Microsoft’s Build keynote showcases the accessibility and awkwardness of online events

“We’re living through extraordinary times,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella opened his Build 2020 keynote on a somber note. It was an odd tonal shift following the event introduction by hosts Seth Juarez and Dona Sarkar.

The pair spent kicked the 48 hour livestream off standing a CDC-approved social distance from one another behind a large desk, trading silly banter and dad jokes. That last bit, at least carries a sense of normality amidst these extraordinary times.

Awkward banter and goofy jokes are a mainstay in tech presentations, for better or worse — but there’s bound to be an extra level of strangeness when you strip away the live audience (particularly the overly enthusiastic employees planted in the audience). At best, it can have YouTube presenter energy and at worst, it’s like one of those videos of sitcom with the laugh track edited out.

As a necessary first time experiment, Microsoft’s Build 2020 keynote was probably more good than bad. It was arguably the first truly big tech company event on this level since pandemic really started locking things down. After all, Apple’s WWDC isn’t until next month, and Google essentially punted on I/O, removing even the online elements.

“Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is focus our attention on helping people with the new challenges we all face,” the company wrote at the time. “Please know that we remain committed to finding other ways to share platform updates with you through our developer blogs and community forums.”

It’s a difficult decision to make either way, of course. Certainly the gravity of the pandemic can make such an event seem inconsequential by comparison, but there’s also something to be said when a company can reintroduce a sense of normality — albeit through artificial means.

The Juarez/Sarkar bumpers are intended to serve as a through line through the two days of programming, and naturally a little vamping is going to be involved. In the case of the opener, it was five or so minutes of the cohosts scrolling through Twitter hashtag comments on a Surface Studio, in a bid to approximate the sense of community one has in attending an in-person developer conference.

Nadella’s presentation that followed struck a better balance. It was simple and likely pre-recorded, with the executive standing in front of a full shelving unit housing knickknacks and family photos. He addressed the camera, as the feed cut back and forth between him and clips. If things felt off, it was mostly due to the fact that it’s impossible to watch it without constantly comparing it to the pomp of previous years event.

Microsoft perhaps took a note from Nintendo, which switched from live keynotes to a prerecorded Tree House presentation at E3 several years ago. It’s a tradeoff that loses some of the excitement of the standard format, but adds the ability to perfect a presentation through multiple takes. Nintendo above all benefits from the use of countless game trailers. B-roll is an extremely important piece of that puzzle. 

The curse of the live demo is gone, if you want it. Though the heavy reliance on Skype conversations in a followup Microsoft presentation really hammered home the fact that few of us live in home studios. Plane noises and lawnmowers were a regular reminder that things are just going to be weird for a while. Not bad, necessarily, but weird.

There’s certainly good to come out of this forced reformatting. For one thing, Build is accessible through a free registration. The official chat (which was a train wreck for reasons I won’t go into here) was full of excited developers and observers announcing that this was their first-ever Build. Ticket prices, travel and the limitations of in-person event spaces are difficult hurdles for many.

The next few months will determine whether this is the new normal for these sorts of events. It would be hard to blame organizers for continuing with an abundance of cautious into 2021. I suspect many will return to the in-person event, but hopefully the added accessibility of the virtual element will live on beyond the threat of COVID-19.

[didilysims]

Hi! If you had 8 hoods (no unis or vacation hoods, but with Downtown) and 8 life states (alien, zombie, bigfoot, vampire, witch, plantsim, warewolf, robot) as a main plot for each hood, how would you match it? (eg. Strangetown / alien because of Smith family; Desiderata valley / warewolf because Natasha Una becomes one; Bluewater V. / bigfoot because Tinkers capture one to help their business...) Hope you understand me...I have some ideas but zombie one I cannot match in any hood or family xD

Hello! This is such an interesting question–I love it! After a little bit of thought, here are my ideas: 

Pleasantview: Zombie. Not sure why, but I really like the idea of a zombie here. Maybe because Pleasantview is the most popular premade ‘hood, it feels like it just won’t die. :P 

Strangetown: Alien, definitely. No contest there! 

Veronaville: Werewolf. It seems like the most violent option and this is the most violent neighbourhood. Plus I can see this as the kind of place where people have secrets they don’t want getting out, and werewolf seems to fit that for me. 

Downtown: Vampire. It’s hard to divorce EPs from the supernatural state that came with them, but so many of the lots in this ‘hood are built for vampires and it has a tonne of nightclubs so the vamps have something to do with their long nights. 

Bluewater Village: Witch. This town has a lot of really big houses–plenty of space for secret cauldron rooms! And I can totally see a lot of the residents as witches/warlocks of different alignments. 

Riverblossom Hills: Bigfoot. I like your idea of him in Bluewater Village because all those gold badges would be very useful for all those businesses, but I think of Bigfoot as very nature-y and rustic and RBH is the most rustic and nature-appreciative ‘hood, I think. (And yes, that means a Plantsim would fit in really well here too, but they already have Rose and Daisy, and I want to avoid matching another EP ‘hood with its EP supernatural.) 

Desiderata Valley: Plantsim. They have so few motives and are easy to keep happy so they have plenty of free time to enjoy all the hobbies this ‘hood has to offer! I can’t decide which premade here would make the best Plantsim (do any of them actually have Nature as their OTH?) but it’s easy enough to import someone. 

Belladonna Cove: Servo/robot. I just think a robot would fit in best with a big city like this. I can definitely see Benjamin Baldwin being the one to build him and all the techs and gearheads being fascinated and/or jealous of this walking machine. 

Thanks for asking–that was fun to think about, if a bit of a challenge! Now you’ve made me want to start up a Bluewater Village witchy neighbourhood! :D 

[namea]

TS4 Vampiric Balance Challenge!

Hey loves! I’ve been playing by these rules loosely since I started thinking of them yesterday and I think it would be fun for others too! So, if you take on the challenge let me know so I can make sure I’m following and see how it goes!! 

Rewards:

At the end of the challenge (7/22, my birthday!) TWO of the simmers who participate that I’ve been following will receive an origin code for a TS4 stuff pack of their choice! 

How to participate:

Make sure we’re mutuals! Follow me and make sure I’m following you. Just so you can get updates and all that jazz. You can unfollow me as soon as the challenge is over, I won’t be offended! ^_^

Comment on this post, reblog, or message me stating that you intend to participate in the challenge! 

Reblog this post to spread awareness! The more the merrier!!

Make sure you have the sims 4 Vampires installed! 

Make sure your vampires are MORTAL. Long lifespans are okay but either set them as mortal or use a mortal vamps mod. The mortal vampires mod is currently borked by the new patch. Use MC Command center or just move them out instead when the next gen reaches YA. 

Follow the rules for each generation below. Feel free to ask if you need clarification.

Post at least one post with some screenshots and information for each generation. More if you want!

Prizes:

2 participants chosen at random will win 1 TS4 stuff pack of their choice unless one of the following conditions is in effect.

If only 3 people participate all three will get stuff packs. If only one person participates they will receive Either a combo pack of their choice (Each contains 2 stuff packs and a game pack), 3 stuff packs of their choice, 2 game packs of their choice, or one full expansion of their choice. Up to them!

If the winners already have all of the content for ts4 they will receive either an origin gift card code or the next released stuff pack or game pack. 

That’s it! I’ll be choosing the winners via RNG so it’s fair to everyone!

Rules:

-You may makeover spouses once to your liking but may not makeover children (Except for skin/hair/eye colours) until they are teens.

-You may makeover the heirs of each generation one time when they become teens. You may change their hair/skin/eye colours whenever you like however but just once! Outfit changing is fine any time!

-You make decorate however you like. 

-You may use any cheats (including needs, same sex pregnancy, pregnancy, or money cheats) or cheat-type mods except for the following:

Free/Reduced cost vampire perk cheats.

Feeding tweak cheats.

Aging cheats or commands.

Skills or relationships cheats or commands.

Collection, free item, etc cheats.

Promotion cheats.

Any cheats the generation specifically says aren’t allowed.

Challenge set up:

Make sure you’re using a fairly large lot. There are going to be a lot of simmies by the end! Make sure the lot has the “Haunted” trait, “Vampire lair” trait, and one other trait of your choice. 

NO free vampire perks cheats, skills cheats, etc. Needs cheats are okay in most gens unless stated.

Build your house or download one from the gallery. Make sure it has a basement and a second (or top, whatever level. I use 4 levels: Basement (Dark rooms), First floor (living areas) Second Floor (Teen and Under rooms), and Third floor (Light rooms). Money cheats are okay!

Start with 2 sims, twin vampires. They can be any gender/sex combo you want and don’t have to be the same. One must have the good trait and the other must have the evil trait. Both must have the vampiric family aspiration. These are your founders!

These founders must reach the highest level of vampirism and obtain all vampiric powers.

Generation 1:

1 sim must gain level 10 in the Gardening, Herbalism, and Cooking skills

The other must gain level 10 in the Singing, Painting, and an instrument.

You must hire a maid for daily service. One sim must turn that maid into a vampire. The other sim must marry that maid. 

The other spouse must be a townie, any non-vampire premade sim will do. One sim must turn them into a vampire and the other must marry them. (So each sim turns one spouse and their sibling marries the one they turned)

EVIL sim may never ask permission to drink.

GOOD sim may never compel for drink. 

Twins must have high relationship despite their differences!

EVIL sim may only woohoo in Coffin until children are conceived.

GOOD sim may only woohoo in bat form until children are conceived.

Each twin must have 2 children, one with the good trait, one with the evil trait. 

Between the household generation one must complete one collection. (As far as the game expansions you own allow)

Generation 2:

Use a money cheat to resent family funds to 100 simoleons only when the second generation reaches young adulthood.

With the family money gone, the second generation sims need to get jobs! They are now the main sims. Move the first generation either into another house on the property or out of the master bedrooms. Leave them on the property unless they die. Record deaths and how they died. Do not revive them unless one of the 2nd gen has a whim to do so. 

One sim must level the following skills to ten: Painting, Gardening, Science.

That sim must join the doctor career and advance to the furthest level. 

One sim must level the following skills to ten: Cooking, Herbalism, Instrument

That sim must join the culinary career and advance to the furthest level. 

One sim must level the following skills to ten: Singing, Woodworking, Handiness.

That sim must join The astronaut career and advance to the highest level.

The last sim must level the following skills to ten: Logic, Mischief, Photography

That sim must join the secret agent career and advance to the highest level. 

One or more sims in this generation must discover aliens!

One of the sims in this generation must marry another life state (Human, Alien, or plantsim)

Two of the sims in this generation must marry another vampire. 

One of the sims in this generation must not marry. 

Between this generation they must complete one collection (as far as the game expansions you own allow)

Each sim of this generation may have as many children as you like but they must have at least one. You can choose the heirs when they reach TEEN. Spares will be moved out upon reaching adulthood. You can choose traits as you like BUT 2 of the heirs must be evil and 2 must be good. 

Generation 3:

If they are still alive generation 1 must be moved out of the lot to make room. 

The 3rd generation must have the following career/skill combos:

Detective: Writing, Logic, Photography - Must complete 5 mystery/crime novels and advance to the highest level of the detective career.

Tech Guru: Video Gaming, Programming, and Baking - Must win 1st place in a  Hillock II tournament and advance to the highest level of the tech guru career. 

Entertainer: Charisma, Career related skill (Comedy for comedians, music for a musician, etc.), and Cooking. -Must create ambrosia and reach the highest level of the entertainer career. 

Scientist: Rocket science, Wellness, Fishing - Must learn to teleport and reach the highest level in the scientist career. 

These are career oriented sims. They don’t have time to complete any collections. 

Two sims must marry an alternate life-state (plantsim, alien, or human)

Two sims must marry other vampires. 

Have all four sims try for baby at the same time with their spouses. The first Evil and First Good to have a baby (no cheats!) are the parents of the next gen heirs. Each of them must have a second child. Each must have one evil and one good child.

Generation 4:

Generation 3 spares and their parents must be moved out if they’re still alive. Buh Bye!

Generation 4 is keen to live off of the money their parents and aunts/uncles made. Do not give them careers. They may have part-time jobs. 

This generation must complete 2 collections to make up for last gen (and because they have nothing better to do, the slackers!) 

This generation must grow one of every FRUIT in the game and splice them into one super fruit plant. 

One sim from this generation must max the gardening skill and Evolve at least 6 plants to highest quality. 

One sim from this generation must max the writing skill and complete at least 6 novels.

One sim from this generation must max the fitness skill. Then make them gain a bunch of weight. 

One sim from this generation must woohoo with at least 6 other sims. 

Two sims from this generation must marry vampires.

One sim from this generation must marry a human.

One sim from this generation may not marry but must have a child with a vampire. 

Each of these sims must have 2 children. One good and one evil. 

Generation 5 (Final!) 

Use a cheat to reset the family funds to 100 simoleons. 

Put all collectibles, rewards, earned items in the inventory of the heirs. 

Move out all sims but the 8 heirs. 

Bulldoze the lot completely. 

Each sim must have a different way of making money. Careers, jobs, store ownership, etc. They may change jobs as well! 

This generation must finish one more collection. 

This generation must build a new home for themselves with space to display all collections that were completed. 

This generation must have a garden to grow food. 

This generation may not use money cheats. 

This generation may marry whomever they wish. 

This generation must invite every family member from previous generations over at least once if they are still alive. 

This lot must have the “Cursed” lot trait along with “Vampire Lair” and one other trait of your choice. 

At least one sim from this generation must be cured of vampirism. 

At least one sim from this generation must turn at least 3 other sims into vampires. 

You cannot use needs cheats this generation.

All of the heirs must survive until their parents die.  Since mortal vamps mod is borked just make sure they all reach the highest level of vampirism with all vampire powers.

These heirs must make at least 100k simoleons. 

The challenge ends when all of the above are completed. 

Remember to take gameplay pictures! Make it fun and interactive! Post and enjoy!! I’ll choose the winners after my birthday and hand out the codes. ^_^ 

[growningupgeek]

Girls Night Out

PROMPT-"I've only had a few drinks."

  Word Count-1575 

  Characters-Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury, Elaina Mason(OFC) 

  Pairing-Sam x Elaina 

  Warnings-Canon level violence, drinking lots of drinking. This wasn't exactly written for @iwantthedean P2 1S challenge, honestly it's been sitting in my computer for months because i didn't like the story that comes right before it. But there it only needed a little tweak to work. Tags at the end. If you want on or off my tag list, and I only have one, just drop me an ask or message me.

Dean and Sam watched Charlie’s car roll down the drive.

     “So do we follow them or do the safe thing for us and stay here?” Sam asked looking at Dean.

     Dean gave him a long, searching look, “It’s just Charlie and Elaina, what’s the worst that could happen?”

     Then he thought about that for a minute and paled as the full impact of what he’d just said hit him.     Sam nodded slowly, “You realize I’ve got a couple of nightmares start with that sentence, right.”

     The boys decided to give them a couple of hours, and then Sam would text Elaina.  If they didn’t get an answer they’d go looking for them.

  ELAINA 

     Charlie slid into the booth in the back of the bar, “So I want to know everything about you and the boys.”

     I smiled at her over my rum and coke, Sam was right I really liked the little redhead, “First to my new friend.  Us geek gals have got to stick together.”                Charlie touched her glass to mine and we both chugged down our drinks.  I signaled the waitress for another round, “So what exactly do you want to know.”      “Everything, start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”     So I started with the werewolf pack, then I told her about Crowley’s attempted kidnapping, the witch hunt in Chicago, realizing that I was falling for Sam, the night Dean sat with me after I crippled a 14 year old girl, Bobby insisting that I go with them, Dean’s teasing and Sam and I getting together.  The time Dean was gone was harder to talk about, things had been pretty bad for a few months until Sam pulled it back together.  Dean’s return was easier, although I had to confess that I was still worried about him.   By that time I was pretty lit and so was Charlie.

     We danced a little, drank a lot and generally had a good time.  Charlie was bringing back our latest round of drinks when I noticed that she was being followed.  He was a taller man, with graying blond hair and goatee wearing glasses; he moved smoothly through the crowd his eyes laser focused on Charlie.  Something about him set off alarm bells but I couldn’t put my finger on just what it was.  Charlie put our drinks on the table and turned to face him.              “Okay stalker, what’s up?” she demanded.

     He was clearly taken aback that we’d noticed him, “I just wanted to meet the two most beautiful women in the room.”

     I snorted into my drink, but I noticed the swollen gums and a slightly rancid smell.  I smiled at him anyway, “Sorry, dude, I’m taken and you aren’t her type. Later.”

     I dragged Charlie out to the dance floor and whispered vampire in her ear.  He wouldn’t attack here; there were too many people around.  I needed to lure him away and take care of this quietly.  The music was so loud there was no way to make myself heard, so I got Charlie’s attention and mouthed kitchen at her.  She nodded and we danced that way.

      We slipped into the thankfully empty kitchen and I started searching for the biggest knife I could find.  I had one on me but it was in no way big enough for the job.  Charlie was typing furiously on her phone which I ignored.  I found the biggest knife in the place, grabbed her arm and headed for the back door just as the vampire entered the kitchen.  I dragged Charlie out of the bar and pushed her toward her car, “Get out of here!”

     I turned to face the vamp just as he grabbed for me.  I ducked under his arm, scoring a long shallow cut along his ribs.  It wouldn’t kill him but it would hurt like hell.  When he doubled over from the pain I brought my knife down on his neck. Thankfully whoever cooked here kept their knives sharp; I got half way through on the first shot and then finished the job on the back swing.   I punted the head toward the woods behind the bar and ran for Charlie’s car.  We locked the doors and sat there panting, and then we looked at each other and started laughing.  Okay, so there was a slightly hysterical tone to the laughing but it was laughter not tears.

     “Is one night without monsters too much to ask,” I groaned, rolling my eyes skyward, “Just one night would have been nice.”

      Charlie leaned her head against the steering wheel, “I texted Dean, since neither one of us is in any shape to drive. The last thing we need is to get pulled over.”

     I nodded and looked down at my blood covered shirt, “Let’s just hope that vamp was hunting alone or the boys show up before the rest of his nest.”

     I leaned my head back against the seat, we needed more protection then the car would give us, “Charlie, how much are you willing to trust me?”

     She gave me a funny look, then raised her hand for a fist bump, “Geek gals together.” 

     I bumped my fist into hers and grinned, “Don’t be surprised at what happens next, I’m letting you in on a little family secret.” 

     I cupped my hands and started singing,

     This bloody road remains a mystery,

     This sudden darkness fills the air,

     What are we running from,

      won’t anybody help us

     What are running from,

       A ball of light formed in my cupped hands and expanded until it surrounded the car.

     We can’t afford to innocent

     Stand up and face the enemy

     It’s a do or die situation

     We will be invincible.

     Charlie’s eyes got bigger, as the bubble solidified around us.  Then she breathed, “Wow, you actually are Hermione.” 

    I laughed, “Sort of, it takes a lot more out of me then her magic.  I’m not sure how long I can hold this and I’ll be useless for any magic for a couple of days, but I think saving our hides is worth it.”

     “What is it?” There was Charlies’ insatiable curiosity.

      “Protection spell, nothing of evil intent can get through it.  The guys will be able to; Sam might even notice it’s there.  He’s become…sensitive to my magic,” I blushed. 

     “Elaina, you didn’t…” Charlie trailed off wiggling her fingers.

     I was hurt that she thought that, “Gods no! Charlie I would never do that.  For one thing it’s not worth the effort, love spells have to be renewed every couple of days. “

    I looked at Charlie, seeing doubt in her eyes, “You’ve got to believe me.  I care about Sam and Dean too much to ever do anything like that. And you know how Dean feels about witches, he’s completely creeped out by what I can do.”           

     Charlie nodded, “I do believe you.”

     She reached over and gave me a quick hug around the shoulders.  I smiled at her; oddly I found that her good opinion was important to me, “So tell me how you met the boys?”

     She had just gotten to where Dean was trying to help her flirt with a security guard when Sam called out, “Laine, take it down babe.”

     I dismissed the spell and got out of the car, “Hey guys.”

     “You girls alright,” Dean asked.

     “Dude, it was one vamp.  I could handle that in my sleep, even drunk it was no problem,” I told him.

     “She was awesome! You should have seen it!” Charlie exclaimed.

      Sam looked into my eyes, “How much have you had?”

     “I've only had a few drinks,” I replied, trying to dance around the subject.              Sam's raised his eyebrows and Dean shot me a look that told he knew I was either lying or not telling the whole truth.  I looked at Charlie and we both started giggling, “I don’t know. I stopped counting after 7 or 8.”

     Sam looked at Dean, “I told you.”

     Dean shot him bitch face number two, “So I owe you twenty.”

     Charlie and I looked at each other, then in unison said, “You guys bet on us?!”

   Sam looked embarrassed, Dean just grinned, “Hey, I bet on you guys not getting into trouble.”

     “They are so eating their own cooking for a week,” I muttered to Charlie.              “And they can fix their own tech for a while,” she whispered back.

     “You okay to drive?” I asked.  Charlie nodded and reached into her pocket.

     “No, neither one of you is driving,” Dean said firmly, “Give me your keys Charlie.” 

     He threw the keys to Baby to Sam, “Just be careful with her, Sammy.”                  Dean and Charlie got into her car and Sam and I climbed into Baby.  The ride home was quiet at first, Sam was embarrassed and I was really pissed at him.   Finally I couldn’t stand it anymore.  “How could you, Sam?  How could you bet that Charlie and I would get into trouble?”

     Sam gave me a look that would have melted my heart if I hadn’t been so mad, “Charlie is a bit of a wild child and you are a trouble magnet.  The two of you in the two of you together is like mixing nitro and napalm.”

     Then he smiled, “Trouble actually took longer than I thought to find you guys.”       I slid my hand across the seat, “You’re lucky I’m so attached to you.”       He twined his fingers with mine, “Love you too, babe.”

 -JediCat 

 The Usual Suspects-

@darkcastersruletheworld

@black-shad0w-w0lf

@imagine-that-supernatural

@ladysaraharper

@thedepthsoffandomminds

@kbrand0

@soaringeag1e

@jojomonsterbunni

@supernaturalismalife

@little-red-83

@growleytria

@ashleymalfoy

@jerkbitchidjitassbutt

@halespecterwinchester

@driverpicksthemuusic

@isometimeswritesomethings

@whyisleepacesoamazing

@mist-and-echoes

@sassysupernaturalsweetheart

@kaylas-obsessions

@aerisawriting

@letsgetoutalive

@divinitycas

@leatherwhiskeycoffeeplaid

@jodyri

@soab1967

@busybee612

@appleschloss

@kazchester-fanfiction

@oriona75

@deandoesthingstome

@littlegreenplasticsoldier

@screeching-pterodactyl-fangirl

@sammy-moo

@for-the-love-of-dean

@mrswhozeewhatsis

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@sandlee44

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@fast-times-in-the-impala

@wereallbrokenangels

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@see-you-then-winchester

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@mogaruke

@wheresthekillswitch

@skybinx-blog

@callmesweetheartifyoumeanit

(welcome back, Moz!)

[ulyssessklein]

Musical teamwork: the pillars of effective collaboration

10 things to remember when you’re working with other musicians.

I just got back from Oregon where I played the part of Peter Gabriel in a re-creation of his Secret World Live concert experience. A nine-person band, two hours of songs, custom-built set pieces and stage extensions, 3D image-mapping and projection, choreography, the list goes on.

It was one of the most involved shows I’ve ever participated in from a planning perspective. In the execution, it went even better than I’d imagined — and we had the audience dancing in the aisles from the start of the concert.

Afterwards, I wondered “How the hell did we just pull that off so well?”

Simple answer: teamwork.

As musicians, we can forget when we’re stressed or (worse) desperate, but effective musical teamwork is built on a few basic concepts:

1. Time is your greatest resource.

Athletes don’t just show up for the first game of the season. There’s months of practice (and sometimes pre-season games) beforehand. The same should go for any musical project or production.

I was asked almost a year in advance if I wanted to participate in this Peter Gabriel tribute. The personnel (music, lighting, design, production, PR, etc) had mostly all been determined nine months ahead of the target date for the show. And the show itself had been dreamed up and storyboarded even further back than that.

I watched the original Secret World Live film and listened to the album nonstop for months and months. So much that I still hear my daughter singing Peter Gabriel songs to herself while playing with her toys.

The date and venue — a beautiful concert hall in Portland called Revolution Hall — were locked in well in advance, and the team did several technical walk-throughs to measure stage dimensions, explore lighting options, etc.

We had two full weeks of rehearsal scheduled leading up to the show, in a practice space that had been taped-off to the exact dimensions of the stage.

We had two days with a choreographer.

We had three days with our sound engineer at the rehearsal space, dialing in individual mixes and effects.

There are a hundred other details that needed to be ironed out as well, and the only reason the ironing got done is because time was on our side.

Plan well in advance. Budget your time accordingly.

2. Work with reliable people.

My friend Anders, a fantastic drummer and one of the producers of the show, was the person that asked me to be the singer. I immediately told him the idea made me nervous because my voice sounds nothing like Peter Gabriel. Gabriel’s voice is somehow both raspy and full, even when singing higher tenor and falsetto lines. Mine is much… clearer. (Less of that cool, rock rasp).

Anders assured me that no one expected me to sing LIKE Peter Gabriel, but that I was being asked because I had the vocal range to cover both baritone and tenor vocal lines, and more importantly, he knew I’d do my homework and step into the role with conviction and my own sense of emotional delivery. I would show up prepared.

All that to say, Anders was counting on me to do SOMETHING good, even if it didn’t exactly mirror Peter Gabriel in delivery, and to not slow down the momentum in rehearsal, because I’d be ready to get to work. He could rely on me.

Same goes for everyone on the team, all fantastic musicians, technicians, builders, etc. But more important than talent was preparedness.

Be ready.

3. You’ve got to be MORE than talented and reliable.

So yeah, talent and reliability are crucial. But there’s something else that is just as important to your musical team’s ultimate success.

It’s tough to define because it’s different for each team member, but I’ll explain it this way: One of the guitarists also served as the musical director, one of our backup vocalists was an important part of getting people out to the show thanks to her network of friends and followers, the bassist knew about set design and fabrication, the drummer was in charge of van and gear rentals, and so forth.

You’ve gotta bring something to the table besides your immediate musical contribution. Web design? Writing skills for your press release? Photography? Deep pockets? Whatever it is, contribute something beyond your talent and dependability.

4. Get over yourself and take chances.

This probably sounds like a self-help cliché, but if you don’t put yourself into situations that challenge you, you aren’t going to grow.

For me (and for most of the band) there was an initial discomfort with replicating the theatricality of the show, which is all about bridging distances. There are awkward, suggestive, and joyous dance moves, dramatic duets, and plenty of moments when I’m singing on my knees at the front of the stage while staring into the eyes of individual audience members. I’ve never considered myself a naturally charismatic performer, I’m more of a workman-like singer-songwriter, but this role required that I push through my inhibitions in a way that was frightening (at first) and ultimately… freeing, engaging, successful.

The risk I took was showing up to practice ready to make a fool of myself, and to never nix ideas until we’d actually tried them. I think this helped everyone in the band get over themselves and just… dance.

I’m sure there’s a similar way in which you need to overcome something on your next big project, whether it’s writing a more vulnerable song, stepping out to the front of the stage for your solo, or risking rejection when you reach out to bloggers.

Risk it.

5. Delegate.

Once you’ve assembled a reliable team where each member has a particular skill set, it’s time to let go of the reins (a bit). There’s no way the three producers of the show could do everything themselves. So they had to trust that the set pieces would be built on time, that the band would be rehearsed, the PR campaign was underway, etc.

Of course they kept folks accountable with frequent check-ins, but they weren’t micro-managing.

That being said…

7. Every team needs leader(s).

We had three producers ultimately steering the ship. There’s a delicate but powerful balance that can happen when everyone takes ownership of their own area of expertise, while also feeling free to weigh in elsewhere.

With the “command structure” of this production, I deferred to the producers for the ultimate say, but one of our guitar players was tasked with musical direction, so it was his job to solidify the arrangements, make suggestions on everyone’s playing and singing, and so forth; I kinda took it upon myself to assist him with giving queues on stage (where solos end, when we exit a vamp, etc.) since I’m the guy wearing the bright outfit out front and all the players could see me. Our choreographer was in charge of movement, but everyone had input to shape the final show.

Anway, all this to say, it’s easier to make suggestions and collaborate when it’s clear who’s in charge of what, and who gets the final word.

7. Be clear about the rewards and penalties.

What does each person gain from contributing? Upfront money? A share of ongoing royalties? Fun? “Exposure?” What are you expecting? What should they expect of you? And just as important, what are you NOT responsible for?

What happens if you flake out, fail, or otherwise don’t deliver? Are there contingencies?

All of this should be communicated upfront. Terms, splits, payments, etc.

Contracts? Read ’em. If fair, sign ’em.

8. Use the tools.

You wouldn’t set out to create the next great EDM album with a 4-track cassette recorder and an acoustic guitar. (Well, maybe that WOULD be cool, but…)

You need the right tools to get the job done. For this production, with so much dancing, we needed the entire stage clear of monitors and cables, so everyone went with wireless in-ear monitors and wireless packs for their instruments. That required… a LOT of wireless packs, in-ears, plus those fancy antennas to broadcast all those signals. It also meant nine separate in-ear monitor mixes.

So we rented a bunch of gear, along with the same digital board that the venue has in-house. We brought it to our practice space along with all that other stuff to work out the tech and mixing details ahead of time, and saved the custom mix settings to load into the venue’s board on the day of show.

That’s just one of many examples of how we relied on a wide spectrum of tech (image mapping and projection, digital mixing, loops and samples, etc.) to make this show as good as it could be.

I don’t want this to sound like you need a billion dollars worth of the latest gear in order to be successful — in fact, Steve Lacy would tell you the opposite: start NOW with whatever you already have on-hand — but whatever tools you’re using, be sure they’re up for the task. This leads back to point #1: have adequate time to test and adjust.

If you don’t own what you need, call in favors, borrow, rent, or do that thing where you buy from Guitar Center and then return it after the gig (JUST KIDDING!)

9. Throw the Hail Mary.

Despite all the preparation, things will go wrong and you’ll have to scramble and improvise to navigate around the setback.

The only window of time our 3D-mapping expert could get into the venue to dial in his settings was the exact same time as soundcheck, so both processes were competing with one another, and both were delayed. This pushed right up to the time the doors were about to open.

It also meant we didn’t have time to do a cue-to-cue for every single song, which we’d planned to do with our sound, lighting, and projection teams. During the show, a few “important” lighting and projection sequences didn’t happen as planned.

I put “important” in quotes because you know what? No one in the audience knew any different. The music and performance had to carry the moment, and it did.

Things will go wrong. So be it. Roll with it. You might throw a desperate pass and win the game.

10. Celebrate, or at least post-game.

This Peter Gabriel tribute show I played was a success (bragging!) and we knew the moment we stepped off-stage that we’d done a good job. It was all love and congrats and celebration. That’s important. Striving to make a connection with music is a difficult path in life, and sometimes we’re too cool for our own good. It’s important, vital even, to sit on these little victories for a second and soak up the good feeling. (Those feelings might have to power you through some rough patches).

But even if your collaboration isn’t a smashing success, you should still rally the team afterwards, give thanks where thanks are due, figure out what could’ve been better, and assess how you’ll improve the next time around. Don’t just disperse into the night.

Win or lose, every team looks back on the game for lessons and a sense of camaraderie.

Have you had any successful collaborations lately? How about bad ones? Got any tips to share about musical teamwork? Let me know in the comments below.

[Picture of Real World Collective taken by Debra Penk.]

Here’s a video of one of our mellower tunes with stellar vocals from Margaret Wehr and some lovely audience participation at the end. Also, you can see some of our more animated songs HERE.

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