#i was just referencing that show daria

[syntia13treeman]

Case files 02.01

what I think happened in:

Case 02.01, the case of "Portrait of Daria Gray" or "The artist becomes the canvas."

Daria's story is pretty straightforward. What we know about Daria: she's a struggling left-handed artist who used to wear a lot of hand-me-down clothes from her sister, and she doesn't like the way she looks. At some point she decides to get a bit of a makeover and, among more mundane things, she starts shopping for a new tattoo. She finds a deal too good to be true (it is) offered by one 'Ink5oul'.

Ink5oul is sketchy as hell, and definitely has something supernatural going on. The tattoo they gives Daria (with no input from her, WTF! - paintbrush, floral patterns and glittering symbols) hurts much more than it should, but also heals almost instantly.

Looking at the tattoo (which is 'perfect') fills Daria with sudden desire to paint an autoportrait (which comes out 'perfect'). And once that is done, looking at it again makes her realize she can adjust herself (and make herself perfect).

So she takes her painting tools, most notably a pallet knife, right to her own face (and soon pretty much every other body part) and gives herself an impromptu plastic surgery. Which goes on uninterrupted for several days (???!?!!?!) until her room-mate Sarah comes home. Poor Sarah walks in on Daria while she has a knife stuck in her jaw, understandably freaks out and punches Daria, at which point half of Daria's face collapses under her hand like putty.

Having no idea that her room-mate has been touched by the spooky, Sarah comes up with the only rational explanation she can think of, which is that Daria poured some acid on her own face (which is very comic-book logic, but maybe Sarah paid more attention to Batman than chemistry and biology class as a teen).

So now Daria has severely disfigured face, and also is officially considered suicidal and a danger to herself and must go to therapy. (Honestly, she needs therapy).

There are two things, aside from the obvious, that grabbed my attention here:

The voice. Narration in the first case was that of a pretty normal email - a little bit rambly, a little bit disjointed, referencing things that the recipient would know about that we can only infer. The second case had a perfectly average forum thread. This case... also starts out with pretty realistic voice - right until the moment Daria stats talking about the tattoo. Then suddenly this story gets ridiculously verbose. The way she describes the studio, the tattooing process, the tattoo itself, the painting process and finally the 'adjustments' - the details, the wording - there's no way a regular person talks that way. Not in real time, not about a traumatic event that they very much don't want to talk about at all. So where is this coming from? I think it's the ink. Until proven otherwise, I'm going to assume that Ink5soul's tattoo somehow infused Daria with power to 'express herself' perfectly in whatever medium she's using - be it words, paint, or her own flesh.

Invasion of privacy issues all over the place. First Daria's tattooing session is streamed for who knows how many Ink5oul's fans without her say-so, and then her be-damned therapy session gets intercepted by some weird basement government branch. Daria glosses over the former and doesn't know about the latter, but they are there. And there was that private email in case of 'Not-Arthur' too. I wonder how present this theme will be in rest of the show. One thing I can bet on: if one of the cases doesn't deal with a conspiracy theorist yelling about government spying on them, I'm gonna eat my hat. (And the poor paranoid guy will be 100% right, just not in the way they think).

[blueysbookshelf]

2024: Book 17 - Take the Lead

Take the Lead by Alexis Daria My rating: 3 of 5 stars Man…I really wanted this to be better. It wasn't terrible by any means…but I just wanted more. The premise of this was so interesting, being set in a dance competition with some high stakes…but it kind of just fell flat. There was nothing wrong with the writing, it was wonderful…But the plot felt draggy. I'd have loved more time with them dancing and more tension between them while rehearsing. And I'd have certainly appreciated more communication and understanding between the MCs. I was bothered by how often Gina referenced being Latina and therefore expected to be seen as SPICY all the time…and while I kept telling myself that I'm not a Latina and I have no idea what ideals society puts on them…it felt a little too 'tell not show'. I'd have liked to have seen more instances of her being expected to be that ideal…rather than just her telling us that's what she was dealing with. I'd also have really appreciated a better explanation about Stone's family because that was confusing for the most part. However…it was well written and I'm not mad I spent my time reading it. Though I am glad it was a library book and not something I paid for. I was definitely ready for it to be finished. I use the CAWPILE Review method for my reviews (see explanation here), just to keep me honest and help me understand what exactly I liked/didn't like. My ratings are below. Characters: 7/10 Atmosphere/Setting: 6/10 Writing: 8/10 Plot: 6/10 Intrigue: 5/10 Logic/Relationships: 7/10 Enjoyment: 6/10 Total rating 48/70 divided by 7 = 6.8 ⭐⭐⭐ 🌶️ View all my reviews

[take-a-chill-la-pill]

Tagged

I was tagged by the awesome @rabiesvaccine 

Rules: Answer 20 Questions and tag someone else who you want to get to know more.

Name: Jasmine

Nickname: Jazz

Ethnicity: A bunch of Hispanic things like Mexican, Spanish, Puerto Rican, maybe one white thing and some Native American. Idk, I’m just a mutt.

Favorite Fruit: Strawberries and watermelon.

Favorite season: I like Fall because I like to wear beanies and jackets but I don’t like freezing my butt off in the winter.

Favorite superhero(s): Nightwing, Batman, Wonder Woman, Wolverine, Batgirl, and Spider-Man.

Favorite non-anime TV show(S): The Office, Rick and Morty, King of The Hill, Invader Zim, Arrested Development, Daria, Regular Show, and SNL.

Favorite Hobby: Working out and drawing

Favorite Color: Purple, Green, and Black. I can’t choose one over the other.

Favorite anime character(s): Ryuko Matoi, Satsuki Kiryuin, Mako Mankanshoku, Ira Gamagori, Mikasa Ackerman, Sasha Brause, Eren Jager, Erwin Smith, Hanji Zoe, Levi Ackerman, Ymir, Kamina, Simon the digger, Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Italy, Spain, Japan, the narrator from Hetalia (even though she’s technically not a character) Koro-Sensei, All Might, Iida Tenya, Ken Kaneki, Revy “two hands”.

Favorite bands: Foo Fighters, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, Nirvana, Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fall Out Boy, The Neighbourhood, My Chemical Romance, Twenty One Pilots, Arctic Monkeys, The Fray, Kumbia Kings, Selena Y Los Dinos, and Mystik Spiral (but they’re thinking of changing their name).

Favorite Animal(s): Lions and Tigers and bears (oh my)!! Jk, just wolves, tigers, pandas, and pretty much every kind of dog. Cats are okay, though.

Favorite anime movie(s): Wolf Children, Your name, The Cat Returns, Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Though Time, Cowboy Bebop:The Movie, Hetalia: Paint it White, and The Boy and the Beast.

Favorite non-anime movie(s): The Dark Knight Trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Kill Bill vol.1 & 2, Silver Linings Playbook, Inception, Logan, Wonder Woman, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, Inglorious Bastards, The Breakfast Club, Grease, Wayne’s World, Casino Royale, Mad Max: Fury Road, Australia, Back to the Future trilogy, Clueless, Mean Girls, The Princess Bride.

I was born and raised in: Austin, Texas. I like to keep it weird.

Favorite Sports Teams: San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Longhorns, and Putas Del Fuego (that last one is a Roller Derby team).

Blog created: December 2016

Number of followers: 878 and growing thanks to everyone :)

Favorite food: Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and BBQ

Top 10 favorite anime series: Kill la Kill, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Attack on Titan, Cowboy Bebop, Black Lagoon, Assassination Classroom, Steins;Gate, Tokyo Ghoul, Hetalia, Psycho-pass.

Okay. @theatxjazz97blog @everydaysatsuki @followingryuko its your turn.

[toadminako]

I recently noticed that on the WWDITS Writers Guild of America Page...

they are now listing the writers for each episode of season 4, but not the episode titles. So being the mentally-well person I am, I cross-referenced the leaked episode titles with the writer(s) on each numbered episode, then I noted some thoughts on the content of the episodes and what past work the writer has done. I think it gives us some idea of what to expect from the tone and style of each episode. Details under the cut:

DISCLAIMER 1: Do keep in mind that just because certain people are credited as the “writers” of a given episode, it’s still likely that everyone in the writers’ room - staff writers, script editors, the producers, showrunner etc - contributed. Nevertheless, the credited writer can give you some idea of what to expect.

DISCLAIMER 2: I make some (probably ill-advised) statements of what I think the strongest and weakest episodes were so far. This is of course just my opinion.

Anyway! let’s have a look at the writer credits…

1.      Reunited

·        Written by: Stefani Robinson & Paul Simms

The only episode Robinson has a writing credit on this season. Maybe due to concurrent work on Atlanta? We don’t know much about the content of the episode, other than the vamps return to Staten Island and the house lies in disrepair. I expect a lot of flashbacks to what they’ve been doing over the past year. Being showrunners/executive producers, Robinson and Simms will tend to handle the plot-heavy episodes and establish the outline for the beginning and ending.

2.      The Lamp

·        Written by: Wally Baram & Aasia Lashay Bullock

Don’t know either of these writers as they seem to be new to the show as of season 4. They’ve apparently worked on Upload, Space Force, Sprung and Betty. All shows I’m not familiar with! However, the leaked scripts from the episode did make me laugh. This is the one where Nandor employs a Djinn to bring back one of his wives and do er… other things too.

3.      The Grand Opening

·        Written by: Sam Johnson & Chris Marcil

Very likely the “Nadja opens a Nightclub” episode. This writing duo previously wrote “Collaboration” (some OOC moments but a pretty funny and quite Nandermo-y episode) and “The Cloak of Duplication” (a very funny and arguably the first 100% Nandermo-y episode). They have a lot of successful previous work on Frasier, Beavis and Butt-head, Daria, How I Met Your Mother and The Adventures of Pete & Pete. Johnson is also an executive producer on the show who has co-written episodes with Robinson and Simms.

4.      The Night Market

·        Written by: William Meny & Paul Simms

Meny was actually one of the Story Editors on Our Flag Means Death as well! His previous credits are “Witches” in S2, one of my favourites, and “The Chamber of Judgement” in S3, which I think was one of the weaker episodes though Derek’s return and Guillermo’s gaslight gatekeeping girlbossing was hilarious. What we do know about this episode is that it’s  the one that features Guillermo’s family somehow, and Simms says it’s their most ambitious episode yet in terms of the scale of the supernatural creatures involved.

5.      Private School

·        Written by: Ayo Edebiri & Shana Gohd

Ayo Edebiri appears to be a newcomer to the show, having previously worked on Big Mouth, Dickinson and Sunnyside. Oddly enough Shana Gohd wrote both “Colin’s Promotion”, which is my personal favourite of whole series, and “The Siren”, which is my least favourite. I do think she writes Colin Robinson exceptionally well. This must be the episode the leaked “Child Colin goes to school” script is from. I can’t wait to see how they use special effects to accomplish this.

6.      Pine Barrens

·        Written by: Sarah Naftalis

The legend herself who wrote “The Curse” & “The Casino”. Harvey has mentioned he particularly likes how she does Guillermo’s character voice, and I’m inclined to agree. It seems like this episode will involve Seaniiiiiiiie going to a hunting lodge with the vampires, and the Jersey Devil might show up. It’s also probably named after a very famous episode of The Sopranos, so I can’t wait to see what they do with that.

7.      Go Flip Yourself

·        Written by: Marika Sawyer

We know pretty much nothing about this episode as far as I can tell. [Guillermo voice] What I CAN tell you… Is Marika Sawyer wrote “The Orgy” and “Resurrection”, two of my personal favourites (though I know some people don’t like Resurrection very much) as well as penning “Gail” and having a co-writing credit on “Farewell”. She seems to have a tendency towards goofy sex jokes which I appreciate. She was a very well-established writer on SNL amongst other shows before working on WWDITS.

8.      Freddie

·        Written by: Jake Bender & Zach Dunn

WE KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS ONE, PRETZELS AT THE READY. These fellas wrote “Brain Scramblies” and “The Escape”. Two pretty-darn-good-but-not-the-absolute-best episodes IMO. Maybe it’s of interest that the guys who gave us The Slap are also giving us the Freddie episode... Who knows?

9.      The Wedding

·        Written by: Sam Johnson & Sarah Naftalis & Marika Sawyer & Paul Simms

Recent reveals to the press suggest this will finally be Nandor marrying whoever his wife candidate turns out to be, along with Guillermo as his best man. Regular writers Johnson, Naftalis and Sawyer make a return here to write with Simms. That suggests to me that this will indeed be a big, plot-heavy episode. Eeeeee!

10.   Memories

·        Written by: Paul Simms

Another episode that we know nothing about this other than that it ends on a cliffhanger and some of it might have been shot on a wet set, but right now showrunner Paul Simms is the only one credited, so it’s probably a biggie one way or another.

[springfieldblues]

I’m glad that I’m not being rude or anything. I love talking about dynamics as well (and my sister is sick of me talking about Nelson and Lisa lmao) and I’m really giving with being able to discuss this with someone who knows quite a bit more than I do so I can learn something new from them! I also don’t mind the long reply because I’m loving hearing someone else’s side of it.

First things first, I didn’t mean that she’d said the thing about Milhouse in that episode. My thoughts get kinda jumbled because I don’t want these asks to be too long. I was referencing when she first tells Milhouse that she liked Nelson, and I can’t quote her, but I think she does says that she wants to bring the Milhouse out in Nelson, which always rubbed me the wrong way for some reason (but it’s an old episode, so 🤷🏻‍♀️). Like she looks down on Milhouse for the way he is but wants to bring out some of his qualities out in someone else when the guy she’s trying to change (even if she thinks it’s for the better) has a soft side that she won’t pay attention to because he wasn’t the ideal version she’s made up (but I think we’ve all had versions of people in our heads that weren’t at all what they were really like so I understand).

It’s also a little odd to me that in Love, Springfieldian Style (even though i love the Nelisa and the Sex Pistols vibes with every fiber of my being) it’s strange to think that out of the three stories, the one that they appear in was not healthy AT ALL. Like, Bonnie and Clyde aren’t healthy at all and Homer and Marge play them, but when you look into the real story behind Nancy and Sid, it’s certainly not family friendly. But other than that I don’t have much to say on it because I really like that part of the episode.

But I agree that writing fiction is a good way to play with dynamics. I’m currently writing a fic (with an OC because the plan that I had would have been very OOC for Lisa) but it is already interesting to see the characters interact and seeing what works while writing it. But I do really want to look into your comic and see how you write each of them because I’m not having a great time writing Lisa. I just don’t feel like I got her right, but we don’t see a lot of 16 year old Lisa and even though it’s fun, I have a fear of writing Nelson (one of the main characters in the fic) as ooc as well. But I won’t bother you with that, sorry for the rambling lol

dont be sorry, i enjoy the rambling!

youre right, she did say she wanted to bring out the milhouse in nelson in that episode....i can see how thatd be weird LMAO for some reason i never gave it much thought but good observation. reminds me of the episode where milhouse got a crush on this new girl and lisa got mad and milhouse called her out on it because its like she didnt want to be with him but she doesnt want him to be with other people either?? or something along those lines and i was like DAMN MILHOUSE u got her

also yeah the sid and nancy segment is arguably nelson and lisa at their most toxic but to be fair, they were playing sid and nancy. that doesnt make it any less engaging though (they made a movie about sid and nancy for a reason after all)

when it comes to writing 16yo lisa you gotta remember that the show pretty often writes her as if shes already 16. based on the not-morrissey episode, they seem to be pretty self aware of that fact too. all you have to do is make her less childish and a bit more hardened (at that age, id imagine shes gone through enough disappointment to last her a lifetime,) and beyond that point i think its up to you and how youd interpret she would be like as a 16 year old, taking into account the backstory you decided to give her. you could look for teen characters with vibes similar to what youre looking for. the first season of chilling adventures of sabrina has a sabrina thats, in my opinion, pretty much a live action horror-themed teen lisa simpson. you could also sprinkle a little bit of daria in there to. velma from mystery inc. belle from beauty and the beast. hermione granger. just some examples that could work for you!

nelson is a bit tougher to write thanks to his inconsistent characterization in the show, so you have to do a bit of reconstruction yourself, taking the bits and pieces that make sense to you and want to work with. im personally going for a mean and slightly stoic ‘whatever’ kind of vibe while keeping his crass sense of humor, resourcefulness and secret soft side. but mostly hes just unreadable (purposefully so) unless youre paying attention to what he does and why he does it rather than what he says, because he doesnt really express himself much. my personal inspiration for him is john bender from the breakfast club (though id argue that bender is meaner, maybe some things just come across different in live action)

thats all i can say on writing them, idk how helpful that may be but yeah. you just gotta go with what feels right!! vague advice i know but im kind of bad at explaining these things, i really feel like im mostly going off vibes more than anything hahaha

anyway i wish you good luck on your writing endeavors!!

[uhforfuckssake]

Holbeck: A Case Study of Hell — FiLiA

By Dr Em

Holbeck is a case study of hell. It is misogyny and objectification in the legal system, a triumph of men’s rights activists. Alan Caton, the detective who led the investigation into the murders of five prostituted women in Ipswich in 2006 and subsequently led the strategy to put an end to street prostitution in Ipswich is highly critical of the Leeds ‘managed approach’. Canton is clear that ‘I totally disagree with it’ he is of the opinion that ‘it plays right into the hands of pimps and abusers of women, and turns a blind eye to the most vulnerable people in our society. It allows men to carry on in their misogynistic ways, to abuse and exploit women who are out on the street selling sex’.1 Canton added that ‘The demand is there in this country because men are allowed unfettered to buy sex from women, to do what they want to them’.2 ‘Because that demand is never quelled, people will use all sorts of criminal avenues to traffic and exploit women. It's all about tackling that demand, telling men it's not acceptable to buy women and abuse them in that way’.3 In Holbeck human trafficking is rebranded as ‘migration for sex work’, paedophilia and child molestation becomes ‘under-age sex work’, rape becomes ‘a disputed sale’.

If one wants to know how unempowering the situation is for prostituted women and girls, one needs only read the punter reviews. Yes – reviews – like one would review a restaurant or hotel. Men describe their experiences to each other using degrading language and slang. For example, women likely trafficked from Romania are known as ‘Roms’, from Poland, ‘EE’, while men bemoan their lack of English or desire to participate, and the presence of pimps. Other men get a sexual kick out of the fact that the women and girls are disengaged. ‘Howaboutit’ related how:

‘i've had a few girls from down Holbeck - usually pass through at about 5am on a saturday morning. Always at least 1 or 2 around, as mentioned above, some are horrors!… total lack of interest while i had her in missionary.. but that kind of turns me on. Bored and checking her texts while i unload bare inside her!!’.4

One particular poster uses the moniker ‘Yorkshireripper’, referencing the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe who murdered prostituted women in Leeds during the 1970s. ‘Many of his attacks came after he had cruised the streets looking for victims, and the area’s reputation as a red light district meant that it was easier for him to persuade women to get into his car while soliciting’.5 ‘Yorkshireripper’ described one prostituted woman thus:

‘she looks a shit fuck based on that video [an uploaded porn film taken during street ‘sex work’] but I just think there's something about her being a really lowlife desperate dirty prostitute with such a shit background who's cunt has had many hundreds of hard cocks up her … that makes me want to empty my filth in her, just for the thrill of it’.6

‘Yorkshireripper’ had actually gone in search of potentially underage girls that night, he informed the other men that ‘I was seeking teenagers or under 25s’.7 ‘Yorkshireripper’ likes to negotiate the already low prices down further, he particularly likes bad weather as a means of creating more desperation in the women. He outlined how he:

‘went for a little scouting mission myself last night, first time in a few months due to reports of increased surveillance by anti whore brigade. Was a cold, wet and rainy night which is my favourite time as it seems gives you that extra cover of visibility and offers a quick respite from the cold as an incentive to the girls when your knocking down the price’.8

The women are looked upon as objects which the men can use, abuse, consume and collect. One ‘Richard1982’ described how ‘Of all the girls I've picked up she's the only one I haven't bb'd [had sex without a condom] so I want to collect the full set lol’.9 And the ‘sex work is work’ champions claim it is empowering for women. Do you feel empowered after reading that? Alan Caton, the detective who led the investigation into Stephen Wright who murdered five prostituted women in Ipswich in 2006 has related that “When I asked the [men] about it, they said: ‘I am paying for it, I can do what I want.’ That helped me form the view over time that this is not right. Men should not be able to exploit and abuse women in that way”.

DESPERATION & DRUGS

Holbeck creates a desperate cycle which we see trapping prostituted women across the world. Drugs and prostitution become a ‘chicken and egg’ problem. Women enter the trade to fund their, or their partner’s, drug addiction and then require more drugs to cope with what they are experiencing. Drugs become a means to endure male violence. While talking about Holbeck, Jenni described how she ‘gave up drugs to get out of the ‘managed’ red light zone – it was too dangerous’.11 Julie Bindel stated that in the opinion of one exited survivor of Holbeck ‘Her biggest criticism of the managed zone is the failure to offer women a route out of a world where drugs are rife’.12 Jenni discussed how “All the girls are down there because they’re dependent on drugs. I don’t believe it’s their choice to do it,” she says. “The key is to stop the drug use and it will stop the girls having to work for drugs”.13 Charles Hymas and Corinne Redfern reported how in Holbeck, it ‘was the sight of a prostitute injecting drugs into her groin on the backseat of a car in full view of residents in the neat terraced street in Beeston, Leeds, that convinced artist Claire Bentley-Smith it was time to act’.14 In 2019 'A woodland of suffering' was discovered by a mum-of-two dropping her children off at school which revealed a ‘sex worker's’ 'home' next to a Leeds primary school.15The drug litter is a constant in the area and a sharp reminder that allowing men to buy women on the street is ineffective at tackling the women’s drug addiction. In one clean-up of one small wooded area it took more than 20 vans to remove mounds of waste from a 'needle and condom hotspot' in Holbeck.16

Then men purchasing the women know they are desperate and many are addicts. One ‘Munterhunter’ said of the prostituted women in Holbeck that:

‘in most cases it's to feed a drug addiction or because some pimp is telling them "go and earn me 200 quid tonight".

I know that a large number of street prostitutes have serious drug habits my mate's wife works with a project which operates all over the UK working with street prostitutes and the biggest challenge they face is drugs. My mate is a support worker working with people on drug rehab and community punishment orders from the courts his wife works for a national organisation working with street prostitutes’.17

Yet he was undeterred from buying women. Mark Edmonds has outlined how in Holbeck, ‘there are no sanctions and no risk of conviction. Widespread drug-taking — sadly an integral part of the lives of many of these women, who have often been abused as teenagers and are subsequently used by pimps who see them as no more than a commodity — is also tolerated, under a scheme that costs local taxpayers £200,000 per year to run’.18 A BBC documentary highlighted the link between drug addiction and prostitution. In the documentary Sammie-Jo described how she ‘has been forced to work as a prostitute in the red-light district of Holbeck in Leeds to fund her addiction’.19 Yet still the ‘sex work is work’ lobby talk about women choosing this.

Safety and Violence

The ‘sex work is work’ pimp lobby and men’s sexual rights activists argue that prostitution should be decriminalised to make it safer for those being sold. Holbeck, and other examples such as in the Netherlands, shows this is false.20 It makes it more dangerous for the women being sold and other women in the area. In 2015, within months of the ‘managed approach’ zone in Holbeck becoming operational Daria Pionko was murdered by a punter.21 Julie Bindel spoke to one Holbeck prostitute who told her: ‘Because [the men] can’t get arrested, they think they can do anything they like. I’ve been raped, and one man urinated on me once and then took a photo’.22 With the first year of the ‘managed approach’ figures released by police show complaints of rape almost trebled … and have remained significantly higher than before’.23Alongside this, rapes are under-reported as the police and courts do not take it seriously, particularly if the woman is prostituted. On the 7th September 2018 Holbeck residents, David and Calum, reported stopping a rape of a prostituted woman. They stated that while walking home through Holbeck after they had finished work at a club they heard a woman’s voice calling for help. They ‘saw a man trying to strangle a woman. He released her as soon as we approached and she ran towards us… she’s a sex worker and he’s a punter. The fight was about condoms. He wanted her to have sex without a condom… but she refused’.24 The fetish killer, Donald Sheridan, who the council and probation service decided to house in the managed zone in Holbeck while he was on parole, told police in an interview regarding his abduction and attempted rape of a woman in Holbeck in 2019 that ‘he still experiences urges to rape and murder women, especially strangling them, and he had recently felt the urge to strangle an older sex worker after using her services’.25

The frequency of sex attacks on women in the small area of Holbeck was highlighted in 2019 when there were three sex attacks within 36 hours. Samantha Gildea and Kristian Johnson reported that ‘A female sex worker was assaulted by a male client in Shafton Lane on Sunday afternoon, then in the evening, a woman was grabbed on a footpath near Kenneth Street in an attempted rape at around 5.30pm. A third incident was reported to officer after a woman was physically assaulted in Holbeck Moor Park at around 10.15pm last night’.26 Julie Bindel interviewed ‘Sammy, who was pimped on her 17th birthday straight into the zone by her “boyfriend”, who told her that the police “don’t give a fuck about the women”. Sammy said that “One night I was screaming my head off when a nasty punter got really rough with me, but these two coppers just walked past’.27 Another prostituted woman, Jenni, told Chris Hymas and Bindel of ‘the constant threat of robbery, sex tourism, exploitation by traffickers, and women so desperate for drugs they sold sex for just £10’.28 Hymas and Bindel reported that ‘the zone, designed to crack down on pimping, was in reality a magnet for men seeking to exploit the women by charging them for protection’.29 Jenni described how “There were loads of young lads who were basically glorified pimps.. There were more and more attacks before I left, of people coming into the area to rob the girls, knowing they were on their own with money’30. Rather than improve relations between the prostituted woman and the police, the managed approach has caused them to deteriorate and the prostituted women feel even less protected.31 Nevertheless, ‘the council says the increase in crime is due to improved reporting and includes Beeston which is not part of the zone. Others disagree. “It was a disaster from day one,” a senior police officer told The Telegraph on condition of anonymity. “Other criminals came into the area quick as a flash. Drug dealers, pimps, even traffickers that brought the women from Romania’.32

Male violence and rape, and police inaction over these crimes, is also a problem for women and children not in prostitution who live near or enter the Holbeck zone. In 2015, ‘Sally – a young woman with learning disabilities, then aged 17 – was approached at a bus stop in Beeston on a weekday afternoon, bundled into a car, and raped in a nearby home. With DNA evidence, the attacker was quickly arrested and prosecuted in court. However, during a gruelling court case which saw Sally forced into a cross-examination, the defence lawyer argued that his client had simply mistaken Sally for a sex worker, and he walked free’.33 In 2017, Ian Staines, managing director of the Fresco Group, a local business, told the Daily Mail regarding the increase in rapes and sexual assaults that ‘these figures do not surprise me. Female members of our staff feel threatened. The police aren’t interested’.34 In 2018, a Holbeck woman was raped on her way home from work by a group of men who assumed she was a prostitute’.35 In another case of rape in the small Holbeck zone, Ed Carlisle reported of the rape of Alice, a previous victim of domestic abuse, that she had moved into a hostel in Holbeck, where she was repeatedly approached by kerb crawlers. Then in May 2018 ‘a gang of men manhandled her into a car, refused to believe she wasn’t a sex worker, and took her to a nearby house, where one of the men raped her. With DNA evidence, the attacker was quickly arrested, but again (supported by the testimonies of his friends) argued for mistaken identity, and was not even prosecuted’.36 At 4pm Saturday 8th September 2018 a resident reported that ‘my 12 year old daughter walking home from school rang me to tell me she’s just seen a lady being raped! 2 men had her pinned against the wall… one was pulling her knickers off as she screamed. My daughter ran home and I’ve called 999’.37 In November 2018 it was reported to the police and the press that a man tried to buy a baby for an hour in Holbeck. ‘The 47-year-old [woman] was carrying her four-month old grandchild in a pram in the area before the man reportedly said 'Give me an hour with it and I will bring it back'.38 In 2019 a woman claimed that while simply out walking she 'was raped in the street in Holbeck'.39 She did not report this as she thought the police would just say her rapist thought she was a ‘sex worker’ and he would thus walk free. Also in 2019 Donald Sheridan, a convicted fetish murderer, was housed in Holbeck while on parole, and later went on to abduct and strangle a woman until a passer-by intervened.40 The housing of Sheridan in Holbeck highlights how the judiciary and police view the women of Holbeck as dispensable. Susie Beever reported in 2019 how ‘many of the area's female residents feel at risk, preyed upon and "constantly scrutinised". Holbeck has one of the highest recorded crime rates in the entire Leeds South policing ward. There were 161 crimes reported in the area in September alone, of which 51 were classed as violent or sexual offences’.41/sup>

The Save Our Eyes community campaign group set up by residents of Holbeck records their experiences. One resident recorded how ‘My granddaughter was approached at 3.15pm in the afternoon in her school uniform by a punter looking for sex’.42 Another resident shared her experience of how ‘My daughter was followed home from school by a man making rude comments and trying to touch her’.43 13 year old Katy tells the story of how while waiting at a bus stop in a residential street adjoining the Holbeck managed zone on a Saturday morning with her mum ‘A man came up to us and said “Are you working?” My mum was confused and asked what he meant. He replied “Not you! I mean her. Is she working?” and pointed at me. My mum… shouted at him “She’s only 13, she’s a child!” but he wasn’t even bothered. He carried on, “It doesn’t matter about her age. She looks like one (meaning a prostitute)… It’s acceptable on Holbeck to ask”.44 Helen, Katie’s mum, described how ‘the man who wanted to buy her on Saturday argued with me. He felt he had a right to ask any woman in the area for sex’.45

Conclusion

Yet despite all of this evidence and Holbeck conforming to the pattern of other decriminalised areas of prostitution around the world in terms of an increase in crime and danger to women Chief Super Intendent Steve Cotter, of West Yorkshire Police, ‘said the force "remain convinced" the system was working’.46 One wonders how Mr Cotter defines success. Mr Cotter elaborated, that the managed approach in Holbeck ‘provides the best opportunity to safeguard the vulnerable women involved in street sex work, to limit the issues that impact on residents and businesses and to reduce the level of street sex work in Leeds," he said’.47 This is contradicted by reality. Still, a controversial report published in 2020 has claimed that the managed approach in Holbeck has had a positive result. This report’s statements are not supported by the data and the report itself ‘failed to comply with the legal obligations of public bodies to consider the equality impact of their policies and did not properly investigate how the scheme affects local women and children’.48 As Nordic Model Now asserts, ‘Prostitution has been recognized by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to be a form of gender-based violence – meaning that not only is prostitution inherently violent, but it is also an intrinsic part of the systemic oppression of women and girls’.49 Why would this be different in Holbeck?

[benisasoftboi]

Gushing time.

Rune Factory 4 Special arrived a day early, so my entire day has been consumed in nostalgia. The original Rune Factory 4 was the first video game I ever bought on release day - I remember saving up all my money and making my mum drive me to like three different shops trying to find one that had it. I was already a fan of the franchise - before then, Rune Factory 3 had been my favourite video game, across the board. Aside from a playthrough of the first game last year, I haven’t played a Rune Factory game in a long time, certainly not RF4. But just starting up the game and hearing the music again, it was like it was suddenly seven years ago. Running around Selphia and seeing all the characters again - I love JRPGs, have played a lot of them, and I can think of very few that have characters that have stuck with me this long. And the aesthetics - the best thing about the Rune Factory franchise has always been the aesthetics, the music, the scenic and character design, just the general world. It’s a beautifully whimsical balance of urban and fantasy, and it’s the only JRPG world I think I’ve ever come across that I would genuinely want to live in. Rune Factory may no longer be my favourite game franchise - but I don’t think there has ever been another series that has felt so much like home to me.

Here’s a very long selection of personal highlights from the art book (by which I mean photos of the art followed by my rambling opinions):

Yeah, see, here’s the thing - Rune Factory 1 is not a good game. I could write an entire essay on why it’s bad (I actually started and got pretty damn far before realising no one’s interested in my two thousand word review of a game that came out over a decade ago - the short version is ‘Misty Bloom-fucking-Cave’. Anyone who’s played RF1 knows exactly what I mean). Don’t get me wrong, it has good qualities - excellent boss fights, for one, and also, as with the rest of the franchise, it is aesthetically wonderful. But ultimately, it feels less like playing a video game, and more like playing a proof of concept for a game. Which I guess it kind of was - and I can’t hate it because we wouldn’t have the rest of the series without it.

But it literally ends with a dragon spewing plant breath on a tank to make a turnip grow out of the gun. ‘Profound’, my arse. 

It’s Raguna! The “master sowrdsman!” (that is not a typo on my part that is a direct quote from the ending of Rune Factory 1 this game’s script had so many issues-). And Mist! My favourite of the ‘canon’ love interests!

Best girl! When I was a kid, my favourite love interest in RF1 was Rosetta. As an adult, it is Tabatha. I don’t know what it is about her that I find so likeable (she’s as lacking in personality as any other RF1 character), but... idk, I just like her a lot.

Camus’s big ambition is to leave town like even once. He will never achieve it

Fun fact about Melody is that she’s extremely depressed, a fact that comes up once in an optional side quest and is never addressed again. It’s incredibly dark for an RF game

Fun fact about Lukas is that he sucks (he’s one of those ‘obsessed with talking about how hot all the girls are’ characters, an archetype that thankfully doesn’t show up again in these games). But also, interestingly enough, thanks to one of RF1′s many, many script errors, if you marry Rosetta (the girl Lukas is the most obsessed with), he’s supposed to express disappointment that he lost her to Raguna - but instead, he implies that he’s disappointed to have lost Raguna to her. The translators typoed their way into giving him a sexuality change. Which is honestly kind of amazing.

LOOK AT THIS SLIME THIS IS SUCH A COOL SLIME LITERALLY EVERY OTHER JPRG SLIME GO HOME DRAGON QUEST GET FUCKED (jk I like Dragon Quest a lot and its slimes are cool too). Wish you could see in-game that this is what they’re meant to be like.

I just generally love the monster designs, they’re really charming

Rune Factory 2! The RF game with the most weirdly mundane protagonist name (Kyle. In the main four games of this franchise we’ve got Raguna, Micah, Lest, Frey... and Kyle). The two generations thing was actually very cool, but when they say ‘each chapter captures a different lifestyle’, what they really mean is ‘the first half is a weak Harvest Moon I’m sorry, STORY OF SEASONS game, and the second half is a pretty good Rune Factory game’  

lookit this little fuck

Yue Yue Yue! I love Yue so much, she’s great. She’s kind of like a much chiller version of Anna from Fire Emblem.

It’s really cool that we got to see grown up Cecilia (she was in RF1). I have this silly headcanon that if Kyle doesn’t marry Mana, Nicholas (her friend in 1) comes to visit Cecilia one day in the hazy-post game future, and meets Mana, and they get together. While Yue is my favourite, I do genuinely like Mana a lot, and I just want her to find love, I guess.  

Here’s original Barrett! There’s a reason he was popular enough to make a reappearance (well, aside from the whole grumpy pretty boy thing he’s got going on) - he was a great character in this game. His and Dorothy’s relationship is also definitely the most compelling of the rival romances. Bonus Max, who also has a little shout-out in RF4 (check the diary in what will become Dylas’s bedroom at the start of the game)

Ray is male, but apparently he was originally going to be a female character, as he has an unused portrait in a wedding dress. My friend and I agree that this makes him a Trans Icon

Monster designs remain excellent. Especially the goblins

Skipping over Frontier (and also Oceans later), as I never got to play it growing up due to not having a console, and still haven’t got around to it - might try this summer. Except I do need to point out that these guys should be memes. I don’t know in what way. But they should.  

Rune Factory 3! My first RF game. The transformation thing was very cool, even if it was basically useless outside the main story. My friend and I spent hours mucking about in the WiFi dungeon. I loved the desert settlement and all of the dungeon designs in general, and man, RF3 is just great. I hope it gets a remake one day.

Raven Raven Raven! I LOVE Raven (as do most). Her story with Micah is the first time I can remember getting genuinely invested in a video game romance. I’m so glad she cameos in RF4. I love her. She’s wonderful.

I have an odd fondness for Marian. When I was about twelve, I decided to do a playthrough where I deliberately romanced the least popular bachelorette. After poking around on forums, I determined that character to be Marian, and did a run with her. And... I actually came to really like her. I find her endearing. I get that people find her annoying and don’t like her... unethical medical practices, but doing that run has still made me a pretty protective of her. It’s been a long time since I played RF3, so maybe I’d change my mind if I replayed now, but currently, as far as I’m concerned,  Marian’s a good’un.

I think I also used to low key ship her with Collette lol 

Pia’s official art has always been super weird to me because it’s so not what her character is like in-game. She’s a ditzy airhead. This makes her look so serious

RAINBOW! Another character whose art makes them look way more serious than they actually are. Daria is great and would be a meme if this game was more popular. I think she’s also implied to be a relative of Margaret. 

I’ve always been super confused about what Kuruna’s skirt is meant to be. Is it fur? Is it part of her shirt? Is it even a skirt at all?

Check it out, it’s the guy everyone would ship Micah with if this game was more popular

I want Zaid to make a reappearance and interact with Doug. Pretty sure it’s canon that they’re from the same clan? Think it would be very interesting.

RF3 definitely had the coolest farm. Also, still love the desert settlement.

This is from Oceans, so I have no context, but it’s just so cool that I had to share

Rune Factory 4. Culmination of the series is right - when I was playing it for the first time, I remember being blown away by just how much it is a true love letter to the franchise. I have never come across another game series that so consistently grew and improved from entry to entry. RF4 was a perfect ending.

Not that I’m complaining about getting RF5. Quite the opposite.

But if it had been the end (as we all thought it was until about a year ago), well, like I say. Perfect. 

Well. Aside from soda can nipples. Can’t believe they didn’t fix those. Though in some ways, that would have made me sad too

Dolce has such a cool design, in both human and monster form. I’ve always kind of crack-shipped her with Margaret, for no real reason at all

Vishnal! I love Vishnal. Vishnal is pure as heck. Marrying him this time around.

Doug! My choice from last time around. Another character who looks more serious in his official art than he is in-game (well... most of the time)

And then there’s Dylas, who looks much happier here than he does most of the time. Kind of looks like he and Doug swapped bodies, actually. There’s a fanfic prompt for you.

Their ship name is Dyldo. I love them

Leon is nostalgic for me mostly because my friend and I used to get into a lot of arguments about whether or not he’s the hottest character in the game. She maintains that he is, because muscles. I maintain that muscles aren’t actually that attractive. It is a rift that divides us to this day

(He looks oddly... younger in this art though? Weird)

Sechs Empire is such an unfortunate name. Seriously. How rushed was RF1′s localisation team? All those script errors, and then this (the Sechs were the antagonists in the first game, and were only referenced in passing in the rest until RF4 - so it was a bit of a ‘sins of the father’ situation by then).

Seriously, try saying ‘Sechs Emperor’ out loud and tell me you can take this man seriously 

I??? Love??? Them???

I??? LOVE??? THEM???

Still confused as to why Kiel, Xiao Pai, Arthur and Margaret are on the cover now. Don’t get me wrong, I like them, but... Amber, Dylas, Dolce and Leon made way more sense? Even the Archival Cover makes more sense (Vishnal, Clorica, Forte), as those three are all kind of Lest/Frey’s servants (well, Forte for the whole town, but still). Of those first four, all but Arthur basically lift right out of the game with little-to-no impact on the story

NO HAT TABATHA NO HAT TABATHA

I’ve always really loved this Raven picture

And I am thankful for you <3

[bladesandstars]

100 Ways/MCU Rarepairs Bingo Fill - 82. “I was in the neighborhood.”

@mcurarepairsbingo square: Depression (I could have used Jessica or Wade, but I'm going to be writing them both again for sure, so I went for this square instead)

Also written for #82 of my 100 Ways Challenge: “I was in the neighborhood.”

Rating:  T for language

Pairing:  Jessica Jones/Wade Wilson

Summary: Jessica grudgingly stops by Wade's apartment. Not because she cares whether he answers his phone or not, obviously.

Warnings: No AO3 warnings apply; also tagged as References to Depression; Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism; Fluff; Pre-Relationship

Read on AO3

“Hey.” Her voice rings out, sharp and a little stale, rough with too many nights’ missed sleep, because of a fresh pile of problems, most of them hers but some of them not; none of them solved.

The floor is littered with pizza boxes and cast-off items of clothing, and—is that a stuffed unicorn? Jessica rolls her eyes. Shit, seriously; if Jessica’s apartment looked like this, she’d be halfway into a bottle of whiskey or four by this point.

Which is, actually, why she’s here, though she shoves her hands further into the pockets of her leather jacket and darts her gaze around sullenly to put up a wall around that particular feeling. He hasn’t been around, and she doesn’t let the word “worried” cross her thoughts, but she does kick a hilariously-patterned shirt aside and peek around the corner.

“Wade. You here?”

Impossibly, he swings himself down from—somewhere on the kitchen ceiling and leans toward her, the teasing twinkle in his eyes shallow and false, if Jessica has it right, and she thinks she does, by now.

“What, are you fucking Spider-man now? Get down from there, you jackass.”

Wade complies, in a swift movement, but twists to the side once he’s down, setting off a chain reaction of popping sounds.

“How did you get past my complicated security system?”

“The old lady with the gun is blind and your deadbolt is loose. Also there’s the whole—” She shrugs, awkwardly, still not sure how to describe it.

“The fact that you picked up and threw a station wagon by yourself a few weeks ago. Yeah, no keeping you out of somewhere you wanna be, I guess. Thanks for not blowing a hole in my drywall.” He fishes something out of a weird-looking breadbox. “Corn nut?”

“That was one time. And ugh, no.”

“No, it wasn’t.” He holds up a finger like he’s going to start ticking them off, but she interrupts him.

“Shut it.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining.” He strikes a seductive pose behind the counter. “Maybe one of these days you’ll step on me like I deserve.”

She looks away in shock. “Jesus, Wade, dial it down.”

He blinks at her in mock surprise. “You know, for the bad back. I hear that’s useful. What were you thinking?” He waits a beat, then drapes dramatic fingers over his chest. “Oh my god. Pervert.”

“Seriously, stop talking for three seconds, please.” She is doing her absolute best not to smile and really, really hoping she’s succeeding.  

“Malcolm was worried. You’re not answering your phone.”

We didn’t”—at a smarmily knowing glance from Wade, she rolls her eyes and revises—“I didn’t want you to just disappear—be someone we talked to once and never heard from again.”

“Like Green Lantern?”

“Who?”

“Exactly.”

“Whatever.” Jessica can’t suppress another eyeroll, and she adds a disinterested hand wave for effect. He’s not making a lot less sense than usual.

“You know what? Put—something on that doesn’t have dinosaurs on it, and we’re going for a cup of coffee.”

“I have coffee here.”

“Bet you don’t.” She narrows her eyes at him; pinning him down isn’t exactly comfortable, but he clearly needs to get out of the apartment.

As predicted, he avoids opening the fridge or the cupboards, sauntering off to change. “My dinosaurs look great, thank you very much. Besides, can’t be worse than the face, right?”

His voice trails off, and the tiny amount of strain behind the humor seeps through and makes Jessica stare at her shoes. Does she feel sorry for him? No, that’s not it. She’s pissed. Pissed at him for letting things get this bad without doing something about it, calling someone. Calling her? She’s not sure. It’s confusing and angers her to think about, so she balls up her fists and paces to the kitchen instead.

Wade had failed to mention that she’d thrown an (empty) station wagon over his head, directly into the path of another one of the overpowered crazytown monsters that seem to proliferate wherever freaks like her—and Wade, too, she supposes—show up.  He’d thanked her with a firm handshake and a “pleasedon’tbreakmyhand,” and both had caught her off guard.

Wade emerges from the other room again, all brash indifference, and Jessica almost doesn’t want to look, fearing hammer pants or jorts or worse. But he just looks normal: a dark red sweater and some nicely tailored jeans. She nods with approval and turns toward the door.

“Alright, Bellatrix, coffee on you, let’s go.”

“Bellatrix? Save that shit for Strange; I don’t know any spell bullshit.”

“Ok Daria, let’s hustle.”

“Who the fuck is Daria?”

“Oh my God you’re a literal baby.”

Their voices cascade down the stairs, and Jessica tosses Wade a look as he ostentatiously locks the deadbolt she picked earlier. She knows he doesn’t really care; that anyone who finds their way inside is going to have a bad time, and she grins in recognition of this odd thing they share.

He catches it, and when he smirks back there’s a little bit of smugness and a little bit of gratitude wrapped up in the expression, too.

“Can’t wait to hear all about how your coffee is black, like your soul, and—ooh this place around the corner has strawberry pie. Do you like strawberry pie?”

She does, and she knows exactly the overdone, larger-than-life dessert he’s talking about, held together by a gelatin redder than anything that exists in nature, and again the grin’s not suppressed as she nods.

They walk in silence for a minute, and Wade’s curious, light tone doesn’t fool her.

“Why’d you come by, really?”

Jessica finds herself swinging an arm in the sunshine, and shrugs.

“I was in the neighborhood.”

[cath-with-a-c]

Nothing and Everything, 5/7

In which the decision is made

Wordcount: ~2800

TW: implied/referenced homophobia, implied sexual relationship between consenting teenagers

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

2003

Robert huffed, blowing a stray lock of hair away from his eyes and squinted at the car's underbelly. He was trying to fix the suspension for over an hour now, with no luck. Not everyone could be Tony freaking Stark. That was an unforgivable oversight on the universe’s part.

Well, at least he didn’t have to work outside in the sun - the barn was relatively cool.

There was a slight pop somewhere high above and Robert rolled his eyes, focusing on the suspension once again. After a few moments, the faint clatter of the car’s spares scattered around told him that the intruder had reached the ground level.

"This place has a door, you know," Robert called out, grinning.

"Yes, and it's out in the open. Wouldn’t want anyone knowing I’m here," Desmond countered, peering under the car. "May I…" he dropped on his back and slid under the car in one smooth motion, layin himself alongside Robert. "...slither in?“

Rob facepalmed, probably smearing his face with grease and machine oil. "You are taking this Harry Potter shit way too seriously," he accused, half-heartedly.

They've rediscovered the series thanks to Sam and Penny, and Penny, with all her seven-year-old might, had assigned them all houses, picking Hufflepuff for herself, Ravenclaw for Sam and Gryffindor for Rob, because" he looks like a knight, and knights are brave, so there", which left Slytherin for Desmond.

He didn’t seem to mind much, attesting that it suited him, as he was ambitious and cunning, just as his house required. With a hint of dark magic.

That last one? Rob was willing to agree.

Desmond poked his tongue out and hissed like a snake. Ambitious, cunning and an idiot. Rob huffed, trying to hide his laugh, and lightly shoved Desmond’s face away. “Rawr, I guess," he said and snapped his teeth at openly laughing Desmond. “In case you missed it, I'm working. Either help or stay out of the way."

He turned back to the car's underbelly, picking up the wrench. For a couple of moments, everything was quiet and then Desmond's chapped lips found their way under his ear. A shiver tore through Rob's body, pleasant and welcome.

"I told you I'm working," he grumbled, but there was no real heat behind it.

Desmond chuckled in his neck, sound going straight through Rob's blood, making it run faster. "No, you aren't," he said. "You are staring at the ruined suspension with no idea how to fix it."

Well, true. Instead of admitting it aloud, Rob turned his head to shut Desmond with a brief, biting kiss. Desmond relaxed and made a content noise, chasing the kiss when Rob reluctantly pulled away.

"Not here. Someone will see us," he said, placing the wrench under Desmond’s chin to keep him still.

Desmond gave him an unimpressed look. "Who? We're under the car, if you forgot," a crooked half-smile appeared on his lips. “Good luck to anyone trying to lift that bad boy up.”

His eyes were bright, shining in the semi-darkness under the car, lean body pressed against Rob’s side hot and tense. Desmond took him by the hand, lacing their fingers together and brought it to his lips, placing faint kisses to the knuckles.

At this point Rob kind of forgot where his thoughts were headed, the only thing on his brain now was just how to arrange them both in a comfortable way in the incredibly limited space under the car. He dropped the wrench on his chest and tugged his best friend-turned-lover closer, crushing their mouths together to the accompaniment of Desmond’s lewd moan.

When they broke up for air, Rob’s whole body felt on fire, heart beating fast and hard in his chest. Desmond looked positively debauched, messy hair, blush running high on his cheeks, breathing rapid, eyes wide and burning.

This was theirs. Being with Desmond felt so right, every ounce, every moment of it, however sparse and hidden they were. “You are so beautiful,” Rob found himself whispering like it was some sort of a secret, and Desmond laughed, blushing even harder.

“No, you are,” he whispered back and opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped abruptly, at a little creak of the door.

Someone entered the barn. Rob’s breath hitched, heart plummeting and beating somewhere in his stomach. They broke their half-hug, lying side-by-side and staring at the car underbelly, as the steps approached.

“Son, you still there?” the voice called out, and Rob exhaled. Dad. “Oh, hello, Desmond.”

Desmond’s one-sided grin was equally relieved. “Hi, Mr. North,” he replied cheekily. “You don’t sound surprised.”

“You two are practically joined at the hip, I’d be more surprised if you weren’t here,” Dad looked under the car and Robert could only hope his face wasn’t too red. “It’s dinner time, boys. No luck fixing this old thing?”

“Nah,” Robert replied, sliding from under the car first. “I still don’t get how it got so trashed.”

Dad helped him up and gave him an encouraging smile. “It’s okay, son,” he said, eyeing the car. “We’ll have a look at it together later. Come on, food time. You too, Desmond, your mother was looking for you.”

He left the barn just as Desmond got out from under the car. Rob helped him up and for a moment they just stood there, locked hands between them.

Then Desmond stepped closer, squinting at Rob’s face, and cupped his cheek with the free hand, thumb tracing just under Rob’s cheekbone.

“What are you doing?” Rob whispered, breath hitched at the thought of them being almost out in the open, and Desmond gave him another one-sided smile.

“You have grease there,” he explained, and then his face softened. “I love you. You know that, right?” he asked, voice suddenly almost sad. Something wasn’t quite right, but before Rob could comment on how mushy that question was, Desmond leaned forward for a quick kiss, and then for another, deeper and sweeter, before he practically jumped back, licking his lips and grinning crookedly. “I think we should go.”

And, giving his hand one last squeeze, Desmond walked right past Rob, out of the barn, like nothing happened. Robert breathed in and out, slowly, like it could help his racing heart, counted to five and walked out too. He could still taste Desmond on his lips and his heart was beating too fast for it to be healthy. All he wanted to do is go back to kissing his best-friend-turned-lover.

And yet all he could realistically do? Watch Desmond retreat to his own house, shoulders dropping lower with every step, feeling empty as if a dementor was hovering over him. They couldn’t be like Sam and Daria, sucking on each other’s faces in public. Well, semi-public, but still. Couldn’t even hold hands, couldn't hug for too long, because while Brotherhood had no problem with homosexuality as a concept, they still were all expected to have children at some point. And there was no telling how any of the adults would react if they’ve learned about their relationship…

Sometimes Robert wondered if his father knew. What would his father say if he knew? Would he just tell the others? Would he keep it close to himself? Would he disown Robert on the spot? Or worse? And what would happen to Desmond?

Panic started to rise in Robert and he squandered it down, forcefully turning his thoughts to something, or rather someone else. Desmond. Rob pictured the curve of his smile, the way when he laughed he would throw his head back and squeeze his eyes shut. Desmond was… better after they’ve started dating. Less edgy, he was at ease more and laughed more, and his eyes, while still weary, were brighter. Like he made some sort of decision.

Perhaps he was coming to terms with being an assassin. That would be good. Probably.

Honestly, Robert wasn’t sure anymore.

After dinner, Robert completed his chores and was planning on finding Desmond to make plans for the night, but got derailed by Penny, who was put in charge of a litter of puppies for the evening and then promptly lost them.

In the end, they’ve spent almost an hour and a half looking for and herding the pups back where they belonged.

“I guess it’s the last of them,” Robert said, picking up the pup, which whined and tried to lick his face, and putting it back into the paddock to the others.

“Thanks, Robby!” Penny gave him a beaming, if rather toothless, smile and locked the gate. “Wish the magic could work.”

She took a wand from her belt and waved it at the lock, muttering the spell. Robert smiled. “That’s nifty, Pence. Haven’t seen it before, where did you get it?”

“Desmond made it for me,” Penny replied, proudly showing him the complex-looking carvings along the length of it. “Said it was better than the knife.”

Robert nodded. The kids weren’t allowed real weapons outside training, but a lot of them would start wearing wooden knives and daggers by that age. “It sure is more beautiful than any knife I’ve seen,” he told Penny and she beamed at him.

The bell behind them tolled. Once, twice, three times, more, sharp sound cutting through the air, ominous and foreign. Robert froze on the spot, and Penny grabbed at his hand. The bell never tolled in the evening before.

Something has happened. Something really, really bad.

Robert shook his head. “Come on, Pence,” he said, picking the frightened girl up. “We gotta go.”

The otherwise peaceful evening broke into the flurry of action, with everyone flocking to the central hall, adults carrying younger kids, William Miles barking orders like a general. In the midst of it, Robert saw his dad. His face was dark, like a storm cloud.

“Dad, what’s going on?” Robert asked, elbowing his way through.

Father gave him a sad, weary look. “Desmond is gone,” he said after a tiny pause.

The ground slipped away from under Robert’s feet. “What?” he asked again, slowly.

“Maria says his backpack and jacket are gone too,” dad replied, rubbing at his forehead tiredly. “We believe he-”

“Ran away,” Robert finished for him quietly.

Desmond had run away.

His dad’s face softened. “I’m sorry, son,” he said.

“No! This must be a mistake,” Penny looked like she was about to cry. “Desmond is brave! Why would he run away?”

Dad turned to her, smiling sadly. “We don’t know yet, little one. Not until we find him,” he looked back at Robert. “Put the kid down, we will need your help.”

He nodded dumbly and went searching around for Penny’s parents, in the end transferring the protesting girl to her older brother Craig, before joining the others who were organizing into search groups.

 Robert and his dad ended up with Maria, searching the eastern side of the hill. It was quickly getting dark, and Mrs. Miles’ cries were becoming more and more desperate with every hundred feet they made into the forest. Robert felt like she was starting to realize something he knew since they were just kids playing tag.

If Desmond is given any headstart, you are not getting him.

“Desmond, where are you?!” Maria cried out once again, looking around frantically, and her eyes were red and watery. This was the most emotional Robert had ever seen her, most human. He was so perplexed by it, he’d almost missed a tiny movement out the corner of his eye, but when he looked back, there was nothing, only a few low-hanging branches, that were slightly rocking with impact.

They’ve searched the hillside until it was pitch dark and even torchlights weren’t enough, so they had to return. William was already back with his group, and, judging by the uneasy look on Colin’s face and the way Daria was standing two steps in front of Sam, questioning had taken place.

As soon as Robert joined the scene, William turned to him.

“Did you know?” he barked out without any preamble, and Robert’s back straightened involuntarily. “Did you know Desmond was going to run?!”

In the unforgiving shine of the streetlight he looked downright menacing, half of the face in deep shadow and the other pale as a ghost, with grey-blue eye almost looking unnatural.

“No,” Robert shook his head, his throat closing. “I swear, he didn’t tell me anything!”

If only he did...

William stepped closer, seething with anger. They were the same height now, but Robert felt so small compared to him. “Hard to believe,” William all but spat, baring his teeth. “Don’t think I don’t know how close you two are...”

Robert had to fight the urge to take a step back. “Bill, stop it,” his dad said from behind him, but William Miles wasn’t listening.

“...and if you think silence will get you off punishment...”

A figure appeared between them. “Leave my son out of it, Bill!” Robert had never seen his father so angry.

William wasn’t backing down. “Do you really believe his shit-”

“Look at him!” Robert’s dad bellowed. “He is shocked! As well as the others,” he exhaled and rubbed at his forehead tiredly. “I’m sorry Desmond is gone, Bill, I really am, but you can’t take it out on everyone else.”

If looks could kill, Robert’s dad would already be dead. Instead, William Miles stepped back, scowling. “I want the car fixed by morning. We will go looking for Desmond in Rapid City,” he said in a clipped tone, turning away from Robert, allowing him to breathe.

Robert’s dad shook his head. “He won’t go there,” he said softly but Bill waved him off.

“I don’t need your comments, Nolan. Just fix the car,” he barked and father nodded.

“Sure,” he replied and clapped Robert on the shoulder. “Come on, son. We have things to do.”

He nodded silently, watching William’s retreating back for a few moments before following his father. They won’t find Desmond, Robert thought tiredly, he probably wouldn’t stop until he is as far away as possible. Probably will keep to the forest too. Desmond was always good at finding his way by compass.

Father sighed. “I wish Desmond had told someone something, anything. Stupid boy,” he shook his head.

Robert didn’t answer.

Morning came, and the car was more or less ready to go. After William and Maria left with a couple of other adults, the buzz started to slowly die out, but the routines were still thrown out of the window for now, with both adults and kids being too wired up to follow the schedule.

Amidst the commotion, Robert slipped out of the house and went to their clearing. He needed… space. The place still looked like it did yesterday, and that was a little bit comforting.

He sat down, opening his stash and mindlessly sifting through it, shifting things around for no reason. What happened was yet to settle in his head and his guts.

It took Robert a few moments to notice that his swiss army knife was missing, and suddenly he wasn’t able to breathe again, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Desmond was gone. He’d ran away. He isn’t coming back, And, even if the adults manage to get him back. Robert was sure he’s going to try again.

Or do something worse.

Choked up, Robert looked up and around the clearing and noticed something else. Desmond’s stash wasn’t closed properly. After a few moments of consideration and battling with himself, Rob went to check.

It was empty, all the painkillers, and food and band-aids gone. There were a few things left at the bottom, - a wooden medallion with a badger carved into it - the Hufflepuff’s house animal; the heavy, carefully wrapped book from a series Robert vaguely recognized being Sam’s favorite, some sort of fantasy that was being written incredibly slowly, he always complained about it.

And the two new Iron Man comics tucked carefully into ziplocks.

No note. Rob expected there to be at least some sort of note.

He took the comics in his hands, not really seeing them. Why didn’t Desmond tell him anything? Should he had guessed it, from the way Desmond stopped questioning things, stopped dragging the Creed every chance he got? Should he? Did he allow his wishful thinking to get in the way?

Did he even mean anything to Desmond?

He remembered the way Desmond cupped his cheek, the way he said “I love you”, and the way his lips moved for a fraction of a second, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t. Was it “I’m sorry”? Was it “Run away with me”? Was it something else, that had nothing to do with his escape?

He will never know now.

Sniffing angrily, Robert dropped the comics back into the stash and closed it with a little too much force, stomping away from the clearing.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

part 6

ao3 link

[eldritchsurveys]

1065.

5k Survey LXXIX

4051. What have you heard about the next Harry Potter book? Will you pre-order it? >> ---

4052. Would you rather go out or stay in? >> I mean, there’s a pandemic raging, so I’d rather stay in by default. In more normal circumstances, my desire to go out is still less frequent than my desire to stay in, unless it’s to a park or something. Like a dog, I’m always up for some park action. 4053. What's your favorite song to hear on halloween? >> I don’t have a favourite song to hear on Halloween. 4054. What song makes you feel all tingly like you want to laugh and scream and cry? >> Definitely Death is the Road to Awe. It makes me feel things I’m not sure are replicable in any normal human experience. 4055. If you were starting a website that was not about you, what Would it be about? >> I wouldn’t start a website.

4056. Do you ever take the long way just for fun? >> I don’t drive, so I doubt this is applicable to me. 4057. '..and god said let there be ____and there I was.' Fill in the blank, as if if you were talking about yourself. >> I can’t think of anything. 4058. What do you think of when you hear the word 'mill'? >> Like, a lumber mill. 4059. What do you think of when you hear the name: weird al? I assume we’re going with specific songs, here? Eat It. bob dylan? That song about the times changin’. That was him, right? michael jackson? Beat It. henry rollins? I don’t have a specific song of his that comes to mind. I did think of this random movie I saw him in once... fuck, what was it called? Ugh, I can’t remember now. billy idol? White Wedding. gary numan? IDK who that is. will smith? Miami. paul mcartney? Nothing. alice cooper? School’s Out. J Lo? I’m Real. 4060. What is one social disater you have had? >> I’m not sure what defines a social disaster. 4061. Can you moonwalk? >> I do know how to do it, but I wouldn’t say I do it well or anything. 4062. If a presidential candidate went on late night tv, picked up a guitar and rocked out on it and could really play, would that influence you to like/respect them more? >> No. I’d appreciate their skill, but knowing how to play an instrument has very little, if any, bearing on whether they can run a country or not. 4064. If it was possible for people to instantly change from one sex to another, would everyone be straight in the end? Would you change your sex? >> Everyone would not be straight in the end because being gay does not at all mean you wish you were the opposite sex so you can be in a straight relationship... Anyway, no, I wouldn’t change my sex. I’m not a binary trans person, I have no desire to just... swap to the opposite end of the spectrum. It is absolute in-between-ness or absolute outside-ness that I desire. 4065. Finish the sentance: nobody broke your heart, if you're alone... >> ??? 4066. Would you rather have a best friend OR a boyfriend/girlfriend on a Friday night? >> ???????? 4067. Would a woman rather be complimented about her intelligence OR her looks? >> Try asking a woman. By which I mean a specific woman, to find out what she’d rather be complimented on, personally. Because it’s a personal preference. 4068. Do you tend to think of the right thing to say after the moment is gone? >> I usually think of more snappy comebacks after the moment’s passed. 4069. Would you rather a potential mate have nice hair OR nice legs? >> --- 4070. Okay,…. nice hair OR a nice rack/bulge? >> --- 4071. What is one thing you thought you would enjoy, but actually didn’t? >> I can’t think of anything offhand. 4072. Be in the spotlight OR in the shadows? >> --- 4073. What is your favorite part of the newspaper? >> I don’t read the newspaper. 4074. What in your life has been an “acquired taste” for you? >> Stability. 4075. Do you find sunlight makes you happier? >> It very much does. I like to say I’m solar-powered. Of course, that comes with the downside of seasonal depression. 4076. If you could conquer one fear, it would be...? >> --- 4077. What's the dumbest thing you've ever seen someone do or heard anyone has done? >> --- 4078. How do you feel about the fact that J-Lo earns 37 million dollars a year? Do you buy anything that contributes to her salary? Is J Lo the ultimate ideal of what a woman should be? >> I don’t feel anything about that except “that’s... an inconceivable amount of money to me”. I highly doubt I buy anything that contributes to her salary. I don’t think there is an ultimate ideal of what a woman should be, and if there was, I sure as hell wouldn’t peg a celebrity to be a candidate. 4079. What is unforgettable beauty? >> ??? 4080. Worst fashion mistake EVER: >> --- 4081. What is your advice to someone on their first date? >> I don’t have advice for that. Besides, that’s a very general question and I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all advice. 4082. Is there a musical performer more ridiculous than Avril Lavigne (I don't think there is)? >> Well, that’s rude. 4083. What is the best: daytime talk show? late night talk show? 4084. Are you afraid of total freedom? >> I don’t know what that is. 4085. Do you live in an invisible prison? >> Perhaps. 4086. Who do you feel distant from, that you used to be close to? >> --- 4087. Rate the following song lyrics (1 = you like it the most, 9 = you like it the least). >> I’m not going to do this, but I did see lyrics from a Guns n Roses song I really like that I rarely see referenced anywhere, which was a nice surprise!

Maybe you shouldn't care/throw away those dreams/& dare Eden lets me in/I find the seeds of love/And climb upon the highwire/I kiss and tell all my fears I know the pressure is on/In a race for the life of endless love/If it seems to much/Remember/All these things are endless I see the wind, oh I see the trees/Everything is clear in my heart/I see the clouds, oh I see the sky/Everything is clear in our world Inflatable doll/Lover ungrateful/I blew up your body/But you blew my mind Well I jumped into the river/too many times to make it home/I'm out here on my own/drifting all alone/and if it doesn't show/ give it time/to read between the lines The very thought of you makes/My heart sing/Like an April breeze/On the wings of spring/And you appear in all your splendor/My one and only love now I've had lots of girls/most of them from other worlds/but lookin through the galaxey/the valley girls are the ones for me I'm the dandy highwayman so sick of easy fashion/the clumsy boots, peek-a-boo roots that people think so dashing/so what's the point of robbery when nothing is worth taking?/it's kind of tough to tell a scruff the big mistake he's making 4088. Can you name any of the nine bands/songs above? >> Just that one Guns n Roses song (Estranged). It’s the “well I jumped into the river” lyric. 4089. What would your reaction be if a total stranger called to say s/he loved you and told you that you were to pass the message on to others in a telephone call you make yourself? >> I wouldn’t have even answered the phone, so this would not happen to me. 4090. Would you like to take a journey to jupiter? >> I mean, sure, if that were possible. 4091. Can you crack nuts in your bare hands? >> I don’t think so. Unless it’s, like, a peanut. 4092. Do you take walks at night? >> No. I have, but I don’t now. 4093. Beavis and Butthead or daria? >> Daria, absolutely. 4094. Cow or chicken? >> --- 4095. Do you think you will visit China in this life? >> I don’t know. It’s possible, I suppose, but maybe not probable. 4096. Are you having a happy day? >> It was a fun day, sure. 4097. When was or will be your 'golden birthday' (when your age is the same as your birthdate, like turning 17 on the 17th)? >> My golden birthday was 5 years ago. 4098. Enlighten everyone with something profound: >> No. 4099. When has the third time been the charm for you? >> I have no idea. 4100. What is kinda sick, but fun? >> *shrug*

[shorthaircutsmodels]

Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts - 40+ - https://shorthaircutsmodels.com/lucy-hales-short-hairstyles-and-haircuts/ - Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, with credit to Ess for the updated view. Hale himself has a sense of humour about his hair. he shared a photo of the new chops attached to Instagram story Daria with her best friend Jane Lane. The comparison is true, as Hale said. The star's luscious brown locks were chopped off in her sleep when. Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, aka Aria Montgomery refused to dye her hair pink during a recent flashback to pretty Little Liars. While this should have been one of a's elaborate punishments, the results were a spectacular jaw-length bob that we've seriously considered copying ever since. Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Though in real life Hale is happily changing his appearance by gradually cutting his hair shorter and shorter since the end of last year. If you're nervous about trying a shorter style, it's hairstylist. Lucy Hale's Short Haircuts Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Kristin Ess, who is also responsible for Lauren Conrad's stylish product, who says this can help prepare you mentally. She tells InStyle it's good to feel shorter lengths before going for a full jaw length chop. Lucy Hale's Hairstyles He said. 'it's a serious commitment. There's a strange scene when you grow up a bob and if you master that first, I think you might have a Bob. Pretty Little Liars actress Lucy Hale is one of our ultimate hair heroes over the years the American actress has experimented with things like long medium and short hair as well as hair studs hair tattoos and fringes. Lucy Hale's Haircuts Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, Most recently Lucy sported shoulder length hair but yesterday took to instagram to debut her new super short hair cut. See his large Mane exposed below. Lucy Hale's Short Hair Lucy Hale's Short Hairstyles and Haircuts, The jump from lob to bob with her final haircut. The 29-year-old actress recently shared a photo of her new short style from celebrity hairdresser Kristin Ess on instagram. Short hair has been seen for some time but this cut is a bit more dramatic than her usual. Lucy Hale's Hair Shoulder length style. While he is no stranger to super short bob, he wore a similar length last year, a minute has passed since we saw this style. Her hair now hits towards her chin with a blunt length all around her. From Tousled braids to romantic updos. Best Lucy Hale Haircut images Anything is possible when you have length on your side. Lucy's long bob is characterized by blunt ends. If you're considering wearing the look this season, we strongly recommend watching it for a guaranteed fashion-forward finish. Lucy Hale's Hair Just Keeps Getting Shorter Shorter length helps create more volume and movement, and the star's locks look healthier and brighter than ever. Lucy may spend far less time than she did before wondering if she was a major factor in her decision-making. Lucy Hale Truly Doesn't Care That You Don't Like Her Short Hair We think beautiful Lucy's locks look gorgeous no matter the length, but we're absolutely obsessed with her new cut, which is a clear winner for us. I agree with you. Let us know by voting for your favorite view above. It's Lucy Hale's birthday. Lucy Hale Hairstyles, Hair Cuts and Colors The Pretty Little Liars star turns 28 today and the star gives us serious off-screen inspiration in her ever-changing but always effortless lob form as she lives for OMG moments on the hit TV show. She's headed from blonde to brunette red. Lucy Hale natural hair color And again the actress likes to change her. Playing Aria Montgomery on Freeform's hit show, the actress is supposed to keep her locks dark, but she likes to experiment with different cuts colors textures and styles when she's off. Pretty little liars aria haircut From Mini buns to wavy hair to braided updos to straight locks, we always crush the latest style. Sometimes I miss my long hair, she says. When I cut my hair I definitely feel like I'm on my own but I miss knitting and putting it in a full ponytail because now. Lucy Hale hair products I can't fit all my hair into a ponytail. He said he hasn't grown up yet. Rather he finds it incredibly empowering. It can motivate a lot of people to cut their hair. Just get ready for a new month a breakup or a change that changes your style. Lucy Hale medium length hair Is an easy and common way to start fresh. And Lucy Hale is the best example. The actress has kept her hair safe collarbone length for some time so far although Pretty Little Liars has turned her colour on many occasions since wrapping up hale. She just revealed her latest chops in a post on Instagram and it's shorter than we've ever seen. Lucy Hale Short Hair 2020 - 2021 But now Hale is returning to his roots thanks to a new role he landed, still a mystery, so he hasn't been able to say what it is yet . Kristin ESS Hale's longtime stylist and colorist said her new look for an upcoming episode called the role basically her old hair color. Best Lucy Hale Bob images Lucy has cool and dazzling green Yesil eyes, which look good in spring and autumn colours. The reddish brown hue of her hair flattens her skin tone and intensifies her eye colour while revealing the natural rosiness on her cheeks. Best Lucy Hale Hairstyles One of all Lucy Hale's enviable features is her ability to be a total beauty chameleon, the actress and singer we admire most, who looks almost as good in black lipstick as poppy red lip and bronze eyeshadow. and an eyeliner. But one thing we'll never get over the obsession is his dark wavy new bob. Lucy Hale hair 2020 - 2021 So we just asked her to share all her short hair secrets for this month's column. Keep swiping to read Lucy Hale's lob secrets, from her favourite products to style tips. Editor's note. this column was first published in 2020 - 2021, and many of the products. Lucy Hale with short hair Referenced are a testament to both their brilliance and that Lucy is in better taste at a different point in her career and life than what is now being discussed here. The article has been edited for clarity. Hello, byrdie readers. I'm excited to talk about everything. Lucy Hale haircut short In lob's corner this month. Lucy Hale cut her hair into a beautiful lob in 2020, and since then it's been shorter and shorter until it settles perfectly over the shoulder style, no wonder her pictures have splashed across so many hairstyles. Lucy Hale rose gold hair On Inspo Pinterest boards. When Lauren Conrad first chopped her long hair this fall she didn't go straight up to chin length. women feel more like women who will have shorter hair. women don't understand. Lucy Hale has now been rocking a shoulder length. Lucy Hale short hairstyle Bob for several seasons and the style has become one of the most popular haircuts for the summer. The only downside is that it makes simple styles like a ponytail almost impossible. But Hale and professional hairdresser Kristin Ess are proving that even the shortest bobs can be pulled back into a fancy fluff. women say you cut your hair. Lucy Hale short haircut And you're like No I've never cut my hair in my life it's a big deal.’ I feel like women understand and know that the star of new CW show Katy Keene's Lucy Hale has a talent list, she is an actress and singer and known for her excellent fashion choices. Lucy Hale hair color However, despite all her abilities, there is something constantly spoken about by her short hair. The marsupial, about eight inches from its brown locks, has been years in the making, Hale said. Since then the Pretty Little Liars alum has just gone shorter and darker with her hair. The haircut inspired fans and other celebrities to cut their hair in a similar way. Lucy Hale straight hair But despite all the praise the actress has received, there are people who prefer her hair longer and often tell Hale that preference. It was the most liberating thing I've ever done, Hale said about his original snap decision to cut his hair too long. Lucy Hale medium hair And while the actress has no plans to grow her hair again she is still constantly told by women that she prefers her long locks to the longer of her short hair. I can't tell you how much time women spend.you have to take your hair off again. Lucy Hale curly hair As I Hale long hair revealed in a recent interview with Cosmopolitan. Thankfully the Katy Keene star gives the perfect response to the women who dared comment on her trademark short hair. I'm not cutting my hair for you. I cut my hair for myself and I feel great in. Lucy Hale new hair This way the 30-year-old shared. Switching your hair color as Lucy Hale has been none lately and for good reason. actress told Cosmopolitan.com taking a role with or out of color during a Facebook Live Pretty Little Liars Aria haircut in the past she couldn't really play. Lucy Hale's hair Half the pin up flat make it sweet and beautiful. And it's nice to know that you're not the only one addicted to your straightener in. The early 2020. the ends of these brown locks are jagged cut to sit on. The jawline, giving a fine movement up to the mid-length ends. Lucy Hale curls This casual hairstyle is perfect for those who want to manage a low-fuss look with regular trimmings every 4 to 6 weeks. Only a small amount of product is required for brightness and texture. Lucy Hale went for a short and sweet hairstyle here. Lucy Hale long hair The jaw-length bob has a closed center piece and thin kinky waves along some added tissue. Hair is what connects a woman's entire appearance and emphasizes the beauty of her face. Taking this into account it is vital that you style your hair in a. Lucy Hale blonde Sophisticated way that makes your overall effect eye appealing. Lucy Hale includes styles designed for short hair. Lucy has a square heart-shaped face, so short blunt. Styles are not usually recommended as they can create a box appearance. Lucy Hale hair short This helps to create a more balanced look for fighting Lucyâ waves and angled cuts. The side part is also a good choice for him, as squares and heart shapes should avoid the center parts in most cases. The mastermind behind every look is celebrity hairdresser Kristin Ess, who is also the lady behind Jenna Jewan Tatum's gorgeous waves. There are people who are happy with scissors, and then there are celebrities. Lucy Hale ombre hair To prove my point, Lucy Hale's new haircut is even shorter than the old one but the fellow actress seems to have zero regrets about her recent chops, and possibly even shorter. Saturday July 21 Instagram the 29-year-old happily shared a recent jaw photo of her 'do grazing' on Instagram created by none other than hairdresser Kristin Ess who has worked with other stars such as Lauren Conrad.looks similar. Lucy Hale pink hair This week Lucy Hale is making a triumphant return to TV screens as Katy Keene's titular character in the forthcoming Riverdale spinoff. And while she is fully prepared to embrace Katy's dress-heavy wardrobe on display she is also opening up about her own personal style. In a new cover interview with. Lucy Hale red hair Cosmopolitan Lucy got more specific about how her style and her persona have changed since her Pretty Little Liars days and how much the fact that cutting her hair has changed her life. Lucy has always tried hairstyles; she has been sporting short hair for several years and even went blonde at one point but saying goodbye to her eight inches of hair. Lucy Hale ombre Was a big change for her in the best way possible. It was the most liberating thing I've ever done, mag's now stylish tousled chin-length bob. I can't tell you how much time women spend.you have to take your hair off again. Lucy Hale bob hair Enough to say that the constant chameleon always debuted a brand new chin length bob that gave the actor Pretty Little Liars a lot of new hair to try out hair color down to the follicular Lucy Hale and passing on Instagram this year and surprised fans. Hale is constantly changing things thanks in part to his longtime stylist Kristin Ess.

[bcublog]

Evaluation

‘I want, I want’ Evaluation (Exploring Meaning Through Narrative)

When visiting the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery I was immediately drawn to Marcus Coates’ piece ‘Dawn Chorus’. The piece dominates the museum space as the audio is played on a continuous loop and so the sounds of birdsong are always playing and can be heard from all parts of the exhibit. The piece is displayed in the form of televisions set at varying heights to resemble trees, showing the human participants mimicking the sounds of birdsong in various locations; whether it be a waiting room, or a living room for example. The aim of the piece is to show humans using their voices within their own habitat. This drew my attention, but for another reason; this being the fact that the younger participants looked as if they didn’t know what to do with their hands. I found myself thinking that it must have been difficult for them to sit all that time without a mobile and so therefore initially missed the message of the piece. This led me onto exploring the obscure hand movements of Daria Martin’s piece ‘Soft materials’ and forming my project around the idea of technological addiction. I wanted to explore how obscure people would look if they continued to make the same hand gestures they make whilst using a mobile but without a mobile present. I wanted my project to be a way of subtly reflecting a person back at themselves and making them question actually ‘how weird would I look If I was making these hand movements without a phone?’ and ‘am I actually addicted to technology?’

Initially I thought this project would be a long and laborious journey; the term flip book initially filled me with dread and I expected to be drawing hundreds and hundreds of separate frames. However, as the project unravelled, the process became quite enjoyable as whilst working on each frame I could slowly see this narrative gradually forming in front of me. I had drawn some robotic hand samples and was initially going to go down this route for my flip book to hammer home the idea of addiction and the fact that technology is turning us into robots and machines however I felt this approach was too literal and didn’t fit with the subtle ideas I wanted to get across. I felt it would be more effective to draw human hand features as opposed to robotic as the message is much subtler as a result in the end. I initially recorded several videos of my brother making different texting gestures with and without a phone to find a suitable template for my flip book; the video I chose was then broken down into 89 individual frames. What worked well ironically was having more frames to draw from as it allowed my final flip book to keep the fluidity and subtle movements of the original video and allow the hand movements to look very human.

I referenced the ‘Take on Me’ music video at one point in my project as when I compiled the first 40 frames of my digital flip book together whilst it was still in production, the way the shading of each frame jumped around the page reminded me of this video. In the music video, an effect called Rotoscoping was used to tell the story of a young girl who gets dragged into this two-dimensional world of stop motion animation, and my flip book with the black and white imagery and the fluid hand movements was reminiscent of this. The effect within my flip book was caused by the shading differing slightly between each frame and so it created this illusion that looked to me like machinery and wiring; almost as if it was showing the inner workings and mechanisms of a hand. This was as it happens, a happy accident as I found it blended the technological and human elements together nicely; almost as if we are the machines. It got that message across subtly without it being too in your face as it was initially going to be had I just drawn a robotic hand from the offset.

It was important to me that the messages behind the piece were subtle. I didn’t want to come across as preaching to people that technology was evil and we’re turning into robots, I wanted my piece to, as mentioned previously reflect a person back at themselves and make them perhaps wonder if they are in fact addicted to technology. I wanted people to pick up on these elements of my flip book; the fact that the hand is supposed to be texting, the fact that there isn’t a phone present and that the movement and shading blends the human and technological. I found this difficult as I didn’t want to be too overtly obvious with what I wanted to get across however I also didn’t want to be too subtle. I think I succeeded in creating a nice balance between the two as it’s clear that the hands are supposed to be texting and the way my project is layered enables people to pick up on the deeper meanings and messages.

I always knew that I wanted my target audience to be teenagers or ‘secondary child’ as this is the age group who are the most active users of technology. My work is not graphic or inappropriate and so is suitable for all however the primary audience for my piece is predominantly teenagers. I went into this in more detail within my empathy map in which I detailed what I wanted people to be seeing, hearing, thinking etc. when they see my work. I want my work to appeal to my audience and make them see that if you take away the technology what are you left with? Just humans making obscure hand gestures over and over again like machines. It would be good for people to recognise that these are the gestures they make every day without really realising or thinking about it; seeing the familiarity between the piece and themselves so they become more involved with the art.

A part of this project that I found difficult was making my actual blog as this was something I had no experience of doing before. I’ve been so used to my sketchbook that it was unusual doing a blog as well alongside it and so my blog essentially became my digital flip book. I made sure that my sketchbook was not made redundant however and so it was perfect for important notes and casual sketches that I could take down in a non-linear way whilst having my blog to document my process from start to finish. I’m used to having an order to my sketchbook whereas this time it became a collection of random, disorganised sketches, ideas and notes which benefited me a bit as I could use my sketchbook for the rough ideas and samples and my blog for the organised project planning and documentation. It was also a new experience for me to work my way around Tumblr as I am relatively new to social media and so it was good to practice getting to grips with a new platform. It benefited me, the fact that the creation of a blog for this project was compulsory as it allowed me to branch out into something different and give myself an online presence; something I hadn’t been confident ever doing before. It stopped me from restricting myself to just a sketchbook and allowed me to, as mentioned previously get to grips with a new method of sharing and documenting my work. My blog came together in the end and I was able to share videos and gifs of my work rather than being restricted to pages in a sketchbook, it was beneficial for me to be able to show my work in motion so people were able to get a better idea as to how the final piece would look and how it had been improved upon as the project had developed. When making the QR code to present on the back of the paper version of my flip book, I was again expecting the process to be really difficult however I found out quite quickly that it was actually quite simple. This again was something I’d never done before and so it was great to have the experience of generating a QR code that could link a person to my blog if they so wished thus widening the overall reach of my work.  

When printing my paper flip book an obstacle I faced was the fact that the first copy I printed didn’t allow enough room for each page to flip properly and so the top of each frame was obscured; I therefore reprinted the pages with more room at the top to allow for a higher swing angle. If I were to do anything differently I’d perhaps add some less subtle hand gestures and more extreme motion to the paper version as the movement doesn’t look as prominent as it does in the digital version. The digital version is effective as the subtle, robotic motions work well as the movement is fluid whereas when physically flipping through the paper version, some of the smaller motions are lost. Within the digital version, the movement of the hands aren’t entirely human or entirely robotic and so it’s almost as if we are the machines, slowly turning into robots as we make the same hand gestures and movements each day without realising it. The message is subtle however comes across nicely in the digital version as, as mentioned previously, the movement is fluid. This gets lost slightly in the paper version and I can’t help thinking that more extreme movement in the paper version would rectify this and help sell the illusion better. Another thing I’d perhaps do differently would be to print my paper flip book on stronger, sturdier paper so it does not immediately start to degrade as soon as its interacted with. I wrote in my blog that as my topic refers to technology and addiction and how it changes the way we behave (addicted, turning into machines etc.) it might be nice to stick with ordinary paper as it represents the idea of ‘gradual change over repeat exposure and usage’. However, upon further consideration perhaps it would have been more beneficial to print it on slightly stronger paper so the paper slowly degrades over repeat interaction rather than immediately starting to degrade as I fear it will as it is now. Despite this, the message is still there either way however long it takes to degrade. Finally, it may also have been nice to add a little colour to my flip book if I were to do it differently but then again, the black and white does make it look bland and uniform and so therefore mirrors the robotic, addicted, obscure theme. Overall, I believe that I have succeeded in what I set out to achieve, I have produced a flip book that correlates with the theme I wanted to explore; that being technological addiction. My final piece gets this across by subtly blending human and technological elements whilst multiple layers within the narrative can be picked up upon. Furthermore, the piece is suitable for my teenage audience and the message presented allows people to see themselves in the art as technology is such a prominent part of everyday life; it’s an effective way of letting people step back, see themselves from a distance and ask ‘am I addicted to technology?’

[ao3feed-stevenuniverse]

Perfectly Imperfect-All Seasons

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2p1IDkA

by edith681

Dit steps down and gives his little sister, Cream, the spotlight. Cream's show is full of love, struggles, and family bonding. (I suck at summaries)

Words: 2517, Chapters: 2/500, Language: English

Fandoms: Sonic X, Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Despicable Me (Movies), My Little Pony, American Dad!, Steven Universe (Cartoon), Rick and Morty, South Park, Adventure Time, Tripping the Rift, SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon), Regular Show

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Amethyst (Steven Universe), Steven Universe, Pearl (Steven Universe), Garnet (Steven Universe), Edith (Despicable Me), Margo (Despicable Me), Agnes (Despicable Me), Morty, Cream the Rabbit, Joey, Jogger, Dit, Nikki, Rouge the Bat, Walker and Wyatt, Meatwad (Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Master Shake, Frylock (Aqua Teen Hunger Force), Dan, Rigby (Regular Show), Hazelnut (Hazel), Wednesday - Character, Marceline (Adventure Time), Marshall, Butters Stotch, Rainbow Dash, Logan, Chase, Susan, Vanellope von Schweetz, Candlehead (Disney), Taffyta Muttonfudge, Rancis Fluggerbutter, Gloyd Orangeboar, Crumbelina di Caramello, Jubileena Bing-Bing, McNuggets - Character, Screwball (My Little Pony), Fluttershy (My Little Pony), Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity (My Little Pony), Applejack (My Little Pony), Steffan, Melissa, Discord (My Little Pony), Miles "Tails" Prower, Yasmin, Roger, Wreck-It Ralph, Edd "Double D", Reala (NiGHTS), Bluebeary, Dale, Kate, Digger, Stripes - Character, Chode - Character, Red, Felix (Felix the Cat), Sheldon J. Plankton, Squidward Tentacles, Louie, Louella, Dakota, Phineas Flynn, Ferb, Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog), Dr. Eggman | Dr. Robotnik, Silver the Hedgehog, Cosmo the Seedrian, Big the Cat, Knuckles the Echidna, Mabel Pines, Dipper Pines, Cheese (Sonic the Hedgehog), Vinyl Scratch | DJ Pon-3, Lyra Heartstrings, Scootaloo (My Little Pony), Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, Charmy Bee, Cogsworth (Disney), Lilo Pelekai, Finn the Human, Fionna the Human, Ren, Stimpson "Stimpy" J. Cat, Daria, Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes), Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes), Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup, Shego (Kim Possible), Schtroumpf Maladroit | Clumsy Smurf, Buster Baxter, Arthur, Taylor, Nick, Charlie, Ronnie, Gordon, Mike | Michael, Clementine, Owen, Lilly-Mae, David, Robin, Toby, Bob, Tobin, Paisley, Smoky, Windmill, Other Character Tags to Be Added

Relationships: Dit/Roger, Logan/Joey, Edith/Tails, Marceline/Shadow, Nikki/Rouge, Butters/Candlehead, Cream/Adam

Additional Tags: Family, Family Feels, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Dysfunctional Family, Team as Family, Family Issues, Meet the Family, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Stuffed Toys, Plushies, Softball, Heart-to-Heart, Heartache, Heartbeats, BDSM, Fun, Wakes & Funerals, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Getting to Know Each Other, We Just Love Each Other, Worry, Overprotective mom, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Aspergers Syndrome, letting go, Growing Up, Growing Up Together, Sister-Sister Relationship, Brother-Sister Relationships, Sisters, Brotherhood, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Brotherly Bonding, Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Big Brothers, Little Brothers, Childhood, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Childhood Memories, Parent-Child Relationship, Childhood Trauma, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Father-Daughter Relationship, Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Protective Siblings, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Sibling Love, Adopted Children, Parenthood, Single Parents, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2p1IDkA