#if Cam actually meant anything they said then they would have come to us individually - privately FIRST. and apologized.

[botanikos]

that weird Cam guy said more things recently about sending hate to you and Stols and saying he wanted to make Stols look guilty https://www.tumblr.com/cam2203/771825341332389888/idk-why-people-think-that-im-stols-even-i-showed?source=share

I still can't help but think its stols on a alternate acc and just using some random person's pic but I don't know, what do you think?

Being watched for months with a near constant stream of anonymous messages about all of this, and diving into my relationships, assuming I'm dating whatever Blitz or role player I write/ship with is WILD BEHAVIOR. You are all adults, so pardon me for using my adult words and not keeping quiet for once. . .

Wow. Amazing. Cool. You know, I don't care WHO is saying or doing what anymore except, all of you may as well eat my ass since you're so far up it these days.

That apology sure as Hell isn't real or genuine. Don't talk to me ever again. Not even for an apology.

And before anyone says to block and move on: What the fuck do you think I've been doing?????????????????? Wanna see my screenshots?

[haltandcatchfiretothemax]

FEMSLASH FEBRUARY 2021 #10: In which Cameron tries to spoil Donna

[CN: food and eating mentions]

.

.

In January of 2021, Donna realized and voiced the obvious while watching television one day: “We’re really not gonna be able to have people over for Galentine’s Day, are we?”

Cameron didn’t always entirely enjoy the spectacle or debauchery that sometimes happened at Donna’s Galentine parties, but she was still sorry that it wouldn’t be safe or advisable to celebrate that year. Gently, she replied, “Not considering a Galentine’s video conference, then?”

“I guess I could do that,” Donna sighed heavily. “It won’t be the same though. And we won’t be able to give out gift bags!” she wailed. 

Donna looked forward to organizing a party for February 13 every year, but her favorite part of Galentine’s Day had always been making and giving gift bags filled with expensive indulgences to their friends, and Cameron had never really understood it. It was, in fact, one of the very few things that Cameron didn’t love about Donna, and she wasn’t sure why it bothered her. Donna certainly had the money for it, and what better way to spend your money than on giving nice things to your friends? But no matter how hard she tried, Cameron just couldn’t shake her discomfort with the gross materialism of it. 

Still, Cameron tried to be encouraging. “You could send care packages, couldn’t you?”

Donna thought about it for a moment, and then said, “Putting all that strain on the postal service just so I can send my friends expensive scented candles and handmade journals?” Her face collapsed into a look of utter despair at the very thought. “That just feels so ‘let them eat cake,’ doesn’t it?”

“You are not a naive and undereducated young queen who was bamboozled into inheriting a bankrupt and rapidly disintegrating monarchy,” Cameron said, patting Donna’s hand comfortingly. “And you’re also not a nameless, possibly non-existent princess in a non-fiction work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, or Maria-Teresa, the Spanish princess who might have actually said that.”

With a bemused smile, Donna said, “I love that you just know that.”

“Yeah, well.” Cameron said, putting an arm around Donna. “Just because I have a reputation for being a princess-hater doesn’t mean that I actually hate them. I mean, look at who I married.”

“Cameron Howe, Defender of Princesses,” Donna said. “That has a ring to it? I’ll have to make you head of my queensguard when I inherit the throne.”

Cameron arched an eye brow at Donna. “Are you trying to tell me that you wanna play exiled gay princess and devoted butch lady knight?”

Finally and fully distracted from her galentine’s day disappointment, Donna laughed. And then she kissed Cameron.

***

Cameron got out of bed late that night and went downstairs for two hours. When she returned, Donna woke up briefly, and she said, “Hey? You okay? Where’d you go?”

“Never you mind,” Cameron said, getting under the covers. “I was making you some brioche to throw at the peasants.” 

“What?” Donna cried. Then she realized that Cameron was kidding and giggled. “Okay, okay. Keep your secrets.”

Curling up next to Donna, Cameron kissed her shoulder. Resting her head on her pillow, she said, “Good night, sleep tight, your royal highness.”

“Likewise, good Sir Cameron!” Donna said, falling back to sleep.

***

In early February, while Cameron worked on the requested Valentine’s Day decorations, Donna tried to come up with an alternate Galentine plan. She filled out cards and sent them early, and then she sent messages to everyone on her guest list to see if they might have time for individual video chats. She wound up scheduling early morning coffee with Tanya, an afternoon check in with Dr. Katie Herman, and cocktail hour with Risa and her partner, and also Cameron. She spent the next few days trying to come up with ‘something else.’ When she finally resorted to mopily looking through all of their saved and archived photos of past Galentine’s Day parties, she figured it out. 

Cameron woke up on the 13th to an email from Donna. While Donna fried eggs and bacon and poured mixed berry waffles, Cameron, sitting at the kitchen island, looked at her phone, and asked, “Did you email me this morning?”

“You, and many of our friends!” Donna chirped. 

Flatly, Cameron said, “If it’s a severed head, I’m gonna be very upset.” She clicked on the email with her thumb to read it.

The email said, “To my favorite galentine: while we can’t celebrate with our friends this year, we can give to others, and we also absolutely need to give as much as we can spare during this on-going crisis. So while I do love giving ridiculously priced candles and pens to our friends, this year, my gift is a donation in your name to Girls Who Code.” The closing of the email said, “With any luck we’ll be able to celebrate with our friends next year, but in the meantime: Happy Galentine’s Day! -xo DC.” 

And then at the very end of the email, there was an attachment, a photo of Cameron and Donna in the kitchen, preparing snacks, that Haley had taken at their first Galentine’s Day gathering. 

Cameron stared at the photo for a minute, and then asked, “Wait, did you make donations for everyone?”

“Yes, yes I did,” Donna said, as she opened the waffle iron. “To different places though, food banks, abortion funds and domestic violence support groups, bail funds, and Black and indigenous justice orgs.”

Overwhelmed by a rush of affection toward her wife, Cameron said, “I think that that was a great way to celebrate. Nice work, Boss.”

Donna’s blushed as she made their plates. “Thank you! I just hope it helps, somehow. Sometimes it all feels futile, you know? It feels less futile when you bring all your friend into it and then email them about it, though!”

They ate breakfast, and then before Donna could say anything else, Cameron said, “Okay, so, I’ve done something. Something that was meant to help cheer you up.”

“Oh?” Donna asked, intrigued.

Cameron got up from her seat, went around the island, and took Donna’s hand. Donna got up, and Cameron escorted her their living room couch, where Cameron had placed two large red gift bags. “You always said that everyone opening their gift bags together was your favorite part of all of this, so. I made two bags for us. It’s not the same as all of our friends opening our git bags together, but, it’s something?”

“Oh, Cam,” Donna frowned. “I love the pseudo but not-quite Gift of the Magi vibes, but, you didn’t have to do this.”

“I know I didn’t, but everything sucks so I figured why not,” Cameron said, picking up her bag and sitting down on the couch. Come on! Sit!” She picked up Donna’s bag, and handed it to her. 

Donna accepted the bag from her. She looked at it, and then said, “If this is a severed head, I’m also gonna be very upset.” 

“It’s not, it’s a gun rack,” Cameron deadpanned. “For the last time, sit, already!”

Donna sat down next to her, and with the bag in her lap, she started to pull out the pink tissue paper Cameron had crumped and stuffed into the top. “Okay, so what have we got first?” Donna reached into the bag, and pulled out a small plastic bottle. “Scented moisturizing hand sanitizer!”

“The white vetiver scent,” Cameron said, holding hers up. “I didn’t like it at first, but you were right, as always. Now it’s my favorite.”

“A luxurious yet practical item, and a fine choice!” Donna enthused. “What’s next?” She reached into the bag, and pulled out a large tube of aloe-infused hand cream. “Ah, an old standby, and another Emerson-Howe household staple.”

Looking at the tube that been in her bag, Cameron said, “I wanted to go with something fancy, but this stuff just works so well! I feel like we can never have enough of it.”

Reaching into her bag again, Donna felt some plastic wrap, and then pulled out a black and blush pink leopard print 100% silk face mask, packaged with its own silk case.

Cameron looked at her own navy blue and star patterned mask, and admitted, “This is the biggest splurge in here. But as long as we’re double masking….”

With a small sigh, Donna reached into her bag again, and found a set of silk scrunchies, with the same leopard print as her mask. “Oh, I was thinking about trying these! Thank you for remembering me talking about it.”

“What kind of partner would I be if I didn’t buy you the one thing you single thing you put off buying for yourself?” Cameron said. “You can try mine, too, I don’t think I’ll end up using them.”

Donna reached into the bottom of the bag, and found the next to last item, a small cardboard box. When she looked at it, it was a fresh tube of her favorite nude pink lipstick, which she’d been wearing since the late ‘90s, and had been meaning to repurchase. 

“I just got a drugstore lip balm for myself, nude rose is your color, not mine,” Cameron said.

Donna snorted. “That was probably the best way to handle it. Thank you for knowing my color.”

“That’s the end of what’s in my bag!” Cameron said. “There’s one more thing in your bag though, because we only need one.”

Donna found the last item. A copy of the Criterion release of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Donna held it up and said, “Oh…as I recall, you liked this movie better than I did!”

“Yes,” Cameron agreed, “but, you said that you liked it, and that you wanted to try watching it again at home. Which I thought we could maybe do sometime this month.”

Donna smiled at her. “Honestly, I would love that. It’s a date.”

Donna was about to lean in and kiss Cameron to properly thank her, when her phone, forgotten in the kitchen, rang.

“Ack, that’s probably Tanya!” Donna jumped up. “We’re supposed to ‘have coffee’ together!” 

“Go answer, then!” Cameron said. “I can clean this up and I can take care of the dishes, too.” 

“This was perfect and I love you!” Donna hurriedly kissed her, before rushing off. Already half way to the kitchen, she called out, “Happy Galentine’s Day!” behind her.

“Hard same, have fun, tell Tanya I say hi!” Cameron shouted after her.

[melnchly-a]

i was debating posting this but here are a range of things to think about re: police and reform. 

i’m seeing a lot of “abolish the police” posts, and while i know exactly where that’s coming from, it’s also a simple-seeming answer to a deep and complex problem, and one that’s likely to cause more problems than you’re likely thinking. (in the absence of police, it’s likely - - though certainly not guaranteed - - that those who can afford it will invest more heavily in private security for businesses/personal protection/etc, whether that need is warranted or not. in the event of situations occurring that would have required police presence, you would likely see more federal law enforcement/military presence. worst-case, imagine a country led by someone like our current president where the only option is to send in federal agents and believe me, you don’t want that.) neither do you probably actually want to call for a mass exodus of police of their own volition. i can tell you right now the ones you want out wouldn’t be leaving. you’d be left with departments entirely composed of people with no qualms about excessive force. you WANT those people staying on the force, and you WANT them to have the resources they need to report on fellow officers when needed. 

it’s also just not likely to happen in any widespead way. not in our current society. if you want to create real change, there are other things that need to be addressed, campaigned for, and fixed. things which will not be fixed if we’re trying to focus on overly simple answers for deeply complex problems.

this isn’t to disagree with the notion of reallocating funding to benefit schools/public services/etc. i think that’s entirely necessary. but there’s more to the story than simply cutting funding. 

police need to address and apologize for excessive use of force and abuse over the history of policing. if not for individual officers who may or may not have participated, than for the historical precedent as a whole. pretending there isn’t a problem isn’t a help to anyone. 

as i’ve said multiple times in the past, police unions and those who negotiate with them make it notoriously difficult for departments to get rid of officers with complaints against them. the department in minneapolis is headed by a black chief of police who had sued his own department based on issues of race in the past. he should have been able to get rid of officers like c.hauvin with no issues and yet....obviously, that man was still on the force. there need to be ways for a.) departments to fire problem officers without someone over their heads reinstating them and b.) ways for officers to report on their fellow officers without repercussions. i can tell you right now that those methods don’t currently exist in any wide-spread or efficient/effective form.

body cams, dash cams, and other oversight tools need to a.) be “sold” more effectively to the police as measures of protecting BOTH themselves AND the citizens they serve. there ALSO need to be real consequences for tampering with these, turning them off, etc.

police need more training and they need higher-quality recruits. understaffed departments lead to issues you’ll see in places like flint, where it can take three hours or more for police to respond to a call. not because they’re (most of the time) doing anything wrong, but because there aren’t enough of them in comparison to the total population. this could include decisions like requiring college or college-like degrees, but that would also mean higher pay for police officers. which i realize isn’t a popular idea at the moment, but is a fact of those requirements. (furthermore, many city police in small to mid size cities, not to mention suburban police, don’t have adequate crowd-control training. this is not an excuse for the way police have been handling crowds in recent days, but it is something that has come up in discussions. many of them are reacting with excessive crowd-control measures where lesser measures were needed.) this training should absolutely include recognizing police brutality in the past, the racism in the system as a whole, recognition and response to explicit and implicit bias, recognizing mental health issues, etc. training is a problem every law-enforcement officer i’ve spoken to in the last few weeks, in an attempt to understand what’s happening, has brought up. the people i’ve spoken to have dedicated their lives to establishing mental health education for police, who have actively removed aggressive or racist officers in the past, etc. they’re just as frustrated and angry with the reactions police are displaying as you and i are. and they’re actively doing things to try to help. unions, government, etc make that more difficult than it should be. 

many police, particularly in large cities, don’t live in the cities/neighborhoods they’re policing. (many smaller, particularly suburban, departments require that their officers live in the town they work in.) sometimes this is because they can’t afford to (nypd officers start at around  $42,500/year - about $3,541/month or  $885/week BEFORE tax -  in a city where the median rent for a studio apartment sits at about  $2,700/month. these officers can obviously make more as they spend more time on the force, but that’s the stated starting salary according to their website. the salary after 5 1/2 years is $85,292). this means they don’t know the areas/people/etc they’re policing, are more likely to make snap judgments based on false information, etc. it wouldn’t solve everything, but rules for employment regarding residency could mean better policing in cities and their neighborhoods. 

for a profession that includes seeing things like scenes of murders, assaults, suicides, and wellness checks that lead to decomposing bodies, mental health care for police is abysmal. i mean it’s....bad in the u.s. in general, but it’s notoriously bad for active-duty military, veterans, and first responders...including police. this isn’t to mention that officers who self-report mental health problems are often put on leave rather than given the resources they need. this means compounded stress, trauma, etc, going unaddressed in a highly dangerous and stressful profession.

police DO handle more than they likely SHOULD be handling, including things like wellness checks, nonviolent domestic disputes, etc. more often than not, they’re doing so without specialized training for those situations. these should absolutely be divided out into unarmed (or lightly armed, i.e. with pepper spray etc), specially trained units. you’re still going to want armed police units to exist in the u.s. - - i can tell you for a fact that in my fairly quiet suburban hometown ALONE there have been active shooter/barricade/hostage situations that could not be deescalated without use of force, despite attempts to do so.

qualified immunity needs reform. you can read more about that here. this allows not only for officers to get away with police brutality, but for all public officials to get away with a wide range of crimes. 

we need to campaign for citizens to be integrated into police oversight. police are paid by taxpayer dollars, and they are meant to serve and protect the people. again, this is an issue for your local government and police unions. when you’re communicating with gov’t officials, make it clear that you want something like this implemented. 

and, yes, there need to be strong and immediate consequences for excessive use of force. 

i’m not saying any of this to make it seem like police brutality or the racism inherent in the law enforcement and justice systems doesn’t exist. it does, and it needs to be addressed. what i am saying is that addressing that is a more complex problem that requires deeper thought for successful reform. Black people, particularly men, are at leas 3x more likely to experience police brutality, and that needs to end. 

tl;dr, some things to be aware of, petition for, etc: 

charging and convicting police brutality as a crime (with the understanding that this means it should be treated as any crime in a court of law)

holding all first responders accountable for their actions.

allowing and enabling officers to respond to police brutality they’re witnessing, including training on how to intervene, better reporting methods, policies that would not punish them for reporting, etc 

reform in police unions

better police training in general

national standards for police training (believe it or not, these don’t currently exist)

better mental health care and mental health policies for police and other first responders 

citizen involvement, including in oversight

voting in state and local elections for officials who have plans to respond to these issues, and who are actively listening to their constituents 

reallocation of funding so that the funding is more equally spread to education and community support

Some Sources/ Further Reading: 

“How to reform American police, according to experts” from Vox

Police officer salary and benefits, NY Gov

“Adopt minimum national police use-of-force standards and train cops for interaction” USA Today

“‘An Impossible Situation’: How Chief Arradondo Has Struggled To Change The Minneapolis Police Department” CBS Minnesota

“What We Should Expect of the Police: Experts Weigh In On Recent Police Violence,” Center for American Progress

Police Reform, The Flip Side

The Center for Policing Equity

[hannah-writes]

The Semiotics of Roswell (aka why Malex is Endgame because the camera says so)

And we’re back with instalment #2 of The Semiotics of Roswell. I’m supposed to be working but eh, who needs to actually have numbers and facts behind what they’re presenting? Losers, that’s who.

Today’s focus is on episode 2 and though I’ve tried to keep my screencaps in order, something wonky happens when I upload it, so I’ll be focusing primarily on individual scenes and the pairings - as before - so plz forgive me if some of the stuff isn’t in chronological order. The Malex stuff definitely will be. 

Also, at some point, I lost the ability to differentiate between the left and the right. #datdyslexiclife

Image heavy, once again! Consider this your friendly neighbourhood warning!

All my semiotic meta can be followed/tracked using the #Semiotics of Roswell tag, and is here on my tumblr. This includes random other semiotic meta that comes at me when I see gif sets.

Part 1 / Reunion Kiss Video Meta / I Never Look Away Video Meta / 

First of all, fuck this show and its lighting. It’s so dark half the time you gotta squint at the screen to see what’s going on. I know CW shows are all about their moody lighting and how it’s meant to help portray dark, gritty realism but the very nature of this show allows them to cover gritty realism without having to swamp our characters in darkness. 

What I do find interesting is in the below screenshot Max is half lit. This seems to come up quite a lot and now we’ve all seen the finale it can be construed as a hint to the duality of their “nature” as aliens, the darkness of the legacy of their race vs the lightness of their nature and love for humanity. (Michael’s general dislike for everything notwithstanding, obviously)

Liz & Max - handprint connecting them - fall into the my-side-your-side framing in this episode. Interestingly, you can see in the shot above that Liz is shot flat, the camera’s at the same level as her and there’s no upward angle. She’s got an even distance mid-shot whereas in direct contrast Max is closer cropped and the angle is slightly up. This is likely an accident, but there’s an insinuation with the camera being tilted up that Max currently is more powerful over Liz. We’d argue that Max would never feel that way; Liz is the hurricane that messes up his mind and his life and he can’t fight her. But his handprint is on her, which means she’s feeling what he’s feeling. This does somewhat blur the lines for her own perception of what she’s feeling and gives Max a modicum of control. This is more obvious as a shooting decision on the basis that they’re both standing and though there’s a height difference between them it can be compensated for by distance. But we always focus on Max’s face when Liz is around, and she dominates far more of his shot (below) than he does of hers (above). 

Conversely, the below two images are our first proper introduction to the Max/Cam dynamic which, ngl, though Echo is my ship, I enjoyed this for the playful dynamic that it was and it helps settle and establish in Max’s character that he is a sucker for strong women who can dominate the heck outta his soft, squishy person. 

Max and Cam show an up-down shot dynamic in this instance purely because he’s sitting and she’s standing, which sets it apart from the one above with Max and Liz since they’re (ostensibly, height difference notwithstanding) on the same level and being shot differently. Cameron and Max here are physically on different levels.

Max is more centrally-right shot, whereas Cameron’s on the right side of the screen; so though she’s framed to be ready to share the screen, Max isn’t which scrubs out the possibility of a true romantic relationship. Max’s position on the left-hand side of the screen - when he is on it - is reserved for Liz (two shots down!).

(Worth pointing out here that Malex is the only ship that is consistently shot with the my-side-your-side, even when they are broken up not together. Liz and Max have their fair share of shots that are on the same side or in the middle, allowing them to bleed into one - I’m thinking of the finale where they’re both lying to each other over the phone, Liz saying she’s fine when she’s been stabbed & Max saying he’s okay when they’re off doing alien things). 

Seriously though fuck the moody lighting of this show. The only mood it’s inducing is frustration and headaches. Stupid show. 

Again here, Echo is displaying the your-side-my-side framing. It’s the reverse of the above scene; they don’t have a set dynamic where there’s one that owns one side of the screen, not like Malex, but that’s actually okay. At this point in time, their relationship is unstable and tumultuous. Here, you can see they’re shot from the same, flat angle and there’s roughly the same zoom ratio used to help keep them in the frame. It’s not close on his face and zoomed out on Liz or vice-versa.

(Seriously, though, we don’t need mood lighting. I’d like to be able to watch the show without squinting)

First Malex scene! 

Which, thankfully, is outside in the day time which has better lighting. My eyes are thankful, episode. Plus, now I get to look at Michael and Alex for a while and spend some time sitting in my happy place.

The first thing that’s apparent here is that Alex and Michael - even though they’re not even in the same place right now - they’re still adhering to the my-side-your-side. Michael comes into the shot from the left and then the camera actually pans with him, tracking to keep him in the left of the shot. He doesn’t drive in and drive out, what we actually see is him driving in, looking to the right side of the frame and then we cut (below). It’s a hark back to the first episode, which is almost a frame-by-frame comparison except at the end Michael knows who’s standing there and the smile on his face feels almost part pleasure and anticipation at seeing Alex and part getting his armour on (sharp smile, sharper wit) because he doesn’t know what’s coming next. After they kissed at the reunion the sort of almost hope on Michael’s face is painful. 

We cut to Alex (on the right-hand side of the screen), sticking up a ‘you have been evicted’ notice. He’s still in his ACUs, which in many senses as a costume choice could be seen as him keeping a distance from Michael. He’s on Official Air Force Business here, so he needs to keep that respectable, responsible distance. The mid-shot here is also a testament to that; he’s being physically distant because of the nature of his job, the nature of how he has changed as a person. The uniform is a barrier as much as it is anything else, similar to the motif of the colour red referencing Liz and Rosa’s armour (Alex wears a red shirt in the pilot, too, and red is a colour that’s quite often seen in Liz’s wardrobe but styling choices are something entirely different and deserves a meta all of its own). We see it quite clearly in episode one, and again here. 

Under the my-side-your-side rules, the (below) shot where is once again telling; Michael’s home is on the right-hand side of this screen (generally where Alex tends to be in their dynamic, on the right, though it was the left hand of Michael’s that was ruined by Jesse Manes the destruction of their relationships started then and has spiralled out of control ever since, the right-hand side of the screen where home is, where Alex is even if neither of them is willing to admit it just yet, moving across to the right is a step forward, away from the pain of the left, in this framing, Alex represents being closer to home than anything else) and Alex has moved into the left-hand side of the frame. They’re not even remotely in the middle, Alex has gone into Michael’s side of the frame.

There’s a physical barrier - a pole - between them and the house in the shot which carves it in two; Malex and home, visually separated by a stark line down the middle. The lights that are in the frame are dim, and intrusive on the shot. It’s also shot at a further distance than we’re used to, items cluttering the right but a huge open space on the left for Malex. The huge open space, however, makes them look small and tight in their togetherness vs the vast open New Mexico landscape. Them against the emptiness of the world, tight and crammed together.

Visual meta aside, there’s no need for Alex to be so physically close to Michael when he moves away from the door of the airstream, he could have taken any direction - any path - to his vehicle but the one he chose was through Michael. Even now he can’t stay away, can’t fight the tug and push and pull that draws him in.

The vast emptiness of the previous shot is directly contrasted then to the sudden and quick cut the two of them, Michael grabbing Alex and pulling him closer, tugging him in and taunting him. It’s almost a reverse of their dance in the pilot; Michael moves in close, uses Alex’s ACUs to tug him in (tugging on his armour). The camera’s close over Alex’s shoulder and though it’s Michael’s face in the shot, Alex still dominates the frame. We aren’t supposed to be looking at anything else, our eyes aren’t meant to be focused on anything other than this moment right here. 

When we move to look at Alex’s point of view (and I don’t know if anyone’s commented on how Alex reaches out for Michael almost instinctively when Michael tugs him in like a reflex but then grips his hand to pull him away because he’s an airman now and he’s not the man he used to be, literally and metaphorically) the frame is further away, but Alex is still dominating the frame, both his side and Michael’s. It gives us a clue as to Michael’s headspace; Alex is still a huge driving force in his life, in his mind. So even though he’s sassing, he wants to be closer. Alex is the one putting distance between them, here. It’s immediately followed by Michael sassing him which is pretty much Michael’s MO as a defence mechanism; Alex said ‘nope, we can’t do that again’ and Michael’s immediate response is to lash out, go on the defensive, play on the town drunk. (More here in the video breakdown)

OKAY. So, I’m aware that wikipedia isn’t the best resource for information due to it being able to be edited by literally anyone, but here is a link to the USAF insignia and those definitely look like Captain bars, to me, which would mean that teenager Alex “screw authority” Manes grew up to become Captain Manes, and outranks his dad. I’m not an expert on the military at all, and so if you want to know more I would 100% suggest you go read this by the awesome @ober-affen-geil who breaks down the military stuff that we see on the show. Also everything else they’ve written. It’s good. I got lost in her meta tag trying to write this.

Having told Michael to move his rig and there’s separate space between them again, Alex and Michael return to opposite sides of the screen. The contrast here is immense; Alex’s bright “yeah, we’re not supposed to build on Santa’s workshop, either” comment is flippant and bright, there are no shadows on his face or covering him at all as he makes a joke that Michael knows is anything but. The darkness on the shadows over Michael’s face (below) are a clever lighting choice which shows conflict and unrest. Not just because Alex is leaving, but because the Air Force are buying up The Crash Site. 

Okay, then some stuff happens and I’ll dip into that during the video meta, but then really, the bit that everyone’s interested in. I’ve only included two shots of Cameron and Max’s sex scene because eh, we all know that it’s a you-scratch-my-back kind of situation but it’s cool to look at the positioning vs Malex in theirs. 

So there’s something deeply impersonal about how this is shot, it’s distant and wide-angled, the two of them are pressed together but there’s nothing there that tells us this is anything more than a quick shag in the kitchen. There’s no use of any of the motifs we come to associate with our key pairings (Echo it’s the sun, Malex it’s colour and hands). We’re watching this from a distance, an observer of the most casual kind. There’s a lot going on (what the hell are all those post-its, is that her fridge? Her counter is kinda cluttered, it’s handy her stove’s in the middle of the room on a bank of its own. That green container’s full of shit, are they all her spoons and spatulas and stuff?) which means that our eye isn’t immediately drawn to the hot shirtless Max and really hot off the shoulder shit action Cameron has going on there. It’s distant and impersonal and we’re not meant to get invested.

It’s deliberately interspersed between Malex because of the contrast; casual fuck vs two people coming together after a long time and a decade (minus a couple of days) of longing all culminating in a passionate and desperate kiss. There’s desperation between Max and Cameron too but it’s different. 

So. The second Malex scene.

One of the things I really like about this first shot is how little everything looks. We never see the exterior of Isobel’s house, but from the way it’s shot when we do see it, it’s busy and cluttered and home. Both Max and Michael’s places are set further out; Max’s house is surrounded by empty, isolated space, representative of how lonely he feels - though he’s got Isobel, she’s married and happy and he lost Michael the night Rosa died. 

Michael, too, this shot of his air-stream with the truck in front of it is so small. Alex’s car (SUV? I’m not good with car makes) is right in the centre of the screen and you can see Alex moving into Michael’s space. There’s so much amazing meta out there about their relationship that I could only distantly dream of creating, however there’s a point here about Alex being the one to consistently reach out, and @chasingshhadows did a piece on how Alex speaks with his body - Michael throws words out but Alex talks with touch, with action - and this is the first we see of it: Alex going to Michael, going into his space physically. It makes Alex and Michael look so small in comparison to the expanse around them (and, because I’m a hopeless shipper, small in comparison to the magnitude of their cosmic fucking love, fight me). 

(I’m definitely gonna find a video and do a video meta like I did with the kiss, because ~reasons. REASONS, I TELL YOU)

We see Alex on the left here, starting out, his vulnerability has already been highlighted by how small and tiny he looks walking towards the trailer in a phenomenally wide shot (above). This whole seventeen again talk just breaks me. Not gonna lie. This might get a bit incoherent.

Michael’s in the middle-left of the frame, his position already defensive. His truck’s at his back and the open landscape is in focus behind him (where it was blurred behind Alex above). There’s a vastness that’s indicative of something greater; the use of space to make the two of them seem closer is such a clever choice. The backdrop of distance gives a sense of closeness and isolation to Michael’s trailer, but also to this conversation and them as two people alone in the wilderness (it definitely gives off that kind of vibe). 

Ugh, just. My heart. This scene. Alex approaching Michael (this is, of course, after Isobel’s pointed “is there really no one you would risk everyone to save?” comment at the Pony - which correct me if I’m wrong but we haven’t even seen M&M interacting yet, so all of these heavy lines, the dialogue cues, everything supports our cosmic love story, right from the getgo.)

They full on invade each other’s framing here; Michael in the middle-left, Alex in the middle-right, the vulnerability of the situation and the backdrop forcing them to share a space that’s intimiate. The camera’s close, but it’s not too close, so we’re more intimate than the (to be spliced but analysed above) scenes of Cameron and Max and these guys have their clothes on. (And Alex isn’t in his ACUs because he’s not on official business but his father seems to wear them all the time which means the dude needs to take a break every now and then but it’s also significant because that is one of Alex’s barriers down; he’s in his own clothes, clothes that are comfortable and not a uniform that he’s hidden behind and squished himself into a box to wear. It’s another step, another concession to being something for Michael)

The invasion of the frame is important; it sets up an inability to stay out of each other’s space, something that’s all part of a cosmic love story - you know, I’m not sure if you heard this but the two of them just connected like something cosmic - how they drift in and out of each other’s space, right from the first time they see each other.

I promised a video breakdown of the scene and here it is: I never look away, not really, A Cinematographic Breakdown - Part of The Semiotics of Roswell Meta. 

I’ll wait. Come back when you’ve watched them make out some. I’ll stick the link at the bottom again, just in case.

So even though they’ve been invading each other’s spaces this entire scene so far, this is the second time Michael watches Alex walk away and the way he surges to grab hold of him, how he takes up the entire frame just by stretching his arm out and rocking his body and the expanse of wilderness behind him is so telling about where his state is. He’s alone in the world and the person who’s making him feel less alone - who is also alone in the world - is moving away. 

When Alex looks back at him, they’ve got their my-side-your-side framing on and Michael’s still a presence felt here, even though Alex is meant to be the focus. Our eyes follow Alex’s gaze, which tracks us over to Michael. In the seconds that follow, as we all know, they go into the trailer to start it rockin’. But the camera never leaves the close, focused attention it bathes Malex in here. We’re meant to look at them both, unlike Cam & Max, there’s nothing else to focus on here but them. No interesting cupboard or fridge displays, no beer bottle and random green thing filled with utensils. Just Michael and Alex.

Before diving into the framing of the kiss, I just want to touch on the circular nature of this scene. We see it starting with this same wide shot, Alex and Michael looking tiny and alone, we end it with the same shot but neither of them are there. This serves as a reminder of how alone they are right now, how separate and distant and isolated which then gives us a real sense of claustrophobia and intimacy and allows us to feel the difference in vibe between outside and inside (as if we don’t already, but you know what I mean).

Here in the two shots above we see Alex looking ready to instigate, moving into Michael’s side of the frame and though we know it’s Michael that crashes into Alex, the implication here is that Alex is the initiator; he turned up at the ranch, he walked into the air stream (I will never get over Michael’s shaking hand), he’s the one that leans forward here to tell Michael yes, this, i want this now please. We follow from a fixed camera position, frozen in anticipation as to what’ll happen next.

The whole rest of the scene is dizzying; they surge together to the middle of the screen and we’re looking up at this kiss, the camera’s tilted upwards so we’re in a lower position, signifying the importance and overbearing nature of this relationship, how it makes the camera move and swing and then we get the close up on their kisses (below) and they dominate the frame so close and tight that there’s literally no room for anything else.

We shift angles a little here; though it’s all pretty quick for something so steamy and epic. We go from a off-centre shot (above) to a centre shot (below) which gives us the full glory of Alex’s fingers sinking and twisting in Michael’s hair as they kiss like it’s the only oxygen in the tiny space. We’re still crowded close and tight, there’s no room to breathe which allows the audience to get truly caught up in the moment. We’re back viewing them from a level angle, too, allowing us to get sucked in.

The snap away from the close up to the mid-shot is purposeful and the centre focus of Michael (below) gives us a moment to breathe without actually allowing us any space from what’s happening. This taps back into the voyeuristic tone of the Malex kisses, though, as the camera bobs as a person would, Alex and Michael’s world rocking the same way ours does at the realisation that they are about to do the sex thing.

Excuse me, Michael Vlamis, how dare you have such a fucking filthy expression on your face (below) and not expect this pairing to have sailed more ship than Helen of Troy? 

The camera swings again, cutting to Michael pushing Alex onto the bed. Over the progression of the scene, it’s been slowly swamped in a sort of 1980s dusky yellow, adding a sense of nostalgia, almost sinking the scene into sepia. It feels like a dance they’ve done before, the force with which Michael pushes Alex back (below) makes Alex look almost like he’s not sure that they’re gonna go through with this - maybe it’s too much, it’s too long (close up angle, can’t breathe, sepia-yellow like tea-stained photographs - too old, is it the past?) but then Michael strips and we all scream into oblivion. 

Up next week, episode 1x03! Until next time, folks!

(tagging by request: @space-malex​, @istilfeelicantrustyou​, @ineverthoughtiwouldneedasideblog​, @lire-casander​, @i-never-look-away​, @stydiaeverafter​, @signoraviolettavalery​, @saadiestuff​, @callieramics​, @ubiestcaelum​, @tasyfa. if you wanna be tagged in future posts, let me know!)

[quicksilversquared]

Keeping Up With the Ladyblog

A reporter has to adapt and improvise. It's an important skill to learn, especially when one is a reporter who is still in school and can't skip out to film all of the akuma battles without getting grounded. So Alya gets creative and starts using old security camera footage of akuma attacks. It keeps the Ladyblog active and maybe, just maybe, she'll finally get her scoop of a lifetime.

links in the reblog

Initially, setting up the Ladyblog and getting a devoted userbase had been a bit of an uphill battle. Even though Alya had gotten noticed right away with her footage from the first fight, that didn't guarantee her a permanent position as the best-known blog on Paris's superheroes. Not covering a few fights would mean that someone else could sneak in and steal her spot, so that meant that even if she missed a little school here and there (or had to drag her sisters along during a fight), it was worth it. She had to stay on top of all things Ladybug and right then, that meant getting the best coverage of as many fights as she could physically manage and writing up good, thought-provoking articles for when there was a slow day or two.

(Of course, there were other problems that she had to deal with as well. Alya had to put together a functioning site that was user-friendly, could handle the traffic that she was getting, and offered everything that anyone could possibly want from an official superhero blog, because there was no. way. Alya was going to lose traffic just because some other blog had one option or another that she didn't have or because her blog went down from traffic overload at a critical moment. There were some places that she drew the line- she didn't accept fanfiction of the superheroes, because they were real people and therefore it would be weird, and only appropriate art was allowed- but she had to add all sorts of options so that people who visited the Ladyblog would come back over and over again. It was a lot of work and all had to be done fairly quickly, which meant that her homework sometimes got pushed off until later than it should have.)

Alya didn't consider setting up the blog itself to be that big of a problem, though. Software could usually be battered into submission if she worked on it for long enough, and as long as she didn't try any system updates to the Ladyblog when a lot of people were using it, short outages were usually not a big deal. It was the content that was more of a problem, especially now that her parents (and teachers) were on her back about not skipping school just to film attacks.

She just had to get creative.

Originally, Alya had considered trying to use her fame from being the sole moderator of the Ladyblog to see if she could get a get-out-of-class-free card during the attacks. Her teachers could just check her blog to make sure that she wasn't abusing the pass, she figured, and it wasn't as though most of her classes would be that hard to make up. But it didn't take long before Alya realized that that was just a pipe dream. No teacher would just let her go whenever just so she could keep up a blog when there were professional reporters out there as well that could film the attacks just as well (though Alya would argue with that). Besides, she sometimes had to bike across town to try to get footage, and there were times when it took so long that Ladybug and Chat Noir were already done when she got there. Without any footage, it was a waste of her time.

She had to play it smart. She couldn't just take footage from news channels, but what if there was other footage out there, unseen by most of the public? The Ladyblog already used fan submissions. People took pictures and videos of the superheroes all the time, and most didn't have any interest in starting their own superhero blog but were willing enough to share their superhero content online. Alya always spent a chunk of time every day sorting through the submissions and organizing them by akuma for easy reference.

Still, that wasn't quite enough. Alya had to go above and beyond if she didn't want to be replaceable.

Asking Mr. Kubdel about getting security camera footage from the Louvre partway through the year was a stroke of pure genius on her part. Getting it was a combination of luck, her fame as the Ladyblogger, and the fact that she knew Alix.

"They don't have the best angles in the world," Alya told Nino three days after Mr. Kubdel agreed to her request. She had just gotten the footage from all of the security cameras for the time frames of the last few akuma attacks that had gone through the museum, and digging through the video to find clips of the actual fight was taking a while. Some parts she could just fast-forward through, since the superheroes didn't go into that particular room, but she couldn't go too fast or she could miss the superheroes flashing by. "But I can't really complain. No one has any video of any of these fights yet, so this is incredible."

"It was super-nice of Mr. Kubdel to agree to it," Nino said as he watched the video over her shoulder. "Are you- whoop, there goes Chat Noir."

"Am I what?" Alya asked as she marked down the time Chat Noir entered and when he exited. "Ooh, look, that's a cool akuma!"

"It is a pretty cool design," Nino agreed. "Are you going to ask other places if you can get security camera videos from them, too? Like, there's some places that seem to have a lot of akuma fights go through them. School, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Paris-"

Alya's eyes lit up at the mention of the last place. "Ooh! D'you think I could wrangle some footage of Chloe as Antibug? I kind of want to see some footage of her getting her ass handed to her by Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Nino cringed slightly. "...yeah, I wouldn't phrase it like that when you ask Mr. Bourgeois about it if I were you. He might say no just because of it." He considered that for a second, then added, "Actually, come to think of it, a lot of the akuma that pop up at his hotel tend to be after Chloe, right? So maybe he would say no if most of the footage you get is of Chloe being tormented, no matter how funny you find it. And he's not going to have anything from inside of the guest rooms, just the hallways and dining areas and whatnot."

Alya sniffed. "I'd be professional and include as much of the fight as I could find. Any compilations of Chloe being pursued by angry akumas would be completely unofficial and only posted to an anonymous YouTube account. Which I would then share with you guys, of course."

Nino laughed.

"I think I could persuade him to help, though," Alya decided, going back to the Louvre videos. "He's nice enough when Chloe isn't pushing him around. I'd just have to ask when Chloe isn't there. Maybe I could ask Sabrina's father for help to get footage from other places." She squinted at the screen, then stopped the video for a moment. Nino looked over and saw that it had gone all blurry and pixilated.

He frowned. "Uh, what happened to it? Is the file corrupted?"

"I don't know. It's happened a couple times before on other files, once near the start of this fight and twice again near the end of the first fight I looked at. I don't know what causes it." Alya rewound a little so she could get the last good frame of the superheroes and record the time so she could cut it there. "And... I know I kind of gave up on exposing Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities on the Ladyblog, but I kind of thought that I might catch them detransforming on the security cams. I wasn't going to post that part online, of course, but still..."

"Maybe they're just really good at moving out of the area first," Nino suggested. "That's gotta be tough, actually. I never thought about it. But there's so many cameras in buildings like that nowadays that they have to be super-careful so they don't get seen by others or by cameras!"

"They're bound to slip up sometime," Alya grumbled, opening another file and starting to fast-forward through it. "I really hope I don't miss an attack when I'm working on this. Like, it's gonna be great for my blog to have this footage and all, but it's the live stuff that people like the most."

  The first of the spliced-together security camera footage hit the Ladyblog almost a week after Alya got the first batch of raw video. There was an immediate spike of interest, though, as Alya complained to Nino as they waited for Adrien and Marinette to arrive to work on their group project, some people were whining about favoritism getting her the tapes.

"It was just because I asked first," Alya grumbled, scrolling through the comments. "Because I thought of it first. And- oh! I forgot to tell you! Mr. Bourgeois said yes, I just have to figure out the dates and times of old attacks myself and give them to his security people. And I talked to the principal too, and to Sabrina's father. Mr. Damocles said yes, and Sabrina's father said that he would ask his supervisor and also people at Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower about the security cameras at their individual sites." She was grinning now, momentary irritation gone. "It's gonna be a beast going through everything and getting my homework done, but it'll be worth it."

Nino frowned. "Are all of them gonna give you footage from past attacks? Some might discard video once a certain amount of time passes, or they might think that it's too much work to go back that far to get you the files."

Alya shrugged, face dropping slightly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, going through the past stuff I do get plus new stuff is gonna be hard. At least spring break is coming up soon. Ish. Kinda. And then I can really plow through stuff once it's summer."

"You're gonna vanish into your room and never come out again," Nino joked. "You'll get all pale from lack of sun."

"I still gotta go out for livestreaming attacks," Alya reminded him. "And once I don't have homework to do, I don't think it'll take that long to mark and edit stuff. I can get through one per day for sure, maybe more. I can do it while I babysit my sisters, as long as they don't want to go anywhere."

Nino snorted. "Right, and the chances that they won't want to go out to the park or on a walk?" He shook his head at her. "But I can help with the timing stuff, so you can just focus on the splicing things together."

Alya grinned and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. "That would be great, Nino! Thank you so much!"

"You'll have to tell me how you want it done sometime before I start, but it really shouldn't be a problem," Nino assured her, grinning as he returned the kiss. "Though maybe we'll have time for you to show me before Adrien and Marinette arrive. Where are they, anyway?"

Alya just shrugged. "Who knows. I texted Marinette ten minutes ago to remind her we would be meeting, but no response yet. She might be in the middle of a project, and if she is, I don't wanna startle her. Last time I called her when she was busy sewing, she got started by her phone ringing and stabbed herself with a pin."

Nino cringed. "Ow. Yeah, I texted Adrien too, but no dice. No idea what he might be doing- oh, wait, here they come. Finally."

"And from the same direction too, hmm? Interesting!" Alya slid her laptop back into her bag and stood up, grinning as she watched Adrien and Marinette approach. "And neither of their houses are in that direction, either."

"We're here to study, not interrogate them," Nino reminded her. "Midterms, remember?"

"Oh, but come on-"

"You can interrogate them after, once we've gotten our studying done," Nino pointed out, grinning. "But I actually want to pass my classes, thank you very much."

  There were times when Alya almost regretted starting to post the security camera footage. It was a lot to handle and process, and it ended up cutting into her article-writing time, which, well, she really liked writing those articles. It was one of the things that set the Ladyblog apart. But the old footage was popular, particularly when there was no good news coverage of the fight, and she could always prioritize which fights to edit together and which could maybe be set aside until she had more time.

It was after Alya was first tapped to become Rena Rouge when she realized how great of an idea it had been to start including the security footage from attacks on the Ladyblog. She couldn't cover her own fights- well, not that she was called for many of the akuma attacks, really- but she could still provide that footage, and it wasn't as though she had only started with that kind of footage after she became a superhero, so it wasn't going to raise any suspicion.

Well. Much suspicion, at least. There might be a few people who wondered why she could never cover Rena Rouge's fights, but there had been few enough of them so far that the pattern wouldn't be apparent. And if it continued- which, well, she hoped that it would- then she could always use her much improved video editing skills to "interview" Rena Rouge in person.

She was sure that Ladybug would let her borrow the Miraculous for a little extra time if she mentioned the need to throw people off of her trail. After all, Ladybug was very big on secrecy.

Most of the time, though, Alya loved her stroke of brilliance. It had been worth the security checks to make sure that she could be trusted with the security footage, and she had managed to shore up her views again. Future employers would see that she was focused and willing to put in the work, and well, she had gotten herself a fabulous reputation at the Louvre after she had spotted a shoplifter on the footage and let them know about it right away. It made her feel like a detective of sorts, discovering things that she wouldn't have otherwise.

And, well, summer was coming. Soon, she could get all caught up, and then Alya was sure that it wouldn't be quite so overwhelming.

  "I figured it out!"

Nino glanced up at Alya as she slid into the empty spot at the table he was sitting at. From the other side of the table, Adrien and Marinette looked over at the reporter as well.

"What did you figure out?" Marinette asked, gaze immediately going to the tablet Alya was holding. She looked interested and inched closer. "Is it something to do with the Ladyblog?"

"It is!" Alya held up her tablet. "So you know how I've been putting together footage of the akuma fights from security cameras?"

Nino nodded. Both Adrien and Marinette looked puzzled. Alya groaned at them.

"Seriously? Have neither of you looked at the Ladyblog in weeks?! It's my big new thing!"

"I've been busy," they both claimed at once, before shooting each other startled looks. Alya narrowed her eyes at them both.

"Too busy to even glance at the Ladyblog once in a while, even now that school is almost out? Really?"

"I've glanced, but not looked into the archives at all," Marinette corrected herself. Then she frowned. "Wait, what do you mean, security camera footage?"

"Huh, I guess I must not have mentioned it to you before, either," Alya said, looking thoughtful. "Hm. Anyway, I've been contacting people at the Louvre and at the Eiffel Tower and Chloe's dad and Sabrina's dad and the principal to ask if I can get the raw security camera footage from the akuma fights that go through there, and they all said yes! So I've been going through that and splicing together stuff from different cameras to try to get as much of the fight covered as possible."

Now Adrien was frowning, too. "Really? They just happen to know which cameras Ladybug and Chat Noir have gone past?"

Now Nino snorted. "Of course not. They just basically give Alya all the footage from the cameras for the duration of the fight and she- well, we, I've been helping- have to go through and find which cameras Ladybug and Chat Noir went past and when."

For some reason, both Adrien and Marinette now looked deeply alarmed.

"Anyway, we've been noticing some weirdness on some of the clips," Alya told them. "It get corrupted for a bit, mostly near the start of the fight before the superheroes show up or after the akuma's been defeated but sometimes in the middle, too. I've been puzzling over it for the longest time, and I think I've finally figured it out!"

"Really?" Nino asked, interested and finally distracted from his strangely pale friends. "How?"

Alya grinned. "It was some comments on the Ladyblog that finally got me to notice the pattern. The corruption is either before Ladybug and Chat Noir show up or right after they vanish- or, in the middle of the fight, if one of them has to go recharge, then it happens then, too."

Nino blinked, then caught on. "So you're saying that somehow their magic is interfering with the cameras and protecting their secret identities?"

Alya pointed at him. "Exactly! I thought when I started all this that I might accidentally catch them transforming or see someone where they weren't meant to be, but their magic just means that they can't be caught on camera. It kind of makes me wonder if they always have that effect on cameras when they aren't transformed, or if it only pops up when they're about to transform or just detransformed."

Nino was so caught up in thinking about it that he completely missed Adrien and Marinette's identical sighs of relief as they both slumped in their seats. "It's gotta be the latter. Otherwise how would you explain people never getting a good picture of you, if it happened all the time?"

"Maybe Juleka is Ladybug, then," Marinette offered, giggling a little. "Remember, she was convinced that she had some sort of photo curse?"

"And now she's figured out how to manipulate the magic so that she can get normal photos again," Alya joked, sounding serious for a moment before she laughed. "Nah, she can't be, she was akumatized and fought Ladybug and Chat Noir. Remember that?"

Nino shuddered. "How could I forget? I was stuck in a skirt and high heels for ages!"

"I rocked the platforms," Adrien bragged. He grinned at Nino's raised eyebrow. "What? Sure, they were hard at first, but with a little practice..."

Nino just shook his head and groaned. "You would, dude. You must have been hidden, though. I couldn't find you after Reflecta left."

"Yeah, the outfit and the makeup would do that, probably," Adrien pointed out with a laugh. "I mostly decided to stay out of the way. And that fight didn't last that long. Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated her within an hour."

"Okay, fair."

"What would you do if you found something that told you who Ladybug or Chat Noir are?" Marinette asked, pulling the conversation back on track. "I mean, you can't see them transforming or detransforming, but if..."

Alya waved a hand. "Oh, I would destroy the footage as fast as possible. Hopefully I wouldn't recognize them-" though she wasn't certain about the probability of that, considering that Nino had been picked as a temporary superhero, too. What were the chances of that happening if Ladybug at least didn't know them to some extent? Unless of course it was a coincidence since she was the well-known Ladyblogger and Nino had already been out in the middle of the fight before Ladybug grabbed him- "and so it wouldn't matter if I saw them for two seconds."

Adrien looked astonished. "Really? I thought that was your dream, to figure out who they are! Not that I don't support the deleting thing," he added quickly. "That's probably safer for them. But what made you decide to change your mind?"

Well, she had become a superhero herself, for one. She had realized that she didn't really want the city to know her identity, because what if the akumas targeted her family and friends? And then Nino was a superhero, too, and what if people knew that and she became a target? She had figured that if she didn't want the city knowing her secret identity, she should probably extend the same courtesy to Ladybug and Chat Noir. And Heroes Day had proved that even superheroes knowing the secret identity of other superheroes wasn't necessarily safe. But instead of saying any of that, Alya just said "Well, I realized that it wouldn't be safe for them. And I figured that we should probably respect our superheroes' wishes since they've done so much for the city."

Adrien grinned. "That's very mature of you, Alya."

Alya just shrugged. Really, there had been so much more to it than she had let on. He was probably giving her too much credit, considering it had taken her being in the superheroes' shoes to realize what she had. "Yeah, well. I'll get a big scoop someday. I just refuse to have it at the superheroes' expense."

  With the start of summer came more free time, and Alya attacked her backlog of footage with gusto. It was slowly shrinking as she and Nino dug into it with occasional help from Adrien or Marinette, deleting the superhero-less footage out and discarding it. It had become a bit of an obsession now that she had plenty of free time, and Alya had finally- finally!- figured out how to have several streams going at once on her screen and how to pause the others and switch to just one when there was footage that she wanted to watch more closely.

It made things go a lot faster, that was for sure. She was getting through a couple akuma attacks per day, and she finally had to start queuing things up so that the Ladyblog wouldn't get overwhelmed. One per day would be good, maybe two if they were short fights. Alya prioritized newer fights, too, knowing that the old ones were interesting but also old news. The newer fights generated more views and more interest, but it wouldn't be long before the next wave of akumas took over public interest.

Still, Alya loved having that old footage. She loved watching Ladybug and Chat Noir facing up against the akuma, and she loved seeing Ladybug's creativity when faced with a strange Lucky Charm. Their teamwork was so strong, and the way that they absorbed the occasional extra teammate and worked in those powers- yeah, it was pretty obvious why they had been chosen to be the city's main superheroes.

She was digging through her folders of akuma fight footage when she spotted a particularly large one. Alya frowned, puzzled- what, had the entire city been involved in the fight?- when she noticed the date. It was from Heroes Day.

"Oh yeah," Alya said eagerly, grinning as she clicked on the folder. This had been one of the battles that she really wanted footage for. All five superheroes at once in the boss battle? Yes please. All of the existing footage of the fight had been filled by possessed people, so it would be great to get literally anything else.

It was going to be difficult to piece together all of the bits of footage that were bound to be all over the city, but hey, it was summer and Alya could probably rope her friends into helping. And hey, if she could get Adrien roped in, he had several computer monitors. He could use all of them at once and have a ridiculous number of feeds going all at once. But Alya was impatient and wanted to get another look at the fight, so she flipped through the camera files until she found a set on the Eiffel Tower. They opened right before a fox-themed supervillain got there- and ugh, Alya immediately found herself annoyed. Another Volpina? Why were there so many people in Paris who seemed to have some sort of design on the Fox Miraculous?

Ugh. She was going to scour the footage to see if she could get a glance at this new Volpina's unakumatized identity. One Fox villain before Rena Rouge had showed up was one thing, but again? Nuh-uh.

Alya watched as once again, chaos descended on Paris. Volpina detransformed- uh, could Hawkmoth recall akumas? Then why had the baby akuma actually happened at all?- and revealed- uh, was that Lila? What was Lila doing in Paris? She had told the class that she was out of the country and wasn't going to be returning yet!

Okay, something was definitely up there. Maybe Marinette was on to something when she said that she didn't trust Lila. Especially when- they had talked to Lila on Heroes' Day, hadn't they? They had video chatted with her as a class. She had said that she was abroad, and it had looked like she was, too.

Strange. Alya was going to have to do some digging there for sure.

On-screen, the red butterflies descended on Paris. Alya winced as she remembered the terror that had reigned. They had been tricked by Volpina's illusions- and wait wait wait. Alya rewound the footage to when Lila detransformed and- oh, she looked disappointed when she was detransformed, as though she knew what she had been doing and had wanted to continue.

Even stranger. Also really, really concerning. Alya was going to put a hold on making any plans with Lila until she figured out what was going on there.

Alya continued watching. Red akumas found their mark, and Hawkmoth emerged, watching over the panic. Red bubbles bloomed into oversized akumas, and then... well, more chaos. There was screaming in the streets as people were turned into akumas and everyone else fled- well, there looked like there was screaming in the streets, at least. The cameras didn't pick up sound, which did take away from the experience, just a bit, but she could imagine what it would have sounded like.

The sheer amount of footage that Alya was getting from just the Eiffel Tower was astounding. She could only imagine how much she was going to get across the city, though the ice appearing now from the re-akumatized Frozer probably took at least a few of the feeds out. If she just played it all one camera at a time, it would be an insanely long video.

She might have to learn how to play several streams at once in a split screen. Hawkmoth would have to be shown at all times, Alya thought, and then she could do flashes of different akumas and also show the superheroes. They would fill the screen when they were doing an intense fight, maybe and-

Oh, Alya had so many ideas for the video already and she had only watched part of four streams so far. The number of akumas and the civilian resistance- which, by the way, amazing- meant that she could really play with angles and video cuts and oh, it was gonna be great.

It was also going to be a whole lot of work. Alya was probably going to spend the entire week picking out clips and then deciding which ones she wanted to use, and then it was going to be another few days of editing.

Hopefully her friends would be willing to help her out. They could blast through mostly-boring feeds in no time and get stuff trimmed down for her to review. Maybe she could even get Max to help her with the split-screen editing stuff, since he understood all of that technical talk.

Smiling widely, Alya turned back to her computer. Most of the footage at the moment was just Hawkmoth standing up on the Eiffel Tower with his two singers- and boy was Alya going to rake him over the coals for that, it was ridiculous- and so she had to wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir to head up like she knew they had. Thankfully the camera on that level wasn't iced over at all, like the ones on the lower levels were. This time, she had a front-row seat (abet at a bad angle) as she saw Lila get akumatized again (and boy was it interesting that Lila didn't look at all alarmed about the butterfly approaching her- she looked eager) and Volpina conjured up a second Hawkmoth while the real one hid.

And boy, was that ever an anxiety-inducing experience, watching Ladybug and Chat Noir approach the decoy while the real Hawkmoth hid down below, ready to surprise them from behind. Somehow Ladybug noticed him creeping up on them- and how, Alya had no idea how, she and Chat Noir seemed a bit distracted by trying to get Hawkmoth to do the right thing by turning over his Miraculous- and then they were fighting. Hawkmoth's cane-sword went down, but he didn't go down with it.

Alya sat up and watched as the three secondary users re-joined the fight just in time. She wondered where they had gone wrong, where they might have messed up and could have done better. The next bit was also the only example they had so far of the mysterious Peacock user's powers, and they needed to know what to expect in case they came into play again.

It wasn't that the Peacock's powers seemed that dangerous, at least not from what they had seen so far. Their team had just been taken off guard, and that gave Hawkmoth enough of a distraction to run off like the coward he was. Alya watched the giant moth vanish after Ladybug hit it, and she wondered if it would have vanished so easily if Ladybug had hit it when Hawkmoth was still there. Had the Peacock backed off as soon as Hawkmoth had retreated?

On one of the streams, the superheroes glanced around, trying to figure out where Hawkmoth had gone. Meanwhile, a Hawkmoth-shaped blob limped- had he been injured? They should have looked for him!- past one of the iced-over cameras, and then slumped down against a wall. Alya leaned forward, eager, as Hawkmoth sat there for a few seconds, likely shaken by the whole run-in.

Was he going to detransform? Had they really caught Hawkmoth on camera, after nearly a year of attacks? The ice on the camera would make it hard to see exactly who it was, but Ladybug's Miraculous Cure was bound to come zipping past any moment now. Was this her big scoop-?

"Ugh, and there's that distortion," Alya complained, flopping back in her chair as the already-fuzzy footage got even worse as a burst of purple lit up the screen. "C'mon, really? Can't his kwami not provide magical protection for him? The dude doesn't deserve it."

Alya sulked at the screen as a rush of red went by, clearing off the ice but doing nothing for the magical distortion. She could make out a bit of a shape on the screen, and colors- red and white- but no details, and static regularly cut across the already blurry picture. The static stayed there for longer than normal, and then the blurry, pixilated shape of civilian Hawkmoth finally got up, heading for the stairs. It was only once he had fully exited the frame that the picture finally snapped back into focus, one last bit of static cutting across the screen before the picture stabilized for good.

"Oh, come on," Alya groaned, flopping back on her bed. "That's so unfair that we were so close, and this freaking arse just- just waltzes out of there? Just walks away down the stairs and off of the tower and- and- ugh!" She slapped her fist down on the bed next to her- and then she froze. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait. He walked off of the Eiffel Tower. There have to be more cameras on the staircase and at the bottom. If he didn't detransform in front of those, would they have gone out, too?"

She didn't know. She had never really tracked other cameras from the area after the fights ended, so she didn't know if they had caught the civilian Ladybug and Chat Noir or not and she wasn't going to go back and look, not now that she knew now how dangerous it could be to have other people knowing a superhero's secret identity.

But now? There was absolutely no downside to finding out Hawkmoth's secret identity. It would be the biggest break of Alya's journalistic career.

Re-energized and laser-focused, Alya clicked back to her files, looking for the other cameras. It took a few tries for her to find the footage from the stair cameras and then she fast-forwarded to close to the end. There was a minute of anxious waiting, where Alya scanned the entire screen in case Hawkmoth had tried climbing down the side of the stairs or something ridiculous like that, and then a pair of feet appeared, headed slowly and almost unsteadily down the stairs. Before the feet could go down any further, though, the footage came to an end.

Alya let out a frustrated snarl and rewound the video a few seconds, pausing it right before it came to an end. Only a pair of perfectly white shoes and the hem of bright red pants came into view.

Those... those pants looked really familiar. Alya frowned as she stared at them. She couldn't quite place them, but maybe Marinette could, if Alya brought the footage over the next time that she went to Marinette's house. But that was stupid, Alya decided after a moment of mulling it over. Maybe they knew someone with pants like that, but there were several million people living in Paris. There was no guarantee that there weren't other people making the same (awful) fashion choices.

"So close," Alya complained aloud, glaring at her screen. If only Mr. Raincomprix had sent footage that was a few seconds longer! Except- oh, that was it! All she had to do was email him and ask for the footage from the lower-level cameras running from maybe a minute before the end of the fight to several minutes after the current end time. That would be sure to get her lots of footage of Hawkmoth, and surely he would be recognizable in some of it.

She had to hope that the footage still existed and it hadn't been written over at all. It would be close- it had been over two months since that battle- but Alya knew that she had gotten older footage from the Eiffel Tower before.

Hopefully that stuff hadn't just been saved for longer because of the akuma attack.

Excited, Alya turned back to her computer. If she was going to file a request for more footage and hoped to get it in a reasonable amount of time, she needed to have all of the information possible- what the camera IDS were, the exact date and times that she wanted were, everything. Just to be sure, Alya checked her other files to see which cameras would be focused on either the place where Hawkmoth detransformed or the stairs that he had gone down, writing the code for every last one down. Once she had that, she folded up the list and stuffed it in her pocket as she raced for the door.

"Alya, remember that you're going to be babysitting the twins in two hours," he mom called out as Alya raced past. "You'll be back by then, right?"

Alya had to bite down the frustrated noise that nearly escaped because even though this was critical, this was huge, it wasn't as though she couldn't wait a little longer to review the footage. And she could review the footage while sitting out at the kitchen counter with her sisters watching a movie in the living room, it would just be harder. "Yeah, I'll be back!"

And hopefully, she would come back with the footage that would change everything.

  Officer Raincomprix was all too willing to bring Alya over to the Eiffel Tower to get more of the footage, all without her having to explain anything. He showed her to the people she needed to talk to and then trotted off to deal with a littering teenager while Alya was ushered inside of the office. The staff were all helpful, and soon Alya was leaving with everything she needed, with no questions asked.

She supposed that it was good that all of the adults were so busy, because she didn't exactly want to explain. Really, Ladybug and Chat Noir should be the first ones to know about Hawkmoth's identity.

Alya jogged back towards her family's apartment, memory stick clutched tightly in her hand. On it, she hoped, would be evidence that would show her Hawkmoth's identity. She was nearly back to her building when she ran smack-dab into a very familiar figure.

"Yo, I was just looking for you!" Nino exclaimed, pulling Alya up. He bent back over to grab the memory stick that she had dropped before the passing pedestrians could kick it away and handed it back to her. "I was trying to text you earlier, but I didn't get any response."

Alya winced. "I'm so sorry! I just got really distracted by my video editing. I opened up the folder for Heroes' Day and I got really distracted."

"Oh, that was a crazy fight. I bet there was a ton of footage. Well, until everything got all icy, at least." Nino glanced down at her as they continued down the sidewalk. "So can I ask why you were out? You look out of breath."

"Not out here," Alya warned immediately. She didn't want a passerby overhearing and trying to grab the memory stick to grab the discovery for themselves. "Come inside with me. I can tell you there, and at any rate I have to be back in-" she checked her phone- "fifteen minutes anyway to babysit my sisters."

Nino followed without question, looking interested.

"So did you find something interesting in the footage?" Nino asked curiously. "You must have. Or was there footage missing, was that why you were out?"

"Not quite," Alya told him, grinning. "I needed more footage, yeah, but it wasn't during the middle of the fight. It was at the end, because I almost had Hawkmoth's civilian self on tape."

"You- what?" Nino asked, freezing for a few seconds before jogging up the stairs alongside her again. "You think you have Hawkmoth on tape? I thought that the magic messed with the cameras!"

Alya grinned. "It does. But where he detransformed- he had to go down the stairs, and there's another camera there. Before, I could see his shoes and the hems of his pants, but now I have an extended clip of the video! It should show him coming down the stairs into sight."

Nino looked impressed. "Oh, that is amazing. But what if it's not someone you know? I mean, there's a lot of people in Paris."

"Well, I'll turn the video over to Ladybug and Chat Noir. They can decide if they want to get the police involved. They might recognize the guy, too." Alya was assuming that she wouldn't recognize Hawkmoth, but she supposed that it was a possibility. "Or we could help by asking Max if he can run some sort of face recognition thing, so that they don't have to go to the police. I'm worried that the police might try to take over themselves and end up getting really hurt by underestimating him."

"Yeah, they might try to do that. Freaking adults, thinking that they know better than the actual experts." Nino shook his head, disgusted. "But do you think Max can do that? I mean, I know he's good at computers, but face recognition- that sounds like he would have to tap into files from, like, ID cards or something."

Alya shrugged. She supposed that was true, but Max was crazy smart and also had Markov. She was sure that if she asked, he would try to see what he could do for her.

"So are you gonna look at the footage now?" Nino asked as they reached her floor. "I thought you said that you have babysitting to do."

"I do, but I wanna at least look at the footage first, if I can." Alya pulled out her keys to open the apartment door. "And I was planning on just putting on a movie and some snacks for my sisters so that they stay out of trouble while I work. They should stay out of trouble that way."

Nino gave her a supremely dubious look. "Your sisters, staying out of trouble?"

"I'd still be in the room! And it's not like I would have headphones in or anything."

"...would you like me to stay there while you do your video stuff?"

"That would be amazing," Alya told Nino, leading him into the apartment. She waved to her mom as they headed down the hallway. "But I still have time to get this done before my mom has to leave!"

Nino glanced at the clock on the wall. "Uh, babe, you only have ten minutes."

"Do you really think I can't get this done in ten minutes?" Alya led the way into her room and wriggled her mouse, waking her laptop up. "You know me better than that. I know exactly where to look in the footage."

"And you really think you'll be able to focus on looking after kids once you've seen Hawkmoth's face?"

...Alya had to admit that that was a very good point.

"I can show you the footage leading up to the end while the computer recognizes my memory stick," Alya told Nino as she plugged the new flash drive in. She rewound the footage. "See, here's Hawkmoth escaping- but he didn't go far!"

"That ice on the cameras is annoying," Nino commented as the footage played. "Is all of it like that?"

"A few cameras were spared, I think," Alya told him. "Including the one on the main level, thank goodness. I mean, there's a few blurry spots from where the ice extended onto the lens a little bit, but it's mostly clear."

"Oh, and now it's worse," Nino added. "He detransformed right in front of the camera, holy cow."

"Yeah, I was really hoping that the distortion would go away since he seemed to be hanging around, but no such luck." Alya watched as on-screen, the ice cleared away and Hawkmoth finally got up, heading for the stairs. "So watch here- there's no one besides him and the superheroes on the Tower, right? Well, them and Lila, but that's beside the point. It got evacuated pretty fast, and anyone who didn't get off got akumatized or hit by Dark Cupid. So he's headed for those stairs."

"So whoever comes down is Hawkmoth, right," Nino agreed. Then he paused. "Wait, you said Lila? But she was abroad!"

"Apparently she lied." Alya stopped the tapes right where Hawkmoth's feet appeared on the stairs. "Okay, so the stuff that I got should start about thirty seconds before the end of these, so there's some overlap."

A tension rose in the room as Alya got the new files set up to play. She kept glancing at the clock while things loaded, watching as the time for her to move into the living room ticked closer and closer.

She wouldn't be able to stand it if she had to stop at this point. Even if it was only for a short break while she said good-bye to her mom and got the twins set up with their movie and their snacks, she couldn't. She was so, so close.

This had to work.

"Loaded," Alya announced as soon as the program was ready. "And here we go!"

She and Nino leaned forward as they watched the feed from the stairs on the screen. There were thirty seconds of anxious waiting, and then Hawkmoth's shoes appeared on the stairs. They headed down unevenly, revealing the red pants cuffs once again.

"Oh, he's shaken," Nino murmured, a grin evident in his voice. "Super shaken. Serves the asshole right."

Another step, more of the pants were revealed. They watched in anxious silence as the red pants gave way to a very familiar ivory jacket, then a striped necktie, and then Hawkmoth took one more step down the stairs, head hanging down as he made his way down the Eiffel Tower.

And much to Alya's surprise, she recognized the face that went with those atrocious fashion choices, even at this angle. And from Nino's sharp inhale, she knew that he had, too.

"Well," Nino managed after a minute of trying to find his words. "This is bad."

And with that, Alya could only agree.

[kpopfanfictrash]

Addewid (XIV)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: You / Kai (Jongin)

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 4,313

Genre: Fey!AU + Series

Summary: “You cannot appeal to my better nature, for I have none. I am not human, little one.”

You’ve always known you were different. You’re able to see them, after all, able to see the Others. You’ve also always ignored them. Until the day comes where you’re forced to make a choice - one that throws your world into chaos. And sends you down a path you might never return from.

Her heels echo on marble, and she tilts her head. “Disappointing,” she muses, looking at Kai. “I am disappointed, as this trial was not the girl’s sentencing at all. It was your own, dear Prince. You have failed me. I did so want a happy ending,” she sighs, gaze fraught with emotion. “Truly, I did.”

What’s odd about all this is – I don’t think she’s lying. The way Maeve looks at Kai now, gaze hollow and wanting, this is how you look at ones you love. How you look when your child turns away from you, when your love rips your heart still-beating from your chest.

Her gaze moves to mine. “The sentence has changed. Prince Kai will receive punishment for the both of you. Tomorrow,” she clips, then whirls away into darkness.

Part XIV - The Dream

Maeve reappears on the dais.

I barely understand what’s happening, as I’m wrenched upwards to stand. Kai remains motionless beside me, Maeve holding him still in the grasp of her magic. My arms are yanked behind my back, new cuffs attached as Maeve continues to stare at Kai.

“Prince,” she murmurs, waiting until he looks up. Kai’s muscles strain, bunched beneath his tunic – almost as though even now, he’s struggling to escape. “Do not try and leave,” Maeve warns. “Once you are in your cell, you are not to exit unless Kyungsoo releases you. From this moment on, you will not disobey Kyungsoo’s orders. Kyungsoo,” Maeve’s gaze shifts sideways. “If Y/N tries to escape, you will hurt the Prince.”

I freeze at her order. I didn’t think it was possible, to feel such hatred for one individual. My anger is a living thing, it breathes and beats independent of my body. It tinges my thoughts, turns them bleak and crumbling. It snakes through my veins, breaking me into something emptier than before.

I wish I were powerful, so I could fight. Wish I were stronger, so I could win. I want to see the look on her face, when Maeve realizes I’m the one who beat her. A chill travels my spine, knowing I should not find pleasure in such an idea.

“Y/N,” Kyungsoo interrupts, fingers soft gripping my elbow. “Kai. Come with me.”

Haltingly, as though fighting the urge to obey, Kai stands. He moves one leg before the other, still looking at Maeve, staring steadily back. Kai’s jaw tightens. When he turns, it’s as though Kyungsoo’s order has finally won out and when he looks at me, his gaze softens. 

“Come,” Kyungsoo demands. He turns, bringing me with. Nodding at the two closest guards, who fall into step beside him.

“Lock them in the dungeon,” Maeve instructs, almost bored.

Kyungsoo hesitates, then nods as we leave the room.

The way down is shorter than the way up. Perhaps it feels this way because of Kai’s healing, which took away all my previous ailments. No longer does the poison run in my veins, no longer does it taint my thoughts, dilute the castle around me. As we descend the stairs to the dungeon, I can feel the air around me dampen and chill.

I don’t try to escape. Maeve’s warning hangs over me, her command to hurt Kai at the front of my mind. This is my fault. If I hadn’t offered to take my father’s place, it I hadn’t answered the door when Sehun came, if I hadn’t done a million, tiny things, Kai would be safe right now. We’re here, he’s in danger because of me.

At the entrance to the dungeons, Kyungsoo comes to a halt. “Wait,” he instructs, looking at the Fey. “Kai, Y/N – follow me.”

I nod, following him down the hall. When I fall into step behind him, Kai’s thumb brushes my own. It’s quick, barely more than a graze but it gives me strength. I look back, meeting his gaze. At the end of the row Kyungsoo unlocks a single cell, pushing open the grate and nodding for me to walk past.

Kyungsoo’s hand catches my wrist when I enter, unlocking the handcuffs from behind my back. “I’ll have to replace these tomorrow,” he tells me, already apologetic.

I nod, turning away. “I know.”

Kyungsoo looks at Kai. “Go on. Why do you think I told the other guards to stay put?” His voice drops to a whisper. “I cannot fight her Majesty on the commands she gave, but at least I can offer you time together.”

After a pause, Kai moves, stepping forward to embrace Kyungsoo. “Thank you,” he mutters, before releasing him. “Did she mention what will happen tomorrow?” he asks, though he doesn’t seem to expect an answer.

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “No. I don’t think she trusts me to remain silent. She suspects the reason I offered to stay with her last night, I believe that’s why she placed you on Trial.”

“Then,” Kai exhales, bowing his head, “I am sorry. Sorry, for what I have brought you, my friend.”

Kyungsoo merely smiles. “Don’t apologize. The choices I have made in the past forty-eight hours have been some of the proudest of my life.”

Kai looks up, nods. When Kyungsoo turns to go, I meet his gaze. Trying to convey silent gratitude, since I know anything I say will not be enough. Kyungsoo smiles back at me, his eyes sad. He knows what this night means – as do I. It might mean our last.

When Kyungsoo disappears, the sound of his footsteps fade up the staircase and Kai crosses the room. “Y/N,” he sighs, hands finding my body. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs, into my hair. “This is my fault.”

“Yours?” I mutter, shaking my head. “How?”  

“I should have known Maeve wouldn’t spare you.” Kai pulls back. “Should have known she’d never let us go.”

“When did you ask that?” I say to him, slightly dazed.

“This morning.” Kai lowers himself to the floor, pulls me down with him. “She called me to her, I went. Maeve wanted me to see Kyungsoo. I,” Kai takes a shuddering breath. “I asked what your sentence would be.”

My fingers brush the back of his hand, offering comfort. Kai’s pain is clear, his eyelids flutter as he tries to block out the memory – but can’t. “What did she say?” I ask softly.

“She had not decided. She said she couldn’t let this pass, not when your treason was announced to the court – not when they already think you guilty.”

“But,” I nearly laugh, incredulous. “She did that! Maeve is the one who announced my treason to the court.”

“I know,” Kai nods. “That’s what I said, but she just smiled. Maeve asked what I wanted. I asked her to spare you,” Kai murmurs, seeming lost. “I asked this of her, and she agreed. Or – I thought she did.”

“She lied,” I mutter.

Kai’s mouth twists. “In a way she did,” he acknowledges. “She said she would not hurt you, is how she phrased it. I was foolish of me to believe she meant more than physical pain.”

“Damn fairies,” I mutter, leaning against the wall.

To my surprise, Kai chuckles. I turn to look at him, somewhat alarmed when I see tears forming at his eyes. “Kai,” I touch his arm. “Kai?” 

He opens his eyes suddenly. “She won’t hurt you,” he repeats, quieter. “I won’t let her. These past few months have meant more than my entire previous existence. She won’t take that away.”

I hesitate, unsure how to phrase my next question. I don’t understand what happened, back in the throne room. Don’t understand how or why I’m alive.  “Kai,” I toy with my skirts. “How did you save me?”

He quiets. “Today?”

“Yes,” I look up. “How did you heal me of poison, how did you break my cuffs? You kept Maeve back with magic – but how?”

Kai hesitates. “I think she wanted that,” he murmurs. “Maeve was careful, when she phrased her commands. I was told not to speak during sentencing. I was told that if I interfered, it would be taken out on you. Maeve did not actually order me anything. She wanted me to be tested,” Kai admits. “Wanted to know how I felt, to see if I would disobey in order to protect you. That’s what my Trial was.” 

Kai leans his head against the wall. “And now,” he laughs, somewhat bitterly. “I’ve doomed us both. But then,” he opens his eyes, gaze pleading. “What could I do? She would have killed you.”

“Maybe you should have let her,” I say bluntly.

Faster than I can see, Kai moves. His hands touch my face and I blink, surprised by his proximity. Kai hovers over me, knees bent to either side of my body. “Never say that,” he whispers. “I love you. Before now,” his lips tilt, forehead bending to mine. “Before you, I was only half-alive. Even in Summer, even as Seelie – the only person I loved was myself. I was cold, hardened and proud. Partly due to my upbringing,” Kai allows. “But mostly because I was selfish.”

When his thumbs find my cheeks, I stare up at him. “You’re not selfish.”

“No,” Kai shakes his head, exhaling. “You are not selfish. You stood in your father’s bookstore, you protected his life with your own. When you called me similar,” he breathes, suddenly unsteady. “I didn’t understand. That night in my study, I was terrified. Scared, because you thought me redeemable.”

“Why?” I murmur back at him. “Why is that such a terrible thing?”

“Because,” Kai’s expression falters. “If you found me redeemable – perhaps it meant that I was.”

My thumb strokes his wrist, delicate and sure. “You are,” I tell him.

Kai closes his eyes, smile soft. “Ridiculous, that you think this. I took you from home, I forced you to stay. I am your jailer, your warden. I kill, I,” Kai breaks off, drawing in breath. “You are too good, too pure. You of all people, should not see the good in me.”

Gently, I lift a hand. Kai is dressed entirely in black, a military-style jacket over loose trousers. It’s dirty, scuffed with dust and wear. A reminder of him protecting me, of the moment he threw himself between me and Maeve.

“My father wrote that Anthology,” I whisper. “He knew the risks but did it anyways. If it hadn’t been you who cam, someone else would have and I doubt they would have accepted my bargain. I didn’t want my father to die alone – which may have been rash, may have been foolish – but you respected my rash and foolish wishes. You allowed me take his place.”

“Stupid,” Kai mutters, looking up. “I should have just ignored you.”

I manage to smile, fingertips tracing his cheekbones. “You didn’t, though. You listened. When I kept trying to run, you saved me. When I ignored you entirely, you protected me, hid me from Maeve. I asked why you would do this,” I exhale, remembering. “I asked myself this over and over, and the thing I kept coming back to was that you cared.”

Kai’s gaze flickers, staring back. “Of course I did.”

I nod. “That’s what I saw. I saw that despite the situation, despite your collar,” my fingertips trace over this, “despite the woman who owned you and the things she ordered you to do – you wanted to help.”

“I had to,” Kai returns, gaze pleading.

“You didn’t,” I say to him gently.

He looks down, oddly hesitant. “When I first saw you, you reminded me of her,” Kai confesses.

“Your sister?”

Kai nods. “The stubbornness of your chin, how reckless you were – how brave,” he admits, swallowing. “You were brave, loved your father so deeply. It’s why I stopped.”

“Jongin,” I pause. “I – what do I call you now?”

He smiles. “What do you want to call me?”

“I’m used to Kai,” I admit. “Your true name is Jongin. Then there are those who call you Prince, Enforcer,” I slide my hands around the curve of his waist. “I’ve heard you called traitor, along with other – less savory – names.”

Kai’s breath hitches. “Well, Jongin isn’t my full true name.”

My hands stop as I arch a brow. “No?”

Kai seems amused by my reaction. “My true name,” he hesitates, then leans forward. 

He whispers, speaking for so long I nearly lose track. When he’s done, he pulls back. Staring at me, his dark eyes wide and scared.

I look back. “That’s,” I blink, exhaling. “A lot of names.”

Kai chuckles, still uncertain. “One’s true name is difficult to find. I only know mine because of a quest I went on, when I was young and foolish.” Kai settles onto his knees, weight resting atop mine. “There’s a creature called the Serpent, which lurks in t he deep Other. If you catch him, he will answer one truth. I caught him,” Kai’s lips curls, triumphant. “I asked him what my name is. You see, your true name is not the one given to you at birth. It is you, in the simplest terms. It’s everything you are, everything you could be. Many cannot bear to hear the sound. To know your true self, to see your darkest parts – it’s a daunting task.”

I stare back, trying to imagine. “That’s the only way to find out your true name?” I muse, turning this over in my mind.

Kai shrugs. “It’s how I did. Now that you know, though,” he murmurs. “You know what I am.”

I nod, thinking this over. Kai’s true name is dark. It’s haunted, unforgiving but at the center burns a light so bright, it’s dazzling. “I love you,” I inform, tightening my grip. “All of you. Maybe more, now that I know.”

Kai inhales, the noise timid. “Then you understand,” he bends his head, “why I won’t let her hurt you. Before, I didn’t understand what I was. Worse,” he mutters, “I didn’t want to understand. You changed that.” Kai winds hands through my hair, lifting my face to his. “I don’t want to return. I don’t want to go back to what I was. A killer, whose blackened soul was not their own. Y/N,” he inhales. “I will do anything, to stay.”

“But,” I protest, and Kai interrupts.

“You don’t understand,” he murmurs, curling fingers through my hair. “You keep thinking you’ve hurt me, that this is somehow your fault. The truth is though, the only reason I care at all is because you woke me up.”

I still, considering. Letting his words filter my thoughts, rearrange themselves around waht I know. It feels right, somehow. His chest rises and falls against mine, breathing me in. “What now,” I ask. “Kai.”

He smiles. “Yes, say my name like that. I’ve grown fond of you lightening my darkness. Kai has meant such horror to me for so long – I enjoy listening to you change that.”

“Kai,” I smile, a gesture which slowly disappears. “From the way Kyungsoo spoke, it didn’t sound like we have much time.”

His gaze darkens. “I don’t know what will happen,” Kai sighs. “Whatever it is, we’ll face it together. There’s a quote,” he hesitates, reaching for a far-off  memory. “From a human author, I don’t remember the name – Dickens, Dackens? He had a character in one of his books who was tragically in love with the heroine.”

“Dickens,” I correct, smiling. “Go on, though – Dackens is nice, too.”

Kai makes a face. “Insulting me, at a time like now.” When I laugh, he smiles. “The character’s name was Sydney. His love wasn’t returned by the heroine, she feel in love with another. In the end, Sydney decides to give his own life so that they both might live. When Sydney is taken away, he muses, ‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest I go to, than I have ever known.’” Kai falls silent, thinking this.

At last I nudge him and ask, “Why did you think of this now?”

“Because,” he sits on the floor. Pulls me to him, so I curl against his side. “I have lived a selfish life. A violent life, one filled with unhappiness. It is only after meeting you, I knew hope. I knew unselfishness. It is only after, that I lived and if it means I must die by your side – it is a far better fate than living on without you.”

He says this quietly, matter-of-fact and I wish my words were as eloquent as his. Wish I could explain how I love him, but I’m afraid I’ll fall short. Taking his hand, I bring it close to my heart. “I’m yours,” I say simply. “I don’t know when my heart ceased to belong only to me, but it did and it does.”

“Mine as well,” Kai says softly.

He pulls me into him and we sit like that for a while. Breath rising and falling, the world continuing around us. “What will we do?” I ask, well aware of the fear rising to the surface.

“It’s hard to prepare for the unknown,” Kai considers. “Maeve likes spectacle. She likes to put on a show, so whatever the sentence is – it won’t be private. She’ll want as many people as possible to see, to know disobeying her is a fate worse than death.”

A chill crosses my spine. “Do you think she’ll kill you?”

“No.” Kai shakes his head. “I don’t know what she’ll do, but death is far too easy. Maeve’s punishments aren’t so quick. Whatever she has planned though, I think she intends for you to watch.”

I close my eyes, nauseous at the thought. “No.”

“I will be okay,” Kai wraps both hands around my waist. “Whatever she does, whatever she tries – know it won’t matter. I love you, I will protect you.”

“You don’t need to protect me,” I look up. “I can take care of myself.”

“Oh,” Kai brushes a lock away from my face, smiles faintly. “I know. I taught you myself.” When I groan, he smiles. “What I mean is – Maeve wants to hurt you because of me. I can’t allow that to happen.”

I nod. “I hope you know, this goes both ways. I will protect you as well.”

Kai smiles. “I know,” he brushes a kiss against my temple.

I lift my face closer. “If I wanted to find out my true name,” I murmur, opening my eyes. “I need to visit this person – this Serpent?”

Kai arches a brow. “Most go their whole lives without knowing – your true name is dangerous. If you really want to know, though,” he nods, “I will help you find out. After we leave, after we survive.”

I lean into his chest. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Addewid?” he quirks, amused.

“No,” I intertwine my fingers around his. “Just a dream I have.”

When I look up, Kai is no longer smiling. He searches my expression, gaze soft. “I want to dream with you,” he whispers, bending. “I already dream of you.”

When he kisses me, it’s not a question but a promise. Kai’s lips open against mine and he pulls me to him, filling the spaces between us. His hands slide from my hair to my waist, lifting me onto his lap. I exhale, curving around him. Craving more of his touch, his warmth. He slides his mouth down my neck, scraping teeth against skin.

“I just want to be with you,” I murmur, closing my eyes.

He nods, “Whatever you want,” Kai sounds hoarse, though his eyes are shining. “Whatever you ask.”

“I’m yours,” I tell him.

“I’m yours,” he agrees.

I don’t know what time Kyungsoo reenters our cell. He walks in quietly, purposefully – like he seems to act with everything that he does. Kyungsoo’s gaze is dark, steady when he says, “It’s time.”

I swallow, nodding as I push to my feet. Kai stands before me, one hand entwined with mine. My dress is dirty, torn from the floor and last night. I’m sure my face is equally as unattractive. Kai seems tired as well, though he still looks ethereal. Hair falls forward into his eyes, disheveled and limp.

Kyungsoo extends a hand, reattaching the cuffs to my wrists. I allow this, watching Kai while Kyungsoo works. He stares back, lips tight with worry. His emotions are so obvious to me now – it’s strange, I once thought him unfeeling. In the beginning I did, in those first few weeks I thought him a monster.

Maybe it was me, though. Maybe I was the stubborn one, too blind to see him for what he truly is. I see him now.

When he’s done, Kyungsoo leads up the stairs and exists down a long hall. Three guards flank on either side, more than the amount which accompanied us down to the dungeons. I wonder what Maeve thinks will happen, wonder what she thinks we could do. Where would we go? So long as Kai wears her collar, Maeve is in control and we can never be free.

My legs tremble and despite Kai at my side, I’m scared. Terrified, for both him and myself. I don’t let this show, though. Don’t let her see, when we enter the hall.

It’s the same space as the ballroom, although it’s laid out differently. There’s the dais above, but the tables are gone. The throne gone as well, just Maeve standing looking down from above. She’s dressed in all black, but no longer a dress. Closer to the fighting leathers in Kai’s memory, than anything.

The entire room is filled. A sunken pit sits at the center, around which stand the entire Unseelie court. A chaotic mess of shapes, nightmares and monsters. Some yell, others hiss. I’m spit at once or twice and though I flinch, I try and remain silent. Kai is livid, I feel his anger like a living thing. Wherever his gaze sweeps, the Unseelie step backwards. Even bound, even cuffed – Kai is feared.

When we reach the front, Kyungsoo steps forward. He stops before Maeve, lowering himself until one knee touches the ground. “Majesty,” he intones. “The prisoners.”

“Indeed.” Maeve lifts her hands, waits until absolute silence. Only the crackling of flames, ice-blue pillars which rise on either side. “Welcome, members of the Unseelie Court.”

The crowd roars; a solid, writhing wall of night.

Maeve’s eyes gleam in the torchlight. “We are here to right the evil which has wronged us. To condemn this disgrace known as disloyalty,” she sneers. “A quality I cannot tolerate in my subjects.”

There’s a soft hiss throughout the crowd, seeming to come from the floor itself. It wraps around me, renders me frozen. I wish I could think of something to say, to do. I try to come up with a way out, but my mind remains a perfect blank.

Maeve stares at Kai, unflinching. “Unseelie,” she murmurs. “What is the price of treason?”

Rage expels from the crowd, hoards of voices which demand torture, anger and pain. My skin crawls with the force of it and I tell myself to remain still, despite my legs which quake beneath me.

“Yes,” Maeve murmurs. “The punishment for treason is a life. What to do though, when the life in question already belongs to you?”

There’s no answer, the crowd falling silent. Maeve steps forward, stopping just before the dais. Kai and I are surrounded below, guards on either side. At our backs stand the Unseelie, another inescapable path. 

“The gauntlet,” Maeve muses, sending exaltation through the room.

I taste savage joy from the audience, raw excitement in the air. “What’s the gauntlet?” I turn to Kai, but he doesn’t answer. Instead he’s gone white with fear, looking up at the Queen.

“The gauntlet,” Maeve’s voice rings out. “Is an obstacle passed by only the fiercest of warriors. Our dear Prince Kai,” she allows time for laughter in the audience, “is obliged to face any beast of my choosing – he will fight them in the ring.”

I turn to stare at the sunken pit. The room spins before me, dancing with the dread of what’s to come.

“If he wins,” Maeve declares, eyes blazing. “He will remain in my guard, his human will escape punishment. Should he lose,” she tilts her head. “Your dear human will lose that which she loves most.”

“I,” Kai stills, furious. “What do you mean?”

Maeve does not flinch. “Well,” the dark behind her shimmers, “I merely asked myself – what would be most fitting, for the thing which has ripped out my heart? What should he lose, in return?”

The room falls silent, no one knowing the answer.

“He deserves pain,” Maeve nods, almost to herself. “But what kind? You, my Prince, have already lost what you hold dear. Your lovely, dead sister. But,” she looks to me, her gaze hardening, “what about her?”

When our eyes meet, I stare at her in shock. Horror floods my body, and I realize then that Kai was right – this is about hurting Kai, but Maeve will do so through me.

“Death is not good enough for you,” Maeve allows. “Death is only a moment. I want the two of you to suffer for much, much longer.”

Behind her, shadows begin to coalesce. I squint, unable to see beyond the two shapes which emerge in the distance. When the one closest becomes visible, I recoil. I step backwards when I recognize Oh Sehun. He doesn’t seem to notice me though, too focused on the task at hand –  dragging a nameless shape across the stage. A man, I realize, wearing a black hood. He thrashes mightily, hands tied firmly behind his back. I notice that he wears similar handcuffs to mine.

Sehun stops then, shoving the man down to his knees. He stays like that, chest rising and falling from the ground. He looks out over the crowd, though I know he can’t see. I can’t look away though, can’t stop staring because – those pants. I know those pants.

I know that shirt, too. Know, because I bought them.

Sehun reaches down to remove the bag from the man’s head.

“D-dad?” I choke out, seized with disbelief.

When I try to move, hands encircle my arms. Their grip like iron, yanking me backwards. Dimly, I notice Kai is being similarly restrained. He’s moving his lips but nothing emerges, or maybe it does and I just can’t hear. I can’t understand him, everything is faded but my father, who looks at me with wordless apology.

“Pass the gauntlet,” Maeve’s voice rings out above. “Or be responsible for the death of her father.”

[Master List]

[xxprincessjewelsxx]

The War (Suho Mafia!au Fic Sequel) Chapter 5 - Why Are You Asking Me?

Warnings: Hints towards murder

Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8(M), Ch. 9, Ch. 10, Ch. 11, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15(Finale)

It was almost surreal to me that I had actually confessed to Junmyeon. How I had actually let the walls down that I was trying so hard to keep up. But I knew that this time he had been sincere about everything he said and he made no actions that would prove otherwise.

“I was worried when I couldn’t find you,” he said walking into his room to find me curled up on his bed, book in hand.

“I started to get lonely after two days of not seeing you...”

He would text and tell me that he wouldn’t be coming home. Before it would never even cross his mind to send a text to let me know that. But he wanted to let me know that he was fine, wanted me to tell Jinwoo he would make up for not being there to play with him, telling the both of us that he loved us.

Minseok: This is more disgusting than when he whatever brain trauma he had...

Me:....I’m going to assume this is your weird way of supporting us now that you know that he really cares about me...and that he cares about Jinwoo...

Minseok:.......

Minseok: Maybe...

Me: Thanks...I guess

Minseok: You’re welcome...I guess...

As much as he hated to admit it, even Minseok could see the sincerity behind his actions. I think it also worried him too. Minseok and I had stopped fighting (probably because we both didn’t want to fight in front of Jinwoo...none of us did) but I think also he finally got the big picture.

Which made him worried for his friend...not so much me...but Junmyeon.

“You have to be careful who sees your emotions,” I heard Minseok say. It was late and this was probably a conversation that I was not meant to hear but I stayed anyway. “If someone realizing how close you have really become to her...”

“I know...” Junmyeon said, “Why do you think I told her she couldn’t go to the park.”

“It’s still a few months away, but she’s still been talking about schools for Jinwoo...what are you going to do about that? We don’t know how long this feud us going to last...”

“I don’t know yet...”

That’s the only thing that did bother me, but other than that there was nothing that was causing me any discomfort between us....

“We need to talk,” I said handing Junmyeon his morning coffee.

He stopped and looked at me. “What did I do?”

“Nothing that I know of...are you feeling guilty of something?” I questioned.

“No...”

“Okay...” I said, “I need to go out and-”

“No,” he said flatly.

“Before you say no can you hear me out?” I questioned. He said back in his chair and signaled me to continue. “Thank you...Jinwoo’s birthday is coming up and I would like to order a cake and I would like to get a birthday present for him. If you have any ideas of a gift that you would like to get him I can pick one up or I can just get one from the both of us....”

“I already have his present planned...” he replied.

“Oh really?” I questioned, “Do tell...”

“He wanted a Dino room so I have hired someone who is going to come in and do wallpaper and paint and I talked to a room furnishing consultant so he will have all new furniture just for him...including some that he can grow into even when he doesn’t want a Dino theme anymore.”

By the time he was done talking my eye was twitching. “And when did you have time for this?”

“I made time,” he replied, “I didn’t forget about his birthday, it’s on my phone calendar.”

“And you didn’t tell me any of this because...”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I just forgot to let you know with all the running around I’ve been doing...what are you thinking of getting him?”

“Well it seems kinda inadequate now...” I said.

He chuckled. “You do know he’s a momma’s boy...so I could buy him a Dino museum but the only thing he would care about is the thing you bought him.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “He saw the Hot Wheels track on TV and he keeps talking about it...so I was going to get him that.”

After a moment of thought Junmyeon gave a smile. “Alright...but Chanyeol goes with you...no arguing with me on that.”

“At this point...with some of the things you’ve told me, you won’t get any argument from me,” I said.

He reached around the island and pulled me towards him. “Your birthday is coming up to, right?”

“Yeah...” I replied, “But mine isn’t as important as Jinwoo’s.”

I tried to pull away from him but he kept me close to him. “We don’t have to have a party for you...it could just be you and me...dinner.”

“That would draw attention,” I said, “We don’t want to draw any unwanted attention to us.”

“I’m guessing you happened to hear a conversation that was supposed to be private,” he said eyeing me, “However...don’t mind that. I already have a place in mind.”

‘Don’t mind that...’ I thought memories of him getting shot flashing into my head, ‘Unwanted attention could cause things to happen that...’ My thoughts were cut off by his thumb gliding across my cheek.

“I know what you’re thinking about,” he said, “I know you know that things like that are risks that happen in this business. But the place that we would be going to is secure.”

“Some promises I ask you not to make...because between here and that restaurant and back...anything can happen.”

I agreed to dinner with Junmyeon, but the “what ifs” still lingered on my mind even as I stood in the bakery ordering Jinwoo’s cake.

“I’m sure your son will be very excited for this cake,” the older lady behind the counter said, looking from me to Chanyeol.

We looked at each other and let out a laugh causing the woman to look very confused. “He’s my brother,” I lied. Though it wasn’t necessarily a lie...the guys had all become kinda like brothers to me over the last few months.

“Oh...I’m so sorry,” she said.

“It’s alright, he’s just going shopping with me since my...fiance is busy,” I said.

“Fiance?” she questioned, he demeanor now changing, “Not husband?”

‘Oh right...I mentioned this was for my son,’ I thought, trying really hard not to roll my eyes. I gave a forced smile. “Yes...fiance,” I said, “Will the cake be done today or tomorrow, cause if tomorrow my brother will have to pick it up.”

“I will be done by tomorrow afternoon,” she replied curtly, “Have a nice rest of your day.”

“You as well...” I replied, before walking out of the bakery, Chanyeol trailing behind.

“What was that about?” she questioned.

I stopped and looked at him. “She assuming that I had raised a child out of wedlock or that Junmyeon and I had a child before marriage. However she is just assuming since no one but EXO will ever really know the full circumstances except that we...adopted him.”

“So she was judging you...” he said, looking back at the bakery.

“Mmhmm...also doesn’t help that she probably also made another assumption that because of my clothing that I come from money...which is true...so I should know better...” I said, “She’s a traditionalist, that’s all. But I know the truth...we know the truth...and that’s what matters. Now come on, we have some shopping to do.”

I think Chanyeol was more bothered by the fact that someone would judge me or even Junmyeon (without even meeting him) like that. But that was just how some people could be.

“Would you be okay if I went around the corner and looked around?” Chanyeol questioned as we entered the Hot Wheels section of the toy store.

“I thought you were supposed to stay next to me,” I said, looking at him oddly.

“Within earshot,” he replied, “Scream and kick things and use the techniques I taught you and I’ll be here before anything can happen. I just want to see if I can find a present while I’m here.”

“Okay,” I said.

He nodded and headed around to the other isle as I proceeded to look for the toy that Jinwoo wanted so badly. As I did I began to get a strange feeling that I was being watched, and not the comforting feeling that I got knowing that Chanyeol or possibly one of the other guys was keeping an eye on me.

I looked at each end of the isle and on my left side was a man, possibly in his late thirties, trying really hard to act like he was a regular dad out looking for a toy.

I’m not stupid; if you try and mix accessories and shoes that cost $500 or more with a set of clothes you quickly put together and that probably cost less than $50 all put together...you’re either living about your need, trying way to hard to impress people, or you had a last minute idea on how you might be able to get close to someone.

Being around EXO has taught me to choose the latter...

“If you’re not looking for anything in particular, I can make a suggestion if you would like,” I said to the man, making it seem like I hadn’t caught on to what he was trying to do.

“That would be so helpful,” he said taking a few steps towards me, “I want to surprise my son, but I’m having a hard time deciding what to get him.”

I could see Chanyeol slowly walk around the corner, most likely having heard me talk to the man. “Hmmm...well...maybe you could have him get you a present...like a better disguise.”

Before the man could say anything he found himself in a head lock. I walked over to the toy I wanted to get Jinwoo and grabbed it before walking back towards the man that was struggling against Chanyeol’s grip. “I don’t know what your goal was today, whether is was kidnapping me or wanting to get information...but whatever it was, you are one stupid individual.”

“What do you want me to do with him?” Chanyeol questioned, “There’s a back door to the store, or I could let him go.”

“Why are you asking me?” I questioned, “Don’t you make that decision?”

“Why do you think I’m asking you,” he questioned raising an eyebrow.

‘Damn you, Junmyeon,’ I thought. I thought for a moment before sighing. “Do what Junmyeon would have you do....”

“Yes ma’am,” he said, “Call Baek and have him wipe the security cams.”

I watched as Chan dragged the man towards the store room before picking up the phone to call Baek.

‘When I get home, I am going to kill Junmyeon...’

To be continued

[ms-katonic-of-tamriel]

Dream Daddy #1 - The Dadsonas

I finally did all the arcs.  Go me, eh?

So anyway, I had run-throughs involving various characters, including Madanach, Cicero, Alistair, Dorian, Eliot Spencer and Argis.  And I shoulda done a Varric one, bugger.  Oh well.  Still time.  This is Madanach and Cicero, because Cicero’s got long.

Madanach was first and it took three attempts to get him a happy ending.  Fucked up Damien’s final date and got dumped at Amanda’s graduation party.  Reloaded, went for Joseph... and it turns out he won’t leave Mary.  Mads is not OK with being the bit on the side.  Reload.  I will get you a boyfriend if it kills me, Madanach.  Went with Hugo, and it turns out the bookish nerd is SUPER INTO watching muscly guys grappling with each other, and Madanach is also FINE with this.  A bit too fine.  You do not need to shout that loudly at them to get in there and kill the enemy.  Calm down.  But it went well, Madanach loyally gave the finger to the kiss cam to protect Hugo’s privacy, and Hugo has a new burst of confidence, not to mention someone who will be Far More Authoritarian Dad than Hugo ever can be.  (The first time Ernest tries to join the Forsworn gang from the other side of town will be hilarious. The second time, not so much.  Ernest claiming he’s a member anyway and shouting at Madanach in an argument that he’ll get the Forsworn to kill him nearly gives Madanach a hernia from laughing.  Then he stops and seriously tells Ernest not to take the gang’s name in vain, he knows damn well Ernest isn’t a member, falsely claiming you’re a member is a dangerous move.  Two nights later, the Forsworn pick him up, and drag him blindfolded to a darkened warehouse and terrify the living blazes out of him (he’s not actually harmed but a lesson is needed).  When he’s finally sobbing and pleading for mercy, they relent and dump him on the edge of town... where Madanach’s waiting, in civvies.  He thanks the Forsworn for bringing him and they salute before leaving.  Then he picks Ernest and rather gently tells him not to romanticise criminals, they aren’t worth it and he can do better with his life than this.  He’s a bright kid with a bright future.  He doesn’t need to fall into a life of crime.  He can have a better life than Madanach did.  Ernest looks at his stepfather with new eyes, quietly goes home with him and gives neither Hugo nor Madanach any trouble again.)  The Dad character was weirdly in character for Madanach!  The right mix of social awkwardness, heart in the right place, cares dearly for his kids, capable of laying down the law when needed, a bit too competitive but there for his friends.  I think he’d have worked out well with all the Dads, weirdly!  Apart from Joseph.  He’d have spent weeks seething and wanting to have Mary killed but not be able to bring himself to do it because he likes her, dammit, and then he realises perhaps it’s not Mary who needs killing.  The gangland shooting of the popular youth minister is a crying shame and a tragedy, but Mary, although initially heartbroken, rallies and survives and a year later is a completely different person who no longer visits bars and is wrangling four kids who are sad but also surviving.  Madanach considers chatting her up himself... but then Robert, the former one night stand who’s been ignoring him goes ‘I know what you did... *silence*  *intense stare*  *moar silence*  *comfort is a distant memory* thanks.  She’s a better person these days... want a drink?’  Madanach says yes to the drink, no to the sex, somehow a queerplatonic thing develops.  Mary, Robert and Madanach end up buddies and effectively co-parenting the kids after Mary and Madanach stage an intervention for their Hot Mess Not-Boyfriend involving all the other dads.  The repeated refrain of ‘ROBERT NO, STOP ENCOURAGING THE TWINS’ is a constant echo in the Christiansen-Smalls-Dareche household.

It obviously didn’t end like that, but it would have been great if it had. ;)

Cicero!  Cicero was a delight.  He was spoilt for choice, but managed to miss out on Robert due to being Unable to Say No (probably for the best, amirite?).  Originally went for Brian, but the forced competitiveness jarred, because Cicero doesn’t do alpha-maling.  He’d be losing on purpose and acting helpless and accidentally-on-purpose causing minor domestic disasters that Brian would have to come and help fix, meaning Cicero gets to watch a big strong man at work and then invite him for dinner as a reward.  The fall in the lake on the fishing trip would be on purpose so Brian would have to rescue him.  And then on the ferris wheel, Cicero glances over as Brian’s telling him not to panic, it’ll be all right, he’ll look after him (because he’s so used by this point to Cicero gazing adoringly up at him or pathetically up at him because he needs help).  And then Cicero reaches for his knapsack and pulls out this harness and rope and carabiners and stuff that would put professional rock-climbers to shame, tells Brian to sit tight and make sure the rope stays clamped in place, and casually abseils off the fucking ferris wheel.  He reaches the ground like he’s done this before (he’s done this before, he’s a retired professional hitman, continually riding on a ferris wheel is a great way to survey a carnival when your target works there).  Brian’s phone rings and it’s Cicero wanting to know if Brian can talk the staff through repairing an engine - wait never mind, the problem is a live raccoon still in the engine, Cicero has this one -click.  Minutes later, the wheel starts moving, staff advising everyone the problem is solved and do not look closely at the engine or the unmoving lump under the tarpaulin nearby.  Cicero is looking very pleased with himself, and goes to cuddle Brian as he gets off the ride, only for Brian to stare at him and demand to know could he have sorted out all those incidents himself the whole time.  Was he in fact losing at all those carnival games on purpose???  Cicero goes a bit pale and nervous, giggles and then ends up up admitting yes, Cicero won just enough toys to keep Amanda happy and lost the rest of the games because he was trying to fluff up Brian’s ego.  Brian can’t believe this and tells Cicero he didn’t need to do that, Brian’s not the type to get angry if someone is better than him at something and he’d rather win honestly.  Then he sees Cicero’s sad face, pats him on the back and tells him next time the carnival is in town, he wants Cicero to stop holding back, and promises he won’t mind losing, in fact he likes the idea of Cicero being a fiercely skilled individual, it’s attractive.  Also it was kinda sweet being rescued for a change.  Cicero beams and hugs him and they go off holding hands, Cicero promising Brian he will win him lots of prizes next time, that dart game is very easy once you know the trick, it’s all to do with the way the darts are weighted.  Then Amanda and Daisy arrive in tears, because they lost the pet fish Brian won for Cicero.  Cue Daring Rescue operation and Cicero deftly rescues Brian the Fish with one flick of the pole and then squeals all the way down the log flume and swears this was the best night of his life.  Followed by watching the fireworks, cuddling Brian, and Brian saying he rather likes Daring and Brave Cicero and wouldn’t mind seeing more of him.  There is kissing.  It’s cute.

That’s the Cicero/Brian arc I WANTED but it’s not the Brian arc I got.  Sigh.  So I reloaded and went for Craig instead.  (Missed out on Robert, Joseph not an option, Hugo and Damien too intellectual, and Mat’s niche indie musical tastes are a bit of an embarrassment for Cicero, who’s music collection is basically the G.A.Y. playlist and showtunes - identical to Joseph’s had he known it.)  And Cicero/Craig REALLY WORKED as a pairing!  Cicero’s in shape enough from all that running away from police and private guards and scaling walls and fences and wrestling targets into submission, and as said above, can abseil off a carnival ride without fear, so can keep up with him physically and show an interest in things athletic even if he’s not obsessed.  And Craig has become so wrapped up in parenting he’s lost sight of who he is.  He needs someone who will nag him into taking care of himself and lead him astray a bit, and his old buddy Cicero (who wasn’t very good at university in all honesty, he only went because it was expected, did Media Studies and Journalism because it meant an excuse to walk round campus with a camera and ask people impertinent questions then write a scurrilous anon gossip column in the student newspaper which he got material for by eavesdropping, breaking and entering and basically being a conniving little shit) is VERY good at tempting people down a path of irresponsibility.  Also the third Craig date is perfect for Cicero - basically making Craig sit down and enjoy himself, being just mildly threatening if Craig tries to do anything like work, cackling at a tree that looks like a bottom, flinging himself off a waterfall and loving every minute of it, posing as he strips off for the swan-diving, cooing as Craig sorts the fire out then accidentally-on-purpose forgetting the other sleeping bag so they have to share one.  Perfect!

The twins love him, although it pains him they will not be trained to do the creepy thing that Joseph’s two have got going, and River will never know a life without him tending to her.  He’s very loving and protective of all three of them.  Gods help the future boyfriends. XD

[ciathyzareposts]

Planet’s Ege: Won! (with Summary and Rating)

Executive: “See, the game is called Planet’s Edge, so many the box should have this guy standing on . . . you know . . . the edge of the planet.” Artist: “Aren’t we all by definition standing on the edge of the planet?” Executive: “That’s not what I meant!” Artist: “Okay, okay, I’ll figure it out.”

          Planet’s Edge

United States

New World Computing (developer and publisher)

Released 1991 for DOS, 1993 for FM Towns and PC-98

Date Started: 5 March 2020 Date Finished: 1 May 2020 Total Hours: 55 Difficulty: Hard (4/5) Final Rating: (to come later) Ranking at time of posting: (to come later)      

I did not like Planet’s Edge. I knew by the fifth hour that I didn’t like it, and yet for some reason I forced myself to finish it, blasting through the rest of the scenarios in 20 hours spread over four days. Several times during those 20 hours–usually after my ship had been blown up for the fifth time by the same orbital defense platform–I resolved to quit permanently, but in the end I kept trying again. I have to confess that I used the cluebook more than a few times in the last 10 hours, and I took a lot of shortcuts. If I landed on a planet and some local leader said, “I have a [Piece of the Centauri Device that I needed]! I’ll give it to you if you’ll just–,” I didn’t let him finish the sentence before I decorated the room with his innards and looted the item off his body. Even then, the game took forever.           

The device is almost together.

         I’m going to do my best to summarize the game below, but one of its major weaknesses is that having finished it, I still don’t really know what happened to Earth. The best I can piece together is that the Ominar were doing some kind of experiment and it was interrupted by their enemies, the Ipremi, causing it to go awry. That’s mostly from random NPCs who otherwise weren’t important to the plot. The game is mostly uninterested in its core mystery. Everything that happens is intensely local, and in the end I have no idea how many different races I encountered or really how they inter-relate. Because you never get portraits, only fuzzy icons, for the aliens you meet in the scenarios, I don’t know how to reconcile them with the aliens I kept meeting in space. For instance, I don’t know if the blue aliens who gave me so much trouble, or the orcish aliens, or the aliens whose portrait only shows one eye from behind a visor, ever show up on the various planets.          

Is this species any of the aliens I met on the worlds’ surfaces?

           In broad strokes, the game seems like Starflight or Star Control II, but it fails in not being much like those two titles. There’s no joy in exploration because there’s never anything to find that isn’t part of some interconnected plot. There are no meaningful dialogues with NPCs in which you figure out the character and motivations of the various races. There’s no mining, no trading (not in the sense of the other two games, anyway), no economy. And while it’s nice that there are several different paths through most of the scenarios, there are no ramifications to your choices. Kill the president of the Algieban Sector, you not only never hear about it again in other sectors, you don’t even hear about it in the next room. 

The core gameplay mechanic is to rush around the galaxy looking for various keys, passes, badges, and other artifacts, killing the aliens guarding them, and then using them in the right places on other planets. A ton of backtracking is required. If there’s a door on Rigel Three that requires a key to open, you can be sure that the key won’t helpfully be on Rigel Three but rather Sirius Seven. And it will be behind a door that requires a pass from Rigel Three. This means you have a lot of plot points to keep track of, particularly because it’s never clear where to start the interrelated episodes in each sector.             

Will someone please tell me who these guys were?

         You’ll recall that the game’s central plot involves the mysterious disappearance of the Earth. Since its gravity well doesn’t also disappear, it seems that the Earth hasn’t been so much destroyed as somehow occluded. At the same time, an alien ship crash-lands on the Moon, and scientists on the Moonbase determine that a device on the cash, which they name the “Centauri Device,” was responsible for the vanishing of the planet. They identify eight crucial pieces that they need to get it working and reverse the effects. Studies of the craft allow humanity’s remnants to make enormous technical leaps (including faster-than-light travel), and soon the player and his party of four are commissioned to head off into the galaxy and beg, steal, borrow, or barter for the eight parts, of which there is one in each of eight sectors. They also need to find six sets of ships’ plans and four sets of technical plans to improve their ship and personal items.        As I said, the game is less concerned with the overall plot than the individual troubles of each Sector. Each one has four or five inter-related stories. You largely find them by searching random systems until you find one, and then following clues from that one to the others. (Or, you could be a lunatic and visit every system and every planet and record where they occur before visiting them.) But the game really starts at Alpha Centauri, where you find an observation base set up by the aliens performing the Centauri Device experiment. It was later attacked by another species. A brief summary each sector:               

In Sector Algieba, the saurian President Ishtao has been re-elected and is hosting his second inauguration ceremony. The event has been infiltrated by a group of terrorists called the Geal A’nai who you can either work with or foil. (Or you can just kill everyone.) But to get into the palace, you first have to solve some problems on a couple of Ishtao’s constituency worlds until the leader of one of them passes you an invitation. The Geal A’nai are trying to influence events on those worlds, too. I thought they would ultimately become a presence throughout the game, but they’re only in that sector.

Sector Alhena is in the midst of a civil war between the Scroe and the Evian, while a third race called the Dhoven try to mediate. Most of the episodes take place on war-torn planets in which the party has to fight both Scroe (look like Bossk) and Evian parties while obtaining help from Dhoven NPCs (white, gangly things). However, if you know what you’re doing (because you read the cluebook), you can bypass three of the scenarios, go directly the peace conference on Hyades Prime, and kill everyone to get the needed device part, the Krupp Shields. This option is quite evil because you end up literally massacring a group of envoys sitting around a peace table. One wonders if that ends the peace process or causes the Scroe and Evian to unify in their hatred of Earth.

       “Good luck with that whole peace thing!”

        Sector Alnasl is home to the Ominar, a species that looks like it has a bulbous red head. They reproduce by cloning and the uploading “standardware” into the brains of their clones, but this standardware has lately been sabotaged by a race or faction called the Ipremi Secundus (they look pretty much just like the Ominar), leading to rampant insanity among Ominar citizens. You have to help (or just kill) the Ominar to get the various items needed to invade the Secundus Base (easily the hardest episode in the game) and find the needed Algo Cam.

              Fighting these enemy robot tanks on Secundus Base was the hardest melee part of the game. I must have reloaded 25 times.

             Sector Ankaq has a few species, but the most relevant is the antlike Ethnys, whose queen rules from Ankaq Prime. You have to find four spheres among the other planets and bring them back to Ankaq Prime to, I don’t know, bring the species back into harmony again and make it possible for the queen to continue laying eggs. These spheres are scattered about the other episodes, including one where the entire party dons wetsuits and visits a triton-like species called the Tschi Tai and another where they have to fight through an urban wasteland called Shadowside. The grateful queen gives you the Harmonic Resonator.

              Placing the orbs around the hive.

           Sector Caroli is the one with a plant-based species called the Eldarin. They hibernate for long periods, awaken ravenously hungry, and must eat immediately. But their food distribution system has lately been disrupted, so you’ve got to run around fixing tractors and stuff to save them from their own incompetence. The Ominar have been supplying the Eldarin with parts, and the scenarios end on an Ominar base, where you find the Gravitic Compressor.

Sector Izar is the most confusing. The way I understand it is that the natives are actually human. You visit one planet, Arcturas III, which feels like a fantasy RPG complete with archers, kings, princesses, and a castle. But the sector has been invaded by the Ipremi Secundus whose leader, known as The Concierge, has built a supercomputer called OMEGA to oversee the sector. OMEGA for some reason has ordered the kidnapping of the more primitive aliens from their planets, and one of those races, the Mizarans, are currently rebelling. You have to collect a bunch of Hataphas Gems from various worlds before finding your way through an invisible maze on Izar II to confront the Concierge and get the N.I.C.T.U. device from him.

               Talking with the Concierge. I’m pretty sure he’s just guessing about the “some helpful, some grievously harmful” part.

          Sector Kornephoros is an anarchic part of space with a motley group of settlers, scavengers, and pirates. All the planets are being threatened by a species called the Cin Sae, which look like the aliens from Aliens. The central episode is an auction on Kochab II, where the auctioneer has the Mass Converter. You can run around the entire sector solving issues for various people and accumulate the things the auctioneer wants for the part, or you can just walk up, shoot him, take it, and beam away.

              “Sure, but not in the way that you had in mind.”

         Sector Zaurak is another one that I barely explored. It is inhabited by a humanoid species known as Ranans. The sector has lately been threatened by the appearance of “white hole” (the opposite of a black hole, it spews matter outward instead of sucking it in). On Rana Prime, a leader called the Giate offers you the needed K-Beam if you’ll run around the sector placing “grav buoys” to counter-act the white hole.

          Unfortunately, the Giate made the mistake of telling me he had the K-Beam on his person.

            As far as the main plot goes, the best I can figure is that the Ominar were the ones operating the Centauri Device. It was supposed to give them “transuniversal travel” capabilities, but the Ipremi invaded their outpost on Alpha Centauri, interrupted the experiment, and caused it to go awry. How this ended up affecting the Earth is not technically explained.           

A random NPC imparts more information than anyone else in the game.

          There’s a lot of ground combat across these scenarios, and the annoying thing is that the team never really gets any better because there’s no character development. You can keep re-cloning team members, but even at skill scores of 100 with their respective weapons, characters seem to miss an awful lot. Part of the problem is that you’re always having to swap equipment in and out depending on the enemy. If you’re facing an enemy wearing ceramic armor, you don’t want to be shooting him with laser weapons because ceramic protects against those. So you switch to projectile weapons but have to remember to switch back if you meet someone wearing composite armor. Meanwhile, you’re constantly changing your own armor based on the weapons the enemy is using.

It’s not hard to figure out what armor is the best because it has a hit point value, but it’s not always clear with weapons (until you look at the clue book, that is). And–oh, my god–looking at that table, I just realized that the “tac nuke rifle” is listed as a light weapon not a heavy one. That might explain why I had so much trouble, since I gave those rifles to my heavy weapon characters. Aaargh. Does that sound like a light weapon?! Anyway, the only good news is that weapons of the same type use a common ammo stock so you don’t have to carry 20 different types of ammo around.     Other aspects of melee combat annoyed me. Enemies around corners always seemed to be able to shoot the party even when I couldn’t hit them. They seemed to have a lot more success from farther away, often off-screen, than I did. And I was always getting into combats in the most uncomfortable physical environments, like narrow doorway openings where I had to have my lead characters advance under fire if I wanted my rear characters to be able to participate. I suppose there are other times and other games in which I would have regarded such scenarios as “tactical,” but I’ll tell you what: knowing that I’m not getting any skill or experience from combat really reduces my desire to fight it.            

Occasionally, it works out for you. Here, I can use my grenade launcher (which does damage to a 4 x 4 area) to damage the immobile robots, while they can’t even see me.

           Space combat also remained quite hard for me, particularly in the Alnasl and Izar sectors, where just about every planet had an orbiting defense platform and a few ships. I had to use the cluebook to tell me where to find ship’s plans so I could upgrade as quickly as possible, and even then I had problems. One thing that makes life a little easier is that your ship is fully repaired when you disengage from combat, so you can dive in, destroy one enemy, and escape, then repeat for the next one until all are dead. But even that’s pretty tough. Sometimes, you can’t escape because your enemies destroy your engines. And a lot of other times, two or three enemy ships is enough to destroy yours before you can even get their shields down.          

It’s never fun getting to a planet and seeing this.

          The game offers several weapon types for ships. The success of beam, bolts, and projectile weapons is based on character skill. You can also mount missiles which just home in on targets and don’t depend on skill. Either way, I assumed for a while that the key to success was a variety of weapon types. The last two class of ships allow you to max out your 10 weapons slots, so I’d do a couple of rack guns, a couple of megamissile mounts, a couple of quark lasers, and so forth. There are supposedly also a lot of tactics associated with whether you mount the weapons to face forward, left, right, or on a 360-degree turret, the latter taking four times the space as the former three.    When variety seemed to fail me, I spent a lot of time recloning my lead character to favor different weapons. In the end, I found that nothing served me better than loading up all 10 weapon mounts with quark lasers, putting as many on turrets as possible but facing the rest forward. That simple bit of advice early in the game would have saved me a lot of reloading.          

My final ship configuration.

         When you have all eight pieces of the Centauri Device assembled, the endgame commences. An animated series of screens shows Earth scientists re-activating the device, shooting some kind of electromagnetic wad towards the vanished Earth. It strikes, and the Earth dissolves back into view.          

A bunch of scientist guys prepare to use the device.

There it goes!

This is a very accurate globe.

          A ship heads from Moonbase to Earth, where there’s some kind of big award ceremony. As each crewmember walks up and salutes a man who is presumably the Earth president, a bit of text tells you his or her fate. William Dean ends up marrying Katya Mershova, who later dies on duty. Osai Tsakafuchi becomes the World Health Administrator, and Nelson Ngatadatu simply retires.                

Given that he’s a clone, that’s probably a euphemism.

           After the characters get their honors, key personnel in the development of the game also walk up and salute the president.            

Hyman’s resignation letter. He was at ORIGIN the following year.

             Finally, we get some scrolling text:              

And so the Earth was pulled back into this, its proper universe. The U.N.F.A. team that had wandered the far reaches of a galaxy new to mankind returned home as heroes. Knowledge was gained that will forever alter the course of the Earth’s destiny, and contact was made with a galaxy teeming with life. [“And much of that life was destroyed,” it should have said.] Mankind finally grasped the heavens.

                    But soon afterwards, the “The End” screen develops a question mark, the moon dissolves away, and a message appears on the screen indicating that “the exact time the Earth was released from its dimensional limbo, the Moon slipped through a rift in the time-dimensional barrier.” This is a pretty stupid development, first because if it happened at the “exact time,” the crew, who was still on Moonbase, never would have made it back to Earth. Second, if it’s setting up the sequel, it’s not only derivative but a little lame. Sequels should increase the ante, not lower it. The original game had 8 billion people on the Earth threatened, while the sequel deals with a few thousand on the moon? That’s like Liam Neeson rescuing his daughter only to discover, to his shock, that the kidnappers have now targeted his second cousin, once removed.           

Would the sequel have been called Moon’s Edge?

           A quick GIMLET:

5 points for the game world. The plot is original, and there’s some good world-building to balance out the stupid world-building. The game is definitely more in the vein of pulp sci-fi like Buck Rogers than the more grim, realistic sci-fi we’ve become accustomed to today. Nothing wrong with that; it’s just not my particular brand of vodka. I’d give a higher score if the episodes had a greater since of inter-relation, and the choices you made in one had consequences for others. Alas.

            To see them decay?

         1 point for character creation and development, if by “creation” you count “cloning.” After that, there’s no development and you can’t even choose their names. New World should have known better.

5 points for NPC interaction. There sure are plenty of them, and most of the have at least a half a paragraph of text. NPCs are vital for background information, main quests, and side quests. I just wish you could see them better.

4 points for encounters and foes. Enemies aren’t really any fun, more distinguished by the weapons they wield than anything to do with AI or special attacks and defenses. But the game is relatively strong in other encounters and puzzles, only most of which involved inventory items.

             My characters suss out a puzzle that involves pushing buttons to assemble elements into chemicals.

           4 points for magic and combat. I didn’t like the system for the reasons I gave above. It would have been vastly improved by actions other than simple shooting. But I do recognize some tactics in both ship and ground combat.

3 points for equipment. You sure do get a lot of it, although most of it is for puzzle-solving. Standard RPG fare consists primarily of weapons, armor, and medical kits. There are some interesting exceptions, though, such as a shroud that resurrects slain characters and a pair of boots that let you jump over some obstacles. I like the way that you can replicate any item that you find back at the Moonbase.

         Preparing to don a wetsuit.

          2 points for the economy. It doesn’t really have a monetary economy, but your ability to build ships and items is dependent on finding natural resources. These natural resources are traded by ships and used to pay admittance to some planets and extortion from pirates, so they functionally serve as an economy. It’s still not very good, or complex.

5 points for quests. I can’t complain that the main quest doesn’t provide alternate paths and role-playing options, and there are lots of side-quests that allow you to get better equipment or just information. My failure to follow all of these probably explains why I’m still confused about so many points in the game.

         The “episode” title cards are always fun, but there’s just too many of them.

       3 points for graphics, sound, and interface. This is going to prompt some arguments. It gets most of those points solely from the interface, which is very well done, offering redundant mouse and keyboard commands. However, it loses a point for the pathfinding of the characters on the ground. As for graphics, this is just the sort of 1990s title for which I would prefer black and white iconographic graphics to what we have. There’s simply too much detail for the actual screen resolution, making it hard to tell what the developers were intending to depict on the alien figures, making it nearly impossible to tell objects from furniture, wall tiles from floor tiles, and NPCs from plants (admittedly, my colorblindness may have been a factor). My complaints are only from planetary exploration, though, and the graphics for the Moonbase, animated scenes, and space travel are quite nice. As for the sound, a few good effects are outweighed by an unnecessary piercing beep every time you scroll through a menu. I played with the sound off most of the time.

4 points for gameplay. It gets some credit for quasi-nonlinearity (difficulty enforces a general order) and for some replayability given the different ways that you can approach scenarios. But it was too hard and too long. Five parts would have been better.

             That gives us a final score of 36, technically just above my “recommended” threshold, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it–not as an RPG. It just doesn’t have enough RPG mechanics to keep itself aloft.          

See, the “enjoy” part is where I had trouble.

           Everyone else seems to like it more than I do. Computer Gaming World nominated it for RPG of the year for 1992. (It was up against Eye of the Beholder 2, Might and Magic III, Ultima VII, and Ultima Underworld; Underworld won.) Contemporary reviewers liked the episodic approach as well as the specific content of the episodes. “A solid, charming game with a few lumps in the dough,” proclaimed an oddly anonymous Computer Gaming World writer in July 1992. Scott May, writing in the April 1993 Compute!, called it “a minor masterpiece of size, imagination, and diversity of play.” The June 1992 Dragon gave it four stars but had hardly anything negative to say about it except a few bugs I didn’t experience. No one seemed to be overly bothered by the lack of character development, although a couple of them groused about character creation.            I don’t know if New World really planned for a sequel or if it simply designed every game with a potential sequel in mind depending on sales. Either way, I’ve never seen mention that a sequel was even begun. Outside of publishing several instances of the strategy game Spaceward Ho!, New World stayed away from science-fiction (except for that inherent in Might and Magic) for the rest of its existence. Lead programmer Eric Hyman went to work for the acquired ORIGIN systems but only has credits on the company’s action games before he left for other technology jobs. Neal Hallford still has Betrayal at Krondor (1993), a train derailment (1995), Return to Krondor (1998), and Dungeon Siege (2002) in his future and has never entirely left game development.

It occurs to me that Planet’s Edge has a lot in common with Challenge of the Five Realms, released by MicroProse the same year. Both games are episodic, featuring a bunch of side-quests and multiple paths through them, both with minimal character development and similar approaches to combat. Challenge scored 5 points higher at 41, and I see that I gave it 7 points for the game world compared to Edge‘s 5. I’m prepared to acknowledge that I have a small inherent bias in favor of fantasy games.         Moving on, a random roll of the open 1982-1992 titles produces 1983’s Karkoth’s Keep for DOS, a game that I missed on my first pass but which appeared on MobyGames in 2017. At the far end of the list, I have just added Might and Magic IV (1992), which of course I will play consecutively with Might and Magic V (1993).

        source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/planets-ege-won-with-summary-and-rating/

[lind40lundqvist-blog]

Who's Who In SL Pornography

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Unlike some addictions, such as alcohol, pornography addiction is not currently listed as a mental illness in the DSM-IV, the listing of psychological health problems by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). You might have problem coming close to Eastern girls if you show up untidy as well as unpleasant. With just how unstable the sector could be, long hiatuses from it can entirely screw up your career. FTND Note: Andi left the pornography sector in 2010 and also joined the Pink Cross Foundation, a group of ex-porn stars that speak out on the injuries of pornography. The FPPC opened the examination less compared to a year after the sector agreed to pay a $61,500 penalty for illegally accepting contributions from international entities in its initiative to oppose a similar 2012 L.a County ballot procedure to require adult film stars to put on condoms. Several current studies have actually located that teens from all over the globe usage pornography to learn more about the real world sex. The author is affiliated with, as well as composes normal porn and also sex plaything write-ups for his blog site page. The porn market have actually developed the art of shooting swiftly and also at inexpensive, however still looking excellent as well as giving the consumer just what they desire. Porn occurs to be a viable option but it'll never pay enough to earn for the lifelong stigma a performer should endure after that. You go into the sector not caring about yourself, and also the longer you remain in, the much less you respect on your own. Angel Kelly discloses exactly how she may have been removed (eliminated) if she 'd attempted to unionize the women in the pornography market. Yet the notion that Snapcash will be a substantial income chauffeur for the pornography industry is its very own type of sex-related fantasy. If ones partner has actually settled to seeing porn it is soley since they are not getting what they need from their spouse or partner. I assume the pornography centers need to be just under pornography centers and closed for innocent or innocent eyes to clik on under HubPages ... many thanks ... oops. all I needed to do was flag it I think ... and that I did. In journalism meeting, Cameron's partner, additionally a porn entertainer and among the four that examined positive, blew up the industry for continuouslying shoot scenes without condoms simply one week after an entertainer examined favorable. The suggested Safer Sex in the Grownup Film Sector Act doesn't alter much of anything, Cohen claims. However, the experts are waiting how the development of VR porn film, in addition to the number of user accept the VR tool. Now there are some women that are so seductive, that they could just utilize their want to make customers alter the beer they are consuming while she is in their vicinity. Since the web is a much far better place where you could connect with others, attractive cams have actually expanded a great deal in appeal over the current years. All of their girls have attractive evaluates and also large tits as well as these incorporated, you will totally forget going out with friends every evening. And also facial cumshots, aka the cash shot" for many porn scenes, would either be removed or would certainly call for the recipient to use goggles and a doctor's mask. So if you don't truly feel you are attractive simply placed on latex clothing and also you would certainly feel you are a queen able to win a heart of any male. In fact it is still attractive to some extent but sadly it is a little over done now. Plus, the San Fernando Valley pornography industry supplies its more glamorous next-door neighbor with a consistent supply of labor. The list of porn stars that have actually died young over the last twenty years is mortifying. Everybody and their sibling in the adult industry understands that the new 2257 statute guidelines that just began are a joke. I concur porn is part of net scene just as I concur that sex is a feature of one's life. When I was a teenager they were and into my early 20's, however after that as you obtain a little older, you start to realize just what attractive is to you directly. Tease him throughout the day by sending adorable, flirty text, as well as surprise him at house with some red warm attractive underwear that he hasn't seen prior to. He still likes to look at scantily-clad women, although he generally does it in art galleries as well as on TELEVISION rather than porn mags or strip programs. A component of me would not mind limiting doing in pornography to people over 21, however the other part of me just presumes that that would result in owning more of it right into the shadows which might be even worse. I hadn't truly identified what exactly I would certainly do. She recommend pornography as well as said it was actually versatile and the ladies sort of make their routine. Couples are constantly excited to try new methods of having sex, and also cam women are the appropriate ideas. Associate curator Kim Stanton said she was rather unfamiliar concerning the porn market before watching the movie.

So she has done makeup on a few pornography sets and she learnt more about a few of the girls this way. Yet this write-up isn't concerning the extensive accessibility of on-line pornography and also exactly how it's swelling the savings account of several worldwide while pumping the enthusiasm glands of punters. Obenberger stated that despite the appeal, many individuals still are not comfortable with checking out pornography as a reputable occupation option. If you're not protect in your heterosexuality however, repeatedly enjoying porn might not be a great idea. Stuart Waldman is head of state of the Valley Market & Commerce Organization, which stands for service in the San Fernando Valley. I think that a lot of have actually been blinded by the taboo of actual pornography that they could not consider except erotica literature wherefore it is. There is affection that is in erotica that simply isn't really in pornography. As well as this early exposure can bring about a lasting choice for porn over love, intimacy, as well as relationships with actual individuals-- and also to an addiction that could weaken a marriage. Dines, that created the book of the very same name, stated the average guy wases initially introduced to porn at 11 years of ages. Porn celebrity Jessica Drake claims an action would trigger economic pain for everyone involved. But because all you anonymous people available wish to endanger her, it's all over the news to the point that your doing is making a porn star, who was initially meant to have fifteen mins worth of fame, to suddenly end up being a celebrity. With over 80 movies on her resume, she's lent a hand her reasonable share towards building this billion-dollar industry. I absolutely believe that's where God wants me, returning right into that nightmare in order to help conserve people from it. When I see some of those women, I see me at 18. When I did porn, there was no such thing as The Pink Cross. While that in itself may not be a problem, it's a reality that some individuals can not stop taking a look at pornography once they have been revealed. You can choose to get something small on both hips or just one tattoo on one side either way you end up with a hot tattoo layout. If you are a carnal love-monger as well as seek sexual satisfaction, talking to webcam ladies online is an excellent concept. If he is taking out from tasks that he utilized to appreciate or spending much less and also less time with friends and family, if he prefers to see his porn rather than participating in real life intimacy with you,- then it needs to be a major issue for you. Stalking apart, the Weinstein act does offer an explicit economic reward for those that might wish to file a claim against a pornography manufacturer. Working as a SEO and also e-Marketing professional for among the pioneers amongst Online Adult DVD and also Sex Plaything Stores makes me review numerous aspects of the industry. The Hot Anarkali Lahore service providers can prepare Pakistani infants and also Lahore girls mujra, that fit your taste and your various other company needs. Visit this site to see the sexy 40 year old guys, sexy HALF A CENTURY old men, attractive 60 years of age males and, yes, even sexy 70 years of age men! When Banxxx (that is black) shoots a sex scene with a white man, evidently, it isn't considered interracial by pornography requirements. A massage parlour or health and wellness enhancement facility is a sex sector service that operates as a retail or certified organisation facility on an in-call" or on-site basis. Look, i think if hubpages located a way to install a safety and security page for porn associated topics like asking a youngster for a his age or asking for viewers to pay for it on-line using credit card or examining account, then I would recommend it. especially considering that part of the credit score card/checking account payment can go towards the hubber or a minimum of component of it. that would be a clever solution. And the concept of showing kids porn to prove a factor that it is not inherently abusive to the stars is embellishment at finest. I will certainly provide you the benefit of the uncertainty that you are not referring only to female porn stars (as well as Randy up there can be a guy). A beret is a level round hat which is utilized by girls to match a clothing, making it look girly and also very. TtfnJohn - Each time I see blurbs from modeling fact programs, it's obvious that the garments market favors the rake slim versions you were discussing. The Cumshot or money" shot shown as the last scene in a porn film to confirm it as an actual sex act for the customer is actually recorded FIRST. It is approximated that there are 4.2 million porn Web sites-- 12% of the total amount of websites-- allowing access to 72 million globally site visitors monthly. And also if bothering with just what Mia performs in her porn video clips is the greatest trouble that you have in your life, then you have earned my pity. However, porn in the 40's and also 50's left a lot to be wanted by today's amazing requirements of the art.) Men probably have a better passion in useless sex, which I believe is characteristic of pornography.