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wisteria-lodge · 5 years ago

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Character Analysis: Sorting Pirates of the Caribbean

So @sortinghatchats is brilliant. Absolutely my favorite character (and person!) analysis system. Instead of one house, you get two - a PRIMARY (your motivation, why you do things), and a SECONDARY (your toolbox, how you get things done.) Here is a very stripped down refresher, and here is my explanation for why I am saying Lion, Bird, Badger and Snake instead of the names of the Hogwarts houses.

IDEALIST PRIMARY Lion - I do what I feel is right. (MORAL) Bird - I do what I decide is correct. (LOGICAL) LOYALIST PRIMARY Badger - I do what helps my community (PEOPLE MATTER) Snake - I do what helps me/my inner circle (MY PEOPLE MATTER)

IMPROVISATIONAL SECONDARY Lion - Charge! React! Smash the system! Snake - Transform, adapt, find the loophole. BUILT SECONDARY Bird - Plan, make tools, gather information. Badger - Community-build, caretake, call in favors.

Now let’s talk Pirates of the Caribbean! I’m mostly focusing on the first film because it’s the best and my favorite, but I do mention 2 and 3.

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Jack Sparrow is the classic Snake secondary. He’ll improvise an escape, improvise a weapon, wait for “the opportune moment.” He’s never fought fair in his life and doesn’t feel the tiniest bit bad about it. He’s silver-tongued. When he’s in a tight spot, he’ll tell you exactly what he thinks you want to hear. And if he knows you don’t trust him, he’ll reverse-psychology you on purpose.

It’s hard to see past his theatrical, charming, over-the-top way of doing things, and that’s on purpose. The last time Jack told someone what he actually wanted, he got himself marooned. No wonder he “plays things close to the vest now,” living in his secondary, and making people guess his motives.

At first he appears totally pragmatic, always on the side of the person who can give him the most stuff. But I don’t buy it. Jack Sparrow has a weird code of honor. Maybe not one he’s comfortable with (“you can never predict when an honest man is going to do something incredibly… stupid.”) But it’s there. The way he’s introduced - alone, respectfully saluting hanged pirates – that’s letting us know it’s not just his own freedom he values.

I like that little moment after he rescues Elizabeth when he makes it clear that she doesn’t owe him anything. “I saved your life, you saved mine, we’re square” implies that there’s a right way to do things, and that the wrong way is making people feel obligated. Jack has similar moments with Gibbs. Every time he says “keep to the Code,” he’s reaffirming that no one has to save him. When his crew abandons him, Jack shrugs and says, “They’ve done what’s right by them. Can’t ask for more than that.”

This means that Jack Sparrow has a Lion primary. But he’s a pirate, so his felt morality is less right vs. wrong and more free vs. trapped. Apart from that he’s actually kind of a classic Lion - perfectly happy on his own, so long as he doesn’t have to compromise his morals. In a deleted scene we learn that he turned pirate because he refused to be a slave ship captain, and that’s in character. He only wants the Black Pearl because the Black Pearl is freedom. That’s the message he teaches, as an unconventional mentor. He cuts Elizabeth out of her literal corset, and prods Will out of his figurative one.

(and a magic compass that points to whatever Jack wants most is a gorgeous metaphor for a Lion primary, guided by their feelings and intuition. Their internal compass).

Elizabeth Swann has a pirate’s soul. She ends the story as Pirate King. But when we meet her, she is a high-class lady deeply suspicious of the rules. She’s not on board with the latest fashions, eager to ditch her table manners, and she’s real friendly with Will - even though it makes her father bluster, “The setting is not entirely proper!” Miss Elizabeth Swann is stifled by her situation (her corset is too tight.) She’s got a whole life planned out for her, and it’s a nice life. Port Royal is a nice city and Norrington is a nice guy. But still. The thought that this is where things are going makes her uncomfortable.

Elizabeth wants to be able to act based on her gut responses. And as long as the pirates are also doing this, she’s on board. But she ditches the Pirate Code the moment it contradicts her own internal felt morality.

ELIZABETH: All of you with me. Will is in that cave and we must save him! (…) GIBBS: There’s the Code to consider. ELIZABETH: The Code. You’re pirates. Hang the Code, and hang the rules. They’re more like guidelines anyway.

She’s been using the pirate way of life as a way to justify and explain the way she’s always felt. And when you put things in that order (I like this system because it supports what I already know to be true) that’s a Lion primary. Also, the advice her dad gives her is just so perfect for a Lion: “Even a good decision if made for the wrong reasons can be a wrong decision.” You’re doing the smart thing Elizabeth, not the thing you feel is right. It’ll make you miserable. Stop it.

When it comes to secondaries, Elizabeth definitely has some Bird skills. She collects data (about pirates), and can put a plan into action. But it’s a model. When she’s in trouble, when things are serious, she goes improvisational Snake secondary all the way. Elizabeth lies to Barbossa, tells Norrington what he wants to hear, pretends to be drunk to put Jack off his guard. She improvises weapons, and she plays into “proper lady” stereotypes so people underestimate her. Gibbs actually recognizes this, and calls Elizabeth “daft like Jack.”

Elizabeth and Jack do house-match, which is why they always seem to get each other. Elizabeth can pin Jack down and make him give her a straight answer. She’s the only one who can consistently trick him. And when she kills him – well, he forgives. Easily. It’s never even a thing. If he had been in Elizabeth’s place he would have done exactly the same thing, and he knows it. And he knows she knows it.

(it’s kind of neat how at the end of the first movie, the two of them are trapped by Norrington, then freed by Norrington, and go off to form the core of their respective pirate crews.)

Will Turner is a charging Lion secondary who deals with challenging situations by laying all his cards on the table and throwing his sword at something. This makes him a really good foil for the Snake secondary leads, and I will never get tired of watching Jack make faces, and say variations of “how about this time we don’t just run in screaming, yeah?”

JACK: Do us a favor. I know it’s difficult for you, but please, stay here. And try not to do anything… stupid.”

WILL: Let her go! BARBOSSA: You’ve only got one shot, and we can’t die. JACK: Don’t do anything stupid… WILL: You can’t. I can! JACK: … like that.

JACK: So what’s your plan then? WILL: I row over there, search the ship until I find your bloody key. JACK: And if there are crewmen? WILL: I cut down anyone in my path.

To be fair, Will does start off with a Badger secondary model. Badgers care about things being fair, and Will gets annoyed at Jack for cheating, and annoyed at Elizabeth for stealing the medallion. He’s also really leaning into the hard work aspect of the Badger secondary by practicing sword fighting three hours a day. But this doesn’t seem to be a secondary that’s especially good for him. It makes him tense and uptight, and by the end of the first film he’s completely thrown it off.

I really considered a Snake primary for him, based on how single-mindedly he goes after Elizabeth. Movies 2 and 3 just keep throwing Loyalist conflicts at him. (Will can stay with Elizabeth or save his father, but he can’t do both!) But I think he’s actually a Badger primary.

This boy cares about his communities a lot. He doesn’t think he can be with Elizabeth (even though she clearly likes him) because of “propriety.” He believes society when society tells him she’s out of his league. He covers for a boss who spends most of his time passed-out drunk, probably out of a sense of loyalty, or because he feels that’s what he’s supposed to do. He starts off the film completely dehumanizing pirates, but slowly learns his lesson – a very Badger primary character arc. And then, when Will rescues Jack at the end, it’s not because Jack is his (the way a Snake primary would parse it) but because Jack is a good man who isn’t being treated right.

(also the “part of the ship, part of the crew” refrain that Will’s new crew chants as he takes over for Davy Jones is very… dark Badger magic. You are becoming part of the whole.)

Hector Barbossa is the definition of a Burnt Primary. He can’t want. He can’t allow himself to want. Wanting is off the table. (because he is an undead skeleton.)

However, I do think that when Barbossa is healthy and y’know, not cursed, he’s a Snake primary. His beloved monkey is a little nod to the sorts of Snakey bonds he would like to form, but isn’t able to at the moment. Apart from that, he values self-care, and is a bit of a hedonist. He likes pretty things. He likes putting Elizabeth in pretty dresses. He likes elegantly prepared food, antique furniture, and nice hats. (Things start getting serious in the sword fight after Jack cuts off his feather.) This is why I think his redemption arc is so funny. Once his primary unburns, and he’s able to want things safely, he pretty much becomes a happy-go-lucky good guy overnight. And you know, I completely buy it.

As for secondary, I’m going with Badger. Barbossa community builds (he’s a much better captain than Jack.) He gives morale raising speeches. Leader of a mutiny is pretty classic dark Badger stuff. Marooning Jack, and dropping Bootstrap Bill into the ocean tied to a canon are both very ruthless, very public acts that are all about weaponizing community as a way to dehumanize your enemies and cement your power.

James Norrington starts out very Establishment (like Elizabeth.) But unlike Elizabeth, he seems to enjoy the way he can just see his life all laid out. Work his way up, become Commodore, marry the governor’s daughter. He proposes the second after he gets his promotion, it really is like he’s working from a checklist. It’s a very rigid Bird primary.

And he follows the law: “One good deed is not enough to redeem a lifetime of wickedness.” But more than that, he is comforted by following the law. When Jack tempts him into going after the Black Pearl, Norrington is clearly feeling it – but says there are things he values more than his own gut responses.

JACK: Think about it… the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up? NORRINGTON: By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself.

This is such a great illustration of the difference between a Lion and Bird primary. A Bird’s higher power lives outside of them (and as we see here, that can make them really hard to tempt, bribe, or corrupt). But a Lion’s higher power is inside them, always. At the end of the film, Norrington adapts his system into something that looks a lot more Lion primary (this is a universe that likes Lions, and Norrington likes Lions too). But he’s still very, very Bird.

Governor Swann tells him that “perhaps on the rare occasion that the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself might be the right course,” and Norrington takes that in, sees the actions of Elizabeth, and says - okay. Maybe hunt all pirates always isn’t the perfect system I thought it was. Jack Sparrow tends to leave the world better than he found it, so it’s best to let him go. This change doesn’t seem upsetting to him, he doesn’t need to justify or explain it. It’s just obvious. Norrington reacts exactly the same when he learns that Elizabeth is not in love with him. He absorbs this new information, tells her that he understands, and walks away. When Lions change their minds, the process is a heck of a lot more emotional.

Then in the next film, the people around him don’t support his new Truth, and force Norrington to continue doing things he has discovered that he finds morally objectionable. And so he resigns his commission, burns, and goes into freefall, grasping at the systems he sees around him, trying to find something to hold onto. He seems like he might be beginning to build a more stable Truth – but dies before he can manage it. The sequels did Norrington dirty.

I actually want to say he’s a Badger secondary. At his most desperate and lost, his instinct is to join Jack’s crew. At his most powerful, he’s quietly calling in all his favors and getting the entire Royal Navy to look for Elizabeth. These are both versions of the same thing – leveraging community and connections to get things done.

tl;dr

Jack Sparrow – Lion primary that sees “freedom” as the ultimate good, with a bit of an amoral, pragmatic Snake primary performance so people don’t find that out / Snake secondary

Elizabeth Swann – Stifled Lion primary living in a situation where she’s not allowed to act on her instincts. Runs after pirates every chance she gets, because the ‘pirate life’ allows her to do just that / Snake secondary, Bird secondary model

Will Turner – Badger primary / Lion secondary, Badger secondary model that Jack gets him to drop.

Hector Barbossa – Burnt Snake primary that un-burns when the curse that doesn’t allow him to want things is lifted / Badger secondary

James Norrington – Rigid by-the-books Bird primary that changes to something that looks a lot more Lion, before it burns in the sequels / Badger secondary

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rachelbethhines · 4 years ago

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Tangled Salt Marathon - Max and Eugene in Peril on the High Seas

So we have another obligatory animal focused episode. This one fairs much better than Max’s Enemy and King Pascal; but it’s still ultimately useless filler.

Summary: Rapunzel and the group are finally leaving Tirapai Island when the cargo ferry arrives, but Eugene and Maximus get into an argument, resulting in them falling overboard. They manage to save themselves on a passing ship, but discover it to be a prison ship where all the criminals, including the Stabbington Brothers, Lady Caine and Axel have escaped and taken control. Eugene and Maximus attempt to escape, but discover the villains' plot to ambush the cargo ferry and set out to stop them. Meanwhile, Rapunzel and the group discover Eugene and Maximus are missing and set out to rescue them.

There’s No Ticking Clock In Season Two and That’s to the Series’s Detriment

So we’re finally leaving the island and this bit of dialogue tells us that they were on said island for at least six weeks. Which matters not in the slightest in the grand scheme of things; which is the problem.

In addition to there being no outside threat forcing Rapunzel on this journey, there’s also nothing that’s forcing her to hurry up. So we’re doubly lacking in tension. There are no stakes in season two so things feel over long, and arcs that have the heroes stay in one place for more than two episodes at time stop the momentum of the series dead; leading to tedium for the viewers.

We Didn’t Need King Pascal Just to Set Up the Firefly

The firefly is one of the few elements in the show that has proper set up and resolve. It’s established as the threat in one episode and then used as the solution in this episode. However both episodes are utterly useless in the over all arc so, while clever, it’s a wasted idea. It’s also unneeded since this intro exposition re-explains what the firefly is and what it’s deal is in case people missed out on King Pascal anyways.

The Reason Why this Max Focus Episode Works, but Not Max’s Enemy, is Because It’s a Double Act

The problem with the mandated animal themed episodes every season is that Max and Pascal aren’t strong enough characters to work by themselves. They’re sidekicks; they’re designed to play off other characters. The writers seemed to clue in on this by making this episode and Max’s episode in season three, team up episodes. So now today’s episode becomes a Eugene focused episode too. Which in turn allows for their character dynamic to be fleshed out more.

We needed more interesting combinations of the mains in episodes like this one in order for the group to feel like a group. We also desperately needed to do something similar for Pascal instead of just rehashing the same plot for him over and over again.

This Plot Point Makes No Sense

When I first saw this episode, I thought it was foreshadowing later developments for season three, seeing how it’s one of the few episodes in season two that connects back to season one. However, once you know the events of season three, this episode no longer makes logical sense within the greater narrative.

For you see, Andrew and Varian have teamed up to take over Corona at the beginning of season three. Yet that begs the question of why didn’t Frederic ship them away on the prison barge as well. Varian you might could excuse being missing here given his age, but Andrew? There’s no reason to keep Andrew around; none that is given on screen anyways.

Also this mutiny couldn’t have taken place after the Saporian take over either. For starters all the guards retreated from Corona entirely when it became evident that the Saporians were in charge. That’s a stated plot point in Rapunzel’s Return to explain why Cap is missing. There wouldn’t have been a need for a mutiny if Andrew just let all the criminals go and there’d be no reason why Andrew would send them away using his own guards. The Saporians are small in numbers and that would be a waste of manpower.

Also, because the Saporians are outnumbered, it doesn’t make sense to send away potential allies. Lady Caine has more logical motivation to join Andrew in his take over than Varian does. She just wants revenge on Frederic and riches. She cares nothing about ruling a kingdom and holds no qualms about hurting others; so she’d be the perfect partner for Andrew’s plans. Add in the fact that she has a whole gang/small army of criminals under her command, and she could have brought along some much needed manpower.

Lady Caine is Wasted!!!

Speaking of Lady Caine, this is her final appearance in the show. Introduced in the pilot as an important character, yet given only three episodes and shoved out of the picture before the final season. And they didn’t even bother to bring up her original motivations or goals in any of her return appearances.

Chris mentioned in interviews about how he wanted to ‘defy audience perception’ and so pulled a bunch of bait and switches in the writing; but this isn’t that. This is just straight up lazy writing. There’s nothing clever about introducing a character as being important and then not using them. It’s a frustrating waste of time and a waste of a concept; not a surprising ‘gotcha’ for the audience.

Proper set up and resolve exists in storytelling in order to get your audience invested in what is happening and then give them a satisfying pay out for their continued involvement. Modern television writers have gotten so caught up in ‘shocking’ twists that they forgot the importance of giving satisfying endings to their audience. Because if the audience isn’t satisfied they will walk away. Hooks alone are not enough to keep them around as evidenced by the series ratings drop.

Also, Why is Weasel Here?

I once suggested that this episode would make more sense if Max’s Enemy came before One Angry Princess in season one. Implying that Caine and the gang were sent away before Andrew’s arrest. This idea flies out the window with Anthony the Weasel here. He was last seen running away at the end of The Return of Quaid. How the hell did he wind up here?

He had to have been arrested, put on trial, and then shipped away with the other criminals in between TRoQ and PotHS. Which just raises a whole bunch of other questions.

How much time has passed between then and now?

What did Weasel do to get caught in Corona?

Why did it take so long to ship Caine and her gang out when it was just a matter of days for Attila to be banished?

Why wasn’t she put on that same barge Attila was going to be put on?

If there was enough time to ship Attila and the Weasel out then there was plenty of time to ship Andrew and Varian, so why are they still in Corona?

Why is there even a prison barge to begin with? Are they just that stripped for room and man power in Corona’s dungeons?

Where does the prison barge actually go to? Does Corona own a prison island or do they have a deal with another kingdom? What is the world building behind this plot point?

Also where the heck did Dwayne go?

You Need Villains

In the end it doesn’t matter. This is just a lame excuse to get rid of all of the season one villians besides the Stabbingtons. Which only stick around because they’re movie originals and need to reappear and be redeemed before the wedding short; otherwise they’d be gone too.

Which is the dumbest idea ever! Season two and even the first half of season three is devoid of any main antagonists so why are we getting rid of anyone who could potentially fulfill that role? Who’s stupid idea was this? What were they smoking? This goes against basic writing 101. There’s no story if there’s no conflict!

Eugene Has a Point

Like there are reasons why law enforcement aren’t on call 24/7 and there are also reasons why different territories have different jurisdictions. Not complying to that undermines law and order, not upholds it.

If a police officer from the US could arrest people while on vacation in Spain, it’d be a political nightmare. Even extrication of wanted criminals who seek refuge in other countries requires permission and cooperation from those countries governments or you’d be violating international law; which potentially could be seen as an act of war.

Also you would still send in people who are actually on duty. Right now there are protests in my country regarding the lack of accountability police officers have. Plenty of cops break the law both on and off duty because they know they can get away with because of the nepotism within the force. Max pulling out a guide book that essentially gives Corona’s guards permission to ‘enact justice as they see fit’ while even off duty is clear case of an abuse of power, and futhers the narrative that Corona is a dictatorship/police state that persecutes it’s most vulnerable citizens.

The fact that the narrative then rewards this line of thought by placing Max in the right on this is just another check off in the long list of promoting authoritarian beliefs that this series teaches. People with power are held to different standards then those without. That’s just a fact of life. Having Eugene or Max acknowledge that this does break the law but is still right thing to do would be far better message and give the characters more complexity.

Who gets to decide what is ‘bad’ here? What is this ‘something’ they are meant to do? This rule is a gateway for corruption because it’s not clearly defined and relies too heavily on the idea that guards are naturally ‘honorable’ and good and not, you know, people.

There’s a saying in law school. Nothing is simple and fair. If it’s simple then it’s not fair; and if it's fair then its not simple.

Laws are complex because life is complex, people are complex, and not everything applies the same way because situations are different. That’s why we have courts. And yes, sometimes there’s too much discrepancy in sentences, leading to some people being harshly over punished while others get away with little more than a slap on the hand; but having things the other way around would still cause such discrepancy as not everyone’s experiences are equal to begin with.

And before you say I’m reading too much into a kids show, this is a conflict that the episode itself has decided to introduce. If you wanted a simple message about doing the right thing than ‘the law’ should not have been brought up at all. Because laws are not simple, they are not universal, and they are not infallible. If the writers thought this idea too complex for their audience then they shouldn’t have introduced the idea.

It's better to not bring up deeper subject matter at all than to introduce it and then not address it properly.

Oh, and We Get Confirmation that Corona Speaks English, for Some Reason...

This was also hinted at this in the supplement book, My First Year As A Princess; which was suppose to replica of Rapunzel’s Diary in the show, though it’s sverealy been paired down from the original concept.

Anyways, it’s pretty much canon that everyone is indeed speaking English on screen, even though there’s no logical reason for this. Chalk it up to yet more lazy world building.

Corona is never hinted to being a replacement for England itself. The few hints we get to it’s placement on the world map suggests it’s on the main continent of Europe and is a peninsula. Other real world languages like, French, Italian, and German are confirmed to exist, with Italy at least being a real location in this world.

Also we spend this whole season traveling to other kingdoms. So why would everyone speak English? This is before British and American imperialism, and before the internet, so English wouldn’t be a default secondary language for the many countries that it is today. So how does this work?

Once again, if traveling the world is a big plot point of your story then you need to determinate where and how your main protagonist fits into that world. If they’re a princess of a kingdom then we need to know where that kingdom is in relation to the surrounding places we visit or discuss.

Axel is Still Useless

Max didn’t need a rival. This character adds nothing to the over all story and is one villain/character too many in an already overstuffed series. I don’t mind the idea of pairing down some of the minions and other background characters. I just take issue with getting rid of all of the villains. Particularly interesting ones that could have done more, like Weasel or Lady Caine.

The Very Existence of Lady Caine Undermines Both Rapunzel’s and Cassandra’s Arcs

So the series wants to present this idea that Rapunzel is compassionate and is all about giving second chances, yet Caine, one of the most sympathetic villains in the show next to Varian, is given zero chance at all. The show is too busy trying to make Rapunzel look ‘bad ass’ by easily taking down an seemingly equal badass female villain, that doesn’t stop to think about the implications of this conflict.

The series fails because the only people Rapunzel redeems are people that she needs something from. She needs Styalan to gain the Eye of Pincosta. She needs Varian to help defeat the Saporians and ease her bruised ego. She needs Cassandra because she’s her best friend and it hurts her personally for them to no longer be friends. None of the redemptions in the show are actually about the characters who are redeeming themselves, it’s about their effect on Rapunzel’s personal life.

But placing Rapunzel’s personal feelings above what other characters actually need is the opposite of compassion. It’s selfishness. It doesn’t make Rapunzel the focus of the story it just makes her look like an ass.

Moreover Lady Caine’s arc is directly tied to Corona’s corrupt legal system. Rapunzel can’t be this purveyor of change if she and the show never acknowledges why the system must change to begin with.

Last off, Cassandra’s arc is then diminished by the existence of more sympathetic villains like Caine and Varian. They have more reason to do the things they do, and their actions connect back to their goals. Cass doing worst things for less reason, and then getting away with less punishment than them, is a slap in the face to the viewers. It turns her from a likeable character to an unbearable twat, and makes her later redemption a product of nepotism rather than act of agency on her part.

Everyone is ill served by writing Caine out and not giving her a conclusion to her personal conflict. Rapunzel, Cassandra, Frederic, and Lady Caine herself are all denied a chance to grow as characters and that’s infuriating to watch.

Also Yes, This Episode was a Big Missed Opportunity to Add Urgency to the Plot

As previously mentioned, season two needed an ongoing external conflict. Anyone of the villains on the ship could have been the main antagonist of the second half of the season. Just have the person in question escape in the confusion, or overthrow the new crew of the ship a second time. Then have them show up later looking for a fight.

My money is on Lady Caine, but the Stabbingtons or Weasel could have done just a well. Caine wants revenge on Rapunzel. The Stabbingtons are after Eugene. Weasel wants power and riches, so capturing the princess and holding her for ransom could have been a goal. Then have them learn about this hidden power then voila you gotta a set up for a race to the end of the quest.

You also could just picked an underling at random and then elevated them to main villain by giving them a good goal and a backstory.

Also finally, Andrew and/or Varian, we’re options that they could have added in here. Varian more so than anybody else as he already has reason to go after the moonstone because his father.

Heck, you still could have added Varian and not made him the villain if you didn’t want to. This could have been the start of his redemption arc instead, and one of the previously mentioned villains,a Brotherhood member, or one of Zhan Tiri’s Disciples could have still served as the main antagonist.

In short, most of the problems with Tangled’s story are really easy fixes and the writers had multiple options at their disposal that they didn’t take. Which is just further evidence to last minute rewrites and Chris and Ben’s missamangment.

Conclusion

I enjoy this episode because it’s one of the few to tie back into season one, but it’s is a missed opportunity and it is a shame that it went nowhere.

#tangled #anti-tangled #lady caine #anti rapunzel #anti cassandra #eugene #max #tangled the series #rapunzel's tangled adventure

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tk9336 · 3 years ago

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My Curatorial Internship at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago!

I began my Curatorial Internship on 6/7/21 bright and early as I drove my first day waking up at 5AM as I live in Wauconda, IL a northwest suburb of Chicago. MSI is in the heart of downtown Chicago, so the drive is usually an hour and half accounting for traffic. That sucked big time, so I took the train for the rest of my time so far. Luckily I only have to be in the office Monday/Tuesday which is bittersweet: my train ticket is $10 a day, parking at Barrington Station is $3.50 daily but what kicks my wallet in the teeth if my Lyft bill, usually around $50 from Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago to MSI and back. Thankfully my internship is paid thanks to Studio Institute which is my sponsor, a grant MSI received and SI how I found out about the position for the summer. I thought I would be working with a team of interns since this is a big project I am a part of, but believe it or not I am the sole Curatorial intern! It felt good to know that I did well in my interview and it wasn’t just a hunch, and to have the honor of being the sole recipient! Its been a number of years since there was a curatorial intern and with this in mind I knew I was going to work hard to pay them back for their faith in me. I do not say this lightly, as I am 28 years old now and opportunities like this I have learned are not offered to just any one off the street.

The Project? MSI is digitizing roughly 1,000 artifacts to be shown online on their website (COVID was a strong motivator for this as it hit Museums all over the world. They are passionate about reaching their audience!) Collections has over 35,000 artifacts to keep track of, and all it’s history is just written or printed in a large Accession’s Archive, and there is digital archive to work with. I am going to help with what I am assigned with gaining invaluable professional research experience, with a strong focus as well in writing for labels and anything else that is thrown my way! I am also making this blog conjunction for my school, Loyola University Chicago of which helped me get this position. This will be a long post, so buckle in as I share my weeks to bring you, and me up to date for next week, 7/19/21!

Week 1: 6/7-11/2021 | This position is 4 days a week, for a total of 28 hours. Part-time. My round-trip however with commuting turns a 7 hour work day into a 12 hour day from when I wake up until I drive home from Barrington Station. Thankfully the two days I work from home is a bit easier on commuting from upstairs to downstairs!

Monday: HR/Orientation/Introduction to Collections by Alexis, the talent manager at MSI. Your standard job introduction, but my first at a Museum.

Tuesday: In-depth Museum tour/explaining the research and writing work I would be doing/assisting Kathleen (Collections Director) in the vault*(storage, vault sounds cooler) cataloging.

Wednesday: Photographing Bike exhibit for transcription/beginning research work on first Accessions project on Firefighting artifacts by find corresponding files in Accessions archive, reading the materials in each folder to find relevant material to write in description about the item to put online. I scan the documents I find relevant, so that I can do that additional research and writing at home. This will be the plan going forward (research/cataloging the vault on Monday and Tuesdays) but there are plans to have me assist on additional projects and duties within the department and MSI as a whole.

Thursday: With the information gathered from scanning documents from each accessions folder, then at home I can look over each stapled bunch of materials of each item and then add bullet points of relevant information in a word document. That can then be shared with the Director, Curator and assistant curator to help them use the most relevant materials to weave the labels needed to put online for this historic artifacts.

Week 2: 6/14/18/2021 | Fridays are not included as that’s when I attend Zoom meetings with the program directors and liaison for Studio Institute which has over 40 interns around the country in Museums across the United States. I won’t lie... I got the best assignment in my opinion! This was tailor made for me! As an older student I am FULLY aware of what a incredible privilege it is to be paid to do something you truly love down to your bones.

Monday: I start at 9:15 but my train was late to unforeseen circumstances. I emailed my supervisor I would be in a hour later than usual and she appreciated the heads up. I continued pulling folders from the accessions archive, then scanning relevant materials. I would then staple the gathered materials and kept my work in order to mirror the worksheet log I was given for the artifacts in the fire fighting exhibit.

Tuesday: Getting in at my normal time I continued, and finished the worksheet log I was given for the Fire Fighting exhibit. I now have a large amount of material to review on my days working from home to provide bulleted points of relevant material that will assist the Collections team create the labels needed when selected materials are uploaded online. I would do five files at a time to stay organized and not bite off more than I could and get "lost in the sauce" as we would say in the Army. That way, a steady rhythm was established and I could better gauge my time per batch.

Wednesday: I worked from home continuing my task of added bulleted information points on artifacts. I am assuming that the items that have a extensive amount of reference materials will be those making the cut to be uploaded online once the project gets to that point. Made up the hour lost on Monday due to my train out of Barrington, IL running late.

Thursday: Still grinding away by going through the research materials I assembled from the archives in MSI to add bulleted points of relevant information on artifacts to make the lives of the Director, Curator, and assistant easier allowing them to focus on more advanced research and other duties.

Week 3: 6/21-25/2021

Monday: Continued transcription of the Fire Fighting Exhibit. Nearly finished with it. Working from home is getting better as I am getting a better pace of work and less distractions.

Tuesday: I was able to get some opportunities for front-facing guest interaction and educations as I gave my first MSI tour. Two individuals from my organization, the 501st Legion, came down from Green Bay for a Chicago vacation. They had seen my positive posts about being at MSI and wanted to come see it for themselves. I asked Dr. Saridakis if I could learn how to give a tour on my own, to which she agreed. In my inaugural tour I took them around the great hall's exhibits, being careful to focus on items of which I had some background in to better give a small education on the artifacts. My strength is in the Hall of Transportation in which houses the Spitfire, Stuka and new Boeing 727. On the floor I pointed out the Millburn and Tesla electric cars as well. After going at what seemed a quick pace, we made our way over to the Hall of Bicycles, and weaved back to the floor. I took them to U-505 which is my strongest exhibit. Military history is my focus, and I don't ever tire of going to see U-505. In the most surprise to my guests, they were granted a behind the scenes walk-through of Collections in which Dr. Saridakis kindly donated her time to open the vault for us. She accompanied me, but gave me the reigns to get a feel for my first guided walk-through of Collections which is a duty all in the department should be familiar, and comfortable doing. I feel I did well for my first time, and gained experience in doing the same for the following day for a larger, planned tour by mHub. I took my guests out to lunch where my supervisors did a few weeks ago. It ran over time, so I'll make up the hour later at home.

Wednesday: Today was the day of the big planned of tour by Chicago tech company, mHub. My supervisor was not available in the morning so I filled out some other documents and found other work to do until she came in. This was sorting through the former archivist's boxes of files and articles looking for relevant materials that would be of use to the registrar. I had been doing this the day before as well before my guests came in at 11AM. There was a A LOT of material, but there was plenty of relevant stuff, including a complete file on the cars, and motorcycles in the MSI collection which included a recent appraisal of each item in inventory. I found the motorcycles of interest and made copies for myself to be of use on future behind the scenes tours (you pick a handful of items scattered at various checkpoints to engage with guests about. There just isn't enough time to go row by row.) mHub was scheduled for 3:30, but didn't not come until 4ish. My recent work with the fire fighting artifacts proved critically relevant as one of the guests was working on technology for fire fighters to pull up a 3D schematic on a app to see where the beams, and wiring is without them having to hack through the walls to find it. He was very much interested in the various fire fighting artifacts and thankfully I was a part of his group throughout the tour. Exhibitions engineer Jeff brought out two 1930's Ediphones, and while he was setting up I had a lengthy chat with him regarding his duties and responsibilities at MSI which proved insightful.

Thursday: I wasn't as productive today as I wanted to be in part to some distractions in my personal life. I will make this time up on Saturday. Continued work on transcription of relevant facts to the fire fighting exhibit

Saturday: I finally finished the fire fighting exhibit items and look forward to trying my hand at writing short labels based on returning to the material I have. This label writing experience will be invaluable in such a professional capacity. It will be nice to have this skills honed, refined and on a professional level. I trudged the remaining artifacts, and put more time off the clock to finish so I can begin on my favorite exhibit, U505 on Monday!

Week 4: 6/28-7/2/2021

Monday: I came in and had my weekly 10AM meeting with Voula, and moved onto U-505/WWII items. Same as with the fire exhibit, finding files in the accession archive, scanning relevant materials to take home for work at home.

Tuesday: I continued scanning, and gather materials. At 1:00 PM I took photos of all the labels in the U-505 exhibit for transcription by one of the volunteers, Mary. I then at 2:30 I worked with Director McCarthy cataloguing some more artifact ranks in storage. At 4:10PM I asked if I could get a photo handling a textile artifact for both the experience of doing so and seeing one of U-505's flags not only in person, but to carefully handle, and touch. Director McCarthy and Dr. Saridakis both kindly indulged my request and it was a truly awesome experience for me. I also learned that there is a later train than I usually take. That bit of info is helpful just in case I ever miss the 5 o'clock train out of Chicago back to my home train station of Barrington, IL!

Wednesday: As I did with the firefighting exhibit and items, I continued bulleting down relevant facts and information. I created a new word doc just as I done previously with the Fire Fighting artifacts.

Thursday: Continued transcription. I look forward to trying my hand at writing some labels and short descriptions. I still can barely believe I am being paid to work on items I already love learning about.

Saturday: Made up 1 hour from Thursday.

Week 5: 7/5-9/2021

Monday: Unpaid holiday for MSI employees. I am going to work half a day today so I only have to work 4 hours later in the week to make up for today. I am going to look over my U505/WWII artifacts and see if any really stand out as candidates for getting labels and descriptions.

Tuesday: I came in Tuesday and had my weekly meeting with Voula. Since the program is half-way over at this point the decision for now is for me to focus on the U-505/WWII artifacts and to also focus on writing a few labels for some of the Fire Fighting exhibit artifacts. I also took photos of all the labels in the U-505 and will transcribe that exhibit to it is available in a word doc to be transferred to the digital site - one day. I then worked with Kathleen in storage to continue cataloging artifacts, in three hours we nearly inputted over 200 artifacts.

Wednesday: I came in and got to work on transcription since there are no more additional accession files to pull and scan. MSI has just brought on a new assistant curator for a year to help with the digitization of the archives and storage. It is a daunting task! But one that will streamline Collections at MSI and make pulling artifacts extremely easy and hopefully foster some excitement from the public online to see items that otherwise sit in a dark, temperature controlled room. I also had the honor of getting to write a pitch to put up a "pop up" U-505 exhibit up in downtown. That was very exciting to me, along with the confidence gained because of the trust to do that. I wrote a few drafts to which the Director edited down. Very happy to be useful with a project that is extremely relevant to my interests.

Thursday: Continued transcription of the U-505 exhibit and writing a few labels that will then be edited by the Curator. Being directly involved in what the public will learn from a artifact is very cool to me. Improving on working remotely, efficiently - making a decision right away in the morning after a shower to begin work is a great guard against procrastination and working late to fairly submit the hours for the day. A regular schedule when self set and stuck to is extremely effective.

Saturday: Continued work on the U-505 items from home.

Week 6: 7/12-16/2021

Monday: I started working right away after waking up. I want to finish my transcription of the U-505 exhibit which includes every wall panel, all artifacts and everything else in between. I went past midnight and just hit a stride, "in the zone, so to speak."

Tuesday: I worked through the night while on a roll. I didn't look at the clock, I just kept going! Reminded me of the old all-nighters I used to pull. I was excited to be finally complete with this project. I took it upon myself to transcribe the entire exhibit since it only existed on the walls and printed material. With it digitized this will be a tremendous help to the department. I finished it and even double checked Flickr for any photos I may have missed taking myself. I only missed only small panel, but all quotes, stories, artifacts... everything came to a 50 page, 20,000 word document. I look forward to seeing Voula's reaction when I print it out tomorrow! I also made a copy of just the artifacts for MSI so when they want to put some online they'll know what is theirs outright. In my previous job I worked 10 hour shifts so this felt familiar, I enjoy doing four 10-hour days to hit 40 back then and enjoy 3-day weekends. This is less hours, but I am grateful none-the-less to have the time to use for other projects, books and hobbies.

Wednesday: Voula's reaction to the massive transcription was great. I also placed the document in SharePoint so that anyone in Collections can access it. I am sure it will be a great aid in the future when a quick reference is needed for U-505. Today was also the MSI Employee picnic which was great. I took a couple pictures and video. Sodexo made me a Angus half pound burger which was great. I sat by myself since I came after our intern/departmental MSI zoom meeting held by Talent so we could learn how MSI is a collaborative effort and chat with the heads of other departments which was cool. I followed and email Mike Welsh to set up a tour of what Construction and Grounds does around the Museum. Most folks went to the picnic at noon, and our meeting didn't conclude until 1:10PM. Thankfully though Voula stayed a little after and we chatted at the table I was at. MSI redid the Smart Home area and it's a very nice shaded, little park. Definitely never been there before as a guest. Very cool to be a part of the "in-crowd." I took a longer lunch to take it all in.

Thursday: Since I busted my butt Monday into Tuesday and enjoyed yesterday I only had to do two hours today. I sat in the other half of the MSI intern/departmental Zoom meeting which featured Collections/Exhibitions and HR. I had the best chat with Exhibitions and the public relations managers. I will send emails to follow up with both of them as I find their work fascinating, and might as well - only here for a short time and it be an absolute waste to not take utter advantage of it. I cleaned up some of my Word documents and doubled check for syntax errors.

Thats it! You, and me, are now all up to date! I will continue to make weekly postings until its conclusion! I will also add some photos in the following posts, this is a long post so stay tuned, it will be less dense.

#museum of science and industry #Loyola university chicago #chicago #curator #intern #firefighter #u505

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jedimasterbailey · 4 years ago

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Sneak Preview of Chapter 8 of “The Padawans”

Ahsoka overhears what Sidious intends to do with Barriss and needless to say, it doesn’t sit well with her.

Link to full fic below!

Darth Sidious disembarks his personal shuttle with his most trusted Imperial guards leading the way to Riyo Chuchi’s palace. The Fifth Brother and the Seventh Sister walk silently beside their Emperor, both perplexed as to why they were accompanying the Sith Lord. For they had both failed miserably at keeping Barriss Offee in their custody by allowing the Mirialan escape with Ahsoka Tano, another wanted Jedi. Their punishment was one neither would ever forget. They had been electrocuted by Sidious’s lightning repeatedly until their flesh began to burn. As a result, the Seventh Sister now relied on a vocabulator to speak, her vocal cords having been damaged beyond repair and the Fifth Brother wore more armor to cover the raw skin that has yet to heal. Failure was no longer an option for the duo if they valued their lives.

Just before they were greeted by the Pantoran Senatorial guard, Sidious addresses the Inquisitors with their next assignment in a low voice.

“There is a Jedi here. It appears Senator Chuchi has set a trap for me to spring. Find this Jedi and hold him or her for questioning while I deal with our host. There is a chance it could be the very one you fools have lost. Do not fail me again!”

“Yes, my Lord.” The Inquisitors simultaneously say before stepping aside.

The Seventh Sister then calls for one of her probe droids using a remote on her wrist. Within seconds, the requested droid flew out of the Emperor’s ship and perched itself on it’s mistress’s shoulders ready for orders.

“Search the area and see if you can pick up another lifeform that isn’t the Senator or her staff. Apparently she thinks she can hide a Jedi from us.” The Seventh Sister orders in her new distorted voice.

The probe droid immediately begins to work as it flew from the Inquisitor's shoulder the minute she uttered the word “Jedi”.

______________________________________________________________________

Sensing Palaptine’s presence getting closer to the palace, Ahsoka conceals her own Force signature and takes shelter in the palace’s ventilation system following Riyo’s footsteps underneath. Ahsoka could feel Riyo’s fear and anxiety building which worried her deeply. From what the Togruta has seen based on Imperial propaganda in the worlds she’s traveled to, Palpatine was certainly frightening and intimidating, but he was also portrayed to be the same noble leader as he was before the Empire. Was Riyo fearful for her life? Or was she just unsettled by the change of plans?

Ahsoka leaned on the latter knowing they had yet to discuss their plan on how to deal with the Emperor with the subject of Barriss having been a distraction. Despite knowing Riyo’s intention and motivation, Ahsoka was still set on persuading her friend to think of another solution. If there’s one thing Ahsoka was sure of, it was that taking a life, no matter what the reason was, was an act that could never be erased from one’s consciousness. Barriss’s words and facial expressions on the matter has proven that. She did not want that same fate for Riyo. There had to be another way.

Ahsoka’s breath hitched in her throat seeing Palpatine approach Riyo. The man was obviously a Sith Lord in the eyes of a Jedi, but to someone like Riyo, he was deformed old man with an unnatural eye color. Ahsoka concentrates hard on suppressing her hatred for the man for the sake of staying hidden. If Palpatine was able to orchestrate an entire galactic war without consequence, then Ahsoka knew better to underestimate his abilities on detecting the slightest change in the atmosphere.

Riyo, now properly dressed in formal attire, bows to Palpatine.

“Emperor Palpatine, it is an honor to have you in my home. Though you are here earlier than expected.”

Palpatine gives a false smile, “Yes, Senator. Your invitation admittedly piqued my interest and I could not wait to meet. It isn’t everyday I have an excuse to leave Coruscant.”

Riyo reciprocates the gesture.

“Then we should waste no time then. Allow me to show you to my office.”

Ahsoka quietly follows the crowd above, going as far as to hold one lightsaber in with one hand and the other with her teeth to prevent any noise. The situation was too delicate for there to be any mistakes. To her surprise, Ahsoka hears Palpatine dismiss his red cloaked guards outside the office, leaving him alone with Riyo.

“Please, make yourself comfortable.” Riyo says calmly, taking her usual seat, “I could have someone fetch us some refreshments if you’d like?”

“That would be lovely, my dear.” Palpatine accepts, sitting down.

After Riyo informs someone of her staff of the Emperor’s request, the secret Sith Lord immediately brings up the very subject he knew disturbed Pantoran.

“I take it that you are displeased with what has become of the Talz?”

“Forgive me your grace, but I must admit that their extermination was unnecessary. They were no harm to anyone and it’s because of their extinction that my people have become more fearful of the Empire. The increased number of Stromtroopers in our cities and towns enforcing curfews and inciting violence deeply concerns me as someone who is supposed to be protecting them. That’s why I wanted to negotiate as to how the Empire can improve its relations with Pantora.” Riyo says with the same amount of sophistication and grace as Padme once did in the Senate.

Feigning a look of confusion, Palpatine folds his hands, “I’m sorry my dear, but I must disagree with the notion that the presence of my Stormtroopers or the extinction of the Talz are of any harm to your people. The troopers are there to maintain the peace and order the Republic failed to accomplish.These men are instructed to detain any rebels who dare to disturb the peace. You know as well as I do that we as a galaxy are still recovering the Clone wars; we cannot run the risk of having individuals rise against the stability we have created. Don’t forget that it was Count Dooku, a political anarchist, who started all the fighting that the Jedi enabled. Surely you and your people have not forgotten what a dark time that was!”

Riyo shakes her head, “Of course not, your Excellency. I, like the late Senator Amidala, were one of the few who voted against the fighting.”

“Yes, I remember.” Palpatine sighs, now appearing to look mournful, “May she rest in peace, Amidala. I miss her immensely. I’d like to think that she would have been proud of the new order.”

From above, Ahsoka grimaces at Palpatine’s words as they couldn’t be further from the truth. Padme would undoubtedly be leading the Rebel alliance if she were still alive.

“That still does not explain why the Talz needed to be killed.” Riyo argues coolly.

A servant then entered the room with a tray of tea and assortment of Pantoran delicacies, temporarily stopping Palpatine from answering. It was only after the two gave their thanks and had the room back to themselves that the Emperor was able to give the answer both Ahsoka and Riyo knew to be a lie.

“I never ordered for the Talz to be terminated.” Palpatine says steadily maintaining direct eye contact with Riyo, “I only deployed a squadron of my people to set up a base on the moon given how suitable the environment would be for training purposes. My best guess is that the Talz attacked my troops and thus they were left with no other choice. I can understand how hard this all must be to hear knowing you were the one to establish peaceful relations. But you and I have no control as to how they respond to their new superiors. As I’ve said before, there is no room for hostility against the Empire.”

There was a moment of silence between the politicians allowing Ahsoka to digest Palpatine’s words. The answers to all of Riyo’s questions have been contradictory and infuriating. Anakin and Obi-wan had once told her that the Talz were welcoming and receptive to negotiation. A small part of Ahsoka wanted to hop back into her ship and destroy the “training camp” that was surely constructed over the bodies of the dead tribe. But Ahsoka knew better; Riyo was depending on her to not draw attention.

“That is...very unfortunate to hear.” Riyo professes sadly, bowing her head.

“Indeed.” Palpatine sighs before continuing, “Unfortunately, I’m afraid that is not all of the bad news I have to share.”

Raising her head back up Riyo asks, “What is it?”

“There is a Jedi here.” Palpatine confesses, causing Ahsoka’s heart to leap into her throat.

Riyo’s eyes widen, “A Jedi? But how? I thought they were all dead?”

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Ahsoka screams internally to herself, taking her lightsaber hilt out of her mouth in order to suppress the sound of her now heavy breathing. She was at a loss as to how Palpatine could know this despite having hid her ship and temporarily cutting her connection off from the Force. Ahsoka then reminded herself of something she knew to be true about the ways of the Sith; their order was rooted in deception.

“Maybe this is just an excuse for him to watch Riyo.”

The possibility brought some comfort for Ahsoka, but now any future communication with Riyo would be next to impossible between Palpatine and the Inquisitors he most likely brought with him.

“If only that were true, but alas there are still many survivors out there not to mention all the younglings that are born with such powers. But not to worry, I have two of my Jedi hunters here looking for him or her. Rest assured, I will not be leaving until the Jedi has been brought to justice. I wouldn’t feel comfortable returning to Coruscant knowing a dangerous traitor roams free on your planet. Despite what you may think of me Senator Chuchi, I really do keep your best interest at heart.” Palpatine affirms with another smile.

Even from a distance, Ahsoka could clearly see how uncomfortable Riyo looked, “Do you have an idea on who it may be?”

“To be perfectly honest with you Senator, I am not sure. However, there is an individual I am hoping to find here.” Palpatine admits causing Riyo to lean forward on her desk.

“And who would that be?”

“Barriss Offee.” Palpatine answers ensuing a fresh wave of panic to arise inside Ahsoka.

With a pained expression on her face, Riyo asks, “You mean the girl who bombed the Jedi Temple and escaped prison?”

“Precisely.”

“Why her specifically?”

To Ahsoka’s horror, Palpatine laughs, “Well aren't you a curious girl! Unless you’re aware of Ms. Offee’s whereabouts and are hiding her from me?”

Riyo rapidly shakes her head, “Of course not! Barriss is just an interesting choice given what she has done. It would make more sense for someone like her to hide in some remote world far from the Core worlds. A Mirialan would be very easy to spot on Pantora!”

Palaptine raises a hand, “Ms. Offee is not to be underestimated Senator Chuchi. I know Barriss to be an incredibly powerful and intelligent warrior. We both may not agree with her crimes, but her speech on the Republic and the Jedi’s involvement in the war rung with truth. She saw the future we were all blind to and for that, I’m hoping I could extend a peace offering to her. Her skills would actually become a great asset to the Empire.”

“The Jedi failed her and pushed her to do what she did, but I know I could help her. I could give her the love and attention she was denied. Perhaps she could succeed me in becoming Empress one day.”

Ahsoka bared her fangs as her blood began to boil at what Palpatine’s intentions were for Barriss. Everything Bail had told her after the events of the trail now made sense. Palpatine was hoping Barriss’s anger would fester into a hatred he could manipulate between denying Master Luminara’s visitation rights and removing the death penalty. The idea of Barriss becoming a Sith apprentice nauseated Ahsoka to the point where she was afraid she would vomit in the vent.

Not wanting to hear another word, Ahsoka knew she needed to get out and run far away from the palace. She needed to unleash her anger and her sadness before it got the better of her and made itself known to the Sith Lord. Ahsoka quickly grabs her lightsabers and navigates her way to Riyo’s bedroom where she knew she could escape without being seen.

The journey proved itself to be a challenge for Ahsoka as her emotions were quickly turning into hysteria. Her heart was hammering against her chest so hard that she felt she couldn’t breathe. Tears also began to stream down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Ahsoka had not felt this kind of visceral reaction since her days of hiding on Thabeska after the events of Order 66.

Back then, Ahsoka understood fully why the phenomena would happen; she knew she was stressed about Anakin's whereabouts and she knew she was grieving the fact that she had to fight and bury the 501st alone, with Rex being the only survivor. Now, Ahsoka wasn’t entirely sure why she was reacting this way.

Knowing about Palpatine’s insidious plan for Barriss was upsetting, but was there something more to it, and the only way to find that out was to be as far away from Palpatine as possible.

Ahsoka was beginning to see stars when at last she saw her way out. She quickly punches the vent open and hops out of the opening, gasping for air. Taking a few steps back, Ahsoka then sprints out of the room and leaps over the balcony, dropping several meters down to the ground below. Upon landing, Ahsoka proceeds to run away from the palace and out into the open marshes, completely unaware of the probe droid that had spotted her and was now alerting its master.

#ahsoka tano #barriss offee #barrisoka #barrissoka #star wars fanfiction

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sunsetcurve · 5 years ago

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THE POST FINALE HENRY DANGER OPINIONS TAG:

thank you for the tag @chenryhart , @ginger--binger , and @henryhearts ! (i used eliza’s version because it had more questions lol)

Who was your overall favourite member of Team Danger and why? i will never be able to decide between charlotte and henry (it’s called being bisexual). i relate to charlotte a lot, and she’s a role model for me; she’s smart, she’s bold, she knows what she wants and i really love her for it. henry, on the other hand—there are moments when i’ve disliked him but i’ve watched him grow up, i’ve watched him be a hero for so long and i do still admire him a lot. he’s brave and loyal and he cares so much about people, like i’ll honestly just be soft for him forever.

Who was your favourite non-team danger character and why? gonna have to go with bose and mika (who count, right?) because they’re both so pure and enthusiastic and i can’t wait to see more of them

Who was your favourite villain and why? definitely twitler. i think he was the only villain that had actual motivation, and he was definitely the least cringey of all of them. he set up high stakes and challenged team danger a lot.

What were your top five favourite Henry Danger episodes of all time and why? ooh, good one. okay i think the finale is my all-time favorite. it just really was the culmination of the core of this show and there were so many amazing moments between all the characters. the actors and writers delivered so hard. second would have to be back to the danger because that episode was solid start to finish. i love the high-stakes episodes, and the time travel was a really cool aspect. third would probably be the three-parter, because again, i love the high stakes episodes, and that one really brought it. fourth would be broken armed and dangerous because it was completely hilarious. and fifth would probably have to be either double o danger, because i loved getting to see them all dressed up and undercover and joss moss was awesome, or i dream of danger because it was charlotte centric and also chenry. honorable mention to danger games entirely because of that scene where all four game shakers fall in love with henry at once.

What were your top five least favourite Henry Danger episodes of all time and why? not a fan of henry’s birthday because i can’t watch it without getting incredibly pissed; like it’s a well-made episode i just get really upset while watching it. i hated man of the house because the whole ray trying to get with henry’s mom made me suuuper uncomfortable. i did not like one henry three girls because the cheating plot was not it for me, or sick and wired for the same reason as henry’s birthday, and also because that was definitely the episode where dad!ray started to disappear. and captain mom because...nope.

What was your favourite running gag and why? oh god i have so many that i made a full post about this. the hmm thing was awesome, especially the fact that they acknowledged it. i also love the “piper has a license—established” joke

What was your favourite one-off throw away gag and why? gonna steal @henryhearts answer here and say the cat universe that respected charlotte; also bringing back the bro song from the musical that one time.

What episode, which character and which duo made you laugh the most? episode would definitely be broken armed and dangerous. laugh after laugh. the arm fashion show? the part where henry’s like “i’m plum-tuckered!”? the sign language interpreter? peak. character would be henry because i LOVE the way he reacts to stuff, like when he does his little *hand clasp* “there is something wrong with you” or like “dude, dude, dude, dude, dude—”. duo would probably be ray and henry because bose was right, their banter is hilarious.

What episode, which character and which duo made you the most emotional? episode would be the finale, and i feel like i don’t have to explain myself there. character would also be henry, like, the whole “i was thirteen!” thing and the fact that he’s given so much to this makes me want to cry sometimes. duo would be chenry because they’ve been together since the beginning and i have way too many feelings about them.

How would you rank each season from 1 to 5, one being the best and five being the worst? this is difficult, because i think season 5 is my favorite overall because of it had so many solid episodes and high stakes and good plots, but there were also sooo many things i didn’t like. still! i think it takes the top spot. after that would be season 2, just because it was really fun and fresh and in that stage where they’d started to figure things out as a show but weren’t getting cocky just yet. then probably season 3, then 1, then 4, because that season didn’t really have anything that stood out to me besides back to the danger.

Who was your favourite duo in the show (romantic or non-romantic)? chenry, but hensper and chasper were both very close seconds

What was your favourite Henry and Ray moment/episode? blimp scene and i don’t think it’s necessary for me to elaborate

What was your favourite Chenry moment/episode? toss up between the lion scene in idod and the time jerker because of “this is for you, char” and the hug at the end

What was your favourite Hensper moment/episode? when jasper found out oh my god. that was SO good. also love muffin and “as henry’s best friend...and soulmate”

What was your favourite Chensper moment/episode? oh god The Scene in the finale when henry is telling char to get out of there and she’s not leaving him and jasper has to carry her out and it just shows how much they all care for each other. and the fact that they all went to dystopia together!

If you could go back and change one element of the show, what would it be? RESPECT. CHARLOTTE. PERIOD. (i would change a lot of ray’s character as a whole, especially season 4/5 tbh)

If you could say one thing to each main character in the pilot, what would it be? i would tell the trio to stick together, appreciate each other, and don’t forget to be kids. i would tell ray not to bring a 13 year old kid who doesn’t have powers into this.

If you could say one thing to each main character in the finale, what would it be? i’m proud of you

Were you satisfied with the finale? What part was your favourite and what part was your least favourite? yes. i think overall there are always going to be things they could have handled better. but i’m happy with the way it ended. i think it’s fitting and wonderful and i felt good. favorite part would be the entire part in the finale with henry arguing with ray about who’s going to go down and later with char and jasper for them to leave. partially because i’m a glutton for angst, but also because the actors put so much into it and it was a real display of emotion and feels, and it showed henry’s selflessness and heroic nature so plainly. least favorite was the fact that char never got an apology from ray.

What would your ideal Henry danger spin off look like? dystopia!!!!!!!! the trio fighting crime in dystopia but it’s pg-13 and also they’re falling in love. also they sometimes come back to visit ray and mentor the danger force kids.

Where do you personally see the characters 10 years from now? What are they doing, who are they with, where are they in their lives - what do you think happened to them? Most importantly, are they happy? i think the trio is going to be living and fighting crime together for a while. char runs a charity on the side, jasper does photography, and henry is a botanist. but they’re first and foremost a team. piper runs a media company and ray and schwoz are being parents to the DF kids. they all still have thanksgivings together and yes, they’re all very happy.

What was your favourite part of the show and why did it initially draw you in? so i watched the thundermans right before this, and the whole reason i got into it was because i love anything superhero related but i wanted something lighthearted instead of my usual gritty dctv shows. i stayed for the humor and because the kids were cute, and yeah i did develop a crush on henry as the seasons went on. sue me.

What was your favourite part of the fandom and why did it initially draw you in? the people are so! freaking! supportive! i made some really amazing friends through this fandom, and everyone is sooo talented and kind and just unproblematic as hell. i love it.

Describe your overall emotions/feelings regarding the show being over and the show in general, looking back on it as a whole, with one quote from the show. the iconic “feels good”

If you were able to add one scene in the finale, what would you add? charlotte getting a goddamn apology and some recognition. also i would’ve liked to see the in-between of the blimp crash and the funeral, aka henry reuniting with ray, jasper, and char after they all thought he was dead

Favorite outfit/hair style? i LOVED the trio’s looks in the epilogue. char’s outfits every single episode? their looks in double o danger. piper and henry’s sister twister outfits were also very cute. for each character: i like char’s braids, henry with the curly hair he had in the finale, jasper in a crop top, ray’s bangs and blazer, and that one time schwoz was in a leotard and tutu.

Least favorite character? mine would be jake hart, and i feel like that’s another one of those things that doesn’t need an explanation

one twist: add one question at the end for the next person to answer! tag at least two people so this spreads around!

i’m tagging @bitchmilsky @cactus-con @rorythevambire @bijerbear @mychenrymadness and anyone else who wants to do it!

#henry danger #hd spoilers #hd tag game #hd

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carolyncaves · 5 years ago

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It has been a minute, but have an installment of ace!Jiang Cheng ‘The Bachelor’ fiasco. 2080 words, Jiang Cheng &/ OC Lu Lian, strangers to a betrothal no one wants, feat. Jiang Cheng’s plan (which does not survive contact with the enemy)

previous / previous / previous / this / next / next

Jiang Cheng felt like he was young again, and trying to figure out how to have a pretend real fight with Wei Wuxian, when all he'd ever had before were genuine trivial ones. He didn't know quite how to play the role he'd written for himself, and was not accustomed to acting at all. But it would achieve a good outcome for him and for her. It was the scene Nie Huaisang had established. Jiang Cheng was Sandu Shengshou, a sect leader, A-jie's brother and legacy and the last Jiang left. He would deliver.

“Thank you all for coming,” he started. It was too dispassionate, too aloof. Of course, that aligned with his earlier demeanor. "I know some of you travelled a long way to attend this matchmaking conference. I know there were reasons to think unseriously of your invitation. To be honest, I thought I had put all notions of partnership behind me, but seeing my old friend Nie-zongzhu so contentedly married motivated this final attempt." This was true literally, in terms of cause and effect, if not emotionally on any level. "And it has been both fruitful and stymieing. Because I have found the person I would want to marry, but I know she does not want to marry me."

There was a ripple at this – through the suitors, the chaperones, his staff. Who was he referring to? What did this mean? None of the other suitors seemed too upset – which was for the best, clearly he hadn't left too great an impression on them – though a few exchanged significant glances. He wondered if any of them knew each other, or if they’d just gotten acquainted while awaiting their turns. Several of the chaperones looked unhappy. Jiang Cheng was a sect leader – it was easy to hope your daughter or sister might marry him, even after he turned out to be sour and unpleasant.

Lu Lian was looking at him directly for the first time in their extremely brief acquaintance. Her expression was searching and hard.

Jiang Cheng continued with his remarks. He’d had no way to conspire with her in advance, so he had to lead her down the path he’d scouted. "My honored father was a good man, and he held some exceptional views. He believed people should follow their hearts in life, and that included in marriage. Many people of all walks marry for practical reasons or at the behest of their families – but he would never have asked me or my sister to enter a marriage we did not want, and neither will I, with any bride.”

She did not look mollified. She actually was beginning to look a little horrified. Did she not understand what he was saying? He would not let her uncle force her hand. He would make sure she was able to decline. By invoking the memory of his revered and dead father – his chest ached, for a moment, with old, dormant grief – he could politely decline her hideously eager uncle, and the uncle would have to be gracious about it.

“Sect Leader,” his advisor murmured at his elbow. She seemed crestfallen. She must think she’d failed. “It’s not necessary to reach a hasty conclusion. We can arrange another round of meetings with these guests, or seek out alternate suitors …”

“No,” Jiang Cheng said. “I will not take an unwilling spouse, and I will not make one either. The person I want to be with is Lu-guniang, and I will marry no other.”

All in attendance looked from him – probably rumpled and irritable after those teas, his attempts to conceal it aside, surely it was absolutely ridiculous to think he might have suddenly and inexplicably fallen in love – to Lu Lian’s place. Her uncle behind her looked happy but confused, as if he’d just been told he’d won a prize he didn’t remember entering for. Lu Lian herself had looked away. Her posture was stiff, her hands wound together tight in her lap.

Ridiculous or not, he was a sect leader and people couldn’t accuse him of lying – if Jiang Cheng said it was so, it would be treated like it. He needed to get quickly through the next part, the part that was good for her. Then this could all be settled. “As I’ve said, Lu-guniang’s dislike of the prospect of a match between us is clear, and I will not ask her to reconsider.” The uncle was shaking his head eagerly, but Jiang Cheng ignored him. “All I could ask is not to see her wed to another. If she and her family will agree, I will pay her bride price, as well as …”

“No,” Lu Lian said.

No? Jiang Cheng tried not to glare at her. He wasn’t certain he succeeded. “Lu-guniang … Begging your pardon, what do you mean, no? If you … would refuse this request because your heart belongs to someone else, I suppose …”

“No, Jiang-zongzhu. My heart belongs to no other.” She lifted her face to him, to the room, and it was morose and streaked with tears. “You are mistaken in your other assumption. I will gladly marry you.”

A frozen silence took the room. Jiang Cheng felt his mouth open, but he had no words ready.

She sat there – quietly, rigidly, furiously miserable. She obviously didn’t want to do this. He certainly didn’t. But he had said he would, in front of all these people, this idiotic assembly that was supposed to bear witness to his permanent abdication of any eligibility as a bachelor – and now so had she.

People looked between them, in subtle horror, in growing discomfort and concern. This was awful. He had to … there had to be a way to stop it.

“Lu-guniang. There’s no need to agree hastily.” He realized he was parroting his advisor. He felt like a complete fool. “We will hold a few more meetings, to get to know one another better. We will speak more personally.” He would explain to her explicitly he was trying to get them both out of this, tell her to play along.

“It’s not necessary, Jiang-zongzhu,” Lu Lian said, taut, almost a challenge. “If your word is good and you will marry me, I will do the same.”

If his word was good. What was she trying to do? Of course his word was good! He was Jiang-zongzhu!

Jiang Cheng had been wrong. Nie Huaisang was not anyone’s friend. He was a curse on the entire world, and Jiang Cheng had simply been unlucky enough to catch his attention.

Jiang Cheng could not get Lu Lian alone so they could talk.

She had to be doing it on purpose. She always had either her uncle’s servant or her uncle with her – who always looked like the cat with both the cream and the canary, to such an extent that his being around Jiang Cheng was probably hazardous to his own health, not that he seemed to know it. When she saw him coming, she turned and went the other way. When he entered a room she was in, she left it. When he asked to see with her, through various intermediaries, he was each time turned away.

If this was how she would conduct herself once they were married as well, maybe it would be no disruption at all and he should just let things follow their course.

This continued throughout negotiations over the particulars, three whole days of them, to the point that Lu Lian was going to leave Lotus Pier the following morning to return to her uncle’s manor with plans to travel back as a bride a week later without the two of them ever having spoken once. Broadly, this was not necessarily unorthodox, but in their particular case it was a gigantic problem because Jiang Cheng did not want that to happen and, despite her maddening lip service to the contrary, Lu Lian’s demeanor of doomed resignation made it clear she agreed.

So Jiang Cheng found himself skirting a night-darkened Lotus Pier – climbing over railings, hiding from servants and disciples, sneaking around his own home as if he were an interloper and not sect leader of Yunmeng – until finally he dropped down from a gable onto the porch outside her guest room. The open water was at his back. There was a glow on the other side of the thin door – she still had a candle lit. Hopefully she was still awake so they could talk about this like reasonable people, and he could get her to agree for him to just pay her uncle the bride price and a stipend like he’d planned, and when she went home tomorrow, she could not come back.

He tapped at the door.

There was no reply. Maybe, maybe, there was a sense of movement inside.

He tapped louder. “Lu-guniang. Lu-guniang.”

The shadow of a figure appeared. Then there was a noise. She had latched the lock.

“Lu-guniang, please let me in, we need to speak.”

“You would force your way into a maiden’s room at night?”

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. It was probably a good thing she couldn’t see him. “If I wanted to force my way in, I would not be here in the middle of the night tapping meekly at a door of my own estate like a pauper.”

Silence.

He sighed. The window a few feet away was ajar. He shuffled over to it. “But if you prefer it, we can talk like this, through a cracked window as if we were engaged in some bizarre subterfuge, because we must talk.”

He heard her shift as well. When she replied, it was quiet but nearby. She was right on the other side, at least willing to engage with him this infinitesimal amount. “Why?”

“I could ask you that! Why did you agree?”

“There are great benefits to marrying a sect leader.”

“Don’t give me that. You obviously didn’t want to even come here. With your age, I assumed you didn’t want to marry at all – I was trying to arrange it so you didn’t have to, so neither of us would. I said it before, if I misunderstood, if there’s another …”

“I told you that wasn’t the case,” she said. “In the hall that day. If you’ll recall.”

“You could have been lying. You’re lying now, about wanting to marry me.”

“I’ve never said I wanted to marry you. Only that I will.”

Jiang Cheng wanted to tear his hair out. “If you don’t want to, why did you agree?”

There was a long pause. “It would be impossible to discard such an offer. For the sake of my uncle and aunt.”

“Your uncle,” Jiang Cheng sneered. That was rude, he was her family, but he couldn’t help it. “A man who is so hard-pressed too see you go he couldn’t schedule the wedding quickly enough. He would have gotten your bride price anyway.” Maybe that wasn’t enough. “I could set you up in your own residence. I could pay your aunt and uncle some additional favor. I could …”

“The renown and status of marrying their niece to Jiang-zongzhu cannot be matched with favors. If you will not rescind your offer, I will not rescind my acceptance. I will honor my relatives. I owe them this.”

Wei Wuxian’s voice echoed in his ears – that is what I owed the Jiang sect – and Jiang Cheng ruthlessly smothered his rage, suddenly aware of the molten threads of the incandescent golden core that usually flowed inside him without his notice. “I’m not going to rescind my offer. What kind of man would that make me?”

There was a long pause. “My husband.”

Jiang Cheng sighed harshly. There really was no way out of this. She wasn’t going to yield. She was going to make them follow this course to its bitter end.

His mother had done it – been married, and resented it. His father had handled being begrudged and resented. Jiang Cheng would learn from their errors, adopt their strengths. It was only one part of the rest of his life.

He supposed it would put the matter permanently to rest for both of them, if in the precise opposite way from what he’d intended.

“Fine,” he said – tight and empty of heat. He left the way he’d come, up over the gable of the roof. If she ever replied, he wasn’t there to hear it.

#mdzs #the untamed #cql #fanfiction #jiang cheng #don't worry this was just an interlude while i processed my thoughts for wwxgtg5 #i actually had a fantastically productive session on that this morning #it's going to be awesome #but i've had this image of jc sneaking his way thru lotus pier mission impossible style bc he's gotten himself in over his head #and is ridiculous #in my own head for a while now #and now i've written it #i tagged this &/ bc i mean they get married and there's some tension around it but in the end it's totally platonic #strangers to ugh-not-lovers to friends lmao #my fic #jc #ll

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x0401x · 6 years ago

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Music Natalie Interview with Jin

The reason why he took the span of five and a half years to “reload” KagePro.

Jin announced a new album on November 7th, Mekakucity Reload. Mekakucity Reload is the latest work of the multi-media project developed by Jin, Kagerou Project. This album is a work that he is releasing about five and a half years ever since Mekakucity Records went on sale in May 2013. Why did Jin, who had declared the completion of Kagerou Project back when Mekakucity Records was released, create an album with the name “Mekakucity” at this timing? Here, Ongaku Natalie has asked Jin himself the motive behind his producing of KagePro music once again with the new work “Mekakucity Reload”, which looks back at the walk of five and a half years.

Translations Index >>

“There was simply not enough music for KagePro.”

──In the interview from when the album Mekakucity Records hit the shelves back in May 2013 (see: Jin (Shizen no Teki-P) Mekakucity Records Interview), Jin-san, you announced the conclusion of Kagerou Project’s music compilation.

Yes. It’s already been five years and a half.

──At first, I was dumbstruck when I heard that Jin-san had released an album with the name “Mekakucity” in it.

After I finished making the two other albums, Mekakucity Days and Mekakucity Records, I thought to myself about quiting making music for once. Thankfully, even as KagePro’s musical compilation had ended, the novels and comics were still on-going, so I thought of concentrating on the literary field and on writing, and that’s how I spent these five and a half years. And so, I’d been experimentally writing a light novel that I hadn’t yet announced to everyone and making a series with a mangaka sensei (see: NIRVANA, A JinxSaiyuki Talk). As I progressed with writing the continuation of the KagePro novel editions, I started thinking that there was simply not enough music (for KagePro).

──In the interview from five and a half years ago, Jin-san, you said that you “weren’t thinking about publishing any more volumes of the novel or manga”, but in the end...

I didn’t finish them back then at all, huh (laughs). I ran and ran, yet I didn’t get any closer to the goal I had planned. I also got asked stuff like, “Won’t you make music anymore?” whenever the novels or comics came out, and I had the feeling that the number of things I could express through music increased as the story went deeper. So the truth is that I had been thinking, “I want to make ‘KagePro’ music again” since about two years ago, but I wasn’t able to arrange the environment or conditions for it at all. Once they were ready, I completed “Mekakucity Reload”.

──The light novel version of “Kagerou Daze” ended as its eighth volume hit the shelves in December 2017, and the completion of the comics was already announced as well. I got a devilish impression when you revived the music version of KagePro in that timing.

Hahaha. That’s indeed true. It just happened to be this timing simply because I thought I should properly move the pivot leg from literature to music once I got to the stage of finishing writing the novel. There was also the fact that I didn’t have enough skill to properly make music while writing the novel, and that I wanted to focus on the songs and only write lyrics if I was going to do music.

──After taking five and a half years concentrating on the literature, were there any changes when you turned towards the music again?

I think the portrayals in the lyrics changed a lot. Everything, even descriptions, are part of the work in a novel, but in lyrics, you don’t need to explain every single thing like, “I did that” and, “This happened to you”. Within the way of expressing words through lyrics, which doesn’t have a right answer, I reflected really hard about how to express what I deem as the right answer.

──You say that, but you were still able to write lyrics five and a half years ago, right?

That’s right, but before I would write the lyrics occasionally thinking things like, “There might be better words for this”, and continued making songs while shaking off this kind of anxiety. In contraposition, I’m proud to have written the lyrics of this album with words that I myself am satisfied with. Of course, it’s placed as one of the works of KagePro, but I believe it’s also a work that people who are discovering KagePro will be able to enjoy. If I were a listener, I think I would end up keeping a distance because you can’t quite have fun with it if you don’t know the previous songs. But each of the songs recorded into this album are properly established as a single song, and I feel that I was able to manage this because I focused on my writing work.

“Hatsune Miku probably hates me.”

──Jin-san, during the period of five and a half years in which you have been devoting yourself to your writing work, there were several changes in the scene that had NicoNico Douga as its center, such as the alteration of style in the media mix works that represent KagePro and the uprising of Vocaloid culture during the tenth anniversary of Hatsune Miku’s selling. How do you, Jin-san, view these kinds of movements?

As a user, I really like NicoNico Douga, so of course I’ve always been keeping up with the trends. There’s something I’d wanted to tell Natalie-san regarding Hatsune Miku’s tenth anniversary of two years ago. To tell the truth, I got an offer for an interview from Natalie-san of the “Hatsune Miku’s 10 Years” project (see: Hatsune Miku’s 10 Years ~The New Sights She Has Showed Us~), but I ended up declining it...

──Why did you decline?

The contents of the interview, as the name of the project says, were to “talk about Hatsune Miku”, but in the first place, I thought Hatsune Miku probably hates me.

──What do you mean?

Putting it in a simpler way, the community of Hatsune Miku culture probably doesn’t think well of me. I actually didn’t even have an account in NicoNico Douga until just before announcing KagePro’s first track (“Jinzou Enemy”, which was uploaded to NicoNico Douga in February 2011). For starters, I didn’t have a computer and didn’t have contact with the internet at all. When my band broke up and I was left with no one to sing even though I had the musical compositions, I began using Vocaloids, which a friend of mine had taught me about. From that point on, I prepared the original story and characters, used Vocaloid and announced the series, and that was a differing stance from other Vocalo-P’s (Vocaloid producers). Something I myself noticed upon coming in contact with NicoNico Douga is that Hatsune Miku exists in the heart of Hatsune Miku Culture as a character. But at the heart of my series, there was no Hatsune Miku.

──Jin-san, this is because your series has Vocaloids singing the songs of original characters, right?

Yes. That’s why, even though I use Hatsune Miku, I wonder if I have the right to say anything about Hatsune Miku culture, and I really had the feeling that I’d be raining on the parade if I said anything. So I declined the offer. The only thing I wanted to put out there is that, while staying active as “Jin”, I came to really like the video submission site culture in which I started using Hatsune Miku. I also enjoy it a lot as a user, and many writers whom I admire are there. Of course, I read all of the reports of “Hatsune Miku’s 10 Years” (laughs).

──Thank you very much. During the interview, including the parts that were not in the manuscripts, you often became the topic, Jin-san.

I won’t dare ask in what context I came up (laughs), but I’m extremely honored. After all, I myself have received motivation from my Vocalo-P senpais, so I thought that it’d be great if I could grant some sort of motivation to other creators.

“I don’t want humans in ‘originals’.”

──Regarding stopping your literary work for now and resuming your musical activities, the way that you are now, Jin-san, I think you also had the option of making a series other than KagePro with your music.

I felt that I wouldn’t be able to make KagePro stuff anymore if I ended up starting something new. Even though I’d said five and a half years ago that I was going to “finish KagePro”, there are people who have always continued to cheer for KagePro in this five-and-a-half-year period, and I was simply able to discover countless ideas for songs while writing the novel. So I wondered if making KagePro stuff to my utmost wouldn’t be one of the logical choices. There are indeed things I want to do other than KagePro, but I can make them happen another time.

──Anything you obsess with when using Vocaloids? Your own play-and-sing is included in the Limited Edition B of this album, so you have many forms of expression now, right?

When I’m making KagePro songs, as expected, the image that first comes to mind is of Vocaloid. The uploaders of “uttattemita” videos on NicoNico Douga call their own melodies “originals”, but I have this feeling that I “don’t want human beings in what I call ‘original’”. Like, as long as there’s just a story, characters and philosophy, I don’t need anything else. For example, if I were to play and sing a song settled for the protagonist, there’s an instant in which it sounds to me like I myself am the protagonist. That’s not what I want to aim for.

──Then, Jin-san, what are the intentions behind your presenting of play-and-talk livestreams?

That’s kind of a secondary work (laughs). After all, I sing songs that already have their proper originals. Also, the ways you convey things between when you have people watch videos and when you have them listen to you live in a broadcast are completely different. This is something intuitive, but the feelings of “thank you” that I receive after people listen to my own songs become even stronger. Because of this as well, I tried including my own play-and-sing to this album as an extra.

“Additional Memory merged the philosophies of the two of them.”

──Please let us hear about the songs included in Mekakucity Reload. The musical composition of the song Additional Memory, which has already been uploaded to video sharing sites, has turned out as a mash-up piece of the KagePro songs that had been published in the past, which has been making the fans smile from ear to ear.

Additional Memory is a song I started making out of the thought of creating a work that would blend Lost Time Memory, Ayano no Koufuku Riron and Summertime Record. Specifically speaking, when I thought of the next stories of KagePro, there was a need to cross Lost Time Memory with Ayano no Koufuku Riron. It’s not in the sense of making the two characters meet or something like that, but I started wanting to make a song that merged their philosophies. As I did this, regarding the sound, since Lost Time Memory doesn’t have piano in it, I felt like creating a dialogue between it and the piano sounds that were the main feature in Ayano no Koufuku Riron.

──Then, what was the reason for you to think of adding Summertime Record to this?

The season pictured in KagePro is summer, so when I thought of inserting a phrase that would give it a summer feeling, I came up with a melody that was a variation of Summertime Record. After all, Summertime Record is a song that sings memories of, “Our childhood was fun, huh”, and if anything, Additional Memory is a song about regret. I used it while sprinkling a bit of dark taste to the originally bright melody line.

──Each character in KagePro has a song with them as motifs, so weren’t there any difficulties in combining them?

I solved that merely with subtraction. This also has to do with what I discussed just now about “concluding things with a single song”, but I think having countless characters showing up in one song causes quite a bit of anxiousness to the people listening as well. I was certain that there were things that could be conveyed even without saying them, and Ayano-chan is the only one who appears in Additional Memory, so I wrote the lyrics by cherishing a simple love letter-like image. I’ve been checking the reactions of everyone with my heart racing ever since the video was uploaded, and there are lots of fans who properly read between the lines, so I felt that what I’d wanted to convey was transmitted to them.

──It’s not just in the sound, but in the video as well, several parts that link up with the past KagePro were provided. What kind of advance arrangements did you have with Sidu-san, who produced the video?

It had been a while since the last time I had Sidu-san make a video, but we didn’t talk about revisions of what had happened until that point in our preparatory meetings. It was like, “Let’s work together again with a new song.” and, “Yes.” (laughs). I felt Sidu-san’s fervorous feelings for KagePro even without her putting it into words, so I basically requested her, “I think the videos have Sidu-san’s worldviews, so I want you to pull it along”.

“If it were five years ago, I most likely wouldn’t have written this.”

──Amongst the recorded songs, there are many that connect with the novel version and the manga version of KagePro, such as Shissou Word and Wasurete Shimatta Natsu no Owari ni, and only Remind Blue has a slightly different disposition, right? Its musical composition seems to look back at the story of KagePro, and the viewpoint is portrayed as from the future.

Up until now, the KagePro songs have been cherishing the subjectivity of children a lot. They were the world as seen by children, and sang the emotions of children themselves. What’s clearly different in Remind Blue is that it sings as if from the position of an adult recalling the past. There’s always been the feeling of “wishing to properly turn the Mekakushi-dan members into adults” within me, that’s why I’d wanted to show this side of it to everyone through the song called Remind Blue.

──Speaking of which, the song Summertime Record, which is included in the previous album Mekakucity Records, also has lyrics of which the contents reminisce to the past, right?

Summertime Record has an image of growing up but remembering the past while still being in one’s young years. In contraposition, Remind Blue looks back to one’s youth after it ended completely, you see. My intention was that I wanted to write about how the characters also properly grow up. But I think that, in majority, I became able to write about it because I myself properly turned into an adult. If it were five years ago, I most likely wouldn’t have written this.

──Remind Blue is a song that has one of the Mekakushi-dan members, Shintarou, as its protagonist, but will the grown-up figures of the other characters also be depicted from now on?

I still can’t talk about it for certain, but what I’m thinking is I want to show everyone a story that will be like a “future saga”. I believe I’ll most likely be able to write a novel of it and we might make a manga as well. I also have ideas for a KagePro spin-off and I wanna make a series of videos... Of course, to match up with these, I’ll create a new album too.

──You already have plans for a media mix project.

Yes. In order to develop the next conceptions, with the current timing, in which the novel and the manga have ended, I’ve brought in the song Remind Blue. I’ve reloaded it with this album, so I want people to look forward to the “gunfire” that is to come from now on.

“I was able to create this work because I had my own experiences.”

──The one in charge of the art of the manga annexed to the album’s Limited Edition A was the other member of ZOWLS, Saiyuki-san, who is making NIRVANA together with Jin-san.

There’s a proper meaning to the theme portrayed in this manga and in the fact that I had Saiyuki-sensei draw it. About three years ago, I was really depressed, and there was a time in which I could no longer see any meaning in creating works. During this time, I had a talk with Saiyuki-sensei. Saiyuki-sensei is someone who works with Comic Gene, which serializes the manga version “Kagerou Daze”, and I had read his series, so of course I listened to his talk. Back then, Saiyuki-sensei invited me like, “Why don’t we do something together?”... At that time, my emotional condition that was enough to make me think that I’d “end up being hated by the whole world”, so I was really saved by him coming to talk to me. I truly think that my being able to create music like this right now is thanks to Saiyuki-sensei.

──You also talked a bit about that when mentioning Hatsune Miku, but Jin-san, why do you end up thinking that you’re “hated by the people around you”? Seeing it from the sidelines, you’re a creator who has achieved great success with the media mix “Kagerou Project”, so I think many people have approved of your series.

I wonder why (laughs). I know that there are many fans who cheer for me. Still, I’m a person who was pretty negligent with my surroundings in order to create my work; for example, I haven’t been keeping in touch with my friends from the countryside for the longest time and am not called over to graduate’s reunions, and even having said so, I don’t have that many friends... Sorry, this kind of turned into a depressing talk.

──No, no.

After I started KagePro, I became able to sense that the people surrounding me were keeping a little distance. As the project gradually turned into a big deal and I became busier by the day, there was a time when I thought, “The only one within a 2m distance from me is my pillow”. If I went outside of those 2m, there would be a lot of people and I’d probably have been able to make lots of friends, but I somehow had a sense of estrangeness and wasn’t the one to reach my hand out to others.

──And then Saiyuki-san was the one who extended his hand to you.

Yes. As soon as he talked to me, I asked Saiyuki-sensei, “I’m bashed by a lot of people, you know? Are you okay with that?”. Even so, Saiyuki-sensei said, “Let’s do something together”.

──So, after this invitation, the manga NIRVANA, which Jin-san and Saiyuki-san are writing as the unit ZOWLS, was born, right?

Yes. NIRVANA was a story in which the protagonist, Hitotose Yachiyo, set out on a journey to gather companions named “The Twelve”, but this time, the contents are aware of the subjects from the manga that I had Saiyuki-sensei draw and of the connections between people. The contents are about each of the Mekakushi-dan members are thinking, “What is a friend?”, and I think it’s a manga that I was able to write because I had my own experiences. It’s a very worthwhile reading, so I want the people interested in it to read.

“I’ll write the best melodies in the world.”

──From what you have said, Jin-san, I got the impression that your situation is doing well obviously because you have arranged yourself an environment in which you are able to focus on your productions.

I’ll say this because I can now: the truth is that I created Mekakucity Records in a really tumultuous period. I’d wanted to take more time to make an album, but the adults around me would say things like, “Compromise is necessary in order to publish your work”. Back then, I thought, “It’s definitely not like that” (laughs). I was certain that one can definitely take time to create a work without compromise that would leave them thinking they did everything they could, and I believe I actually managed to do that with this work, Mekakucity Reload. At present, I can say for sure that I’m unable to create any works beyond it and I could muster all that’s important out of me. I think it turned out as the best album, full of songs I myself like.

──You said you were devoted to your writing, and the strength of your characteristic melodies did not weaken at all, but rather, they even gave off a feeling that they became more powerful.

It might sound cheeky of me to say this, but deem myself to be the human being who writes the best melodies in the whole world. It’s not like I’m saying that I’m awesome, but that I’m the one who knows my own taste best, so if I’m able to write melodies that fit this taste, the best melody should be born from that.

──I see.

I’m merely making melodies that I myself like the most into songs and having everyone listen to them, right? As I made music like this, I met lots of people who had me thinking that their hobbies are the same as mine, so as long as those people are looking forward to it, I believe there’s meaning in my continuing to make music.

#kagerou project #kagepro #mekakucity actors #mekakucity reload #kagerou daze #jin #shizen no teki p #interview #hatsune miku #yes she's mentioned #music natalie #my translation #i'm glad i left this one for last #it's the funniest

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whatisonthemoonarchive · 5 years ago

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Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak’s letter (April 22, 2020) Letter to Blessed families, brothers and sisters of the Unification Movement

Beloved Blessed families, brothers and sisters, I hope that God’s love and divine protection may always be with you and your families. As we celebrate Reverend Sun Myung Moon, True Father’s 100th birthday in 2020, I pray the unique experiences and moments you had with Father on earth can feel even more alive and become the catalyst and motivation for your lives. Today, I am sending what could be my last letter to you with a very desperate heart. At this moment, I can’t merely stand by looking at the sad situation our Unification Movement is in. Especially when I think of how today True Father’s lifelong achievements for the realization of God’s peaceful ideal world should be shining the brightest and when the providential movement he led should be bearing its best fruit. After much thought and consideration, I decided to write this letter. Last spring, on the occasion of the 7th anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa, I published my book Truth Shall Prevail after a decade of silence. Throughout the entire writing process I was overtaken by a longing for Father and felt sorry towards him. In that book, I testified to the kind of person that True Father was from the perspective of someone who experienced him at the closest position for over 50 years. Furthermore, the book serves as a truthful historical and factual record of the situation I witnessed amid the confusion that took place in the Unification Movement for the last 10 years. When I heard that many Blessed family members were able to open their eyes to the truth and gained the courage to start over again through reading that book, I sincerely prayed that the book can serve to comfort Father and that it may become a light that guides the Unification Movement in the right direction. Meanwhile, around that time last year I participated in the centennial commemorative celebration of the March 1st movement at the plaza in front of the National Assembly building. I was moved beyond words. One Japanese female NGO activist went on stage and shouted out that she made it this far because she was fascinated by Dr. Hyun Jin Moon’s “Korean Dream”. I could not but feel a surge of excitement. Hyun Jin Nim’s masterful and eloquent speech in front of the National Assembly moved all the honorable guests, including the mayor of Seoul, Won-soon Park. During the event that was being broadcast live nationally, I tried not to get choked up every time I saw Hyun Jin Nim’s image appear on the stage on screen. All I could think of was how happy Father would have been were he alive and watching this scene. Last summer, my wife and the families of my children participated in the Special Blessing Ceremony for the Foundation of Cheon Il Guk officiated by Hyun Jin Nim. We received the great blessing of being able to engraft onto the True Family once again. As our true Abel and elder brother, Hyun Jin Nim forgave the Blessed families that had deserted and persecuted him. He offered this opportunity for Blessed families to participate in that Blessing ceremony, with the hope that they will repent, return, and reconnect to the True Family to walk the path as owners of Cheon Il Guk. This Special Blessing Ceremony for the Foundation of Cheon Il Guk is not a one-off Blessing ceremony event, but rather a process that all Blessed families must go through to atone for their mistakes. Although I can’t explain the entire meaning of it in this letter, I believe you should know that it is of grave providential importance. Last winter there was a very happy occasion in Hyun Jin Nim’s family. One of Hyun Jin Nim’s daughters received the holy wedding with her parents as officiators of the ceremony. In no time, four of Hyun Jin Nim’s nine children established a 3-generation True Family. The day after the holy wedding a group of First and Second-Generation grooms and brides participated in a joint Blessing ceremony with Hyun Jin Nim’s couple as the officiators. Three of my grandchildren also received the Blessing that day. I feel incredible hope seeing Hyun Jin Nim wholly inherit and develop the core mission that Father carried on, advancing internal and external goals abiding by God’s providential standard and the Principle. Considering all the hardship endured over the last 10 years and the situations that took place behind the scenes, it is truly moving and one can only shed tears of gratitude and be thankful to Heaven to see Hyun Jin Nim’s family settle as it has. Overcoming this sacrificial process Hyun Jin Nim’s entire family set the most exemplary precedent and tradition of the True Family before Heaven. Not only that, he also forgave Blessed families and opened the path for them to reconnect to God’s Will and the providence; externally he lay the great foundation of our providential movement for South Korea and the world. Isn’t this the biggest consolation and hope for True Father as he enters his 100th birthday? If there are those among you who are truly concerned for Hyun Jin Nim and are offering jungsung for him, I ask that you have a little bit more courage and approach Hyun Jin Nim’s public letters, prayers, or his official books, such as “Realizing God’s Dream” or “Korean Dream”. Taking it one step further, I earnestly ask you to please check for yourselves directly the type of work he has been doing and the type of life that Hyun Jin Nim has been leading. We used to tell those who unilaterally opposed Father that if they wanted to know who Reverend Sun Myung Moon was, they should go and see for themselves the work that he did. Likewise, if you want to really know what kind of person Hyun Jin Nim is, you will find the answer in the work that he does and the life that he leads. Blessed families, brothers and sisters, Because we are celebrating the 100th birthday and 8th anniversary of True Father’s Seonghwa this year, I see this period as one of great providential transformation. Though the confusion within the Unification Movement reached a climax, from this year it will begin to correct itself faster than you can anticipate. The calls for self-purification will not be heard from Heaven but from earth. That’s because Blessed families who want to protect God’s will and True Father’s achievements will resolutely stand up and their spirit will spread like wildfire. For me, more than anything else, I believe in the removal of all false figures cast upon True Father’s fundamental teachings and great lifetime achievements, so that their original true worth may be shown to the world; and thereby opening a new era that can inspire courage and hope in all people. Hyun Jin Nim will be standing at the forefront of that effort with righteous and determined Blessed families participating together. Some day, as if by fate, the entire Unification Movement will follow the path that they opened for us. If you have properly perceived the big picture of this providential moment—even though we see all sorts of regrettable content one after the other coming from some parts of the Unification Movement today—you will not need to feel disappointment or despair. It’s the phenomenon of disgusting pus oozing and exploding from all the sores and abscesses that the Unification Movement suffered from for a long time. But it’s also a hopeful sign that new skin will grow. This is a process by which the providence is corrected; truth and lies are determined; and Principled and unprincipled acts are clearly differentiated. Therefore, we must move forward with the mentality that we will be the ones to take responsibility over this problem, discerning that which is right and wrong from a principled perspective and from the viewpoint of God’s will and providence. That is what True Father expected of us—it’s the 5% portion of responsibility given to each and every one of us. And it cannot but be the final responsibility of our elder Blessed family members who are entering the final stage of their lives on earth. I recently heard the news that Mother did away with the “Family Federation” and started a new “Heavenly Parents Church”. I see this phenomenon as a clear separation of that which is true and that which is false at the final moment. Looking just at this latest direction from Mother, it is evident that she completely left Father and is walking down a road that goes against God’s providence. Brothers and sisters, how was the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification born and what was the mission of that providential organization? The founding of the Family Federation was considered a great providential shift, so how did the providence change before and after its founding? Did True Father’s passing signify the end of the need for the Family Federation? If we answer these questions correctly, we will understand how Mother’s decision to go on with her “Heavenly Parents Church” is counter-providential. After going through a period of indemnity for 40 years, True Father opened the era of the Completed Testament Age. As the first International President, I remember clearly that Father was so deeply moved when he founded the Family Federation that he took the lead in the preparation for the founding of this providential organization. The reason Father was so moved was not because he established another providential organization among many. It’s because the providential moment for Father to walk the original path that he was supposed to walk as the Messiah, Lord of the Second Coming, True Parent had finally begun after 40 years. The launching of the Family Federation represented the great providential transition from the era of the providence of restoration to the era of the Completed Testament Age: The establishment of a peaceful ideal world centered on God’s ideal family. In other words, it meant the beginning of creating a world of one family under God. More precisely, with the settlement of the True Family, which carries God’s original lineage, all of humanity would engraft on to that True Family and become God’s children of goodness and lineage through the Blessing movement. And the expansion of that Blessing movement would lead to the realization of God’s ideal world. The most important mission that the Family Federation had at that significant turning point of the providence was the Settlement of the True Parents and the True Family, which are the root of God’s providential Movement. In order for the True Family to settle centered on the True Parents, not only do the Three Great Kingships and the Four Great Realms of Heart have to be secured, but the standard of uniting the Cain-type and Abel-type realms has to be achieved. True Father did not desire succession by an institutionalized church system as exists in established religious entities for future generations. As Father tended to ask: If Jesus had direct descendants, would he have bequeathed his crown to his disciples? Father desired for the son that he publicly recognized to inherit the same authority Father held and to continue his messianic mission. In order to set that order and tradition, after recognizing Hyun Jin Nim in 1998, Father announced the Era of Father-Son Cooperation. Father said that in the future even Mother should follow the son that Father recognized then. Not only that, but the Blessed families representing the worldwide Cain-type realm have to become one with the realm of the True Children, especially with the elder son recognized by Father, thereby uniting the Cain-Abel realms. The condition of that Cain-Abel unity is necessary for the Settlement of the True Family, and it is on that basis that Foundation Day can be proclaimed. One other important mission the Family Federation was supposed to achieve was the awakening of humankind’s universal spirituality through the Blessing movement. It was supposed to fulfill the role of educating and guiding people starting from each individual family so that each family could establish a God-centered family fulfilling each family member’s individual portion of responsibility, thereby leading to the expansion of that cultural realm from the tribal level to the nation and to the world. In order to open the providential era prior to the Family Federation, True Father announced the establishment of the Family Pledge on May 1, 1994, he opened the era in which we could report (pray) in our own names, and established the Hoondok tradition. These were radical measures announced by Father one after the other. All of these measures were intimately connected and were meant to be for human beings, who had restored the original parent-child relationship that was intended at Creation, to fulfill their portion of responsibility at the basic family level in the Completed Testament Age. These were traditions that were absolutely necessary to substantially establish God’s ultimate sovereignty on this earth. At the time, as I was honoring True Father’s words, I wondered whether the people leading the Family Federation truly understood the significance of the great providential transition that had taken place. And I could not but seriously question whether they fully carried out their public responsibility and mission. Because if they had properly understood and honored True Father’s will, there would not be the confusion that exists today. Since I was in charge of the Family Federation at the time, I am by no means free from this responsibility. Although externally the Family Federation carried out a variety of activities and increased the number of Blessed families, they only acted as the “Family Federation” in name—leaders desired it to settle as just any other church. The gravest mistake they made was to divinize True Parents and repeat the error that Christianity made towards Jesus. The leaders went as far as to absolutize True Parents and use that concept as a way to maintain their own authority. They made a false framework that ‘any order given from True Parents must absolutely be followed since True Parents are one in body and spirit and are omniscient,’ and took advantage of it treating members like ignorant masses to be exploited. And they especially used this mentality to drive out Hyun Jin Nim, who was their biggest threat. After True Father passed onto spirit world, the leaders propagated the idea that Mother could communicate with Father—asking questions and receiving answers—and that Father and Mother were always connected as one, to make members blindly follow any direction that came from Mother’s mouth. The messiah is a human being and is not a being that knows everything. As a person advances in age normal bodily functions weaken, eventually growing old and sick. It is also the case with one’s mental state. True Father was not an exception to human aging. Because Father was well aware of this point it is said that he told Hyun Jin Nim around 2007 that, “there will come a time when Father is like a child,” and therefore, when that time comes you (Hyun Jin Nim) should go on and take responsibility over everything. The FFWPU leadership promoted that Mother was completely united with Father, and even Mother spoke as if she was asking questions and receiving answers from God Himself. Such claims are completely contrary to the Principle and are a mockery and insult to both God and Father. One can know whether Mother is united with Father, or whether she is one with God’s will by looking at her words and actions. If the leaders really had confidence on this point they would not have promoted it heavily the way they did; and even if Mother didn’t say that she communicated with God and received answers, people would naturally have followed Mother and they would have testified to her being one with God and Father. Although Hyun Jin Nim attempted to reform the Family Federation numerous times after being inaugurated as International Vice-President in 1998, he repeatedly faced opposition and had to experience frustration and setbacks. At one point in 2009, the FFWPU leadership even attempted to drive him away from the Unification Movement—to leave him out in the wilderness. The sin that these FFWPU leaders falsely blamed upon Hyun Jin Nim was that he was a son who disobeyed Father’s direction and that he was a thief who stole public assets. The truly ironic thing is that as these leaders blamed and criticized Hyun Jin Nim, the people of the world recognized Dr. Hyun Jin Moon as the person who fully inherited Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s will and continued on his work. They evaluated Hyun Jin Nim as the person who achieved incredible results to advance Father’s work. I want to sincerely ask you: Who is the person that inherited Father’s authority? And who really usurped Father’s foundation? Who is the person that is truly realizing Father’s will in this era? On December 2, 2017, Hyun Jin Nim inaugurated the Family Peace Association (FPA). Because the Family Federation had strayed from its original mission and it was no longer possible to work with that vehicle, Hyun Jin Nim made this determination. At the inaugural speech of FPA, he said, “for me personally, this inauguration expresses my commitment to continuing my father’s lifelong work.” Today, 3 years after the founding of FPA—considering that Mother is throwing away the Family Federation and changing to her new “Heavenly Parents Church” that has no relevance with the providence—one cannot but be amazed at the mysterious ways in which God’s providence works and at Hyun Jin Nim’s incredible foresight. For members being forced to change their faith onto the Heavenly Parents Church, which is like a spiritual death sentence, the Family Peace Association founded by Hyun Jin Nim is like a lifeboat that came to the rescue. After True Father’s Seonghwa ceremony, Mother changed and eliminated many things he established. Mother changed and distorted the Eight Great Textbooks that Father directly canonized. And she made the Cheon Il Guk constitution as if they were laws of a particular religion, instead of upholding Father’s desire to complete a proper constitution based on the Family Pledge. And there are other examples in which she eliminated Father’s precious achievements overnight. Mother went as far as changing her own identity. In all of human history she was the most precious being because True Father went through a course to re-create her to become True Mother. But she threw away the status of True Mother and reappeared with a new name as the “only begotten daughter”. Now she claims that she is a being that was born without original sin for the first time in 6000 years, and that she knew the Principle without receiving education from anyone. Mother’s assertions are in direct contradiction and opposition to True Father’s teaching that the messiah, who comes as completed Adam, finds and selects a woman among fallen women, and receives her as a bride. Mother’s claims completely turn against Father’s teaching that, “God invested His 100% to create Adam, and Adam invests his 100% to create Eve.” I gave Principle lectures in person to Mother during the beginning of Parents’ holy wedding period, and upon Mother’s request I even gave her documents with a summary of the main points of the Principle. Knowing this, I truly have no way of understanding how Mother could make such false and unprincipled claims. Taking it a step even further from claiming herself to be the “only begotten daughter”, Mother changed the designation of God to “Heavenly Parents”. Some may say this is not a problem because it looks like an expression of God as our Parent. However, it is actually a claim of dualism that shakes the very foundation of the monotheistic view of God that comes from the Judeo-Christian line of faith. It also stems from ignorance and from not properly understanding God’s original state explained both in the Divine Principle and in Unification Thought. The term “Heavenly Parent” occasionally appears in The Sermons of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. But, the term “Heavenly Parent” that appears in The Sermons is more of an expression used to emphasize the heartistic relationship between God and humanity. Its meaning is completely different from the “Heavenly Parents” that is mentioned in Mother’s autobiography or in FFWPU memos. Furthermore, according to “The Principle of Creation” in the Exposition of the Divine Principle, God is defined as “the Subject in whom the dual characteristics of original internal nature and original external form are in harmony. At the same time, God is the harmonious union of masculinity and femininity, which manifest the qualities of original internal nature and original external form, respectively.” In this definition the original internal nature and original external form are the primary characteristics, and the masculine and feminine aspects are His attributes, according to the Principle and Unification Thought. What ultimately remains is God as a “Subject with dual characteristics in harmony.” As such, the proper definition of God is that of a subject with dual characteristics in harmony (neutral), so why is Mother obsessing with the attributes of masculinity and femininity which are not even the primary characteristics? The reason for that is because of the influence of feminism over Mother. This can be understood from what is written in the Introduction of her new autobiography. Trying to understand God from the theological perspective of a radical feminist, the only thing they can see is the part that talks about God’s attributes regarding His ‘dual characteristics of masculinity and femininity’. This only goes to show how Mother and those around her are ignorant regarding the Principle or the history of the providence. “However, due to the fall of human ancestors the ideal of creation of the Heavenly Parents was prolonged, and, a male-centric history proceeded centered on God’s masculinity as Heavenly Father instead of the status of Heavenly Parents. Hellenism and Hebraism, which formed the foundation of Western civilization, advanced a strictly male-centric history. Therefore, the status of Heavenly Mother which is God’s femininity was concealed, and God could not become Heavenly Parents. The reason the feminist movement that detonated in the West degenerated into a mere revolutionary movement of resistance against the rule of men is also related to God’s ontological status.” - “Mother of peace”, Introduction – This time, when Mother announced that they would no longer be the Family Federation, and that they were adopting a new identity and name as the Heavenly Parents Church, I wondered what providential pretext would be offered to justify it. According to the public notice issued on April 4th, 2020, by the FFWPU, it stated that, “Because [we are] in a position to embrace all 7.7 billion people around the world, we are no longer the Unification Church and we are no longer the Family Federation. We are changing the name to the Heavenly Parents Church.” These words reveal Mother’s low level of understanding of the Principle and her view of the providence. Because the world can’t be embraced through the Family Federation, she will create an even more narrow church denomination to do that? What kind of nonsensical claim is this? Her words mean that the Family Federation isn’t good enough to embrace the whole world, then isn’t that saying that Father created a providential organization that is limited? It is truly hard to agree with her claims. And that is because as he officially inaugurated the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in 1996 and 1997, True Father internationally and interreligiously opened the doors wide for the Blessing so that all the 7.7 billion people of the world would be able to participate in it. Father even proclaimed the cosmic universalization of the Blessing, thereby allowing spirits in spirit world to also participate in the Blessing; he expanded the Blessing providence even more so that people could participate within the realm of the grace of the Blessing depending on a person’s stage in the cycle of life, whether it be in a rebirth ceremony (in the womb, newborn), or a resurrection ceremony (adolescence), or an eternal life ceremony (elderly age). The Heavenly Parents Church has no providential justification. So, I considered why Mother is trying to create this church from another perspective. Could it be that it’s because in Mother’s mind the only thing that exists are the True Parents, and there is no concept of the True Family? I have frequently heard Mother’s speeches and it has been a long time since I heard her say the word “True Family”. She only emphasizes submission and obedience to Parents. But, one time Hyun Jin Nim said something that is in contrast with Mother. At the 50th True God’s Day anniversary Hyun Jin Nim said, “There can be no True Parents if there are no True Children.” At the celebration of True Father’s 100th birthday, Hyun Jin Nim said that True Father’s greatest achievement was establishing the True Family on earth, and that the most important providential institution in God’s providence is True Family. He said that the Blessing does not come from any church, but that it comes from the True Family. Both the Family Federation and the Family Peace Association live by the motto that a peaceful ideal world can be realized and all of humanity can live with God as the Parent of humankind by establishing an ideal family of God, that is a God-centered family. Without creating the basis for the Three Great Kingships and the Four Great Realms of Heart centered on the True Family, God cannot dwell at the center of that family as the Parent. By ignoring the basic notions of the Principle of Creation and demanding that we only worship True Parents, Mother herself is tearing down the foundation of the True Children who should be able to reach the position of True Parents. Isn’t that what her claims mean? If Mother truly desired to embrace the 7.7 billion people of the world, instead of isolating herself by creating the Heavenly Parents Church, she should return to the path of establishing a True Family where God would want to visit and dwell in. If Mother returns to the position of God’s true daughter, Father’s true wife, Children’s true mother, then all humanity and the entire spirit world will serve and love Mother as the True Mother. Concluding remarks – The key that opens the door to Heaven, the Three Great Kingships and the Four Position Foundation in the True Family, the Vertical Axial Line Beloved Blessed families, brothers and sisters, Humanity was born with original sin and, as if by fate, we cannot alone remove ourselves from Satan’s false love, false life, and false lineage. As such, humanity can only become part of God’s family by engrafting onto the Tree of Life which is the Three Great Kingships and the Four Position Foundation of the True Family. When Mother gave birth to Ye Jin Nim, True Father told Blessed families, “Through the very small condition of participating in Mother’s labor pains, Blessed families go back into the position of being in the womb and are as if reborn as twins with the True Children.” And that is why Blessed families have the tradition to attend and call the True Children as our elder brothers and sisters, regardless of age. For the last 10 years or so, the relationship between Blessed families and the “original lineage” of True Family and True Children—which are the root of God’s true life, true love, and true lineage—has been disconnected by the words and actions of so-called “church leaders” surrounding Mother. I heard that instead of “succession by lineage,” they are calling it “succession by an institutionalized church system”. Although Blessed families had the special privilege of receiving True Father’s grace through the Family Pledge to be “Owners of Cheon Il Guk”, “to represent and become central to heaven and earth”, “to become a family that moves heavenly fortune”, and to be “a family that conveys Heaven's blessing to our community”, we must not forget the 7th verse of the Family Pledge which establishes the prerequisite of being a family that connects with the “original lineage”. There is no doubt that the “original lineage” refers to the vertical axial line of the Three Great Kingships and Four Position Foundation of the True Family, which is the Tree of Life. On August 13, 2012, True Father offered his “final report” to God putting all of his jungsung and soul and body. In this report True Father earnestly and desperately asked that all Blessed families attend the True Family’s True Children at the center and fulfill their duties as tribal messiahs, so that the substantial Cheon Il Guk could be offered up to God. But our Blessed families and members are forgetting True Father’s “final report”. The last providential event True Father participated while on earth was titled the “Proclamation of the Word of the True Body through the Cosmic Assembly for the Firm Settlement of the True Parents of Heaven, Earth and Humankind.” In the last part of True Father’s public speech in this event he said that the Eight Great Textbooks are gifts that he is giving to humanity, and they are his will (as in, final wish before passing away). True Father asked us to continue forward centered on these words until Cheon Il Guk is established. Among the Eight Great Textbooks, three of them are especially designated as sacred texts; these are the “Cheon Seong Gyeong, Peace Messages, and the Family Pledge”. Father gave a clear and dire warning that, “These three volumes are sacred texts and they are Heaven’s constitution; therefore, you should not change even one letter.” Yet, despite Father’s strong words, Mother and those leaders surrounding her were hatching a plan to dismantle and change the content of the Eight Great Textbooks as True Father was lying on his deathbed before passing onto spirit world. The result of that scheme is Mother’s so-called “Cheon Il Guk scriptures” which includes Mother’s version of the “Cheon Seong Gyeong, Peace Messages, and Chambumo Gyeong”. Even after witnessing what Mother and leaders had done, the Blessed families and members stood by idly, keeping their mouths shut. But I heard that in the upcoming 60th Anniversary of True Parents Holy Wedding, Mother and leaders are going to publish a new version of the “Chambumo Gyeong” that contains additional unprincipled and counter-providential content proclaiming the “only begotten daughter,” among other claims. Are we just going to stand by and look the other way, even as they continuously dismantle, damage, and doctor the words of the Eight Great Textbooks? True Father left all the tangible and intangible providential foundation, along with the title of “Owner of Cheon Il Guk”, for Blessed families to inherit. The ownership of the Eight Great Textbooks belongs to no one other than the “Owners of Cheon Il Guk,” that is, you, the Blessed families. These Texts are God and True Father’s “final gift and will” that he is giving to Blessed families and to humanity. For how much longer will we, Blessed Families, be relinquishing our responsibility and right as owners? Mother and the “church” leaders have been destroying and selling away the providential foundation and holy grounds established by True Father. What kind of place was the Su-Taek-Ri Central Training Center? It’s the very place where the providence for the International Victory Over Communism started, as well as being the main place where matchings for Blessings took place. It was also the birth place of providential and Principle education that would lead to world peace and new life. They sold that place and put up apartments there. Mother and these leaders have changed the names of all the main providential institutions that True Father founded while he was alive, adding the words “HJ, Hyo-jeong, Magnolia” to them. Are there Blessed family members that are still unaware those words and letters are the English initials of Mother’s name? They are the symbolic representation of Mother, Hak Ja Han. Now, they have changed the name of the “Family Federation” to “Heavenly Parents Church”. The Family Federation was supposed to be a providential organization that would substantially realize Cheon Il Guk on earth during the Completed Testament Age. But instead, this has been changed to the “Heavenly Parents Church”; a name which seems to come right from the Old or New Testament during the age of the providence of restoration through indemnity. Mother and the “church” leaders surrounding her are now advancing their new “Heavenly Parents Church” with content that is female-centric, only-begotten-daughter-centric, and radically feminist. Even as they live in the “Completed Testament Age” where they should be substantiating the original ideal of creation, they are going in the opposite direction. Through their actions they are dragging parts of the Unification Movement and Blessed families back to the era of the Old and New Testaments—an era in which we need salvation from Satan and from sins. By doing so they have put Blessed families back in a position as if they had fallen again. Blessed families, brothers and sisters! We are now at a crossroads where we must make a final decision and determination. Will it be True Father, or the only begotten daughter? Is it God’s true love, true life, and true lineage, or is it Satan’s false love, false life, and false lineage? Is it the Principle, or is it unprincipled? Is it the path of the providence or is it counter-providential? Will you choose life or will you choose death? Will you be an owner of Cheon Il Guk, or will you be a fallen servant? We no longer have the leisure to hesitate. Blessed families, brothers and sisters, I conclude this letter hoping that God and True Father will be happy by the choice you make.

April 22, 2020 Chung Hwan Kwak

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bramblepaws · 6 years ago

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alright i’m gonna try to put all of my thoughts on this together into one post so i dont have to say anything else about it ever again

Mike is not abusive. Lucy is not abusive.

Now, a disclaimer: if you have been abused, and you see elements of your own abuse in their relationship, that’s valid! The point of my argument is not to tell you that your relationship wasn’t abuse. You know better than anyone else what it was.

okay! now onto the meat.

To start off: evidence that Lucy is an abuser.

Lucy repeatedly hurts Mike physically from the start of the comic up ‘til December, from kicks and slaps, to hitting him with a stick, and everything in between.

Mike feels trapped in the relationship because Lucy depends on him so heavily

Mike feels cut-off from their friends, as he believes they will side with Lucy every time.

The comic started out as a slapstick one with kids in eighth grade; everyone hit each other to start with. Mike literally punts Yashy a few times. Lucy was the only one who didn’t grow out of it -- she continues to slap Mike on occasion. It never, however, follows a cycle of abuse. Abusers generally follow a cycle when they physically abuse someone: they lead up to physical violence with threats and emotional abuse, then physically attack the other person, then cycle through apologies and excuses and manipulation to keep their victim from blaming them. Lucy is physically violent with all of her friends, and does not EVER apologize or express remorse over it. I would label it as bullying behavior rather than abusive, which is terrible in and of itself.

Mike severely over-estimates how one-sided the dependency is. Neither he nor Lucy have any other friends that match the level of closeness they have with each other. I’m going to just c/p one of my other posts for clarification;

Mike and Lucy had the exact same “most people only like me cuz im attractive, Mike/Lucy is the only one who genuinely likes me for who i am” attitude regarding their other friends.

For Lucy : Daisy viewed Lucy as a romantic rival for Mike’s affection, and was pretty neutral and detached with any interaction outside of that. Paulo was interested in getting in Lucy’s pants and didn’t interact with her outside of hitting on her aggressively. David is partially there for Paulo, and partially there to ALSO hit on her. Sue and Amaya don’t interact with her much, but there is implication that they also see her as a romantic rival for Mike’s affection.

All of this results in Lucy believing that everyone has ulterior motives for being her friend. The various random middle schoolers that crush on her and call her hot encourage this view. Mike is the only one who doesn’t fit into this pattern; they met on the pretext of (what she saw as) friendly competition and nothing else. She was the one who initiated friendship, further proving that he doesn’t have ulterior motives.

For Mike : Daisy saw Mike as a romantic interest and didn’t interact with him outside of hitting on him. Paulo saw Mike as a romantic rival for Lucy’s affections and a person to insult. David is there for Lucy and Paulo, and doesn’t really interact with Mike outside of interacting through those people. Sue and Amaya both see Mike as a romantic interest.

All of this results in Mike… most likely ALSO believing that people have ulterior motives for being his friend. He takes note of the fact that many girls are interested in dating him in “Prom Preparation” and laments that fact, as he isn’t interested in any of them. Lucy is the only one who doesn’t fit into this pattern; she established their friendship on the pretext of competition, which he enjoys (though he wishes she was less harsh about it), and zero romantic interest. She also tries to stick by him even when he’s romantically unavailable (regarding Sandy), further cementing the idea that she isn’t using him for something else.

Mike and Lucy are both VERY reliant on the other person to be their only True Friend. they both crush on each other throughout the series, but it’s understood for both of them that they aren’t going to let that get in the way of other things. they both see past the exterior of the other person – Mike sees that Lucy is sweet and fun under her “hot” & spiky exterior, and Lucy sees that Mike is sweet and fun under his “hot” & humble exterior. They relied on each other to see themselves as like… real people, rather than either something to be Won or competed with.

On another note, Mike relied just as heavily on Lucy for emotional support — she comforted him every time he was upset about Sandy, had his back during and after Confrontation, and generally set aside her teasing if it seemed like he was actually upset about something. In return he protected her from her phobia of water, defended her from the ire and desire of their friends, and gave emotional support back. Their dependency was about equal in the end, though Mike later leaned heavily on the idea that she needed him more than he needed her (and was proven wrong, as recent chapters have shown).

The above paragraphs also illustrate that BOTH of them felt cut off from friends; neither of them felt that any of their other friends were dependable for much. When it came down to it, Daisy would always side with Mike and Paulo would always side with Lucy. Lucy felt equally sure that people, aside from Paulo, would side with Mike.

The main issue here, however, is that nobody spoke up about Lucy’s physical bullying of Mike. They all grew up hitting each other for the lulz, and when they all slowly drifted to a stop she didn’t. But Mike never acted like it bothered him, never said anything against it — so I have to assume that everyone, Lucy included, just inferred that Mike didn’t mind it. Mike resented this, but he never said anything about it, because he was used to it too. It took Sandy to help him realize that he didn’t deserve to be hit — but for some reason, he bottled it up and grew resentful instead of communicating with Lucy about it. Lucy, meanwhile, has been shown to be respectful of the boundaries of other people once they’ve clearly set them. It’s my belief that she would’ve stopped hitting if he had asked her to. In an abusive relationship, that just isn’t the case. Asking an abuser to stop doing something is a surefire way to be manipulated/gaslit and then for the activity to either remain the same or increase. We can’t know for sure because Mike never asks her to stop, but there is no indication that he never says anything about it because he’s afraid of retaliation. He’s not afraid of her at all, which is another point in the favor of it not being abuse.

Another important detail: Lucy isn’t controlling. When she finds out Mike is still interacting with a girl he originally left her for, she’s genuinely happy for him and gives him space about it. She gets pissed about it later when he isn’t being honest with her or himself, but is genuinely happy when he IS honest about it because she knows Sandy is important to him. Most abusers would not handle the situation the same way. If Lucy was abusive, she would’ve most likely reacted with anger and a desire to stop communication between the two of them. She could have used third grade as a way to guilt-trip and manipulate Mike out of interacting with Sandy, who posed a threat to their relationship. But she didn’t. This doesn’t inherently make her NOT an abuser, but it’s a tick in that direction. Lucy also doesn’t influence their friends to side against Mike at all. She’s just… living her life, not really giving a shit either way WHAT her friends think about either her or Mike. Abusers are generally very concerned with how they’re viewed. They put in a lot of time and effort to make sure they seem like nice, likable people. They’re especially controlling about how their victim sees them — Lucy never really influences Mike either way other than just Being Around As His Friend. She doesn’t seem to even care about his opinion at all -- until later on in their relationship, when she opens up to outsiders how much his opinion matters to her. But even at that point… she’s not really doing anything to influence him aside from just Being Nicer, which is something a normal friend would do and isn’t manipulative at all.

Overall, Lucy just doesn’t strike me as abusive. The physical attacks and general mean-ness are absolutely bullying and toxic behavior, and the relationship between the two of them is clearly codependent and toxic. But Lucy isn’t controlling, she isn’t manipulative, she doesn’t gaslight. She isn’t hell-bent on making sure Mike thinks only the best of her while making him think of himself as complete garbage — she goes out of her way to be as honest and frank with him about herself (aside from her crush on him) as she can. She was a bad friend, but not an abusive one.

Now, on to Mike!

Evidence that Mike is an abuser.

Lucy feels incredibly dependent on their friendship

Mike was manipulative during December

Mike is being manipulative and controlling after their friendship ended

Re: dependency — see above long paragraphs about their relationship.

December was a horrible, heart-wrenching chapter. Mike had bottled up feelings and built up resentment for a LONG time leading up to this, and all of it exploded out at once in an irreversible decimation of their friendship. And that’s exactly what he wanted it to be — he was tired of her trying to be his friend, and he’d hinted at it plenty of times, but enough was enough and he had to spell it out for her. He tells her he hates her. Explains that Sandy helped him see that it wasn’t right to let Lucy hurt him all the time. And then says that he’s going to stop hanging out with her at lunch. All of this is standard horrible-friend-breakup stuff; it’s the next two bits that get the honor of making the whole event Unforgivably Bad.

Mike tells her that if he leaves, all of their other friends will probably follow him. Lucy will be left alone.

This is an absolutely horrible thing to say to someone. To tell them that no one actually likes them, they’re just tolerated. That if all the friends were forced to choose between two people, they sure wouldn’t pick Lucy! And Lucy would be abandoned, which has been her number one fear since third grade (and why wouldn’t it be? humans are social creatures and NEED friends to survive).

But this isn’t abuse. It definitely rings as something close. In fact — (this is gonna be personal for the first time in the essay just to warn u) — the person who abused ME used a similar tactic, though with a different endgame in mind. When I rejected him the first time, he forced our friends into a position where they had to choose between us. His intent was to get me to relent and date him, to stop causing strife in our mutual friend group — or, failing that, to punish me for taking away what he saw as rightfully his (aka me).

Mike’s actions were similar, but his intention was very different. He wanted her to hurt; he wanted revenge for the way he had been treated, and he wanted to make it VERY clear that he didn’t want to be friends with her. He wanted, furthermore, to prove that he wasn’t in the wrong for this: he was the victim, and other people treating Lucy like she was a bully would be validating for his own victimhood.

I genuinely don’t think he was trying to manipulate her here. He was trying to hurt her badly and was succeeding in doing so. He was being absolutely monstrous, but not abusive. His intent with this was not to control; he was lashing out to hurt someone who had hurt him, which Everyone Does. It was horrible, but not abusive. It pushed Lucy into a depression, but it wasn’t abusive. It not being abusive doesn’t make it any less fucked up IMO. It was terrible and it had terrible consequences! It just was a different beast than abuse.

After Lucy comes back, Mike is clearly consumed with guilt. All he does for her first day there is hide from her and stare guiltily at her from a distance. He tries to talk to her a couple of times, but isn’t able to catch her alone. He gets antsy about old physical violence from her and yells about it, then tries AGAIN to catch her alone so they can talk but does it in a really weird passive-aggressive manner because she’s been acting weird and he doesn’t know how to handle it, and he doesn’t really want to deal with his guilt over what he said in December. She gives him the chance to apologize, but is openly resistant to it, and he ends up completely fumbling the ball and doing just a god-awful job of apologizing, and then getting overly defensive about Sandy and completely ruining any chance he had. He starts clinging to his victim complex with everything he’s got, because suddenly he can see how much he fucked things up, and he doesn’t know how to handle it. He follows her again, because he misses her and hates her and misses Sandy and wants her to be there for him and wants her to prove that she deserved what he said to her. He’s called out for glaring at her and is Reminded Again That Sandy’s AWOL.

But most of this isn’t what people point to when they’re saying he’s abusive — this is all just him being a freak, but like, a normal freak. It’s in Witch Hunt that he flips into the extreme again. He starts ranting and raving about how obsessed Lucy is to Daisy, despite like… having just seen how much she doesn’t want male attention…… I think it’s partially because he’s used to her leaning on him when others ramp up their romantic attention for her, because he used to be the one that would just leave her alone in that regard. Plus there’s the whole messed-up-about-Sandy thing that Lucy used to swoop in and comfort him for. But I’m getting off track.

He starts ranting about how obsessed she is with him. Daisy is immediately like “I don’t think she is dude” but he relents, so she snaps at him and storms off.

From what I understand, people are reading this scene as abusive because they interpret this as him trying to control how others see Lucy. He’s ranting about a mutual friend he’s having trouble with, which he HAS done about Lucy in particular a number of times. I can definitely see where people are coming from with this one. If you look at it a certain way, it comes across as him trying to slander her name. But it could just as easily be him ranting about a person he’s having trouble with, which everyone does, all the time. I’ve ranted about a person I don’t like to people plenty of times, and it was never ABUSIVE, because all of the other requirements for abuse weren’t set into place.

This, IMO, falls under the same category as Lucy’s physical violence. It’s definitely present in abusive situations, but there are guidelines for abuse that it just doesn’t fit into. He doesn’t have control over Lucy or any of their friends in this scenario. He isn’t using this to try and isolate Lucy; he’s just trying to get his friends to see his side of the story and help him feel better about the awful way he treated her. It’s Super Shitty, but it isn’t abuse.

In summation: I get the bits and pieces that people see in their relationship that matches up with abuse, but there just isn’t enough there to label either Mike or Lucy abusive. The basic requirements for abuse haven’t been met. There are things present that can definitely happen in abusive relationships, and their relationship was absolutely toxic and bad, but it isn’t abuse.

As a final note of evidence that I fall back on every time the subject comes up: both parties have been offered up as possible abusers. Lucy has been stated by many to be possibly abusive, and Mike has been stated by just as many to be possibly abusive. But they can’t BOTH be abusive — that’s not how abuse works. They can be mutually toxic toward each other, they can both exhibit bullying behavior, but they can’t be abusing each other at the same time. Abuse only works when there is an abuser and a victim. There is always a victim, who is not at all at fault for how the relationship is! And Mike and Lucy both played their part in their relationship becoming as toxic as it is. So it literally CANNOT be abuse.

#long post #bittersweet candy bowl #if anyone comes into my inbox telling me that the victim can actually be at fault for abuse i will smite them on the spot #OR lead them to therapy very gently because that's something abusers teach their victims and it's Focking Incorrect #bcb ramblings #bcb analysis #ok now ive said my piece and i never have to talk about this again #IT'S SO EMOTIONALLY DRAINING FOR ME GOD.......

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gadaursan · 6 years ago

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Worldbuilding shenanigans for my self indulgent KHR x BNHA AU so far because I want to make the multichapter fever dream I have in my notes but I can’t until I have established rules:

Flame system is cancelled, everyone’s Flames are reconfigured as really strong, stupidly complicated, or actually well implemented Quirks. This is for my sanity. Fight me.

Rewritten Tsuna’s Dying Will Mode in general is either the most complicated Quirk to explain or the most awful Quirk to have because you literally cannot figure out its power unless you got killed a lot

Will write some sort of index long post discussion about this once the main 10th gen kids are figured out

I’m going to forget that the Shimon Arc turned into an absolute mess but I have no idea how I would have rewritten it... yet

I love Enma and Adelheid with all my heart, I just... have no idea what they’d be doing at that time

Daemon Spade is still an ass regardless of what plot would be a replacement for the latter half of the Shimon Arc

Tempted to make AFO responsible for the stupid shit the Shimons went through but would that be too out there and weird?

Trinisette is also cancelled. Fight me on this, too.

Shit I have no idea how Arcobaleno works now. Why did I do this?

Reborn still obligated to be a baby for a couple years before he gets to age properly ofc

I realized I fucked up really bad when I said Tsuna destroyed turned Vongola into a Pro Hero organization like...

How the fuck did the Vindice let Tsuna get away with breaking Omerta like this?

Did the Vindice die because All for One was like “gimme some of that dying will bullshit” but Tsuna gave him the middle finger and took his entire family/allies with him, maybe froze his ass just a little bit???

How the fuck did Xanxus agree to this unless he’s so fucking whipped for the Vongola after he got over his “fuck the Vongola establishment I do things my way” or he’s just interested in keeping Vongola strong regardless of who they side with????

In fact, how the fuck did the entire Varia decide “yeah mini boss is totally right let’s stop killing people as much and do all that fluffy cute hero shit”???

The only outcome I see is Lussuria and Mammon actually adjusting the best because Lussuria would be actually good at training/babying Pro Heroes and Mammon doesn’t really care how the money is made so long as they get money

Bel is a whole nother issue I don’t want to think about right now

I fucked up so bad hahahahaha shoot me

A side of angst because Tsuna turning the Vongola Pro Hero was probably a half stupid and difficult decision that likely lost some close allies and friends and family

Who died you ask? Beats me

Probably Iemetsu, not because I don’t like him, but he probably was on the top of AFO’s shitlist when AFO was tried to take over the mafia

Also Nono because somethings going to make Tsuna be Decimo for a bit and AFO would probably make it happen so he could try to influence this kid to take his side (it failed miserably)

Quietly calculates what would happen if I killed fan favorites too

I totally forgot why Deku would need to be involved with the Vongola aside from Tsuna going “wow my buddy Sir Nighteye was training these kids I wanna be friends with them and make sure they’re doing okay after he died”

Part of me wants to gamble on the Dad For One theory so Tsuna has some not so nice reasons to befriend Deku as an extra middle finger to All for One because he’d probably know all about it somehow

Other part of me says “ho don’t do it” because I hate writing with potentially jossed big theories

Will probably find a less speculative motivation later

How does Vongola still make so much money if not many ppl outside of heroes know who the fuck they are and they divested themselves of all most of the shady business practices???

IDK maybe they make the majority wealth from their business and support division who have a huge monopoly in the distribution of parts used for support equipment (ofc they won’t call themselves something as obvious as Vongola they’d be like something quaint like Giannini’s or something)

Like making a whole ass customized suit for a bunch of heroes on a massive scale is hard, there are proabably standard equipment and parts for things as simple as the containers that hold Bakugo’s sweat like no way one design company can make everything from scratch, customized or not

Or maybe the reason they help do dirty jobs for the Pro Heroes and get paid handsomely for it because they don’t fit in the dichotomy of the heroes and villains

The freshly recruited Vongola Pro Heroes must get along REALLY WELL with the Mafioso turned Pro Heroes /s

They probably adore the 10th Gen as bosses for being fair and sorta okay (?) people

Heaven forbid the ones that Xanxus brings onto the Varia like training for the Varia is probably like “forget all the shit you learned in school you’re gonna kill a dude for the Pro Heroes”

Either that or they’re probably happier about the slightly better freedom of not being held to the court of public opinion so they’re far rougher than the Billboard ranked Pro Heroes (I still can’t get over how Pro Heroes are ranked like pop stars in this world)

Oh my god Hero Killer Stain would hate the Vongola so much...

Probably may have to resort to potential major original characters to serve as antagonists for the fic probably to challenge the Vongola’s new policy to be more in line with heroes

Was potentially setting up a return of the Todougumi (mentioned in the Shie Hassaikai arc as having been destroyed)

Also likely some mafia family who resent the Vongola deeply for not honoring Omerta even after the Vindice could not longer uphold it

Tsuna probably has plans to not make the Vongola absolutely private after all and wants them to go public and so shit happens and it throws a wrench in those plans probably because since when has anything Tsuna done go smoothly?

The Public Safety Commission probably made Hawks work with Vongola to get pointers on how to properly infiltrate the League

I have not read/watched Reborn in years, so my memory of everyone’s characters is probably so out of whack where Tsuna is probs snarkier than canon and is a little nuts after too much exposure to mafia bullshit

#heroic clam squad #bnha x reborn #bnha #boku no hero academia #katekyo hitman reborn #khr #writing #worldbuilding #this is mostly a compilation if me fucking up

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ambitionsource · 6 years ago

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AMBITION Season 1 ♫ “Special Snowflakes” [ 1.04 ]

CREATED BY Esther (rapunzles) & Maggie (quincywillows)

BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE – The performers hustle to make a statement at the annual winter showcase. Hoping to bridge the divide, Riley endeavors to make friends with the techies. But getting in good with Isadora and Lucas may ask more than she can handle.

47 Minutes (8.5K words) || No warnings apply.

[ ← Under Pressure ] [ S1 Synopsis ] [ Extra, Extra → ]

( Follow along with the music on Spotify here! )

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The holiday season is upon us at AAA! Spirits are high and the students are chipper as they wander the halls in their best sweaters. Small gifts are exchanged, books are haphazardly thrown into lockers. Temporary academic freedom is soon upon them!

On the wall outside the black box theater, focus is drawn to one poster in particular. It’s an advertisement for the annual winter showcase, a four-night event in which each class gets to show off their stuff after a busy semester of honing their craft.

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

Inside the classroom, all our usual favorite performers are assembled to discuss the event. CHARLIE GARDNER is back with his usual harem of girls, a safe distance from his former tutee. In the corner, FARKLE MINKUS searches Hanukkah gifts for his family, working through a lengthy list. This is the week where performance slots are divvied up, and all of them are eagerly chattering about who is going to get the closing number. RILEY MATTHEWS, naturally, doesn’t see what all the fuss is about, questioning it as YINDRA AMINO stands behind her and braids her hair.

Riley: Don’t we do a group closing number? What’s the big deal?

Farkle: Haven’t you been here for like months already? How are you still not caught up on how things work around here?

ZAY BABINEAUX, seated up on one of the desks nonchalantly, pays Riley the courtesy of explaining why it’s such a big deal who gets placed where.

Zay: It’s the standard rules of performance memorability. You either want to open or close: if you go first, everyone else will be subconsciously compared to you throughout the duration of the show. If you go last, though, you’re freshest in the audience’s mind and are able to essentially blow everyone else out of the water.

Maya: Which, as we all know, is my calling card. So it would be an honor to do so this year, thank you very much.

Farkle disputes this, claiming the closing spot is his to behold. Yindra leans over and points out to Riley that this bantering is the exact reason they all have to audition and get placed in a specific order, rather than just volunteering for placements. Riley raises her eyebrows, still not totally on the same page as her more ambitious classmates.

Zay declares that they’re both wrong, he’s got it in the bag. When Maya and Farkle express skepticism, Zay hops off the desk and steps up to the plate to prove his point.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Santa Tell Me” as performed by Ariana Grande || Performed by Zay Babineaux (feat. AAA Sophomores)

Zay kicks off this upbeat and dance-worthy Christmas contemporary, loose and playful with it. He sings around each of his classmates in the classroom, concluding with Riley and giving her an affectionate tap on the nose, before leading the brigade out into the halls.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

The sophomore class takes to the halls, following Zay and his pop hit and collecting fellow students along the way. It’s refreshing to watch a number in which everyone involved is just having fun, and everyone is actually participating.

JACK HUNTER spots them from down the hall, conversing with CORY MATTHEWS. But it’s the holidays, and he just wants the week to be over, so he doesn’t bother to reprimand them for dancing in the hallways. They make their way to the auditorium.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The performers enter the theater and disrupt the quiet that the techies were enjoying, LUCAS FRIAR, ISADORA DE LA CRUZ, and the others conversing at the center of the stage. As they get closer Lucas makes a quick exit, hopping off the stage and disappearing before he gets inevitably pulled into the chaos.

DAVE WILLIAMS, DYLAN ORLANDO, ASHER GARCIA, and NATE MARTINEZ aren’t so lucky, but it’s honestly not a problem. The holidays allow for momentary truces, and they join into the fun and energy of the number as the full assembly claps and dances together to the conclusion of the song. Shawn and Angela enter together as Zay is showing off some impressive vocal runs, more so surprised by how everyone actually seems to be getting along for a second.

As the number comes to its end, Angela commends Zay for such an impassioned performance. On the flip side, Shawn shuts it down with a swift “NO ARIANA” for the showcase. They’re going for classic, he states. Zay is offended. Maya and Farkle are like ha ha.

Cue title sequence.

INT. AAA - ERIC’S OFFICE - DAY

Riley has a new initiative in mind as far as leaving her mark on the school. Clearly, this performing thing is rigged and stacked against her, so performing is not going to be how she wins people over. But she’s been more attune to the cultural divide than anyone else considering she’s not so deeply entrenched it, and she can’t get her mind off it – especially considering the kindness Isadora extended to her and the weird conversation she had with Lucas.

So her mind is made up. She is going to befriend the techies and bridge the divide.

To do this, however, she knows she will need help. So she goes to her uncle Eric and essentially lays out her grand plan. She’ll befriend the techies, and hopefully doing so will allow her to find the key to bringing the school back together.

Eric: I do support this notion, but I have to warn you it’s not going to be easy. Grander men than you have tried.

Riley: Well, maybe it doesn’t take a man. Maybe it takes a scrappy, plucky gal with cute brown eyes and… questionable hand-eye coordination.

Eric can’t help but smile at that one. Riley continues, explaining that she’s already had good moments with a good number of the techies one-on-one, and she really believes she could make something happen. But she needs to know any relevant information about them going in, so she wonders if Eric has another history lesson up his sleeve about the tight-knit cohort. She requests any pertinent information she should know about them going into this, deeper than the brief overview we got in the pilot.

Eric agrees, giving her a little more on each of them by flipping through the yearbook again and finding their photos. As he points to each of them, he gives us a little more about each of them. It’s the first verbal establishment that Dylan & Asher are a couple (and basically inseparable), first hints that Isadora isn’t neurotypical, and some silly commentary on how Dave is just… a special human being.

When Eric begins detailing Lucas’s misbehavior and track record with the school, Riley ventures the question of what Eric really thinks about him.

Eric: And all that was just last month.

Riley: So, what? Do you think that’s all he is? Is he a lost cause?

Eric: No. No, I don’t think anybody is. But it’s difficult to figure out just how much good there is inside a person when they won’t meet you at the same level.

Riley absorbs this, her wheels turning once again. Finally, it’s time for her to do what she’s always done best – meddle.

Angela appears in the doorway, asking if Eric is ready to go. When Riley questions what is going on, Eric explains that he is stepping is as an impartial guest judge to help figure out what the order of the winter showcase performances should be. Riley once again is impressed by how intense all of this stuff is around here.

When Angela asks if she has any special requests for them to take into consideration as far as her placement, Riley waves her off. She’s not going to add any more trouble to the situation, and she’s got bigger fish to fry. Riley glances at the open yearbook one last time, looking at the photo taken of the sophomore techies.

INT. AAA - HALLWAY - DAY

Riley catches up to Isadora on their way to the auditorium, approaching cautiously and waiting for verbal acknowledgement before she approaches. She wonders if it would be alright for her to join her at lunch that afternoon, a request that surprises Isadora. She’s inherently distrustful, trying to find the ulterior motive at play.

Isadora: What, bored with your starlit classmates already? Really have to slum it already?

Riley: No, no. No, not slumming. No, I just – you were really nice to me the other day.

Isadora: I gave you a paper towel.

Riley: And a paper towel was exactly what I needed! It would be an honor to repay the kindness and join you for lunch. Not that I’m – not that me hanging out with you is a kindness. I’m not saying… I only mean –

Isadora: We eat at the corner table. If you’re truly that desperate.

Isadora opens the door to the auditorium, disappearing inside. Riley does a little dance to herself, before catching the door and jogging in after her.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

Angela, Shawn, and Eric have taken seats in the center section of the auditorium, the remainder of the class scattered in front and behind them. Up on stage, Maya, Zay, and Farkle stand waiting for permission to begin – the only three that desperate to scrap for the closing slot. When Maya makes such a commentary about how they must be the only three that care enough, Yindra fires back with the sentiment that it’s more like there’s no point in trying because they have a mysterious way of always getting what they want.

Angela asks if they all understand how this audition will work and have had enough time to study the song. All of them scoff, expressing varying levels of confidence and cockiness.

Zay: Please. I could do this number in my sleep.

Farkle: I only got the sheet music this morning and I’m still certain I can sing circles around the rest of these dumb-dumbs.

Maya: Can we just put our money where our mouths are already? Standing so close to mediocrity is making my mascara run.

Eric gives Angela a nod, gesturing for the three of them to begin. They take their places, the three of them lined up and facing away from the audience.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” as performed by Brenda Lee || Performed by Zay Babineaux, Maya Hart, and Farkle Minkus

The three divas split up the lines, taking turns spinning around and launching into the song. Although the track is relatively innocuous and certainly not a diva number, they somehow manage to turn it into one. While performing choreography together, they’ve got their full wattage smiles on but are also lowkey elbowing one another and working to stand in the front the most. It’s well-performed and honestly so humorous to watch.

As they finish the number they strike a pose, the three of them close together and out of breath and grinning through their teeth. But they also sneak a few choice words in to each other, smiles unmoving.

Farkle: I’ll eat both of you alive.

Maya: You say that as if you could beat me in a fight and I wouldn’t easily break your twigs-for-arms.

Zay: I’m seriously going to vomit all over you and your designer shoes.

Charming! We love a trio of polished performing divas ready to tear each other to shreds.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

The techies are seated at their usual table, the rest down the row while Lucas and Isadora take their usual spots across from one another at the end of the table. Life is proceeding as normal… until Riley floats towards them and plops down next to Isadora, commenting on how wild that diva performance was and launching into chatter.

Isadora isn’t fazed by her presence considering she knew it was coming, but Lucas is floored. He freezes with his fork halfway to his mouth, staring at Riley as she engages Isadora in conversation. It’s impossible to tell whether his reaction is negative or not, but he’s definitely not breathing anymore. Isadora snaps him out of his shock.

Isadora: Lucas, did you forget how to use your limbs? Either eat it or don’t.

Lucas clears his throat, dropping his fork. Riley can’t help but smirk a little bit, sort of reveling in the feeling of having the upper hand. Isadora raises her eyebrows at his weird behavior.

Isadora: What? You act like you’ve never seen another human being before. You know Riley. What, do you need me to introduce you two?

Lucas: No, yeah, I know her. I just didn’t… realize she would be joining us.

Riley meets his gaze, not allowing herself to be intimidated. She offers him a smile, waiting until Isadora is done talking to take the reins of the conversation again.

When she asks about their holiday plans, Isadora mentions the small party that the techies are throwing. It’s a tradition they’re attempting to start off after a successful run last year, and they’re already eager to start prepping for it. At this suggestion, Riley lights up. She fancies herself a bit of a party planner, and offers her services in helping them plan the festivities.

Essentially, she inserts herself into the techie party plans, and Isadora and Lucas don’t care enough or still don’t know how to react properly enough to refuse, respectively. So they’re like sure… fine. You can help. Riley has found her in.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

After deliberating and based on an inscrutable variety of criteria, Eric has the honor of announcing that the closing slot will be going to Maya this year. Everyone is like woo, big surprise. Angela also informs them that the remainder of their slots will be posted on the wall outside the black box, before Maya jumps up and interrupts the news bulletin.

Maya: Thank you, Miss Moore and Mister Matthews. It truly is an honor to have been chosen.

Zay: No one asked for a speech!

Maya: Now, I know that my selection may be a bit of a bummer to some of my less talented but equally driven classmates. Fear not, hopefuls, because as it turns out my closing number may just need a dance partner. Thus, I’ll be holding auditions to see who can actually keep up with me.

This actually intrigues them. Then, she turns to NIGEL CHEY, pointing at him and gesturing him towards her.

Maya: Chey, front and center. I’ve got a proposition for you.

The class departs, buzzing with this new opportunity. Eventually they all shuffle out, and soon enough it’s just Angela and Shawn remaining. They take to cleaning up the auditorium in silence like they usually do, but in the spirit of the season Angela decides that maybe she’ll broach a conversation. She asks him what his holiday plans are.

Shawn is gruff in his response, stating he has none and that he’s always hated this time of year. Angela is like “well, with that attitude,” but Shawn goes on to point out that he hasn’t had anything to celebrate since like the early 2000s, so what does she expect from him? Considering part of that lack of cheer is her fault, Angela is a little stung by the guilt she suddenly feels.

Still, she’s not just going to let this drop. She states that he shouldn’t spend the holidays alone. It’s not right. He shrugs her off, but there’s a seed planted there. Wonder what it will harvest…

INT. AAA - CLASSROOM - DAY

Riley joins Isadora after school to help Dave and JADE BEAMON make decorations for their party. They’re all homemade, and as they work together Riley gets to learn more about the two of them. Most importantly, she learns that Jade is a wicked talented costumer and basically single-handedly makes most of what they perform in during class. Riley is stunned to learn this, and it’s clear that she is fiercely underappreciated by the performers.

Dave asks if Riley is going to come to their party this year. Riley isn’t sure how to answer, but Isadora steps in and basically claims it’s up in the air, “as people say”. This isn’t a flat no, so Riley will take it.

INT. AAA - DANCE STUDIO - DAY

The class is assembled in one of the available studio classrooms, crammed up against the mirrors while Maya and Nigel stand front and center. Maya thanks them all for coming, before throwing focus to her potential three dance partners – Farkle, Zay, and Charlie. She also gives a special thanks to Nigel for agreeing to perform with her this afternoon, carrying his violin with him. Now, it’s time for the games to begin.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” as performed by Lindsey Sterling & Sabrina Carpenter || Performed by Maya Hart (feat. Zay Babineaux, Farkle Minkus, and Charlie Gardner)

Nigel launches us into the auditions, playing his violin to the classic holiday tune with a vigor. While Maya is orchestrating all of the nonsense, Nigel is clearly the musical star of the number. Maya theatrically surveys the three boys, before pointing to Charlie and wiggling her finger at him. Come hither, auditionee #1!

Charlie and Maya dance together ballroom style while she launches into the song. Charlie is a great dancer, and they’re not a bad match. But she has other dance partners to test out, Farkle practically chomping at the bit to show his stuff. So when she wraps the first verse she spins Charlie away, moving onto the next one.

Farkle steps up next, the two of them continuing to waltz. On the lyrics “you’re a monster, Mr. Grinch,” Maya looks very pointedly at her partner and Farkle makes a snarky face in response. They continue their pas de deux as Nigel launches into his violin solo, Maya transferring to Zay halfway through and allowing herself to be swept away. She gives Farkle a sassy little wave. He rolls his eyes, waving the two of them off and marching back over to stand with Charlie.

Zay and Maya work effortlessly well as dance partners, evenly matched. They’re energetic, polished, and almost a given pair considering Zay is the best dancer in their class. Maya spins him away and back towards the other two, coming to stand in front of the three of them and surveying her options (“Now given the choice between the two of you, I’d take the…”).

This is where the number turns on its head. Rather than making a choice, Maya opts for the “seasick crocodile” and dances away from all three of them. They stand there for a moment, bewildered and trying to figure out who she chose – Charlie nudges Zay and points indicatively to Farkle, seeing as he must be the seasick crocodile. Farkle holds his arms out, offended.

But no, none of them are the seasick crocodile, and none of them are going to be her dance partner. The whole thing was an elaborate ruse, and Maya will be taking to the stage for the closing number on her own. She dances around the rest of the number gleefully, dancing out of reach of the boys who try to stop her after they realize they’ve been duped.

As each of them approach her, she dodges and essentially knocks them to the floor.

Maya: The words that best describe you are STINK! [ Charlie hits the floor ] STANK! [ Zay hits the floor ] STUNK! [ Farkle falls and she steps over him delightedly. ]

The class is in hysterics, no group enjoying this spectacle more than the techies. Lucas and Isadora are in stitches, leaning into each other and trying to stifle their laughter. Riley is just in shock, somewhat amused but also mortified on their behalf.

Maya finishes out the number with a flourish, dancing with Nigel as he continues to play. Zay doesn’t even bother to get back up, crashing onto the floor and flipping Maya the bird.

Maya ends with a cheeky little laugh, coming to Nigel’s side as he plays the last note on his violin. She leans up and kisses his cheek, hitting their final pose. She snapped!

As the kids are clearing out, Farkle grumbling to whoever will listen about how ridiculous this whole scenario was, Riley hangs back and waits for a moment with Charlie. She makes sure no one else is around before approaching him, telling him that she thought he made a great dance partner and didn’t deserve the ridicule. He waves her off, claiming it’s not that big a deal and worse could’ve happened.

Riley asks him if he would consider doing a duet together. She’s still got Lucas’s words rattling around in her brain about the real her, and she’s taking plenty of steps lately to be a little bolder. As she points out, just because they don’t have the closing number doesn’t mean they can’t vocally blow the roof off this place, so to speak. They don’t have to be divas to put on a dazzling performance, especially if they combine their efforts.

Charlie doesn’t need to be asked twice. Charmed and more than happy to comply, he agrees to a duet with Riley. Maybe a little too eagerly, all things considered.

INT. MATTHEWS APARTMENT - DAY

That afternoon after school, Christmas decorating is on! This is a normally coveted tradition in the Matthews household, but due to how on the rocks Cory and Topanga have been as of late, even the holiday spirit is dwindling a bit. Auggie doesn’t notice so much, but Riley is well aware of the chill that has settled in between her parents.

Thusly, it’s a relief when she gets a text notification from Isadora that they’re here for their next techie party errand. Riley informs her parents that she has to run, Cory only getting to question where she’s going for a moment before she’s out the door. He probably wouldn’t much prefer the answer anyway, so he should be grateful.

INT. SUPERMARKET - DAY

The next task for the techie party is in full swing – grocery shopping! Riley joins Isadora, Asher, and Dylan as they cruise through the store, stocking up on all needed supplies. That is to say, Riley and Isadora have the list and are doing all the work while Dylan pushes Asher around in the grocery cart and they keep adding extraneous, unnecessary items to the list.

Asher: [ reaching for an obnoxiously sized jug of apple cider ] Oh, dude, we definitely need this. Isa, can we get this?

Dylan: Yeah, Isa, we need to get the cider!

Isadora: We already have our listed drinks, put that back. Would you stop picking up whatever is in arm’s reach? We’re not shopping with Rockefeller.

Riley utilizes the opportunity to be as helpful as possible, reaching for whatever Isadora states next from the list and keeping up conversation. She tries to get a little bit of dirt on the techies, mostly as to why they’re so grumpy and constantly at war with the performers.

Asher: It’s really not that much of a mystery.

Dylan: Yeah, you’d be this way too if you were constantly ignored.

Isadora: Or put in a ton of effort just to see it get disrespected and disregarded.

Dylan: The performers have no idea how much we do for them, and the teachers perpetuate it.

Asher: And they never say thank you.

Isadora: Do you have any idea what it’s like to have no one acknowledge all the hard work you do?

Riley: Oh, I’ve got a hunch or two.

Dylan and Asher change the subject as they get to the candy aisle, reaching for a specific type of chocolate and claiming to Isadora that they have to get this. They have to, because it’s Lucas’s favorite and it is technically on the list. Technically. Please, Isa, pleeeeease?

Isadora: Alright, alright. Whatever. Gremlins.

Isadora off-handedly explains to Riley that Lucas never adds anything to the list and lets everyone else decide what food they’ll have but he only has one necessity – chocolate. There’s something slightly endearing and unexpected about that.

Riley: Yeah, I noticed he hasn’t exactly been around much on these party planning trips.

Isadora: [ defensively ] Well, he’s got a lot going on. But also, he’s got the most difficult job at the end of all this, so we don’t really push him to do much more.

Riley isn’t sure she wants to know what that means or entails. But Isadora has already moved past it, chastising Dylan and Asher for adding like five things to the cart that they didn’t account for and directing them towards checkout.

INT. JACK’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Shawn is over at Jack’s house for dinner, a tradition that seems to be semi-regular between the two of them. Over the meal, the two of them are reminiscing about what Christmas used to be like back in the good old trailer park. This is where Jack’s reputation as a man who built himself from the ground up is truly reiterated, but he does not hold as much bitterness in his heart over it as his half-brother.

Shawn: Christmas was shit, don’t you remember? I mean, there was the year that dad gave us each a basket of used clothes from the thrift store, and he didn’t even wash them.

Jack: Well, that’s what the laundry basket was for.

Shawn: Or when he used to volunteer as Santa at the mall and we’d wake up on Christmas morning to him passed out, still in costume, on the floor in front of that scraggly piece of crap we called a tree.

Jack: Oh, come on. I always liked hangover Santa.

Shawn: Why is it such a big deal that I let the holidays back into my heart or whatever? This isn’t a Dr. Seuss book, my heart isn’t going to grow three sizes just because I elect to plan some stupid festivities for the break.

Jack isn’t sure what advice to give him, but he points out that it’s less about the holiday and more his heart. Like, he thinks Angela is just looking out for him in regards to getting out of the rut he’s been in for the last few years. Yeah, the holidays don’t mean much, but maybe they can be the first step. Shawn doesn’t look convinced, but it’s a thought…

INT. AAA - BLACK BOX THEATER - DAY

The sophomores are assembled before class, working on homework and other projects before the bell rings for lunch. Farkle declares to whoever will listen that he’s figured out the trick here, the reason Maya was selected over him. It’s because he’s Jewish.

Farkle: I mean, why would they give the closing slot in a largely commercially Christian dominated showcase to the Jew? It’s problematic, but not inherently surprising.

Zay rolls his eyes. He’s so tired. In any case, Farkle has decided that rather than complaining about the problem but not doing anything to remedy it, he is planning to write a Jewish holiday song of his own. Enough of this dreidel, dreidel crap. He’s going to dedicate his showcase slot to singing something truly Jewish… as soon as he writes it. That can’t possibly go wrong.

INT. AAA - CAFETERIA - DAY

Riley is with Lucas and Isadora at lunch again. She is keeping track of all their party preparation tasks in an agenda, and it’s clear that Lucas finds this amusing. Isadora admits that she’s been a lot of help so far, prompting the question yet again whether or not Riley will be invited to attend this shindig. They’re warming up to the idea, but there’s still hesitation. They just don’t know if Riley will be able to handle what it requires to be in attendance, that’s all.

Riley: Oh, I can handle it. Whatever it is, it’s handled. It’s not even a thing.

Isadora: It’s more a matter of whether or not we think we can trust you.

Riley: Well, okay then. Let’s prove it. Take me for a test drive.

[ Lucas chokes on his water. Isadora gives him a look, and Riley of course never realizes when she says something potentially questionable. She’s got a knack for it. ]

Isadora claims that before deciding any of that, they still have a couple of tasks to complete. Mainly, getting a Christmas tree. This surprises Riley, who is still in the dark about where this party is even taking place. Isadora clarifies they’re only looking for a small one, but won’t divulge more information than that.

Throughout the exchange, there’s a quip between Lucas and Isadora that hints at the fact that she’s autistic. Riley takes this information in stride.

Riley: Oh, you’re autistic?

Lucas: Is that a problem?

Riley: No, no, not at all. I just didn’t know. I’m a very huggy person, so let me know if that bothers you.

Isadora: It does. Don’t hug me.

Riley: Got it. No hugs for Isa. Make sure to tell me if I do anything like that subconsciously, okay? I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.

Isadora obviously appreciates this sentiment, and Lucas seems mildly impressed. He’s like wow, someone respecting my best friend and being generally considerate? In this school? That’s hot.

This all bodes well for Riley. She might just get her in with the techies yet.

INT. MAYA’S APARTMENT - DAY

Maya is hard at work going through lists of Christmas songs, narrowing down which song she’s going to do at the winter showcase. Her mother enters from her room, dressed in her uniform for work and in the midst of tying up her hair. Maya asks if she has a moment to help her narrow it down, Katy sliding into the seat across from her at their table.

Maya: I’m thinking “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” because you know, classic. But there’s a lot of potential in taking “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and really amping it up from the lame low levels that Andy Williams kept it at.

Katy: Both good options. But you know, [ reaching out and taking Maya’s hands across the table ] my favorite Christmas song was always “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Don’t know why, it just always made me truly feel the holiday season.

Maya: Yeah, it’s a great song. But it’s not going to blow everyone else out of the water.

Katy: … does it have to?

Katy doesn’t get time to elaborate on the question, already going to be late for work. She leaps up and gives Maya a kiss on the top of the head before fluttering off. Maya absorbs this sentiment, clearly not prepared to get philosophical and change her whole way of thinking on such short notice. She looks back to her shortlist, dissatisfied.

EXT. CHRISTMAS TREE FARM - DAY

A light snow is falling as Isadora, Riley, and Lucas make their way through the rows and rows of fir trees. Isadora leads the charge while Lucas sort of lags behind, rattling off a very specific list of criteria to Riley and explaining her full-proof process of finding the perfect tree. She’s a tree expert, essentially, so really they should be in and out in no time. No waiting up! Isadora marches onward, clearly a woman on a mission.

Riley watches her go, glancing over her shoulder towards Lucas. She debates whether to say something, hesitating before striking up a conversation. It’s clear that Lucas isn’t nearly as scary as he comes off at school, but he also… really doesn’t know how to interact with people. Let alone Riley Matthews.

Riley: How about you?

Lucas: Huh?

Riley: Would you consider yourself a tree expert?

Lucas: Oh, uh… no.

They’re side by side now, walking at the same pace. Riley explains that tree shopping is all part of the celebrations with her family, to which Lucas doesn’t have much to say (Lucas: Oh, we don’t celebrate. Much). But Riley’s a rambler, so she just starts nervously going on about what Christmas preparation at the Matthews entails.

Lucas is a little like oh so she’s still talking, okay. But he listens anyway, stuffing his hands in his pockets and torn between glancing at her and staring at the ground. She’s really hard to look at, for some reason. And snowflakes keep getting caught in her hair and her eyelashes…

Lucas: [ interrupting her ] You’ve got snow.

Riley: I’m – I’m sorry?

Lucas: Snow. It’s… you’ve got some on your –

[ He gestures noncommittally to her face. Riley sort of reaches up, towards her eyes, and he gives her half a nod. ]

Riley: Oh. Oh.

[ Riley works to wipe her eyes. Lucas glances away, sort of embarrassed for no reason. Feeling bashful is unfamiliar to him. ]

Lucas: Yeah, you got it.

Riley: [ After a moment. ] You’ve got some, too.

Lucas: Huh?

Riley: Snow. Just there –

[ Riley, not thinking, reaches up and almost goes to… what? Wipe at his eyes? But he backs away from her. ]

Lucas: I’ve got two hands.

Riley: Oh, yeah. Right. For sure. Yeah.

Well. That could’ve been worse. Lucas wipes at his eyes while Riley looks away, pressing her lips together and trying not to overthink that whole awkward conversation.

Isadora saves them both, running back up to them and claiming that she’s found the perfect tree. Her excitement is palpable and totally divergent from the persona she puts off at school. As she darts away, Lucas jogging off, Riley looks after them. After a moment, she smiles, before following in their direction.

INT. MINKUS HOME - NIGHT

Farkle is up after dinner, surrounded by crumbled pieces of paper and struggling to finish his song. EZRA MINKUS comes over to bother him, questioning what the heck he’s doing. After Farkle explains his grand pursuit to right the wrongs done to their Jewish culture by the American Christmas commercial industry (which Ezra definitely doesn’t get), his brother begs him to sing the song for him. And so he does.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Jewish Holiday Song (Original Composition)” || Performed by Farkle Minkus

The number is well put-together but unpolished, and continues to reflect Farkle’s perfectionist nature and he continually interrupts himself and changes lyrics, rewriting as he goes. Ezra doesn’t care at all, totally enthralled and encouraging his performance.

The longer he has to just perform it, the more Farkle starts to loosen up and get into it. Halfway through he’s on his feet, at full energy levels, and Ezra jumps up to spin and dance around with him. Certainly more humanity and genuine love of the craft from Farkle than any of his classmates might ever see.

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - DAY

The sophomore class is assembled, spending their class time preparing the stage for the holiday break. Half the class is out in the front of the school, where the showcase will be held.

Most of the techies are gone setting up outside, but Lucas and Isadora are inside with Riley. They’re sitting at the bottom of their usual crop of seats up in front of the technician’s booth, Riley standing in front them but not quite yet allowed to cross the threshold. Behind them, Dylan and Asher are goofing off.

Riley sighs, watching them deconstruct the sets from the first semester. Although it’s been a special kind of hell, she claims she’s going to miss the auditorium over break. Isadora tells her she doesn’t have to say goodbye yet, which confuses her.

Lucas and Isadora exchange knowing looks, before she goes on to explain the final task of the party. Tonight, after the showcase when everyone has left, the techies are going to sneak back into the auditorium and have the party there. Riley is floored by this.

Riley: You mean you’re going to sneak back in after hours. Like, break in. You’re going to break into the school.

Isadora: We warned you. Figured you may not be able to handle –

Riley: No, no, um. I’m not – and how exactly do you plan to do this?

A moment of silence. Riley looks between them before letting her gaze drift to Lucas, who is avoiding her gaze and smirking, twirling a pen in his fingers. Oh, right. Of course he’s going to break them in. Silly her.

Isadora states that Riley has been a big help and is more than welcome to come to the party – if she doesn’t rat them out. It freaks out every goody-two-shoes notion in her body, but she knows what she set out to accomplish this week. She squares her shoulders, ready to be bold. She claims she’ll be there and that she’s looking forward to it.

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

The night of showcase is here, audience members filing into the seats set up outside the school. The front of the building has been decorated for the holidays and lighting systems have been set up to allow for the top of the steps to act as a stage. It’s a pretty cool set up.

Most of the Minkus clan is searching for their seats, Ezra holding onto JENNIFER MINKUS’ hand as they make their way. He looks up towards the building and his face lights up, waving eagerly.

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - NIGHT

Farkle is looking out the doors, catching the eye of his brother. He sees him waving and lightly waves back, before the students are called together for pre-show circle.

Angela gives them all a rousing, energetic speech, telling them to close their first semester out with as much vim and vigor as possible. Everyone nods along, that holiday season acting as a powerful source of energy. With that, they put their hands in and countdown together, launching us into the showcase.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” as performed by Pentatonix || Performed by AAA Sophomores

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

A montage ensues of the first half of the showcase, all of our recurring characters performing their songs and numbers. Zay opens the showcase, although with what song we don’t know. He definitely performs it with less enthusiasm than Ariana, though.

Haley and Clarissa play their cellos. Chai, Sarah, and Darby do a trio song and dance, dressed in cute holiday outfits. Nigel plays his violin. When Farkle takes the stage to perform his Jewish song, the audience clearly loves it.

No more so than his family. Jennifer is all smiles, and Ezra is dancing along from his seat. Only one thing could dampen this moment – the absence of Farkle’s father, who hasn’t shown up. This stings a little bit, but Farkle knows he’s a busy, important man. He tries not to let it get to him, finishing the performance with a flourish and not letting it show on his face until he’s back safely behind the doors of AAA.

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - NIGHT

Riley is staring out at the assembled crowd, trying not to go back on her decision to be more bold. Shawn approaches her and asks if she’s nervous, which yeah she is, but in front of him it’s more because she’s planning to break into the school later tonight behind his back. She keeps it together, but barely. Shawn wishes her luck, patting her shoulder.

Charlie approaches her, raising his eyebrows and asking if she’s ready. Riley takes a deep breath, then nods. Together, she and Charlie step through the doors.

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Charlie makes his way to the microphone first, Riley hanging off to the side to wait for her entrance. He gives her a smile. Maya comes up behind Riley, asking when the two of them decided they were going to do a duet together. Riley shrugs, claiming they’re just trying to put on the best show possible.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “The First Noel” as performed by Josh Groban & Faith Hill || Performed by Charlie Gardner & Riley Matthews

And boy, do they keep to their word. Charlie and Riley sing well together, and their chosen duet is a powerhouse all its own. It gives Riley the chance to truly show off her vocal ability, keeping true to her conversation with Lucas and trying to share that level of passion with the rest of the world. She isn’t going to spend the rest of her time at AAA hiding in the background.

The divas are shocked, totally not expecting the new kid to end the semester by actually posing a challenge. The techies look impressed, Dylan and Asher huddling together to exchange a whisper about it. But given the smiles on their faces, it’s nothing negative. Isadora seems impressed too, but when she looks to Lucas next to her, he doesn’t seem surprised at all.

Their performance is met with resounding applause. Riley sort of goes to nudge Charlie in congratulations, but he takes a step further and hugs her instead. Hey, it’s the holiday season. Riley hugs him back, grateful that he agreed to be her duet partner.

INT. AAA - ATRIUM - NIGHT

Maya is preparing for her closing number, doing vocal warm-ups and pacing to herself. Her phone ringing distracts her, and when she picks up it’s Katy on the other line. She explains that something has come up at work, and she’s going to have to close because the other waitress didn’t show, so she doesn’t know when she’s going to get there.

Maya is shattered by this, looking for alternatives, asking if someone else can, wondering if she’s going to make it at all. Katy apologizes profusely before explaining she has to go, quickly. She hangs up, Maya left side-swiped by this news. But the show must go on. Zay comes up to tell her it’s her turn to close the show, but he can immediately tell something is up with her. When he ventures the question, she puts her cool facade back together and claims everything is fine.

EXT. AAA - FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Maya runs up to the pianist first, whispering to him before taking her place at the microphone. She gives a little introduction to who she is and asks for one more round of applause to everyone else who has come before her – a classic diva courtesy. Then she explains what she’s about to perform.

Maya: I originally had a different planned for this evening. And I’m sure my classmates could’ve told you how in character it was for me. But um… someone really important recently asked me if everything had to be about the performance. And I thought the answer was yes, but I think tonight, I want it to be about something different. Tonight, it’s about her. But I hope you all enjoy.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” as performed by Sabrina Carpenter || Performed by Maya Hart

Maya launches into her mother’s favorite Christmas tune, starting off soft and sentimental. But of course, she is still Maya Hart, and as the song progresses she ramps up the vocals and totally kills it. Everyone is honestly surprised she didn’t go for the big blowout finale, but somehow this was just what they all needed. Somehow, this was exactly right.

As the showcase comes to an end, the full performing class assembles outside the school while Angela and Shawn take center stage at the microphones. The techies are standing off to the side, still sort of in the shadows but present. Angela thanks everyone for coming and for their continued support of their students at AAA, and then rouses the audience for one more round of applause.

Shawn is about to jump in but Angela beats him to it, encouraging a round of applause for the techies as well. The techies seem surprised by this, but everyone happily gives it. Riley is clapping very enthusiastically in the front row of the performers. Farkle and Maya look confused at the shout-out, sharing a look but clapping along anyway.

Then Angela invites them all to join in for one last number, passing the stage off to the students.

Song Cue ♫ ♪ “Sleigh Ride” as performed by Pentatonix || Performed by AAA Sophomore Performers

The true closing number to the showcase is upbeat, fun, and a true demonstration of their combined talent rather than how they always seem to be pitted against one another. Our often forgotten students – Yindra, Nigel, NICK YOGI, CLARISSA CRUZ, and CHAI FRESCO – take the solos.

At the last second, Katy manages to make it and catch the final number. She slides into a seat in the back, meeting Maya’s eyes and giving her a big smile. Maya is… soft, grinning even wider as she performs.

Out of focus, the techies are dancing around and sort of mockingly singing along, so happy that another hell semester is done. Asher and Dylan each have an arm around Lucas, essentially forcing him to sway with them. Isadora isn’t being goofy, and she’s like… you’re all so stupid but you’re my crew so I guess it’s fine. So it’s endearing.

EXT. AAA - NIGHT

The clean-up has wrapped, another winter showcase come and gone. Maya and Zay are hanging around outside in their cutest winter attire, waving goodbye to Angela as she heads out and congratulates them on a great performance. Riley and Charlie exit the school together, Maya and Zay giving them an intrigued look as they approach.

Riley congratulates them all, Charlie approaching and giving Zay a nudge on the shoulder. Maya asks Riley if she’s coming to the after party at Chubbie’s – more out of curiosity than an invitation – and Riley stammers, explaining that she has other plans. But she won’t say what those other plans are, and kind of runs away before they can ask any more questions. Oh, Riles.

Farkle exits the building and comes down the steps, approaching the remaining three. He congratulates them all, as is courtesy, and Charlie commends him for his original song. It was a real crowd pleaser. Farkle tells Maya he thought she did a fantastic job with the closing number, and it’s genuine… even if she was a bit sharp. Maya lets this slide, thanking him for the compliment.

Farkle makes some subtle commentary about how he’s sure they’ll all have a great time at the diner… without him… totally nonchalant. Maya exchanges a look with Zay, before turning back to Farkle and being like “Farkle, would you like to come?” Farkle acts casual, brushing it off, but then he’s like “well if you INSIST.”

Maya shakes her head, leading the way down the street. Farkle is clearly excited, jogging to catch up. The four of them head out in their cute little winter coats and hats, we love them.

EXT. AAA - BACK ENTRANCE - NIGHT

Shawn makes his way to his car, the last one to leave. As soon as his car leaves the parking lot, Lucas pops his head out from behind the side of the building, followed by Isadora, then Riley. Riley asks if the coast is clear, to which Lucas lightly shushes her. The rest of the techies poke their heads around, showing that the full brigade is present. It’s break-in time.

As the opening score of Home Alone underscores, Lucas leads the skilled and effortless break-in for their after party. Riley is nervous, but she didn’t rat them out. She passed their tests. So when Lucas is holding open the auditorium doors for them to dart in and it gets to Riley… he doesn’t turn her away. She heads inside, Lucas glancing over his shoulder before shutting the door behind them.

INT. SHAWN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Shawn settles into the lonely and plaintive silence of winter break, dropping his bag and keys on the chair by the door with a pronounced thud. He sighs, making his way into the kitchen and hardly bothering to turn on the lights. That is, until a knock at the door disrupts his silence. He pokes his head around the corner, evidently not expecting anybody.

When he opens the door, Jack greets him cheerfully, holding food for a potluck and swooping his way inside. Before Shawn can object, Eric, Cory, and another half a dozen teachers flutter their way inside, giving him warm greetings and setting up stuff in the kitchen and living area.

Angela enters last, clearly having arranged the whole thing. Shawn is like what the hell is this – although with far less bite than his bark would have you believe – when Angela gives him an affectionate head tilt.

Angela: I told you. No one should be alone during the holidays.

There’s a moment where it’s unclear whether Shawn is going to accept this aggressive form of care or kick them all out… until he steps back to let Angela in fully. She smiles, entering as he closes the door behind them.

She actually isn’t done though, as she claims she has something for him. She pulls out a simple gift for him – a book of poems that alludes to one of the reasons they initially fell in love. Reparations, maybe?

Angela: I figured, if we’re working on your frozen heart, maybe a little more culture could help. You used to love these, after all.

Shawn is touched by the gift. He takes it tentatively, before lighting up with an idea of his own. He asks her to hold on, disappearing back into the small hallway that leads to his bedroom. When he returns, he’s clutching something in his hands rather than the poetry. It’s a beautiful artfully crafted seashell. It’s not wrapped, but it was definitely meant for her at some point.

Shawn: I saw it at a flea market a couple years back when I was traveling, and couldn’t help but think… I don’t know why I actually got it. But it was always meant for you.

He holds it out for her, waiting for her to take it. Now that’s tea. Angela takes it tenderly, the two of them exchanging uncertain but soft smiles. Then, Angela nudges them to go mix and mingle with their co-workers. As “Jingle Bell Rock” floats in…

INT. AAA - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT

The techie party is in full swing, the music playing over the sound system considering they’re the ones who know how to run it. Their tiny tree has been set up center stage with a few chairs sprawled around it. The majority are seated around it, laughing and eating and exchanging small gifts with one another. Dylan is seated on the floor in front of Asher’s chair, a string of garland worn around his neck like a scarf. Jade is showing Jeff the quality of the colored pencils she got as a gift in her sketchbook. Isadora is finishing the final touches on the tree decorating, attempting to direct Dave.

Riley is standing a bit away, just absorbing the warmth and marveling at the family dynamic of these oddballs that seem so standoffish at first glance. It’s a wrong perception, that much she’s sure about. The practical king of this very sentiment, Lucas comes over to join her.

He asks her if she feels like a badass or not after her first little taste of danger. She admits that she does, but she’s far more entranced by the little tradition they’re attempting to establish here. Riley makes some soft commentary about their crew and how he’s clearly a major part of that… Lucas waves her off, but she insists that it’s true.

She says something else slightly flirtatious, giving him a smile before floating off to join the main group. It takes Lucas about three seconds to comprehend the fact that that conversation actually happened, during which Dave hisses to catch his attention. He and Jade point above Lucas, where mistletoe has been set up. He and Riley were standing underneath it the whole time and didn’t even realize it.

Lucas, weirdly bashful again and embarrassed, huffs and walks away. Dave and Jade are trying not to laugh, gesturing him towards them to rejoin the group. Thus, the techie celebration ends nice and cozy, warming all of our hearts. God bless us, everyone!

We’re going to need it.

END OF EPISODE.

#S1 #104 #episodes

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real-life-pine-tree · 6 years ago

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Into the Arcverse: My Name is Yuan (1/?)

Yuan Amaya just wanted to hide away from public eye, but fate had other plans. Based on Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse.

Celebrity Duelists: the biggest trend in the entire dueling community. Originating in Den City, these Duelists use flashy avatars in Link V.R.A.I.N.S. (short for Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence Network System) to take part in special duels that are broadcasted for everyone to see. Like regular celebrities, they also take part in sponsorships and charity events, with some of them opening their own business lines, like The Gore's comic series and Blue Angel's Christmas album.

But not anyone can become Celebrity Duelists. In order to reach that status, Duelists need money and/or good connections. Obtaining that worldwide recognition was key, as not every Duelist can become a celebrity. You couldn't just whip up a dueling video and wish for a sponsor to see it. You needed hard work to establish a name in the network system. But who knows? Maybe there's someone out there just waiting to be recognized...

It seemed like any other morning in Den City. The sun rising over the horizon to shine its rays all over town and through the white, cumulus clouds scattered across the sky, the birds chirping their harmonic melodies wherever they go, the citizens getting ready for work, heading to school, or preparing for a fun event in Link V.R.A.I.N.S. Whatever it may be, there was always something for everyone to do, especially for a particular someone.

As the sun’s rays penetrated through a glass window of an apartment, a teenage boy was sitting on his chair, already busy with a personal project of his… Well, “project” is an overstatement. A pencil was held firmly in his right hand as he made swift movements with it over a sheet of paper. Vibrant strokes conjugated with one another, the gripped pencil danced in specific motions to create more light strokes on the paper. Sometimes, his fingers would flick his utensil around to use a slightly worn-down eraser to fix any minor mistakes. The more lines, curves, and shapes produced from the graphite, the closer the boy gets to completing an image he has in his head…and it always brings a warm, soft smile to his face.

His dark blue eyes usually stayed glued to the paper on his desk, but they would occasionally wander around his bedroom whenever he is seeking any inspiration or finding himself a little lost in the music he is listening to for some motivation. For this morning, a pair of earbuds rested on his ears—which were tucking strands of his spiky, black-dyed hair—as he hummed softly to a recently new song performed by BAND-MAID. So far, he has been getting a hang of the choruses and a bit of the bridges, but the rest of the lyrics were more challenging. Even so, he still enjoyed the catchy rhythm it carries and knew this song was a great addition to his playlist.

A sigh slid out from his mouth as he stared in the vicinity of his workspace, but the sound of the tone was far from disappointment. He took great enjoyment in this hobby, specifically the infinite possibilities of drawing. No matter what time of day it is, it was like heaven for him. A nice, relaxing haven where he could find the space he needs to create whatever is on his mind. A well-deserved break he always takes from the world to express himself. To Yuan Amaya, this was his happiness.

"The whole wide world," Yuan quietly sung. "Will voice their true feelings."

"Yuan!"

"How many times have you repainted your life's story with 'only glory'?"

"Yuan!"

"The whole wide world defy the deepest deep."

"Yuan!"

"Enjoy all unexpected things over and ov-"

"Yuan!"

Realizing his parents were calling out to him, Yuan ripped out an earbud. "What is it?" he called back.

"Did you remember to pack for school?" Mr. Amaya asked.

But one glance at an empty suitcase said it all. "Crap..." Yuan sighed.

He quickly got up from his chair and started putting everything away. He put his pencil back into his silver-white pencil bag and slid his unfinished sketch into his folder of some of his other drawings, which lied on top of his sketchpad. He then packed his art materials into his suitcase before rushing to get dressed. Tossing his navy blue shirt with golden yellow lines near the end of each sleeve and light gray pants on his bed, Yuan grabbed his school uniform out of his closet and rushed to get changed into them. It consisted of a slate-colored jacket with a light blue trim, a white, button-up shirt, a blue tie, black pants, and a pair of grayish-blue and dark gray sneakers with white trims near the bottom.

Grabbing his suitcase, Yuan left his room. "Where's my deck?" he asked his parents.

"Still in the living room," Mrs. Amaya answered. "But wouldn't it be easier to get the newer Duel Disk model?"

"I would rather not," Yuan admitted as he walked to the living room. "Everyone's going digital. I feel more comfortable using physical cards." He picked up his Weather Painter deck and put it in his Duel Disk. "No matter what the others say..."

Mr. Amaya noticed his son's nervous expression. "I get that you're at the age of walking to school by yourself, but would it be alright if I drive you-"

"Thanks dad," Yuan quickly replied. "I would appreciate it."

His father was rather surprised at the quick response, but he still gave a warm smile to his son nonetheless. Without a second to waste, the family departed from their apartment room and made their way out of the building, where Yuan said his goodbyes for the day to his mother on the staircase before meeting up with his dad in his car. The current model they own is controlled by an A.I. much like the taxis of Den City; lately, there have been updates getting installed in their programing to help decrease the risk of the A.I.s malfunctioning and causing any accidents, a move that Yuan admittedly thought was smart.

Once the duo got into the front seats of automobile, Mr. Amaya activated the A.I. through voice command and instructed it to had it go to Den City High School. The vehicle then pulled out of its parking space and made its way onto the road to embark on its voyage. While driving through the suburbs, Yuan asked if there was anything interesting he could listen to on the radio, but before his dad could answer, the A.I. picked up his question and responded by tuning to a radio station that was currently doing brief news reports, with one of them being about recent activity going on in Link V.R.A.I.N.S. They have heard rumors starting to go around regarding this, and right as the car went by the downtown area, those rumors were proven true. From the windows and windshield, they could see a lot of the skyscrapers’ TV screens were plastered with live coverage on this developing story, including one from Good Morning Link V.R.A.I.N.S.

"Welcome to another installment of Link Facts," a familiar talking frog announced. "I'm your host, J.W. Frog. As you're all aware of, there's been talk about this mysterious Celebrity Duelist known as 'Striker' goin' around. From what my rookie reporters gathered, he claims to be some new-fangled reporter who claims Sol Technologies is covering an incident that took place ten years ago. But can we really trust this guy? No one's got a glimpse of him, not even the kind of deck he uses. So how can we believe him when he's got no proof?"

A nearby phone rang. "And it looks like we have our first caller," Frog noticed. He pressed a button on his desk. "Hello, you have reached Link Facts. How may I help you?"

"This is Ghost Gal of CyberTech Sector," a young woman spoke up.

That surprised Frog. "M-My goodness, it's an honor to have you on my show," he replied. "What brings you here?"

"I noticed you've been saying things about Striker," Ghost Gal answered. "What makes you think you know everything about him? You ever thought he could be doing us a favor?"

"I'm sorry, m'am, but without definitive proof, we can't really tell what he’s like,” Frog explained.

"So your first thought is to say he's not trustworthy?" Ghost Gal assumed. "What if something did happen ten years ago and the folks at Sol Technologies are the ones acting shady?"

"That is a possibility," Frog admitted.

"Then I would appreciate it if you say that instead of making one-way accusations," Ghost Gal suggested, then she hung up.

"Well that was a sure-fire way to start things off," Frog remarked. "But that's why I need you viewers. If anyone has proof of who Striker is, whether it's pictures or videos, send them to me at [email protected]. Now in other news, The Gore has recently announced an upcoming charity duel..."

"J.W. Frog might be right," Mr. Amaya pointed out. "We really don't know much about Striker. He could be making up this 'Sol Technologies coverup' for attention."

"Maybe..." Yuan muttered, still thinking about that news report.

The traffic light changed from red to green, and while the car picked up some speed to continue driving, Yuan dove into some important aspects of what they witnessed. J.W. Frog brought up a valid point regarding these stories; unless it is for attention, it is always important to find definitive proof of the claim someone is trying to make. But maybe there could be another factor at play. What if Striker has been gathering proof and he’s just waiting for the right time to share it to the public? It could be a possibility.

Yuan knew he shouldn’t second guess himself like that yet he couldn’t help it because he just so happens to be a fan of Striker himself. He has heard about how this mysterious Duelist became a celebrity due to his nightly mission to expose Sol Technologies. Speaking of which, it was astonishing to have someone like Ghost Gal from CyberTech Sector call during a news report to give her input. She has also got a reputation herself for being a co-founder of this organization with well-renounced hacking abilities and shares a common goal with the other members: protecting Link V.R.A.I.N.S. from criminal hackers. As astounding as it is by itself, why would Ghost Gal suddenly chime in like that to have J.W. Frog say proof is needed? Is this so-called “Sol Technologies coverup” really that important?

"You're a fan of Striker, aren't you?" Mr. Amaya asked. "What do you think about this news about him?"

Yuan remained silent. "Not really in a talking mood?" Mr. Amaya guessed.

"Eh..." Yuan muttered with a shrug. "I'd rather keep an open mind. I've been following fansites for a while, but they all say the same thing. Everyone's obsessed with figuring out Striker's identity. Wouldn't it be easier to leave him alone? And what's going to happen when we finally figure out who he is? It sounds like he mostly became famous because of his unknown status."

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," Mr. Amaya pointed out. "Your mother and I know you made an account, but did you even try to log in? It wouldn't hurt to give it a try."

"No thanks," Yuan replied. "You know how hard it is for me to make friends-"

"Hey, Yuan!"

Outside the window, the two could see a teenager running towards their car. He had a chubby figure with dark green, shoulder-length hair that’s pushed back and left a small cowlick on the front, olive green eyes, and thick, hooked eyebrows of the same dark green color. For his attire, he wore the standard Den City High School male uniform except the jacket sleeves are rolled up to his upper arms and he wore scarlet sneakers with a light yellow coloring on the tongue of the sneakers and a thick, gray strap on each shoe. They both recognized him as Naoki Shima and Yuan was glad to see him; after all, they have been best friends ever since they were both children.

"Hey, uh...can you drop me off here?" Yuan asked his dad.

Mr. Amaya sighed. "Alright," he answered. He spoke into the steering wheel. "Stop driving."

At that moment, the car steered towards a crosswalk and stopped, allowing Yuan to get his suitcase. "Have a good day at school," Mr. Amaya said. "Love you."

"Thanks," Yuan replied as he got out of the car. "And I know."

He shut the door behind him and began to run up to Naoki. Just then, a honk briefly blared from the car horn, startling Yuan and stopping him in his tracks. He turned around to see his father rolling down the car window to say something to his son. "You have to say 'I love you' back," he explained.

"What?!" Yuan asked.

"I'm not leaving until you say it," Mr. Amaya insisted.

Yuan groaned as he face-palmed. "Fine..." he said. "I love you, dad."

Mr. Amaya chuckled slightly. "See?" he asked. "That wasn't hard."

As Mr. Amaya started the car up and it drove off, Naoki muffled a laugh. "What, doesn't your grandmother embarrass you in public?" Yuan asked.

"Pfft... Nah," Naoki answered. "Though I don't get why the other students tease me when she drops off my boxed lunches."

Yuan rolled his eyes as he sighed. He should’ve expected something like that from Naoki by now given how long they’ve known each other. For instance, one of the best memories they shared was back when they were children and they had gotten into Duel Monsters; unfortunately, uncertainty would always surface regarding what the actual rules were, so they decided to make up their own rules. They even recorded those rules into their own notebook copies and entitled them “The Official Dueling Guidebook”. Even after all these years, they still have their guidebooks in their bedrooms although they have been showing some signs of wear and tear. Even so, past and present moments with his best friend was another common occurrence that meant a whole lot for Yuan.

"So Yuan, have you thought about joining a club?" Naoki asked as the two walked to school.

"I have," Yuan answered. "Do you think the art club is still accepting members?"

"Probably," Naoki answered with a shrug. "But have you thought about joining the dueling club? I'm practically one of the club's best Duelist."

"Best Duelist, huh?" Yuan repeated. "What, did you bribe a bunch of newbies with the promise of free cookies?"

"Haha, very funny," Naoki dully said.

"I'm serious," Yuan clarified. "Den City High School mostly focuses on academics. We're the only Duelists who attend."

"Yeah, well turns out you're wrong," Naoki clarified. "I hung a flyer on the bulletin board and I got a bunch of people interested. Not sure if they played the game before, but it's still something. So whaddya say? You interested in stopping by after school?"

Yuan smiled. "How can I say no to my best friend?" he asked in response. "But I hope you didn't tell these supposed newbies Link monsters are invulnerable to everything."

Later that afternoon, once classes were finished, Yuan met up with Naoki in the hallway where the latter’s last class was. He followed him out of the building and through the school grounds, weaving through a few groups of students as they were all heading to their clubs or extracurricular activities. In only about a minute or two, they reached the front doors of another facility on the campus, where Naoki explained the Duel Club is located on the first floor. He led Yuan through the doors until they were both in the main entrance. He then bolted through a hallway on his left, leaving his friend to run after him; to this day, he hasn’t been able to deduce how someone like him can run so fast, so he would assume it probably has to do with his eccentric, passionate personality.

Fortunately, he managed to catch up to Naoki, and after turning a couple corners, they both reached a doorway in an empty hall. Outside the door, there was a sign that says “Duel Club” on it, marking the intended destination of Yuan and the other newcomers’ first day there.

"So this is the place?" Yuan asked.

Naoki nodded in response. "And don't worry, everyone's nice. You'll get along just fine."

"Right..." Yuan muttered. He slowly reached for the doorknob. "So I have to...just go in, right?" He took a deep breath. "That's all I have to do..."

"Geez, it's not that hard!" Naoki exclaimed. "But if you're too chicken, allow me to give you a push."

With a single yet strong push, Yuan found himself opening the door and stumbling into the Duel Club. He tried to maintain his composure after his not-so graceful entrance, but he was too distracted by the sight of the other club members, which contained a healthy gender ratio. Among the females were a young teenage girl with a brunette, bobcut hairstyle and hazel eyes, a blonde-haired woman with magenta-red eyes and glasses, and a purple-eyed girl who had her wavy, ginger hair in a headband and left two, light orange side tails on the front. As for the males, there were a gray-haired boy who wore chartreuse glasses over his black eyes, a spectacled young man with his eyes shut, his teal hair kept in a single spike, and considerably chubbier than Naoki, a straight, brown-haired man with a lean figure, and a short, teenage boy with gray eyes and kept his dark burgundy hair in a ponytail.

Realizing everyone was staring at him, Yuan stumbled over his words. "H-Hi..." he stammered, averting his eyes towards the ground. "Does anyone like bowling...?"

The blonde woman snickered. "Wow Shima, where'd you get this noob?"

"I'll have you know Yuan Amaya's been my best bud for years!" Naoki defended.

"Yeah right," the blonde woman scoffed with an eye-roll. She glared daggers at Yuan. "Did your so-called buddy pay you to be his friend?"

Yuan swallowed hard. "Uh... Well..."

"Quit mocking the newcomer," the ginger-haired girl defended. She smiled at Yuan. "Sorry about June. She always acts like that with everyone."

"Only because someone acted like a huge show-off and turned out to be a dueling fraud," the blonde woman, apparently June, snapped. "Good thing I'm the vice president or our club would go nowhere thanks to our president's cruddy leadership."

She was referring to the gray-haired boy, who was somewhat annoyed by her insulting him like that, but it was the least of his concerns at this point. What matters right now was to introduce themselves to Yuan because a lot of the members were always keen on getting to know the newcomers. He introduced him as Hosoda and confirmed that he was indeed the president of the Duel Club. The young, teal-haired man was known as Sato and the ponytailed boy was known as Tanaka, who were both second-year students. The brown-haired boy chimed in to acquaint Yuan that he is a freshman named Suzuki. The ginger-haired girl identified herself as Hannah while the brunette woman politely addressed herself as Skye. Though Yuan had an idea on who June is, the latter reluctantly gave her introductions.

"I'm June Mori," the blonde woman sighed. "And like I said before, I'm the club's vice president." She held out her hand. "Now fork over your deck for inspection."

"W-What...?" Yuan stammered.

"Don't mind June," Naoki explained. "She does this to all new club members."

"Only to see if you're worthy of being in the club," June coldly added. "Now hand it over."

"Uh...o-okay..." Yuan muttered, slowly taking out his Weather Painter deck.

Taking his deck from his hand, June expanded it out to examine the cards he has. So far, everything seemed pretty normal, much to her disappointment; it’s not because his deck was useless. It was far from it. She could tell the Weather Painter archetype all contained some beneficial effects of every card type. After all, a core belief that Hosoda made an official rule for the club was how there is no such thing as a useless card, only useless Duelists who don’t see their worth. As she was wrapping up her deck inspection, she spotted a card coated in a hexagonal pattern of dark and light blues. Her mouth barely moved, but it left an opening between her jaws big enough for it to be noticeable, prompting a nearly audible gasp to escape. On top of that, her eyebrows slightly rose at what she manage to catch a glance of.

Was it a dream? No, it couldn’t be. The image, the stats, the direction of where the arrows were pointing, the monster’s name. She recognized it all. Had she finally found it? The card she has been looking for?

"What's wrong, June?" Hosoda asked. "Did you see something?"

June responded by shoving the deck back into Yuan's hand. "Everyone, start rearranging the tables," she ordered. "We're dueling right here, right now."

"Now hold on!" Naoki defended. "You can't ask Yuan to duel!"

"But I just did," June bluntly pointed out. "His deck intrigues me. I want to see it in action."

Yuan wasn't sure how to respond. "Uh..."

Seeing his friend in distress, Naoki leaned close to him. "You okay, buddy?" he asked.

"H-How did you drag me into this..." Yuan muttered. "You know neither one of us can actually duel..."

"Relax, you got this," Naoki encouraged. "June uses a cheap starter deck. Your Weather Painters can easily defeat her."

"You sure you're not saying this to cheer me up?" Yuan guessed.

"Of course not," Naoki answered. He gave Yuan a pat on the back. "Now go on, you've got this."

Taking a deep breath, Yuan stepped forward. "I-I-I..." he stammered.

"Yes?" June asked.

"I accept your challenge!" Yuan nervously blurted out.

June smirked. "Glad to see you're not chicken," she said, strapping on her Duel Disk. "So listen up: if you can defeat me, I'll let you join. No second chances. Got it, noob?"

"Y-Yes!" Yuan exclaimed.

"Good," June said. "I'd wish you luck, but I doubt you'll need it."

#yugioh arc v #spiderman into the spiderverse #yugioh vrains #Into the Arcverse

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ncfan-1 · 7 years ago

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Gotham 04X18, ‘That’s Entertainment’

Last week: hardly anyone in the Legion of Horribles had a comprehensible motivation. This week: chaos. This is Gotham.

- We open with an extreme close-up on the interim mayor. Apparently something happened to the old mayor. And there are a bunch of other higher-ups at a dinner. Including the chairperson of the Gotham Moral Authority office… What decade is this show set in again?

- And Victor Fries and the other Horribles break into the dinner.

- And we’ve established that Bridgit does remember all the shit that happened to her, and that because of that, “there is no Bridgit anymore.” Okay, so we’ve established that. Thank you, show, for putting the bare minimum of effort into explaining why she suddenly wants to rip the city apart. If only you could have done a better job building up to this moment.

- Oswald could not look less happy to be in that van, and even less happy to have Jerome wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

- Okay, Alfred’s story about Bruce’s seventh birthday is kinda sweet. And Alfred has given him car keys. To a proto-Batmobile. Alfred, stop enabling him.

- …Alright, the hugging was sweet. I don’t have a heart of stone.

- And poor Oswald has slipped away long enough to warn Jim of what’s going on.

- The story is still very much treating Jonathan as… basically, the Tagalong Kid with a flair for mad science. There’s the way Oswald phrases it—he says that Jerome has Freeze, Firefly and Hatter working with him, and that Scarecrow made a gas for him. He differentiated between them; Oswald’s assessment, apparently, is that Jonathan is performing a different function than the others. Like, I know I keep beating this horse, but it’s striking the way the show, even though they aren’t interested in treating him as a character anymore, let alone a sympathetic character, he still comes off like someone who isn’t here on his own initiative, very much comes off as a subordinate, like even more so than the others (I don’t think Jerome recognizes equals). I noticed in the van, too, he was huddled in the corner up until the moment it came time to gas someone, with Jervis standing right in front of him. It’s just an interesting visual detail.

- “He scares the living hell out of me, okay!” Oh, Oswald, sweetheart.

- Oswald is unreasonably pretty, and I say this as an aro ace. He’s just… vaguely luminous.

- Old school Gobblepot, complete with Oswald limping away hurriedly when Harvey starts calling for Jim. My heart is glad.

- Jerome crashes a concert and does the old “bomb strapped to a hostage” trick.

- And Tabitha has apparently been her charming self.

- Tabitha’s also done with this League of Assassins business.

- Fries and Jonathan have busted into… a chemical laboratory, apparently. How much do you wanna bet this is the only scene in the episode where Jonathan has any lines?

- Jerome reveals who his two “guests of honor” are—Jeremiah and Bruce, to the surprise of no one. Jim tries to offer himself up in place of Bruce (which, okay, it’s a nice moment, even if it doesn’t redeem him), but no dice. As for the Police Commissioner… off with his head!

- Baby Batcat is still good. Even Alfred looks happy to see Selina. And Selina thought the brat thing was just an act.

- Alfred and Selina experience a rare moment of solidarity over Jim and Lucius’s horrible plan.

- Barbara follows the League to a house of Ra’s’s. Apparently there is a secret door, and more of the glowy hand. What’s behind the secret door? Uh, not sure, actually, but the music thinks it’s impressive. On the far wall, there is a portrait of Ra’s with a woman. Is this supposed to be some sort of reincarnation thing?

- Back to Jeremiah. Jeremiah is not nearly as charitable as Bruce, and doesn’t want to go along with Jim and Lucius’s plan. But Bruce moves him to going along with it. Jeremiah doesn’t seem terribly sympathetic towards the suffering of others. There’s still something just a bit… off, about him.

- Harvey goes to the lab, and a woman there reveals that Fries and Jonathan made them make the Joker venom. So maybe Jonathan’s not the one who’s been making it after all? Or maybe he just doesn’t have the skill level needed to make a more refined version.

- Jeremiah’s color scheme is very… Joker. I’m sure that’s not clumsy foreshadowing. I should also note that a more subtle bit of foreshadowing was Jeremiah lying about Jerome trying to kill him as a child last episode. I don’t know about other versions, but DCAU Joker lied about his past all the time.

- Bruce’s not flinching when everyone ducks when shots ring out seems reminiscent of 1989’s Batman. Seeing as Michael Keaton is my other favorite live-action Batman, that’s fitting.

(Yes, I said other. I really do like David Mazouz’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne, though we haven’t seen too much Batman from him yet.)

- The Horribles have commandeered a zeppelin. Jonathan had more lines! Jervis and Jonathan continue to be a duo, Jervis still sounds a bit like Jonathan’s minder/babysitter, and Oswald’s betrayal was anticipated.

- Tabitha’s assessment of Ra’s is a cult leader. Given the way Barbara is acting, it’s hard to argue.

- I’d say I feel sorry for Tabitha, but Tabitha’s so awful it’s hard to feel much of anything. And Tabitha, honey, I can’t even remember how many episodes it’s been since Selina last interacted with you and Barbara. At this point, I don’t think she’s coming back.

- Jerome’s comedy act is not very comedic.

- “You’re as crazy as I am.” And Jerome’s about to make sure Jeremiah is, by giving him the knife.

- Jeremiah doesn’t need a lot of persuading to try to kill Jerome. Given the way he screams, yeah…

- Jim and Oswald think the same way. :)

- “Time to kill this maniac once and for all.” Lucius doesn’t look like he approves of you’re taking the law into your own hands, Jim.

- The zeppelin of doom has arrived.

- We cut back to tied up and none too happy with his surroundings. He breaks his bonds and tries to get the hypnotized pilot to turn the zeppelin around. Unfortunately, the hypnotized pilot has a gun.

- Oswald calls Jim for help, and is, I think, convinced to try to help them.

- Jerome is on top of a building.

- And, not for the first time, Jim commits murder.

- Oswald gets into a fight with the pilot. Poor man doesn’t even drive his own car, how’s he supposed to fly a blimp? Very poorly, I assume. (He called it a blimp, I’m gonna assume that’s what it is.)

- And Jerome isn’t dead. He’s dangling from a drain pipe.

- “Lawman or murderer?” Jerome, Jim’s already a murderer, I wouldn’t appeal to him that way if I was you.

- But Jerome chooses to let himself fall, saying “I’ll be seeing you soon.” Unsubtle reference to Jeremiah, I presume.

- We cut back to Jerome’s dead face. People are gathered around his body, collecting his blood like he’s some sort of medieval saint.

- Bruce seems overcome. Poor kid.

- And Oswald picked up blimp-flying on the fly.

- Poor, poor Oswald.

- Tabitha vs. The League of Shadows. Pretty one-sided after about thirty seconds, with a mysterious man who is totally not Ra’s al-Ghul looking on from a distance.

- And it wasn’t Ra’s al-Ghul, as it turns out. Another faction of the League of Shadows. They promptly drug and kidnap her. Okay, now I do feel a little sorry for Tabitha. Today’s been the day that fun forgot for her.

- Jeremiah back in his sterile, creepy maze-house. He seems to be trying to cope with everything that just happened, only to find a present waiting on his desk. (It had better not be Ecco’s head in a box.)

- Okay, it’s not Ecco’s head in a box. Good; I’ve gotten entirely too used to this show pulling cheap tricks like that. It’s a spray of Joker venom. And we see Jeremiah’s face turning white, his lips turning very, very red, and we here a familiar-sounding laugh…

#ncfan watches Gotham

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Texas Attorneys Prepared to Fight For The Rights

Open Container Regulations Which will be the Open Container Regulations from Vermont? Might it be a severe complaint? Which will be the Punishments? Open Container offenses Often Get associated along with additional, much more severe, crimes such as DWI in Texas even Monthly Expenses Powers In the event you had been recently mentioned or detained to an open container automobile breach in their nation of North Carolina, then it's crucial to get hold of a seasoned unlawful defense lawyer including expenses Powers of that Legislation of Powers Landreth.

Should I be Not Impaired, Why Can They Care?

Open container legislation has been governed from the conditions as well as the national govt. Many nations decided to mandate a few open container legislation since the federal government has established incentives for doing this. Not to place too beautiful a spot onto the rationale, however, broadly speaking talking and awarded the character of the market, says don't aspire to drop roadway financing. Bluntly put, that really can be only one of these laws at which in fact the national texas open container law rv authorities have ordered that which it wants to determine... .and their country honor"voluntarily." Years past it had been lawful to get an open container at a motor car. While the people became aware of the risks of impaired driving, the people policy shifted. Currently, in 20 17, nobody might have an open container of liquor in the passenger region of the automobile.

From the late 1990's (1998 to be accurate ) the national government established the TX-21 (Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century). Even the TX-21 experienced a listing of instructions regarding getting open containers of alcoholic beverages in vehicles. As the TX-21 has been intended to be more"voluntary," states discovered it somewhat favorable to stick to along with the instructions with the action.

In case a country adopted the tips outlined at the action, they'd get public financing to get the own highways. In fact, their state decides never to adhere to the guidelines, then a part of this roadway capital was redirected to move to alcoholic beverages instruction packages.

An afterward iteration of all TX has been signed in to legislation by now the 2-1 refers into this 21stcentury rather than even being 21 yrs of age to a beverage. Since you likely figured, lots of nations wish to obtain this financing so that they incline to abide by this particular specific action. Up to comparatively lately, travelers may drink beverage beer along with non-fortified wine at the passenger part of the car or truck provided that the motorist had perhaps not swallowed any sum of booze. Texas united other nations across the united states to produce ANY open up container a crime. The punishment to get an open passenger container is significantly much less than in case the driver of your car is driving and drinking.

Since the Condition of Vermont contrasts with all the TX-21 behave, forcing using an open alcoholic container can be just really actually a severe offense having potential long-term impacts and penalties, and particularly for that driver of the car. Do not permit their state convict you first equipping your self-using a seasoned DWI defense lawyer in Texas touch expenses Powers now. Altered Transcript of"Vermont Open Container Regulations" for your Hearing Impaired

Hello my name invoice Powers and that I wan nat many thanks for shooting a peek at our site, navigating in and outside of this site we have lots of distinct substances. Therefore, I invite one to have a shop all about. Commence out huge, beginning in criminal-defense. We all break up our website down into legal defense, DWI traffic kind of regulation. After which narrow down yourself just a bit and that is precisely what this specific page would be. It calls for open container legislation in Vermont. Now I would be remiss, which means I would maybe perhaps not be providing you excellent info, easily did not explain to you this specific law should regularly times connected along with different areas over the tradition. We utilize the word Open Container legislation as that is what customers frequently consult with this, only the vocabulary of regular folks chatting.

You will find particular legal references involving Open Container regulation enforcement. We find a lot in auto kind of prices. The absolute most typical currently getting driving while impaired, driving subject into impairing chemical in breach from Vermont, Chapter 20, part 138.1. I utilized that reference sometimes people appear up against it this manner. In the event you imagine about just these matters are referenced in the novels there exists a chapter There is a publication in legal regulation enforcement, and there's chapter 20. Felony regulation has a lot of several episodes. Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 15a, Chapter 20 plus so they employ into various locations. Sometimes they genuinely are definitions. Sometimes they genuinely are offender strategies. Sometimes they're the only type of exemptions explaining that the illegal actions. The moment it has to do with driving while diminished, you have 20-138.1. When it is industrial drivers permit, it indeed is 20-138.2. When it is an underage driver, then it indeed is 20-138.3. Oddly, they indeed are very entirely separate. Different from the requirements about exactly just precisely what the scanning will be. .08 vs. .04 as opposed to 0. Even the punishments are different.

The inquiry would be, concerning the open container legislation, precisely what exactly does this indicate? Nicely often-times we will find them as I explained, correlated with diminished driving and somebody else was hauled for a specific motive. The authorities officials start their search to get reduced driving. Subsequently as a portion of this identification, sometimes there is only something that they view from right opinion. .an container. We consider a beer at the dash or cup-holder. We watch that a reddish cup. For that album, that is maybe perhaps not deceiving anyone. Legislation officials understand very well what people placed in crimson solo cups. I am aware a few customers believe that they're being sporadically or discriminated using a reddish bell cup plus they'll not have pulled for this. Just perhaps maybe not correct. Several of those instruments that individuals now have now can repaint the beverage. I will discuss that in an online movie clip. It is known as an Alco-sensor. They genuinely are driving all about consuming and drinking and getting susceptible to an impairing substance.

Years past, many, many years and years past, it still was not prohibited. You might have an open container in some specific circumstances from your automobile. The particular situation being perhaps you're a passenger. Possibly it had been a particular kind of alcoholic beverages. This had been beer and wine which has been unfortified. You mightn't possess spirits. It had been entirely valid for your passengers to be more driving and drinking. Subsequently, the authorities shifted expression legal provided that the motorist had not had such a thing to beverage himself or herself. In case the driver sipped alcoholic drinks afterward it turned into prohibited for the remaining part of the folks.

Nowadays it indeed is possible for its nice; nobody is assumed to get all kinds of booze within the auto. Beer, spirits, wine, augmented everything. You are likely to contain it at the vehicle. It's in and of itself a different unlawful violation. Today insurance providers, I am confident you possibly comprehend, are not real vast followers of the (with an open container at the motor car.). I am not planning to express it indeed is rather acute of long-term outcomes of driving while impaired. It will not play with a job and also a variable because people don't see it often in disabled driving circumstances. It performs a task and even a component at the conclusion of driving while decreasing.

Relating compared to this driving while diminished, '' I presume judges and prosecutors and honestly shield attorneys too, once you notice an open container at an automobile it gets the driving while declining case itself. I don't know whether or not it indeed is only a mental kind of bargain which the degree of the audacity of expressing,"I will drive and drink. Maybe not only am I going to drink and drive, but I will beverage while forcing," that can demonstrate the effects of booze onto leading part of the mental performance. The intelligent region of mental performance where you are maybe not exercising well decisions that's precisely what smoking is doing. Pregnancy is a central nervous system depressant. It hastens the central nervous system. Slows down it. Mental performance, how that it will work, it commence out off the front and also functions its way into the spine, may be that the consequences of booze. It safeguards the straight trunk of mental performance. http://abovemyflaws.tumblr.com

Where you breathing centers telling and are the own heart to overcome and also matters just like this. As the first mind, the more wise soul, the more rational thought, matters you generally without having alcohol wouldn't do, you get started swallowing juice as well as also you also make sporadically bad decisions or things that look likewise at that moment; point. Open up containers at an automobile may also end up being the natural cause of new hunts of folks who're driving-while officers ' are now still preparing to pull you. Blue lights are all around, and also you're attempting to material something under the chair of the vehicle, put it on on the floorboards, stuff it into your dash plus it impacts the driving.

Perhaps there exists a potent odor of liquor at your motor car. Yes one, it indeed is merely a lousy concept. Two there are impacts solely for that container. Occasionally, also that I often tend to make reference to receptive container scenarios even though driving impaired, however sometimes people state,"I'd like an open container in a playground or I'd an open container in a live performance or even that I had been at a public spot before the restaurant at which I once had been really on a sidewalk " Yes it indeed is an open container of booze. It usually is perhaps maybe not precisely what we'd refer to that. Technically it is an open container. However, it is a breach of some form of ABC, '' the Commission of Vermont, or even perhaps the ALE law,'' it is a breach of that legislation of new york related to this ownership of booze within immigrant assumptions. Premises BE ing put.

I've customers state,"I'd an open box fee. I used to be in a cafe, and it was so hectic that evening time and that I drove a foot onto the sidewalk along with ABC or even AlE and even town authorities came me up personally and also issued a citation." On these sort of instances, they genuinely are less severe nevertheless. Also, you do not desire to continue that onto your record. The district lawyer's workplaces are rather practical in addressing one of your kinds of scenarios. I might never automatically think they would only necessarily dismiss the situation as you are an incredible individual. Nor could I suppose you need to head within and plead responsibly. There can be possibilities out there. We will desire to take a have a check over your history, and also precisely what exactly were the type and even the situation on the other side of the citation itself.

When you've got questions concerning these kinds of matters and that I love you check our site. Have a Look around Look in the site articles Look at our lawyer profiles, our wallpapers This website and its contents are always intended to provide a telephone. We will Speak with you around your Telephone. When it has an open box in a playground or a restaurant, then you still all might perhaps well not have to possess you to encounter at your workplace. When it indeed is an open container in Texas at an automobile during the time that you are driving about, you could want to as it can be associated with something much more severe such because of driving while diminishing.

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