#make it romantic or not their relationship is too fascinating not to investigate deeper

[tealighttalks]

they have always circled each other like starving animals yearning for another meal. waiting for the other to flinch, to falter before they pounce. harry and tom are two sides of the same coin, saturated with poison.

the thing about hate is that its just as sickening and saccharine as love and no man can hold himself back forever. so they circle until their chance to tear each other apart.

they wait to ruin themselves.

[thevindicativevordan]

On Livewire

You know Leslie is probably the most popular and well known female Superman Rogue mainly because they use her so heavily in outside media.

Which makes sense given her debut in Superman: The Animated Series, but it still kind of fascinates me. They didn't bring her into comics continuity until 2006 apparently, with Gail Simone and John Byrne (Byrne of all the creators!) being the ones to finally fold her in. Even after they brought her in, they still have never given her that much attention or focus which is a disappointment for me frankly, because Livewire is honestly fantastic in Scott McCloud and later Mark Millar's Superman Adventures runs, and I would say with complete sincerity that those two are probably her best writers. "Millar writing a female character well?" you scoff at in disbelief. I know, I was shocked too! But she's funny, clever, and a huge pain in the ass for Supes. Reading how she was used there, and rewatching her STAS incarnation recently, really made a big realization for the character hit me like a lightning bolt (couldn't resist):

She's basically an evil superpowered Lois Lane! I know I can't have been the first one to realize that, although I haven't seen anyone else actually outright state it anywhere, but c'mon it's so obvious! She's a reporter of a sorts as well thanks to being a disc jockey, her debut in STAS even has her interviewing Lois and Clark! She's got strong opinions on Superman that conflict with the general opinion about him (Lois being pro-Superman when everyone else is more hostile towards him at first, Livewire being anti-Superman when everyone else has embraced him as their hero). She's rude and abrasive, and doesn't care if her opinions offend people, which sure does remind me of Lois at her meanest.

Livewire to me is an examination of what Lois would be like if she abandoned her morals or never really had them in the first place. Leslie doesn't care about the "truth" which is the big difference between her and Lois. Lois can be headstrong, willful, and outright rude, but it's all in service of her pursuit of higher ideals. Livewire doesn't care about that, she carries about getting people to pay attention to her, and getting the recognition and wealth she believes she's owed.

What I'd Do With Livewire

It wasn't until I had that big realization about Leslie that I figured out what role she should play with regards to Clark: She should be Clark's old college ex who was the one who got him into journalism in the first place.

Clark's college years are unexplored territory narratively, typically we jump from his childhood in Smallville right into his debut in Metropolis. Now I know Clark dated Lori that mermaid back in Pre-Crisis during his college years, and while that's a fun bit of trivia, it doesn't really add anything meaningful in the same way that I think Leslie and Clark dating could. So I'd rather go with Leslie because I think she makes for a better foil for Clark and because the two of them would benefit from having a deeper connection established, plus Leslie could get fleshed out as a character more.

I like the explanation that Clark chose journalism in part because it challenges him in ways his powers can't, but in the comics they've rarely bothered to explain how he chose that field in the first place. I would have meeting Leslie at college be that big moment where he starts to figure himself out. She's assertive and confident, and Clark is attracted to that for similar reasons he's attracted to Lois. Leslie would start out as an optimist and idealist in the same way Clark is, and the two would bond and go into journalism together, with Leslie being the one who really believes in the field initially. They'd both be big believers in the duty of the press to inform and the presses ability to shape public opinion, with Clark attracted to investigative journalism and Leslie attracted more to broadcast and digital journalism. They start to date and for a moment, Clark seriously wonders if this is the one.

The big break between them comes when Clark and Leslie go on a trip around the world during their senior year of college. That trip would be where both of them learn how crappy the world is. Clark always had some idea of how bad things were because of his powers, but the trip is where he really starts to realize that there is a real need for someone of his powers to step up, and that there are hard limits to just how much he can accomplish as a member of the press. That same realization is what shatters Leslie's idealism and optimism. She loses faith in the ability to make a difference, to punch through the wall of public indifference, and as a result she gives up that dream. Instead she decides that if you can't beat them, join them: she switches instead to telling the masses what the powers that be want them to hear in exchange for money, to saying whatever the masses will give her attention and prestige for, embracing tabloid journalism that prioritizes clicks and engagement over information. Ultimately it destroys the relationship between Leslie and Clark with her viewing him as a sap and him viewing her as a sellout.

I think that origin really would help flesh out her worldview and motivation a lot more. She's a former idealist who has been broken by the world in a similar way to Poison Ivy. Leslie thus acts as a foil to Clark and Lois in that she's someone who let the world rob her of her idealism and sold out on the truth in exchange for material success. She's what Clark or Lois could've been if they took Lex's offer to work for him, and they should recognize that to some degree. Clark should have conflicting feelings for her, not romantically that relationship is dead, but in terms of sometimes he wonders if he's just wasting his life trying to fight for truth and justice. So few people seem to care about those principles, why hold on so tight to them? Why not just look out for his own self-interest the way everyone else seems to? It's the refusal to give up even when it looks pointless that makes the two of them different, and makes Clark a hero and Livewire a villain.

How I'd Like Livewire To Operate

There's a lack of imagination in how Livewire is used on the comic side as I see it.

Like most Superman Rogues the typical Superman writer doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with her beyond generic "villain" stuff, but that does a disservice to what Livewire brings to the table. Livewire does want to fry Superman to a crisp, but that's not what her daily goal is to accomplish. More importantly, she wants respect and she wants money, and the way she gets both is not by trying to rob banks, it's by leaning into her background as a media personality combined with her new powers. Unleashing electric bolts is honestly the least impressive part of her powerset in terms of her ability to manipulate anything and everything technology.

The Internet? Livewire can crash the entire thing with ease, or restrict access to portions of it. She can do the reverse and smash through firewalls and encryption like it's made of paper. Imagine Livewire shutting off the power grid or causing it to explode, secretly using your "smart" tech to record your every move, uploading ransomware to every piece of technology in Metropolis, emptying the bank accounts of anyone who annoys her, or bringing Metropolis to it's knees thanks to the "City of Tomorrow" being a test ground for the Internet of Things, so everything is connected and thus easily manipulated. Smart cars crash into each other, elevators randomly drop, trains are unable to stop and simply accelerate onward unceasingly, plans attempting to land find their instruments on the fritz, anything and everything is Livewire's to control. But terrorism, while entertaining and occasionally profitable, isn't Livewire's main focus either.

One of my favorite Superman Adventures stories with her had Livewire manipulating TV broadcast signals so that any time there was a male news reporter on screen, the signal wouldn't come through. Stuff like that, where Livewire is making life hell for people in a way that isn't immediately life-threatening is what I envision as her day to day operations, but her bread and butter is fake news. What Livewire is REALLY good at doing is manipulating the public due to her journalism background plus her powers. She can make fake videos that look totally authentic, fake articles that seem to come from credible sources, fake voice recordings, she can make anyone appear to do or say anything through the Internet, and then she can upload that to the devices of every single person in Metropolis.

You can get stories about the mayor being framed for taking bribes, local activists cast as grifters, and supposed upstanding citizens such as Lois Lane and Clark Kent appearing to take orders from criminals like Intergang on what stories to run. Basically you lean into the journalism aspect for Livewire stories where Clark and Lois have to investigate to see whether what Livewire is putting out there is fake or legit, with peoples lives and reputations at stake (including frequently their own).

And when Superman and Livewire actually do clash physically? I don't care how it gets justified, Livewire simply being that powerful, her lightning being "special", she has the ability to manipulate Superman's bioelectric field, whatever: she can hurt him. When she hits Supes with lightning, it burns. It's painful as all hell. Livewire needs to be a threat and I'd like her to be treated as a powerhouse since I don't see a reason why that shouldn't be the case. Livewire is a really cool Rogue, there's a reason she's managed to keep getting used long after the DCAU ended. I hope the comics creators start utilizing her to her full potential.

[mysoftboybensolo]

The Alienist and the Soprano

Chapter 12: The Courtship

A/N: This was inspired by Laszlo’s love of opera and my thought on what if he fell for an opera singer. Multi chapter. Canon divergence, there is no Mary Palmer here (I loved Mary and Laszlo, so I don’t feel like I could have her here and have him be with another woman). A mix of show and book canons. No Y/N, OC named Evelina Lind.

A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32029150

Pairing: Laszlo Kreizler x Fem OC!

Summary: The last thing Laszlo Kreizler ever expected while investigating the death of children was to fall in love, and with an opera singer no less!

Warnings: Age gap, questioning of a relationship, but it gets resolved, hints of John x Sara (more of them will come in later chapters).

Laszlo didn’t quite know what to do when it came to courting. He himself had been so inexperienced in love and more so with social interactions that he feared that he’ll make one wrong move and ruin everything. It was one of those moments where he had to admit he knew nothing about the subject and must turn to someone who did.

John would never have thought in a million years that Laszlo would ever some to him for advice, and certainly not of the romantic kind. To see Laszlo looking rather on edge and uncertain gave John a small feeling of enjoyment as the roles have now been reversed, but he did not keep his friend suffering for long and entered the den.

“Thank you for meeting with me,” Laszlo spoke, “Especially on short notice.”

“That is probably the first time you had ever said that to me in all the years we’ve known each other. You must need my help badly.”

“I fear that I do. I-I have asked Evelina if I may officially court her.”

John’s eyes brightened with joy. “Laszlo, that is wonderful! She is indeed a remarkable woman.”

Laszlo smiled and nodded in agreement. “I have never felt this way about anyone, and I am afraid. I am afraid that I shall say or do something wrong and after everything that had happened in the previous days, the last thing I would want to do is cause any further scandal.”

John chuckled and teased, “If you want her to be scandal free, then she picked the wrong man.” John quickly realized what a mistake his choice of words was as he saw the visible hurt in his friend’s eyes. “I am sorry, I was only joking. It is amusing to see you like this though, because last I recall you had some choice words about love. Dull, no more than a mystery than cholera.”

He watched as Laszlo’s mood lightened as he recalled back on his own words and shook his head. “And I did believe them. Or at least, I wanted to believe them. She changed my mind. John,” he asked in a somber tone, “Do you think I am wrong to do this?”

John stared at him perplexed. “What do you mean?”

“It’s just, I am forty and she is just shy of her twenty-fifth birthday, a whole life ahead of her full of possibilities, and I feel like I am taking something away from her, especially with…” He doesn’t say the words, but his habitual gesture of left hand gripping the right wrist finished the sentence.

“Laszlo,” John sighed, “You two are not the first couple to have a difference in age, and many more have had even larger gaps then you do. And I resent the idea of you being too old, because it means I am as well, and I should like to think I am not too old for love!”

Laszlo offered a small smile, but a part of him knew that his relationship did mirror a bit with John’s feelings towards Sara, even though John was with Violet. That was something that Laszlo felt grateful in, not to be a situation where he is tied to one but loves another.

“And by now, she knows about your arm,” John continued, “I am sure that if she had thought less of you because of it, she would have left. Let us be honest, if she hadn’t left after her first meeting of you, then I am certain she is never going to leave. And I shall now share with you a lesson that I had learned a rather difficult way; never tell a woman what to feel, even if you do think she ought to feel differently.” John reached over and placed a friendly hand on Laszlo’s shoulder and grinned. “No one deserves to be happier than you, after everything that has happened, you deserve it. Take it, my friend, and enjoy it.”

Laszlo was touched by these words and knew John meant it. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you’d say that.”

“My god, Laszlo,” John chuckled, “If being in love placates you, then you must do it more often.”

“I intend to. But what do I do? I mean, what is it that people do when they court?”

John explained the socially proper rules of courting, such as never be alone with her without someone being there, places where they be together, gifts you can and cannot give, etc. Many of these rules made Laszlo roll his eyes, for they were built on patriarchal beliefs that did more harm than good, but overall, when he left John’s place, he felt comfortable to move forward in the relationship.

Evelina had felt herself on cloud nine, for it felt that everything was falling into place at last. The feeling of his kiss still lingered on her lips and it was like a drug that had prolonged effects, for even the stares and whispers that people made when she passed them hadn’t even bothered her. The party at the Roosevelt’s tonight should be able to help with that, especially with Edith Roosevelt in your corner, who had happily accepted Evelina into the party as soon as she saw her.

“Oh, my dear, you are just the loveliest creature ever, love suits you very well.”

Evelina blushed and asked, “Is it obvious?”

“Beautifully so. He’s over by the fireplace, his usual spot in events such as this,” Edith said, giving her a coy smile, knowing she’d want to go to him.

Because of how late the rehearsals went, Evelina had told Laszlo to go on ahead and she’ll meet him there, so this was the first they would see each other after the kiss, and they came together sweetly and shyly. “Good evening, Laszlo, did you sleep well?”

“Quite well, I had the most pleasant dream,” he softly spoke, looking down at her with such a tender love that he could see reflected in her eyes.

“A result from a rather wonderful moment from the previous night?” she asked, knowing full well that was the reason why, she just wanted to hear him say it.

“There can be no other reason.”

The party went extremely well, and Evelina had to say that Laszlo was a good sport, she knew how uncomfortable he can get at social events, which was partially the reason why he stuck close to Evelina. The other reason was because he just adored her so. It was quite apparent to everyone in the room by the end of the night, and many thought it a good match; economically, she will be married to a man who is one of the wealthiest people in New York, socially, he is less irritable when around her. Personally, they loved each other so much.

Laszlo was indeed right, people would move on from one scandal to another, as a week later it was revealed that a prominent society lady was having an affair with her stable hand, and everyone went mad over it. People still looked down at her for her profession, but she brought up a good point during one of their meetings, of how despite people looking down at the profession, they still come to her to hear the music they love.

“It comes from a need to control and a deeper level of jealously,” Laszlo said, “If they see someone that they can put down, then they will as it will make themselves feel important. But they also know that they need that person to provide a need they cannot get themselves, which can cause a sense of jealously and hostility and make them react in such a way. They try to convince themselves that the ones lesser than them need the higher class to survive, but the truth is, the society needs the workers more than the workers need them.” Laszlo opened his mouth to continue, but he noticed how Evelina looked at him and wondered if he spoke too much. “I’m sorry. I tend to go on rambling about such things.”

“Don’t apologize, it was fascinating. I like hearing you speak about such things; it only teaches me something new, but to see you go on about something that you enjoy, it makes me happy.”

Often people have told Laszlo that they didn’t care about his work, that his ramblings about facts, big or small, were not so interesting, and to hear that she not only enjoys it, but likes how it makes him happy, well, that made him even happier.

What made their courtship so different from everyone else’s was how open they were with one another. Laszlo certainly made it no secret that he did not approve of the standard norms of society, which is why he did things so differently, and while to some it would be an improper error, Evelina felt that they should not have to hide how they felt. Most unions were made for the sole purpose of advancement in society, but this one was an affair of the heart. But despite how they felt about these rules, they also knew that there were some rules that could not be breeched. Laszlo visited her when he knew Sara was home to “keep watch” over the pair, which meant she’d be in the next room typing away at her machine while Laszlo and Evelina had the freedom of being alone.

Mrs. Vidal had also played chaperone at the opera, watching with a careful but affectionate eye as Laszlo visited after the show. The first time he came by was after the premiere of Roméo and Juliette, having watched her fall in love, despair and die, all so tragically and beautifully. He looked down at her from his box with incredible pride and adoration, and what he couldn’t believe was that at the end of the show, when she was giving her final curtain call, she looked up at him and gave a small but noticeable gesture of blowing a kiss to him. No one else caught it, between the gesture being subtle and they so enraptured, but Laszlo noticed, and it warmed his heart.

He went down to her dressing room after the show, pushing through the usual crowd of admirers and was allowed the privilege of a private audience with the prima donna.

“Laszlo!” she happily exclaimed, rushing to wrap her arms around him, which caused him to gasp but chuckle as he returned the hug. “Did you like the show?” she asked with her face pressed against his chest.

“Oh, meine liebe, you were perfection itself.”

She pulled back enough to look up at him, with a look of pleasant surprise. “Laszlo, do you realize that you just called me by a term of endearment?”

He thought back and then apologized. “Oh, I hadn’t realized. I am sorry if you don’t like it.”

“Oh no!” she disagreed cheerfully, “I love it. I like to be called your love. But what shall I call you?”

Laszlo chuckled at her sweetness, “Whatever you like, I suppose.”

“It’ll come to me. Such a thing must come naturally, as it did with you. The company is having a party, Delmonico’s, your favorite. Please be my escort?”

He kissed her hand and declared it to be a pleasure and left her to get ready as he waited in the hall. Evelina watched as Laszlo pushed through the crowd and couldn’t help but to laugh at the thought of him getting lost in the crowd.

Maria, still in her nurse costume, was pushing through the crowd of men when she bumped into Dr. Kreizler was confused as to why he was down here. Managing to get through, she entered the room and quickly went to Evelina who was laying on the couch with her eyes closed. “Evelina, are you alright?”

Evelina opened her eyes and sat up with a smile. “Yes, shouldn’t I be?”

“Well, no, of course not, but I saw the doctor leave and I was worried.”

Evelina got up and went to her vanity with a smile. “No, I am perfectly well. Better than well, actually.”

“Good. Listen, I was thinking of us entering Delmonico’s in style. Be fashionably late and-”

Evelina gently interrupted and said, “I am sorry, Maria. But I am going with someone else.”

Maria was at first disappointed, then she perked up when a thought came to her. “Is it the same man of whom you have feelings for?”

Evelina began to wipe the stage makeup off as she nodded. “Yes. We managed to finally express our feelings for each other and he’ll be taking me tonight.”

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense, who is it?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it. “No, you’ll laugh.”

“Laugh, why would I laugh? Evie,” Maria placed both hands on her friend’s shoulders, making her look at her, “I promise, if I laugh, I’ll lend you my ruby and pearl earrings for the evening. Now, please, tell me?”

Evelina sighed, then said, “It’s Dr. Kreizler.”

Maria paused for a moment, her hands slipped from Evelina’s shoulders and a quizzical look came over her features. “Dr. Kreizler. The alienist?” Maria watched as Evelina nodded. “Huh.”

“Oh, stop it, I know you want to laugh,” Evelina muttered, standing as she tossed her towel on the vanity.

“No, not at all. I am perplexed, to say the least. He is indeed quite good looking and is more well off than Mr. Moore could ever hope to be, and he is older, but so is Moore. It’s just, well, Dr. Kreizler always just seems so…distant and harsh, and you two seem so different from one another. What on earth do you see in the man?”

Evelina’s face softened and an almost dreamy haze overcame her. “Oh, if you only knew. He puts on the air of being steely strong and mean, yet, if you could see him with the children, he’s remarkable, tender, loving. He suffered but only wants to help others avoid what he went through. He’s witty, humorous, brave. And his thinking is so modern, so unlike most men I have known. He believes in women having just as much rights as men, including holding their own jobs and casting votes. He’s wonderful.”

Maria whistled. “Well, in that case, I may just fall in love with him myself.”

“Hands off, I saw him first,” Evelina teased, smiling back at Maria.

“Oh, all right. I suppose I’ll have to settle for Ramon, the tenor,” Maria teased back. Then her smiled turned tender and asked, “But, you are happy with him? Truly?”

Evelina nodded. “Yes, incredibly so. We may not be so similar, but we are similar in where is counts.”

“And that is all that matters,” chimed in Mrs. Vidal. “It’s rather best you do not end up with someone who is completely like you, otherwise, neither of you will push the other to do better, and on the bad days, you’ll hate the flaws of yourself that you see reflected in the other. Dr. Kreizler is a fine man and any man who would risk his life the way he did for you, that is a man worth keeping.” Giving her a kiss on the cheek, Mrs. Vidal said, “You are very lucky, some of us never find the right one, enjoy him while you can.”

Maria smiled, seeing her friend looking so happy was wonderful, especially after the horror she had to endure, and if it was a man like Kreizler, who not only came to her aid but also made Evelina smile, then it was worth it. “Hear, hear! And speaking of, I should leave you to get dressed, can’t keep him waiting.” Maria stood and bopped the end of Evelina’s nose. “I am very happy for you. I’ll, see you at the party,” she called out from over her shoulder.

As Evelina got ready, all she could think of was how lucky she was that not only did she find a good man to love, but that the dearest people in her life liked him too. She almost wept to think that her parents could not be alive to have met him, but she knew that they would have liked him and would have wanted her to be happy. And she knew that she’ll never stop having her heart skip a beat, for when she stepped out after changing and saw him standing there, waiting for her, it was like falling in love all over again.

If people had not known that Laszlo and Evelina were a couple, then tonight had put everything to rest. People stared amazed at the sight of Laszlo walking Evelina into Delmonico’s, especially the opera company, who never saw this coming. It was of course not an unusual practice of a singer taking on the patronage of a wealthy person, but they of all the months that they had spent working alongside Evelina, she never seemed to be the kind to do this sort of thing. The highbrows of society had simply nodded their heads and declared that they had fully expected this of her.

But what changed it from being simply seen as an arrangement to an honest to goodness courtship was seeing that the pair had matched in their flowers; in his lapel, was a lovely boutonniere of violets which matched the same corsage she wore pinned to the front of her dress. It was a spur of the moment decision, as they had passed a flower seller on their way and picked matching flowers that had a very strong and important meaning “faithfulness”.

At this point, they both decided that society could look at them with judgmental glares and harsh whispers all they want, but nothing was going to stop this miraculous feeling of being in love. And if anyone did, Sara would happily get into a fisticuff with the person, as she strongly vowed to the pair. As much as she was very happy to see them together, it did make her feel a little left out, and her gaze fell to John, with a sense of longing that she never could allow herself to admit. It was hard not to see herself reflected in Evelina and her relationship with Laszlo, after all, it was what Sara had imagined being with John might be like.

But it was too late.

Tagging: @monsieurbruhl​, @cazzyimagines​ @scuttle-buttle​ @violetmuses​ @flutterskies​ @sokoviandelights​ @rumblelibrary​ @fictionlandslanddreams​ @somethingthatsaysbubbles​ @alindeluce​ and  @barnesxnobles

[autolenaphilia]

Part 2: Universal’s Frankenstein series (1931-1942)

Frankenstein (1931)

Like Dracula this film has some justly well-remembered and iconic imagery. Jack Pierce’s make-up job for the monster is very well-done and the scene of Frankenstein bringing his creation to life is exciting and memorable. James Whale’s direction brings life to the procedings Just in how it looks, this is a well-made and enjoyable film.

The problem is that it is adapted from a book that is anything but a dumb monster book but an intelligent and well-written novel with some philosophical depth to it. And almost none of that makes it into the film. It is not that the monster played by Boris Karloff is unsympathetic. Yet the reason for our sympathy is so different from that of the novel. Karloff’s monster is sympathetic because he is mistreated and while he is superstrong and kills people, he seems to have the mind of a small child. The scene where the monster plays with a little girl is probably the film’s highlight, foreshadowing the greater exploration the film will get in its sequel.

The novel’s monster is sympathetic because it has the mind of a highly intelligent and emotionally sensitive romantic man, yet was born into an unnatural existence rejected by all of humanity including his creator. It is a philosophical angst that anticipates the existentialists. And none of that is in the 1931 film.

In fact, the movie outright contradicts the novel’s themes by appropriating the eugenical ideology of the early 30s by talking about “normal” brains and “abnormal, criminal” brains. And the film implies the monster’s violence is due to having been given a criminal brain. This directly contradicts the novel, where the monster is not born evil but is made so by his ill-treatment. It also ruins any message of “meddling in god’s domain” the film is going for (which is outright stated in Edward Van Sloan’s introduction). The implication is that things only went wrong because of the mistake made by Fritz the assistant that gave the creature a criminal brain.

All of this doesn’t jump rob the monster of complexity, it also robs the Frankenstein character of any tragedy he had in Shelley’s novel. His missteps are far less serious and he seems completely redeemed in the end. Colin Clive doesn’t really have much to work with.

Ultimately this movie is a reflection of its monster. Well-made and its appearance are iconic, but ultimately a shambling and unintelligent mess.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

This film is a massive improvement on the original, in every way.  This film takes the Universal Frankenstein movies a large step closer to the thematic wealth of its source material. It isn’t as clever as the book, or very faithful to it, but it is far more so than the original film. And it makes a far more convincing argument for being considered as a good film solely on its own merits.

It even feels faithful to the original film, taking off where it ended, with the same director James Whale and with Boris Karloff and Colin Clive reprising their roles as the monster and his creator respectively. It feels like a natural follow-up, yet it goes beyond the original into more interesting territory.

This film explores the monster’s condition deeper than the original did. Here the monster’s loneliness and tragic existence is a central theme. He does commit acts of violence, but the focus is on how humanity persecutes him. There is even a scene where he is tied to a pole and a shot clearly invokes Christ on the cross.

He isn’t the eloquent philosopher of the novel, but he does learn to speak in a limited way from a kindly old blind man. The scenes of the monster meeting the blind man and making friends with him is probably the highlight of the film, and are quite touching. The monster experiences for a short while happiness and companionship. It is however ruined when people searching for the monster break into the monster and the blind hermit’s idyll, and quite literally destroys it by burning down their cottage.

This leads the monster into the hands of the villain Dr Pretorius. Pretorius is Frankenstein’s mentor and wants to convince Frankenstein to resume his experiments, and decides to use the monster as leverage.

Pretorius is a great villain, played with great energy and charisma by Ernest Thesiger. He drives the plot, which goes in strange directions. In a very entertaining and well-made (the special effects are still impressive) but utterly bizarre scene, Pretorius shows off tiny people who he has created and who live in jars.

There is a camp quality to the film, which doesn’t preclude it from exploring deeper themes. This camp quality has given impetus to a number of queer readings of “Bride of Frankenstein”. Director James Whale was more or less openly gay, and there is some evidence of Colin Clive and Ernest Thesiger were bi or gay too. Pretorius is perhaps queercoded, with his effeminate and theatrical mannerisms, and his influence on Frankenstein can be read as homoerotic. The relationship between the monster and the blind hermit has been read as a queer marriage, and the monster’s persecution as an analogy for homophobia.

Pretorius’s goals is to work with Frankenstein to create a female monster, and the monster like in the novel wants this to happen so that he can have a companion.

Unlike in the novel however, the female monster is actually brought to life. She is the “bride of Frankenstein” of the title, and dubbed so by Pretorius.

Yet she has her own mind and rejects the very idea of becoming the monster’s bride. In other words, A female monster rejecting her male creator’s expectations that she’ll become the wife of her male counterpart. The feminist and queer interpretation is obvious: it is a rejection of the heteronormative standards pushed on women by men.

It is a fascinating film that is open to various interesting thematic interpretations. It is also a very well-made film that is very fun to watch.

It even improves on the aesthetic merits of the original film. Jack Pierce’s monster make-up is just as good in this film, and it even subtly changes through the film, because the monster gets injures and slowly heals. The monster coming alive in the first film was very impressive, yet the scene of Frankenstein and Pretorius bringing the bride to life outdoes it in every sense. And The bride herself is another iconic creation.

This is among the very best of Universal’s horror films.

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

This is not as good as Bride of Frankenstein, but is still an extremely well-made film and very enjoyable.

The film with begins with the title character Wolf Von Frankenstein returning to the castle of his ancestors. There he meets Ygor, his father’s old assistant. Ygor was hanged for his graverobbing, but miraculously survived. Ygor has found the monster, who is alive but in bad shape. And he convinces Frankenstein to revive the monster in the hope that it might restore his father’s reputation. Yet Ygor intends to use the monster to get revenge on the men who hanged him. And Wolf is under suspicion from the stalwart Inspector Krogh, who suspects Wolf of committing the same mistakes as his father.

What makes this plot work is foremost the quality of the acting. The film benefits from three highly skilled actors in the lead roles. Basil Rathbone plays the title role, Ygor is played by Bela Lugosi (probably my favourite Lugosi role) and Lionel Atwill plays Krogh, Frankenstein’s heroic antagonist.

The plot is thematically not that interesting, but the three main characters all have clear motivations that bring them in conflict with each other as the film develops. The script by Wyllis Cooper (otherwise most well known for his pioneering radio work) is at least strong on character writing and dialogue, and the three actors make the most of it in their performances. It is just plain fun to see these characters face off with each other thanks to the acting.

It is also fun to see Karloff as the monster again, even if he is out of focus here. He only really gets one scene where he gets to properly act, the scene where the revived monster confronts Frankenstein for the first time. It’s a fine bit of silent acting for what it is.

This film had quite a high budget for a horror film, and it shows in the quality of execution. The story gets more room to breathe thanks to a longer runtime than most horror films of the era, with almost 100 minutes. The set design in these movies is generally excellent, but here it is especially spectacular.

This film is a bit of a step-down from “Bride of Frankenstein”, as it doesn’t have that film’s thematic depth. Yet it is still an enjoyable and extremely well-made film in its own right.

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

The title character, I’m not kidding

The Frankenstein series had been extremely lucky with its sequels to this point, with both of them actually surpassing the first film in quality. And while “Bride” is better than “Son”, both are well-made films that found new things to do with the series.

The Ghost of Frankenstein however is exactly what you expect a horror movie sequel to be.

The story borders on absolute nonsense. Ygor has somehow survived being shot multiple times by Wolf von Frankenstein, and the monster has also survived being dropped into sulphur. The film then outright repeats the previous film in that Ygor contacts yet another son of Frankenstein in order to do further work on the monster.  The new Frankenstein son is Ludwig, who is apparently the brother of Wolf from the previous film, and he dutifully repeats his brother’s character arc of repeating his father’s mistakes under the influence of Ygor. There is even a sympathetic yet suspicious policeman to investigate Ludwig, just as Krogh did in “Son Of Frankenstein”.

It is certainly fun to see Bela Lugosi reprise his role as Ygor and a good actor like Cedric Hardwicke play Ludwig Frankenstein, yet the repetition of plot points from the previous movie is obvious.

There is a new idea however: brain transplants. This means a return to the nonsense from the first film about the monster being bad because he has a “criminal brain”. Ygor’s plan in this movie is to have his brain removed from his weakened body and placed into the strong body of the monster

As you can tell from this plot summary, “The Ghost of Frankenstein” is pure b-movie camp. There is even a literal ghost of (father) Frankenstein in one scene, seemingly only to justify the title (“The Other Son of Frankenstein” would have been more accurate).

It is well-acted certainly, with a wealth of charismatic and talented actors. Cedric Hardwicke as Ludwig, Bela Lugosi reprising his Ygor, Evelyn Ankers as Ludwig’s daughter Elsa and Lionel Atwill as Ludwig’s easily manipulated sidekick Dr Bohmer. Lon Chaney Jr does a decent Karloff impression as the monster. They are all fun to watch, doing well with what they have been given. Yet unlike with Son of Frankenstein the script does not give the characters enough depth and conflict to make the acting really soar like it did in the previous film.

It is certainly enjoyable, don’t get me wrong. If you want to see a fun horror movie “The Ghost of Frankenstein” certainly will fulfil your desire.  But it is a disappointment coming after such good films like “Bride of Frankenstein” and “Son of Frankenstein”.

[astrolovecosmos]

The 8th House and Fears 👻 💀

Fear in the 8th house can exist. Sometimes it points to phobias, more often than not it points to fears we want to hide, aligning more with wondering if our fears will make us vulnerable.  * The 12th is more about fears hidden in our psyche while the 8th is aware of what scares us, but isn’t comfortable sharing these fears.

Aries in the 8th: Can fear appearing or being weak. Can fear losing. If we want to label them with phobias possibly Astraphobia (bad weather), Cleithrophobia (being trapped), Traumatophobia (fear of war or injury), or doomsday phobias. This is more so speculation and might be too closely related to Aries “war-like” and “aggression” stereotype which can intermingle too much with Mars. The main point is Aries fears taking down their guard, drowning their fire, and threats to independence. Conflict, anger, and energy to spare creates an inner fear and frustration towards losing control. They may fear losing identity or having their identity shamed or threatened. Fear can be tied to what Aries represents such as the self or leadership.

Taurus in the 8th: We can see fears surrounding the physical realm and taking risks or sudden changes and happenings; like  pteromerhanophobia (fear of flying), taphophobia (fear of being buried alive),  pseudodysphagia (fear of choking), or acrophobia (fear of roller coasters). I’m not sure if those are the best examples, but the main point is physical realm + risks. Also a fear of loss can be very apparent, especially loss of money or possessions. At the core, fear surrounds their security and stability.

Gemini in the 8th: We see fears surrounding inner confusion, getting stuck, facing their negative or dark side, and maybe a detachment or more so avoidance towards confronting fears in general. Phobias such as agoraphobia (fear of situations in which escape is difficult) or cleithrophobia (fear of being trapped) may exist. Paranoia could exist in the superficial realm such as fear of strangers or acquaintances intentions or worry about their impression or if they are well understood.

Cancer in the 8th: We can see fears that have been passed down from their parents/family, a fear of pregnancy is associated, they can fear abandonment, being used, possibly fear rejection, and fear general emotional vulnerability. Water signs in general in this house are known to have a more active imagination/have a heighten sense of paranoia. With Cancer in this house there is a huge desire to control that fear which could help to liberate them, but this will also be a common struggle internally.

Leo in the 8th: There is a fear of control and suppression. They secretly fear others getting the upper hand on them power-wise. They might not respond well to authority. A desire to fight against anyone who might silence them can exist. Fears of appearing vulnerable can exist but more so in that they fear their ego being torn. They can fear being ignored or forgotten about. Fear of authority and fear of disloyalty may be intertwined, some with this placement believing that an uncompromising person is a disloyal one.

Virgo in the 8th: With an Earth sign we see “physical fears” coming up again. With the “health” association of Virgo we could see trypanophobia (fear of injections),  hemophobia (fear of blood), or mysophobia (fear of germs and dirt).  But the more emotional fears, the ones they want to hide have to due with fearing being useless and fearing others finding out their imperfections. There can also be a fear of a lack of structure and understanding. Things that don’t make sense can frustrate them or give anxiety.

Libra in the 8th: We see fears surrounding relationships, especially the relationship with the self. There can be a fear of getting close to others and the risk of losing independence. There is also the fear of “ending up alone”. There is a push and pull between what they want and what they need. A fear of what is “bad, negative” can exist - which on the surface seems normal. But this can be from ignorance or rooted in their original fear of getting close to others and getting close to themselves. An example being they might view anger and fighting, seeing it as something always “bad”. Maybe even a general nyctophobia (fear of the dark). Justice can be associated here, fearing criminals or being criminalized. They could misinterpret someone’s emotional needs or confession as “clingy” or “unhealthy jealousy”.  Within them they can see some of their deeper side or vulnerable side as something very wrong.

Scorpio in the 8th: A lot of paranoia or obsession over their phobias can manifest. More “irrational fears” can surface or more so fears that highlight the underlying issue of lacking control and fear of the unknown, like triskaidekaphobia (fear of the no. 13) or phasmophobia (fear of ghosts). They can fiercely hide their emotional vulnerability, ultimately fearing  rejection, abandonment, and betrayal. With extreme fears can come someone who explores what it means to be brave - facing things that once paralyzed them so that they can grow.

Sagittarius in the 8th: Fears of being trapped, of being held back, being lost, and appearing stupid or unskilled is associated. If we want to talk phobias think of claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces). While a lot of their fears surround a threat to freedom, independence, and individuality, it can also be connected to fear of a damaged ego, especially with appearing like they don’t know anything or are foolish.

Capricorn in the 8th: Some physical fears can manifest like acrophobia (fear of heights). A fear of letting go, lack of control, being a failure, facing embarrassment, and having a lack of love or more so a lack of purpose can exist. Facing their fears can be a big challenge. Possibly being taught at a young age that it is best to ignore or suppress what scares them. They can struggle to “take responsibility” over what scares them, especially emotionally, despite this sign’s trope of always being responsible. Having a negative outlook surrounding what threatens them could be a defense mechanism too or relying on practicality and what is dubbed “normal”.

Aquarius in the 8th: We can see uncommon phobias or phobias that involve the collective or politics/government such as dooms day phobias or diving into conspiracy theories. Fear of rejection and having a part of their identity taken are associated. They can also fear being “replaced”. Their fears can cause a lot of mental exhaustion. To protect themselves they may become closed off socially or even intellectually.

Pisces in the 8th House: Hysteria, unpredictable anxieties, and fears that warp their reality may happen. They can fear that others are always lying, other times they fear the truth. They fear emotional pain on many levels from rejection to worthlessness to loss to being alone. They aren’t so much about protecting emotional vulnerability as protecting their sanity or their emotional comfort and contentment. Facing a fear of mortality can exist along with fears of facing reality. Through spiritual grounding and reassurance in their feelings can they face these fears. Pisces’s flexibility and wisdom gives something too for facing fears.

Planets

Sun in the 8th: Fears and phobias can be centered around ego and identity. Fears taught by/passed down from their father can exist. Can fear others' depending on them despite their expression and passion in intimacy. There is a desire to give themselves up completely in relationships but life has taught them to fear this, over and over again. The creative side can give into paranoia about dangers or issues few have ever thought of.

Moon in the 8th: Fear of having children can appear here or pregnancy, fear of loss of family, fear of losing control over family or estrangement can be here. Fears may have been taught or passed down by their mother. Their intuition can warn them of danger easily but also heighten worry. A lot of fears surround jealousy, trust, and suspicion. Fear of a corrupt community can also happen. There is a focus on facing fears of the past. They must face childhood nightmares or rooted pain. Phobias could exist around bad things happening in the home as well. With the Moons strong tie to the ocean, could fear drowning, water, the ocean, fish/marine wildlife.

Venus in the 8th: Possible fear of decision making, conflicts, instability, and fear of wanting. Friends and romantic partners tend to teach them these fears. They want oneness and intense intimacy and can develop possession and jealousy out of their relationship insecurities. May fear dangerous dates or blind dates. Phobias could surround the bedroom or physical intimacy. Could have a fear of choking, harm from exposure, or homelessness. These fears surround the opposite of physical security and comfort.

Mercury in the 8th: Can fear bad things happening in pubic places, especially in places where one learns and communicates like school. Their restless mind can think of many bad scenarios, especially in crowded places like a concert or festival. Fears are transferred through information they stumble upon or seek out. One must watch the type of news or entertainment they seek. Their mind can be susceptible by negative movies, books, or articles. Fear of being misunderstood can happen here. Fear of being mentally bored or really, held back is here. They have an investigative mind that might be fascinated by the dark or occult but needs to be careful of spooking themselves.

Mars in the 8th: With Aries I mentioned phobias surrounding getting hurt - this is even more so associated with Mars in this house. This person fears bloodshed, murder, war, and the negativity of conflict, rage, or dominance. There is a hypersensitivity to the violent nature of the world. They are active in the defense sometimes. Depending on the sign and aspects their own Mars sign can be very intense. Sometimes worrying their own anger will get out of control. Can link survival and winning too.

Jupiter in the 8th: The faith of Jupiter can help this person stand up to some of their fears. Worry can be embedded in beliefs, wondering if they are a good person. Fear of being limited or of scarcity can exist. Can fear corrupt religion, beliefs that harm, or corrupt justice. This person can fear cruel, stifling, and self-interested leaders. There is an association with gaining wisdom from facing their fears. They may grow through self-preservation and self-protection, along with balancing the possible openness Jupiter can bring. Fears can be taught or transferred through the beliefs or philosophies they grew up with or that they hold.

Saturn in the 8th: Fears can be passed down from their father or instilled through an authority figure. Fears loss, death, sickness, possibly aging, financial instability, embarrassment, and failure.  Fears are meant to be shed with maturity, growth, and learning lessons. Fear and an attempt to hide vulnerability is strongly embedded and can keep them back from transformations or emotional bonding.

Uranus in the 8th House: Can fear change or a lack of change. They learn fears by watching others. They can also form fears from being unexpectedly removed or alienated from someone or something. They can fear having their freedom taken away through a controlling partner or even hospitalization or imprisonment. There is also a fear of not knowing themselves. Possibly over defining what they like or who they are because of this tendency. They can have an odd way of facing their fears or approaching their fears. General fear of physical and emotional intimacy can exist. Fear of losing a following, credibility, or even losing their own notes and research is here.

Neptune in the 8th: With the strong tie to water they can fear drowning, the ocean, fast rivers, water much like the Moon in this house. Fears can stem from the "spiritual" - fearing damnation in the afterlife or possibly ghosts. There are many ways to interpret this. Addiction can stem fears or insecurity. This could be their own addiction or a loved one. Intuition and empathy can mean they take on the fears of others. There is a receptiveness to fear which creates a lot of tension BUT can also be the open door to facing and understanding fear. Fear and illusions are tied, by merely seeking the truth they can overcome many insecurities. The healing energies of Neptune are living in the 8th, allowing for intimacy and transformations to help them overcome hiding vulnerability.

Pluto in the 8th: Paranoia and obsession dance when it comes to fears. They have heightened awareness and intuition. Much like how Mars is tuned into the violence of the world, Pluto is tuned into the darkness. Both of these planets share in a worry about the cruelty of mankind. Pluto can symbol a fear of losing control, fear of death, fear of the occult, and fear of the hidden. There is a strong desire to understand, control, and master their fears.

[hogwarts-is-my-wonderland]

001 - Star Wars / 002 - Stelena / 003 - Wolverine (lol giving you random things. Have fun!! ^_^)

Hello! Thank you so much for the ask, @darknightfrombeyond! It really brightened up my morning. 

Now, let’s see...

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my: 

Star Wars

Favorite character: Mara Jade (from Legends canon)

Least Favorite character: Supreme Leader Snoke

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Sabé/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Siri Tachi, Anakin Skywalker/Padmé Amidala

Character I find most attractive: Han Solo

Character I would marry: it’s a tie between the twins, but I’d go for Luke.

Character I would be best friends with: Chewbacca. 

a random thought: I probably need to change my OC’s faceclaim for this fandom. I’m leaning towards Eliza Dushku or Amy Acker, though Sarah Michelle Gellar looks a lot like Leia (but that’s a can of worms I don’t want to open when the pairing is OC/Luke Skywalker).

An unpopular opinion: I LOVE the Phantom Menace. A general criticism of the movie is Jar-Jar Binks, but I never really focused on him because I knew from the get-go the story wasn’t about him. 

my canon OTP: Leia and Han (Disney messed up their relationship: in Legends canon, they actually become a couple that talk and grieve together and STAY TOGETHER WHEN THEIR SON TURNS TO THE DARK SIDE). 

Non-canon OTP: Sabé/Obi-Wan (these two had so much in common—how come they never had a meaningful interaction in canon? I mean, they had to deal with flightly dumbasses, that was a good conversation starter!)

most badass character: Leia Organa, hands down.

pairing I am not a fan of: Padmé Amidala/Rush Clovis (from what they have revealed of this character—the TV show and the Padmé book—he’s a tool).

character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): PADMÉ AMIDALA, PEOPLE — THIS WOMAN IS SO UNDERATED! She unknowingly led the Republic to its fall but she was also part of the group that brought the Empire down; she was queen at fourteen and a senator in her twenties—and they decided to kill her because “she was heartbroken”? I mean, I understand that one can die of that, but I would’ve loved a deeper exploration from Padmé’s end, a serialized arch that led Padmé to the conclusion that everything that has happened so far is, in a way, her fault. That what she loved (the Republic and Anakin) had fallen because of her decisions. 

favourite friendship: Padmé Amidala & her handmaidens

character I want to adopt or be adopted by: None of them, the lives they lead will either lead me to an early death, kidnapping, or a probable fall to the dark side. 

002 | send me a ship and I will tell you:

Stelena

NOTE: I’m gonna be honest—I’ve never seen an episode of The Vampire Diaries. I swore off vampires after Twilight and this show never caught my attention. So what I write here is only of what I’ve investigated and technically biased (?). I accept corrections!

when of if I started shipping it. I don’t ship them.

my thoughts: From the little scenes I’ve seen, they just... grew apart. Like, on the first seasons they talked (relationship-wise) and as the show went on, they stopped. 

What makes me happy about them: a favorite trope of mine is reincarnated lovers, so I found this fascinating from their end. 

What makes me sad about them: Stefan’s end. The idea that after everything they went through (getting together, breaking off, then getting together again) and it just didn’t work saddens me.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: Haven’t read any fanfiction about these, but I’d be really annoyed if anyone tried to make either of them the bad guy. 

things I look for in fanfic: If I ever get into this fandom, probably the previous point—I hate it when authors pit characters against characters without a good buildup. 

My kinks: the idea of eternal love maybe (?).

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Elena with Damon, Stefan with Caroline Forbes (again, I haven’t watched the show, this opinion is just on what I’ve read and seen in clips).

My happily ever after for them: That Stefan hadn’t died early and they’d stayed close friends until the end of their human lives. 

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you

Wolverine

How I feel about this character: I loved him as a kid and as an adult I respect and fear him a lot. 

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Logan/Itsu, Logan, Storm, Logan/Mariko Yashida, Logan/Melita Garner, Logan/Jean Grey (movie version)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Logan/Professor Xavier

My unpopular opinion about this character: Why remain fixated on Jean Grey for so long? Like, the woman is in a relationship half the time, so why?

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: That he got a happy ending for once. Have you seen the list of his deceased lovers?

my het ship: Logan/Itsu

my fem/slash ship: I heard there was a comic out there with Logan/Hercules, so maybe them? (I still have to read it)

my OTP: I’d go with Logan/Itsu

my OT3: the obvious one—Logan/Jean Grey/Cyclops. Not completely sure though, because they’d probably kill each other for some overexagerated reason. 

my cross over ship: None.

my kink: wild in bed.

a head cannon fact: The women Wolverine has had meaningful (and non-toxic) relationships with so far have been Japanese (excepting Melita Garner, who is of Mexican and African-American descent). 

my gender bend: There’s probably a female version of him out there, but in my head his/her name would be Jemima Logan and people still would refer to her as Logan. Also, probably pansexual (like, it’s been hinted he has been with Nightcrawler at some point and apparently loved Hercules, too) and less violent (because as a girl, she probably would’ve been taught to be a lady). 

Again, thank you so much! This was fun to answer (and a lot informative).

[slurpingsoba]

For the requests, Shigadabi when they first realized they liked eachother?

Um this may be less lighthearted than what you wanted, but I was experimenting with my writing style. 

Word Count: 1.7k

--

So this was the point in which the sun settled down into the horizon for the night, its light and warmth disappearing from behind a curtain of darkness that replaced the cerulean sky. The curtain, black and dotted with little stars and a crescent moon, made the world seem a lot less animated. Looking down at the people on the streets below him, Dabi watched as the people slowed and retreated into their homes, the energy within them fading with the sun’s departure. 

‘Lucky them,’ Dabi thought, ‘at least they have homes to return to.’

Dabi’s apartment was a temporary living space; he didn’t like the apartment’s location nor its general atmosphere. Big city lights flooded through his window whenever he tried to sleep, and the ceiling creaked when the tenant above him decided to get drunk and rowdy and bustle around his room. Dabi’s next-door neighbor wasn’t any better with her late-night parties that continued until the sun peeked out from behind its curtain in the morning. But Dabi had no money - he could barely afford this month’s rent anyway - so he couldn’t move into a more desirable place.

He had no deep connection to his apartment, and he hated it as much as he hated dissolute heroes like his father, but he stayed because he needed to. It was the same logic Dabi applied to his involvement in the League. He truly didn’t enjoy interacting with the other members, especially Toga, with her twisted love for the Hero Killer, but he needed the League’s influence to pursue his own goal of carrying on Stain’s will. 

However, Dabi found himself fascinated by the one League member that he initially hated: Shigaraki Tomura.

Dabi’s interest in Shigaraki was akin to a child’s curiosity, innocently discovering things about the world through observation and investigation. For some reason, Dabi’s subconscious saw something in Shigaraki that was beyond his immaturity and madness; something that was perceptive, muted, and solemn, a forgotten boy buried inside a man of great misfortune. It reminded Dabi of himself, and perhaps that’s why he was drawn to him. 

The ghost of Touya Todoroki was trapped within Dabi’s frame.

Dabi knew pain and loss, and he was sure that Shigaraki knew it too. He could see it in his expression when he glanced down at his father’s hand, regarding it as both a prized possession and a cursed object, repulsion threatening to make him sick like the first time he saw the remnants of his family. He could see it in eyes when he fought, brimming with anger and hunger for violence; to hurt others before they hurt him. Dabi could hear it in his voice, a morose, aching drawl that seemed hesitant to share what was unknown, wanting to bond with people but never knowing how to convey his feelings with words. Pain and loss weren’t foreign to Shigaraki; they made up the very essence of his being.

‘Just what kind of person are you, Shigaraki?’ Dabi mused, the cool twilight glow seeping through his window.

He suddenly felt cold, and lonely. Even though fire rushed through his veins due to the nature of his quirk, Dabi couldn’t rid himself of the numbness that resided deep in his core. He didn’t like it. It reminded him of his childhood.

For once, he wished the alcoholic living above him would make a racket like he usually did to distract him.

To keep his mind from recalling the sins that Endeavor committed against him, Dabi thought of Shigaraki and his dull colored hair and scarred lips. His face was a coarse one, marked with blemishes that explained his past better than he ever could. Dabi couldn’t imagine what would’ve created the wrinkles that stretched from the skin around his eyes to his forehead, or the small tear underneath his eye. Dabi sighed and thought back to his scarred lips bitten raw, and wondered what Shigaraki’s lips would feel like on his. 

Dabi’s eyes widened with the realization that he was attracted to Shigaraki, the idea revealing itself unconsciously in his absentminded daydreaming. When did hate turn into lust? Why did he not feel disgusted by the prospect of being in a romantic relationship with Shigaraki? Why could Dabi imagine himself running his fingers through Shigaraki’s matted hair, holding his pale face in his warm hand, inching closer to him excruciatingly slow...

For some reason, Dabi believed that a kiss from Shigaraki wouldn’t feel rough, but soft. 

Prompted by his fantasy, Dabi picked up his phone and dialed Shigaraki’s number. Only Shigaraki could understand what Dabi was going through right now. Pain and loss, hate and love.

He would understand.

---

Putting down his phone, Shigaraki pursed his lips, stood up, and grabbed the black jacket that laid haphazardly on a nearby swivel chair. Dabi had asked him to stop by his apartment, but he never stated why he wanted him there.

But Shgaraki knew why.

He noticed the way that Dabi watched him whenever they occupied the same room. The distance between them felt infinite, yet intimate, like space and time did not apply and all tangible concepts became abstract. Everyone else in the room would vanish, and the two of them would exist in their own little world.

Dabi always looked at him with those intense blue eyes of his that saw what resided beneath Shigaraki’s exterior, into the deeper, secret side of him. He would move closer to Shigaraki, and dropping the air of aloofness he carried with him, touch his arm gently, making goosebumps rise on Shigaraki’s skin. His shy display of physical affection would linger for what felt like lifetimes, dissipating only when Dabi removed his hand to place it somewhere else on Shigaraki’s body. But he would stop himself, realizing that his need for contact was something more than platonic.

Dabi liked him, but he was afraid to show it.

And this notion was endearing to Shigaraki, mainly because it was ironic that a man as insightful as Dabi was out of touch with his own emotions; a stranger to his heart’s desires. 

As Shigaraki stepped out of his own room and into the empty streets, he wished that Dabi wasn’t so disciplined. If he didn’t fear showing affection, he would know that Shigaraki craved his touch as much as Dabi craved his, and he even dreamed about it.

To Shigaraki, Dabi was an enigma, another game or puzzle for him to beat. Shigaraki wanted to investigate every aspect of him, learn about his oddities, and then win his devotion. 

He wanted to care for Dabi in ways that he had never been cared for himself. He wanted to cherish him and protect him from harm - especially from cruel men like Endeavor.

‘Was he the one who left you disfigured?’

Shigaraki pictured Dabi’s scars, the color of raisins, arranged in random patches and encircled by crude staples. He cringed remembering the scent that emitted from Dabi after he used his fire, smoke rising from the gaps between his staples, the smell of burnt skin filling his nostrils. Shigaraki knew - too well - that quirks could cause unbearable amounts of pain, both physically and emotionally, and memories from Shigaraki’s past involuntarily entered his mind.

Nausea overcame Shigaraki, making him feel faint and dizzy. He would’ve fallen over if he didn’t grab onto the lamppost that was beside him for support, gripping it with eight deft fingers.

‘Did your father hurt you like mine did?’

He looked up toward Dabi’s apartment complex, which was nearby, and then toward the stars. Some people wished upon them to solve their problems or even considered them symbols of fate. Shigaraki never had confidence in superstitious nonsense like that, but as he stared at the little bright dots in the sky, and the waxing crescent moon, he wanted to believe that some force bigger than himself was driving him toward Dabi. 

‘I understand why you called.’ Shigaraki reflected, ‘you need me, and I need you.’

Shigaraki gained the strength to stand and he continued on his way to Dabi’s place. 

Soon reaching the elevator of Dabi’s complex, Shigaraki stepped in and pressed the appropriate floor number. 

He pondered the outcomes of a relationship with Dabi. Could they possibly be able to heal each other, and make each other happy? Or would they just remind each other of their own personal trauma? 

As he leaned against the back wall of the elevator, Shigaraki imagined the League, his League, in uproar after finding out about their relationship. Spinner and Mr. Compress would congratulate them graciously, but Twice would take it one step further and hug them both. Twice’s type of happiness was contagious and inescapable, and Shigaraki found himself smiling, hoping that his fictional scenario would become reality one day.

Exiting the elevator, Shigaraki felt lightheaded. Although he prepared at length to deliver his confession, the thought of rejection plagued him. Shigaraki was too afraid to ruin his connection with Dabi, but their current friendship wasn’t enough for him. He needed his attention, his adoration...

His love.

Shigaraki approached his door and knocked, trying not to dwell on his negative emotions. When Dabi appeared before him, Shigaraki couldn’t breathe.

The unspoken truth between them was unveiled.

Dabi gazed at him with intense blue eyes saturated with lust, and Shigaraki felt himself relax. He remembered that Dabi could see straight through him. 

There was nothing to hide.

Shigaraki let his heart do the talking.

“I like you.” He said simply, not waiting for Dabi to speak first. 

Dabi grinned, and the apprehension that clouded his face waned. He didn’t feel so numb anymore. In fact, it was the first time in a while that he felt completely unburdened.

“Somehow…” Dabi began, “you’ve managed to say the phrase that I couldn’t say over the phone so easily.” He opened his door a bit wider, welcoming Shigaraki into his apartment. “But now I have the courage to.”

“I like you, Shigaraki. I like you too.”

[unknown-art1]

The Ultimate Wingmen

Summary: Pearls and Maya find a sketchbook that reveals a defense attorney’s secret crush on a certain prosecutor. What happens when these girls decided to become his best wingman? What ridiculous acts will these girls get into to help their friend Phoenix confess his love?

Pearls ran towards Maya carrying a blue book with a label on top that said Wright’s Sketchbook “Mystic Maya! Mystic Maya! What is a sketchbook?”

              Maya paused a Steel Samurai episode on the television and explained to Pearls “Well it’s kind of in the name, it’s just a book full of sketches or I guess mini drawings if you want to call them that.”

              Pearls flipped through the pages of the blue book as she asked “Umm, are most of the drawings supposed to contain drawings of the same person?”

              Maya tilted her head; and thought that’s strange, who is this person that’s worth filling most of a sketchbook with? Maya hopped up from her seat and strode over to Pearls so they could look inside the sketchbook together. It was full of pictures of the friends they encountered through their murder cases like Detective Gumshoe, Franziska Von Karma, Larry Butz, and Mr. Godot, but the person that reoccurred the most throughout the book was Miles Edgeworth.

              They continued to flip through the pages; Pearls wasn’t lying when she said there were a lot of pictures of the same person here. Every couple pages they would find a new picture of Edgeworth sometimes it would be drawn as a headshot, other times it’d be drawn as a full body pic, but occasionally there was full blown illustrations dedicated to him. Each picture was drawn with great care and Phoenix seemed to pay attention to the even smallest details, but what was so special about Edgeworth of all people that caused Phoenix to draw him this much?

              Maya mumbled out loud “What could cause someone to be passionate about drawing a specific person?”

              Pearls thought about it for a minute and responded “I think he really likes Mr. Edgeworth, they are friends aren’t they?”

              Maya pondered that statement for a moment, while yes it was true they were friends, a lot of people were friends with Phoenix, so why was Edgeworth different? She thought about it for a few more seconds and remembered about what Pearl said and how Phoenix seems to really like Edgeworth.

              And then a realization hit her and she exclaimed, “Nick likes Edgeworth!”

              Pearls gave a puzzled look at Maya’s outburst and replied “Of course he does, their friends after all!”

              Maya shook her head “No, Nick likes Edgeworth romantically! That is the only possible way to explain why he’s so fascinated with drawing him.”

              A little gasp escaped Pearls at this new development “But Mystic Maya I thought you liked Nick romantically! Aren’t you upset your feelings are unrequited?”

              How did she learn the word unrequited? That’s a big word for someone her age. Has Pearls been reading romance novels or fanfiction I’m unaware of?  Maya wondered.

              Maya responded “Nah, I never liked Nick that way. I rather go out with a burger than go out with Nick.”

              A giggle escaped Pearls at Maya’s response.

              Maya stated “But now we have an important job to do.”

              Pearls asked “What is it?”

              Maya shouted “Obviously to help Nick and Edgeworth get together!”

……………

              Later, Maya kicked down the door and ran inside the Wright & Co Law Offices with Pearls following swiftly behind her and yelled “NICK! WE KNOW ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS FOR A CERTAIN PROSECUTOR!”

              Pearls shouted “Mr. Nick, where are you? We want to talk to you!”

              They saw Phoenix nowhere in sight. So there was only one thing to do! It was time for Maya and Pearls to investigate to find the missing Nick!

              Maya pointed to the other room “You look that way and I’ll go look in his main office okay?”

              Pearls nodded her head up and down and then scurried off into the room. Maya began to search his office and immediately spotted a plant. If anyone knew who had been in this room it was definitely Charley.

              Maya began to interrogate the witness, “Did you see him Charley? Did you see Nick in this room?”

              Charley remained silent.

              She let out an annoyed sigh, “The silent treatment? That’s so typical of you Charley,” Maya cracked her knuckles,” Fine, I didn’t want to have to do this Charley, but you leave me no choice!”

              Maya grabbed the sides of the plant pot and shook it back and forth spilling dirt out onto the floor, and further interrogated the plant “Where is Nick hiding Charley? I know you know where he is!”

              Charley suffered through the harsh interrogation and remained silent, since he was literally just a defenseless plant and couldn’t do anything else.

              Phoenix asked “Did you honestly believe a plant was going to tell you were I was at? You’re acting stranger than usually today.”

              Maya dropped the plant, spilling more dirt out in the process, then spun around and found Phoenix actually sitting at his desk for once. The loud thump of the plant plot hitting the floor alerted Pearls and she ran into the room to make sure Maya was okay.

              Pearls spotted Phoenix and said “Mr. Nick! We have something important we want to talk to you about!”

              A pit in Phoenix’s stomach began to form as he saw them both wearing a determined look on their face. When they teamed up like this there was no way for him to escape whatever conversation they wanted to have.

              Phoenix asked “What do you want to talk about?”

              Maya leaned against Phoenix’s desk and said “Well your crush of course!”

              Phoenix felt his cheeks slightly warm up “C-Crush? I don’t have a crush.”

              And at that moment several psyche-locks appeared around him clearly contradicting his statement.

              Pearls brought out a Magmata “Good thing I brought this. I thought something like this might happen.”

              Pearls chucked the Magmata at Phoenix and yelled “Take that!”

              As the Magmata collided with Phoenix’s chest he let out a loud “OOOW!”

              And it was time for them to break the psyche-locks! The first question was who was Phoenix’s supposed crush they were referring to? This was simple enough for them to answer; all they had to do was present Edgeworth’s profile to him. The girls caught a glimpse of Phoenix’s face tinted a light red color, before he asked for evidence to back up this claim. Then Maya pulled out Wright’s Sketchbook revealing all of his drawings of Edgeworth inside and she began to smack a page of a book similar to how Phoenix would smack a sheet a paper during a trial proving a contradiction in a witness’s testimony.

              Maya and Pearls didn’t know it was possible for a human to turn as bright red as Phoenix was now. He looked like a bright big tomato, but there was still one lock on him and they had one final question they had to solve for him.

Who or what was preventing him from asking out Edgeworth?

              It seemed like a simple answer why it is probably the fear of ruining the friendship of course, but they tried that and it failed. The lock still remained on him, so it had to be some deeper more personal reason for hiding his feelings for Edgeworth along with the fear of ruining a friendship.

              Maybe it had to do with something with a past relationship, past relationships could negatively affect people in future ones, they had seen something similar like that happen on a TV show once. But had either Maya or Pearls seen him in his last relationship? In all the time they worked with Phoenix had they even seen him in a relationship in general?

              Maya whispered to Pearl “I wish we could phone a friend like on those game shows, when we didn’t know the answer to a question.”

              Pearls rubbed the bottom of her chin as she thought before she excitedly whispered to Maya “We can call someone!”  

              Before Maya could ask what she met by that the next moment she saw, her sister, Mia standing before her dressed like Pearls. Maya thought that’s what Pearls meant! She called Mia for help!

              Mia stated “I think I can handle this question from here Maya.”

              Mia faced Phoenix and whipped out Dahlia Hawthorne’s profile.

              She stated “If I remember correctly the last girl you dated was Dahlia Hawthorne wasn’t it? That woman who hated you and planned to murder you, but you never saw her true nature until much later since you were naïve and blinded by young love. Isn’t that correct? Dahlia traumatized you after that incident didn’t she? That’s why you’ve haven’t dated since that incident because you’re so scared that you will be hurt more.”

              The pit in Phoenix’s stomach grew; since Mia had been his mentor for so long she could read him like a book. He will admit he’s scared. He’s terrified He’s afraid of getting attached in the end and getting hurt even worse. That’s the real reason why he’s avoided dating for so long because he’s terrified about what would happen.

              He felt a hand on his shoulder and another hand wiping away tears from his eyes.

               Phoenix looked up into his mentor’s eyes and listened to her words “Don’t let this event prevent you from getting the things you want. Learn from it and don’t let your past hold you back it’s the only way you’ll move forward in the world. It’ll take time for you to get over that event, but you’re surrounded by friends who care for you Phoenix, don’t ever forget that.”

               Through his tears Phoenix managed to say “T-Thank you Mia.”

              A small smile spread across Mia’s face and she turned to her sister “I believe my job is done here. I think it is Pearl and your turn now to help take care of him Maya.”

              Maya hugged Mia “We will, and Mia?”

              “Yes?”

              “I really miss you.”

Mia planted a kiss on top of Maya’s forehead “I miss you too.”

              Once their hug had ended Mia left and Pearls was back in her place. Tears stained Phoenix’s face and the girls rushed over to comfort him. Maya and Pearls that day made a vow to Nick to always be his best friends and be by his side when he needed comfort. And when Phoenix was ready they would one day help him court a certain Prosecutor.  

……………

              Maya ran ahead and pointed to a small café “Here it is Nick! This is where you will be meeting Edgeworth today!”

              The café was stuck in between a sparkling boutique that displayed expensive looking clothes in their windows and a flower shop decorated with an assortment of different colored flowers in the front of it. The café itself however had a chalkboard stand outside displaying their special offers and huge windows covered most of the front of the café to allow any passersby to glance inside the establishment. It was a relatively calm time to visit the café since there was only a couple customers in the restaurant. There were two friends chatting at a table, a lady quickly typing away something at her computer and a man sipping his drink and staring out the window at and observing the people walking along the streets.

              Phoenix responded “Seems like a nice place. How’d you guys convince Edgeworth to meet me here anyway?”

              Pearls appeared next to Phoenix and replied “Mr. Nick, we can’t reveal that information!”

              A perplexed looked appeared on his face “Why?”

              Maya posed dramatically next to Pearls and stated “It is part of are wingman duty to keep our techniques secret!”

              Secret techniques? What exactly are these two girls planning for me? Phoenix pondered before he was broken from his thoughts at the sound of a new voice.

              “How are you doing pal?”

                             Pal? Why did that word seem familiar?

Phoenix glanced at the owner of the voice “Detective Gumshoe? What are you doing here?”  

Gumshoe replied “Maya and Pearls asked me to contact Edgeworth for your,” Gumshoe awkwardly rubbed the back of his head,” umm to confess your feelings correct?”

Phoenix’s face was on fire from how embarrassed he was “You told him?!”

Pearls responded “Of course so Mr. Nick! He needed to know why it was so urgent for you to meet with him.”

                Phoenix covered his burning face with his hand; this situation seemed to get more embarrassing as it went on.

              Gumshoe patted Phoenix’s back “Don’t worry Pal I didn’t tell Edgeworth about your crush on him. I told him you two have important business to discuss. It’s your responsibility to admit your feelings for him.”

              Pearls stated “I believe if anyone can do it, Mr. Nick can do it!”

              A small smile crept onto Phoenix’s face at Pearl’s faith in him “Thanks Pearls.”

              Gumshoe looked in the other direction “Looks like Edgeworth has finally shown up.”

              They all turned their attention to a silver haired man adorning his signature magenta jacket with the rest of his attire. He got out of his car and was now walking towards the café to meet up with Phoenix.

              Maya said “Nick I think this is your cue to go chase after a certain prosecutor,” before she gave him a wink and pushed him in the direction of the one and only Miles Edgeworth.

…………………….

              Edgeworth and Phoenix sat at a table near the entrance of the café sipping their drinks, when Edgeworth suddenly asked “So what important business did you want to discuss with me Wright?”

               Phoenix’s heart began to beat a little faster, he could do this. He just has to confess his feelings for a man he likes, why would that be so hard?

              He replied “Actually, it’s not about business at all,” a nervous smile appeared on Phoenix’s face as he rubbed the back of his head,” I wanted to talk to you about something personal.”

              Edgeworth took a sip of his drink and raised an eyebrow in curiosity “What is it?”

              Phoenix took a deep breath and responded “Well I wanted to confess to you that I really like-“

              Then suddenly a loud “EDGEY-POO,” interrupted Phoenix’s confession.

              Phoenix didn’t even need to look at the owner of the voice to know who it was all he could think right now was are you kidding me? This has to happen to me now?

               Everyone in the café was alerted by the yell and turned to see Oldbag running towards Edgeworth at hyper speed.

              Edgeworth’s eyes flew open and yelled “Not you again!”

              Before Edgeworth could flee the scene Oldbag wrapped an arm around his shoulder which prevented him from leaving his chair.

              Oldbag leaned in closer to Edgeworth’s face and asked “Did you miss me Edgey-poo?”

              The sudden proximity of their faces made Edgeworth extremely uncomfortable and he turned to face out the window behind him trying to silently plead to any passerby outside to help him from this insane women.

              Edgeworth stated very clearly “No, not at all”

              Meanwhile this conversation was happening Phoenix pondered what the heck just happened in the last five seconds to cause things to be like this? Is this a sign the world doesn’t want me to confess my feelings?

              Phoenix broke from his thoughts when he felt someone poke his shoulder from the table behind him. He turned around and saw Detective Gumshoe, Maya and Pearls trying to disguise themselves with comically large newspapers while they watch the event unfold from behind him.

              Pearls whispered” Mr. Nick! I read in a book once you need to fight your romantic rival for Mr. Edgeworth’s love or otherwise she’s going steal him away from you!”

              Phoenix whispered back “I’m not going fight an old lady!”

              Maya rolled up her sleeves “Then I’ll do it! In order to be the ultimate wingman for you Nick I’ll defeat her and get her away from Edgeworth.”

              Pearl stated “I’ll help you too Mystic Maya! I want to help be the ultimate wingman too!”

              Detective Gumshoe said “Count me in too.”

              Phoenix frantically whispered “Wait Detective Gumshoe you’re the law! You shouldn’t condone this type of behavior.”

              Gumshoe stated “Protecting Edgeworth is more important to me than following the law now!”

              The three of them hop up from their seats at their table and they begin their attack on OldBag. Maya and Pearls ran over to the other table and used their combined strength to pry Oldbag off of him. The old lady scowled at the two girls at their rudeness; however she didn’t punish them and attempted to go back Edgeworth when she was met with Phoenix Wright standing in her way.

              Oldbag ordered “Move out of the way whippersnapper! I was talking to him.”

              Phoenix corrected her “Actually I was talking to him first, so if anything you interrupted my conversation. And second of all, he clearly seems uncomfortable by your presence and he obviously doesn’t want to talk to you. So I think it’d be better for everyone right now if you just left.”

              Oldbag raised her left fist in the air “I’ll show you a thing or two, punk if you keep acting like that!”

              Suddenly a click sound was heard near Oldbag’s right wrist and a handcuff was placed on it.

              Detective Gumshoe grabbed Oldbag’s left hand and placed the other hand cuff on it “I’m sorry ma’am but your causing a scene in the café so I’m going have to remove you from the area.”

              Oldbag tried to break free “I’m not causing a scene! If anything, this spiky haired attorney is the one causing the scene!”

              Gumshoe dragged Oldbag out of the café and replied “No, he was just sticking up for someone he cares about.”

              Edgeworth got up from his seat and walked over to the three of them “Thank you for your help everyone. That lady was truly something.”

              Maya responded “No problem Edgeworth we were happy to help, but I think Nick still has something important to confess to you.”

              He can’t believe Maya still wants him to confess after they literally just saw Oldbag dragged out of this place in handcuffs, this wouldn’t be one of the most ordinary confession story, but none of them were normal people so if anything something like this should have been expected.

              Phoenix finally confessed “I really like you Edgeworth.”

              Edgeworth looked confused at this confession “You do know we’ve been friends for a long time Wright? I would hope you would like me as your friend by now.”

              Pearls exclaimed “No Mr. Edgeworth! I made the same mistake as you too, but Mr. Nick means he likes you romantically!”

              Edgeworth sits in silence for a moment and makes sure he heard it correctly and mumbles out “Romantically?”

              Pearls replied “Yeah! Being romantic is like when two people trust each other a lot, go on dates together, and kiss each other a lot! I think that’s what Mr. Nick wants to do with you.”

              Maya glanced over at the two blushing men not daring to meet the other in the eye “I think you broke them, Pearls.”

              Pearls let out a little gasp and apologized “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to!”

              Maya replied “I think they’ll be fine Pearls, but our jobs as wingmen are done for today. I think Nick and Edgeworth can handle it themselves from here.”

              The girls left the café and only an attorney and a prosecutor remained. It took them a while before either got the confidence the look each other in the eye. Phoenix seemed to cover his face with his hands in embarrassment and Edgeworth seemed to stare at everything besides Phoenix’s face.

              It took a couple minutes before Edgeworth stated “I wouldn’t be opposed to going out with you.”

              Phoenix quickly removed his hands from his face to see if Edgeworth was serious, but he was still avoiding Phoenix’s gaze.

              Phoenix tried to confirm what he heard “Are you telling the truth?”

              Edgeworth turned to face him and replied “Of course I’m telling the truth, I wouldn’t lie to you.”

              A huge smile formed on Phoenix’s face and he instinctively wrapped Edgeworth in a hug. He could feel Edgeworth stiffen up at first at the sudden contact, but then after a moment he slowly relaxed in the hug.

              Edgeworth explained “I haven’t ever really done this before, so forgive me if I’m slow at this relationship thing.”

              Phoenix replied “I haven’t done this in a long time actually, so I guess we can try to go at our own pace together, but I want to ask you something important. Is it okay if I kiss you right now?”

              Edgeworth’s face tinted a light pink and he mumbled out “Yes.”

              He pressed a light kiss against Edgeworth’s lips; and both the defense attorney and the prosecutor wore a face full of blush for the rest of the day because they were really happy and excited to see where this new blossoming relationship would take them.

[marjaystuff]

Elise Cooper Interviews Lynn H Blackburn

One Final Breath by Lynn H. Blackburn is the last in the Carrington County, North Carolina Sheriff's Department Dive Team series. Fans of these books will enjoy this action-packed, suspenseful, romantic read, but will also feel a bit melancholy since these characters will be put out to sea as this nail-biting series ends.

The plot begins with a gunshot.  A teenager has been discovered murdered as he and his friend are swimming near a dock across the cove. The team, who was having a picnic nearby, jumps into action, grabs a boat, and rescues the body as well as another teenager in the lake. Blackburn excels at putting the reader into the investigation as they feel the depths of the water.

The heroine, Anissa Bell, captain of the dive team investigators, has had a problem with Gabe Chavez since before he was on her team. He worked undercover and would only dive once or twice a year, not enough in her opinion to stay up to speed with the rest of the team. Now they must figure out how to put their issues with each other aside and work to solve this case. Yet, because of the comradery of the whole team they have become friends and start to realize that there is an attraction between them. Both of them realize that they are fascinated and frustrated with each other.  

As the investigation takes hold, dive team captain Anissa Bell discovers a link to her past and suddenly her life is in extreme danger as she becomes the killer’s next target. She wonders if it has anything to do with a cold case that directly involved her. Anissa grew up with missionary parents and planned on joining them, after finishing college, on the Micronesian island of Yap. But she remained stateside, determined to solve the crime that haunts her, the murder of her best friend and the disappearance of a three-year-old child. While working both cases Anissa and Gabe must find the killer before more bodies pile up, while attempting to keep each other safe.

Unlike many authors, Blackburn allows the reader to enjoy all her characters. Throughout the series she inserts them into each other’s featured book. Readers enjoy their comradery whether they are working together, or just enjoying each other’s friendship that has become family-like. Previous characters are revisited from the series, but reading the earlier books isn't necessary to enjoy this one.

This story will take readers’ breath away as they hold it wondering how the suspenseful story will end. People who enjoy a good mystery sprinkled with romance should read this series.

Elise Cooper: This year you lived in the Hurricane area?

Lynn H. Blackburn:  It was not that bad for us, not like in the Bahamas. But the storm that came last year in Florida is something I had never seen before.  It had to be a really big storm, a category 5. The storm actually sucked all the water out of Tampa Bay.  This was a phenomenon that literally pulled out all the water.  It sucked the bay mostly dry. People were actually walking around where there used to be water. It was really freaky looking. As the storm passed it released all that energy and created floods.

EC:  Being a mystery writer did you think about a story?

LB:  I did think that it would be interesting if someone threw something into the bay thinking it would never be recovered. Then the hurricane comes and after pulling the water away it becomes discovered.

EC:  Why the environmental angle with this story?

LB:  Having a degree in Chemical Engineering, my first job was as an environmental engineer with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.  Part of my job was dealing with water treatment. I thought of the potential threat to the water supply. Because the lake and divers are always in my story, I decided to do something along this line. Since I still have friends working there I brainstormed with them for ideas.

EC:  There is also the part of the story where a child is kidnapped and sold to a parent?

LB:  Sometimes as writers we do terrible things to our characters.  I wanted something to happen to the heroine that would keep her in the states instead of going with her parents on a mission to Yap. I understand it is a fragile thing, to want a child and not be able to have one.  There is also the fact that adoption is so expensive. All of a sudden someone comes up with this opportunity to have this person able to sell a child.  I had thought if I wanted the adoptive mother to know or be in the dark regarding the kidnapping.  This was a case of, ‘if it is too good to be true it probably isn’t.’ But having that level of emotion is easy to overlook because we want it so badly to come true.

EC:  How did you find the disease Cryptosporidium?

LB:  There was a couple of cases in the 1980s where there was a run-off with a lot of fecal material that contaminated the water supply.  It is a horrible disease where people can actually die. For most people, it is a bad stomach virus, but for some it can affect those that are immunocompromised.  The young, the very old, anyone who is currently on chemotherapy, is HIV-positive, or has had an organ transplant are at risk.  

EC: The characters in your series do not drift off into the sunset after their featured book?

LB:  I have a lot of readers comment on how they like seeing the friendship grow between the six characters.  It was not something I set up intentionally with this series, but it is something I will do with the next series.  It was a lot of fun not having to say good-bye to all the characters.  What I do differently is that for the featured characters I get in their head.  Each character has their voice, but in their book, I flush them out to give them a unique voice, something that is sometimes a challenge.

EC:  How would you describe Gabe?

LB:  Fun, charismatic, the life of the party, and does not think he wants to be serious in a relationship. Gabe is a tease. He was the class clown, but Anissa sees his deeper side where he is loyal and compassionate.  Some of the humor and sarcasm is a defense mechanism on his part. His relationship with Leigh is like the little pestering brother.  No one can stay mad at him for long.

EC:  How would you describe Anissa?

LB:  Serious, confident, and loyal. She comes across as more rigid that the others. Justice is important to her.  She has a cold case, which is the hallmark of her existence, and is something she cannot let go.  Anyone wronged or mistreated will have her help.  I think she is a pragmatic leader who is kind, smart, and intense. She does have survivor’s guilt because of the cold case.

EC: Where did you come up with some of the personality traits of the characters?

First, Getting up on the wrong side of the bed?

LB:  My sister and I used to share a Jack and Jill bathroom. I never spoke to her after both of us just got up.  If I started to have a conversation too early it was not going to go well.  She was the type like Anissa, ‘leave me alone until I have three cups of coffee.’  When she approached me, then it was safe.

EC:  Do you dive?

LB:  I was certified last year in the lake I used for a prototype of the fictional Lake Porter in my stories. Most lakes are murky and can be a little claustrophobic with a visibility of 10 to 15 feet. Last summer I got to dive in the Florida Keys.  It had such clear water and visibility of about 50 feet. We were able to look up and see the bottom of the boat and all the fellow divers.  It is just amazing.  Diving in the Keys helped me to understand why people dive.  But diving in the lake helped me to understand what my character divers would go through.  Diving in the lake requires more of a reliance on touch.

EC:  Do you eat cupcakes like Anissa where you tear off the bottom and make a cupcake sandwich?

LB:  No, but I did try it for research.  I actually do not like icing.  If someone gives me a cupcake with a ton of icing I scrape 75% off.

EC:  Did you write the Spanish phrases?

LB:  I took a course in college.  I also went on a mission trip where I learned to read and write it.  But that was many years ago.  For Gabe’s Spanish phrases, I had my friend who is Puerto Rican help me out.  I told her what I wanted to say and she helped me with the syntax.

EC:  How do you name characters?

LB:  I usually give my bad guys with names that begin with K, D, or X, because they have a lot harsher sounds.  I try to make sure I do not use the same sounds or names. Because my divers already had their names I would avoid ones that start with R or A. I don’t want it to be confusing and have readers get mixed up.  The only time I did have my characters start with the same letter is when I did it intentionally, such as when I had all of Adam’s family all start with the letter A.

EC:  Next book?

LB:  This series was released between 7 and 10 months apart.  The absolute minimum I need is 9 months.  With the new series, I told my publisher there is too much change in my life so I need a longer deadline.  I am truly thankful for it.  The new series will come out in February 2021 and the focus is on the US Secret Service.  The setting is not in Washington DC, but in a local resident office in North Carolina.  If I get into the groove, I may try to write a novella tying in the two series.

THANK YOU!!

[the-scenic-route-stories]

The Ace of Hearts, Part 7

Next section. This was really hard to write and I’m not 100% happy with it but I do feel I’ve gained some empathy for people I previously thought of as ‘forward’ or ‘brash’ in a relationship context.

He needed very little sleep. On one of the first mornings, or whatever passed for mornings on the TARDIS, she awoke to find him sitting on the edge of her bed, watching her with bemused devotion.

“You haven’t been here long, have you?”

“Ummm…” he looked down at his hands, blushing. “Does it bother you? I’m so sorry. I wanted to be here when you woke up to wish you good morning. Rather self-indulgent of me. Perhaps you’d prefer a little more privacy.”

“Oh no, don’t be sorry, it’s just that it’s a very long time since anyone watched over me. It’s a little overwhelming, but in a very nice way.”

He said nothing, but most days when she woke he was there waiting for her.

One morning, instead, he was sitting in his dressing-gown in the chair by the bed, wearing his half-moon spectacles. He turned the pages of an old book gently, taking great care not to make a noise loud enough to wake her. There were piles of books on either side of him.

She watched him through half-closed eyes, not wanting him to see that she was awake, enjoying the peaceful tableau of him reading his book, long fingers curled around its spine. She wished she could etch this picture into her memory - her beloved, deep in concentration.

Finally, he noticed her watching him.

“Good morning, my dear. Have you been awake long? I was absorbed by my reading, I’m afraid.”

“And what was it that you were so fascinated by?”

“I have been making a comprehensive survey of the romantic literature in the TARDIS library. Love-poetry, romance novels and the like.”

“Lord Byron, Keats and so on?”

“Inter alia. You humans can be so very parochial. You do realise that there has been love-poetry written on planets other than Earth, even in countries other than England? On one planet, there is a race of highly self-organised slime moulds that have produced some remarkably moving romantic poetry. Of course, since they communicate with one another through viscous secretions rather than words, a certain something is lost in translation.”

“May I ask why you have developed this interest?”

“Am I not allowed simply to be interested in literature for its own sake?” he asked with feigned pomposity. “Actually, I am trying to gain a better understanding of romantic love in human beings. For, umm, purely academic purposes, naturally.”

“Naturally.” He didn’t fool her at all, probably because he didn’t really want to.

“According to these novels that were published around the time-period you came from,” he indicated a pile of books, the topmost of which showed a square-jawed man in a fedora and trenchcoat and a surprised-looking woman in a silky dress that appeared to be in the process of slipping off her shoulder, possibly on the way to slipping off the rest of her, “I should perhaps be attempting to, er, seduce you. The procedure by which I might achieve this is still not entirely clear to me, and I don’t think I look very much like this fellow here.”

“Darling. Those books are complete tosh. Ridiculous women swooning over pirates and spies. I don’t know who reads them. Bored housewives, perhaps. You’re far better-looking than that fellow on the cover, and a perfect gentleman too. You’ve whisked me away in your spaceship, taken me to the most beautiful places, danced with me among the stars. Now you’ve sat up all night reading love-poetry and pulp novels in an attempt to understand how to romance me. All while wearing a very fetching dressing-gown. I think you could safely consider me seduced.”

“I was thinking I should be doing something more to romance you, as you say.”

“You don’t have to do anything unless you wish to. I am already desperately in love with you and grateful for every moment we spend together. But...”

“Yes?”

She climbed onto his lap. “Perhaps I could try to seduce or romance you.”

He laughed nervously. “And what would that involve?”

She lifted his spectacles off his face and put them onto her own, looking at him sternly over the top of them. “Hmmm, I suggest we begin with a thorough investigation of the phenomenon of attraction. I think we will start with a consideration of the fact that you do not appear to be wearing your pyjama top under that dressing-gown.”

“It was… rather warm…”

“Leaving it off wasn’t part of your seduction strategy, then?”

“No. I do not have a seduction strategy, as you put it.” He tried to sound indignant.

She traced the tips of her fingers along his collarbones then leaned down to place a row of kisses along them. So many sensations: the silky folds of his gown and its rich colour, his soft skin with its scent and taste of old books and tea, sunshine through windows, fading roses and blue-white stars and distances, the lights and shadows falling on his face, neck and shoulders, the sound of his breathing and of two hearts beginning to race a little...

“You don’t need to do all this, really. I find you very attractive. Very attractive indeed. We could perhaps take it as understood that you’ve already managed to seduce me, whatever that entails, and - oh!” She had kissed him softly in the tender hollow where his neck met his collarbone and his heartbeats fluttered.

“Am I disturbing your mental equilibrium?” she asked, with mischievous triumph.

“To a quite alarming degree.”

“Do you want me to disturb it some more?”

He looked at her sadly, unable and unwilling to admit that yes, that was indeed precisely what he wanted her to do. Galaxies collided, empires waged war, despots raged, time and space swirled and folded and buckled and in comparison to this, it was entirely inconsequential whether or not a pretty girl kissed him in ways that made him feel deliciously giddy. He should not distract himself from matters of greater import by indulging such tiny, trivial whims and desires. He had already taken the unaccustomed step of bringing Betty on holiday - purely to make the dear girl happy, of course, rather than out of any self-interest - but such things could be the first step on a slippery slope towards wanton hedonism, and there was already far too much of that in the universe as it was. Oh, but if she did kiss him like that again (and again, and again), if she kissed him without asking him any of those inconvenient questions that he felt obliged to answer in the negative, if she kissed him until he felt so very giddy that he no longer remembered with any clarity what those questions were...

She looked at him sadly, seeing the troubled expression on his face. She didn’t pretend to understand half of what went on in his complicated, clever mind. He was always so sweet and so solicitous, but of course he did not need her and she could not wish for him to do so. She longed for him to let her love him and delight in indulging even his tiniest and most trivial whims and wishes - if indeed he had such - but she seemed to be no match for his self-control. Only once had she felt that control falter, but since then, he had seemed determined to protect her from the deeper, sadder parts of himself.

She kissed him on the cheek in a businesslike manner then got up off his lap and started leafing through some of the books.

He stood up too. "How about a nice cup of tea?" He turned and headed for the door, but felt his arms pinned to his sides and her arms tight around his waist.

“Mmmff! What’s this?”

“You did say that you wanted me to let you escape then catch you again…”

“Oh, I did, didn’t I?”

“Well, I’ve caught you.”

So you have. It appears that I am entirely at your mercy, my dear,” he said in a tone that suggested that he did not find this development wholly uncongenial.

[fozmeadows]

Rumours About Rumours, or: The Kent Parson Meta That Nobody Asked For

As is well-documented by this point, I’m a hopeless fan of @omgcheckplease, to the point where a gay hockey comic has turned me into an actual fan of ice hockey, dear god, I’ve become invested in a sport that’s barely even fucking played in my country, what is this even?? Naturally, this means I follow a few CP-heavy blogs on tumblr, and recently I’ve noticed a few people expressing confusion about why so many people like Kent Parson, given the fact that, canonically, his big introduction involves him being goddamn awful to Jack.

Now: straight off the bat – and I’m saying this, obviously, as someone who finds Kent Parson a fascinating character – I want to acknowledge that fandom, as a general entity, is heavily biased towards white guys. It’s one of those raindrop-in-a-storm problems where, at an individual level, everyone is entitled to their own personal preferences (always bearing in mind that said preferences can be influenced, either consciously or unconsciously, by cultural bias), but where the cumulative, collective effect of those choices amplifies the effects of cultural bias. It would therefore be disingenuous to deny that, whatever my thoughts on or interest in Kent as a character, there’s still a collective issue with how much more attention he often receives than more canonically prominent – and non-assholish – POC characters like Ransom, Chowder, Nursey and Lardo.

(Sidenote: as part of various race-oriented meta about CP, I’ve seen it pointed out that, in fanworks, the POC characters are most often romantically paired with white characters rather than other POC, and that this is a worthy point of investigation and criticism. I agree on both counts, but also feel that, in this specific instance, it’s important to note that, in canon, all the POC characters are primarily – either romantically or platonically – paired with another white character, and that these pairings dominate their appearances in the strip. (Ransom and Holster, Chowder and Farmer (or Chowder and Bitty, platonically), Nursey and Dex, Lardo and Shitty.) So while that doesn’t excuse the comparative lack of creative licence taken in moving beyond those pairings, as is common fanwriting practice, it does explain their existence as a non-trivial narrative baseline. ANYWAY.)

As to why Kent himself is interesting - well. There are, I think, two main reasons for this:

1: He’s Jack’s most significant ex; and

2: He’s presented as an antagonist.

If only the latter point was true, then I’d be much less inclined to invest in him emotionally. What matters is the fact that, despite all the wonderful shipping opportunities afforded by CP, Kent is one of only three (thus far) canonically queer characters – and not only that, he has an existing, complicated backstory with Jack, which therefore connects him emotionally to both Jack and Bitty. Any canon-compliant take on Jack’s romantic history must therefore feature Kent, and with that particular speculative door cracked open, it’s natural to wonder about Kent’s version of events.

Which is where my personal interest in Kent comes in. Because Jack Zimmermann, despite being our noble hockey hero and the protagonist’s love interest, is, by his own admission, an unreliable narrator of his own emotions. And as Jack’s narration is the only insight we get into his and Kent’s relationships, it’s not unreasonable to wonder what we’re missing out on – to say nothing of the possibility that Jack, historically, might not have been great for Kent.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin.

Jack “emotional range of a teaspoon” Zimmermann

From early in the comic, it’s clear that Jack isn’t great at expressing his emotions – which is why, for the whole first year of their friendship, he’s presented, not at Bitty’s love interest, but as his antagonist. In the fifth strip, Bitty says he’s “thinking of quitting” because Jack “chewed [him] out – in front of everyone. Again.” The others try to reassure Bitty that Jack “gets real bitchy” during pre-season, but will return to “regularly scheduled levels of bitchy after the first game”: even Jack’s closest friends recognise his habit of taking his stress out on other people. This is when we learn about Jack’s father, and the pressure Jack feels because of it: or, as Shitty puts it, “When a bro’s dad is Bad Bob, a bro’s gonna turn into a fucking hockey Nazi every once in a while.”

By itself, this information doesn’t exonerate Jack’s behaviour towards Bitty. The subsequent strip, however, is crucial to our understanding of – and the creation of sympathy for – Jack, telling us, the readers, about his history of anxiety, his overdose, his feelings of guilt, and why success at Samwell is so important to him. This piece of backstory serves to recontextualise Jack’s prior treatment of Bitty while adding an interpretative lens to everything we subsequently see. As such, when Bitty talks about “Reason #17 to hate Jack” two strips later, and Jack pushes him to get past his fears of checking, it’s easier to view his brusqueness in a kinder light than if we didn’t know his personal history. Without knowing that fear of failure is one of Jack’s most powerful demons, Jack telling Bitty emphatically that they’ll work “Until you stop being scared” could easily read as insensitive or angry, even with the more light-hearted line that follows.

From this point, the development of Jack and Bitty’s relationship is one where the reader knows more about Jack’s motivation than Bitty does. (Potentially, at least; we know that Bitty has Googled Jack’s dad, but not whether that search turned up information about Jack’s time in the Q.) This means that, when Bitty finds Jack sitting alone and anxious in the loading bay before his father’s visit, we have a deeper understanding of Jack’s pregame stress than Bitty does. As such, even when we sympathise with Bitty afterwards, when Jack, jealous and stressed, tells Bitty that his game-winning goal was “a lucky shot,” we still understand Jack’s feelings. Our awareness of him is layered: he’s just done something incredibly hurtful and dickish, but we know that he’s hurting, too.

In the sixteenth strip, Bitty still thinks that “Jack hates [his] guts,” and is upset by Jack glaring at him when Bitty is put on his line, yet the readers know that Jack is stressed by the implied criticism of being told that “you’re a better player when you’re with Bittle.” Their relationship changes on both sides when they start officially playing together: it’s the first time Bitty really speaks positively about Jack, and the first time we see Jack being impressed by Bitty as a player – a development which is immediately followed by a dash of mutual hurt/comfort to cement their sympathies. Bitty, for the first time, sees Jack belittled for his stint in rehab by a sportscaster post-game, while Jack sees Bitty concussed on the ice for attempting a risky play. Jack subsequently apologies for his actions: not only to Bitty personally, but to the team as a whole. And thus ends Bitty’s first year at Samwell: with Jack as a friend instead of antagonist.

 Even so, this changed relationship doesn’t make Jack any better at expressing his feelings. At the start of Bitty’s sophomore year, Ransom notes that “Goal celebrations provide the rare opportunity for the stoic Canadian warrior to express his emotions,” with Holster adding, “Many believe this is his only way of emoting.”

Enter Kent Parson – or rather, our first oblique reference to him, when Jack is talking to Bitty about his NHL prospects: “They said with the way the teams are stacking up? With how Kent– uh, the Aces won the cup a couple of years ago…”

The fact that Jack stumbles over his name is telling: he doesn’t want to talk personally about Kent, though at this point, we don’t know why. The next strip marks Kent’s actual first appearance, chirping Jack for taking a selfie with Bitty: the fact that Jack is visibly shocked to see him is likewise a clue to their complex relationship.

Kent Parson: Rumours About Rumours

When Ransom and Holster give us Kent’s backstory, they emphasise the “rumours” about Jack and Kent’s relationship when they played together – a statement accompanied by the image of a younger Kent sitting on younger Jack’s lap at a party – complete with reference to “a trove of Zimmermann/Parson fanfiction”. At the same time, they’re also clearly unsure as to what Kent and Jack think of each other now, noting that “Jack doesn’t really talk about him much.” The flashback image accompanying this claim is significant: while younger Jack frowns anxiously over a newspaper article about the draft, a younger Kent is shown sitting beside him, a hand on Jack’s arm and a hopeful smile on his face – the attitude of someone trying to comfort a person they care about. Equally significant as a narrative hint is the fact that, in quoting the synopsis of a piece of Zimmermann/Parson fanfic, Holster tells us, “It’s not that Jack wasn’t into relationships, it’s just that Jack wasn’t a relationships kind of guy.” This is noteworthy, not only as foreshadowing, but because it shows us that, canonically, Jack was perceived by shippers to be emotionally distant – something that tracks accurately with his characterisation as someone who’s Bad At Feelings.

The most telling clue we’re given about Jack and Kent’s relationship, however, comes two panels later, from Shitty. As was demonstrated early in the comic, the fact that Shitty is Jack’s ride-or-die best friend doesn’t make him blind to Jack’s faults, while a key part of Shitty’s characterisation is his utter hatred of douchebags. As such, it’s doubly significant that Shitty is the one to warn Bitty, not that Kent is a bad guy, but that Jack is bad to Kent. Specifically, he says: “Jack can get pretty jealous, okay? Like, the last time Parson dropped by – yeah, it was after he’d won a fucking Stanley Cup, but it wasn’t like he had his Calder under his arm. Parson’s a modest bro. And the way Jack acted… brah. It freaked me out! It was kinda how Jack used to treat you.”    

In other words: Jack was antagonistically jealous of Kent’s success, even though Kent did nothing to lord it over him, in the same way Jack was once antagonistically jealous of Bitty’s success. In Bitty’s case, the mutual hurt was only resolved when they started to play together: their on-ice chemistry let them see the best in each other, and as Jack’s teammates have all observed, Jack – at this point in his life, anyway – only really expresses his feelings on the ice.

Which is when we learn that Kent has come to ask Jack to play for the Aces.

Which brings us to the argument Jack and Kent have, which ostensibly cements Kent’s status as an antagonist. But let’s, just for a moment, view this scene from the little we know of Kent’s perspective.

The last time Kent came to see Jack, Jack reacted with hostility, pushing him away despite the fact that nothing we’ve seen in the flashbacks to their relationship is indicative of bad behaviour on Kent’s part. Instead, they look happy together, with Kent offering comfort and optimism in response to Jack’s anxiety. We also know that Jack has difficulty expressing his emotions, especially negative ones, being more likely to lash out or withdraw than to try and address them productively. It’s also not a stretch to imagine that Kent, as a former teammate – someone who once played spectacularly with Jack, the same way Jack now plays with Bitty – knows, as Jack’s current teammates do, that Jack works through his feelings best on the ice.

In their argument, Kent says that he only came unannounced to Samwell because Jack “shut [him] out”, suggesting that Jack refused to talk to him – and not, given what Shitty said about Kent’s last visit, because of anything Kent himself did. And the first thing Kent sees, on walking into the party, is Jack smiling at a short, blonde hockey player who looks a bit like a younger version of Kent, one who plays on Jack’s line and makes him better the way Kent used to do. Kent, who could easily react with jealousy here, is polite to Bitty instead; goes out of his way to take selfies with everyone who wants them; takes Lardo humiliating him at flip-cup in good humour: behaves himself, in other words. A modest bro, just like Shitty – whose judgement we ought to trust at this point – said.

When Bitty comes upstairs, he doesn’t immediately overhear an argument between Jack and Kent, because at first, they’re not arguing. Kent is asking Jack if he’s thought about coming to play for the Aces, and while it’s hard to prove, the way Jack’s speech is broken up mid-word, followed by overt pauses, suggests that Kent kisses him, as does the fact that Jack says “I can’t do this” immediately afterwards. Kent begs Jack to “just fucking stop thinking and listen to me for once,” suggesting both that Kent knows Jack is prone to overthinking, and that Jack has refused to hear him out on the topic previously.

The point where the conversation turns hostile comes when Kent calls the Wellies “a shitty team”, followed immediately by an attempted contrast to their old style of playing together: “you and me –”

But Jack doesn’t let him finish. Instead, he tells Kent to get out. This is when Kent yells that he only came the way he did because Jack shut him out, adding that he’s “trying to help”. At this point, Kent is desperate, his plea very clearly an appeal to an emotion he himself feels deeply: “What do you want me to say? That I miss you? I miss you, OK?... I miss you.”

(When Kent walks into the Haus and sees Jack, he says, “Didja miss me?” Because Kent misses Jack. He wants Jack to miss him, too, and is desperately insecure about it.)

Jack replies with an absolute dismissal of Kent’s feelings: “You always say that.” Meaning, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything. I don’t care.

And it’s then, and only then, that Kent becomes aggressive. What he says is calculated to wound, just as Jack telling Bitty his winning goal was “a lucky shot” was calculated to wound: and as such, I’d argue that the two scenes are paralleled in more ways than one. When Jack dismisses Bitty’s goal, he’s acting like an antagonist because he thinks Bitty has taken something from him – his father’s approval – that Jack feels ought to be his. Similarly, Kent is acting like an antagonist because he thinks Jack has taken something from him – their partnership – that Kent feels ought to be his, too.

And so Kent insults Jack, though his wording is curious (bolding mine): “You think you’re too fucked up to care about? That you’re not good enough? Everyone already knows what you are, but it’s people like me who still care. You’re scared everyone else is going to find out you’re worthless, right? Oh, don’t worry, just give it a few seasons, Jack. Trust me.”

Jack tells him to get out, to which Kent replies, “Fine. Shut me out again.”

The final blow comes as Kent is leaving : “Call me if you reconsider or whatever. But good luck with the Falconers… I’m sure that’ll make your dad proud.”

It’s not until the following year in the comic that we’re given a flashback that shows us Kent’s face as he says this. Kent, like Jack, is shaking – even more, is crying as he walks away, the image juxtaposed with present-day Jack telling a reporter that his history with Kent “is all in the past”. Which, for Jack, it is. But not for Kent.

And it’s here that the visual medium of comics becomes relevant to our perception of dialogue, because while particular words can be given an emphasis, all the verbal subtleties that differentiate tone and meaning are absent. When Kent finally rips into Jack, it’s telling that he doesn’t insult him directly: instead, he attacks Jack’s self-perception, and in such a way that, depending on spoken emphasis, he’s arguably saying one of two different things. In one version of Kent’s dialogue, he’s agreeing with Jack’s fears: offering a confirmation that he’s worthless, that (in Kent’s mind) nobody but Kent will ever care for him, and that, once he starts playing professionally, everyone else will see what a failure he is. And certainly, this is how Jack seems to take it.

But in the other version, Kent is angrily ridiculing Jack’s self-perception: You think you’re too fucked up to care about, but I still care, even though you don’t think I should. You’re scared that people will think you’re worthless, but everyone already knows what you are. (A desired player; one Kent came to recruit.) You don’t need to worry; you’re Jack Zimmermann. Just give it a few seasons. Trust me. And because of the context, this version is still hurtful to Jack: not only has Kent just verbalised his deepest insecurities, but he’s effectively mocked him for having them at all. But Kent has every reason to hate Jack’s insecurities at this moment, because Jack’s tendency towards emotional shutdown is why he keeps shoving Kent away, refusing to talk about a relationship that Kent, quite clearly, needs and wants – and, I would argue, deserves – to discuss with him.

Because when Jack later explains his relationship with Kent to Bitty, he doesn’t say anything about his treatment of Kent. Again, the structure of what he says is telling (my bolding): “We only hooked up a few times back in juniors… and with the draft changing everything… I don’t think he got over it… He got drafted. I didn’t. And it… stopped. Looking back, it really wasn’t anything more than physical. Hockey. And after taking my break, then Samwell… it takes a lot of growing up to realise someone wasn’t good for you… It kind of had an expiration date from the get go, you know? Push comes to shove… hockey came first. Something like that could’ve really messed with our careers.”

And this is where, for me, Jack Zimmermann becomes an emotionally unreliable narrator: his account of their relationship is not only clinical, but emotionally contrary to what we already know. The draft changed things, not because it was inevitable, because Jack was jealous that Kent was drafted. Shitty explicitly says as much to Bitty, but Jack doesn’t mention his jealousy here: instead, he says that the relationship was always going to end, and that – by implication – Jack chose hockey over Kent. Jack also says the relationship just “stopped,” which implies a mutual end to things, despite his simultaneous claim that Kent never got over it. Kent, however, has consistently expressed his frustration at Jack shutting him out; has likewise told Jack that he misses him on multiple occasions. So when Jack says the relationship was only physical – that it was nothing but sex and hockey, even though we’ve seen how close they were as friends in flashbacks – it doesn’t seem unreasonable to suggest that he is severely downplaying the emotional aspect of their relationship.  

When Jack and Bitty tell their teammates they’re dating, Jack admits to Shitty that “I don’t think I realised I wanted to be with Bittle until the last minute. Right at graduation… I don’t think about this stuff too much to be honest. Or I didn’t. Bittle says I’ve gotten better with my feelings.” Meaning that, for the better part of two years, Jack thought that his feelings for Bitty were platonic, even though he was acting in an ultimately romantic way, or at least in unconscious pursuit of a romantic end. Which means we have a strong canonical basis for asserting that, once upon a time, Jack treated Kent the same way – in a caring, enamoured fashion – while under the impression that their relationship, and his own actions, were strictly platonic. The only difference? Kent and Jack were actually sleeping together, and after Jack overdosed and nearly died, he cut Kent out, the relationship a secret from anyone Kent could’ve talked to.

In canon, we don’t know how Kent reacted to Jack’s overdose. In fanfic, however, it’s an incredibly powerful speculative point. Was Kent the one who found Jack when it happened? Was he allowed to see him in the hospital, or to visit in rehab? We know Jack’s parents eventually knew about Kent, but did Kent know they knew? Did Kent, a teenager whose secret boyfriend nearly died just days before he was forced to make the biggest career choice of his life and move, alone, to another state, ever get any help to deal with his feelings?

When Jack says in one breath that his relationship with Kent “wasn’t anything more than physical” and then, in the next, that Kent “wasn’t good for [me]”, he’s contradicting himself. Either there was an emotional relationship that went sour or was negative in some way, or they had uncomplicated casual sex – and from Kent’s perspective, there was clearly an emotional component. At the very least, and regardless of whether Kent actually behaved badly when they were together – a statement for which we have no tangible evidence – it’s clear that Kent has been hurt by Jack, having invested emotionally in someone who doesn’t want him. That Kent still wants Jack back after almost five years, and yet has barely interacted with him in that time, is telling: Kent’s attachment is unhealthy only because it’s unrequited, not because he’s been relentlessly and constantly pursuing an uninterested party.

When Jack tells Bitty that his relationship with Kent had an expiration date because of their careers, it makes Bitty insecure: he worries that Jack is going to eventually leave him, because, in Jack’s own words, hockey comes first. Similarly, in discussing why things ended with Kent, Jack emphasises the impossibility of the relationship, the inherent impermanence of it, which fits with the fact that, when Kent propositions him at Epikegster, Jack says “I can’t do this” – can’t, not I don’t want to. Suggesting that, if Jack ever gave Kent a reason for ending things after the draft, it was the same one he gave Bitty: we can’t do this anymore because of our careers. In which case, it makes perfect sense that Kent has spent five years pining for Jack: because Jack “I Don’t Understand, Recognise Or Articulate My Own Feelings” Zimmermann never actually told Kent that he didn’t want to be together – only that they couldn’t.

So Kent has waited. He’s made a name for himself, keeping his distance from Jack but always making it clear that he misses him, returning even after Jack acted like a jealous ass about Kent’s success. And when he comes, he has a plan: they can be together again. Jack can be on his team again, they can date again, and why the fuck won’t Jack talk to him –

And then Jack throws him out, and Kent, who is fucking heartbroken, finally lashes out at him.

For all that Kent says some truly awful things to Jack, they ultimately fall into the same class of antagonism that originally characterised Jack’s treatment of Bitty – except that, in Kent’s case, we have to piece his sympathising motives together from context cues instead of being given a neat synopsis. Jack’s relationship with Bitty – the way he learns to identify and express his feelings, to prioritise his boyfriend’s life – is predicated on an arc of emotional healing, one where Bitty makes Jack a better person. Kent at Epikegster is the result of Jack’s attempt at relationships before he learned to do this.

For Bitty, Jack Zimmermann is a romantic hero; for Kent, he’s a messed-up origin story.

And that is why I’m interested in Kent Parson.

[aion-rsa]

Lucifer Season 5 Episode 6 Review: BluBallz

https://ift.tt/2CTQxHZ

This Lucifer review contains spoilers.

“I did go to Hell and back for you, twice, but who’s counting?”

It seems I was a fool for love thinking that somehow Chloe’s relationship with Lucifer, incredible as it is, could forge smoothly ahead. With some of the strongest writing of the season, “BluBallz” finds Lucifer going face to face Chloe’s with romantic past when her first love turns up as the central figure in the murder investigation. However, it’s the thunderbolt at episode’s end that puts Dan in an extraordinarily difficult position and figures to jeopardize the couple’s burgeoning happiness.

While Lucifer routinely weaves investigation details along side the issues the principal characters face in their private lives, “BluBallz” goes a step further dredging up not only someone from Chloe’s past but also the ensuing jealousy that Lucifer brings to the conversation. Once again, there’s nothing terribly complex about the motives behind the killing of DJ Matt Pexxa, but the jealousy, resentment, and self-doubt sprinkled throughout the story set up a compelling case that Chloe solves while Lucifer allows his immature angst to get the better of him. Electrocution by headphones might be one of the most ingenious murder weapons we’ve seen on Lucifer, but it’s Chloe’s immediate attraction to and comfort level with the audio equipment that lets us know we’re about to learn something new about the detective.

Once it becomes clear that the intended target in this case is actually Chloe’s pre-Dan ex, DJ Karnal, aka Jed Moore, the plot thickens, and Lucifer reverts to behaviors that threaten to derail the relationship he worked so hard to recover. From a narrative standpoint, however, it is a bit odd that the hottest DJ in town doesn’t recognize the owner of the hottest club in town, but that nitpick is easily set aside. As soon as Lucifer sees Chloe and Jed reminisce, it’s game on for the prince of darkness, though we worry he’ll muck things up so soon after getting back on track. 

Read more

TV

Lucifer Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Detective Amenadiel

By Dave Vitagliano

TV

Lucifer Season 5 Soundtrack: Complete Details and Playlist

By Dave Vitagliano

Jason Bruening (Good Behavior) settles into his role as the engaging DJ turned social activist perfectly, and the combination of good looks with his celebrity status gives Lucifer a run for his money from the start. We don’t often see Lucifer on the defensive, but the series continues to effectively use relationships to examine the larger themes of trust, loyalty, and honesty. Though the romantic side of their relationship is new, their history together at the LAPD should be enough to carry the pair through the rough patches if both acknowledge how they feel. And while the final scene certainly indicates they’ve weathered this first relationship storm, we know a more familiar ex-partner faces a watershed moment.

Of course, there’s no getting around the fact that Dan stands at a crossroads after witnessing Lucifer’s devil face, and we have to question whether Lucifer allows this reveal intentionally. The evening has played out wonderfully as the women head to Lux in search of the killer, and the men stay home and try, for the most part unsuccessfully, to calm baby Charlie. But it’s Lucifer’s call to Dan asking him to return to Amenadiel and Linda’s place that poses the problem. 

Once the brothers learn that Lucifer’s devil face produces a calming effect on the child, there’s really no need for Dan to return unless Lucifer simply wants to mess with his head, and if that’s the case, we have to wonder why. On the surface, Dan and Lucifer seem to be getting along as well as they ever have, and while it’s probably too soon to call them friends, they continually find more common ground between them. Does Lucifer feel it’s time to bring Dan into the celestial family along with Linda and Chloe, or is something more sinister afoot here? Will Dan confront Lucifer and the others about what he’s seen, or will the sight of the Devil send him into a downward spiral as he remembers despicable things he’s done in his past and see this as foreshadowing?

It seems unlikely that Lucifer feels threatened by Dan when it comes to Chloe, but the appearance of Jed does appear to have shaken him a bit. Nevertheless, it’s now up to Dan to make the next move, and it will be interesting to see whether he confronts Lucifer or seeks Chloe’s advice. On the other hand, he has to know that what he thinks he saw doesn’t make sense and fear that his claim will paint him as a person in serious need of psychiatric help which then points to Doctor Linda as a potential confidant. Regardless, it’s a turning point, and though we’ve been down this road before, here, it feels very different.

Nonetheless, as Dan is thrown into the celestial abyss, the others take steps toward putting their own lives in order. After a brief foray into the world of the bad boy, Ella may have found someone more in tune with her true sensibilities. She’s endured moments of spiritual doubt before, and though she did seem to have her life back in order, the connection with Dirty Doug implies she was slipping. But when she encounters a reporter (Adam Korson) at the initial crime scene, it appears at first that he’s simply trying to use her to get a scoop. In the end, though, Ella decides to take a chance after Pete insists that “when you finally show someone how amazing you are, you’re going to find your soulmate.” Her reply remains a bit troubling and sounds like something Maze would say. “Can’t find your soulmate if you don’t have a soul.” Another crisis of faith or something much deeper? 

And what of Maze? She asks Linda how to “not end up alone,” and fully recognizes that she has the tendency to scare people away. Showing up at the precinct dressed to emulate Ella’s low-key, open-book style definitely produces a smile, but there’s also something sad about it when we consider the radical differences between the two women. Confronting her mother doesn’t appear to have really helped Maze, but once she gains some distance from the situation, she might see things differently. Still, even as Dan talks to an exasperated Amenadiel, it’s clear his advice applies to Maze as well. “What’s important is that you care; you’re trying your best.” Maze does care about those around her and wants to find a soulmate; whether she’s trying her best is up for debate.

“BluBallz” also does a nice job tying in a number of other recurring thematic ideas Lucifer has introduced throughout its run. Lucifer’s preoccupation with his Father’s manipulations persists to this day, so his contention that Jed orchestrates the murder and its subsequent investigation works well. Most importantly, though, is the revelation that it was Chloe who ended their prior relationship, and Lucifer now fears any missteps might send him on his way.

Lucifer approaches its mid-season finale with the ability to go in a number of narrative directions, and though Chloe and Lucifer seemingly have a chance at some modicum of happiness, the same may not be said of the others. “BluBallz” sets up a fascinating Dan-centric follow up as we wait to see whether he’ll challenge what he’s seen or withdraw into a more comfortable reality. Either way, they’ve got my attention.

The post Lucifer Season 5 Episode 6 Review: BluBallz appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3b4D1hD

[phynxrizng]

DAILY ASTROLOGY REPORTS AND HOROSCOPES FOR, 2-28-18

Astrology Cafe Daily Astrology ABOUT TODAY DAILY MONTHLY CHART You are here: Home / Daily Astrology / Astrology of Today – Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Astrology of Today – Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Feb 27, 2018 by Annie Heese Leave a Comment  The Moon is in Leo. The Moon is waxing and in its Waxing Gibbous phase. The First Quarter Moon occurred on the 23rd and the Full Moon will occur tomorrow. **Times are Eastern Standard Time (EST). Daily Horoscopes/Astro Highlights for each Sign: Aries  Aries Part of today, we may be too impatient to see the best course of action, dear Aries, due to a Mercury-Mars square. Watch for being too adamant about your beliefs or for pushing an idea that others may not be ready for. Impulsive decision making can be a problem. Aim to know more about an issue before jumping to conclusions or action. Think before you speak, as there is a general tendency to express ourselves curtly and insensitively. While mental pressure is possible, a Mercury-Pluto aspect also in effect today helps you slow down and see the value of strategy. It becomes a good time to communicate your ideas more persuasively or for digging a little deeper into a matter. You might experience a strong desire to finish up a project or bring something to a conclusion. Information surfacing now tends to be helpful and even healing or purging. Taurus  Taurus A Mercury-Mars square active today can point to hasty decision-making, dear Taurus, usually stemming from tension rather than pure instinct. Try to examine what kinds of things pull up the most frustration, as they are clues to unresolved issues that may be driving your behavior or causing undue stress in your life. Watch your temper and the words you choose to communicate and avoid pushing something that needs a little more time to understand fully. While the day can have its ups and downs, obstacles can motivate you to improve your life in crucial ways, and as the day advances, a sense of purpose builds. You are a little braver than usual about sharing private matters, or others are trusting you with confidential information. Things become clear, and something hidden might emerge now. Communications, especially with friends, are especially deep or rewarding, or this energy plays out with your own thoughts and musings. Gemini  Gemini Watch for decision making that is rushed with a Mercury-Mars square active today, dear Gemini. You may not be seeing essential details and should probably be careful not to come on too insistently with authority figures or in professional dealings. This is a time when you may feel like pushing a matter, but it’s best not to force issues. Partnerships can suffer from irritability if you’re not sure where to direct excess energy. Someone may be pushy with you, and this weighs on your nerves. Disagreements now tend to come from rushing and impatience, so make a point of slowing down and do your best not to jump to conclusions. Later today, however, Mercury and Pluto form a harmonious aspect, and you are using your resources intelligently. It becomes much easier to slow down and develop strategies, make plans, and dig deeply into a matter to find out more. The details that were overlooked earlier today are now both fascinating and valuable to you. You’re also more aware of and intrigued by uncharted territories and all that is hidden, taboo, or secret. You may be seeing private matters on a new level and could find an opening where you thought there wasn’t any. Cancer  Cancer Mercury forms a square to Mars today, dear Cancer, and this may create an atmosphere of nervous tension. Under this influence, you might lose patience and feel pressured to make a decision. This can very well lead to positive things, such as finally taking action on a matter you left hanging, but it can also lead to hasty decisions or unnecessary arguments. Impatience, provocative statements, and defensiveness are all more likely now, and jumping into action before getting all the facts is not advised. Helping you slow down is a Mercury-Pluto aspect, also in play today. It’s perhaps just as ambitious an influence, but a far more patient one! You may be setting rules and limits and gaining new insights into your relationships or projects now. You’re focused on what’s substantial, and you have far less concern about the extras, making it an excellent time for meaningful work. Conversations with others can be very enlightening, particularly those that address philosophical interests and the future. You have a little more courage than usual to seek out and face the truth. It’s an excellent time for understanding a new or different perspective. Leo  Leo With a Mercury-Mars aspect active today, dear Leo, there can be some pressure to make last-minute decisions, but you may not be entirely equipped to make healthy ones! Try not to take action on a matter too quickly, as there is likely more to the story that hasn’t yet emerged. This can involve a love interest, child, or friend. It can be especially important that you avoid cutting words with people you care about. Instead, try to use the competitive energy this aspect generates to work on a productive project. Feeling on edge can be a difficult state to turn into a positive, but it’s also entirely possible with determination. You also get support from a Mercury-Pluto aspect also in influence later today. This transit facilitates or motivates you to get organized. Work towards health and fitness goals can prosper, and efforts that involve analysis, research, and investigation are highly favored. Essential conversations that wrap things up or further clarify a matter or lay out rules can be rewarding now. The key is to be patient and avoid jumping into things. This is a time for seeing a new layer to a situation and feeling better off for it. Virgo  Virgo You may experience some tensions today as Mercury and Mars form a square, dear Virgo. While this square doesn’t directly fall in your sign, it is in challenging aspect with it and involves your ruler, Mercury, so that you can be particularly sensitive to it. Others can seem especially demanding now, or you might be expecting a lot from them. There can be ego clashes, misunderstandings, and a general tendency to jump to conclusions. Or this leap may be into action before getting all the facts. While competition can motivate you to improve your game, defensiveness and impatience should be tamed. Family matters can be challenging now, especially if people are expressing themselves coarsely or insensitively. Try not to take this to heart. Later today, however, you are determined to dig a little more deeply into a topic. This can be a strong time for romantic matters or relationships with children. You benefit from shared activities or conversations about a long-standing issue. It’s also a good time for creative projects and hobbies, for which you are motivated and focused. You are particularly able to identify flaws and to apply yourself to fixing problems. Libra  Libra With a Mercury-Mars aspect occurring today, dear Libra, you could feel pressure to make a decision, but you may not have all the facts in front of you. Changes in your daily schedule can frustrate you but are likely necessary for the long run. Try not to make decisions under pressure, especially about something that you haven’t considered for very long. Save things for a better time when you have more facts and more patience! Mind you, some of this can come as soon as later today with a Mercury-Pluto influence helping round things out. Improvements in your relationships or home life can be on your mind and may involve getting rid of stuff you no longer need. On a whole other level, you may be doing a similar inventory. For example, emotionally speaking, you can identify the attitudes or preoccupations that are no longer serving you well and work on moving past them or putting them behind you. Fortunately, it’s easier than usual to see what can go today in the name of progress. You can also feel especially motivated to work hard in order to boost your family income or to make your living environment more productive. There is a useful focus on getting the details right today, and every bit counts. Scorpio  Scorpio With a Mercury-Mars square active today, dear Scorpio, it can be a time when you might speak too brusquely or prematurely about something that leads to regrets later. Jumping to conclusions or into action are not favored under the influence of this transit, but if you tap into its competitive energy to improve your understanding of a situation or to step up your game, you are in a fabulous place. Waiting things out becomes more natural as the day progresses with Mercury in favorable aspect to your strategic, perceptive ruler, Pluto, helping you sort things out and arrive at useful insights. This aspect plays out in the expressive sectors of your solar chart and puts you in a particularly strong position for getting your message across and for gaining a receptive audience if you so wish. Communications and learning endeavors are likely to be especially successful now as they benefit from your increased focus and conviction. This is a time for gaining an advantage, primarily related to new information. You can also gain a clearer idea of the things that may have been tripping you up. Sagittarius  Sagittarius With a Mercury-Mars square happening today, dear Sagittarius, there could be some frustrations with others’ opinions, or they could be seen as critical or meddlesome. Mars is currently transiting your sign, and this fact makes this particular aspect more personal for you. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself, but do it without defensiveness, if possible, for best results. The temptation to push a matter or to jump into action before getting all the facts is strong but is probably unwise as well. Dissatisfaction with the status quo can be at the heart of restlessness now, but take your time on a plan of action that will get you out of a rut. Fortunately, a Mercury-Pluto aspect, also active today, can help you do just that. It’s a very strategic influence, and it helps you see the value of mapping out a plan. As the day advances, in fact, you are inclined to read between the lines and look for hidden truths or get to the heart of a situation. You might have a meaningful conversation with a partner or family member that clears the decks. You are particularly insightful about your money situation and especially resourceful. You are drawn to the most critical details of a business project, and judgment is good as a result. Take advantage of this energy by applying yourself to practical activities and tasks that could use your keen eye. Sometimes improving your situation involves downsizing or getting rid of things you don’t need, and this is likely to be one of those times. Capricorn  Capricorn A Mercury-Mars square influences the day, dear Capricorn, and it can be on the one hand motivating if you need a push to step up your game, but frustrating on the other if pressure builds and you feel the need to make a hasty decision. There may be a confusing problem from the past that hasn’t been resolved that is nagging at you now, and hopefully not driving rash decisions. There can be an agitated quality to part of the day that may lead to unnecessary arguments, and your best bet may to slow down and think things through. As the day advances, a Mercury-Pluto aspect comes into play and helps you do just that. Casual conversations and interactions with acquaintances, neighbors, or associates can lead you into deep waters later today, as the tendency now is to read between the lines. The information you receive or a friend’s insight might open you up to new ways of looking at your world in ways that further growth and self-awareness. You are open to changing your thinking or habitual attitudes so that you can improve your life experience. You may get the chance to explain something to a person, and this feels good. People respect your opinion and seek it out, or you quite naturally take the lead with your ideas and plans. Aquarius  Aquarius Mercury and Mars form a square aspect today, dear Aquarius, and this can lead to an agitated atmosphere. We may feel pressure to make decisions or to take action before due time. For you, this may surround an issue related to values, money, or questions of ownership. Or, a question of whether certain people in your life value and respect you may be raised. Watch that you don’t jump to conclusions, and keep in mind that others may be doing same. Fortunately, a Mercury-Pluto aspect is also active now, and you find it easy to bounce back or turn a situation around to your advantage. You have a stronger sense than usual about what you need to change, get rid of, or adjust so that you can move forward, particularly related to money matters, resources, and personal possessions. Overly casual or superficial conversation tends to grate on your nerves right now, as you prefer getting to the truth of a situation. The energy of the day becomes more and more deliberate and purposeful as it advances, making it a great time to develop plans and strategies or schedules, map out a game plan, and research or investigate options. This is an excellent time to build mental strength, which is particularly useful if you felt scattered earlier in the day. Pisces  Pisces Mercury forms both a tense aspect to Mars and a flowing aspect with Pluto today, dear Pisces, and mental energy runs high. Mercury is currently in your sign and Mars in your sector of career, authority, and rules. The tendency may be to resist others’ wishes or to push an idea when people are too absorbed in their own desires to give yours due consideration. You may be provocative now, whether it’s your intention or not! Check yourself for words you may later regret and conflicts with authority figures since Mercury-Mars can be impulsive energy. Try not to feel pressured to take action when you’re not yet fully aware of all the angles of a situation. Fortunately, and especially as the day advances, your sense of personal purpose is enhanced through the support and backing of someone or people important to you. The opportunity emerges to gain additional understanding of yourself, others, and your situation, and you should take full advantage of this by listening intently, resolving to be honest with yourself, and asking questions. Someone or a group may be your emotional anchor now. There can be a missing piece of a puzzle informationally speaking that aids decision-making and overall clarity. * Remember to read horoscopes for your Ascendant sign and Sun sign. If you don’t know your Ascendant sign (and you know your birth time), you can look it up here. Above are astrological event highlights for the day. Full Horoscopes are on Cafe Astrology. If Your Birthday is February 28th, If Today is Your Birthday full horoscope here. Astrology of Today – The Details: If you’re astrologically inclined and interested in the details of the Astrology of today, here are some of the factors considered in the forecasts (for the astrology of the week, see This Week in Astrology): Planet Color Key: The longer the bar, the slower the aspecting planet and the longer the duration of the planet’s transit.     Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 0:00 am Event: Moon in Leo Description: The Moon in Leo We have a stronger need for appreciation, shows of affection and warmth, and excitement. We are proud and conduct ourselves accordingly. This is a time for having some fun, being creative and childlike, and enjoying life. It’s also a good time for organizing and managing. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 6:13 pm Event: Moon goes void of course Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 0:03 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Cnj Nod Description: Transiting Moon Conjunction Transiting North Node A time to embrace new opportunities for emotional growth. Accept challenges. New attachments, relationships, connections. Success may come through dealings with women or with the public. A time to consider your priorities vis a vis home and family and the outside world. Sensing current moods and trends. Fated meetings or connections. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 0:04 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Pll Nod Description: Transiting Moon Parallel Transiting North Node Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 0:07 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Sqr Pal Description: Transiting Moon Square Transiting Pallas Our judgment may be temporarily impaired by excessive emotions, or emotional bias. We may be experiencing a conundrum. Someone’s belief or idea can make us feel insecure or out of sorts, or otherwise rub us the wrong way. There can be sensitivity to others’ opinions experienced now. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 7:24 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Qnx Mer Description: Transiting Moon Quincunx Transiting Mercury It can be difficult to be objective at this time. This can be a “foot in mouth” time. We should think before we speak, or there could be hurt feelings. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 7:28 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Tri Ves Description: Transiting Moon Trine Transiting Vesta We can derive a nice feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment from tending to our responsibilities, work, or other commitment. We are more able to make sacrifices or put our emotions aside in order to get something important done. Alternatively, we can bring more sensitivity to our practical affairs. This can be a good time to commit fully to something – especially health and healing matters. It’s also a strong time for taking care of domestic matters. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 8:28 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Tri Mar Description: Transiting Moon Trine Transiting Mars We are more courageous and able to take the lead. We are in tune with our natural desires and instincts. We express our feelings honestly. We are independent, resourceful, and brave. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 9:29 am Event: Tr-Tr Mon Qnx Plu Description: Transiting Moon Quincunx Transiting Pluto We may not be aware of our more demanding or controlling tendencies. We may feel vaguely frustrated, powerless, or tense. There can be undermining going on in our interactions and relationships. Wait for the tension to subside before taking action. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 12:04 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Qnx Ven Description: Transiting Moon Quincunx Transiting Venus Love relationships or feelings can be unsettled. There can be a conflict experienced between family and friends/lovers, or between comfort and the pursuit of pleasure. Try to relax and not obsess, and show restraint. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 12:15 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Sqq Sat Description: Transiting Moon SesquiSquare Transiting Saturn We could feel burdened, restricted, or limited during this brief influence. We could be feeling a little down on ourselves, excluded, or lonely. There can be some awkwardness or stiffness and difficulty showing affection and feelings. Patience is a virtue right now; otherwise we might succumb to feelings of frustration and sadness. All good things come to those who wait. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 1:36 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Sqr Jup Description: Transiting Moon Square Transiting Jupiter We may not be very realistic right now – there can be some exaggeration. Minor annoyances are possible now. Contrariness or disagreements. This is not an ideal time for publicity, promotion, or legal matters. We can experience injustices. We are less inclined to consider the consequences of over-eating, over-drinking, or overdoing in general. This is a time to show some restraint. Grandiosity is not appreciated right now, and excess doesn’t go over well either. With a little self-control we can learn about what truly makes us happy. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 3:34 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Cpl Pal Description: Transiting Moon ContraParallel Transiting Pallas Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 6:13 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Tri Ura Description: Transiting Moon Trine Transiting Uranus We are open to new ideas. A break in the routine is pleasing now. We could be experimenting with new ideas or feelings. There can be chance meetings, events that occur that open our minds or our awareness. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 8:24 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mon Qnx Chi Description: Transiting Moon Quincunx Transiting Chiron Hurt feelings may be opportunities for healing. Now is the time for building bridges, not burning them. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 8:04 am Event: Tr-Tr Mer Sqr Ves Description: Transiting Mercury Square Transiting Vesta There can be distractions and difficulty focusing now, and important details may be missed in the process. There may be a superficial interest in a project or a misjudgment of how much effort something requires. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 6:56 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mer Sqr Mar Description: Transiting Mercury Square Transiting Mars Impulsive reactions. Fast pace. Trouble, problems and irritations. Mechanical breakdowns. Arguments and conflicts. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 11:41 pm Event: Tr-Tr Mer Sxt Plu Description: Transiting Mercury Sextile Transiting Pluto This is a good time for serious and determined study and investigation. We are drawn to looking for truths and to unexplored topics and ideas. Penetrating conversation. Power in speech. Persuasion. Talk of change and sexuality. Psychological issues. Exposure. Date & Time: 28 Feb 2018 0:06 am Event: Tr Nod R Description: Transiting North Node Stationary Strong Signs, Elements, Modes BALANCE OF SIGNS LEO STRONG Self-confident, generous, warm-hearted, powerful leader, dramatic. Can be overly proud, vain, extravagant, arrogant. PISCES STRONG Compassionate, sensitive, self-sacrificing, gentle, intuitive. Can be escapist, impractical, hyper- sensitive, gullible. BALANCE OF ELEMENTS EARTH WEAK There can be a lack of desire, interest, or skills regarding practical affairs. We may not be very much in touch with reality. Difficulties concentrating, grounding ourselves. AIR WEAK We may have a difficult time being objective or detached. We may not be especially communicative. WATER STRONG We are more compassionate, emotional, and intuitive than usual, and we may react emotionally to situations, possibly at the expense of logic or practicality. BALANCE OF MODES MUTABLE STRONG We are flexible, adaptable, willing, open to change, and possibly flighty or nervous. LUNAR PHASE: GIBBOUS Moon 135 to 180 degrees ahead of the Sun. We are looking to attach value and meaning to our goals. This is a time for analyzing, questioning, perfecting, and improving. The following aspects (major only) and positions are at noon (EST) on February 28th: Note that when an aspect is applying, it has not yet happened but is within orb – it’s pending. When an aspect is separating, it has already happened/perfected and is moving away from the aspect. Depending on the speed of the planet/body involved, the aspect will have perfected–or will perfect–in a matter of hours (often the case with the Moon), days, months, and possibly years in the case of the very slow-moving outer planets and bodies. Note that the Moon moves at a rate of approximately one degree every 2 hours so that if an aspect involving the Moon is applying and has an orb of 5 degrees, the aspect will perfect (be exact) in about 10 hours. If the Moon is separating from an aspect with an orb of 2 degrees, it has already formed said aspect approximately 4 hours ago (since the following are positions at noon today, then it would have occurred at about 8 AM today). **I suggest paying close attention to applying aspects. The energy of the aspect builds as it gets closer to exact. Once an aspect involving inner planets has happened, it’s over. Separating aspects are good to know for context, but in terms of energy that is with us today, applying aspects are most important. (This is the case for daily astrology influences involving inner planets, which pass quickly, and not natal astrology aspects, which are with us for a lifetime). THE MOON THE MOON IN LEO You have an emotional need for praise and attention. Under stress you may show off in order to gain attention, or become arrogant. You may be proud of your mother, or she may be very proud of you. 23RD DEGREE OF LEO Part of Body: Left auricle Sabian Symbol: A bareback rider in a circus thrills excited crowds. ASPECTS OF THE MOON QUINCUNX VENUS Orb 0°02′ Applying You attempt to cater for everyone around you. You need to be true to yourself and gently leave others to look after themselves. TRINE MARS Orb 2°03′ Separating Feelings and desires seem to be in sync, making this a good time to take purposeful action. Healthy competition, resourcefulness, courage. SQUARE JUPITER Orb 0°58′ Applying We may not be very realistic right now, which can lead to moodiness, as we are more invested in our dreams and expectations. TRINE URANUS Orb 3°46′ Applying We are open to new ideas, ways of expressing ourselves and our feelings. A break in the routine is pleasing now. We could be experimenting with new ideas or feelings. There can be chance meetings, events that occur that open our hearts or our emotional awareness. QUINCUNX PLUTO Orb 1°31′ Separating We may not be aware of our more demanding or controlling tendencies. We may feel vaguely frustrated, powerless, or tense. There can be undermining going on in our interactions and relationships. Wait for the tension to subside before taking action. CONJUNCTION THE NORTH NODE Orb 7°16′ Separating There is a stronger drive or need to be around others, to share ourselves, and to belong. THE SUN THE SUN IN PISCES You are an imaginative and serene individual. You need to express your fantasies and imagination, and may be a dreamer or be ungrounded. 11TH DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Lymph vessels of foot Sabian Symbol: Men seeking illumination. ASPECTS OF THE SUN SEXTILE SATURN Orb 2°45′ Separating We are taking pride in our responsibilities or performance. This can be a time of steady progress and increased self-discipline. We are more inclined to humble ourselves to authority or good advice, and tend to employ traditional methods. CONJUNCTION NEPTUNE Orb 3°44′ Applying Fantasy plays a strong part in your life, either as a creative channel or as an escape. You are ‘other worldly’, possibly artistic or musical. You may be unclear of your own identity. Try to use your creativity rather than escaping through addictive behaviour. MERCURY MERCURY IN PISCES You are highly intuitive with a good imagination. You have the ability to tune into other people’s thoughts. You may have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy. You may experience periods where you seem to disappear into a dream world before being jolted back to reality. 20TH DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Right fibula muscle Sabian Symbol: A table set for an evening meal. ASPECTS OF MERCURY CONJUNCTION VENUS Orb 2°28′ Applying We are more agreeable, sociable, and focused on balance and harmony. Conversations flow nicely. SQUARE MARS Orb 0°22′ Applying Questions are raised, discussions can become heated, and there can be nervous excitement now. Enthusiasm is likely, but may go a little too far. Impulsive speech or other communications. Mechanical breakdowns are possible. TRINE JUPITER Orb 3°24′ Applying Good judgment. Taking in the full picture. Speculative thought. Positive thinking. Interest in learning. Teaching. CONJUNCTION NEPTUNE Orb 5°55′ Separating You have an imaginative mind, although at times you speak in a vague fashion. You are sensitive to the thoughts and ideas of other people. You are creative. SEXTILE PLUTO Orb 0°54′ Applying You are able to research topics and form your own opinion. You may be impatient with superficial understandings. CONJUNCTION CHIRON Orb 7°31′ Applying Early childhood education or communication were a source of pain for you. You grew up believing something was wrong with the way you communicated with others, or that you were not intelligent. As an adult you are a good listener and understand the pain of other people. VENUS VENUS IN PISCES You yearn to merge and be at-one with your partner. In fact you want to be at-one with the universe. You also enjoy sharing inspirational activities with your partner, ranging from listening to beautiful music to visiting an art gallery. 23RD DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Achilles tendon of left foot Sabian Symbol: A `materializing medium’. ASPECTS OF VENUS SQUARE MARS Orb 2°05′ Separating You may have some difficulty being patient with loved ones. You can be aggressive and irritable when others fail to keep up with your activities. You can be equally impatient with yourself. TRINE JUPITER Orb 0°56′ Applying You have a talent for putting other people at their ease. Your natural enthusiasm is contagious. Your larger-than-life schemes have a habit of always paying off. SEXTILE PLUTO Orb 1°33′ Separating We’re a better judge of value right now – who and what are important to us. We might see one another, and our relationships, in a different light. We could reconnect with someone or improve an existing bond. CONJUNCTION CHIRON Orb 5°02′ Applying You have a childlike innocence in your personal relationships, which makes you vulnerable to emotional pain. You fear commitment and rejection. You may experience pain in early relationships, but this pain is usually healed giving you insight and wisdom in later personal relationships. You see the beauty in people who have been cast aside by others, and develop the ability to be a teacher or healer in intimate relationships. MARS MARS IN SAGITTARIUS You are an inspirational leader, and have a strong desire for exploration and adventure. You may be one-pointed in your desires. 21ST DEGREE OF SAGITTARIUS Part of Body: Head of left femur Sabian Symbol: A child and a dog with borrowed eyeglasses. ASPECTS OF MARS TRINE URANUS Orb 5°49′ Applying It’s easy and natural to break through obstacles, to find alternative methods of going after what we want, and to take progressive action or to take the lead. There is more courage, confidence, and energy available to us. We embrace change, progress, and new methods. JUPITER JUPITER IN SCORPIO You are on an intense search for the truth. You have strong desires for sexual union and joint enterprises. You could be a transformative teacher. 24TH DEGREE OF SCORPIO Part of Body: Nasal septum Sabian Symbol: Crowds coming down the mountain to listen to one man. ASPECTS OF JUPITER SEXTILE PLUTO Orb 2°29′ Separating You have a chance to achieve a great deal. Your knowledge is broad as you are interested in so many things. You may make a career in the occult or studying the deepest mysteries of life. TRINE CHIRON Orb 4°06′ Separating You have the gift of wisdom. You trust your own intuitive nature, and are able to teach others on the spiritual path. You are able to encompass other people’s personal philosophies without feeling threatened, so that others trust you with their spiritual problems. SATURN SATURN IN CAPRICORN Conservation, moderation, definition, structure, simplicity, and realism are themes now. We might also be striving for more authority in a particular area of our lives now. This is a time for making clear choices and decisions, for weeding out what isn’t working for us, and for letting go of lost causes, particularly related to our life path choices, careers, and long-term goals. (from December 19, 2017, to March 21, 2020; and then from July 1 to December 17, 2020). 8TH DEGREE OF CAPRICORN Part of Body: Lymph vessels of knee Sabian Symbol: Birds in the house singing happily. URANUS URANUS IN ARIES The urge to start fresh, to break free from restrictive attitudes or circumstances, to totally redesign an area of our lives (or even our personalities), and to gain freedom through independence is strong during this cycle. (May 27, 2010, to August 13, 2010, then March 11th, 2011, to May 15, 2018, then November 6, 2018, to March 6, 2019). 26TH DEGREE OF ARIES Part of Body: Skull Sabian Symbol: A man possessed of more gifts than he can hold. NEPTUNE NEPTUNE IN PISCES A long-term influence in which fantasy, imagination, compassion, and spirituality are in stronger focus. (April 4, 2011, to August 4, 2011, then February 3, 2012, to March 30, 2025, then October 22, 2025, to January 26, 2026) 14TH DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Right cutaneous veins Sabian Symbol: A lady in fox fur. PLUTO PLUTO IN CAPRICORN Tests of our boundaries; breaking down and rebuilding structures and rules. (From January 25, 2008, to June 14, 2008, then November 26, 2008, to March 23, 2023, then June 11, 2023, to January 20, 2024, then September 1, 2024, to November 19, 2024). 21ST DEGREE OF CAPRICORN Part of Body: Tendons of left knee Sabian Symbol: A relay race. Chiron, Major Asteroids, and Moon’s Nodes: in Sign and in Aspect CHIRON CHIRON IN PISCES Strong awareness of our own vulnerabilities and humanity stimulates compassion for others. (April 20 to July 20, 2010, then February 8, 2011, to April 17, 2018, then September 25, 2018, to February 18, 2019). 28TH DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Phalanges of left foot Sabian Symbol: A fertile garden under the full moon. VESTA VESTA IN SAGITTARIUS You have the ability to work relentlessly for a cause in which you believe. You need to make sure you do not exclude other people’s points of view. You have visions and enjoy the adventure of discovery in your work. 20TH DEGREE OF SAGITTARIUS Part of Body: Head of right femur Sabian Symbol: People cutting through ice, for summer use. PALLAS PALLAS IN TAURUS You have the ability to see the beauty in nature and the arts. You have much common sense and wisdom. You may become involved in either healing with your hands, or healing the earth through environmental movements. 16TH DEGREE OF TAURUS Part of Body: Carotid arteries Sabian Symbol: An old man attempting vainly to reveal the mysteries. JUNO JUNO IN PISCES You want to be at-one with the world through your relationship. You crave for the highest romantic ideals within your relationship, and become disillusioned with reality. 3RD DEGREE OF PISCES Part of Body: Nerves of right foot Sabian Symbol: A petrified forest. CERES CERES IN LEO You feel cared for when other people play with you and praise you. You like to show others you care for them by encouraging their creative talents and sense of fun. 6TH DEGREE OF LEO Part of Body: Entrance of pulmonary artery Sabian Symbol: An old fashioned woman and an up-to-date girl. THE NORTH NODE THE NORTH NODE IN LEO This a quest to develop your inner strength. You may find that you experience times of loneliness. These times are part of your lesson to forge your own creative life in order to give generously to the world. 15TH DEGREE OF LEO Part of Body: Right atrium Sabian Symbol: A street pageant. THE SOUTH NODE THE SOUTH NODE IN AQUARIUS This a quest to develop your inner strength. You may find that you experience times of loneliness. These times are part of your lesson to forge your own creative life in order to give generously to the world. 15TH DEGREE OF AQUARIUS Part of Body: Lymph vessels of right lower leg Sabian Symbol: Two lovebirds sitting on a fence. **Conjunctions to Select Fixed Stars on February 28, 2018** Aspects to Jup 23°Sc06 -17°24′ Cnj 24°Sc02 AGENA The pain of learning Aspects to Pal 15°Ta07 -14°15′ Cnj 14°Ta34 MENKAR — A victim of the Unconscious Aspects to Nod 14°Le51 +16°22′ Cnj 15°Le27 DUBHE Loving but forceful SHARE THIS: EmailFacebookTwitterTumblrGoogleReddit Filed Under: Daily Astrology, Today Tagged With: February 28, Mercury Mars transit, Mercury Pluto transit, Mercury sextile Pluto, Mercury square Mars  « Astrology of Today – Tuesday, February 27, 2018Astrology of Today – Thursday, March 1, 2018 » Leave a Reply   Search this website … Search Cafe Astrology Cafe Astrology Home Cafe Astrology Free Reports Recent Astrology of Today – Thursday, March 1, 2018 Astrology of Today – Wednesday, February 28, 2018 Astrology of Today – Tuesday, February 27, 2018 Astrology of Today – Monday, February 26, 2018 Astrology of Today – Sunday, February 25, 2018 In this post Full Moon‌ First Quarter Moon‌ The Moon is waxing‌ The Moon is void‌ Tags Jupiter Neptune transit Mars-Pluto transit Mars Ceres transit Mars Chiron transit Mars Jupiter transit Mars Neptune transit Mars Pluto transit Mars Saturn transit Mars Uranus transit Mercury Chiron transit Mercury Jupiter transit Mercury Mars transit Mercury Neptune transit Mercury Pluto transit Mercury Saturn transit Mercury semi-square Venus Mercury square Mars Mercury square Neptune Mercury square Pluto Mercury square Uranus Mercury Uranus transit Mercury Venus transit Sun Chiron transit Sun conjunct Mercury Sun Jupiter transit Sun Mars transit Sun Mercury transit Sun Neptune transit Sun Pluto transit Sun Saturn transit Sun sextile Jupiter Sun sextile Saturn Sun square Neptune Sun Uranus transit Venus-Mars transit Venus Chiron transit Venus Jupiter transit Venus Mars transit Venus Neptune transit Venus Pluto transit Venus Saturn transit Venus sextile Uranus Venus square Saturn Venus square Uranus Venus Uranus transit  Previous  Subscribe via Email Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address Email Address Subscribe Current Planetary Positions 2/28/2018 7:43:42 PM Sun 10° Pisces 30' 00" Moon 28° Leo 39' 03" Mercury 20° Pisces 32' 54" Venus 22° Pisces 43' 57" Mars 20° Sagittarius 20' 40" Jupiter 23° Scorpio 07' 18" Saturn 07° Capricorn 19' 34" Uranus 25° Aries 55' 33" Neptune 13° Pisces 48' 11" Pluto 20° Capricorn 37' 26" Chiron 27° Pisces 14' 59" TrueNode 14° Leo 51' 34" R Subscribe to Blog via Email Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address Email Address Subscribe Categories  Archives  February 2018 M T W T F S S « Jan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Copyright © 2018 · Astrology Cafe by Cafe Astrology