#norte the end of story

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Madeline Ashby’s ‘Glass Houses’

I'm coming to BURNING MAN! On TUESDAY (Aug 27) at 1PM, I'm giving a talk called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE!" at PALENQUE NORTE (7&E). On WEDNESDAY (Aug 28) at NOON, I'm doing a "Talking Caterpillar" Q&A at LIMINAL LABS (830&C).

Glass Houses – published today by Tor Books – is Madeline Ashby's terrifying technothriller: it's an internet-of-things haunted house story that perfectly captures (and skewers) toxic tech culture while also running a savage whodunnit plot that'll keep you guessing to the end:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765382924/glasshouses

Kristen is the "Chief Emotional Manager" for Wuv, a hot startup that has defined the new field of "affective computing," which is when a computer tells you what everyone else around you is really feeling, based on the unsuppressible tells emitted by their bodies, voices and gadgets.

"Chief Emotional Manager" is just a cutesy tech euphemism for "chief of staff." The only person whose emotions Kristen really manages is Sumter William, the boyish billionaire CEO and founder of Wuv. Sumter hired Kirsten because they share a key developmental trait: both were orphaned at an early age and had to raise themselves in a media spotlight.

Both Sumter and Kristen had been in the spotlight even before their parents' death, though. Sumter was the focus of the intense attention that the children of celebrity billionaires always come in for. Kristen, though, was thrust into the spotlight by her parents: her prepper cryptocurrency hustling father, and her tradwife mother, whose livestreams of Kristen's childhoods involved letting the audience vote everything from whether she'd get dessert after dinner to whether her mother should give her bangs.

Kristen's parents died the most Extremely Online death imaginable: a cryptocurrency price-spike sent her father's mining rigs into overdrive, and when they burst into flame, the IoT house system failed to alert him until it was too late. The fire left Kristen both alone and horribly burned, with scars over much of her body.

Managing Sumter through Wuv's tumultuous launch is hard work for Kristen, but at last, it's paid off. The company has been acquired, making Kristen – and all her coworkers on the founding core team – into instant millionaires. They're flying to a lavish celebration in an autonomous plane that Sumter chartered when the action begins: the plane has a malfunction and crashes into a desert island, killing all but ten of the Wuvvies.

As the survivors explore the island, they discover only one sign of human habitation: a huge, brutalist, featureless black glass house, which initially rebuffs all their efforts to enter it. But once they gain entry, they discover that the house is even harder to leave.

This is the setup for a haunted house story where the house seems to be an unknown billionaire prepper's IoT house of horrors. As the survivors of the crash suffer horrible injuries and deaths on the island, the remaining Wuvvies bolt themselves inside, setting up a locked-room whodunnit that runs in parallel.

This is a fantastic dramatic engine for Ashby's specialty: extremely pointed techno-criticism. The ensuing chapters, which flip back and forth between the story of Wuv's rise and rise to a top tech company, and the company's surviving staff being terrorized on a paradisaical tropical aisle, flesh out Ashby's speculation and the critique it embodies.

For example, there's the political culture of Ashby's future America. Wuv are a Canadian company, headquartered in Toronto, and we gradually come to understand that Canada is the beneficiary of an exodus of tech companies from the US following a kind of soft Christian Dominionist takeover (Kristen and Sumter often have to wrangle rules about whether women are allowed to enter the USA in the company of men they aren't married to and who aren't their brothers or fathers).

The flashbacks to this America are beautifully and subtly drawn, especially the scenes in Vegas, which manages to still be Vegas, even amidst a kind national, legally mandated Handmaid's Tale LARP. Ashby uses her futuristic speculation to illuminate the present, that standing wave where the past is becoming the future. Like everything in the shadows of a haunted house tale, this stuff will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

I'm a big Madeline Ashby fan. I have the honor of having published her first story, when I was co-editing one of the Tesseracts anthologies of Canadian SF. I've read and really enjoyed every one of her books, but this one feels like a step-change in Ashby's career, a leveling up to something even more haunting and brilliant than her impressive back-catalog.

Madeline and I will be live at Chevalier's Books in LA on Aug 16 as part of her Glass Houses tour:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-madeline-ashbys-glass-houses-tickets-965286486867

Community voting for SXSW is live! If you wanna hear RIDA QADRI and me talk about how GIG WORKERS can DISENSHITTIFY their jobs with INTEROPERABILITY, VOTE FOR THIS ONE!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/13/influencers/#affective-computing

[ms-lirio]

"You hurted yourself. Again."

"I guess I should say: I am deeply sorry."

"Do not act so reckless, Alfred."

"—Promise. And you should take a rest, you look tired."

"I am fine. Do not worry about me."

I have MANY pending books to read, whether diaries, reports, story books, Brazilian Pracinhas and Nurses and much more.  But to save time, I decided to just read a few quick articles to prepare this post.

All pointed here is in a historical view.

Brazil was officially the only South American country to send troops to the conflict under its flag.

Historically, Brazil's actions prevailed in Italy.  It was where Brazil sent its troops, and its participation in the war was delayed as Brazil wanted to maintain its relations with both sides and remain neutral throughout the conflict.  After German and Italian attacks suffered by Brazilian ships, Brazil gave up its neutrality, siding with the Allies.

American military bases were built in the Northeast region of Brazil and Brazilian troops received American training.

"In 1939, with the beginning of the Second World War, Brazil remained neutral, in continuation of President Getúlio Vargas' policy of not defining itself by any of the great powers, only trying to take advantage of the advantages offered by them. Such "pragmatism " was interrupted at the beginning of 1942, when the United States and the Brazilian government agreed to transfer air bases on the island of Fernando de Noronha and along the north-northeast Brazilian coast to receive American military bases (if negotiations had not result, with Vargas and the military insisting on maintaining neutrality, the US had plans to invade the Brazilian northeast, codenamed Plan Rubber).”  (WIKIPEDIA)

"Natal, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in northeastern Brazil, has a very important strategic global geographic position. This fact made the city host the two main American military bases during the Second World War: the Naval Base and Parnamirim Field – at the time it was the largest US Air Force base on foreign territory.”  (WIKIPEDIA)

// Getúlio Vargas flirted with the Fascist ideology even tho, he went to ALLIES' side. 💀

HCs: (don't take them too seriously)

⚠️ Remembering the following content: we are still talking about Hetalia, so my HCs and lore are not absolute truth, but my perception of my oc's participation during the conflict.  Even though it has a historical basis behind it.  And also, this is historical fiction (ofc, it's hetalia).  WWII is an extremely sensitive topic to many. I ask for caution, I will be careful with what I have to say.

— Alfred used his charm and charisma to make Mayara fight alongside him (Good Neighbor Policy). What worked and they formed an alliance based on a mutual exchange of interests.

— Mayara had developed a strange feeling that intensified for Alfred (something between admiration and wanting to be like him, a complex feeling, which perhaps was confused with platonic love and which sought certain privileges in that alliance), even if she was reluctant to give end her neutral stance towards the conflict (something similar to what happened in WWI).  She would later do this after torpedoing of vessels by German and Italian submarines, retaliation due to Brazil's accession to the Atlantic Charter;  thus, she broke ties with the AXIS and declared war on Italy and Germany.

— In my universe, Mayara also served as a nurse, and spent most of her time with Alfred, often tending to his wounds.  Sometimes just chitchatting together or learning about militarism and things like that. He trained her. He was the one who supported her.

— I changed my conception of another topic, which was May's direct participation on the battlefield.  I think that Mayara, in addition to serving as a nurse, also fought on the front line when necessary (due to the fact that she was the representative of Brazil) and needed to be on the front line.  In my former HC she didn't go to the front. (I disagree with the 2021 me xd).

—  I don't believe that Alfred reciprocated any kind of feelings for May. She was an important piece for him, and so he courted her, to secure a new ally.  It was a benefits relationship.

— Besides Alfred.  There were FEW times where dialogues with England took place, this was due to the participation of Anglo-Brazilians on the English side (if I'm not wrong, in the area of ​​aviation, but I need to delve deeper into the topic).  An almost tiny interaction compared to the prevalence of Alfred's actions, which was immensely greater and also generated impacts.

PS: I don't ship BrAme/AmeBra, they are just friends.  However, Mayara, as I said, had strange feelings for him at some moments in history (I was reading an article about diplomacy 🇧🇷-🇺🇸, I realized that Brazil had a greater interest in getting closer to the USA for economic and regional power, that is, an admiration that aimed for benefits/just as the US aimed for strategic support/Mayara would support Alfred in anything, as she thought she would get support in return).

I used the word "courtship" as it was stated in this old History book (which I no longer have).  Alfred... used his charm against May. Lol.

Evidence of a strange obsession with Alfred:

Meet the United States of Brazil:

(I showed this damn flag to my dad he got disgusted lmfao)

[masteraqua]

okay i need to take a break from thinking about it but i still want to share what i've been working on for my kh3 reimagining—now officially named KH3 Retry! get it? re-tri? you get it

so i've been thinking a lot about the kh3 prologue. if you saw my recent complaints about it, then you'll know i find the original sequence to be sloppy and forgettable, resulting in an incredibly weak start to the story. and so in light of that, i'm throwing the whole thing out and starting from scratch.

keep reading to see what i have in mind! 👀

i'm still working out some details, but here's what i know so far:

a teenage xehanort is the central character of the prologue rather than sora. i always found it bizarre that the main antagonist barely appears in kh3 until the finale, and i intend to correct that by starting the game with him, allowing us to get a glimpse inside his head to better understand his motivations and perspective.

as a direct parallel to kh1, we begin with a dream sequence. however, instead of a station of awakening, xehanort finds himself atop a gigantic alba & ater game board floating in a void.

i love the way the board is used throughout the kh3 opening as both a physical stage and a framing device. i'm incorporating both of those angles, but i'm also taking it a step further by making it playable. the tiered structure of the tiles would lend themselves well to teaching physics controls, don't you think?

the height of the tiles will change as the tutorial progresses, depending on what's being taught; walking/running, jumping, climbing, dodging, etc. maybe they'll form stairs or a labyrinth or even a pit if the situation calls for it.

here's some concept art! no i did not draw the board accurately, but you get the idea. baby nort for scale

after completing the mobility tutorials, the ground will begin to shake and towering chess pieces will fall from the sky to fill the board, nearly crushing xehanort in the process. this will lead into the questionnaire that influences the level progression system.

as this is xehanort's dream, the dream weapons this time around will be represented by chess pieces. i need to flesh this part out more, but the basic idea behind it is that everything in life is a strategy game to xehanort; move the right pieces to the right places and you'll win. so you choose which piece to play

here's a low-effort mockup of the pieces that can definitely be improved later

as xehanort traverses the board, setting up his strategy, he will see visions playing out around him of events that have yet to pass—events he will one day be responsible for. this ties in to all the pieces that are now on the board, since they represent different characters. this also has the added function of reminding the player of the story up to this point.

there are several cool shots from the kh3 opening to use as reference here. it's a shame they go by so quickly

after the questionnaire, there will be combat tutorials and probably a boss fight at the end, à la darkside and twilight thorn. i haven't thought it through yet, but i wouldn't dream of leaving out a big monster set piece battle. maybe he's fighting a representation of his own darkness? or somebody else's...

it might be interesting if he's using the gazing eye keyblade during this part, because he doesn't actually have it at this point in his life. i think that'd be very ominous from his perspective.

after taking down whatever metaphysical monster has been conjured by his psyche, the dream will end on a triumphant but foreboding note. altogether i think this sequence would take about 15-20 minutes.

but we're not done yet! continuing the parallel to kh1, xehanort awakes in scala ad caelum. he's sitting by the window in the classroom, game board by his side. he gives it an inquisitive look, still thinking about his dream.

i'm still contemplating what happens next, but the gist is this: playable scala. we should get a proper introduction to the world and be able to interact with the environment in order to learn more about what xehanort's life is like here. i think this is important in the pursuit of humanizing him.

there will probably be some minor objectives to complete, something small, maybe a fetch quest. would it be too on the nose to have a mock fight against eraqus with a score counter?

i have some ideas for how to incorporate story elements from dark road, but i need to think about them more.

this section doesn't need to take longer than 20-25 minutes, i think; it just needs to be enough to get a sense for the world. it's very important to me that it isn't as time-consuming as the kh2 prologue.

the last shot will have the camera follow xehanort's gaze up to the sky, followed by the title card.

speaking of which!!! i made a logo :)

[sreyaya]

Hallo! Since I am graduating this year and expecting my college exam results, I have a smut idea weeeeee

Roommate Nort with him and the reader are childhood friends that also applied in the same college and they both passed. Just celebratory seggs teehee

Is it okay if it's male or gn I need more mxm content for my lonely gay ass :'))

Happy Graduation

College AU | Norton Campbell x gn!Reader NSFW

Content warning: no warnings really just gentle soft sex, no finishing scene, not proofread, 500 words, MDNI

(A/n: just wanna say happy graduation anon!! This story was just kinda bad but I want to give you something TT tried making it as gender neutral as i could, hope you enjoy!)

smut under the cut!

The last few years had been nothing short of a journey, relentless studying, annoying exams, and countless duties that seemed never-ending. Yet, here you were, finally standing at the end of that storm. The sense of relief that washed over you, it was a moment you had dreamed of for the past few years

Same for Norton, your childhood friend and roommate, shared your happiness too. The dean was kind enough to assigning you both to the same dorm room, trully Norton made journey far more bearable and enjoyable. Norton had grown into a charming person, differentiating on how he was childish back then, it made him far more attractive and the last thing you knew, you had fallen head over heels for him.

Receiving the final results as you both passed on, Norton suggested celebrating with a dinner out. It was nothing fancy, only some grilled barbecue while shit-talking about the unfairness of some professors before and little drinks here and there as a cheers for finally leaving that hell hole.

But as usual, a little too much to drink had led to one thing after another. Heartfelt confessions were blurted out in a moment of vulnerability between the two of you. Now here you both were, back in your shared dormitory, lips locked in a deep, passionate kiss, tongue fighting for dominance. Truth be told, you had never imagined that Norton would accept your confession. You were just happy to have that feelings off your chest, unaware that he had reciprocated the same feelings for so long.

His touch was tender, seeking your consent with every move. He kissed each part of you deeply, savoring the moment as if it were his last, each parts of your known physical insecurities. When his digits found their way to your entrance, you arched your back sharply, especially sensitive knowing it's your first time at this. Norton was honored to be your first, treating you so gently that made your heart swell with comfort.

Taking his time, he played with you, his fingers moving rhythmically in and out of your heat. His mouth was not left lingering, licking and biting your sensitive nipples, eyes looking up to catch your expressions of pleasure. Every moan, every gasp showing how skilled he was, preparing for you to take his size.

With care, Norton positioned you in a mating press, pressing you down so he could see your cute face throughout. His eyes, dark with desire, locked onto yours as he finally aligned himself with your entrance, the sensation of him entering you was overwhelming. Norton groaned deeply, the sound vibrating through your body, adding to the tension.

As he began to move, his thrusts were slow, considerate, each one drawing a new gasp from your lips. The room was filled with the sound of skin popping against skin, and whispered affirmations between the both of you. You could feel his restraint, how he's holding back for the sake of your comfort and pleasure.

Truth to be told, it was just an intimate night with feelings off the both of your chests, hoping to live the rest of your lives together, just like how you started it with him.

[rosie-kairi]

Hello I heard an excuse to ask about Rosemary and the seedlings

Who proposed, Rosemary or Ephemer? How long were they dating? How long were they married before they decided to have kids?

Which of the kids are keyblade wielders? Who takes the brunt of the social obligations as a famous family? Who spends the most time with each parent? Which kids end up having kids themselves?

What position do you envision Rosemary having in the rebuilding of Scala? How does she feel knowing that Lauriam is lost somewhere in time and will likely outlive her? How does she honor Strelitzia's memory? Does she know the full truth of the situation, that the public wouldn't? Does she forgive Ventus for his part in it?

Rosemary and Ephemer get married around their early to mid 20's, I think. Rosemary is about 1-2 years older than Ephemer, so I'm thinking maybe 22 + 24? Ephemer being around 16 at the end of khux and her being 17-going-on-18 sounds about right. Probably don't start dating until at least a year of knowing each other. (Ephemer not wanting to jump right into a close relationship out of fear of losing her/feeling like he's using her to soothe his guilt due to her similarities with Lauriam). Idk.

Anyway, the story of their marriage is a very funny one that can be summed up thusly:

Ephemer proposes to her pretty much on the spot after this. I imagine it would be mostly due to a lot of the public probably having more.. traditional values? Basically, Ephemer doesn't need people judging him for having children born out of wedlock when he's trying to build a society from the ground up. But it's also something he had been wanting to do but didn't know the right time for. So they get married soon after, and if the kids are born only a handful of months after the wedding instead of at least 9, who's to say?

As for the kids, I think they'd all wind up with keyblades at one point or another. I don't think Nico is much of a fighter, though, so he doesn't see reason to use it unless absolutely necessary. Reggie, as the oldest, takes on most of Ephemer's responsibilities once she's old enough. The other two help out as well, but they're also busy running around the various worlds trying to gauge the extent of the damage the keyblade war caused, for science and for funsies.

June is very much a daddy's girl, and Nico's a momma's boy. Reggie has no real "favorite" parent, but if asked she'd probably say Rosemary as well. They all love each other equally, but it's clear who took after who on the family tree lol. As for their kids, I think all three of them have at least one. June carries the Belrose family name which eventually leads to Sigrun in DR, and Nicolai somehow leads to the creation of good ol' Nort.

Rosemary's role in the rebuilding of Scala is being the person doing all of the talking. Growing up in a well-respected southern family has taught Rosemary her fair share of conversational tactics to get someone to agree to exactly what you want them to. Call it manipulative, but she does it mostly through being very very polite. You just can't say no to a face like hers, and she's asking you so so nicely. Ephemer eventually finds his footing as leader, but everyone always listens to Rosemary.

With regards to her cousins, Rosemary probably doesn't know all of the details. Ephemer tells her most things but leaves out some of the stuff that he'd think would really wreck her emotionally. So, as far as she is concerned, Lauriam and Strelitzia are dead dead. No Coming back, she can only hope to see them in whatever afterlife exists in KH. She honors them by creating multiple gardens in their names and treats them with the utmost care. Her and Ephy probably have statues of them put up in the gardens, or maybe something meant to represent them.

As for Ventus, I think Ephemer would explain it to her in the best terms a non-wielder could understand. There was this kid, he was lonely, Lauriam embraced him as a brother in the absence of Strelitzia, but then it came out that the kid had accidentally caused Strelitzia's death. They're probably the only two that know that last bit, as Ephemer saw no reason to stain the poor kid's legacy with that, knowing that'd it would probably be twisted over the years and lose the "unintentional" part. So, I think Rosemary understands that Ventus didn't want Strelitzia to die. I think Rosemary would wish she could've been there for him, at least a little bit. Roads not taken, and all that.

[respectthepetty]

15 Questions

Tagged by @italianpersonwithashippersheart and @pandasmagorica

1. are you named after anyone?

Yes. First name is after my cousin's imaginary friend because my parents were wild. Middle name is after the song I was conceived to because my parents were really wild.

2. when was the last time you cried?

Externally? I joke that I haven't cried since 2009, but I really think that is the last time I cried. Internally? Every single fucking day.

3. do you have kids?

Oh, Lord, no.

4. what sports do you play/have you played?

Basketball, volleyball (horrible at it), fast-pitch softball, but I love watching all live sports.

5. do you use sarcasm?

Strange story, but many educators have to get "empathy training" because we do not understand declarations of self-harm to be serious. We think they are sarcastic comments. I think as an aging millennial, sarcasm is all we have, so we do not recognize when someone else is being serious. So . . . yes, I use sarcasm.

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

Vibes. I travel alone, so if the vibe ain't right, I'm out.

7. what’s your eye color?

Very dark brown

8. scary movies or happy endings?

Happy Endings. Both kind. *wink*

9. any talents?

Navigation and directions. Stick me anywhere, and I will find my way to where I need to go. Metro, bus, interstate, walking. Doesn't matter. I will figure it out. Also driving. I can drive loooong distances and any vehicle is my friend, which is why I got a ticket on the autobahn because I was just vibin' in the Audi at 150 km.

10. where were you born?

Japan

11. what are your hobbies

Traveling, especially for live music. I've seen hundreds of artists individually and have been to almost fifty music festivals. Some of my favorites are Austin City Limits (Austin), Electric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas), Lollapalooza (Chicago), Country Music Awards Fest (Nashville), Osheaga (Montreal), Ultra (Miami), Primavera (Barcelona), Mad Cool (Madrid), and Pa'l Norte (Monterrey, México). Some of my favorite venues are Meow Wolf (Santa Fe), Red Rocks (Denver), and Fenway Park (Boston), and I had a ticket to see a concert at the Palace of Versailles in France for May 2020, then everything went to hell in a hand basket. But strangely, I saw Bad Bunny, Big Freedia, and French DJ Gesaffelstein in 2020.

I could talk for hours about music, but I'll stop with this picture (not mine because none I took came out good) of Gesaffelstein who dresses like this for his shows with an all black background and all black equipment. Ah-maze-zing.

12. do you have any pets?

Oh, God, no. I'm a Disney villain. I don't mess with animals. Or plants.

13. how tall are you?

5'9" (This is a good country song too)

14. favorite subject in school?

Languages & Literature, which is why I teach English now.

15. dream job

What I'm doing now. Teaching. Except I would like to grade less than ~150 essays every month, but education is a mess right now, so y'all be nice to your professors.

[juniperfoxxy]

When first watching Princess tutu it can feel confusing and upsetting that Mytho got with rue instead of duck, but honestly I’m kinda glad that it happened. My feelings on rue and Mytho are complicated, but I’m just glad Mytho didn’t get with duck. A lot of times in stories there’s this idea that a hero of the story like duck *deserves* the love of their crush for saving them but that’s not how love works. A different example would be the hung back of Norte dame movie, instead of Quasimoto ending up with Esmeralda she ends up with the knight because that is who she loves. That part of the reason I love the song heavens light and hell fire because of how they contrast real love and lust from each other. Quasimodo loves Elsmerelda enough to let her go and isn’t “rewarded” her because he saved the day. This is how I feel about duck and Mytho, rue and him could have been written better and shown that they loved each other more but it makes sense that at the beginning Mytho struggle to figure out his emotions to rue considering that he didn’t have the emotion of love back yet. Sure, you could see it as sad for duck because of how much she did for everyone with nothing in return (I am upset that she remained as a duck in the end) but I don’t think she ever truly loved Mytho.

This is a long winded way of saying, I like that Mytho wasn’t treated as a reward and given to Duck at the end and instead went with someone he loves.

[colinodonoghuebrasil]

TRADUÇÃO: Entrevista Independent Irish

Em entrevista com Barry Egan, para o site Independent Irish, Colin O'Donoghue conversou sobre a peça 2:22 - A Ghost Story, atuação, exorcismos na vida real e trabalho com Anthony Hopkins.

O rapaz de Louth fala sobre sua empolgação em voltar aos palcos em 2:22 - A Ghost Story e sobre os esforços que ele faz para conseguir um papel, incluindo participar de um exorcismo para o papel principal ao lado de Anthony Hopkins em The Rite.

A entrevista original pode ser encontrada CLICANDO AQUI, ou continue lendo para conferir a tradução do COBR:

Colin O'Donoghue é um osso duro de roer. A maioria das pessoas no mundo das artes é assim. Um homem adorável e compreensível, é claro, mas estoico, introspectivo e difícil de ser revelado. “Não gosto de revelar muito de mim”, ele confirma. “Gosto de me guardar para mim mesmo. Não sou um vendedor ambulante em entrevistas. Algumas pessoas são brilhantes nisso. Não que haja algo de errado nisso, mas eu não sou uma dessas pessoas”.

Quase no final de uma conversa de 45 minutos, eu disse que estava curioso para saber se, por ter nascido em 1981 e ter sido criado perto da fronteira no Condado de Louth, ele estava mais livre da bagagem psicológica dos problemas do que os atores da geração mais velha.

“Não sei se isso me tornou mais livre como ator”, diz ele. “Tenho 43 anos. Cresci na fronteira, em Ravensdale. Ainda havia uma ressaca desse tipo de mundo. Me lembro perfeitamente dos postos de controle ali mesmo na fronteira. Me lembro de nosso carro sendo parado por soldados, indo para o Norte. E havia os helicópteros e todo esse tipo de coisa. Eu era jovem. Eu não definiria um tempo específico para isso. A propósito, isso aconteceu com todo mundo”.

“Eu costumava pegar o trem para Dundalk para ir à escola todos os dias”, continua ele. “Era bastante comum ter medo de bombas no trem. Você meio que cresce com isso, não é? Isso era normal. Esse era o mundo em que crescemos.”

Quando perguntado sobre como isso afetou seu trabalho no cinema e na TV mais tarde, ele disse: “Você usa tudo o que pode emocionalmente para se conectar com algo como ator. Portanto, seja qual for a época em que você cresceu, acho que você ainda está tentando se conectar a algo. Você usa tudo o que tem dentro de você para tentar fazer funcionar”.

Elaborando sobre sua vida interior, ele diz: “Acho que, naturalmente, como pessoa, eu seria bastante quieto. Sempre gostei de observar as coisas e as pessoas ao meu redor e sentir o mundo. Eu simplesmente gosto de observar, e sempre gostei”.

Como ele [Colin] era quando estava crescendo? “Não posso lhe dizer isso. Eu não sei. Sinceramente, não sei. Passei por momentos difíceis na escola algumas vezes, com bullying, quando era um pouco mais jovem. Então, acho que isso me fechou um pouco. Por isso, gosto de me manter um pouco mais reservado”.

Pergunto sobre as lembranças mais antigas da infância. Ele diz que não tem muitas. “Me lembro de jogar futebol com os amigos no gramado quando eu era criança. Minha mãe costumava me levar em viagens para visitar castelos antigos ou visitar meus avós maternos na fazenda deles. Eu estava dizendo a alguém outro dia que não lembro de muita coisa da minha infância porque, talvez, eu tenha apagado minha memória por estar sempre decorando falas”, ele ri. “Eu era um adolescente bastante calmo, e meio que caí na atuação, na verdade”.

Ele descreve o homem que é hoje em dia como “mais aberto e, eu acho, mais gregário do que costumava ser”. Certamente, quando se trata de seu trabalho, ele tem muito a dizer. Nós nos encontramos para discutir 2:22 - A Ghost Story, no qual O'Donoghue está estrelando ao lado da atriz Shona McGarty (de EastEnders), Jay McGuiness (da boyband The Wanted), e nossa própria Laura Whitmore.

Um sucesso do West End, o espetáculo estreia no teatro 3Olympia em Dublin amanhã (20 de Junho) e fica em cartaz até agosto. O jornal The Guardian a descreveu como “uma peça de teatro inteligente, arrepiante e divertida”.

“Esta é minha primeira peça depois de 15 anos”, diz O'Donoghue. “Ela está em cartaz há vários anos. Há diferentes iterações dela. Acho que foi apresentada nos Estados Unidos, na Austrália e em vários outros lugares, mas esta é a primeira vez que está sendo apresentada em Dublin. É emocionante poder participar”.

“Eu interpreto um personagem, Sam, cuja esposa está em casa e ele está em uma viagem de trabalho para uma ilha. Ela começa a perceber algumas atividades assustadoras na casa. Laura e Jay interpretam Lauren e Ben, que são a melhor amiga do meu personagem na faculdade e o namorado dela, e eles vêm visitar essa nova casa. Sam é muito cético. Ele não acredita em fantasmas ou qualquer outro tipo de coisa. Ele é a voz da razão na peça. Isso é o máximo que posso lhe dizer sem estragar nada.”

Em termos de sua própria crença no paranormal, ele diz que está “aberto a praticamente tudo. Não tenho a pretensão de ter respostas definitivas para nada”. Ele tem alguma experiência com assuntos assustadores - até mesmo satânicos. Em 2011, ele foi o protagonista do filme de terror sobrenatural The Rite. “Era um filme de exorcismo e eu tive que ir a alguns exorcismos reais em Roma”, diz O'Donoghue sobre o filme, vagamente baseado em uma história real de um seminarista da vida real enviado para estudar exorcismo pela Igreja Católica.

Como foi isso [essa experiência com exorcismos]? “Foi intenso”, diz ele com uma risada. “Tinha uma garota que me deixava apavorado. Foi muito parecido com uma sessão de terapia. Era em uma sala pequena. Não vou dizer qual igreja, embora a maioria das igrejas famosas de Roma tenha uma sala de exorcismo, que você não conhece. Algumas pessoas podem estar indo há anos e anos, e você tem seu exorcismo de uma hora ou meia hora e vai embora. Então, é quase como uma terapia. Havia pessoas fazendo fila para entrar e ver um padre”.

O'Donoghue estrelou o filme ao lado de Anthony Hopkins e Ciarán Hinds. “The Rite foi meu primeiro filme. Anthony Hopkins estava ciente do fato de que eu estava em praticamente todas as cenas. Ele sabia que eu estava me esforçando muito e me deu muito apoio. Foi incrível trabalhar com ele, um dos maiores atores vivos. E [foi incrível] aprender com alguém como ele. Ele me falou sobre seu processo de atuação.”

Quanto ao seu próprio processo de atuação, Colin diz: “Tento saber o máximo possível sobre um assunto. Quando fiz The Rite, senti que era muito importante ir a exorcismos e pesquisar, aprender sobre o latim e o rito dos exorcismos. Todo esse tipo de coisa. Isso ajuda a informar minha atuação. Minha ideia é não querer que alguém veja algo e diga: "Não, não foi assim que aconteceu comigo". Na maioria das vezes, você tenta se conectar com algo dentro de você e tenta encontrar, acho, uma emoção ligada a isso. É um processo tão pessoal para cada um que é difícil de explicar.”

O'Donoghue precisa se identificar com o personagem para que ele faça essa conexão? “Sim e não”, diz ele. “Eu fiz seis anos de um programa de TV de sucesso nos Estados Unidos, no qual interpretei o Capitão Gancho, que era um pirata de 200 anos”, diz ele, referindo-se à sua interpretação do Capitão Killian 'Gancho' Jones no drama de fantasia Once Upon a Time.

“Há muito pouco com o que eu possa me identificar lá. Às vezes, é importante encontrar algo que te force um pouco e tire de sua zona de conforto, e que te teste”, diz ele, antes de citar exemplos de onde ele se testou: o já mencionado The Rite e The Right Stuff, a série da Disney+, de 2020, sobre os primeiros astronautas americanos, com produção executiva de Leonardo DiCaprio. Nela, O'Donoghue interpreta Gordon Cooper, o primeiro americano a passar um dia no espaço quando, em 1963, pilotou o mais longo e último voo espacial da Mercury, o Mercury Atlas 9. “Para assumir o papel, tive apenas alguns dias antes de começarmos a filmar. É um grande teste assumir um ícone americano. Fui colocado fora de minha zona de conforto, mas também foi uma oportunidade incrível interpretar alguém como ele”.

Enquanto muitas crianças sonhavam em se tornar astronautas, interpretar um deles é uma realização mais precisa das ambições da infância de O'Donoghue. Ele diz que sua juventude foi marcada por uma “obsessão” por filmes. Aos 10 anos, ele assistiu a 12 Angry Men - a obra-prima em preto e branco de 1957 sobre um julgamento, com Henry Fonda. Esse continua sendo o filme favorito de O'Donoghue até hoje. Aos 11 anos, ele assistiu a Ghostbusters II no Abbey Cinema, em Drogheda, com seu pai. Ele adorou o filme. Da mesma forma, foi cativado por E.T. e Star Wars.

“Eu adorava a ideia de fazer filmes em geral e de poder viajar por duas horas e escapar por [essas] duas horas. Eu adorava o cinema em Drogheda”, diz ele sobre a cidade onde ainda vive com sua esposa, Helen, e seus dois filhos.

Aos 15 anos, ele entrou para o Youth Theatre em Drogheda. “Em 1998, tivemos a sorte de fazer uma peça no National Theatre em Londres, [chamada] Eclipse, de Simon Armitage, que foi o Poeta do Milênio na Inglaterra. Era sobre um grupo de crianças que vão à Cornualha para assistir ao eclipse lunar em 1999 e uma delas desaparece. Eu interpretei um farejador de cola chamado Glue Boy. Aprendi que você poderia assumir a pele de um personagem e não precisaria ser você por um tempo. Não que haja algo de errado comigo, mas você pode fingir ser outra pessoa. Foi muito libertador. Foi por isso que me apaixonei pela atuação”. A reação da plateia também foi atraente. “Era uma noite com ingressos esgotados e fomos aplaudidos de pé, e então me dei conta: 'Ah, isso é legal'”.

Ao sair da escola, em vez de ir para a universidade, ele foi estudar na Gaiety School of Acting, em Dublin. “Treinei lá por alguns anos e fiz peças na Irlanda, às vezes para menos pessoas do que havia no elenco. Fiz uma temporada em Fair City [como Emmett Fitzgerald]”.

Ele também participou de The Clinic, drama da RTÉ. Sua mãe, Mary, é psicoterapeuta, o que, segundo ele, foi “útil” para sua interpretação do problemático Conor, que certa vez ateou fogo em si mesmo no consultório de sua terapeuta. “Meu personagem era bipolar. Então, conversei com ela e ela me colocou em contato com pessoas que realmente entendiam do assunto. Eu queria ser sensível ao fato de que havia pessoas lidando com isso no dia a dia. Coisas como essas realmente ajudam”.

Sua grande chance veio por meio de um de seus papéis menores. Em 2009, ele interpretou o Duque Philip da Bavária em The Tudors. Ele é modesto o suficiente para admitir que esteve apenas “em um episódio de The Tudors. Fiquei nele por talvez 10 minutos”. No entanto, ele foi bom o suficiente naqueles 10 minutos para que um diretor de elenco entrasse em contato para saber se ele tinha representação em Los Angeles.

“Eu disse que não tinha”, lembra ele. Isso diz muito sobre O'Donoghue, pelo simples fato de ele não ter ludibriado o diretor de elenco na terra da ludibriação que é Los Angeles.

“Eles disseram que, se eu quisesse ir, marcariam algumas reuniões com agentes. Eu estava me casando no mês seguinte e disse à minha (agora) esposa: 'Acho que essa pode ser… não a minha chance… mas se eu não for agora, acho que nunca mais irei'. Então, fui até lá e consegui assinar com uma agência alguns meses depois. E seis meses depois disso, eu estava sentado em um set de filmagem em Roma com Anthony Hopkins. Tudo mudou depois disso”.

2:22 - A Ghost Story fica em cartaz no 3Olympia Theatre de 20 de junho a 11 de agosto. Para reservar, acesse ticketmaster.ie

[claudeleine]

what would you say your favorite books are from this year? and you would recommend?

ooooo! i think i've read about 24 books this year, and rn i'm reading the vampire armand and the only good indians by stephen graham jones<3 liking both so far!

the hacienda by isabel canas - if you liked mexican gothic, this is a similar haunted house type story, and tbh i liked it more. also the author is a pnw local so <3 i also liked her book vampires of el norte, but i zoomedddd thru this one

the adventures of amina al-sirafi by shannon chakraborty - specifically the audio book though, there are a lot of asides where the narrators are speaking to ppl in the room with them, so it works better if it's like they're telling u the story rather than u reading what they wrote down if that makes sense. the narrators are also just phenomenal

martyr! by kaveh akbar - this book was just beautiful

near to the wild heart by clarice lispector - another beautiful book, i just love her writing style

legendborn and bloodmarked by tracy deonn - a phenomenal low fantasy book, and honestly if the publishing industry wasn't terrible to black women, especially in the fantasy genre, this could easily have been adjusted to be adult fiction/fantasy

starve acre by andrew michael hurley - we love gothic folk horror, it was like the prologue to a horror story but falls just between the chaos. it's a quick read, u could knock it out in a day probably

silver nitrate by silvia moreno-garcia - it takes a bit for the action to get going, but i really liked how well u get to know the two mcs and it really strengthened the story when shit starts hitting the fan. this is the 2nd or 3rd book i've read by this author and i'm not totally sure how i feel about her endings, but i did like this ending more than mexican gothic, which fully knocked that book down from 5 stars to 4 for me lol

carmilla by j. sheridan le fanu - but specifically only the version annotated by carmen maria machado

[mintytealfox]

So we have Survivor Nort Decucts... And now we have Hunter Nort deducts... Put them together and what do we get?

You get a hella tragic story oh my GOSHHHH 😭😭😭😭

The set up will be: 1-Surv!Norton 1-Hunt!Norton -Then my thoughts 😏

1-Kindness: Is that an Olive Branch you just threw or... (A Good Deed: Norton, a Miner, Always visited the hospice and cared for all of the homeless old miners) 1-Shrewd 'Each step requires long-term planning' (Shrewd: An old, folded letter: Yellow and brittle. It was once abandoned in a dust corner. Signed, Benny.) -This is interesting 👀 These are both the first which automatically makes me think they are connected. I wonder if the Olive Branch thrown is from Benny? Or if its from Norton with the helping out with the people around Benny? Either way Benny ends up sending a letter to Norton. Maybe it saying something like 'want to meet up? I have stuff that might interest you' or something. Which adds to my -squinting- at Benny. Sounds like Norton was alone even though Benny was around all that time? hmmm

2-Diligence: The more effort, the more rewards? (Work Record: Norton Campbell is always the first to go down into the mines and the last to leave it.) 2-Lonely: 'The loneliness of separation must be endured on the climb up' (A coin: Stained by ash, footprints, tears, and dirt from the slums.) -Brings up the whole 'he had nobody' not even Benny vibe again -squints- Where was Benny during all of this? Seems like Norton would work and work and work so he couldn't feel or notice how alone he is. Like work was his only constant and 'friend' to keep himself from going nutty, but in the hours where work couldn't be used as a distraction he was miserable 😿Crying as he clings to what little he has...my gosh. That coin was so important to him man, I wonder if it was the last thing he got from his dad or something, cause he takes it everywhere and it pops up all the time in the trailer orz which means he never spent it just held onto it enough where you see TEAR STAINS ON IT! I CANNOT-- 😭😭😭😭

3-Efficiency: We need more trials. (A stack of Recommendation Letters: It can be seen that every one of Norton's previous employers appreciated his hard work and expressed their regret at being unable to keep him for long.) 3-Sophisticated 'wear a mask for the sake of survival' (A note on the back: What a detestable Person! Wagging his tail like a dog in front of the overseer!) -This one I can’t quite grasp yet -squints- is this referring to the back of the letter from Benny? Why write that there? Is Benny talking smack about Norton being so good at wearing a mask and pleasing the employers? Or is Norton talking smack about himself? Or is Norton pissed about others doing what he is doing? Wearing a mask to just survive or what the heck? 🤣 This one is still baffling me fr fr Oh wait a min....Seems like he had to jump job from job cause employers kept needing to fire workers, unable to keep him on as an employee. Likely becoming more jaded that him working hard and being good isn't working much for him since he keeps getting let go. Then seeing some fresh faced bushy tailed worker beside him would likely piss him off lol 'Why are you acting like that we are all getting fired anyways' Yea I super don't know with this one, I am juggling so many possibilities for this one.

4-Persistence: People won't be unlucky forever, right? (1-Page Note: There are 13 items listed. The first 12 appear to be names of places, and the last one is crossed out.) 4-Willful 'Those who persist will encounter more opportunities' (A page from a diary: I found that old man's notes. Now, it belongs to the one who lives long.) -He doesn’t sound all that fond of Benny pff like there is a hint of a dig there and/or him trying to convince himself that he is going to break out of here and live. Did he decide to set a plan in motion after getting the letter from Benny? Or was it after meeting with Benny?

5-Patience: Next time... (Diary: Tomorrow, I will go to the last place recorded by the old man. If there's still nothing, then I hope he...) 5-Gloomy 'The other side of Kindness and affability' (Abandoned junk: A tattered quilt, a chisel, an unsent letter, and a small piece of wrapped and hardened white bread) -This one I don't see much of a connection other than reference to old man and then there is that QUILT that could have possibly been the one Benny had made for Norton when the Dad was still alive. 'Then I hope he...' sounds hella ominous now lol -squints- Then Is this stuff found with Benny or was it found where Norton abandoned everything? Did Norton not send a letter? Maybe he meant to go back to get his things but never got to cause of the damage the explosion deed had on his mind ah. This one also gives me more questions than answers lol

6-Courage: The more dangers, the more opportunities. (A Geological Report: Part of the tunnel had been blocked by an unidentified object. One small mistake could cause the inner structure of the mine to collapse.) 6-Greedy 'Merely retaking what the heavens owe' (A map: Several crossed-out mines and a red circle.) -I am thinking Greedy and Gloomy should switch here cause Greedy goes well with the Patience with reference to 'go to the last place recorded' BUT what the frig is that 'unidentified object' -squints- Did Norton set that up?? Was that in the red circled mine? Was the place just found like that and Norton was like -cough cough- "whatever nothing is stopping me". Is this all just setting up how Norton was willing to go anywhere to find what he is looking for? hmmmm Willing to go where no man has gone before. Smash Greed and Courage together and ya thats what you get lol A desperate dude that has nothing to loose and only to gain if this all goes right. aahh

7-Alert: You need to be more cautious. (News: Due to the use of gunpowder and detonators, the era of simple rock drilling is coming to an end. 7-Arrogant 'Only by being bolder can you challenge destiny' (Torn paper: Record the blasting's depth, distance between holes… and the amount of explosives used.) -He uhhhhh, yea he definitely ends up using explosives lol. And its interesting that he made sure that everything was measured and counted in every way. Bro knew what he was doing 1000%. He had it all down to the second, the inch! He was careful alright, careful to make sure this goes perfect AH

8-Share: You need more helpers. (Mining Precautions: Theft of explosives is illegal and will be reported to the police once discovered.) 8-Hypocrite 'Important moments must be witnessed by companions' (A memo: Two bottles of the cheapest whine for those drunkards to wet their throats. And toss some fatty meat to the guard dog.) -BRO STOLE THE HELL OUTTA THEM EXPLOSIVES LOOOOOOOL AND HE DID IT IN THE MOST CLICHE WAY EVER AND IT WORKED IIMMMMM--LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Like How many laws did he end up breaking by the end of all this?? LIKE GEEZZ And people are so used to him being kind and caring, none were the wiser! This Duddddeeeee!! He played the LONG GAME GOLLY

9-Wisdom: Smart people know when to hold on and when to let go. (An Accident Report: An explosion collapsed a mine on the outskirts of the city. It's suspected that the miners had mishandled the explosives, and the police expressed that there's little chance for anyone to survive) 9-Ruthless 'Exploding from deep within like an ignited explosive' (A page from a diary: Those journalists and policemen are gone. So it's just that simple?) -Bro played everything! The people, the system, the science, the math?? LIKE DUDE! If it was an accident, he wouldn't have survived. Norton had this planned to the T! Every 'i' was dotted and ever 't' was crossed, he knew he was surviving that explosion if everything went perfect like he was planning for OH MY GOSH. Bro playing chess while everyone else was LEARNING CHECKERS

10-Luck: That's only because the rest are just unlucky. (1-Page Case: Moderate burns to the face. Suspected to have been caused by direct exposure to excessive temperatures) 10-Numb 'Forget them and stay away from the dark underground' (A magnet: "Maybe it can keep me away from misfortune and darkness.") -He really didn't get much out of this did he. Like, all he got was trauma, burnt up, and a magnet. And boi is he clinging to that magnet with is all. His new coin; his new thing to cling to orz He really lies to himself a lot 😿He keeps finding out far too late that what he thought would change everything just made everything worse 🙃like yes everything changed, but changed for the worst. That tunnel vision hitting him so hard he never stops to go 'huh, this is a horrible idea, how would this possibly change my fate??' Its like he is trying so hard to convince himself that it was all worth it cause he got this crazy magnet orz gooooossshhhhhhhhhhhh Instead of using this as a wake up call it seems he is pressing on that sigma grind. Nothing like a plague doctor bird man monster to set things right LOOOOL

[ultravioletqueen]

It seems like I'm in my Hazbin Hotel era because I can think of ideas for ocs and stories for this series despite my love-hate relationship that I have with this series, I will probably use these characters as ocs for the prequel to my original project (bloody reverie ) bloody eden(wich i explore in instagram in my stories)but I like the idea of ​​this couple as ocs from hazbin hotel with biblical inspiration (removing the incest obviously, this is not alabama or northern mexico/argentina), now without further ado I introduce them:

Abel is the first human soul to go to heaven, we all know the story of Abel and his brother Cain, let's say I was inspired by the Abel of @s_affiro(has instagram,twitter and youtube channel, i love her swap au) and @wabbyhazzy to create mine by mixing my own ideas.

Abel is a warrior of heaven who has the job of protecting heaven from threats (Lofcraftian monsters, demons like Lucifer and Lilith, etc.) and unlike what it would seem from his carefree attitude, he takes his job VERY SERIOUSLY and sees it as divine duty which unconsciously makes him act proud at times, he is not at the level of Lucifer or Adam but he has a lot of pride.

His personality, as I said, is that of someone carefree but not irresponsible. He also really enjoys the simple things in life and is a very enthusiastic animal lover. He is a first-class empath and knows how to read others very well. He is also loud and outgoing.

He is married to Luluwa, his bride in life, they knew each other since they were children and from a very young age they showed interest in getting married, however Abel's death caused Luluwa to die of grief shortly after, so they ended up getting married in heaven(thats why luluwa's style has bride characteristics).

Luluwa, unlike her husband, is someone who is quiet, sensitive and gentle. She is a very wise person but usually prefers to stay away from the spotlight as much as possible (that's why she hid her heterochromia), however she likes to help others and because of this She is a matchmaker, she likes helping people find love.

The dynamic of these two is sunshine(luluwa) and sunshine protector(abel), they are both very devoted to each other(they are gomez and morticia if they were angels or pepa and felix madrigal).

(Español)

Parece que estoy en mi era hazbin hotel porque se me ocurren ideas para ocs e historias de esta serie pese a mi relación amor-odio que tengo con esta misma, estos personajes probablemente los use como ocs para la precuela de mi proyecto original (bloody reverie) bloody eden pero me gusta la idea de esta pareja como ocs de hazbin hotel con inspiración biblica(quitando el incesto obviamente, esto no es alabama ni méxico/argentina del norte), ahora sin más que agregar los introduzco:

Abel es la primera alma humana en ir al cielo, todos sabemos la historia de abel y su hermano cain, digamos que me inspire en los abel de @s_affiro(tiene instagram,Twitter y canal de YouTube,me encanta su swap au)y @wabbyhazzy para crear al mio mezclando mis propias ideas.

Abel es un guerrero del cielo que tiene el trabajo de proteger al cielo de amenazas(monstruos lofcraftianos, demonios como lucifer y lilith, etc) y a diferencia de lo que parecería por su actitud despreocupada el se toma MUY EN SERIO su trabajo y lo ve como deber divino lo que de forma inconsciente lo hace actuar como alguien orgulloso a veces,no está al nivel de lucifer o adan pero tiene mucho orgullo.

Su personalidad como dije es de alguien despreocupado pero no por eso alguien irresponsable,el también disfruta mucho de cosas sencillas de la vida y es un amante de los animales muy entusiasta,el es un empatico de primera y sabe leer muy bien a los demás,también es ruidoso y extrovertido.

El esta casado con luluwa, su prometida en vida, se conocieron desde niños y desde muy jóvenes mostraron interes en casarse, sin embargo la muerte de abel hizo que luluwa muriera de pena poco después, por lo que se terminaron casando en el cielo.

Luluwa a diferencia de su esposo es alguien callada, sensible y gentil, ella es una persona muy culta pero suele preferir alejarse del reflector lo máximo posible(por eso ocultaba su heterocronomia),sin embargo ella le gusta ayudar a los demás y debido a esto es casamentera, le gusta ayudar a las personas a encontrar el amor.

La dinámica de estos dos es sunshine(luluwa) y sunshine protector(abel), ambos son muy devotos el uno con el otro(son gomez y morticia ángeles o pepa y felix madrigal).

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Nalo Hopkinson’s “Blackheart Man”

I'm OFFLINE UNTIL MID-SEPTEMBER, but you can catch me in person at BURNING MAN! On TUESDAY (Aug 27) at 1PM, I'm giving a talk called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE!" at PALENQUE NORTE (7&E). On WEDNESDAY (Aug 28) at NOON, I'm doing a "Talking Caterpillar" Q&A at LIMINAL LABS (830&C).

In Blackheart Man, the new Nalo Hopkinson novel out today from Simon & Schuster, we get a tour-de-force from an author in full control of her prodigious powers: a story that will make you drunk on language, on worldbuilding, and on its roaring, relentless plot:

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Blackheart-Man/Nalo-Hopkinson/9781668005101

The action is set on Chynchin, a fantastic Caribbean island(or maybe Caribbeanesque – it's never clear whether this is some magical, imaginary world, or some distant future of our own). Chynchin is a multiracial, creole land with a richly realized gift economy that Hopkinson deftly rounds out with a cuisine, languages, and familial arrangements. Blackheart Man boasts some of the finest "in-cluing" (Jo Walton's marvelous term for the way that sf/f writers can assemble a world in their readers' minds with subtle clues that act as a made-to-be-solved puzzle the reader delights in assembling) you could ask for, and before you know it, you've completely internalized this world, with its racial politics, its cultural institutions (like the colloquium, where every scholar is also a musician and getting your doctorate requires scoring a book to be sung – and thus memorized and preserved by a choir of your fellow students), and its relationships (the stable configuration is a thruple, with most women married to two co-husbands).

Chynchin was founded through a slave rebellion, in which the press-ganged soldiers of the iron-fisted Ymisen empire were defeated by three witches who caused them to be engulfed in tar that they magicked into a liquid state just long enough to entomb them, then magicked back into solidity. For generations, the Ymisen have tolerated Chynchin's self-rule, but as the story opens, a Ymisen armada sails into Chynchin's port and a "trade envoy" announces that it's time for the Chynchin to "voluntarily" re-establish trade with the Ymisen.

The story that unfolds is a staple of sf and fantasy: the scrappy resistance mounted against the evil empire, and this familiar backdrop is a sturdy scaffold to support Hopkinson's dizzying, phantasmagoric tale of psychedelic magic, possessed children, military intrigue, musicianship and sexual entanglements.

Hopkinson's protagonist Veycosi is the kind of flawed hero whom you want to give a hug to half the time, and whose neck you want to wring. An aspiring scholar, Veycosi has the brash certainty of youth, convinced that he's the smartest (and sexiest) man in any room, and he's right just often enough to encourage him in a series of self-inflicted catastrophes that build to a terrible crescendo that sets up one of the most satisfying endings you could ask for.

Hopkinson – a SFWA Grand Master and Macarthur Genius Grant awardee – is justly famed as one of the field's great afrofuturist pioneers. Her prodigious talent has been obvious since her debut novel, Brown Girl In the Ring, and her career is an unbroken string of literary feats that went from strength to strength. I've known her since we were both teenagers working at the same library in suburban Toronto, and I never cease to be dazzled by her talent, her wit, and her warmth. But even by those high standards, Blackheart Man is a triumph.

On SEPTEMBER 24th, I'll be speaking IN PERSON at the BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/20/piche/#cynchin

[captainbobbin]

Thoughts on Saix/Isa and Guardian?

so this was asked, I am sure, in response to my tags of 'ask me about my Saïx/Guardian thoughts, I dare you' on this art hahaha

Allow me to begin this with somewhat of a tangent. Back in the day, Kingdom Hearts 1 came out; and we see the Guardian Heartless at the end. He is seemingly a part of Ansem, with no real agency of his own, but is separate enough that we hear Ansem address it and give it commands and use it as a tool, an ally in combat. It is essentially his backup, his right hand, you know what I mean? He relies on him in hand-to-hand combat because Ansem doesn't like getting his own hands dirty, he’s a magic user, Guardian is his. Well. Guardian. His defense, something he controls to use as a shield to hide behind. This great heaving beast of fangs and yellow eyes and hollowed-out chest, doing as he is told with what appears to be little ability to defy Ansem, he is just. There. This looming X-faced thing that antagonises and keeps you away from the big bad of the game, entirely physical and, as far as we knew, mindless.

Then came Kingdom Hearts 2. Bear in mind that at this point, when KH2 released, that was the only other game in the series - no CoM, no BBS, no nothing, just KH1 and 2.  We’re introduced to the Organization, to Xemnas, to Saïx. And with having no knowledge at all of the background lore of the Organization - no knowledge of the Nort plot, no knowledge of Saïx’s hatred and desire to destroy the Org, no knowledge of Terra - we are lead to believe that Saïx is how he portrays himself on the surface. Loyal. Meticulous and cold and unfeeling. Just logic and plans and devious wiles, yknow? Saïx taunts Sora throughout the game, actually has more of a personal beef with him than Xemnas at all, is more of a direct antagonist. But he’s a Nobody, he does all this through manipulative words and cruel ideas and just generally being a taunting prick. Every time we meet him in game however, there is this real sense of control. Saïx is so very overtly in charge of things - we see him ‘chase off ‘ Axel who flees on sight of him, and Saïx says that ‘we will ensure that he receives the maximum punishment’ - we, not Xemnas, not I, but we. Saïx establishes himself as the hands of the Organization in that one sentence. He doesn’t act on behalf of himself, he acts on behalf of what needs to be done. Saïx is calculated, all front and icy projectiion, careful words used specifically to twist Sora - and the audience. We do not need to be told through the journal that he is the second-in-command, we believe it. He is consistently there, and in the base game I believe that he is the only Org member we see interact with Xemnas directly one-on-one, and so casually. Xemnas too appears to not want to get his hands dirty. He vanishes as soon as Sora and the others get close at Hollow Bastion, he only gets involved with Sora at The World That Never Was once everyone else is dead, Xemnas is the world's most passive and uninvolved boss while Saïx is constantly and consistently making things happen and is taking an active role in the story, pushing Sora to do things in certain ways, influencing the Org behind the scenes. (Sora actually speaks more to Ansem in the first cutscene with him in the Destiny Islands in kh1 than he speaks to Xemnas in 2 in totality!)

There was a time after 2 came out that theories were abound. The only Nobodies we meet that have confirmed heartless/somebodies were Roxas and Xemnas. And Xemnas’ heartless had this big hulking beast with an x across its face, acting on instinct and command to protect and fight for Ansem (and Kingdom Hearts), the one Ansem relied on, the one who was with him until the end, the one was a shadow behind the main villain. And there was Saïx, with the x scar, acting seemingly through loyalty and his own incentive to be the last one standing to protect Xemnas (and Kingdom Hearts), the driving force that stood behind the final antagonist and shaped the plot around him. There was a very potent theory between myself and a few others (primarily us that always like Xemnas and Saïx together as a pairing) that Guardian was in fact Saïx’s heartless. As I said, at the time there was no Terra, so other lore or background to go off of (secret ending and confusing journal entries and unexplained plot points like Sora in the pod notwithstanding). So it felt like a pretty logical connection to try and make, especially when you consider the angle that like. Even Xemnas emotes more than him, right. Noticably, Xemnas is shockingly more human and emotive and instinctual than Saïx. Saïx is constantly very calm and removed and pious, very above it all, calling heartless mindless canonically and seeming to have a mix of disdain and almost wistfulness about them - and then as soon as its finally time to fight, he just absolutely goes apeshit and devolves into Berserk. The fact that this very levelheaded and apathetic and The most Nobody Of All Nobodies finds himself backed into a corner and then taps into the most explosive show of what appears to be feeling that we’ve seen from any Nobody thus far - Guardian is this big monstrous thing, all fangs and muscle and power, and Saïx had been all brain and strategy; one of the main memories I have of my first playthrough of KH2 is the sheer deception of Saïx. And I don't mean that as ‘oh this guy is a liar who is planning things behind the scenes’ because there was no way of knowing that at the time. What I mean is that every time we saw Saïx, he was flanked by underlings. Every time Sora interacted with Saïx, Saïx would summon lesser Nobodies and heartless to back him up. He had no sense of imposition, he wasn’t like Xaldin where just by appearance it was like oh this guy is huge and is gonna be a very physical fight and he wasn't crafty in the way of like Demyx or Xigbar where your impression was oh this is gonna be flighty and fast-paced. Saïx really had this impression of someone who was going to rely on others in his fight, this was the middle-management second-in-command guy who kept getting lackies to act around him. I went into his fight expecting a summoning fight, that we were gonna have to fight waves of smaller threats to get to him. So the fact that this bitch faces you by himself, lifts an enormous fucking sword bigger than himself like its nothing and then erupts is so memorable to me. At the first opportunity - or perhaps as his last chance - he devolves into a thoughtless, instinctual, hateful monster. For the longest time I thought Guardian was Saïx’s heartless due to their parallels of being chained to Ansem/Xemnas, calm vs destruction, the x’s on their face, the pacing in which they appeared and died in the story.

I just really vibed with the theory - I loved Xemnas/Saïx as a pairing (still do, obviously, lmao) so the idea that they had counterparts that were linked together really just kinda gelled well with my view of them. But! Then BBS came out, and DDD, and so on. In my country we didn’t actually get CoM or any of the collections until quite recently, so I actually missed out on a bit of context of the series. But I played BBS to death when it came out and I fell in love with Terra hardcore.

In DDD (which again I did not get to play right away due to delays), Guardian was directly hinted at being Terra, and then in 3 it was fully revealed.

So like ofc I view a lot of the Terra/Isa relationship through a XemSai gaze - I love Xemnas and Saïx together in any kind of context; theyre dependant on each other, they love each other, they hate each other, theyre using each other, they want each other dead and gone, they cant imagine life or unlife without the other, theyre married theyre divorced theyre each others first theyre each others lasts they cant wait to see the other fail they only want the best for each other they are studying one another like insects trapped in jars theyve hurt each other theyve fixed each other etc etc etc. But my thing with XemSai (that I hope is very prevalent in my writing and to an extent my art as well) is that it is straight-up doomed. That all stuff set during the canonical events of the series is leading to their inevitable and impending destruction and therefore separation. It can’t last. None of it can last. Whether they want it to last or they want it to be over, or they think they want it to be over, it ends. Life goes on or maybe it doesn’t. Whatever the outcome, whether conscious or willing or malicious or not, Xemnas had been manipulated from the start and Saïx began and ended his nonexistence wanting Xemnas out of the picture. I love love love Xemnas and Saïx being open in the same and yet horrible corrosive opposites to each other. I love Saïx being desperate to feel, latching onto whoever and whatever he can, and Xemnas being at the right place at the right time, usable, going along with it all, because why not? It will all end eventually in any case, they may as well enjoy what limited time they have… they don't feel anything, so they can’t feel hurt, can’t feel betrayed, can't feel heartbroken when deception is made evident and knives are in each other's backs.

But then it ends. The plan succeeds and Saïx becomes Isa again and hes human, he’s real, he got what he always wanted and worked for an hes a human again. But he retains all of those memories, those ghosts of feelings. Does he miss Xemnas? Does he hate him? Is he glad hes dead? Does he regret what happened? And then along comes Terra, the body of the man he had been beside for a decade, new and fresh but familiar and real. I absolutely adore Terra and Isa kind of muddling through their new lives together after such a long time of being incomplete - as you can surely tell by the fuckin bible that is this series lmao

However you are asking my thoughts on Saïx with Guardian. Not XemSai and not moonrocks lmao. But I hope its understandable that they all feed into each other, its a big three-ring venn diagram to me. They would find each other in every lifetime, in every form, they are always destined to be together - (despite of course Terra and Xemnas being two very separate people, and there is an argument for another day that is a hill I’ll fight on which is that Saïx and Isa to an extent are separate people, naturally). 

Just. Mad as hell betrayed vengeful Saïx being trapped, bound to serve, ready to lash out and backstab all he can and beg borrow cheat steal and murder his way out of the pit that is The Organization, Berserk festering under his skin, made unnatural, made wrong, wronged, at his wits end and unable to escape, plotting and feral and cold. Finding solace in this enormous beast that is just like him, this looming silent shadow that remembers only the faintest concept of promises, or love, of family and protecting those that matter. Saïx on the move in The Real Organization, flanked by puppets he helped create filled with hearts that he hurt, and behind him trails this behemoth that recognises him, somehow, and even though their loyalties are forced to be elsewhere, their arms twisted behind their banks, they’re connected, they have a thread weaving them together. Saïx using Guardian as a mirror, recognising aspects of himself in this haunting creature, silently hurt because this is a heart, this is a human heart that has attached itself to him, and it isn't his but maybe in some ways it is but none of this is right and he just wants things to be right again.

And also, like. On a slightly more nsfw note. I am a huge huge HUGE slut for size difference, monsterloving, and Saïx screwing his way into feeling almost like a person again lmao. You can’t tell me that his ego would burst into flames at having this huge doting creature give his body all that it craves, able to command it so readily and it does whatever it is told because it sees him as powerful, in charge of it, and Guardian is so willing, so taken, so able to hold him like hes something precious, god Saïx just wants to be treasured, kept, cared for, and at his beck and call is this captive beast that looks at him like he’s special, like he's his salvation, and theyre both monsters that keep failing, slipping into feral and violent ways, but they can take it. No one can handle the other like they can.

I’ve written a (sfw) Saïx/Guardian fic before as part of my one-fic-a-day challenge in February and, don't worry, I have plenty more to come lmao. There is also hints at Guardian flickering in with LFOTR, but you’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out heehoo. I’ve also drawn several Saïx/Guardian things before, but they must remain on my ‘reon due to the uh ahem nature of those types of drawings haha :p (see the paragraph prior lmao)

Anyway this is getting very long and I could keep going but I have probably rambled enough for one morning lmaooooo

I absolutely love the dynamic of Terra and Isa and I love the perversion of it by the two of them being twisted by their other lives. They are rife for angst and healing and destructive patterns and growth and that is my game, baybeeee 

Thank you so much for poking my brain with a stick I love it so so so much I am being so deadass genuine I love talking about my blorbos I will sit here now thinking of these two even harder. also I'm sorry I take so long to respond to asks I just have so many words in my brain that I need to squeegee them out into a cup ghkjhk;

[goldenchocobo]

More Baby-Xehanort sketches!

This all started when I showed a friend the original baby-’Nort drawing, and he jokingly said I should add a crab. So I added a crab.

The second one is a prequal to this sketch I did last year.

I debated about what to do for the bottom sketch. ever since the end of Dark Road, I wanted to draw <Player> with Xehanort, but never knew what; especially since I’ve seen a bunch of other fanart depicting what I wanted to draw. So, I just drew them star-gazing. I’m not sure what <Player> is telling little ‘Nort, but maybe its one of their many adventurous stories about a land now far off.

[findingtomarrymort]

LOST FICS

I am looking for a fic that has harry potter going back in his eleven year old body after the second war (I guess?) Or he could also not be back in his eleven year body but some other year. I just know that he was master of death and he stood up to snape when he was being an arse to him. Harry time traveled back in time, I vividly remember the scene. Harry was in a potion class and snape as usual was being an arse and harry thought maybe he wouldn't be harsh on him or even change but no snape was still an arse to him and harry had enough so he called snape a Bastard who was pathetic and wouldn't move on from his gurge and he walked out and refused to attended the class unless snape apologized for his behavior and promise not to do it again. Hermione and Ron tried to pursue harry with other professors as well, but he was adamant about it and refused to attend potion class, at last Dumbledore called harry and snape in his office and tried to solve it but snape was still an arse. [FOUND: Resurrect The Living by fascinationex]

i've been trying to find this fic for years now and have had no luck. it's a fanfic about how harry has 2 personalities (assumed it was from the horcrux but not explicitly stated) and he was so much smarter because of it. In it, harry is a ravenclaw, Hermione is a slytherin, and so is Fred but idk about George. Also snape gets eaten by a basilisk and the basilisk is named hedwing. Also, harry creates a potion to turn some boys into girls so Daphne doesn't have to marry Theo nort. Last I checked it was uncompleted and I'm pretty sure it changed its name.

Hello! I've been trying to find this fanfiction on Ao3 for a while with no luck. It is a Dark Lord/Harry fanfiction, and possibly completed. I remember it having a pretty high word count. Vaguely, I can remember that Bellatrix and Harry dueled in front of the Inner Circle Death Eaters and Voldemort, and though Harry struggled for the most part, I'm pretty sure he won. I vividly remember Draco yelling at him for talking to Daphne. Harry thinks that Draco has a crush on Daphne, but Draco kisses Harry instead. Harry pushes him away.

Hey! I'm not sure if you already have the fic here, but am anyways asking. I'm looking for fem!Harry/Tom fic. It's on ao3, multi-chaptered and completed. It's name is something like The Rise of _____ What I remember from it after her sixth year, Harry (I think her name is different) leaves Britain, goes to America with Sirius, studies in Ilvermorny, she's in contact with Death who helps her against Dumbledore (it's a bad!Dumbledore one) anyway before leaving I think she was in contact with Tom, who now kinda randomly shows up to 'woo' her, she's also good friends with Draco, Narcissa and Bellatrix (calles her Auntie Trixie) It's not a very old fic, completed sometime b/w 2021-23

the fic im searching for Harry gives Tom permission to do whatever he wants. It was multichaptered and finished. At one point there’s a Harry/Cedric bit but Tom admits that he would rather not see anybody touch Harry that way again and I think he obliviates Cedric? Also Tom and Harry get frisky on the side of the quidditch shed in a fit of jealously due to Ginny. At the end the order tries something and makes Harry’s cat sick and he gets almost kidnapped by leaving. [FOUND: anything & everything by exarite]

Hi there! This blog is AMAZING. I was delighted to be recced. I need some help looking for a fic on fanfiction.net that I highly suspect has been deleted, but am still hoping it may be my sub-par searching skills. It is a multichapter ongoing story, and had maybe two chapters up when I read it. The main characters are Harry Potter and Tom Riddle in a hospital setting (it may be St. Mungos). Harry is a star (like a literal celestial star) in the body of a child, which has a lot of problems containing him, and is hence in a state of near-death. He coughs blood. Tom Riddle's mother is also long-term hospitalized and he comes to visit her. This is how they end up meeting in the hispital. (And all I remember of the story). Pretty sure it was on ff.net between 2009 and 2012. I never could find it again.

[lulutaylorsimaginarium]

The Chain

Summary: When the guys get stuck in a situation and hunted down by a drug lord. Frankie makes a call he really doesn’t want to make to the only person that can help them

Words: 1482

Warnings: “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the right age to handle mature themes. We handle our own triggers with kindness and grace

AN: Mind any grammar mistakes even though the story has been checked. The author is dyslexic and it is the wonders of her brain.

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR

Part 5

She didn’t say much the next morning. Gabby figured if she said anything the chances of a fight increased. She was tired of the arguments; she was tired of the whole situation. She was sick of the fear in the pit of her stomach that never went away. 

She wanted to go home. It was quiet there. Everybody was calm and polite. No one made a fuss.

There was comfort in that.

Maybe that’s what she was needing

Comfort.

Gabby helped pack up the van, which she had to admit. They were getting fast at it.

Suddenly Frankie appeared next to her. He dropped the keys to the van in her hand

“Really?”

“To the next pitstop. That’s it”

“Oh, come on”

“If Rojas finds us. You put your foot down and avoid the trees”

“One tree and I never hear the end of it”

“I’m serious”

“I know you are”

She didn’t try to avoid Santiago but she also didn’t want to talk to him. Maybe if she could just say silent. Speak when spoken too. Remain professional, get the job done and move on. She had done that before on the job.

This was a job.

They were like a mouse and a boa constrictor. She understood that now and they would probably always would be that way. They both also would always be in Frankie’s life,  so she had to find a way around it.

She jumped into the driver’s seat and turn the key and idled the engine aggressively before smiling at Frankie

“You’re hilarious”

“Only seventy two hours to go”

“Jesus” Frankie uttered under his breath

“You’re brave handing her the keys” a voice said outside the car.

Santiago.

She didn’t say anything about his comment, she didn’t even react and everybody noticed, instead she asked

“Are we headed to Trujillo?”

“Yeah. Stop at Huacho though”

“Why not stop at Santa Maria or Chonta?”

“You wanna see the condors?” Santiago teased

“Well, if you stop in Santa Maria we can get on the La Panamericana Norte”

“Too open” he said shaking his head

“Huacho it is” she gave him a tight smile “See you guys there”

Santiago and the brothers watched the van drive away. Will chuckled quietly

“You’re screwed, man”

“This may be worse”

“She’s going to make it worse” Benny laughed

“Let’s go” Santiago mumbled

They had to give her credit. Once she decided something she worked fast and it was beautiful to watch

 

#

 

Frankie and Gabby were leaning on their van as the other guys pulled up to the pit stop. Gabby eating picarones and Frankie hoeing down cachangas.

“How long have you guys been here?” Will asked

“While” Frankie said shoving food into his mouth

“We were hungry and had time to waste because you drive like a grandma” she said offering him some food. He stole one and took a bite

“Ok, Speed Racer”

“If Gabby’s drives the rest of the way. We’ll be in Caracas by tomorrow” Frankie joked

“You love it” she laughed

The thought of being in the vans for more days than they needed made all of them edgy. The sooner they get rid of this stuff the better.

Suddenly her phone rang in her pocket. Gabby jumped at the sound before answering the call.

Santiago unfolded a map and spread it across the bonnet of one of the vans. As Gabby paced back and forth talking to someone with a big smile on her face.

“This is taking too long” he told them “We have to start driving through the night. We’ll have to do shifts”

“We’re one person down for shifts, Pope” Frankie told him “You have to sleep too”

“We’ll figure it out. We’ll stop just not as much”

Suddenly they heard Gabby’s laugh. They all looked over at her and she didn’t have a clue, she was too distracted.

  “What did you figure out?” Will asked

“One person driving during the day. One at night. Quick breaks in between”

“What going on?” she asked walking back over to the guys

“Guayaquil to Quito to Cali to Bogota to Puerto Ayacuho to Caracas” Santiago told them his finger following on the map

“There’s a place we can stay in Cali. Won’t be enough beds but inside plumbing and it will be more comfortable than a van” she told them

“I’ve got night shift” Frank told her. That was all he had to tell her for her to know the plan had shifted

“If you guys wanna go into town and get some real food. We can stay by the vans” she offered

“Everything alright with Caracas?” Santiago asked her “That was the phone call, yeah?”

“Yeah. He’s just flown in. He’ll get everything ready for us. So when we get there we can move it, store it and relax while I figure out the rest of the plan. We’ll probably be there are a few days”

“Okay”

“Go get something to eat. It’s not far” 

She watched them walk away as she folded up the map and put it back in Santiago’s van.

Talking to Sebastian helped her nerves. He was more confident than she was, which oddly made her feel more confident. She still had to figure out a way to get it from Caracas to wherever they were going to next. Time had clearly become an issue, if only in Santiago’s mind.

Sebastian had sent out some feelers to see if they could get some information. She knew that they needed it, but she didn’t like the idea of Sebastian poking around in Rojas’ business. What if he asked the wrong person, the wrong question and Seb got a knock on the door?

This was all become too real for her.

She couldn’t turn back now.

“I can hear that mind working from all the way over here” Frankie told her quietly

“We’re going to need a cover story for all the border crossings”

“We’re tourists”

“With sacks of coffee beans?”

“They haven’t check us so far”

“We’ve been lucky”

“I wish he had made you fake ID too” he told her quietly “They can track you. Rojas has to have people working on the boarders”

“If things get hairy I’ll just flash the work credentials. They’ll get bored, real fast”

“They’ll have you’re name and your job then”

“I’ll was thinking of moving on anyhow”

“What would you do?”

“Go work at a bank” she joked. He didn’t laugh “It’s too emotional. You know me. I want to fix everybody”

“You do for the most part”

“Maybe I’ll go back to London”

“That’s too far away” he playfully whined

“The Netherlands isn’t?” she laughed

“Also too far”

“You wanna be neighbours?”

“Yes, I need a babysitter now anyhow”

“I could be your nanny”

“Listen, if you don’t mind being paid in room and board. I’m cool with it”

“You’d get sick of me eventually”

“No I wouldn’t”

She chuckled sweetly and shook her head

“Let’s just get out of South America and then I’ll figure out the rest”

They peacefully ate their food in silence. No awkwardness, no need to fill the silence. The wheels in her mind were spinning. He could see them. She was trying to be a step ahead. Trying to plan ahead, even though they didn’t know what was in front of them. Gabby was logical, she always had been and that was why she was good at her job. If she could be five steps ahead, she would be. 

 

#

When they got back from town Gabby was asleep in the back seat and Frankie was lost in his own little world. Santiago walked over to their van and looked through the window to see not even a hurricane could have woken her.

“She alright?”

Frankie just laughed to himself because that’s not what Pope was really asking him

“Don’t like being freeze out, huh?”

“Polite Gabby is actually much worse”

“If it makes you feel any better. She’s not actually angry. She’s worried. She’s in protective mode. That’s why she’s attacking. She maybe a bleeding heart but she doesn’t love easily. We’re putting a lot of people she loves in danger. Don’t take it personally”

“Difficult not too”

“Well, maybe take it a little personal” he laughed “Once we get to the farm. She’ll calm down. Sebastian, has that effect on her”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed”

“Trust me, this guy can handle whatever will get thrown at him. If Gabby is always five steps ahead. Sebastian is always ten steps ahead. We need him and unfortunately, Pope. You need her. Wouldn’t hurt to go easy on her”

“Noted”

“What time do you want to take off?”

“Half an hour?”

Frankie nodded his head in agreement before Santiago walked away, but not without a sneaky look into the back seat that Frankie didn’t mention that he noticed