#the weight of the crown vs identity

[hoseeok]

writes a song after an identity crisis - writes a poppy song about being a better person when in love - writes a song about the crushing isolation and desperation that comes with fame - writes a song about creative burnout and the fear of losing passion in the first love that guided you till now - writes a song about righteous anger - writes a song about embracing the inescapable distorted perception the public has of you and fully using that persona - writes a song about losing childhood and the hope of one day getting back the life you lost - writes a song about the untranslatable pain of an exceptional life nobody else can truly understand - writes a song about getting better and depression - writes a song about growing up and forgiving your past self - writes a song about the promise of friendship - writes a song about the love for fans - writes a song about older generations’ hypocrisy - writes a song about saying goodbye and thanks at the same time - writes a song about trusting yourself to know what’s best for yourself to be happy

[berylcups]

Heres Calamari with their real anatomy. I'm still struggling whether to put them in team Bucci or the Hitman team 😭 Based on the profile and image what vibes do they give off? Good or bad??? I've put a shorten (but still long AF) profile down below

Name: Katrin Kocteau

Allias (if applicable): Calamari 

Namesake: The Cocteau Twins 

Nicknames: Callie, Kat, Kit Kat, Gattina, Stella, Luna, Starlight, Sole, Carina, Cara, tesoro, bella, bambina, Sourpuss, Kitten 

(usually used sarcastically): Comrade, ,little sister,Sunshine, Moody boobs, Boobs McKenzie, Sourpuss

Nicknames for others: 

🩸Lulu, Schatz, Rubin

Big brother, comrade (gelato and calamari jokingly call each other comrades due to both being oppressed by the Soviet Union )

🤐Abba,Diamant ,gloomy fuck/blues, Leo, piss monger, 

Löwe,, honigbiene, liebling, Kuschelbär, Bärchen, Schatzi, Engel, süße,

(Used in a joking/sarcastic way) Arschloch,  Sonnenschein, Eselhengst, Dummkopf 

Age: 25

Birthday: July 12th

AMAB/AFAB/Intersex: AFAB

Gender Identity: Agender; They/Them sometimes she/her…doesn’t correct strangers out of exhaustion 

Height: 5’3 160cm

Weight: 175lbs

Handness: Left

Type of Voice: soft, monotone, flat, they speak very softly with a Berlin accent. You have to listen very hard to understand them due to how softly they speak. It will go from soft valley to booming peaks when agitated enough. 

Eyesight:. 20/40

Hometown: West Berlin, Germany 

Current Residency: Napoli, Italy 

Moral Alignment: 

🩸 evil neutral 

🤐 lawful good

MBTI Personality Type (Optional): INFJ-T

Medical & Dental Health: 

Dental-  vitamin deficiencies in childhood causing weak teeth, many fillings and crowns 

Physical- Chronic tension headaches, vitamin deficiency (vitamin D and Calcium)

Mental health: 

 PTSD, ADHD inattentive type, Major Depression, generalized anxiety disorder w/ panic attacks 

Phobias: Claustrophobic- caves and tunnels specifically 

Phonophobia- HATES loud noises and others talking too loudly

Astraphobia- related to phonophobia 

Germaphobic - fears gastrointestinal illnesses the most 

Socialphobic- is on edge around crowds and people they don’t know too well. Very reserved and secretive 

Arachnophobia - self explanatory 

Fears cursed numbers (4,13, 666)- acts a bit more covert towards it than Mista-(ex add 1 more or less spoonful of sugar to their coffee to avoid 4)

Scars/burns/birthmarks/tattoos: self inflicted cuts and scars on arms and thighs due to poor coping mechanisms 

Awards & Education: 

General Education Diploma, Majoring in Forensic Science in University,

Excelled in foreign languages(Italian and Russian) and art class

Past Experience: 

Calamari is cynical, bitter, a perfectionist, and never allows themself to be vulnerable. Any mistake they make they severely punish themself with. They lash out at themself because they believe they deserve it. Their forearms and thighs are full of scars and self inflicted cuts. They show Themself no mercy so they sure as hell aren't showing it to any of their targets. They're not your typical sadomasochist, not a masochist because they enjoy it. They don't enjoy it at all, but they believe they truly deserve it. 

They always had a strong interest in the paranormal and true crime. they dedicated their education to their forensic career. They always fixed themself to the smallest details rather than the bigger picture. Small details that are often overlooked could derail the entire case and justice for the victims could be lost. Their resolve shines the brightest when they dedicate everything they have to speak for the dead. 

The corruption in the justice system and bribery infecting all the way down to their forensic team made them lose the spark and desire they had for their work. There’s nothing they could have done anyway since it was them vs the majority and they needed every lira to help pay off their exs gambling debt. 

Calamari takes extra work to help pay off his debt only to find out that he was cheating on them and then kills him out of a crime of passion. Now Calamari is left with a body and heaping amounts of gambling debt that isn't theirs. They join Passione to seek protection and to pay off their debt. 

Sexual History (for characters 18+ ONLY): 

Teo, Her ex partner

Currently:

🩸Illuso

🤐 Abbacchio 

Thoughts on love: 

They’ll swear up and down that love is worthless and a waste of time. They’ll say they never felt better by themself now that her ex Teo is gone, but they’re lying to hide the loneliness. They hate kids but are very domestic and secretly want a partner to take care of physically and emotionally. They are very touch and love starved and needs the perfect partner to give them hope in humanity again even if they only learn to trust 1 person.

It takes a long time to develop a crush due to their sexuality and trust issues. They subconsciously become more mellow and obedient around the one they develops a crush on. They’ll always listen to abbacchio’s orders. They’re no brown noser but they try to be as obedient as possible. They’re secretly very submissive. 

They’re only submissive to Illuso in private and only when he’s being nice. 90% of the time They’ll ignore him or berate him if he teases them. They don’t take being teased/bullied lightly. They avoid him and act tough around him because they don't want their weakness known or the fact that they would like someone that cruel…as if they aren't cruel themself-they won’t admit it-they’re a hypocrite and that their actions mirror his. The only difference is Calamari is only cruel to their targets and enemies. They give their teammates mutual respect until they do something to ignite their ire. 

Sexual and/or Romantic Identity:  Demisexual, Panromantic

People they like: 

“I don’t like people.  Nobody can be trusted.”

Calamari keeps people at arm's length but they’re not completely cold. They warm up to others after they prove they are trustworthy enough. 

To tell if they like you is them allowing you to be near them. Letting you sit next to them , letting you hug them (briefly), or playing with their hair. They will also joke with you, or make dry remarks. Best friends will be allowed in their room, play video games with them, and they’ll share secrets about her past and spill tea about others. You tell them a secret as a best friend and they’ll take that secret to their grave. Once you become their best friend/and or partner they’re loyal for life so don’t betray that trust like their ex did. 

🤐 Bucciarati, Abbacchio, Fugo are the ones who they trust and respect the most. 

They won’t show it but they like giorno, narancia, mista, and Trish too. They took a little longer for them to warm up to. They will send sarcastic remarks and jokes their way as their own way of showing friendship. 

🩸 they’re very hard to read, it even takes Risotto a split second to figure out what they’re feeling with their stone cold resting bitch face and monotone voice. They don’t hang around after meetings, so the only one who’s able to get a glimpse on how they feel is Nosey Illuso or Formaggio by spying on them. 

They like Risotto and prosciutto but is heavily intimidated by them. They warm up to Pesci  the quickest- Object stand users stick together.Sorbet and Gelato essentially adopted them from the moment they met, they’re friendly but they have fun making Calamari uncomfortable with the PDA. They slowly warm up to Illuso and Formaggio. Somehow they are able to find common ground with them… I wonder why- it’s almost like they can read their mind. They’re fine with Ghiaccio as long as he isn’t yelling so it’s very rare for them to enjoy his presence. Melone just disgusts them, but they put up with him for the sake of the team. 

People they hate: 

They’re known to hold some strong grudges. It took forever for them to forgive Mista for taking their slice of strawberry cake. They especially can’t stand children and babies because of the noise. Also isn’t a fan of yappy dog breeds. 

They hate anyone who gets in the way of their goals or inconveniences them. They hate their ex  due to the turmoil they dealt with because of him and hates themself for allowing them to step on them for so long.

They hate the boss because he’s an inconvenience to their livelihood and just life itself. 

🩸 Nothing pisses them off more than a bunch of bootlickers getting in the way of them and the team getting the boss’s daughter to find out his identity. The holier than thou attitudes of Giorno and Bucciarati make them hellbent on wanting to set their enjoyment of humiliation aside and give them severe curb stomping. 

🤐It wouldn’t really be considered “hate” but Giorno annoys them. They thinks he’s too naive and preachy …absolutely not because They’re jealous of his natural born talent or anything, don't be ridiculous. They’re a million times more polite about it than abbacchio is. They just groan or ignore him or cuts him off with “you’re too young to understand” or “you wouldn’t get it…” “*groans*whaaaat? I’m busy…go brown nose Bucciarati instead kid.”

They didn’t care much for Trish believing her to be nothing more than an ungrateful spoiled brat. They both grew up so differently that it was hard to bond at 1st. Thankfully neither of them are that stubborn to try to understand each other. 

Dreams for the future:  

A peaceful life with her perfect partner. A cozy home in either Austria or Sicily with many pets and an art studio. They crave normalcy and freedom of expression.

Relationships(name a person that they have a connection to and what their relationship is like[friend, enemy, Ex, current lover, family , etc.]): 

Teo- Ex 

🤐Abbacchio-Current partner

Bucciarati- Confidant & Leader

Fugo- Good Friend

Narancia-Good Friend

Mista- Good Friend

Giorno- Friend

Trish- Friend

🩸Illuso- Current Partner

Formaggio- Good friend

Pesci- Good friend

Prosciutto- Mentor & Callies Secret not so secret crush

Risotto- Leader

Sorbet- Good Friend & parental figure

Gelato-Good friend & parental figure

Ghiaccio- tolerable friend in small doses

Melone- Tolerates- wishes they didn’t know him

Quotes (what do they say often? What’s their life’s motto?): 

“How about you go play in traffic?”

“”Kiss concrete douche!”

“Eat asphalt!”

"Everyone shut up I'm doing _______!"

views on life “There are 3 rules in life that must always be followed: 

1. If you’re going to do it right- do it right the 1st time.

2. Always be punctual. If you’re early you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. 

And 3. Be self reliant. Never burden others. If you have a problem- fix it. Don’t know how? learn.  This is the true way of life.”

“ Do you wanna  X? Because that’s how you X.”They say this phrase a lot when someone is doing something stupid or if they had enough of someone and are threatening them. 

🤐“Do you wanna walk all the way to Pompeii? Because that’s how you do that if you keep trying to turn down my music smartass. YES it needs to be that loud. I’m trying not to fall asleep at the wheel. If it bothers you so much, you and Giorno take the wheel, I’m laying in the back and taking a nap. Don’t fuck up and crash the car or my geist will haunt you panna.”

“Were you even listening to a word I was saying? Sigh… you’re such a disappointment, why do I bother with you?..”

Disregarding a mista conspiracy theory/ghiaccio rant “There’s literally not enough adderall in the world for me to listen to whatever bullshit you're word-vomiting out..”

Taunting illuso back🩸“Make you a sandwich ? How about you earn it 1st. make yourself useful and shine my boots till I can see my reflection in them. Then mayyybe I’ll even think about it.”

🩸Receiving a hit “Who’s funeral am I facilitating?”

🩸“Halt die Schnauze! Would it kill you to not scream like a verdammt banshee every 5 minutes?!”

🩸Defending their stand” Why would my stand need to be strong when it doesn’t have to? I let gravity do all the work for me and I don’t have to break a sweat. I can move anywhere I want, and don’t have to worry about anyone reaching me. It can throw you around like a lousy rag doll and you’ll be helpless to do anything about it. I don’t need to be strong to take your sorry ass down. I may need protection now and then but I’m still the queen on the chessboard. I can go and attack from ANYWHERE”

🩸Apprehensive about betrayal“I’m used to living frugally. I don’t see how 20 million lira is too little to live off of. I don’t think it’s worth going against the boss for more. We don’t know who he is or what he’s capable of.”

🩸Expressing denial and hiding their feelings “Love? Absolutely disgusting. It’s a useless feeling and only sets you up for failure. There’s nothing worse than being tied down with dead weight who will either cheat or become bored of me or I’ll be bored of them. Material goods bring me just as much happiness as an annoying man/woman ever could. I buy a new pair of boots or a handbag, get tired of them- go set them aside in my closet, and buy new ones. Wash, rinse, repeat. Your life is much less difficult when you think with your brain instead of your heart… or your balls if we’re being realistic.”

Hobbies;

Painting, Drawing, Playing Video games, clothes & shoe shopping, make up, petting cats, napping, and eating

Habits: 

Is secretly superstitious. Avoids numbers that they hate, won’t open umbrellas inside, walking under ladders etc… The only exception to their superstitions is black cats. 

🩸Man spreads on the couch out of pure passive aggressiveness since there’s never any room for them to sit

They have a soft spot for black cats and their cats Depeche and Muse are their pride and joy. They greeted them with open arms completely ignoring their teammates all together thinking they were excited to see them when they got back.

 🩸They have a kangaroo pouch to hold them in when she’s working around the base/hideout….

🩸They love traumatizing teammates by tricking them into showing them shock sites and laugh maliciously at their reaction. 

🩸They has a very dark sense of humor so it usually plays off well with sadistic or edgy teammates. 

.They try to hide their smiles and giggles by covering their mouth. This habit slowly ceases once they feels more comfortable around others. 

Calamari hides their red face when they’re aroused or embarrassed .

They sigh and huff a lot when they’re irritated. 

They enjoy coming up with unusual torture/interrogation methods. They held a bamboo skewer up to someone’s eye, threatening to turn their eye into a kabob and lobotomise them. 

They aren’t able to physically defend themself in hand to hand combat so they are well equipped with spiked knuckles and a stun gun strong enough to take down a bear.

Quirks/Unique personality traits:

They won’t look anyone in the eye or call anyone by name directly unless they’re very close with the person. 

Doesn’t announce when they’re here or when they leave. They just walk right in without saying a single hello or I’m back/here. 

In the very beginning they spoke a lot like an NPC with very short to 1-2 worded answers. Once they became more comfortable with their team they said more than 2 words.

Pet peeves:

Talking over or interrupting them while talking 

People acting smarter than they really are 

Excessive noise (barking dogs, talking too loud, yelling , crying children, Ghiaccio , etc)

Gratuitous PDA 

Not obeying rules (excluding missions) 

Being late 

WAKING THEM UP

Invading their personal space 

Moving their things- they have them specifically where they want them

ILLUSO

Having wet hair and clothes (sensory issues )

People whispering (they’re paranoid) 

[the-punforgiven]

Tbh Dark Souls 2 feels more like a spinoff of Dark Souls 1 than an actual sequel

Like DS2 is off doing it's own thing, in it's own setting, with it's own story and themes largely divorced from the main plot, which is by no means a bad thing, I think it's really cool actually, a story about the exploration of the self and self-identity is always rad

Dark Souls 3 however, feels more like it actually returns to the themes and lore of the original and expands on the story and themes it told, but I also recognize that with as open-ended as these games are that's sort of subjective lmao

But to me, Dark Souls 1 and 3 were, to me, both about the ruling class and, much like a flame, their need to rampantly consume to survive, and when their power starts to wane, everybody suffers for it. It was always Gwyn's war against the dragons, Lordran was the land of the gods in which Gwyn was king. Even after he links the fire and sacrifices himself, all his power stays with Gwyn's family and allies (and not even evenly, I mean Nito and The Witch of Izalith kinda got shafted tbh). Even when the fire is fading look at the state of Anor Londo and the Duke's Archives compared to literally anywhere else in DS1. The royal family all want to stay in power so they conscript you to literally burn yourself to death to prolong their reign, and while they dress it all up with fancy titles and grandiose presentation in the end, to them, you are nothing more than fuel for the machine that is their rule, ever-churning and consuming all it touches, like the flame it sprouted from.

And in Dark Souls 3, you see that to the extreme. You see this already-failing system withered to the breaking point. The gods and the kings have consumed too much and Gwyn's system can't bear that weight any longer. No longer does it take just one powerful being to keep that flame going, you trudge through the ashes of kingdoms that all burned for the sake of whoever holds the crown, all burned to prolong the reign of royalty you never knew. Everyone knows that flame is fading and nobody is sure how much longer it has. Even the sacrifices that came before you and even rose with you know the system is failing, and has been for a very long time. The sacrificial renewal is barely working anymore, but you are still sent off to die a most painful death to keep the wheels churning, to stave off the change that you can be sure will happen eventually.

You are a bandaid being applied to a severed limb at this point, a far cry from the "this will surely fix everything" linking the fire was sold as in DS1. Compare the explosive flourish of power the Link the Fire ending was in DS1 vs how it is in DS3, how small and quiet it is now, with dark still creeping in around the edges.

And people know that it's all falling apart, fanatical cults have taken over large sections of what was once Lordran, The faith in the gods' system is wavering and the gods themselves have lost their power. And yet, even without a figurehead to run it anymore, that system still raises you. Still herds you like cattle through to the end to burn yourself to death. The world itself has been so disgustingly and irrevocably poisoned by the effects of Gwyn's reign that even without him the system is so automated that the sky itself becomes a symbol of your shackles, of the duty to him you never asked for.

But who, at this point, does that death even serve? The old royal family is dead, the kingdom that sprouted out of their ruins is surely falling now that you've killed their royal family. The cult church of the Deep as far as we can tell is too concerned with their vision of a post-flame future to care one way or another.

Maybe, you can let the hollows you mowed through can find their peace, finally free of this endless purgatory their lords and masters shackled them too. Perhaps you will burn, reforge the chains that keep them bound. Perhaps you'll enslave them, keeping their deathless purgatory but with the lights turned off, the same power-hungry monarch as Gwyn but manipulated, repackaged and Kaathe-flavoured. Perhaps you'll make a nice haven for them, far away in a small painting tucked away in a withering world after the great machine that shackles the world finally breaks down for good. Or perhaps you'll simply let the dark fall. Let the fetid, rotted corpse of a monarchy finally die after the uncountable number of years more than it should have; not to take control, not to subjugate, but simply to be. To finally, finally, let hollows, let humanity, be free. No gods, No masters, No Gwyn.

... Or that's how I interpreted those games, at least.

[inkmyname]

The Ember Island Players: performing toxic masculinity and narrative complicity in propagating misogyny

Initially I wasn’t going to respond to concerns about Katara’s racist/misogynistic portrayal in the Ember Island Players with anything more than snarky tags, but apparently I can’t keep my mouth shut, so I’m posting my response as a standalone meta about how the writers’ insistence on creating drama for drama’s sake leads them to--in lieu of actual character development--fall back on lazy narrative shortcuts whereby a performance of toxic masculinity against a gendered heternormative background is used to create tension in a romantic relationship, presumably with the goal of keeping the audience invested.

The Ember Island Players is problematic for a lot of reasons, not least of which is the pervasive tone-deaf misogyny, including racialized misogyny, directed at Katara. There’s a lot of meta on this, so I’d like to focus on something different: Aang’s relationship with gender and romantic attachments.

Aang seems so uncharacteristically chagrined the whole episode: “I’m not a woman!” Based on his previous characterization up to this point:

The Fortuneteller. This is the same Aang who makes a necklace for Katara when she loses her mother’s. Observe how he responds to Sokka’s jibe about jewelry-making, which can be seen as a feminine pursuit: Sokka: Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewelry-making business. Aang: I don’t see why I can’t do both. Femininity isn’t presented as being mutually exclusive with narrative pursuits like saving the world which have traditionally centered male protagonists (especially if we take the entire canon of anything every written in any genre that’s not specifically, say, something like shoujo or jounen which are directed and young girls and women, the narrative focus on male personalities is overwhelming).

The Warriors of Kyoshi. Oh, and this is the same Aang that dressed up in full Kyoshi gear, kabuki makeup and all, without complaint. Why would he? After all, she was him in a past life. (There’s a whole meta here about gender-critical analysis of kabuki productions where male actors typically assumed female roles and how Avatar both takes inspiration from this real-life kernel and subverts it in Rise of Kyoshi where Kyoshi’s signature look is not only an homage to her parental heritage but also a reimagining of who can inhabit what roles. Her legacy, though imperfect, is also notably feminist, taking face paint worn typically by men IRL and expanding it into war paint for women warriors.) (There’s also great headcanon-adjacent meta here about gender non-conformity and non-binary identities in Avatar. Avatar was not overtly explicit about its feminist or gender-progressive mindset outside of episodes like The Warriors of Kyoshi or The Waterbending Master, but it was still way ahead of its time. If anyone was to be presented or headcanoned in such a way, it would be the Avatar who’s lived a thousand lives, inhabiting a thousand skins and a thousand identities, including gender identities. There’s also cool crossover meta here about the Legend of Korra depicting a female Avatar in Korra with masculine tendencies and visible muscle vs Aang as a male Avatar with a gentler pacifistic spirit and gender nonconforming tendencies.)

The Cave of Two Lovers. Aang wears a freaking flower crown and is generally wholesome and adorable, even leading up to the “let’s kiss lest we die” scene with Katara. He’s not pushy or overly concerned with appearing masculine and it is in fact Katara who suggests the kiss and Aang makes a fool of himself. From the transcript: Katara [Shyly, blushing.] Well, what if we … kissed? Aang [Very surprised.] Us … kissing‌? Katara See? It was a crazy idea. Aang [Dreamily.] Us … kissing … Katara [Fake-jokingly.] Us kissing. What was I thinking? Can you imagine that‌? Aang [Fake-jokingly.] Yeah. [Awkwardly laughs.] I definitely wouldn’t want to kiss you! [Beat.] Katara [Insulted.] Oh, well! I didn’t realize it was such a horrible option. [Angrily.] Sorry I suggested it! Aang [Realizing his mistake.] No, no, I mean … if there was a choice between kissing you and dying … Katara [Disgusted.] Ugh! Aang [Desperately.] What? I’m saying is I would rather kiss you than die - that’s a compliment. Katara [Enraged.] Well, I’m not sure which I’d rather do! [Slams the torch into his hand and storms away.] Aang [Miserably.] What is wrong with me … Aang, sweetie, this is not what you say to a girl you want to kiss, but generally, this is Wholesome™ and narratively, this is Good™. Eventually, they do kiss and that’s perfectly acceptable because there’s a whole conversation beforehand with humorous romantic framing. There’s consent and communication and initiative by the female protagonist. So solid A on the sensitive writing.

General Air Nomad culture. We don’t get a lot of Air Nomad culture in the show (and what little we do get what presented in such a misguided way, especially the whole commitment to forgiveness/pacifism which was handled in such an amateur black-and-white way from a writing perspective in season 3). But I digress. I really, really don’t think that Air Nomads who were so concerned with the spiritual side of bending and general existence had stringent notions of gender and romantic relationships–at the very least, they had very different notions of these issues compared to, say, the Northern Water Tribe. Canonically, even though AN philosophy emphasized detachment, Air Nomads practiced free love. Same-gender romance was freely accepted unlike in the homophobic Earth Kingdom (which even Kyoshi, a bisexual woman, wasn’t able to change) and the militant Fire Nation (Sozin outlawed homosexuality after declaring world war, essentially). And though the temples were gender-segregated, it seems that the burden of raising children fell to the entire community instead of just the women. Both male and female Air Nomads are revered. In the case of the former, Guru Laghima who unlocked the power of flight through achieving complete detachment from the material world. And in the case of the latter, Avatar Yangchen, who has statues everywhere because she came to be revered as a deity not just among Air Nomads but in the physical world in general. Nowhere in Air Nomad philosophy is the concept of gender, romance, love, sexuality, relationships etc. etc. tainted with jealousy and possessiveness (especially towards women) or rigid binary heternormativity.

So this was Aang for the better part of the first half of the series. Not overly concerned with gender roles. Pretty much fumbling his way through his first crush like a lovesick puppy and it’s all very wholesome. Supposedly a classic product of Air Nomad upbringing.

Meanwhile, Aang in EIP:

Checks out Katara’s butt as she’s sitting down.

Gets mad at being portrayed by a woman.

Accuses Katara of being the racialized misogynistic version of herself depicted on stage ([sarcastically]“Yeah, that’s not you at all.”).

Nods in agreement when the misogynistic stage production of Katara presents her as the “Avatar’s girl.”

Unable to differentiate between fiction and reality and puts the onus on Katara to do the emotional labor to justify something she never said (”Katara, did you really mean what you said in there? On stage, when you said I was just like a … brother to you, and you didn’t have feelings for me.”)

Assumes they would just… fall into a relationship… just because he forcibly kissed her at the invasion and again pressures Katara to do the emotional labor to justify why their relationship is not how he wants it (“But it’s true, isn’t it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we’re not.” / “Aang, I don’t know.” / “Why don’t you know?”)

Forces a non-consensual kiss on her even though “I just said I was confused!”

So, there’s so many things wrong with this, most of which are a laundry list of behaviors typical of toxic masculinity:

Ogling

Outdated misogynistic humor (what’s wrong with being a woman?)

Verbal abuse

Offloading emotional labor

Gaslighting

Pressuring a potential romantic partner

Lack of direct communication about romantic desires

Lack of sensitivity

Lack of active listening

Lack of emotional intelligence and empathy

Lack of consent and sexual assault

I could go on and on.

My question is Where and when did he learn these toxic behaviors? What happened to the wholesome boy making necklaces, wearing flower crowns, and generally being adorable in a kid with a first crush kind of way when it comes to romance?

Now, you can argue that EIP players Aang has been through a lot, including being shot by lightning and actually dying, and after the failed invasion, he’s stressed out with the weight of the world on his shoulders and maybe not expressing himself or his desires in the best way and taking out all of his frustrations on Katara.

Except… that is all just conjecture because the actual writing of the show doesn’t put in the hard work and make those connections. Instead, they fall back on misogynistic tropes and toxic heternormative romance tropes and a forced love triangle subtext and they just, to put it politely, fuck it up, two and a half seasons’ worth of work, gone, in the space of one episode. And even if it weren’t conjecture, it would still be wrong of Aang to act the way he did.

Let’s list Aang and Katara’s interaction in relation to each other in season 3:

The Headband. “Don’t worry about them. It’s just you and me right now,” Aang says as he pulls Katara into a dance. I have qualms about the writing of this episode: the creators wasted a golden opportunity to flesh out the Air Nomad genocide because they were too busy playing footloose in a cave, they wrote Katara–the same Katara would said fuck you to Pakku, freed enslaved earthbenders from a Fire Navy prison, and became a spirit goddess ecoterrorist to help a village in an enemy nation–as uncharacteristically shy just so Aang could sweep in and pull her into a dance. But like fine, whatever. It’s cute and really well-chreographed and there’s actually appropriate romantic framing here for once and at the end of the dance, look at Katara’s face–she’s happy! Positive Kataang interaction, and I don’t actually mind it. 7/10.

The Day of Black Sun Pt.1. He forces a kiss on her on the mouth, taking her completely by surprise. A chaste kiss on the cheek and a wistful pining last look and “Be safe” might have been acceptable, but given Katara’s shocked and uncomfortable body language, the kiss on the mouth was not. Worse yet, the show just… forgets… to follow up on it for several episodes and when it’s brought up again, it’s used as a sledgehammer to punish Katara for not magically being with Aang. 0/10.

The Painted Lady. Let’s look at the transcript: Katara [Using a disguised voice.] Well, hello Avatar. I wish I could talk, but I am very busy. Aang Yeah, me too. I hate that. [Looks at Katara’s face from behind the veil.] You know, you’re really pretty, for a spirit. I don’t meet too many spirits, but the ones I do meet, not very attractive. [Looks at Katara suspiciously. Tries to look under the hat.] Katara [Giggles nervously.] Thank you, but- Aang You seem familiar too. Katara A lot of people say that. Aang [Suspicious.] No, you really seem familiar. Katara Look, I really should get going. [Covers her face and runs, but Aang uses his airbending and blasts her hat up into the air, exposing her.] Aang Katara? Katara [Guiltily.] Hi, Aang. Aang [Shocked.] You’re the Painted Lady? [Pointing at Katara.] But how?Katara I wasn’t her at first, I was just trying to help the village. [Takes her hat off.] But since everyone thought that’s who I was anyway, I guess I just kinda became her. [Drops her hat on the ground.] Aang So you’ve been sneaking out at night? Wait, is Appa even sick?Katara He might be sick of the purple berries I’ve been feeding him, but other than that he’s fine! Aang I can’t believe you lied to everyone, so you could help these people. Katara I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have … Aang [Happily.] No, I think it’s great! You’re like a secret hero! Katara Well, if you wanna help, there’s one more thing I have to do. Aang gives her a curious look. Cut to the Fire Nation factory. Aang and Katara run along the river’s edge toward it. Aang looks at the polluted water. Aang You wanna destroy this factory? Katara Yes. Sokka was just kidding, but he was right. Getting rid of this factory is the only way to help these people permanently. He helps her blow up the Fire Nation smelting plant! Yes, he does call her pretty, but more importantly, this is one of the few times he acknowledges her faults (lying, deception, putting the mission at risk to help the enemy nation etc.) and still thinks she’s so fucking cool. He calls her a secret hero! There’s a lot of admiration and support here from Aang. He’s raising up Katara (instead of putting her down as in EIP) not because he sees her as a potential love interest but because he admires her and her compassion! This is great. Solid wholesome Kataang interaction. 10/10. But all good things must come to an end…

The Southern Raiders. I’m not going to spend too much time on this because there’s a million pieces of meta on this episode. He’s completely out of line asking Katara to be forgive her mother’s killer, the source of her greatest trauma as a victim of targeted ethnic cleansing. Given that he’s a victim of ethnic genocide himself, although he personally wasn’t there for it/didn’t actually witness it unlike Katara, he should have understood. He does say “You need to face this man,” which is good and supportive and he should have stopped there, because he continues on to say, “But when you do, please don’t choose revenge. Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.” Stop. Stop stop stop. No one should tell a traumatized victim of ethnic cleansing how to deal with their trauma. By the end of the episode, Katara doesn’t kill him–but she crafts a third path as the conclusion to her hero’s journey and it is not the path of forgiveness that Aang preaches. Ironically, it is Zuko, who also confronts Ozai, the source of his greatest trauma, who never tells Katara what to do but follows her lead instead: even though he redirects lightning at Ozai and could have killed him, he doesn’t go through with it. He understands Katara and he understands that she needs to this. Kataang interaction rating: 0/10.

So that’s where we are with Aang and Katara in Ember Island Players. Some positive interactions that are appropriately romantically framed and some that are just wholesome and good… but all ruined by forced kissing and moralizing about Katara’s trauma instead of offering understanding. So that still doesn’t answer when Aang would have learned all of the toxic masculine/heternormative behaviors he displayed in The Ember Islands Players.

The only answer, I’m forced to conclude, is bad fucking writing, where the creators were not only tone-deaf in portraying Katara in a racist/misogynistic way or, you know, in writing solely for the male gaze because fuck half the audience, I guess, but they just wanted to create drama for drama’s sake. They completely disrespected their female lead and I would argue they disrespected Aang’s character too in making him a stereotypical self-insert Gary Stu who displays toxic masculine behavior without consequences because that’s what’s expected of a toxic heternormative romantic plot device.

And worse yet, they never follow up on this, just like with the kiss at the Invasion. In the last five minutes of the finale, Katara looks up at him with admiration for saving the world and then kisses him. This is not only a missed opportunity for character development for Aang, but also a big fuck you to the female audience because the message is clear: the guy gets the girl as a trophy for saving the world, and fuck input from the female half of the partnership because that’s just not important and is not worthy of screentime. But I guess screentime dedicated to displaying toxic masculine/heternormative behaviors without ever condemning such behavior as a follow-up is just fine! :)))

If the EIP was supposed to make an argument for Kataang, then it failed. but more important:

By the show’s own high standards, The Ember Island Players is a failed episode, full of bad writing and worse characterization. For a show that was so ahead of its time, this episode is a narrative black mark, a failure of progressive representation and a disservice to its main characters.

There’s some wholesome Sukka and Zuko/Toph interaction, but even that doesn’t manage to save this episode, especially given there’s no resolution to the central conflict: the relationship between Aang and Katara. The entire unnecessarily OOC and forced Kataang drama drags it down.

We know Aang is capable of lifting up Katara and being supportive of her, as he was in episodes prior. We could have had honest, supportive, and open dialogue between Aang and Katara that actually followed up on the Invasion kiss, with Aang clearly expressing what he wants, Katara expressing that maybe she didn’t want that right now, and Aang completely respecting that and them hugging at the end because their friendship/connection is much more profound than pre-teen romance. This is an instance where Aang could have chosen to center Katara’s feelings, for once, instead of his own out of selfless love. If this happened, I would have been okay with a Kataang ending. But that isn’t what we got, obviously.

Part of what appealed to me about Aang as a male protagonist in media aimed at young audiences is that he–at least initially–did not start out as a toxic self-insert Gary Stu lifted from every problematic heternormative romance film ever. In fact, given his playful trickster archetype, general kindness/gentleness, and his stance against violence (a typically masculine trait), he both subverted expectations of and expanded the boundaries of what a male protagonist in children’s media can look like. Unfortunately, the creators don’t go all the way with Aang. In fact, they took a step back with his portrayal in The Ember Island Players, where the creators not only rely on misogynistic tropes to create drama but also make him complicit in propagating said misogyny. And that’s just a damn shame because we could have had a wholesome Kataang storyline and a sensitive male protagonist who cares not about your outdated gender roles and respects his partner’s autonomy!

[oneofyatosfollowers]

Happy Yato Day! The Yatogami Playlist!

Based on lyrics :D 

Songs about Yaboku: 

Never Be Alone- Shawn Mendes

I know there are some things we need to talk about/ And I can't stay/ Just let me hold you for a little longer now

The Call- Regina Spektor

It started out as a feeling/ Which then grew into a hope

Lovely- Billie Eilish

Oh, I hope some day I'll make it out of here/ Even if it takes all night or a hundred years

Escapism- Steven Universe 

I guess I have to face/That in this awful place/I shouldn't show a trace of doubt

Paralyzed- NF

Where are my feelings?/I no longer feel things/I know I should

Blue Lips- Regina Spektor

He stumbled into faith and thought/God this is all there is

Karma- AJR

I've been so good, I've been helpful and friendly/ I've been so good, why am I feeling empty?

Remember Me- Miguel

Remember me/ Though I have to travel far/ Remember me

Feelings are Fatal- Mxmtoon

I'm always lonely/ But I can't tell you/ That I'm breaking slowly

Natural- Imagine Dragon

Yeah, you're a natural/Living your life cutthroat/You gotta be so cold

(S)He Used to be Mine- Sarah Bareilles 

If I'm honest, I know I would give it all back/ For a chance to start over and rewrite an ending or two

I Can’t Decide- Scissor Sisters

My heart feels dead inside/It's cold and hard and petrified

Death Bed- Powfu, Beabadoobee

I don't know why this has happened / But I probably deserve it/ I tried to do my best/ But you know that I'm not perfect

Human- Christina Perri

I can turn it on/Be a good machine/I can hold the weight of worlds/If that's what you need

Songs about Yato:

All This and Heaven- Florence + the Machine

I would give it all if only for a moment/ That I could just understand 

It’s Alright- Mother Mother

You're not a demon, there's a reason/You're behaving that way

High Hopes- Panic! At the Disco

Didn’t have a dime but I always had a vision

Waiting For Love- Avicii

Monday left me broken/Tuesday I was through with hoping

IDK You Yet- Alexander 23

But can you find me soon because I'm in my head?/Yeah, I need you now but I don't know you yet

I’m Still Standing- Elton John

I'm still standing after all this time/Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind

The Villain I Appear to be- Connor Spiotto

Just please hold on and soon you'll see/That I'm not the villain I appear to be

Titanium- David Guetta

I'm bulletproof nothing to lose/Fire away, fire away

In My Blood- Shawn Mendes

Sometimes I feel like giving up/But I just can't/It isn't in my blood

Glitter and Gold- Barns Courtney 

I've got fire in my soul/Rise up, ting ting, like glitter

Oh My Dear Lord- The Unlikely Candidates 

I was a good guy, but I was the worst type/Give me an inch man, and I'll take a mile

Angel With A Shotgun- The Cab

Don't you know you're everything I have?/And I, wanna live, not just survive, tonight

Get Back Up Again- Anna Kendrick

'Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again

This is Me- The Greatest Showmen

I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars/Run away, they say/No one'll love you as you are

A Million Dreams- The Greatest Showmen

A million dreams is all it's gonna take

Yato’s relationship with Yukine:

You Are My Sunshine- Johnny Cash

You'll never know dear, how much I love you/Please don't take my sunshine away

The Only Exception-Paramore

And up until now/I had sworn to myself that I'm content/With loneliness

Light- Sleeping At Last

With every heartbeat I have left/I will defend your every breath/And I'll do better

You Say- Lauren Daigle

The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity

King- Lauren Aquilina

You don't gain a single thing from misery/Take it from me.

My Love, My Life- Mama Mia 2

You will be my love and my life/You're my one and only

Love Like You- Steven Universe

Look at you go/I just adore you

Carried Me With You- Brandi Carlile

You're the soul who understands/The scars that made me who I am/Through the drifting sands of time/I got your back and you got mine

Your Song- Elton John

I hope you don't mind/That I put down in words/How wonderful life is while you're in the world

I Just Haven’t Met You Yet- Michael Bublé

Not everything lasts/I've broken my heart so many times/I stopped keepin' track

Writings on the Wall- Sam Smith 

Tell me is this where I give it all up?/For you I have to risk it all/'Cause the writing's on the wall

Yato’s relationship with Father: 

Gravity- Sara Bareilles

Set me free, leave me be/I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity

If I Killed Someone For You- Alec Benjamin

Would you love me more (would you love me more)/If I killed someone for you?

I Have Questions- Camilo Cabello

Number two, why would you try and play me for a fool?/I should have never ever ever trusted you

Saint Bernard- Lincoln 

You always said how you loved dogs/I don't know if I count/But I'm trying my best

Love The Way You Lie Pt.2- Rihanna

On the first page of our story/The future seemed so bright/Then this thing turned out so evil/I don't know why I'm still surprised

Yato’s relationship with Nora: 

Two Birds- Regina Spektor

Two birds on a wire/One says c'mon and the other says "I'm tired"

Kids Again- Artist vs Poet

I know a girl who's never tried to settle down/She wears her loneliness like a crown

Little Do You Know- Alex & Sierra

I'm still haunted by the memories/Little do you know/I'm trying to pick myself up piece by piece

Colors- Halsey

And now he's so devoid of color/He don't know what it means/And he's blue

Hey Brother- Avicii

Hey brother! Do you still believe in one another?/Hey sister! Do you still believe in love? I wonder

The Other Side- Zac Efron, Hugh Jackman

I know you see it/You run with me/And I can cut you free/Out of the drudgery and walls you keep in

[ourkinfolx]

No. 1: Fania

Fania Noel is a woman with plans. And not just the vast, sweeping plans like the dismantling of capitalism and black liberation. She also has smaller, but no less important, plans like brunch with friends, hitting the gym. 

“Every week, I put in my calendar the times I need to be efficient,” she explains. “So I put what time I work out, with my friends, my time to watch TV shows, to read. And after, I can give people the link to put obligations.”

The link she’s referring to is her online scheduling system connected to her personal website. It’s one I’ve become well acquainted with after our first two failed attempts to schedule interviews. We had plans to meet in person, in a Parisian Brasserie she’d recommended, but between canceled flights and buses, Skype turned out to be the most practical option. Our disrupted travel was just one in a long list of inconveniences brought on by the virus safety measures. It might even be said that the coronavirus also had plans. 

The global pandemic and subsequent slowing of—well, everything comes up a few times in our conversation. Like some of the other activists I’ve talked to, Fania sees a silver lining, an opportunity.

“This might be the only sequence of events in the history of humanity that you have the whole planet living at the same tempo, being in quarantine or locked down or slowed activity,” she says. 

“So we all have a lot of time to think about how [society is] fucked up or the weight of our lives in terms of this society. And I think we have to ask if we want to go back to this rushed kind of living. It’s really a game changer.”

I first heard of Fania, a Haitian born afro-feminist, earlier in the year, while talking to a Parisian friend about the need for more black spaces in the city. She angrily described how a few years ago, Fania tried to have an event for black women, only to be met with fierce backlash and derision from not just right-wing groups, but anti-racist and anti-Semitic groups. The event wasn’t actually Fania’s alone; it was an effort by Mwasi Collective, a French afro-feminist group that she’s involved with. 

Either way, it was a minor scandal. Hotly debated on French TV and radio. Even Anne Hidalgo, Paris’s mayor, voiced disapproval. Critics claimed the event, called Nyansapo Festival, was racist itself by exclusion because most of the space had been designated for black women only. 

Despite all the fuss, the Nyansapo Festival went on as planned. Several years later, following the killing of George Floyd and the international movement that followed, Anne Hidalgo published a tweet ending with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. I found it curious, she’s always struck me as more of an #AllLivesMatter type. 

I ask Fania if, given the tweet and possible change of heart from the mayor, she thinks her event would be better received in the current climate. She points out that there had been two Nyansapo Festivals since, with little to no media coverage, but seems overall uninterested in rehashing the drama. 

“We’re way beyond that now,” she says, shaking her head. She ends it in a way that will be familiar to anyone who’s ever been almost imperceptibly corrected by a black woman, and I quickly move on to the next topic. 

It’s not until later, when reading some of her other interviews, that I’m able to fully contextualize our exchange. It’s common for activists, especially those working in or belonging to a culture where their identity makes them a minority, to be asked to view their work through the lens of conditional acceptance of a larger group of oppressors and/or gatekeepers. Asking feminists what men think, asking LGBT how they plan to placate heterosexuals. In her dismissal, Fania resists the line of questioning altogether, and in another interview, she makes the point more succinctly when explaining why she doesn’t believe in the concept of public opinion: 

“As an activist, the core ‘public’ is black people and to think about the antagonism and balance of power in terms of our politics rather than its reception. It’s normal in a racist, capitalist, patriarchal society that a political [movement] proposing the abolition of the system is not welcomed.”

One might argue if you’re not pissing anyone off, you’re not doing anything important. 

Rolling Stone’s July cover is a painting featuring a dark-skinned black woman, braids pulled into a round bun on her crown. She has George Floyd’s face on her T-shirt and an American flag bandana around her neck. One of her hands is raised in a fist, the other holds the hand of a young black boy next to her. Behind her, a crowd, some with fists also raised, carry signs with phrases like Our Lives Matter and Justice For All Now. 

According to Rolling Stone, they tasked the artist, Kadir Nelson, with creating something hopeful and inspirational and he “immediately thought of Eugène Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People,’ the iconic 1830 painting that depicts a woman leading the French Revolution.”

Regarding his choice to center a black woman in the piece, he explains: “The people who were pushing for those changes were African American women. They are very much at the forefront in spearheading this change, so I thought it was very important for an African American woman to be at the very center of this painting, because they have very much been at the center of this movement.”

During our call, I mention the painting and ask Fania her thoughts on why, so often, we find black women at the forefront of any social justice or human rights movement.

“Women have always organized,” she says simply. “Women work collectively, they run organizations.” She points to the church and organized religion as an example. 

“Look at the composition of church. Who’s going to church, who’s going to ask for help from God?”

Anyone who’s spent time in the houses of worship for a patriarchal religion has vivid memories of the very present men in the room. From the booming voices and squared shoulders of the pulpit to the stern, sometimes shaming looks of brothers, uncles, fathers. But the women, often more numerous, run the councils and the choirs. Around the world women pray more, attend church and are generally more religious. And the men?

“In a context of church, it’s really acceptable to ask for help from God. Because it’s God,” Fania says. “But you don’t have a lot of black men, a lot of men in any kind of church.”

That isn’t to say that men, especially black men, are complacent. Fania notes that traditional activism goes against the patriarchy’s narrow view of masculinity. 

Activism, she explains, requires one to acknowledge they’ve been a victim of a system before they can demand power. And for a lot of men, that’s not an option. 

“They want to be seen as strong,” she says. “As leaders. They want to exert control.”

In short, both black men and women acknowledge the system would have us powerless, but while women organize to collectively dismantle it, men tend to stake out on their own to dominate it. 

Black capitalism as resistance isn’t new, and was more prominent during the civil rights movement, which was largely led by men. In 1968, Roy Innis, co-national director for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) opined, 

“We are past the stage where we can talk seriously of whites acting toward blacks out of moral imperatives.” While CORE’s other director, Floyd McKissick, reasoned, 

“If a Black man has no bread in his pocket, the solution to his problem is not integration; it’s to get some bread.”

More recently the dynamics of this played out in real time on Twitter as Telfar, a black, queer-owned fashion label, sent out notifications of a handbag restock only to be immediately descended upon by a group of largely black, male resellers. Telfar describes itself as affordable luxury for everyone, and for many of the black women who buy Telfar, it exists as proof that class and fashion need not be so inextricably linked. But for the men who bulk purchased the bags just to triple the price and resell, these were just more items to wring capital out of on their quest to buy a seat at the table. 

Of course, it’s not unreasonable to argue that the purchase of a product, regardless of who makes it, as a path to liberation is still black capitalism. And in another interview, Fania specifically warns against this type of consumption. “Neoliberal Afrofeminism is more focused on representation, making the elite more diverse, and integration. This kind of afrofeminism is very media compatible. Like great Konbini-style videos about hair, lack of shades of makeup, and [other forms of] commodification.” But, she explains, “The goal is a mass movement where our people are involved, not just passively or as consumers.” 

But can consumption be divorced from black liberation if it’s such a key aspect in how so many black people organize? I bring up all the calls to “buy black” that happened in the wake of George Floyd. Some of it could be attributed to the cabin-fever induced retail therapy we all engaged in during quarantine. And for those of us who, for whatever reason, were unable to add our bodies to a protest, money seemed like an easy thing to offer. Buy a candle. A tub of shea butter. A tube of lip gloss. But what did it all really accomplish, in retrospect?

“We have to think about solidarity,” Fania explains. “Solidarity is a project. When we say support black-owned business, we still have to think about the goal, the project. So if we support coffee shops, bookshops, hair dressers that have a special place in the community and are open to the community and in conversation with the community, it’s good and it can help. But if it’s just to make some individual black people richer, it’s really limited.”

Black capitalism vs anti-capitalism remains an ongoing debate, but shouldn’t be a distraction. In the end, everyone will contribute how they best see fit and we still share a common goal. Besides, we’ll need all hands on deck to best make use of our current momentum. And that’s something Fania underscores in one of the last points she makes during our conversation:

“Something we have to repeat to people is that these protests: keep doing them. Because you have years and years of organization behind you. People came out against police brutality and a week later we’re talking about how we move towards the abolition of police, how we go towards the abolition of prison. How we move towards the end of capitalism. And this is possible because you have a grassroots organization thinking about the question even when no one else was asking it. So now we have the New York Times and the media asking if these things are possible. But that’s because even when we didn’t have the spotlight, we were working on the questions about the world after. And every day radical organizations, black liberation organizations, are thinking about the world after and the end of this system. And when protests and revolts happen, we can get there and say ‘we have a plan for this.’”

[uniiiquehecrt]

TTS THEORY: The Dark Kingdom Heir.

THE DARK KINGDOM HEIR THEORY. | Past &. Present. | Cassandrium | Physical Similarities.| Portraits. | Rapunzel &. Varian. |  Dreams vs. Reality. |

So a lot of people have been speculating that there might be someone in the main cast of the show Tangled the Series who is a direct relation to King Edmund. 

Some have suggested Eugene, others have suggested Cassandra, and so I’d like to put my hat in the ring by suggesting someone nobody else seems to have thought of: Quirin.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, “But Vi, Quirin isn’t in the main cast and we saw him expressly calling King Edmund ‘Your Majesty!’”, to which I say, “Yes fellow viewer, you’re right that Quirin isn’t part of the core 3 main characters and he DID call King Edmund ‘Your Majesty’, but have you considered this:

Varian and Lance, Pascal and Max are all considered to be part of the “main cast”. Varian especially for being the FIRST and arguably MAIN villain of the series. They’re both constant, reoccurring characters who hold some weight in the show’s plot. Quirin is ESPECIALLY tied to the main story.

Real Princes and Princesses still called their mothers and fathers “your majesty” in medieval times. It was actually more likely that they call their parents by his/her formal title rather than “mother” and “father”. It was customary, and it was especially required in formal situations.”

Tangled the Series has presented a character in a way OPPOSITE of their intended purpose in the show. (Varian.) It’s a similar technique most notably called a red herring. 

With Quirin being specifically cast alongside Adira (who we KNOW is plot relevant) and King Edmund (who we also know is plot relevant and likely a returning cast member for s2, be it real time or flashbacks), why HAVEN’T we given Quirin a chance at the Dark Kingdom crown? We know little to nothing about Quirin except for his mark &. that, clearly, he comes from the dark kingdom (DK). so let’s start with the mark.

Not only is this mark (the alchemical symbol for comet, btw) on both Adira (right hand = ‘right-hand man / support &. loyalty. ) and Quirin’s hand ( left hand = commitment. ) , but it’s featured as the clasp of Quirin and Edmund’s cloaks. It’s framed as a centerpiece of their outfit - with both men wearing similar armor, mind you, whereas Adira’s symbol is worn on her waist. (keep this in mind for later.)

Then there are facial features shared between Quirin, Edmund, and even Varian.

 Noses.

A common and dominant trait commonly shared when it comes to genetic + noses is a broad , roman , “eagle-like” nose. This trait is especially seen in King Edmund and mirrored closely in Quirin’s nose as well. Varian, too, emulates the “hooked nose” that King Edmund has, only Varian’s nose points up like his mother’s (from the portrait.)

Ears.

Ears are another physical feature greatly reliant on genetics. Mostly when it comes to detached and attached earlobes. DETACHED earlobes are a COMMON trait, meaning that the gene is a dominant one. ATTACHED earlobes are, thus, a recessive trait, and harder to find.

Admittedly, in the show’s arty style it is hard to say whether or not Quirin, Edmund and Varian have detached or attached earlobes, but their ear shapes are incredibly similar. Quirin and Edmund both have small, angular ears, and while Varian’s are similar to Edmund’s in shape at the bottom (suggesting a similar earlobe), his are more rounded, again taking physical features from his mother.

Eyes.

Eyes are ESPECIALLY important in a person’s physical features and this especially holds true in an animated show. Quirin is most notably drawn with squinted eyes,but they are the same shade of brown as Edmund’s. Varian and Edmund also have EXTREMELY similar eye shapes, being round and wide, and similar eyebrows (thin, angular, and more defined than Quirin’s.)

It’s also important to note that in the flashback, Quirin’s eyes were animated to look EXACTLY like King Edmund’s, brown, round, and wide eyes. Not only does this further draw physical similarities but also draws more similarities between Quirin and his son Varian, who - again - has wide, round blue eyes. (something that, at the very least, Varian VERY likely could have gotten from his mother.)

Face Shape.

Quirin and Edmund also have nearly identical face shapes: long, with high, prominent cheekbones, small ears, brown eyes, a hooked and/or roman nose, and a large, rectangular jaw.

It’s also interesting to note that all three men in question share very similar expressions when it comes to something pertaining to the rocks, and leaving (or in quirin’s case, not leaving) the rocks alone.

“Alright Vi,” you might be saying, “you’ve got me on Quirin and Edmund looking alike, but I’m still not buying it. What other evidence do you have?” 

HOH BOY do I have a plethora.

So let’s start with ATTIRE.

these are a few examples, but here we can observe and deduce a few things:

only King Edmund, King Fredrick, Queen Arianna, and Princess Rapunzel have been shown to wear furs in their attire. But then the outliers are Adira, Quirin and Varian.

all three of these outliers are of some great importance, not only to the plot but the universe of the story.

Furs are INCREDIBLY rare to be seen in common attire in the middle ages. It was incredibly expensive, and worth more to common folk if the furs they poached were then SOLD to make a profit. 

YET we not only see Quirin wearing furs in his normal attire, but VARIAN wearing furs on his cloak. Adira, too, can be deduced to be of some high rank (again, keep this in mind) , so this fits in theme.

ONLY ROYALS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO WEAR PRINCELY CAPES.

King Trevor is shown to wear a cape, King Edmund is also shown to wear a cape, and yet so is Quirin. This automatically puts him above the others, and for good reason.

Now, you COULD argue that people like Quaid have been shown to wear capes, but Quaid has a very informal cape. It slings across his shoulder, isn’t especially long, and has a strange neck adornment. (x.)

Quirin’s cape is especially similar to stereotypical princely capes (x) / (x) / (x) / (x) / (x) , something that Quaid’s cape does NOT resemble. (Quaid’s cape actually makes me think more of paladin!shiro’s cape but w/e not the point.)

Quirin and Varian both wear RED

This is especially important because in medieval times, true red the likes of Quirin’s tunic, Varian’s scarf, and Quirin’s cape weren’t common dyes for common folk. There is a REASON why little to no commoners in the background are wearing anything true, bright reds. True, deep, rich red was mostly worn by more wealthy people, including royals like King Trevor shown above.

Again, Quirin wears deep red in his normal everyday attire.

This deep red is also the EXACT same shade of red as King Trevor’s attire and cape.

So let’s get back to ADIRA.

Adira is especially interesting, because she’s - as my friend and co-creator of a majority of this theory @shadowweirdo​ has stated - a “fully-realized Cassandra”. Adira is everything that Cassandra wants to be: calm, cool-under-fire, strong, confident...

And their clothes even match.

Both sport clothes that primarily have the colours Red, Yellow, Grey and Black. The difference is that Cassandra - in matching of her personality - wears colours that are muted versions of Adira’s. In a way visually showcasing that Cassandra has the potential to become very much like Adira, she just hasn’t learned how to be.

And if Adira is in fact Cassandra’s DK!parallel, then she fits perfectly.

The framing and positioning of this shot and each character is incredibly similar. We have a royal on the right side of a servant whose hands are clasped, and whose face is angled down. she’s looking up at the highest ranking royal in respect.

and it’s something Cassandra is shown to do often. Because she’s a lady-in-waiting to the crown princess, Rapunzel.

Adira sports many of the personality traits and skill sets necessary to be a considered bonafide bodyguard to Rapunzel and co. If the crown Princess of Corona has her own personal bodyguard in Cassandra, why wouldn’t the Crown Prince of the DK?

It’s even further implied by how Quirin and Adira interact with one another. Adira is constantly behind him, and so far, the two never outright speak to or look at each other either.

This idea of Adira being a servant or bodyguard to the crown (or a specific member of the crown) is further supported by the placement of the DK!Comet symbol on her sash. It’s further down her torso than that of Quirin and Edmund, suggesting that, while her mark is to be noticed, it’s not front and center. You are not supposed to look at her mark first, which is an exact opposite of a symbol resting directly over your chest.

So now you may be saying to yourself “Well, Vi,  for all your points, I’m still not convinced.”

To which i would like to conclude with one question: have you ever noticed that Varian’s household is the ONLY family in TTS shown to have a family portrait besides the royal family of Corona?

Have you ever noticed that the portraits are MIRROR IMAGES of one another? Don’t believe me? Have a look:

The framing, the hand positioning, the two parents smiling down at their newborn child; these portraits are meant to be mirrors of one another. There was a REASON why the show-runners of TTS made it a point to linger on Varian’s family portrait.

And I believe that that reason is because Varian and Quirin are the living (or at least currently canonically present) heirs to the throne of the Dark Kingdom.

[brooke-the-poet]

Pawn & Sword

This summer I had been asked by @chibimyumi to make a version of Pawn & Sword Reprise that was singable in English. Taking her translation, and working on it bit by bit over the past 7 months or so, I came up with this version, which conservatively keeps a lot of the original wording, which I felt was rich in imagery and poetic to begin with and added a lyrical touch to better fit the sounds in English.

For anyone interested, yes, I listened to this song on repeat for hours, weeks on end like a fiend to match the right sounds. It's become one of my auditory stims now. Haha

Japanese poetry and lyrics are for the majority narrative, sparing with images, just enough to give you a feel or sense of the image like smoke.

If I were to elaborate, without keeping strictly to lyrics and only focusing on concepts the imagery would have been far greater. More like page poetry. But not singable perhaps?

I have sung this several times now tweaking it and perhaps it will be tweaked more, now that I have time. But not a lot.

Here are the notes I kept while working on it. If you think these are a lot, imagine the work a translator goes through to figure out how the original should be. Please go lavish @chibimyumi with praise for her translation work and so forth. It's some of the most tiring work ever.

(I have professional linguist/ translator friends, I hear all about it)

If anyone is so inclined I would very much take pleasure in hearing karaoke or a cover of the song using these lyrics, just to test how well of a job I've done. please.

Pawn and Sword Reprise: Annotated transcription - Brooke Nilsson.

(1)Your (2) relentless (3) wishes

(4)surpass your (tiny) form (5) .

(6)Wishful eyes of despair. Greedy soul!

(7) I shall be

the One to grant

Your wish.

I will be your power

Your invincible pawn!

(8)Monochrome dissonance

Plays out on this stage

Until silenced.

-----------

1. /Your/ the song needed to open on a similar hard sound to Gouyoku, it’s important that openings and endings sound the same in both languages otherwise it throws the whole song off.

2. relentless: this is synonymous and gives an almost identical image to ‘welling”, it has connotations with swiftness, hard, unending tasks and treatment and is also synonymous with revenge, using it tells you the nature of the wishes.

3. Wishes is the cannon word, it is more specific than desire (this has been used in other translations), which has deeper romantic/sexual connotations and is not specific. The 3 wishes reference.

4. This is a creepy joke going on in the original which is part of Sebastian’s intent, but in English, doesn’t fit the elegance of the rest of the song. I went with the implied image of the wishes being grander than the size of the wisher. Surpass has connotations of fast, upward movement, and mobility both physically and in a class sense. It sounds British. Tiny can be inserted to reinforce the original concept, but it might be cumbersome? try it out.

5. Form vs. Body: A note about Anglo-Saxon origin words vs. Latinate. Anglo-Saxon origin words are rougher and heavier in sound, they add weight to a word, but are notably harder to sing and less elegant. Latinate origin words have smoother flowing sounds and are easily sung. While these two words mean the same thing, the Latinate carries connotations of elegance, education, and sophistication (cold, snobby, sadist) which suits Sebastian. The quickest way to differentiate class and vocal tone in English is to use Latinate vs. Anglo-Saxon. (small vs. tiny: same as described)

6. This is a compounding of the original concept/image described in this line. I moved the mention of greed from the first line to here, as it works better as a form of address and reinforces the other concepts. The same goes for the next line.

7. These two words carry the weight of ownership over a task: /Shall/ indicates “determination, obligation, something owed”. It comes from Proto-Indo-European and is the origin of the word “shield, debt, guilt, blame, fault, it is also proper present tense. (formal British). /Will/ indicates wish/desire, to do something, be used, to choose. It is future tense. It comes from Latin word vel “wish”: to satisfy, be stuffed. will/wish synonymous. (These are all archaic and 19th century Sebastian hunger centric words, for that reason this entire song is one of the best Lord/vassal oath ballads I’ve read, in epic poetry.) The last line is unchanged as it is iconic.

8.I felt that there was importance to this already being in English, so I kept it. Monochrome (ancient Greek origin) doesn’t mean the contrast of black/white, it is the opposite, the sameness. It can be any colour but only one colour, of different shades. In photography it means greyscale. But the archaic form is more precise. This metaphor is used to describe moral ambiguity/hypocrisy. Everyone assumes they have higher/different motivations but in reality, the motives are all the same. (especially in the Madame Red arc) Dissonance is conflict, harshness of sounds. I interpreted this verse to mean the resolution of the conflict, everything suddenly becoming clear and audibly silent. The mention of the stage, it’s a nice sophisticated way of saying everything will be resolved in the next act.

-------------

Ciel:

Sebastian Michaelis

Your name affixed

Sealed with our contract

The demon

fallen into my grasp. (9)

Sebastian:

Even if my body dies

your heart’s desire will be fulfilled

For I am your faithful servant.

Ciel:

I do not seek happiness

(10) Not for anyone's sake or my own

Until my revenge, until that day

I will move ever forward

Sebastian:

Maddening, noble form

exuding that alluring scent

You are my beautiful lord

If it is your wish…

Sebas: To anywhere – I shall guide you

Ciel: To anywhere – at my command

Sebas: Even in dreams, your shadow

Ciel: Swear to me –

Sebas: Secretly

Ciel: Your loyalty

--------

9.The English phrase for this concept is “fallen into my lap”. I took inspiration from Nayuta’s grasping upwardly into the air when he sings this, and felt the concept best understood as “fallen into my grasp” meaning to hold unexpected power over something, to gain power unexpectedly.

10. This line about Ciel’s motivation is often the least well understood. The idea that he is seeking revenge out of principle, duty, despite knowing that it won’t bring him or anyone else happiness. My take is that he is fulfilling a duty, satisfaction coming from the idea that no one thought he was capable of anything, yet here he is doing this task. It can be seen/felt as selfish proving yourself this way. This concept comes up a lot in disability discourse.

--------

Sebas:

(11)Bound by the threads of fate

Between dreams and reality

At the edge of reason

Wanders your soul

While the pages of your story still turn

I’ll continue to light your lamp

(12) Shielding your soul–

Even if your throne should fall

And your shimmering crown, rust away

And the dead pile towers high–

I shall heed

Until I hear your final call!

------

11./The borders of black and white/ in this context I decided that the concept here referred to ‘mental twilight’ or reason/sanity.This gets referred to a lot in the series. The threads of fate concept I rearranged the lines to give them the alliteration of the original and better narrative order in English and make it singable. Ending lines on n/l or a vowel is a professional tip.

12.The concept of preservation being sung of here, /shielding/ is a synonym for preservation and ties back to the original concept of the vows */shall/ being made. The ripening of the soul I left to subtext as this concept is redundant to the rest.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Aaron Frazer Interview: Dimensional Soul

Photo by Alysse Gafkjen

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The members of Durand Jones & The Indications seem to be expanding their horizons. Last month, we featured an album produced by the band’s guitarist Blake Rhein, and today, it’s multi-instrumentalist and co-lead singer Aaron Frazer, whose solo debut Introducing... was released last Friday on Dead Oceans and Easy Eye Sound. The latter label’s founder, none other than The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, produced Frazer’s solo debut and flexed his clout to bring in legendary session musicians, wanting to work with Frazer immediately after hearing him sing. But as much as Frazer talks about Auerbach’s influence and skill, as he did during our phone interview from his Brooklyn home last month, listening to Introducing... is a clear distillation of Frazer as an artist, almost entirely. Though he and Auerbach co-wrote almost every song, and many further with other songwriters with impressive resumes like L. Russell Brown, Frazer doubles down on the genre hopping and progressive soul that Durand Jones & The Indications explore. Sure, there are moments of sweet old school soul, like opener “You Don’t Wanna Be My Baby” and doo wop slow jam “Have Mercy”. Yet, the album’s as much influenced by hip hop, from the Biz Markie strut of “If I Got It (Your Love Brought It)” to the Dilla swing tempo changes of “Girl on the Phone”. And thematically, for every blue-eyed love song, there’s a song like “Done Lyin’”, a lurking track about his friends’ experiences with addiciton, or “Bad News”, a funky burner of environmental existentialism. Wholly varied and confident, Introducing...is a remarkable debut.

Read my interview with Frazer below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: What does your debut allow you to do differently than Durand Jones & The Indications or any other projects you’re involved in?

Aaron Frazer: I guess the biggest thing is it gave me the opportunity to work with Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys. He’s a musician who I’m a big fan of. A large part of me learning how to sing initially was when I got my driver’s license, and I was in the car by myself, and I would be singing to The Black Keys’ Brothers and some of the early stuff like Thickfreakness and the Chulahoma EP. So that was a big difference, getting to work with a musician that I love. But also a place I felt like I could stretch out a little more in terms of defying genre classifications, a little bit. Obviously, there’s a lot of soul influence and R&B type stuff, but there are other ingredients in the mix.

SILY: Was there anything specific you were trying to communicate with your debut?

AF: Mostly just that I’m a person with a lot of different dimensions--not just as a music listener, but on a personal level. I wanted to show people sides of myself that they hadn’t seen yet. I hope that people can kind of hear this music and find it in themselves to explore these other dimensions and not feel the pressure to be one kind of music listener or one kind of anything in their life. To enjoy pushing the boundaries.

SILY: You and Dan co-wrote almost every song, but what was it like working and writing with such a wide variety of people?

AF: It was really cool and intense. I was leaving my co-writing comfort zone. Writing with Blake and Durand, I’ve known those dudes for 10 years. But writing with Dan, we have so much shared musical love--really specific records. This one gospel record, the first time we met, he put it on, and I was like, “Are you kidding me?!? I’ve never heard anyone else put this on.” This song called “Let Jesus Work It Out” by this Ohio gospel band called The Daytonians. That level of specificity made me feel more comfortable writing with Dan. For most of the sessions, he brought in some of the older writers who had been around for decades longer than the experience of both of us put together. It was really cool to hear their perspective. L. Russell Brown wrote with Frankie Valli. It was really cool to see the way their approach was different than mine, and it was cool and affirming to see the ways I was like, “Oh yeah! That’s how I do it also.”

SILY: Once you established that rapport with Dan, did you trust him to bring in the right person even if you didn’t know them personally or never worked with them?

AF: [laughs] That’s kind of his process. There was a lot of faith I had to put in him. He likes you to keep being surprised, and he tailors the songwriters and the session players to the artist he’s working with. This particular configuration of session players had never appeared before on a record. So it does require a lot of faith in a producer I’ve never worked with before--I had never worked with any producer before other than co-producing with Blake. But a key part of our conversation was sending songs back and forth. If you’re building a house together, you gotta make sure you’re imagining the same type of house before you lay down the foundations.

SILY: Some of Dan’s production work over the past decade has been late career albums from artists like Dr. John and John Anderson. You’re established, but you still have a long road ahead of you. Did you get a sense as to whether his approach was different working with a younger artist?

AF: I think it definitely was. He’s such an eclectic listener and can be really elastic in moving from genre to genre. It’s also partially what I brought to the table in the collaboration--bringing hip hop records. Even though we’re making a soul, rock, and gospel record, here’s the lens I want to filter through. It was an interesting challenge. These session players are all so virtuosic. If you listen more than you talk, you’ll hear them talk about working with Frank Sinatra. You’re like, “What the fuck?” A song like “Can’t Leave It Alone”, it’s all about single note stabs. Someone like Freddie King used to put all his weight behind one piercing electric guitar note. But working with session musicians, we stripped it back. Thankfully, everybody was able to adjust to playing this post-hip-hop style.

SILY: I do love the piano plinks of “Can’t Leave It Alone” in between the blares of guitars and horns.

AF: It’s funny you point that out. That’s Bobby Wood. He’s part of The Memphis Boys. He played on Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man”, Aretha Franklin records. He’s been around for so long. For “Can’t Leave It Alone”, those piano plinks, I was explaining J Dilla swing. Bobby Wood’s been around forever, and I’m trying to explain, “It’s not off beat, but not quite on beat. It’s kind of rickety!” He was able to wrap his head around that and adjust. He was kind of blown away. Anybody, regardless of their profession, when they get older, their brain starts to be like, “I know what I know.” For someone to be so fluid in their playing [was amazing.]

SILY: Was there a consistent approach to the arrangements and instrumentation among all the songs?

AF: I think the consistency was that every song required something a little different. Taking it song to song, if you listen, the song will tell you what it needs. I know it sounds New Age and bullshit or whatever, but there’s not a formula. At least with the music I make, it feels like a continuum of learning lessons and applying them, and eventually, you start to develop experience that can turn into a little jungle wisdom. Like, “You know what, it doesn’t need the horns or a solo there.” Even if you have the means, talent, or virtuosity to do it, just trying to do what the song needs.

SILY: You’ve talked about how “Bad News” is more political than the other songs, mentioning Gil Scott-Heron and Curtis Mayfield as influences. There’s also a long history of soul songs about the environment specifically. Did you think of this song within that realm?

AF: I think any time I’m writing music that’s making a comment on politics and the country, I think about it in the context of the history of soul writers and singers and particularly the artists you mentioned. In terms of soul songs about the environment, I wasn’t like, “I’m gonna sit down and join a long list of soul songs about the environment.” It’s just an issue that’s on my mind a lot. It’s always looming in the background. Sometimes, when we get into the weeds of the factionalism of American politics--not even left vs. right, more left vs. further left vs. even further left--it’s like, “Everybody, this shit is happening. The clock is really ticking.” It’s hard not to sound like an alarmist. It’s hard for me and truly anybody to wrap their heads around a mass existential threat like that. It’s so big you want to look away from it.

SILY: I noticed “Gil Scott” was credited with the flute on that song. Is that a sample?

AF: That’s actually Leon Michels from the El Michels Affair. He’s the co owner of Big Crown Records. He cheekily listed himself like that in the end credits.

SILY: “Done Lyin’”, on the flip side, is about addiction and some of your friends’ experiences with it. How did you approach the instrumentation on a song like that about something more solemn, as opposed to so many of the other upbeat tracks on here?

AF: Part of the reason why Curtis and Gil Scott-Heron loom so largely in my creative life is because they found room within themselves and on their records to express the full dimension of themselves, the fullness of their identities. Not just the political fury, but moments of tenderness and happiness and grieving and anger and confusion. They’re all there on the record and all there in all of us. I wanted to make sure I’m giving room to myself to feel and process all the things. Especially something like addiction to opiates. A lot of people in this country are suffering from that epidemic.

SILY: I’d like to ask you about the instrumentation and arrangements of a few specific songs in a row on the record. First, tell me about the tempo change in “Girl on the Phone”.

AF: That’s something I feel hip-hop gave me. You listen to J Dilla, for example, it’ll start with the original sample and then all of a sudden will jolt forward into this new thing, slow down, and pick up again. It’s fun to do that at the source material level, rather than somebody going back and flipping the sample.

SILY: You’ve mentioned J Dilla twice now. Do you have a favorite track by him?

AF: [laughs] That’s a good question. “Don’t Cry” on Donuts. That’s a perfect example of the sort of tempo changes that feel really natural.

SILY: On the track after “Girl on the Phone”, “Love Is”, the Juno synth really stood out to me on a record that’s really retro sounding.

AF: That’s a really fun one for me. That’s a good moment of pushing the genre. Making it a little harder when you just listen for five seconds and think, “This is just old school soul.” I’m not gonna kid myself. A bunch of people will hear the record and think that, and I get it, but it’s nice to have those moments of breaking the mold. I have an acoustic rendition of “Love Is” I’m really excited to show people, which is how we originally wrote it, on acoustic guitar. It’s much folkier. You have this kind of cosmic country thing, this big open psychedelic private press folk vibe, and then you mix it with the Wu-Tang [ad libs a beat] 36 Chambers thing.

SILY: Lastly, “Over You” almost has a punk vibe to it.

AF: That’s definitely the fastest song I’ve ever written. People know me for only slow jams, which I love and will write many more of over the course of my life, but it’s fun to challenge myself there as a songwriter. It helps me free myself up creatively. “This is the tempo, but I want to write it this way.” Putting yourself in that paradigm can help you reach different musical conclusions if you [instead] were to just sit down and open up a Google Doc with your guitar and think, “Okay, I could write anything in the world with any chord, what will it be?” 

SILY: Tell me about the videos you’ve released so far.

AF: Music videos are interesting. I’m enjoying the challenging process of finding my creative voice with videos, trying to sharpen my vision the same way I can hear the record I want to make. Music videos are a little trickier, but I love the ones we’ve dropped so far. I had the idea for the “Bad News” video because it’s really just exactly what the song conjured up in my head. Cold sidewalks, the grey sidewalks of New York. It feels like the sound of the city to me. Somebody being by themselves in a city that feels so indifferent. I called my friend who directed the video, Julia Barrett-Mitchell, and told her about the idea. She had an exact person in mind, her friend Nicole Javanna Johnson who danced in the video. That whole video was pre-shot. There was no crew other than the director of the video, me, and the dancer. I’m behind the camera with my hand on Nicole’s back. She’s tightrope walking on the curb, and then I run ahead of her from the left side of the screen. It was fun to keep things a little gritty and guerilla that way.

“If I Got It (Your Love Brought It)”, that song I was in the DMV in Sacramento with my lady in the commercial vehicles office. Behind the desk they have a bunch of toy trucks, and at the top, there was a sign from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the 50′s, Jimmy Hoffa era, that said, “If you got it, a truck brought it.” I was like, “It’s snappy, that’s a hot line.” I sat with it for a second and personalized it, and the song fell into place really quickly. When a central concept is very strong like that, it’s very clear. You’ll find that in a lot of country songs. The verses fit in. It’s like structuring an essay. The verses support the main pieces of the song. That being a union slogan, I had a vision of a union banner with that slogan on it. I wanted to take it up and down the west coast and get a shit ton of people in front of it, but the director, El Oms (Omar Juarez), who is a celebrated artist within the Chicano community on the West Coast, he did a great job rounding up a lot of people from within the community in L.A. and a few in San Diego, and shot people with things that bring them joy and love. That’s the entire spirit of the song.

“Over You” was the first video of the three I shot. I wanted dancing. I wanted at least one person in the video who could do a soul dance. It’s a pretty specific style of dancing that you’ll see mostly in the UK. I wanted to celebrate the northern soul community in that song. The song has a cinematic quality to it, so we wanted to do quick cuts, giving it that kind of campy, scrolling background in the back of a car that’s stationary, where you can see it’s shot in a studio. Not to take ourselves super seriously, to show the drama.

SILY: Did you watch The Irishman?

AF: I did, but after “If I Got It” was written. But I believe the phrase makes an appearance in the background of the film. I love gangster films. Maybe I’ll catch some heat for this, but my favorite is The Departed. I don’t love The Godfather. I respect it because you gotta respect the mold.

SILY: Do you have a hard time thinking of music in general cinematically, or is that just with your own music?

AF: I definitely think of music cinematically. At the end of the day, my low-key dream job is being a music supervisor and curating soundtracks for film and television. Growing up, my brother and I used to play a game when driving where we’d put on a song and would describe what would be going on in the scene in a fictional movie. Make up what’s happening. So I definitely think of things cinematically but in the course of smaller moments. “This is the song that would fit perfectly in this particular moment of a journey.” But you have to tell the full story.

SILY: What’s the story behind the album art?

AF: I wanted it to give a nod to the classic rockabilly stars and private press compilations, where it’s a cutout of a photo on a solid background. You’ll see that a lot in rockabilly compilations from France. I wanted to put it in a place where if you saw it, you weren’t sure what era it was from. I love playing and luxuriating in that. Is it old? Is it new? Who is singing? What does this person look like? Is it a woman singing? I get that all the time: “I thought you were a girl!” I love that.

SILY: What else is next for you?

AF: The album was recorded a year ago, but there’s just so much [to do]. You really become aware of that when you’re a solo artist. There’s really no sharing the load with your bandmates. All the packaging decisions, making sure the details are right, like, “I wanted the front part of the jacket coated, and the back part uncoated.” Merch design, posters, music videos, all that stuff. That’s definitely kept me busy in the interim. I’ve also been working on the Durand Jones & The Indications record we’ll be recording this winter. It’s fun to bring some of the lessons I’ve learned from the solo record back to the band but keep the spirit of evolution and pushing. I think people will be able to hear so much of what they know and love from Durand Jones & The Indications but also feel us growing as songwriters.

SILY: Is there anything you’ve been listening to, reading, or watching lately that’s notable?

AF: I just finished watching The Queen’s Gambit. In truth, I don’t think it’s super good, just really expensive. But it looks great! I’ve been also watching Lovecraft Country. I also started watching The Last Dance. That documentary is cool. They really have amazing access to somebody who is so good at what they do and so competitive and driven. It’s fun to see somebody so competitive in a different line of work.

Introducing... by Aaron Frazer

[localocksmithnearme]

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No lights on dash-board

If you turn the ignition switch on and no lights turn over on the instrument panel which actually means that no electrical power running from the car battery. It may be A deflated battery or frequently a failed electronic wiring connection or alternator could cause this. Turn on the front lights, if they wont work, it's actually means the battery is empty which is a task for a  mechanic.

Ignition key wont turn

Majority of car compose of a steering wheel locking mechanism that activates whenever you pull the ignition key out  at the end of a drive. Many times, the steering column can lock in a position that puts weight to the ignition system, and bars the key from turning (usually when parking on a hill) or when one of a two front wheels is pressed with force against an object (e.g. sidewalk corner).

* Before you begin fixing this issue, assure that your car has the parking brake applied.

Grasp the steering wheel and try to swing the  steering wheel to the sides left and right and back and forth while gently jiggling the ignition gripping the key - which might help to release the steering lock.

The ignition is remarkably significant element of any car and containing so many small components that can be wearisome to troubleshoot by an incompetent hands, so the most a person may do running into ignition cylinder or key malfunctions is to double-check you are actually attempting to start your own car and call a motor vehicle lock-smith to arrive to your location to reprogram, replace  repair the ignition or key which will priced as about $140–$325.

Chipped key construct

A transponder is practically anti-theft security system. With transponder, hot wiring or lockpicking a vehicle is not going to be useful nomore if someone thinking about stealing a car.

The concept behind a digitized keys and locks instrument is a microchip hidden generally in the apex of the key, when the driver insert in the ignition key crack, the small chip emits a distinct enciphered signal to the immobiliser. If the engine control module will not verify a correct indication code, the motor vehicle will not kindle.

Even though few years and models car manufacturers afford dashboard outline to program another key all alone, motor vehicle key replacement, repair and programming  turned to be surprisingly costly then in the past and more then that, if all keys are lost, the ECU should be rekeyed by specific key programming machine owned by a locksmith or the dealership.

Ford keyless device

Ford smart key allow a car owner to lock and unlock the car doors besides lighting up the car yet avoiding inserting a physical key, and starting at 2007, varied Ford vehicles in the market come with some type of a smartkey platform that consist of a brief distance remote transmitter.

With a keyless entry, opening the door to your Ford is ordinarily gained by emitting a combination of audio and infrared indication message from a chip in the smart key to a vehicle computer unit on a coded channel when the user solely passing by within the range of 5 ft of the car with the proximity key on a key ring or in the pocket.

This radio frequency indication message and the Ford smart key platform, moreover authorize push button start ignition (also called Crash starting or Bump starting). Using this system a driver is able of flaring up a motor vehicle engine by clicking a push-buttons on the dash board as a substitute to twisting a key in a key-pit.

Copy vs lost car keys

After the mid to late 1990s, close to all auto manufacturers began to accommodate electronic keys and immobilizer as a security means in which a vehicle computer will identify the chipped key at the moment that you run the car. If the vehicle doesn't identify a matching key, immobilizer neutralize the fuel supply and the car wouldn't crank.

This platform serve as anti theft to avert against lock crackerjack or hot wiring the car and help drivers and insurance companies in eliminating vehicle theft all over the world, however the costs of motor vehicle keys went up to $45-$125 for a elemental duplicate chipped key and probably around a hundred dollar more if for a lost key replacement.

24 hour car lock out

If you find yourself locked-out of your car, you definitely want to hire an immediate and trusty establishment! Only New Brunswick Key Replacement fast pop a lock personnel can execute the task of unlocking your car door or trunk for nearly all auto manufacturer, year and model. Pick up your phone and call at (973)200-4870 to get high class car lock-out company in town who is adopting specific lock-cracking equipment besides the specialize to eradicate harm to the car air bag, power windows or electrical locks instruments for your absolute inner calm.

Vehicle locks qualifying

Did you paid for a new Ford ignition and requisite to swap an aged one?, got one of your Ford keys taken? or lost the keys to your car?, cleave to make sure that no one else gather the skill to turn over your car? Good News! You have landed on the right place, in that re keying of car locks is one of New Brunswick Key Replacement cornerstone quirk. Our pros can adapt the internal pins inside your ignition or door lock, so it would use the brand new key and turn down the archaic one. Rear the telephone and call our dispatch center to get your car lock changed by a well trained lock man hastily

To conclude

If you have ever braved the inconvenient situation when you losing or locking the keys to your vehicle, you seemingly know how valuable it is to have an adept and a devoted local lock-smith company at hand. We render the expedient services on call 24 hours every day and the fruitful policy and competent lock-smiths enables New Brunswick Key Replacement to be the leading vehicle key lock givers in town. . If you are scouting for Ford key replacement service 24HR in New Brunswick New Jersey, call (973)200-4870 for a reliable local mobile locksmith, lost car keys made, ignition repair, transponder, keyless entry remote fob cut and program.

[viraljournalist]

Colby Covington's divisiveness hits home ahead of UFC title fight

New Post has been published on https://viraljournalist.com/colby-covingtons-divisiveness-hits-home-ahead-of-ufc-title-fight/

Colby Covington's divisiveness hits home ahead of UFC title fight

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. — Colby Covington is shadow boxing, warming up for a private striking workout. He’s with a coach, inside a room tucked next to an acai bowls cafe. Rock music is playing on Covington’s smartphone, and he’s wearing a shirt that reads “Stomp my flag, I’ll stomp your ass.”

It’s 1:06 p.m. on a Monday in mid-November at the famed American Top Team training center. A few feet away, on the other side of a closed door, the other pro fighters at the gym — including ESPN’s No. 2 bantamweight, Marlon Moraes, No. 5 flyweight Jussier Formiga and PFL standout Kayla Harrison — are wrapping up a group class. Covington can’t see his teammates when they gather in the center of the mat or hear them when they all yell “ATT!” in unison to end the session. That’s partly by design, as some fighters prefer private sessions before a big fight. But for Covington, the isolation is deeper.

“I’m doing stuff behind closed doors now,” Covington says during lunch, a month before his first unified title shot. “I don’t want people to see my training. That’s a big concern of mine. I don’t want people to see the game plan I’m working and how much I’ve improved and the skills I’m developing every single day. You’ll see that on fight night when I step into the Octagon.”

The UFC is closing 2019 with a loaded card in Las Vegas this weekend. UFC 245 features three title fights, including Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington (welterweight), Max Holloway vs. Alexander Volkanovski (featherweight) and Amanda Nunes vs. Germaine de Randamie (women’s bantamweight).

UFC 245: Usman vs. Covington • Saturday, Las Vegas • Early prelims: ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET • Prelims: ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET • Main card: ESPN+ PPV, 10 p.m. ET

Top UFC 245 content

• Covington’s divisiveness hits home • Urijah Faber at 40 • Why Usman’s grappling is key

Order UFC 245 now

Aside from being one of the best fighters in the world, Covington is known for being one of the UFC’s greatest villains. He is skilled at incendiary — and sometimes crude — trash talk.

And it’s not just with opponents. Over the last few months, Covington’s divisiveness has shaken the walls of American Top Team. He has publicly feuded with several teammates, including former friend — and perhaps the hottest act in the UFC — Jorge Masvidal. The Covington-Masvidal beef has defined the growing tension within the gym and put a spotlight on ATT that will grow more intense should the teammates eventually become opponents.

In the meantime, Covington will challenge Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title in the main event of UFC 245 on Saturday in Las Vegas. In his corner will be coaches from a gym — the only gym Covington has known as a pro — where at least one of its stars wants him to lose.

“I don’t feel comfortable,” Covington says. “I feel like I always have to look over my shoulder. I have to watch my back. I don’t know if people are gonna come up and try to attack me. I’ve had people yelling in the gym at me, creating scenes and stuff. It’s not a good environment for me there.”

But some argue it’s an environment Covington helped create.

“Colby doesn’t need to watch his back at our gym,” says Dan Lambert, owner of American Top Team and Covington’s agent. “He might need to watch his back just about anywhere else he goes as a result of what’s happened. … There’s pros and cons to being who Colby is and that just might be one of the things he needs to deal with moving forward.

“I think Colby thrives on that chaos,” Lambert continues. “[‘Chaos’] is his nickname and appropriately so. I think it pushes him to go harder at those people and at the gym.”

It was Oct. 28, 2017, when Colby Covington reinvented himself in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He said he became a showman for business reasons, but not everyone saw it that way. Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Covington went from afterthought to one of the sport’s most polarizing figures dates back to June 17, 2017, when he beat Dong Hyun Kim. UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby told Lambert after that fight that the UFC had no interest in re-signing Covington when his contract was up after his next fight.

Lambert says he told Covington he shouldn’t alter his fighting style, but “there’s some other s— you can change.”

2 Related

After decisioning former title challenger Demian Maia on Oct. 28, 2017, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Covington called Brazil a “dump” and its fans “filthy animals” while standing in the Octagon.

Covington’s new identity had come to life. And it was drawing attention. Covington’s ATT teammate Amanda Nunes lashed out at him on social media. Another Brazilian fighter, former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum, threw a boomerang at Covington a few weeks later during a fight week in Australia.

The strategy worked. The UFC re-signed Covington, and his next fight was for the interim welterweight title, which he won by beating Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 on June 9, 2018.

If not for the sudden turn, Covington says he would have been out of a job, “just another guy nobody cared about.” Against Maia, he says he made $30,000. Against dos Anjos in his next fight, Covington says he took home $200,000.

“I’m trying to be a high-paid fighter,” Covington says. “I’m not trying to fight for 20 grand the rest of my career, getting my brains knocked in, lose brain cells and not have something to show for it at the end of my career. You see a lot of these guys at the end of their career, they’re brain dead, they have no money, they’re doing GoFundMe accounts. It’s sad, dude. After I’m done, I want to be set, man. I don’t want to have to work another job.”

After seeing early returns, Covington accelerated his transformation.

Things may already have started to go south in their relationship by the time Jorge Masvidal worked Colby Covington’s corner for his fight against Rafael dos Anjos on June 9, 2018. Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Mixed martial arts is an individual sport, but in gyms and training centers all over the world, athletes and coaches work as teams to help fighters prepare and evolve. Many fighters say they wouldn’t be where they are without their teammates, sparring partners and coaches.

Covington upset many with his comments in Brazil, but turning against Masvidal fractured the gym.

“You never talk bad about your teammates, doesn’t matter if you like them or not,” former UFC strawweight champion and ATT veteran Joanna Jedrzejczyk said.

It’s one thing to be controversial, but to some fighters at American Top Team, Covington sold his soul for headlines.

Not long ago, Covington and Masvidal were more than teammates. They were friends and roommates.

Covington says the beef started after he beat Maia, because Masvidal lost to Maia earlier that year. Covington says Masvidal became jealous.

Masvidal says the falling-out started when Covington stiffed one of their mutual coaches, Paulino Hernandez, on a payment for working the dos Anjos fight.

But hard feelings were kept private. Masvidal worked Covington’s corner when he faced dos Anjos and celebrated his teammate’s win. Covington would later say that although Masvidal worked the corner, he didn’t help Covington make weight and, in fact, abandoned him.

But when Masvidal knocked out Ben Askren in a UFC-record five seconds on July 6, Covington posted on Instagram about always having each other’s backs.

Both would later say the relationship had soured by then. The fracture started becoming more public in late July, when rumors circulated that Masvidal could fight for Usman’s crown ahead of Covington, who was quoted on July 30 saying it would be crazy if Masvidal landed a title shot despite being 2-2 in his last four fights.

Masvidal and Covington had words in the audience at UFC 241 on Aug. 17 and security stepped in at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The feud boiled over two days later on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, after Covington joked that Masvidal was trying to improve his seating by getting closer to Covington in the first row. Masvidal said Covington told UFC president Dana White that Masvidal was going to assault him — and that White then warned Masvidal about getting into a confrontation.

Masvidal grew agitated during his interview with Helwani and referred to “some stuff” between Covington and one of the coaches, likely the payment issue. Masvidal said Covington knew what gym he’s at and when he’s there, and he said he could be there the following day.

Within the next few weeks, Masvidal and Covington had a verbal altercation at American Top Team.

“I said, ‘If you don’t pay him, I’m going to F you up,'” Masvidal said on The Dan Le Batard Show. “My coach got in between it.”

Lambert says he sat down for a meeting with Masvidal after that altercation, and Masvidal agreed not to come to blows with Covington inside the gym out of respect for the team. Masvidal has called ATT home for 15 years.

“They’re gonna act like professionals,” Lambert says. “They’re gonna coexist. They’re gonna do what the coaches tell them to do. Or they’re not gonna be there. … I don’t think you’ll see problems inside the gym, because they respect it.”

Masvidal told ESPN he wasn’t interested in talking more about a subject that could further divide American Top Team. Both Covington and Masvidal said they would never leave the gym, even if they sign to fight each other.

“We’re better than that,” Masvidal says of his teammates. “Maybe some shady s— has gone down. But we’re not slimeballs. I’m ATT until the day I die.”

Covington and Masvidal are both welterweights, ranked No. 2 and 3, respectively, by ESPN. The possibility of them fighting is real, and it’s something Covington wants.

“You never talk bad about your teammates, doesn’t matter if you like them or not.”

Joanna Jedrzejczyk

“It’s a big opportunity businesswise for both of us — and for the gym,” Covington says. “The type of hype around that fight? Honestly, that would probably be one of the most sought-after pay-per-views in the history of the UFC.”

If Masvidal and Covington do end up booked to fight each other, Lambert says protocols would be put in place at the gym to ensure the best possible environment for both.

“It’s not my favorite situation to be in, but I guess at the end of the day it’s probably a good problem to have,” Lambert says. “It means the gym is doing something right.

“We’ll deal with it. We’ll keep them separated. They’ll train at different times. They’ll train in different parts of the gym. They’ll train with different training partners and different coaches. They’ll both get the best possible training, they’ll come in ready and it’ll go one way or the other.”

If the byproduct of a successful gym is occasionally having two fighters face each other, the downside of a beef like the one between Covington and Masvidal is the atmosphere it would create.

“It’s just gonna be like Team Colby and Team Masvidal,” Harrison said. “It’s gonna literally divide the gym and divide the coaches. Nobody wants that.”

But a potential matchup is further away than some think, according to Masvidal’s manager, Abe Kawa. Masvidal has mentioned Conor McGregor or Nick Diaz as potential next opponents because they could produce bigger paydays.

“As of right now, he’s not in our plans,” Kawa says of Covington. “We’re so far ahead of that. Usman and Colby are fighting for the right to possibly face Jorge. Jorge is the ticket — he’s the A-side.”

It’s not unusual for a fighter to work out alone before a big fight, but for Covington, the isolation could have a deeper meaning. Marc Raimondi

On Saturday night, Covington could be considered the A-side for the main event of a card that features three championship fights. That’s a long way from worrying about getting released by the UFC.

And while ATT teammates Masvidal, Jedrzejczyk and Dustin Poirier dislike Covington — Jedrzejczyk said she hopes Usman will “beat his ass” — there are those who understand his motivation, and even respect it.

“He’s accomplished more in a short period of time than a lot of guys that have been in the industry forever,” says Thiago Alves, a UFC veteran out of Brazil, a team leader and fighter-coach. “You can’t hate the recipe. You don’t have to like it, but you have to respect it. I respect the dude and I like him. … I’m ATT, man. Forever. And he’s a great kid. Never disrespected me. Yeah, say some s— to sell it. But even with everyone here, he’s always been super respectful.”

Nunes was one of the first to criticize Covington on social media after his “filthy animals” comment about Brazilians. Now they share a head coach, Conan Silveira, and Nunes says she harbors no ill will toward Covington.

Silveira, also a Brazilian, says he has not taken any of Covington’s remarks personally and understands what Covington’s goals are by talking trash. He says hard feelings within an MMA gym are not rare, but they shouldn’t be a problem as long as everyone stays professional about it.

“Do you get along with everyone in your family?” Silveira asked. “Colby at American Top Team is a completely different guy. He’s a part of the family. … Of course I’m gonna support him. It’s never that I’m gonna turn my back on him. I say that on behalf of me and them. We’re never gonna do that.”

Covington believes those who knew him before what pro wrestling fans would call a “heel turn” should see that he is just trying to maximize his income in a cold, dangerous sport.

“It shows me their true colors and it shows me who they really are inside,” Covington says. “They can’t understand I’m doing this because of business? They’ve seen me for the last eight years at the gym. And they know who I really am deep down inside. But when a camera turns on, when a mic is put in front of my mouth, it’s a different story, because I’m doing business at that point. And that’s how I look at it.”

Not everyone differentiates between the trash talk of a showman and real bad blood.

“All these words, they do have consequences,” Masvidal told Le Batard. Askren, a noted trash-talker himself, found out the hard way. After knocking out Askren, Masvidal added a couple extra shots and later called them “super necessary.”

Covington embraces the challenge.

“[There’s] a unique element to it where I do actually enjoy and thrive in people wanting to see me get knocked out, people wanting to see me lose and fail,” Covington says. “There’s something really nice that I like about it that makes me want to just prove them all wrong and shut them all up.”

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[of-invisible-ties]

gimme that sweet sweet meta on if Greil had never left Daein (if you feel up to it ofc!)

Send me a meta topic to write about! II Always accepting 

I am so happy you sent this because God knows that I love the Tellius series! Anyways, here’s a warning for massive spoilers under the cut for Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn! 

Also – length warning. This gets LONG. And I mean the ten paragraphs kind of long. 

Should I make an AU out of this

Why would Greil stay in Daein? 

For one, a notable change of Greil never leaving Daein would be his name. Greil is, in fact, a pseudonym for his true name: General Gawain, of Daein’s legendary Four Riders.  While it’s never specified when Greil took up his fake name, I assume he only went by it after leaving Daein. Furthermore, I also believe that Greil’s primary reason for leaving was the power vacuum that occurred when Ashnard slew the other heirs to throne and eventually his own father. (Remember: he actually left Daein prior to his berserk episode.) 

Had Greil decided to stay for whatever reason, I think it would be for the sake of the people of Daein. He would be able to utilize his status as a high-ranking general to ensure the safety of the common folk due to the fact that they, too, were adversely affected by Ashnard’s actions. Ashnard had killed his siblings and father by invoking a blood pact (a death curse that would slowly target and kill innocents until the other party fulfilled the conditions stated on the pact), but the pact also caused a widespread plague to affect the citizens. In worry for the plague’s aftermath, Greil would stay behind to help the tattered survivors. 

Life for Ike and Mist in Daein

Life would be especially hard on Greil – or, rather, Gawain’s – family, during this time. Ike and Mist would grow up during a time of their father helping repair the land, and they would also have to watch as war unfurled its banner in front of their eyes. Because of Gawain’s amazing physical prowess, the newly crowned Ashnard would be all too happy to keep him among Daein’s Four Riders – and would eventually turn his attention on Gawain’s children. Ashnard would delude himself into believing that Gawain’s amazing strength would pass on through his blood, and to his children. He would speak highly of Gawain’s decision to have children, for that would mean he would soon get a “second Gawain” out of them. While Gawain would regularly employ the excuse of his children being too young to join Ashnard’s cause, that excuse grew weaker with every passing year.

 Eventually, Ashnard would comfort the general with a simple question: does he mean to deprive the Daein army of its soldiers? He would accuse Gawain of disloyalty for continually exempting his children. Ike, incensed by the king’s implications, demands that he stop speaking to his father in that way. Despite his father’s protests for Ike to quiet down, Ike offers himself as a soldier, so long as joining the army would exempt Mist. Ashnard is pleased by the offer and agrees. 

During this time, Gawain would, of course, still be doing his utmost to work to help the citizens of Daein. Ike would witness his selflessness day in and day out, although it would be painful for both he and Mist, as they would confess to wishing to see more of their father. This is why Ike makes his seemingly hasty offer to Ashnard: he’d actually been considering it all the while. He wants to be a man of the people, like his father nobly chooses to be. He also wishes to prove himself.  Now, Ike and his father had already been in training, for they both knew it would serve him well. However, Gawain’s training becomes harsher, and Ike accepts it. Anything to get him closer to fulfilling his potential; anything to spare Mist the pain of combat. 

it is Ike’s sacrifice for Mist that makes Gawain realize that the king intends to turn his soldiers into war-hungry mongrels. He had been neglecting his family for the sake of war and the people, and Ike showed him what family means with his care for his sister. He is rather appalled by Ashnard’s lust for battle and power. He does try to find some time for his children, but struggles with doing so. His duties are too great. 

To make matters worse, Ike and Mist would be raised without their mother. Gawain staying in Daein would not spare him from going berserk and killing her; only the circumstances around it would change. As shown in Radiant Dawn, Bastian would eventually hire Volke. I do not think it beneath him to suggest that assassins or so would smuggle their way into Daein to assassinate the Four Riders and perhaps King Daein as well. It’s likely that Gawain is attacked in his own home, touches Lehran’s Medallion, and BAM. He instantly falls berserk and murders everyone in sight. Volke had the savvy to hide, and eventually enters Gawain’s service. Volke becoming Gawain’s servant, however, is merely a cover story. Gawain still utilizes Volke’s intelligence-gathering skills, and Volke, too, would help Ike train for joining Daein’s army. 

(As an aside, honorable generals of Daein – such as General Shirharam -- greatly respect Gawain and do befriend him. Jill, Haar, Ike and Mist all know each other.)

The Black Knight 

In the canon, the Black Knight is tasked with killing Greil because the Greil Mercenaries have become a thorn in Daein’s side. However, Gawain’s employment in the Daein Army prevents this from ever occurring. The two become allies, and Gawain immediately deduces the Black Knight’s true identity, although he promises the later never to divulge it. In fact, he’s all too happy he’s working side by side with his favorite disciple, Zelgius. I imagine that he questions why Zelgius is under an assumed identity and working with Daein, but – he knows what Lehran’s Medallion means. He knows that Mist has it, and that its flames are growing brighter thanks to Ashnard’s war effort. Mind you, he keeps Mist sheltered and never breathes a word of her owning the medallion to anyone. He fears for her life. Hell, he’s grateful Ike diverted Ashnard’s attention away from her. Had she been forcibly deployed in the army, it was only a matter of time before Ashnard discovered her medallion and attempted to free the dark god.

He questions Zelgius’s motives and master, suspecting that, for one reason or another, Zelgius, too, intends to free the dark god from its chains. (Zelgius’s master does want the dark god freed, but for a different reason than Ashnard.) I imagine he intends to dissuade Zelgius from whatever goal he’s working towards, because he, Gawain, has felt only a snippet of that god’s chaos. And it led him to killing the woman he loved. The discussion leads nowhere nearly every time. Out of respect for Zelgius, Gawain abandons mentioning it, but notes to keep a watch on him. He will not refer to Zelgius by name unless the two are alone, or he’s trying to grab Zelgius’s attention. 

Once Ike offers to join the Daein Army �� well, one of the most badass things happens. The Black Knight himself offers to train him. Teaching Gawain’s son the tactics of battle is his way of expressing gratitude for Gawain’s mentoring him all those years ago. Despite Ike being unaware of the Black Knight’s identity, he embraces the teachings he receives from him. 

What about the Greil Mercenaries -- what sides would they take?

Titania, in-canon, has admitted to being a former Crimean knight. My interpretation is that Greil convinced her to take up mercenary work because Titania grew frustrated that her glorious work prevented him from helping the common folk. However, Titania has no reason to meet a general of the Four Riders, and therefore persists to her job as a Crimean knight. Due to her strength, she becomes a high-ranking general in the Crimean army, and would clash blades with the Four Riders on many occasions. Gawain secretly respects her prowess, and considers her one of his most worthy adversaries; Titania, in turn, is grateful that Gawain is one of the few enemies that does not resort to dishonorable tactics. She, too, thinks highly of him and oft wonders if, in another time, the two could’ve been allies. Rhys, an old friend of Titania’s, also joins the Crimean army and serves as one of its healers. 

Gatrie would go on to become Astrid’s bodyguard, and helps her house once they join the war efforts. Astrid’s noble house supports Crimea, and Gatrie does as well. He and Shinon, who know each other from their old time as mercenaries in a no-name group, would eventually clash (as they’re on opposing sides).

Rolf, Boyd, and Oscar -- the brothers -- search for mercenary work upon being abandoned by their mother. While living in ghastly conditions, they occasionally take small or odd jobs from the local villages. Their work increases substantially thanks to the continent becoming war-torn, and they lament the war with each passing day. In believing Crimea to be in the right, they join its efforts in quelling the war. 

Shinon, upon hearing that Daein’s new king values strength above status, joins the Daein Army without reservations. Ironically, this has him encounter Gawain and Ike. Of course, he values Gawain just as he does in-canon, although I imagine his opinion of Ike is rather different this time. Because Ike keeps up a strenuous work ethic and endeavors to prove himself, Shinon thinks of him less as an inexperienced dolt and more as a “work in progress” soldier. He doesn’t care for Ike’s inexperienced questions, but he sees that Ike pulls his own weight. 

Soren, of course, would still have his chance encounter with Ike. While enrolled in a tactician’s guild, he occasionally visits Ike and his family to see where they stand. Upon hearing of Ike’s determination to join Daein’s Army, Soren immediately enlists as well. While Ashnard would doubt Soren’s capabilities due to his purported lack of power, Soren quickly proves himself with his magical abilities and tactical savvy. After a long struggle, he rises up the ranks to becoming a highly acclaimed tactician of Daein. Due to Soren’s caring for efficiency more than sentiment, Ashnard approves of him. This is despite Soren openly reviling King Daein. 

[theonyxpath]

Hi, folks! As Changeling continues in the editing process, I’d like to preview the final version of Contracts, including the full text of the Contracts of Steed.

Contracts are broken out into categories called Regalia: Sword for strength and aggression, Shield for defense and protection, Crown for leadership and rulership, Jewels for manipulation and temptation, Mirror for perception and self-transformation, and Steed for movement both seen and unseen. Every seeming has a favored Regalia, and the player chooses a second favored Regalia for their character.

Common Contracts are deals the True Fae originally negotiated for their servants. They focus on extending senses, and shaping what’s already there, whether it be emotions or physical phenomena.

Royal Contracts are agreements the Gentry originally forged for themselves, which changelings have been able to make themselves party to. They deal with creating people, places, and things out of whole cloth, directly tampering with minds, forcing people to do your bidding, and affecting destiny.

Finally, Contracts have special clauses for particular seemings. One of these is always the seeming that favors the Regalia, while the other is another seeming thematically appropriate to the Contract.

Below are the Contracts of Steed.

Contracts of Steed

Steed is always on the move, traversing both time and space. Where the stallion treads, his hooves punch holes in reality that let a changeling travel from one location to another. Embracing the freedom of the wild, Beasts favor Steed.

Boon of the Scuttling Spider (Common)

The changeling scuttles across a solid surface strong enough to support his weight.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: None

Action: Instant

Effects: The world flattens in the character’s eye, until all surfaces are equally horizontal and equally upside down. He can move along walls, ceilings, or slick surfaces normally too treacherous to cross, as long as they are strong enough to carry his weight. He can move at his normal Speed, and acts without hindrance while moving in this fashion.

•           Beast: The Courser embraces all of the spider’s advantages, including its webbing. He may use the restrain move in a grapple as though he had rolled an exceptional success, even if he didn’t.

•           Darkling: The Darkling instinctively sticks to the shadows, granting his player a two-die bonus on Stealth rolls while he scuttles on improbable surfaces.

Loophole: The changeling swallows a live spider.

Dreamsteps (Common)

The changeling steps into the dreams of a nearby sleeper, to travel from the mortal world into the dreamer’s Bastion. He touches a sleeping target, and synchronizes his breathing with hers until he can see her dreams. He then steps forward into them.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: Intelligence + Empathy + Wyrd vs. Bastion’s Fortification

Action: Contested

Duration: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The changeling enters the target’s dream, but suffers the Flesh Too Solid Tilt, and the dreamer’s Bastion gains +1 Fortification until she wakes.

Failure: The Contract fails.

Success: The changeling enters the dreamer’s Bastion through the Gate of Ivory (p. XX), rather than entering his own.

Exceptional Success:  The dreamer’s Bastion suffers a ?1 to Fortification until she wakes.

•           Beast: The Beast may take on the mien of any of the sleeper’s nightmares that he witnessed. Once during the current chapter, he can inflict the Spooked Condition on her while interacting with her in the waking world.

•           Fairest: The Fairest sees a glimpse of the dreamer’s soul, granting him the Informed Condition regarding the sleeper.

Loophole: The changeling holds a teddy bear or other childhood comfort object that belongs either to him or to one of his Touchstones, while using this Contract.

Nevertread (Common)

The changeling leaves only scraps and emptiness in his wake.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: None

Action: Instant

Effects: The changeling stops to cloak one of his footprints: he can drop leaves over it, erase it and leave a pebble in its stead, or sculpt the earth until it resembles a hoof track. He then continues on his way, and the Contract changes all his footprints accordingly for the duration. This makes him impossible to track save by supernatural means, triggering a Clash of Wills, and altered tracks remain so even after the Contract ends.

•           Beast: The Beast lets people traveling with him benefit from this Contract, up to double his Stealth rating in companions. He still need only invoke the Contract once.

•           Wizened: The Domovoi’s footsteps leave traps in their wake, per the Safe Place Merit (p. XX) with effective dots equal to his Dexterity.

Loophole: The changeling leaves a note, bloody fingerprint, or other clue of his passing. This can be hidden, but must provide a clue to his identity if found.

Pathfinder (Common)

Combining practical navigation with omens and divination, the changeling finds his way in the Hedge to Hollows, trods, goblin fruit, and dreams.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: None

Action: Instant

Effects: The changeling mingles some of his spit or blood with earth from the Hedge, and uses the mixture to draw a compass on his hand. He instinctively knows the distance and the direction of the nearest general Hedge feature of his choice — the nearest Goblin Market or Hollow, a patch of goblin fruit, or an entrance to the Gate of Horn, for instance. The Contract only reveals information about the Hedge itself, not about creatures lurking within.

•           Beast: The Grim’s finely honed instincts also yield information about nearby creatures: how many creatures they are, and whether they mean ill. “Meaning ill” is not immutable — if the changeling pisses off a friendly goblin, it might then mean him ill.

•           Wizened: The Wizened automatically knows whether goblin fruits that grow nearby are beneficial or detrimental, and gleans their types.

Loophole: The changeling plucks a thorn from the local Hedge and leaves a drop of blood while doing so when he invokes this Contract.

Seven-League Leap (Common)

The changeling leaps legendary distances, clearing chasms and obstacles in a single bound.

Cost: 1 Glamour

Dice Pool: None

Action: Reflexive

Duration: One turn

Effects: The changeling hops up and down, regaling the air with stories of his athletic prowess. The player then makes a jumping roll (Strength + Athletics), and the character can clear a jumping trajectory of 10 yards per dot of Wyrd he possesses.

•           Beast: Seven-League Leap increases the Beast’s Speed by 10 for the scene. If he used this Contract in a foot chase (p. XX), he gains the Edge next turn.

•           Ogre: The Ogre can use his leap as an unarmed attack to crush an enemy, adding two to his Strength for the attack roll, and inflicting the Knocked Down Tilt if he hits.

Loophole: The changeling is wearing boots he stole from an enemy in this scene.

Chrysalis (Royal)

The changeling calls upon the savage nature that fueled his escape from Arcadia, howling like a great beast, or scuttling like an insect. He feels his own identity slip, drowned by the comfort of just being, and his body follows suit.

Cost: 2 Glamour

Dice Pool: None

Action: Instant

Effects:

The changeling chooses two animals when the player purchases this power, and can transform into either one by invoking it. He must have seen the animal before (an accurate representation works), and it can’t be smaller than Size 1 or larger than Size 7. He can choose a mythical beast, though he gains none of its supernal powers — only the physical form: Physical Attributes, Size, Speed, and Health. He can also use the animal’s mundane senses and modes of movement; he can’t levitate, but as a winged dragon he could fly. If he transforms into an aquatic animal, he copies its gills and aquatic lungs. While in animal form, the character can communicate with other animals of the assumed species.

•           Beast: The character can choose two additional animal forms when the player purchases this Contract.

•           Ogre: The character can choose animals up to Size 15 to transform into.

Loophole: The changeling is in the natural habitat of his chosen animal and is near enough to touch at least one of them.

Flickering Hours (Royal)

The changeling picks meandering paths through the Hedge, stopping occasionally to smell a flower or prick his finger on a thorn. While his path seems random at best, and ineffectual at worst, the changeling is actually weaving an enchantment with his footsteps that allows him to slow or speed the passage of time. Cost: 1 Glamour for the changeling alone, 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower for a group

Dice Pool: None

Action: Instant

Duration: Until the changeling exits the Hedge

Effects: The changeling can extend this Contract to anyone traveling with him at the moment he invokes it; hostile pursuers, if they’re close on his heels, included. He may slow time by half, or speed it up to pass twice as quickly, for any of the targets individually. Until the sun next crosses the horizon, anyone quickened also gains the Fleet of Foot Merit, with effective dots equal to the changeling’s Wyrd up to three, and always has the Edge in a chase. Unwilling targets may pull free of the effect by succeeding at a Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance roll contested by the changeling’s Wits + Occult + Wyrd.

•           Beast: The Savage may freely extend this Contract to anyone he meets on his journey, if he spends the Willpower cost to include others once.

•           Elemental: The path becomes nearly impassable in the Elemental’s wake, and suffers the mechanical effects of the Ice Tilt with specifics appropriate to his associated element.

Loophole: The changeling smashes an antique clock or other old timekeeping instrument as he invokes the Contract.

Leaping Toward Nightfall (Royal)

The changeling touches his target, and speaks an impossible riddle that both curses and blesses her with time. What she has will be lost, what she lost will be found. When he finishes the riddle, and the target’s mind tries to wrap itself around the conundrum, he sends her hurtling through time.

Cost: 3 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Intelligence + Occult + Wyrd vs. Resolve + Supernatural Tolerance

Action: Instant or contested; see below

Duration: Special

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The changeling sends a random target forward in time instead, chosen by the Storyteller, which could be himself. Upon arrival, the target suffers either the Volatile Condition (for objects) or the Spooked Condition (for characters).

Failure: The Contract fails.

Success: The changeling can send an object up to Size 10 or a character forward in time. The target instantly vanishes and reappears at the predetermined time in the same location, conserving momentum if it was moving. If something else occupies that spot, the target appears next to it instead. No time passes for the target. Sentient beings can contest this Contract. The changeling determines how far into the future he sends the target, to a maximum of days equal to successes rolled to invoke Leaping Toward Nightfall.

The changeling cannot end this Contract prematurely.

Exceptional Success: The changeling may also send the target to a new location occupied by someone to whom he owes a debt. He can’t choose the location itself, only the character who will receive the incoming target when it arrives in the future.

•           Beast: The Beast may allow the ravages of time to buffet sentient targets, inflicting the Disoriented Condition. The target must either find an ally to resolve it (landmarks don’t help), or let it fade without resolution at the end of the scene in which she arrives.

•           Darkling: Upon arrival in the future, the target doesn’t remember the scene in which the Mountebank invoked this Contract. This effect is permanent unless reversed through supernatural means, which triggers a Clash of Wills against the changeling.

Loophole: The changeling uses this ability when the target is touching part of the Hedge. A piece removed from the Hedge counts.

Mirror Walk (Royal)

The changeling steps into a mirror. He hears baying hounds in the distance, and senses a dark chill on the air. The changeling cuts his finger, leaving a bloody print on one of the myriad mirrors before him, and wills it to open to any mirror of his choice in either the mortal world or the Hedge.

Cost: 1 Glamour + 1 Willpower

Dice Pool: Wits + Survival + Wyrd

Action: Instant

Duration: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The changeling becomes lost in mirror space, which is part of the Hedge, and gains the Lost Condition. If he was reaching for an object instead, he drops it in mirror space.

Failure: The Contract fails.

Success: The changeling touches a reflective surface.. Once the way is open, the changeling can step through, bringing any companions he likes in a chain of linked hands, or simply reach his hand through to grab an object on the other side. The changeling must have touched the exiting mirror before, and both the entrance and exit must be large enough for him to physically pass his body or hand through.

Exceptional Success: The mirrors remain portals for the scene, and anyone may pass through freely with the changeling’s permission in either direction, without the need to link hands.

•           Beast: The Beast may end the Contract before he reaches the other side, deliberately depositing himself in mirror space; his player gains a two-die bonus to all rolls to navigate there or deal with its denizens for the scene.

•           Elemental: The Sprite becomes mirror-like after exiting the portal, only reflecting what is already in the room. This renders him invisible to the naked eye for a number of minutes equal to successes rolled to invoke the Contract.

Loophole: The changeling speaks the name or title of a character currently reflected in the mirror where he plans to exit. This can be a guess on the changeling’s part, whether because he knows little Mary goes to bed at seven and brushes her hair in the mirror beforehand, or because Mr. Witherfield locks up at five and his shop’s door has glass in it. If the person isn’t there, the Loophole doesn’t work and he doesn’t invoke the Contract.

Talon and Wing (Royal)

The character spreads his arms, or paws the ground, remembering dreams of flying. He then opens his mouth, to consume the dream and claim its power for his own.

Cost: 1-3 Glamour

Dice Pool: None

Action: Instant

Effects: This Contract can grant three different effects, which can be stacked at a cost of one point of Glamour each.

•           The character gains the mode of transportation of a beast, increasing his Speed by 10.

•           The character gains the senses of a beast, giving his player a three-die bonus to perception rolls and eliminating penalties in dim lighting or darkness.

•           The character gains the claws of a beast, giving his unarmed Brawl attacks a weapon modifier of +0L. If his unarmed attacks already deal lethal damage, his claws become preternaturally sharp and deal aggravated damage instead.

•           Beast: The Courser doesn’t tire, immune to mundane fatigue of any kind. Supernatural powers that make him tired trigger a Clash of Wills.

•           Darkling: A Darkling may add venomous fangs or claws to his transformation for one extra point of Glamour. Outside combat, this venom has Toxicity equal to his Wyrd and deals damage once per hour, for a number of hours equal to (six minus the target’s Stamina) hours. In action timing, a successful attack inflicts the grave Poisoned Tilt on his target. The poison remains in effect even after the Contract ends.

Loophole: The changeling eats a piece of fur, a talon, or another part of an animal he wants to emulate.

[shadowtearling]

January is over! I’m both glad and surprised it came and went so quickly. I feel proud of myself for reading as much as I did this month!!!! I think the new year is always a good motivator to read read read. I love it. I’m doing a better job so far this year of reading whenever I can and taking advantage of my spare time in between and before classes. PLUS the long commute helps. Last year, I constantly found reason to NOT read, and this year, it’s like I can’t get enough! I also apparently can’t get enough of the exclamation point. Is it too much? Also! Do you all like this new banner? Any font suggestions? I’m clearly terrible at picking fonts; too indecisive. :( Anyway! On to the books!!!

Rating system: 2017 is the year of reading critically if I want to add diversity to my list of priorities for the kind books to be reading. This means also being a little more stingy with my ratings. (I don’t feel bad about this actually. I found I feel guiltier giving out five stars willy nilly, so this is an improvement!). This rating system is still arbitrary, so three star ratings don’t always have the same weight to them. As always, I rate based on my own thoughts and feelings, and as always, these are my opinions (unless I’m speaking about my marginalization(s). Don’t argue lmao). 

Rating Scale: 🌟 - 1 whole star ⭐️ - ½ star

Nichijou: My ordinary life (Vol. 1 & 2) by Keiichi Arawi - 🌟  🌟  🌟  = 3/5  (for both) This is a manga series about high school everyday life, but with a twist! (she said with sarcasm) There are a bunch of girls in high school and one of them happens to be a robot who just wants to fit in and be human (and her child scientist companion). One of the girls also happens to love making puns, one of them is the typical deadpan-type of characters, and the others are the normal ones. Some jokes were funny, most of them were not. I love puns, but this just had really terrible ones. The characters were supremely uninteresting, and I really don’t care about any of them. That said, while I was reading this, I guess I was entertained for the time being. This helps pass time quickly, but not the greatest manga I’ve ever encountered. 

Sweetness and Lightning (Vol. 1) by Gido Amagakure - 🌟  🌟  🌟   = 3/5  What’s better than food-related manga? Nothing! Except, I can find better food-related manga out there than this lmao. This was fun to read, but I found all of the characters were bland. I couldn’t find myself too invested in their stories. I also feel like this is going in the direction of student-teacher relationship (younger me would have loved that, but me now is absolutely creeped out by the idea of it). The child is adorable, though. I also do really love the positive relationship between the child and the dad, so that’s one redeeming quality. I don’t think I’ll continue with this series, though, unless I find copies of this for cheaps. 

Orange (Omnibus Vol. 1 & 2) by Ichigo Takano - 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 = 5/5 (for both) Out of all 12 books I’ve read this month, these are the only two five-star reads! I’m stingy lmao. Anyway, this was soooooooo good! Basically, this series is about this girl, Naho, who on the first day of her junior year (I THINK... don’t hold me to this), she receives a letter from future her telling her what will happen on those days and what she needs to do versus what she should avoid doing. She dismisses that letter until the contents come true! So this series then entails what happens with those letters and Naho & her friends. I cried so many tears and felt so many feelings. I related so hard to Kakeru even though our struggles were not the same. I also really loved the ending (even though I know a lot of people didn’t like how open-ended it was). I appreciated that aspect of the story because it feels true to the kind of tale it’s telling. It perfectly depicts how friends first react versus how they should react to other friends’ struggles. I really love the dynamics between every person, and I can only wish this series was longer to explore the different friendships we were introduced to. I HIGHLY recommend this series. Please go read it! (And then tell me so we can binge-watch the anime together!)

Something in Between by Melissa de la Cruz - 🌟  🌟  🌟  ⭐️   = 3.5/5  A story with a Filipina lead?! Sign me up! This tells the story of Jasmine who is the perfect student and is set to kick ass in college until she learns that her and her entire family have been illegal immigrants the entire time, and this super awesome scholarship she was supposed to get can no longer help her. I really loved getting to see my own culture reflected in this story (this is an #ownvoices ;) so go check it out). I didn’t appreciate the little jabs at other cultures though I do understand where it comes from. I also think there was so much happening? I feel like Jasmine and her fam were trying to tackle so much all at once (it’s realistic bc what POC doesn’t go thru so much in so little time), but also it made for a messy story. OH! I hated the writing lmao. It was tacky and not my style. I also think I’m just hella tired of YA contemporaries, but as of right now, they’re the biggest source for diversity in any YA category. Fantasy is still far too white lol. I still would recommend this because it is an important story that helps humanize immigrants, but beware lmao.

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli- 🌟  🌟  🌟  = 3/5  I really enjoyed this story, but I was expecting so much more than what I was given. I hear everyone always raving about how fantastic this book was, but I think this was way too overhyped for me, which is why I didn’t like it as much as everyone else. I feel like the tension between friends was either unnecessary or done poorly (I’m talking about Leah here). HOWEVER, I still do like it. Simon was a fun character, and Blue was also really interesting. I also really love the discussion around consent and identity, and I think it was done well. 

Welcome to the Shadowhunter Academy (#1) by Cassandra Clare - 🌟  🌟  🌟  = 3/5  Simon felt reaaaaaally out of character in this novella. Maybe that’s bc of what happened at the end of TMI and that’s a valid excuse, but it makes me uncomfortable. Simon was one of the better characters in that series, and I really feel like he got butchered here. With that said, however, I do think that this novella shows improvement in CC’s writing because I still surprisingly enjoyed it. I just don’t think I’ll continue on with CC’s works? I think this is me breaking up with the Shadowhunter chronicles. She’s also highly problematic, so there’s that. 

The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi - 🌟  🌟  🌟  🌟  🌟  = 4/5 LOVE This! An #Ownvoices fantasy about Mayavati whose horoscope entails a marriage with death and destruction. I buddy read this one with one of my really close friends (she doesn’t read too often), and we both really enjoyed it. Maya is this really dynamic character that, as the story progresses, really matures in a realistic way. The writing was phenomenal but I do think it was a bit out of place? Idk I always have problems whenever the writing is sophisticated but then it’s first person POV. Like.... I’m pretty positive that my brain cannot conceive even half of those words to describe what’s happening around me. I’d see a tree and I’d describe it as “green and really tall...” So there’s that. I also think that the writing kind of made it difficult to fall in love with the couple. I didn’t totally buy the romance, despite me loving both characters individually. I love the incorporation of different aspects of Indian culture as part of the fantasy elements of the world. I would love more from this story, but as it stands, this is where Maya’s story ends (the next book is actually a companion........). I highly recommend it! (Even though it sounds like I didn’t like it lmao I promise I did).

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake - 🌟  🌟  🌟  🌟  🌟  = 4/5 I absolutely loved this. First of all, I appreciate that I can tell each sister apart from one another because they have such distinct personalities (Arisonoe is my fave as it turns out even if she has a dumb ass name). It’s a super slow book that basically builds up to the fight to the death (it doesn’t actually happen in this book). I knew that going in which is why I wasn’t salty when it didn’t happen. Basically, we get introduced to the sisters in this book, find out that there are some hella issues going on with their missing powers, and it gave us time to get used to the world all while introducing us to the characters. My number one biggest giant complaint is that I realllllly fucking hate Joseph. He’s an asshat and I hope he dies in book two. Katharine please kill him. There was an unnecessary love triangle lmao like fuck off with that shit maybe. I also hated Pietyr. So basically, the dudes are assholes and the girls are fantastic. Maybe that was the point? This is a matriarchal society so I guess it worked. Highly recommend if you really like politically-driven books and a large cast of characters.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seannan McGuire - 🌟  🌟  🌟  ⭐️   = 3.5/5 The writing is quite calming. Also confusing. This is another one of those far too hyped for me to love in the same way everyone else does. i appreciate the amazing concept and the wonderful conversations taking place in this book about identity, sexuality, gender, and mental illness. However, it was too short for me to really love any of the characters. I certainly failed to connect with the MC and didn’t feel for her anguish. It also left a bad taste in my mouth that the first person to be killed off in the murder mystery aspect happens to be POC when there were like 20 other white kids lmao........ NOT THAT I CONDONE MURDER but why we gotta kill POC for....... Idk. Proceed with caution I guess. 

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe- 🌟  🌟  🌟  = 3/5  This was funny as hell. Basically, it’s about this lady whose name we never really know because she keeps changing it to suit her needs. She was born in a prison, so she’s set up to fail in every aspect of her life bc poor and no family. HOWEVER, this is the story of how she eventually says fuck you to everyone and succeeds anyway bc why not. I read this for class, and I highly enjoyed it. Problems: there were literally zero chapter breaks, random ass capitalization (why must 17/18th century authors do this to me), too many much cataloging of goods (though that was literally the point is to be excessive... I get it... pls stop), and the author basically just said to the plot “GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO” without taking a break. If you like classics similar to Jane Austen (but without the romance part bc she just basically scams all her husbands lmao), I think this is a really good one to check out. 

Thank you, lovely, for reading through this mess of a post. I love you and I hope you have a wonderful February reading month! 

[beautyfulword]

The Wall Street Journal Personal Finance Workbook

Item specifics

Condition: Good: A book that has been read but is in good condition. Very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. Binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins. No missing pages. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections. See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab ... Read more about the condition Format: Paperback Language: English Publication Year: 2006 ISBN:

9780307336019

EAN:

9780307336019

The Wall Street Journal. Personal Finance Workbook by Opdyke, Jeff D. About this product Product Information A hands-on, interactive guide to managing your Monday and building your financial future Many of the worksheets in this book are available online and can be saved, printed, and recalculated at any time. Go to: WSJ.com/BookTools Understanding your money, and getting it to work for you, is more important today than it ever was, because you alone are responsible for every aspect of your financial life, from managing your day-to-day living expenses to planning a college savings fund and, ultimately, retirement. The sooner you start taking control of your financial life the better, and there's no greater authority on financial matters than The Wall Street Journal . This workbook takes the mystery out of personal finance and addresses every topic you'll need to master, from building a solid financial base to growing your financial assets. Worksheets, charts, and step-by-step instructions throughout help you do the math and work through the basics, making it quick and easy to organize your cash and eventually build wealth. Learn how to create a spending plan and budget. Balance a checkbook. Make decisions about what types of and how much insurance you need. Manage credit and debt Finance big expenses like real estate and education. Understand and properly assess your own appetite for risk. Formulate the right asset allocation. Start building an investment portfolio. Make real estate decisions like purchasing vs. renting. Refinance a mortgage. Manage your 401(k) Deal with taxes Plan for college expenses. Also available the companion to this workbook: The Wall Street Journal Complete Personal Finance Guidebook , by Jeff D. Opdyke. Get your financial life in order with help from The Wall Street Journal . Look for: The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook, The Wall Street Journal Complete Identity Theft Guidebook and The Wall Street Journal Complete Real Estate Investing Guidebook. Product Identifiers Publisher Crown Publishing Group ISBN-10 0307336018 ISBN-13 9780307336019 eBay Product ID (ePID) 47024350 Product Key Features Format Book, Paperback Publication Year 2006 Language English Dimensions Weight 12.8 Oz Width 7.3in. Height 0.6in. Length 9.1in. Additional Product Features Illustrated Yes Author Jeff D. Opdyke Number of Pages 192 Pages Edition Description Workbook Publication Date 2006-04-11 Price : 5.49 Ends on : View on eBay Read the full article

[robertkstone]

Dirty Deeds: Lexus LX vs. Jeep Wrangler vs. Mercedes-Benz G-Class vs. Land Rover Discovery

Born and raised among the skyscrapers of New York City and now living in sprawling Los Angeles, I’m used to city life. I’m inured to creeping rush-hour traffic, to stepping over sidewalk trash, to the ever-present light pollution; they’re sacrifices we make to live in the places we love. But city life wears on you, a realization that can hit in an instant. A knowing glance or diverted gaze during a chance encounter with one of the millions of others beaten down by the daily grind could be all it takes to want to get away.

But I—perhaps like you—have life to deal with. I work during the week and spend my weekends playing catch-up. Memories of my first sleepaway camp and seeing the Milky Way pop from the inky, unadulterated night sky and dreams of escape remain just that. Breaking free ain’t easy.

For those who must reconnect with nature, these four SUVs make it easier to stay alive during the week and live on the weekends.

For our comparison test, we wanted SUVs comfortable on a daily commute or road-trip but also able to turn well off the beaten path for a night of primitive camping to escape our fellow man. That meant we needed the everyday comfort of a crossover, the features and technology of a modern sedan, and the off-road capability of a ZVM-2901. (YouTube it. You’re welcome.)

Because American roads aren’t quite ready for screw-driven off-roaders, we assembled four legendary and street-legal nameplates: Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover Discovery, Lexus LX, and Mercedes-Benz G-Class. This group will get you out of town—and then some.

Our test would have us driving north from Los Angeles along the eastern portion of the Sierra Nevada to Bishop, California, where the following day we’d tackle the trail to Coyote Flat, about 10,000 feet above sea level. Then we’d camp. It’s not Moab, but this 20-odd-mile trail includes deep sand, rocks, cliff faces, and multiple water crossings.

The winner would be the vehicle that best balances off-road performance with on-pavement drivability. We wanted something that the average Joe or Jane could take off-road with confidence after a tough week crushing soybean futures. To level the playing field, price is ignored.

The Field

The 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is the latest evolution of the vehicle that launched this segment. The new Wrangler Rubicon wears 33-inch BFGoodrich Baja Champion All-Terrain KO2 tires at either end of front and rear live axles, each of which boasts a locking differential and an electronic anti-roll bar disconnect. Under the hood, our tester packs an electrified 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 making 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic and Jeep’s beefiest part-time four-wheel-drive system.

Land Rover, meanwhile, has come a long way from building British Jeep knockoffs. The 2018 Land Rover Discovery HSE Luxury Si6 looks the part of a suburban mall crawler, with soft lines and a beautiful tech-forward leather-upholstered cab with room for seven. But it still hasn’t lost its ruggedness. Under the hood, a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 turns out 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, backed by an eight-speed automatic and a full-time four-wheel-drive system. This Disco also gets an available air suspension, plus an automatically locking rear differential and Land Rover’s All Terrain Progress control system—both part of the $1,275 Capability Plus package.

The redesigned 2019 Mercedes-Benz G 550 is another off-road legend in our midst. Our metallic olive green G-Wagen is bigger and far more luxurious than its previous iteration, but it doesn’t appear to have lost the sparkle that made the original so beloved. Its old-school ladder frame, live rear axle, and three independently locking differentials team with an independent front axle, an electronically dampened suspension system, and a modern 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 producing 416 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque. The V-8 runs through a nine-speed automatic and Mercedes’ full-time four-wheel-drive system, which operates with a permanent 40/60 front/rear torque split that switches to a 50/50 split once low range is selected and the center differential is locked.

In 2016 we compared the Toyota Land Cruiser to the previous generations of the Wrangler and G-Class as part of our “Apocalypse Soon” comparison test. The Toyota won that comparison, and we extended an invite to defend its crown. No Land Cruisers were available, so we got the next best thing: the mechanically identical 2018 Lexus LX 570. The Lexus takes all we loved about the Toyota, including its crawl-control and turn-assist features, and adds a fancy height-adjustable hydraulic suspension system to ensure a smooth ride both on- and off-road. Our LX 570 also deletes the rather useless third row as a new-for-2018 option, boosting usable cargo space. Power comes courtesy of a 5.7-liter V-8 with 383 hp and 403 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic and full-time four-wheel-drive system.

With our quartet of off-roaders picked, I assembled a team of three other like-minded editors whose off-road experience ranged from “literally tackled the Rubicon Trail last weekend,” to “drove on a dirt road that one time.” In other words, a perfect representation of the audience that buys these super SUVs. Yet all were seeking respite from city living: MotorTrend en Español managing editor Miguel Cortina and associate online editors Collin Woodard and Stefan Ogbac. We loaded up with our camping and off-road kits and met up with our photo team in their 2018 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro (see “Aging Lion,” page TK) on the outskirts of Los Angles to make our escape.

The Road

If there’s one constant about off-roading, it’s that no one can agree on what “real” off-roading is. For some it’s rock-crawling or dune-bashing. For others, it’s thick woods and deep mud. Fortunately, we had six hours to argue over walkie-talkies as we launched our way up Route 395 toward the trailhead.

Despite our differing opinions, we do all agree that on-road performance is an important part of the off-road formula because to get off-road, you gotta drive on-road first.

It’s fair to say that previous versions of both the Jeep Wrangler and Mercedes-Benz G-Class have been livable (at best) on pavement. The old Wrangler was loud and unrefined, while the previous G-Wagen, as rapper Quavo so eloquently put it in a Rolling Stone interview, was “wobbly as f—.” Thankfully both have been dragged into the 21st century.

“On the road, the G-Wagen does a sold impression of a car-based crossover,” Woodard said. With its trucklike live front axle tossed in the scrap heap and with fancy computer-controlled dampers, the G 550 experience mimics that of Mercedes’ other flagship, the S-Class. It’s quiet and hushed as it goes down the highway, its cabin featuring comfortable seats and nice-looking—if cumbersome—twin infotainment displays on the dash.

That serenity disappears once you open the taps on the G 550’s twin-turbo V-8. Few things are as satisfying as watching the scenery change from the street to sky as the Benz’s nine-speed fires off rapid downshifts and the V-8 lets out a guttural roar. Once cooking at speed, the G 550 handles a corner or two well, considering its size and weight, but it definitely prefers long sweepers to tight switchbacks—and it lets you know it.

The Wrangler Rubicon is impressive in its own way. Just opening the door sets the expectation that the new Wrangler is a league above the old. Gone are the shiny, rock-hard plastics, replaced with high-quality materials and a cabin you no longer needing excuses. No excuses are necessary for the way it drives, either. Its eTorque 2.0-liter turbo I-4 is down 14 hp from the standard V-6, but its extra 35 lb-ft of torque make the Wrangler feel spritely. Even better, its small electric motor helps provide light power assist when cruising, smooths power delivery, and improves fuel economy. “The eTorque mild-hybrid is worth the $1,000 extra,” Ogbac said. “It has lots of power and torque on tap, passing on the highway is easy, and the eight-speed automatic pairs well with quick, smooth shifts.”

While the Mercedes-Benz and Jeep have matured greatly, the Lexus LX 570 has aged a bit. Updated with a new nose and an eight-speed automatic in 2015, the LX still rides on essentially the same platform with basically the same engine from its 2007 debut.  It feels it. Despite making a healthy amount of horsepower, the LX’s big V from PerformanceJunk WP Feed 3 https://ift.tt/2KdI6GM via IFTTT