#there is an ending i have envisioned but these two may derail it once more

[sharkface-daydreams]

Ch 8: Moonlighting

Rating: T Pairing: Felix/Locus Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Magic, plenty of artistic liberties taken with magic/classes/races/etc, We’re Just Having Fun Here, and also suffering because these two are idiots Chapters: 8/10 Word Count: 4.3K

Summary:   Sometimes you just need a solid kick in the pants from a good friend to get your head out of your ass.

[ray-green-wicked4good]

Three days to go! If you were a 3rd class passenger on Snowpiercer and you could choose any three characters to be your bunkmates for the 7 year journey to New Eden, who would they be and why?

Alright, so first of all I love this ask and second of all I have been agonizing over it all day. But I have finally gotten over my existential crisis (well...mostly) about whether my potential bunkmates would find me annoying and messy and whether that might lead to my favorite characters actually despising me. And I think I'm ready to make a definitive decision! (well...mostly definitive. I may wake up tomorrow regretting my choices.)

So, my 3rd class chain would include:

#3 Santiago

My reason for choosing him? Well, if he were in the Chains with me, he would no longer be dead. So there! Also, he was very sweet and caring to his grandmother, which means he might be more forgiving all the times I burn our food or forget to do the laundry. He also was a rebel soldier, so he has strong beliefs and is willing to sacrifice for his friends. I feel like we have that in common, and I would try to be as supportive a friend as possible. Plus, he just seems like a cat person. Which is important because we would have my two cats living with us. (This is coincidentally why I decided against considering Ben...seems more like a dog person)

#2 Jinju Seong

Now look, I realize I'd be asking a lot of her, to leave behind her second class cabin to come slum it with me and Santi in the Chains. But I'm sure that after the events of season 1--like that horrific near-derailment over Terreta Canyon (which she spent alone), almost losing her best friend (something she went to great lengths to prevent), and then the overall upheaval and chaos following the regime change--she might actually be looking for a change and fresh start. Jinju's work with the Aquarium car would make her the perfect roommate for us, because Santi and I are both fascinated by the ocean (though, I admit, I am also terrified of it) and I feel like we could spend hours just asking her questions about the creatures she cares for, what it's all like and what she's most excited to restart in New Eden. She could also introduce us to amazing new foods that we wouldn't normally have access to in the Chains (and I envision lots of fun nights baking with Mamma Grande too, which would just add to the fun). I personally am not a fan of yoga (I'd probably sneak a book in and like...cut a square in my mat to read between miserable fails at the different poses) but maybe it would be good for Santi, to help him relax more and forget those years in the Tail. Jinju might also be super stressed trying to balance diets and things still in Ag-Sec, so I would try to help her as much as I could, even if it's just making sure there's a cup of steaming tea waiting for her when she gets home or letting her pick the music we listen to while we cook. Jinju has also been depicted as super loyal (and like, anytime she wants to invite her bestie Melanie over I AM GAME) and forward thinking. I feel like we could talk about books and hopes for the future, maybe not so much pre-freeze stuff, but maybe Santi's experiences could sway some of her sterner, pragmatic opinions about how we go about saving the world. Also, she's coming out of a hurtful breakup! I live for this drama!!! We can eat ice cream and cry about it upside down on the couch! Girls nights! (This is not to say I can give any helpful, meaningful advice. I absolutely cannot. But I can listen! And gasp dramatically. And tell her she's a Queen! Who should fight for her love! Who deserves love! And appreciation!)

# 1 Miles and Miles

So despite what the TNT bios say, I think we can all agree that Layton's fatherly feelings and protection all pretty much expired once the revolution ended--or rather, they were transferred to the baby he is going to be having with Zarah. And for whatever reason, neither Layton nor Josie seemed to give much thought about Miles when they implemented Alex's plan to break the train. So as far as we know, Miles was left somewhere in Third anyway. Which is why I would choose to wrap him up in a blanket and bring him home where Jinju and Santi and I can take care of him. Miles was already apprenticing as an engineer and even helping with life-systems, so I'm sure he and Jinju would have loads to talk about. Science. Building New Eden. Etc. While Santi would have known Miles from the Tail and they would probably have plenty of inside jokes and Tail stories to share with the rest of us. My cat named Pirate is very calm and loves to cuddle, so his new assignment would be to love on Miles as much as possible. And I would encourage Miles's artistic interests. In Third, we could get access to a piano I'm sure, and he could wow us all with his Rachmaninoff that he memorized over seven years. We would play and sing, even if it doesn't sound good to anyone else. We would read books every night. (Or math problems if that's what he prefers. But Jinju or bestie Melanie might have to help with that) And have game nights on Friday nights. We would all pull together to try to let Miles be a kid (as much as one can on the train). And because of how loyal, protective, and caring my roommates and I are, I feel confident we could protect Miles from anything the train throws at us. And hugs. We would give him all the hugs!

[tessatechaitea]

Justice League #1 (1987)

This is actually a more impressive line-up than I remember.

I'm pretty sure this line-up is a huge scam. I don't remember Doctor Fate interacting too much with this group and I think Shazam bows out fairly quickly. Batman probably does that thing where he acts like he's leader (even if Martian Manhunter actually is) and only helps out every sixth mission. So at that point, the line-up is already decreasing in strength and intimidation factor quickly. Adding Fire, Ice, and Booster Gold later won't really improve the team much. But I'm getting ahead of myself. My impressions from this initial cover were "Wow! Pretty interesting team!" and "What asshole fucking decided on the shit stencil font for the title?" Sorry, I cuss a lot when I'm writing on the Internet and trying to seem like a bad-ass. The issue begins with Guy Gardner calling the other Green Lanterns jerks and suggesting, to himself, that he should be the Commander-in-Chief of the new Justice League. Some people would read this first page and think, "What an arrogant fucking asshole." But my stomach got all queasy and I giggled a little bit and I muttered quietly under my breath, "I love him."

I'm not saying it isn't composed of some truly ridiculous aspects but Guy still has the best costume in the DC Universe.

I don't love everything about Guy Gardner because most writers at the time didn't truly understand him. They made him a jerk that nobody would like because they were too cold-hearted to see the brain damaged cool guy that he really was. Guy Gardner often needed to be written by somebody who loved the character; it would have done him a world of good. He could still have been that abrasive jerk. But written deftly, those who actually cared to take the time would see his true self. Sure, that would also be an abrasive jerk! But a little bit more likable!

Stallone was pretty sensitive in a few scenes in Rocky IV!

Black Canary is second to arrive, after which Mister Miracle and Oberon show up. I never quite understood how Oberon fit into the Justice League. Wasn't he like an agent or a manager? Did Batman and Martian Manhunter need Oberon to sign off on every mission or else Scott Free would have to remain behind? I bet he was included just so Giffen and DeMatteis could make dwarf jokes.

Why would Guy choose Sneezy?! Oberon's breathing has been impeccable since he arrived!

Normally after some kind of cynical prediction about the comic book that immediately is proved true, I'd write, "Grandmaster Comic Book Reader!" But it doesn't feel right to say it in this case. I mean, Oberon is present for four panels before he becomes the butt of a joke based on his diminutive nature. And by Guy Gardner, no less! Is this why I loved him so much at sixteen?! What a terrible and typical sixteen year old white heterosexual male I was! Black Canary (whose costume I'm just now noticing is really fucking weird) responds to Guy's awful behavior by saying, "Dozens of GLs around and we get 'Rambo' with a ring!" That's unfair to Rambo! I'm also unsure who in this story (including the writers of this story) have actually seen First Blood. Gardner is more like the authority mad Sheriff Teasle than the sensitive green beret John Rambo! Rambo should be admired as a hero, battling back against corrupt cops who think they have the right to use as much force as they want for any stupid fucking reason! It's possible they were talking about the Rambo from the second film who gets to kill more than one person because the people he's killing are Russians and Vietnamese. He does get a bit murder crazy in the second film. Or maybe they're talking about Rambo from the third film which wasn't actually out yet so I don't have to read up on it. Next to arrive are Captain Marvel, Blue Beetle, and Martian Manhunter. Martian Manhunter proves to be a buzzkill, reminding everybody how the old series ended in total death and disaster.

His view of the media is pretty spot on though.

J'onn calls up the files of Steel, Gypsy, Vixen, and Vibe before purging them completely from the Justice League computer. That's probably a good idea, like deleting old joke tweets on Twitter that were a bit racist and also boring. Meanwhile Maxwell Lord IV watches from a distance, doing that Ozymandias thing where you watch dozens of televisions at once. I think it proves you're a genius whose done the research and contemplated all sides of an issue before making up your totally rational and logical mind about any issue. As opposed to us losers who simply use compassion and empathy to almost immediately understand the correct and most ethical path to take. Maxwell Lord IV watches all of this television and decides the correct course to take is to leave the "America" off of the Justice League of America this time. Oh, and also the "of".

Maybe this is why I liked Guy so much: because he knew the saying was "you've got another think coming." Look, I'm going to be desperately finding good reasons to have liked Guy Gardner so much when Giffen and DeMatteis are this determined to make him a huge and unlikable jerk.

Look, I was sixteen! Hardly the best time in a young man's life for qualities like compassion and empathy and fashion sense and hair styles! I'm also fairly certain it wasn't this comic book that made me like him so much. I'm pretty sure he gets knocked out by Batman with one punch before the year is over and I remember loving that scene. So I probably despised him like a good reader of Justice League was supposed to do. Hopefully he'll have some character moments during this series that will show why I wound up liking him so much as a character. Right now, he's just a complete and utter asshole. The five panels following the one I just scanned consist of Guy once again calling Oberon "Sneezy" and then suggesting Black Canary is going to want to fuck him soon enough. Martian Manhunter tries to break it up and just winds up part of the chaos.

Okay, I'm starting to get why I might have liked him at sixteen, even after the first few pages. To a sixteen year old white male, mocking Martian Manhunter with a "Ho-ho-ho" trumps ableism, sexism, and, with this attack on J'onn for his inherent physical Martianness, almost certainly racism as well.

Guy continues to play the role of Squeaky Wheel for another page or two. I suppose if you want more on-panel time than the other heroes, you've got to be a raging asshole. I can't say I'm not entertained by it!

Captain Marvel earns a little of my love with this line as well. No shame in drinking warm milk at night!

This is only nine pages into the first issue and Guy has completely derailed the formation of the new Justice League. Was this blasphemy to previous fans of the Justice League where the team may have had some minor squabbles about various things and Batman would quit every six issues but mostly they didn't break out into brawls whenever they got together? Or were internal struggles and arguments a regular plot point? I have no idea because the only Justice League comics I read previous to this title were the terrible months where everything was breaking down and then Steel betrayed them and Vibe was killed off and Martian Manhunter felt like a huge failure. Although was Aquaman leading the team at the time? I dislike Aquaman so much, I'm just going to believe he was leading the team and that's why everything completely fell apart. He sucks. Once per day, I think about that lousy meme trying to prove Aquaman wasn't useless by using the image from New 52 Justice League where he controls a bunch of great whites to breach and kill a bunch of parademons and I hate everybody who actually thought that was a cool moment. Batman and Doctor Fate arrive in the middle of the Justice League brawl (which even Martian Manhunter, the only adult in the room, is taken part in) and shuts shit down The Batman way.

I guess heroes are also a cowardly lot.

Meanwhile, Doctor Light winds up being held hostage with the rest of the United Nations by some white terrorists. I felt I needed to say they were white because a lot of racist assholes can only envision terrorists one way. Also, I should always describe people as white when they're white since I don't want to be an accomplice to maintaining a world where we assume a person mentioned is white, male, and heterosexual unless they're described more fully. Doctor Light was given a Justice League emergency beeper by a mysterious figure some time previously. This isn't revealed but I just read Justice League Spectacular #1 so I know Maxwell Lord gave her the device so that she could alert the Justice League when the United Nations was taken hostage by terrorists that Maxwell Lord IV paid. It's all about getting some early press! There's an advert for the new Flash which I'm surprised I didn't pick up since the advert shows him having some kind of accident in a sperm bank.

Ew Flash is right!

The Justice League head over to stop the terrorist attack. At some point, Doctor Fate disappears to go do something else and I think he never comes back? Is that why I barely remember him as a part of this league? Was he just there to look cool on the cover and fool all the lovers of DC magic users? The League storms the UN, murdering several terrorists.

Look. Manhunter either phased their heads into the solid ceiling or he smashed their skulls straight through the roof. Either way, I don't see a high percentage chance of their survival.

The Justice League capture all the terrorists and then Batman has the building evacuated, leaving just the leader of the terrorists alone in the United Nations building threatening to kill himself so that the bomb attached to his heart would detonate and kill them all. He does kill himself but the bomb doesn't detonate. And the thing is, Batman realized during the mission that the bomb was almost certainly a bluff. So he left the man alone to kill himself. Later we discover the man had a history of mental illness. So this, to Batman, is justice? Batman almost certainly realized the man was being manipulated and that he'd definitely kill himself to blow the bomb and Batman let the man do it. Batman is a fucking monster. After the event, the media points out that the terrorists were mostly composed of 60s radical groups like the Weathermen and the Black Panthers. Which is odd because there wasn't one black terrorist in the bunch. The issue ends with Max Lord talking to himself and admitting to being the one who staged the terrorist attack. He also knew the leader was unstable enough to kill himself for the cause and he sent him in with a bomb that definitely wouldn't blow. So he's a fucking monster as well. And Martian Manhunter is a monster, not because he's a weirdo martian, but because he basically popped the heads on a few of the terrorists. No way will I believe those guys hanging from the ceiling by their necks survived! All in all, Guy Gardner is starting to look like a rational member of this group! Justice League #1 Rating: B+. A better than average start to the new Justice League, building some intrigue and conflict right from the start. Who is Max Lord? What are his plans for the Justice League? Why is he acting like it's his group? Will Doctor Fate ever return? Will Oberon poison Guy Gardner? Will Black Canary and Doctor Light become best friends because they're the only women in the League? Will Guy Gardner and Batman ever come to blows? I can answer that! They will not! They'll just come to blow. One punch by Batman. And that one punch causes some severe psychological trauma to Gardner and nobody thinks he should get medical help simply because he starts acting nicer. They're all fucking monsters!

[c-is-for-circinate]

---okay wait, no, nevermind, this is what I want to say about Vex and Percy, I found it after all.  I love them because they’re a love story about choosing what you want to build after the world falls down around you, and finding somebody else who will look to the future and build next to you, even though you’re both working with shattered landscapes and cracked tools.  I love them because the way both of their worlds broke is so fucking different, but they understand each other enough to recognize it, and neither one of them can keep from moving instinctively, unstoppably forward anyway.

Once upon a time, they both had lives with plans, and then those lives fell apart.  And both of those lives, those sets of plans included love in their own way, but neither of them looked anything like the love Percy and Vex found with each other.  They didn’t expect that at all.

I have a lot of feelings about teenaged Percival de Rolo, who is probably going to be a clockmaker.  He has so many siblings in his vast noble family that he can do that, he can be semi-useless and artful.  He expects to get married someday, a respectable arranged match to someone he’ll presumably like well enough, and live a quiet, clever life.  I picture him as fond enough of his family, assuming that he’ll be fond enough of his hypothetical maybe-someday wife and his hypothetical maybe-someday children, happy enough in that partnership, with the time and space to be passionate about his cleverness and his books and his inventions.  There’s such a specific kind of fulfilment in that life I think Percy once envisioned for himself, with people who are reliably there, loved but taken a little bit for granted, all of the focus and elation and ‘this is the point of me’ devotion towards intellectual pursuits.  I think he would have been happy with that life, and that he would have been kind of a vaguely-inoffensive asshole because he never really paid enough attention to other people to bother really hurting them, or to learn that he could really hurt them and stop.

Of course we know how all of that fell apart.  What I’m fascinated by is Percy himself, though, Percy who survived to join Vox Machina, because the Percy we know from canon never actually stopped falling apart.  We know he hasn’t rebuilt himself a new life, he doesn’t have a future, he’s got a revenge quest and then he has a dragon distraction, sure, yes, we see that, but it’s not just the facts of what Percy does, it’s the feelings and the headspace he’s in the whole time.  Taliesin’s said a few times, and I am so interested in the implications, that Percy spends 95% of the campaign mostly staying coherent through the middle of a constant, years-long nervous breakdown.  He is constantly slipping back and forth along the edges of dissociating, present enough to react to things but not exactly here, not really processing the full weight of everything that happens, not quite.  He can’t tell his Orthax-visions apart from nightmares cooked up by his own brain, and he talks more than once about how much the past few years with VM feel more like a dream than reality.  His judgment is a mess, diving headfirst into deals with anyone who’ll have him, making whatever bad decision seems like a good idea at the time.

So Percy’s life was smashed to smithereens and the Percy we know has absolutely not recovered, has not even really begun to recover--but one of the really epic things about Percy is the way he just keeps moving forward anyway.  Dazed, dissociated, acting on instinct, whatever Percy may be, it is baked into his very nature to keep on going.  When Percy is surprised or threatened, he always seems to be shocked into action, not stillness.  We see it when he goes full Determinator in Whitestone during the Briarwoods arc, and again chasing Ripley to Glintshore.  We see it directly after the Chroma Conclave attack, looking for a plan, for a next step, when he tugs Vex to evacuate the keep; we see it in the ruins of Draconia when he’s the only one to notice Tiberius, and he is so careful about asking questions that won’t derail the thing they have in motion, so careful not to alert any of the others who might grind everything to a halt, because grief or no grief this has to keep going anyway.  Even when he’s awash with useless emotions and there’s nowhere to go to, Percy broods at work, down by a forge or setting pen to paper, making and planning and doing.  It’s so telling that even at his absolute worst, in that pit of nothing when Orthax first whispered in his ear, Percy’s reaction was to make something.

.

Which brings us to Vex, who isn’t quite a maker like Percy, but is still a builder in her own way.  Vex who had her own life that fell apart, and I don’t really mean Byroden, and I certainly don’t mean Syngorn.

Vex’s life, Vex’s plans, weren’t handed to her.  The life Vex expected to live was the one she was still living when we first met her: the traveling adventurer’s life she’d built with Vax.  (And maybe that’s our first demonstration of exactly how much Vex is maker and a builder, that after her life fell to pieces the first time--after Byroden, after Syngorn--she’d already managed to put together a new one once.)  She has her brother and she has her bear, and by the time we meet her she has Vox Machina, and it’s not much for convention but it’s a life.  All of her expectations are locked into that life and that future.  VM at level 9, with a keep under construction and the respect of Tal’dorei, was obviously already pretty different than the twins at level 1 living in the woods, but it’s also so easy to see how it’s just a continuation of the same thing.  Vex and her twin live in each others’ pockets, and she shoots things and makes sure that there is always enough to eat and always money for a rainy day, and there’s stability in unconditional love and self-sufficiency right there.  Laura’s mentioned on Talks that, if the Conclave hadn’t attacked and Vax had left the group, Vex would have tried as hard as possible to convince him to stay, and then would’ve gone with him for sure.  Of course she would have. Vox Machina was the life Vex was trying to build, but Vax and Trinket were the life she already had, cornerstone and truth.

You can see how hard Vex works to create and maintain and secure that life with every coin she squirrels away so zealously against a rainy day.  There is no doubt in my mind that, pre-Vox Machina, Vex and her bow and her hoarded pennies was the one who made sure there was always something to eat over the campfire every night.  There is no doubt in my mind that when they found Byroden in ashes, Vex was the one who got her brother moving, who kept them moving, who kept them pointed forwards no matter what.  And you can see how much Vex put into the bigger, richer, theoretically more-stable life Vox Machina was starting to build together when it all came crashing down.

Percy’s life fell apart pre-stream, and we all know exactly how.  The super fascinating thing about Vex’s arc is that we get to see her life fall apart, right there in the middle of the story, maybe more than anybody else.  The Chroma Conclave was hard on everyone for all sorts of reasons, but in terms of what Vex tried to build for herself and tried to keep, it’s easy to see how fast and how utterly she loses very nearly everything.  Greyskull Keep is first, of course, with the heartbreak of watching Vex hesitating there at the edge of the tree with tears in her eyes, because this was their home.  It’s such a big thing for her, more than for anyone else--and of course it is, because Vex more than anyone in the group saw Greyskull as her future.  Keyleth always had the Ashari to go back to, and Pike had Sarenrae, Grog lives in the motion and Scanlan avoids plans, Percy could barely conceive of a future existing and Vax was lost and floundering for any next step he could find, but Vex had this castle and Vex called this castle home.  

Of course it doesn’t end with the castle, though, because this love story is the story of how everything breaks, and the next thing of Vex’s to break was Vax.  Before the dragons came, Vax was already falling apart and falling away from her in two different directions, half of him tugged away by depression and uncertainty, the other half pulled after Keyleth.  The seeds of distance were sprouting there even before Vex died in the Queen’s champion’s tomb.  And maybe that feels even more symbolic now than I ever realized it did before--Vex died and came back, but the deal her brother made, that vow he swore, wiped away any chance Vex still had for ever getting back that wandering rogue-and-ranger life that once was hers.

The Chroma Conclave arc takes nearly half of Campaign 1, and Vex spends it watching bits of her old life crumble while she’s much, much too busy to process or mourn.  There are dragons in the world, and there’s no time to worry about what the world will look like once they’re dead.  She doesn’t have plans.  Vax has raven wings and a goddess and a girlfriend, and Emon is on fire, is turning to lava beneath Thordak’s feet, and Keyleth is a wreck and Grog dies for five minutes and god only knows what’s going on in Scanlan’s head ever--and Vex, like Percy, just keeps going.  She reads the Raven Queen book cover to cover seventeen times.  She takes things, and she hoards things, and she scrounges for loot, and she gets called greedy for it but the thing is that for Vex, acquiring things is very much a fundamental kind of building for the future, maybe even more than making and tinkering is for Percy.  Stocking up now will save them later, it’s baked into the firmament of Vex’s soul, take whatever you can because you will NEED IT someday.  She steals a broom because she wants it, yes, and then it saves all of their lives.  She sets the group after Fenthras because she wants it.  She bargains and she haggles, even when there’s no reason at all to believe that tomorrow will come, even when Vex has no idea what tomorrow could be, because whatever doubts she may have on the surface, her instincts can’t give up that last breath of faith: I will need this money later, because there will be a later.  Just like Percy, scribbling plans in his journals late in the night for inventions he has no time or supplies to make.  Neither of them have any fucking clue what the future could possibly be, but they can’t stop working towards it anyway.

.

This is the environment where they fall into each other, Vex and Percy, in the middle of the mess of the Chroma Conclave, in this violent limbo world where any day could be the last and next month might as well not exist.  This is where they plant the seeds and start to grow the future they don’t even believe in yet.

The attraction and the flirting start before the dragons even come, of course.  Percy builds things for Vex to have and keep and use or squirrel away, and it’s such a perfect expression of both of their attitudes towards the world.  Vex keeps his coin with hers, and makes sure to shepherd it just as carefully, makes sure that Percy will have enough in whatever future comes.  And there are hints of what they’ll be.  There’s a reason that ‘Darling, take the mask off’ is SO MUCH, and it’s because ever-moving determinator Percy is stuck.  He’s driving himself right into a corner, working himself off a cliff.  He’s just killed someone horribly and he’s on the edge of blue-screening right now, of stopping, or maybe of smashing everything until there’s nowhere left to go.   And Vex, who’s got a good life for herself right now but has already lost one and knows what it’s like, says, come on.  Let’s back you away from this wall you’ve thrown yourself up against.  Take the mask off.  Let’s keep moving forward. 

And they’re something, there, in the way Vex not only keeps going but tries to keep Percy going right through it all.  So much of Vex’s constant planning and motion is wrapped around and embedded with keeping other people going too.  We know she took care of Vax when it was just the two of them, because they took care of each other, and you cannot tell me Vex wasn’t the long-term planner of the pair.  She gathers Trinket up out of horror and sadness and makes sure he has a future.  She collects strays, angel slave-boys, the fruitless quest for the Gray Render baby.  She pulls Percy out of a jail cell and keeps him in the first place.  And there’s a selfless generosity to it, of course, or it’s easy to see one anyway, Vex who mothers, Vex who checks in on everybody else after her own death, but that’s not the whole story.  The other half of it is Vex-who’s-never-been-alone.  Vex who hoards people as tightly and as carefully as she hoards coin.  She can keep going through nearly anything, so long as her people are there with her, so she is going to make sure that everyone she loves stays okay because she needs them to be.

The thing about Percy is that--because he’s a builder, a maker, a fixer, a determinator in his own right--he can return that favor.  He can make sure that Vex keeps going, not by stopping and sitting in her feelings with her until she’s ready to move (which is very much the Vax and Keyleth energy), but by tugging her along in the direction she was already going.  In Syngorn he gives her Whitestone, and oh, it’s a way to shut her father up, but more than anything it’s a someday.  There in the city that helped destroy Vex’s first good life, while the dragon that burned the rest of it to ashes sits over the ruins of her last, Percy makes a promise that someday Vex can have a home and a future again.  It’s far away and shrouded in mist.   Percy can’t even really picture his own someday right now.  They might both die before they get there.  But there’s a someday ahead, and it’s enough to get Vex moving again, proud and hopeful and ready to go and collect that bow that’ll help get her there.

And Vex turns right back around again on Glintshore and in its aftermath, demanding that Percy have that future too, because she doesn’t want this one without him.  If he’s going to promise her a someday to move towards again, then he damn well has to get there too.  It’s because she wants him to be alive and happy, and it’s because Vex just wants him, needs him in her life, this human she collected and is so determined to keep.

So the promise of someday, in Whitestone is glittering on the horizon for them when they kiss in the woods after the Vorugal fight, and it’s just barely around the corner past the next couple of hells when Percy comes to her room before Thordak, but I think it also still feels like a far-away mirage, and I think that matters.  They are both still lost in a world full of carnage and dragons and constant threat.  Percy is stabbing Raishan in a council meeting because why the fuck not, this seems like a good idea at this time.  Vex is still so unsure, trying to teach herself to forgive, trying to see a path forward to that someday-horizon, trying to deal with the fact that even if they kill all the dragons and even if they all survive she’s lost her brother to Keyleth and fate.  The world is a wreck and they are a wreck in it, and the only thing they can do is not stop.  The only thing they can be sure of is right here, right now.

So that’s where they fall into bed.  On the eve of the Thordak fight, knowing they both could die tomorrow, knowing they most likely will.  They’re about to go take on the monster that destroyed the only two homes Vex ever loved, a decade and a half apart, and there is no kind of promise that either of them will see the other side of the war, and that’s where they grab each other and hold on.  They’re here in this impossible place together.  They’ll take it as it comes, they’ll take whatever comes, and for this one night they have each other in it.

.

And then they survive.

So much of the episodes directly after the end of the Conclave--the next week or two in Vox Machina’s life, where they save Scanlan and try to bury some ashes and rip themselves apart, and then fight a kraken and die trying, and then go to Hell, and then come back--is just this string of, okay, nobody here knows how to stop.  The dragons are dead, but the fugue state of violence and getting-the-next-thing-done, nose to the grindstone and figure this next step out and don’t worry about long-term plans because we might not survive to see them anyway, that’s still here.  Percy’s been living there for years (and certainly didn’t have time, post-Briarwoods arc, to start thinking about pulling himself out of it).  Vex’s specific life plans got trashed by the dragons more than anyone else’s.  But really, the whole group is living there in one way or another.  It’s just that Scanlan shattered under it and ran, and Grog’s never really suffered from it or lived differently anyway, and Pike keeps taking breaks to fix temples and tend to refugees and work towards rebuilding right through it all.  Keyleth and Vax both found a sort of peace in fatalism and destiny, in knowing that they have set paths there in front of them and all they have to do is choose to follow them.

Percy and Vex, very fundamentally, don’t have those set paths.  Nothing for them is a given.  There’s Whitestone, yes, but there is a reason Percy isn’t Lord of Whitestone, king in his castle, leading his city through the dragons and beyond.  When Percy’s life broke it shattered, and even when Whitestone was freed, he didn’t claim it as his.  He only came back after the dragon attack because Emon was gone and it was the only safe place they knew.  Whitestone is in Percy’s bones, part of how he defines himself and his life, but living there, running it, tying himself to the city--it isn’t a given.  Percy could die fighting dragons or die to a kraken or spend eternity trapped in the Nine Hells, and Whitestone would be fine.  He could leave and never come back, and Whitestone would be fine.

So coming back to Whitestone--sending Vex on the Gray Hunt--fucking in the castle treasury and setting up plans for whatever’s next--it’s a choice.  Nothing about the people Percy and Vex become during peacetime is about destiny.  They had lives and plans and destinies, the rich asshole clockmaker, the ranger on the road.  Those are gone.  Everything they keep from those old lives is a little broken, a little twisted from what they once expected it to be.  Everything they do now is what they decide to build.

And this is the glory of Percy and Vex, the love that’s so big it makes my heart ache: the thing they decide to keep in this new world is each other.  In the fugue of war with no future, they found each other and built things together, spent an entire evening tinkering on Vex’s stolen broom in Percy’s workshop, flirted and fucked and kept each other going even when nobody knew where.  Neither of them had real, passionate romantic love written into their plans, back when they had plans.  Neither of them needed it, not for the lives they wanted.  But those lives are dead and gone, and they found this thing together in the weird wilderness between there and here, and they’re keeping it.  They get to do that.  They get to build their new lives in whatever shape they want, and that means they get to set each other as cornerstones and build everything else around them.

It’s so fundamental to this relationship and this new future that all the building blocks they’re working with, on both sides, are a little bit broken.  Whitestone itself is still a struggling, recovering city sitting on a decimated continent.  Percy is still so caught up in his own anger, still waiting for another shoe to drop, still not quite ready to believe any of this is real.  Vex is pouring through libraries researching Orcus, researching Vecna, waiting for old debts to be called in.  They are neither of them fixed.  They are neither of them safe.

But we get to see, in one-year timeskip, how tentatively and tenaciously they keep working together towards something anyway.  Vex builds a house and a Gray Hunt corps and a tentative detente with her father, starting to pick up those old pieces, starting to try.  Percy builds civic works projects and an international early warning system, still ready for the next disaster, starting to entertain the idea that it doesn’t have to destroy everything.  They get new glasses and open a bakery and invest in armor and ammo and art.  They host a ball.

They get married, in secret, and tell almost nobody they know.  It’s such an asshole thing to do!  They are both still assholes, both still broken enough to be wary of the consequences of inviting their own loved ones to a simple wedding.  They do it because the point isn’t the moment, it’s the marriage, all the future days to come in this new life they’ve agreed they are going to create together.  They want it to be theirs, just theirs, this relationship they never expected to have and now intend to base the rest of their lives on.  It’s kind of a messy, slightly dickish way to go about things, and that’s perfect, because Vex and Percy are kind of messy, slightly dickish people, and they own that together.  They own a lot of things together now.

.

The epilogue of Campaign 1 walks the line between open-ended and closed story in a way I find so deeply satisfying, and so much of that is because of Percy and Vex.

So many stories end at a point where--the day is saved, or it appears to be, and the horizon is wide open for the heroes and the sunset, and everything is triumphant and victorious and anything could happen next.  It’s perfectly satisfying and ripe for sequels, and nothing is quite guaranteed but everybody is happy for now and that’s a good place to tie things up anyway.  It’s the ending of Return of the Jedi, or the first Pacific Rim--something has to happen next, somebody has to figure out what that is, but that’s not the heroes’ problem and that’s not the worry for today.

Sometimes, stories end with everything so tightly wrapped up that there’s no room to breathe.  It’s the ending that says, what you’ve just read or watched or gone through is the entire story.  It is everything that matters.  It is full, and it is complete, and nothing that ever happens in the rest of these characters’ lives will ever be as important as what they’ve just done.  Lord of the Rings does this a bit, and it actually works; Harry Potter does it badly, and I’d submit that The Adventure Zone: Balance does too.  It’s the implication behind every Disney or fairytale happily ever after, although those at least tend to skip the epilogue describing exactly what that happily-ever-after means.

Vex and Percy do neither of these things at the end of their story, or they do both of them, and that’s so great.  They do get the epilogue, with the closed ending and the happily-ever-after.  The Lord and Lady de Rolo settle down, have at least five children, and live in peace for decades until Percy eventually dies of old age and Vex far-more-eventually follows.  Their friends outlive them by decades or centuries.  It’s tidy and nice and final...except.  Whitestone could outlive even Keyleth, and Percy--and by extension now Vex, too--lives as long as Whitestone lives.

Somehow Percy and Vex manage to have an epilogue with every one of the trappings of a perfect picture-book ending, without feeling static.  They’re going to have the house and the kids and the castle and the tiny little kingdom, and it’s going to be full every single day, because inherent in the very makeup of these two people is the inability to ever stop growing.  With the dragons dead, with Vecna gone, they can keep doing exactly what they’ve been doing this entire time.  They can move forward.  They can build.  And they can build something massive that outlasts both of them, lay foundations and groundwork for centuries and generations to come.

Fighting with Vox Machina will always have been the biggest, hardest, most glorious and dangerous, most epic thing that Vex and Percy have ever done, and it’s absolutely over.  The book is done, tied off with a bow.  But they’re not stuck and they’re not empty without it.  They’re going to make clock towers and festivals and change the whole culture of Whitestone.  They’re going to have half a dozen children and raise them towards their future.  The Whitestone of fifty, sixty, seventy years from the end of the campaign when Percy eventually dies will be fundamentally different from the Whitestone they came home to when their adventures ended, and it will be the pair of them who made it so, together.  Which means that even without him Vex will still have him, in civil infrastructure and all the things that let people keep living their lives, in this thing they created as a team, this thing she’ll continue to shepherd and grow without him for the rest of her own life.

And maybe that’s the key to Vex and Percy, to why their ending feels so satisfying, so inevitable and perfect and good.  So many stories end before their characters can change and split away from each other.  So many epilogues decree that their characters will never change, ever, so they can never grow apart.  But Percy and Vex are built of growth and motion, and when they found a match for themselves in each other they decided to point that forward momentum in the same direction and change together for the rest of their lives.  It’s what a real relationship looks like, a real happily-ever-after.  They will pick each other up and help each other on along the way, because we’ve seen it happen.  They’ll hold on to each other, and they’ll build.

[wallstagram]

january - march fic recs

this might be a long one, so hold on for the ride! below are some of my favorite, favorite, favorite fics that i’ve read so far in 2019 - some are new works, some are tried and true ones that I always come back to for inspiration, and some just make my heart so happy, that they made it on this list! 

all authors are listed by their AO3 name but linked to their tumblr, if I could find it!

:: J A N U A R Y ::

honestly, such a busy month for me! i spent most of that month focused on school and working on my own fics, but after having a look at my history, these were the works that stood out as favorites!

like an endless summer by objectlesson 

Or, Louis is a riding instructor at a summer camp, and Harry is a fellow counselor who he’s been successfully managing his crush on for the last two summers. That is, until Harry shows up this year leveled up and lethal, and all Louis’s formerly perfected veneer of nonchalance melts like a popsicle in the sun. 

OKAY. This story is wonderful. I’m such a sucker for summer camp AU’s, and this one is so drawn out and well done. At 87k, it gets slow burn right without becoming boring. Sweet and sexy moments about facing fears and finding love with all your best friends around. I’m also here to rec the sequel palms reflecting in your eyes because YES.

hymns for restless stars by turnyourankle

Every Holiday season Louis has his pupils write down their Christmas wishes for class. He's read almost every wish under the sun, but one girl's wish takes him by surprise. It's for her uncle not to be alone anymore. It's not a wild wish by any means, but Louis had no idea that former teen idol Harry Styles was lonely in the first place.

this is such a sweet, sweet work that is so near and dear to my heart. It touches on some themes that I feel are downplayed by the fandom (but that rant is for another post, haha) so it was lovely to see it done so well. I just love the characterization and how the whole thing flows from beginning to end. It may be ~38k, but as a 25-chapter fic, I’d consider it an easy read over time, and a story I fully recommend. 

:: F E B R U A R Y ::

a firm believer and a warm receiver by objectlesson

a few months ago, Louis had his first heat. It was no big deal, aside from it being awkward and weird and all the other things it was supposed to be. He figured he would present as an omega, so he wasn’t exactly surprised or anything.

But then, last week, Harry had his first heat, too.

---

Or, the omega/omega sleepover fic no one asked for but y'all really, really need.

so - i’m all about non-traditional pairings, and the ABO verse has been full of amazing ones! While this story is shorter than a lot of my recs (at ~ 11k) it is wonderful and the characterization of H and L is wonderful. Highly recommend this one for anyone who likes ABO.

leave your mark on me by fullonlarrie 

When Chef Harry Styles’ unbonded Omega designation threatens to derail his career, he does the only thing he can, and goes in search of a black market bond.

wow. okay. so this is one of those stories that - it just blows my mind that more people aren’t talking about how amazing this is! it weighs a bit more heavy on the oppressive realities of ABO for omegas, and i love falling into a version of ABO that I could really envision being an alternate reality. I love the style of it, and the pace is exactly what it needs to be. About 32 k, nice slow burn. (if you haven’t seen a theme, I love a good slow burn!)

from, your secret admirer by flicker_album

Or the one where Louis is Harry's Tumblr crush so he sends him secret admirer messages for Valentine's Day

I really love the idea of fanboys!H&L. I loved the real-world touches, and I think the prompt is so stinking cute! It’s a nice, light read. I thoroughly enjoyed the style and just the dialogue set. 

fugue by iwillpaintasongforlou

Harry falls asleep a 17 year-old who lives in Cheshire and is probably rockstar Louis Tomlinson's biggest fan. He wakes up 24 with a wedding ring on his finger, two kids, and Louis Tomlinson attempting to wake him up with a blow job. The doctor calls it organic retrograde amnesia, says he might never get back the last seven years of his life. The only thing that feels the same is how he feels when Louis touches him, and maybe that's enough to make him fall in love all over again

i really think of this fic a lot more than i’d care to admit. there are a few (in my opinion) classics in the fandom that I think everyone should read, and this is surely one of them. there’s the perfect blend of angst and falling in love, dolloped with domesticity, learning to trust each other again, smut, and happiness. i often get so lost in this work that I imagine it’s much longer than it really is (at 17k) but it’s enough to really sink your teeth into and get lost inside of. when i need to be filled up as a writer, these are the kind of works i go to - the ones that have stood the test of time and still are wonderful every single time I come back to them.

:: M A R C H ::

somewhere between a minute and a lifetime by dinosaursmate

“Is your passport definitely in your bag?” “It’s definitely there,” Harry huffed. “I’m not stupid.” “I never said you were, love. I’m just asking from experience.” “It happened once.” Louis pressed his lips together and wheeled his suitcase towards the front door. “And… you really aren’t wearing a plug? You swear?” Harry finally cracked a smile. “I swear.” --- Harry and Louis go on their first big holiday, and they have a few surprises for each other along the way.

so I recommend the whole series, but this third installment is surely my favorite, and the one I come back to. i love holiday fics, and there’s something about this spunky couple that has me following every single word the author has written. I love how witty Harry can be in this, and how nothing about their holiday is picture perfect. all to say - for a smut-centered fic, it knows how to balance an amazing plot and really keep me wanting more. it’s also a nice length at 20k, that I feel satisfied but not like i’ve been reading for forever. i’m really hoping a part four is on the way!

the second hand unwinds by fullonlarrie

Louis Tomlinson is one of the first members of NASA's top secret Chrono Exploration Program. When things go wrong and he's sent further back in time than planned, he has no other option than to show up on his ex-boyfriend's doorstep.

this story fucked me up in the best way possible!!! I really read it all in one go, set it aside, and came back to it. Skimmed for the parts i needed to read again, read the entire thing again, and since I read it, it always comes to mind as one of the first fics I’ll recommend out to someone. i already babbled about my adoration for this fic in the comments, so i’ll let you go see for yourself! it’s ~52k of pure gold.

tell me this is paradise by quickedween

Harry Styles has been lucky in love but unlucky in the bedroom with all of her previous boyfriends. When her best friend Niall finds out that she's never had an orgasm, she knows just what Harry needs: Louis Tomlinson. Niall sets Harry up to get sorted out.

if you asked me five weeks ago if i’d ever have a girl!direction fic in my list, I would’ve laughed. for some reason, i’ve never been able to fully immerse myself in the plot, really get into it. I just - I couldn’t take it seriously. until this. this fic rocked my entire world. it’s the shortest fic on my list at ~ 5k, so i’ve read it multiple times and would seriously recommend based off the characterization, amazing smut, and the fact that it turned me into a girl!direction believer. (AND it inspired me to go on a similar journey to the one Harry has - but that’s for a different post!) but thank you for converting me to girl!direction, quickedween!

like a siren in the night by whoknows

“There is an infestation in my home,” Louis hisses, righting himself quickly and pushing his way past Harry, heading directly for the kitchen. He’s rather haphazardly dressed himself, a coat thrown on over a loose flannel shirt and black pants, slippers on his feet.

Harry resists the urge to sigh, closing the door and trailing behind him slowly. “What kind of infestation?”

For all he knows, Louis is going to claim that there’s a ghost infestation. Harry has no idea what the end game is here – all he knows is that Louis has found at least three complaints a week to bring up since he’s been living on Harry’s property, and he’s been living here for six months.

It’s way too many fucking complaints, is what Harry is saying. Especially when most of them are ridiculous to start with.

oh, my heart. i love this fic so much. it’s ABO, and it has the perfect level of angst, love, and everything in between. i love the imperfect relationship between H and L - and i’m sure you will too! such a darling, sexy, and wonderful work! (~25k)

salt and the appetite by sadaveniren

Aka Harry, a popular BDSM blogger, writes a negative review about Louis’ club. Louis wants to have a chance to make it up to him.

so i’m a huge fan of anything sada writes, but the no control club series itself is so amazing! i always come back to it for something that I know won’t let me down, that is steamy and perfect! this work that starts off the series is 14k of smut and all sorts of fun, sexy stuff that H and L get up to. if you haven’t already read it, you must be living under a rock. go check it out!

so, that’s the list! thank you to @sadaveniren, @becomeawendybird, @fullonlarrie, @dinosaursmate, @canonlarry, @flicker-album, @horsegirlharry, and @turnyourankle for writing such masterpieces! stay tuned for my next rec list! if you survived reading this entire post, you deserve a medal

[thirstyforjohnseed]

Death’s Goodbye Kiss

Pairings: Dabria Waters x John Duncan/John Seed

Warnings: Smut, some death and murder, implied child abuse

Word count: approx. 3,414

A/N: So I tried my hand at smut for the first time ._. Been working on this short for a while and was hoping I’d have it done and uploaded before I left for camping this weekend that just passed. Didn’t happen but here it is finally lol Thank you @jacobsknifeplay for the title idea and always helping me proofread my stuff. You’re amazing and I love you! 💕 Again I’m always open for any constructive criticism or advice.

Some mood music I guess? Lol

Enjoy~ ^-^

__________________________________________

It was supposed to be an easy job. All she had to do was sneak into the party, careful not to draw any unnecessary attention to herself, kill the senator, and sneak out. She’s done jobs like these hundreds of times, this wasn’t anything new to her. She’s a freaking death angel for goodness sake. She didn’t even really have to be in the same room with the target to do the job, but noo some crazy part of her enjoyed the thrill she got at the risk of getting caught. Well any plans to go unnoticed were thrown out the window when the host of the party showed up.

She had been mingling around the buffet table, keeping an eye on her target, when John Duncan made his appearance. As he finished making his welcome speech and began to converse with his guests, she turned and continued to snack lightly. She wasn’t here for him though he was certainly more attractive than she had anticipated. She’s never met the guy but she knew he was a very expensive and damn good lawyer. She wasn’t very fond of high class parties anyways, they were too stressful. The food was delicious though. She may not need the sustenance but what girl didn’t dream of being able to eat without gaining weight?

As she turned to go back to getting lost in the crowd, she noticed that John was making his way towards her. She felt herself panic a little. Gaining his attention would completely derail her plans, but now she was rooted at the spot like a deer caught in bright headlights. Instead she focused on trying to keep her composure when he reached her. “Excuse me, but I don’t believe we’ve met before Miss…?” He trialed off waiting for her to introduce herself, watching her every move. Everything about him was so calculated, refined, and confident; definitely knows he’s good looking and using it to his advantage. She had this urge to dig in and try to do away with his façade but she couldn’t allow herself to get distracted right now. “Angela Kiesling,” she lied without a trace of agitation, using her alias as she held her hand out to him. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kiesling” He said as he took her hand and laid a gentle kiss on the back of it. Not once breaking eye contact with her.

Shit, he was hot, and any other time she would’ve loved to stay to flirt with and tease him; but she was working now and had to lose him somehow. At least she could keep track of the senator without alerting John that her focus was on something else. Her heightened senses and ability to feel the difference in everyone’s spiritual energy were a huge help in that regard. “Is this your first time attending one of my parties? I’d honestly be disappointed in myself if I had never noticed such a lovely face as yours.” “I’d honestly be surprised if you even remembered me if I had”, she said as she nodded towards the group of women who were trying, and failing, to look like they were mingling and not watching them. Probably jealous that she had him all to herself at the moment, whether she wanted to or not, she didn’t care enough to make sure. “Should you be keeping your entourage waiting?” She asked trying her best to seem as apathetic as possible.

John chuckled and said, “There’s always room for one more.” “Mm sorry I don’t really play well with others, Mr. Duncan,” she said as she took a sip from her glass, “I’d hate to accidentally break one of your toys.” “Please, my dear. You may call me John,” he responded with a confident smirk, “We’re far more flexible and resilient than we appear. Besides… a new favorite toy always gets time alone with the master.” “Lucky them, I’m sure. However this doll chooses her master.” They continued to go back and forth like that for a bit. She was starting to lose her patience. It was like the more she tried to resist, the more interested he became and it was infuriating. Eventually in a final and desperate attempt to discourage him, she turned and started devouring the mini eclairs nearby. Trying to make herself look like a glutton, but also careful not to ruin her makeup or dress.

She looked back at him as she was finishing, hoping that did the trick, but nope. He just smiled, wiped the cream off the corner of her mouth, and licked it off his finger with a seductive look in his eyes. Argh, that really backfired on her! She did her best to keep her fluster hidden as she said, “John, don’t you have other guests to tend to? Rather rude of you to ignore them.” “Mm, you’re right about that. I’ll find you again later, my dear. You’re not allowed to leave without sharing a dance with me,” he licked his lips lightly as if still tasting the cream from the eclairs as he winked at her and walked away.

Once he disappeared into the crowd, she sighed in relief and rested her drink and hands on the table for a moment. Good god, why had it been so difficult for her to keep her act together with him? She knew better than to fall apart like this while on the job. She blamed his eyes; She was incredibly weak for eyes like his, intense yet a hint of sorrow or was it loneliness? Something felt incredibly familiar about him too as if… as if she’s met him before… No, she couldn’t afford to get attached to anyone right now. She forced down all thoughts of John and downed the last of her champagne before turning to join the large group of people dancing.

The next hour or two was a blur of swirling skirts, many new unknown faces, and hunting down prey while being hunted. Eventually the constant exchange of dance partners led her right into the arms of the senator himself. For a man in his early 50s, he was keeping up quite well on the dance floor. He also had a fairly attractive face, she might’ve been tempted had it not been for the terrible things he’s done. The very reason she was here in the first place. He pulled her close as he whispered, “I saw you talking with John Duncan earlier. I don’t suppose he’s staked his claim on you yet?” Her skin crawled at his touch, and she tried to put a bit of distance between them as she answered, “That remains to be seen.” They spun together in time with the rest of the group and music. “Well that’s certainly encouraging. I can give you a good time,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled her close again. She hid her disgust as she said, “A tempting offer, but you’ll have to do better than that.”

To her relief they had to switch partners again as she said that, so she turned and left a smiling senator to give her attention to her new partner. Well it would’ve been better for her to switch, if her new partner wasn’t John himself. Fuck not again! She thought to herself as John pulled her close to him. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest and he had that seductive smirk again. Funny how she didn’t mind being held so closely to him as opposed to how she tried to pull away from the senator earlier. “You’ve been avoiding me, dear Angela,” he whispered, his breath brushing her ear gently, sending chills down her spine, “Do I make you uncomfortable?” Far from it, she thought. She was completely at ease around him and that’s what worried her.

“Not at all,” she confessed, “Quite the opposite actually.” He had her trapped now and was leading her away from the group, making it clear that he didn’t plan to let her slip away again. “Then why play coy?” He asked as he spun her around and held her close with her arms crossed in front of her. She turned her head so he could see the smirk on her lips, and mischievous spark in her eyes as she answered, “And miss the chance to give you a bit of a challenge? Come on, you must get bored of everyone giving in so easily.” He smiled and spun her around again and said, “You seemed to be having some fun with the senator earlier.” She didn’t even try to hide her disgust this time as she rolled her eyes and said, “That was only lip service. Really not interested in someone who’s been accused by multiple victims for sexual assault.”

Speaking of the senator, if John wasn’t going to let her go, she’ll have to fall back on her backup plan. Crushing his heart telekinetically was one of the only sure ways of killing him without drawing any suspicion to herself. She won’t be able to prove to her client that she was responsible, but it was the only foolproof method at her disposal now. She’s not about to leave this job unfinished. “Ah, yes not one of my most proudest victories in court, but a job’s a job,” John said snapping her attention back to him. She cocked an eyebrow at him as she asked, “You were the one responsible for him avoiding being convicted? That doesn’t bother you?” He shrugged as he said, “It doesn’t matter what I think of the whole situation. His fate is in God’s hands now.” That’s one way of looking at it… she thought as she said, “I didn’t take you for a religious man.” “My parents are devout Christians. Let’s just say they pounded it into me…” he said softly.

The song they were dancing to came to an end, and he dipped her as the finishing move to their dance, but not before she caught the glimpse of deep pain in his eyes. As he held her there for a few seconds, she immediately focused on the senator’s heart and envisioned invisible fingers tightening around it and shutting off his arteries. Immediately the man clutched at his chest, pain wracking his face, his breath becoming shallow, and he began to sweat profusely. Many people around him began to panic and tried to reach out and help him, but he pushed them away and fell to his knees as his life was slipping away.

John immediately rushed to help him, and she followed but stayed behind in the crowd. However by the time John reached him it was too late. The man was dead, and no amount of CPR or use of a defibrillator would bring him back, she made sure of that. Recognizing that there was nothing else that could be done to save him, John immediately turned to his guests and asked them all to leave the room in an orderly fashion. His servants helped lead everyone out to another room that was just as big as the one they had been in.

As they all waited for the mess to be cleaned up, she noticed how most of the guests were actually pretty calm about the whole thing. The only ones who were clearly visibly shaken were the actors and actresses. For the gangsters and police officers who see death all the time, this probably wasn’t anything new and thus not too unsettling for them. Well there went the rest of her pay, she’s gonna have to find something else to reward herself with for a job well done. Soon John came in announcing that the incident has been taken care of. The party will be moved to their current room now, but if anyone felt like leaving they were welcome to do so. Surprisingly not many people left, but the mood was definitely more somber and tense. It gradually became more relaxed when the drugs were passed around again.

“I’m glad you decided to stay,” John said as he walked up to her and offered her a glass of champagne which she took gratefully, “It’s been quite the eventful night.” “Indeed. I can’t help but wonder about everyone’s priorities if they can go back to partying after witnessing that,” she said as she drank from her glass. “Well the same could be said about you, my dear” he smiled as he finished his glass and set it down on the small table beside her, “Want to get out of here?” She smiled and leaned closer to him as she asked, “Looking to get a little frisky?” “Ever since I laid eyes on you,” he said in a deep seductive tone. Well with her hit done and taken care of she had some free time before having to move on again, so why the hell not? He’s been driving her crazy all night. She placed her half empty glass beside his on the table, took his hand, and let him lead her out.

They were so impatient that they barely made it into his bedroom without tearing at each other’s clothes. They stood at the edge of his king sized bed as she kissed him; her hands working on undoing his tie, and the buttons of his blazer and shirt. She didn’t want to get emotionally involved, just relief some stress. A man like him probably has a different lover every night anyways, or so she was trying to convince herself until she pulled his shirt off exposing his chiseled torso.

It wasn’t his perfect body structure or tattoos that had made her pause; it was the scars. She gently traced her fingers over them as he sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her closer; his hands resting gently on her waist. Rubbing circles on her hips and slowly creeping to the hem of her short skirt. “Are these… from your parents?” She asked remembering the look in his eyes when he had mentioned them earlier. She looked deep into his eyes, observing any and all emotions in them, as he hiked up her skirt enough for her to have room to move her legs, and pulled her up onto his lap making her straddle him. She could feel his erect member pressing against her womanhood. The few layers of clothing between them doing nothing to hide how much he wanted her as he caressed her thighs.

“Yes…” he answered softly before, resting his head in her chest, taking in her scent as he unzipped her dress. She felt his pain and anger buried deep within now. Great, well so much for not getting attached… she thought to herself as she remembered a little boy with a similar name in a similar relationship with his parents… She couldn’t do anything to help that boy but she could play nice for this John. Now she didn’t feel like being selfish. Tenderly she passed her fingers through his hair and down his back. Placing soft kisses on the top of his head and forehead. He sighed in contentment at her gentle touches before pulling her dress over her head and taking her lips with his again.

While she tangled her hands in his hair, he placed his right hand behind her head and deepened their kiss. Licking her lips, begging for entry which she refused to give just yet. With his left hand, he held her hip firmly and motioned for her to move her hips more as he thrusted against her. The feeling of his hard cock rubbing against her caused her to gasp in pleasure, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues wrestled for dominance as she grinded her hips in rhythm with his thrusts; eliciting moans from him. Her heart was beating a thousand miles and she could hear his heart doing the same. Every thrust caused the fire in her skin to burn hotter and hotter. She wasn’t sure how much more she could resist before it would consume her. God she wanted him inside her already.

Unable to hold back any longer, John broke their kiss, leaving them both breathless and panting; grabbed her ass and lifted her up so he could turn around and lay her on her back. He crawled on top of her and kissed her sensually as he undid his pants with her eager help. Once he was free, he began to trail light kisses down from her neck, to her breasts, down her stomach. When he reached her panties, he grabbed it with his teeth and pulled them off her, leaving her completely exposed to him. He went back up to her face and kissed her while his right hand played with her warm lower region.

She moaned and arched into him as his fingers rubbed against her clit, occasionally pumping into her. She was so dripping wet from his touch and was getting close to her peak. He saw this and immediately switched out his hand and slipped into her. They moaned in ecstasy as he pumped into her faster and faster. She clutched the bed sheets and cried out his name as she reached her climax. Feeling her tighten around him as she unraveled under him sent him over the edge as well, and he pulled out of her just a few seconds before coming all over her. Fortunately most of it landed on her stomach and chest; she used her finger to wipe off what little got on her face, and licked it clean all the while holding his gaze. Still breathing heavily, he smiled at her as he said, “Sorry about that. I’ll get you a towel.”

After cleaning up, they went at it for a few more rounds before they were finally tired out enough to stay cuddling together under the sheets. He laid on his back propped up on a few pillows while she laid across his chest, her head just below his chin. She felt so safe in his arms that maybe she’d actually be able to get some sleep for once, but before she let herself drift off she looked up at John. “What is it, my dear?” He asked her as he noticed her looking at him. “Just wondering why you chose me. You could have had anyone you wanted and yet you persisted after me even after I so rudely tried to turn you down. Why?” She asked genuinely curious. “You want the truth? It was your eyes. They shine in a way the others down there can only dream. So full of kindness and warmth. It was even more encouraging when I noticed I was the only one you showed that side to. You’re pretty cold and closed off to everyone else,” he answered with a smile and passed his fingers through her hair.

She had a feeling that there was a bit more to it than that, but she didn’t press further. Maybe it was better not to know as she was still going to be leaving the next morning. “Wow, that was a bit corny,” she said with a smile as she decided to tease him instead, “I can just see the headlines if that got out. ‘Millionaire playboy lawyer secretly a hopeless romantic?’ Oh the amount of ladies who’d want you after that would be endless.” He laughed as he said, “I may have to take you to court for that if you say a word to the media.” She giggled softly as she felt her exhaustion begin to take her under. He kissed her gently on her forehead before falling asleep with her.

The next morning, she woke up before him. Her sleep wasn’t plagued with visions and nightmares for once so she actually got some rest. This only served to remind her how much it hurt to leave him like this, as she never gets a restful sleep unless she’s with someone she absolutely trusts. She held back tears as she kissed him gently on his forehead, careful not to wake him up. Best not to make this any harder than it needed to be with a long goodbye, so she quietly slipped out of the room with her high heels in hand. Two feathers left behind on the pillow next to him. One black and one white.

[orbemnews]

A New $260 Million Park Floats on the Hudson. It’s a Charmer. CRITIC’s Notebook Little Island, developed by Barry Diller, with an amphitheater and dramatic views, opens on Hudson River Park. Opponents battled it for years. May 20, 2021 Rising from the Hudson River, Little Island preens atop a bouquet of tulip-shaped columns, begging to be posted on Instagram. Outside, it’s eye candy. Inside, a charmer, with killer views. Mega-mogul Barry Diller’s $260 million, 2.4-acre pet project and civic mitzvah, near 13th Street in Hudson River Park, is the architectural equivalent of a kitchen sink sundae, with a little bit of everything. Who knows what it will feel like when crowds arrive this weekend. I suspect they will be enormous. Because nothing in New York gets built without a struggle, opponents battled for years in court to stop Little Island. The park-within-the-park was conceived nearly a decade ago to replace Pier 54 on Manhattan’s West Side. In 1912, the R.M.S. Carpathia brought survivors of the Titanic to Pier 54. It had become a venue for outdoor concerts in recent years but started to crumble and had to be closed. Park officials approached Diller — his headquarters are in the neighborhood — and in turn Diller enlisted Thomas Heatherwick, the English designer and billionaire whisperer. New Yorkers may recall Heatherwick devised the Vessel at Hudson Yards. I won’t dawdle over the mess that followed the island’s announcement. A real estate titan who had bones to pick with the Hudson River Park Trust supported a series of legal challenges. At one point, seeing no end in sight to the court fights, Diller backed out. A deal brokered by New York’s governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, ultimately rescued the project and also delivered public commitments to enhance protections for wildlife habitats and improve other parts of the four-mile-long, 550-acre Hudson River Park. So, credit the complainers, I suppose — and Diller, obviously, for not giving up. A win-win for New York. The city works in strange ways sometimes. The concept Heatherwick sold to Diller and the Hudson River Park Trust looks largely unchanged since it was unveiled in 2014: an undulating platform, extravagantly planted with beautiful trees, flowers and grass, detached at a jaunty angle from the bulkhead and organized around performance spaces, including a spectacular 687-seat amphitheater overlooking the water, custom-made for watching the sunset while sipping Bellinis. The engineering firm Arup figured out how to balance the whole thing on the columns. Signe Nielsen, a co-founder of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, designed everything green and flowering that visitors will see, smell, lay a blanket on and walk past. I’ve become a Heatherwick skeptic lately, but his contribution here is in the theatrical vein of 18th century English garden follies — not least because Little Island can remind you more of a private estate than a city park. It’s clearly going to cost a king’s ransom to maintain, a burden the Hudson River Park Trust (which is to say the public) would have to bear absent other arrangements. Fortunately, Diller has promised that his family foundation will pick up the tab for the next 20 years. That’s not forever, but it includes programming costs, Diller told me — until the programming (mostly free, not a moneymaker) can find nonprofit funding to “stand on its own.” He estimates he may end up spending $380 million all in — no doubt the largest private gift to a public park in the city’s history, maybe in the planet’s. The other day I climbed to the topmost point on the island, a grassy crow’s nest with a 360 panorama. A lovely path shaded by dogwoods and redbuds, perfumed by woodland azaleas, snaked up the hillside. The views shifted from city to river, garden to grassland. Heatherwick’s columns peek through a hill here or there, but you don’t really focus on them once you’re on the island, save for the great arch of giant tulip bulbs at the entrance, which required a year of tweaking to get the curves just right and to accommodate soil for Nielsen’s trees on top. When you’re on the island you focus mostly on her plantings, the water and skyline. I had spied a mother duck on an earlier visit, brooding a clutch of eggs near the crow’s nest. She was roosting in the nook of a weathered steel retaining wall just below the top of the hill. The island’s warm palette of materials provides a subdued backdrop for the trees and flowers, and it helped camouflage the duck. What will the park feel like when everyone arrives and performances start? Hundreds of free and modestly priced concerts, dance and children’s programs are planned to get underway this summer. Trish Santini, Little Island’s executive director, told me that her staff has been working closely with community organizations to ensure free and inexpensive tickets get into the hands of underserved groups and neighborhood schoolchildren. A second stage, called the Glade, at the base of a sloping lawn, tucked into the southeast corner of the park and framed by crape myrtle and birch trees, is custom made for kids and educational events. The main plaza, where you can grab a bite to eat and sit at cafe tables under canvas umbrellas, doubles as a third venue. It’s on the route between the two gangways that link the island to Manhattan — and a stone’s throw from the High Line — so it’s sure to be mobbed. Santini also said the island will do timed reservations to prevent overcrowding. Little Island will need it, I expect. Two-plus acres is half the size of a city block. This stretch of the West Side waterfront is changing swiftly. Just to the south, a former sanitation garage is being turned into Gansevoort Peninsula, with ball fields, a sand beach and a sculpture by David Hammons, donated by the Whitney Museum of American Art to Hudson River Park, which traces in steel the outlines of bygone Pier 52. North of Little Island, Pier 57 — where Google is leasing new quarters — will soon open community spaces, a food court and its roof deck to the public (City Winery is already up and running there). Piers 76 and 97 are also getting makeovers. Now bourgeois central, the West Side used to be the busiest port in the Americas, a clangorous maelstrom of swinging cables and breaking booms, bulging warehouses and stevedores’ bars. A titan’s comb of piers stretched from the Battery as far north as the eye could see, the air choked with particles of grain and bone dust when “skyscraper” was a word that still referred to the topsail of a clipper ship. Decline started after the Second World War, as air travel made ocean liners obsolete. Industry fled the city. Huge new containerized ships were too big for New York’s docks. By the 1960s, a district where the R.M.S. Lusitania berthed before its fateful voyage became a shamble of auto salvage shops, tow pounds, S&M bars and taxi garages. Communities of artists and L.G.B.T.Q. residents colonized some of the crumbling wharves. But when a section of the elevated West Side Highway collapsed in 1973 (beneath a dump truck that was carrying asphalt to repair a different part of the road), the political impetus to “clean up” the West Side gathered momentum in the form of an urban reclamation plan called Westway. I mention all this because adversaries who sued to stop Little Island claimed, among other things, that it would wreak havoc on fish habitats in the Hudson. That was the strategy that derailed Westway in the 1980s when a federal judge agreed with opponents who challenged reports by authorities over whether the project would inhibit the mating habits of juvenile striped bass. This time environmental agencies determined that Little Island would cause no harm to fish, and the strategy didn’t work. But I recall Westway for another reason. Probably the most ambitious city renewal plan of the postwar era, it envisioned replacing the crumbling West Side Highway with an interstate tunneled below the Hudson River. Hordes of cars and trucks would be removed from streets, disused warehouses and piers torn down, and the waterfront redeveloped and extended into the river on hundreds of new acres of landfill, creating a vast green esplanade with bike lanes and parks all the way from Chambers Street up to 59th Street. The architecture firm Venturi, Scott Brown was enlisted to design the esplanade. The Reagan administration agreed to pay to move the highway. New York’s Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan predicted Westway would do for the city during the 20th century what Central Park had done in the 19th. A series of New York governors and mayors throughout the ’70s and ’80s (not to mention the architecture critic of The New York Times, Ada Louise Huxtable) also sang Westway’s praises. But this was the dawn of the environmental movement and of community activism in reaction to the Powers That Be and the highhanded tactics that had been employed by the city’s former planning czar, Robert Moses. Westway galvanized a coalition of neighborhood organizers, architectural preservationists, public transit riders and wildlife advocates. They manned the barricades to protest rapacious development, creeping privatization and money going for highways not subways. Whether their ultimate victory was a loss for the city is debatable, in retrospect. But it paved the way for, among other things, the Hudson River Park Trust, created in 1998 by New York authorities to accomplish what Westway didn’t — namely, redeveloping and pacifying Manhattan’s West Side waterfront. Money to operate the park was to be raised through the commercial leasing of refurbished piers like Pier 57 and via private donations. Which gets us back to Diller’s island. In the end, Diller didn’t have total free rein, having to work with the trust and public agencies. But should a billionaire decide what is built on public land? A century ago, the banker Elkan Naumburg paid to install a band shell in Central Park and even hired his nephew to design it. The Delacorte Theater was constructed in 1962 with money from Joseph P. Delacorte, Jr., and his wife, Valerie, after the producer Joseph Papp and actress Helen Hayes petitioned for an amphitheater to stage Shakespeare in the Park. And of course the Metropolitan Museum of Art, privately endowed by wealthy New Yorkers, occupies a big chunk of public parkland. Little Island is nothing new, in other words. From the beginning, for better and worse, this is how the city has worked. I returned the other day to retrace my steps on the winding paths, which are choreographed along routes that prove why the requirements for wheelchair accessibility are a design opportunity not a burden. I climbed back up the hill to the crow’s nest, and there she still was. Huddled against a sunny morning gale, the mother duck was tending her eggs. The ducklings, I learned, just hatched this week. They’ve started paddling in the river. Maps by Scott Reinhard. Produced by Alicia DeSantis, Jolie Ruben and Tala Safie. Source link Orbem News #Charmer #floats #Hudson #million #Park

[rationalsanskar]

Why is mindfulness beneficial for your health? | MNN – Mother Nature Network

Focus on your breath. Listen to your body. Notice your emotions, but don’t judge them.

These are a few of the cues routinely used to induce mindfulness, a meditative state of self-awareness and detached acceptance that promises practitioners a sense of peace and presence of mind.

By putting equanimity within arm’s reach, if even for a moment, mindfulness programs are quickly gaining steam throughout the country. And it’s perhaps no surprise. At a time when America’s huddled masses seem more wound up, stressed out and distracted than ever before, the call to calm down is a compelling one.

At issue is not only relief from stress but also the innumerable ailments related to it. And like yoga, mindfulness programs are proving to be powerful antidotes. From depression and anxiety to weight control and pain management, there’s a mindfulness treatment out there for what ails you. Fortune 100 companies are using mindfulness as part of leadership training, and the military is incorporating such techniques to reduce stress before deployment and to help ease post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It’s cultivating a general skill that can be applicable in lots of different circumstances,” says Vermont-based psychotherapist Arnie Kozak, who’s been using mindfulness in his clinical practice for nearly 20 years. “I think the place where it pays the biggest benefit is helping people to reduce reactivity,” he says. As Kozak explains, mindfulness won’t change someone’s condition, but it can change someone’s response to it and, in doing so, alleviate suffering.

How and why mindfulness works

Calming environments can help you accept and observe the chaos without judging it, part of the mindfulness approach. (Photo: Tejvan Pettinger [CC by 2.0]/Flickr)

In dealing with a difficulty — say, a crisis at work or a chronic disease — people often get mired in the narrative they create about the situation, perhaps chastising themselves about their feelings or behavior, envisioning catastrophic consequences or rehashing the incident ad nauseam. Mindfulness, however, teaches a healthy skepticism about the stories we tell ourselves, say Kozak, who likes to repeat a mantra: “Don’t believe everything you think.”

Fundamental to the practice is acceptance, rather than avoidance of a stressful situation. In a sense, it’s the opposite of the “Calgon, take-me-away” approach of yesteryear (commercials for the bath products featured a harried Mom pleading with Calgon to “take me away” from the cacophony of domestic life). Mindfulness, alternatively, would ask you to accept and observe the chaos, without liking or disliking what’s happening around you.

If that sounds challenging, it is — but the rewards can be profound. And they don’t require some sort of monastic discipline.

After an eight-week course of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness, participants changed their brain structure, according to a study by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital. Brain scans of the subjects, who meditated an average of 27 minutes a day, found a thickening of regions associated with learning, memory, self-awareness and compassion and a thinning of the region connected to stress and anxiety.

According to Psychologist Lindsay Sauers, there are two parts of the stress-response cycle, and though everyone knows the first part — the rush that comes when you system is flushed with adrenaline and cortisol — the second part doesn’t get as much notice, but it’s important. There must be an emotional and physical release in response or the cycle is “incomplete.”

“We often wait until the ‘breaking point,’ when addressing the impact of stress becomes an absolute necessity,” she told Dave Bellomo of NorthCentralPA.com. “The challenge is that in waiting, we often feel so guilty about the consequences of the breaking point that once the immediate distress has leveled off, we go right back to pushing aside stress until it grows to that ‘breaking point’ again. It becomes a ‘rinse and repeat’ situation. While the rinse and repeat might be tolerable if we know it’s going to happen … this all-or-nothing process has a cumulative, detrimental impact on the body.”

Bringing mindfulness mainstream

University of Massachusetts’ Center for Mindfulness is where MBSR — and much of the mindfulness movement in this country — got its start. That’s thanks to Jon Kabat-Zinn, an MIT-trained biologist who founded the center in 1979 and developed the MBSR program, helping to bring meditation mainstream.

Today, there are some 520 MBSR programs across the country and about 740 worldwide, according to the center’s executive director, Saki Santorelli. The center has seen more than 20,000 people complete its eight-week course, with many of them referred by conventional medical centers.

Mindfulness programs have also become a fixture of many integrative health care centers at universities across the country such as the dozens of members that comprise the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine.

Santorelli attributes the interest in mindfulness primarily to research and access. “From the very beginning, research has been a critical part of this process,” he says, adding that “society, in many ways, trusts science.” The growing body of literature on mindfulness fuels further interest.

Also, mindfulness work has a low bar to entry, Santorelli says. It doesn’t require renouncing one’s faith. It doesn’t necessarily cost anything. And it enables people to take an active role in their own healing.

He argues that the optimal approach for health care incorporates both the Western discipline, in which practitioners do something “to” or “for” a patient, with the self-care inherent in mindfulness.

While the former is critical if a patient requires surgery, the latter can bring about a sustained approach to well-being, Santorelli says. How so? He explains that through mindfulness, observation gives way to self-awareness — the point at which it becomes possible to change habits and behaviors.

That’s especially important, he adds, since so many of today’s maladies are related to lifestyle — from obesity to smoking.

Practical applications

Eating slowly and thinking about every bite may help you make healthier eating choices. (Photo: KPG Ivary/Shutterstock)

As director of research at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, Frederick Hecht is using mindfulness techniques to disrupt the automatic eating behavior that so often derails efforts to lose and maintain weight.

“The idea is to chew our food a little more carefully, to really savor both the texture and the taste of the food, to be aware of all the sensations you’re feeling as you eat,” with the goal of getting greater satisfaction from less food, he says. By paying close attention to how they feel before and after eating, participants may be more likely to make healthier choices.

“There’s promising data for things like mindful eating, but it’s preliminary data,” says Hecht, who is training in internal medicine and clinical epidemiology. “More research and better research is really key, and its particularly key for health professionals when we’re called on to really recommend this, and we need a stronger evidence base.”

At the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, pulmonologist Roberto Benzo is using mindfulness techniques to help patients manage conditions such as lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). “Health is far beyond fixing an organ, having a transplant, getting a coronary fixed — that is just a piece of the story,” Benzo says, referencing his yet-to-be-published research showing that quality of life and self-care hinge on one’s emotional state.

The many benefits of mindfulness training

Gratitude and an appreciation of nature can help a stressed person tune into the moment. (Photo: vvvita/Shutterstock)

With that in mind, Benzos work as founding director of Mayo’s Mindful Breathing Lab is to help patients see past their disease and appreciate life.

“To embrace life, we always embrace what we like … It’s difficult to embrace that sometimes we’re sad, sometimes things are not going in the direction we want,” he says. “Mindfulness is the ability to be here and now even when one has a condition like a lung disease or a heart disease or something like that.”

Using techniques like breathing, moving and gratitude, Benzo has found that patients tune in to the moment and feel better. “They start to look at the good that is in front of them,” he says.

But getting to that stage requires switching gears.

To that end, Los Angeles-based psychologist Elisha Goldstein and author of “The Now Effect” reminds his patients to simply “STOP.” The acronym stands for: Stop, take a few breaths, observe your experience and proceed. As Goldstein puts it, the exercise “pops them out of autopilot” and into a position to ask “what really matters in life” at that moment. From that place of calm, we are better poised to make the best choice and the most of the moment.

As those moments build up, they may amount to a lifetime of living in the midst of them.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated since it was first published in September 2014.

Related on MNN:

Why is mindfulness beneficial for your health?

Practicing focus and acceptance can help with everything from stress relief to healthy eating.

The post Why is mindfulness beneficial for your health? | MNN – Mother Nature Network appeared first on METAMORPHOSIS.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2RWbxlE via IFTTT

[childsound56-blog]

The Linc - T.J. Yeldon listed among potential Eagles free agent targets

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Three free agents who make sense for the Eagles, version 3.0 - PhillyVoice The last time we looked at three free agents who make sense for the Eagles, we included Falcons running back Tevin Coleman, who is a good receiver, and who has low mileage because he was used as a complementary back alongside Devonta Freeman. T.J. Yeldon was used similarly in Jacksonville, playing behind Leonard Fournette. Yeldon is a bigger back, and has similar measurables to Jay Ajayi, at 6’1, 223. In 3rd- and 4th-and-short situations over his career, Yeldon has 22 carries for 90 yards (12 first downs) and 3 TDs. That’s a small sample size for a back who has been in the league for four years, but it’s certainly a major step up from what Josh Adams provided in 2018. He also has 9 catches for 69 yards (8 first downs) in those short yardage situations.

Adam Schefter discusses Eagles’ interest in Le’Veon Bell, Nick Foles’ next team, and more - BGN With Howie Roseman clearing up at least $19.2 million in cap space this week, some are wondering if the Eagles are gearing up to pursue the top free agent running back on the market: Le’Veon Bell. Schefter made it sound like Philly isn’t the front-runner for his services, however.

The Kist & Solak Show #82: Howie & The Combine - BGN Radio Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak get you all caught up on Howie Roseman’s wheelings and dealings, including extending Jason Kelce/Isaac Seumalo and restructuring Lane Johnson! Then, it’s all about the 2019 NFL Combine recap baby! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Big Names - Iggles Blitz Would a veteran like Glover Quin have interest in coming to Philly as a role player? There are a slew of younger players who might have to take a lesser role due to a flooded market. Tre Boston has played for three teams in three years, but he’s been productive for all of them. Jimmie Ward has the kind of versatility and coverage skills the Eagles seem to like. Ha-Ha Clinton Dix and Landon Collins once looked like stars in the making. You wonder if they would sign one of those guys to a short deal. Is there any way they Eagles could sign Eric Weddle and make McLeod the #3 safety? That would be interesting to be sure. Weddle is versatile a playmaker. It would be fun to see him in midnight green.

2020 Compensatory Picks Potential - Over The Cap By declining a $20 million option on Nick Foles, he should enter the pool of UFAs eligible to become compensatory free agents, and any quarterback capable of getting a starter level deal will be securely in the 3rd round range of the formula. But it doesn’t end there: the Eagles also have Ronald Darby, Jordan Hicks, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Graham hitting the market—as well as Golden Tate, who they acquired in a trade with the possible intention of getting back draft capital via compensatory picks. If the Eagles don’t plan on keeping some of these players, look for them to pull out all options available to make sure they get comp picks for them, given that they’ve proven themselves devoted to that cause last offseason. Potential: Very High

Replacing Nick Foles: Meet the candidate(s) to be Eagles’ backup QB - ESPN If the Eagles are serious about giving Sudfeld a chance to win the job -- and the belief here is they are -- that would seemingly have an impact on whom they bring in. It’s difficult to envision Teddy Bridgewater or Ryan Tannehill (if he shakes loose from the Dolphins) serving as potential third-stringers, right? The same might be said for Case Keenum or Tyrod Taylor assuming their market holds up. Can the Eagles catch someone such as Blake Bortles on the rebound? Otherwise, the QBs who fit the bill -- ones who bring experience and could be pegged for the No. 2 or No. 3 spot -- are along the lines of Matt Cassel, Josh McCown, and perhaps Ryan Fitzpatrick -- depending on his demands/mindset.

Who are the biggest bargains on the Eagles’ roster? - NBCSP How is a $6.7 million average salary a bargain? Because there are 23 quarterbacks who are earning more than Carson Wentz. At some point, the Eagles will give Wentz a deal in the $30 million-per-year ballpark, but until that happens his cheap-o rookie QB deal gives the Eagles flexibility to add crucial parts around him so once he does sign that max deal the Eagles have a team capable of challenging for a championship.

The 20 players most likely to be the Eagles’ first draft pick - The Athletic 1. Christian Wilkins (Clemson defensive tackle). As a reminder, this does not mean Wilkins is who I think will sit atop the Eagles’ board. It’s who I think is most likely to be their first pick … which probably means there’s like a five-percent chance he’s the guy. Let’s start with the bad: He’s almost 24. Wonder if the Eagles will ask him if he feels bad about the baby boomers ruining America for the rest of us. Otherwise, he seems like an ideal fit. He played on the edge at times earlier in his Clemson career (during the Carter administration) before transitioning inside, where he projects at the next level. At 6-3, 315 pounds, his combine performance was pedestrian, which could help push him further down the board on draft day. He ranks atop this list because he checks every box. He profiles as an instant-impact player at a position of short- and long-term need that Roseman has historically considered worthy of a first-round investment. Depending on how things break on draft day, he could very well slide into range for the Eagles. And he’s almost eligible for social security.

NFL Draft Big Board: The Post-Combine Top 100 - Sports Illustrated 12. Christian Wilkins, DT, Clemson. Height: 6’ 31⁄4” | Weight: 315 poundsAn electric athlete at 300-plus pounds, Wilkins was considered a team leader on a dominant Clemson defense and should immediately provide an interior disruptor who can wreck the backfield. He has some limits against the run, but that’s a trade off most teams can live with.

2019 NFL free agency: Safeties no longer forgotten, the rise of the slot receiver and more insider notes - CBS Sports I continue to hear the Jags remain somewhat split on what to pay Nick Foles, and that Tom Coughlin remains very intrigued by some quarterbacks in this draft. Will Foles get the $20M he had in hand on the Eagles’ team option (which he paid $2M to get out of)? Does anyone besides Jacksonville have even lukewarm interest in him as a starter? And could they get Case Keenum on the cheap once Denver cuts him? Not sure this is the slam dunk everyone seems to think. Teddy Bridgewater, still just 26, could have something to say about all of this in the end. Ultimately, I expect Foles does go to the Jags – on Coughlin’s terms – and if the Cardinals take Kyler Murray as everyone expects and deal Josh Rosen to Washington, the Dolphins would be foolish not to strongly consider Bridgewater then. Question is, if I am Bridgewater, am I better off going back to New Orleans behind Drew Brees – who can’t play forever – than I am possibly getting broken in half by a bad, rebuilding/tanking Fins team that may just want to take a QB at the top of the 2020 draft, anyway?

Nick Foles probably won’t get $20 million per season - Big Cat Country I do not think Foles is going to get a deal in the $20 million range because frankly there isn’t the market for that. That could be what Foles’ agent is going to try to get him, because I do not think Foles himself is going to be looking for a monster deal, since that’s what agents do... but the market just isn’t there.

NFL Rumors: Redskins inquired about QB Teddy Bridgewater at the Combine - Hogs Haven Is he a potential starter for any team besides the Redskins? It’s possible, but Washington does seem like his best chance at this point. How much will a QB like Bridgewater cost? His career was derailed by injury, and now he’s been playing a backup role.

McShay: Giants in “tough spot” to get a quarterback in 2019 NFL Draft - Big Blue View “If you’re the Giants you’re really in a tough spot. You’re sitting there saying one of these guys could fall to us but if we wait until draft day all of a sudden two teams could jump us,” McShay said.

Do the New York Giants actually have a plan? - SB Nation The New York Giants had until Tuesday to give Landon Collins the franchise or transition tag to make sure he’s on the roster for another year. They opted against it, and now the path is clear for the three-time Pro Bowl safety to hit the free agency market. He’s already said his goodbyes. When Collins inevitably signs elsewhere, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will be the only player drafted by the Giants between 2008 and 2015 who is still on the team’s roster. That dearth of good drafting left the roster in serious need of a boost. In December 2017, the Giants hired Dave Gettleman as general manager to get the franchise back on track. But a little over a year into his rebuild, it’s hard to see what exactly his plan is for the team.

Setting the Market for the NFL’s Five Most Interesting Free Agent Position Groups - The Ringer This spring may not see a blockbuster deal like Kirk Cousins’s or massive contracts for multiple superstars, but at positions like pass rusher, QB, safety, offensive line, and running back, there will be plenty of options for teams to consider

...

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen

BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton

BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/3/7/18254453/eagles-news-t-j-yeldon-listed-among-potential-philadelphia-free-agent-targets-running-back-jaguars

[rock-and-compass]

Okay my thoughts on the season finale… (as posted in the ABC advisory group)

If this wasn’t Jennifer Morrison’s (as good as) Last episode I would probably be fine with it, another rinse and repeat finale with a one group of people occupied doing one thing in one place while another group is kept busy elsewhere doing something else. It was very like what we’ve seen in the season finales in recent years – very formulaic. And I guess, with so many of the cast members departing and this being touted so heavily as “the final battle” I guess I just expected more. And that’s my mistake; I own that. I’m starting to think that Once Upon a Time is not a show that should be thought about on any level. It is fast food storytelling. You enjoy it at the time but ultimately, it’s not very satisfying and if you think about it too closely you’re likely to feel regret. I think you’re supposed to enjoy the surface level of the show but not concern yourself with the depth. And this is a huge and sad realisation for someone who has watched the show from the beginning and spent the last four seasons writing about and analysing the episodes in depth – sometimes writing thousands of words about one episode. It wasn’t always like this though and it makes me sad.

My biggest problem with the episode was the disconnectedness between the two sides of the story. We see the people transported back to the Enchanted Forest do various things – there’s collapsing worlds, there is a hunt for a bean, Regina is trying to do magic for …reasons. But ultimately nothing that those stuck in the Enchanted Forest does has any purpose whatsoever – it’s mindless busywork to keep them occupied and out of the way. Why didn’t Hook use the bean? Why didn’t he throw it on the ground and create a portal and get back to Emma quickly like Snow told him to? How nice it would have been to get a pay-off on Emma’s brief flashes of memory of her wedding day, Hooks image burning in the book, with him coming through a bean portal and Emma feeling a strange stab of recognition for this man and then them Kissing to restore her memories. Then Emma and Killian would have gotten their TLK! I feel so sad that so many couples got one, some that didn’t really deserve one (Hades and Zelena, I’m looking at you!) except for Emma and her true love. They still could have had their season one inversion of Henry giving Emma a TLK to save her life after the fight with Gideon (even though I think, and I am a mother, it’s really, really weird for a child to give their parent a true love’s kiss.). It would have connected the two parts of the story beautifully and it would have given purpose to the Enchanted Forrest side of the story and just improved the whole episode overall. I can’t help but think the episode would have been more entertaining and more of a parallel to season one if the curse had kept everyone in Storybrooke and robbed them of their memories – Henry still could have been the sole believer (I guess it was the book or his author role that kept him exempt?) and given him more purpose, more people to try to get through to… And maybe Emma wouldn’t have had to do the strange and oddly fast (8hour round trip!) visit to Boston. Ultimately, I felt there was no connection between why it was so important to separate Emma from her family and the realisation that she was never alone and the battle with Gideon and the curse . . . and yeah.

The Black-fairy was a big anti-climax. I knew she would be. She literally functioned as a Regina-substitute and I can’t help but wonder if, as this was the ending that A&E envisioned from the start, it was supposed to be Regina in the end. It would have made a hell of a lot more sense! I really believe the show was derailed from its purpose with, not by the befriending of Regina as a tactic to defeat her … but that that tactic worked so efficiently and without question. Regina’s redemption felt like a slap-up whitewash and somewhere along the line the writers became too scared to challenge the character. She got away with everything she ever did with no consequence. It’s hardly a satisfying story. Fairy tales are about good versus evil. With good supposed to win after trial and hardship. It’s a shame that Regina was never put through the same trials and challenge that say, Rumple or Hook or even Emma and the Charmings’ were put through. Seeing the dwarves paint “Queen” on her door and bowing to her was sickening. She is not a queen, she is a usurper. At the very least she should have admitted this as part of her “redemption”. The very least. All I could think when there was the shot of her looking at the red apple at the end, was that she must be very pleased with herself. She Won. She won everything. Her evil plans and schemes paid off big time – she’s rich, powerful, she apparently “owns” a town, the people now love her, she has a son, friends and a sister and she never had to pay the price for any of the terrible things she did. It’s not logical to expect people would just ‘get over’ decades of abuse and torment. It’s not fair on the people she hurt. Not to mention that her clone also rides off happily ever after into the sunset? Of all the unnecessary inclusions in the finale the presence of Regina 2.0 was the worst. She dominated and nearly killed the show; I seriously hope that this is the last we see of her. In this new-look season seven, I really hope that they make Henry’s nemesis, whoever that may be, his nemesis. And keep it that way. Don’t make Henry befriend him (or her)! Enmity is a good thing to keep between enemies. It drives a story, it gives purpose – it gives the audience someone to root for. And as ironic as this sounds – it doesn’t divide. People may love a villain but they love them for being a villain and they love the hero for standing up to them. It makes a much better story than making your protagonist sweep the past under the carpet, and put their blinkers on about every questionable thing that their nemesis is doing. And don’t turn Henry’s archenemy into a sainted Mary-sue (or Bobby-Stu) who is annoying and sanctimonious while at the same time being self-centred and selfish and boring and rendering themselves superfluous to the point where every appearance in the story feels like a shoehorn…

The ending of the episode was nice, but a bit twee. Everyone got a happy ending. Yay. I guess. Whether they deserved it or not. Belle, why wouldn’t you have taken that newly babyfied Gideon and run for the hills? I liked that Rumple did the right thing in the end but it was too little too late for that marriage – and with Belle not coming back next season, surely a melancholy bittersweet parting of the ways would have been more appropriate for them? As it is, it feels very much like all these Happy Beginnings that have been gifted to everyone are going to be ripped out from under us with the departing characters. Its’ inevitable. I will be incredibly sad if Emma Swan is killed off to move the story forward. But I won’t be surprised. I’m not sure the writers gave us enough of a hook to pique our interest with the duplication of the original story at the end… the show felt very much done. I felt a sense of relief that it’s over. That I can finally stop thinking about and worrying about these characters. Before the finale, I was fully intending to keep watching – I like Colin O’Donoghue and the Character of Killian Jones so I am predisposed to continue…. But that ending, it made me feel a sense of ambivalence. I’m not sure I can be bothered re-investing without the guarantee of a decent return. If Emma was back, I would be back. No doubt. But with how I’m feeling at the moment, there will have to be some very interesting information released over the hiatus to get me back and they will have to tell us something, some crumbs, instead of this nonsensical evasive “wait and see” discourse.

[slugmanslime]

Normal

Pairing: N/A; Slight GoChi, Slight Chiccolo Warnings: dragon mention, cursing, insults Word Count: 1,867 Fic Type: Two-part drabble

so i got the idea to do some country!chichi and i was playing around with the dialect and this happened

well that and first person pov so this could either be neat or pretty terrible

this is going up on my ff.net account as well! author name: slugmanslime

“You can NOT be serious!”

“Have you ever known me not to be?”

My arms are crossed tightly over my chest, and have been for so long I’m starting to sweat just a little. Part of me knew that this day was going to come, even though I’d liked to live in the little dream that maybe it wouldn’t and Gohan would make friends with other children his age, and we could set up playdates and… Goku used to tell me I worried about him too much. He was always met with a swift swat to the ear and a semi-playful remark about him not worrying enough. What I wouldn’t give to have that over this right now!

“ChiChi, look…” He has no right to go dragging his hand down his face like that! Like I was wearing him out or something—we’ve only been talking (read: arguing) about this for a measly two hours. This was nothing in my book, I am the queen of stubbornness and the reigning champion of the household decisions!

“Piccolo, I ain’t gonna budge on this one! I know you know him well, you trained Gohan yourself—without my consent I might add—and while I appreciate you comin’ to me about this first, my answer is still absolutely not.” My jaw is set firmly but to seal the deal I hit him with one of my “Mama Said No” looks; yeah, that’ll show him.

It gives me a real pain in the neck to look him in the eyes when he stands all straight and immovable like that, and I know he knows that, too. He was doing it on purpose! Prick… “Trust me, Dragon Breath, I heard you the first four hundred times you no, but if you could pipe down for approximately 30 seconds and let me explain myself, it would benefit both of us.”

“Your son has a heart of gold and the brat is in love with that damned beast.” It’s not fair for him to look at me like that. I just know he’s been practicing the art of mother persuasion with Gohan, no way Demon Brains here would be capable of that on his own! “I’ve done my research. Even if I hated every minute of it—which I did—I talked to a few humans about this; pets are apparently a staple of childhood in multiple human cultures.”

I was starting to feel the faint throbbing of a budding headache, but I relented only enough to pinch the bridge of my nose. Piccolo was not allowed to make good points like this, he just wasn’t! It was always so off-putting to argue with him; Goku certainly never put up as much of a fight, but that’s because he knew I was right! Well, that, and he usually left most of the important decisions up to me.

Here I am, starting to get the distinct feeling that… I may not be… entirely right this time.

“Well, maybe you gotta point, but a DRAGON is nowhere near the kinda pet I want my son havin’! Why cain’t he have a puppy instead? Y’know, something normal and easily house-trainable?”

It takes me a long moment to look up at him, but I don’t have to strain as hard this time. He was slumped, back resting against the doorway to the kitchen. So what if I didn’t hide my smirk—he tried to look so nonchalant hunched over like that, but I knew it was because he was so damned tall. I wondered if he knew that his antennae twitched when he thought too hard. Maybe one day I would have the heart to tell him.

When he sighed though, that’s when I knew that that day would not be today. It was one of those “I’m Piccolo the surly ex-Demon and I shouldn’t be forced to try and compromise with dumb earth women” sighs. It belongs at the top of the list of things that grated my nerves. “If he wanted a puppy, don’t you think he would have brought one home by now? And anyway, if trainability is what you’re worried about, don’t. That dragon was circus-bred, trained from birth. So, there. No more qualms, yes?”

“Woah, hey, I never said that was my only pr—“

“Gohan knows how to hunt, and you taught him how to make a schedule. Icarus will never go hungry.”

“… Icarus? You mean you know that beast’s name?”

My smirk minutely wider at the peculiar shade of violet that was tinging my Namekian houseguest’s ears. Now wasn’t that just so darn adorable? Sometimes I forget just how easy it is to get him all flustered.

“Gohan only mentioned it to me 37 times in one day. How could I forget?” I watch him carefully as he meticulously studied a very specific spot on the ceiling, and then my hardwood floors, followed by gazing at something very interesting out the window.

“Of course, how silly of me to ask!... But I know you secretly enjoy seein’ him happy. I can see it plain as day no matter how gruff your little mask is.” My smirk is definitely a full-blown smile now, turns out that Green Bean was a full body blusher. I could see the heat creeping down what little expanse of throat he showed.

“Well, from the way you’re talking, it’s almost as if you don’t.” Perhaps Piccolo was too flustered to understand the magnitude of that sentence, but it doesn’t matter. It was my turn to blush now, but it sure as hell wasn’t from embarrassment. I’m completely livid now, and I know it’s apparent, from the way my jaw is clenching to the flames that practically erupt from my eyes.

“Now just who in the hell do you think you are? I love my son, and I have always done what was best for him, no matter what!” I can tell he wants to interject so I throw up a hand to stop him, Mama’s on a roll now. “You wanna insult me like that? Fine, see if I care. But this is your responsibility now. If that dragon even thinks about grazin’ my garden,” I tick up one finger on the shushing hand that had morphed into a vengeful fist, “or ruinin’ my clothes line,” followed by a second finger, “or reckons its fine to destroy my firewood reserves,” and a third finger to boot, “or, I dunno, MAIMS my SON—” My fingers curl into a fist at this moment, quivering with affront and anger, before a single finger points at him ever so daintily. “Then it’s your hide I’m after. And don’t think for a second that I’m gonna to take it easy on you, either!”

That—that—how rude can a person get? And to say that to my face in my own home? I give him my back as I try to find some composure; the embarrassment part is starting to shine through, and I can’t help but start second-guessing myself. Who is he to talk about what’s important for a childhood? Gohan’s already lost so much of it, no thanks to Piccolo himself. But then… here he is trying to make amends. Am I hurting my baby boy by stopping him…? Gohan has handled worse but, wild animals like that are dangerous!

Mild throat clearing behind me derails my train of thought, and I have to take a few heavy breaths before I can turn to face him. Huh. Sheepish is a new expression to grace his features, usually its standoffish or peeved. It doesn’t matter, I am a woman of standards and respect and I deserve to be shown some!

“ChiChi I… that was out of line.” I thought seeing him meek like this would make me feel better, but it just makes me sad. His Adam’s apple bobs under his scarf, I can tell by the way it shifts; he must be nervous. He should be.

“Piccolo, I really don’t wanna hear it. I’ve said my piece and you’ve said yours. By all means, go relay the news to my son. Let him know I need him home by sundown, we have some ground rules to cover.”

He gives me a wide birth when I sweep past him into the kitchen, stubbornly pushing down the ache of sadness and lingering sting of insult. The tell-tale swish of his cape dragging on the floor tells him that he is thinking about leaving, and part of me wishes he would. But of course, the other part wishes he would stay, and give me some damned reassurance that I wasn’t failing as a mother like he seemingly thought.

Sometimes you just don’t get what you want.

You would think that with a house as quaint and tidy as ours, filled with books, memories, and good food, it wouldn’t feel so empty. The windows are still open, letting early fall air purge any ill feelings that might remain. It doesn’t quite reach me, although I can feel its whispers tugging at the edge of my gown. Dredges of loneliness settle at the bottom of my heart, and images of Goku flicker through my mind. Laughing, smiling, wolfing down the huge meals I would make him. I’m thankful that his son doesn’t eat nearly as much, although some nagging feeling told me this was just the beginning; my arms ache at the thought even though the pot I’m stirring would have been an appetizer for my husband.

The stew is simmering in no time, so I figure why not take a moment of rest for the day. I deserve it after wading through that malarkey all afternoon. Jolly Green Jackass is such an enigma to me. First, he steals my kid; I trace his dumb pointy ears on the solid oak of the kitchen table. Trains him, protects him, manages to make sure he gets home to us safe; my hand flops over my minds image of his snaggle toothed face imprinted on the tabletop. He lingers around my house while Goku is away training, he’s even… my face ends up meeting the table where my doodle had been, and my breath fogs the polished wood when I sigh in defeat. Piccolo cares about Gohan, that much is for sure. I know I should trust him, and I do, of course I do! But it’s just not what I had envisioned for Gohan…

That shouldn’t matter; Piccolo is his closest friend, the man—alien? —he looks up to. He’ll keep my little boy safe. With a newfound determination, I sit ramrod straight; but that doesn’t mean he’ll be traipsing through my house anytime soon without a heartfelt apology! Papa didn’t raise himself no doormat, I am a woman to be contended with.

It feels nice to settle back in the chair, and let the crisp breeze finally take me. My arms instinctively curl around myself once more; now it’s time to wait. The sun is setting, and I gotta think of a way to explain to a cranky 6-year-old that there will be no dragons sleeping at the foot of anyone’s bed tonight.

[dorothydelgadillo]

5 Critical Components You Should Never Miss in a Design Project

Design processes are comprised of a substantial amount of moving pieces. Whether it be client communication, budget issues, stakeholder misalignment, or staying on the timeline -- they are nearly impossible to perfect.

Because of the complexities of web projects a startling "25% of them end up failing" (Ruby Development).

With varying types of design projects and clients, it’s also incredibly challenging to have just one process to stick to. I often find myself tweaking my process, depending on the project goals, timelines, budget constraints, etc.

But even then, there are always problems that are faced, steps that get skipped, sub-par products that are released as a result.

More often than not, I find that there are several aspects of a design project that must be followed for it to not take a drastic turn for the worse, and I want to share those experiences with you.

In this article, I review the 5 components I believe are the most important to follow when going through the design process and how you can prevent them from derailing your next project.

1) Joint Accountability

During the discovery phase of a design project, you typically take the time to talk to your client and understand what needs to happen to make the project a complete success. There is a substantial amount of dissecting that’s done so you are able to piece together the goal of the project, how necessary it truly is, the long-term and short-term expectations, etc.

But before you even enter a discovery meeting and start figuring out what's on you or your team to get done, you need to come ready to discuss what your client needs to do to keep the project on time and help you succeed too.

This could be communicating to them the importance of design feedback, team alignment on which parties have sign-off on deliverables, making sure they use appropriate channels that are necessary to complete a project, etc.

For instance, say you and another team member are designing a few web pages, but one of the critical pieces to get it going is receiving content, which the client is in charge of delivering.

If the client finds themselves unable to deliver the content on time, either because they forgot or were too busy, it ultimately condenses the time you have to get your parts done. In most of these scenarios, it's hard to push the deadline.

If you allow this to happen and continue to communicate that you should still be able to hit the deadline, but inevitably realize you can’t, you now have no one to blame but yourself.

When issues like this start to manifest, draw attention to them and highlight the consequences of X not being done. But, be conscious not to present these issues from a place of anger or frustration. Make sure your client knows that you hold them accountable because you want them to succeed, stay on track of the timeline, and ultimately get the best version of the final product they can.

If you're able to successfully keep this up throughout a project, your clients will ultimately build that much more trust in you, because they’ll understand you have their best interests in mind.

2) Limited Revisions

Getting sign-off on the wireframe is one of the first few design hurdles you really need to crush. But then there is the next major hurdle: approving the actual mockup.

In a perfect world, every design we show to a client would be approved instantly, no questions asked, because you just did that good of a job.

But man is that far from what happens.  

More often than not, there are changes we have to make, some of which we might not always agree with personally, yet understand it may visually be a better representation of what the client wants.

Unfortunately, we often allow the client to continuously ask for revisions. Sometimes a section is good the first week, but not the next. Then you redesign that section only to find another section is now missing the mark. You soon find yourself in this perpetual state of redesigning over sections.

Once you're on the third round of revisions and you find the client still wants to push for more, you need to stop, and really start critically asking your client why. Is this because they keep finding themselves inspired by different layouts they see online when yours still accomplishes the same goal? Are they trying to strive for perfection? You need to have these tough conversations with them and make sure you communicate how this inevitably results in you having to push the deadline.

One tactic I also like using is showcasing the importance of getting what we have up, with the intention of refining and improving on the design later. Or better yet, testing to see the performance of that design vs. a different one you may try a month or two down the line. This gives the client time to revisit the design and see if one of the revision ideas is still something they want to attempt, or if what you have really is the best option to stick with.

3) Honesty

If you don’t know something, research or ask someone who does. It’s scary to let someone know we don’t know the answer to something. So, when we find ourselves in situations where a question is asked and we are unsure of what’s correct, we try to answer it in the most positive way we can to keep the client happy.

For example, say a client asks if some functionality for a web development project is possible with a design you just presented. If you answer “yes” when you are lacking knowledge of the true answer, you now risk having to come back to the client and tell them you were wrong.

You should never feel like you need to answer every question a client asks, especially if you run the risk of it being incorrect and affecting something in the long run. A client would much rather you tell them, “I’m not sure I have all the knowledge to answer that now. Let me do some research/ask someone I know who would, and get back to you in the next couple of days.”  

I promise they would much rather you come back with a more formulated answer later, rather than find you misled them. Just make sure you get back to them in an appropriate amount of time and have an alternative recommendation if something isn’t entirely possible.

4) Functionality

One of the characteristics I notice some designers don’t think about is how their design will evolve into a functioning prototype.

I’m not talking about you having to understand the code that’s going into the development of your project (you can leave that to the developers), but rather how you envision the objects moving and behaving.

This ends up resulting in not only a lack of understanding of how a design should function when translating into development, but how the clients can even expect it to behave.

If this is something you are not fully comfortable with, I recommend designers do a couple of things.

One is to take some time to really observe the environments you are designing for. For example, as a web developer, I’m obsessed with simply looking and websites, resizing the size of my browser, and looking at how a website transforms from larger to smaller screens. I’ll also take time to open them in different devices and interact with them, taking notes and recording what functionality may be useful to revisit for my own projects.

But one learning opportunity that can't be overlooked is simply reviewing and reading UX blogs such as Nielsen Norman Group, Smashing Magazine, or UX Collective to teach yourself how to think in that mindset.

5) Review of the Final Build

After you hand your project to a team to build it (if applicable), you might think your part of the project ends there when in reality, you still have one critical step left. Reviewing the final build.

Before a client is sent a functioning prototype of a design, you need to make sure your designer is reviewing it one last time to align on anything that might not be completely accurate.

This is a quick activity that can save you a potential future headache if a client notices a thing or two that wasn’t done in the build, that might have been caught otherwise in a review.

Budget a little extra time toward the end of your project timeline where you can take time to do these reviews and have your developer or engineer repair the issues that come up. Although we’d all like to think these mistakes won’t happen, you have to assume they will and budget the time to stay safe.

Key Takeaways

Design projects can take on a variety of shapes and sizes, so it's very likely not all these critical steps will apply to your project or the team you work with.

I always say a good mindset to be in is to never leave any stone unturned. If you ever question yourself or think something is missing, say something to someone, or reach out to your client to confirm. Nothing is worse than assuming or disregarding information you may potentially need to know.

Lead with the mindset of making sure you have all the information you need to really hit the client goal you are striving for. This will help you think of their interests first throughout the project and assure a better final product.

from Web Developers World https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/components-you-should-never-miss-in-a-design-project

[blogparadiseisland]

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation http://www.nature-business.com/nature-evangelical-leaders-are-frustrated-at-g-o-p-caution-on-kavanaugh-allegation/

Nature

Image

Ralph Reed, the social conservative leader, said if Senate Republicans fail to confirm Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, “it will be very difficult to motivate and energize faith-based and conservative voters in November.”CreditCreditMike Cohen for The New York Times

Worried their chance to cement a conservative majority on the Supreme Court could slip away, a growing number of evangelical and anti-abortion leaders are expressing frustration that Senate Republicans and the White House are not protecting Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh more forcefully from a sexual assault allegation and warning that conservative voters may stay home in November if his nomination falls apart.

Several of these leaders, including ones with close ties to the White House and Senate Republicans, are urging Republicans to move forward with a confirmation vote imminently unless the woman who accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, agrees to share her story with the Senate Judiciary Committee within the next few days.

The pleas are, in part, an attempt to apply political pressure: Some evangelical leaders are warning that religious conservatives may feel little motivation to vote in the midterm elections unless Senate Republicans move the nomination out of committee soon and do more to defend Judge Kavanaugh from what they say is a desperate Democratic ploy to prevent President Trump from filling future court vacancies.

“One of the political costs of failing to confirm Brett Kavanaugh is likely the loss of the United States Senate,” said Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition who is in frequent contact with the White House.

“If Republicans were to fail to defend and confirm such an obviously and eminently qualified and decent nominee,” Mr. Reed added, “then it will be very difficult to motivate and energize faith-based and conservative voters in November.”

The evangelist Franklin Graham, one of Mr. Trump’s most unwavering defenders, told the Christian Broadcasting Network this week, “I hope the Senate is smarter than this, and they’re not going to let this stop the process from moving forward and confirming this man.”

Social conservatives are already envisioning a worst-case scenario related to Judge Kavanaugh, and they say it is not a remote one. Republican promises to shift the Supreme Court further to the right — which just a few days ago seemed like a fait accompli — have been one of the major reasons conservatives say they are willing to tolerate an otherwise dysfunctional Republican-controlled government. If Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination fails, and recent political history is any guide, voters will most likely point the finger not at Mr. Trump but at Republican lawmakers.

To be sure, evangelicals leaders are trying to push Senate leaders to stiffen their resolve to force the Kavanaugh confirmation to a vote at a time when it may be politically perilous to do so. And the likelihood that the base will stay home in November and risk handing the Senate to the Democrats may be relatively low, given how popular Mr. Trump remains with white evangelicals.

[Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping the 2018 elections with our new politics newsletter.]

The reason the prospect of Judge Kavanaugh’s defeat is so alarming to conservatives is that they fear he could be the last shot at reshaping the nation’s highest court for years. If Republicans were to lose control of the Senate, where they hold a 51-to-49 majority, in November, Mr. Trump would find it difficult to get anyone confirmed before the end of the year. Even if Senate leaders were able to schedule hearings and hold a vote, there could be defections from Republican senators uneasy about using a lame duck session to ram through a lifetime appointment that would tip the court’s ideological balance.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas and one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters, said he did not know who was telling the truth, Judge Kavanaugh or Dr. Blasey. “But I can say with absolute certainty,” he added, “that the Democrats don’t care who is telling the truth. Their only interest is in delaying and derailing this confirmation.”

Image

Robert Jeffress, one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters, said of the sexual assault allegation against Judge Kavanaugh, “The White House is walking a tightrope.”CreditLouis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News

In pressing for a quick resolution, conservatives are making a risky bet that the jubilation from their own base over Judge Kavanaugh’s speedy confirmation would outweigh the likely backlash from independent voters they need — especially women.

“The White House is walking a tightrope,” Mr. Jeffress said. “They cannot summarily dismiss these allegations and alienate G.O.P. and independent female voters in the midterms. Neither can they abandon a nominee they and their base strongly support.”

The importance of the Supreme Court to the Trump White House and the Republican Party is difficult to overstate. Mr. Trump has heralded Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Judge Kavanaugh, his two Supreme Court nominees, as crowning achievements in an otherwise uneven presidency. Conservative groups have spent tens of millions of dollars building the men up as legal luminaries, gentleman scholars and the fulfillment of Mr. Trump’s campaign promise to nominate judges who have “a record of applying the Constitution just as it was written,” as one ad by the Judicial Crisis Network described Judge Kavanaugh.

A relatively smooth, predictable confirmation fight has also been a key part of Republicans’ strategy to keep the Senate. In the 10 states that Mr. Trump won where Democratic senators are up for re-election, Republicans have attacked Democrats for either opposing the judge or remaining noncommittal. But Dr. Blasey’s claims may have given Democrats who were on the fence a way to vote no without paying a steep political price.

Even social conservatives who describe Dr. Blasey’s account as part of a Democratic plot to upend the nomination acknowledge the bind they are in. While they decry the process as tainted and unfair, some are also arguing that they cannot be indifferent and insensitive to a victim.

“The worst thing that can ever happen to any woman or man who has been a victim is to shut them down and not listen to them,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that opposes abortion rights. “A tragic piece of this is people who will use that pain for an agenda. That is so clearly what is happening now.”

In the days since Dr. Blasey went public in an interview with The Washington Post and alleged that, when they were both teenagers, Judge Kavanaugh pinned her down on a bed, clapped his hand over her mouth and groped her, Republican leaders and White House officials have urged a muted and restrained approach. Show Dr. Blasey respect; offer to hear her out; and avoid questioning her credibility, at least directly, they have agreed in private conversations.

But many conservatives see little use in being deferential when, they argue, the Democrats play by no such rules. They look back at the failed confirmation of the Republican nominee Robert Bork in 1987, whose writings on civil rights were picked over by Democrats, and the 1991 hearings for Clarence Thomas, who faced testimony from Anita Hill that he had sexually harassed her, and they see a sophisticated and ruthless Democratic machine bent on discrediting their nominees.

“Republicans are right, as a moral matter as well as a political matter, to take allegations of misbehavior like this seriously,” said Frank Cannon, president of the American Principles Project and a veteran social conservative strategist. “At the same time, we’ve seen anything and everything thrown at Republican Supreme Court nominees for decades,” he added, noting that Republicans have been slow to understand that Democrats are “playing by different rules.”

“From the point of view of the average Republican conservative,” Mr. Cannon added, “these people aren’t the apparent monsters they’re being made out to be,” referring to maligned judicial nominees like Justice Thomas, Judge Bork and Judge Kavanaugh.

Privately, some conservatives were thrilled that Dr. Blasey and her lawyer have resisted the opportunity to testify in the Senate on Monday and demanded instead that the F.B.I. first investigate her claims. That would be just enough, they said, to give Republicans the justification for moving forward without her. The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, made clear on Wednesday that he would not postpone a hearing past Monday.

And once the Senate puts the Kavanaugh nomination on track for a final vote, barring any unforeseen disclosures, that sets up a fight that Republicans could win in the Senate but might ultimately lose at the ballot box in November. The level of outrage could run so hot among Democrats, who would likely use every procedural and political tool at their disposal to delay confirmation, that it could provide even more fuel to an already energized liberal base.

Some conservatives, however, seem happy to have that fight.

“Given the confirmation theatrics, followed by this allegation that was held until the last moment, this could be seen as another partisan attack and could actually fuel conservative turnout,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

Conservatives are likely to use protests and other forms of resistance to Judge Kavanaugh as a way to clarify for unmotivated Republican voters what Democratic control of the Senate means: a Trump-nominated Supreme Court justice would never be confirmed again.

“If Chuck Schumer is majority leader and Dianne Feinstein is chairman of the Judiciary Committee,” said Mr. Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, “it will be open season on any Trump nominee to the federal bench at any level of the judiciary.”

Read More | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/us/politics/brett-kavanaugh-religious-voters.html |

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation, in 2018-09-20 18:48:18

[internetbasic9]

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation https://ift.tt/2ppjotm

Nature

Image

Ralph Reed, the social conservative leader, said if Senate Republicans fail to confirm Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, “it will be very difficult to motivate and energize faith-based and conservative voters in November.”CreditCreditMike Cohen for The New York Times

Worried their chance to cement a conservative majority on the Supreme Court could slip away, a growing number of evangelical and anti-abortion leaders are expressing frustration that Senate Republicans and the White House are not protecting Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh more forcefully from a sexual assault allegation and warning that conservative voters may stay home in November if his nomination falls apart.

Several of these leaders, including ones with close ties to the White House and Senate Republicans, are urging Republicans to move forward with a confirmation vote imminently unless the woman who accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, agrees to share her story with the Senate Judiciary Committee within the next few days.

The pleas are, in part, an attempt to apply political pressure: Some evangelical leaders are warning that religious conservatives may feel little motivation to vote in the midterm elections unless Senate Republicans move the nomination out of committee soon and do more to defend Judge Kavanaugh from what they say is a desperate Democratic ploy to prevent President Trump from filling future court vacancies.

“One of the political costs of failing to confirm Brett Kavanaugh is likely the loss of the United States Senate,” said Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition who is in frequent contact with the White House.

“If Republicans were to fail to defend and confirm such an obviously and eminently qualified and decent nominee,” Mr. Reed added, “then it will be very difficult to motivate and energize faith-based and conservative voters in November.”

The evangelist Franklin Graham, one of Mr. Trump’s most unwavering defenders, told the Christian Broadcasting Network this week, “I hope the Senate is smarter than this, and they’re not going to let this stop the process from moving forward and confirming this man.”

Social conservatives are already envisioning a worst-case scenario related to Judge Kavanaugh, and they say it is not a remote one. Republican promises to shift the Supreme Court further to the right — which just a few days ago seemed like a fait accompli — have been one of the major reasons conservatives say they are willing to tolerate an otherwise dysfunctional Republican-controlled government. If Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination fails, and recent political history is any guide, voters will most likely point the finger not at Mr. Trump but at Republican lawmakers.

To be sure, evangelicals leaders are trying to push Senate leaders to stiffen their resolve to force the Kavanaugh confirmation to a vote at a time when it may be politically perilous to do so. And the likelihood that the base will stay home in November and risk handing the Senate to the Democrats may be relatively low, given how popular Mr. Trump remains with white evangelicals.

[Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping the 2018 elections with our new politics newsletter.]

The reason the prospect of Judge Kavanaugh’s defeat is so alarming to conservatives is that they fear he could be the last shot at reshaping the nation’s highest court for years. If Republicans were to lose control of the Senate, where they hold a 51-to-49 majority, in November, Mr. Trump would find it difficult to get anyone confirmed before the end of the year. Even if Senate leaders were able to schedule hearings and hold a vote, there could be defections from Republican senators uneasy about using a lame duck session to ram through a lifetime appointment that would tip the court’s ideological balance.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas and one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters, said he did not know who was telling the truth, Judge Kavanaugh or Dr. Blasey. “But I can say with absolute certainty,” he added, “that the Democrats don’t care who is telling the truth. Their only interest is in delaying and derailing this confirmation.”

Image

Robert Jeffress, one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters, said of the sexual assault allegation against Judge Kavanaugh, “The White House is walking a tightrope.”CreditLouis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News

In pressing for a quick resolution, conservatives are making a risky bet that the jubilation from their own base over Judge Kavanaugh’s speedy confirmation would outweigh the likely backlash from independent voters they need — especially women.

“The White House is walking a tightrope,” Mr. Jeffress said. “They cannot summarily dismiss these allegations and alienate G.O.P. and independent female voters in the midterms. Neither can they abandon a nominee they and their base strongly support.”

The importance of the Supreme Court to the Trump White House and the Republican Party is difficult to overstate. Mr. Trump has heralded Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Judge Kavanaugh, his two Supreme Court nominees, as crowning achievements in an otherwise uneven presidency. Conservative groups have spent tens of millions of dollars building the men up as legal luminaries, gentleman scholars and the fulfillment of Mr. Trump’s campaign promise to nominate judges who have “a record of applying the Constitution just as it was written,” as one ad by the Judicial Crisis Network described Judge Kavanaugh.

A relatively smooth, predictable confirmation fight has also been a key part of Republicans’ strategy to keep the Senate. In the 10 states that Mr. Trump won where Democratic senators are up for re-election, Republicans have attacked Democrats for either opposing the judge or remaining noncommittal. But Dr. Blasey’s claims may have given Democrats who were on the fence a way to vote no without paying a steep political price.

Even social conservatives who describe Dr. Blasey’s account as part of a Democratic plot to upend the nomination acknowledge the bind they are in. While they decry the process as tainted and unfair, some are also arguing that they cannot be indifferent and insensitive to a victim.

“The worst thing that can ever happen to any woman or man who has been a victim is to shut them down and not listen to them,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that opposes abortion rights. “A tragic piece of this is people who will use that pain for an agenda. That is so clearly what is happening now.”

In the days since Dr. Blasey went public in an interview with The Washington Post and alleged that, when they were both teenagers, Judge Kavanaugh pinned her down on a bed, clapped his hand over her mouth and groped her, Republican leaders and White House officials have urged a muted and restrained approach. Show Dr. Blasey respect; offer to hear her out; and avoid questioning her credibility, at least directly, they have agreed in private conversations.

But many conservatives see little use in being deferential when, they argue, the Democrats play by no such rules. They look back at the failed confirmation of the Republican nominee Robert Bork in 1987, whose writings on civil rights were picked over by Democrats, and the 1991 hearings for Clarence Thomas, who faced testimony from Anita Hill that he had sexually harassed her, and they see a sophisticated and ruthless Democratic machine bent on discrediting their nominees.

“Republicans are right, as a moral matter as well as a political matter, to take allegations of misbehavior like this seriously,” said Frank Cannon, president of the American Principles Project and a veteran social conservative strategist. “At the same time, we’ve seen anything and everything thrown at Republican Supreme Court nominees for decades,” he added, noting that Republicans have been slow to understand that Democrats are “playing by different rules.”

“From the point of view of the average Republican conservative,” Mr. Cannon added, “these people aren’t the apparent monsters they’re being made out to be,” referring to maligned judicial nominees like Justice Thomas, Judge Bork and Judge Kavanaugh.

Privately, some conservatives were thrilled that Dr. Blasey and her lawyer have resisted the opportunity to testify in the Senate on Monday and demanded instead that the F.B.I. first investigate her claims. That would be just enough, they said, to give Republicans the justification for moving forward without her. The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, made clear on Wednesday that he would not postpone a hearing past Monday.

And once the Senate puts the Kavanaugh nomination on track for a final vote, barring any unforeseen disclosures, that sets up a fight that Republicans could win in the Senate but might ultimately lose at the ballot box in November. The level of outrage could run so hot among Democrats, who would likely use every procedural and political tool at their disposal to delay confirmation, that it could provide even more fuel to an already energized liberal base.

Some conservatives, however, seem happy to have that fight.

“Given the confirmation theatrics, followed by this allegation that was held until the last moment, this could be seen as another partisan attack and could actually fuel conservative turnout,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

Conservatives are likely to use protests and other forms of resistance to Judge Kavanaugh as a way to clarify for unmotivated Republican voters what Democratic control of the Senate means: a Trump-nominated Supreme Court justice would never be confirmed again.

“If Chuck Schumer is majority leader and Dianne Feinstein is chairman of the Judiciary Committee,” said Mr. Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, “it will be open season on any Trump nominee to the federal bench at any level of the judiciary.”

Read More | https://ift.tt/2No47HP |

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation, in 2018-09-20 18:48:18

[blogwonderwebsites]

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation http://www.nature-business.com/nature-evangelical-leaders-are-frustrated-at-g-o-p-caution-on-kavanaugh-allegation/

Nature

Image

Ralph Reed, the social conservative leader, said if Senate Republicans fail to confirm Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, “it will be very difficult to motivate and energize faith-based and conservative voters in November.”CreditCreditMike Cohen for The New York Times

Worried their chance to cement a conservative majority on the Supreme Court could slip away, a growing number of evangelical and anti-abortion leaders are expressing frustration that Senate Republicans and the White House are not protecting Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh more forcefully from a sexual assault allegation and warning that conservative voters may stay home in November if his nomination falls apart.

Several of these leaders, including ones with close ties to the White House and Senate Republicans, are urging Republicans to move forward with a confirmation vote imminently unless the woman who accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford, agrees to share her story with the Senate Judiciary Committee within the next few days.

The pleas are, in part, an attempt to apply political pressure: Some evangelical leaders are warning that religious conservatives may feel little motivation to vote in the midterm elections unless Senate Republicans move the nomination out of committee soon and do more to defend Judge Kavanaugh from what they say is a desperate Democratic ploy to prevent President Trump from filling future court vacancies.

“One of the political costs of failing to confirm Brett Kavanaugh is likely the loss of the United States Senate,” said Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition who is in frequent contact with the White House.

“If Republicans were to fail to defend and confirm such an obviously and eminently qualified and decent nominee,” Mr. Reed added, “then it will be very difficult to motivate and energize faith-based and conservative voters in November.”

The evangelist Franklin Graham, one of Mr. Trump’s most unwavering defenders, told the Christian Broadcasting Network this week, “I hope the Senate is smarter than this, and they’re not going to let this stop the process from moving forward and confirming this man.”

Social conservatives are already envisioning a worst-case scenario related to Judge Kavanaugh, and they say it is not a remote one. Republican promises to shift the Supreme Court further to the right — which just a few days ago seemed like a fait accompli — have been one of the major reasons conservatives say they are willing to tolerate an otherwise dysfunctional Republican-controlled government. If Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination fails, and recent political history is any guide, voters will most likely point the finger not at Mr. Trump but at Republican lawmakers.

To be sure, evangelicals leaders are trying to push Senate leaders to stiffen their resolve to force the Kavanaugh confirmation to a vote at a time when it may be politically perilous to do so. And the likelihood that the base will stay home in November and risk handing the Senate to the Democrats may be relatively low, given how popular Mr. Trump remains with white evangelicals.

[Make sense of the people, issues and ideas shaping the 2018 elections with our new politics newsletter.]

The reason the prospect of Judge Kavanaugh’s defeat is so alarming to conservatives is that they fear he could be the last shot at reshaping the nation’s highest court for years. If Republicans were to lose control of the Senate, where they hold a 51-to-49 majority, in November, Mr. Trump would find it difficult to get anyone confirmed before the end of the year. Even if Senate leaders were able to schedule hearings and hold a vote, there could be defections from Republican senators uneasy about using a lame duck session to ram through a lifetime appointment that would tip the court’s ideological balance.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas and one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters, said he did not know who was telling the truth, Judge Kavanaugh or Dr. Blasey. “But I can say with absolute certainty,” he added, “that the Democrats don’t care who is telling the truth. Their only interest is in delaying and derailing this confirmation.”

Image

Robert Jeffress, one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters, said of the sexual assault allegation against Judge Kavanaugh, “The White House is walking a tightrope.”CreditLouis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News

In pressing for a quick resolution, conservatives are making a risky bet that the jubilation from their own base over Judge Kavanaugh’s speedy confirmation would outweigh the likely backlash from independent voters they need — especially women.

“The White House is walking a tightrope,” Mr. Jeffress said. “They cannot summarily dismiss these allegations and alienate G.O.P. and independent female voters in the midterms. Neither can they abandon a nominee they and their base strongly support.”

The importance of the Supreme Court to the Trump White House and the Republican Party is difficult to overstate. Mr. Trump has heralded Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and Judge Kavanaugh, his two Supreme Court nominees, as crowning achievements in an otherwise uneven presidency. Conservative groups have spent tens of millions of dollars building the men up as legal luminaries, gentleman scholars and the fulfillment of Mr. Trump’s campaign promise to nominate judges who have “a record of applying the Constitution just as it was written,” as one ad by the Judicial Crisis Network described Judge Kavanaugh.

A relatively smooth, predictable confirmation fight has also been a key part of Republicans’ strategy to keep the Senate. In the 10 states that Mr. Trump won where Democratic senators are up for re-election, Republicans have attacked Democrats for either opposing the judge or remaining noncommittal. But Dr. Blasey’s claims may have given Democrats who were on the fence a way to vote no without paying a steep political price.

Even social conservatives who describe Dr. Blasey’s account as part of a Democratic plot to upend the nomination acknowledge the bind they are in. While they decry the process as tainted and unfair, some are also arguing that they cannot be indifferent and insensitive to a victim.

“The worst thing that can ever happen to any woman or man who has been a victim is to shut them down and not listen to them,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a group that opposes abortion rights. “A tragic piece of this is people who will use that pain for an agenda. That is so clearly what is happening now.”

In the days since Dr. Blasey went public in an interview with The Washington Post and alleged that, when they were both teenagers, Judge Kavanaugh pinned her down on a bed, clapped his hand over her mouth and groped her, Republican leaders and White House officials have urged a muted and restrained approach. Show Dr. Blasey respect; offer to hear her out; and avoid questioning her credibility, at least directly, they have agreed in private conversations.

But many conservatives see little use in being deferential when, they argue, the Democrats play by no such rules. They look back at the failed confirmation of the Republican nominee Robert Bork in 1987, whose writings on civil rights were picked over by Democrats, and the 1991 hearings for Clarence Thomas, who faced testimony from Anita Hill that he had sexually harassed her, and they see a sophisticated and ruthless Democratic machine bent on discrediting their nominees.

“Republicans are right, as a moral matter as well as a political matter, to take allegations of misbehavior like this seriously,” said Frank Cannon, president of the American Principles Project and a veteran social conservative strategist. “At the same time, we’ve seen anything and everything thrown at Republican Supreme Court nominees for decades,” he added, noting that Republicans have been slow to understand that Democrats are “playing by different rules.”

“From the point of view of the average Republican conservative,” Mr. Cannon added, “these people aren’t the apparent monsters they’re being made out to be,” referring to maligned judicial nominees like Justice Thomas, Judge Bork and Judge Kavanaugh.

Privately, some conservatives were thrilled that Dr. Blasey and her lawyer have resisted the opportunity to testify in the Senate on Monday and demanded instead that the F.B.I. first investigate her claims. That would be just enough, they said, to give Republicans the justification for moving forward without her. The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, made clear on Wednesday that he would not postpone a hearing past Monday.

And once the Senate puts the Kavanaugh nomination on track for a final vote, barring any unforeseen disclosures, that sets up a fight that Republicans could win in the Senate but might ultimately lose at the ballot box in November. The level of outrage could run so hot among Democrats, who would likely use every procedural and political tool at their disposal to delay confirmation, that it could provide even more fuel to an already energized liberal base.

Some conservatives, however, seem happy to have that fight.

“Given the confirmation theatrics, followed by this allegation that was held until the last moment, this could be seen as another partisan attack and could actually fuel conservative turnout,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

Conservatives are likely to use protests and other forms of resistance to Judge Kavanaugh as a way to clarify for unmotivated Republican voters what Democratic control of the Senate means: a Trump-nominated Supreme Court justice would never be confirmed again.

“If Chuck Schumer is majority leader and Dianne Feinstein is chairman of the Judiciary Committee,” said Mr. Reed of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, “it will be open season on any Trump nominee to the federal bench at any level of the judiciary.”

Read More | https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/us/politics/brett-kavanaugh-religious-voters.html |

Nature Evangelical Leaders Are Frustrated at G.O.P. Caution on Kavanaugh Allegation, in 2018-09-20 18:48:18

[goingtosee-theworld]

im toolazy to make a header

Pet’s Questionnaire

Name: Pet

Characters: Jane Porter, Howl Pendragon, Eva Grimhelde, Roger Radcliffe, Calliope Harper, Daisy Duck, Jake Long, Lymantria Khan, Al McWiggin, mystery character 10 wow when the fuck did i get so many

Pick a thread from the past six months that you’re proud of and talk about why.

What HAVENT I been proud of in the last six months haha---ok jk jk.

Not really a thread but the whole arc of Howl turns into demon bird was really a thrill to write. I was a bit slow with it because school (ahhh schoooolll), but I was really proud of how it all ended up. From the intial unbecoming—which was short, but action-paced—to the kidnapping of the egg, to Kiki searching for Howl, then the reunion with Mel, and confronting Suliman—ugh it was so action-packed and fun and the egg has yet to unveil herself dun dun dun. (I do realize the first few paras of this fell before the six month line, but we will ignore that).

One of the things I find difficult in writing is, well, action sequences when a lot of things happened at once and this whole arc was full of them, so it really forced me to think about character placement and what a good next move would be. And I want to thank MK and Lauryl for being good partners with this (and being patient when I was slow) and just giving me a lot to work with and ugh yeah.

An honorable mention is the Titsy closet thread (lmao) not just for the smut but because I think that moment was like really character defining for both of them. There was a lot going on. It was also hot and steamy.

Another honorable mention is MILANO BREAKS INTO A MUSEUM AND WAKES A MUMMY AND OH GOD THE REPURCUSSIONS ARE JUST BEING FELT AHHH. Yeah that still has to play out but wow it is fun.

Identify a challenge you’ve faced in this rp. Reflect on why this is a challenge for you. Are there any strategies you can develop to overcome this challenge?

I’m too shy. And I know that is my one big weakness. And I know it might not seem that way in the group chat because I’m a jokester and I say weird shit and am generally jovial and talkative, but like one on one I am…so…anxious and shy and asdkjadlks. I swear to god no matter who you are if we’re talking one on one I get really anxious and im like oh god they noticed I was typing but then I realized I didn’t say anything oh god I feel awful maybe I should clarify wait no I shouldn’t wait no I should wait no it’s too late //screaMs and then I think you hate me. Rinse, repeat.  

This is a challenge, of course, because it makes it really hard for me to plot—because it’s not just me going to approach people, but like people approaching me and I don’t know WHY because 9/10 I love their ideas/they love my ideas. And like I am trying my best to slowly get over it. Im trying to branch out and hit more people up and I am starting by outlining my goals for my characters and then trying to contact people who would be relevant and hopefully I don’t like combust with anxiety whilst doing so wish me luck;;

Pick one of your characters and talk about their growth (we recommend choosing an older character, but it’s up to you! ) What about their story has surprised you? What are you proud of? How have they changed from their original inception to now?

I did Howl last time so now it’s time for Miss Jane Porter.

Ah, Jane, Jane, Jane. SO like a little TMI background into the creation of Jane. I’ve roleplayed Jane Porter for like 6 years now. My original Jane was much different from this Jane. This Jane grew from quite a dark time in my life and her early days were very reflective of that dark time (only getting darker for those first months I had her). Thus, without me even intending it, she got quite depressed. I hadn’t expected it, but that’s the sort of thing that happens when you trap someone who never wanted to make a real commitment in a small town.

Jane was supposed to be fun, energetic, just happening to be weighed down by a dark secret—what she is now is more reflective of what I wanted for her. Instead, the idea of being trapped in one place, the idea of death lurking at the corner of her vision consumed her. She was lonely. She shut herself to the world. She regressed in a way that I did not anticipate. The only way out was for her to crash and burn.

So, I made Jane crash. I gave her everything she feared—the chance of falling in love, the potential of a child, a glimpse of a life that she could live in another world, basically what could be’s that she had been trying to stay away from. And she crashed and those few months were her darkest (like right after rejecting Milo, the time jump, then the pregnancy thing).

Now she’s coming back around. What’s fun with Jane (and by extension Milo) is that they have this—and I’m using a Lauryl ™ term for this—complicated happiness. Where they are happy, but ya know, there are issues. At their best, they are an unstoppable team—they hunt demons, they sneak into museums, they make each other brave (they are both brave, I think, in different ways, but the way that they are not brave is exactly what the other is brave in, so it like complements each other). But at their worst, they become scared: Milo frets, Jane avoids, Milo overanalyzes, Jane tries not to acknowledge. And so far there hasn’t been a real issue with that, but they should have a Talk sooner or later.

I’m proud that Jane was able to pull herself up. But what I want her to do is recognize her problems. She’s very avoidant that way, turning to alcohol/sex when she’s really down or simply ignoring the little things when she’s on a high. She fits her enneagram type to a tee. She ignores bad things and just tries to focus on something new, something exciting, something good. But she needs to recognize problems and work to fix them before they become Big Problems.

Pick another character and talk a little about where you WANT them to go. What are your plans for them for the rest of the year?

I’m going to go with Daisy on this one.

So Daisy, Daisy, Daisy. My little flower. Daisy is always weird for me because literally everything I ever planned for her went in the complete opposite direction. Date Stan? Nope. Interact with Tito just for fun? Lol. Fake-date Lou in the Hogwarts-verse? Hahaha. Even the long term things ended up getting derailed by events (titsy wasn’t supposed to like get together for a bit, but then valentine’s happened, for example). So with Daisy a plan is more like a rough guideline. (which is so FUCKING META IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT BECAUSE SHE LITERALLY PLANS EVERYTHING AHHH)/

There are two paths I envision for Daisy: the first requires a lot more work, but may be more fulfilling in terms of character development and lead to a happy ending. The second is more comfortable and honestly, more unexpected and might be more interesting.

The first is that Daisy rejects the notions of class and wealth she was bred into, which as I mentioned before, would require a lot of work in changing her thinking, but it can be done. Not to be super Sorting Hat Chats in here (okay but when are we not), her primary is Ravenclaw and right now her system is in a bit of a flux and she’s trying to rebuild it. She would need the right type of influence—not just from Tito, mind you, because she feels that she is biased should she solely listen to him (Daisy’s quite analytical and logical and will try to put her own feelings aside when it comes to that decision). It would need to be a mix of outside forces, and this I can see ending in her graduating and doing what she wants to do, instead of what approved jobs her mom would have picked out for her (so maybe trying to strike it out on her own and starting her own lifestyle blog, or working at a smaller company, or maybe one focused on social justice instead of just haute couture idk) and most importantly, choosing her heart over preapproved options.

Now this is the option that would represent the most character growth, but my hesitation? It’s cliché. It’s a bit overdone. It’s Rose from Titanic. It’s been done, and for the way it would pan out with Daisy, it would not be super unique. Would it be the happier ending? Well, yes. I’ve not closed it off completely and tbh I am a sucker for happy endings, so this might be the way to go, I’m just leaving room to think of option two.

Option Two is that Daisy decides that her whole system of class and wealth and status is the one for her. This would just need little nudges from her family, from her friends of high status, reminders of people who have fallen, glimpses into a future that is glamorous and glittering—where she has access to her wealth and name and can use that to better the lives of others. Without having to focus on meeting her own needs, she can turn to the world. (That would be the argument there). Now this has a clear end for Daisy—she graduates, she moves to London or Paris or New York. Will she be satisfied? We won’t know. Her story in Swynlake will end. It ends with a whimper, not a bang. It’s classy, it’s literary, it’s Sister Carrie achieving her dreams, yet feeling empty in her rocking chair..

Now these two options are by no means the only paths for Daisy to follow (and heaven knows she’s done an amazing job at skirting around literally every other plan I’ve set up for her)—so we will see! Maybe it will be some weird combo of those two. Maybe something will happen to expedite one or the other. Maybe she’ll turn into a zombie.

OPTIONAL (REQUIRED FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T DO THE LAST QUESTIONNAIRE): In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 strengths and talk about why you think it’s one of your strengths.

Uhhhhhhhhh. Srry ive felt bad about my writing lately but here goes:

Structure: now this is like. A weird one?? Idk it stood out to me when I wrote Ly’s one-shot about her brother, but I like playing with structure and having set forms and beginning sentences certain ways and having repetition and idk this is weird but I really enjoy doing this so I do think I do it well.

Description: I think I do this well. When I do it I mean. I try. I think I do it the best with magic, Howl’s and Ly’s specifically. Also Daisy’s outfits lmao.

Humor: This one I will say I do well. I make myself chuckle.

OPTIONAL (REQUIRED FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T DO THE LAST QUESTIONNAIRE): In terms of your own writing, identify 1-3 areas of improvement.

Dialogue: last questionnaire I said I did dialogue well but I take it back. I feel like all my characters sound the same. Idk. Except for like Howl maybe, and Roger. I guess it’s like the cluster of Ly/Daisy/Eva with their weird accents that don’t actually exist in youtube videos so I cant quite pin them down.

Setting: im really trying to improve on this! And just add like little details in general! It’s still a work in progress but it’s getting there!!

Like action/forwarding things this is vague: I remember very specifically in one of my creative writing classes, I had written something I was very proud of and someone told me something along the lines of “I enjoyed reading this and it was well-written…but it was just people sitting around and talking for the most part. Nothing happened.” And that really resonated with me because ya know, I do that well. I do sitting around and talking and thinking and longing and sighing quite well. It’s the like actually furthering things along part I am bad at. This rp has definitely forced me to do that and I am definitely improving, but it is still something I need to work on.

OPTIONAL (REQUIRED FOR THOSE WHO DIDN’T DO THE LAST QUESTIONNAIRE): Reflect on other writers you love– in the rp or out! How have they influenced you? What do you love about their writing that you want to bring to your own?

Every1 is great, again. 

IF YOU DID THE LAST QUESTIONNAIRE: Alright, now pick an item from the Wishlist you completed in January that you’ve started to pursue. How far are you from completing this goal? Talk about the steps you took to make it happen.

Jane and the cheating thing. Not that Jane is going to cheat, not by a long shot. (Actually in the most recent of my replies to the Jane/Paul thread, I think Jane like drunkenly had the epiphany that she was just lusting over Paul because he represented her could-have-beens—will she remember that come morning? Find out.)

This is a thing that I don’t think will be resolved-resolved till Jane brings it up to Milo whenever they have that Talk that they need to have that’s kinda been building up haha.

I actually can’t remember if Lauryl offered Paul as the sacrificial lamb first or we had LADS interact with all our characters and Jane and Paul kinda hit it off (they’re both naturally flirty)—but whichever one it was, we took it off and just kept playing with it. It did take a brief hold up as my school picked up (darn you school), but I think it’s back on track and combined with this mummy plot. Well. Should be a fun time.

IF YOU DID THE LAST QUESTIONNAIRE: Pick another item on your wishlist that hasn’t happened yet. We’re gonna do a MOCK-PLOT!!! Pick a character who could help with this goal, and plan at least three threads or “steps” that would kick-start this plot. Need help? Remember to look at the plotting tips and tricks! See the end of this questionnaire for an example. You do not have to follow through with the plot as you planned it here– but it can kickstart brainstorming and get you thinking in terms of cause/effect.

Ok im cheating a bit for this and picking a character with a plot that I did not have on the wishlist (and then adding someone that I did bc why not)

LYMANTRIA GOES OFF THE DEEP END

Have someone further influence Lymantria into believing that she’s nothing without her magic (Mel or Mellie)

Lymantria seeks someone who will take Fey’s with her. They do the drug together. (Alice)

A trusted friend notices what’s going on and tries to intervene. (Maui or Meg)

Lymantria does not listen. Stronger forces must get involved (depending probably on who it was in the previous thread but most likely Esme or Copper/law enforcement in general (lmao or both)).

DAISY ADMITS SHE NEEDS THERAPY

There’s a thing that’s supposed to happen which will result in a big fight. (Tito)

Daisy most likely will go to Lou for advice. (Lou)

Most likely, she will not feel any the better from that and will probably save face since she hates seeming weak (especially in front of Lou lol) and then will be like let’s do what normal college aged girls do and go clubbing! And then get a full blown panic attack while clubbing. (Annette probably does daisy have any female friends idk---oh maybe Hermes tbh)

Either ends up at home or in the hospital, and like the boys will come so this is between Tito/Lou idk who is more likely to suggest that to her. Heck maybe Stan. Or ya know maybe a medical professional—Minnie? Sweet? Idk this end part is really up in the air and I think depends on what happens in the previous part.

AL LEARNS ABOUT FEMINISM

While online gaming, Al is confronted by a female gamer who calls him out for being a chauvinist. He relates this experience to a friend who further calls him out. (Gogo)

Al wants to find out what the heck he is doing wrong. Don’t women have it good already? He seeks out a woman he knows who has a better education than him and a better job, because he was definitely qualified to get into a good school he just couldn’t ya know and he wants to find out /why/ women think they are at a disadvantage. (Nala)

Al can’t believe it! He tries to find a man whom he respects who agrees with Nala. (a man Al respects—Wade, idk. Who is a nerd here?)

Finally: write a NEW wish list for the upcoming half of the year. It’s fine if you use a lot from your previous wish list if you still haven’t completed them and you still want to!

1.       Family connections—leftover from my last list, but in the works as we speak mwhaha

2.       I know I have already had a few love triangles, but I want one where the two outer points are like actually close and would hate to hurt each other by picking the love interest (like Angelica-Eliza-Hamilton, tbh) ‘cuz the ones I have right now the two outer points don’t really care about each other remotely.

3.       POLYAMOROUS RELATIONSHIP—who knows, could be the solution to the above conflict haha.

4.       Threesome—I’ve been pitching this endlessly. Someone write a threesome with me.

5.       Explore Jake’s magic: I think his is the most undeveloped. I need an opportunity to bring it to light. I want him to either heroically help someone OR get in trouble and have to face the Dragon order repercussions, etc ,etc.