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ryderreturns · 6 years ago

Text

Certainly Not I

When: Wednesday night, October 24th

Where: His bedroom and his mind

Why: On the night of the Hunters Moon, Ryder meets his shadow self for the first time.

What: Trigger warnings for violence, blood, drugs, guns, and mention of anxiety, trauma, murder, suicide, animal cruelty

“I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both.” Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

As his eyes opened, he was no longer chained to the wall in his room. His skin wasn’t gray and stretched taut across a body that wasn’t his own. Ryder recognized where he was in an instant. Lynn’s Emporium and Oddities was as well known to him as the three freckles that form a triangle on his arm. Dark maroon walls over a hardwood floor. Shelves lining the middle of the back room where the real magic was sold. Two large grandfather clocks ticked just out of sync, loud enough to be heard in the empty room.

Breathing in the air brought with it the dust and musk of a store full of wonders both magical and useless. He began to walk along the nearest aisle, noticing something was off about the stock on the shelves. Everything was still labeled in Grunkle John’s scrawling script, but the items were different. Whereas the shelves were normally full of bottled potions, leather-wrapped books, and all sorts of crystals, there was instead an assortment of snow globes, picture frames, and carved wooden animals. Ryder paused, reaching a hand out to pick up one of the snow globes. Inside, trapped in water with pieces of glitter on the bottom, was a memory. He recognized the wet forest, saw himself as a child standing before a crocodile and trying to talk to it. Carefully, he set it back down.

Before he could pick up another item, movement at the end of the aisle caught his eye. Standing at the end, knuckles reaching the floor and back as hunched as if the creature was bowing, was the Werewolf. Yellow eyes staring back with recognition. Pointed ears that twitched and swerved to follow each tiny sound. Elongated snout ending in a wet, black nose. Gray skin that looked paper thin stretched over an emaciated body.

“Is that what he looks like?” he thought. He’d only been able to see from the neck down. Though when he’d been free in Siberia, he’d caught a few reflections of himself. Memories he’d blocked out.

No chains held the beast back. Ryder took a step away - and watched the werewolf step forward. He stepped back again, catching the werewolf mirroring his movement again. The creature’s breathing was slow, calm.

Hand reaching out, he grabbed the nearest item off the shelf and hurled it at the werewolf’s head. The cheap plastic swimmer’s trophy broke against the beast’s forehead, but Ryder was the one who felt a trickle of blood creep down his skin.

“Is this an illusion? A curse?” he barked at the creature. “Santana, is this you? I want out! I’m not fucking around!” He looked up but only saw the roof of the shop.

The last he remembered, he’d been chained up in his room. Sure, that memory was a bit blurry, but the combination of downers he took was enough to make the transformation and his anxiety over locking himself into magical chains bearable. The drugs had never caused a reaction like this before. Still, he wouldn’t have been able to create the illusion himself. Even if he had, he wouldn’t get pieces of the Emporium wrong. So where was he really?

A creak overhead caught Ryder’s ear, making the Werewolf’s ear jerk and swivel in the direction of the noise. “Stay here,” he commanded in a voice that quaked, turning to start up the stairs to where he and Grunkle John lived. (It was a voice he’d never use on a dog.) He ignored the sound of steps behind him. Even with the beast at his back, Ryder felt strangely alone. The Emporium never felt alone. It was always bustling with customers, and then when the hours ended for the day and the CLOSED sign was turned, Grunkle John was there to lead the way upstairs for dinner.

It was a narrow hallway, a few framed photos lined the wall. There wasn’t a theme to them, besides Pictures Grunkle John Likes. The door to the left of the top of the stairs was a door Ryder had been told to stay away from for years. Grunkle John had disappeared behind it regularly with customers. A few instances, Ryder had seen the customer leave with a brown paper wrapped package quickly being stowed away.

When he came home from NYADA to take care of Grunkle John, he’d finally been given the spell to unlock the door for himself. Ryder tried it now as he faced the door, but as the words left his mouth, his magic circle didn’t appear. Not even a spark of its light glimmered. “Fucking full moon.”

So he took the common’s way and tried to open the door by its handle. Locked. Still, on the other side of the door, he could hear someone or something moving around. “Grunkle John?” he called, knocking on the door. “It’s Ryder. Let me in.”

‘Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin,’ a voice whispered, raising the hair on the back of his neck. It was not the voice of his Great Uncle.

“Who’s there?” Bracing his shoulder against the door, he tried jiggling the knob with more force. A grunt escaped him as he knocked against it with his shoulder, only hurting himself in the process.

“Screw it,” he muttered, standing back a bit. Ryder lifted up his foot and kicked above the door knob, splintering the wood. With another kick to the same spot, the door flew open.

All of Lynn’s Emporium and Oddities fell away, leaving Ryder standing in the middle of a fast-moving stream of water. On one side, forest as lush and green and inviting as any he’d stood in. Not just one type of forest, but all of them meshed together with spruces and vines and ferns and moss blending seamlessly. Every inch was covered in warm sunlight, a soft breeze flowing between the leaves and mixing the smells together. He could even hear the calls and movement of animals not far off, living their lives without finding him a threat.

Across from the forest, on the other side of the stream, a full moon shone bright over a barren white landscape and a long line of prison cells. In the first cell, the Werewolf stood held back against the wall by chains. In the second, Shadow!Ryder waited, smiling back at Ryder. While they looked similar, one of Shadow!Ryder’s eyes was the same yellow as the Werewolf. His hair was longer, almost reaching his shoulders. A 5 o’clock shadow covered his jaw and chin. He wore simples clothes: dark jeans, a green t-shirt, worn brown boots.

The other man slid the door of the a cell open and walked out. ‘So hard to keep me locked away,’ he mused, stepping onto the fresh snow and leaving behind a deep red footprint. ‘I’ve been waiting to meet me. There are some things we need to talk about.’ His accent was decidedly New Yorker.

Ryder stepped out of the stream and onto the side of the forest. “Where am I?” His eyes looked on to the next cell where he saw his father first holding up a bible, then his mother in the one beyond with a cross in hand. In the fifth cell, Grunkle John laid in a hospital bed, hooked up to more machines that seemed possible to fit in the space. The cells went on, but Ryder looked back to the other man, not wanting to see any more.

‘Come on, Ryder. We’re not as dumb as you make us look,’ the other man sighed. ‘If it’s not an illusion, and it’s not reality-’

“Then it’s a dream,” he finished. But usually in his dreams, he could use his magic. Ryder continued to walk parallel along the stream, his counterpart following suit. What was that trick to realizing you were in a dream? Counting your fingers? He looked down to his hands, but he counted off ten without any problem.

‘That won’t work,’ the Shadow said. ‘Now onto the big question: who are you?’

A projector appeared out of thin air, landing on a stand and lighting up to show a diagram of Ryder on a white screen. The Shadow pulled out a long, metal pointer and whacked it against the image. ‘This is Ryder. SLIDE.’ The next picture showed Ryder in high school, sitting on a bench during lunch time and surrounded by pigeons. ‘Weak animal magician who talks when he could rule. SLIDE.’ Each time the slide changed, it sounded like a gun shot.

A small clip played next, showing Ryder using his water magic in the Socius Pactum tournament before the scene cut ahead to them losing. ‘Weak water affinity. SLIDE.’ A number of images showed in quick succession: each is a picture of him beaten, bruised, and/or bloodied, with the most recent picture showing him after Pagan Pride Parade. ‘You know, putting this together was pretty easy. I just Google image searched “Ryder Fighting Without Planning or Thinking”. I think you get the picture.’

‘SLIDE.’ The next clip that showed on screen only had flashes of movement of gray against a black background. The noise has Ryder closing his eyes, bringing up his hands to cover his ears. ‘Your first transformation. Do you remember the freezer? It was just big enough for you to lay down in. A coffin Grunkle John locked you in.’ A growl sent his body into convulsions. ‘He kept apologizing.’

“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” he said through gritted teeth, tensing with each wave of shivers that wracked his body.

The projector, the screen, and the pointer disappeared with a POOF. Ryder opened his eyes and jumped back when he saw the other man standing just before him.

‘Do you know what we could be? What we could do?’ he asked, tilting his head as he started to walk around Ryder in a circle. A copy of Lineage appeared in Ryder’s hands, lighting from the bottom in fire and burning it all to a crisp. A scoreboard appeared next with the Lineage scoreboard list of notable Bloodline families: Anderson, Clarington, Fabray. Each name was struck off with the snap of the shadow’s fingers. New names begin to write themselves across the board: Lynn, Gilbert, Rutherford, Rose, Karofsky.

To say he didn’t understand would be a lie. The strange, imperfect mirror of himself was being as clear as day. But Ryder didn’t know why this was happening. “What is this?”

‘Call it a rude awakening,’ the man chuckled. ‘Or a kick to the balls. You’ve forgotten your potential, Ryder. You’ve been pushing yourself down, trying to fit all the round pegs into square holes. Sure, someone else gave you the chains, but who locks you inside them?’ Crossing the stream, the other man went for the first cell. He smiled as he opened the cell door, pushing the metal aside.

“Wait, wait, no!” Ryder shouted, crossing the stream into the tundra. “No, you can’t go near him!” He didn’t notice the absence of footprints beneath his feet.

The other man didn’t even flinch as he approached the Werewolf attempting to gnaw at his chains, only to bloody his jaws and ruin his teeth for a time. ‘Ryder, you know as well as I do what happens to a caged animal.’

“...it dies,” he said, attempting to brace himself as he watched the Shadow take one of the locks in his hand and break it open. That wolf was going to kill him.

‘You cried the first time Grunkle John took you to a zoo. Every animal looked so sad, so bored. You punched the little kid that threw popcorn at the sleeping crocodiles,’ he mused, tugging at long strands of chains that dropped from the hulking beast.

This werewolf was different from Ryder’s. The hair was thicker in places, but the most noticeable difference was the sheer size of him. While the werewolf from the shop had looked emaciated and poorly cared for, the werewolf currently shaking chains off its body was all muscle. A huff of breath left the beast as it stepped out of its chains. Its head fell back and a piercing howl filled the air, which made the moon glow brighter in the sky.

Ryder’s eyes darted around to find something to protect himself with. A gun waited in the snow with a single, silver bullet beside it. He didn’t hesitate. Picking up the gun, he pulled back the bolt and slid in the bullet as the werewolf left behind its cell. Lifting the weapon, he raised his eyes but found the werewolf wasn’t alone.

Animals from every type of habitat stood surrounding the werewolf. The prison cells had disappeared leaving only open tundra lit by the moon. The animals didn’t cower away from the predator. Most of them stood in defensive positions, with a few looking ready to pounce Ryder. They were protecting the werewolf.

The Shadow stood beside Ryder. He reached a hand up to touch the gun, turning it to snow that trickled down to the ground. ‘Does anyone else know you would kill the werewolf if you could?’ he wondered. ‘That you would tear your soul in half to root out what scares you?’

His hand gestured to the gathering of animals. ‘This is what it could be like, Ryder. If you weren’t locked away by Bloodlines, by witches afraid of you, like you’re afraid of him. Imagine it: a world where you don’t have to chain yourself, or anesthetize yourself just to function.’ He took a step to stand in front of Ryder. ‘You don’t have to be afraid of yourself. Sader isn’t afraid of himself. Poe isn’t either. They’ve embraced what they are instead of trying to cage it away in the back of their heads.’

‘Maybe if you had a clear head,’ he said, tapping a finger to Ryder’s temple, ‘You’d protect yourself better. Protect others better. Be a better leader, a better person that doesn’t take the shit heaped upon him.’

Josh Coleman appeared before them, knelt on the ground. Ryder barred his teeth, grinding them together.

‘What if you pointed that gun out at the people who deserved it?’

54 materialized beside Josh.

“No,” he said, shaking his head, swallowing back the sick taste in his mouth like warm pennies. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

‘But that’s not true,’ the Shadow said, shifting to stand behind Ryder with his hands on his shoulders. ‘You can’t lie to me.’

“I’m not a killer,” he spat, shaking off the other man and turning to walk away from the display. He just wanted to reach the other side of the stream, but his steps didn’t bring him any closer. “I just want to go back.”

‘Back to your chains? Back to your jail cell?’ A loud snap accompanied the dream atmosphere changing again so they were standing in a replica of Ryder’s dorm room. ‘It’s easier to lock this all away. To pretend we’ve never had the thought. Ryder would never want to kill someone. He could never want to kill his werewolf, not a member of the LNSA. Gasp!”

“How do I get back?” he asked, searching around his room for something to help him. What - this had happened to a friend before. She, fuck, what was her name, the kind one, she had gone away into her mind. How could he be forgetting something so important?

The voice grew darker, “No, he doesn’t want to tear and rip the Bloodlines from their high horses and government thrones. Ryder wanting to fuck something other than his hand? God forbid. And he never wonders what would happen if someone took his chains away.’

Pieces of the room began fading away. Posters on the wall, books on his desk, the covers on his bed. But as they dissipated, the wall of chains loomed closer.

He closed his eyes, picturing a face. The word stuck on the edge of his tongue broke free: “Quinn!” Tethers. He needed a tether. Blocking out the voice behind him, Ryder walked to his desk and picked up a picture frame. Santana, Marley, Blaine, Quinn, Tina, Rachel, Elliott, and on. As he began speaking out the names of his friends, the voice calling to him grew more and more faint.

Ryder gripped the frame in his hands, speaking out names like prayers that could protect him from himself.

From his window, the light of the moon shone brighter with each name he spoke until it filled the room completely with blinding white.

As he woke, the eyes that he looked out of were sharper. The smells of the room were more pronounced. His arms felt heavy, pulling on the manacles around his wrists.

The moon was still shining outside and he had a long night yet ahead of him.

#nimshadows #para: Solo #t: para #tw: violence #tw: suicide #tw: blood #tw: guns #cw: anxiety #cw: mentions of death #cw: mentions of murder

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coalessscence · 6 years ago

Text

STATS

REPOST, DON’T REBLOG

(i’m doing this for remembrance) ・・・・・★ BASICS.

FULL NAME: Remembrance Raimond Descoteaux NICKNAME: doesn’t have any. honestly has never had anyone to give her one. the closest would be that while undercover, she rarely bothers to introduce herself- she rarely says much at all. she is commonly referred to as just ‘driver’. AGE: 26 (may be adapted) (verse dependent) BIRTHDAY: November 1316th, 1945 (verse dependent) NATIONALITY: French American PLACE OF BIRTH: Ohio, USA CURRENT LOCATION: Anywhere her case takes her, across the US and sometimes beyond. Technically, her non-undercover, legal residence is in new york, though. PRONOUNS: because she looks like a woman, she gets labeled as such and ‘ma’amed’, referred to with she/her, etc. she is agender, but in a time when that’s not really a well known thing, so she doesn’t have the terminology for it. she knows she doesn’t think of herself as a woman, but that’s about all she knows. she would honestly answer to literally any pronouns you decided to use without issue, but generally gets referred to as she/her and doesn’t feel the need to argue. ORIENTATION: polysexual, aromantic RELIGION: doesn’t subscribe to any faith in particular and was not raised with one; also is not actively an atheist. kind of just legitimately doesn’t care one way or the other. LANGUAGES: her first language was french; she obviously fluent in english as well, but has an Accent (tm) VOICE: the same as her fc, isabelle adjani. this is a p good representation. i would just say remembrance’s accent might be slightly more notable. ・・・・・★ PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES.

EYE COLOR: dark brown HAIR COLOR: dark brown HEIGHT: 5′4 BODY BUILD: short, tiny, very thin. she has more muscle than her boxy t shirts and button-ups let you know about. her widest place is probably her hips- but even those are on the slim side. she doesn't have a lot of chest either; not that she'd ever let you see it even if she did.

・・・・・★ NOTABLE FEATURES.

people always notice the accent. she’s sort of tired of them asking. not really angry- just over it.

notable scarring from being in fights, from being stabbed, and from that one bullet wound she had that time.

a sort of stoic existence; you rarely see a change in her expression or her tone of voice.

she’s actually very bad with people, outside the very specific professional standards she usually interacts with them in the parameters of, and as soon as an interaction leaves the script, it becomes very apparent.

has a necklace that was a family heirloom. pretty much always wears it.

・・・・・★ PHOBIAS & DISEASES.

PHOBIAS/FEARS: remembrance is a strange one- she doesn’t, in the traditional sense of the word, have a lot of fears. there are a couple things that concern her; the main being that she’s not a human like everyone else. she already feels different, for the gender reasons, and because being aromantic in the 1960s and 1970s with no terminology or awareness for it is a sure fire way to be branded a robot. but also, she just doesn’t feel like she fits in with people. she can’t say why. interaction is difficult for her, and emotions- both their expression, and sometimes, feeling them at all- are a problem.if asked to describe it, she might just say all of her emotions have the volume turned down. she can count on one hand the number of people she has had any kind of meaningful connections to. why would she pursue more? she isn’t human. no one would want her anyways. she’s too different. people don’t like her, and in return, she doesn’t like them. she’s afraid of people, and just a little bit of herself. DISEASES: when she was very tiny, before her parents died, they noted that their child was different from other children. she didn’t ever smile, she rarely laughed, and she lacked a range in expression that other children seemed to have. they took her to see someone about it, concerned that she was sick or that they were doing something wrong. some mention had been made of there perhaps being “an axis II personality disorder” at play, but the parents were also told not to worry about it- that they should wait and see how she matured before they were truly concerned for her sanity, and that it was “probably nothing”. they took that advice. it was not technically an official diagnoses. today, she might be diagnosed with asperger’s, and/or an avoidant personality disorder.

・・・・・★ PERSONALITY.

GENERAL IMPRESSION: i think people just have a lot of questions about her. who is this strange ‘woman’ who never smiles or expresses true humor? no one can tell if she likes them or not, no one can tell if she’s thinking anything at all. one of the few things holding her back in her career, from becoming a lieutenant or higher, is her interaction skills, and her general perception with others. no one knows her and she doesn’t know anyone. it’s like she was copy and pasted from another universe and brought nothing with her. she is smart, quick witted, and adaptable. she does have a (somewhat dry) sense of humor, and she isn’t actually an asshole- she doesn’t hate people, she doesn’t lack empathy, she’s not a sociopath. but that is how she’s perceived and she doesn’t go out of her way to stop it. she largely doesn’t care, but i also don’t think she would know how to.

but on the other hand, she is somewhat morally ambiguous. she is sort of rude sometimes, intentionally or not. she doesn’t mince words for tact. if your opinion is not indifferent or curious, it is hostile. the impressions that people have of her are all very similar, and she has sort of accepted all of them as an apparent reflection of herself. they all see her that way, so that’s who she is. she’s not offended. she just sees it all as facts. MORAL ALIGNMENT: true neutral

・・・・・★ MISC.

・・★ LIKES:

car & racing culture

driving in general

very strong coffee

traditional french foods

americana-flavored rock music (i.e. america, the eagles, etc)

sex

record & tape stores

androgynous clothing

the concept (but not the practice) of being a punk

actually helping people in her job (it actually kind of makes her feel something ???)

・・★ DISLIKES:

people who label her a certain, negative way

just people in general tbh

the way people have expectations for her & her life but don’t even know her

pretending to care

men hitting on her (why are they all so gross) (why do they ask why she’s ‘dressed like a dude’) (they can all fuck off in her opinion)

being asked to trust anyone for anything

doing any job she doesn’t actually care about

expressing emotion and/or being real or vulnerable

being told what to do

letting anyone else drive her car

TAGGED BY: @piper-aileen-lenox <3 TAGGING: uhhhhhH ok @surviivorx @psychicinstincts @themostpowerfuleditor @survivaliist @seesgood @truckturning @abouttiime @violetxsilverxstark @cointriicked @aggressivelyarrogant and akdhffgf ANYONE WHO WANTS TO STEAL IT AND TAG ME BC THATS P RAD

#🏎️ the 'wheelman' | MUSE (remembrance)#🏎️ had to pay off the judge to get my licence back | ABOUT (remembrance)#🏎️ car & driver's connection | HEADCANONS (remembrance)#⌲ t a g s #⌲ i don't wanna feel Q U E U E anymore #⌲ o o c #⌲ m u n s p e a k

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ganymedesclock · 7 years ago

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i'm trying to understand where the idea that lotor is self-serving and only cares about himself and what he wants came from? we still don't even know his real plan, and his motive over going to voltron is to like... live, probably.

This is actually an interesting question, so, I wanna break this down a little and talk about Lotor, and reads on him, and what I think they’re playing off of.

1. History

I’m not sure how strong an influence this is, but the idea of Lotor as a pampered, materialistic, vain asshole is actually completely founded in other continuities. Quite a few of them- GoLion, DotU, and DDP in particular, depict Lotor literally keeping harems of beautiful women who waited on him, massaged him, poured him wine- and he drank a lot of wine.

Voltron Force broke away from the harem thing, but he was still shown drinking that’s-probably-an-alcoholic-beverage-but-they-won’t-say-so-because-cartoon in the bath while allegedly important things were going on. Admittedly with Force Lotor, this is moderately more understandable since he was undead and needed repeat exposures to a specific substance in order to keep the “un” part in there- and chose the sauna option over injection or radiation because he was sick of the alternatives.

It still comes back to, frankly, prior incarnations of Lotor absolutely deserved to be identified as spoiled, or at least used to the good life. While I’ve yet to find a single incarnation of Lotor that has a good relationship with Zarkon, in most other continuities, Lotor had ample resources separate from him (in a few, such as Force, Lotor is in charge as Zarkon is long dead) and was very inclined to indulge in them- and, as the very nature of a slave harem necessitates- often directly at others’ expense.

Of course that’s only as logical an explanation as making assumptions about VLD Lotor based on other incarnations of the character, when Lotor, like every other character in VLD, is a very different creature from his prior selves. Never in VLD’s canon have we witnessed Lotor doing anything that looks like partying or relaxing- or even not immediately related to his ambition. This continuity sets him up as a counterpart to Shiro, after all, and Shiro is a rather dedicated workaholic.

The only pleasant company Lotor entertains is the generals, and that’s about the furthest thing from a “harem” as you can get- the generals are autonomous, ambitious people, and, like Lotor, they spend their onscreen time working. Their relationship is businesslike in nature, and while Lotor clearly considers them friends and is more personal with them than mere coworkers, we have no evidence their relationship ever moved out of the territory of allies and conspirators. And Lotor hasn’t shown romantic or sexual interest in anyone else, much less acting on it.

It’s a facelift very similar to Zarkon, when prior incarnations of his character were also inclined to extravagant opulence. However, while in VLD Zarkon’s case, his spartan inclinations still come with their own flavor of ostentation, and it’s simply that he has nothing to prove as he’s already considered something approaching a god- in Lotor’s case the specific lack of pampered settings is used as one word in a different ongoing message- that Lotor’s ambition and calculation in this continuity is rooted not in entitlement, but a deep, abiding bitterness.

Other incarnations of Lotor were selfish people, and their unhappiness rooted in Zarkon’s abuse drove some of their selfish grabs, but even then, their behavior was neither understandable, nor sympathetic. (GoLion’s Sincline, for example, lusted after Allura out of misplaced grief over the traumatic loss of his mother, but he was still trying to abduct and forcibly wed an unrelated teenager who happened to look like his mom)

And that leads into my second point…

2. Self-serving versus selfish

Talking purely VLD here, Lotor is established as a manipulator, and someone who’s not afraid to lie through his teeth to other people. Given that this is the same context in which his more noble, political reform ambitions also come to light, I think many people have come away with the assumption that Lotor is inherently selfish- that his manipulation and behind-the-scenes discarding and mockery of Throk is evidence that Lotor is ultimately a cruel person.

And this very flavor of guile, on prior incarnations, did have the take-home that Lotor was ultimately a nasty guy only in it for himself.

However, again, in VLD, Lotor is a good deal more desperate, and more vulnerable, than his prior selves.

There is no Altea left. It’s dead and gone. And Lotor is not only biologically half-Altean, but frankly, from a cultural perspective, even down to his accent- he’s basically an Altean with a thin coating of just purple and pointy enough to be palatable to the average galra. This puts a very different spin on his relationship with the empire, and with his father, especially given the latter very actively and deliberately is trying to complete his earlier genocide of the Altean people.

Prior incarnations of Lotor didn’t have this problem- even Sincline, who was half-Altean, still felt safe enough that he acted as a conqueror in furthering Zarkon’s empire, and actually, before he started to struggle against Voltron, entertained a fairly cozy position.

VLD Lotor, however, is a vulnerable minority neck deep in the heartland of the empire and he has basically no illusions whatsoever that his title won’t save him. He’s not scheming against Zarkon because ��boy, it sure would be neat to have more power here, too bad my smelly old dad is immortal, is there any way I can help the natural process along here” nearly as much as “it’s inevitably going to be me or him, and if I don’t shoot first, he will.”

Lotor’s a survivalist. And in that sense, he is self-serving, but not in the way of someone who’s gonna use your tears to salt his martini, so to speak. We see this a lot in, say, his interactions with Puig, or in s4e5 when he bails on the generals.

Lotor does, in fact, make decisions that serve himself. Sometimes this is at others’ expense. His attitude, virtually always, is “I don’t particularly want to be doing this. I can tell you’re hurting, and I don’t really want you to be. But… if I don’t take this, I’m going to die, and I also don’t want that. Well, then. take care of yourself.”

The only people Lotor’s consistently shown to have no sympathy for is Zarkon, Haggar, and people like Throk who are gleefully and unabashedly part of their empire. And that’s not really surprising, and it’s certainly not a villainous trait. Our heroes are the same way- they really don’t have much empathy for the commanders and generals that are happy under Zarkon.

The specific way Throk frames his criticism of Lotor in s3e1 boils down to Throk perceives Lotor’s more merciful approach as a threat to the empire. Compassion and empathy are hazards to Throk, who is, in short, an aristocrat who bought his way to the top with other people’s blood and tears. He brings this up repeatedly when fighting Lotor- that he has hurt others, that he is proud of his violence and cruelty onto others.

And Throk? Throk is the guy Lotor genuinely throws under the bus, chews him out and spits him out coldly, and I’m willing to bet there is more than a little bitterness and vengefulness in there. But pulling this back to our original topic:

Guile, manipulation, scheming, are in short, not stereotypically heroic traits. Seeing Lotor lie to Throk, from a viewer’s perspective, awakens a reflexive discomfort in us, because seeing people lie to each other and undermine them behind the scenes is stereotypically villainous behavior. The audience becomes suspicious and on edge towards Lotor, and this causes them to read the rest of Lotor’s behavior in a very cynical light- any compassion or empathy we see out of him going forwards has to be a lie, has to be a trick.

The thing this read misses is that Throk again, defined himself by his cruelty and vindictiveness. He isn’t a guy we should be weeping for all that hard. Our heroes would have messed him up just as much had they gotten their hands on him first. That’s why Throk is given so much time to speak for himself, and establish that yeah, he’s a violent bigot and proud of it, and how heavily, thematically, Lotor’s manipulation of Throk is framed as a counterattack.

Because both practically in the duel and in the larger situation, Lotor hangs back and lets Throk pound on him, only focusing on blocking and protecting himself. He doesn’t even come out of it unscathed- there’s a notable moment of Throk clipping Lotor’s hair, which Lotor doesn’t once acknowledge.

The entire time Throk and his friend are speaking of Lotor, we see Lotor in the ring, set upon by his larger opponent- dodging, evading, weaving around. This is a very direct visual allegory- Lotor is an underdog. If there’s anyone who picked this fight first, it’s the thousand injuries of the galra empire Lotor’s endured first.

So what this all comes back to, I think, is that there’s a failure to distinguish prior continuities’ selfish, arrogant Lotor, who had plenty and wanted more, from VLD’s Lotor, who’s more of a starving wolf on the prowl. Both are dangerous- both will take what they want and if need be hurt you to get it.

But one of them wants without any real need behind it- wants, in the way that someone sitting in a comfortable room surrounded by beautiful people sees someone that doesn’t belong to them and salivates. And that’s unsympathetic, even if it’s rooted in genuine tragedy- because GoLion’s Sincline made the choice to fill his void by trapping other people inside of it.

VLD Lotor is not a selfish person. He’s aggressive, he’s ambitious, he’s calculating, the same way prior incarnations of his character were. But need and want are really the same for Lotor- there’s nothing he doesn’t try to hold onto that he doesn’t need, and those needs are unfulfilled.

It’s actually really kind of a fascinating contrast to look at DotU Lotor who has so many people waiting on him hand and foot that he throws them away and basically ignores them (I don’t think we ever learn any of his attendants’ names, nor are they treated as full characters who have lives outside of him, with the exception of other people he tries to kidnap, such as Romelle) and compare that to Lotor where the only four people whose company he genuinely seems to enjoy, all named and full characters, all left him one way or another, partially through his own actions, but with an overwhelming sense of helplessness from him the entire time.

People have compared the generals�� betrayal of Lotor to the fall of Azula, when one of the meaningful differences is that Azula was completely outraged and shocked to lose Mai and Ty Lee.

Lotor, once he gets over the initial surprise of being shot? Just kind of takes it as a given.

It comes down to the difference between a glutton and someone who’s been living on the street without reliable food for years. Both of them are going to be preoccupied with their next meal, but in very different contexts- one goes “ho hum, what shall I eat today,” and the other one is going “will I be able to eat today?”

And to me, I think sympathy entirely aside, that’s something that makes VLD Lotor a lot more dangerous than his DotU self. Because DotU Lotor could be counted on to indulge (the oft-quoted birthday party episode) and this was something his enemies could exploit- he’d lower his guard to have a good time.

VLD Lotor is a terrified, embittered person who takes almost nothing for granted and even if he’s far more ethical than his older incarnations, Narti’s fate alone is a magnificent case study in how far Lotor will go doing things he doesn’t want to because he lives his entire life with his back to a wall knowing if he doesn’t personally carve a way out here through whatever might be in his way, he’s not leaving.

#voltron legendary defender #vld #Lotor #readmore #Anonymous

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spiderdreamer-blog · 7 years ago

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The “Problem” Of Lotor

So since Voltron’s 4th season (or rather the half of season 3 that wasn’t released back in August since they changed their release strategy) dropped last week, there’s been a lot of talk about the actions of this season’s general antagonist, Prince Lotor, in those episodes. And they deserve discussing! It’s quite a radical shift from where he started earlier in the season in both his standing and his motivations, and I eagerly await where his story will take him next.

But I’m seeing some....distasteful framing of the situation and his character from a lot of fans/people, and it’s starting to bother me a great deal. First, I believe some context is in order. Both prior to his appearance and after “Season 3″ dropped in August, the show itself and the cast/crew took great pains to draw distinctions between Lotor and his father, Emperor Zarkon, the overall “Big Bad” of the series; the latter were continually saying things like “he’s different from his father”, “he’s complex”, “there are layers to Lotor”, etc. I don’t imagine they would do this unless they had good reason to believe that they had pulled this off.

The initial contrasts are fairly easy to determine on the surface level. Where Zarkon is big, scarred, wrinkled and burly, Lotor is short, thin, and fair-skinned/haired. Neil Kaplan in his performance as Zarkon speaks slowly much of the time (it’s why it’s such a big deal when he finally starts to snap in Season 2) and hammers his opponents brutally during fight scenes when he gets them. By contrast, AJ LoCascio is smooth, haughty, and quick on his feet as a performer (much like the prince is during both hand-to-hand and ship-based fight scenes), adopting a faux-British accent for Lotor that draws similarities to Kimberly Brooks’ affectations as Princess Allura (similarities that I suspect may have plot relevance, but that’s for another time). Zarkon coldly demands that others sacrifice themselves in his name for the empire’s continuing glory, showing praise only for those who match his ideals (like his wife Honerva/Haggar) and preach absolute loyalty, and he absolutely abhors what he sees as weakness. Lotor cajoles, bargains, makes deals, and is fairly personable even when he’s threatening people, such as on Puig when he even crouches down to get onto the leader’s eye level.

Ultimately, I think this comes down to a difference in worldview between the two characters. Zarkon sees the universe as his to command and conquer and the people in it as possessions, especially “weak” people like Lotor. Lotor, quite obviously to me at least, does not; he’ll manipulate and twist the situation to his own ends, of course, but he is more willing to give people something genuine and valuable in return. Ergo, his actions to me and his attempts to form connections with people like the generals, seeming to have been similarly discarded by the empire for not matching their racist-ass blood purity ideals, read nothing so much like an abused child who has a lot of fronts and walls up.

Take his conversation with Haggar after Commander Raht’s spying attempt is discovered and, uh, foiled (gotta love stand-ins like dropping a robotic arm on the ground for “this guy was probably killed offscreen”). In contrast to pretty much every previous scene with him, Lotor is short-tempered and snappy with Haggar here, insisting that he’s the one running the show and how dare she invade his privacy. It feels like a familiar argument, especially given Haggar’s blank-faced, stoic response in the face of his genuine anger at being compared to his father. But after that, he’s more or less back to his typical self, trusting the generals with the mission to steal the teludav and only losing his temper when it fails because that was seemingly quite a crucial part of his plan (notably, until a certain incident, Lotor always explains his plans and motives to the generals so that they comprehend even seemingly strange, contradictory actions).

And even then, when we revisit him in the second part of the season/season 4, there is still this easy friendship and bond with the generals as their plans come further together. “Black Site” (aka the episode where “great googly moogly it’s all gone to shit” applies) even has him blowing off Haggar pretty unwisely after she checks in on him again. Next, we get the scene where he’s ultimately called back to be fired because Zarkon is out of bed and in new medical armor (a brilliant character gesture; he’d rather be encased in such a cumbersome thing than appear weak). Neil and AJ are fantastic in this scene together, rehashing another seemingly familiar argument, but with a twist. A neat thing about Lotor is that even when he’s manipulating people, there’s kernels of truth in what he says about his values and worldview, and that’s true here. Zarkon is the domineering, clearly abusive father, shutting down anything that Lotor wants and insisting that he’s failed him. Lotor plays the eager-to-please child to perfection, saying that they can work on this, “I can learn!”, and for a brief moment, he almost seems hopeful that this time, it worked? But of course, it doesn’t, and he’s sent on his merry way, smirking at the camera.

And then, as noted, everything goes to shit. Haggar, still suspicious of whatever Lotor’s doing, appears to use the body of either Narti or Kova, the cat creature who helps the blind general see, to spy on the prince and the generals. In a panic, he does *something* to Narti that appears to kill her (I say “appears” because frankly everything about that situation seems fishy) as a fleet bears down on them all, Zarkon declaring that they’re enemies of the state and are to be killed on sight. NOW here’s where Lotor starts to unravel and we get to a scene that I think people are somewhat willfully misreading.

Lotor takes the remaining generals to, essentially, the corpse of the planet Daibazzal, former homeworld of the galra (the circumstances behind its destruction having been explained to us, and as Lotor helpfully recaps, in “The Legend Begins”). He then attempts to activate a rift between realities using his half of the comet ship’s remaining quintessence. And....it fails. In response, he appears to go nearly catatonic. The generals, paranoid over him notably not telling them why he felt the need to dispatch Narti and that he can’t protect them anymore since his plans are failing, take action. Acxa shoots him point blank (notably, he looks stunned that it’s come to this and doesn’t try to dodge or otherwise react) and he wakes up restrained, Zethrid apologetic about having to turn him over to the empire to ensure her and the others’ survival.

Here’s where my problem comes in. Some have taken this scene as “girl power” and “women escaping an abuser” when, framing wise, it’s anything but. The show wouldn’t have spent so much time affirming Lotor and the generals’ relationship as a positive one of equals and, more notably, as a parallel to Team Voltron’s found family goodness if this wasn’t meant to be tragic on both ends. Lotor tellingly does not blame them for their actions or hurt them more than he needs to in order to make his escape (he hurts himself WAY more; did you hear those bones cracking? Eugh!). And we see in the season finale that he would rather nearly kill himself outrunning Zarkon’s ships by skimming across a sun than go back to that. Voltron might dislike him, but if he presents himself as someone valuable, such as someone who can save them from calamity, they can protect him better than anyone else in the universe.

It’s shallow and reductive to me that people would reduce Lotor, an abused child (and this isn’t just me saying this; several other people have noted parallels in their own behavior towards their abusive parents and what Lotor does) trying to get away from his abusers, to a toxic male predator who the generals didn’t need or care about. Plus, we still have roughly half a show to go through. Who knows what’s going to happen next?

SpiderDreamer out.

#voltron legendary defender #prince lotor #venting #analysis

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serpvntsarchive · 7 years ago

Photo

A N T O N P H I L I P J O H A N N H A S L E R --- T A S K O N E

—— ❝ let’s start off easy. tell me the basics. ❞

[ name ] anton philip johann hasler

[ date of birth ] 12 october, 1633

[ place of birth ] vaduz, liechtenstein

[ age ] thirty

[ religion ] roman catholic

[ marital status ] single

[ occupation / title ] crown prince of liechtenstein

[ gender identity ] male

[ allegiance ] liechtenstein

[ spoken languages ] german ( first ), french ( fluent ), english ( fluent ), italian ( fluent ), spanish ( intermediate ), hungarian ( intermediate ), slovenian ( intermediate ).

[ special skills ] shooting, sword play, musical talent for the piano, a surprisingly good dancer, pissing of his father, knocking back a several cold ones with the boys, spending his father’s money to piss him off, ruining betrothals to piss off his father, sleeping around, sleeping around with the intention to piss off his father, lad culture probably.

—— ❝ what of your family ?? are they still alive ?? ❞

[ father ] king of liechtenstein and a really wanted connection!!! ( age tba, alive )

[ mother ] queen of liechtenstein ( age tba, alive )

[ siblings ] claus philipp herman hasler ( older brother, lived to nine years, dead ), unnamed brother ( stillborn ) alessia maria johanna hasler ( younger sister, twenty and four, alive )

[ children ] none, does not particularly desire to be a father.

—— ❝ now let’s paint a picture of you. ❞

[ height/weight ] 182cm ( 5′11″ ), 85kg ( 187 lb )

[ built ] athletic and muscular,

[ hair color ] dark brown and thick.

[ eye color ] green.

[ accent ] high german accent, harsher when speaking german, or languages with similar styles, but grows softer when speaking other languages, though still prominent.

[ voice ] deep and fruity, often very loud and booming when in a good mood, though grows quieter and sharper when he is in an argument,

[ style of speech ] smooth and slow, usually calculated though tenser when upset.

[ scars ] no large or obvious scarring, however a few smaller ones scattered around his body. the most notable scars would include a very round circular scar on his knee caused by being burned bitch probably playing with a poker as a child, a long thin scar on his calf and a shorter, fatter scar on the bicep of his right arm, both sword injuries.

[ abnormalities ] none.

[ clothing/style ] lavish clothing style despite not being particularly interested in fashion, tends to have nice detailing or embroidery, always in rich fabrics, prefers dark neutral colours such as beige, golds, greens, dark brown but favours red or blue for more colour, particularly to special events etc.

—— ❝ tell us, what kind of person are you ?? ❞

[ star sign ] libra - libras are the diplomat of the zodiac. they are able to put themselves in other's shoes and see things through another person's point of view. they are the ones that always want to make things right and have balance and harmony in their life, their surroundings and the lives of the people close to them. they have captivating charm, elegant taste and they are easy to like due to their eager-to-please, easygoing nature. in return for a libra's amazing ability to be a good listener, sooth and calm people, they expect admiration. libras will gather a group of people, everyone will become friends then the libra will be in the center of the group. they like the attention and the admiration for the people that they have brought together. libras are very intelligent, they often hide this inside their easygoing exterior. libras love variety and different situations. they welcome change. libras love luxury. they will spend lots of money and surround themselves with beautiful things and they seem to be constantly fussing over their appearance. they love anything upscale and classy. libras work hard to please others, this they do an others find them incredibly captivating.

[ alignment ] chaotic neutral - a chaotic neutral character follows his whims. he is an individualist first and last. he values his own liberty but doesn't strive to protect others' freedom. he avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. a chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. to do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). a chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. he is not as likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it.

[ enneagram type ] type two, the helper - twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. they are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. they are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. they typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs.

[ colour personality ] pale violet red, #D87093 - your dominant hues are red and magenta. you love doing your own thing and going on your own adventures, but there are close friends you know you just can't leave behind. you can influence others on days when you're patient, but most times you just want to go out, have fun, and do your own thing. your saturation level is lower than average - you don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan. your outlook on life is bright. you see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

[ what plants best represent you ] dandelion: scrappy and tough, you’re a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kind of person. you don’t give up easily and you often thrive in situations that others would find discouraging. you have an instinct to serve others and see yourself as most useful in times or places of crisis, but you may over rely on your toughness and forget how sensitive you really are. ginger: spirited. a feisty and fiery companion, quick with an opinion, a laugh or an idea. warm, friendly and inviting, you never allow an awkward moment to pass. in fact, even cold and distant people warm up to you more quickly than others. negative experiences or too much indulgence, however, can send you into a bit of a tailspin, and when hurt you may become quite cold and distant. ginger people do best when their natural warmth and affection is flowing freely, giving them easy access to their love of life. slippery elm: let’s just say you’re a vocal person. sure, that might mean you’re chatty. but it also means you’re the one humming in the hallway, singing in the shower, speaking your mind, standing up and shouting if need be to get yourself heard. you’ve got a voice and you know how to use it. inclined to speak up for the voiceless, defend the defenseless or simply bring joy to the joyless, you may have a tendency to overuse your voice.

[ theme/character song ] ‘ super rich kids ’ frank ocean.

—— ❝ do you have anything more you wish to say ?? ❞

[ link to bio ] currently not written yet im lazy ok

[ link to intro post ] a little more about him

#( * statistics | anton. )#crowns.task1

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anycontentposter · 5 years ago

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Review: The Defakto Transit is a Modern, Minimalist Watch From the Ickler Family

Defakto is a small watch manufacture based out of Germany. Founded in 2009 by Raphael Ickler in Pforzheim, Defakto specializes in high quality, minimalist watches. If the Ickler name sounds familiar, it should. They’ve been precision machining watch cases and components out of the same city since 1924 and have several brands under their umbrella (most notably: Archimede). Defakto as a brand stands on its own, in part because Raphael has drawn from his family’s experience in the watchmaking world to create a reliable and well-built watch.

Today, we’re looking at the “Transit,” a model created to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the brand. This minimal design is easy to read and wear, with a strong dial:bezel ratio inside a slim 40mm case. The Transit’s design DNA is clearly cut from a similar cloth as the rest of the lineup, but when talking about minimalist design, it’s the little things that matter. Let’s take a closer look at all of the intricacies of Defakto’s Transit. First, some specs:

$860 Review: The Defakto Transit is a Modern, Minimalist Watch From the Ickler Family Case

Stainless steel

Movement

ETA 2824-2

Dial

Matte black convex dial

Lume

Indices, hands, and minute markings, Superluminova

Lens

Domed sapphire

Strap

German-made black leather

Water Resistance

3 atm (30m, 100ft.)

Dimensions

40mm x 48mmmm

Thickness

9.8mm

Lug Width

20mm

Crown

Push/Pull

Warranty

Yes

Price

$860

Case

For a 40mm case, the one on the Transit wears smaller than its size suggests. That’s thanks to the comparatively short lug-to-lug distance of 48mm. This translates to small lugs, and positioned to angle down dramatically toward the wrist. The resulting effect is that your focus is drawn to the circular shape of the watch.

Running around the outside of the dial, there’s a small brushed bezel that slopes from the crystal to the side of the case. You’re left with a wide open dial with a small border surrounding it, making the Transit open, airy, and legible. On the right side of the case, you’ll find a small push down crown with deeply cut grooves in its surface that make winding and time-setting a breeze.

Given the Ickler family’s 100 years of case making experience, it comes as little surprise that the case on the Transit is clean and sharp throughout. The design is simple, but executed well and I really like the finishing technique. While it’s probably easy to just call it a brushed case and walk away, there’s a bit more going on here when you look closer. There are at least five different brushed surfaces, all at different angles.

On the bezel, the brushing pattern follows the circular shape of the bezel itself. The sides of the case both feature horizontal brushing, while the space in between the lugs is brushed vertically. On top of each lug, the brushing is vertical, and finally the flat surface of the crown features radial brushing. Each transitional surface is nice and sharp. As you rotate your wrist, you’ll notice the light playing off each surface in a different direction adding a subtle, yet interesting visual effect.

Dial and Hands

A matte black, curved dial adorns the face of the Transit. The curve is gentle and hard to notice at first, especially under the curved sapphire. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that the long minutes hand features a curve at the edge as well. From the top-down, the hands and dial appear to be flat which go well with the minimalist design of the watch. The indices are made up of a series of Super-LumiNova-treated lines that feature a gently rounded edge. They’re actually more like long, flat ovals. There’s a longer oval at five-minute intervals with shorter ones in between. The rounded markers play well with the overall design of the watch. If they were squared off, the Transit’s dial would leave a different impression entirely. The rounded accents throughout counterbalance the sharp edges of the case and lugs with something softer, and I like the resulting effect.

Pointing to the time, there are three hands: white hands for the minutes and hours, and a contrasting red hand for the seconds. Mirroring the shape of the indices, each hand is a long thin rectangle with a rounded end. The minutes hand extends fairly far towards the edge of the dial, hitting about halfway through the minute marker scale. The hours hand is a fair bit shorter, falling just short of the inside of the longer hour markers. Finally, the red seconds hand is the longest of the bunch, reaching all the way to the outer edge of the dial. On a minimalist style watch, these small differences in details go a long way. The hand set on the Transit is balanced and easy to read — just how it should be. Another thing that jumped out at me is the base of the seconds hand. It sits at the top of the hand stack and is wide enough to cover the origination points of the hours and minutes hands. It’s another cool little detail that makes the Transit look that much cleaner.

All of the indices and hands are treated with Super-LumiNova, giving the Defakto a neon light-like vibe in the dark. The red seconds hand has a different color of lume, so in the dark conditions, the seconds hand still has a similar pop like it does in the light.

Worth noting is that there are two dial variants for Transit: Standard and Inkognito. The former has a logo, and the latter is without one.

Movement

Through the display case back, you’ll have the pleasure of watching an ETA 2824-2 beating away inside. The 2824-2 is a reliable Swiss-made movement that beats at 28,800bph, sending the red seconds hand around the dial with a smooth sweep. Defakto uses the stock movement, so there’s nothing too fancy to look at inside. There’s no date display on the watch, so the functionality is limited to telling the time. For a minimally designed three-hander, a workhorse movement like the ETA 2824-2 makes sense. There’s some basic info laser engraved around the ring surrounding the display back. Admittedly, the quality of the engraving could be better. The edges of the text are a little soft and it’s not very deep into the surface.

Strap and Wearability

The Transit ships on a German-made black leather strap. It’s on the thinner side, but that doesn’t affect the overall quality and comfort of the strap, and the thinness complements the case well. I liked how the strap was comfortable to wear right out of the box with no breaking in. A matte black signed clasp (admittedly a weird choice as this watch isn’t black, but it leaves the strap looking very unassuming) keeps the watch secured to your wrist and two slim leather keeper loops will hold onto any extra strap you may have hanging around. I did throw the Transit on an ADPT strap in forest green with the red accent stitching in hopes to match the red seconds hand, but something about the whole look just felt off. Since the watch head is slim and svelte, it felt out of place with a beefy nylon strap. I much prefer the look on the included slim leather strap. If you were to swap out the strap, something slim and leather would probably be your best best.

On the wrist, the Transit wears like it’s not even there. The 9.8mm case sits really close to the wrist, and I’ve found it to be very comfortable during daily wear, no matter what I happen to be doing. The Transit seems best suited for a mix of weekend and business casual office wear — the watch easily slips under a cuff, and the classic profile of the watch, with a silhouette curving from the top down, is inherently refined. I’m sure you could dress it up, but the playful indices and red seconds hand don’t exactly scream “formal” to me. However, I think that’s what I like the most about the Defakto. It’s unassuming, yet remains interesting when you take a closer look. The minimalist design is minimal without being too sparse. It really strikes a nice balance of being refined, classy, casual, and fun all at the same time.

Conclusion

Defakto’s Transit is well-made, well-designed, and well-wearing. It’s also the winner of the German Design Award for 2020, pretty much for the reasons mentioned in the review. It’s a versatile little watch that sits slim on the wrist, and the rounded details throughout set it apart from other “stuffy” minimalist designs and bring something new to the table. I’ve enjoyed my time with the watch quite a bit. It’s my first extended test of a slim minimalist watch and the Transit has made me a convert. It’s nice to have something on your wrist that’s so effortless to wear. Defakto

Images from this post:

The post Review: The Defakto Transit is a Modern, Minimalist Watch From the Ickler Family appeared first on Worn & Wound.

Read more about this at wornandwound.com

https://coolarticlespinner.com/review-the-defakto-transit-is-a-modern-minimalist-watch-from-the-ickler-family/

#defakto #germanwatches #ickler #review #watches

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kentmansleys · 8 years ago

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really LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES. repost , don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good luck ! TAGGED. @vortship TAGGING. whoever wants to do this!

BASICS.

FULL NAME : Kent Mansley; no middle name. NICKNAME : Kenny (call him that and he’ll hate you). AGE : 42. BIRTHDAY : April 6th. ETHNIC GROUP : Anglo-American / small percentage Polish, on his mother’s side. NATIONALITY : American. LANGUAGE / S : English, and a very laughably small amount of French. SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Bisexual (repressed, identifies as heterosexual). ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Biromantic. RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Single, but has various one-night stands. HOME TOWN / AREA : Illinois, somewhere country but near Chicago. CURRENT HOME : Washington, D.C. PROFESSION : Government agent.

PHYSICAL.

HAIR : Auburn / red hair cut short in the back and left long in the front. It naturally rests in the wavy shape it takes it this deleted scene is any indication, as it shows him dishevled after no attention with it still in that shape... EYES : Light blue. FACE : Very angular; has a strong jaw and prominent chin. LIPS : Not too noticeable, but certainly not thin. Good for kissing. ;^) COMPLEXION : Pale, with freckles (that are faded due to lack of exposure). His cheeks are always rosy. BLEMISHES : Used to have acne scars, but they have since faded. He considers his freckles to be blemishes. SCARS : Has one across his abdomen from an appendectomy. TATTOOS : None whatsoever. HEIGHT : 6′4″. WEIGHT : 183 lbs. BUILD : Broad sholdered and long limbed. Has long hands and feet. Thin wasted, with a silloutte one might call similar to that of the Dior New Look-- his hips are smaller than his shoulders, however, leaving him not quite as feminine as the postwar ideal postulates. FEATURES : Has a few wrinkles that are mostly notable with extreme expression. ALLERGIES : None. USUAL HAIR STYLE : Combs the long part of his hair back. Kept short in the back. USUAL FACE LOOK : Usually keeps a neutral to mildly displeased expression. USUAL CLOTHING : Always wearing suits (sometimes with a trench coat) or something that could be described as only semi-casual.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR / S : Death, the unknown, the “other”, failure, poverty, being alone. ASPIRATION / S : To get a better / more active job, and to marry a woman who will be subservient to him. POSITIVE TRAITS : Debatebly charismatic and affable, very loving towards those he cares for, responsible when he wants to be, adept leader when not given too much control, intelligent, quick witted. NEGATIVE TRAITS : Self centered, lustful, prone to anger, greedy, lazy, sore loser, possessive, cowardly, power hungry, overly sarcastic, overly skeptical, somewhat gullible, prone to overreacting, debately creepy. MBTI : TBD. ZODIAC : Aries. TEMPEREMENT : TBD. SOUL TYPE / S : TBD. ANIMALS : Bloodhounds, in particular beagles. Cats, in a... strange way. VICE HABIT / S : Smoking, drinking in perhaps excess, having sex in perhaps excess, gossiping, stealing, occasional animal cruelty, speeding, littering, cursing in perhaps excess... The list goes on. FAITH : Non-practicing former Baptist. GHOSTS ? : No. AFTERLIFE ? : Yes. REINCARNATION ? : No. ALIENS ? : No. POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : Conservative; Republican. EDUCATION LEVEL : College level.

FAMILY.

FATHER : Charles Mansley, Sr. MOTHER : Mercy Mansley, nee Smith. SIBLINGS : Calvin and Kyle (twins), Christopher, Chuck (Charles Jr.), and Kevin. EXTENDED FAMILY : His grandfather, now deceased. Several distant cousins through great aunts and uncles on both parents’ sides, but no immediate cousins (both parents were the only child). NAME MEANING / S : Kent may derive from a Brythonic word meaning “costal district” and comes from an English surname, which in turn refered to an area in England; Mansley I couldn’t find a meaning for... In terms of significance to Kent’s character, though, it highlights how he is meant to be a negative reflection of the standards for men of the 1950s. HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : His mother’s family was big in tobacco for quite some time. Other than that, they have no connection to real historical figures.

FAVORITES.

BOOK : I haven’t decided yet. Probably The Maltese Falcon. MOVIE : Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope; Brandon Shaw is his favorite character. 5 SONGS : Autumn Leaves by Pat Boone (cover of the original by Nat King Cole, which will make Kent cry if and when he hears it), Mood Indigo by Frank Sinatra, My Blue Heave by Gene Austin (a childhood favorite that will also make him cry), Sing Sing Sing by Benny Goodman, In The Mood by Glenn Miller. DEITY : The Christian God is the only one he knows. HOLIDAY : Christmas for sure. MONTH : Any fall month. SEASON : Fall. PLACE : Most cities. WEATHER : Cool, somewhat overcast. A nice fall day. SOUND : Big band jazz is his favorite type of music, but he also likes the sound of falling rain. Or the calm sounds of city life, intertwined with bird song. SCENT / S : A good perfume, and the smell of good food. TASTE / S : He has a notable sweet tooth. FEEL / S : Satin, cotton-- really the feel of most smooth or soft fabrics. The warmth of another person. A sense of freshness after a shower or a good night’s rest. A bit on the darker side, he likes the feeling that comes with not having to think. ANIMAL / S : Dogs. NUMBER : 17. COLORS : Green.

EXTRA.

TALENTS : Pretty good photographer, rather flexible when he needs to be, adept liar, fairly decent cook. BAD AT : In some cases-- standing up for himself, seeing a bigger picture, keeping his calm. TURN ONS : Sensory deprivation (particularly blindfolding), orgasm denial (denial in general to be honest), spanking, begging, phone sex, tied wrists/handcuffs, lingerie, high heels, feminization (of others and himself), hands (kissing palms, sucking fingers), discreet public affection (groping under a table, sneaking away from a party for a quickie, ect.), praise, accents, sadomasochism (giving/receiving mild pain), foreplay, age differences (legal ones!), asphyxiation, physical responses (gut tightening, lashes fluttering, mouth coming open, genitals throbbing, ect.), touching, partial clothing, ice on skin, uniforms (particularly military), car sex, voyeurism (watching his partner or having his partner watching him only), clothed grinding, coming in or on one’s partner (in ass or mouth, in hair, on body, on face/glasses, ect.), neck kisses, and dominant partners. TURN OFFS : Sensory overload, roleplay (in most cases), non-communication, being watched by strangers, orgies/multiple partners (a threesome is his limit), bloodplay, danger, masks, age play, drugs, dub-con/non-con, degradation (a little humiliation is fine), scat/watersports, amateur porn (porn in general, aside from still images, does little for him), gore, and underage persons. HOBBIES : Collecting-- he likes to buy Captain Marvel comic books, pulp novels, and pin ups. TROPES : A lot-- some of my favorites are Evil Counterpart, Faux Affably Evil, Jerkass Has A Point, Motor Mouth, and Would Hurt A Child. I highly recommend reading all of them though. AESTHETIC TAGS : Pin ups, city scapes, suits, smoke, consumerism (ads). QUOTES : “ The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.” - From The Great Gatsby. | “ I have a very childlike rage, and a very childlike loneliness.” - Richey Edwards | “ I don’t like pity. Pity makes you feel small and weak. I’d rather have someone hate me than pity me.” - From Animorphs | “ Sex is like drink, and it’s bad to start brooding about it too early in the day.” - From Oryx and Crake

FC INFO.

MAIN FC / S : I don’t like giving FCs to animated characters. ALT FC / S : OLDER FC / S : YOUNGER FC / S : VOICE CLAIM / S : GENDERBENT FC / S :

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 : if you could write your character your way in their own movie , what would it be called , what style would it be filmed in , and what would it be about ? A1 : I’m not really sure what it’d be called (I’m not good at thinking up titles on the fly); it would of course be animated, probably framed in the way that a drama is. I think the best thing to focus on would be Kent’s life post movie, so it’d be sort of like... A half sequel to the Iron Giant. Where he and Dean kiss. Q2 : what would their soundtrack / score sound like ? A2 : I think the late Micheal Kamen scored him perfectly, and his reason for scoring him like he did is hilarious. Q3 : why did you start writing this character ? A3 : I re-watched the Iron Giant for the first time in years in the spring of my high school sophomore semester at 15. I had my interest piqued in the movie (a rather muted one compared to my love of the film post viewing) because I remembered the Giant being badass. I came away with an intense passion for Kent. I somehow ended up stumbling into the tumblr rping community-- and haven’t yet found a reason to leave --because I wanted to write for Kent. The need to make content for him was, and still is, rather astounding. Q4 : what first attracted you to this character ? A4 : He’s so vile. He’s a contemptible human being with a motive that’s understandable-- he’s selfish, but recognizably so; he’s afraid, but understandably so. And I think he’s hot, that too. Q5 : describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 : He’s an awful awful person; I’d hate him if he was real. But he’s not, so it’s all good. Q6 : what do you have in common with your muse ? A6 : I’m glad to say that our commonalities are present because I’ve put them into Kent, not the other way around. We’re both bisexual, have a distaste for tomatoes, and are poignantly afraid of death. The latter one might not be an impression in its entirety, but... Q7 : how does your muse feel about you ? A7 : I’m a bisexual, black woman. He’d hate me on that basis alone. Q8 : what characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ? A8 : All of the characters of the film (of coruse), Li Shang, Helga Sinclair, Fred Jones, Agent Looker, Vinny Santorini, Alistair Krei, several well crafted ocs... Q9 : what gives you inspiration to write your muse ? A9 : EVERYTHING. I cannot name every single thing that does. Every song I listen to, every show or movie I watch, every book or short story I read... Q10 : how long did this take you to complete ? A10 : I don’t know. A few hours probably!

#[headcanons]#[this was fun to fill out!! super duper extensive]

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jowalnab-blog · 5 years ago

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dev.log Green

This week I finally got to play some of Dark Souls 2. Despite my love for the first and third games in this series, I had never gotten the chance to actually start playing the game, it just kind of sat in my library. Interestingly this game functions a little differently than the other two souls games, most of your healing is going to be done using life gems. Unlike the usual estus which heals chunks of health instantly, life gems heal small amounts over time, it is still very possible to get hit and lose out on some of that healing and due to the limited amount of estus you’ll likely have to depend on that health. Admittedly I didn’t play much of the actual game, I spent most of my time in Heide’s Tower of Flame, a location just outside of the main hub. I came across this location after playing a small chunk of the early game, I just got fixated on that weird puzzle area right out of the hub, who wouldn’t. When I finally got there I pretty much immediately realized it would be no joke, it was full of enemies. Thankfully, two of the Heide Knights are just resting on the ground passively (a warning of things to come).

The only challenge ends up being timing dodges past the Old Knights (typical big slow enemies) attacks and dealing damage in the small windows between attack loops. If you’re patient, you can learn their patterns quickly, even the different variations, great-sword, mace, sword and shield, no matter who they all highly telegraph their moves. However, if you’re greedy they will punish you and for a lot of damage if you’re early game like me. There is one thing though, Heide Knights are pretty bad. The couple you see at the entrance are docile, the next you see is absolutely bloodthirsty. At least for me, maybe I’m just bad but these guys are crazy, just when I thought I had their attack patterns down they retaliate with some crazy counter attack I never see coming. Also, they love stringing combos on you, which when paired with a Old Knight from before makes for a surefire way to get one shot by a two v.s. one combo. That being said, I love the area of Heide’s Tower, the massive cathedral and what seems to be a lighthouse are connected by perilously thin stone pathways above a black churning ocean. The white stone of the structures is accented with blue tiling on the roofs, most notably the large blue domes on some of the buildings. Typical of large castles in the souls series there are tiny little bridges connecting some of the towers here, which you can use to traverse the area. The skybox here also does a great job making this area stand out it’s this wonderful mix of somber blue hues with a pale sunset off in the distance over an endless black sea, this comes as a stark contrast yo Majula’s warm red sunset skybox and even crazier contrast to the dark tower puzzle you traverse to get there. There’s just something about the look of the Flame Tower area I love, it’s got this calm atmosphere to it, but it also commands this kind of air of respect to it. Apparently it’s the path to join one of the game’s factions, whether it’s worth it I’m not sure, but I’ll enjoy exploring the area regardless. It almost makes me want to do something similar in my game, make some kind of homage to this cool area. I imagine it would be hard to do it justice without appearing like a cheap rip off.

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carterthornton · 7 years ago

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The Third Wave | Chapter Five: The Kin

Five men were lined up along the graffiti-coated brick wall of an old apartment building down in Lower Mainland Victoria, deep in the throes of the night; thick cloth strips were wrapped around their eyes, blinding them. A few non-blindfolded men came by, pressing their heads against the wall, and a fourth man wielding a silenced pistol paced back and forth along the row of defendants.

"We Paladins have a code of honour, you know? You remember? Never lie to a brother!“ The gun-brandishing man came to the blindfolded man furthest to the left, tearing off the right sleeve of his shirt, revealing a Mark. “You’re one of them! A Mark-user! You’re scum, sub-human! And worst of all, you can’t even own up to it!” Lighting a cigarette in the brisk winter air, the executioner of the urban trial cocked his pistol, firing it into the kneecap of the nearest defendant, who began wailing in agony. “Pathetic… is no one going to even attempt to defend themselves?!”

"Marco, we just got our Marks! We had no choice! They just… attached themselves to us!“ One of the defendants farthest to the right objected, capturing the executioner’s attention.

"Ah, I see… one glance, huh? Or maybe you just kept starin’, because you couldn’t resist it? Maybe you just had to get a taste of that power? The Devil’s Power?! The kind of power we all made a vow to destroy!”

The objector continued, shaking his head for a moment. “And so, what, Isabelle is just exempt from our rules?! She’s a Mark-user!”

"She’s taken up the mantle of Mark-user to protect his brothers and sisters. She’s sold his soul to shield us all from harm! Don’t you get that?!“ The executioner ranted on as he pressed the end of the gun against the back of the objector’s skull. After a long pause, he lowered the gun, taking a moment to breathe in the smoke of his cigarette. "I’m through hearing your pleas. By the law of The Paladins, I shall send you, sinner, to hell. May you be bound and tortured for all eternity for the blasphemy of your existence.” The executioner raised his gun, finishing his demented prayer. “Ame-”

The executioner was cut short by a gunshot from above, from the rooftop. The shot tore through the executioner’s skull, and he fell backward into a dumpster in a pathetic heap; half of his head had been blown off. A figure then hopped off the rooftop of the apartment building above, landing with a metal crash onto the ground, seemingly unhurt by the extreme height of the drop.

"What in the hell is this?!“ One of the gangsters remarked as he huddled together with the remaining three— guns drawn; they began to back away towards the street.

"Guns! Well, I guess I picked the right alleyway for a skirmish…” The voice of the silhouette shrouded in shadows was feminine with a slight Spanish accent. “However, I must warn you… you are horribly outmatched in terms of firepower.”

"Yeah right!“ A thug scoffed as he aimed his gun into the darkness ahead. "What could you possibly-?” He lowered his gun, nervously swallowing as the mystery woman emerged from the shadows. “Y-you’re…”

The alluring vixen that revealed herself looked as if she were in her mid-twenties; she was thin, and her skin was sun-kissed olive. Her long hair was silver and shaved on the left side of her head; the remaining locks were straightened perfectly and tossed to right like a metallic curtain. Her face was well-proportioned, with prominent cheekbones and wide, yellow eyes surging with a dangerous energy. She accented her facial features with dark orange lipstick and purple eyeshadow, and she wore the most wicked, yet most playful sneer on her face. Her attire was equally loud. She wore an orange ruffle-front shirt cut just below the ribs, and overtop of that she wore a tight, blue leather vest that behaved more like a corset; her shirt sleeves had been torn off to reveal the many floral designs tattooed on her arms. Her lower half was clothed by torn, grey booty shorts and fine fishnet stockings underneath that ran to her ankles, accenting her orange high-heels. She didn’t appear to be the kind of woman keen on staying hidden.

"That’s right… say my name…“ She purred, raising her hand to her ear tantalizingly.

"C-Camila Pistola!” One thug shrieked.

"Mmmm… I like the way you squirm at the mention of my name…“ Camila let out a sensual groan as her eyes lit up. "Tell me… do you think I’m attractive?”

"Ah-, um-, I-…“ The ruffian stuttered. "Ye-!” A bullet fired out of Camila’s barrelled fingertip silenced him before he could reply, and he fell to the ground— a gaping hole where his right eye once was.

"Wh-what’s going on?!“ One of the blindfolded men shouted.

"Too slow!” Camila giggled as her index finger morphed back to its original state. Nonchalantly, she marvelled at her long black nails as if nothing happened, moseying over towards the remaining two thugs. “Ah… sorry about that, let me start again. My name is Camila Pistola and I’ve come here to murder you all!” Her face contorted, revealing more of her hidden malice as her left forearm began to transform. “Nothing personal!”

*Camila Pistola (IMOP Bounty: 2,500,000 UND) | Armoury Mark: grants Camila the ability to morph parts of her body into any handheld weapon!*

Camila’s arm turned into the threatening multi-barrelled cylinder of a Gatling gun, rotating at high speeds as she opened fire, shredding the nearest gang member to ribbons in a hail of bullets. The second thug ducked behind the same dumpster where his leader was discarded, avoiding most of the gunfire, save for his leg which had been shot through the kneecap. As she ceased her barrage, the thug leaned forward, aiming right at Camila’s head as she came by. However, his wrist was swiftly crushed by a massive hand that seemed to pop out of nowhere, causing him to drop his weapon. Feeling a towering presence behind him, the gangster slowly turned his head. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.

"V-Varg…“ He was so frightened that he couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. "K-Kl-!” A single swipe from the hulking brute looming over him cleft his head clean off at the base of his neck, denying him any notable last words.

"Honestly, Camila… you need to pay attention more often. I don’t want you to be the next body I dump in the ocean.“ Varg chastised his partner in crime, waving a clawed finger at her.

Varg Klo was certainly a force to be reckoned with. He stood at nearly six-foot-seven, sported a tanky build similar to a bodybuilder, and had a gnarly set of razor sharp canines and claws. His facial features were sharp, and he had a long, edged nose that complimented his jutting chin and jaw line. He had dark blue eyes and a mane of wild white hair that descended all the way down to his hips. He had big and bold sideburns, and at the end of his chin was a tuft of his signature white fur in the form of a goatee. Overtop of his hulking, olive tone body he wore a plain blue muscle shirt, and around his neck, he brandished a silver half-moon necklace. His black leather jeans were paired with his shoes of the same hue and material, and his socks were dark brown. Along the backs of his bulky forearms were large patches of white fur that ran from his elbow to his wrist— a result of his unique Beast Mark.

*Varg Klo (IMOP Bounty: 5,000,000 UND) | Werewolf Mark: gives Varg the abilities and appearance of the mythical werewolf!*

"Oh, calm down, Varg. You get so worked up over nothing. I would’ve blown his head off before he could even pull the trigger.” Camila huffed, kicking at the thug’s severed head nearby.

"Careful. If you brag like that you could jinx it next time. We gotta be cautious. The Paladins haven’t confirmed our presence on the island yet. We’ve got to watch our backs.“ Varg reminded his partner as he gathered up the dead and place them in the dumpster. "Cammy… do your magic.”

"Alright…“ A nozzle poked out of Camila’s left palm as she aimed it at the corpses. Then, a stream of flame shot out, dousing the remains. Varg waited for a moment, then sucked in a huge amount of air, blowing out the flames in one mighty breath. "It feels kind of pointless if you never quote The Three Little Pigs after you do that…”

"Shut it, Cammy…“ Varg grumbled as he tapped on the device in his ear, calling upon his other comrade. "Louise, give us a door to the .”

"Oh, come on, Varg! Even you have to admit that’d be funny! ‘And I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house down!’“ Camila chuckled as she and Varg untied the on-trial captives. "Don’t worry, you guys. You’re under the protection of The Kin now. You won’t have to worry about The Paladins hunting you down.”

"What luck…“ One of them scoffed as Varg undid his bonds. "Rescued by some lowlife Mark-users-.” He was quickly shut up by Camila, who pressed his cheeks together with her hand.

"Hey, if it weren’t for us ‘lowlifes’ you’d be dead. And don’t lump us in different categories. You’re one of us now whether you like it or not.“ Camila snarled at him, to which Varg intervened.

"C'mon, Cammy. Don’t chastise the guy. He’s got nobody right now but these other guys here…” Varg defended him, ordering Camila to stand down. “Still… you aren’t in a position to complain. You’re a Mark-user now, and The Paladins will hunt you to the ends of the earth to make sure you’re dead.”

"Fantastic! Now we’ve got the cops and The Paladins to worry about!“ Another unbound thug stated as he rubbed the marks along his wrists where the bands had dug in.

"Relax. Like I said, Father will protect you guys. He’ll find a place for you to live in Victoria.” Camila insisted, guiding them all out into the overgrown, decrepit street. “Man… you guys pick the best places to dispose of bodies. We could learn a thing or two from these guys, Varg.”

"Yeah, yeah. Let’s just go home.“ Varg sighed as he turned to the old apartment building on his left, climbing up a set of stairs to knock on the door.

"Home? You live just right here?” Yet another freed thug inquired.

"Nah, nah… you’ll see…“ Camila assured the gangster, giving him a wink and a nudge with her elbow.

”The door’s just arrived. Toss them in.“ The communicator in Varg’s ear buzzed.

"And… viola…” Varg grinned as he opened the door, revealing a totally different interior than what the gangsters were expecting; a scarcely lit, windowless chamber stocked with an ample amount of food and supplies. “Here’s your humble abode for the next week or so.”

"Wait… a week?!“ One of the thugs began to panic as Varg began to shut the door on them all. "What the fuck are we supposed to do for a week?”

"I dunno, you got internet. Maybe try watching some porn or something?“ Camila answered him as the door shut completely.

"Louise, get us home.” Varg requested once more over his communicator.

”Alright, give me a moment. Wait like… thirty seconds, okay?“ Louise responded.

"I don’t know about you, but I’m famished…” Camila groaned as she leaned up against the door. “How about you?”

"Meh, I haven’t been all that hungry recently.“ Varg shrugged his shoulders as he sat down on a step. “But yeah, I could go for something.”

”Alright, Varg. I’ll meet you there.“ Louise said over the communicator.

"Thanks, babe. You’re the best.” Varg grinned as Louise began to fiddle with the doorknob.

"For the last time…“ Louise growled as she tried turning the knob on the door, growing more frustrated by the second. Finally, she managed to open it, and the old wooden door swung open with a sharp creak. “Don’t call me 'babe’!”

*Louise Chen (IMOP Bounty: 3,000,000 UND) | Doorway Mark: gives Louise the power to create portals between any doorway she has seen*

Louise was as smartly dressed as ever. She was wearing her trademark glasses; rounded, thick lenses, with a thin frame. And Louise’s black hair was cut medium length, her bangs stopping just above her brow. She sported her usual green turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. Louise wore very little makeup, believing it was a waste of time and money, and her round face and squinting black eyes contributed to her small presence. She was nearly a head shorter than Camila, which was almost two heads shorter than Varg.

"Ah, lighten up, Lulu!“ Varg chuckled as he gave Louise a kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush. "Did you and Al get some supper?”

"Um…“ Louise rubbed her cheek as she stuttered, trying to remember as blood rushed to her head. "Y-yeah, we got pad thai a half-hour ago.”

"Fuck yeah. Vegan for me, right?“ Varg asked as he stepped inside, rubbing his shoes on the bristled grey carpet before walking on Damian’s good velvet carpet.

"Yeah, Varg! I got ya, mate!” A man with a thick Australian accent called from downstairs, ascending the long wooden staircase.

The Kin’s new base was as pristine and opulent as the last one, save for the patches of unfinished marble tiling and empty shelves along the walls. It was a private bomb shelter created during the Cold War era in the side of Mount Douglas, one of the highest peaks in Vancouver Island. Three months ago it was stripped to bare bones, and after arriving on the island, The Kin spent countless hours renovating the shelter with The Father’s wealth; it was he who bought all the supplies needed for the project. They owned numerous sanctuaries all across British Columbia; in Vancouver, Kamloops, Revelstoke, even the remote regions up north. And with Louise’s Mark, The Kin had easy access to their disposable houses, and they stored the numerous Mark-users they saved in some of them.

Camila slipped out of her high heels and hung up her vest on the coat rack nearby, stretching off a day’s work of scouting Victoria with Varg for Mark-users. “Long day…” She closed the door behind her, dissipating Louise’s power.

"Ya got that right, girly,“ Al answered Camila, approaching her and Varg with a tray of assorted teas. "I’ve got some Murchie’s tea here— courtesy of Damian.”

Alistair dressed the most casual out of all The Kin. He had a plain white, un-tucked dress shirt on and square glasses, coupled with blue jeans and brown loafers. His hair was golden brown and messy, and his eyes were hazel.

*Alistair Perkins (IMOP Bounty: 4,500,000 UND) | Electromagnetic Mark: grants Alistair the ability to release EMPs!*

"Orange pekoe?“ Camila inquired, to which she received a questioning glare from Al. "Right, of course, this is Damian we’re talking about…” Camila nodded as she poured herself a glass out of the kettle and plopped a teabag in, letting the aroma waft by her nose. “Ah, I need a bath. Is Reika in the bathroom?”

"Nah, Cammy. She’s playin’ pool with Damian downstairs, as per usual.“ Alistair replied as he handed Varg a mug full of chamomile tea. "Luckily ya missed her hour long beauty bath.”

"Thankful- ouch!“ Camila recoiled as she burnt the tip of her tongue on the hot beverage. "Damn.”

"Any luck with those lads at Lower Mainland? Louise didn’t fill me in.“ Alistair wondered.

"It went alright. Luckily none of the Mark-users got hurt.” Varg said, scratching the tip of his nose as he held the cup of tea in his huge paw. “The Paladin members on the other hand…”

"Ya went loud, didn’t ya, Cammy?“ Alistair scolded the brash girl, to which she pursed her lips together in embarrassment. "Dammit, girl.”

"Sorry! He was going to shoot those guys, I couldn’t-… yeah.“ Camila’s fist tightened for a moment as she bottled up her frustration.

"Ah, whatever. They’re history now. We should tell Damian the good news. He’ll be pleased with the results regardless.” Alistair shrugged off Camila’s mistake, ushering them all downstairs. “Damian?”

They descended, turning to the left down a long hallway— past their separate rooms and storage closets, and they entered the living and kitchen area. The floors were dark laminate wood, and the kitchen cupboards were all red spruce. The kitchen island had a brown granite top, and a few couches extended past the island into the section on the left where the television stood. The pool table sat in the right corner of the room— directly adjacent to the island. Playing there were the last two members of The Kin.

"Ah, welcome back, friends,“ Damian said in his soft, eloquent voice as gave them a half smile, holding a pool cue in one hand. "I trust your mission was a success, yes?”

*Damian Dreyfus (IMOP Bounty: 25,000,000 UND) | Vector Mark: allows Damian to manipulate kinetic vectors within a five-meter radius!*

Damian was always dressed to impress, and with his wealth, he certainly could impress. He always wore his dark, green velvet blazer overtop of hiss slimming grey, silk dress shirt. Damian was unmistakable in a crowd with his short, icy blue hair; it was always combed upwards into a feathered frill until it reached his hairline, where it fell forward and splayed to the right. He was albino, and thus, he applied heavy makeup to make himself appear less ghostly. Regardless, his porcelain white skin and pink eyes still stuck out like a sore thumb, and he tried to compensate for the discolouration in his lips with a pink gloss.

"Oh, of course it was a success!“ Reika sang as she twirled around the pool table, her glimmering, platinum blonde hair frolicking about. "I expect nothing but the best from my family!”

*Reika Taylor Haruma (IMOP Bounty: 12,500,000 UND) | Yuki-Onna Mark: gives Reika the likeness and abilities of a Yuki-Onna yokai of Japanese legend!*

Reika was the diva of the group and a woman who took her role as 'The Mother’ to heart. Although she was younger than most of the others— only twenty —she still loved and nurtured her family profusely as if she were their mother, often planting a kiss on each member’s cheek whenever she felt her joy bubble up, which was quite frequent. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful of The Kin women— tall and well endowed with a flawless face akin to a Japanese love goddess. Her white dress was a hybrid of English royal grace and traditional Japanese garb, embracing both sides of her bloodline. It was laced at the cuffs and the bottom of the skirt, and sakura blossom designs adorned the sleeves red waistcloth, though, the dress was not too taxing on her movement; she could dance freely to her heart’s content around the room. Her green eyes were like a still loch in fall, and her dark red lips contrasted her golden, flowing locks that cascaded down past her shoulders.

"Oh, how are those Mark-users you rescued?“ Reika inquired.

"Fine, for now. We’ll have them sorted out later.” Varg insisted.

"Excellent. Varg, Camila…“ Damian nodded to them both. "You are doing professional work as always. Have the IMOP picked up on our scent yet?”

"By now, yeah… you’d think so.“ Varg guessed. "Well, regardless. They can’t find us here. Al can jam any signal that passes by with his Mark.”

"Very good. Then hopefully we may work in peace. There are still many more of our brothers and sisters to save from The Paladins…“ Damian sighed as he took his shot, sinking a solid yellow ball into the upper left pocket. "There’s a large number of homeless in Victoria with Marks.”

"Poor things… they must be scared.“ Reika frowned as she let Damian pass by to make his next shot.

"Don’t worry, Reika, we’ll protect em’ like we always do.” Alistair insisted.

"I’ve got a feeling the major jobs will call for our involvement. It’s too dangerous for only you two to go out there and do the dirty work.“ Damian said as he sunk a solid purple ball into the top left pocket.

"We might come under the radar of the IMOP…” Louise reminded them— ever the logical one of the bunch.

"An acceptable price to pay, my dear. We can handle any threat that comes our way.“ Damian persisted. "In any case, kudos. You’ve all performed admirably tonight. This calls for-.”

"Pad thai.“ Reika interrupted him with firmness in her tone, insisting that they eat leftovers rather than cooking new food.

"Right… sorry.” Damian chuckled as he sunk the eight ball. “I win.”

"Arrgh…“ Reika pushed out her bottom lip in a huff as she swallowed defeat, wandering over to the fridge to heat up leftovers. "You guys can relax. It might take a bit.”

"That’s fine.“ Louise smiled as her eyes met with Varg’s for but a moment. "I could use some relaxation.”

"Same…“ Camila yawned as she threw herself onto the couch, grabbing the remote off the coffee table. "What’s on?”

"Football.“ Alistair sat with his legs folded on the loveseat, watching an intense game of soccer.

"Is football on?” Varg asked.

"Yeah, this is football.“ Alistair raised an eyebrow at Varg as he gestured to the soccer game on TV.

"Are you ever gonna call it soccer like a normal person?” Varg whined. “I want Canadian football please.”

"Why don’t we all watch a movie like Gone With The Wind or Forest Gump?!“ Reika suggested, her eyes sparkling like firecrackers.

"Lame… I want something with Vin Diesel in it.” Camila shot Reika down as she scooped a forkful of Phad Tai in her mouth.

"Vin Diesel? That actor who just grunts all the time?“ Louise scoffed.

"How about I turn off the television if we can’t decide?” Damian squashed their petty argument, causing everyone to let out a long sigh. “Thank you… we’re watching Citizen Kane.”

”What?!“ They all shouted in unison.

#manga #series #novel #sliceoflife #alternate universe #strange #scifi #science #action #cool #wierd

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mcnaughton · 8 years ago

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Abandoning Hope -- Some Thoughts on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

*NOTE: I wrote this the day after seeing Rogue One at the cinema. I don't do FB, so I posted it to my neglected G+ and linked to Twitter ( twitter.com/drewmcnaughton ). Every few years I remember I have a Tumblr, so I'm sharing it here 6 months later. Also, to correct the opening sentence, I did not see R1 again in theaters, making it the first live action Star Wars movie I've ever only seen once on the big screen. Enjoy....... Original Post 12/16/16 ( https://plus.google.com/108163877778963936170/posts/TUqccQPVkzf ) I will see Rogue One again while it is still at the cinema. That isn't really saying much since I saw Phantom Menace five times during the summer of 1999, back when I had way more time on my hands and George Lucas was only in his first phase of ruining my childhood. Today at work, I told people who knew I saw it last night that if they like Star Wars, then Rogue One is worth seeing, and if they had seen all of them, then they had already seen worse Star Wars movies as well as much better ones (among which I would include The Force Awakens). I did not really know what to expect walking into Rogue One as I had read no spoilers other than there would be no opening crawl (real spoilers will follow below). While I was looking forward to seeing it, it was the least excited I had ever been for a new Star Wars movie (I was 4 years old when Jedi premiered, and the Emperor's force lightning torture of Luke was too much for my little mind to handle). I identified at least two reasons for my lack of enthusiasm: it would not move the saga forward nor would it likely answer long pondered questions since in at least a general sense we already know what happens because it is literally spelled out for us in the opening title crawl of the original Star Wars. Also, we just got a new Star Wars a year ago. I probably will be much more excited for Episode VIII next year, but it is also possible that the House of Mouse Star Wars saturation is already taking its toll. ***Spoilers below, you've been warned*** I walked away from Rogue One with mixed feelings. I did not enjoy it as much as I did last year's The Force Awakens. This is largely due to Rogue One’s paper thin characters. I don’t dislike Jyn or the Captain guy. The blind Jedi inspired warrior and his brick shithouse companion are fun. I especially got a huge kick out of blind Chirrut (I had to Google his name because I honestly could not remember it) saying "May the Force of Others Be With You" and his reference to the Whills, both of which are ancient relics of the earliest drafts of The Star Wars by Lucas (I highly recommend The Star Wars comic book miniseries that brings the rough draft to life; it isn't exactly what I'd characterize as a good story, but it is a fascinating look at from what Star Wars evolved, as well as how certain elements emerged decades later in the prequels, for better or worse). But the only character I really cared about was the droid K-2S0. He dies. They all die. That was fairly predictable. But only K-2S0's sacrifice made me even somewhat emotional. The Captain is a one note character, and while I embrace the diversity on display in these new Star Wars films, I honestly had a difficult time understanding some of his dialogue due at least in part to the character’s (or actor’s) accent. Then there is Jyn, who goes from not really caring about the Rebellion (or anything for that matter) to preaching about "hope" to Mon Mothma almost immediately after her father is killed, seemingly turning on a dime in terms of her character’s motivation. This character’s shift is less convincing than Anakin's turn to the Dark Side. I cared less about Jyn after 2+ hours than I did about Rey in her first couple of minutes on screen in The Force Awakens while scavenging the crashed Star Destroyer, hocking her goods, and making her portion of space bread. Maybe it was a difference in the quality of the acting, the script writing, or both. The absense of characters in whom I am emotionally invested is a big problem I have in fully embracing Rogue One. Not caring about the characters is largely what sank the prequels, especially The Phantom Menace (though to be fair, I really liked Ewan McGregor’s performance in Attack of the Clones because he seemed to be having fun with the role, and even Hayden Christensen had a few shining moments about midway through Revenge of the Sith where I actually felt his inner turmoil). Speaking of which, Darth Vader is in Rogue One and it is pretty awesome. We see his lava planet castle, based on old conceptual art for Empire Strikes Back, I believe. Most of the planets in Rogue One are identified by title cards. This one is not, though I assumed it was Mustafar and I'm sure that will be confirmed or denied through some official Star Wars sanctioned means if it hasn't already. I absolutely love the planet Jedha, with the relics of the last remaining Jedi temple and fallen statues that are very much in the spirit of the Lord of the Rings films (think The Argonath from Fellowship of the Ring). Pretty much everything that happens on this planet are my favorite parts of the movie. I'm getting slightly ahead of myself here though. The film opens with a somewhat cliched scene of young Jyn seeing the murder of her mother and abduction of her father by the Imperial bad guy who needs help finishing the construction of the Death Star. It is notable that the mother is wearing clothing very similar to the Jedi robes in the prequels that were also worn by common Tatooine folks in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. She also is the bearer of a Kyber Crystal, which have long been known to be the power element for both Jedi/Sith lightsabers as well as the Death Star's main weapon, though never acknowledged on film until now. We then flash forward to Jyn in an imperial jail. It is at this point that I really started to worry about Rogue One because in the next 10 minutes, we visit at least 4 different planets, and I started to wonder if the film was heading into a narrative nightmare not witnessed since David Lynch's Dune (which, in full disclosure, I absolutely love, though I'd never try to convince anyone that it is actually a good movie). Fortunately it does not (although perhaps Rogue One would be far more memorable if it was a complete disaster of a film rather than one that is just somewhat off its mark). As I write this, it has been about 24 hours since I saw Rogue One, and that brief, messy stretch of the film is mostly a blur in my mind, but at its outset, Jyn is going to help the Rebels find Saw Gerrera played by Ghost Dog himself Forest Whitaker because plot reasons.. That leads to the terrific sequences on Jedha. The film is worth seeing for these alone. In The Force Awakens, Han Solo stated that Luke Skywalker went in search of the last Jedi temple. Perhaps what we see on Jedha will come into play in next year's Episode VIII, or perhaps not. There was no teaser for Episode VIII before or after Rogue One. Then a bunch of stuff happens: Jyn's dad dies, we see Tarkin which is cool, and we see some other OT characters, some of whom's cameos are clever, while others are shameless fan service and pandering. And then we get to the film's third act, which has been what most people who have seen and enjoyed Rogue One have pointed to as its highlight. Frankly, I was underwhelmed. Again, I got a little emotional when the droid K-2S0 is killed protecting Jyn and Captain guy. Many of the more iconic images from the film's trailers didn't even make into the final cut of this sequence (which calls into question the apparent validity of the rumors of the production being troubled). I did not hate this extended sequence, but this is the first time in any Star Wars movie where I was not fully engaged in the epic battle. Yes, that includes the ones in the prequels. I did really like when Darth Vader's Star Destroyer popped up to thwart any sense of pure victory the Rebels may have felt after capturing the Death Star plans. Then we see Princess Leia, obviously a special effect, and she lightspeeds away on the Tantave IV into the opening shot of Episode IV. This all calls into question why The House of Mouse felt compelled to make this movie. Well, the answer is simple, to continue to make "a shitload of money" (to quote Lone Star from Spaceballs) off of their $4 billion investment. But why this story? My guess is that the powers that be recognized that Revenge of the Sith’s attempt to tie directly into the beginning of A New Hope failed miserably, largely because of the 20 year gap in the saga timeline between the two films. This is probably why they went with Princess Leia at the end of Rogue One and not Artoo and Threepio, since we already saw them on the Tantave IV in one of the last shots in Episode III. There's a lot of unaccounted for events on the Star Wars timeline, especially in light of the abandonment of the Extended Universe (which was fine by me because most of those novels and comic books were really dumb) and the introduction of new characters, concepts and entities in The Force Awakens. Maybe years from now (or much sooner) we'll get to see the Battle of Jaku on the big screen in another standalone film. I would have preferred that to what we get in Rogue One. Some of my specific nitpicks, such as how can the X- and U-Wings destroy the AT-ATs when in Empire Strikes Back their "armor is too strong for blasters", I've already found answers to -- according to Den Of Geek, these are actually AT-ACTs, designed for cargo, not combat ( http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/star-wars/260771/star-wars-rogue-one-easter-eggs-and-reference-guide ). My brother picked up on some other nitpicks, particularly how the end of Rogue One and the beginning of A New Hope don't exactly match up ( https://t.co/q881t4Jr5e ). I'm sure more of those will occur to the collective Star Wars community as time goes by and second, third and perhaps fourth theatrical viewings occur. *****END SPOILERS**** Look, when new Star Wars (and also Star Trek) movies are released, I am tense when I see them the first time because I am anxiously waiting for them to start sucking. There is an unfortunate precedent for that for these two franchises. In the last year, I enjoyed both The Force Awakens and Star Trek Beyond way more on subsequent viewings than I did the first times. In the case of Rogue One, it stumbles out of the gate, then thrives during the Jedha sequences, and finally settles in as a B-/C+ grade Star Wars film. There is a chance I might like it even less when I see it again, but I might also find more to appreciate. I've seen the worst Star Wars and Star Trek films at least several dozen times each, and the best ones hundreds if not thousands of times (no exaggeration…. I wore out my VHS copies of Star Wars, Empire, Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and The Voyage Home as a kid). I'll see Rogue One again. I even look forward to it. I just HOPE I find something more to like about it.

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anycontentposter · 5 years ago

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Review: The Defakto Transit is a Modern, Minimalist Watch From the Ickler Family