#this is from yesterdays show in san francisco

[mittland]

i 🖤 girls

[personinthepalace]

I’m back on my legally blonde videoessay bullshit and my current obsession that’s probably not making it into the video I’d the progression from

this

To this

To the final broadway version. Like isn’t it insane how it had nothing to do with love originally. Like, in biased and like when it’s “how about love?“ but this is so precious and works so amazing for door-less productions I can’t!!! The instrumentation picking up!!! The profound sadness and Emmet not knowing!!!! (The way they deal with that is Definitely worse tho, I’m not shilling for Vivian telling him, not me)

But still it’s so!!!!!

hi! hope you are well :) and this is perfect timing bc I am also back on my legally blonde obsession haha

but yeah the San Francisco run doesn't have Elle tell Emmett what happened so he instead finds out through Vivienne which is quite strange especially since Elle does tell Emmett what Callahan did to her in the movie. So at the end of the ballad, Emmett is confused about why Elle wants to leave, finds out about the assault off-stage, and through a second party instead of through Elle herself which not only makes things feel less impactful but is also offensive (I am not sure if I am using the right term) to Elle - she is the victim in this situation and thus this is her story to tell not Vivienne's

but what I really love about the San Francisco version of the ballad is how the music swells after Elle shuts the door. And you see Emmett rushing to the door and calling out to her multiple times - ahhh it is so heartbreaking!! I do sometimes wish they kept that in somehow though of course I love the final Broadway version with all of my heart - "what about love?" "some girls were just meant to smile" 😭

here is a clip of an early san francisco version of the ballad scene for anyone who wishes to watch it:

also does anybody know what emmett is holding here?? I can't figure it out???

anyway wishing you the best of luck with your video essay!! so excited to watch it :)

[polonium1]

I had to make an actual post about this:

Yesterday evening, i saw a clip from the IOF that showed a soldier in an inflatable dinosaur costume refilling the ammunition of an M109 howitzer. Later in the same clip, the howitzer fires into Gaza, causing (presumably) unspeakable damage.

Absolutely appalling. These are people so void of emotion and empathy that they turn the ruthless murder of thousands of innocent civilians into sport. How can a human being voluntarily do such a horrible thing? It boils down to psychology. People are more likely to inflict suffering when being ordered or threatened to do so. That may be true for some, but not for the Zionists. They truly, deep down, in every soldier, ingrain a sense of what can only be described as Nazism. The State of Israel truly has become what tried to kill them. They have technology that detects trucks with aid, or innocent people trying to escape, and annihilates whatever it detects as "other" with an automatic cannon. The Zionists have turned the Gaza strip into the largest death camp ever seen in all of human history. 2 million people, all with stories, lives, and hardships. people who lived, loved, laughed, learned and lost. They are systematically eliminating the Gaza Strip and attacking and erasing it's history and culture.

The worst part: Nobody cares. Israel can just slip by international law like sand through your fingers. The ICJ has tried and failed on numerous occasions to stop Israel, but to no avail. So if the government won't do it, we will. Regular, average people with a sense of decency should rise up and protest for Gaza. And not just at universities and at major events.

Everyone, everywhere, should protest. New York, Boston, LA, Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, Nashville, Orlando, Jacksonville, Miami, Houston, Dallas, Austin, and countless others. Boycott. Be loud, be memorable.

But don't get violent. Fighting violence with violence is not the right thing. Think about something similar to the March on Washington in 1963. We must send a clear message to America and its European vassals that we do not stand firm this. The Nakba did not end in 1948. It is a 76 year long catastrophe for millions.

From The River to the Sea, Palestine WILL BE FREE

this post kinda deviated a lil bit but i got the point across so its fine

[gay-poet-gabriel]

do you have any favourite moments from psych? if you remember any that is

HGNHGHGNH!!! ALL OF IT!!!!

and tbh its been like half a year since i last watched any of it (including the movies) so ill try my best to remember stuff

anyway like the god's comma thing, i always reference that. always.

"Does it look like we were born on the fourth of july"?

"Or yesterday"?

"Or to run"?

Followed closely by: "This is my partner Sh'dynasty. That's spelled S H comma-to-the-top Dynasty"

"Comma-to-the-top?"

"That's a god's comma"

UGH AND THE BLUEBERRY!!! i call every compact blue car i see the blueberry i just love referencing this show uhhg...

ughu and when shaun and gus run out of the room after the haunting after bianca's toast. like all the other people there are scared but they literally hired shaun and gus and THEYRE the ones screaming and running away dhgadk

did you hear about pluto? messed up, right? (i say that all the fucking time i love you gus)

AND OMGDH...THE SPELLING BEE EPISODE..A.BAGNDJ

also oguh pls...where gus is blackula...IDEK IT WAS JUST SO FUNNY

and the part in like...s6 or something i have no idea where they're like grooving out to kenny g with like a serial killer nad ogfudha..

and omg...wait i cant even remember if this was an episode or in a movie but when gus thinks he killed his boss OGMHUSA.....so silly

OUGH AND THE FOOD TRUCK EPISODE!!! THE FOOD IS SO NASTY I LOVE IT!

spoilers (kinda major)

and ofc..the part at the very end where chief vick mentions that their new head detective is organizing everything alphabetically... cuz they're in san Francisco and that's where..

MONK!!!!!!!!!!!

[cottagecoreloreee]

Chapter 3 will be up later this week! Catch up on the first two chapters in the meantime. ❤️

-Snippet-

Lestat could not be dissuaded. The next day he called again, and telling myself that he would continue to call if I did not answer, I picked up my phone. Modern technology had provided Lestat with a partial bridge to the sacrifice he took as my maker. While he could not read my thoughts, we could communicate across large distances and I believe this comforted and flustered him in equal measure. I was accessible at the push of a button, but then I would not answer, further proving my detachment. Though if I answered, it signaled my care for him. 

I was the cold-hearted Louis; I was the adoring Louis. I was demon and angel, tormentor and savior–the dichotomy he claimed to love even in his most crazed states. As soon as I answered, I knew I shouldn’t have. I thought to hang up, but my breath betrayed me. 

“Mon cher, how are you?”

I swallowed. “We talked yesterday.”

“I am, how did you say it, Daniel? Oh yes, clingy.”

“You sound like an old man if you phrase it like that.” I laughed and so did he, and the question he asked on our last call weighed on me–his charms hadn’t been lost on me.  “And yes, you are.” 

“I was a recluse for seventy years, Louis. I am still adjusting to the times.”

“That would explain the rockstar stint in those ridiculous outfits. Who’s dressing you?”

“So you’ve watched my shows?” And Lestat made an ungodly sound, a single-syllable laugh that inflamed me. “I could send you a ticket to see me live. VIP, if you like, so I’d see you backstage.” 

We spoke for an hour–our longest conversation since New Orleans. He detailed life on the road, observing how humanity had changed. Gone were most superstitions that forced him into the shadows–the fear of vampires had faded. In the media, we are brooding, fraught creatures, embroiled in romance. Lestat was both awed and disappointed by the development, and I could not point out the irony. 

And time lent fondness to the past. We reminisced over the old traditions, and how laughable they were to us, even then. He mentioned her once–and only once–the name Claudia slipped from his mouth like the first leaf that falls from a tree in autumn, by surprise and almost unheard.

“Claudia kept the dolls,” he sighed, the strain of pride in his voice.“But she gave one to a baby just to watch the mother scream in horror.” A moment passed where neither of us could speak. It was something of her that didn’t reside in my memory. But he remembered. Lestat: her maker, her uncle, her brother, her keeper, her torturer. Lestat, the actor, filled every role. And he was her father, despite his limitations. 

“We should stop here,” I said. 

There was a pause. The world around me shrank, and the distance between Dubai and San Francisco became a stone’s throw. I felt the ghost of his hand on the back of my neck, his breath summoning goosebumps on my flesh. “My Louis,” Lestat’s voice broke, and how it unwound me–I wished to drag my fingers along his cheek, and promise him a day in the future I couldn’t guarantee. “Always short on time.” 

“I’ll call soon,” I found myself saying. 

“You will?” Lestat cleared his throat. “I’ll be patiently waiting for your call.” 

[pandasmagorica]

4 Minutes pre-ep 8 (Mon 9 Sept) musing on sad endings

I'm among those anticipating a sad ending to 4 Minutes. But what exactly is a sad ending in Eastern culture? This is a thoroughly Western take, so please feel free to correct me if I get it wrong.

This post contains spoilers for

Bungee Jumping of Their Own (Korea),

He's Coming to Me (Thailand),

Eternal Yesterday (Japan),

Until We Meet Again (Thailand),

Century of Love (Thailand),

To Sir With Love (Thailand),

55:15 Never Too Late (Thailand),

The Miracle of Teddy Bear (Thailand),

Something in My Room (Thailand),

Once Again (Korea),

and, of course, episodes 1 through 7 of 4 Minutes.

Mention in this paragraph or post does not necessarily mean the show has a sad ending - although there's a good chance of it - so this paragraph is not in itself a spoiler.

This is a long post.

I want to discuss three works that treat reincarnation as an important theme in the work: Bungee Jumping of Their Own, Until We Meet Again, and He's Coming to Me.

Here is the question: In cultures or individuals that believe in reincarnation, does death count as a sad ending?

The first time I had to ask myself this was many years ago after seeing the Korean queer-themed film Bungee Jumping of Their Own at the San Francisco Frameline Film Festival, one of the largest queer film fests on the planet. In this film, a man and a woman in love are engaged to be married. The woman is killed in a vehicle collision. The man remains single and becomes a teacher.

Sixteen and some years later, he becomes convinced that one of his male students, who is 16 at the time, is the reincarnation of the woman he loves. This ultimately turns out to be the case, and they begin a relationship which is roundly (and understandably) criticized by the people around them. At the end of the film, they commit suicide together by sabotaging a bungee jump. But we don't see them die, we see their spirits in conversation about what the possibilities would be for their reincarnation and reuniting, and that they will plan to be together as a same-aged couple, whether straight or gay.

So is this a sad ending on not? It's sad that they couldn't find a way to live in 2001 Korea - really, one solution would have been to wait until the student was an adult - but if it's clear they would likely be reborn and find each other once more, then it's merely bittersweet.

By the way it's a good movie if you can find it.

I understand Dew the Movie (Thailand) is a remake which starts with the gay couple who then get reincarnated as a straight couple, but I haven't seen it and can't comment on it.

Until We Meet Again (Thailand) is a sad beginning, opening with a double suicide of a gay couple sometime around the late 1980s. They get reincarnated, sort of, perhaps 13-15 years later, and ultimately find each other and instantly recognize their connection, even if they're not sure how or why. A better way to describe it is that their spirits kind of hitchhike with their new personas, as it ultimately turns out that they are both combined and separate from the new couple, who have their own personalities. But the spirits of the original couple are ultimately at peace and the successor couple are on their way to forging their own unique and happy relationship. So happy ending for a sad story.

He's Coming to Me (Thailand) is also a sad beginning. Med dies, and is somehow being prevented from being reborn, so is stuck as a ghost. He befriends a young man, Thun, who can see ghosts. Thun solves the blockers that are keeping Med from reincarnating, but in the meantime they've fallen in love, so Thun is heartbroken that he's going to lose Med. Sad ending for Thun, bittersweet ending for Med. But surprise, it's not Med's time to die yet, so they are reunited at least for now. Happy ending!

Century of Love (Thailand) is more of a comedy all the way through once we've gotten past the sad beginning of the female romantic interest dying to save the life of the male lead. The male lead makes a deal with the goddess to live 100 years more so he can try to find the reincarnation of his love and break the spell or else die trying. When the 100 years is about to expire, he thinks he has found her in the guise of a morally gray young man. He has to work through his internalized homophobia and falls in love with the man. But then a woman shows up who might be the reincarnation. Ultimately, we never know for sure if either of them or both are the reincarnation of the male lead's original loved one, but it takes both the young man and the new woman to break the curse. Happy ending!

Again, I am commenting as someone who grew up in Western Judeo-Christian culture, so am at risk of overestimating how important a belief in reincarnation is to Eastern culture. But it does seem to play a big part. I'll acknowledge that Western culture has reincarnation stories as well, but I don't think they have the emotional hit that the Eastern stories I've seen do.

Moving away from reincarnation:

Eternal Yesterday (Japan) has a high school queer couple separated by a fatal traffic accident aka the white truck of death. Except that the impactee gets up and smiles and moves around. But he's still dead. This is the opposite of a scary ghost or zombie flick: he's kindly and they are still in love which each other and doing their best to cope with this change in events. But ultimately it becomes clear that the survivor is keeping the dead one alive, and it's too hard on the dead one to keep going. There was no way this could have had a happy ending, but it's incredibly life affirming. I'm moved to tears just thinking about this series, and would watch it again and again, already have rewatched it once. Don't fear sad endings. (Okay, it's your choice, but I don't fear them.)

To Sir With Love (Thailand) has the least mystical relationship with death, but there is a lot of it in the series. The ending is bittersweet. The queer couple is together, but the mother committed suicide to save them from the bad guy by tricking him into taking poison.

55:15 Never Too Late (Thailand) provides the redo by transforming the five 55 year old mains into their 15 year old bodies. On their way back to being 55, one of them dies, and the others face an uncertain future with the opportunity to try again. Bittersweet.

The Miracle of Teddy Bear (Thailand) gives a teddy bear life and love, but ultimately the bear relinquishes his life so that the human who gave him life could be reunited with the teddy bear's owner. But the owner could still show him love as a teddy bear. Bittersweet.

Something in My Room (Thailand) has a living human and a ghost fall in love with each other. They are ultimately separated, but reunited many years later when the human dies of a terminal illness. So they're together (happy) but the human is now dead (sad). Bittersweet.

Once Again (Korea) sends a young man back in time to meet the man who died saving him from a child abductor as a kid. They fall in love, and the time traveler tries to prevent his savior's death but the guy dies saving him again anyway and the time traveler is thrust back into the present. The savior sends a note through a friend to the time traveler telling him let's do this again every 7 years that some people have taken as being a time loop but which I take as just the savior trying to make the time traveler feel better about not being able to change the past. On the sad side of bittersweet.

Now lets get back to episodes 1 through 7 of 4 Minutes, and look at what beliefs might go into a happy, sad, or bittersweet ending to episode 8.

In the redo timeline, Great's father makes a reference to the three realms, Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Unlike Western culture where Heaven is eternal reward and Hell, at least in Christian culture specifically, is eternal punishment, in Thai culture they are waystops. Again, Thais please feel free to correct me if I'm off. But we don't know if redo Great's father is speaking from belief or experience.

We've also paid a visit to the 4:00 room where people go to - what? - be in limbo? wait to find out if they live or die? move on to the next life?

There's a bed in that room. Will Great and Tyme use it for sex? To nap together?

It would not be surprising for Great to live and Tyme to die, based on the circumstances of their respective entries into 4 minutes territory. Tyme has asked for Great's forgiveness - he would not now expect Great to give up his life just to be with Tyme. This would be sad or bittersweet. How far along that scale it would be would depend on what Great does with his life going forward, which would possibly be shown briefly with a time jump.

We don't know what role if any reincarnation plays in this series. It hasn't been mentioned but is related to the three realms belief. So, they could both die and be reincarnated in the next life, leading to a happy ending a la Until We Meet Again. Obviously with only one episode remaining, we would not get much of a picture of this, but remember Bungee Jumping of Their Own ended with the mains clearly in an unreal space and assumption of further reincarnation awaiting them. It could still be part of the ending. And it would be bittersweet - that they can't be together now but would have a chance to be together in the next life.

We probably are not going to get an unambiguously happy ending. Even if they were both to survive, the police chief would still be out to get Tyme and possibly Great.

Actually that would be a question if just Great survives.

I eagerly await Friday (Saturday for you folks who are ahead of me on the International Date Line) and the conclusion of this series.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Women's march

* * * *

Harris and Walz shift the vibe!

August 19, 2024

Robert B. Hubbell

As we look ahead with hope and anticipation to the Democratic National Convention, the Harris-Walz campaign continues to surprise everyone with its effectiveness and nimbleness. On Sunday, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz took a bus tour through Pennsylvania—a complete “vibe-shift” from the enthusiastic crowds at packed stadiums that fueled the campaign over the last four weeks.

The bus tour was terrific! It highlighted Kamala and Tim in “normal” situations that voters can relate to—buying chips (Doritos) in a convenience store, talking to a high school football team, and chatting up the employees at a restaurant. Both joined a local field office’s phone-banking efforts! Kamala Harris even petted a firehouse dog after delivering pastries to the firefighters! (Can you imagine Trump petting a dog?)

There is no way in the world that Trump or JD Vance could have negotiated those situations with anything other than awkward stiffness as they pretended to know how to talk to everyday Americans in normal situations. Both Trump and JD Vance are stuck behind podiums with dwindling or non-existent crowds, while Kamala and Tim turned the “small group” interaction into a show of strength and normalcy.

That is a feat that Trump and Vance cannot replicate. The GOP nominees are comfortable among billionaires and sycophants but not among people who are feeling the pain of Trump’s tax cuts for billionaires, assault on personal liberties, and culture wars.

Harris also asked reporters questions at various stops on the tour. Those reporters—perhaps local reporters(?)—asked the Vice President substantive questions about her economic proposals released last week. No notes, no teleprompters, no “hand-picked” reporters who are afraid of Kamala Harris. Her answers were “okay” to “good”, but they were orders of magnitude better than Trump's meandering words-salads. She answered the questions head-on; not everyone accepted her responses, but that’s politics! Kamala Harris is speaking to voters, not to pundits.

While dwelling on Trump is becoming tedious, he made things worse for himself and JD Vance on Saturday with another unhinged speech that focused on pettiness, grievance, and hate. In the speech, he criticized Kamala Harris for her laugh, dating history, and “looks” before stooping to call her a “communist.” See Trump zigzags between economic remarks and personal insults at rally in critical Pennsylvania. In a sign of supreme insecurity, Trump repeatedly said that he was “better looking than Kamala.” Geez! What kind of person does that?

And then Trump proceeded to have an epic meltdown on social media on Sunday, posting at least fifty-two (52) times, with each post worse, more offensive, and delusional than the last. Trump posted fake “photos” of “Swifties for Trump”, and posted doctored photos of Kamala Harris holding a sign that said, “I am a moron.”

Below is one of Trump's most unhinged posts

Again, apologies for repeating Trump's post, but it is important to understand what the media is not reporting about Trump's descent into madness. At the very least, let your eyes graze over the Unabomber-esque quality of the prose:

We had to turn away lots of people yesterday in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, but Comrade Kamala Harris’ Social Media Operation showed empty seats, long before the Rally started, early in the afternoon when, in actuality, we had to turn away 11,500 people! She’s a Crooked Radical Left Politician, and always will be! Everything she touches turns bad, just like California, and San Francisco before it - as is the case with all Marxists. She should have never been Vice President, and had to stage a COUP of Joe Biden, with her America-hating friends, Barrack Hussein Obama, Crazy Nancy Pelosi, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, and the rest. Comrade Kamala is a STONE COLD LOSER, she will FAIL and, if she doesn’t, our Country will cease to exist as we know it, turning into a Communist, Crime Ridden Garbage Dump.

As Trump is off message in the worst possible way, Democrats are heading into their convention more united than ever. Are there potential problems? Of course! Protests over Gaza will give the media a counter-narrative to dampen the enthusiasm that will greet President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, former presidents Obama and Clinton, Secretary of State Clinton, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Then, the main event will be Tim Walz and Kamala Harris.

The convention will be historic. It will serve three purposes:

It will lift and inspire a formerly weary base who can finally celebrate with a sense of confidence and optimism.

It will help unify Democratic messaging—finally!

It will extend the period of enthusiasm that has propelled the campaign thus far.

If the unprecedented enthusiasm continues into September or October, it will solidify the momentum that Kamala Harris is building among the electorate.

Joe Biden’s speech alone is reason enough to hold a convention that has already elected Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. It should be Biden’s finest hour in his half-century of public service.

I resolve to not allow the media’s desire to deflate Democratic enthusiasm to interfere with my enjoyment and appreciation of a historic moment.

And a special note to readers who will be attending the convention: I would love to hear from you about what it is like to be “in the room where it happens.” With your permission (and not for attribution), I will share comments with other newsletter readers who are not at the convention. Feel free to post in the Comment section or email me at rbhubbell@gmail.com.

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

[captainsophiestark]

The Best-Laid Plans

Platonic!Annabeth Chase x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for my personal fic writing challenge for 2024, Sophie's Year of Fic! Featuring a new fic being posted every Friday, all year long :)

Fandom: Percy Jackson

Summary: Annabeth's best friend and older sibling figure since she ran away at seven helps her execute the perfect birthday surprise for Percy in their first year at college.

Word Count: 1,306

Category: Fluff, Humor

A/N: To those new to the fandom from the tv show, weclome! This fic has hella spoilers for future books, so be warned

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"I just want to do something special for him. It's his first birthday away from home, and I can tell it's bothering him."

I hummed, twirling my dagger and staring at the ceiling while kicked back on my couch. Such was the life of a demigod, that we fiddled with weapons like fidget toys.

"And there's no way you guys can go back?" I finally asked. Annabeth, my little sister in every way but blood, shook her head.

"We've got orientation for the next week and a half, including his birthday. It's the only reason we're here so early in the first place. We can't miss it."

I frowned. Annabeth and her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, had just started college at New Rome University. They'd gotten to the Bay Area yesterday, which I'd been incredibly excited about. Annabeth and I had been attached at the hip since I was eleven and she was seven, when we'd met as runaway demigods. Out of our little group, Annabeth and I had stayed the closest. After the Titan War, I'd decided to go USF, the muggle university in San Francisco. Leaving her had been the hardest part.

Now, luckily for me, she and Percy had moved out here too. Annabeth had finished unpacking and setting up her dorm room within a few hours of arrival, and so had some free time this morning to spend hanging out with me. Percy had not, so he was otherwise occupied on their last day before school activities started.

"Well, I'm happy to help with whatever you want to do, Annabeth," I said. She sighed, chewing at her lip and staring out the window of my apartment as she thought. "Maybe you could show him around the Bay Area? He probably hasn't spent much time out here, has he?"

"I really haven't either," she said. "I've barely been back since I was a kid."

"True..."

"Maybe we could go on a tour of New Rome? Percy told me he wanted to show me around, but I don't want to make him be the tour guide for his birthday."

"Yeah."

The two of us fell silent for a moment, thinking things through. Then, like a blast of lightning from Thalia, an idea hit me.

"What if you baked him some cookies or something? He's probably already missing his mom's baking."

Annabeth shot up straight in her seat, staring at me with wide eyes.

"That is the perfect idea. Can I make them here?"

"Of course! I'm not going to make you use the shared freshman kitchens."

Annabeth grinned, then stood and headed to the kitchen table. I watched her go with interest as she pulled out a notebook and pen and started scribbling away.

"Uh... Annabeth?"

"Making a plan. Don't worry about it."

I grinned to myself. My little sister was nothing if not predictable.

A few days later, Annabeth managed to sneak away from Percy and orientation to come back to my place for a baking party. Percy's birthday was tomorrow, so we only had tonight to get everything ready.

"I came up with the perfect plan," she said in lieu of greeting as she pushed past me and into the apartment. I smiled after her, joining her in the kitchen as she plopped down a massive bag of baking supplies. "I got the recipe, I timed everything out, I got a ton of blue food coloring. By the end of the day, the perfect birthday surprise will be completed."

"I'd never doubt a plan from Athena," I said, giving her a smile. "Just tell me what to do, and I'm on it."

"Right. Well, first we need to preheat the oven."

That was about the only part of the plan that ended up going off without a hitch. Annabeth didn't bake often, and she'd happened to choose a pretty difficult cookie recipe. I did my best to help, but I didn't have a lot of experience in the area either, so things went quickly off the rails. Just under two hours later, the two of us stood in the kitchen covered in flower, eggs, and bits of way too watery dough, staring at the absolute disaster of a mess we'd created on the counter.

"This was not part of the plan," she said. I couldn't help it—I burst out laughing.

"I don't know, I think sugar cookies are supposed to be so wet we can't pick them up," I joked. I turned to see Annabeth with a very serious frown on her face.

"I haven't had a plan fail this miserably in... a long time."

"Well, I think it's probably time for plan B. That can be your redemption."

Annabeth's frown just deepened, so I did what any good sibling would do and took it upon myself to cheer her up. By throwing a wad of dough in her face, of course.

Her mouth dropped open in shock as sugary, goopy dough dripped off her chin. Then she whirled on me with a fierce look and fire in her eyes that I recognized from the few times she'd really been on the warpath for capture the flag.

"That was a mistake."

She picked up the nearest glob of dough and chucked it at me as I tried to dodge. It hit me in the back with a thunk, and I cackled before turning around to reengage with a clump of flour.

The baking battle raged for a few fierce minutes, before Annabeth and I slipped in some dough on the floor while wrestling to smear more of the stuff on each others' heads. We collapsed in a heap, both of us laughing like crazy people.

"That was so worth everything that came before it," I declared, slumping against the nearest kitchen cabinet. Annabeth immediately followed suit, leaving us shoulder to shoulder in the middle of the mess.

"What about the cleanup that comes after?"

"Also worth it, especially since I have you here to help me."

Annabeth snorted, but didn't say anything. After a minute of comfortable silence, she sighed.

"What am I gonna do for Percy's birthday tomorrow?"

"Well, were the cookies the only plan?"

"No... He took me to one of his favorite spots in the city a few days ago, so I planned a picnic for the two of us there. The cookies were going to be the final surprise."

"Well, there you go then. The rest of the plan remains intact. If you wanted to, you could even make him a little coupon or something that promises 'one day of baking cookies' or something like that, and the two of you can pick an easier but still delicious recipe to try."

Annabeth looked at me with a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"Would you let us use your kitchen again?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Maybe Percy's better at baking than us. And even if he's not, having someone who can control water to help us with cleanup will at least make a round two of this easier."

Annabeth smiled and huffed a laugh, leaning against me.

"Thanks. For this, and for everything. I'm really glad you're here in San Francisco with us."

I smiled too, reaching out to put one arm around Annabeth. We'd known each other more than a decade, and we'd both changed so much. But our relationship had stayed the same.

"Any time, Annabeth. You know I'm always here for you." The two of us sat there for a minute, taking a breather and appreciating each other's company, and then I sighed. "Alright, time to get the cleaning stuff out. This is going to take hours."

"You know, I actually have a lot of coursework I need to get started on-"

"Nice try, but it's orientation. And even if you were in the middle of finals, you wouldn't be getting out of this."

"Fine. But next time, let's plan to avoid the massive kitchen food fight."

I grinned. "Sure. We can plan on that."

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989

Riordanverse: @valkyriepirate

[nalyra-dreaming]

I hope you don't mind me sending you this and that you don't think I'm deranged (I am deranged about these characters) but yesterday I wrote this https://www.tumblr.com/chicalepidopterareblogs/746157267839270912/what-if-jkirks-scene-in-the-trailer-is-part-of?source=share

about the scene with JK in the trailer being actually one of Daniel's grandpa nap dreams. To summarize I'm not particulary fond of the idea of doing the same Armand reveal but with Marius. I don't think you can pull off that very same trick twice. But what if the first time we see Marius it is in one of Daniels dreams and he gets his name and everything cause they've already met but he doesn't remember. And when Daniel wakes up he tries to rationalise it by telling himself that he must have gotten the name from the artist from the painting on the wall?

It would explain Marius not looking vampiric in this dream just as Daniel didn't remember Armand's vampire eyes in the other one. The dream would mirror the San Francisco First Meeting (sitting in a bar, talking to a stranger) but with an "old man twist". As much I've tried I can't imagine a good reason for Daniel to be allowed to leave the penthouse. But the Sushi Restaurant as a projection of his imagination still connencted to Dubai...I can see that happening!

No, of course not, thank you for linking me the post!!!

So, I get why you would prefer a setup like this^^, and it is a very interesting idea. As said in that ask it is a completely possible approach in the VC.

I'm just... my problem with this is less the idea itself, than the necessary lore explanations they'd have to do to link a memory with the current setting (so to include a certain... "tinkering"), and the danger Daniel is in (or not).

Like, we have the cloud gift, fire gift, and the more telekinetic powers of the mind gift in season 1. The "only" mental communication was between Louis and Claudia (and Antoinette). There were hints at more, but only hints.

The dream Daniel had in s1 was a memory. And it was a suppressed one. The scene we saw in the trailer could also be a suppressed memory, true. But I don't think it's a projected one, if that makes sense.

Lore-wise we will get the destructive powers of the fire gift next season, as well as a huge update on spell and mind gift (through Armand), at the very least. Theoretically that could include projecting dreams... but I just feel like that would be combined best with upcoming arcs, and then of course QotD.

And re the tinkering, or what Daniel's subconscious would then do with it all...

The thing is, Daniel is good.

IF Armand shows him posters with "Armand Marius" on them he will immediately know something is up. I would bet anything on it.^^ Remember that little file he has? What else is in there? He has clocked in on all the little things. The little discrepancies. Has called Louis out on it, too. Has challenged the narrative. Has slapped Louis. Has taunted both Louis and Armand. I don't think that's gonna stop :) If he remembers someone introducing themselves as Marius... the deal will be up. BUT I mean... maybe that will be the twist! Maybe he will remember and know. That I could easily see, indeed.

But I don't quite see him "not connecting the dots", if that makes sense :)

A Pulitzer price winning journalist, who has just started tearing it all apart? :) Naaaaaahhhh.

(Of course I'm very much looking forward to Daniel tearing them all a new one, so that is coming from a place of wishful thinking *laughs* :))

I hope I make sense^^

[mirkwoodshewolf]

No following; Planet of the apes fanfic Chap. 9

*Author's note*

Now here is where the story plot truly takes a shine as Lin and Caesar finally stand before each other and Lin tries to get the dam up and running along with Malcolm and his team, all the while trying to hide her past from the rest of the surviving people of San Francisco.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@gay-and-ready-to-cry

@queen-paladin

@psychosupernatural

___________________________________________________

I woke up like clockwork at the butt-crack of dawn.  Jesus even with these pills I still can’t escape military protocol.  For once I’d like to sleep eternally without waking up.  I stretched myself out like a cat before getting up and walked over to the kitchen to see Malcolm and his family eating breakfast.

“Morning Lin.” Malcolm greeted me.

“Morning everyone.”

“How did you sleep?” asked Ellie.

“As fine as anyone can these days.” I responded.  Malcolm stood up from the table and handed me a plate filled with food rations.  “No.”

“Come on, even someone as hardcore as you needs to eat.” He told me.

“I eat breakfast, I just eat my own. I’m not taking parts of your family’s rations.”

“Everyone in the colony looks after each other. It’s how we’ve managed to survive this long. And like it or not you are a part of the colony now. Please Lin.” I looked between Malcolm and his family before hesitantly reaching out for the plate.

When suddenly the alarms started blaring throughout the entire colony.  Already we could hear people from outside people starting to race down the stairs in a panic.

“Get dressed.” I ordered as I grabbed my rifle and was the first to leave their little home.

By the main gate, the crowd was in a panicked uproar as I tried to make my way up towards the catwalk where Dreyfus stood.  Once I got to the stairway, I ran over to him and was shocked at what I saw just over the wall.

Caesar stood there riding a black stallion wearing what appeared to be war paint covering his entire body, and behind him was a whole army of apes bearing the same style of war paint as he did.  Some riding on horses, but every single one of them held a spear in hand to let all of us know they meant business.

“That’s a hell of a lot more than 80!” Dreyfus said over the alarm.  I turned to see that Malcolm had now joined up with us.

“It’s a scare tactic!” I proclaimed over the sound of the alarm.

“A what?!”

“They’re trying to intimidate us! Show us their numbers and size! If they wanted us dead they wouldn’t just be standing there! But you idiots start firing your guns and there will be bloodshed!” I then went down just as the alarms were cut off and the doors began to open.

There I was the first to walk out and keep my focus solely on Caesar.  I still can’t believe that he’s really alive, I can’t believe I had given up on him surviving the forest fires, he is after all a very special chimp.

“Lin!” I heard Dreyfus call out to me.  But I ignored him as I slowly walked closer to Caesar before I briefly paused.  Caesar kept his eyes on me before urging his horse forward and I resumed my walking until finally the two of us stood before the other.  Time and the world almost seemed to fade away as it was just the two of us.

The brief softness in his eyes as he looked at me quickly hardened as he turned his attention towards the colony and he proclaimed.

“APES!” hearing him speak made chills go up my body but it filled everyone else (besides Malcolm and the others who heard him speak yesterday) with fear.  Caesar continued, “DO NOT…WANT. WAR! BUT WILL…FIGHT! IF. WE MUST!” he then turned to a younger male chimp and gave him a nod.

The younger male got off his horse and in his hand he held Alexander’s bag that he had left behind after we got startled by Caesar and the apes.  The young male chimp had the exact same war paint as Caesar did and he did resemble Caesar a bit from when he was that age, could this be his son?

He held out the bag but as I went to grab it, he dropped it at my feet before turning around and headed back to his horse.  I reached down and grabbed Alexander’s bag before turning back to Caesar.  His eyes glaring at the colony as he proclaimed while pointing behind him.

“APE HOME!” he then pointed at the colony’s building, “HUMAN. HOME!” His eyes then turned to me, his face still stern but his eyes glaring at me not as threatening but he still wanted me to know. “Do not come back.”

I gulped harshly as I tried to keep my emotions at bay as Caesar then urged his horse and his people away.  As all the apes soon left, there was one ape that lingered behind.  From his war paint I could see the scarred side of his face and his eyes were blazing with nothing but hatred.

He remained glaring down at me growling lowly as he stayed there until almost every single ape had left before he too finally left to join the others.  I let out an exhale but I knew that this was only the calm before the storm.

And boy was I right.  The second the apes had left the city, the colony was in a panicked uproar.  Everyone crowding each other as they clamored and try to outvoice the other’s panic.

I stuck to the far back as I could so that I wouldn’t be caught up in the panicked crowd.  Now this is exactly how I remembered this building to be.  Hundreds of thousands of people in a state of mindless panic, too afraid and too stupid to allow anyone to speak to them, and now I’m just waiting for the accusations to start happening.

“EVERYBODY! PLEASE! WE ARE ALL IMMUNE!” Dreyfus called out using a megaphone.  “WE ARE ALL IMMUNE OR WE STILL WOULDN’T BE HERE!”

“HOW DID THEY FIND US!?” proclaimed one man as the crowd then roared in agreement.

“WE FOUND THEM!” Dreyfus answered.

“YOU KNEW THEY WERE OUT THERE!” proclaimed another man.

“WHAT IF THEY COME BACK!?” screamed out a woman.  The crowd all cried out agreeing with the woman, to which Dreyfus told them.

“IF THEY COME BACK—IF THEY COME BACK, THEY’LL BE SORRY THEY EVER DID!” The crowd slowly began to die down but I could still feel the paranoia in the air.  “NOW, THIS CITY MAY NOT HAVE THE MANPOWER IT ONCE DID, BUT IT HAS THE FIREPOWER. THOSE STOCKPILES LEFT BEHIND BY FEMA, THE NATIONAL GUARD, WE HAVE IT ALL. LOOK…”

Dreyfus paused for a moment to compose himself as he spoke his next speech into the megaphone.

“I KNOW WHY YOU’RE SCARED. I’M SCARED TOO, BELIEVE ME. BUT I RECOGNIZE THE TRUST YOU’VE ALL PLACED IN ME. WE’VE BEEN THROUGH HELL TOGETHER!” Trust me Dreyfus, you don’t know the first thing about hell.

Yeah San Fransisco began ground zero from when the outbreak hit, then the riots and civil unrest but that’s only a taste of what I’ve seen in the rest of the world.  They’ve been through hell, but I have seen it with my own two eyes.

“BUT YOU ALL KNOW WHAT WE’RE UP AGAINST. WE’RE ALMOST OUT OF FUEL. WHICH MEANS NO MORE POWER, WHICH MEANS WE COULD SLIP BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE THAT DAM UP THERE WAS THE ANSWER. NOW WE JUST HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE UP THERE TOO.”

“SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW!?” exclaimed another woman as the crowd went into another uproar.

“WE FIND ANOTHER WAY…” the crowd slowly quietened down as Dreyfus continued, “BECAUSE THAT POWER….IS NOT JUST ABOUT KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON. IT’S ABOUT GIVING US THE TOOLS TO RECONNECT TO THE REST OF THE WORLD. TO FIND OUT WHO ELSE IS OUT THERE!” some people started nodding and doing hail Mary’s.  “SO THAT WE CAN START TO REBUILD…..AND RECLAIM….THE WORLD WE LOST.” With that being said, the crowd dispersed and everyone went on trying to get back to their normal routine.

Both Malcolm and I waited for Dreyfus in the hallway near his sleeping quarters.  As Dreyfus came up Malcolm said.

“That was a great speech.”

“Yeah, did you write it down first or did it just pop into your head?” I asked snidely.

“Lin not now.” Malcolm warned me.  He stood up and told Dreyfus, “There is no alternative power source. That dam is the only option.” Dreyfus slowly walked towards us before saying.

“Well, then we fight them.” I chuckled madly.  “What you think that’s funny Lin?” Dreyfus demanded.

“I think it’s hilarious. Cause this just proves why humanity lost more lives than the Simian Flu. Humans are always so quick to violence. Intelligent thinking, that’s just a bunch of egotistical bullshit. Just because someone has bigger balls than you, you think it’s alright to start a war.”

“They’re animals Lin. They may have the numbers but we have the fire power, just as I said.”

“Yeah but you underestimate your opponents and they’ll find your weakness. Apes were already smarter than humans before given the drug, now they’re beyond intelligent. If you want a war, you’ll fight without my help.”

“Then what else would you suggest? We’re two weeks from running out of fuel, maybe three tops. And once that happens, I won’t be able to go out there with a bullhorn and calm everybody down.” He said as he walked up to me, the two of us standing almost chest to chest with each other.  But I held my stance as I had my arms crossed. 

He then turned to Malcolm and walked over to him and stood across from him saying.

“We need that power to get the radio transmitter working. It’s our only chance of reaching the outside world. We have to find other survivors.”

“Yeah, there’s not that many of us left. We can’t afford any more casualties.” Malcolm agreed.  Hate to tell yah boys but you won’t find much luck in the outside world.  The places I have seen, they’ve been wiped out completely of any chance of human contact.

As the two of them went on about how they founded the colony together, I stepped aside and took some deep breaths.  This whole world created because my uncle wanted to save my grandpa’s life.  To give him a second chance…..sometimes I wonder if it’s a blessing or a curse. And if any of these guys find out that I’m directly related to the man who caused all this…..God help me.

“Let me go back up there.” I then stated.  The two men stopped and looked at me.  I turned back to them and I continued, “I can go up there and talk to him. Just give me a few days and….”

“And what if it backfires? What if he gets violent? I mean, how do you know that he’ll even understand you?”

“War is the last thing he wants, or don’t you remember what he just said? The apes don’t want war, but if you give them a reason to, they will. They could’ve ambushed us and slaughtered us all in the dead of night, they didn’t. They could’ve started the war right there at our doorstep, but they didn’t. Shall I go on?” Dreyfus was beyond words then Malcolm said.

“I’ll go too.” I gave him a harsh glare but he said, “I don’t doubt you Lin but you’ll need a team of workers and one in particular who knows how the dam works.” I let out a groan at the mention of Carver’s name.  He turned to Dreyfus and said, “Give us three days, if we don’t get the dam working in three days, we’ll do it your way.” Dreyfus took a long pause to ponder and gather his thoughts.

“I’m gonna take some men up to Fort Point, I’m gonna go through the armor, I’m gonna see what’s still working. Three days. You’re not back here in three days, we’re going up there and we’re gonna kill every last one of them.”

 My heart clenched and my blood boiled but I kept my emotions down.  I couldn’t risk exposing the truth now.

“Deal.” Malcolm said as the two men turned to me.

“Agreed. I’ll tell Kemp and Foster, you can talk to trigger-happy douchebag.” I said heading back down the stairs to find Foster and Kemp to let them know what was going on.

I managed to the two lug heads and I informed them of what Dreyfus and Malcolm had decided to do.  I helped them load the trucks and soon the rest of the team came along, including Ellie and Alexander.  Normally I’d try to convince Malcolm to leave his kid behind cause I can’t guarantee his safety, but truthfully he’s better at his dad’s side with the apes than staying here with a bunch of triggered, paranoid humans.

Once we got the trucks all packed up once again with the supplies we needed, as well as camping gear Carver took the driver’s seat and he led us on the drive back to the Redwoods.

As we drove along, the weather suddenly shifted from cloudy to rainy once again.  The rain was hard and heavy and without human interference to keep Mother Nature at bay, it practically made it impossible to navigate the winding roads but somehow Carver actually managed to get us back to the main entrance of the red woods.

“No one gets out of the trucks. No one.” I said after Carver cut off the engine. “If I’m not back in two hours….”

“I’m coming in after you.” Malcolm interrupted me.

“No. You all will head back to the city.”

“Lin.”

“I mean it Malcolm. I’m not letting anyone else get hurt. No one back at the colony would care if I got lost. But if any of you get hurt, Dreyfus wouldn’t hesitate to go back on his word. You all go back to the city and not say a word to anyone. Promise?” Malcolm and I had a hard staring contest at each other before he relented.

“Alright.” I pulled up my poncho hood and opened the car door before leaving and headed up the trail.

The mud was extra slippery and the rain felt like being pelted by paintballs.  But I pushed on and followed the same road path until I came to the trail where we first came across the apes yesterday.  I heard a rustle of a bush and I quickly turned before slowly taking out my sniper rifle.

I heard the rustle again and I slowly raised my gun up, my eye resting over the scope but soon a familiar white figure came out from the bushes.

“Kiba.” I said setting the gun down.  His piercing yellow eyes stared at me and he let out a huff.  “Are the others alright? The apes didn’t find you did they?” his ear twitched as he continued to stare at me.  “All these years of talking to Caesar make me forget that you can’t sign, let alone talk. Now I don’t know if you can really understand me, but I understand. It was the apes that got to you and Tsume that day, wasn’t it? Do you remember where their home was?”

Kiba’s eyes remained fixated on me before he hopped off the boulder and walked ahead.  He stopped and turned to look back at me and he let out a grunt.  I picked up my gun and followed behind the large white wolf.

He took me further up steep hills and sharp down drops and when I began to see all the animal skulls decorated above the trees, I had a feeling in my stomach that I was close.  Kiba then stopped and growled anxiously, his head down as his eyes stared straight ahead.  His body stiff and his fur began riling up on end even through the rain.

“Okay, I won’t let you walk any further, I’ll take it from here. Go rejoin the others.” Kiba looked up at me and I gave him a head gesture to go back.  He let out a huffed bark before heading off back into the woods.  I looked back at the animal skulls.  Some hanging off of tree branches or trunks, other tied by string almost as if they were decorations.  “While we’ve done reefs, flags, and banners for decorations, apparently apes prefer the elephant graveyard look as part of their exterior design.”

I followed the animal skulls until I came up to a small pathway, and the second I turned into it, I was greeted by desolate fortress.  When the military had burned the Redwoods all those years ago, they didn’t start at the very entrance of the forest, no they went for the heart of it in hopes that it would cut off any escape routes the apes could take.

But through this desolation they survived and now they’ve turned it into a fortress of wood and mud with a large gateway entry up ahead of the muddy pathway.  Some of the wood had been sharpened like spears and were pointed outward as a warning to any and all that may enter. 

“I would make a King Kong joke right about now but A) it’s not the time, and B) the fact I’m literally about to walk into the World of apes, isn’t something to joke about.” I said to myself as I pushed onward and walked towards the gateway.

As I walked under the bridge, my heart was racing and a hundred thoughts were going through my head.  There’s no way this place is just left here unguarded.  There had to be something waiting for me, a boobytrap, a guard, or an ambush.  Something.  There’s no way Caesar would just leave this place unguarded, especially now.

The sound of soft clanking suddenly caught my attention and I slowly closed my eyes as I felt my body tighten up.  Ever so slowly I turned around and opened my eyes to reveal a large, silverback gorilla coming out from the side of the fortress wall.

He growled lowly as he stood over me, showing me his dominance and size over me.  I raised my hands in surrender as I said.

“Please, I need to speak with Caesar.” I said while remembering to not make direct eye contact.  Caroline taught me that unlike chimps, direct eye contact to gorillas is a sign of a challenge, so it’s always best to not make direct eye contact with them.  The silverback continued to stare me down until it let out a loud roar.

I let out a yelp as I crouched down trying to make myself as small as possible but I looked up and soon saw more gorillas coming out from each side of the fortress.  I soon found myself surrounded by about 5 maybe seven silverbacks and the one who let out the call huffed at the others.

I bit my lip trying to suppress any sound as I buried myself into the mud and tried to stay as still as I could (even though my body was shaking with absolute fear).  I heard some of them sniffing at me, huffing and grunting as they spoke to each other before I felt a tug at my ankles.  I was at first dragged aways before two more gorillas grabbed me by the arms and they began to carry me further into the Ape Fortress.

I could only look above me as chimps and bonobos swung and leapt over the roof over me, chattering and shrieking frantically.  Letting everyone in the troop know that a human had entered their home.  Maybe this was a mistake, any of these apes could easily kill me, hell I could’ve been ripped apart by the silverbacks just earlier but being beaten to death by thousands of apes did not sound like a way I’d want to go out.

After what felt like an eternity, I was soon dropped to the ground before being pulled up by my poncho.  I kept my hands above my head as I now stood before an army of chimps and bonobos.

A moment ago it had been an uproar of apes sounding out the alarm of my arrival, but the second I was forced to stand up an eerie silence now hung in the air.  All the apes glared at me, especially a scarred bonobo that looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t remember.

He slowly came up to me as he stood on the opposite side of me where the silverback who first saw me stood at my left side.  Cautiously I walked forward, keeping my arms raised in surrender as the apes all crowded around me but allowed me passage.

I tried to put my focus onto the various nests and buildings that had been built within the fortress.  Caesar had built such a home for these apes, that I couldn’t be any prouder, and I know the rest of the family would’ve been proud too, especially uncle Will.  And speaking of which, at the top of a large stone platform, Caesar soon stood on top of it, his posture tall and firm as he looked down at me.

When I was now at the stone’s platform, the scarred bonobo and the silverback pushed me into the mud by my shoulders as I let out a grunt.

“Please, please.” I spoke up.  I looked up at Caesar and he looked down at me, a hint of disappointment in his green eyes.  “I know Caesar, I know. No following. But I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important.” I made sure to stay on my knees, not to make any sudden movements and kept my hands on behind my head now.  “Just hear me out.” I asked him.  “They’re scared Caesar, the people at the colony are scared and almost losing hope. But there’s something here, something in your part of the woods that the colony needs.”

“HUMAN LIES!!” the bonobo to my right exclaimed which caused the apes to uproar.

“NO! NO! I’m not lying!” I tried to tell them.  I turned back to Caesar and pleaded, “You know I would never lie to you, when have I ever lied to you? Please believe me!” the apes continued to cry out but Caesar remained stoic on top of his rock as he looked down at all of us.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the spear that the bonobo had, he now flipped over and had the spear part of it pointed directly at me ready to skewer me if Caesar gave the command.  Tears filled my eyes as I mouthed out another please to Caesar, desperate for him to see reason.

He held up his hand and all went silent once again.  I couldn’t hear anything but the sound of my heart racing in my ears.  But soon Caesar spoke.

“Show….me.” a strong wave of relief came over me after he had said that.  But my relief soon turned to fear was I heard a growl from behind me and from my peripheral vision I saw the spear ready to skewer my like a wild boar. “NO!!!!” Caesar cried in an uproar.

He jumped from the platform and took the spear away from the bonobo.  The two of them staring each other down before the bonobo relented.  Caesar turned back to face me, he slowly extended his hand out and gently grabbed my arm and helped me stand up.

“Show. Me.” He said again.  I nodded then Caesar signed out. ‘Ape Council, follow her.’ Caesar then turned to me and gave me a nod.  I then walked out and the selected few apes followed behind Caesar and I.

Following Carver’s directions, I took them deeper into the woods until we came to the river where a small beach-like area rested along the mountains and just across the river was the dam.  Of course I would’ve preferred if he had told me that we had to walk across a wet, narrowed log path to get to the dam but that’s Carver for yah.

I took a deep breath and slowly took a step onto the logs.  Already my foot started to slip as the log also began wobbling beneath my foot.  I got lower and tried to climb on top like an ape but all that did was make me fall off and land on the other logs.

“Goddamn that hurts.” I groaned.  I got up and saw as all the apes were now just staring at me.  I got up brushing off the pain and said, “It’s right across the lake. It’s the only safe way to cross.” I tried again but my muddy hand once again forced me to slip and I landed this time face first into the logs.  “Oh Carver I’m going to kick your ass.” I groaned softly.

I got up again but before I could try again, Caesar stopped me and I turned to him saying.

“No, no I can do this. I swear this time I’ll get it.” I glared at the logs and proceeded to walk up them once again, I got a bit further but just when I thought I could safely stand up, the log shifted and I went rolling down the logs and into the river.

I breached with a gasp as I rubbed my face of the runny mud.  Is this my karma? Cause if it is, this is beyond embarrassing.  It’d be bad enough if Malcolm or any of the others saw me but I’m humiliating myself in front of Caesar and his people.  I swam back to shore before walking along the pebbled shore and I let out a sharp sigh and extended my arms out in surrender.

“I got wet.” I heard what sounded like a mixture of a chuff and a laugh from the scarred bonobo as Caesar came up to me.  “Once again you beat me in the art of balance. I never did get better at it. But I swear to you there’s no other way to get to the dam other than this way. However I wasn’t told just how’d we cross it, I thought there’d be like a more modern bridge to get us there but nooo.” Caesar looked at me pitifully before grunting out.

“Luca.” The silverback gorilla who I met at the entrance of the gate came forward and Caesar signed to him. ‘Carry her.’ Luca grunted in annoyance but one look from Caesar and Luca trudged up to me.  He let out a few grunts before picking me up and placing me on his back.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he now climbed up the logs and successfully walked across them, followed by the others.  I buried my face into Luca’s fur ashamed and said to him.

“I’m so sorry.” Luca didn’t respond as he continued to walk across the bridge.  Finally we reached the end of the bridge and arrived at the entrance to the dam.  Luca set me down and I went up to the metal door and muttered. “Alright, military strength don’t fail me now.” I grabbed a hold of the metal handle and pushed it downward before forcing the door open.

Letting out a few grunts as I pushed the door with all my might until finally it cracked open with a loud screech.  I smirked and pushed the door further inward until the door was fully opened.

“Holy shit. The cowardly bastard was right.” I muttered.  I turned to Caesar and said, “Follow me.” I entered inside and walked down the staircase where the main controls were as I explained, “This is what we used to call a ‘small hydro.’ It was built to service areas to the north of here, but we’ve been working to reroute the power lines to the city. The city used to run on nuclear power but that all burned out years ago, so we’ve been using diesel generators and gasifiers. But if we can just get this dam working, then we have a shot at restoring limited power.”

Caesar and the rest of the apes merely looked at me.  I came down from the main control panels and stood before Caesar.

“I made a fool of myself out there trying to walk the bridge, please tell me I made at least some sense in explaining all that.”

“The….lights.” Caesar said to me.  I smiled a true genuine smile for what felt like—an eternity as I nodded to him.

“Yes. Yes the city lights.” I looked back at all the apes before diverting my attention back to Caesar. “This is your home, I know that. And we don’t want to take any of it away from you. And I know it’s been a decade since we last saw one another, but I swear to you, on my life, that if you allow us to work here—”

“You…brought others?” the scarred bonobo sneered as he walked over to me.  But Caesar kept both him and the other two apes that stood behind the bonobo at bay.

“Only a few.” I said looking at him, trying to show him that I wasn’t afraid of his intimidation tactics anymore.  I turned back to Caesar and continued my statement, “If you allow us to work here, we’ll leave. Good or bad outcome we’ll leave your home and never come back. No following.” I then did something that surprised the apes.

I got down to my knees and extended my right hand into the supplicating gesture that Caesar used to do for us.  I heard the apes all gibbering and hooting in awe.  I didn’t look up at Caesar, I wanted him to know that he was in control of the decision and that I wouldn’t try to suade him with a look in my eyes.

“No…guns.” I heard him say.  I looked up at him and repeated.

“No guns?”

“No….guns.” he said in a more firmer tone.  I nodded and repeated this time in understandment.

“No guns.” I bowed my head again and this time I felt his fingers brush across my palm, accepting my gesture and the deal.

I stood up and with one arm raised up, but with my free hand I remove my rifle strap from my chest.  Ever so slowly I took it off my shoulders and made sure to not grab it with my other hand.  I then held out the rifle to him and he looked at me.

“You said no guns.” He then took my rifle out of my hand and handed it to a balding chimpanzee who let out a few grunts of anger as he stared at my sniper rifle.  “Thank you.”

[wanderingmind867]

My take on Kyle Rayner:

Warning: This is a follow-up to my idea of third dc universe created in 1986. And since Kyle Rayner is a character I know very little about, i took the limited information i had and created this concept at school yesterday.

Kyle Rayner was an aspiring graphic designer, living in LA in 1986-1987. Down on his luck and struggling to pay the bills, Kyle was talented but poor. Your basic starving artist. He longed for a chance to prove himself. To make something of himself as a comic book artist, working with the medium he grew up reading. But then one day, fate brought kyle rayner a gift. A gift he would soon come to cherish most dearly.

One day when kyle was out in the hills outside of San Francisco, sketching out the terrain for an art assignment, he saw a giant green meteor crash into the San Francisco Bay. Running to try and find out what it is, kyle finds a strange lantern floating at the bottom of the river. The lantern's still steaming from it's crash landing on earth, and it burns kyle's fingers to touch it. But suffering through the pain, he manages to drag the lantern out of the water and bring it home with him.

Kyle still isn't sure why he felt so mesmerised by the glowing lantern. He wonders if maybe it had some sort of hypnotic effect on him. But it's pulsating light in the evening hours inspires him to make sketches of it. He's reminded of an old favorite comic book character, Hal Jordan and his Green Lantern. But what kyle couldn't expect is for the lantern to end up talking to him telepathically.

It tells him that it came from a far distant world, a far different time and place. When it's home universe collapsed (during the crisis on infinite earths), the lantern was bombarded with energy beams, giving it reinvigorated power and a temporary sense of sentience. Flying through space like an asteroid, it eventually crashed on him. Looking for worthy individuals in the nearby area, kyle was the only one the lantern sensed. So it called him to it, and convinced him to take it home.

Rapidly losing it's sentience (which was only granted to it temporarily), the lantern gifts him a ring, and tells him that if he says an oath in front of the lantern once every 24 hours, he will receive tremendous power. As Kyle trys the oath for the first time (vowing to the ring that he would never betray it's trust) he is transformed into the Green Lantern! And the lantern (now losing its mental sentience) says it's last words to him: "Congratulations, Green Lantern… may your light shine bright…and protect this world you call earth"…

From here, kyle becomes the Green Lantern! Champion of the Underprivileged and Hero to Millions! Coincidentally, Kyle Rayner is eventually hired by a comics company to draw a monthly comic chronicling the exploits of the Green Lantern. Kyle eventually proves himself capable of writing the comic too, meaning his day job is writing and drawing a comic all about his real-life superhero identity.

This whole "superhero writing a comic about himself" idea would allow us some particularly cool avenues of writing. More specifically, it means we can have a back-up feature on the book. The Green Lantern comic covers Kyle's real exploits, but the back-up feature shows us how kyle turns his real adventures into slightly exaggerated tales in his comic book. Hell, we might eventually get some stories told purely through the lens of kyle's comic.

And as for what kyle's lantern is, let me explain: kyle's lantern is a lantern that once belonged to a member of the green lantern corps. But that lantern died during the crisis, and the radiation waves as his sector was destroyed imbued the lantern with temporary sentience. From there it fell to earth and chose kyle to be it's new wielder. So kyle is a member of the green lantern corps, he just doesn't it initially.

[irenetherogue]

I just found your blog a few minutes ago. I don't know how, but you showed up in my BDSM feed. I love what you're doing and I love your recent suspensions and aerial dances, however I don't know your story so I don't really understand everything that's going on. I'm guessing that once you were a dancer and that some sort of illness, say MS, has made dancing impossible for you. If this is the case, then I truly appreciate your joy and wonder at discovering you can dance while suspended. From some of your comments I assume that you are lesbian but they're also hints that you could bi or pan. I hope you don't find my questions to intrusive. I love that you live in Santa Cruz which is not very far away from San Francisco. I think that's kind of cool. I loved your reference to the aquarium.

Long post alert ⚠️

Aww, welcome! Tysm for reaching out, I probably got pushed to you bc of my shibari content, and interaction w other kink accounts lol. Ty also for your kind words, I appreciate hearing them so much.

You're correct, I have some serious physical & mental health issues, and was actually bedridden for seven years. I thought I wouldn't walk again, let alone something like ride a bike (which I also now do!) or dance, which I did from very young childhood thru getting sick in my mid20s (now late 30s). It is incredibly liberating and gets me crying every time, that I found a way to dance again, and I find it tragically romantic that I can dance in literally no other way. The cherry on top is that I sprained my ankle very badly right before those pics were taken, and am on crutches now, but not even that is enough to make my dancing stop.

I actually did finally admit to myself literally yesterday morning that I'm a homoflexible lesbian, if not also caed, where I'd been kind of clutching to bisexuality like some kind of security blanket for the last several years. I also identify as trans nonbinary femme, she/he/they pronouns.

For the record, I felt nothing but care and human kindness from your questions, it feels wonderful to be invited to share these things about myself. It's not something I have much experience with yet, so tysm for asking ❤️

I'm a community organizer down here in Santa Cruz, I host a "NonMonogaMeetup" in town, and am getting established in the kink & queer communities as well, not sure how often you make it down here but feel free to check us out on Plura/Fet😊

P.S. I love that aquarium so much ❤️😭😭

[afniel]

Hey so this came up talking to my buddies who are in charge of hiring at their workplace yesterday, and I know taking Advice About Employment from someone who hasn't been employed in mumble mumble years is on its face a little stupid-sounding, but if you're at the interview stage and you've heard that you should ask questions but you're not sure what and also you're sure you're going to be nervous:

Interview the interviewer.

Seriously. The more you can shift your mindset from, "oh gods if I can't get this paycheck I don't know what I'll do," to, "I might not even want this job, but I'm going to interview this person and find out if it's right for me," the better. And obviously you still do need the paycheck and you might still take a job you don't want, but your confidence in the interview will skyrocket if you can pull this mental switch on yourself.

Take notes throughout. No, really, bring paper or a notebook and something nice to write with, and jot things down. If they raise an eyebrow (they shouldn't!) just tell them you're making notes on what you want to double back and ask them about. This shows you're an engaged listener and also polite enough to not interrupt, but firm enough to not let questions slide entirely.

When you get to the end and they ask you if you have any questions, this is where you ask them about workplace culture and their own job and performance. What's it like working there? How is onboarding handled? How is communication handled? If it's a shift job, what's the procedure for finding coverage? Is there room to advance? Do they promote from within? Most of the questions they ask you about past jobs are fair game for you to ask them about their current job too, like: What challenges do they face at work? Daily? Monthly? Long-term? What do they enjoy about the workplace? What would they change about it? Depending on the type of work you can ask them about what kinds of projects, cases, clients, etc. are typical and have they had any atypical ones, and how were those handled?

Seriously, the more you ask from the point of view that the interview is a fully equitable, two-way process, the better. Obviously in many ways it's not, but again, this isn't about the reality, this is about Performing Confidence. They want to see if you're a good fit for them, and vice versa, you want to see if they're a good fit for you.

Again, yes, I haven't been employed for...timespan that I'd actually have to do math on. Despite being an introverted weirdo with a not very impressive CV, though, the last time I had a job, I beat 250+ applicants for a job that I had no real prior experience in, mainly on the strength of my interview, which I basically treated like a fun little jaunt up to San Francisco to see if this was a place that I felt like working. Not in a flippant way, but still. I don't remember being stressed at all. I mostly remember getting lunch afterwards and it was soup in a sourdough bread bowl. Did I have nerves? Eh! Probably! Dunno! I mostly had broccoli cheddar soup and a job offer after a few more days.

Like yes there's no magical way to guarantee success at any given interview, but I have a surprising number of friends who handle interviewing and hiring and they are always praying for people who can do this in an interview. This is as close to a silver bullet as you can get. Being engaged and asking questions is THEE ONE THING they most want in interviewees but they very rarely get it.

So yeah fake it 'til you make it, but fake it in a very specific way where actually you're interviewing them to see if their job offer would be a good fit for you, not the other way around. You can, in fact, say, "I don't think this place will be a good fit for me at this moment, but thank you so much for your time." Yeah, you probably won't, but the point is that it's a real option and remembering that is empowering. Shift the focus of power in the process, even if it's just in your own mind, because I guarantee it's not just in your own mind if you can do it.

[eptodaytommorowforever]

Elvis Presley’s History Of On Tour Shows Performances, Concets, History, Today On The 28th November In 1976 He Played At The Cow Palace Arena In San Francisco In CA.

Elvis Presley The Cow Palace, San Francisco, Ca 8.30pm Show Performance Concert November 28, 1976 Rare Live Candid Photos Of This Show Performance Concert By Australian Fan Club President Wayne Hawthorne Of The Elvis Presley Fan Club Of Victoria in Australia.

Wayne Hawthorne The President Of The Elvis Presley Fan Club Of Victoria Australia 🇦🇺

A Review Of The Cow Palace Concert At San Francisco Arena On The 28th Of November In 1976 Also Of Meeting Elvis Presley Linda Thompson And The Fat Controller The Manager Colonel Parker Himself.

Wayne Hawthorne, President of Elvis Presley Fan Club of Victoria recalls the time he met Colonel Parker, Elvis Presley and Linda Thompson in concert...

Although it only seems like yesterday this time 25 years ago that I was in San Francisco for Elvis Presley concert of November 28, 1976 at the Cow Palace.

I had been to the US a number of times without catching an Elvis Presley concert but this time thankfully (as only 32 months later sadly he would be gone dead) I was not going to miss out.

Thanks to local member Hedy Drissen and Cow Palace manager, John Root we has scored front row seats which was an unbelievable bonus. The prelims are a blur as nobody paid much attention - Elvis Presley was the only topic of conversation!

Despite what many books say, Colonel Parker was very much in attendance and keeping an eye on everything. In fact, it was our club T-shirt that drew his attention and I had the pleasure of talking with him. Despite the many reports to the contrary I found him to be very amicable and openly frank and honest in his comments.

As for Elvis Presley travelling to Australia (there had been rumours in the local Australian rags) he gave a straightforward 'NO!'.

He was totally honest in saying the '...the money was not in Australia' and that if Elvis Presley toured in this region it would be to Japan. He further stated that Elvis Presley was not interested really in overseas tours.. except maybe for Germany which was on the cards for 1978 as Elvis Presley wished to thank the German people for their hospitality during his Army days there.

We (meaning Wayne Hawthorn and his first wife, Gina) had the pleasure of talking to a very beautiful and friendly lady in Linda Thompson, who was seated next to us front row!

'Marriage?' was the immediate question asked Gina blurted out which that offered a very quick '... awh not really on,' response from Linda. Ironically, it was that very night that Linda Thompson and Elvis Presley ended their relationship.

You may read many different dates in many different books regarding this but only Linda's brother Sam Thompson seems to have got it correct in his book.

There certainly was no the slightest hint of what was to come. For during the concert Linda walked the couple of paces over to Elvis Presley and asked for his scarf which she then gave to Gina (a cherished moment for her at the time'

Elvis Presley was in exceptional form that night. Despite rumour of ill health, he appeared vibrant, suntanned and fit.

The first thing that struck us were his piercing blue eyes. I'm sure each and every one of the 17 odd thousand people, whether front wow or in the bleachers, felt he was looking straight at them. Combined with an infectious smile his presence was awesome to say the least.

Elvis Presley went through some 23 songs and proved he still had that magical recipe that could whip audiences into frenzy. This was no Vegas crowd. On no less than six occasions there was a stampede towards the stage consisting mainly of the younger female brigade.

Teddy Bear and Love Letters were two of the songs that drew such a response but it was the suggestiveness of Fever that drove them wild.

With slow pelvic movements, wicked smile and caresses of the stand-up mike more reminiscent of the 50's Elvis Presley had them eating out of his hands.

Fever the crowd rushed Fever! a pelvic thrust - the crowd rushes again and so it went on.

Those poor security guards should have bee paid ten-fold just for that one song!

Throughout it was obvious that Elvis Presley just loved every second of the 'tease'. One could just hear him thinking '...here I am 20 years later and I've still got 'em goin' crazy!.'. Yes sure he surely did!

Elvis Presley late called for his guitar '...just to prove he could play' and strummed his way through fantastic renditions of Blue Christmas and That's All Right.

All too soon - it was all over!

Many of the crowd seemed too stunned to move. Elvis Presley had hit them like us like a thunderbolt that night!

[catdotjpeg]

A San Francisco supervisor and two of the city’s top political clubs have condemned the police action taken against a crowd of unruly teenage skateboarders in Dolores Park yesterday, which resulted in 113 arrests and dozens of children, zip-tied and confined, waiting hours to be released to their parents. Supervisor Dean Preston tweeted a rebuke of the operation, writing that he was “at a loss to explain this abuse of power, waste of money, and trauma inflicted on our young people.”  “I’m ashamed of our City leadership for this type of militarization of our streets and attack on our youth,” he wrote. “People deserve answers.” Reached by phone, Preston said he would “certainly” be seeking more information from the San Francisco Police Department about last night’s events. The department said the action was an attempt to control a “riot.”  The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, one of San Francisco’s oldest Democratic political clubs and a power center for the Castro, issued a similarly strong condemnation, writing that its leadership was “outraged by the large scale show of force by police in military gear against teenagers at Dolores Park” and calling the operation “one of the most violent police actions in recent memory.”  “We demand an immediate and comprehensive independent investigation into the arrests,” the club wrote, adding that it would seek a review of the use of restraints, batons, and less-lethal rifles, as well as the conditions of those arrested. “The treatment of juveniles left detained until 3 a.m., shivering in the cold and forced to endure degrading circumstances, including urinating on themselves, must be thoroughly examined.” [...] Another teenager arrested recounted being zip-tied so tightly his hands swelled up, and several others mentioned tight restraints. Jeffrey Kwong, the club’s president, called footage of the action “shocking” and said his group was working with youth groups across the city to put forward a unified response. “You have police in riot gear, in military-grade outfits, facing unarmed teenagers on skateboards,” he said, adding that the stand-off was “reminiscent of past police actions in this city, whether it’s cracking down on gay bars or police brutality leading up to Black Lives Matter.” [...] The skateboarding event is held in the Mission every year, drawing skaters from across the Bay Area who zip down Dolores Street at high, and potentially lethal, speeds, cheered on by crowds of onlookers. [...] Shortly after 8 p.m. [on July 8], a large group of some 200 people began dismantling police barricades, the police wrote. At 8:35 p.m., the police trapped that group and decided to arrest everyone en masse. [...] SFPD tweeted a graphic calling the actions by skateboarders a “Mission District riot,” noting that a police sergeant was hospitalized from cuts to the face. The department, for its part, said its “policies in dealing with juveniles were followed.” Several parents, waiting for hours in the cold for their children yesterday, pledged to take legal action against the Police Department. They were largely incredulous at the response by the police, saying they wanted to be reunited with their children and calling the detainment a violation of minors’ rights. “It’s totally against civil rights to do this to children,” one mother said.

-- "San Francisco supe, political clubs blast SFPD ‘hill bomb’ arrests" by Joe Riviano Barros for Mission Local, 9 July 2023

[apoptoses]

What do you think are Daniel’s kinks? Like, we know he’d say yes to pretty much anything Armand asked, but without his explicit influence/requests, what do you think gets him going the most? ☕️

I love that you asked you this anon since just yesterday I was in the car thinking about it!

So not to put my nerd hat on too quickly, but what kinks a person ends up with is often formed by the media they consume. And I love the head canon that Daniel would be into Star Trek, and like- Star Trek has some formative kinky stuff in it if you really look at what's going on in some of the early episodes.

If he was watching that among other shows like the Batman series from the 60's or the Twilight Zone then I feel like there's no way he didn't end up with a thing for predicament bondage, spanking/other impact play, body examination, and just general humiliation. Hypnosis is one that recurs in those shows too, though as a kink that seems to be more recently popular and maybe he wouldn't have engaged with that.

(I also like to imagine that a young crush on Spock was the first hint that he would grow up to love things that look human but aren't, and have delightfully weird personality quirks, but that's neither here nor there)

Leather culture was big in the 70's too, so chances are he came into contact with that and discovered a thing for a well fitted pair of gloves or jacket.

And then right around the time Armand was chasing him around there were a good number of gay S&M clubs popping up (including one in San Francisco that was dedicated to fisting). Whether he engaged in any play there without Armand is up to you, but I can't see a curious guy like him not going to a place like that and at least seeing what kind of people were there and what was going down (and maybe realizing he has a voyeur/exhibitionist streak deep down himself).

So yeah! I see him as a product of his times, with a big thing for any act that puts him in a sort of 'helpless' position (whether that be via bondage, on the receiving end of any kind of impact play, or getting 'examined' and poked and prodded).

Outside of that I also see him into anything that tests endurance so long as there's a reward at the end (edging, being put into stress positions, cock warming that lasts long enough he feels on the verge of having lockjaw). I mean, this is the guy who as a vampire 'liked to let the hunger build' until he couldn't take it and just had to feed. It just fits, you know?

I hope that answers your question (and thank you for scratching my itch to talk about this!)