#triana's closet

[thecupsmith]

The older I get, the more I think about this and since I couldn't find it anywhere else I decided to put it here. It is such a good observation of how and why weird shit gets past down: we're trying to save other people from our own lives. And while that is noble, we often don't tell people (or even know ourselves) that is what we are trying to do or why, so it seems inexplicable.

[theperfectquestion]

ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT'S ME, DEAN

The Venture Bros. approach to God Almighty is in line with its approach to all authority: one more rubber mask on one more old weirdo.

A revelation hit me during a recent rewatch of adult swim's long-running animated pastiche of adventure fiction, The Venture Bros. It is such a large scale Biblical relevation that I can't believe I didn't notice it before: Yahweh, the Lord of the Old Testament, is a recurring minor character, voiced by Archer and Bob Burger's H. Jon Benjamin.

For the uninitiated, one of the supporting players in The Venture Bros. is Doctor Orpheus, who rents rooms from Doc 'Rusty' Venture, the father of the titular twins. Doctor Orpheus is one of my favourite characters in the show, because he is a protagonist of a whole other pulp fiction genre who is comfortable being a secondary character in the world of The Venture Bros.

Orpheus is a mix of Doctor Strange any number of Christopher Lee's characters from Hammer Horror films. He looks like Vincent Price in those occasions when he is being chummy with Kermit the Frog. And this Sorceror Supreme, who guards the very fabric of reality from unfathomable peril, who commands his own super-team with its own villains and long-term plots, serves the sitcom role of kindly but wacky neighbour, and the father of young Dean Venture's hopeless love interest, Triana.

A brilliant recurring joke is that, although magic is definitely real in the universe of The Venture Bros., and that Doctor Orpheus unquestionably has talents that bring the entire nature of reality into question, Doc Venture refuses to acknowledge or respect magic. As a former boy adventurer, he has seen so many supernatural threats pulled out from under their rubber masks that, as an adult, he simply doesn't waste a microsecond of his time considering magic as anything other than a cheap trick. Doctor Orpheus is often torn between defefending his professional pride and placating his often unkind landlord.

There's a lot to Doctor Orpheus, but the aspect I'd like to focus on is the fact that he regularly visits an extradimensional entity in his daughter's closet. Orpheus' command of spatial dimensions is dealt with matter-of-factly: his rooms are physically located elsewhere, and the abandoned arachnid research centre he rents on the Venture property is just a convenient place to warp space so that he can access them from Colorado. You see, Doctor Orpheus is recently divorced, and retains full custody of his teenage daughter, Triana. One has to read between the lines here, but presumably the Venture Compound is close to where Triana's mother has moved, and this extradimensional trick is a way for Triana to be able to visit her mother while being legally resident at his address. The fact that this is treated so casually is a joke in itself, and is another Definitely Magical thing that Rusty completely ignores, though there may be some connection between Doctor Orpheus' rooms and the reason why Rusty, who is a notoriously workshy and light-fingered kind of super-scientist, is able to produce the world's first functional teleporter later on in the series.

So with all this malarky being commonplace, it is only a small elaboration to say that, within Doctor Orpheus' house, there is a portal to another dimension. But due to some magical snarl he can't straighten out, the portal is located inside his daughter's wardrobe. Orpheus goes inside the closet to talk to the Master.

The Master, all all-knowing, shape-shifting entity who lives beyond time and space and who mentors Doctor Orpheus in the magical arts (though, in practice, we see him act more of a life coach), is presented without ceremony or occasion. Even his flat voice which, as mentioned, is from the proudly rangeless but reliably hilarious mouth of H. Jon Benjamin, undercuts the enormity of his presence. The Master seems to spend most of his mental energy coming up with live-action productions of custom Aesop's Fables for Orpheus using his shape-shifting abilities and, occasionally, a put-upon assistant. These morality plays seem to always, by accident or design, lead to the Master getting his rocks off in some way or another. The Master's horniness seem to cast him in the mold of a Tibetan vajrācārya - after all, if Orpheus is Doctor Strange, then the Master is his Ancient One, who is vaguely Tibetan in origin. The joke is that rather than being enigmatic, the Master blurts out the morals and meanings of his koans almost immediately. But then in the Season 4 episode, 'The Better Man,' the Master shows that he may have origins further West.

So in that episode Triana, Doctor Orpheus' daughter, enters her closet and unexpectedly encounters the Master. We have established before that only Orpheus can enter the Master's realm. The Master of course was expecting her and has assumed a form to deliver a parable. In the form of an adult Dean Venture, the Master reveals that Dean is an artificially produced clone, insists that his genes are therefore polluted, and expresses profound disgust at the fact that Dean is uncircumcised. He outright tells Triana to leave the Venture Compound to live with her mother and claim her birthright as her mother's pupil.

To me, all this feels very unlike something a Tibetan Tantric Master would say. All this talk of bloodlines, foreskins and abominations makes me suspect that the Master is actually Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, in one of his burning bush moods. Now, in any other show, the existence of God Almighty living in a character's wardrobe might be more of a big deal. You could certainly build an entire series around that exact premise. But it is perfectly consistent for The Venture Bros. to present the ultimate authority of the Universe as a funny side character who appears in four episodes and has only a small bearing on the plot. That's all in a day's work for The Venture Bros., a show that shares Rusty's deep-rooted skepticism of any and all authority figures and the structures that support them.

For example, we meet the President of the United States on one occasion and he is a crass, childish buffoon who spouts out reheated Clinton jokes. That's fairly run-of-the-mill, but the secret agent characters of The Venture Bros. often invoke the Secret President. We never meet Secret President, and the character who is most likely to have encountered them in person, General Timothy Treister, talks about Secret President in the tone of voice a 13 year old would use to brag about their girlfriend in Canada. As it is, we're given no reason why there should be a Secret President or what function they serve, except to give spies something to brag about. In the United States of The Venture Bros., the fake President is an idiot and the real President doesn't do anything.

The pattern repeats: the diabolical Guild of Calamitous Intent, which dominates the world of professional villany, is governed by a board of shadowy figures who, once we get to know them, are all either has-beens or senile and I've of them is literally a clown. Their leader, The Sovereign, appears either as an intimidating floating head like The Wizard of Oz or as David Bowie, though we learn later he is just a shapeshifter who takes the form of David Bowie because he wants to be cool. The Guild goes through a few changes of management throughout the series, but it doesn't really matter who is at the top - the whole operation is run by two admin goofuses who are perfectly content to prop up a desk and pee in bottles.

Even when we meet the Illuminati, the chosen powerful few who work behind the scenes to keep the torch of civilisation alive by managing technological progress, they turn out to be a VR simulation designed to allow intelligence agencies to hoard the best gizmos for themselves.

When Doctor Orpheus detects the presence of a malicious evil so great that he nearly suffers a panic attack - Doctor Orpheus, who routinely travels to Hell and back without too much trouble - an unholy entity that turns out to be a vintage AI built by Rusty's father, this unspeakable Satan is easily distracted by a roll of old videotape projected onto her camera.

This is a world where it is rubber masks all the way down. Anybody who presents themselves as an authority is invariably mistaken. Doomsday devices are easily defused, or revealed to have never been anything of the sort. Secret are kept by braggarts, heroes are hollow, crowns are held by those who couldn't find a chair when the music stopped, and power is a ball that is always fumbled. So why wouldn't God Almighty live in a teenager's closet, licking his balls, obsessing over foreskins, while the world muddled along without Him?

[eyepatchdate]

thinking about dr Orpheus in vbros and how his main deal, other than being a dr strange expy and a single father is that his wife divorced him for a younger, more family-focused man.

it isnt the magical world separating them, which is the source of his and his daughter's conflict, his ex-wife is a sorceress who even still attends events he holds with her new beau. they even co-parent triana, with triana free to choose who to live with.

anyways. Orpheus' interpersonal issues always arise with how much he focuses his life on his work, people he loves end up feeling neglected and unconsidered (ex: trianas convo with him about her closet, and how he keeps making her forget).

Orpheus IS a loving man. He WOULD go to the underworld to save those he loves. But. He is so good at his work, in the mythology I don't think he is an Orpheus who looks back.

He doesnt look back, and so the people he loves feel unloved, and they leave him in the world of the living

[chowtrolls]

GAME OVER for Carbyn?

“Can I just stay here, Kay?” Carbyn felt like a wriggler as he spoke. Emotional flashbacks to being young and asking Klasha if he could hide in her block because his lusus was berating him, or Meduza was scaring him. Klasha was much kinder then. He could look back fondly at the times he’d sit on the floor in front of her while she brushed his hair to ease his worries. Or the times he’d press his face into her shoulder to hide. She had been so warm, and soft, and gentle.

There was nothing warm, or soft, or gentle, about the way she looked at him. “If your lusus bugs you that much, just kill her.”

Carbyn frowned, “I…I don’t wanna do that…! I don’t like violence..” he awkwardly rubbed his arm, the feeling of fabric rubbing over scars helping to settle his nerves slightly.

“You’re a fuchsia, Car.” Bubble tsked, taking a sip from her glass, “Violence runs through your pretty little veins. It's on your face. You can’t run from it.”

“I dunno Kay…I just…Can I please stay here..? Cherub’s with Cas so I don’t wanna go back…” and his hive was where his lusus was. His last hope was staying with Klasha. Though if he really had to, he could probably crash in the band closet.

“Oh, Cherub.” Klasha nodded sagely, “You could also just kill Cherub. I mean, I did it. It worked well. You like Caspin, so protect your property.”

“I’m…I-I’m not violent!” Carbyn’s voice cracked, “A-and Caspin isn’t property…! Besides, I don’t know how to protect anyone…! Let alone hurt anyone!” His colorful nails dug into his arm, fighting back his growing anxiety.

“It’s not like it's difficult. Do you want me to show you?” For a split second, Carbyn thought he saw the softness he missed in Klasha’s gaze. A wave of relief and nostalgia fell over him.

“…Sure..!”

Klasha stood up slowly, Carbyn quickly following. She set her wine glass down and stretched her arms out for a moment before opening her arms to Carbyn.

Just like that, Carbyn was young once again, running into Klasha’s open arms for comfort. All previous concerns about defense and violence were gone from his mind.

Klasha put her arms around Carbyn, and for a moment, the two held each other silently. One hand tangled itself in Carbyn’s curly hair while he hid his face in her shoulder. Before Carbyn could pull away, the older fuchsia gripped his hair as tight as possible. Klasha snapped Carbyn’s neck as quick as a breeze. She let him crumple to the floor.

“Oops. Was I too rough?” Klasha laughed softly. She looked over her shoulder, “Triana dear, I need some help moving a body.”

[adultswim2021]

Venture Bros. #5: “Eeny, Meeny, Miney... Magic” | September 4, 2004 - 11:00 PM | S01E05

In “Eeny, Meeny, Miney... Magic” The Ventures get to know Dr. Orpheus, a Dr. Strange style necromancer who is renting out part of the Venture compound. He has a hot goth daughter named Triana who becomes the focus of Dean’s unrequited love over the course of the series. This one takes place entirely on the Venture compound is basically about characters getting locked in a closet. Somehow, it’s still stronger than “Careers in Science”.

Okay, “locked in a closet” is disingenuous. Characters get locked in what’s basically a Star Trek holodeck. It casts illusions of your deepest desires. For Brock it’s being forgiven by a teammate on his college football team that he accidentally killed, decimating a bunch of ninjas, and having sex with Molotov Cocktease. Those watching the show as it aired knew her from the Brisby episode, but this was her first scripted appearance, and this episode actually plays first on the preferred DVD order. It honestly works either way. Here she’s much more willing, and is lacking the chastity belt she has in the Brisbysode. One could be seen as a setup for the other no matter what order you watch these in.

This is the episode that I think may have officially turned me into a Venture Bros. fan. In 2005, Adult Swim did a contest sponsored by Burger King, whose slogan at the time was “have it your way”. The premise of the contest was that one lucky winner could program a night of Adult Swim with whatever shows they wanted. The winner they selected was no fan of anime, and I remember her selections were very ATHF/Venture Bros. heavy. So I tuned in and actually watched Venture Bros. for the first time since “Dia de los Dangerous” and thought “well shit, this show is actually pretty good”. The joke I specifically remember laughing at is when Dr. Venture is in Orpheus’ lair and he yanks down a candle, theorizing that it will open a secret passage. This exchange happens: 

Dr. Venture: Heeey, if I pull this candle down, will it...? Dr. Orpheus: ...get wax on my carpet? Yes.

I’m not positive why this joke tickled me so much. It’s a pretty standard sitcom-style joke. But I guess it was the placement, the timing, the performance, etc. I still look forward to this gag when I rewatch the series.

Another thing I really appreciate is the backstory with Brock, killing his teammate. According to the commentary track, they couldn’t come up with a good voice for the guy, and then Doc just kind of insensitively did a deaf guy voice, and that became it. It could come off as a gratuitiously tasteless gag, but it adds SO MUCH to the scene, for reasons that they describe in the commentary. Due to being a deaf guy he was likely the hero of the team, so what Brock did, even as an accident, couldn’t be lower. It’s darkly funny as it is tragic. Also, for almost no reason they chose to include a little live-action insert in the corner of an actual deaf man signing the scene. It’s incredibly inspired, and such a fun, weird moment. These gags were the first indication that this show was actually as much for me as anything else on Adult Swim’s line-up.

There’s one off-putting element to the show, and it’s the fact that Dr. Venture eventually admits to having used an orphan’s soul to power his evil machine. It’s sorta broad and weird in a way that rubs me the wrong way, and it even is a bit of a bone of contention in the commentary track. Dr. Venture is a bad guy, sure, but this is almost too villainous, and it’s not even particularly interesting of an idea. But, in my headcanon, orphan actually means he just used some... do we care about spoilers? Okay, I imagine anyone reading this knows about the S02E01 twist. Dr. Venture used some Hank and Dean clone slugs and obviously couldn’t say that. Does that make sense? Does it even matter? Is it pathetic that a 38 year old man is concerning himself with this?

[weirdletter]

Don’t Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, edited by Jonathan Maberry, Harper Collins, 2020. Cover art and internal illustrations by Iris Compiet, info: harpercollins.com.

Featuring stories from R.L. Stine and Madeleine Roux, this middle grade horror anthology, curated by New York Times bestselling author and master of macabre Jonathan Maberry, is a chilling tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Flesh-hungry ogres? Brains full of spiders? Haunted houses you can’t escape? This collection of 35 terrifying stories from the Horror Writers Association has it all, including ghastly illustrations from Iris Compiet that will absolutely chill readers to the bone. So turn off your lamps, click on your flashlights, and prepare—if you dare—to be utterly spooked!

Contents: Editor’s Foreword by Jonathan Maberry “The Funeral Portrait” by Laurent Linn “The Carved Bear” by Brendan Reichs “Don’t You See That Cat?” by Gaby Triana “The Golden Peacock” by Alethea Kontis “The Knock-Knock Man” by Brenna Yovanoff “Strange Music” by Joanna Parypinski “Copy and Paste Kill” by Barry Lyga “The House on the Hill” by Micol Ostow “Jingle Jangle” by Kim Ventrella “The Weeping Woman” by Courtney Alameda “The Neighbor” by Amy Lukavics “Tag, You’re It” by N.R. Lambert “The Painted Skin” by Jamie Ford “Lost to the World” by John Dixon “The Bargain” by Aric Cushing “Lint Trap” by Jonathan Auxier “The Cries of the Cat” by Josh Malerman “The Open Window” by Christopher Golden “The Skelly-Horse” by T.J. Wooldridge “The Umbrella Man” by Gary A. Braunbeck “The Green Grabber” by D.J. MacHale “Brain Spiders” by Luis Alberto Urrea and Rosario Urrea “Hachishakusama” by Catherine Jordan “Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board” by Margaret Stohl “In Stitches” by Michael Northrop “The Bottle Tree” by Kami Garcia “The Ghost in Sam’s Closet” by R.L. Stine “Rap Tap” by Sherrilyn Kenyon “The Garage” by Tananarive Due “Don’t Go into the Pumpkin Patch at Night” by Sheri White “Pretty Girls Make Graves” by Tonya Hurley “Whistle Past the Graveyard” by Z Brewer “Long Shadows” by James A. Moore “Mud” by Linda D. Addison “The Tall Ones” by Madeleine Roux Acknowledgments Author Bios Copyright Information About the Editor

[spacegirlinorbit]

Fooling You? Series

Chapter 3: The three musketeers meet the fourth

Warnings: swearing

Fooling You Masterlist

(All rights to the characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I just own the story)

Song: woman by Andreya Triana

Chapter 3: The three musketeers meet the fourth

———————————————————————–

Feeling the warm embracement of the sun and newfound fresh air of this breathtaking view was unbelievable. I can’t believe I will be living here for the next couple of years. I feel utterly nervous as I look towards hogwarts in its massive size.

Then it hits me.

I am going to have to start over. It was easy back when I first arrived to Ilvermorny. Everyone was young and new so making them believe my cover story was simple. Now, I’m going to have to try and blend in with an older crowd and explain my self with a bit more confidence and detail I don’t know if I have. I feel like throwing up as the nerves turns to anxiety and stress. I can feel my heart in its harsh rhythm of ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-

“Miss. Y/l/n.” I hear and the sound my heart fades from ears and I turn slowly to the headmaster. I look up at him and do my best to not seem as anxious as I feel. “Welcome to Hogwarts. Let’s get you settled.”

He tells me and hearing his calm voice allows me to reign my feelings in. 

“Thank you.” I say quietly and we make our way up the steps and inside Hogwarts. 

We reach his office which is enormous in size, but I shouldn’t have expected less for the headmaster. There is bookshelves filled to the brim with every size and color of books and every now and then a knick-knack or two, paintings of scenery’s that move in memory and portraits of people that I assume are famous here. Then what surprises me the most is that there is a phoenix on its own pedestal that dies and comes back to life. 

“Ah yes. You caught eye of Fawkes. He has a dramatic flair as he gets older for bursting into flames and then rebirths himself anew from his ashes.” He shares with me. 

“Why does he do that?” I ask curious to know why the phoenix finds it necessary.

“Why? To keep up his immortality...or so he tells me.” He says in a matter of fact kind of way trying to humor me. “Please have a seat.” I walk up the steps and have a seat in an wooden leather cased chair before his desk. 

“As we walked in, I’m sure you remember seeing our Head Boy and Head Girl greet us and take your bags to your room. We have accommodated you a room with three other bright students here at Hogwarts.” He says with a smile. “After reviewing your file, I thought it wasn’t necessary to have you go through the hat ceremony and decided you’d be fit for Gryffindor.”

“Gryffindor?” I ask unaware of the customs here.

“Ah yes. We have four houses like yours at Ilvermorny. Here we have Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Mostly distinct by their robe color and mascot.”

”Really? That’s cool.” I gleam. Hogwarts is not so different after all. Maybe I shouldn’t be too nervous.

“Once you have settled in your room. Your roommates can take you on a tour of the school and help you get settled. I have here a paper of your schedule. Just ask the students with anything you might have questions on regarding the class and please don’t hesitate to ask me anything.” He handed me a parchment of paper that has my classes and time printed on it for the week.

“I do have one question.” I say and I can feel the anxiety bubble up in my body. “Can you tell me when I can travel overseas? Being in Scotland is a lot closer to Austria where my mother is buried. I would like to visit her grave sometime.” 

He didn’t seem too fazed by the question and instead showed me sympathy in his eyes. “I would gladly provide you with permission anytime you’d like but I believe traveling on the weekends is best and we do have annual holidays as well that you won’t need permission to go overseas.”

“Thank you.” I say and give a small smile back. It was never ideal travel for me when I was at Ilvermorny and permission and time was limited, but now that I’m a lot closer to home I don’t think it would be much a problem now and I was right.

“Right. Well I also have here a small pamphlet and some papers on how things work around here, like mealtimes and curfews. There should also be a list of activities that take place here at school, you know sports events and clubs. Then the school holidays and events.” He hands the papers and I glance over them. “I must say being a transfer student this late in the school year is not all that bad and you’re not the only one. Let’s get you to your room, shall we?” He questions chirpily and smiles brightly as he stands and I follow after him. We don’t have to walk too far to get to the tower of Gryffindor. 

“This here is the portrait of the fat lady although it is a horrible term.” He gestures the last part to the portrait who gives him a shy smile back. “She opens the door to the tower with a password created specifically for this tower only.”

“So you’re saying all the towers have their own password?”

“Correct. It’s like magical security.”

“Hmm. So what’s the password to this tower?” I ask.

“The password is caput aquilae.”

“Caput aquilae. The head of the eagle.”

“Well someone knows their Latin!” Says the fat lady portrait impressed.

“It was a class I took at Ilvermorny for fun. I guess it’s come in handy now.”

“Why yes it has.” Says Headmaster Dumbledore.

The portrait opens to allows us through its door and I’m greeted in a cozy atmosphere with red décor and a fireplace that is lightly brewing. Some students are hanging about talking or reading in the lounge chairs around the room. I look over and see someone with red hair come down the stairs and greet Dumbledore with a bright smile.

“Headmaster Dumbledore! What a lovely surprise.”

“Ah, yes, Miss. Lily. I came by to introduce you to your new roommate, y/n y/l/n, has arrived.” He says and gestures towards me.

“Oh hi. I’m Lily Evans.” 

“Hello, I’m y/n.” 

“Well Dumbledore I do believe I can take it from it here.”

“Of course, Miss. Evans and y/n again welcome to hogwarts.” He says with a smile that never left his lips.

“Thank you, Headmaster.” I say and return the smile back. Now this is where I have to tread lightly. 

“So, shall we see our room first? Your bags arrived not too long ago.” She says with a kind cherry smile. 

“Sure.” I say and she leads me up the stairs. We enter what’s our room now and it’s more spacious than I expected. With four big poster beds adorned in red velvet and two big windows on left side wall and a fireplace across from the door where I stand with bean bag seats by it. 

“I know this must be a lot to take in.”

“A little yeah. At Ilvermorny, we each had our own rooms and well the surprise move from finding out that I’m being transferred all in one day is still a bit of a shock.”

“No way. All in one day? Wow, that’s weird, but it is short notice since school starts next week.”

“Right. So which one is mine?” I ask her. She points to the second bed, furthest from the door on the left wall. 

“That one. My bed is next to yours. Then across from me is our other roommate, Dorcas and next to her Marlene. The bathroom door is in between their beds and we each have our trunk and closet that’s split in two for us to share.” Lily explains.

“Thanks. When will I meet the others?”

“Probably soon. Dorcas just went out for a second and Marlene should be back soon from quidditch practice.”

“What’s quidditch?” 

“Oh that’s-“ Lily is interrupted as a dark-skinned girl with short curls walks in happily with flowers in her hands. 

“Oh hello.” She says. So this is either Dorcas or Marlene.

“I’m Dorcas Meadowes. Are you our new roommate?” She says and quickly puts down the flowers on her bed near her and walks over to me to shake my hand.

“Yes. I’m y/n. y/l/n. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to finally meet you. We’ve been excited all week when we heard we are going to get a new roommate.” 

“Ah well here I am.” I say trying to lighten the mood at this situation. I’m never good with introductions.

“Has she met Marlene yet? Have you met Marlene?” Dorcas turns to Lily and then back to me asking if I’ve met Marlene very quickly.

“No, not yet.” Lily says.

”Well then we better pr-“ before Dorcas can finish what she was about to say, a girl caked in mud head to toe along with what I could tell were grass stains and not smelling the best either rushed in and was rambling loudly about “slimy cheating dirty fucking snakes”, on her way to the bathroom. Lily and Dorcas both turns towards me and say, “That’s Marlene.”

Lily Evans, Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon

[still-single]

all new HEATHEN DISCO -- listen inside

New show’s in the can, I love this one so please do check it out by clicking this link and listening closely.

Tracks below:

Bob Bannister - Naphtha Flares

Dust - From a Dry Camel

Triana - Fin

The Riders of the Mark - The Electronic Insides and Metal Complexion That Make Up Herr Doktor Krieg

George Brigman & Split - Clap Trap

The Carrie Nations - Find It

Earthen Sea - A Blank Slate

Silkworm - Pilot

Uzeda - Mistakes

Barbara Manning - B4 We Go Under

The Infinites - Miriam Stein

Jeanines - Too Late

French Vanilla - Move Along, Move Ahead

Sloan - Stood Up

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Some Candy Talking

75 Dollar Bill - There's No Such Thing as a King Bee

Helen - Allison

Los Llamarada - The Very Next Moment

High Speed & the Afflicted Man - Sun Sun

Movietone - Under the 3000 Foot Red Ceiling

Jacobites - Heart of Hearts

The Veil - Closet Floor

Resavoir - Plantasy

Duo Las Perlas de Huancavelica - Vaca Ratay

Depeche Mode - Lie to Me

Kelly Lee Owens - Evolution

Karen Marks - Cold Cafe (demo)

New Order - Sunrise

The Celibate Rifles - This Week

Orphx/JK Flesh - Light Brigade

Oroskällan - Till Österland vill Jag Fara / Drömvinden / Vackra Du

Weeping Bong Band - Egress and Nadir

F/i - Threshold

Jay & Yuta - Fruitbat Odori

Hugh Masekela - Inner Crisis

STVZ - Pereba-rebaribaro

The Pentangle - Let No Man Steal Your Thyme

Bobbie Gentry - Lookin' In

The Suncharms - One I See

[sweetcerac]

REVIEW:

Cakespell by Gaby Triana 

Book Summary: “15-year-old Rose Zapata is an aspiring professional baker (with a secret crush) who's only seen love in the movies. But all that changes when she discovers her late grandmother's vintage baking tools in her grandpa's closet. Along with a family secret: Rose is a witch--a kitchen witch. And after accidentally releasing her nana's matchmaking "Cakespell," Rose is the only one who can wield its power. 

When news spreads about Rose's love-infused goodies, classmates, teachers, and even her crush, Caleb, flock to her door. As business booms, fame does too. Principal O'Dell enlists her in the school's Battle of the Bakers, everyone wants a taste of Rose's cake magic, and even her overprotective mother begins to feel the Cakespell's sweet effects. Can Rose whip up some love for herself before she drowns in orders, or will the Cakespell overtake her life? A story about family and friendships, Cakespell will have you believing in love, magic, and the power inside us all.“

My Review:

This was a really cute fun story about a girl, Rosie, who loves baking and makes the most gorgeous cakes that anyone has ever tasted! And I really loved how it was basically her super power before the idea of a Cakespell even implanted itself in her mind.

Her Nana was a kitchen witch and it’s been in her family line for a very long time. So when her Grandpa tells her about it and what Nana could do, Rosie puts on her Nana’s apron, recites the words, and starts seeing some crazy results.

It reminded me of that movie Simply Irresistible where Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character cooks and bakes her feelings into her food. Same idea.

But Rosie has a mother who is so hostility against her baking. To the point of forbidding it in her house so Rosie goes to her Grandpa. I thought her mom was being pretty unfair and extreme for a lot of the book. It tied together nicely in the end though where I totally got it! After seeing the pros and cons of this power, I get it now.

And Rosie’s friends are just really awesome. They are such a supportive crew for her! She’s not confident in how she looks and talking to the guy she swoons over, but she’s confident in her cake! And her friends help her find the confidence for the rest of it.

Sweet read!! lol! Really though, loved this adorable story! It made me happy and smile!

[grupobacrisirigoyen]

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[merlivystories]

THE IMPORTANCE OF TV REPRESENTATION: REASONS AND EXAMPLES.

Being a pretty experienced viewer, I often find myself thinking about the significance of tv-representation. The process of shaping into the person I am today would never have the same result without countless tv-series, shows and movies I stumbled upon on the way. Media space is a place that can be not only entertaining, but also educational. By educational here I don’t necessarily mean academic knowledge, I’m talking about every day-life skills and widening world perception. Learning how to live in peace with ourselves and with other people is a true secret of a happy life. That’s why it is important use media with a purpose to remind people about the past, educate about today and show possible consequences in the future.

I tried to highlight the reasons why I believe TV-representation has significant relevance nowadays. Firstly, watching TV or videos happens to be the most common way of spending leisure time among kids, teenagers and youngsters. Since it requires minimum activity it is the easiest possible way to relax and stay entertained at once. Secondly, TV has the biggest potential to turn boring topics into something relatable and exciting by creating interesting characters, breath-taking plots, using popular audio-tracks and eye-catching sceneries. The last but not the least important reason is being able to change people’s world-views or opinions towards the represented issue or make people feel accepted and okay with themselves by relatable content.

In my opinion, such theme should only be discussed and explained via examples of tv-representation. Here I’m going to display only a few series that I either found to be great representatives of particular social issues or social groups or breaking irrelevant and toxic stereotypes.

(SPOILER ALLERT! + Everything I state below is exclusively my own perception of those series and everyone is completely free to agree or disagree.)

 1. GREY’S ANATOMY (2005- )

I’ve been a huge fan of this medical show since 2014 and the there are quite a few issues represented throughout 16 seasons that aired in a period from 2005 to this year. In my opinion, the most important part of the show is representation of feminism. Development of the main character – Meredith Grey is fascinating. She has turned from an insecure intern into a surgeon with a world-known name and a head of general surgery in the Grey-Sloan hospital in Seattle. Alongside with Meredith there are plenty of amazing women working as surgeons and heads of departments in GSH. Moreover, the chief of surgery currently is also a woman! In this show both men and women not only dream big, but also have an opportunity to turn their dreams into reality. Grey’s Anatomy has a huge impact on young girls and boys all over the world as it inspires them to become doctors. Every day is a beautiful day to save lives, I believe.

 2. TOY BOY (2019 - )

This show is my recent but no less valuable discovery. Dictionary defines «toy boy» as a young man who is having a sexual relationship with an older woman – used humorously. The main character of this show, Hugo, has been put in prison for the crime he did not commit. After 7 years in prison he is determined to prove his innocence with a help of a young lawyer – Triana while getting back to his work as a stripper in a bar alongside with his best friends: Ivan, German and Jairo. While watching this show I pointed out a few topics that the attention of viewers is clearly supposed to be drawn to. Firstly, male stripping and prostitution. It is important to remember that not only women choose to do this professionally and that it is completely fine as long as you enjoy it and stay mentally in a good place. Every job has its struggles and we can see the ups and downs of being a male-stripper on this show. Secondly, thanks-thanks-thanks a lot to writers for representing a disabled person. One of the key-characters – Jairo is mute. And he receives nothing but support and appreciation for being who he is, never being treated differently by his friends. It doesn’t in any way diminish him as a person. I consider Jairo to be the most loving, accepting and understanding character that makes him truly likable to the viewers. His relationships with Andrea, who was raped as a child and grew up to be really introverted and shy, is the most precious thing to be seen on this show. The way Jairo and Andrea were able to bond over their struggles and the way they found comfort in each other is a great example of something beautiful coming out of something dark and uncomfortable. The other important topic is domestic violence and rape. The phenomena of being sexually assaulted is horrible on its own, while being sexually assaulted by your relative, by your ankle is terrifying. Andrea represents all those kids and teenagers whose mental health was completely destroyed by people who were supposed to care for them. I’m glad that «Toy Boy» found a way to show how it can get better even when it seems like it never will.

 3. HOUSE OF FLOWERS (2018 – 2020)

The time has come to talk about traditional values clashing with being who you are and feeling good as a person. This show is a story about a dysfunctional upper-class Mexican family that own a prestigious floristry shop and a struggling cabaret, both called «The House of Flowers». The story features plenty of amazing LGBTQ+ characters such as María José Riquelme Torres – transgender woman, Diego Olvera – gay man, Julián de la Mora – bisexual man, Paulina de la Mora – pansexual woman (not straightforwardly stated in the series, but I clocked her as one) and Patricio "Pato" Lascuráin – gay man. Firstly, I like how gracefully and accurately the line between gender and sexuality was treated on this show. When Maria Hose comes out as a trans woman she doesn’t stop loving her wife. She doesn’t change, she just gets closer to looking the way she has felt for a long time, if not her whole life. That’s it with trans people, I believe, coming out and the transitioning process is never actually about changing, it’s about getting the outside to match the inside that has always been there. I also adore how Paulina loved Maria Hose for the personality and not for the gender. Hands down vote for them together as the best couple on the show. Secondly, I would very much like to comment on conversion therapy part featuring Diego and Patricio being a victim of horrible hate crime. Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of trying to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological, physical, or spiritual interventions. Sadly, it is still being practiced these day even though various jurisdictions around the world have passed laws against conversion therapy. Diego, a gay man, wants to have a kid so much and also earn the acceptance of his homophobic parents, he agrees on being put in a place where it is promised to turn him straight. Not surprisingly, it doesn’t change his sexual orientation but makes him suffer through the whole experience. In the end, he stands up to his parents and faces them alongside with his fiancé, Julian. He realizes that loving himself and being happy is more important than being accepted by someone who doesn’t really care about his well-being. Also, family is about people loving and supporting each other and never about following «traditional» gender-roles. Conversion therapy has no proof to be helpful in the sense of changing sexuality, but is totally effective at making people mentally unstable and self-hating so they are unable to develop any healthy relationships in the future. Talking about hating yourself, another closeted character - Agustín Corcuera is a great example. He grew up with his head filled with toxic stereotypes and fully dependent on social opinion. That’s why his desire for a loving, outgoing and open about his sexuality Patricio had horrible consequences. A hate crime is defined as a prejudice-motivated crime which occurs when a perpetrator targets a victim because of their membership (or perceived membership) of a certain social group or race. Agustin was clearly mesmerized by the way Patricio couldn’t care less about what people around him had to say, but he was also scared of that. It made me upset that Patricio loved Agustin a little to much to notice how much the guy hated even the thought of people considering him to be anything other than straight. One night at the New Year party in 1970 Patricio was beaten to death by Agustin himself and his homophobic friends - that’s how much Agustin was scared of accepting himself and admitting he had feelings for Patricio in front of his friends, just enough to take away another person’s right to live. The last words Patricio said to Agustin before receiving that one last punch was «I love you», which makes the scene even more terrifying than it could have been.  The absurdity of love facing hate like that, the horror of murdering love with hate, hate not only directed towards the victim, but also towards Augustin himself. Self-hate happens to be extremely dangerous not only to the particular person, but also to their surroundings. This is the example of what the self-oppression and the lack of ability to love yourself in the first place can lead to and it is awful.

 4. HOLLYWOOD (2020)

The show that rewrote the history and we were all completely there for it! The show about people being brave and following their dreams despite it being truly dangerous. This story is inspiring for all people cause the most important thing to learn from this show is that it doesn’t matter where you come from, what you background is, no matter what color your skin is or what your sexuality is – it should never stop you from dreaming. All those things should never make you feel like you don’t stand a chance, that you’re not worth it, that you’re less valuable. What actually means a lot is your personality, your talent and determination to go all the way. I was blown away by literally every single character in this show. I admire Raymond Ainsley for not giving up on representation in his movie. I admire Camille Washington for not giving up her right to be treated the same as other actresses. I admire Archie Coleman for being brave and showing that true success never depends on anything but talent. I admire Richard Samuels for always staying unbiased and finding the courage to be himself truly. I admire Avis Amberg for standing up for the right values and using her power is the most honorable way there was. I didn’t mention all of the characters, but every single one of them has their own story and something to teach the viewer.

 5. COMMUNITY (2009-2015)

Now I would like to introduce you to the show about diversity and true friendship. It teaches viewer that your friends are your chosen family, nobody is perfect but when you decide to stick together – you stick for all ups and downs, for the best and for the worst. All of the main characters are different: they have different backgrounds, different world-perceptions and different behavior-patterns. Anyway, those differences ultimately should never stay on the way of true kindness and compassion. «Community» explores topics that might seem offensive at times, but the conclusion is always the same – people need to accept each other for who they are. Moreover, the significant lesson in this show is that if you have a problem with someone, you should first try to find a problem within yourself.

[automatismoateo]

Ataque a ministro por confesar su ateísmo

From Blog Sin Dioses http://ift.tt/2qLkpeH (via IFTTT)

La declaración ante televisión del Ministro de Salud de Colombia, Alejandro Gaviria, como ateos, llevó a un ataque despiadado por parte de Alejandro Ordoñez, líder conservador y precandidato poresidencial.

Publicado inicialmente en Las2Orillas

Después de la salida del closet del ministro Alejandro Gaviria como ateo, su tocayo, el destituido exprocurador Alejandro Ordoñez salió a atacarle a él y de paso a toda la población atea. En las publicaciones del conservador en Twitter se encontraba una donde preguntaba “¿dejaría usted la salud de su familia y la educación de sus hijos en manos de un ateo?” y otras del mismo día donde ligaba al ateísmo con la destrucción de la familia y la cultura de la muerte.

Cabe resaltar que el exprocurador dedicó sus casi ocho años de gestión a obstruir las sentencias de la Corte Constitucional que en materia de libertades individuales abrieron el camino a la eutanasia de libre elección, la interrupción del embarazo en tres causales, el matrimonio civil para parejas del mismo sexo, así como la adopción de menores por parte de las anteriores. También, fomentó desinformación sobre la vacuna contra el virus del papiloma humano, de hecho, la llamó la “vacuna de la promiscuidad”

En estas confrontaciones el Ministerio de Salud, en cabeza de Alejandro Gaviria, supo que su función pública exigía el cumplimiento de las sentencias de la Corte en la administración de salud en un Estado laico. Por su parte, Ordoñez enfilaba toda su batería para que las normas del Estado colombiano fueran acordes con el catecismo católico. Alejandro Ordoñez, afianzado por las mayorías creyentes y un grupo activo de cristianos evangélicos que desean una teocracia cristiana, lanzó el pasado 19 de abril mensajes en los que denigra la condición de no religioso y ayuda a perpetuar estereotipos negativos. Si bien el exprocurador tiene toda la libertad de creer que los ateos merecen el fuego eterno y de predicarlo, es distinto que promueva que estos sean discriminados y se les margine socialmente. Es absurdo que haya declarado que ellos no son aptos para ser profesores, médicos u ocupar cargos públicos importantes. Los prejuicios contra los ateos y agnósticos en Colombia aún prevalecen y la condición de no creyente es mirada con recelo entre muchos ciudadanos, principalmente en ciudades intermedias, pueblos y zonas rurales. Algunos docentes que son asignados en provincia han manifestado tener que mantener su ateísmo en secreto a fin de evitar hostigamiento de padres o incluso acoso laboral. Hace un año justamente, era noticia como un docente de filosofía ateo, Miguel Trujillo, en el municipio de Garzón (Huila), era acosado por algunos padres de familia bajo la influencia del sacerdote local por el hecho de ser ateo. Estudiantes no religiosos también han sido acosados por sus superiores que son religiosos. Como fueron los casos de William Triana en Barranquilla el año pasado y el sonado caso de Sergio Urrego, quien también fue discriminado por la rectora Azucena Castillo por ser ateo. Los casos son muchos más que este par, pero muestran el panorama de un país que aún mira con sospecha al 6 % de su población. Precisamente, con el fin de poner un coto a la propagación de estereotipos negativos, es que varios ciudadanos y organizaciones como Bogotá Atea, entre otras, han iniciado la radicación de denuncias en la Fiscalía por lo que denominan “comportamientos constitutivos de hostigamiento” contemplado en el artículo 134B del Código Penal. Ya se han interpuesto denuncias en Bogotá, Bucaramanga y Pitalito. Y se espera que en los próximos días el número de denuncias lleguen de más partes del país. Diego Castillo Rincón, un bumangués como el exprocurador, pero ateo y ahora denunciante comentó que: “todos los ciudadanos tenemos los mismos derechos y el Estado debe velar para evitar la discriminación a las minorías: la llamada igualdad material. Las declaraciones del señor Ordóñez tienen agravantes porque es una persona pública y con intenciones presidenciales.”

Esta no es la primera vez que el sector poblacional ateo interpone un recurso contra el exprocurador Ordoñez. En 2013, los ateos de Bogotá le pidieron a él, por medio de un derecho de petición, que repusiera unos libros que él quemó cuando era joven en una biblioteca pública de Bucaramanga. Para el señor Ordoñez, las obras de Gabo y Nietzsche, los ejemplares del periódico El Espacio (por contener desnudos) y hasta una Biblia protestante (¡Y pensar que ahora se reúne con los cruzados evangélicos!) eran merecedores del fuego. En aquel entonces, su oficina respondió ignorando los hechos. Ahora, se trata de una demanda ante la Fiscalía General de la Nación, y aunque no todos los días se ponen denuncias legales por hechos de discriminación, es ya significativo el mensaje de pedir un alto a la promoción de los prejuicios.

Ver vídeo sobre quema de libros aquí.

Ver vídeo de ateos en despedida a Ordoñez al ser destituido.

¿Cómo denunciar?

Para interponer denuncia en Colombia puedes hacer uso del modelo que encontrarás en este enlace, y posteriormente llevarlo a la sede de la Fiscalía en su ciudad. Otros artículos relacionados: ¡Ateo! - Ricardo Silva Romero

Moral Atea - Moisés Wasserman

[josetrianacolombiaworld]

"For Some Basketball Coaches, Ties That Bind Are Better Off Left in the Closet" by MARC TRACY via NYT The New York… https://t.co/ldTQ479FpE

"For Some Basketball Coaches, Ties That Bind Are Better Off Left in the Closet" by MARC TRACY via NYT The New York… https://t.co/ldTQ479FpE

— jose bayardo triana (@BtrianaJose) March 18, 2017

via Twitter https://twitter.com/BtrianaJose March 17, 2017 at 08:27PM

[chowtrolls]

Hey Bubble, do you like clothes shopping? All your outfits are usually so pretty.

I do! I enjoy taking Triana with me to go buy new dresses.

I don’t like pants that much so most of my closet consists of a variety of dresses. Mostly cocktail dresses. I used to be big into the grunge fashion around the time I was dating Bruuno. I also spent most of my days in his clothing. But I feel a lot better and happier in dresses.

[lasands-artgallery]

SpiderWebs- CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

Plot: Actions are taken as motives are uncovered.

Warnings: Language, situational angst, violence

ONE  TWO  THREE  FOUR  FIVE  SIX

Roxx huffs to herself as she waits on her bed, legs crossed close. She pulls the borrowed brown jacket closer, for warmth. Not to soak in Dean's scent, that would just be weird. He saw her shivering and wouldn't take no for an answer. Even though it's a new coat, it has the signature scent of Dean all over it. It's a "Brother" thing, so she and Jared were left alone in the frigid room as Dean talked with Hank. She shivered, and tucks her feet underneath herself. Who turned off the heat, anyway? Probably Shoreleave. He never struck her as somebody who was competent in anything but guns and sass.

Roxx doesn't need to look over to know that Jared is glaring at her. She refuses to give him the satisfaction of being rattled by his tactics. Who does he think he is, anyway? They are in this place together, they need to WORK together. Glaring at each other won't figure out why Stars N Garters is threatening her. And by extension, him and Dean.

She takes off the coat, folding it in half before placing it on Dean's bed. It's just too weird having Jared glowering at her while wearing that coat. She goes back to her bed, and still Jared is scowling at her. She can hear his stomach faintly rumble. He crosses his arms, leaning back on the bed. While it is an improvement over glaring at her, ignoring her isn't all that good for camaraderie either.

Wanting to make peace, she opens her night stand and takes out a plain box. She managed to sneak in some "non-essentials" while the guards were busy bickering over some new regulation involving OSI approved weaponry. She opens the box, revealing soft pillows of marshmallow and creamy fluffy cookies encased in delicious milky chocolate. She remembers Dean saying how Jared ate a whole lot because of that webbing stuff.

Roxx lobs one of the pies across the room, the wrapped chocolate treat bouncing onto Jared's bed. It lands right in front of him, shiny black brown coating unbroken after it's launch. He looks at the treat on the bed and then over at her. Eyes still burning with distrust. She sighs to herself as she gets up from her bed. She leaves the box of Moon Pies on her bed and stands in front of the much older man still scowling at her.

"It's a peace offering," Roxx explains, trying to be nice. "I know we've had our rough patches, but I feel that we need to put it aside. For now, at least."

Jared rolls his eyes, pushing the treat aside as he turns away from her. She growls, lacking the patience for drama. Especially from moody college aged spider men. If anybody should acting like a child, it should be her. In fact...

She storms over to her bed and grabs another moon pie from her bed and lobs it at his head. He ducks right before it would hit, spider senses be damned, the pie splatting against the wall behind him. The pie sticks to the wall sadly, the sticky marshmallow oozing out of the plastic, stuck to the wall by the leaking filling.

"Feel better?" Jared snarks. "What is your problem?" Roxx asks, patience spent. "Don't say it's because I arch you. Plenty of people are friends with their arches. Can't we do the same?"

"No," Jared spits out. "Why not?" Roxx asks. "You know why," Jared says.

"No, no I don't," Roxx answers. "Don't lie to me," Jared proclaims. "You want to turn Dean evil." "What?" Roxx sputters. "No, that isn't what I want at all!"

"Dean may not be able to tell, but I can see that you love him," Jared growls. "Who knows how far you'd go to guarantee that? Maybe arch the competition and "accidentally" get them out of the running?"

Roxx feels her cheeks heat. The NERVE of some people. She crosses her arms, looking away from him. She tries to gather herself enough to answer coherently. She'd laugh at the ridiculous idea of Dean returning her feelings. But she knows to Jared that it is no laughing matter.

She would never cause Dean such harm, but Jared is never going to believe her. Not when he is thinking as emotionally as he is right now. She understands the want to protect somebody you love. Even if they don't return that love. She may have grown up with Dean, but he has never acted the same way around Jared as he does around her. He's way more chummy and...well, Dean with her. She was like a little sister to him. Hank calls her little sis all the time, why would Dean be any different?

Watching how Dean is with Jared is like a repeat with Triana, only it seems to be returned this time. As Jared's jealous reaction is anything to go by. How can Jared not see that Dean views him as more then "just" a friend? Dean may not realize it, but he does. Dean is nervous, flustered, trying way too hard to be taken seriously. Classic puppy love all the way.

She can read the signs crystal clear and knows she never had a chance. She should have learned after Thalia to move on from Dean, but she didn't. She should have just accepted Dean wanted out of the Venture life at all costs. That if any Venture was going to escape the life and have a normal go at things, it would be Dean. The boy who just wanted a normal life. Even his choice in partner, as "different" as he may be, blends in when the situation calls for it. A perfect fit in every sense of the word.

Just thinking about Jared and Dean having a happily ever after that she never will have fills her with indignation and causes her stomach to churn. Knowing she can't have that, no matter how hard she tries. Her tail is whipping wildly now. She considers keeping her mouth shut and being nice, but she is fresh out of nice with the spider jerk.

"Well, after this," she snaps. "Pretty sure the Guild are going to bump your threat level up and I won't be allowed to arch you anymore, so no more worrying about the mean little kitty corrupting 'your' Dean." "What do you mean?" he asks, still clueless. "You have been put under OSI protection," she explains. "That means you're important. Which means the Guild are going to take actual notice now. And they are not going to let a nobody arch a somebody."

Roxx crosses her arms defensively before going back to her bed. Why did she waste her time trying to be nice? He wasn't going to appreciate it, no matter how sincere she was. He refuses to give her a chance, just like any other super hero type. No wonder she "turned" evil. She puts the Moon pies back, no longer hungry. Thankfully, she doesn't have to stew for long as Dean returns.

"What's up?" she asks, concerned. "Well," Dean starts. "Wide Wale probably isn't involved." "How do you know?" Jared asks.

"He's been out of town all month dealing with "Guild" business and has left Rocco in charge," Dean states. "And Hank has kept him busy with his...Hank-nanigans." "What do you mean?" Jared asks.

"On his and Sirena's last date," Dean says. "They....silly stringed all of the motorbikes the sea lice have. And then covered the armory in that weird Gaak stuff for good measure. They are still trying to get it all cleaned up before Wide Wale returns."

"What about CAL?" Jared asks. "I've seen them go into Wide Wale's pizzeria."

"Just that Warriana asks about Brock a lot," Dean says. "He's seen the guy with the arrows drop off money to Wide Wale a few times, but he's super sneaky so he probably isn't involved. And that Dick guy is busy helping the helpless or something."

"What about Stars?" Jared asks.

"Hank hasn't seen him anywhere near Wide Wale," Dean answers, turning to face him. "And Sirena would have noticed. Well, her bodyguards would've noticed a tall blonde."

Roxx frowns at the information. If Garters isn't working with Wide Wale, then....how does he know where she lives? Let alone is able to sneak in and out without being detected? Only Guild members know her 'secret' identity, with Wide Wale being the newest Guild "leader", therefore most likely to go against policy and "clean" house. Her bottom lip wavers, ears flattening. What if...this is something worse then just a random hero targeting her?

"What do we do now?" Roxx asks, voice wavering.

Dean stiffens in attention, catching the slight wavering in her voice. He goes over to her bed and hugs her close, trying his best to assure her they'll find a way. Roxx freezes as she hears the low growl coming from Jared. She knows it's too quiet for Dean to hear and is for her ears only. His continued whispers of assurance tell her that much.

Roxx peers over Dean's shoulder and sees the jealousy glimmering in Jared's brown eyes. She never thought he was the jealous type but with Dean she guesses all bets are off.  Dean releases her from the embrace, cheeks a faint red now. He clears his throat nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He scoots a bit away from her, giving her much needed space as she clutches her feet closer.

"I guess," he says. "We see if OSI can handle him. He's actually like a villain, terrorizing somebody he isn't officially arching. They have to help." "Fat load of help they've been so far," Roxx grumbles, rolling her eyes. "We have to do something," Dean says, determined. "When they were living in my backyard, this is what they did all the time." "He's right," Jared states. "We need to try everything to keep us safe."

For Dean's sake, she avoids the dark glare Jared is shooting her way. She can handle Jared's jealousy, no sweat. It's unfounded, that much is for sure. Being jealous of her is like being jealous of a house cat. Sliding off the bed, she listens as Dean and Jared go over a plan on how to approach Gathers. Unlike those two, she read the file of Gathers the Guild has amassed over the years. The terms "Stubborn goat" and "Completely impossible" come to mind.

Nobody in the Guild has been able to work out anything resembling an alliance with Gathers since he took over. The closet anybody has gotten was they got him to agree to stop killing undercover agents if Guild stopped sending them. She doubts that Jared and Dean will have any better luck. But if it makes the two feel useful, she won't stand in the way. Who knows? Maybe being "super hero types" and family to his best agent will work in their favor.

Thinking about how Gathers always worked within his own skills and connections gives her an idea. Roxx isn't sure it would even work, but it is worth a shot if Gathers falls through, as she figures he will. Which she suspects is going to be the case. She knows Dean won't approve, not even a small amount. But sometimes, you have to do what is right, not what makes people happy.

Dean gets her attention and the trio go to the guard, united front and all that. Using all his bravado, Jared convinces the guard to escort them to Gathers. He looks up and scowls as he hangs up the phone. Great start already. The older man leans back, biting the end of his cigarette holder, the click of metal on teeth noticeable.  Jared steps forward, egged on by the two youngsters. He is the eldest and most distinguished, after all. He takes a moment to scowl at them childishly before turning to face Gathers.

"Sir, we have reason to believe Stars N Garters is working independent of CAL," Jared says. "He is terrorizing Guild sanctioned persons, and he needs to be brought to justice." "Then that's a Guild problem," Gathers barks out. "OSI stays out of Guild business, Guild stays out of OSI business."' "But you have to help," Dean cries out.

"Let me explain how agencies work," Gathers says, biting on his holder. "I stay out of their ass, they stay out of mine. Understand?" "Called it," Roxx mutters to herself. "Complete waste of my time." "What was that missy?" Gathers asks, turning to face her. "I said," Roxx states. "I am going to handle this myself since your OSI operatives are too incompetent to do so."

Roxx knew that depending on OSI to help is a joke. They wouldn't even lift a finger to help her when her parents almost got killed by St. Cloud, why would she be a different case? The Guild has been leaps more helpful helping her. OSI only has at most three competent people, and they fired one of them because he wanted to be out in the field. Now he's a glorified rent-a-cop for Rusty Venture.

She knew that she has to depend on herself to solve her own problems. If that rubs OSI the wrong way, so what? Gathers is too chicken to risk an agency wide war. She is a Guild operative, through and through. This whole thing was a giant waste of time. With that in mind, she storms out, slamming the door behind her as Dean calls out to her.