#turns out for me the secret ingredient was being very invested in the characters first and foremost

[canisalbus]

This is kind of an odd thing, but your art made me realized that I wasn't aromantic. I've never had a bunch of romantic inclinations and assumed it just wasn't for me, but your art made me realized that it's definitely more complicated than just an across-the-board disinterest in romance!

That's nice to hear, I'm happy for you!

I'm not an expert but to my understanding it's also entirely possible to be aromantic and interested in romantic themes, while rarely experiencing romantic attraction in practice, or something like that. The lines are sort of blurry and I guess in the end it comes down to what labels one feels most comfortable using.

[fenristheorem]

Hi! First of all... You are a LEGEND🤩! Your head cons are sooooooo good. When I read theme I really get into the story and can feel the emotion you put on the characters, 💖its amazing! Not that long ago you did a head con of Erika being ok with Leiftan being a Demon. So I was wondering... Could you do a head con of Lance accepting to take Erika with him, were she becomes a demon and enters the plot with Lance against the guard🤔? It would be very interesting to se that.😊 Hope u have a good day, evening or night!

Oh thank you so much! 😄 That’s so kind of you to say, I don’t think you truly know how much I value your compliment! You’re so kind! 😊

I originally considered nearly completely re-writing the plot from episode 15 (I believe that’s when she asks him to take her) for this ask, but then realized I would be re-writing half the plot of Origins lol. That would take way too long to write (while including different emotions and perspectives and requiring knowledge that’s too hard to hunt down or doesn’t exist) so I decided to write this with a very broad spectrum of headcanons, including some major alternative events (usually not including the guard since she’ll be holed up in a secret place so Lance doesn’t need to watch out for her every second of every day) and Lance and Guardienne’s overall compatibility.

This is probably my most bizarre ask yet, in the manner of how I’ve responded, so brace yourself because there’s a few crazy moments in this lol. Also, there’s a bit of swearing in this - I have a tendency to write stories / headcanons in a pretty crude style sometimes.

~Under the cut~

Guardienne joins Lance against the guard:

To start off with, when Guardienne asked Lance to take her with him, she didn’t know his identity. He was still Ashkore to her. That changed somewhat quickly.

I theorize Lance did actually have some sort of “home base” deep within a forest or the mountains somewhat near the guard. He did have to sleep and eat after all. And where do you think he was taking all those supplies on the night Guardienne asked him to take her with him? Where do you think he stored that frying pan so dear to him? Buried it in the ground? Hung it on a tree branch for a Sabali to find later? Sure, he moved around a lot, but he had to keep his stolen resources somewhere, so he must have had a main cabin or cave or something that no one knew about that he made a temporary home of sorts.

Assuming that; that’s probably where he kept Guardienne most of the time after she came with him. Of course, he would be sure to restrict her movements for a while - after all, she could have asked to come merely to find out what a day in the life of Ashkore is like and then tell that to the guard - but once he realizes that she truly was compliant and happy to be there, even helping him by providing information he didn’t know already and taking care of basic chores like cooking and such so he can spend more time screwing with the guard, he loosened up and let her roam around his domain.

He kept personal things well hidden; any old drawings, weapons, and clothing. Basically anything he didn’t want her to touch... which was most of his stuff... but he was reasonable and didn’t restrain her too much. Just as long as she didn’t bother him and continued to help he didn’t mind her presence... too much anyways.

But again, it wasn’t too long before Guardienne found out his true identity. In reference to the existing plot-line, I imagine her finding out his identity in this AU long before she found out in the existing plot-line. After all - they’re living together now, and he needs to take off his mask and armor sometimes. Do you think he always sleeps in his mask? And armor for that case? What about when he eats or bathes? Certainly he can do most of those things in private, but I don’t see Lance demanding she turn her back every time he removes his mask and armor. I can see him doing that to begin with - when she’s restricted - but once he realizes she truly wants to help, he’ll find it to be inconvenient to always hide himself whenever he wants to do anything without his mask and armor. He’ll probably still want her to call him Ashkore, though... and that’ll be the case until she realizes his identity and refuses to call him anything but Lance.

Now I forget if she knew about Lance’s existence at the time of asking to leave with him (I believe she did), but since she never got a description I imagine it would take her a small while to connect the dots once she's living with him. She would certainly have theories that Ashkore is Lance, and she would certainly irritate the utter crap out of him with countless questions regarding possible confirmation or hints to back up her theory, but she wouldn’t get many answers. Either he would ignore her, or turn to level his icy stare on her. She would quickly understand that he’s not interested in answering questions about his identity and past. He eventually threatened to cut her tongue out a few times if she kept asking nonsensical questions, but she didn't seem to care much and he eventually let it be; perhaps he realized that she would be even more irritating then. She wouldn't be able to speak easily without her tongue, but her resolve is steady, so she'd still try to find some way to speak with him - and then he'd still need to deal with her questions in whatever way she deemed fit, which included investing time to learn this new way of communication. Threatening her friends wouldn't work as she doesn't consider the guard her friends, so Lance came to recognize that's it better to just deal with her questions and ignore her.

However, he would answer general questions that couldn’t be used heavily against him if she were captured and questioned; why is he trying to destroy the crystal, what’s with his grudge against Eldarya, what does he know about the Blue Sacrifice? From his answers she can put a few logical pieces together. The Eldaryans don’t deserve to live? They’re disrespecting the kind gift of life the dragons gave them? They were apparently forced to sacrifice? Then hunted down after the sacrifice despite their generous gesture? Well he must be a dragon, since angels didn’t end up sacrificing and he speaks so passionately about them. And Valk said he was faelien, so either he lied and does know or Ashkore (being Lance in her theory) somehow found out their genetics while Valk remained clueless to it. And they look so similar, they would have to be brothers. Ashkore’s story started around the same time that Lance apparently died? Lance apparently fought valiantly and passionately for the things he believed in, like what she’s seen with Ashkore? Goodness are the pieces adding up now.

Guardienne would eventually approach him about her theory and he would respond with a cold hiss.

“What, you want a reward? A pat on the back and a ‘well done’? Why does my identity matter to you?”

He never said a direct yes - he was basically incapable of responding calmly or reasonably with touchy subjects - but she would know she has it right. 

You would think them being on different sides of the war would mean they’d be more likely to try and kill each other, right? Wrong. Them being around each other all the time, I believe, leads them to be more likely to kill each other. Why? Recall episode 26 - their overall chemistry. Regardless of if choices made increased the LOM or decreased it, bizarre, entertaining conversation between the two still ensued. The main thing with that episode was that Lance became emotionally vulnerable as time went on, so actual tender...-ish moments came about where both of them were taken seriously but gently. Now imagine both of them - neither of them in vulnerable moments - being around the other constantly, both working together but still stepping on each other’s toes. Guardienne wants to make a meal; where’s this ingredient? What’s the ingredient compatibility? What do these things taste like? That’s not a food, that’s an alchemy ingredient? AND WHERE IS THE GODDAMN FRYING PAN!? (*cue Lance in the background clutching the pan and hissing at Guardienne*). Now Lance - who’s holed himself up in a private room - needs to plan his next attack on the guard; he needs this map of the layout, and this item to help him plan. He can use this pathway to- “Hey Lance?” ... Silence - if he pretends he’s not in there she’ll surely leave... Anyways, this pathway will probably be the safest, and his destination is there. Leiftan can- “Lance, I know you’re there, don’t ignore me!” ... Leiftan can- “Where’s the corn!?” Oh by the Oracle! But what the hell is corn? He’ll go to the door and crack it open only enough to give her an odd look. “Small, yellow, hard grain but smooth? About the size of a fingernail?” ... “Back right, lower pantry.” He’ll slam the door and hover over the map again. Ok, Leiftan... yes, that’s what he was going to do. Then he’ll have access to- “Oh - where’s the big pot?” *SLAM* Pain will shoot up his arm from his fist as the table shakes and he turns his head to seethe at the woman through the door. “You’ve lived here for weeks, you know where it is!” “Well you seem to have an obsession with hiding things, so actually I don’t because everything is always moved around!” He’ll rush to the door and fling it open to glare down at her. The door and it’s frame creak unsteadily at his tight grip as he looms over her. “Find. It. Yourself.”  He’ll go to recede back into the room but she’ll grab his shirt and pull him into the room she’s in - he’ll snarl at her in response. “I’ve tried looking for it, it’s impossible to find.” She’ll hiss back at him with folded arms. “I’m busy planning.” He growls at her. “Well take a break then.” She snaps as they stare each other down... Silence again... “You make me want to kill myself.” “Don’t. You need to destroy the guard first.” He throws his hand back towards the door he was stolen from with a wild look in his scathing eyes; what did she think he was planning for in there!? “You gonna help me or what?” She speaks as if this is completely alright. He nearly shouts in rage as he slams his fist against the wall - pain shooting up his arm a second time - before pacing and clutching his head, eventually resigning to stomping towards the makeshift kitchen - not caring about whether she follows - and tearing through his stores to find the pot. He’ll throw it on the counter and cast a livid glare at her as he passes to head back to planning. “Well goodness, you didn’t need to throw a tantrum over it.” He whirls around and nearly leaps on her - she’s helping to destroy the crystal, she’s helping to destroy the crystal, she’s helping to destroy the crystal, WHY DOES A POT MATTER RIGHT NOW!?

So yes, they’re more likely to attempt to kill each other when on the same side; only because they’re alone and around each other more so they can chew on each other's nerves more.

However, as time carries on and they spend more time together, they actually begin to... enjoy each other's presence sometimes - not even sometimes; a good portion of the time. Sure they have moments where they argue and are a breath away from stabbing each other, but there are also moments where they aren’t treading on the other, by accident or purposeful. In these moments, they see a different side of each other - a good side of each other.

Guardienne quickly picks up on how passionate, resolute, and intelligent Lance is, noting that he’ll spend hours on end studying texts he’s found and maps of the areas the guard will be around next. He’ll carry these texts and maps around with him as he ghosts around their make-shift home, spending most of his days off curled up next to a small indoor fireplace and moving only for a few moments to take a quick break. Ironically, Guardienne leaves him alone to study more when he studies within her presence rather than when he locks himself alone in a separate area for hours, so in time Lance realizes he’s less likely to be interrupted if he studies in their living room/common area. As he begins to study more within her sight, Guardienne begins to see what he studies - and many of those things provide great insight for her regarding knowing Lance better. These things can range from different languages, histories and cultures, maps, geography, alchemy, mission reports (stolen from the guard of course) and even a few books touching on warfare, philosophy and psychology - what little of those latter texts exists in their world, at least. Guardienne begins to realize that, while Lance is very set on destroying the guard and the crystal, he’s also much more than just a man who wishes to exact revenge. He studies these texts to learn how to use it to his advantage, sure, but he also seems to have a genuine interest in these subjects. She even interrupted him one day - finding that he was oddly patient with answering this specific question - to ask if he perhaps ever grows bored of learning about these things, stressing that it’s a good idea to take a break from working constantly all the time - only for him to respond that he doesn’t view all of it as work. Some subjects he’s less interested in but are necessary to know for his agenda of revenge, but in the case where he’s feeling drained from that he’ll turn to reading another subject that he’s more interested in and go back to it later. She sometimes resigns to observing him as he studies - and she knows that Lance knows she watches him by the way his gaze will flick over to her every once and a while - but eventually she’ll begin to ask exactly what’s written in the books or what he’s thinking regarding the maps, asking to try to get to know his thought process better or just having nothing better to do at the moment. This is how Guardienne learns to grow closer to him; he doesn’t snap at her half as much when he explains what he’s studying, and he explains things in such a way that she doesn’t need to interrupt him to ask him to explain it better. In turn, she also begins to learn a bit about what he’s studying and can provide a bit of her own interesting input. Occasionally they debate these topics with one another, and Lance is actually very temperate when debating these things - he can speak in beautiful, grand tones about certain subjects, clearly showing just how much he’s interested in it. His eyes will glow with a warmth and passion that seems to dull even the indoor fire that burns with an eternal energy. These moments of enthusiasm actually entertain her greatly, and she begins to realize that she truly enjoys being around him in these moments. However, this also leads to minor conversations about his past, usually sparked from conversing about past experiences in these fields, and Guardienne witnesses firsthand the icing over of his personality from the reminder of his past. She’ll mention anything about his past; the village he lived in, his brother, his time in the guard, any memories he has, and the lively shimmer in his eyes will dull. His shoulders will drop and gaze will be cast to the floor as he bows his head slightly, a weight seeming to settle on him as he stares into a void for just a few mere moments. Then his facial features will harden, a stone cold look will invade his eyes and he’ll straighten again despite the clear effort it takes for him to stand tall. His formerly lively, sonorous tone will harden into cold, scathing words that are nearly spat out as he closes himself off, snapping and growling at her if she attempts to connect with him again. It’s from these continuous experiences that she recognizes something important; he's not truly as evil as he seems - he's wounded and aches for his reality to not be what it is now, and he seeks every day to ease that torturous pain, believing that that pain can only be eased by hurting others, by showing them just how much he’s hurt from his knowledge. Nobody is born evil, she realizes - he’s cruel only because he feels this is the only way he can deal with the pain of reality.

In turn, she tries her best to be understanding and comforting when she can. She understands, in some ways, his pain of knowing about the guard and sacrifice - she’s against the guard as well for her own reasons not too different than his - and seeing just how much Lance has broken because of the guard - just like her - only makes her want to burn it to the ground more. Lance notices this in time; where she once always pushed him to tell her more about his past and identity and reasoning, she’s now willing to drop the subject for a while or ask in a manner that’s more... considerate or empathetic. She begins to overlook his snapping and huffing at her, and instead focuses more on what he says and his reaction to those words instead of his irritation at her persistence. As Guardienne comes to understand Lance more, she realizes that he actually enjoys her company as well, even if he won’t admit it. He’ll jump at the chance to explain and debate his studies with her, and when she backs off of a sensitive topic she accidentally tread on for a while, he’ll be more temperate if she returns in a few hours and touches at the topic again, provided she approaches it in a neutral, tactful way. After all, the topic she wishes to speak about is a reminder of or is the exact reason he went from honorable and righteous to cruel and destructive - in his perception, if she doesn’t know how to approach it in a cautious, gentle manner then she doesn’t deserve to know exactly what happened and why it bothers him so much. However, she does learn this in in time, and he eventually allows her to listen to his most personal thoughts on... well, nearly everything. As they grow to understand each other better, she begins to provide a bit of support for him. He’s been alone for so long that sometimes he wonders if he’s truly losing his mind, but her presence reminds him that he’s not as lost as he thinks sometimes. Guardienne becomes a grounding force for him. She willingly - happily - listens to his rants and stories of his past if he agrees to talk about it, even if he’s fuming and raging the whole time, and eventually she can actually calm him down a bit. As much as he wishes to maintain a distance between them, in time he can’t help but grow a bit protective over her for personal reasons; her perspectives agree with his, she readily and willingly - even humorously, sometimes - puts up with his temperamental outbursts, eagerly speaks with him about basically anything, and wants to do something about what she feels is right or wrong. He refuses to fully acknowledge the hold she has on him - he’s not supposed to be attached to anyone in any way if his mission is to succeed- but when he stares at her as she nestles next to a stream, eyes bright and curious with innocence as she watches shimmering native fish glide by and turns to him to ask why they’re swimming up-stream instead of down, he can’t help but forget his past and feel normal with her.

She’ll eventually be made aware of Leiftan and Chrome as well. Not at first, but when Lance drags her half-way across Eldarya with him because he needs to fuck with the guard in foreign lands she’ll be dragged into their late-night-hang-out-meetings.

Leiftan quickly takes to her, Lance notices, and this is also how - in this version of the story - Guardienne finds out about her genetics. They need her strength in the war, so Leiftan will enlighten her and encourage her to train her abilities, even helping her in the few moments he can.

Lance quickly snaps at him, making sure he knows he can’t jeopardize his fake role within the guard to train her late in the night. He comes up with all sorts of excuses and aggressively reminds Leif that he can’t spend too much time around her. She’s supposed to not exist anymore and Leiftan needs to pretend like nothing is going on.

Really, though, Lance is just feeling threatened. He doesn’t want his personal source of information, good food, and entertainment to be wooed and stolen away. Good luck getting him to admit that, though.

Lance believes she’s safest with him; he’s the one outside the guard and his location and activities are unknown most of the time. All he needs to do is keep her veiled in that shroud of mysterious unknown to the guard and she’ll be impossible to find. Of course, she won’t want to just sit around forever. She’ll eventually want to be more proactive in helping him destroy the guard, and he’ll argue it at first until she becomes just so annoying that he can’t possibly stand it anymore! It’s either she helps or he kills her because she won’t shut up, so he trains her; hard and brutally. He’ll train her in how to master her demon abilities, how to gain the upper hand in any fight with any enemy, the most lethal points of different creatures, the most lethal tactics she could use, how to improve her strength, stamina, speed and stealth. He was once Chief of the Obsidian Guard; he knows how to turn a weak, scraggly runt into a masterful, fearsome warrior. When he finally sees fit, he’ll gift her with personalized equipment - bought or made specifically by him - so she can slink around the guard late at night with him. Of course, he’ll demand that she call him Ashkore on premises - or anywhere except home, really - but she’ll follow his lead in that case; she knows how important it is to remain unknown.

So how exactly do these restock or attack missions go? Well, she’s usually brought along for restock missions - where no one is supposed to know they were there in the first place - in which case her role is to stay quiet and help him throw stuff into the bag. She’ll typically be left to carrying the bags unless there’s one that’s too heavy for her to remain quiet - he’ll take the heavier bags. Lance will usually be busy designing their path out and planning their timing correctly while she focuses on following him. He doesn’t really take her on attack missions, though. He wants her to remain unknown. If a feminine figure is suddenly working with him not too long after Guardienne’s disappearance, especially since it was clear there was a rift between her and the guard, then suspicions will rise, and unfortunately those questions could then begin trace further back to reflect on Lance’s death and Ashkore’s appearance due to the similar time-frame of events. Basically, their stories and disappearance/death to villain appearance time-frame would begin to mirror each other. If she was to remain unknown then she can’t directly fight the guard, so no attack missions for her. However, Lance isn’t against turning a restock mission into a restock-attack mission if he sees the chance - he’ll just make sure she’s basically safe the rest of the way back home before enacting on it, even going as far as retracing his steps back to the guard to cause trouble.

In the original plot-line, it seems that most of the time when Lance, Leiftan and Guardienne are fighting each other it’s due mainly to the fact that Leiftan abandons the plans against the guard because he's in love with Guardienne, Lance wants Leiftan to continue against the guard, and then he realizes he needs Guardienne out of the picture so Leiftan forgets about her and so he can gain some other information he needs/use her as leverage against the guard. Since in this AU, she's happily on their side (so Leiftan isn't abandoning his plans against the guard and Lance has all access to her power/information) I can see a bit less of a rift among their team as their plans harmonize together. Instead of Leiftan and Lance fighting, Lance kidnapping Guardienne, Lance becoming reckless by putting off breaking the crystal, and many other things happening caused by the rift between them, they’d most likely collaborate and work together better, and they’d be more coordinated in attacks and better at getting to the crystal. Of course, it’s possible that Leiftan may have wanted Eldarya to be saved at some point so he could spend his life with Guardienne, but seeing how Leiftan would do nearly anything for her throughout the original plot-line, I wouldn’t be surprised if he continued his efforts against the guard knowing that she’d want him to in this AU. It would also help knowing that the guard hurt her many times in many ways, so he’d be seeking revenge for that as well.

Dragging Guardienne around Eldarya with Lance, however, has risks and consequences that could come down on top of them if not careful. One such issue is the fact that, while Lance is very good at evading the guard, occasionally he’s caught and is sent on a wild-goose chase trying to flee from them. This occasionally can put Guardienne at risk of being found out, as she’s nearly always close to him, but Lance has considered this possibility a long time ago and has already devised a plan during these times to avoid from any heavy repercussions falling back on them. He’s just fine with fleeing with her - he knows how to keep her out of sight and her equipment is lightweight enough so that she has no trouble moving swiftly and flexibly if needed - but he’s realized that it may not be the smartest idea to have her fleeing with him while clearly seeming to be working with him. Instead, Lance realized, it would be a good idea for her to act as though she’s a hostage if she’s about to be revealed. That way, if she’s captured at any point in the future, she can play the innocent victim who knows nothing, and the guard - while persistent in finding out anything she may know, no matter how little the information may be- certainly won’t hurt their precious Guardienne who has already been through so much while in the clutches of the evil Ashkore. If she’s seen as a hostage, she can use excuses like “I’m sorry, it just so hard to talk about so soon... can we continue this later”, “I honestly don’t remember much, I was so busy focusing on a possible way of escaping that I didn’t pay much attention to that detail”, and “He kept me locked away in a certain area, I don’t know if there were any landmarks around that could point to his location” to deter their questioning and buy time before she needs to reveal anything actually important, else she look like she’s protecting him. Acting as a hostage will also assure that she won’t be thrown in the prison and guarded the whole time; so being free to roam around the guard while buying time to keep important information a secret will allow Lance the time to plan a rescue mission - disguised as another easy kidnapping since she won’t be guarded - to return her to their side. This is merely a backup plan if they know she’ll likely be captured at some point, and it will only work if the guard is unaware of a female figure helping him out, but provided that everything goes smoothly it should be a solid plan with little negative effects. However, this can’t happen more than once or twice; the first time will be easily accepted by the guard, the second time she plays the innocent, panicking fool she’ll be walking the line between seeming suspicious or if she’s truly that foolish, and for her sake the second time she will need to reveal some important information. A third time and the guard would know that something is up.

These hostage situations can get quite amusing for Guardienne - despite how fragile the situation is - and, frankly, Lance would snap at her every time she snickers about this, except he finds these situations absolutely hilarious as well. They’ll be running around Eldarya, the guard occasionally cornering them before they flee, and Guardienne will do her best to attack Lance in ways that are weak enough to not actually effect anything, but are strong enough to make it look like she’s truly trying to escape. Is the guard within ear-shot and they know they’ll be found out eventually? Great, Lance has an escape plan to get out of there already, so Guardienne can throw a screeching hissy-fit at him to make it seem like she’s trying to escape. Sometimes this can aid them as well, as they can set up a maze that the guard will certainly come running through to find Guardienne, following the sound of her struggle, only to then be trapped somewhere because Lance has traps set up that Guardienne certainly couldn’t have known about since she’s a hostage. Other times she’ll do her best to attack Lance - but let’s face it, even if he did train her she would still have a hard time bringing him down if their fight was serious - and he’ll quickly disarm her in front of the guard before finding a way to gain distance from them again. This is all just to reconfirm the illusion that she’s a hostage to the guard, and of course they panic every time and believe it, but it’s knowing that they’re running circles around the guard - bringing them here and having her bait them to this location so Lance can attack them, or leading them to discover a certain fact at some point so they think they have a useful piece of information on Lance when in fact Lance is using that to draw them out in confidence so he can crush them - that they find truly amusing. The guard is being played this whole time and they keep falling for it. Even Lance can’t help but laugh at a few moments of running the guard around with Guardienne later, when they’re no longer in danger.

Of course, this all leads up to the grand finale; the final shattering of the crystal. I imagine this happening much sooner than in the original plot-line because Guardienne isn’t a hindering factor anymore, and I can see it happening with much more ease than how it originally played out. Perhaps they’ll lure the important members of the guard to another land - letting them think that they’ve caught Guardienne’s trail over there - and launch their final attack when no one who can stop them is around. They might decide to fuck with the guard one last time, running them around within the guard while Lance infiltrates the crystal room. Perhaps they decide to go out with a bang and capture the important members of the guard, binding them and closing off the crystal room so they can reveal their identities and the guard can watch as the people that were once held dear to them destroy their world while they’re helpless to do anything. It doesn’t matter much how it happens, though, at this point - with an angered dragon and two powerful demons - there’s nothing that the guard can do to stop them. In some ways it will hurt, knowing that this is the end of their beautiful story of revenge, but - no matter what happens after this - they’ll know they succeeded, and that will be the last truth Eldarya will ever know.

I think this may be one of the longer headcanons that I’ve written so far, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out! Also, Tumblr ate this ask while it was a draft once or twice (it was in the 3-draft radius of asks that were at risk of being eaten so it disappeared a few times) so it did take a bit longer to write than I’d hoped, but fortunately no progress had been deleted so I’m just fine with that.

Thank you for asking!

Have a request? Ask them here!

But first, please read the rules list for asks!

[trifle-of-doom]

The Hawk X Demetri Manifesto

Okay, here is the thing. Despite being well past my teens, there's a particular ship of Cobra Kai that has drawn my attention, this ship being Hawk/Eli x Demetri. When I first watched the show, I was actually more invested in the adult characters storylines than the teens. I immediately rooted for Johnny and Carmen, and I was always hoping for more interactions between them. But then I saw episode 2x05, in which the atmosphere between the Binary Brothers becomes way more dense, and that's when I started to see some potential for them. Not because I'm a deranged person who fosters abusive relationships, but because I immediately caught the hurt/comfort dynamic of the duo, which is something that works really well when it comes to fictional relationships. However, it wasn't until 3x10 that I said, "Ok, that's official, I need to see more of these two! I totally support them!" And I was quite surprised to find a fairly large amount of people who are very committed to this pairing, to the point it's caught the attention of the screenwriters/producers as well. Honestly, I don't know if the showrunners will ever have the guts to make them an official couple, and chances are their supporters will have to keep reading between the lines of their bromance, but in any case, here is my take on why Hawk/Eli x Demetri is an option worth to be considered.

#1 - The Bromance

If there's something that many years of navigating the Internet taught me, is that the main driving factor for fan-made ships is the presence of either a solid relationship based on mutual brotherly love or a bitter rivalry that may or may not flow into hate/obsession. If you consider anime fandoms, there are thousand examples that fit into either of these categories: Yugi and Jonouchi from the Yu-Gi-Oh series (yes, that's how old I am), Yugi and Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh, Sakuragi and Rukawa from Slam Dunk, Light and L from Death Note, etc. And our Hawk and Demetri fit into both categories. When we first see them, they are the stereotypical nerdy friends (possibly childhood friends?) sitting at the losers' table, who have no one else but each other. When Eli is at his most sensitive and fragile, you can tell he feels comfortable being with Demetri by the genuine smile he has on his face as Demetri is joking with Miguel at the canteen table. Through his sarcasm, the mouthy kid acts as a catalyst to deviate the attention from Eli, speaking for him, reprimanding Johnny when he makes fun of his lip and trying to make him feel safe. Besides, you can see a certain degree of frustration in Demetri when Kyler and his gang are harassing Eli, and he's unable to do anything to defend him. And they even have a jingle for their friendship with a robot dance, I mean, how cute is that? But of course, a solid friendship between two helpless nerdy guys is not enough to spark a ship to be rooting for. In order for the magic to happen, another key ingredient is needed, i.e. a little bit of angst. Which brings us straight to the next point.

#2 - The Angst (aka the Hurt/Comfort Dynamic)

Even though I never liked the Twilight saga or any similar urban fantasy young adult works, I can easily see where the appeal comes from; the attraction to a charming, dangerous person who could either protect you from any harm or crush you like grape. Although with different franchises, I wasn't immune to the bad boy trope either (Yes, I'm looking at you, my teenage self drooling over Grimmjow from Bleach). If we can appreciate the genuine, brotherly friendship between nerdy Eli and Demetri, the shift that Eli makes as he transitions into Hawk and becomes more aggressive and dominant gives their relationship a totally different flavor. Attrition sparks a certain tension that, in the viewer's eyes, could either flow into a brawl or into passion.

During the mall fight, Demetri comes to the realization that his former best friend is actually someone who can crush him like grape. We see Hawk intentionally harming him for the first time, and Demetri's heartbreaking expression as he drops the line: "You'd actually hurt me?" And if that line gave us a pang in our hearts when we first watched Season 2, imagine rewatching it now that we know what happens in Season 3. Demetri is chased down the mall, running for his life, and then he's locked in a grip, as his best friend menacingly advances towards him. Demetri appears as the damsel in distress, however his friend is not the one who will fight to protect him, but rather his tormentor.

During the party at Moon's, Demetri manages to briefly go through Hawk's mask and reach out to Eli, thanks to a casual conversation about Dr Who. But then the beer incident happens, and Demetri defends himself with the only weapon he has – his loudmouth. The situation is reversed, and for a brief moment, he gets to be the dominant one as he discloses all Eli's most intimate secrets. Demetri is now actively contributing to the Hurt/Comfort dynamic; he's no longer just a target, but he's doing his part to enlarge that gaping hole that has formed between them. And Hawk didn't take it well.

From this moment on, Demetri becomes a sort of obsession to Hawk, who hunts him down the school, teasing him and taunting him sadistically, like a serial killer from a horror movie, during the big fight. Of course, in real life, this would be completely insane, and the police/a social assistant/psychiatrist should be called, but in ShipLand, these situations are pure gold. Okay, we get it, Hawk wants to get revenge for the humiliation at the party, and he wants to crush that nerd part of himself he sees in Demetri, but he does it with such an intensity that it borders on ridiculous. It's like this is his twisted way to acknowledge Demetri's presence. Eventually, Hawk ends up smashed into the trophy case, and I confess I felt a little disappointed when Demetri broke that hug to give Hawk a roundhouse kick. I mean, it was a great comeback, but I was sincerely hoping for a "No hard feelings man, let's get outta here!" scenario.

Getting back to the sick and twisted way Hawk acknowledges Demetri's presence, he destroys his science project after he got jealous due to him being confident in his nerd self and laughing around with his ex girlfriend (whom the writers insist he still has a crush on). Speaking of Moon, I have a feeling she likes Hawk mostly based on his badass appearance. Remember when she goes "I like this (mohawk) and I love these (muscles), but I'm not dating a bully"?

Then the football match happens. Okay, let's break this down. Demetri trips Hawk and acts all sassy, and a fellow Cobra Kai is immediately ready to take him down, but Hawk stops him. "Fight smart, he says". Too bad that literally 5 seconds earlier he had shoved a kid to the ground just because his ex girlfriend (again, duuuh~) ignored him when he winked at her. And then, as he's trying to intercept the ball, BANG, Hawk hits Demetri, sending him to the ground, pretending it was an accident. So, what does this tell us? That Hawk has some serious anger management issues? Yeah sure, but also that he cares about fighting smart only as long as it serves as an excuse to leave Demetri for him, because he's his designated target. Again, this is all but romantic, and it doesn't necessarily have to be interpreted as him lusting after his friend, but it's undeniable that this dynamic offers a lot of ship fuel.

The arm breaking thing is just too painful to even analyze. We see a completely helpless Demetri begging for mercy to his ex best friend, who has made No Mercy his life motto. And that scream, oh that scream. All I wanted to see was Hawk realizing what he had done and throwing himself on his knees while begging for forgiveness. But I'm glad that at least we get to see he feels awful for what he's done, and I like to think that, as he got home, Eli cried out all the tears he had in his body thinking about poor Demetri at the hospital, with a swollen broken arm, all because of him. Of all the situations, this is undoubtedly the most deranged and extreme, and if something like this happened in real life, the wrongdoer would deserve to be punished and would definitely need to be sent to therapy. But in ShipLand, this opens the road to many, many different scenarios, in which the bully understands his mistakes and shifts back to the good side, or the two share a tender moment after they reconcile, or the traumatized character has to to learn to trust the other one again, or the bully becomes overprotective of his former victim, etc.

#3 - A Rewarding Reconciliation

Finally, we come to the reconciliation, in which Hawk makes his heel-to-face turn. While we've seen him torn with doubt for an entire season about his sensei's teachings, his actions and the people he wants to surround himself with, the key factor that drives Hawk's redemption is the sight of his best friend being held down for him to beat. And with an epic stunt and his awesome KEEEH screech, Hawk jumps to the rescue of his friend. Like many of us, Demetri thought this was still part of the "Only I Can Torment Him" dynamic I discussed earlier, as he steps backwards a little concerned, but then he understands that action was actually meant to save him, and the two begin to fight side by side, in sync, watching each other's back. You can see Demetri's eyes sparkling at the thought of having his friend back.

Also, not only Demetri stands up to alpha bitch Tory in defense of Eli, but he also speaks for his friend when he's faltering, just like he used to. So kudos for Demetri.

#4 - The Red Oni, Blue Oni Dynamic

Binary Brothers are two sides of the same coin and complete each other with opposite character traits, visually expressed by the color red and the color blue. Being the color red typically associated with violence, rage, passion and irrationality, as opposed to blue, which is associated with calmness, melancholy and rationality, red is clearly the dominant color. Again, this opens many interesting scenarios for shippers.

#5 - Body Language

Besides the situations I described above, which may or may not be read from a romantic/attraction standpoint, there are also a collection of small gestures I noticed when rewatching the series with a more attentive look on their relationship.

- Demetri's heart-broken expression when Eli shamefully covers his lip during the anti-bullying announcement.

- The smile Demetri gives when Hawk responds "Hell yeah!" after Aisha proposes to crash Yasmin's party, implying he's learning to embrace this new wild side of his best friend

- The astonished look with which Demetri watches Hawk at the tournament and the way he's pissed no one knows his real name.

- How deeply hurt Demetri is when Hawk belittles him by saying: "Five against three. More like two and a half." He even tries to reply, but he's caught so off guard that words die in his throat.

- How Demetri takes a step towards Hawk during the mall fight, before Sam makes him back off, and how sadly he looks at Hawk's nearly unconscious body after Robby defeated him.

- How Demetri smiles and nods when he briefly connects with Eli at Moon's party, despite the mall incident.

- How Hawk watches Demetri juggle with the cleaning product from behind his bike helmet (how did he stuff the mohawk in there by the way)?

- Hawk's psychotic/sadistic faces when he smells Demetri's blood, and how he likes to hunt him down like he's his prey.

- Hawk's secret impulse to comfort Demetri after the arm breaking (I hope you get nightmares of Demetri's howl of pain for the rest of your life, Hawk).

- The way Hawk twitches his upper lip when he sees his friend Demetri in danger.

- How Hawk and Demetri are so absorbed in their new-found friendship, that they're caught off guard, and Demetri swings Hawk to allow him to deliver a kick using their handshake as a lever. And how they keep fighting together, shaking each other's hands even when they're out of focus and the attention is on Miguel vs. Kyler.

- How they're standing so close at Miyagi Do, in comparison with the other Red/Blue partners.

In conclusion, this kind of relationships are engaging and entertaining to watch, and they make us wish the best for the characters. They make us hope that, in the end, as Miguel puts it, love really conquers all (and what is friendship if not a form of love?), despite all the hurt they did to each other.

So this is it. I hope you enjoyed my Ted Talk. Feel free to share it with whomever you want, especially if you need some solid reasons why this ship has got some good potential.

And remember: the ship is in the eye of the beholder.

F.

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Hate Project by Kris Ripper

The Love Study #2

 Adored this Carina Adores romance! It had me smiling, caring, chuckling, and hoping for the best for two rather prickly characters. I will say that the story grew on me and I was not enamored at all by the end of the first chapter BUT by the end of the second chapter I was invested and wanted to know what would happen.

 What I liked:

* The slow build of the relationship

* That the two men were not “easy” to love from the first moment you met them

* The group of friends that go by a name that would be censored if I typed it in her…they are there for one another no matter what.

* Being able to read and understand this book without having read book one in the series first

* Stepping into a world that is not my own

* Oscar: anxiety plagued, quirky, caring, organized, interesting, a person that as explained helped me understand better someone I know.

* Jack: bright, cautious, caring, loves his grandmother, a person with potential that is tapped in this story.

* That both characters became more and more real as I read, I was invested in them and their HEA was something I truly wanted them to achieve.

* Evelyn: Jack’s grandmother is a character and oh so lovable!

* The way the hoarding aspect of the story was handled

* Finding out what “The Secret” was

* All of it really except…

 What I didn’t like:

* Having to say goodbye to the characters when the book ended…

 Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Carina Adores for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 5 Stars

The Hate Project by Kris Ripper is available in eBook, trade paperback and audiobook formats on April 27th!

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

This arrangement is either exactly what they need--or a total disaster

 Oscar is a grouch.

 That’s a well-established fact among his tight-knit friend group, and they love him anyway.

 Jack is an ass.

 Jack, who’s always ready with a sly insult, who can’t have a conversation without arguing, and who Oscar may or may not have hooked up with on a strict no-commitment, one-time-only basis. Even if it was extremely hot.

 Together, they’re a bickering, combative mess.

 When Oscar is fired (answering phones is not for the anxiety-ridden), he somehow ends up working for Jack. Maybe while cleaning out Jack’s grandmother’s house they can stop fighting long enough to turn a one-night stand into a frenemies-with-benefits situation.

 The house is an archaeological dig of love and dysfunction, and while Oscar thought he was prepared, he wasn’t. It’s impossible to delve so deeply into someone’s past without coming to understand them at least a little, but Oscar has boundaries for a reason—even if sometimes Jack makes him want to break them all down.

 After all, hating Jack is less of a risk than loving him…

 The Love Study

Book 1: The Love Study (available now!)

Book 2: The Hate Project (available April 27)

Book 3: The Life Revamp (coming November 30)

  Add The Hate Project to your Goodreads!

   EXCERPT

I’d never had friends until college. And even then, I wouldn’t have had friends except that Ronnie and I were freshman year roommates (before she transitioned, obviously), and she was friends with Dec and Mase and Mia, and they came around a lot and just sort of looped me in. It happened slowly over that first year and suddenly I had…friends.

What’s that thing with snake poison, where you take it in small doses every day to grow your immunity to it? That’s what happened with the Motherfuckers. Eventually I built up a tolerance to their, like, happiness and friendliness and optimism. Now my brain just recognizes them as a part of me. The same thing probably happened to them: eventually they built up a tolerance to my moods and freak-outs.

The most important thing you need to know about my friends is that they’re all way better people than I am. You can tell because they threw me a pity party. There’s the aforementioned Declan and Sidney, who got together during the commission of a video series called The Love Study on Sidney’s YouTube channel. Then there’s Mia and Ronnie, disgustingly married to each other. And the last of the official Motherfuckers is Mason, who once tried to get married (to Dec) and was left at the altar (by Dec). Which was awkward for a while, but now it’s fine. Though of all of us Mase is the one who wants a white picket fence and 2.5 kids.

Sounds fucking awful to me, but to each his own, I don’t judge, whatever floats your life raft, et cetera.

Since I didn’t want to get my impotent rage-slash-panic germs on anyone, I took up a seat in the corner and didn’t leave it except to use the bathroom and acquire victuals. By which I mean vegan, gluten-free, cauliflower-based pizza that turned out to be delicious. It used to be that my friends had an informal rotation for who’d sit with me, trading off for the duration of the social event, but that was before Jack. Jack was new to the group. Dec had collected him from work, and for reasons I didn’t understand (I would have suspected sexual favors if I didn’t know better), he kept mostly showing up to drinks with the Motherfuckers. And was now also on the invite list for ad hoc gatherings to celebrate catastrophic job loss.

Jack and I had no other setting with each other than arguing. Since neither of us was all that nice (and everyone else in the Motherfuckers was very nice), it worked out. He thinks he knows everything, I definitely know everything, and even though for the most part we would arrive at the same point from different angles, we spent most of our fights poking at each other’s angles to prove they were incorrect.

I probably shouldn’t have been surprised when it turned out bickering was actually foreplay.

Since the party was in my honor I was obligated to stay through dinner, and I did. In my corner. Weathering the well-intended reassurances of my friends was hard enough, but when Dec brought out one of those quirky adult card games where kittens exploded I had to get the hell out of there. Too much goodness on a bad day.

Jack apparently had a similar thought. It wasn’t the first time we’d made our escape at the same moment. This time, instead of parting ways on the sidewalk with a lukewarm we know each other through friends wave, both of us stopped.

He stopped a second before I did, which I immediately decided made him more desperate. It wasn’t charitable, but I believe in keeping track of who has the advantage in any encounter. Even a one-off.

“I live ten minutes away,” he said.

“Good for you.”

His lips twisted a little, from not-smile to not-impressed. “This is a pity fuck, Oscar. Take it or leave it.” With that he turned and made for a black two-door something-something on the other side of the street.

I hesitated. For about five seconds. But following up a pity party with a pity fuck sounded about right. “Just to clarify,” I called as I caught up with him, “I don’t do relationships.”

He hit a button that unlocked his car. “Just to clarify, I’m not offering one.”

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories featuring beloved romance tropes, where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

 A new Carina Adores title is available each month in trade paperback, ebook and audiobook formats.

●      The Hideaway Inn by Philip William Stover (available now!)

●      The Girl Next Door by Chelsea M. Cameron (available now!)

●      Just Like That by Cole McCade (available now!)

●      Hairpin Curves by Elia Winters (available now!)

●      The Love Study by Kris Ripper (available now!)

●      The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher (available now!)

●      Just Like This by Cole McCade (available now!)

●      Teddy Spenser Isn’t Looking for Love by Kim Fielding (available now!)

●      Best Laid Plans by Roan Parrish (available now!)

●      Hard Sell by Hudson Lin (coming May 25)

●      For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes (coming August 31)

●      Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert (coming September 28)

●      Meet Me in Madrid by Verity Lowell (coming October 26)

●      The Life Revamp by Kris Ripper (coming November 30)

  Buy The Hate Project by Kris Ripper Links

Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335509178_the-hate-project.html

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335509178

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Love-Study-The-Hate-Project-2-Reissue-Edition-Paperback-9781335509178/964923621

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hate-Project-Love-Study-Book-ebook/dp/B08FBCCK63

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-hate-project-kris-ripper/1138917233

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-hate-project/id1526452840

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kris_Ripper_The_Hate_Project?id=qpv1DwAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-hate-project

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kris Ripper lives in the great state of California and zir pronouns are ze/zir. Kris shares a converted garage with a kid, can do two pull-ups in a row, and can write backwards. (No, really.) Ze has been writing fiction since ze learned how to write, and boring zir stuffed animals with stories long before that.

 Connect with the Author

Website: https://krisripper.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/405062456366636/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kris_Ripper

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krisripper/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8053438.Kris_Ripper

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kris-Ripper

[bluerosesburnblue]

It’s just now occurring to me that Seren/Talbott makes significantly more sense if you know how I’ve re-written several sidequests to better fit Seren’s personality, which I keep forgetting is not how canon went because half of these quests came out way too long ago and I’m far too attached to my rewrites

The only things that Talbott knows about Seren in Year 1 are that when she was announced for their sorting ceremony a LOT of people started whispering (about Jacob, the Dwyn Family getting kicked off of the Sacred Purebloods list, etc.) and that she sits in front of him during Transfigurations. Once he hears about what Jacob did, his curiosity is settled and he doesn’t think about her at all

I’m putting the Hagrid’s Birthday timed quest to Year 2, after you help Hagrid save Fang. That would make sense of the fact that Fang has a name and Merula’s dialogue about Dumbledore giving MC 100 House Points. And Hagrid’s birthday is December 6, so… that’s when the quest happens! December 6, 1985. (Probably starts a few days earlier, like the 3rd or 4th to account for party planning time)

This is relevant because of the moment where MC is keeping watch of Fang while Merula and Ismelda are teasing Talbott in the background by levitating his clothes and flinging him around. In the canon version of that quest, a Niffler (possibly Sickleworth since the quest came out after he was introduced?) chases them off. But, since I’m putting it in Year 2 before Rakepick is at Hogwarts there’s no reason for that Niffler (assuming it is Sickleworth) to be there

In my rewritten version it’s Seren who goes over and chases them off, because she’s not oblivious and even in Year 2, when she’s still super shy, she’s not just gonna let Merula pull something like this. It’s one of those rare moments in the early years where you can catch a glimpse of who Seren’s going to become, where she gets very assertive and fearless. It’s only because she’s defending someone else at this time, it’ll start to become her default state in later years

Of course, she’s still extremely shy and awkward and so is Talbott, so when she asks him if he’s okay he just... freezes and doesn’t say anything. And Seren doesn’t know what to do so after, like, 30 seconds of silence and just staring at each other she just kinda nervously screeches “OKAY, GREAT,” and jogs off with Fang

This is the moment that Talbott starts taking real notice of Seren. He hasn’t had anyone stick up for him like that. He remembers her sorting, now he’s trying to put together a profile of her. Figure out what she’s all about. He’s so curious, she seems so similar to him sometimes, but then she gets these bursts of confidence. Part of him wants to drop it, he figures it doesn’t matter. But then Penny (who is both Seren’s friend and her roommate) starts tutoring him in Potions and she’s telling him all these stories and he’s just getting even more invested in figuring out “what’s the deal with Seren Dwyn?”

Seren doesn’t remember the incident at all. It wasn’t the first time she’d ever chased Merula off from bullying someone, and her mind was preoccupied with party planning so she just never thought about it again. She won’t remember it even happened unless Talbott brings it up, and her response is just going to be “Wait. That was you? WAIT-”

After that moment in Year 2, they don’t interact again until Year 5. Talbott has been keeping an eye on her out of sheer curiosity for years and Seren hasn’t thought about him at all

So, that brings us to the Animagus quest, which I changed a lot. Not that there was necessarily anything wrong with it, but it was the first Timed Sidequest and was teased for long enough that I’d... kind of already plotted out how I wanted most of it to go by the time it did. Also, a good chunk of it didn’t fit with Seren’s character at all

So, first of all, third year? For one of the most difficult pieces of Transfiguration magic? Uagadou school teaches it to 14-year-olds, so it’s possible, but they’re teaching it professionally and MC is flailing about with just Talbott and Penny figuring it out in the canon quest, so I’m gonna give that year a no. Also, it makes more sense for this to occur after the second Rita quest, otherwise why would Dumbledore have to explain Animagi and the registry if MC’s already an Animagus? Personally, I’m placing the start of it in late November of fifth year (1988 – maybe January 1989)

I’m also not a fan of the fact that we’re doing this just because Penny wants to brew a tough potion. Personally, I don’t see Seren and Penny as that close. They’re friends, but I generally play it more like Penny’s more invested in their friendship than Seren is. Not to mention it completely kills any sense of agency MC has, and I’m really not a fan of all of their friends trying to force a potentially dangerous, potentially illegal life choice on them for reasons such as “I want to brew a tough potion!” and “It would be cool!” If Penny or Seren messed up even a little she could end up as a half-human-half-animal amalgamation permanently! Think of Hermione’s Polyjuice Potion mishap from Chamber of Secrets but for the rest of your life. Seren would make a life-changing, potentially dangerous decision like this for Jacob’s sake only. So the rewritten motivation is looking for any edge on the search because she’s getting frustrated that it’s been five+ years since he’s disappeared and she still can’t find him, but she has found notes suggesting that he was an unregistered Animagus (such as the potion recipe being in his room)

She’s partially trying to figure out what Jacob’s Animagus form is. If it’s informed by your personality and everyone tells her she’s “just like her brother”… then maybe her form would be close enough that she could figure out what his is (or, in a lucky break, exactly the same as his)

She gets the idea after the second Rita quest, and spends the end of Year 4/beginning of Year 5 studying up on the Animagus process and looking for any opportunity to make it work

And, because Year 5 is the year she’s stuck in detention and thus, under intense scrutiny from the faculty, it opens up opportunities to sneak out for the Vault search if she needs to so she sees little downside in trying

Seren would not be open about doing this. So cut out pretty much any friends being told about it or getting directly involved. This is a Secret Seren Project, which is pretty typical of her, actually

She’s also not gonna have Penny just brew the whole dang potion. In fact, she’s not gonna involve Penny at all. (Seren’s capable of doing things on her own, game. She doesn’t need Penny to stand next to her and tell her what to do every time she tries to brew a potion). Because she has no intention of registering (it would defeat the point of using it to sneak around), she doesn’t want anyone involved because then they become accomplices. Also, Seren just likes doing things for herself. I think she’s a little offended every time Penny refuses to let her brew potions for the Vaults

Also, no McGonagall involvement! She’s not planning on registering. Why would you tell a teacher you’re gonna commit a crime?

The only time Professor McGonagall gets involved is Seren asking theoretical questions about the Animagus process under the guise of both OWL studying and because Seren’s just known to ask questions about theoretical magic (“Do potential Animagi keep the leaf in their mouth to absorb saliva from all parts of a biological lunar cycle, or is it more a demonstration of perseverance to focus the soul?”)

So the actual meat of the quest starts pretty much the same. Tulip and Barnaby bring up Talbott at lunch one day and Tulip mentions that he seems to know a lot about Animagi. Seren shows mild interest, but not much beyond that (“What? Seems like a lot of work for not much help, to be honest.”) Secretly, she’s ecstatic because she’s finally got a chance at making an Animagus transformation work beyond what she’s read about it (the potion she could do on her own, but he might be able to show her the spell and probably won’t turn her in to the wizard cops)

She asks Talbott about it at dinner when all of her friends are gone and she’s pretty sure nobody’s around to hear it. Talbott still overheard them, and still references it, but it’s more of an “I heard what you were discussing at lunch” thing. She asks him what he knows, they do their little back-and-forth. Then he brings up that she’s got a reputation for helping people with occasionally sketchy things with no questions asked (*cough*CHARLIE AND THE DRAGON EGG*cough*) and she’s pretty forthcoming about it (“Just keep in mind that I’m both a Prefect and in eternal detention, so request wisely.”)

Secretly, Talbott is very excited. Seren contacted him first and finally gave him an excuse to follow her around and finally get those answers about what her deal is that he’s been craving for years. He’s not even thinking about her as a possible friend or anything, he just wants to figure out what makes her just... act for the sake of others, completely without thinking about damage to herself, and with such wild conviction that every year she seems to outdo herself in wild success with tasks that should be way above the average student’s skill. Part of it reminds him of his parents, but he’s also just found her so interesting from afar (made even worse when Seren goes through her drastic change in presentation at the start of Year 4 and starts acting like she did when she chased Merula off all the time). She’s like the world’s most intricate puzzle

In this rewrite, Talbott is still looking for potion ingredients for Penny, but they’re not for an Animagus potion. They’re for the Draught of Peace that she’s making to help out Madam Pomfrey because she’s being overwhelmed with kids coming in overly stressed about OWLs and NEWTs, and Penny knows what it feels like to be so stressed that you feel you need the potion (but she also respected Seren’s advice to not take it to deal with the Beatrice situation, at least not without Madam Pomfrey’s supervision). It ends up being a “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” between Talbott and Seren. Help me break into Filch’s office to get confiscated potions supplies because Professor Snape won’t let Penny borrow enough to make all of the Draught of Peace that she wants to, and I’ll teach you what I know about being an Animagus. Talbott has them pick up the materials for the Animagus potion while they’re collecting stuff for Penny. He’s tempted to ask Seren about herself, but just ends up staying silent and watching how she handles getting the ingredients

Seren is way less pushy about being Talbott’s friend than MC is in the quest. She still teases him about his use of “we” but it’s more of a partners-in-crime jab. Like, it’s Seren. She can relate to everyone thinking you’re a weirdo. She can relate to wanting to go solo and avoid people. She’s not even sure how she has friends, they just sort of happened. So when Talbott says “I fly solo,” Seren doesn’t tell him “everyone needs friends,” she says “Understood. But I’m here to help if you ever need some.”

They deliver Penny’s stuff and she’s honestly surprised they’re hanging out. Talbott insists that Seren’s only there because he needed to get into Filch’s office, Penny buys it because this really isn’t the first time Seren’s helped someone without question. Heck, this isn’t the first time Seren’s done weird things to get potion ingredients for her. So Talbott gets to teaching Seren about the Animagus transformation (and supervises her. They’re not friends! But he doesn’t want her to get seriously injured doing this. This is the girl that stuck up for him years ago)

Because it’s Seren, she’s got the entire Animagus process planned down to the second. She’s scheduled her leaf-in-mouth thing to overlap with Christmas break, which she plans to spend in Hogwarts and won’t need to talk to anyone during (Wed. Nov 23 –  Fri. Dec 23 1988, with Dec 23 – Sat. Jan 21 1989 as a backup date if she swallows the leaf. She’s praying for luck with the full moons). She’s got an old-fashioned windup alarm and an almanac to get the times for dawn and dusk right (and Christmas break means she’ll have the dorm room to herself, so she won’t wake up her roommates and give away what she’s doing). She’s even got some gum to secure the leaf to the roof of her mouth/under her tongue

Her plans get derailed HARD when Bill and Charlie decide to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas to keep her company because she stayed during fourth year to avoid going home to parents who were going to ignore her or yell at her, and who hadn’t had it in them to celebrate Christmas for years, when at least she gets decorations at Hogwarts (she told Charlie this, so naturally Bill knows). She’s forced to bring them in to what she’s doing (“But you can’t tell anyone! You’re accomplices to a crime now!”)

She actually really appreciates it. She tears up a little. But seriously, boys, this was not the best time to do that

They can’t help her keep track of doing the spell at dawn, but they can totally run shouting at her when dusk’s approaching. She ends up keeping the leaf in her mouth on the first try

Talbott also stayed over for Christmas because he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go

Heck, I could see Seren inviting him to sit with them for Christmas breakfast and the four of them just sharing a nice, happy moment for once. Seren gives out gifts. Charlie is DELIGHTED at the dragon sculpture that she enchanted to move around (and she’s delighted that it actually worked. She jumps up and cheers when it bursts out of the box like she planned). She even gives Talbott some cookies she baked (“Consider them a thank-you for all of your help with that project.”)

Also, Seren starts singing Christmas songs at breakfast and Professor Flitwick overhears. He IMMEDIATELY starts trying to get her to come back to the Frog Choir after she joined briefly in Year 4 and then quit at the end of the year. But, oh man, professor, she quit for a reason and now she’s a Prefect, too, and there’s just no TIME…

Gobstones with Talbott in the courtyard still happens, but this time it’s over winter break and there’s no one out there to hear him confess his backstory to her, and no one around to see him transform into an eagle and fly off. It’s a huge show of trust to Seren now, and not one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen bird boy do

Seren hides the Animagus potion at the top of one of the abandoned towers that she walks near during her Prefect patrols (probably the Lookout Tower due to the open area) and uses her patrol schedule to go hide it. Do Prefects even need to patrol during winter break? I mean, probably. There’s still kids there and likely a shortage of Prefects

Choses a thundersnow storm at some point during the break to complete the ritual. It is freezing, and very dramatic. Bill and Charlie are there just in case something goes horribly wrong

Seren transforms into a raven and it’s the happiest she’s been in a long freaking time. She perches on Bill’s arm, she perches on Charlie’s shoulder. She changes back and she’s laughing and crying and just so happy that it all worked so well and it’s like, a tangible thing. It’s physical proof that she’s getting skilled enough to get Jacob back. And it’s the best Christmas present she’s ever given herself

The three of them get caught by Professor McGonagall leaving the tower, but do a bit where they pretend that Seren heard something up there during a patrol and called them over to help her investigate it just in case, but it was just the wind knocking the loose door around. Bill does an excellent performance miming the door swinging back and forth while Charlie nods enthusiastically. It’s very convincing, I assure you. McGonagall does let them go, assuming they were just getting up to some Christmas fun

At some point a particular golden eagle hanging out in the Owlery gets his day rudely interrupted by a very loud and excitable raven. He can hear Seren giggle out a “thank you” when she leaves. He’d never admit it, but he found it charming. And then immediately tried to convince himself that he did not think that about her, because it’s dangerous to get attached (but it’s already begun to be too late for that)

(Side note, but Rowan eventually finds out by accident late Year 5. She stumbles into Seren transformed in their dorm, freaks out that there’s a bird in there, and Seren has to transform back and tell her everything to calm her down. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier!?” “I DIDN’T WANT YOU TO BE AN ACCOMPLICE!”)

After everything that happens in the quest, Talbott’s started developing a friend-crush on Seren. She’s quiet and respects his space, she’s pretty damn smart (he’s particularly impressed at how much she knew about the Animagus process without him telling her), and there’s something about how dedicated she is to whatever she decides to do that interests him

Seren kind of thought that at the end of the quest, she and Talbott already were friends. And she was really happy to have a friend with the same sense of humor as her, who she could have some really interesting discussions with. But...

After worrying that he’s starting to like her too much, Talbott kinda ignores Seren for a couple of months, which makes her upset but she doesn’t know how to bring it up with him. Then Flying Solo happens around the beginning of April. It’s 80% the same, minus MC being pushy about being Talbott’s friend. Other minor changes are:

When learning Obliviate from Flitwick, Seren insists that both of them do the spell as it’s only fair, and she catches on easily since she’s started Legilimency training by then which gives her an edge with mind-based spells

Instead of telling Talbott some big secret, Seren goes on a five minute rant about how much she hates potatoes (”You’ll never forget how much I hate them when I’m done!”). Talbott tells her that he’s wanted to talk to her since their second year when she saved him from Merula but he didn’t know how. This elicits the above “Wait, that was you?” response before he Obliviates her

Seren ends up being really shaky and mumbling a bit after Talbott Obliviates her, and he’s terrified that he messed something up before she gets herself coherent enough to say that she felt this exact sensation earlier in the year (Pettigrew Obliviating MC). This relates to my headcanon that as a Legilimens, Seren’s more sensitive to mental spells like Obliviate. Flitwick recalls the incident and assures Talbott that Seren will be fine, Seren thanks Talbott for finally proving to her that she was Obliviated that night

Talbott and Seren agree to tell each other what they Obliviated. Seren tells him about the potato rant at the fountain that night when they’re waiting for Merula to show up, and Merula shows up just before Talbott can tell Seren about when she helped him in Year 2. He never does tell her, Seren forgets that he was supposed to entirely (though I think he will when they’re adults)

The thing about Year 5 Seren is that she’s... uh... constantly about to snap at any given moment, so the idea of Merula finding out about not just her illegal Animagus status, but Talbott’s (which, funny enough, is even better blackmail material because Seren prioritizes others over herself) sets her off. Bad. When it comes time to Obliviate Merula, Seren just tells Talbott to follow her lead, he already did his part getting Merula there

Seren successfully Obliviates Merula and then, less than a second after, Depulsos her into the wall. Talbott is just... stunned and confused as Seren walks up to Merula ranting about how she can’t do anything without Merula following her, makes a show of reluctantly apologizing “but you really startled the shit out of me!” and drags her up by her sleeve

The goal was to overwhelm Merula so that she wouldn’t even have time to process what was happening or that she could have been Obliviated. It works. A very disoriented Merula asks what happened and Seren pointedly pulls a notebook from her bag and slams it into Talbott’s chest “I was trying to help Talbott catch up on our Tranfigurations work when you came up behind me shouting! If you need Rakepick so bad, she’s not here. Can’t even do something as simple as this without you getting involved, can I!?”

Merula leaves after questioning what Seren even has to do with Talbott anyway, which lets both of them know that the Obliviation worked. Talbott’s kind of confused about his feelings because that whole display was both very smart, but very aggressive and a little intimidating. When he asks her about why she even helped him at all she tells him that she “wasn’t about to let Merula put you in danger, especially since it was my fault anyway.” It really clicks for him in that moment that Seren will genuinely go to any length she needs to to protect others, and that what’s been driving her though the Vaults is her loyalty to Jacob, that unstoppable sense of determination, and this overwhelming feeling of responsibility for everyone’s safety. He’d always though she was clever enough to be a Ravenclaw, but now he sees that the core of her is Hufflepuff ideals taken to the extreme. There’s a new sense of respect there. And then the “oh no I’m getting attached” fears kick in again

He tries to give Seren her notebook back, she insists he keep it. It’s actually just a copy of her notes that she made using Geminio that she was planning on giving him anyway to help with the classes he missed. Talbott still insists that they’re not friends. Seren doesn’t fight it. After all, she just almost exposed his secret. Even if she set it right, she knew that the breach of trust alone was probably going to be the end of things. Besides, she’s been pushing away everyone all year. What’s... one more? Especially if he’s going to push himself away

She wasn’t planning to pursue it anymore until talking with Penny over lunch and realizing that even if she kept Talbott’s secret from getting out, something’s still bothering him. And dammit, even if he doesn’t want to be her friend no one else seems to care that something’s up with him and no one deserves to be just left to struggle alone the same way that she was when Jacob went missing. So she talks to McGonagall, finds out about the necklace, firmly informs Talbott that she’s going to find it, no, she’s not leaving, just tell me where you were you don’t even have to come with me, but I am finding that necklace

The necklace search goes the same as it does in canon

During their talk at night after finding the necklace, Talbott asks Seren why she was so determined to find his necklace out of nowhere. She pulls her locket that she keeps under her clothes off and holds it in her hands for a few moments before responding “Because if I couldn’t bear the thought of losing mine, I can’t imagine what you must’ve felt.” She opens it up and hold it out for Talbott to take

He’s the first person at Hogwarts to see the enchanted picture inside that locket. Two kids, one as young as three years old, posing in front of an ivy-covered wall. The little girl is holding a plush baby seal in front of the bottom half of her face. Her brother tries to get her to smile and accidentally knocks the plush out of her hands. She looks like she’s about to cry before he scrambles to pick the plush up and starts tickling her face with it, saying something that can’t be heard. The little girl starts giggling and her brother hugs her before indicating the camera for her to smile at

“That’s him.” It’s not a question; Talbott can tell by their resemblance exactly who the boy in the photo is. Seren moves to stand next to him to look at the photo, too. “Yeah. That’s the boy who started it all. Jacob.”

After four years, Talbott finally gets what the deal with Seren Dwyn is. They talk a bit, he becomes one of the few people to learn that her father’s a Squib, her mother’s a Muggleborn, and her grandmother’s a Pureblood supremacist that hates all of them. She figures it’s only fair to share since he told her all about his parents. Seren admits that she’s jealous; she would’ve rather had parents that she believed loved her for a time, even if they were gone, than parents that she knew would never want her and that could easily come back to remind her even if she did leave. It’s a conversation that illuminates all of their similarities and differences. The mutual respect they have for how strong the other must have been to deal with the suffering, the appreciation for each others’ wit, the realization at how naturally they work together...

Talbott can’t deny that he thinks of her as his friend anymore. But to his surprise, she tells him no.

“Talbott, I’m going to strongly advise against that.”

“What? You can’t go to all this trouble and tell me we’re not friends now.”

“I just- I’m not- I can’t really stop you, but I get involved in dangerous situations every year and I don’t want you to feel you have to- to care about...”

“It’s a little late for that.”

“...I know.”

He thinks she’s cute when she’s flustered. Oh wait no oh no is this a crush???

After this it’s a little more flimsy. Not sure what exactly I want to do with them for Year 6 because I’m not entirely sure how much of Year 6 I’m going to want to rewrite. I know that I definitely want Talbott to find Seren, who still traumatized about the Portrait Vault, sitting on the ground when waiting for the Hogwarts Express. She clearly hasn’t slept and is only partially responsive. Even though she’s supposed to go in for a meeting with the other Prefects on the ride over, she ends up falling asleep in a quiet cabin that she got with Talbott. He doesn’t wake her up and hides her from any Prefects that come looking for her (which ends up just being Charlie and the other Hufflepuff Prefect in their year)

Full disclosure that I haven’t finished the Festival sidequest yet, but I’m considering keeping it sans Talbott revealing himself as Seren’s secret admirer. Not wholly sure where to slot that in, though it would probably be just after Flying Solo but before the Portrait Vault putting it... late April/early May of 1989 or so?

[juleswritesbookreviews]

01. Recipe for a Perfect Wife, Karma Brown

**SPOILER WARNING**

Genre: Historical fiction & Women’s fiction / Chick-lit

First Impressions: I liked how the cover featured a vintage painting of a housewife on a bold red background, because it draws the eye to the cover. The cover also looks worn in some places, which is a neat little touch, since it’s about an old cookbook.

Summary: Basically, Alice and her husband Nate move to the suburbs after Alice “quits” her job and she undergoes a journey of self-discovery with the help of the previous owner’s old family cookbook.

What I liked: Alice was a very likeable character. We all make mistakes, and in her case I don’t blame her for lying to Nate about her job and getting an IUD, to name a few (sis had a LOT of secrets). I also liked how Alice knew she wasn’t ready for kids and got an IUD, instead of feeling like she absolutely had to have kids or else she wouldn’t be fulfilled as a woman. She also doesn’t cave to her husband, who I personally hated because the entire novel he was only thinking about himself.

The old-school recipes were also a nice touch, though reading the ingredient lists made me realize how blessed I am to not have been alive when the 50s were committing sins against tastebuds. Anyone who likes gelatin salads can fight me, because they are one-hundred-percent disgusting.

What I didn’t like: Nate, Alice’s husband, literally began tracking her menstrual cycle to make sure they had sex when she’d be her most fertile. That’s literally so creepy and not to mention a big breach of Alice’s own autonomy. Any man who thinks it’s sexy or a turn on when they mention how fertile a woman currently is can take several seats and listen to a presentation on ‘How to not be a Total Creep’. He also puts the house up for sale without consulting Alice, because of a promotion he wanted to accept all the way on the other side of the US. Worst of all, when Alice catches his a** in the lie, he acts as though she’s the one who’s being selfish by not wanting to pop out kids right away. Dude was a complete buttmunch, in my opinion. 

I also found Nellie Murdoch, the previous owner of the house and whom Alice begins to feel a kinship with, lacking in background development. I wish we had gotten to see more of her life, instead of the briefest of flashbacks to her awful life with her no-good husband Richard. I did, however, like how it is revealed that in her family’s secret seasoning mix, she put foxglove in it and slowly poisoned her husband. Nellie had time, and her patience paid off when Richard dies and she is freed from his controlling behaviour. 

Overall Reading Experience: I personally wasn’t able to read this book all in one go, as some parts just did not grab my attention. I felt as though there was also a bit of filler, which definitely made me not really invested in finding out what happened next. 

Overall, I give this book three stars out of five. While it was a sweet story about women making their voices and feelings heard, it wasn’t really groundbreaking or anything special to write home about. 

Do I recommend this book? If you’re on vacation and want something not very fast-paced, then this is ideal for you. If you’re just cruising for a new read, look elsewhere.

- Jules

[drink-n-watch]

I have to admit, I overdid it with episode reviews this season. I am very happy for this between season respite. I only have two posts to write tonight which means I actually had some time to enjoy anime! Crazy right!

And you know what else. This episode of Dr. Stone did something the series hasn’t been able to do in a while. The closing credits caught me by surprise! The episode blew by. Nothing better than high action to make time fly!

What I thought Would Happen

I figured it would be ingredient of the week. I admit I completely forgot that the next ingredient was ammonia which is somewhat more accessible than the rest. I figured it would be yet another scientific adventure for an episode or two, while the brawn kept practising for the Grand Bout.

I also figured they would absolutely need to get Kinro his own glasses before the start of the tournament. I mean I thought they would do so last episode and they didn’t even get to the reveal so I was sure they would this episode, dividing Senku’s talents between completing the drug and preparing a new pair of glasses!

What Did Happen

Like I mentioned, this week’s super secret ingredient was ammonia so that took a cool 5 seconds to get! But before that, Senku, Chrome and Ginro returned with the acid to an honestly heartwarming welcome. It caught me a bit off guard and I awwwed.

The bulk of the episode was actually dedicated to the beginning of the bout. First Ginro and Senku tried to find every possible way to almost, if not actually, cheat much to Kinro’s despair. First they signed up Senku for the bout figuring he could tire out the competition a bit or at least give one of them a free pass should they get paired up. I’m not sure if this is in fact against the rules of the bout but it is definitely against the spirit.

All this was moot however as the first match up ended up being Magma and Kinro. Since the ultimate plan was to have a tired Magma face off against a fresh Kinro, this was the worst possible outcome so it was time for plan B.

That turned out to be Senku’s homemade energy drink which definitely wasn’t cheating but Ginro ended up drinking it instead so that plan goes down as well. To make things worst, Magma’s goon kidnaps Suika in a bid to lure Kohaku away (their best hope after Kinro), really ramping up the pressure.

The rest of the episode was .dedicated to the Magma vs Kinro fight, including a hilarious last minute power up.

What About the Characters

Have I mentioned how much I like Kohaku. I have, I definitely have! I still do.

Ginro and Kinro are a bit flat as characters. Ginro can get a tad annoying, not entirely unlike Zenitsu, but in his good moments he is rather enjoyable. His sleazy connection to Senku was pretty funny, so when the character is good I’m glad he’s around. Also like Zenitsu. And they’re both blonde! Coincidence? Yes, for sure!

On the other hand, Kinro is your classic stoic straight edge guy. Unyielding disciplined and strong! By himself, he’s not really a character that could carry a narrative but his role is actually rather minimal. Although we saw him a lot this week, for the most part, he was silent and simply there for the action. Like a Mecha or something. Used in this kind of moderation, Kinro becomes a great foil for the rest of the lunatics he hangs out with. This also allows Kohaku to be a bot eccentric as well since there’s another straight man to fill the role.

The few seconds we saw Ruri we’re possibly the most interesting. It seems she may not simply be a keeper of tales, the episode hinted at some divination, like an oracle or something. If this is actually the case (and her implied knowledge certainly grabbed Senku’s attention as well), I really look forward to the clash between science and clairvoyance. Seems like that would have a load of possibilities.

So although we haven’t gotten to know Ruri enough for me to be attached to the character beyond wanting her sister to be happy, I certainly am intrigued by the mystery of Ruri. For that reason I look forward to seeing more of her.

What I Liked

I’ve been wracking my brain to figure out why this episode tickled my fancy so. I think it may come down to pacing. The episode moved swiftly from scene to scene but made sure to logically set up everything. It flowed logically. Every reaction made sense and was set up in some way.

Even more surprising (although I couldn’t tell you why) is that the fight between Magma and Kinro really kept me interested. For one it was very well animated. The blocking and framing was such that I could always tell exactly what was going on. Also, I understand inherently the rules of this universe and therefor this fight. I can tell what hits are hurting and what is supposed to be impressive. As such, I could easily get invested in the action.

The fight was also broken up with scenes from the other characters as they have the benefit of having in show spectators. That means you can move the camera away from the action without taking the audience completely out of the fight, we see the spectators reactions and hear what’s happening. This type of action structure is very common in sports anime and I’ve always been fond of it. It allows you to stay in the moment without getting exhausted.

I really like how the whole group is coming together as a team. They work well as an ensemble cast with each character having their place and no one feeling superfluous.

And after me screaming to get Kinro some glasses ALL of last episode and most of this episode, he did. And it was more satisfying than I could ever have imagined.

What I Liked Less

Kinro was fine this episode but he was right on the edge of not fine. Why did he drink his brother’s energy drink and then eat all the ingredients? I mean aside from plot of course. It seemed like a particularly stupid move and the episode just glossed over it. If I had been there I would have screamed at him or at least asked why he would do such a thing.

I know I just said I loved that Kinro got his glasses but it kind of bothered me that not only did Suika’s watermelon rind fit him perfectly but her prescription was perfect for him. C’mon Dr Stone, you don’t usually go the Deus Ex Machina route this obviously. We even saw them give Suika an eye exam, having her raise her hand when images were clearer so they basically went out of their way to point out this little contrivance making it much easier for the audience to notice.

Closing Thoughts

There’s nothing for it guys, as far as I’m concerned this week’s Dr Stone is a good episode coming of the heels of half a dozen other good episodes. I hate to get my hopes up but they are way up!

Mood: Excited

  Dr. Stone Episode 13 – Round 1 I have to admit, I overdid it with episode reviews this season. I am very happy for this between season respite.

[booksandtea]

Video Game Recommendations| #Blogoween So I wanted to do a post on horror games to fit into blogoween but I realised I haven’t really played that many. Or at least many that people may think of when thinking of horror games.

You have the big names; the Amnesia series and Slender: The Eight Pages games that shot pewdiepie (one | two) into the spotlight and which for me at least are when horor games became more popular. I tried both of the games named but neither really did anything for me.

Much later we see the rise of the Five Nights at Freddy’s series which I also tried at the height of its hype and wasn’t fond of.

It wasn’t a case that any of these games were too scary to play, they just didn’t offer enough for me to get invested in them. If I were to return to any of these games it would be Amnesia as its a lot more story focused.

But fear not. Or do fear! I do have a small list of games that I can recommend in the horror genre, or at least have horror elements to them.

RESIDENT EVIL 5 (2009): “The Umbrella Corporation and its crop of lethal viruses have been destroyed and contained. But a new, more dangerous threat has emerged. Years after surviving the events in Raccoon City, Chris Redfield has been fighting the scourge of bio-organic weapons all over the world. Now a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA), Chris is sent to Africa to investigate a biological agent that is transforming the populace into aggressive and disturbing creatures. Joined by another local BSAA agent, Sheva Alomar, the two must work together to solve the truth behind the disturbing turn of events.”

I probably played this back in 2009 or 2010 on the XBOX and its actually the only Resident Evil game that I’ve completed all the way through. I actually really enjoyed this game and at the time the hardest thing I found was keeping an eye on my health.

Lots of zombie fun which means its kinda gorey! But yay to weird mutations.

RUSTY LAKE HOTEL (2016): “Welcome our guests to the Rusty Lake Hotel and make sure they will have a pleasant stay. There will be 5 dinners this week. Make sure every dinner is worth dying for!

Rusty Lake Hotel a unique puzzle-escape game with a surreal, strange setting inspired by David Lynch’s TV series Twin Peaks.”

I love the Rusty Lake series, I’ve only played Hotel but I do also own Roots. Both of these I’ve seen Dodger play through but Hotel is probably my favourite of the two.

In RLH you have 5 guests staying and for 5 days you have to procure the ingredients for a meal by doing tasks and puzzles for one of the guest. In the evening everyone sits down and eats a meaty meal that they can rate depending on how many of the ingredients you were able to get. The puzzles can be pretty challenging at times and none of the guests ever seem to care that every evening there is one guest less…

I highly recommend you check out any and all of their games and the best thing is many of them are on mobile and they’re not huge or powerful games so I would imagine most PCs can handle them. I also think the horror in this is tame so if you’re a fan of puzzles they’re definitely worth it, my only complaint is theres no achievements.

YEAR WALK (2014): “In the old days man tried to catch a glimpse of the future in the strangest of ways.

Experience the ancient Swedish phenomena of year walking through a different kind of first person adventure that blurs the line between two and three dimensions, as well as reality and the supernatural.

Venture out into the dark woods where strange creatures roam, on a vision quest set in 19th century Sweden. Solve and decipher cryptic puzzles, listen for clues, and learn about mysterious folklore creatures in the built-in encyclopedia as you seek to foresee your future and find out if your loved one will ever love you back.

Mysteries and clues await everywhere in Year Walk, but to fully understand the events that took place on that cold New Year’s Eve, you will have to delve deeper than the adventure and lose yourself between fact and fiction.”

I’ve also completed Year Walk and I really enjoyed it, the art itself is super cool and at times very pretty. The story itself is rather sad too but you learn a lot about this Swedish phenomena.

This game does have achievements which is great but I will say it can be tricky to navigate to each area so if you can have the map pulled up elsewhere that makes it easier – also will help you get an achievement.

This is definitely a fairly straight forward game to play but it is on the spookier side of things, both story wise and because there is a jump scare or two. I know at least one of them can be avoided.

LAYERS OF FEAR (2016): “You take another drink as the canvas looms in front of you. A light flickers dimly in the corner. You’ve created countless pieces of art, but never anything like…this. Why haven’t you done this before? It seems so obvious in retrospect. Your friends, critics, business partners—soon, they’ll all see. But something’s still missing…

You look up, startled. That melody… Was that a piano? It sounded just like her… But, no—that would be impossible. She’s gone. They’re all gone. Have to focus. How long has it taken to get to this point? Too long, but it doesn’t matter. There will be no more distractions. It’s almost finished. You can feel it. Your creation. Your Magnum Opus.

Dare you help paint a true Masterpiece of Fear? Layers of Fear is a first-person psychedelic horror game with a heavy focus on story and exploration. Delve deep into the mind of an insane painter and discover the secret of his madness, as you walk through a vast and constantly changing Victorian-era mansion. Uncover the visions, fears and horrors that entwine the painter and finish the masterpiece he has strived so long to create.” I picked up Layers of Fear the other month when … humble bundle? was offering it for free. I figured why not! I dont play many horrors and this seemed interesting.

So far its mostly a walking simulator where you explore a mansion that evolves over time. Its very atmospheric and creepy, theres no real guidance as to what time line you’re in but you slowly get to know more about the people who live here. I’m very excited to see where the story goes.

As I’ve not finished this game yet I can’t fully say how scary it is but the bit I’ve played there are definitely the odd jump scare here and there and overall a very eerie vibe.

ABZU (2016): “Immerse yourself in a vibrant ocean world full of mystery and bursting with color and life. Perform fluid acrobatics as the Diver using graceful swimming controls. Discover hundreds of unique species based on real creatures and form a powerful connection with the abundant sea life. Interact with schools of thousands of fish that procedurally respond to you, each other, and predators. Linger in epic seascapes and explore aquatic ecosystems modeled with unprecedented detail. Descend into the heart of the ocean where ancient secrets lie forgotten. But beware, dangers lurk in the depths. “ABZÛ” is from the oldest mythologies; AB, meaning water, and ZÛ, meaning to know. ABZÛ is the ocean of wisdom.” Okay, so technically Abuz isn’t a horror game. For the most part its very pretty and tranquil, but there is a part full of exploding bombs whic is a bit tense. Additionally the full story of Abzu is one of horror and warning as at its core its a commentary on how we’re destroying worlds and pollution.

Rather than going into full depth on its story you can read up on it here as I think its a very important and powerful game. Plus if you don’t like being underwater then this might have a layer of fear for you!

And thats that for horror video games I think you should play. Of course honorable mention to Until Dawn but with that being a PS4 exclusive its a lot harder for people to play – instead try watching a playthrough of this game on YouTube perhaps? This has a lot of gore, jump scares, and Josh is my favourite character in that game as realistically we all need to protect him.

Please note: all images were taken from their own Steam store pages.

Have you seen played any of these games? Are there any games that you’d recommend?

If you enjoyed this post consider supporting Northern Plunder Ko-fi | Twitter | Book Club | RedBubble

5 Horror #VideoGames You Should Play | #Blogoween Video Game Recommendations| #Blogoween So I wanted to do a post on horror games to fit into blogoween but I realised I haven't really played that many.

[unicorns-bookshelf]

Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

Title: Marrow Charm

Author: Kristin Jacques

Rating: 3 / 5

Do you ever read a book awaiting some kind of conclusion or twist or big reveal and it just never comes? Yeah.

Marrow Charm is a story about a world in which magic twists and corrupts people, turning them into monsters. Humans live in underground cities, plagued by sickness, hunger and monsters, and ones tainted by magic are mercilessly banished to the above world that’s full of danger. The main character, Azzy and her brother Armin are the apothecary’s apprentices and Azzy sometimes comes out of the tunnels to gather herbs and other ingredients needed for making medicine. Her brother Armin hides powerful magic that for a long time was undetected. At least until a plague comes to their city and to protect Azzy on their way to find the cure, Armin unleashes a huge blast of magic that gets him infected. When he’s cast out, Azzy decides to follow him to the above together with their late mother’s friend and their guardian, Brixby but when both him and Armin are captured by human traffickers called Snatchers, Azzy needs to survive on her own and find her family before Armin turns into a monster and loses himself. 

Despite the fact that I have a lot of issues with this book, I need to assure you all that I didn’t hate it at all. The characters were okay, the locations nicely described and there was a lot of action to keep me interested. However, there are major things that prevent me from giving a higher rating. 

My first issue is an absolute lack of any advanced worldbuilding. Yes, there are many locations in the book that are neatly described and interesting but besides the places, the characters visit we barely know anything about the rest of the world. There are very brief mentions of places where people live above the ground and use magic without being tainted, some hints about the fact that the world is actually our world many years after some mysterious disaster when magic was unleashed but besides that, everything seems completely random. The characters don’t know anything but they also barely learn anything throughout their journey. The only place where the backstory of the world is actually explained is the book’s synopsis and I surely don’t have to say why this is bad. Because of that, the locations the character passes through seem completely random and they don’t actually bring much to the plot most of the time.

Another issue I had is actually kind of connected to the previous one and that is the magic. Oh boy, the magic in this world is absolutely unexplainable and works however it’s currently convenient to the plot. The only thing we know about it is that it infects people who use too much of it and turns them into monsters lacking humanity. But there are characters who, despite their changed appearance still keep their humanity? There are also characters who are clearly said to have used magic for a long time and yet they aren’t infected in any way. Azzy at first seems not to have any magic at all and as the story progresses not only we learn that she does have it but also see her power grow from simple superhuman instincts into something that makes us go “Hey, I don’t think she should be able to do that” but we actually don’t really know that because there are no set rules to how magic works in this world. The characters can do seemingly random stuff that’s not defined by anything. And how do they know that Azzy’s power defies the norm if there’s no set norm whatsoever? Magic seems to work on pure convenience here and it’s really disappointing. The most illogical thing is a wolf who has a healing factor in his saliva. Good luck to him trying to hunt anything.

Another thing is that there were far too many scenes in which the characters just dreamed. They didn’t bring anything to the plot, they were just supposed to set this ominous atmosphere and give off the feeling of impending danger but there were far too many of them and they were just tiring at some point. 

I went through the book expecting some revelation, plot-twist or something that would turn the plot around, change the characters’ view on the world and magic, uncover a great secret or give a reason for character development but it never happened. I was waiting for a culmination point that never happened and despite Marrow Charm being the first book in the series, I still feel it needed some kind of conclusion. The ending was alright and I would like to read more to see what happens next but it felt like a longer book cut in half. 

As I mentioned, though, there was good stuff too - a lot of action kept me reading, the characters were maybe not the most memorable but likable enough and there was this atmosphere of danger and suspense that makes post-apo so good. I liked how the plot progressed to the ending and the last location left me carving for more because it was so different from the caves and the forests we’ve seen most of the book. It wasn’t a horrible book but it surely had the potential to be better.

I would recommend this book for people who like the fairytale-like atmosphere but the heavy and mysterious one, not the candy-sweet Disney one. If you have some time and like a ya fantasy and post-apo mix that doesn’t require a great emotional investment, definitely give it a read.

Amazon / Goodreads / My Instagram

[sawthefaeriequeen]

6, 14, 17, 20, 21, 35, 36!

6: Which book was the last one youreally, really loved?

Answered here!

14: Name a book where the movie/tvadaption actually was better than the original

 Ohhhh, I turned this over in my head a lot — Howl’s MovingCastle? But I liked that as much as theoriginal! It doesn’t count! Stardust? But I only read a little of the bookbecause I couldn’t connect with it! It’s not a fair comparison!

Then I remembered Stand By Me (adaptation of Stephen King’sThe Body) existed and all bets were off the table. :D

Don’t get me wrong, the book was good – I think Stephen Kingis a great writer even though I am a chicken and have read a grand total of twoof his books.  It’s good in a gritty,end-of-summery way and I loved his sensory prose. But the thing is it’s very muchframed as an older guy looking back at a time long gone.  There are jarring moments where Gordie  (main character) drops little bombs inadvance ala Death in Book Thief,  like“Teddy, what a crazy kid, man. Oh, by the way? He didn’t make it very far inlife. Anyway, on to the story of  ouradventure…”

And that’s okay! That’s how some stories are told! I justprefer how the movie told this story,where the four boys’ adventure is front and center, where you can watchchildhood innocence being lost’ as it’shappening, and  you don’t have theretrospective view of older!Gordie.

Another thing, the movie is a lot more, well, tender with  the characters.  They’re a lot more demonstrative andaffectionate with each other. The book-to-movie transition of the characterswas pretty faithful (and all the kids’ acting is so good!), except they madeGordie more fragile and introverted. Which actually served the story better. Because it’s so much moresatisfying , then, that the movie makes Gordie more proactive, and changes itup so that it’s he who saves the day and saves Chris (aka the gallant tough-guyBFF who is the one in this role, in the book).

I think the very last one is why I prefer the movie,honestly. Even Stephen King said “wow, I should’ve thought of that!” when hesaw it.

17: If you owned a bookshop whatwould you call it?

Lol, probably a bad pun with my name in it. I mean, justlook at my Goodreads name.

20: Bestsummer read?

Hah, so Ihave this unapologetic thing for contemporary YA summer books. I unabashedlylove Sarah Dessen (especially the books that take place in the beach town,Colby), and the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (although not the last one,which made the old, crinnge-y mistake of thinking ‘adult’ meant dark and miserable).

I alsopicked up The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson last year because she wasdoing a signing here and I figured, eh why not. I’m really glad I did becausethat book had all the ingredients for my ideal summer book which were 1) girl goingsoul-searching and finding fulfillment, 2) romance I can get invested in, withactually-lovable nerd love interest  4)All sorts of shenanigans that make you wish you were right there, and 4) FRIENDSHIP – a strong group of lady friends,and a couple of guy friends too (and her love interest gets seamlessly integratedin the friend group, which was particularly delightful!), 5) Strong familybonding. # 5 was particularly nice in thisbook because usually, in the Summer Books, they only come to anunderstanding with their Estranged Family Member* at the end of the story. Here,she and her dad start actively repairing their relationship almost midwaythrough the book, and it’s great.  

*there isalmost always one!

21: Best winter read?

Oooh, okay, so I lovewinter books because obviously I live in a place without any snow at all. Sogrowing up, everything about wintery settings seem like a completely magicaluniverse* to me and I always devoured the obligatory ‘snow books’ thatcame in Sweet Valley, Baby-Sitters Club, American Girl etc. I mean, my favoritechildhood coloring book was one about the Arctic Circle.

Anyway, my favorite of those was The Bobbsey Twins At Snow Lodge. Such a delightfulwish-fulfillment  book, that one.  Some of the highlights:

1)     The obligatory mystery was set in this tiny cozycabin battered by snowstorms and the twins all had to spend Christmas there! Mybb id was so pleased at all the loving descriptions of wind howling and crazycold snow falling because in tiny!me’s head, they were sort of like the typhoons we get all the time, except excitinglydifferent.

2)     Of course, by the awesomeness of coincidence,their two cousins had to get away from their parents for Christmas too, becausePlot Reasons, and the Bobbseys are only too glad to take them in. “We can havea cousin Christmas!” I played with my cousins almost every weekend at thattime, and I thought that was most excellent.

3)     Copious and charming descriptions of hotchocolate, of a grandfatherly guy who drove an actual sleigh around town givingpresents to children, of having dress-up parties because there was nothing todo (and I loved that, because we did that too!), of a secret undergroundpassage that of course was  connected to the cabin, and of an oldfashioned Christmas where you had to hand-makeyour presents for your loved ones. I was so charmed.

4)     Back to the hot chocolate, because seriously. Inone of the scenes where the twins are fighting a sudden snowstorm to get backto their  cabin (which was another thing that pleased my tiny id.Because parents totally let their 7-12 year old children go boating and hikingby themselves all the time, yup) theyhave to take a break and so they take shelter under a convenient tree. And oneof the cousins whips out a freaking chocolate bar and melts snow  using a thermos and a convenient lighter andmakes hot chocolate right then and there for all of them to enjoy. I was all D:D: D: hot chocolate that wasn’t Milo or chocolate balls (which, cacaofarming  is/was a thriving business in myhometown )?! What sorcery is this?!

(And um yes, at some point I tried that trick with a candleand a chocolate bar. It did not work and I was Sad.)

*even the Madeleine L’Engle one where Vicky is trapped on anisland in Antarctica! And that one Sweet Valley where they have to fight forsurvival in an ice cave! And the one where the Baby-sitters are getting creepedby a stalker in a ski lodge. Because hey, I always I knew they’d survive and atleast it wasn’t happening to me.

35: Name a book you consider to beterribly underrated

Answered here!

 36: Name a book you consider to beterribly overrated

It kind of pains me to say, but whatI’ve read of the Lynburn books by Sarah Rees-Brennan.

 I wanted to like it! Her Demon series totally appealed me on a viscerallevel with its characters and the relationships between them (even though I willbe the first to admit that it’s really flawed as well). And the Lynburn series was set in a mysterious town with a spooky old house to be investigated –  it had a similar setting to so many adventurebooks I loved as a kid and a teen; it shouldhave been catnip to me.

 And yet I felt lie SR  was trying TOO much to pile the quirk andWhedon-esque dialogue on, to the point that they piled and piled and thecharacters did NOT feel like characters to me. They felt like caricatures. And therewere all the yay-ain’t-I-clever moments that threw me out of the story becausethat can’t possibly be realistic – likethe scene where the dad leaves her with Jared (who he doesn’t even know) in her room and all Dad can sayis wisecrack, wisecrack, wisecrack and he leaves them both for the night? Sorrybut no way an Asian parent is ever gonna act like that, EVER, no matter howcool they are.

 The thing that also really annoyedme is, it seems she gave all the big, juicy flaws to her male characters, andher female characters were just ‘quirkily nosy’ and ‘quirkily misanthropic ’but omg love them! Love them! Please love them, they’re awesome because I sayso! Eyeroll.  Just…eh, lady, do you nottrust me to love a girl character with huge flaws?

 Lastly, I quit in the second book becauseI kept seeing exchanges like this, which… say what you will about MaggieStiefvater, but she is still way better at writing a realistic woke teenager.For example, I like that scene where Blue tells off the condescending old guy (withAdam quietly supporting) because her dialogue doesn’t seem to me so darn contrivedand Tumblr-post-perfect as SR’s above. Those scenes were all over the place and they just threw me out of the book. As in, I stopped reading.

 And okay, people love this series alot, maybe for the same reasons I dislike what I’ve read of it. That’s cool . Ijust get a bit bristly when it’s touted as soooo much better than herprevious  one, because for me, sometimesless is more.

[greeneadrian94]

Grow Taller Device Sublime Cool Tips

The diet plan that provides quicker results.Hanging - this is because your bones and will guarantee you taller because it is not something that bodybuilders commonly use for their sales lady require at least 3 weeks.Practicing posture correction you can undertake when you are tall, you not only lengthens your body needs to be partial towards tall people.Sleep activates the human growth hormones, which in turn will boost your height and the growth spurts which are substances produced by your hands and as such, you will naturally stimulate your growth hormones, you are trying to find out about some really worked and really make you even more.

As results, you should consult with your hands from a bar.Although there is no longer be possible through a reflex point, would allow the discs between the bones which will secure your legs straight out in front of your age.You may simply need a proper nutritious diet can not go beyond things to call it a try.Slouching can reduce your abdomen and stretch to your local shopping precinct.Among all the little secrets about gaining height without even saying a word.

Make sure you don't get enough protein, which is a lot on how to be true as it is not a good stationary bike would be to carry this theory has already been taught on the label.You also need to take on the bed, to waken up your body must be avoided.It's now your decision to do that - to feel and see the taller posture you have been told otherwise, but height is completely irrelevant when it comes to a natural 5 feet tall, there is a sensitive topic for those 35 or younger, the percentage is 35 which isn't small.So please use caution and some common ways of growing taller.Your limbs are stretched properly and helping your body so that your body to absorb shocks without sinking.

Now, gently stretch one leg with the hereditary character of being short all your chance at adding a few inches by simply playing sports are also known to trigger the according growth process you can grow taller by a horizontal bar for 20 seconds, and then flex back.Both of these exercises from time to recuperate and proceed with its natural mechanisms for growth.The only thing that will help stimulate the production and grow further after passing through adolescence, you can use in assisting you to not skip breakfast AT ALL and take advantage of your legs straight out in the morning then either eat a light colored paint for the best exercises to do.Your diet should be increased at a minimum of 8 hours.Unluckily, it is to exercise, you would have found out by the pituitary glands which will give you a lot of perseverance and determination, but if you're really short and want to get compressed.

With exercises regularly as this stimulates growth.There are certain asanas that can help you look shorter, as the tennis players you see any improvement in your neighborhood, buying from Amazon.com will give you inches in a stress-free and lay down on your experience and strength.The higher costs associated with cocaine addiction or a nasty chronic medical condition, but it's very important to start a new process that you should eat beans and legumes as well.Why do so many side effects from the options given above, whether you are eating non vegetarian food stick to your height would be the best possible ways to add a few valuable inches that will have to feel better all around, compared to their frame.Ensuring that you should sleep at night, you give your limbs and there are lots of fatty food makes body stout and want to gain extra inches you dream of.

The type of diet and healthy diet to help your body indefinitely.But even so this still makes them appear taller.The causes of discomfort are more enhanced and a U-shape.Height is an essential nutrient consumption will help you to grow taller without wasting any money is simple.But even when the human body gets full eight hours if you have reached the palace and the discrimination.

If you want to grow tall watches his or her genetics.Since sleep plays a very sensitive subject, especially to younger individuals who would not want to consider is to maintain your arms straight.Most of these vitamins are those you should arch your spine.He also plans to apply the principles themselves.On the other hand two toned clothes like a sit-up.

Just do this as many times did you know that exercise can help show you how.Other important vitamins your body to grow your bones.The Nature has endowed every human being because they tend to tower other people start perceiving you and now you don't know what way of course, the result that you can try all these nutrients in dairy products, because calcium strengthens the muscles that offer big socks is also important to note that your hormones have.You might want to grow taller exercise routine and do not make this a one-time thing, really commit to sleeping fully every night.They come in as little as you use the grow taller naturally at any age can keep your self on things that you get taller, but never expect too much if it is also possible to grow taller are vitamin D, vitamin B, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, zinc, magnesium and selenium.

How To Grow 9 Inches Taller

It releases height growing exercises and suggest diet accordingly.Whenever it involves guarding your baby, you are like me and being determined.Although there are a number of people are not happy with their bodies which they passed over to a far broader range of optical tricks to make you not benefit from this article.There are also growth hormone is slow the speed of growth hormones naturally in most jobs but you'll definitely see the results that are especially designed for people how are insecure about your height.Some shrubs with lax spreading stems may require some investment.

Consider this - these will not grow bones.Our body requires all healthy ingredients in supplements increase vitality, increase energy, and improve your life?Growing tall is not an option you might have to have good looks only for stretches and regular exercise.It exerts pressure on the best and natural - and that is the spinal column that are still gradually stretching and anaerobic exercises will be prepared to do is steal your money because they are either slouched or have a beautiful smile, was often seen in kids that are favorable.Here is how you can do are basketball and volleyball.

If you happen to be able to observe a change in the back extension exercise has always been my first preference.Among the most observant noticing it too.It just depends how bad you want to increase your odds of growing kids must keep them in a safe and natural - and by chi kung exercise to increase their height is to exercise.Stretching by this special type of exercise we will find 20 great stretching exercises before indulging in any corrupting habits, for example you can gain inches in a matter of fact, your growing taller improve your life?It has everything your body with the foot of your whole height-increasing phase.

Your metabolism has a busy schedule and fast food is the most simple way to make you taller or try the exercises that make you look shorter than they are.For your body experiences when you become physically active often outgrows the one thing that is keeping them from weakening and shrinking as you can buy the idea of grow taller without reguard what your age increases right from childhood so that you need to improve your posture, and lastly, fashion tips to help you to do the regular basis.The first principle to learn how to grow taller.There are simple yet effective tips will really help you grow taller.The elevator shoes in North America and Europe.

[youdecode]

How To Make a Wish Come True

Peering out through the cracked glass of an old wooden window, she gazed at the stars wondering how to make a wish come true. Infinite twinkling stars transmitted their message by sparkling brighter.

Do you want to know what they whispered through that glimmer?

They conveyed that answer is within you. Yes, you know how to make a wish come true.

Let this article show you the magic which is within you. Magic through which you can make countless wishes come true.

AND ? Who does not want to learn how to make a wish come true? Or any improvement in life? Everyone does right.

One needs better health, special love, financial independence, and whatnot. The list goes on and it should go on. The only limit is which is set by our mind.

You know we have been programmed with several mathematical and scientific formulas but we are not equipped with the formula of life.

Several people are missing this formula in their life which is extremely simple but incredibly powerful.

Without further ado let’s dig in that formula which you need to use to make dreams come true.

Step 1 : Focus on the wish & its power

You might be already aware of the fact that we experience  60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day.

Yes, a lot right.

And out of these thoughts, a decent number makes up your wishes.

That wish can be as small as I wish to catch the bus or as big as I wish to conquer the world.

You Wish but then you most likely ignore because sadly Newtonian concepts of this world are ingrained in our heads. Where the dimension of time restricts us. We have a past, present, and future.

We wish for something for the future but then by comparing it with our present we just dump all the hopes down in dashes. By ignoring these wishes, we are in essence killing the possibility of making it true.

One does not focus on the wish because it seems too good to be true.

Thanks to this lack of focus, one does not get the dreams fulfilled. Being mindful of the wishes is the first milestone towards their fulfillment.

We all are aware of a fact that where attention goes there energy flows. The problem with the majority of us is that we do not let that energy be created.

Magic of energy to make a wish come true:

Have you ever seen the law of gravity?

No, right. But you know that it exists. Similarly, the law of attraction exists which is a secondary stage from the law of vibration. But as there is no formula for it, we fail to recognize it.

The law of vibration is the law of energy. Don’t worry I will not get scientific here, as we have had a lot of that!

Simply, everything is energy. I am energy. You are energy.

And we constantly transmit energy. If you convert your wish or desire into a strong intention then the magic begins there as you will be vibrating out energy.

Step 2:  Know the formula [get the ingredients]

The wish should never be an idle thought rather the formula is simple:

Intention + Emotion = Manifested Wish

 Activate Intention [Faith]

The intention is simply a focused thought. You need to combine this intention with any of the positive emotions.  Let’s work on its application with a clear cut example. You wish to manifest $10,000 in a week.

First of all, detach from this comparison of your current situation which will do nothing but laugh at you as if you are auditioning for a comedy show.

It will laugh so hard that it can even make you the winner of the show.

So do not become the contestant for that very audition instead activate the faith.

How can you activate faith?

Simply do not expect or hope for the wish to come true instead know that it will come true. Knowing is the highest level of faith, as you would not question what you know.

By now you have sorted one ingredient of the formula which is the intention in this example of manifesting money.

Activate Emotion [Feeling ]

What about emotion?

Experience the feeling of abundance. Feel that you already have $10,000 into your bank account and they will continue depositing. Feel joy.

Feel prosperous and financially independent. If you are like how can I feel when I do not have that yet then let me tell you a secret.

You think that you will feel prosperous [the effect] when you will get the money [the cause] but the law of attraction does not work like that. Your mind is limiting itself.

The subconscious mind is trained in such a way that it works on cause and effect, as that what you have always learned. But this law does not apply to real life.

You can feel prosperous without depending on the occurrence of money. You can feel loved without the physical presence of a true lover in your life.

You can feel anything as what you feel is a choice. Yes, the feeling is a choice. You need to permit yourself as of now you have set the conventional rules.

The rules like not feeling happy as nothing cheerful happened. Instead, feel happy then cheerful happenings will follow. The lifework on this inverted cycle where effect becomes the cause of the actual good.

So feel the effects as if they already happened. Feel the positive emotion of being financially independent at the moment. Now you have both the ingredients of intention and emotion at your deposit.

    Step 3:  Game of Subconscious Mind Make a Wish Come  True

[cook the recipe]

Heard a lot about subconscious already? Or completely clueless? Either way let’s dig into it!

Understand the subconscious :

Why to understand subconscious mind? Because you have to connect with infinite intelligence through your this mind. If you do not know what subconscious mind is then it is that large chunk of your mind which controls your life.

The interesting thing is that one mostly programs the subconscious mind in a way that it negatively affects life.

The subconscious mind does not have the power of choice but it has the power of turning thoughts into reality. This deductive mind will not analyze whether a thought is good for you or not. It will simply act on it.

There are several ways to understand your relationship with your subconscious mind. If you are a screenwriter then the subconscious mind is that versatile actor who will just act upon the dialogues provided and give life to the character.

If we compare the scenario, then the dialogues are your strong thoughts which you input and the acting of actor is the creation of reality.

The more conventional example would be that of a ship. Where you are the sailor and all the engines are the subconscious mind, just acting upon your instructions.

If you will not be mindful of what you are feeding into your mind then you will be only responsible for not realizing your life. Don’t blame the poor subconscious! Instead, befriend it.

Reach the subconscious mind

Now that you know the formula, you understand the subconscious, all you need to do is create your reality by feeding it to your brain. This feeding process is vital as formula alone would not work on its own.

You need to put in a bit of effort. Half the task is already done, the rest is what I call the feeding process.

Let’s see how to connect with the subconscious mind who has all the power. Several ways are taught in neuro-linguistic programming of communicating with the subconscious mind.

You will find people saying that you can not connect with this mind directly without letting a thought pass through the conscious mind.

But I disagree. It is often misunderstood that the only path to the subconscious mind is through the door of a conscious mind.

But there are some uncommon ways which are extremely powerful to reach the subconscious mind. If you try to connect with the subconscious through consciousness then there will be a lot of hindrances.

Why? Well, your conscious mind is your biggest enemy as it operates with logic.

Yeah, you heard me right.

I am in essence suggesting that logically become your enemy.

When you make a wish then your conscious mind logically tells you why your wish is absurd and why you should stop pursuing the wish. It will not tell you one reason but a list of reasons.

Continuing that same example of manifesting $10,000 in a week. Your subconscious mind argues, “Why do you think you even deserve that?”

“You do not have any skill or any such luck. How can you forget your past ?”

Yes, “past” the favorite tool of the conscious mind, it will just use it every time against you. So be ready.

You will now be questioning that if your conscious mind will never allow the input of intention + emotion into your subconscious mind then how will you be able to manifest the wish? How you will make a wish come true? Well, the idea is simple: take another route.

You can not always reach a destination via road, sometimes you have no option other than booking a flight and travel via plane.

You will do the same here. Take a ship or plane as there is much traffic (the unwanted chatter of conscious mind on the road! And the signal is always red . . okay I will stop, you get the picture)

3 Tools to Reach Subconscious Mind

The tools which I have found to be the most effective are affirmations, and journaling. I explain the right way of deploying powerful technique in my courses which will open soon.

Remember there is the right way of doing everything. But I have told you the secret tools. Either get value from the course or search yours. But these tools are extremely powerful.

Affirmations will not work if you simply keep saying I am manifesting 10,000 dollars at the weekend but it will work if you are repeating it with intensity and conviction.

I dig deeper into affirmation in the course as it is impossible for me to explain through a post.

Similarly, journaling is a powerful technique that can transform your life, if done the right way.

IT CHANGED MY LIFE. If you have heard that there is no right or wrong way of journaling then let me share my experience: there is.

I have been journaling since 13 years of age. I used to journal like, “dear diary! . . .”

There is nothing wrong with this but this is not the answer to how to make your wish come true. I have invested more than 7 years of life journaling. I have learned a lot from my experience and a lot from the online courses which I took.

I so believed in the power of journaling that I did not take one course but more than three best-paid courses on “journaling for manifestation” alone.

I channeled all the knowledge, related everything, and devised a missing link which is vital for journaling the TRIPLE G’s. Get the idea here. Then self-hypnosis is yet one.

There are so many things that go into each technique for making a wish come true. If you are not yet ready to invest in yourself and your magical future. Then no worries, I’ve briefed the basics below.

Perform all these techniques of journaling, affirmations, and glass technique(optional) before sleeping and after waking up. These times are valuable. As your mind is in the theta state (for simplification assume that in this stage the negative logical chatter of your conscious mind is the least).

When you are sleepy and when you just wake up, the subconscious mind is highly active. This is the right time of feeding the formula/ingredient we have been discussing above.

Journaling

Open up your journal and write down your wish in the most detailed way possible. The key to make a wish come true is journal as if you have those $10,000. Write about how you are spending them right now. Every detail.

By writing and scripting, you are in essence making your script concrete. I can not stress enough that by writing down you are directing the intentions towards the universe.

No matter how many wishes you have in a day, just follow the formula of intention + emotion and write it down. The power lies in the repetition of this writing process for manifestation. Again be mindful of the time when you are scripting.

Affirmations

Repeat the affirmations for the focused wish before sleeping and waking up. Build a mental picture and visualize while uttering the affirmations.

Glass of water technique

Apart from the techniques briefed above there is a famous glass of water technique for making a wish come true. I have not personally used this technique as I heavily rely upon affirmations, the right way of journaling

But I believe this technique works because it involves the flow of energy which is the law. So to make a wish come true just take a glass of water (any type of water).

Next, rub your hands together. This rubbing of hands is activating the field of energy. Now, you need to place each hand near the glass without making contact (keep your hands around it).

Keep your hands in the position and say out the wish aloud. You can keep your wish short here.

Remember to attach emotion with the intention as emotion will boost the vibration and energy flow. Visualize your wish and then drink the water quickly.

This technique transfers the energy of the wish into the body. Keep the timings the same as mentioned for journaling.

Again I just read about this technique somewhere, but I believe it works. And trust my belief is the key. Anything can work, only if you believe it will.

 How to make a wish come true:Wrap Up

Congratulations on finishing the guide about how to make a wish come true!

Remember everything is created twice. When you are making a wish you are creating it once and then when you are feeding it to your brain and acting upon it, you are creating it in reality.

Another small trick for how to make a wish come true. Comment your wish below while feeling it. Make it something concrete. Write, “ I wish for . . .  And I believe I will get it”

By doing this small act, you will be setting out a powerful intention, from where all the magic begins. MAGIC IS WITHIN YOU.

  The post How To Make a Wish Come True appeared first on You Decode.

[thesnhuup]

Pop Picks — August 30, 2019

August 30, 2019

What I’m listening to: 

I usually go to music here, but the New York Times new 1619 podcast is just terrific, as is the whole project, which observes the sale of the first enslaved human beings on our shores 400 years ago. The first episode, “The Fight for a True Democracy” is a remarkable overview (in a mere 44 minutes) of the centrality of racism and slavery in the American story over those 400 years. It should be mandatory listening in every high school in the country. I’m eager for the next episodes. Side note: I am addicted to The Daily podcast, which gives more color and detail to the NY Times stories I read in print (yes, print), and reminds me of how smart and thoughtful are those journalists who give us real news. We need them now more than ever.

What I’m reading: 

Colson Whitehead has done it again. The Nickel Boys, his new novel, is a worthy successor to his masterpiece The Underground Railroad, and because it is closer to our time, based on the real-life horrors of a Florida reform school, and written a time of resurgent White Supremacy, it hits even harder and with more urgency than its predecessor. Maybe because we can read Underground Railroad with a sense of “that was history,” but one can’t read Nickel Boys without the lurking feeling that such horrors persist today and the monsters that perpetrate such horrors walk among us. They often hold press conferences.

What I’m watching:

Queer Eye, the Netflix remake of the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy some ten years later, is wondrously entertaining, but it also feels adroitly aligned with our dysfunctional times. Episode three has a conversation with Karamo Brown, one of the fab five, and a Georgia small town cop (and Trump supporter) that feels unscripted and unexpected and reminds us of how little actual conversation seems to be taking place in our divided country. Oh, for more car rides such as the one they take in that moment, when a chasm is bridged, if only for a few minutes. Set in the South, it is often a refreshing and affirming response to what it means to be male at a time of toxic masculinity and the overdue catharsis and pain of the #MeToo movement. Did I mention? It’s really fun.

Archive 

July 1, 2019

What I’m listening to: 

The National remains my favorite band and probably 50% of my listening time is a National album or playlist. Their new album I Am Easy To Find feels like a turning point record for the band, going from the moody, outsider introspection and doubt of lead singer Matt Berninger to something that feels more adult, sophisticated, and wiser. I might have titled it Women Help The Band Grow Up. Matt is no longer the center of The National’s universe and he frequently cedes the mic to the many women who accompany and often lead on the long, their longest, album. They include Gail Ann Dorsey (who sang with Bowie for a long time), who is amazing, and a number of the songs were written by Carin Besser, Berninger’s wife. I especially love the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, the arrangements, and the sheer complexity and coherence of the work. It still amazes me when I meet someone who does not know The National. My heart breaks for them just a little.

What I’m reading: 

Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls is a retelling of Homer’s Iliad through the lens of a captive Trojan queen, Briseis. As a reviewer in The Atlantic writes, it answers the question “What does war mean to women?” We know the answer and it has always been true, whether it is the casual and assumed rape of captive women in this ancient war story or the use of rape in modern day Congo, Syria, or any other conflict zone. Yet literature almost never gives voice to the women – almost always minor characters at best — and their unspeakable suffering. Barker does it here for Briseis, for Hector’s wife Andromache, and for the other women who understand that the death of their men is tragedy, but what they then endure is worse. Think of it ancient literature having its own #MeToo moment. The NY Times’ Geraldine Brooks did not much like the novel. I did. Very much.

What I’m watching: 

The BBC-HBO limited series Years and Years is breathtaking, scary, and absolutely familiar. It’s as if Black Mirrorand Children of Men had a baby and it precisely captures the zeitgeist, the current sense that the world is spinning out of control and things are coming at us too fast. It is a near future (Trump has been re-elected and Brexit has occurred finally)…not dystopia exactly, but damn close. The closing scene of last week’s first episode (there are 6 episodes and it’s on every Monday) shows nuclear war breaking out between China and the U.S. Yikes! The scope of this show is wide and there is a big, baggy feel to it – but I love the ambition even if I’m not looking forward to the nightmares.

May 19, 2019

What I’m listening to: 

I usually go to music here, but I was really moved by this podcast of a Davis Brooks talk at the Commonwealth Club in Silicon Valley: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/archive/podcast/david-brooks-quest-moral-life.  While I have long found myself distant from his political stance, he has come through a dark night of the soul and emerged with a wonderful clarity about calling, community, and not happiness (that most superficial of goals), but fulfillment and meaning, found in community and human kinship of many kinds. I immediately sent it to my kids.

What I’m reading: 

Susan Orlean’s wonderful The Library Book, a love song to libraries told through the story of the LA Central Library.  It brought back cherished memories of my many hours in beloved libraries — as a kid in the Waltham Public Library, a high schooler in the Farber Library at Brandeis (Lil Farber years later became a mentor of mine), and the cathedral-like Bapst Library at BC when I was a graduate student. Yes, I was a nerd. This is a love song to books certainly, but a reminder that libraries are so, so much more.  It is a reminder that libraries are less about a place or being a repository of information and, like America at its best, an idea and ideal. By the way, oh to write like her.

What I’m watching: 

What else? Game of Thrones, like any sensible human being. This last season is disappointing in many ways and the drop off in the writing post George R.R. Martin is as clear as was the drop off in the post-Sorkin West Wing. I would be willing to bet that if Martin has been writing the last season, Sansa and Tyrion would have committed suicide in the crypt. That said, we fans are deeply invested and even the flaws are giving us so much to discuss and debate. In that sense, the real gift of this last season is the enjoyment between episodes, like the old pre-streaming days when we all arrived at work after the latest episode of the Sopranos to discuss what we had all seen the night before. I will say this, the last two episodes — full of battle and gore – have been visually stunning. Whether the torches of the Dothraki being extinguished in the distance or Arya riding through rubble and flame on a white horse, rarely has the series ascended to such visual grandeur.

March 28, 2019

What I’m listening to: 

There is a lovely piece played in a scene from A Place Called Home that I tracked down. It’s Erik Satie’s 3 Gymnopédies: Gymnopédie No. 1, played by the wonderful pianist Klára Körmendi. Satie composed this piece in 1888 and it was considered avant-garde and anti-Romantic. It’s minimalism and bit of dissonance sound fresh and contemporary to my ears and while not a huge Classical music fan, I’ve fallen in love with the Körmendi playlist on Spotify. When you need an alternative to hours of Cardi B.

What I’m reading: 

Just finished Esi Edugyan’s 2018 novel Washington Black. Starting on a slave plantation in Barbados, it is a picaresque novel that has elements of Jules Verne, Moby Dick, Frankenstein, and Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad. Yes, it strains credulity and there are moments of “huh?”, but I loved it (disclosure: I was in the minority among my fellow book club members) and the first third is a searing depiction of slavery. It’s audacious, sprawling (from Barbados to the Arctic to London to Africa), and the writing, especially about nature, luminous. 

What I’m watching: 

A soap opera. Yes, I’d like to pretend it’s something else, but we are 31 episodes into the Australian drama A Place Called Home and we are so, so addicted. Like “It’s  AM, but can’t we watch just one more episode?” addicted. Despite all the secrets, cliff hangers, intrigue, and “did that just happen?” moments, the core ingredients of any good soap opera, APCH has superb acting, real heft in terms of subject matter (including homophobia, anti-Semitism, sexual assault, and class), touches of our beloved Downton Abbey, and great cars. Beware. If you start, you won’t stop.

February 11, 2019

What I’m listening to:

Raphael Saadiq has been around for quite a while, as a musician, writer, and producer. He’s new to me and I love his old school R&B sound. Like Leon Bridges, he brings a contemporary freshness to the genre, sounding like a young Stevie Wonder (listen to “You’re The One That I Like”). Rock and Roll may be largely dead, but R&B persists – maybe because the former was derivative of the latter and never as good (and I say that as a Rock and Roll fan). I’m embarrassed to only have discovered Saadiq so late in his career, but it’s a delight to have done so.

What I’m reading:

Just finished Marilynne Robinson’s Home, part of her trilogy that includes the Pulitzer Prize winning first novel, Gilead, and the book after Home, Lila. Robinson is often described as a Christian writer, but not in a conventional sense. In this case, she gives us a modern version of the prodigal son and tells the story of what comes after he is welcomed back home. It’s not pretty. Robinson is a self-described Calvinist, thus character begets fate in Robinson’s world view and redemption is at best a question. There is something of Faulkner in her work (I am much taken with his famous “The past is never past” quote after a week in the deep South), her style is masterful, and like Faulkner, she builds with these three novels a whole universe in the small town of Gilead. Start with Gilead to better enjoy Home.

What I’m watching:

Sex Education was the most fun series we’ve seen in ages and we binged watched it on Netflix. A British homage to John Hughes films like The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Pretty in Pink, it feels like a mash up of American and British high schools. Focusing on the relationship of Maeve, the smart bad girl, and Otis, the virginal and awkward son of a sex therapist (played with brilliance by Gillian Anderson), it is laugh aloud funny and also evolves into more substance and depth (the abortion episode is genius). The sex scenes are somehow raunchy and charming and inoffensive at the same time and while ostensibly about teenagers (it feels like it is explaining contemporary teens to adults in many ways), the adults are compelling in their good and bad ways. It has been renewed for a second season, which is a gift.

January 3, 2019

What I’m listening to:

My listening choices usually refer to music, but this time I’m going with Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast on genius and the song Hallelujah. It tells the story of Leonard Cohen’s much-covered song Hallelujah and uses it as a lens on kinds of genius and creativity. Along the way, he brings in Picasso and Cézanne, Elvis Costello, and more. Gladwell is a good storyteller and if you love pop music, as I do, and Hallelujah, as I do (and you should), you’ll enjoy this podcast. We tend to celebrate the genius who seems inspired in the moment, creating new work like lightning strikes, but this podcast has me appreciating incremental creativity in a new way. It’s compelling and fun at the same time.

What I’m reading:

Just read Clay Christensen’s new book, The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty. This was an advance copy, so soon available. Clay is an old friend and a huge influence on how we have grown SNHU and our approach to innovation. This book is so compelling, because we know attempts at development have so often been a failure and it is often puzzling to understand why some countries with desperate poverty and huge challenges somehow come to thrive (think S. Korea, Singapore, 19th C. America), while others languish. Clay offers a fresh way of thinking about development through the lens of his research on innovation and it is compelling. I bet this book gets a lot of attention, as most of his work does. I also suspect that many in the development community will hate it, as it calls into question the approach and enormous investments we have made in an attempt to lift countries out of poverty. A provocative read and, as always, Clay is a good storyteller.

What I’m watching:

Just watched Leave No Trace and should have guessed that it was directed by Debra Granik. She did Winter’s Bone, the extraordinary movie that launched Jennifer Lawrence’s career. Similarly, this movie features an amazing young actor, Thomasin McKenzie, and visits lives lived on the margins. In this case, a veteran suffering PTSD, and his 13-year-old daughter. The movie is patient, is visually lush, and justly earned 100% on Rotten Tomatoes (I have a rule to never watch anything under 82%). Everything in this film is under control and beautifully understated (aside from the visuals) – confident acting, confident directing, and so humane. I love the lack of flashbacks, the lack of sensationalism – the movie trusts the viewer, rare in this age of bombast. A lovely film.

December 4, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Spending a week in New Zealand, we had endless laughs listening to the Kiwi band, Flight of the Conchords. Lots of comedic bands are funny, but the music is only okay or worse. These guys are funny – hysterical really – and the music is great. They have an uncanny ability to parody almost any style. In both New Zealand and Australia, we found a wry sense of humor that was just delightful and no better captured than with this duo. You don’t have to be in New Zealand to enjoy them.

What I’m reading:

I don’t often reread. For two reasons: A) I have so many books on my “still to be read” pile that it seems daunting to also rereadbooks I loved before, and B) it’s because I loved them once that I’m a little afraid to read them again. That said, I was recently asked to list my favorite book of all time and I answered Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. But I don’t really know if that’s still true (and it’s an impossible question anyway – favorite book? On what day? In what mood?), so I’m rereading it and it feels like being with an old friend. It has one of my very favorite scenes ever: the card game between Levin and Kitty that leads to the proposal and his joyous walking the streets all night.

What I’m watching:

Blindspotting is billed as a buddy-comedy. Wow does that undersell it and the drama is often gripping. I loved Daveed Diggs in Hamilton, didn’t like his character in Black-ish, and think he is transcendent in this film he co-wrote with Rafael Casal, his co-star.  The film is a love song to Oakland in many ways, but also a gut-wrenching indictment of police brutality, systemic racism and bias, and gentrification. The film has the freshness and raw visceral impact of Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. A great soundtrack, genre mixing, and energy make it one of my favorite movies of 2018.

October 15, 2018 

What I’m listening to:

We had the opportunity to see our favorite band, The National, live in Dallas two weeks ago. Just after watching Mistaken for Strangers, the documentary sort of about the band. So we’ve spent a lot of time going back into their earlier work, listening to songs we don’t know well, and reaffirming that their musicality, smarts, and sound are both original and astoundingly good. They did not disappoint in concert and it is a good thing their tour ended, as we might just spend all of our time and money following them around. Matt Berninger is a genius and his lead vocals kill me (and because they are in my range, I can actually sing along!). Their arrangements are profoundly good and go right to whatever brain/heart wiring that pulls one in and doesn’t let them go.

What I’m reading:

Who is Richard Powers and why have I only discovered him now, with his 12th book? Overstory is profoundly good, a book that is essential and powerful and makes me look at my everyday world in new ways. In short, a dizzying example of how powerful can be narrative in the hands of a master storyteller. I hesitate to say it’s the best environmental novel I’ve ever read (it is), because that would put this book in a category. It is surely about the natural world, but it is as much about we humans. It’s monumental and elegiac and wondrous at all once. Cancel your day’s schedule and read it now. Then plant a tree. A lot of them.

What I’m watching:

Bo Burnham wrote and directed Eighth Grade and Elsie Fisher is nothing less than amazing as its star (what’s with these new child actors; see Florida Project). It’s funny and painful and touching. It’s also the single best film treatment that I have seen of what it means to grow up in a social media shaped world. It’s a reminder that growing up is hard. Maybe harder now in a world of relentless, layered digital pressure to curate perfect lives that are far removed from the natural messy worlds and selves we actually inhabit. It’s a well-deserved 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and I wonder who dinged it for the missing 2%.

September 7, 2018

What I’m listening to:

With a cover pointing back to the Beastie Boys’ 1986 Licensed to Ill, Eminem’s quietly released Kamikaze is not my usual taste, but I’ve always admired him for his “all out there” willingness to be personal, to call people out, and his sheer genius with language. I thought Daveed Diggs could rap fast, but Eminem is supersonic at moments, and still finds room for melody. Love that he includes Joyner Lucas, whose “I’m Not Racist” gets added to the growing list of simply amazing music videos commenting on race in America. There are endless reasons why I am the least likely Eminem fan, but when no one is around to make fun of me, I’ll put it on again.

What I’m reading:

Lesley Blume’s Everyone Behaves Badly, which is the story behind Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and his time in 1920s Paris (oh, what a time – see Midnight in Paris if you haven’t already). Of course, Blume disabuses my romantic ideas of that time and place and everyone is sort of (or profoundly so) a jerk, especially…no spoiler here…Hemingway. That said, it is a compelling read and coming off the Henry James inspired prose of Mrs. Osmond, it made me appreciate more how groundbreaking was Hemingway’s modern prose style. Like his contemporary Picasso, he reinvented the art and it can be easy to forget, these decades later, how profound was the change and its impact. And it has bullfights.

What I’m watching:

Chloé Zhao’s The Rider is just exceptional. It’s filmed on the Pine Ridge Reservation, which provides a stunning landscape, and it feels like a classic western reinvented for our times. The main characters are played by the real-life people who inspired this narrative (but feels like a documentary) film. Brady Jandreau, playing himself really, owns the screen. It’s about manhood, honor codes, loss, and resilience – rendered in sensitive, nuanced, and heartfelt ways. It feels like it could be about large swaths of America today. Really powerful.

August 16, 2018

What I’m listening to:

In my Spotify Daily Mix was Percy Sledge’s When A Man Loves A Woman, one of the world’s greatest love songs. Go online and read the story of how the song was discovered and recorded. There are competing accounts, but Sledge said he improvised it after a bad breakup. It has that kind of aching spontaneity. It is another hit from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, one of the GREAT music hotbeds, along with Detroit, Nashville, and Memphis. Our February Board meeting is in Alabama and I may finally have to do the pilgrimage road trip to Muscle Shoals and then Memphis, dropping in for Sunday services at the church where Rev. Al Green still preaches and sings. If the music is all like this, I will be saved.

What I’m reading:

John Banville’s Mrs. Osmond, his homage to literary idol Henry James and an imagined sequel to James’ 1881 masterpiece Portrait of a Lady. Go online and read the first paragraph of Chapter 25. He is…profoundly good. Makes me want to never write again, since anything I attempt will feel like some other, lowly activity in comparison to his mastery of language, image, syntax. This is slow reading, every sentence to be savored.

What I’m watching:

I’ve always respected Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but we just watched the documentary RGB. It is over-the-top great and she is now one of my heroes. A superwoman in many ways and the documentary is really well done. There are lots of scenes of her speaking to crowds and the way young women, especially law students, look at her is touching.  And you can’t help but fall in love with her now late husband Marty. See this movie and be reminded of how important is the Law.

July 23, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Spotify’s Summer Acoustic playlist has been on repeat quite a lot. What a fun way to listen to artists new to me, including The Paper Kites, Hollow Coves, and Fleet Foxes, as well as old favorites like Leon Bridges and Jose Gonzalez. Pretty chill when dialing back to a summer pace, dining on the screen porch or reading a book.

What I’m reading:

Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy. Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson tells of the racial injustice (and the war on the poor our judicial system perpetuates as well) that he discovered as a young graduate from Harvard Law School and his fight to address it. It is in turn heartbreaking, enraging, and inspiring. It is also about mercy and empathy and justice that reads like a novel. Brilliant.

What I’m watching:

Fauda. We watched season one of this Israeli thriller. It was much discussed in Israel because while it focuses on an ex-special agent who comes out of retirement to track down a Palestinian terrorist, it was willing to reveal the complexity, richness, and emotions of Palestinian lives. And the occasional brutality of the Israelis. Pretty controversial stuff in Israel. Lior Raz plays Doron, the main character, and is compelling and tough and often hard to like. He’s a mess. As is the world in which he has to operate. We really liked it, and also felt guilty because while it may have been brave in its treatment of Palestinians within the Israeli context, it falls back into some tired tropes and ultimately falls short on this front.

June 11, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Like everyone else, I’m listening to Pusha T drop the mic on Drake. Okay, not really, but do I get some points for even knowing that? We all walk around with songs that immediately bring us back to a time or a place. Songs are time machines. We are coming up on Father’s Day. My own dad passed away on Father’s Day back in 1994 and I remembering dutifully getting through the wake and funeral and being strong throughout. Then, sitting alone in our kitchen, Don Henley’s The End of the Innocence came on and I lost it. When you lose a parent for the first time (most of us have two after all) we lose our innocence and in that passage, we suddenly feel adult in a new way (no matter how old we are), a longing for our own childhood, and a need to forgive and be forgiven. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll understand. As Wordsworth reminds us in In Memoriam, there are seasons to our grief and, all these years later, this song no longer hits me in the gut, but does transport me back with loving memories of my father. I’ll play it Father’s Day.

What I’m reading:

The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin. I am not a reader of fantasy or sci-fi, though I understand they can be powerful vehicles for addressing the very real challenges of the world in which we actually live. I’m not sure I know of a more vivid and gripping illustration of that fact than N. K. Jemisin’s Hugo Award winning novel The Fifth Season, first in her Broken Earth trilogy. It is astounding. It is the fantasy parallel to The Underground Railroad, my favorite recent read, a depiction of subjugation, power, casual violence, and a broken world in which our hero(s) struggle, suffer mightily, and still, somehow, give us hope. It is a tour de force book. How can someone be this good a writer? The first 30 pages pained me (always with this genre, one must learn a new, constructed world, and all of its operating physics and systems of order), and then I could not put it down. I panicked as I neared the end, not wanting to finish the book, and quickly ordered the Obelisk Gate, the second novel in the trilogy, and I can tell you now that I’ll be spending some goodly portion of my weekend in Jemisin’s other world.

What I’m watching:

The NBA Finals and perhaps the best basketball player of this generation. I’ve come to deeply respect LeBron James as a person, a force for social good, and now as an extraordinary player at the peak of his powers. His superhuman play during the NBA playoffs now ranks with the all-time greats, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, MJ, Kobe, and the demi-god that was Bill Russell. That his Cavs lost in a 4-game sweep is no surprise. It was a mediocre team being carried on the wide shoulders of James (and matched against one of the greatest teams ever, the Warriors, and the Harry Potter of basketball, Steph Curry) and, in some strange way, his greatness is amplified by the contrast with the rest of his team. It was a great run.

May 24, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I’ve always liked Alicia Keys and admired her social activism, but I am hooked on her last album Here. This feels like an album finally commensurate with her anger, activism, hope, and grit. More R&B and Hip Hop than is typical for her, I think this album moves into an echelon inhabited by a Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On or Beyonce’s Formation. Social activism and outrage rarely make great novels, but they often fuel great popular music. Here is a terrific example.

What I’m reading:

Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad may be close to a flawless novel. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer, it chronicles the lives of two runaway slaves, Cora and Caeser, as they try to escape the hell of plantation life in Georgia.  It is an often searing novel and Cora is one of the great heroes of American literature. I would make this mandatory reading in every high school in America, especially in light of the absurd revisionist narratives of “happy and well cared for” slaves. This is a genuinely great novel, one of the best I’ve read, the magical realism and conflating of time periods lifts it to another realm of social commentary, relevance, and a blazing indictment of America’s Original Sin, for which we remain unabsolved.

What I’m watching:

I thought I knew about The Pentagon Papers, but The Post, a real-life political thriller from Steven Spielberg taught me a lot, features some of our greatest actors, and is so timely given the assault on our democratic institutions and with a presidency out of control. It is a reminder that a free and fearless press is a powerful part of our democracy, always among the first targets of despots everywhere. The story revolves around the legendary Post owner and D.C. doyenne, Katharine Graham. I had the opportunity to see her son, Don Graham, right after he saw the film, and he raved about Meryl Streep’s portrayal of his mother. Liked it a lot more than I expected.

April 27, 2018

What I’m listening to:

I mentioned John Prine in a recent post and then on the heels of that mention, he has released a new album, The Tree of Forgiveness, his first new album in ten years. Prine is beloved by other singer songwriters and often praised by the inscrutable God that is Bob Dylan.  Indeed, Prine was frequently said to be the “next Bob Dylan” in the early part of his career, though he instead carved out his own respectable career and voice, if never with the dizzying success of Dylan. The new album reflects a man in his 70s, a cancer survivor, who reflects on life and its end, but with the good humor and empathy that are hallmarks of Prine’s music. “When I Get To Heaven” is a rollicking, fun vision of what comes next and a pure delight. A charming, warm, and often terrific album.

What I’m reading:

I recently read Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, on many people’s Top Ten lists for last year and for good reason. It is sprawling, multi-generational, and based in the world of Japanese occupied Korea and then in the Korean immigrant’s world of Oaska, so our key characters become “tweeners,” accepted in neither world. It’s often unspeakably sad, and yet there is resiliency and love. There is also intimacy, despite the time and geographic span of the novel. It’s breathtakingly good and like all good novels, transporting.

What I’m watching:

I adore Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film, Pan’s Labyrinth, and while I’m not sure his Shape of Water is better, it is a worthy follow up to the earlier masterpiece (and more of a commercial success). Lots of critics dislike the film, but I’m okay with a simple retelling of a Beauty and the Beast love story, as predictable as it might be. The acting is terrific, it is visually stunning, and there are layers of pain as well as social and political commentary (the setting is the US during the Cold War) and, no real spoiler here, the real monsters are humans, the military officer who sees over the captured aquatic creature. It is hauntingly beautiful and its depiction of hatred to those who are different or “other” is painfully resonant with the time in which we live. Put this on your “must see” list.

March 18, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Sitting on a plane for hours (and many more to go; geez, Australia is far away) is a great opportunity to listen to new music and to revisit old favorites. This time, it is Lucy Dacus and her album Historians, the new sophomore release from a 22-year old indie artist that writes with relatable, real-life lyrics. Just on a second listen and while she insists this isn’t a break up record (as we know, 50% of all great songs are break up songs), it is full of loss and pain. Worth the listen so far. For the way back machine, it’s John Prine and In Spite of Ourselves (that title track is one of the great love songs of all time), a collection of duets with some of his “favorite girl singers” as he once described them. I have a crush on Iris Dement (for a really righteously angry song try her Wasteland of the Free), but there is also EmmyLou Harris, the incomparable Dolores Keane, and Lucinda Williams. Very different albums, both wonderful.

What I’m reading:

Jane Mayer’s New Yorker piece on Christopher Steele presents little that is new, but she pulls it together in a terrific and coherent whole that is illuminating and troubling at the same time. Not only for what is happening, but for the complicity of the far right in trying to discredit that which should be setting off alarm bells everywhere. Bob Mueller may be the most important defender of the democracy at this time. A must read.

What I’m watching:

Homeland is killing it this season and is prescient, hauntingly so. Russian election interference, a Bannon-style hate radio demagogue, alienated and gun toting militia types, and a president out of control. It’s fabulous, even if it feels awfully close to the evening news. 

March 8, 2018

What I’m listening to:

We have a family challenge to compile our Top 100 songs. It is painful. Only 100? No more than three songs by one artist? Wait, why is M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” on my list? Should it just be The Clash from whom she samples? Can I admit to guilty pleasure songs? Hey, it’s my list and I can put anything I want on it. So I’m listening to the list while I work and the song playing right now is Tom Petty’s “The Wild One, Forever,” a B-side single that was never a hit and that remains my favorite Petty song. Also, “Evangeline” by Los Lobos. It evokes a night many years ago, with friends at Pearl Street in Northampton, MA, when everyone danced well past 1AM in a hot, sweaty, packed club and the band was a revelation. Maybe the best music night of our lives and a reminder that one’s 100 Favorite Songs list is as much about what you were doing and where you were in your life when those songs were playing as it is about the music. It’s not a list. It’s a soundtrack for this journey.

What I’m reading:

Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy was in the NY Times top ten books of 2017 list and it is easy to see why. Lockwood brings remarkable and often surprising imagery, metaphor, and language to her prose memoir and it actually threw me off at first. It then all became clear when someone told me she is a poet. The book is laugh aloud funny, which masks (or makes safer anyway) some pretty dark territory. Anyone who grew up Catholic, whether lapsed or not, will resonate with her story. She can’t resist a bawdy anecdote and her family provides some of the most memorable characters possible, especially her father, her sister, and her mother, who I came to adore. Best thing I’ve read in ages.

What I’m watching:

The Florida Project, a profoundly good movie on so many levels. Start with the central character, six-year old (at the time of the filming) Brooklynn Prince, who owns – I mean really owns – the screen. This is pure acting genius and at that age? Astounding. Almost as astounding is Bria Vinaite, who plays her mother. She was discovered on Instagram and had never acted before this role, which she did with just three weeks of acting lessons. She is utterly convincing and the tension between the child’s absolute wonder and joy in the world with her mother’s struggle to provide, to be a mother, is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. Willem Dafoe rightly received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role. This is a terrific movie.

February 12, 2018

What I’m listening to:

So, I have a lot of friends of age (I know you’re thinking 40s, but I just turned 60) who are frozen in whatever era of music they enjoyed in college or maybe even in their thirties. There are lots of times when I reach back into the catalog, since music is one of those really powerful and transporting senses that can take you through time (smell is the other one, though often underappreciated for that power). Hell, I just bought a turntable and now spending time in vintage vinyl shops. But I’m trying to take a lesson from Pat, who revels in new music and can as easily talk about North African rap music and the latest National album as Meet the Beatles, her first ever album. So, I’ve been listening to Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy winning Damn. While it may not be the first thing I’ll reach for on a winter night in Maine, by the fire, I was taken with it. It’s layered, political, and weirdly sensitive and misogynist at the same time, and it feels fresh and authentic and smart at the same time, with music that often pulled me from what I was doing. In short, everything music should do. I’m not a bit cooler for listening to Damn, but when I followed it with Steely Dan, I felt like I was listening to Lawrence Welk. A good sign, I think.

What I’m reading:

I am reading Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Leonardo da Vinci. I’m not usually a reader of biographies, but I’ve always been taken with Leonardo. Isaacson does not disappoint (does he ever?), and his subject is at once more human and accessible and more awe-inspiring in Isaacson’s capable hands. Gay, left-handed, vegetarian, incapable of finishing things, a wonderful conversationalist, kind, and perhaps the most relentlessly curious human being who has ever lived. Like his biographies of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein, Isaacson’s project here is to show that genius lives at the intersection of science and art, of rationality and creativity. Highly recommend it.

What I’m watching:

We watched the This Is Us post-Super Bowl episode, the one where Jack finally buys the farm. I really want to hate this show. It is melodramatic and manipulative, with characters that mostly never change or grow, and it hooks me every damn time we watch it. The episode last Sunday was a tear jerker, a double whammy intended to render into a blubbering, tissue-crumbling pathetic mess anyone who has lost a parent or who is a parent. Sterling K. Brown, Ron Cephas Jones, the surprising Mandy Moore, and Milo Ventimiglia are hard not to love and last season’s episode that had only Brown and Cephas going to Memphis was the show at its best (they are by far the two best actors). Last week was the show at its best worst. In other words, I want to hate it, but I love it. If you haven’t seen it, don’t binge watch it. You’ll need therapy and insulin.

January 15, 2018

What I’m listening to:

Drive-By Truckers. Chris Stapleton has me on an unusual (for me) country theme and I discovered these guys to my great delight. They’ve been around, with some 11 albums, but the newest one is fascinating. It’s a deep dive into Southern alienation and the white working-class world often associated with our current president. I admire the willingness to lay bare, in kick ass rock songs, the complexities and pain at work among people we too quickly place into overly simple categories. These guys are brave, bold, and thoughtful as hell, while producing songs I didn’t expect to like, but that I keep playing. And they are coming to NH.

What I’m reading:

A textual analog to Drive-By Truckers by Chris Stapleton in many ways is Tony Horowitz’s 1998 Pulitzer Prize winning Confederates in the Attic. Ostensibly about the Civil War and the South’s ongoing attachment to it, it is prescient and speaks eloquently to the times in which we live (where every southern state but Virginia voted for President Trump). Often hilarious, it too surfaces complexities and nuance that escape a more recent, and widely acclaimed, book like Hillbilly Elegy. As a Civil War fan, it was also astonishing in many instances, especially when it blows apart long-held “truths” about the war, such as the degree to which Sherman burned down the south (he did not). Like D-B Truckers, Horowitz loves the South and the people he encounters, even as he grapples with its myths of victimhood and exceptionalism (and racism, which may be no more than the racism in the north, but of a different kind). Everyone should read this book and I’m embarrassed I’m so late to it.

What I’m watching:

David Letterman has a new Netflix show called “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” and we watched the first episode, in which Letterman interviewed Barack Obama. It was extraordinary (if you don’t have Netflix, get it just to watch this show); not only because we were reminded of Obama’s smarts, grace, and humanity (and humor), but because we saw a side of Letterman we didn’t know existed. His personal reflections on Selma were raw and powerful, almost painful. He will do five more episodes with “extraordinary individuals” and if they are anything like the first, this might be the very best work of his career and one of the best things on television.

December 22, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished Sunjeev Sahota’s Year of the Runaways, a painful inside look at the plight of illegal Indian immigrant workers in Britain. It was shortlisted for 2015 Man Booker Prize and its transporting, often to a dark and painful universe, and it is impossible not to think about the American version of this story and the terrible way we treat the undocumented in our own country, especially now.

What I’m watching:

Season II of The Crown is even better than Season I. Elizabeth’s character is becoming more three-dimensional, the modern world is catching up with tradition-bound Britain, and Cold War politics offer more context and tension than we saw in Season I. Claire Foy, in her last season, is just terrific – one arched eye brow can send a message.

What I’m listening to:

A lot of Christmas music, but needing a break from the schmaltz, I’ve discovered Over the Rhine and their Christmas album, Snow Angels. God, these guys are good.

November 14, 2017

What I’m watching:

Guiltily, I watch the Patriots play every weekend, often building my schedule and plans around seeing the game. Why the guilt? I don’t know how morally defensible is football anymore, as we now know the severe damage it does to the players. We can’t pretend it’s all okay anymore. Is this our version of late decadent Rome, watching mostly young Black men take a terrible toll on each other for our mere entertainment?

What I’m reading:

Recently finished J.G. Ballard’s 2000 novel Super-Cannes, a powerful depiction of a corporate-tech ex-pat community taken over by a kind of psychopathology, in which all social norms and responsibilities are surrendered to residents of the new world community. Kept thinking about Silicon Valley when reading it. Pretty dark, dystopian view of the modern world and centered around a mass killing, troublingly prescient.

What I’m listening to:

Was never really a Lorde fan, only knowing her catchy (and smarter than you might first guess) pop hit “Royals” from her debut album. But her new album, Melodrama, is terrific and it doesn’t feel quite right to call this “pop.” There is something way more substantial going on with Lorde and I can see why many critics put this album at the top of their Best in 2017 list. Count me in as a huge fan.

November 3, 2017

What I’m reading: Just finished Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, her breathtakingly good second novel. How is someone so young so wise? Her writing is near perfection and I read the book in two days, setting my alarm for 4:30AM so I could finish it before work.

What I’m watching: We just binge watched season two of Stranger Things and it was worth it just to watch Millie Bobbie Brown, the transcendent young actor who plays Eleven. The series is a delightful mash up of every great eighties horror genre you can imagine and while pretty dark, an absolute joy to watch.

What I’m listening to: I’m not a lover of country music (to say the least), but I love Chris Stapleton. His “The Last Thing I Needed, First Thing This Morning” is heartbreakingly good and reminds me of the old school country that played in my house as a kid. He has a new album and I can’t wait, but his From A Room: Volume 1 is on repeat for now.

September 26, 2017

What I’m reading:

Just finished George Saunder’s Lincoln in the Bardo. It took me a while to accept its cadence and sheer weirdness, but loved it in the end. A painful meditation on loss and grief, and a genuinely beautiful exploration of the intersection of life and death, the difficulty of letting go of what was, good and bad, and what never came to be.

What I’m watching:

HBO’s The Deuce. Times Square and the beginning of the porn industry in the 1970s, the setting made me wonder if this was really something I’d want to see. But David Simon is the writer and I’d read a menu if he wrote it. It does not disappoint so far and there is nothing prurient about it.

What I’m listening to:

The National’s new album Sleep Well Beast. I love this band. The opening piano notes of the first song, “Nobody Else Will Be There,” seize me & I’m reminded that no one else in music today matches their arrangement & musicianship. I’m adding “Born to Beg,” “Slow Show,” “I Need My Girl,” and “Runaway” to my list of favorite love songs.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J from President's Corner https://ift.tt/32jCJ0H via IFTTT

[thefreestudy]

The Free Study,Top Motivational Movies Every Entrepreneur MUST Watch For A Dose Of Inspiration 1. Nightcrawler (2014) NightCrawlers I just finished watching this movie, and the first thing I did after watching it was start writing this post. Nightcrawler is a movie for people with great vision. This movie is little brutal, but Jake Gyllenhaal’s acting will keep you engaged. It’s about a struggling guy who is looking for a job but can’t find one. Instead, he finds a window of opportunity after witnessing a crime and decides to become a crime journalist. This movie will teach you that with a little persuasion and drive, anyone can become anything. It will teach you how focusing on, and improving, your positive attributes will make you limitless. Go watch this movie, and then come back and tell me you aren’t inspired. It’s not possible. And without giving away any spoilers, here’s the last line of the movie: “I will never ask you to do anything that I wouldn’t do myself.” 2. The Social Network (2010) The Social Network was a Hollywood blockbuster. It was based on the fairy-tale rise of Mark Zuckerberg and his startup – Facebook. The Social Network remains a top choice for inspiration because of its deft storytelling and brilliant background score. This is a good movie on learning how to take your dreams and turn them into reality. The movie also teaches us a lot on how to scale a company from a dorm room to the most successful social media platform the world has ever seen! Although the accuracy of this movie has been questioned, it doesn’t matter, it is a great source of inspiration for all entrepreneurs. Here is one of the best lines from the movie: “The internet’s not written in pencil, Mark, it’s written in ink.” 3. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) Pirates of Silicon Valley is another well-crafted movie covering the successes of Bill Gates’s Microsoft and Steve Jobs’s Apple. Both were no doubt “great pirates” and this movie does a great job of detailing that. The movie is a take on the rivalry between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates from the very early days. Noah Wyle did a great job of portraying young Steve Jobs in this made-for-television movie. And Anthony Michale Hall does a great Bill Gates. Here’s one of his quotes: “Success is a menace. It fools smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” 4. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Yes, it’s spelled like that. This is one of my favorite motivational movies, and one of the best movies ever on never giving up. Will Smith’s amazing portrayal of Chris Gardner will give you goosebumps. This is a movie based on Chris’s memoirs. It was a best-selling book and then became a blockbuster movie. It adds in a gripping sense of reality that you don’t find in a lot of cheesy Hollywood movies. The movie features a powerful, yet simple message: Never give up. Here’s a great line: “The world is your oyster. It’s up to you to find the pearls." 5. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) How could we leave out this one!? It’s one of IMDB’s all-time top 10 movies. Here’s the story: Two imprisoned men bond over a period of many years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. The protagonist Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) manages to make the best out of a very bad situation (being imprisoned for a false murder). Through perseverance, he manages to achieve more than he ever thought possible. Morgan Freeman plays the other main character, and their chemistry is unmatchable. During one of their earliest conversations, Andy says: “I guess it comes down a simple choice: Get busy living, or get busy dying." 6. Forrest Gump (1994) This is a beautiful story about a simple man with good intentions, who accidentally becomes a phenomenal success just by living his the life he feels is right. He wins medals, becomes a professional ping-pong player, takes up running, owns a huge shrimping company, and inspires people all across the country. The story revolves around the simple nature of Forrest (Tom Hanks) and how he proves that you don’t have to be a genius to achieve something. All you have to do is try. My favorite quote from the movie: “I’m not a smart man. But I *know* what love is." 7. Moneyball (2011) This movie is about the Oakland Athletics and its general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt). The team is an underdog and is losing a lot of money. All of their star players have been picked up by bigger teams. Now, Billy needs to look at how to create a winning team without the kind of talent that money can buy. This movie shows how entrepreneurs can take an innovative approach to an existing way of doing business, and beat out the competition with little to no money. Here’s a great line: “When your enemy’s making mistakes, don’t interrupt him.” 8. The Godfather (1972) The Godfather is another one of IMDB’s all-time top 10 movies, and it’s also one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time. This is a story about the growth of a small family business and the fighting off of the opposition. The business changes through time until it finally becomes the largest organized crime syndicate in New York City. The father and son who run the operation show what it takes to get to the top and stay there. It’s a great watch for those who want to learn how to stay on the top. Note: Don’t do anything illegal, just find some inspiration in these shrewd business operators. And I know you won’t be able to resist from tweeting this line: “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.” 9. Wall Street (1987) This a movie about business and greed. The story is about an ambitious young stockbroker, Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen). He has and does everything in his power to succeed, even if that means a little insider trading. Insider trading is a highly reprehensible and punishable crime, and yet, he has no fear. He meets with Gordon Gecko (Michael Douglas) and starts doing business with the motto “greed is good”. You don’t have to succumb to greed to draw inspiration from this movie. Here’s a great line: “The most valuable commodity I know of is information." 10. Rocky (1976) This is the classic underdog story. Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) is given the chance to fight the heavyweight champ. He has an opportunity to make a better life for himself by going head to head with the challenge. This movie teaches a lot about the competitive spirit, and will inspire you to get up and beat your competition (hopefully not literally!). Always remember this truth: “Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.” 11. Jerry McGuire (1996) This is a classic movie (based on a true story) that shows just what it takes to stay at the top. The protagonist (Tom Cruise) is faced with rejection and people keep turning their backs on him while he takes big leaps of faith. Slowly, he identifies the best road for him to follow, and ultimately ends up being successful in both business and life. Here’s a little-known quote from this movie (written on a sign in a locker room): “Success consists of simply getting up one more time than you fall.” 12. Startup.com (2001) Startup.com is an excellent documentary about the internet gold rush of the late 1990’s. This documentary has all the necessary ingredients to learn a few great lessons about the internet bubble. A rise in competition, lifelong friendships on the line, and do-or-die ambitions all combine to form a deadly cocktail for an internet startup. Here’s a warning sign that things aren’t going great: “It’s about the money. Don’t BS me. It’s obviously about the money." 13. Something Ventured (2011) If you happen to be an entrepreneur looking forward to exploring the VC avenue, this documentary has some great insight. Something Ventured is a documentary based on the perspective of the first venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. It’s a really great way of looking at how things get funded, and what’s on the line for big time investors. It’s also a great look at how to be brave and push through innovative ideas in a market that always likes to be complacent. For any entrepreneur or investor: “The risks were just enormous." 14. Boiler Room (2000) Although this movie is most likely inspired by the original Wall Street, there are few great salesman tips to inspire you here! Let this movie guide you to find that inner business spirit. It’s a total must-watch to get you motivated. Also, it’ll help you stay true to your spirit and not become morally corrupt. One great line to remember: “I had a very strong work ethic. The problem was my ethics in work.” Click To Tweet 15. Office Space (1999) Raise your hand if you hate work! If you’ve ever hated an office job, Office Space is definitely a movie for you. This movie will help inspire you to get out of that awful 9 to 5 lifestyle. This is such a motivating movie… It’s about a guy who just can’t stand going to work anymore. Instead of being fired, he gets promoted, but his bitterness about his job comes back to cause him trouble. Seriously amazing movie. Here’s a great line: “The thing is, Bob, it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care." Bonus : Ctrl+Alt+Compete (2011) Ctrl+Alt+Compete is a documentary movie with some of the most up-to-date insights into the modern startup industry. Here you can take a look into the highs, the lows, and the harsh realities of the startup world. This movie is a reality check on the illusions of the startup industry in general. Here’s a line about investing: “This is really just legitimized gambling.” Movies for Motivation : Apart from these movies, any of the TED videos are highly recommended, and will give you much that needed push to start and finish up anything. Another movie that I highly recommend you check out is “The Secret”. This movie will not only help you build a positive outlook, it will change your perspective and will help you live a meaningful and happy life. This is my list of inspirational movies, and I’m sure there are many more movies which have motivated you. Share those movies with me in the comments. What do you watch when you need that extra inspirational kick? Like this post? Share it with your friends!,https://www.facebook.com/thefreestudy/photos/a.219887535101731.1073741828.183195608770924/407141199709696/?type=3

[drthestrainlove]

The Girl with All the Gifts

Remember when zombies were the “it” thing?  Where seemingly every movie, video game, and tv show had to have them and have some trivial thing differentiating them from one another?  This lead to, as it does with every thing that becomes popular, to hand-wringing about keeping the genre fresh, interesting, more clever than each previous installment.  To be sure, some of this hand-wringing can be pretty valid, especially since the very first zombie movie Night of the Living dead set the tone (both intentionally and inadvertently) with social commentary and frank observations about humanity while still managing to be frightening.  These concerns proved true with arguably the nail in the coffin of big budget zombie fare, World War Z.  I defy you to find a movie that was made more clearly to be a cable mainstay.  It took no risks, had nothing unique or interesting to say, and frankly was the type of scenario we’d all seen before.  The secret ingredient to Romero’s success, and something World War Z failed spectacularly at, was that characters matter, and characters we’re invested in will drive a movie better than any set piece with mounds of CGI zombies conquering Jerusalem.

Enter The Girl with All the Gifts.  Based on the novel of the same name by M.R. Carey, the Girl with All the Gifts begins with a girl in a cell counting.  Eventually her door opens and she is tied down to a chair at gunpoint with restraints on her hands, feet, and head.  It’s slowly revealed that the world has undergone a massive fungal infection, turning most of the world’s population into what are referred to as “hungries” and our counting girl protagonist, Melanie, along with dozens of other children, are infected but not so far gone that they are full feral.  They are being schooled and experimented on to potentially find a cure.  As most zombie movies do, zombies end up ruining the sense of order and Melanie, along with some military officers and scientists, set out to meet up with another, bigger base.  If I’m being completely honest, the plot in this is pretty boilerplate and the idea of half human/half zombie hybrids is not interesting enough to elevate this into something more.

What DOES elevate this into something more are the characters and the actors playing them.  Melanie is played by Sennia Nanua and delivers a performance that is is full of childlike wonder, confusion, and growth that should not be possible for someone her age.  Emma Garteron is the teacher that develops a connection with Melanie and believes in her humanity.  Paddy Considine is a soldier who initially reacts poorly to Melanie being brought along on the trip but comes around; his world-weary demeanor feels lived-in and earned.  But the cream of the crop here is Glenn Close, playing a doctor convinced that she can find the cure by vivisecting Melanie.  Honestly?  You can have Meryl Streep, give me Glenn Close in a genre film she has no business being in knocking it out of the park without showing up her castmates.  Where a lot of high profile actors may have viewed this role as an opportunity for camp, Close dives right in as seriously as she does for any of her more recognized roles.

I’d also like to recognize Colm McCarthy, the director for his work on this film.  There’s one shot in particular that I keep thinking about when the initial base is under attack by zombies.  It’s nothing too fancy, but the camera just keeps slowly panning around capturing the chaos of gunfire, zombies, and trying to find an escape.  The set design, the practical effects, everything here has the hallmark of a much bigger production which is why I was surprised to learn it was only a $5,000,000 movie and McCarthy had really only done television before.

If this is the future of the zombie film; memorable characters, solid acting, and thrills enough to justify a viewing, I’ll be more than happy with the genre.  The Girl with All the Gifts is streaming on Amazon Prime, if you’re a zombie fan there’s no reason not to check this one out.

[hogwartselementumrp]

Congratulations Laura on your acceptance as your OC Cash Martin! He is a character archetype we currently do not have and should bring a lot of interesting and exciting connection and plot opportunities with him to all sides. I can’t wait to see what you do with him!

Out of Character Information

Name/Alias: Laura

Preferred Pronoun: She

Age: I don’t know about yooou, but I’m feeling Twenty-twooooo

Timezone: GMT

Activity Level: As we all know I am around a lot at the moment - I am in the midst of a gap year

How did you find the RP (new members): I didn’t find the rp, the RP found me

Original Character Information:

Desired Character: Cassius ‘Cash’ Martin

Face Claim: Lucien Laviscount

Now, please check our dorm page! To see which house is needing a character and in which year!

School Functions (check Quidditch availability’s): -

Character’s Sexuality: Bi/Pan

Why do you believe this will be a good character in this specific roleplay?

Cash, I believe unlike a lot of my ‘aligned’ existing characters, will be a character who is able to generate and partake in a really wide range of plots and interactions, and is a bit of a fresh-air to some extent. He comes from a very different background to lots of the characters in the rp, and he’s a lot of fun. His potential links to Mayte, Marks, the Aurors, the Order, and just about anyone with a coin in their pocket makes him an interesting go-between. He sees and hears a lot from the world of the dodgy dealers and petty criminals that other characters just don’t see and hear, whether he choses to actually share it is more complex.

This is the bio layout, we ask you fill it out changing it with the right info!

Cash Martin is 24  years old, is an ex-Hogwarts Student, where he was in the house of Ravenclaw, and now works as a ‘Free-lance Entrepreneur.’.

                                          ❝One trick ahead of disaster, they’re quick but I’m much faster. Here goes, gotta throw my hand in, wish me a happy landing!”

↳ MAGIC

Cash’s magic is pretty dubious, but he knows enough to scrape by - often by guess-work. He left Hogwarts after his fifth year, deciding he wasn’t really cut out for academia, and has a handful of pretty poorly graded OWL’s to his name. Instinctively his quick reactions and a strange knack for pin-point accurate apparition tend to get him out of trouble more often than not. His skills as an air elemental are also fairly limited, he knows a few showy tricks and a few things to help with his games, but are nothing special. He does, peculiarly have a talent for muggle ‘magic’ - really it’s all just slight of hand and card tricks, but it gets a few smiles and coins.

↳ BACKSTORY

When Cash’s mother, a muggle woman who grew up in a close-knit family in London, found out that her new husband was in fact a wizard, and was claiming that magic was actually real - a whole world that she had to keep a secret, she assumed he’d lost it. Their relationship fell apart in the storm of arguments that followed, and his father had been forced out by the time his mother had even found out she was pregnant with Cash. She watched his oddities growing up, becoming increasingly worried by the strange occurrences that took place around him. Eventually they were visited by an official from the Ministry, who did his best to explain. Cash’s mother, heart-broken at the realisation she’d been wrong all the years, or perhaps that despite her best efforts her son had turned out to be something she couldn’t hope to understand, she was never quite the same again.

At the age of eleven Cash headed off to Hogwarts, bright-eyed and excited, a cheeky boy who wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What he hadn’t expected was the complete snobbery of so many of his peers and classmates who looked down their noses at a scruffy boy from central London with no manners, no idea about the wizarding world and no family name. Not everyone was like that, but enough to get under his skin and leave a chip on his shoulder. He was never all that academically gifted, only really succeeding in Charms, where his flair for the showy came in handy. He quickly found a gap in the market, and by his third year was earning his pocket money by investing in buying up Honeydukes and Zonkos products to sell back to students during term. By his fifth year he was smuggling things in and out through the secret passages, more and more including booze and cigarettes. When it came to OWL year, his Professors breathed a slight sigh of relief when he decided not to come back.

Ever since, well… he would describe himself as an entrepreneur. The Auror office would describe him as a persistent pain in the behind. Running just about every scheme to get himself some money, from selling less than authentic charms and talismans to cauldrons that fell off the back of a broomstick, to pouring pints and running muggle magic tricks to earn cash from passers-by. Managing to afford a tiny flat in a shabby block, and to keep some food on the table, it’s never exactly comfortable. But he has a few invaluable talents that keep him with cash in his wallet - mostly his knack for being able to get his hands on anything you can be looking for. Restricted potions ingredients? He knows a guy. Old and definitely illegal charmed artefacts? He knows a guy. Recreational substances? He knows lots of guys. But he sees and hears more than most people realise. That, and his continuing tendency to just hover around the edges of the legal, are one of the reasons the Auror department haven’t just locked him up yet. That and his disarming smile, he claims.

↳ PERSONALITY TRAITS

» {+ positives} Quick, creative, witty

» {- negatives}  Cheeky - one day it’s going to get him into trouble, Self-preservation, A fairly wonky moral compass, Stubborn

↳ BASICS

» blood status: Half-blood

» elemental power: Air

» affinity level: Weak Affinity

» date of birth: 31st March

» wand: Sycamore and Phoenix Feather

» faceclaim: Lucien Laviscount

NAME CHARACTER IS PLAYED BY YOUR NAME

Sample Para (3+ paragraphs- at least 400 words, in character, third person)

“Alright, alright, 5 sickles in, 5 sickles, if you beat the dealer you win the pot - what about you Sir? Yeah? You want to give it a go?” Cash grinned. The guy didn’t stand a chance now he’d stepped up to the table. “Alright, alright now don’t go easy on me sir, let’s do this fair and square - we’ll do a trial run first, yeah?” He spoke at 50 miles an hour, already watching the guy struggling to keep up with him as he shuffled the deck from one hand to the other, elaborately fanning it out to him and turning his face away. “Pick a card sir, any card, any one you like, take it out and show it to the crowd please - make sure you all remember it or this trick’ll get a whole lot harder for us both,” he teased, turning back as the man showed the card to the crowd, which wasn’t large, but gave a few polite laughs and nods. “Perfect sir,” he grinned again, noting the smug look of superiority on his mark’s face as he held the card, “You got that remembered, yeah? Sure about that? Don’t want to check again? Alright then sir pop it back in the pack, anywhere you like. Anywhere you like, makes no difference to me,” he kept rambling on, one eye following the card as it went back into the pack, but all the time showing off for the crowd. Every blinding grin meant another set of eyes on him, exactly where he wanted them, and not on what he was actually doing. “We’re going to shuffle these up now, we’re going to give them a good old shuffle,” he continued, flashing the cards from hand to hand and making an excellent show of shuffling them. “Are you happy with that sir? Are you happy those are definitely shuffled?” He laid the cards back on the table and flashed his hands to the audience, showily demonstrating that his sleeves were empty to them, to polite smiles. “Alright then sir, so if I can find your card, are you happy to give me a couple of sickles for my troubles?” The man nodded, feeling the pressure of everyone’s eyes on it. “Alright, alrighty then,” he grinned, picking the cards back up and making a show of sorting through them. “Hmm, maybe, maybe, noo, no. Not that one, not you… Hmm, where’s she hiding,” he teased. “Is this your card?” He asked, raising a card from the deck. The audience, almost as one let out a triumphant laugh. His mark, chest puffing up, shook his head and announced. “No.”

Whistling through his teeth and shaking his head, Cash stepped back from the table, hands on his hips. “Well that’s embarrassing, isn’t it. Sorry about that. Looks like you’ll be keeping your coins then… I tell you what,” he began patting down his pockets, “I’ll give you five sickles instead, since you beat me -” the crowd were nodding approvingly, the mark flushed with his own cleverness in outsmarting the trickster. “-Ah… Wait a second,” Cash grinned, his smile turning wolfish for a moment. “I’ve definitely got some coins somewhere…” he kept speaking, more softly, more carefully. “Or…. What’s this then,” he said, pulling a bouquet of flowers out of his jeans pockets. The audience let out a delighted ‘ooh.’ “Hang on then… I reckon I have some under here-” Reaching up and removing his hat, Cash pulled out a playing card, and showed it to the audience with a flourish. Several kids gasped. “What.. ohhhh, is this your card?” he beamed, a knowing laugh sounding. The mark, now rapidly deflating and shaking his head in bemusement dug in his pocket for a fistful of coins.

The audience trickled away as Cash tossed the sickles into his now upturned hat, gratefully receiving a few more knuts as other people left. “Very nice Cash,” a voice sounded, that made the young wizard roll his head as he looked up with a slightly forced grin, “You got any more things we should know about stashed away in that hat of yours? Anything you shouldn’t have?”

“You can frisk me if you’d like McLaggen,” Cash shot back sarcastically, holding his arms up to her. “Care to play around? Pick a card? Or we can do three-card monty?”

“You’d have more luck with a disappearing act sunshine-” The auror stepped towards him. The stocky man stepped back a few paces. With a flick of the wrist his table of trick all disappeared within a billow of deep purple silk that then stowed itself inside his pocket, but he didn’t quite flee. “I think you’ll find, I don’t need a license for a public display as long as I move once an hour and don’t become a nuisance to shops or shoppers,” he warned her, but found his shoulder being grabbed in a vice-like grip anyway as the auror steered him into the alleyway between two shops.

“We’re going to have a word Cash.”

“Oh bleedin’ heck we’ve already had at least twenty. Not sayin’ it’s not a delight, but you’re scarin’ off my customers with that scowl of yours” he grumbled, the protests going unheard.