#who value peace and order at all costs and sort of expect everything to be clean and pristine

[smoothyourdrive]

Things You Should Know Before You Take Your Vehicle There

Taking your beloved car to a mechanic shop demands careful consideration to ensure you receive the best possible service and value for your money. This post will take you through some of the essential things you should know before you take your vehicle to a mechanic. After all, once you are careful about everything, you get great results.

Check the Reputation and Experience

It gets critical that you do check the research on the reputation and experience of the mechanic. Look for reviews, ratings, and even testimonials from previous customers to measure their level of satisfaction. The point is the more you dig deeper into the experience and reputation of the shop, the better you get to know about the mechanic for your vehicle.

Check Specialization

Determine if the mechanic or the shop you are considering specializes in the type of repairs or services your car demands. Specialized shops often have more knowledge, skills, and experience in dealing with specific brands or vehicle systems. Of course, you would want that the professionals who treat your car have proper specialisation in eh field to get the best outcomes.

Look into Certifications and Credentials

Make sure that the mechanics at the shop are certified and even have the essential credentials to work on your specific make and model of car. This is going to showcase their expertise and adherence to industry standards. After all, what is the point if they lack the credentials and all? such a thing will be disappointing.

Check Warranty

You must also inquire about the warranty that the mechanic offers. A reputable shop should provide you with a warranty on both parts and labour to give you peace of mind in case any sort of issues arise after the repair. Of course, such a thing will definitely give you peace of mind that nothing will go wrong with your vehicle.

Ask about Diagnostic Fees

It is important that you ask about diagnostic fees upfront. Some of the shops do charge a fee for inspecting your vehicle and even identifying the problem. Clarify whether this fee is going to be waived or included in the final repair expense. Of course, you should have clarity, or what is the point if you end up experiencing an expense that is way higher than you expected?

Price Estimates

You should also get written estimates from multiple mechanic shops before making any decision. Compare the costs for parts, labour, and even any sort of additional charges to ensure you are getting a fair deal. You can always compare the mechanic or the shop with the other players in the industry. The more you explore the shops and different places, the more you get to know about the pricing and offerings. Hence, you can make a great choice.

Check Quality of Parts

You should also inquire about the quality of the parts the shop uses. Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts are most of the times considered the best option as they are designed particularly for your vehicle. However, there may be aftermarket or refurbished options available too. so always ensure that you have checked it all properly.

Availability of Parts

Then you should also check if the shop has access to the essential parts for your car. If they require to order parts, inquire about the expected delivery time and whether they offer alternative transportation options during the waiting duration. You should have how soon they can provide you with a vehicle part if you need it.

Check Timeframe

Ask for an estimated type of timeframe for completing the repairs. While some delays may be simply unavoidable, a reputable shop should strive to complete the work in a timely and proper manner. of course, you should have a proper idea about how soon they will hand over your vehicle to you.

Communication should be smooth 

Remember that you have to look into the shop's communication practices. Do they provide regular and proper updates on the progress of the repairs? Can you easily reach them by phone or email? Good communication is necessary to stay informed throughout the repair process.

Look into Additional Charges

Inquire about any sort of potential additional charges that may arise during the repair process. Sometimes, unforeseen issues get discovered after the initial diagnosis, and it's critical for you to understand how these are going to get handled.

Insurance and Liability

You should ensure that the mechanic shop has proper insurance coverage in case of any sort of damage or accidents that occur during the repair. This is something that guards both you and the shop from possible liabilities.

Cleanliness and Organization

Then you should also pay attention to the overall cleanliness and organization of the entire shop. A well-maintained and well-organized facility reflects a higher level of professionalism and attention to detail.

Customer Support

You should also assess the level of customer support offered by the shop. Do they have any sort of friendly and knowledgeable staff? Are they willing to address any type of concerns or answer your questions in a satisfactory and proper manner? you must be vigilant about it.

Referrals and Recommendations

Seek recommendations from your friends, family, or trusted sources who have had positive experiences with a mechanic shop. Personal referrals can definitely provide you with valuable insights and help you make an informed decision. Remember, once you get to know about someone that a specific shop is good and they have got their vehicle fixed therein, you can be more confident about choosing that specific mechanic or shop. But again, if someone tells you that a particular shop is not good and they have shallow performance, you may be able to make a better choice than too. so these things always matter and help.

Conclusion 

To sum up , by considering these important things, you can definitely increase your chances of finding a reliable and trustworthy car repair service or shop  that will provide you with quality service for your car. Remember, taking the proper time to research and choose the right and effective shop can save you a lot of valuable time, money and even needless headaches in the long run.

[carewyncromwell]

[HPHM] Erika Rath Playlist

suggested by @wangxianforever000 // featuring Anouk Hoogendijk as Erika

    “Overture” ~ Bring It On the musical

“We Will Rock You” ~ Queen

“Wizards in Winter” ~ Trans-Siberian Orchestra

“On Fire” ~ T. Powell

“No Way” ~ Six the Musical

“Enjoy the Silence” ~ Depeche Mode

“I Ain’t Movin’” ~ Des’ree

“Starlight Brigade” ~ TWRP

“The Hall of Fame” ~ the Script ft. Will.I.Am

Erika Rath was one of the best Beaters the Ravenclaw Quidditch team saw in its history. From the time she joined the team in her second year, her talent was undeniable, and she would go on to help her team win the Quidditch Cup five out of her seven years at school. Erika’s talent, however, came about not just from her own great physical strength and resilience, but from a lot of hard work. The Raths are a very poised, soft-spoken magical family, running a home with no raised voices or flaring tempers and everything having its place, and are best known for their work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Yet from the time Erika was little, she knew she could never fit into the mold set by her grandmother, father, uncles, and older brothers. Instead her one true love soon became Quidditch, which she found a safe place to vent her silent frustrations and bond with others without having to talk a lot. Although Erika’s grandmother and extended family are rather passive-aggressive in their disapproval of her life choices, her father and brothers are fortunately a bit more supportive, in their own understated way. They weren’t the sort to openly contradict the family matriarch or speak out in Erika’s defense, but they would send her Quidditch books and merchandise for her favorite Quidditch team, the Wigtown Wanderers, as Christmas presents. Speaking of the Wigtown Wanderers, Erika’s main rival at Hogwarts was Slytherin Chaser Skye Parkin, who started unfounded rumors about Erika stealing her teammate Carewyn Cromwell’s new Cleansweep between matches. The debacle resulted in Carewyn leaving the Slytherin team and Skye and Erika constantly butting heads for the rest of their school career. Eventually Skye ended up being one of Erika’s teammates when the two joined the Wigtown Wanderers as adults. It took a very long time for them to “bury the hatchet” so to speak, but over time (and with a lot of counseling from Skye’s old friends, Montrose Magpie Chaser Orion Amari and up-and-coming Quidditch commentator Murphy McNully), the two were able to find a way to communicate properly and pull together to bring their team victory. During the Second Wizarding War, Erika even helped Orion go into hiding with his infant daughter Eos and -- alongside Skye, Andre Egwu, Oliver Wood, and other members from the Quidditch league -- returned to Hogwarts for the final battle against Voldemort. Erika and her associates ended up forming something of an “air force,” attacking the Death Eaters, Snatchers, giants, and acromantula from above on their brooms in battle-like formations.

[zeta-in-de-walls]

Okay, in the wake of the L’Manburg war, allow me to get meta for a bit. 

Now obviously the war, and the SMP server in general, are just for content. The stakes are all fictional - nebulous things like freedom on a minecraft server, sentimental value placed on music discs and all that nonsense.

Bearing that in mind, I want to discuss how it played out.

 Who were the best players? It’s clear who were the most powerful and dangerous as enemies - Dream, George, Sapnap and Punz. (I’m leaving aside Eret for the moment btw)  They all had full netherite armour, planted TNT traps and planned betrayals and ambushes to win the war. They had the upperhand throughout. Meanwhile the other side felt weak and ill-prepared and did very little damage to any of their opponents. 

But you know, being more powerful doesn’t actually make for much content on its own. What makes good content? A good narrative filled with drama, tension and excitement. In those terms, we’re looking at Tommy and Wilbur carrying the server with this war.

 The second they said independence and made some grand speeches, there were stakes. Instead of the server being a somewhat peaceful building simulator, it was in a state of conflict. Alliances were created, flags were made, Hamilton and Revolutionary war references were heard, matching skins and all that were being created. Putting great significance into stuff like a patch of tilled soil, suggesting carrying sticks instead of weapons and wearing no armour but fighting with words - that’s the sort of stuff that made this whole scenario work. Without it, this dispute wouldn’t have been able to call itself a war. They even make ridiculous stuff sound convincing - just the idea of calling L’Manberg its own separate server that happens to be inside another server with the running costs still being paid by Dream. It’s crazy but it works. 

And my goodness, did they have their work cut out for them. 

You see, I feel like Dream and co. weren’t really playing along. They heard ‘war!’ and thought - let’s win. Let’s absolutely crush the enemy! No mercy. 

Now playing the villain can be cool, sure. And it kinda worked here. But only just. Some of their actions definitely irked me. 

See, there are kind of unspoken agreements in stuff like letting people prepare, not attacking too early, that sort of thing. You tell everyone that the war’s gonna take place at 7pm and sure enough it does. And there’s Dream’s server rules: No stealing and no griefing. These rules do get bent in the middle of an ongoing battle - eg battles often involve a lot of placing and breaking blocks and when you’re low on stuff, trying to run to a nearby chest to grab some last minute supplies is going to happen (and later after the battle’s done you’ll probably get yelled at a little before making up) - but generally they are upheld. Especially when others are offstream and you aren’t in the middle of something. 

‘Ah but it was war - rules can be broken!’ one might argue. Yeah, no, this is entertainment. You don’t start early because you’re going to ruin the stream and make the content worse - and the whole point of the war is to make good content. Like, when WIlbur’s stream died - they asked for a pause so WIlbur could sort out technical difficulties before continuing. 

Yeah so Dream and Sapnap basically broke all the rules in order to win. Fundy and Tommy put up insulting signs in different languages. Funny content. Dream and Sapnap burned Tubbo’s house to the ground. Err... okay that’s a bit excessive but we can make it work. No mercy, ha. 

So Tommy asked Tubbo to prep for the war. Tubbo agreed and got to work to try and balance the already uneven odds. At this point, the war’s in a day and all of Dream’s side has full netherite and none of L’Manburg do save Eret. Time is short but that just makes it all the more exciting. 

So Tubbo uses villagers and trading, stealing a frugal amount to get himself started before really getting into it and grinding for diamond armour and makes nine stacks of emeralds - enough to place some high level enchants and even the odds a little and make the fight interesting.

While Tubbo’s offline, Sapnap comes in and steals them, getting books to enchant his own set of netherite armour using Tubbo’s set up. Well then. There goes any hope of a fair fight. And they are trying, you know. They realise the armour discrepancy so they’ve been trying to get potions but even that’s a struggle - when Dream finished his apology stream he logged on to the SMP without warning and managed to kill Tubbo before he could get away while his inventory had been full of potions. (Tommy and Tubbo had been visiting Dream’s base to put a sign in it - an offer of Mellohi for peace. Nothing comes of this sign or any of the other Tommy put in other people’s houses - more potential good content there like demanding Sapnap stay neutral in return for a supply blaze powder (a ref to the drug war that preceded this conflict)). It’s not that Dream killing Tubbo is the issue - it’s more how he logged on basically without warning so Tubbo had little chance to get away as he was mostly unarmoured and ungeared. 

Still, the next day Tubbo is trying to grind back up, to even up things a little. He’s only managed to get 2 end crystals and he has a few sets of plain diamond armour and a few books. So he grinds like crazy in the limited time, trading all his iron, chopping trees, carrots, bamboo, sugar, everything he has into emeralds. But he needs levels. He tries to go to the spawner which the other side has been freely using to grind up exp and they kill him when he goes near. One time, Dream kills him while he has several books on him so he has to trade back emeralds to get them again. And now he doesn’t have a good way to get experience so he can’t even the odds. Punz and Sapnap even combatlog inside the spawner so if he goes near they’d come online and kill him. And yeah, they’re stream sniping. They’ve all streamed very little, hiding all their preparations while taking advantage of the fact that the other side have all been streaming everything they’ve been doing. 

‘Imagine streamsniping.’ Tommy and co. said that at one point during today’s conflict. It’s cheap - it’s not fun, it’s taking advantage - one that’s not even necessary as you’re already all OP. Dream’s side aren’t the underdog, they don’t need every single advantage to win this. Instead it’s more like rubbing salt into the wound. 

And yeah, despite all the griefing that Dream side have done, not once does anyone grief anything of theirs - like the chat was totally asking for them to burn down Punz’s house. No, they just place signs and talk. 

Okay, so Tommy announced the war would be at 7pm. He logs on at 6.45 to say hello and hype all his viewers up, get his music playing and give a rundown of the situation and what’s occurred since he’s last streamed. No sooner has he logged on then Tubbo gets ambushed early! They attacked prematurely! 

...

It’s like there was one rule - war begins at 7pm. And instead Dream, George and Sapnap all attacked Tubbo at his base at 6.45. Tommy is ages away and can’t do anything and Fundy’s in trouble too and Tubbo just barely manages to save the gear he has managed to prep. They’re even more on the backfoot. All their strats are known anyway as they’ve been watching streams so they know all about the potions and endcrystals while Tommy’s side are in the dark about Dream’s side’s preparations. For instance, offstream they filled Tommy’s base and L’Manburg with Tnt which they set off to devastating effect. 

The ‘war’ is as one-sided as you’d expect. Tommy and co. are trying to attack even though they lack arrows and food and are hopelessly outmatched but they put up a pretence of trying anyway. At no point is a single one of Dream’s side even moderately threatened (except perhaps when they ambushed Tubbo early as he tried using harming potions) and everyone knows it. 

Still, Tommy and Wilbur push on - they talk, they rally etc. Finally, Eret betrays them and they’re all killed in an ambush. And they’re shocked by this twist, they react, they call Eret their downfall. (Dream’s side didn’t need to resort to such tactics to win given their obvious advantage.) and Eret being a traitor is fantastic for content anyway so it is a great part of the narrative that they all react to perfectly. Eret seems to have a good instinct for making good content as well as this sort of twist is a good addition. It works because its drama - they trusted him and they never expected him to betray them to the other side after all they’d built together. 

In the end, Tommy finishes it on a high with a dramatic bow duel followed by offering the discs in exchange for freedom. And fittingly, despite have being entirely outplayed in terms of power and tactics, they win the thing they cared about - which was the independence that they started the war for. The content - not anything material. Dream’s side was far stronger and better prepared and they weren’t given so much as a chance to catch up for a pvp conflict. But L’Manberg - they got that. 

-

Okay, so this has been long and I’ll probably rewrite something similar soon - but I wanted to highlight how in meta terms, the war was being played unfairly and its obvious that Dream’s side had different priorities - win under any means necessary rather than continue to make great content for the SMP. They’re treating it like a manhunt or something when its absolutely not and shouldn’t be. They’re lucky that Wilbur and Tommy were so good at making it work as they do all the heavy-lifting for the SMP which ensures its got a healthy lifespan. 

[sxvethelastdance]

Okay so, shoutout to @bastardsunlight​ for letting me bomb them with my infodump analysis on a particular trait of Liu Kang’s character that has stood out to me upon analysis of something he said in MK11 that caught my eye. After Liu’s fight with the Revenant Jade he says this: 

“You will not test my faith.”

This got me asking the question of what extent Liu Kang’s faith reaches when compared to someone who’s more prone to expressing doubt, friend or foe. Doesn’t matter.  Now the thing about the Mortal Kombat universe is that the gods ARE real. They have an ‘active’ relationship with the Earthrealmers through Raiden and Fujin. So the faith aspect comes less from a religious context and more from the trust and belief that accompanies having faith in someone or something to do right by you. Even characters like Quan Chi have their own twisted version of faith, trusting Shinnok to reward his loyalty and service. Liu Kang himself doesn’t expect a reward for his faith in the NRS adapation, he seems to practice his beliefs because they extend to him the comfort and explanations that lot of people who engage in this seek. Belief systems are often how people make sense of the world and how they cope with their struggles. This is how Liu Kang deals with his. Faith, or a break from it, seems to be the primary way he reasons with his surroundings in all these different versions of his character. 

More under the cut:

Disclaimer: I’m not religious/do not possess a faith myself. Take this all with a grain of salt. 

In the Netherrealm continuity version of Liu Kang’s character, we see that a good deal of what he does is characterized by his faith in Raiden and by extension: The Elder Gods. He's been a student of the Wu-Shi Academy since infancy, he doesn't carry the trauma of losing his parents and then Chan like MK95 Liu, or implied abuse like the 2021 film version of Liu Kang, has no ties to the outside world, just his community. The temple Elders and Raiden were almost 100% transparent about what he would have to face growing up, communicating an approximation of the expectations that would fulfill his responsibilities to the realm. Liu Kang grew into his duty and thus formed an attachment to it. A part of his identity's tied up in that responsibility, that quality of wanting for nothing because he represents an ideal. He is humble, calm, and faithful to his principles.  He follows Raiden’s lead throughout Mortal Kombat 9 and trusts that what they do under these conditions will give them the answers that they’re looking for. When he and Raiden go to visit the Elder Gods during the last quarter of the game, Liu Kang is faced with the Gods themselves. He has the opportunity to observe them and their priorities, to see that they aren’t here to do right by the people he has sworn to protect. The cracks continue to form in the foundations of his faith as more bodies pile up, until it all comes to a head on the rooftop as Shao Kahn begins the realm merger.  Raiden begs, “Have faith in the elder gods, have faith in me.” and Liu Kang finds that he can’t. It’s cost them too much. It’s that pivotal moment where Liu Kang breaks from his faith and chooses his own way. Ultimately, this is what costs him his life when Raiden accidentally kills him while fending off Liu Kang’s attack. 

It gets even more interesting when you compare this version of him with his Mortal Kombat (1995) counterpart. When we meet that version of Liu Kang it’s immediately obvious that he’s broken from the faith he was raised into. He recognizes Rayden’s status as the god of thunder and in the offhanded way that one would recognize say, an old religious text. Something you know about, and aren’t particularly mystified by because it’s been hammered into your skull for as long as you’ve been alive. Liu knows the stories and the value that they have to people like his grandfather, but it’s something to acknowledge and move along with. The man is burnt out, that much is clear. The movie shows us from the outset doesn’t quite believe in the Gods anymore, that perhaps something happened to make him ask questions of the community’s principles, the ones he inherited by way of cultural osmosis. At some point in his adult life, Liu Kang was confronted with the age old dilemma of ‘seeing is believing’; and when he didn’t see anything, he didn’t believe. So he left to a place where he could be somebody, anybody BUT the chosen one. Which ended up saving his life because otherwise Shang Tsung would’ve swooped in on that technicality and taken him instead of Chan. 

Now what I’m not saying here is that Liu Kang’s faith, religious or otherwise is a character flaw, or that the only reason MK95 Liu survived is that he didn’t believe anymore. No, what I am saying is that MK95 Liu was at a place with his faith where he could handle it if it things fell short of his expectations because he’d already steeled himself for it, where NRS Liu Kang was thoroughly hurt by what looked like confirmation that the foundations of everything he believed in were cracked, that his faith was misplaced. That it cost him everything. He died right on the cusp of realizing a fundamental truth. It’s one thing to die in battle because that’s what you signed up for, that’s the role you were groomed for. It’s another to die when you finally began to ask yourself ‘What AM I fighting for? Who made this decision?’. Then dying for nothing! Nothing at all! Your death wasn’t the absolute that you were told it as by the elders every day of your life either. The realm survived without you. You weren’t... Important. Nothing you did mattered. The rules don’t exist in any meaningful capacity, the elder gods don’t particularly care, you are alone. It’s no wonder his revenant is so bitter! The man set himself on fire to keep everybody warm and now is doomed to burn in the hereafter for it.

Mortal Kombat (2021)’s version of Liu Kang’s faith is a little bit more complicated in my eyes. This depiction of him is more openly faithful than the others. He essentially acts as Raiden’s assistant, wears prayer beads and covets them at difficult moments, frequently meditating. It looks like he uses his faith as a coping mechanism. There’s also another thing to consider, when we look at his past:

Kang has seen the absolute worst of the world, the nitty, gritty, and grimey. The first years of his life were spent suffering abuse as an orphan. It’s implied that he was a victim of human trafficking, which carries another set of implications entirely. Bo Rai Cho did him the kindness of bringing him to the temple, and I’m sure that the Masters did him an even greater kindness of introducing him to techniques that would help him find something resembling peace in himself. But it takes something else to secure someone’s faith in a system when one’s been through the ringer like that:

Trust. And who is it that he trusts more than anyone in the Order of Light? Kung Lao. They were paired up together, presumably to provide him with a peer that he could trust to treat him properly after years of mistreatment (perhaps it was difficult to trust adults with such a fraught history). And Lao did it! He gained his trust! The Liu Kang that we see in the present day is strong in his conviction that what they have committed to is what’s right for themselves, he is fine to save a world that wouldn’t save him if the chips came down to it. His faith in the divine balance isn't blind here, there’s an emphasis on practice. It’s my understanding that it DOESN’T come naturally to him, which sort of adds meaning to the act of believing because it’s a choice. He knows it’s a choice. That faith comes from a place of gratefulness and agency. The way that he talks about Kung Lao, how he builds him up as this amazing figure (at the slightest detriment to recognizing his own talents) tells us that he found something there worth believing in, and that it all started with believing in him. 

For all the shit he's seen, one thing rings true: The world is worth saving because Kung Lao is in it. 

[halcyonbound]

( SAMARA WEAVING, UNKNOWN, SHE/HER )  We opened the gates to the seelie court for CAMILLA DE' MEDICI and we are curious to see how the DEMON  ( PRINCESS OF HELL ), that is often described as the halcyon, will contribute to the new era ━ are they the hunter, the prey ; or are they just here to search for Cosimo de' Medici, their twin brother? We will find our answers in due time and until then, we hope that they can keep their little secret from getting exposed. It could be dangerous if everyone knew what we know… ( sab, she/her, 23, gmt+2 )

STATS .

( taken ) name :  camilla de’ medici . age :  unknown  ( stopped counting a long time ago ) . birthday : july 3 . nationality :  n.a. / italian . species :  demon  ( princess of hell / formerly angel ) . gender :  non-binary woman . orientation :  pansexual & panromantic . religion :  formerly catholic . moral alignment :  lawful neutral . occupation :  princess of italy /  trained seamstress . location :  cosimo de’ medici’s mansion .

PERSONALITY .

open, caring, compassionate.  she was always a little more ...  humane  than most of her siblings. her deep fascination with everything  living  and  moving  and  changing  extended to humanity - from the moment she first came to earth  ( still an angel then, and naively hopeful )  she had a sort of natural charm, always appearing approachable, friendly, and optimistic. while none of that changed, and she is usually  genuine  in all her feelings, there is a spark of  calculation ,  at times - she’s seen too much of the world to simply accept things at face value anymore.

loyal to a fault.  those she considers  family  are her everything, and she’d do  anything  to keep them safe. camilla generally strives for compromise and peace, for the sole reason that she’s  tired  of the fighting and the conflicts and the sorrows she witnessed in hell, but when the people she loves are concerned, all bets are off. whatever they need, she will provide  —  at whatever cost.

vindictive. it is hard to loose her good opinion  ( or amused tolerance, as it may stand )  but once someone does, they are in  serious trouble .  although she barely showcases her demonic powers, she  does  know how to use them - and to mess with a princess of hell is, quite possibly, one of the worst mistakes one could make. it takes a lot to get her going, but when she does, she’s easily lost in violence.  ( a touch of  hell-ish insanity  is hard to hide when it comes in so  handy  in certain situations. )

free-spirited.  spurns rules and regulations; and bounds of any sort. likes travelling, moving, discovering, trying out new things. incredibly curious about anything and everything and reacts with wholehearted  attempts  and a humorous  ‘ watch me ’  at someone telling her  ‘ you can’t ’ .

perfectionist with a limited attention span;  she has long since stopped trying to wrestle her mind into any sense of order, and tends to give in to impulses rather quickly. usually, they’re  positive  ones - new projects, interests, ideas - and it frustrates her a little when she cannot seem to finish any of them to her liking. it makes for ... interesting situations, however, when she does work for hell.

SKILLS .

trained  ( and talented )  seamstress.  her interest in clothing - and not just wearing, but  making  it - comes from that leftover angelic urge to  create ,  she thinks. it started when cosimo and her were taken in by teresa; the woman was of the opinion that a  princess  needed to have certain skills, and after starting with embroidery, camilla quickly became interested in and learned the other aspects of the trade, and the hobby has remained with her since.

pianist.  another one of these skills teresa so valued was  musical proficiency .  her singing, in their society’s general opinion, is no good  ( not that she cares; she’ll sing as loudly and falsely as she wants if it brings her joy, thank you very much )  and she never quite got the hang of string instruments, but she managed to turn into a passable pianist. then again, centuries of practice will do that.

good mediator.  ( when she wants to be. )

demonic powers.  elevated strength, speed, and agility; possession, levitation, teleportation, and the lot. as she’s a princess of hell, her abilities are much stronger than those of normal demons, although she ranks on the lower end when compared with her immediate siblings, as she does not practice as much and hasn’t in centuries. her powers manifest mainly more defensive aspects, and she has an affinity for telekinesis  ( as  that  is something she actually uses regularly for convenience ) ,  making her able to manipulate a large amount of objects or people at once and with surprising precision.

BIO .

they barely remember their creation.  there was light ,  as it is said, and from  nothing  they became  something ;  one  thing among many. heaven was home, and that was enough  ( for a time ) ,  and they were one with their siblings  ( until they weren’t ) . their fledgling days are a blur, now ;  only a few memories stand out. cosimo and his tales of earth ;  their strive for  making ,  for  being ;  reprimands, restrictions, rules ;  their other brothers’ annoyance - then anger - then fury - with all of it.

falling  is much clearer in their mind ;  mainly because it  hurt .  worth it ,  they told themselves as their wings burned up and their grace shattered and split and warped itself into something  else  somewhere between heaven and hell. they left, less out of malice than curiosity ;  for the need to see, and to  become ,  to be more than heaven’s meticulously directed hand.  corruption ,  they knew their siblings called it.  freedom ,  they whispered as they stretched into their new form,  beyond  what god intended.

except they weren’t free ,  not really ;  there was a  price for everything, even  becoming .  hell was ... much the same as heaven, they found, except viewed through a mirror. the humanity they idolized sold themselves out, but despite sharing their sibling’s curiosity to see just  how far  they could turn, hell’s work held little joy for them. they did not want to see the result - they wanted  the process .  they wanted  life .

rising ,  in turn, was much easier given their position, they remember. at one point they simply left for an assigned task and didn’t come back - creeping through the cracks of the world, looking for ... something .

demon’s didn’t have  true vessels ,  she knew from those who frequented earth ;  but whatever was left of her grace, twisted though it might have been, recognized  something  in the girl. or maybe it was something  around  her - it mattered little when they took possession of the body. they were surprised, though, to reconcile that much with her - they  felt  her fear, her recent loss, her remaining love for a brother long gone ;  a brother they now recognized as their own. they didn’t even need to lie to swear they would protect him above all else before the girl let go.

she became camilla .  after recognizing cosimo’s grace in her vessel’s twin brother, her decision to remain on earth became final. it wasn’t just her promise to the girl ;  she’d missed her brother more than any of her other siblings, and he welcomed her to his side with open arms, accepted her more than heaven or hell ever had. for the first time since creation, she felt ... whole .  human. like she had choices ;  had the  freedom  to choose a home.

eventually ,  they ended up in italy, being  ‘ adopted ’ ,  of sorts, by the ruling family. the situation never ceased to amuse her, but she liked teresa well enough  ( it felt interesting, being  mothered )  and being once again styled  ‘ princess ’  opened the doors for a myriad of new experiences. this  was precicely the  joy of life  she had always craved.  ( and if hell came a’knocking, no one forced her to open the door. )

things took a turn  when cosimo decided to get married and fell in love - unfortunately in the wrong order, she thought then. illyria was … a special case. camilla didn’t particularly care for political marriages  ( the trend of the decade was  romance  and she’d read far too many novels on the subject )  but her brother seemed open enough to the idea. so for his sake, camilla made an effort to befriend her; she was intrigued by the dragon and enjoyed her company with others, but they never quite became confidantes - camilla bemourned her brothers’ heart too much.

when instead ,  he fell in love with one of illyria’s ladies, she was ecstatic - this  was what was meant to be. anastasia makes him happy, and so camilla is happy, too ; conversation was so much  easier  with her, and camilla came to love her like a sister and did everything to make her feel comfortable and supported in her new position as  mistress - especially with a child on the way.

who could have expected neglecting illyria could have such  dramatic  consequences?

good things burn as good things do ,  and when cosimo was called back to heaven,  something  didn’t sit right with her. that fear was validated soon after when ana and aurora were attacked ;  and with no way of knowing when cosimo would get back, she did what she could to help them.  ( it wasn’t much. it, arguably, might have made things worse ;  but it was the best option at the time. the  only  option. )  

when she heard from heaven next ,  however, it wasn’t from cosimo, but someone  else ,  with a very clear message. furious as it made her, she accepted the offered deal ;  but she’d never hated heaven more than the day cosimo returned with memories altered and something ... missing. she lied and laughed and tried to make up for forgotten happiness as much as she could ;  as much as was possible without raising suspicion ;  attempting to return to some form of normalcy. 

CURRENT SITUATION .

centuries later ,  with cosimo’s memories recovered and his family returned to earth safe and sound, they finally found some semblance of peace. camilla tries not to dwell on the past, but her role in all of it weighs heavy on her heart.

now, while they are ... mostly stable  in the fae realm, she tries to keep a low profile  ( fearing the past eventually catching up )  although she grows more and more  antsy  being stuck in the same place for so long.

she’s offered her services  as a seamstress, working from a little house in the village of spring ;  it’s a nice way to stay occupied and keep an eye on new arrivals and the general talk of the town.

IDEAS FOR CONNECTIONS / PLOTS .

LOVED AND LOST :  camilla loves to love. she gets along easily with just about anyone  ( if she wants to )  and collects hearts like other girls do necklaces - but she’s just as likely to give her own away. most of her relationships over the centuries have ended amicably, simply due to growing apart. her one and only engagement is the notable exception to this.

→  WANTED CONNECTION POST : ex-fiancé 

BLOOD OF THE COVENANT : throughout her life, she’s abandoned both heaven  and  hell, and while she still holds some affection for her  siblings ,  she’s stopped hoping for a friendly reception. besides that, she’s angry at heaven and hiding from hell, so that should make for some interesting dynamics.

BAD MOON RISING :  as a princess of hell, she was directly involved with creating more demons. i’d love to explore a connection to someone she met in hell and/or screwed with on earth!

any kind of relationship, really: platonic, romantic, antagonistic. whatever shennanigans you can imagine!

hi all, i’m sab and this is my chaotic friendly-ish demon babe. i’m also writing darcy, who you can find over  here .  if you’re interested in talking / plotting / just starting a thread based off of these ideas, hmu!! i’m always up to chat!

[dwellordream]

A bit of a strange question, but as the queen of AUs, what do you think wouldve happened to the course of ASOIAF events if robb had instead been a woman?

Thank you! I’ve actually debated doing a ‘Robyn, eldest child of House Stark’ fic multiple times, but I don’t think it will be occurring any time soon because once I’m done with Haunt/Hunt it’s going to be a while before I want to touch anything set during the War of the Five Kings timeline. assuming literally everything else stays the same, and Catelyn simply happens to give birth to a daughter at Riverrun instead of a son: (WARNING this is just me talking off the top of my head, I am not an acclaimed ASOIAF theorist or scholar haha) I honestly have no idea what Catelyn would name her. We don’t know if she and Ned even discussed potential names for their children in the two weeks they had together before he went back to war, so it’s really anyone’s guess. I *don’t* think Catelyn would have felt comfortable naming her Lyarra or Lyanna or Branda without Ned’s explicit approval, and she certainly would have wanted to give her daughter a Stark or northern name, especially since the child was born in Riverrun and we’re assuming she’s redhaired and blue-eyed like Robb in canon. Robyn was historically a Ryswell lady who ruled as Lady of Winterfell after marrying Jonnel Stark (although the marriage produced no heirs) and it’s also close to Robb, so if it were me writing the fic I’d probably just go with that.  There’s also just the always ‘safe’ name choices of Jeyne or Alys/Alysanne, which Catelyn might have felt were very inoffensive names no one could have an issue with. Berena or Arrana or even Serena or Sansa could be other options, but if I was writing this AU I’d want to keep the name change as simple as possible so as not to confuse anyone. So Catelyn gives birth to a little Robyn Stark. I am sure she adores her daughter, but I think she would be feeling a bit crestfallen and insecure that she hasn’t given House Stark a male heir while Ned is off to war- especially since there has never been a Lady of Winterfell ruling in her own right- a lot of fics like to portray the North as being much more egalitarian than the South, but the canonical evidence for that is... shoddy. I think the first big issue is obviously going to be Ned bringing Jon back to Winterfell. Catelyn shows up with her infant daughter Robyn- already a stranger in a strange place, likely feeling insecure and uncertain of her relationship with Ned, which is nonexistent, and surprise! There’s a bastard son literally sitting in the nursery. So I think we can take Catelyn’s canonical feelings of ‘why the HELL would you RAISE your ILLEGITIMATE SON WHO LOOKS JUST LIKE YOU alongside OUR CHILDREN and EXPECT ME TO BE OKAY WITH THIS’ and magnify that by about 10?  I would say Catelyn and Jon’s already rocky dynamic is going to be that much worse in this AU, especially since Catelyn then does not have a son until the birth of Bran in 290 AC. That’s about 7 years where Jon is the only male child of Ned’s at Winterfell. 7 years for people to wonder if he might be legitimized if Catelyn doesn’t have any sons. Unless Ned takes some proactive steps to reassure Catelyn that Robyn could inherit his seat and he wouldn’t put Jon in front of her, I think the relationship between Ned and Cat is going to be quite tense. Hateful and toxic to the degree of Robert and Cersei? No, but frosty and distant. Maybe it would improve with the birth of Bran, maybe it would improve if Ned caved and agreed to send Jon to ward somewhere nearby, such as with House Cerwyn or House Hornwood or even the Tallharts, but I do think we would then see a Ned and Cat at the start of 298 AC who are not as close and deeply in love as they are in canon. That’s not to say I think they’d loathe each other but it would be different. Anyways, I would still say Robyn has a pretty happy childhood. I think her personality would be reasonably similar to Robb’s in canon- she’s loving and protective of her siblings, looks up to her parents, is proud of her Northern heritage but worships both the Seven and the old gods. I think her and Sansa would be quite close, and I think since Robb is pretty much the ‘ideal’ if young and sheltered male heir in canon, Robyn would pretty much adhere to the gender norms of Westeros. I don’t think she’d be a tomboy to the degree that Arya is, although she might quite enjoy hunting, hawking, and riding, and I think she’d have some close friends in say, the Manderly sisters or Alys Karstark (I like to write female friendships, anyways). But one major difference is, of course, that Robyn is not considered Ned’s heir. Bran is. This changes Bran’s personality a bit. I think he is overall still his sweet, curious self, dreaming of becoming a knight, but I think that is tampered some by the pressure to grow up and become a worthy successor to his well-loved and respected father. So we might see a bit of a more ‘mature’ Bran or just one who doesn’t really have much time to be scampering about Winterfell- he’s busy with his lessons or training. Robyn I think would love both Sansa and Arya and be a good intermediary between the two of them, although Arya might still be very insecure about not being as feminine or graceful as her two popular older sisters. I do think Robyn would help abate some of her insecurity and feelings of worthlessness, though; she could keep Sansa and Jeyne in line from being bullying or just derisive of Arya’s wild ways, and she could also maybe show Arya some of the value in things like needlework and a lady’s traditional duties, etc. The big question here then becomes, when Robert shows up, does he want Joffrey betrothed to Robyn instead of Sansa? We can assume Robyn and Sansa both look quite similar, but Robyn is the elder sister and was born around mid-283 AC, while Joffrey was born in early 286 AC, I think that age difference would be seen as completely acceptable. So I’m inclined to say yes, there is talk of a betrothal between Joffrey and Robyn. Is Robyn as charmed by Joffrey as Sansa is in canon? Eh, she might not hate him right off the bat, but I can’t see her really having much of a crush, either. Does this influence Ned to think differently of agreeing to the betrothal, if Robyn expresses no interest in wedding Joffrey and becoming queen someday, or does he put more value on not offending Robert?  If I was writing this AU my personal solution would be to have Robyn already betrothed by 298 AC, thus averting the problem of having her just ‘replace’ Sansa in her own plot. It would also make sense in that as Robyn would be a 14 year old girl at the start of the story, it would seem like there might be more pressure to figure out a betrothal for her than there was for Robb. Given Ned’s desire to shelter his children and keep them close, I think he and Catelyn would want Robyn either marrying into a Northern house or a Riverlands house where they would know what family she was marrying into well and know what to expect. Just in terms of negotiating this betrothal, the North might be more convenient for everyone. Cley Cerwyn, Daryn Hornwood, Harrion Karstark, Jojen Reed, and Smalljon Umber would all be options. Robyn would be considered a very appealing choice in wife in order to get influence with the Starks, so lots of houses would be vying for her to marry into their families. Obviously Robyn being betrothed to a northern lordling sort of sets her up to be left behind as acting Lady of Winterfell when all the shit starts going on, with Catelyn trusting her to look after her little brothers and keep the castle in order. Does Bran still fall in this AU in the first place? I guess it really depends. He might have less chances to sneak off with him being expected to spend time around Joffrey and Tommen as Ned’s eldest son. If he does fall, that is an even bigger blow to House Stark in the eyes of their allies- Ned’s heir is crippled, what now, would probably be the major thought. Rickon is just 3- it will be at least a decade before he’s ruling anyone. This might provide an opportunity, plot-wise for Robyn to step up to the plate and maybe the North winds up being steered in the direction of ‘we love Lady Robyn and her betrothed, *insert Daryn or Harrion or Cley, etc!*’. If she ends up being the one to call their banners... who knows. Obviously she wouldn’t be fighting any battles, but I think Catelyn would see nothing wrong with her daughter leading and making battle plans.  That’s kind of all I got at the moment but it’s definitely an interesting concept! How does Theon view her? What is her relationship like with Jon? Does she still name her direwolf Grey Wind? How does her relationship with Catelyn develop as she grows into a young woman making serious political decisions, not all of which her mother agrees with? Does she feel differently about suing for peace with the Lannisters and trying to save Sansa and Arya at all costs, being a woman herself?

[bts-fic-collection]

What are some BTS starter pack fics? Like ones everyone should read or ones that are considered fandom faves.

Okay, so, before I give you any fics, I’d like to say that this list is completely subjective to me - I’m not saying that anybody else will agree with me that all of these are starter pack fics. Also, this list is in no particular order, they’re all equally as excellent :)

That being said, I think I’ve got a pretty comprehensive list for you here :)

Fake Sugar by Minverse (Jinkook)

Where Skies Are Blue by aeleoneira (Yoonmin)

The Farthest Place by onlyalivetonight (Yoonmin)

October by PikaChiminie (Yoonmin)

Logical Thinking by Only_A_Fangirl (Namgiseok)

Monster Mash by TheOrgasmicSeke (Yoonmintaekook)

once upon a timeshare by namakemono (Jikook)

Golden Boy by GinForInk (Namkook)

Up We Go by Oh_Hey_Tae (Vmin)

The Rest Comes After by naxariis (Namgi)

v for vendetta by notyoongs (Yoonkook)

light side of the moon by themelonlord (Yoonmin)

thirty thousand feet and falling by linzeigh (Namgi)

Cinnamon Crisp by teatimetaemint (Taekook)

rewrite the stars by notyoongs (Yoonkook)

Glass Diamonds by GinForInk (Jikook)

Paint by Minverse (Vmin)

you have 1 new message by bazooka

Rating: T

Pairings: Namjoon/Seokjin

Status: Complete

Word count: 30,968

Summary: r u n c h r a n d a.fuckthis is going to sound like the weirdest shitokay look i used ur selcas to catfish and this older dude is gonna buy me stuff but i have to send him a selca with a peace sign

~ * ~ pingkeu jin ~ * ~hahahahahahaha wtf

Conflicting Arrangement by PrettyBoyKIller

Rating: Not rated

Pairings: Yoongi/Jimin, Namjoon/Seokjin, Jungkook/Taehyung

Status: Complete

Word count: 162,552

Summary: "Absolutely not,“ Yoongi deadpanned. “Namjoon-ah. I value you as a friend, and I think I’d even go as far as to say that you’re my best friend, but absolutely fucking not.”

“You owe me,” Namjoon pleaded. “Come on, Yoongi, it’s not a big deal.”

“Your boyfriend’s best friend’s best friend needs a fake boyfriend to come out to his family this Chuseok, all the way in fucking Busan.” Yoongi repeated drily without pause, making Namjoon wince. He flipped a page of his textbook, picking up his highlighter. “Not a big deal, Namjoon. Amazing.”

The Calamity, Kindness and Clinics series by Madd4the24

Ratings: M

Pairings: Namjoon/Seokjin, Hoseok/Taehyung

Series status: Incomplete

Total word count: 619,645

Summary: For Seokjin, the rules for being a doctor in gang territory were simple: keep his clinic open at all costs, treat his patients with care, watch out for his brother Jungkook, and most of all, avoid the thugs. The last thing he expected was to get caught up in a gang war, or to find himself falling for Bangtan’s leader, Rap Monster. And in a world where rules are everything, sometimes breaking them can mean the end of everything.

That is, if his heart doesn’t kill him first.

Twinstars by mellzmallow

Rating: E

Pairings: Taehyung/Jimin

Status: Complete

Word count: 22,481

Summary: “When the world was still young, naive, and less complicated than it is now, it’s been said that everyone had a second half. A soulmate. Matching marks that appear on their bodies would determine who their soulmate was. It became a bond, more intense than mating itself, that linked two people together. Of course those are just stories now, passed on from generation to generation. Many pass it off as just a fairy tale; something parents would tell their little kids as a bedtime story, and many more people have stopped believing in it.“

There are two things that always had Taehyung’s unwavering determination:1. One day he will meet his soulmate.2. He will not spend his heats with an alpha that isn’t his soulmate.

However, when Taehyung runs out of omegas to help him through this one particular heat, he ends up arguing with his brother, and breaking more than one resolution.

Out of My System by xxdevilishxx

Rating: M

Pairings: Yoongi/Jimin

Status: Complete

Word count: 101,651

Summary:  Yoongi likes one night stands and he understands how they work. What he doesn’t understand, however, is how he ended up in bed with a probably-not-legal kid crying in his arms about his broken heart, because he’s pretty sure (and correct him if he’s wrong) that a babysitting job was not what he was looking for when he went to the opening of his friend’s new club.

Run This Town series by dreamingdaegu

Ratings: E, M

Pairings: Jungkook/Yoongi, Taehyung/Jimin, Seokjin/Namjoon

Series status: Complete

Total word count: 240,900

Summary: "Wanna give you a private dance,“ Jungkook murmurs, tugging him in the direction of one of the secluded rooms.

“Doesn’t that cost a lot more?”

“You can afford it,” Jungkook tells him.

It’s true, Yoongi can. But it’s the principle; the feeling of being taken for a fool, who’ll pay anything just because he can. He’s about to argue his point before Jungkook adds-“

Anyway, this one’s for free.

”[alternatively: Yoonkook fuck in a strip club]

just called to say I love you by orphan_account

Rating: E

Pairings: Jungkook/Yoongi

Status: Complete

Word count: 12,247

Summary:  Yoongi isn’t like Jeongguk’s brother’s other alpha friends and Jeongguk is secretly sort of really in love with him.

about soulmates and inevitable doom by fruitily

Rating: T

Pairings: Jungkook/Yoongi

Status: Complete

Word count: 22,873

Summary: jungkook could write a handbook called What to Expect When You’re Sharing an Apartment With Two People Who Are Each Other’s Soulmates (Especially If You Haven’t Found Yours Yet and Are Kind of Bitter About It).

or: when you turn twenty, the ability to communicate with your soulmate by writing on your skin manifests. jungkook’s soulmate wants nothing to do with him. yoongi can’t help but associate soulmates with inevitable doom.

Strawberry Lube by minyoongz

Rating: E

Pairings: Yoongi/Jimin

Status: Complete

Word count: 82,791

Summary: Yoongi remembers little to nothing of their crazy drunken night out. But of two things he’s absolutely sure, one: he’s not gay, two: he just slept with Park Jimin.

if you love me won’t you say something by 777335

Rating: E

Pairings: Jungkook/Yoongi

Status: Complete

Word count: 102,214

Summary: yoongi and jeongguk fall in love and then some.

same damn hunger by marienadine

Rating: E

Pairings: Hoseok/Yoongi

Status: Complete

Word count: 40,468

Summary: When it comes to fucking around with his best friend, Yoongi follows two rules:

1. They must be inebriated.

2. They must not kiss.

A Dance of Poppies by springrain21

Rating: M

Status: Complete

Word count: 32,692

Summary:  When Jimin’s family is killed, Yoongi’s pack takes him in, and they fall in love over the years.

Good Friends tell their Friends when they’re getting Good Sex by emothy

Rating: E

Side pairings: Yoongi/Jimin, Taehyung/Jungkook/Hoseok

Status: Complete

Word count: 41,246

Summary: Yoongi likes to brag to his friends about his boyfriend. Jimin likes to brag to his friends about his boyfriend.

Little do they know there’s actually crossover in their friend groups.

[twilightprince101]

Warmth (Twi X Empress)

Felt impulsive and stayed up until 4 AM last night writing a self insert fic with me and Empress. 

I regret nothing.

(TW: Blood, scars, injuries)

It’s not every day that Empress retreats back to her old apartment. She mainly uses it as a sort of hideout, sneaking away solo if any of her plans ever spun out of control. Due to the nature of her position, that thankfully never happened. The complex was old and run down, dwarfed both in size and quality by a hotel occupying the land immediately next to it. The owner was simply relieved to have anyone in occupancy, it didn’t matter who they were. At most she’d use it twice per-year. But after the most recent heist, that tradition was forced to be broken.

Empress grunts with each flight ascended up the staircase, inwardly cursing that she never bothered to build up any muscle. She was never exactly strong in the physical sense, mainly relying on others to do the heavy lifting while she focused on the planning. She had been trained to see lackeys merely as tools, an extension of oneself, so she relied on them to do the hard work.There have been times in the past where she had to get her hands dirty, but the resulting scuffle was typically ended by a slash from her claws or a shot from her rocket launcher. They focused on precision, never strength.

So today, with a bloodied and injured dragon occupying her shoulder, she began to regret that.

“C-come on now… we’re almost, there…” The yakuza wheezes out as they reach the 4th floor of the complex, knees aching as they stumble their way along to her room. Twi only mutters a response, barely keeping a grasp on consciousness as they ascend. Puncture holes and dark red stains adorn his robe, which he clutched at while they climbed. The dragon was likely more concerned about the cleanup for his clothes rather than his actual injuries, muttering about how he’ll have to sew in some more patches for it later. His umbrella thumped against the stairs with each step taken while dragging it behind by his tail. Even after such a near-death experience, he still refuses to let it leave his side.

With a swift keyturn and a twist of the doorknob, the two injured combatants fumble their way inside, being met with a wave of dust that only weighed down their tired lungs. The apartment barely had anything save for the few given commodities, which were barely ever used even during the few times she visited. There were storage boxes that contained more dust than their actual contents, blanketing the stolen goods and other materials that were within them. 

At last reaching her dust-soaked couch, the cat allows Twi to collapse into the cushions and groan from his injuries. Without wasting even a second, she undoes his  robe’s belt and pushes the cloth aside to examine his injuries. In their most recent endeavor, the two were attempting to make an escape after stealing from the rival Mad Dogma gang. After a few too many slip-ups, the two were backed into a corner. It took some last-second improvising from the both to make an escape, but while Empress escaped unharmed, in the process her associate had taken most of the fire. She entrusted her gang to take the loot back to the safehouse while she brought him back here to mend his injuries.

“H-how’s it look doc?” the dragon blurts out, watching as his boss scans the different wounds with the slightest hint of a smirk. He can’t help but joke around, even at a time of crisis like this. The sphinx cat just shakes her head and analyzes his wounds.

“There are mainly three entry points across your chest, not much else along your lower body. Judging by the points of entry, none of your vital organs have been punctured and your bones only got scraped, and due to the strength of the Mad Dogma’s firearms the bullets managed to shoot clean through you.” She places a paw on his chest, making Twi’s tail instinctively curl up. “Simply put, you got lucky. Very. Lucky.”

“Hehehe…” The dragon points a peace sign up to the ceiling, barely able to get his arm fully extended before cringing again. “The d-dragon’s luck strikes again!!”

Empress takes his arm and forces it back down. “Just because the injuries aren’t fatal it doesn’t mean they aren’t serious. From your behavior I can already tell you’ve lost a fair amount of blood, which is serious in its own right. We’ll have to get these patched up in order to prevent any more. I’ll fetch some supplies, in the meantime, don’t move.”

Twi just gives a thumbs up in response, giving Empress all the confirmation she needs to search for medicine. She makes her way towards the bathroom and opens a box within the towel closet. Even after not returning for months on end, she still knows where every item is. 

While she searches, Empress’s mind can’t help but wander to the events of that night. Everything had been going smoothly, everything had been going to plan. They snuck into their warehouse in hopes of taking some important documents relating to their future plans in an upcoming gang war, getting a jump on them before they’ve even begun. The two snuck through the air duct and snatched their documents right from under their noses. In their plan they would escape the same way, meet back up at the rendezvous then escape from there. It was such a simple mission that they had decided to do it only with the two of them, allowing the lackeys to handle another mission further into the metro.

That was their first mistake. 

As they were making their exit, Twi had taken notice of a hostage that the Dogma were keeping as a means of interrogation. They had no affiliation to the Nyakuza, Empress was willing to just leave them there. But Twi and his unique stance with gang affairs persisted: no innocents should be involved. Even as she hissed at him to follow along or be left behind, he was already trying to figure out a way to save them. Empress had no choice but to assist, lest she abandon her most valued strategist. 

In the end they were all able to escape, but Twi’s kindness had costed him yet again.

This wasn’t the first time his kindness had came back around to bite him. Whenever he developed a strategy, he tried to find a way that would involve the least amount of people getting injured, leading to an increased difficulty whenever he formulated a plan. At his best, the entire crew manages to escape without so much as a scratch. But at his worst, they leave with nothing.

‘One would expect to hurt others when joining the criminal underworld in any form,’ Empress thinks while closing the medicinal box, ‘it’s what many join it to do in the first place. So why does he insist on following this course of action?’

With a towel and several medical supplies in hand, Empress exits the bathroom and returns couchside, finding Twi fiddling with his robe with a blank expression. When she re-enters the room though he snaps out of his trance, his face lighting back up while his tail limply taps against the carpet.

“The queen of the metro returns! All h-hail!” The dust that lingered within the couch catches back up to him, beginning another coughing fit.

‘The blood loss must be affecting his ability to think.’ Empress thinks while kneeling at his side.

“I have all the proper materials here. These wounds will have to be cleaned and bandaged, so I’m going to have to ask you to bear the pain for a little while. Be thankful that they will not have to be stitched. Hopefully with the amount of blood you’ve already lost, you won’t feel too much of this.” The cat began to unscrew the cap of peroxide, dripping some onto gauze to prepare to clean out the wounds.

“Eeeehh, it’s you we’re talking about! It shouldn’t hurt that much!”

The owner wasn’t sure if he should call the police that night.

With all points of entry cleaned (and stuffing Twi’s robe into his mouth to muffle the screams), Empress set the gauze down and grabbed the roll of bandages to the side. Her ears were still ringing from the dragon’s outburst, but she pushed past it for now.

After sitting up Twi (currently on the verge of tears) to an upright position, Empress used a towel to clean the blood from his blue scales. She knew that she would also have to clean the blood from the carpet and couch in order to get rid of evidence, but that can be handled later.

“I swear, you joined my gang, one of the most feared criminal groups in the metro, and yet of all things… you lack even the slightest amount of pain tolerance.” She instructs Twi to raise his arms while she cleans him, guiding him just enough to where the pain from the wounds won’t surge again.

“I mean, I-I did take those three bullets like it was nothing.” The dragon was having trouble keeping so much as one eye open.

“You were fueled by adrenaline, it’s only natural.”

“Pure. Willpower.”

The cat rolls her eyes, unable to let out a small chuckle as she continues. While there isn’t so much blood that it turns into a sponge, there was still enough to turn the once-jade towel a deep crimson. For a moment she eyed the dragon’s robe, already slightly bloodied but still a bit dry. But Empress soon shook her head and continued mopping up the blood. 

As more of the liquid was soaked up, the wounds became more visible, along with the rest of his body. Adorning his chest were various slash marks, bruises and other remains from past battles. Some were small and insignificant to the naked eye, others couldn’t possibly be ignored, spanning across his entire body. Not all of these were from his time in the Nyakuza, there were some scars that were just barely visible enough to be seen, obtained most likely before he even set foot in the metro. But the rest Empress can rememberl clearly. 

Shielding some Nyakuza goons from enemy fire during an escape.

Protecting civilians caught in the war zone of two warring clans.

Challenging the mad cat of the metro, Goro Nyajima, to a duel despite being hopelessly outmatched.

All of these events stand firmly in her mind. Despite not having nearly enough fighting prowers to gain the upper hand, each instance he jumped in without hesitation, and each time he had to be treated afterwards. She has likely wasted enough materials on him to rival a regular medical clinic on the front lines. But despite having visited the hospital and being forced to wear his failures like a tattoo, he simply smiled and put back on his robe, asking what their next mission was. 

Because in his eyes, each scar wasn’t a failure, it was like a medal.

He had protected the Nyakuza goons after a plan had gone awry, leading to only him earning fire.

The bystanders caught between two warring factions had managed to escape without a scratch.

The duel against the mad cat was to buy time as Empress escaped.

“Even if these scars will never go away…” Twi once told her. “It’s still a sign that I was able to help someone. So I’ll gladly wear it.”

Empress stares down at the scarlet towel, holding it as it drips onto the couch. She could hear him saying her name, but she was lost in her own mind as she recalled each injury.

‘If I-if you had just been more careful, you wouldn’t have to be…’

Empress waved the thoughts away as she tosses the oversized rag into a nearby hamper, reaching over for the bandages and preparing to wrap them around Twi’s injuries.

“To be frank, I can’t help but wonder why you even joined in the first place.” She tugged a line of bandages snug. “Your strategies may be beneficial, helping my gang thrive in intricate heists, but out of all those who pledge loyalty, you stand out like a dog.”

“Nu-uh, I’m a draegen.” Twi points to himself while saying that, as if it were a grand line of reasoning. 

“Only proving my point even more…” She clips a string and ties the line tight, continuing for the other two wounds. “You gain the most shares out of the entire clan yet you never spend a quarter of it. You’re aware that the underworld is a ruthless place, yet you go out of your way to ensure none are injured. You don’t have a hint of pain tolerance yet you throw yourself into the line of fire. Some in the clan consider you a walking paradox, others worry you might have an agenda of your own.”

“Well, doesn’t e-everyone have an agenda though? The goons get paid, you get power, I’d say n-not having an agenda makes you weird…” With each word spoken it seems like he just gets more loopy, rolling his head from side to side either out of playfulness or an inability to keep it straight. Nevertheless, he just smiles all the way.

Empress just sighs, she knew it would be pointless questioning him in this state. But still, she couldn’t help but give into the curiosity that lingered within the gang. The dragon had simply appeared one day in the metro, no sign of where he came from or who he was. While exploring he found Nyakuza goons struggling to slip away from police, then without a second thought he assisted their escape. Even the most ordinary of civilians understand that police are “the good guys,” yet he proceeded to leap in without hesitation. Several of the goons find it suspicious even to this day.

His past, his mannerisms, his motives-they were all a mystery to her.

With the final line of bandages snug and tight, Empress rolls up the excess and places it behind her. The bullet wounds were covered with bandages on both sides, cleaned out to prevent infection. Now it would only be a matter of time for him to recover.

Rummaging through the kitchen, she comes back with an unopened water bottle and a protein bar. He happily munches on granola while Empress cleans up. She takes his sunset robe to the bathroom, hanging it on the shower curtain to clean later while swapping out bandages for hydrogen peroxide to clean the carpet. After coming back out with a mop and rags, she’s about to clean the splatters on the carpet when-

“You…” 

Empress stopped mid-kneel, standing back up to face the dragon. He was still sitting upright, arm over the side while sitting cross-legged on the cushion. The water bottle was already half empty and only the wrapper of the protein bar remained.

“You… what?”

“You were wondering… why I joined the c-clan, right? Well…” He turned his gaze over to her. “It was you.”

For the first time in months, Empress was left genuinely confused. She waited a few moments for him to finish his sentence, but it took longer for her to realize that the sentence was already over. Submitting to her curiosity, she set the cleaning supplies down and sat down in front of him.

“I knew about you before… before I came to the metro.” His words were slow and cautious, taking care not to over-exert himself and cause any more unnecessary pain. “I heard ‘bout how cool you were… how powerful you guys were… was much more interesting than back home. Had to s-see for myself.”

“So…” all Empress could do was blink as she processed his words. “You joined my clan simply because you thought it was… cool?” 

The dragon shook his head.

“Not the only reason.” He shifted a bit in his seat, uncovering his wounds as he figured out the right posture to be in while talking to her. “You remember… what I said about m-my home?”

Empress just nodded, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out where this was going. He had only said vague statements before, about how he ‘couldn’t be in his home anymore.’ Twi had always dodged the question, sometimes giving different stories for those who insisted on knowing.

“Back home… everything was falling apart. My family, my town… sometimes it felt like the whole world. Everyone was fighting over pointless things, tearing each other apart until they didn’t even know why. It had been my home for… my entire life it felt like. But one day everything just… snapped. Too much tension built up. It wasn’t my home anymore, all the warmth had gone. So… I left.” Twi looked out the window of the apartment. Neon lights blinked on and off in nauseatingly bright pinks and greens.

“I wandered for… a long time. Didn’t know where to go, what to do. I wanted to go home, but I didn’t know what home was. I wanted to help people, but it felt like anything I did only hurt. It felt like I just walked forever, wandering aimlessly, not knowing what to do with myself. So when I came to the metro and saw your gang… I didn’t even know they were yours then… I didn’t even think. I wanted to do something useful… for once…”

Twi tried to pull his tail closer, dragging along the umbrella that he clutched tight the entire march home. Empress leaned down and picked it up, staring at the designs of the umbrella both inside and out. He had said before as a passing remark it was a gift, but never said who it was from. But with how he never let it leave his side, with how willing he was to run back into enemy fire just to reclaim it, it became clear just how much it meant to him.

Empress gave the umbrella to the dragon, his expression relaxing a bit upon doing so. His hands traced along the grains of the wooden pole, looking down at the object as if it was a familiar friend.

“When I realized that they were part of your gang, and you were the Empress… I couldn’t stop myself from asking to join. The stories I heard, the feats you did… they all amazed me. I had always wanted to meet you in person before, just to see what you looked like. And while I admit, you were certainly looked as cool as I thought you were,” the cat playfully rolled her eyes, “I think, back then... I saw you as my last chance. To not just become something… but prove I was worth something.”

Looking up from his umbrella, Twi turned to Empress once again. He was struggling to say this, she could tell from his eyes. When he was staring out the window, they were distant, hazy. In his mind, he very well could have been in a different place full of neon and saturation. This was, perhaps, the first time since his years of being in the gang he openly talked like this. But looking back to her, away from the artificial light outside, those eyes were focused again.

“This gang, your gang, you… means a lot to me. I was worried you would turn me away, scared that I wouldn’t be enough. But you… you saw something I didn’t see in myself. You let me in… a nobody… and gave me a purpose again.”

The dragon wiped a tear from his eye with a chuckle. “I thought that I was good for nothing, that I’d just be dead weight to everything you did, but look at me now! I’m lead strategist in the Nyakuza! I’m helping pull off heists that will go down in the history books right along the great Empress! In my wildest dreams I don’t think I could have imagined being here now, being blessed with this sort of purpose... it feels like it’s too good to be true.” He grips the wooden handle tighter, imprinting the grains into his hands.

“Sometimes I worry I’ll wake up one day, finding I never left home and nothing’s changed. That I’m still the person I was before. That all of the work I’ve done would just be for nothing.” Twi pulls his umbrella close, hugging it to his body like a childhood toy. “But even if I do wake up… even if this is all just a fleeting dream and I’ll just be right back to where I was…”

He takes a moment to steady his breathing, which slowly got more and more shaky with each word spoken. For a split second he looked away to prepare himself, unclogging the lump in his throat, then after a small sigh he turns back to her. Tiny streaks of tears remain, but he doesn’t let those stop him from revealing his wide, toothy smile.

“I’m still thankful that I could be by your side.”

For a few moments, the rain falling against the window is the only sound that fills the apartment. Twi taking a few moments to express his gratitude, Empress taking a few moments to process everything that was just said. She had speculated before about Twi’s reasoning for joining why he would go out of his way to do this when he gained nothing in return. Everyone in the gang had their own ideas for what he could gain. But out of everything they had speculated, none could have come up with this.

Empress’s training to become head of the Nyakuza had conditioned her mind to remain in a losses-to-gains mentality. Every action she did would cost something, in exchange she would have to gain something worthwhile or else the choice would be pointless. She knew how to manipulate, how to decieve, how to get into the headspace of others. But this was a mentality she never could have predicted. She never knew how much she could have meant to those around her. When Twi had first joined, she saw his ingenuity as a valuable asset that could be used. Even her using the dragon as a tool at first had meant this much to him.

‘No… he’s not a tool anymore.’ Empress thought. ‘He’s much more than that now…’

“Come now, I think it’s best you try to rest.” The Nyakuza boss put a paw on her subordinate’s shoulder. “You’ve lost a lot of blood, you need to let your injuries recover.” 

The strategist nodded, eyelids starting to weigh themselves down. After the day he’s had and him pouring his feelings out like that, it’s only natural he would be exhausted. But as he brought a hand down to the couch cushion, it was met with a cold moist stain. In their talking, both had completely forgotten about the blood stains on the couch. Twi attempted to flip the cushion over, but found that it was stuck to the base.

“Ah… okay then.” With a smile and a shrug, he reached over for a pillow to cover it up. He was content with being uncomfortable for the night, it wasn’t anything too bad after all. He’s slept under worse conditions. In this moment, he simply wants to rest.

But as he fell to his side, Empress pulls him back up to where he was. He looks to her for an explanation, wondering if there was still anything he had to do or if he did something wrong. Empress’s eyes didn’t met his own immediately though, she stared down at the stain that lingered there. After ten ticks of a clock, Empress reached up to her shoulders and slipped off her coat, revealing the countless scars that were underneath. They were long, jagged, spanning from shoulder to waist. But all of them were old and faded, signs of the battles she fought and the wars she had won. 

Gesturing for Twi to stand up for a quick moment, she spread her coat along the couch, acting like a blanket covering the stains. Due to the quality and material of the jacket, none of the stains would seep through, even if one side did soak up a bit of the blood. 

“There are materials in here that can easily clean out blood stains from clothes. Rest up now, you need to let your injuries recover.”

Empress had turned away from Twi to clean up the water bottle and wrapper. The coat itself Empress likely had longer than Twi had his umbrella. It was what many used to recognize her in the metro if she ever decided to step out and handle business herself. She had it custom made from a popular tailor that had visited the metro, paying them to create it exactly to her liking. On its own it likely cost a few thousand dollars, perhaps even hundreds now that so many correlated it to her. So for her to offer it to Twi just like an everyday blanket, the dragon could do nothing but stare with open eyes.

He looked back up to her, seeing Empress from an angle that not many saw her at. While so many only saw her looking down on them, just another object in her path to be used, she had faced Twi directly. Both of them shared eye contact in that moment as if it was a miracle that could only be experienced one, lingering on it for some time. 

Then, gripping the arm of the couch, Twi planted his feet firmly into the carpet and pushed himself upwards to her level. From the blood loss and fatigue he had lost much of his strength, making simply the act of standing up feel like a monumental feat. Empress tried to lower him back down, seeing that little red dots were beginning to appear through the bandages, but he persisted. His teeth grinded together like a saw cutting through a tree, his claws puncturing the fabric of the couch, but after a fifteen second eternity, he managed to meet her eye to eye. 

Empress wanted to scold him for possibly opening his wounds up even more from the strain, but with this amount of determination despite just how much his body rejected pain, she could tell his efforts had drive behind them, so she let him see it through. Once more the two shared eye contact, looking into each other’s gaze for what felt like an eternity. His eyes were focused, but his lip quivered.

Then in one swift motion, Twi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Empress, pulling her tight against him.

The sphinx cat’s reflexes yelled at her to claw and push away, screaming that something was wrong and she had to get away. But after the shock had faded away, Empress could feel just how tight Twi was holding her, along with drops of something cold falling onto her shoulder. He was trembling, but somehow Empress knew it wasn’t from the injuries. 

“T-thank you…”

For her entire life, Empress had never seen kindness as something useful. She had been conditioned to be ruthless by her own mother. Any sense of compassion towards others was a weakness, which would only be exploited. But with Twi hugging her close like this, feeling his warmth, those thoughts slipped away. She didn’t remember the last time she just let herself be held, or even if she ever had been. Empress never thought before she would mean this much to somebody. She never thought before somebody would mean so much to her.

Empress wrapped her arms around Twi, pulling him tight and allowing him to be close to her. The feeling was… alien to her. But with the warmth that it brought to the two of them, simply letting themselves be held in each other’s arms, she was content.

The two of them didn’t let go for a long time.

[rankactive52-blog]

A Guide to White Label SEO

SEO companies are nothing especially new. For quite some time, numerous corporations have utilized SEO companies in order to gain the top of hand against their competitors. A business can only be considered a correct accomplishment if it manages to capture the interest of the to whom it tries to market their services, nevertheless, and several organizations aren't capable of doing therefore without using an SEO supplier program. These special applications arm organizations of all types and sizes with anything that they should stay applicable among different businesses of the sort, permitting them to succeed tremendously at what they attempt to do. At the same time, nevertheless, white label SEO solutions have started to crop up in an effort to address many of the problems that trouble common SEO reseller programs.

The greatest problem with several SEO companies is that they do not let organization owners to own enough get a grip on and flexibility with regard to their companies. They give use of an array of of use utilities, but at the expense of making companies move around in the way they were initially intended to go. Shops that work with these kind of SEO companies in many cases are not allowed to interface directly with their particular clientele, nor may they generally produce the types of decisions one would normally expect a small business owner to be titled to. As a result of this, SEO reseller programs have acquired plenty of complaint through the years, and white label SEO companies make an effort to reverse all of the damage wrought by these companies.

White label SEO helps shops to have their meal and eat it too. There is small position promotion your business when it has to become anything entirely unlike what it was initially supposed to be. With white label SEO programs, resellers maintain an important number of freedom with their very own organization practices. Rather than behave as faceless middlemen between clients and the SEO provider, white label shops are allowed to keep at the front of most organization proceedings. They can communicate with their customers in an up-close, personal, and peaceful way and never having to bother about process getting back in the way. White label SEO merchants can choose the price of their very own solutions, and oftentimes, may possibly style their particular cost method in order to produce things work as easily as possible.

white label seo analysis tool

The Net has come a considerable ways from their early rise of "post-modernism." It has now become a highly effective instrument for revenue generation. In the current overly busy society, individuals are changing to on the web business. Thanks to online stores such as for instance eBay, Alibaba, and Groupon, company online has be effective. Despite their utmost efforts, not everyone manages to succeed. That wouldn't function as the event when you have good solutions from the white label SEO company. Today, the SEO industry is saturated to the brim with less-experienced entrepreneurs.

For newcomers who are not really acquainted with SEO domain, the most effective option is white label SEO. In a business organization process, a favorite company chooses to spread its sub-branches giving its brand, products and services, solutions, and advertising techniques to different businesses. Gains are spread in a percentage that benefits to both parties. Personal label SEO also operates in exactly the same premise, with a few significant differences. Unlike other team organization, you could promote the merchandise under your name and business logo. There's number direct profit sharing.

Individual label SEO companies are entitled to lend their expertise. They are able to develop arranged marketing techniques and solutions, enabling you to industry under your manufacturer name. The merchant business works in the shadow to help you develop an internet site, promote it, and ensure it is more visible. For the prices, it's frequently negotiable. SEO shops may demand you initial costs because of their services, no real matter what the customers spend you.

Natural internet search engine

Personal label SEO means having sensible posts or site that's particularly designed to assist online guests inside their search. The keywords may also be provided directly to you. Content must include quality data and relativity to the research query. In prominent research engines, organic SEO is rather provided more value than black labels. That is the primary reason why you are simply focused to a website with quality things and services.

So how exactly does it work?

Internet search engine applications just benefit SEO resellers. They perform closely with clients, but they are not conscious of the 3rd party: the SEO service provider. Transactions are confidential. This means anyone does not have any idea that companies have been outsourced. The work, communication, messages, and other studies remain secretly within the hands of the reseller. It may sound misleading, but it has many benefits.

If they are not effective enough, contemplate that you're able to possess your website and obtain a great profit, without spending a lot of time or money directly. Since everything will be treated by the merchant, SEO expertise can also be perhaps not required. That you do not have to employ SEO staff of your own.

Since you have total power to your sites, files, and customer contracts, you are able to sell your private label SEO; but, before you choose a business for the merchant company, remember to choose a well-established normal company. Always settle for the best. Check always their web site and generally search for the best deal.

If you have got the abilities to take you to SEO applications, this is an alternative you must take. Employ your methods like contacts. This can cause you to prospect clients and consumers. This is a great chance of getting additional money through that industry.

[stevenuniversallyreviews]

Episode 117: The Zoo

“Can you blame ‘em?”

Every Western story about a return journey can be compared to The Odyssey if you squint hard enough, and while Steven’s rescue of Greg has already featured poor decisions and a cyclops, The Zoo is our most obvious reference point to a trial of Odysseus: in this case, the Lotus Eaters. 

Does it make sense that such a small population could genetically reproduce this long? Let alone that distinct races would still be a thing in this inevitably incestuous family tree spanning millennia? Does it make sense that everyone here is roughly the same age, with barely any old people or children? Or that they’re speaking English, a language thousands of years younger than the last human abducted for the Zoo before Greg? Of course not, this is a nonsensical system. But if the choice was eleven minutes going over hyper-realistic minutia of how this system works (most likely, these folks are divided into small packs and we’re just seeing one of many groups) versus an interesting fable about free will and the conflict between hedonism and responsibility, I’m good ignoring the massive leaps required for the Zoo to hold logical water.

A thorny ethical question presents itself here: if the Zoomans are eternally happy and safe, to the point where they don’t understand the concept of “hurt,” is it such a bad thing that they lack free will? To us, freedom is such an obviously good thing that its value is taken as a given, but all choice does here is make the Zoomans unhappy for the first time since an incident long ago enough to be the stuff of legend. This is a group of people whose culture predates Ancient Greece and is still going strong, outlasting any human civilization that’s ever existed on Earth by an impossibly huge degree, so what right do we have to think our moral code is superior to theirs?

The Zoo is dystopia by way of Dora the Explorer, a perfect prison that has babied its inhabitants for so many lifespans that they can’t even fathom disrupting the system. A friendly voice tells them what actions to take to have fun (Smell the flowers! Go to bed! Swiper, no swiping!) and the Zoomans obey without hesitation; they are essentially to humans what modern dogs are to wolves, a domesticated and perpetually juvenile version of the original model. But they certainly aren’t a different species in that way (dogs diverged from wolves genetically tens of thousands of years ago, rather than a paltry 5,000); we see that the Zoomans are quickly capable of making choice when the idea is planted, but they choose to listen to the little voice. Is it ethical to give them the information to make a more informed choice? My gut says yes, but that’s based on a moral code developed by a society that, like English, is much younger than Zooman society.

The second question that arises from the first is the morality of Pink Diamond’s actions. From a Gem perspective, it’s a no-brainer: free will isn’t a societal good to them, so even if Earth wasn’t destroyed as originally planned when the Zoo was built, bringing people to a paradise whose only cost is freedom is an obvious win. This matters a lot for Blue Diamond, who’s still patronizing in her “saving” of Greg but clearly means well by her own alien metrics of good and bad. And in that way, on first viewing, Pink’s behavior becomes far less ambiguous than “evil alien kidnaps humans.” If she’s anything like Blue, she considered it a favor, and that alone characterizes her more than anything else we know at this point.

In retrospect, the Zoo is more clearly a half-measure taken when Pink was trying and failing to stop the colonization she began. This conflict wasn’t short, and it’s great to see evidence of Pink trying smaller ways to help humans before realizing that more drastic actions were necessary, rather than her just jumping straight to full revolution. The fact that the Zoo is still a thing after her permanent shift to Rose Quartz, however, is one of many indicators of Pink’s childish selfishness. She didn’t release the humans she abducted, just as she didn’t think of how her faked murder might have more violent consequences than a freed Earth. I call the selfishness childish because it comes not from malice, but seemingly not knowing any better. This is the self-centeredness of somebody who’s never had any reason to not be self-centered, which doesn’t absolve the harm she causes, but makes her more interesting than a true monster.

While the Gem perspective is clear, Steven provides an ardent opposition to the concept of paradise without choice. At no point is he tempted by a life free of worries, valuing his ties to an existing life despite its many warts. And while Greg shows a few hints of falling for the Lotus Eater trap in his more relaxed attitude towards captivity, it’s crucial that his support of Steven trumps the comfort of this new reality; an entire episode about Greg measuring an easy life versus his son’s happiness, while in keeping from the weird shitty version of Greg we met in House Guest, would’ve been ruinous to his actual character. He’s still chill, and encourages Steven to chill as well for his own well-being, but never goes further in trying to stay at the Zoo; we even know that he tried to escape before Steven arrived.

While their long-awaited reunion is sweet, my favorite Steven'n’Greg moment is the realization that amethysts will likely arrive in response to pain. Steven’s insistence that Greg hit him comes from both impatience and the knowledge that he can take a punch, but Tom Scharpling perfectly captures how insane this sounds to Greg. Even though he’s physically weaker than his superhumanly powerful son, Greg’s willing to get hurt in his kid’s place. And still, Steven hesitates, because neither of these people wants to hit the other despite the circumstances. Finally, after Steven’s punch sends Greg flying, I appreciate his idea to try punching him again; to me, it’s representative of how much Steven thinks of his dad, because he just assumes this middle aged dude is tough enough to shrug off such a blow.

The two lead Zooman representatives sorta blend together, but I think that’s the point: in a society where conformity is the only option, everyone’s bound to act similarly. They’re both portrayed well enough to avoid boring tropes associated with characters like this (we don’t get airy hippies or droning disciples): Cristina Vee’s Jay-Ten and Lamar Abrams’s Wy-Six are delightfully dopey and just a little bit self-superior when things they find obvious are a mystery to our heroes. Vee doubles as the Little Voice, which is correctly played without a hint of menace, and while Abrams has already proven himself as Buck Dewey, I’m impressed by his ability to play a fully different character just as well (he’s also Garbanzo, who also sounds distinct, but he only says his own name so there’s not much room to measure differences).

While I have no idea whether the pun is intentional, I am all about these people raised beyond the stars being spacier than our more grounded Earthlings. Still, their one-note nature means that my favorite Zooman moments are actually Steven’s reactions to them. His quick decision to escape after being told to do “the bits” bit is low key hilarious, as is his bewilderment at their tiny splashes. These aren’t people that are going to make jokes or clever observations on their own, at least in a way that can match what their terrestrial counterparts can accomplish, but at least I never feel bored with the routine in a way that detracts from the episode.

In contrast to the mundane hedonism of daily life, the Choosening is just the sort of cultish jargon that one might expect from a society like this, and I love the familiarity implied in Greg’s world-weary comment that there’s always a catch with this sort of thing. We have no way of knowing how arbitrary the Choosening is, but considering Greg gets chosen Choosened right after arriving, it certainly seems random. While arranged marriage is obviously a thing on Earth as well, the power dynamics on the Zoo are more akin to forced marriage. But even this is colored by an earthly glimpse at an alien culture, because we don’t have any societies with an all-powerful overclass and a genuinely content and cared-for underclass. Is it really forced marriage if the parties involved are happy about it? Even if this is due to them being happy about everything that happens in this society? Are they really capable of true happiness when they’ve experienced no alternate emotions?

This is where the theme of choice versus happiness comes to a head, and it’s so important that we don’t get a tidy ending where free will is presented as a liberating alternative to a peaceful life of following orders. Choices allow for more meaningful happiness, but can lead to sadness as well; while this might seem obvious, I’m always down for children’s media explaining why negative emotions can be okay sometimes (see: Inside Out) and that a life free of pain isn’t necessarily good. It would be disingenuous for real choice to be presented without backlash to a society without free will, and we don’t even get to see how the situation resolves in the original series.

The amethysts march in to help, and Michaela Dietz wonderfully captures gruff warriors helping with emotional wounds. But we end the episode with the Zoomans in turmoil, abandoned by our heroes without a second thought. Based on how the system works, all it takes to reject the Little Voice is just deciding not to listen, and it hadn’t been done before because the Zoomans wanted to listen; again, it’s a tricky situation, because perhaps they do have free will and have chosen obedience. .

As in the last few episodes, we get a cliffhanger ending, but The Zoo bounces back from Gem Heist by having an actual complete story within the chapter. Steven and Greg make a meaningful impact on the Zoomans, but whether it’s for better or worse is up in the air. Our heroes gain the option to eat lotuses in peace for the rest of their days, but choose freedom instead. And they reinforce their bond by sticking together through it all. Now they just have to escape a space station crawling with Gems and find their missing friends and fly home, and that will be all!

Future Vision!

The Zoomans finally return in Steven Universe Future, where their utopia has been expanded to include the Famethyst and Holly Blue. They may be running the station, but they choose to live the way they always have. They’re also petty as hell, which is an excellent development for their passive society.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

While I appreciate the moral questions prompted by The Zoo, and enjoy the episode itself, it’s not quite something that I’d say I love. There’s nothing I find wrong with it, but it lacks a certain amount of oomph that might make it worthy to stand alongside the likes of Alone at Sea or Maximum Capacity in my rankings; this is a high concept episode that has decent character work, but ratio of focus on concept to character doesn’t align with what I love about Steven Universe.

It’s weird to put it in the same category as Gem Heist, because I like The Zoo a lot more, but this is what I get for not having way too many categories. Enh, I can live with it.

Top Twenty

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

When It Rains

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

No Thanks!

     6. Horror Club      5. Fusion Cuisine      4. House Guest      3. Onion Gang      2. Sadie’s Song      1. Island Adventure

[dent-de-leon]

what do you honestly think about keith's character development on the show?

This sounds like you’re expecting something a little different, so let me preface this with: I love him and I think he has some of the most interesting and well executed arcs in the show. Now, I think of Keith’s character development in terms of different criteria that makes the most sense to me. They are as follows:

His backstory

His ties to the Galra

His uniquely intimate relationship with Shiro

The relationships he works so hard to forge with the rest of the team

His leadership arc

If we’re going to discuss character development, it makes sense to begin at the beginning. And man, I’ve always loved Keith, but throughout season 1, he was stagnant. He gets the least development out of anyone on the team. It was even confirmed by the showrunners themselves that he has the least lines out of all of Team Voltron this season, including Allura and Coran. We’re talking about someone who spoke the least, gave the least insight to his backstory, and was for all intents and purposes a blank slate. The appeal to season 1 Keith is that he’s an intriguing character shrouded in mystery.

But really, we know nothing about him. When season 2 rolled around, people started complaining that he got too much spotlight. But he was the one who sorely needed any and all development at that time. Finally, we had something to go by–he’s galra, he’s struggling with his identity, he had a father that he lost, he’s afraid of losing Shiro more than anything, he wants so badly to be good–season 2 gives him his chance to shine.

And throughout the series, we are continually rewarded with more and more glimpses into Keith’s past and potential future–how he thinks of Shiro reaching out to him before they fall into the abyss, the innovative use of time-space mechanics to allow Keith to relive his history and properly reflect on it rather than having Krolia just tell him, the heartbreaking use of Shiro’s dreams to illustrate how much he and Keith truly mean to one another. All these elements of Keith’s backstory are incredibly compelling, and on that front, I think he honestly recieves some of the most history and background out of anyone.

Now, let’s talk about his Galran blood. Keith goes through many phases over the course of coming to accept himself for who he is. Initially, he views his heritage as something innately shameful and malevolent–haunted by nightmares, he tries to hide it. The princess in particular has a grudge against him for things completely out of his control, and he passively accepts her judgement. He never once challenges her, and instead lets her come to terms with the situation at her own pace and rebuild that bridge when she’s ready.

He’s incredibly considerate of her feelings and insists she need not apologize.  Keith’s own sense of self worth has been dismal for most of season 2 though. It’s Shiro who witnesses his trial and Shiro who immediately shows his unwavering love and support right after. Many fans were upset that we didn’t see more characters really reacting to Keith beyond Hunk also learning to change his views, but the show runners clarified that the dichotomy between Allura’s resentment and Shiro’s total acceptance despite both being victims of the Galra was the focal point of this arc:

So we know how Allura and Shiro reacted to Keith’s galra reveal. What about the other paladins?

Lauren: “I think the rest knew Keith well enough to know it’s not a big issue. And they don’t know much about galra–do you grow purple fur at some point? But Allura has that history, so…”Joaquim: “And with Shiro, we have that history. But he loves Keith, so he sees the good in him.” (source).

They’re the ones who have been directly affected by the Galra, and so it’s their opinions on Keith that are ultimately the most telling. But throughout this time, Keith’s worth is continually weighed by both himself and some of his teammates. It’s very much a time of upheavel for him, of continual developments and change–and this only carries over into later seasons. When we return to Keith’s BOM arc, it’s after he’s been put under immense stress and has been forced into a position he feels he cannot handle. His earlier time with the BOM was about finding out his history. This time, he’s trying to figure out his place in the present when he feels he has none. Being Voltron’s leader just doesn’t feel right, especially with Shiro back at his side.

Especially when Shiro is also challenging his calls at every turn. The episode title here is Code of Honor, and it really reflects what was racing through Keith’s mind at the time. Honor means everything to Keith, and he’s not willing to compromise his own sense of morals–even for the sake of the team. He can’t stand sitting still and wasting time, putting on acts–when Lotor is out there somewhere, and still very much at large. When the BOM are on the verge of discovering a new strain of quintessence, when there’s just so much more good he feels he could be doing with the order.

But, even then, Keith is forced to confront his own beliefs and feels torn between personal loyalties and duty. Time and again, Kolivan tries to drill it into him that the BOM are not Voltron, that they must make sacrifices, that Keith must be willing to put the mission and self-preservation first. He would never leave someone behind, and that’s a danger to Kolivan’s entire operation. Keith is someone very passionate who acts on his heart, and Kolivan tries again and again to impress on him the importance of distancing himself from those emotional attachments– “You cannt allow your feelings to cloud your judgement.” “I wouldn’t–” “You have in the past.”

There’s more to the BOM than just Knowledge or death–the premise of his indoctrination and initial time with the BOM. It’s also a matter of acknowledging the risks, of realizing when something is a lost cause. “In Voltron, we would have gone back to save Regris.” “This isn’t Voltron.” “The mission is more important than the individual.” “You didn’t consider something might’ve happened to you. That would make me down two men instead of one.” “No, Shiro and Lotor are up there!” “Then you’ll die with them.”

Victory or Death, Knowledge or Death, stay with Voltron at all costs, leave in search of answers, the predicament of leadership and whether or not the mission is worth the individual–it’s a lot. I can’t think of many other characters who go through such a long and arduous journey of balancing different life creeds and weighing the moral ramifications of each, nevermind anyone that goes as in depth with it as Keith. His entire relationship with the Galra is a learning process that continually challenges his once stagnant world views, forcing him to confront the potential flaws in his own moral code and come to terms with what really matters most.

And you know what? The Keith we have now is presented as someone who remains steadfast in their morals, who always strives to do good and protect what matters most. He opens others’ eyes to the possibility of what a world with Galra like him could do, to a better future. He inspires them–“He’s our leader, plus he’s half Galra, so I think he’s like, the future.” “With Lotor gone, it was clear there was a power vacuum in the Galra Empire. Zethrid and Ezor wanted to exploit that for their own gain…but I knew I had to find my own path. And it led me to you.”

This is so far removed from the boy who was terrified of his own blood, who lived in waking nightmare that he was a monster. He’s self-assured and accepted in a way he never was before. Keith represents a potential new era of peace and prosperity for the Galra Empire, one where there were always be a place for people like him. This is an especially crucial change for the people within the Empire as well as the rest of the universe seeking out any sort of Intergalactic Alliance, because we know how the Empire looked down on those with mixed heritage.

How Lotor had to fight for every ounce of respect. There’s even hints at it like the mere mention of the term “Blood-Emperor,” which Lotor comments is antiquated but still seems to be highly valued by members of the Empire, “No one has used the term ‘Blood-Emperor’ since before we were a star-faring race.” Keith and those that are inspired by his code of honor–like Acxa–could very well be the ones that hold the key to a future where half-Galra are no longer regarded as lesser for their blood.

I’m gonna skip over Shiro for the moment, since his bond with Keith is one of the main overarching themes of the story that pervades and informs nearly every other aspect of Keith’s character development. So, let’s talk about the rest of the team–from the start, Keith is not a “team player.” He is, however, agressively Team Voltron, and more than willing to fight others if they ever threaten to leave the team. He sees abandoning the Lions as abandoning one’s duty, and his strict–originally much more black and white–code of honor prevents him from doing so.

He also seemingly easily weighs the decision for Pidge, and makes it clear that she’s expected to make sacrifices for some abstract “greater good.” “You’re putting the lives of two people in front of everyone in the entire galaxy!” “Keith, that’s not how a team works. People have to want to be part of it. They can’t be forced.” Again, we see that Keith starts off at someplace very different from where he ends up. Throughout the series, he’ll soon become the person risking the mission for the sake of the individual–and he’ll become disenchanted enough that he won’t see Voltron as the an infallible means to every end.

Allura even tells him, “But our mission is bigger than any one individual,” when he refuses to move on from Shiro. And later, when he tries to take a different path, she says, “Marmora can go on without you. They have for thousands of years. Voltron cannot.” What we’re seeing here is a ripple effect. At the beginning, Keith fundamentally misunderstood what it really means to be a team. Pidge’s character arc taught him that. And as with everything he learns, he internalizes it, and carries it with him for the rest of the series. He grows and develops into this very multi-faceted, dynamic character, with an idealogy and sense of ethics very much shaped by his interrelationships and experiences.

He latched onto Voltron like a crutch at first. The Blue Lion was all that kept him afloat during his self imposed exile into the desert. The Lion was there for him when he had no one else. And later, Team Voltron becomes the family he’s always wanted. His position on Voltron also presents him with the unique opportunity to feel truly fulfiled in the same way that becoming a pilot at the Garrison did. After getting kicked out, he felt “lost.” Discovering that strange energy and the carvings of the Blue Lion gave him a sense of purpose–Voltron gave him a purpose. And he desperately wants to believe in it. For once, instead of being looked down on or dismissed as a discipline a case, he can be the good person he’s always wanted to be. A hero even.

But his disillusionment with Voltron is very much necessary for his continued growth and development. Keith is never one to obey orders, and his willingness to question anything that doesn’t feel right and retaliate against it is very much one of his persistent, defining characteristics. It’s not so much instinct as intution, and Keith has always been good at reading others’ intentions. Not to mention the whole quintessence sensitivity thing. Either way, it eventually becomes apparent to Keith that he can’t stay with the team any longer, and he must first go on his own quest for the sake of what he believes is right. What’s right for the team–Shiro as the Black Paladin–as well as what’s right for the universe. He also desperately needs to do some deep introspection before he’s ready to fully accept the mantle of leadership that’s been demanded of him.

And the writers give us that–they give Keith time. Time to grow, time to heal. The Quantum Abyss is a blessing in disguise, a balm for a troubled soul. Keith is someplace safe, quiet, and has the company of his mother for the first time in years. She is able to allay all his fears of abandonment that have plagued him for so long, and the two are able to learn a lot from one another. Essentially, Keith gets to live out the picture of a happy childhood he never had. He gets to make up for lost time with his mom, and even raise a dog. Regaining some of that lost youth actually has a profound effect on his ability to mature and move on.

He can finally start to heal and move forward, breaking away from his past with the promise of a brighter future. When Shiro is brainwashed and lashes out at Keith, dredging up some truly awful things that would have once caused Keith immense pain, we see that’s he’s self assured in himself enough to not back down. He knows he’s loved, he knows his parents wanted him–he knows Shiro would never abandon him. And he’s able to admit his love for others in turn. Telling Shiro “I love you,” was huge. As was reaching a point where he was able to admit he loves Krolia. Words have power, and there’s a reason Shiro doesn’t react to the brother line but Keith’s admission of love stops him dead. Seasons ago, years ago, Keith would never be able to admit this.

Joaquim: “The one exception Keith allowed in his life in terms of expressing himself was probably with Shiro, because he felt the closest to him. And that situation was an extreme series of events. I think he was pleading with him. I think he was letting him know exactly where he stood, and why this shouldn’t be happening. And why he knew that there was still good in there…If you look at Keith going back to the original episode, where he comes out of the shack, and greets Shiro, that’s a very different Keith than the way he acted with all the rest of the Paladins. So I think with Shiro, in particular, his guard is down a bit and he’s able to express himself.”

Lauren: “But don’t expect him to go telling anyone else he loves them.”

Joaquim: “That’s right. He’s not handing out hugs and love hearts to everybody.” (source)

For a long time, Keith remained at a careful distance from the rest of the team. For reference, let’s look at his relationship with Hunk. At the end of season 1, Hunk is completely thrown that Keith would leave Allura behind. And what does he say? “What if it was one of us? What if it was me? You wouldn’t leave me, would you? Would you?” Keith has nothing to say in his defense, and Hunk is so clearly hurt by that. So, where does this distance stem from? Why is it Keith is so anxious about straying too close to others?

Well, we already know–it’s do to early childhood trauma and abandonment issues. Things we’re clearly shown, and that Keith outright later states in his vlog. “I don’t know why I’m that way…maybe, I’m naturally untrusting because my mom left me? And so, instead of accepting people into my life, I push them away before they reject me. I guess I have some walls up…”

We also know he feels further alienated by his Galran heritage, “It’s just, being Galra is a big deal. Maybe that’s why…I was never good at connecting with people.” And really, for the longest time, Shiro was pretty much the only support he had. And that meant everything. “Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me. I won’t give up on him.” So, the fact that Keith learns to take that leap of faith and reach out to others, just seeing him go from where he and Hunk were at in season 1 to a place where he was able to say, “I never told you this, but out of all the Paladins, you’re the one I’m most impressed by”–that’s huge.

He reaches a place where he’s able to comfort Hunk on such a deeply personal level at the time when he needed it most, and these aren’t just important team building skills, they’re the markings of great leadership. He’s taking care of his team. He learns to not only open up to others, but build enough of a bridge where his team trusts him completely. Where they’re able to open up and reach back out to him in turn. Lance learns to put aside his childish one-sided rivalry, and we even see moments where he goes to Keith for help and opens up about his insecurities. Keith comforts Allura after the alternate reality trip and reassures her when she’s vulnerable. This stuff doesn’t come easy to Keith, but he takes the time to learn and reach out because of how much he cares for his team.

I know there are many people who feel Keith’s arc as the Black Paladin was more so an homage to the original and had no place here, that it was ill fitting or Shiro was more suited to the position–personally, I was really hoping for a return of Black Paladin Shiro myself. But Keith has undeniably made great strides since day one, and he’s not the inexperienced, untamed fire he once was. For reference here, I remember many fans prior to season 2 citing Keith’s stunt on the hoverbike as one of the many reasons why he was a poor leader. “If Shiro wasn’t unconscious for this, he’d never let Keith have the job!” Stuff like that. And it was so incredibly rewarding to me to see that Shiro taught him that, that they were always sort of cut from the same cloth, that they had learned so much from each other.

Now, here’s just some quick excerpts from my other meta on why Keith was so opposed to flying the Black Lion at first–because, as per usual, Shiro’s presence in his life informs a lot of his behavior and feelings:

Looking back at all this in hindsight [given Shiro’s chronic illness] it’s incredibly telling, because it indicates that, when Keith was pushing back againt Shiro training him to be his successor, he knew what was really going on. Keith knows it’s not just the Galra that Shiro’s worrying about, that he sees himself as living off borrowed time. Keith’s rejection of the Black Lion is him rejecting the notion that losing Shiro is inevitable. He’s been terrified of this for years now, and it’s a possiblity he refuses to come to terms with.

He makes promises like, he’ll save Shiro “as many times as it takes,” even knowing there are some things he can’t strike down with his blade. And he’s always believed Shiro would still make it.

Keith adamantly refuses to pilot Black at first because of how much he cares for Shiro. And later, it’s out of respect for Shiro’s will that he reluctantly agrees to lead. And when he leaves the team? Again, he says it’s in part for Shiro’s sake–“It was always meant to be yours.” When Shiro vanishes, we feel that loss entirely through Keith, the one deep in mourning and unable to move on. He mourns Shiro with a grief that’s intimately personal on a level none of the others–save Allura–understand. He lashes out in grief-ladden outbursts and pushes the team away at every turn, instead seeking out the comfort of the Black Lion, clinging onto whatever remnants of Shiro he can. It’s unbelievable that, even when so overwhelmed by heartbreak, his soul still innately seeks out Shiro’s. To reiterate:

Keith can subconsciously sense Shiro’s presence. Throughout Shiro’s time in the Astral Plane–that time when his soul was interwoven with the Black Lion–Keith never acknowledges the Black Lion as her own seperate entity. He only refers to her as either Shiro himself or an extension of him: “Shiro’s the Black Lion.” “I know this is what you wanted for me, Shiro. But I’m not you. I can’t lead them like you.” “Please, no.” “This one’s for you, Shiro.”

Eventually, Shiro passes on the Black Lion to Keith, because he’s the person Shiro trusts most. And Keith is able to properly accept his new role, because for once, he feels secure and self-assured. Shiro is at his side and Keith has his blessing to pilot. Shiro is right there and isn’t going anywhere, he’s back, he’s safe, and he’s able to recover and heal. In the meantime, Keith has matured into quite a leader in the Quantum Abyss, and he’s become a man whose team will readily follow. They all look up to him in a way they never have before. Even Lance. And Shiro isn’t left behind either–becoming the Captain of the Atlas allows him to continue being the team leader he was always meant to be, as well as offering the opportunity for co-leadership sheith that has been foreshadowed for nearly the entire series.

Lastly, in terms of relationships, I think it’s no secret that I’ve mentioned quite a bit the noticeable parallels between Adam’s past relationship with Shiro and Keith in the present. Adam’s “but I won’t go through this again,” compared to Keith’s “You can’t do this to me again,” Adam walking out on Shiro and then immediately cutting to Keith determined to wait by his side, ect.

A Little Adventure also ends on the note that Shiro has come to see him in a new light–something evident since the Quantum Abyss. Again, here’s just some things from past meta real quick–because, if we’re talking about character development here, I know a lot of people have said–where could they go from here? I’ve heard people insist that the relationship was too stagnant, that it was boring or uninteresting because they never changed. But it’s obvious there is a clear shift in the relationship on both ends. So, for consideration, just some things I’ve noticed:

When Shiro’s soul is adrift, displaced from his body, he dreams of Keith. Given the emphasis on mystical bonds in this series, I think it’s no coincidence that Keith was also the one calling out to Shiro all this time. And when Keith begs Shiro not to leave him again, to return to him, by some miracle…Shiro is brought back from the brink of death. His soul, which had been all but lost, was tethered to Keith’s. That love anchored him back to this plane: “Shiro, please. Fight! You can’t do this to me again…” “I was dreaming…Keith, you saved me.” “We saved each other.”

There’s a reason why all his worst nightmares are Shiro leaving him behind–Shiro’s the one person who never gave up on him. I think it’s pretty realistic that Keith would feel so intensely for him, even at such a young age. I think Keith was always sort of carrying a torch for Shiro, I think that’s just who he is. And I think that, after years and tons of growth and change and character development, having all these memories be Shiro’s dreams, have the narrative compare Keith to his ex and then hear Shiro say, “You saved me”–it’s a pretty brilliant way of showing how Shiro’s come to have feelings for the man Keith became in turn.

See also:

But here’s the thing, Shiro isn’t weak in [his fight with Sendak], the matchup with Sendak is pretty even right up until the end there. He just needed a little help. And you know what? That’s a huge part of Shiro’s overarching character arc–how he has to learn it’s okay to lean on others and he doesn’t have to exist as a solemn statue behind stone walls.

If you look back at the flashbacks in A Little Adventure, he tells Adam, “You don’t have to protect me.” All his life, he’s wanted to prove he wasn’t weak. But at some point, he started to misconstrue that as, I have to be strong enough to never rely on anyone else, I can’t ever be vulnerable. The lesson he eventually learns that I think goes over a lot of fans’ heads here is that there’s nothing wrong with being protected.

And Keith’s way of saving Shiro is in so much more than daring rescues. It’s how he’s always been the one to believe in Shiro. It’s how he’s the one who always tells Shiro to keep fighting. It’s how he always insisted Shiro was the best leader among them. It’s how he begs Shiro to keep going no matter what, that it’s okay, don’t worry, “you’re gonna make it.”

In short, Keith became Shiro’s support in the same way that Shiro’s always been there for him. They anchor one another. And lastly, this note on how Keith and Shiro’s relationship has grown into a place where it seems meant to last:

Lauren: “And that’s something that, where Adam might be able to walk away from a relationship, because he doesn’t feel that respect, that relationship is something that Keith would hold on to his whole life, and probably never be able to walk away from.” (source)

So, suffice to say–Keith goes through a lot of character development, and honestly, so much of it is really solid with a wonderful foundation to build off and grow.

[imagine-that-one-thing]

Styles. || 1

Woman.

January 2015

The path of life is such a long dwindling journey that it sometimes cannot be walked alone. After all, how good can life be if it isn’t shared with anyone else?

According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.

If I had ever been a believer of Zeus splitting two humans for them to come together and find themselves whole again—it wasn’t until September of 2014.

My world changed.

That September day was dull and gloomy. Nothing that stood out, quite unremarkable in truth. It was the type of day where the dreary weather affects your mood, the birds don’t bother to chirp, and the sun doesn’t bother to reveal its presence. The kind you dismiss without a spare thought; the kind of day you wish the sun would shine-- the kind of day in which you think sunshine will fix everything.

With days like this, most students decide to curl up in bed to study or revise notes. Finding a peaceful spot on campus is like trying to find a drop of rain amidst desert— merely impossible, but not entirely. I'm not much in the mood to deal with other people, there are times I prefer to keep to myself and be left alone. It makes it easier to focus on work and studying when I am not distracted by the people around me.

That day in September, I stared out of this expansive window in the library, observing the raindrops falling delicately down the glass, and students scurrying out from the downpour to dry areas.

I turn around and suddenly, my eyes lock on her. She is beautiful—exquisite, you could say. Her hands are full of books (which isn’t unordinary considering we are in a library), her hair is a tad damp and dropping into waves over her shoulders. There is something about her that takes my world from matching this dismal day to a joyful stream of sunshine in the spring.

She doesn’t appear to take notice of anyone in the library. But she makes eye contact with me and gives me a faint smile before setting up at a vacant desk across the room. I lean against the window so I can keep looking at her.

Everything about her seems attractive, she's like the 20th-century version of a goddess. Perhaps the Greek theory is, in fact, correct.

I can’t look away as she starts writing out notes from a worn textbook. I bet her handwriting is just as lovely as she. I am captivated by the woman. I’ve seen her a few times, and she appears to be different from the other girls on campus. There is just something about her that grasps my attention, something that makes me wish I had the balls to go and speak to her. More driven, maybe. More astute. Subtle.

Just like the first time I ever laid eyes on her, I can’t help but drool over her now. She hasn’t changed a bit since that September day.

She always comes in alone, sometimes she’s carrying a coffee--a coffee order I would like to memorise. Sometimes it’s just her books--books I would like to one day carry for her. She always looks tranquil; I don’t think I have heard her utter a word the entire time I’ve seen her in here. The one thing I have noticed is that she is never here on the same day. Her visits fluctuate but it’s always at the same hour.

I’m not a creep by any means— I’m just observant.

I pull my eyes away from her and move back to my table; an unspoken rule among the library patrons that it’s mine rests in the air. I draw my books closer to me, trying in vain to study, but my eyes keep gazing up to glance over at the lady across from me. She doesn’t notice me; she probably never will. Her nose is so far into her books that I am pretty darn certain she is oblivious to the world. Reminds me of Belle from that Disney film-- only much less subservient.

I shake my head with a low chuckle, getting back to studying for my Strategic Entrepreneurship & Innovation course. Just four more months until I start my Master's degree and then, I am a step closer to having the empire that I am striving for. But I’m not going to graduate with a meaningful business degree if I spend my time gawking at a woman who never notices me. There are plenty of men here at King’s University, and I’m pretty sure she has already snagged a boyfriend that can treat her way better than I ever could. At the moment, I don’t even think I have enough money in my account to buy her a bouquet of flowers and to take her on a date.

After paying the rent on my apartment, the cost of my books for this semester, plus classes, and helping my Mum and sister financially so they don’t have to stress as much, I’m completely broke. Combining fanfare and dates into the mix would overdraw my account— at the very least, this woman deserves flowers and I can’t even give her that, even if I did have the balls to talk to her. Moreover, this woman is the kind of woman that only comes around once in a lifetime, she is the type you hold onto, the type that deserves nothing but the world; I can’t give this woman the world like she deserves.

I rub my eyes and wiggle around in the chair; sitting too long has made me antsy. I glance over towards her and I smile to myself as I notice, she too, is grappling to stay focused. Her doe eyes aren’t as vivacious as they were when they first entered, they’re droopy. I have to admit, she’s pretty damn cute when she’s tired. I can only assume her coffee has worn off and she is moments away from calling the studying quits.

She flicks her eyes towards me, eyes that are a-dazzle with wonder over a friendly smile. My body stiffens and for a moment I am not sure what to do. I am frozen in time, every nerve in my body halting and neglecting its vital part of keeping me breathing.

She has caught me mid-stare. Fuck!

I clear my throat and offer her my best affable smile before I dart my eyes away and pretend to intently stare at my book an in attempt to look as though I’m profoundly studying the context… truth be told, I’d rather be analyzing her. I don’t know what it is, but she has cast this amulet on me that has me thoughtfully begging for her.

Of course, I’m not going to literally beg and drool for her, she may be fucking gorgeous and plausibly the most fascinating woman I have witnessed, but my ego will never ever permit me to admit to her or anyone that I’m smitten over her.

I stand from my chair and stretch my back before I pick up my books and shift my chair under the desk. I feel her watching me, I can sense her sumptuous eyes breaking my barriers and causing me to go weak at my knees. I disregard it though. Instead of glancing over at her and admiring her, I march towards the librarian who welcomes me with a soft smile, like always, before I shuffle out of the library.

By the time I manage to get downstairs and bypass individuals who want to converse and butter me up to get my share of notes and answers to questions regarding the lectures, I’m quite exhausted.

*** ***

I see her everywhere, she’s in my thoughts, my surroundings, even at my internship when she’s really nowhere to be discovered. I can’t help but notice her in the women that pass me on each floor that I scour at my ‘boss’s’ request.

There’s not much I can say about the man I am interning under, he appears like a closed off sort of man, doesn’t leave the office very often, always here on late nights; the man doesn’t even appear to have pictures around his office of his family. I can’t complain, really, he is giving me a lot of insight into the world I plan to one day be a part of.

I step into his office and offer him a decent smile as he lifts his eyes from his laptop screen and holds his hand out for his coffee and the client report files I had to fetch for him. I arrange the warm cup of coffee in his hand before setting the file on his desk.

“Thank you, Harry,” the man clears his throat. I nod before I turn on my heel, but I am promptly prevented from stepping away. “Harry, take a look over this and tell me what you think.” He holds the file up.

For a moment, I am astonished, I did not expect a man like he to allow me to read a file and give an opinion. I am not nearly as capable and as educated as he is, I am still learning.

I take the file at ease and glance my eyes over the figures immediately.

Portfolio Capital and Income Movements.

Market Value as at 30 September 2014— £3,948,746.93

Cash Introduced / (Withdrawn) — (£598.02)

Investments Introduced / (Withdrawn) —£0.00

Income Received —£0.00

Management Fees —£0.00

Market Value as at 31 December 2014— £4,006,906.89

Gains (Losses) during period. —£58,757.98

 I glance over at my boss and bite my lip, unsure of how much detail he is wanting from me, “Well, what is it? Don’t tell me the cat has your tongue.”

“Sir, in a three month period, they gained just over 58 and a half thousand, but the Portfolio Asset Allocation Change Since 31 Dec 2014 shows that their liquidity funds declined 8.8 percent. The Consolidated Underlying Holdings could be a lot better, the equity alone only has an estimated 0.71% yield. They have fixed- or low-growth dividend yield which puts them and you at great risk for loss of purchasing power or increasing interest rates.” I inform my intern boss as he leans back in his leather armchair, his eyes focused undividedly on me as I restlessly stand in front of him.

I do my best to show confidence, but let’s face it, I don’t know everything about portfolios, I am still a newbie. “But, this is just my opinion.”

“And what is your opinion overall?”

“They are not a great investment of any sort and are not worth taking on as a client. The Capital Transaction Statement should be enough to tell you they are not making wise decisions. They would only make things harder for you when their investments take a turn for the worst. Jus’ my opinion though. I’m not the CEO and I am still learning,” I inform him and he nods.

“Harry, don’t doubt yourself. I agree with you, I was just wondering whether I was wasting my time signing off on your hours. A lot of kids come in here expecting the life of a CEO to be all about millions of dollars and sitting in a ravishing office. But you, you have your head screwed on right.” … “Keep it up, don’t screw up and keep learning, you just might make it into this business world.”

I clear my throat, “thank you, sir.”

“No problem, now take this to my assistant,” he gestures towards the file and I wander closer to his desk while his eyes concentrate on his watch, “you need to get home and get some rest, you’re about to reach your six hours for the evening. You just need four hours to log your twelve for the week, will I see you tomorrow?” He questions, keeping track of my hours so I don’t go over or rest just short of what I require.

I shake my head, “no, sir, I have to work tomorrow.” I inform him just as his phone vibrates against his desk and I am dismissed to leave and take myself to my apartment where I can study and eventually fall asleep.

Next Chapter.

Thank you to my lovely readers that have stuck around for this and for the new ones! A big thank you to @lostinreality014 @ca-sunsets @haroldsflowerchild @not-nessasarily for being my BETA's and putting up with me and helping me out. I am so thankful for you and I love you all! Xx

[zaolat]

Consequences

so my salty ass hates the Fall of Osiris comic with every fiber of my being so i wrote a fix it fic that ignores it entirely lmao

tagging @dngrs-untld-hrshps-unnmbrd and @littleshebear in it because their salt fuels mine, as well as @house-of-kells because their fix it fic inspired this one

the Speaker is mine now and Bungo can’t have him back

note: if the formatting messes up just read it on my blog it’s being fucky for some reason (edit: yep it’s being fucky just click the readmore it fixes it i swear)

“Ikora,” the Speaker says warmly as the younger Warlock enters the Observatory.  “Thank you for coming.  I am sorry to pull you away from your duties, especially at a time like this.”

Osiris’ apprentice looks nervous, and he does not blame her.  Especially with the responsibilities she has had to take up.  The Fallen are only a week away, marching on the City en-masse, and their Vanguard Commander is nowhere to be found.  Lost in his own...obsession.  Stirring up conflict in the City at a time when they need unity the most.

The doors close behind her, and she glances back, her Ghost’s nodes shifting nervously from where he hovers over her shoulder.  The Speaker’s own Ghost gives a sigh, noting their obvious discomfort.  [“Relax.  You’re not in trouble.”]

Ikora’s shoulders sag a bit, the tension easing out of them, and she stands up straighter, her expression morphing into one of professionalism.  “What’s this about, Speaker?”

He sighs, his shoulders slumping a bit, looking away from Ikora briefly to glance out over the Traveler, the City.  Everything looks peaceful from up here, as if nothing is wrong.   But that’s far from the case.  The Fallen are marching on their walls en-masse and the people are in a state of panic while the Guardians prepare.

And where is their Vanguard Commander?

Everywhere but where he’s supposed to be, apparently.

His former apprentice has lost his way.  And while he sees what he is trying to do, this is neither the time nor the place for it.  So they must do what has to be done.

Does he want to?  Does he take any pleasure in stripping his former apprentice of everything he’s worked so hard for?  No.  But they cannot continue like this.

“You and I both know what this is about,” the Speaker says forlornly, turning back to Ikora again.  She says nothing, but her expression says more than any words could ever say.  “How goes the coordinating of the Warlock Orders?”

“I will have to ask Osiris-”

“Ikora.”  He holds up a hand, shaking his head.  “You don’t have to lie to me.  I know you’re covering for him.”

She sighs, as if she’s been expecting this conversation.  In all honesty, she probably has. “Someone had to,” she says firmly.  “His...research is very important, Speaker.”

“Yes...his research.  Vex simulations and timelines.  Did any of his research tell us the Fallen would be marching on our doorstep?”

“I...I don’t know.  He never mentioned anything of the sort.”

“Hmph.”  He folds his hands behind his back, pacing in front of her.  He’s trying to hide his own anxiety about the entire situation - Osiris has been a valuable asset, especially after his actions at Six Fronts.  But that was then.  What has he done recently but obsess over the Vex?  “Research is important.  And maybe he’s right.  Maybe these...simulations he speaks of could help us predict the future.  But the thing about the future is that it is always in motion.  But what good is all of that if it turns their attention on us?  Right now they largely ignore us, unless we are on Mars or Venus or Mercury.  Osiris speaks of the Vex as a threat, but what good is all of that, what good is all this talk of the future, if the very real threat in the present is ignored?  If we ignore this threat there will be no future.”

Ikora is silent for a few moments, a conflicted expression on her face.  Her Ghost looks between the Speaker and his Ghost, as if trying to read them.  The older Warlock sighs, taking a few steps closer to the two of them.  “Ikora…”

Ikora closes her eyes briefly, then opens them.  “It’s not,” she admits.  “He’s obsessed, Speaker.  I couldn’t pull him away, even to talk about the defense of the City.  He just told me the Vex are the real threat.”

[“He and Sagira barely even acknowledge our presence anymore,”] Ikora’s Ghost says, sounding insulted on the behalf of both him and his Guardian.  And though Osiris may not think so, it is an insult.  It’s easy to see that Ikora Rey is brilliant, well respected among all Guardians.

The Speaker sighs.  So this is what it comes down to.  Osiris won’t even listen to his own apprentice.  “Something must be done.”

“But what?!  Speaker, I know he has lost his way, but-”

He holds up a hand, and she falls silent.  He sighs.  This entire situation is giving him a headache.  He hates putting her in a position like this, where she must choose between the people she loves and her duty to the City.

“I know you care greatly about him.  He is your mentor.  He was my apprentice, too.  But we can both see how far he has fallen.  We need our Vanguard Commander now more than ever.  And he is simply not there.”

“I know.”  The words are like an admission of guilt, Ikora’s carefully crafted expression falling.  She has had to be so strong for so long, to carry the burden that shouldn’t be hers.

“You’ve been coordinating the Warlock Orders, and have handled the responsibility with grace.  I would ask that you continue to do so, for the time being,” the Speaker says, moving forward to place a hand on her shoulder.

She doesn’t shrug him off, instead looking straight at him, as if she could see his expression through his mask.  If she could, she’d see a million different emotions.  Anger, sorrow, regret.  He closes his eyes briefly and sighs, drawing his free hand down over his mask.

“And what of Osiris?”  she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

The Speaker sighs again, tearing his gaze away from Ikora’s.  “I need your help, Ikora.  You are the one person he may still listen to.  And if not him, I know Sagira values your input.”

“I don’t think he’ll listen to anyone at this point.  Not even me,” Ikora admits quietly.  She sighs and pulls away from him, pinching the bridge of her nose, eyes closing briefly.  He can’t imagine how frustrated she is, to have her own mentor brush her off.  Someone she was supposed to be able to rely on.  “What do we do in the meantime?”

The Speaker sighs.  This is the part that will be the hardest, for both of them.  He folds his hands in front of him, and she stands only a few feet away, a questioning look on her face.  But her eyes are full of conflict.  He can see worry, anger, and doubt in them.  And he doesn’t blame her one bit.

“I have spoken with the other members of the Vanguard and the faction leaders,” he says, and Ikora makes a noise of surprise.  A Consensus meeting that Osiris wasn’t invited to.  “Off the record.  For now, we have agreed to strip Osiris of his role as Vanguard Commander and Warlock Vanguard.”

Ikora gives a deep, long sigh.  She knew this was coming. They both did.  [“Who will coordinate the defense of the City?”] her Ghost asks, his nodes shifting and voice full of worry.

“Lord Saladin has stepped up as temporary Vanguard Commander for the duration of this crisis.  And you have done a fine job coordinating the Warlock Orders in his place.  I would ask you continue to do so.”

She straightens, and in that moment he is proud of her.  She has stepped up when no one else has, in a time of deep conflict both in the City and outside it.  She will make a fine Warlock Vanguard, when this is all over.  “It would be my honor.”

“I know you will do the job well,” the Speaker replies warmly, placing both his hands on her shoulders, and she gives the smallest of smiles.  But then she is all business.

“Something still needs to be done about Osiris.”

“Go to him.  Try to make him see sense, and inform him of what we and the Consensus have discussed here.  If he refuses to see reason, further action may be required.” Ikora nods firmly, but there’s conflict in her eyes again.  They both know what “further action” means.  And neither of them want to do that.  But something unspoken passes between them at that moment.  Sacrifices must be made, even at great personal cost.

For the good of the City.

He lets his hands fall off her shoulders, and then she’s all business, nodding to him respectfully.  “I will go to him immediately.  Hopefully, he will at least see reason.”

They both know their fellow Warlock is too stubborn to do such a thing.

“Take a contingent of Guardians with you, just in case.  He always has those...cultists, hanging around him.  As much as he dislikes them, he does little to dissuade them.  We don’t know how they’ll react.  And...thank you, Ikora.”

She nods to him, and he motions for his Ghost to open the doors.  She strides with purpose out into Tower North, and he watches her go, both pride and sorrow in his eyes beneath the mask.

Nothing will be the same after this.

The doors close behind Ikora and her Ghost, and they’re alone in the Observatory once more.  The mask and cowl are removed and the Speaker draws a hand down over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose and giving a long sigh, his other hand running through his long white hair.  A nervous habit.

[“Vadim,”] his Ghost says, speaking his name in the quiet of the Observatory, with just the two of them, her tone hesitant.  [“Are we doing the right thing?”]

Vadim gives a sigh, his hazel eyes flickering to his Ghost before they both turn to look out over the City.  “I hope so, Maria.  I hope so.”

[classybynina]

90 Most Powerful Secrets in Life.

1. Being great at dealing with people is not an inborn talent. It is made through tons of research and deliberate practice.

2. A big part of emotional intelligence is being able to feel an emotion without having to act on it. Uncontrollable desires make you seem weak, unworthy and pathetic.

3. Don’t ever try to impress people by revealing your secrets or flaunting your achievements, for its effect is often the opposite of what you expected. Stay low-key, stop telling people more than they need to know.

4. Move in silence, never let them know your next move. You are more likely to achieve your goals if you keep them to yourself.

5. Keep your effort and your tricks to yourself and you seem to be an untouchable genius.

6. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness and you must care less and less what people think of you. Confidence is not ‘they will like me’. Confidence is ‘I’ll be fine if they don’t’.

7. If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already forgotten your value. Let others worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen.

8. Trust yourself more and others less. The only way to survive is to admit you are on your own, learn to make your own decisions, and trust your judgement.

9. Respect people’s feelings. Even if it doesn’t mean anything to you, it could mean everything to them. Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all that they have.

10. Set your price high. Even those who turn you down respect you for your confidence, and that respect will eventually pay off in ways you cannot imagine.

11. Don’t underestimate the seductive power of an elaborate vocabulary.

12. Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in the problem.

13. People judge you by appearances, the image you project through your actions, words, and style. Act like a king or queen to be treated like one. If you do not take control of this process, then people will see and define you the way they want to, often to your detriment.

14. You are the king or queen and you ignore what offends you. If you waste time and energy in such entanglements, it is your own fault.

15. If you allow people to feel they possess you to any degree, you lose all power over them. By not committing your affections, they will only try harder to win you over.

16. You need to turn your back on what you want, show your contempt and disdain. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

17. A fake friend can do more damage than a hundred honest enemies. They hide certain qualities and opinions in order to keep you in their side. They are also more prone to envy and ingratitude. Watch who you trust, betrayals are born through friendship.

18. Don’t ever say anything you don’t want played back to you someday.

19. Individuals are honest only to the extent that suits them (including their desire to please others).

20. Evaluate the people in your life; then promote, demote, or terminate. You’re the CEO of your own life. The smarter you are, the more selective you become.

21. Do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker. Flee from negative people’s presence or suffer the consequences.

22. Surround yourself with people that reflect who you want to be and how you want to feel, energies are contagious. Surround yourself with those on the same mission as you.

23. Be with really smart people. A group of smart people can often feed off of each other and become more than the sum of their individual parts. If you ever find that you’re the smartest person in the room, you need to find another room.

24. If you have the right of way, take it. Say “no” without explaining yourself. Don’t be afraid to dissapoint. What you allow is what will continue, don’t tolerate bad behaviors.

25. If you need to turn people down, it is best to do so politely and respectfully. Some people’s insecurity and ego fragility cannot tolerate the slightest offense.

26. When people treat you like crap they feel like crap. People aren’t against you; they are for themselves. Don’t take on their internal struggle, send them off with peace.

27. Swallow the impulse to offend, even if the other person seems weak. Never make this mistake of thinking that you elevate yourself by humiliating people.

28. It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself.

29. Don’t argue with negative people, this is part of how they trap you. Silence is the best reply to a fool.

30. Just because some people are fueled by drama doesn’t mean you have to attend the performance.

31. The values of the world we inhabit and the people we surround ourselves with have a profound effect on who we are. What you are today and what you will be in five years depends on two things: the people you meet and the books you read.

32. People may not tell you how they feel about you, but always show you. Train yourself to read people, picking up the signals they unconsciously send about their innermost thoughts and intentions.

33. We all eat lies when our hearts are hungry.

34. There is no point in making a display of your controversial beliefs, opinions and dangerous ideas. Think as you like, but behave like others.

35. If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you don’t quit. Commit yourself to constant improvement.

36. Judge everything by what it costs, not just in money but in time, maintenance, dignity, and peace of mind.

37. Keep your cool and maintain a low profile, patiently building support to your rise to power. Once you learn patience, your options suddenly expand.

38. Never flaunt your wealth, and carefully conceal the degree to which it has bought influence. Consider showing your wealth only on the inside of your house.

39. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.

40. Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies.

41. Excessive praise is an almost sure sign that the person praising you envies you. Once envy reveals itself for what it is, the only solution is often to flee the presence of the enviers, leave your enviers to stew in a hell of their own creation.

42. The feelings of achieving success blinds us the most. Give yourself the space to reflect on what has happened.

43. You need to realize that your moment of triumph is also a moment when you have to rely on competence, strategy and focus all the more.

44. Failure will definitely come to you in your journey to power and success. But if you prepare for the fall, it is less likely to ruin you when it happens.

45. Bad luck teaches valuable lessons about patience, timing, and the need to be prepared for the worst. Good luck deludes you into the opposite lesson, making you think your brilliance will carry you through.

46. Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument. If you’ve made your point, stop talking.

47. Don’t get mad, get distant. No matter how strong you are, fighting endless battles with people is exhausting, costly, and unimaginative.

48. Sometimes silence is the best way to let someone know they did you wrong.

49. The best apology is changed behavior.

50. The world is full of men who despise you and fear your ambition. These people will laugh or disrespect your dreams. You must always be prepared to place a bet on yourself, on your future, by heading in a direction that others seem to fear.

51. No one owes you a great career, you need to earn it—and the process won’t be easy.

52. Quitting a job doesn’t jump-start a dream because dreams take planning, purpose, and progress to succeed. That stuff has to happen before you quit your day job.

53. Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent. Hiring people who possess skills that you yourself lack is probably one of the wisest decisions you can make.

54. A lack of boundaries invites a lack of respect. All working situations require a kind of distance between people.

55. You destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him. Enemies expect nothing so they will be surprised when you are generous.

56. Don’t judge people. Everyone has a chapter they don’t read out loud. Everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.

57. Take photos or record a video as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone forever.

58. At least once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before. Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.

59. Exercise is the single most powerful tool available to optimize brain function. Everybody knows that exercise creates a fit body, but what many forget is that the brain is part of the body too.

60. Typically, people who exercise, start eating better and becoming more productive at work. They smoke less and show more patience with colleagues and family. They use their credit cards less frequently and say they feel less stressed. Exercise is a keystone habit that triggers widespread change.

61. Walking gives you energy, makes you happy and enhances your creative thinking.

62. Treat your mental health with the same importance as your physical health.

63. Concentrate on single goal, a single task, and beat it into submission. Power itself always exists in concentrated forms.

64. Give a gift of some sort to those above you. By giving your superior a gift, you are saying that the two of you are equal.

65. Choose your life’s mate carefully and marry only for love and self-development. The right partner is someone who sees more potential in you than you see in yourself, someone who helps you become the best version of yourself.

66. Don’t allow the phone to interrupt important moments. It’s there for our convenience, not the caller’s.

67. Don’t burn bridges. You’ll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.

68. If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: it infects people with awkward energy, elicits embarrassment.

69. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.

70. Count your blessings. When you focus on gratitude, positive things flow in more readily, making you even more grateful.

71. The most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.

72. A strong person doesn’t have an easy past. Many people are destined to be weak because they believe life should always be fun and easy.

73. Incompetence is the result of living in comfort and immediate gratification. Incompetent people never gain a proper sense of self-criticism., have lost contact to reality, and overestimate their abilities.

74. When our emotions are engaged, we often have trouble seeing things as they are. Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective.

75. The more you say, the more common you appear.

76. The more you are seen and heard from, the more your value degrades.

77. Most average self-help books can be summarized into 1 sentence: Good thoughts will bring you good things in life, bad thoughts will bring you bad things.

78. Appear to have no clear strategy. Be like a slippery ball that cannot be held. People feel superior to the person whose actions they can predict.

79. Comfort is the enemy of achievement. You’re only growing when you’re uncomfortable. The more conflicts and difficult situations you put yourself through, the more battle-tested your mind will be.

80. Passion only exists when you are very good at something. Achieving your passion requires work. It’s hard. It’s tasteless. It hurts. It demands entering the pain-zone of effort, risk, and exposure.

81. Failure is the sweat of success. You can’t build your cardiovascular strength without working hard and sweating, and you can’t experience success without failure. We mature with the damage, not with the years.

82. Don’t think of an idea of “perfection”, it will only kill your creative juices. Rather, just take the next small step over and over again. Before you realize it, you have accumulated an empire, better than what you thought might be perfect.

83. Your passion should be an obsession. You should be consumed by solving the problem. Otherwise, you get bored and lose interest. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.

84. Attitude and talent will not make you great. Greatness exists due to intelligence, practice, dedication, persistence, hard work, good resources and the ability handle mistakes.

85. Don’t miss out on something that could be great just because it could also be difficult.

86. Spend some time alone. Solitude is perhaps the most mental entropy inducing agent in our lives.

87. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. If that is not enough, step outside, get some fresh air, & remind yourself of who you are & who you want to be.

88. You will never have this day again so make it count.

You’re always one decision away from a totally different life.

89. Events in life mean nothing if you do not reflect on them in a deep way, and ideas from books are pointless if they have no application to life as you live it.

90. You may think that what you’d like to recapture from your youth is your looks, your physical fitness, your simple pleasures, but what you really need is the fluidity of mind you once possessed.

[twisttech]

Internet of Things in the Modern World (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is not a new term anymore; all of you are much familiar with it. Perhaps you have come across its application at work or read about it somewhere. Even though most of us have heard about IoT, let’s just have a brief about it.

What is Internet of Things(IoT)?

Internet of Things is a network of various physical devices that are connected with software, sensors to collect and exchange data. To put it simply, IoT is a platform where devices are connected through the internet; these devices collect and exchange data with one another. With the collection of these relevant data, IoT can converse and learn from one device to another, just like human beings.

Anything related to IoT means turning it into a ‘smart’ object. IoT enables them to transmit data and convert the work into an automated one, without the need for manual intervention. Think of the time, when everything in your surrounding like your home, car, city and other daily needs are all connected with IoT based machines. IoT can create the world and it is still getting bigger and better. IoT based devices will bridge the gap between the physical and digital equipment together with that of society and industry, also not to forget the humans in the world.

Have you ever seen a scene in a movie where someone claps and the lights come on. Cool right? Well, such technology is no longer a fiction. With the Internet of Things, many devices in your home can connect together and send information. But what exactly is it? Technopedia defines the concept (IoT) as: "The Internet of Things (IoT) is a computing concept that describes the idea that everyday physical objects are connected to the Internet and can be identified with other devices." This would mean integrating regular everyday household items with advanced technology to do more. You may also know IoT as 'smart'. At the moment, it is currently in the early stages with some gadgets like smart TVs, smart fridges and smart access locks. Sooner or later, things like self-driving cars and personal assistant devices (e.g. Google Glass) would become the norm. These devices work through sensors that send data to a computer or software, enabling them to perform important tasks. Due to its usefulness and high degree of automation, the number of devices connected to the Internet has increased. On average, 127 objects are synchronized every second *. 5 benefits of the Internet of Things: IoT is an important piece of technology that will improve enormously over time. Connecting things has many advantages. Here are some of the benefits:

 1) More data means better decisions 

With added sensors, these devices can collect a large amount of data in many different areas. In addition to the practicalities of knowing which foods are out of date in your smart fridge, this improved household item can, for example, give you additional information about your energy consumption, temperature, average time that you have been open the door and much more. A greater flow of information means that the company behind the device can analyze major trends in the data to better improve the features of the device. Many companies realize the power of this technology and it is leading to a massive increase in the market. In fact, the total market value of IoT is expected to grow to more than $ 3 trillion per year * by 2026.

 2)  Ability to track and monitor things

 Ability to track and track things Besides keeping records for use by a business, it also has great benefits for the user. These devices would have the ability to monitor the current quality of products in the home. By knowing the status of their items, the owner can know when to replace an item, without having to constantly check the quality

 3) Relieve workload with automation

 Having a device that does most of the work for you can save you more time and costs. Imagine your refrigerator ordering a new carton of milk to be delivered when it reaches a certain expiration date? Sounds good. This significantly reduces human effort. It also results in the creation of devices that require little or no human intervention, allowing them to function completely independently.

 4) Increase efficiency by saving money and resources. 

In addition to saving time for the device owner, it can also provide cost savings. For example, if the lights go out automatically when you leave the room, you can save a lot of money on your electricity bill. As you can see, connected devices can provide many useful implementations. The IoT system promotes machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, resulting in greater long-term efficiency for both the business and the user. The growth of machine-to-machine communication is high. The total number of connections is expected to grow from 5 billion in 2014 to 27 billion in 2024 *.

 5) Better quality of life All benefits ultimately lead to a better quality of life. 

Letting your devices track and sort things for you, turn off light switches, and help you manage important tasks that you no doubt don't have time for, takes a lot of stress out. There is no doubt that as the years go by people are getting busier and busier. With so many devices being created and new technology being implemented, it's hard to keep track. It's great to be able to do the things you love and have a computer that takes care of the everyday things you know need to be done. Lifestyle improvements, health benefits and improved wellness are also part of the future of IoT. For example, those who exercise regularly can consume tea.

 Some of the real-life application of IoT in today’s worldNeedless to say, a buzz around IoT is massive. This disruptive innovation is infiltrating into different enterprises, growing new real-life applications of IoT and associating each web empowered device around us. As per study, it is found that IoT would cover 31 billion connected gadgets by 2020 and by 2025—more than 75 IoT devices billion will be connected to the web.Yet, among the mad rush of ‘newer’ and ‘better’ IoT applications, some radiate through more than the rest.Here are few of the IoT applications that blew our mind and some will do so in the near future.

Smart Toothbrush

A smart toothbrush has high-quality sensors on its head that can capture the data related to your brushing frequency. The brush would send information on your missed spots, the pressure applied and much more by tracking all the crucial information on your smart phone and would also provide information to improve your oral health.

    2   Fitness Trackers

Fitness Tracker is one of the best devices for all fitness freaks. This device would track all your daily activities ranging from a sleeping pattern, heart rate, workout timings, calories burnt and much more. This indeed will allow you to monitor and schedule your fitness plans.

    3  Kid Finder

The feeling of losing your loved ones itself gives goosebumps right!!! But with the IoT-connected device ranging from the smartwatch, alarm to GPS tracker attached to your smartphone; would help you track your child’s location in real-time. This would help you stay at peace when away from your kids.

    4 Child Monitor

One more IoT enabled device for all the parents out here!!! You can monitor your toddler’s activities with your smartphone from anywhere across the globe. This equipment would provide you with information about your infant’s respiration data, body temperature, sleeping positions and some more.

   5  Smart Shelves

These gadgets are being widely used in retail industries since its inceptions. With sensors or the cameras instilled on the shelf, the retailers can get updates on product details, helping them replenish when required along with alerts of the misplaced products on their smart connected devices.

   6  Health Monitoring

Regular check-up of our kid or parents has become the necessity nowadays. Sudden change in body temperature, heartbeat, breathing, oxygen level, blood pressure etc. can be notified through these gadgets, helping you to take wise actions if needed.

    7 Smart Refrigerators

How smart can it be to peep inside your fridge without even opening it!!! Well, this is not a fiction now!!! The sensor and camera on the refrigerator allow you to keep the track of spoiled or leftover food without opening its door.

      8  Smart Shoes

The smart shoe would allow the user to change its colour with a tap on their smartphones. The user can send a text message, call a cab, or can also monitor the footsteps, wearing these shoes on.

      9 Pollution Warning

These are the smart air monitors that can detect the pollutants emitted from the vehicles in a particular area. Such updates can help the government bodies take necessary steps.

We talked about the recent development of IoT in today’s world above and how that can change the future. But some IoT applications are currently being worked upon for better performance, they are:

      10 Driverless Cars

One of the most futuristic uses of IoT is the driverless automatic car that can take you to the destination on their own. Such cars are equipped with sensors; internet that can sense traffic, corners, speed breakers, everything that a human can sense. Some of the companies working on such cars are Tesla, BMW, Volvo, Google and Uber. The days are not too far when we can see such cars hitting the market.

       11 Smart Homes

This is one of the best examples of IoT that can provide you comfort as per your needs. Imagine turning on your AC while you are on your way back home from the office; just to get the perfect temperature when you reach home. Or, think of the day, when you can record your favourite show from anywhere although you are not at home so that you can watch it later. Well, Philips has come up with smart illumination software , with which you can set the colour of your room lighting and create an ambience as per your moods. 

       12 Smart Cities

Smart cities mean a blend of genuine utilization of IoT in today’s world. This may incorporate smart parking, smart lighting, smart home automation, smart retail and so on in the city. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken up an initiative to make 100 smart cities in India. This means the execution of a citizen-friendly city and to make it more sustainable.

Honestly, IoT has indeed made its presence everywhere and we are enjoying its applications; something that we never thought of, some years back. IoT whole together means better future in a much easier way.

Doesn’t it sound more interesting and exciting???

Originally Article Published :  The Internet of Things(IoT) in Today’s World