#world globe demolishing plan

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

The Many World War II References in Thracia 776

At this point, it's largely known that several bosses encountered in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon were named after infamous military figures from World War II. Much less spoken of are the references to not only members of N*zi Germany, but important faces from this period around the globe. Do note that due to circumstances I've had to censor various keywords (though I'm sure I managed to miss some), so you have my apologies if this wasn't immediately accessible, or if the odd asterisk here and there is troublesome.

Starting with Chapter 1's Weismann (JP: ワイズマン; rōmaji: waizuman), tasked by Raydrik to capture Leif in Fiana. He likely takes his name from Chaim Weizmann, written in Japanese as ハイム・ヴァイツマン (rōmaji: haim vaitsuman) or カイム・ワイズマン (rōmaji: kaim waizuman). Weizmann was a Jewish biochemist from R*ssia, but went on to be the president of the World Zionist Organization, which sought to establish a homeland for the Jewish people in the borders of the Biblical Land of Israel. He would work alongside British Prime Minister Winston Churchill throughout both World Wars. When the State of Israel was formed in 1948 after conflicts with the Palestinians who call the land home, Weizmann would become the first Israeli president.

Tolman (JP: トルーマン; rōmaji: torūman) is the boss of Chapter 6, leading a battalion in Munster. He is named after United States President Harry Truman (ハリー・トルーマン; rōmaji: harī torūman), who took presidency after the passing of Franklin Roosevelt towards the end of World War II. Truman is best known for his authorization of the use of nuclear warheads on Japan.

Chapter 7's boss is named Eisenhau (JP: アイゼナウ; rōmaji: aizenau), rather obviously named after the subsequent president of the United States following Harry Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower (ドワイト・D・アイゼンハワー; rōmaji: dowaito D aizenhawā). Before his presidency, Eisenhower held the role of Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in World War II, having planned out Operation Torch and Operation Overlord.

Lemay (or Rumaigh, depending on the translation), is a Thracian Wyvern Knight working with the Violdrake Bandits in Chapter 8. His Japanese name, ルーメイ (rōmaji: rūmei) comes from United States Air Force general Curtis LeMay (JP: カーチス・ルメイ; rōmaji: kāchisu rumei), who was involved in arranging the bombing tactics in the Pacific Theater of World War II, including Operation Starvation - dumping naval mines around major Japanese ports to cut off shipping - and the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Oltoph (JP: オルトフ; rōmaji: orutofu) is a bishop serving under Kempf encountered in Chapter 11x. He likely is named after Soviet Secret Police member Alexander Orlov (JP: アレクサンドル・オルロフ; rōmaji: arekusandoru orurofu). Orlov was given a major directing role over Soviet involvement in the Spanish Civil War, serving as a liaison to the Spanish Republican faction and weeding out any amongst them that thought to challenge Joseph St*lin and the Soviets. He would continue his policing duties during the Great Purge, arresting and executing those internally viewed as a threat to St*lin's reign. When Orlov’s own friends ended up in the state’s firing line, he abandoned the Soviet Union and brought his family to Canada, a threat of leaking many of the country’s illegal operatives protecting him. Strengthening this reference is how Oltoph, more or less sentenced to death to allow Kempf's escape, will dart for an escape tile after 30 turns.

Chapter 14's boss is a Baron of Friege named Paulus (JP: パウルス; rōmaji: paurusu), who is tasked with the capture of Tarrah. He is named after Friedrich Paulus (JP: フリードリヒ・パウルス; rōmaji: furīdorihi paurusu) a German field marshall best known for his role in the Battle of Stalingrad. In what would be Germany's last push to invade the Soviet Union, the R*ssian city of Stalingrad would be largely demolished and held by the Axis powers with little threat until winter's approach, when the Soviets took advantage of the Germans' lack of preparedness. The German front would be pushed further and further back until the remaining Sixth Army - the most highly decorated army of the Wehrmacht - was surrounded in the city. After a failed rescue attempt, the highest-ranked soldier remaining in the Sixth Army, Friedrich Paulus was promoted to the rank of field marshal over radio by Adolf H*tler himself. His orders were to either withstand the Soviets for an indefinite length of time or to take their own lives before capture. Nonetheless, Paulus would soon allow himself and his men to be captured, and would just as quickly grow vocal with his disdain for his homeland; he even would be a witness of the Nuremberg Trials.

The scenario of Chapter 14, with Leif, the Liberation Army, and the people of Tarrah being completely surrounded by Imperial forces, has apparent similarities to the position the Sixth Army was in during the Battle of Stalingrad. Similarly, the character of Paulus showing uncertainty in his actions and the commands of Bloom may be based upon Friedrich Paulus' statements against Germany following his capture.

McCloy (JP: マクロイ; rōmaji: makuroi) is a Wyvern Knight of Thracia ordered by Travant to capture Tarrah after the Imperial forces are worn from their siege. He is named after John J. McCloy (JP: ジョン・J・マクロイ; rōmaji: jon J makuroi), an American lawyer and presidential adviser to every United States president from FDR to Ronald Reagan. During World War II he served as Assistant Secretary of War, as which he was one of the major decision-makers in putting Japanese-Americans in internment camps. He also tried to convince President Truman that, based on intercepted messages, that by providing terms of surrender to Japan that would maintain their monarchy, with the threat of nuclear bombs if not accepted, they would ensure the war's end - a sentiment rejected, as the warheads would be dropped as soon as they were completed without any negotiations.

Chapter 14x's Eichner may be one of the most infamous named bosses in Thracia 776. In Japanese, his name is アイヒマン (rōmaji: aihiman) from Adolf Eichmann (アドルフ・アイヒマン; rōmaji: adorufu aihiman), one of the most infamous Schutzstaffel members. He was a lead organizer of the H*l*caust, assigned to the management of deporting Jewish people to extermination camps en masse. Given the chapter Eichner is found in features a city's entire population relocating due to being driven out by the empire, the connections are clear.

In the Project Exile fan translation preceding the current Lil' Manster translation, Eichner's name was radically changed to Arendt. This change was intended to remove a reference to such a deplorable man, replacing it with an allusion to Hannah Arendt, a Jewish historian who thoroughly recorded the trial of Eichmann, documented in her book Eichmann in Jerusalem. However, this change was largely seen as a haphazard choice, especially when the character works alongside the blatantly evil cultists and the replacement name was that of a good-natured historian and philosopher.

Mueller (JP: ミュラー; rōmaji: myurā) is a Mage Knight of the Gelb Ritter fought outside the gates of Leonster in Chapter 17A. He likely is named after Heinrich Müller (JP: ハインリヒ・ミュラー; rōmaji: hainrihi myurā), chief of the Gestapo during World War II who worked closely with Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich since the days of the Weimar Republic. He had a major role in the organization of the H*l*caust, stated by Eichmann to have been in constant contact regarding the deportation of Jews. He was never found after H*tler's death, making him the highest-ranked N*zi to have never been confirmed captured or dead.

Found in the same chapter is the Dark Bishop Moore (JP: ムーア; rōmaji: mūa). Based on Mueller's namesake, Moore may be named after Robert Mohr, one of the Gestapo's interrogation specialists, primarily known for his work searching for the White Rose, a non-violent resistance group. However, there is little to support this claim beyond both possible figures being members of the Gestapo.

Gustav (JP: グスタフ; rōmaji: gusutafu) is a baron from Grannvale who serves as an advisor to Bloom and is entrusted to Leonster Castle. Unlike most other names derived from World War II era Germany, Gustav seems to pull from an infamous man's first name, rather than surname: Gustav Wagner (JP: グスタフ・ワーグナー; rōmaji: gusutafu wāgunā) was an Austrian staff sergeant and the most feared personnel at Sobibor extermination camp. He was deputy commandant at Sobibor, assigned to many daily interactions with the inmates. Reports from survivors assert that he was highly violent, beating and killing without reason. He was so brutal and claimed so many lives that Heinrich Himmler stated that he was "one of the most deserving men of Operation Reinhard".

Fire Emblem's Gustav is clearly displayed as a cruel man, having no qualms with the Loptrians' child hunts and imprisoning the loved ones of his knights who defected from Leonster to ensure they obey him. With how infamous the prison break of Chapter 18 is, it wouldn't be a surprise if it was inspired by Wagner's role at the extermination camp.

Chapter 19's boss is Wolfe (JP: ウォルフ; rōmaji: worufu), a baron serving Bloom in the defense of Ulster. He likely is named after Karl Wolff (JP: カール・ヴォルフ; rōmaji: kār vorufu), Chief of Personal Staff Reichsführer-SS - personal adjutant of Heinrich Heimler - and liaison to Adolf H*tler. He later became the Supreme SS and Police Leader, and worked on Operation Sunrise to surrender Germany after the death of H*tler.

Cohen (JP: コーエン; rōmaji: kōen) is the grandfather of Saias and fought alongside Reinhardt at the River Thracia. He may be named after Albert Cohen (JP: アルベール・コーエン; rōmaji: arubēru kōen), a Jewish writer and diplomat who worked in France before Germany's occupation. He was part of the Zionist movement, worked alongside Chaim Weizmann, and was both the representative of Zionism in the League of Nations and part of the UN's International Labor Organization. Throughout and after World War II, Cohen worked to unite governments in exile and aided in the transport of Jews fleeing Germany, advising refugee committees from France, Britain, and the U.S.

Alphand (JP: アルファン; rōmaji: arufan) is a bishop of the Loptr Church that protects Munster Castle in Chapter 23. He likely is named after Hervé Alphand (JP: エルヴェ・アルファン; rōmaji: eruve arufan), the economic advisor to Charles de Gaulle, leader of the Free France movement after Germany invaded France.

Lastly, both Kempf and Reinhardt are named after German officers during World War II. They have their own post, found here.

And as a bonus: even one of the unused characters found in the game's files gets his name from this time period: Speer (JP: シュペール; rōmaji: shupēru) is named after Albert Speer (JP: アルベルト・シュペーア; rōmaji: aruberuto shupēa), Minister of Armaments and War Production in Germany and part of H*tler's inner circle.

[doctorstrangereview]

Strange Tales #119

Cover Date: April 1964 On-Sale Date: January 10, 1964

We reach the first story to be released in 1964. Doc welcomes the new year with steps backward and forward. The cover blurb is less prominent than the previous issue. On the plus side, this is two stories in a row with new antagonist. And Doc's Asian manservant gets a name! He is officially Wong. However, he only appears in one panel and has one line. Character development for the dude will need to wait for quite a while.

As our story begins, Doc sits at his desk contemplating a giant gem inside a transparent globe that may have some purple smoke in it. While the exhausted magician stares at the big rock a couple of burglars find an open window and enter the Sanctum Sanctorum to steal stuff. Once again, the sorcerer class doesn't have the sense to install some security. ADT would have made a fortune marketing to magicians.

Doc hears the burglars and confronts them. Maybe it's the exhaustion or maybe he thinks he's too high and mighty, but Strange can't be bothered with any fancy magic and just throws them out through the wall! As is typical for this era, Doc's unwillingness to completely clean up his mess comes back to bite him in the posterior. Outside the burglars think that the reason the fuzz haven't been called is because Doc is also "on the lam" and make plans to come back the next night. Of course the do.

The next, Doc, still studying the sparkler, in full cloak tonight, gives Wong the night off. He takes the opportunity to be loud, curt and a bit rude. The burglars watch Doc retire to his study and proceed to find the gem. Hilarity ensues.

While sitting in a dark room in an very ornate chair our friendly neighborhood magic user senses something is wrong. He enters his ethereal/astral/ghost form to check things out. Realizing the gem is gone he searches the city, and even though he is alone and in a form that the vast majority of the planet is unable to see and hear, he kindly narrates the situation. He finds the thieves, gets back into his physical body and heads to their hideout. We've seen magical characters pop across the world before so one wonders why Doc, knowing he is pressed for time, walked on over. His attempt to incorporate cardio into his rescue means he is too late and the gem has gobbled up the pair. Realizing he must rescue his unworthy charges, he allows the gem to gobble him up to. At least the mist and gem are my favorite color, purple. I'm not sure if it's the fault of Doc, Stan Lee or Artie Simek, but Doc calls on Mormommu. Perhaps we'll find out Dormammu has a secret twin brother that didn't escape from the Faltine with him and his promiscuous sister.

Appearing in the other dimension atop a hill and surrounded by colorful mists and watching a line of captured slaves being led by a pair of burly alien guards. They attempt to attack Doc, but he brushes them aside and they do the "take me to your leader" bit.

Presented before the ruler, Aggamon, he reveals that he knows what Doc has come for and says Nah! No one escapes thru the purple veil! You all must dig up gems for me!

Like so many villains, Aggamon can't resist a deal and offers to return the unworthy thieves if Doc takes their place. Doc says sure and in puff of purple smoke, the ruffians are back home. Doc is then "Hey Aggamon, I've got you on a technicality! I never said I'd stay a prisoner and proceeds to use the all-purpose amulet to burn through the chains. It's actually an impressive panel.

Doc waves a hand and sweeps away all Aggamon's guards (again.) Like the previous issue, the pro- and an- tagonists engage in a battle of wills (again.) Jeweled Demolisher Beam vs. All-Purpose-Amulet.

The minutes turn to hours and the beams for the magical MacGuffins grow steadily weaker. Finally the green guy gives up not wanting to die. Doc pretty much curses him to weakness until he frees all his prisoners. Aggamon sends him home in more purple smoke. As he arrives, Doc admits to himself that Aggamon was stronger than he and it was cowardice that caused him to lose. Once back, the Doc finally cleans up after himself making sure the ruffians surrender themselves to the authorities. Doc sits under his impressive attic window saying he will keep the gem in case he needs to kick Aggamon's tushie again. Despite the absence of the awesome armoire, it's another very nice panel.

There are a number of similarities between this story and the previous one. Green aliens from another dimension cause problems for the people of Earth. Instead of possessing humans for slavery, these aliens are kidnapping them. Both end with the leader of the opposition in a battle of wills with Doc. We do get more interior views of the Sanctum Sanctorum and Ditko lovingly populates it with lots of creepy artifacts and furniture. It's very dark. Was Ditko trying to keep things mysterious or attempting to save a few pencil strokes?

Aggamon isn't all that interesting. He's pretty much a one-note dictator. He appears a few more times than the possessors from the last story and will sadly meet an unfortunate end in the 21st century. Not the most satisfying story but we do learn Wong's name and that even Doc gets grouchy when he's tired.

[jetrick]

Universal Healthcare: Bridging the Gap for a Healthier, Equitable World

Wellbeing may be a essential human right, however it remains out of reach for numerous around the globe. My backing is committed to guaranteeing that each individual, in any case of their foundation or monetary circumstance, has get to to quality healthcare. The dissimilarity in wellbeing administrations is stark, with endless people incapable to bear or get to vital restorative treatment. This not as it were influences their well-being but too hampers their capacity to contribute to society. By championing widespread healthcare, we are able bridge this crevice and make a world where wellbeing administrations are not a benefit but a ensure for all. Instruction could be a capable device in this mission. Advising communities around preventive measures, the significance of sustenance, and keeping up cleanliness can radically decrease the rate of illnesses. Moreover, governments must prioritize healthcare by contributing in framework, making beyond any doubt that healing centers and clinics are inside reach for everybody. This incorporates giving preparing and fair compensation for healthcare specialists, empowering them to serve their communities, particularly in underserved regions. Reasonable medicine and antibodies are essential within the battle against sickness. Collaborative endeavors between governments, non-profit organizations, and the private division can lead to advancements in medication, making medications more open and reasonable. Wellbeing protections plans that protect individuals from money related demolish due to restorative costs are too basic. In pushing for wellbeing, we must moreover address the social determinants of wellbeing, such as clean water, sanitation, and instruction. These components altogether impact an individual’s wellbeing results and must be portion of a comprehensive approach to healthcare. In conclusion, my backing for wellbeing is established within the conviction that everybody merits the chance to live a healthy life. It is a call to activity for communities, governments, and organizations worldwide to join together within the interest of a healthier future for all. Through instruction, speculation, and collaboration, able to overcome the boundaries to health and ensure that no one is cleared out behind. Wellbeing isn’t fair an person concern; it may be a collective duty that holds the key to a flourishing, Impartial society.

[maniksthings-blog]

The Benefits Of Investing In Dubai Real Estate: Why It’s A Smart Choice For Investors

Real estate has been unanimously agreed upon across the globe as an essential investment, from times immemorial. What seems insignificant now, may be worth a fortune tomorrow, next week, or sometime later, but definitely, it will.

Benefits Of Real Estate Investment

   Real estate fetches income through rentals or properties built on it besides appreciation of its value. Besides tax advantages, real estate serves as a mortgaged property when one seeks loans. Such investments help the investor to stay ahead of inflation and keep them prepared for retirement. It also helps investors to meet financial goals, family goals and save taxes prudently.

Real Estate Investment: Dubai Versus Other Parts Of The Globe

   Besides being a country with lots of sunshine, Dubai beams with other attributes such as tax-free income, high standard of living, safety, world-class infrastructure and above all better property yields than London and New York.

   The strategic location of Dubai with easy connectivity to the Middle East and North Africa and to anywhere across the globe, makes it a sought-after destination. Dubai’s political stability and constant growth besides its tourism highlights make Dubai vividly spoken about.

   Thanks to revised regulations, the government has taken every possible step to ensure transparency in investments made in Dubai.

Modus Operandi Of Dubai Real Estate

   Real estate refers to structures on land like residences or buildings or investing in plain land. Real estate business refers to buying, selling or renting real estate. Dubai real estate is popular for its investor-friendly policies such as the absence of entities such as annual property tax, income tax, capital gains tax, rental revenue tax and Value Added Tax.

Real Estate Investments: Get Started

   Dubai Land Department (DLD) is the regulatory body that governs all real estate transactions in Dubai including registration of sales and purchases of land and documentation of such transactions. These details are periodically published in its official website.

   Real Estate Registration Agency is a regulatory arm that regulates and monitors developers, brokers and other licensed professionals in the field and executes penalties for any violations.

Types Of Real Estate Investment In Dubai

Foreigners can buy properties in dubai. There are three types of properties in Dubai namely freehold, common hold and usufruct properties. These properties are purchased in specifically allotted areas.

Freehold property is purchased by one person and upon death could be inherited by an heir. Common hold property is owning property by a group of people as in apartments whose maintenance is collected from owners by the property developer.

Usufruct property is a leased property for a term of up to 50 years for corporates and 99 years for residences which could be subjected to anything other than destruction or anything that makes it obsolete. Musataha is a type of leasing, where, unlike usufruct, the lease is renewed and the property could be altered or demolished.

Real Estate Investments In Dubai And Purposes

   A buyer must decide the type and purpose of the property to be purchased. If a purpose is an investment, studio apartments, or those with one or two bedrooms whose rent is affordable, can be bought. Villas are opulent and usually bought for personal use.

   Partner with an established real estate agency in Dubai that preferably charges at affordable rates and confirm the agent’s credibility on RERA website. One could purchase an off-plan property that is in the construction stage or built properties.

   Though off-plan properties are more affordable than ready-to-move ones, the credibility of builders must be ensured before purchasing one. Off-plan properties are for those who want to rent or sell them or if they seek some modifications in the construction.

Tips For Successful Real Estate Investment In Dubai

   Begin with research about different areas and prices that work within your budget and also check if it fits your requirements. While sticking to a budget, one must not compromise on location, which is the deciding factor of any purchase. Despite the huge cost, a significant area must be valued for future returns.

   Spend time in the area and research the amenities available and their connectivity to important areas and do not forget to seek expert advice from an established real estate agency in Dubai.

Conclusion

   All set for massive and rapid growth, real estate investment in Dubai must be carefully handled despite the risks and challenges that it holds. Since the benefits are already on news, probable purchases cannot be postponed and one could not afford to hesitate.

[outoftowninac]

LOVE ‘EM AND LEAVE ‘EM

1926

Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em is a play in three acts by George Abbott and John V.A. Weaver. It was originally produced by Jed Harris and staged by Mr. Abbott. It featured Florence Johns as Mamie and Katherine Wilson as Janie. 

The idea for the play as the title of a poem by Weaver published in "Vanity Fair." An earlier version of the play was written and produced by Weaver alone, but was not successful. 

The play takes place at Ma Woodruff's Boarding House, Ginsberg’s Department Store, and Mechanic's Hall.

The play tells the tale of Mamie and Janie Walsh, two sisters with the older one pledged to look after the younger one. Mamie, the older one, is the sweet, old-fashioned type, and Janie, the younger, is a jazz-age flapper who takes whatever comes her way. Mamie goes on vacation and returns home to find that Janie has vamped her way into the arms of Mamie's intended.

JANIE: “Oh, Mame, don't be so dumb! He just happened to ask me, ‘cause I'm a better dancer than you are you know that... Now I ain't sayin' a word against you, Mame, but you know everybody says I'm the best lookin' girl in the store.”

MAME: “All my life I never owned anything ‘cause if you wanted it, you took it. You was pretty and I was plain; you was the pet. Everybody loved you and was nice to you. Nobody more'n me, Janie Walsh, nobody more'n me. Well, I guess you're just what they call spoiled, that's all spoiled and spoiled bad. You never stop to worry about anybody else's rights. If a person has anything around they want to keep, they better lock it up where you can t get your hands on it.”

“While I was studying my present role in ‘Love 'Em and Leave 'Em,' I went to a department store dally to pick up the atmosphere of such places.” ~ FLORENCE JOHNS

The play had its world premiere at the Playhouse in Wilmington Delaware on January 22, 1926. 

Billed as "A Bargain Sale of Laugher” and “A Department Store Comedy of Life and Love”, the play opened in Atlantic City at the Globe Theatre on January 25, 1926. 

During the run of the play, the Boardwalk night spot The Silver Slipper invited the cast to be guests of honor. 

Billed as ‘A Comedy in American’ Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em opened on Broadway at the Sam H. Harris Theatre (226 West 42nd Street) on February 3, 1926. 

About Venue #1: The Sam H. Harris Theatre was built in 1914 as the Candler. It was leased to George M. Cohan and Sam H. Harris until 1920, when Cohan and Harris ended their partnership and Harris kept the theatre, renaming it for himself. In 1926, Harris sold it to the Shuberts, who lost it in a 1933 bankruptcy claim. It became a movie house from 1933 to 1978 and was demolished in 1996. In 2000, it became part of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

“’Love ’Em and Leave ’Em' has less than the makings of a hit but it has many other things its authors can be proud of.” ~ ARTHUR POLLACK

“Here is another of those snappy character comedies of the common people that always seem a little patronizing and considerably dependent upon the humor and good nature of the crowd that sees them. They often go a lot better with first nighters than they do with their own people who follow after.” ~ BURNS MANTLE

"I have a sneaking suspicion that ‘Love 'Em and Leave ’Em' to be so good because you could scratch the surface of Mr. Abbott or Mr. Weaver and find underneath only a clerk at good old Ginsberg’s.” ~ ALEXANDER WOOLCOT

~ February 16, 1926. 

Abbott continued to collaborate with other writers for the rest of his career. If indeed he had an inferiority complex, it didn’t stop him from becoming a Broadway icon.  

In March 1926 the playscript was partly reprinted in newspapers nationwide. 

In April 1926, plans were announced for two companies of the play: one to do a sit-down production in Chicago (the Mamie Company?) and the other to tour the country (the Janie Company?).  Producer Harris would conduct a talent search for amateur actresses to understudy the leads in Chicago. At the same time, news that the play was bought for Hollywood by Paramount hit the papers. 

Also in April 1926, in order to boost subscriptions, the Brooklyn Times Union offered free passes for subscribers. The winning subscriber would find their names among the classified ads, encouraging readership of the ads. 

On Monday, May 17, 1926, the play moved digs to the Apollo Theatre (not the one in Atlantic City and not the one in Harlem).

About Venue #2: This Apollo was located on 42nd Street and was formerly known as the Bryant Theatre when it opened in 1910. It was later known as the New Apollo. Today, architectural elements from the building have been incorporated into the Ford Center.

Two weeks later the show moved addresses yet again. This time it moved right next door to the Times Square Theatre on 42nd Street. 

About Venue #3: The Times Square Theatre opened in 1920.  After the market crash in 1929, the theatre was taken by the bank. In 1933 it became a movie theatre. It closed in 1997 and fell into the hands of Livent. Their plans for the theatre were halted when they went bankrupt, leaving the future of the venue uncertain. 

One critic reckoned that Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em might rival Abie’s Irish Rose in popularity. At the time, Abie’s was four years into its 2,327 performance run on Broadway. Love ‘Em clocked in at just 152 performances finally shutting up shop on July 3, 1926.  

While the Broadway production continued (but in its final days), a stock a production opened in San Francisco. A tour launched in Binghmaton NY. 

A silent film adaptation was released later in 1926 starring Louise Brooks as Janie and Evelyn Brent as Mame. In the film, the fictional Ginsberg’s Department Store was replaced by Macy’s. 

The film premiered in Atlantic City at the Earle Theatre on Christmas Day 1926. 

[shandragdotson]

5 Ways To Pay Off Your Mortgage Quickly

A lot of people are, understandably, interested in demolishing all of their debt and that includes figuring out how to pay off a mortgage quickly. It’s an admirable goal, and living a debt-free life can open doors to a whole new world of possibilities. 

Want to travel around the globe? Cool—with some careful planning, a valid passport, and savvy saving, the sky’s the limit! 

Ready to quit your job to homeschool the kids? You can afford to type up that resignation letter and start surfing Pinterest for curriculum ideas. 

Dream about filling a bathtub up with quarters and bathing in it like you’re Scrooge McDuck? Well, that’s kind of weird, my friend, but I’m not here to judge you. 

Eliminating your monthly mortgage payment can significantly increase your cash flow—and just about everyone likes having extra money on hand. So let’s talk about how to pay off a mortgage faster. 

How to Pay Off a Mortgage Quickly

Okay, let’s do this in five quick tips. Ready? 

#1 Pay More

Let’s start with number one, because starting with any other number wouldn’t make much sense: pay more. Yep. Have more money and then budget that money to pay more towards your mortgage. Presto Change-o, no more mortgage. 

So, yeah, that one’s important. Top notch personal finance advice, truly.

And then the next step is…well, wait, it will come to me. Okay, you know what? I forgot the other four. There were going to be five. Number one is to pay more, and that’s a good one. I had a strong start here. 

Alright, I guess it’s just the one tip, which is a bummer because five tips sounds better, and frankly, number three would have amazed you, but to pay off your home loan quickly, you have to pay more. 

However, this one tip is such a good tip, I think it’s fair to expand upon it. 

How to Pay More to Pay Off Your Mortgage 

#2 Increase Frequency of Mortgage Payments 

It seems like cheating to start on number two when this is really a new list now, you might be thinking, but what you need to be thinking about is how to pay off your mortgage quickly. Focus, people! 

A quick and relatively painless way to pay more towards your mortgage payment is to pay bi-weekly instead of monthly. Breaking your payments into two each month, even if you don’t increase the overall amount of your monthly payment, results in one extra payment each year. 

With 52 weeks in a year, bi-weekly payments means you’ll make 26 total payments, or 13 monthly payments…without impacting your monthly budget much. 

Check out YNAB’s Loan Planner tool to see how how making extra payments will affect your own outcome!

#3 Make Extra Payments Towards Mortgage Principal

When putting extra money towards your mortgage, it’s important to specify to your mortgage company that you want the overage applied to principal. 

Interest makes up a significant portion of your mortgage, and since it’s calculated on the principal balance, paying down the principal reduces the amount of interest that you’ll pay on a fixed-rate loan. 

That extra payment you’ll be making in the above bi-weekly scenario? Mark it as going towards your principal for that extra debt paydown oomph. 

See that extra money in action with YNAB’s Loan Planner.

#4 Refinance to a Shorter Loan Term

If you have a traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgage, refinancing to a 15-year loan means you’d be paying it off in…15 years. 

(The good advice just doesn’t stop here, folks, and it’s free!) 

Yes, your monthly payment will be higher and you’re likely to have some closing costs associated with this plan but 15-year mortgages often come with a lower interest rate and you’ll be paying a lot less interest over the life of the loan due to the reduced timeline. 

Learn more about if you should refinance.

#5 Get Clear on Priorities 

When YNAB’s founder, Jesse Mecham, was 25 years old, he had a new baby and didn’t own a home yet, so he did what any normal 25-year-old would do (no, not really) and wrote “Pay off mortgage by the time I’m 30” on a notecard and stuck it in his wallet. 

And then he did it. Do you know how? 

(Okay, we just went through this whole “you have to pay more” thing and you don’t know how?) 

Let’s move on to why then:

Because he wanted to. He wanted that so much that he stayed focused on it. He lived in a mostly unfurnished home that echoed a lot and his friends and family members thought it was all very odd. He worked harder and he sacrificed other things because he wanted to pay a mortgage off enough to write that down on a notecard and stick it in his wallet before he even had a mortgage. 

So decide if you want to pay off your mortgage quickly. If that’s not one of your financial goals, that’s okay. A lot of people don’t mind having a mortgage; interest rates are low, real estate is an investment, maybe they have a prepayment penalty, or have student loans that take precedence, but for whatever reason, it’s not high on their priority list. There’s nothing wrong with that. 

Paying a mortgage off quickly has to be your priority if you want to make it happen. You choose your own intensity; maybe you get a side hustle, perhaps you skip take-out and vacations, but you pay more and you feel good doing it because you’re working towards something you really want. 

And one day you’re sitting in your bathtub full of quarters in that home that you own free and clear, thinking, “That YNAB writer said this was weird, but so was the way she numbered that list.” 

I’m looking forward to that day for you, because it will all have worked out well for both of us. 

Ready to find room in the budget to pay more towards your mortgage? Try YNAB free for 34 days.

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[georgemackayhey]

Lean On Me

"Can you do something with both George and Dean maybe like seeing the reader cry and comforting her?" "Hiii, could you write a George x reader where they’ve been dating for a while and he’s jealous of her. Love your writing"

Right, so I've gone on and combined these requests because I failed to think up two separate ideas. So here's this monster! Thanks for askin' y'all! Enjoy ♡

w/c: 5k

───※ ·❆· ※───

"We're officially not unofficial!" You announced, clinking your second glass of wine against Dean's tumbler full of whiskey.

You'd been cast as costars in an indie rom-com, and were staying in the middle of nowhere Ireland for a month, to begin filming. Tonight you'd been shown to your separate motel rooms but wound up sharing a drink in yours, catching up and enjoying each others company before tomorrow's first big shoot. And since you'd been seeing George, it didn't take Dean long to ask how his friend was doing.

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Dean let out a bright chuckle before taking a swig of his preferred alcohol.

"Well as you know, George is off filming in the US and I'm stuck here, filming with you." You pulled a face but broke out into laughter before your playful disgust could be read. You adored Dean, and there weren't many people you'd rather be stuck in a dingy motel with.  

"Before he left two days ago, we agreed not to see anyone else while we're both so busy. And to keep seeing each other when he's back." You rambled. Dean shifted on his side of the love seat as you shared a drink and conversation.

"Really?" Dean's eyes winded as his smile grew, causing a blush to appear on your cheeks.

"Yeah," You grinned. "I know he wanted to take things slow before diving into a serious relationship, but it sounds like he's ready to pick up the pace." You informed although you figured Dean already knew. They were already the best of friends when you'd come into the picture.

"I'm going to tell you something." Dean leaned in a little closer as if someone might have been listening in. You brought your glass of wine to your lips to prepare for what he might say.

"George has some pretty serious feelings for you. But he's been burned before. There have been one too many girls who wanted him for all the wrong reasons." Dean went on like an older brother, though he was quite the opposite,  "The fact that he's mentioned getting more serious with you is a big deal. I hope you're ready for that because I think you're perfect together. But if you're not-"

"I am, Dean. The last thing I want is to hurt George and I swear to you I won't let that happen." You traced an X over your heart and gave your friend a stern nod, the best promise you had to show.

Your friend snorted a laugh but returned your serious nod as you both silently agreed to have George's best interest at heart.

___

"Action!" Your director shouted through a laugh as you sucked in a deep breath. You were placed at the end of a foothill where the damp grass caused you to slip every time you tried a new take.

Luckily the director got a kick out of your silly little mishap and you'd stopped laughing enough yourself to try the take again for the fourth time.

Dean was standing amongst the rubble of a halfway demolished castle, waiting for you to run into his arms. Your first day of shooting was focused on the climax of the film, and it wasn't hard for either of you to fake years of chemistry for the camera as you'd been friends behind the scenes for months now.

That's why when you finally nailed running into his open arms, prepared to be swept off your feet, you kept on laughing when his foot slipped, sending you both to the dirt.

"You weren't supposed to do that!" You laughed. "We finally almost had it! I was depending on you." You fake cried, while Dean apologized through bouts of laughter.

"Take ten, we'll suss it out!" Our director laughed while a small crew scurried to help you up and clean up your costumes of dust.

After finally getting the final shoot right, you were sent off to change and grab dinner with the rest of the crew.

The middle of nowhere Ireland didn't have much to offer, so the company you kept became even more valuable.

Behind Dean, you followed the director and his wife into an unassuming pub, where you ordered drinks. You sat close together and spoke about what you'd gotten right on set and how you hoped for scenes in the future to turn out, now that you'd started bringing your characters to life.

When your extra-large drinks came, you took a selfie with the pints and followed Dean's strict orders to text the photo to George.

"Tell him I love him and wish that he was my leading lady, instead." Dean teased.

"Well, we'll just see if I catch you when you slip up next time!" You feigned offense while you formed a text to George. Under the photo of you and his dear friend, you wrote:

You're missing all the fun! But I'm missing you more. Hope your day on set is going well xx

You hadn't quite reached the heart-eye emoji stage, with George, but all you wanted to do was flood his message thread with sappy saying. Delivering all your romantic lines today was made easier if you thought of saying them to George. You couldn't wait for the film to end so that you might have the chance to actually kick off what you'd started with the man.

You met George at the Golden Globes, at one of the after-parties. Your agent knew his and you'd been wanting to congratulate the stars of such a groundbreaking film, anyhow. George and Dean were sort of a packaged deal that night, but by some miracle, you'd been left with George to finish off your free cocktails and talk about how the music was much too loud.

You went home with a funny feeling in your chest, thankful that you got to spend an hour chatting away with the handsome man, knowing you'd only gotten extremely lucky.

But not long after then, you met George again. He was all alone in a coffee shop on the lot of a studio you'd both been filming on opposite sides of. He offered you a seat across the tiny table from him, where you sipped your drinks and dove into conversation like you'd known each other for years before then.

That was the day you realized you had feelings for George, when you swore his bright eyes lingered on your lips. When he asked if you were going to some silly Hollywood party. You said yes, even though you hadn't planned on it before then.

That's how things kept going with George, for a while. You'd run into each other at events and waste the rest of those evenings sharing passing thoughts and strong opinions. Around the third or fourth run in, you got the guts to compliment his suits and the way he laughed. He finally invited you to a party you wouldn't have otherwise known about.

It was someone's birthday, and every surface of their mansion had been turned into a minibar. Dean was there, and when George left you two to find some drinks that weren't just straight vodka, Dean asked what was going on between you and his best mate. George had clearly been smitten, but you'd yet to discuss anything like that with each other.

With a push from Dean, George asked you on a Sunday morning stroll along the lake, your first official date, both glad to finally be able to call what you'd been doing more than "hanging out." That was the day you'd found out about each other's upcoming films. When George held your hand on the park bench. When you agreed to keep seeing each other when you'd finished all your work. Agreeing to keep up as many late-night chats as you possibly could, while you were worlds apart.

___

You woke up not so long after you'd fallen asleep to your phone buzzing on the nightstand. You worried you'd missed your morning alarms but a new sort of excitement took over your nerves when you realized George was calling.

"Hello?" You answered, happily snuggling back into your motel bed.

"I'm sorry, love did I wake you?" George worried, his use of a pet name causing your heart to flip.

"Well yeah, but I'm glad you did. We aren't filming until tomorrow afternoon. How's America, then?" You wondered, peering out of the crack in your curtains. The night was dark, and the light from the motel sign reflected off of the crew's cars in the lot. You heard laughter in the distance and wondered what kind of fun you were missing out on.

"It's nice. We're actually ahead of schedule. I might not be here as long as I planned." George spoke up, and you thought you heard him smile.

"Is that good news?" You wondered. He seemed so excited to head off overseas and start working again, even if his role was only small.

"I think so. Means I'm closer to getting to see you." George said, his voice was warmer and more inviting than all the blankets you were currently wrapped up in.

"That's very good news indeed, then!" You grinned. "But you know I think Dean misses you most of all, and that's really saying something." You joked, thinking about all the conversations you'd had about George since you'd been filming together.

George's delicate laughter was music to your ears. He asked you to send his sappiest greetings to Dean and the pair of you went on telling stories about your days on set. George seemed to be getting on with his castmates and enjoying his work. You were glad to hear it and made sure he knew that you and Dean were having the best of times as well.

You wanted to end the call with George by expressing how dearly you missed him, but something stopped you. Maybe it was your conversation with Dean from before when he warned you how cautious George was to move too quickly in relationships. You figured keeping in touch while so far apart counted for a lot, and settled for wishing George a happy sleep before you hung up to shut your eyes again.

___

As you wrapped up filming in Ireland, you and Dean had become rather inseparable. Since you'd been acting alongside each other almost exclusively, you were a little nervous how filming back in London was going to go. There was a new set of cast members to finish filming with, and you and Dean had developed some kind of secret language you worried might seem off-putting to everyone else.

You didn't want to be the costar known for picking favorites, so you tried your utmost to get on just as well with the folks meant to play your family members and friends.

That meant spending time off the set, going to dinner and hosting game nights when the chance arose. Granted, you and Dean often paired up to beat everyone at Monopoly, you were still succeeding in getting on with everyone.

"Tomorrow is the big fight scene. I just don't think I can punch you in the face, Dean." The actress playing your older sister laughed, reaching over to pinch Dean's cheek.

"Good, 'cause you're not really supposed too." Dean laughed, shooing her hand away. You laughed at their antics as you flitted off to the kitchen to find another beer.

Your phone had been left on the counter, and you noticed it lighting up as you stepped past the refrigerator.

You narrowly missed a call from George, his profile photo filling up your screen. When the call went dead, you noticed he'd tried to call once before then.

"Oh shit, it is Friday, isn't it?" You worried. As you and George each found the swing of your days on set, you figured Friday nights were the best time to check in on each other. But tonight you'd been so wrapped up in enjoying a night off at Dean's flat with your castmates, that you'd left your phone in the other room.

You pressed the call back button and scurried off to the back patio where you wouldn't be bothered.

"Hello love! Everything alright?" George asked. Because even though you'd agreed to call each other once a week, you'd started texting silly little updates to each other throughout most other days. And you hadn't done that at all today.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry I've been away. We've just been enjoying the rare day off."

"Ah, yeah that's alright." George was quick to assure you but you didn't miss the way his voice fell a little flat. But before you could go on apologizing, he spoke up again.

"I'm flying back home tomorrow morning." He spoke, and now he sounded as if he were on the verge of bursting out into excitable screams.

"Tomorrow morning?" You grinned. That was a week earlier than he'd been planning.

"We finished everything today and I've booked the soonest flight back. I can't wait to see you." George cooed through the phone line.

With all your might, you held back squeals and confirmed that you were just as excited to finally see him again, as well. Thought you'd started things off at an awkward time, your feeling for George blossomed more every day. Between flirty texts and late-night phone calls that lasted as long as they could with completely different schedules, you'd fallen head over heels for George.

He made you laugh, even all the way across the ocean. He would ask genuine and thoughtful questions and he'd never hold back from giving you his own honest and meaningful answers. You practically melted through the slots of the patio board when you ended your phone call with "See you tomorrow, darling!"

___

"That's a wrap for today!"

"Holy shit, I'm so glad we got that on the first take." You shivered. It was a little too cold to pretend to enjoy yourself in a swimming pool.

Dean was by your side next thing you knew, offering a robe from the costume lady who was sewing up another actor's tuxedo.

"Just think, all the hard parts are over. Only a few more days left of easy shooting!" Your friend held open the robe as you slid your arms in as a frown pulled at your lips.

"Don't remind me! I don't know what I'll do when all the fun is over." You pouted like a kid and dramatically threw yourself against Dean in a hug you couldn't manage while keeping your hands tucked under your arms. Your friend ran his hands along your shoulder with a laugh as you shivered, but the extra bit of warmth didn't last long.

"Oh my God!" Dean chirped, shoving you away from him all of a sudden. Just before you had time to shout at him for being rude, you noticed what caught his attention.

George! There he was, dressed in dark jeans and cozy sweater, happily chatting away with your agent before Dean got to him. The men shared a happy greeting and a warm hug as you hurried to do the same.

You shoved Dean away like he'd done to you, with a playful "Ha!," and practically threw yourself at George.

He was strong, effortlessly scooping you into his embrace and giving you a small spin from the momentum you'd gained. You'd never greeted each other so enthusiastically, but somehow now, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"You're here!" You realized as George set you on your feet again.

"When you told me you'd be done round five I figured I'd just swing by." He explained, keeping one of his hands gently wrapped around your waist. You weren't very cold any more.

"I missed you." You beamed, soaking up how close he finally was, after so long. George returned your sentiments as you both stood together, enjoying nothing more for a beat.

"I just need to change, then we can get going, yeah?" You shrugged, feeling suddenly uncomfortable in your still-damp bathing suit under the itchy robe.  Before you parted, you'd somehow made plans to go get dinner, and Dean was invited along.

"I did miss him too." George shot you a playful face as he moved to find where Dean had gone off too, leaving you to go change. You'd never flown in and out of the makeup trailer faster, sliding your clothes on and checking your face in the mirror before walking out onto the lot calm and cool.

You were totally anxious to finally get to spend time with George, but you hadn't forgotten what Dean mentioned about moving too fast.

You found both men in the car lot laughing together. They both turned their heads to see you approach, smiles widening, somehow.

"Ah, my boys. Let's go eat." You laughed, shooting Dean a look at George grabbed your hand in his.

___

You wound up at a posh Italian place, sat in the curve of a big red booth under George's arm. Dean was nearer the opposite curve, leaning a in a little closer to show George a bunch of dumb pictures the two of you had accumulated on set for the past couple of moths.

"Can I tell him about Taco Bell?" Dean choked back a laugh and looked at you with pleading eyes.

"I guess." You smiled after a beat. One night, not so long ago, you and Dean got plastered beyond belief and wandered to the nearest Taco Bell on foot. Their diner was closed, but their drive-through was open, and you had no choice but to try and walk up to the order box and try your luck. No one would respond, but Dean swore he saw workers avoiding your drunken rambles through the windows. The adventure ended with you having burst into tears, somehow deciding the Taco Bell was purgatory, drunkenly crying into the drive-through box. It made Dean laugh so hard he vomited next to the bins in the parking lot, and the pair of you got sternly asked to leave.

Not your finest hour, but certainly one of many memories from the highlight reel you and Dean had spent the early spring creating together. And it was Dean doing most of the talking tonight.

You spent your time snuggled close to George's side. His hand rested on your thigh while you buried your face in your hands at the end of each of Dean's stories.

George sat back, listened and laughed, and made fun of both of you along the way. You and Dean were in the middle of arguing over the details of your first petty fight when the check came.

"I have been missing out." George took the last swig of his drink.

"Well, we're glad to have you back mate. I better get going, though." Dean explained that he had a meeting with his agent before your day on set started tomorrow. When you all made your way out of the restaurant, you hugged Dean goodbye, calling him some silly nickname you coined in Ireland. He pulled a face at you, waved to George leaving the two of you alone for the first time in ages.

"I'd hate for the night to end, already." George gave you a convincing set of puppy dog eyes, but you didn't need convincing.

"It doesn't have to!" You spoke rather quickly.  "We could go back to mine and watch a film or something."

You offered a bashful shrug, hoping your excitable offer wasn't too forward.

But before you knew it, you were leading George into your studio flat, offering him something to drink as you flipped on a few lights on the way.

Tea was in order. You leaned against the kitchen island while George leaned against the counter, delving into conversation like you did best. He'd asked about some of the pictures you had framed of your family and friends, and you asked about his.

When the kettle rang and you filled two cups and asked George what he was most excited about being back home.

"I'm just glad to finally be with you." He informed, reaching out to pull you closer with the gentles tug at the hem of your shirt. He was a lot more affectionate than you remembered, but you certainly weren't complaining.

"I wish I'd spent all month having all that fun in Taco Bell purgatory with you." George joked, hooking one of his impossibly strong arms around your waist.

"George Mackay, are you a little jealous?" You laughed unbelievably, shoving your cup of tea a little further from you.

"Dean has gotten to kiss you more than I have, yet." George gave a little shrug as his bright blue eyes searched your face. If he was actually bothered, but the tiny smirk on his lips made you believe otherwise.

"Why don't we get up to speed, then, huh?" You rose a brow, resting one of your hands on George's sharp jaw. He didn't waste another second before diving into a kiss that left you breathless.

You expected your first kiss with George to be gentle and soft, just like him. But this kiss was fierce and hot and his hands were pushing your shoulders against the wall. And his lips only left yours to travel down your neck.

Your tea went cold that night.

___

You plopped into Dean's lap for the first shoot of the day. A rush of gratitude swooped over you, glad that you'd been able to work with someone you cared for so deeply.

"For someone who claims to know his best friend so well, you sure were off the mark." You playfully jabbed Dean in the ribs. He shot you a curious glare as a boom mic was being switched out for another.

"Do I even wanna know?" Dean chuckled, gazing up at you.

"All I'm saying, is he definitely didn't seem to care for taking things very slow last night." You proudly hinted as Dean let out an understanding yet mortified laugh. Some of your castmates were trickling onto set as your director checked behind the camera.

"He was totally jealous of all the time we've been spending together." You laughed, picking a piece of lint off the actor's sweater.

Dean's smile faltered as the director called action. Your friend's arms wrapped around your waist as you went on pretending to be in love.

After a long day of hard work, you and Dean started off in the direction of the makeup trailer. You'd kept one arm slung around his shoulders as he went on yammering about the last scene you shot.

George had decided to surprise you on set for the second day in a row, this time with a coffee for you and Dean, each.

"Awe, would ya look at that, we've got our own personal gofer." You laughed, looking at Dean as he gently slipped out from under your arm to accept George's kind offer. The labels on the cups were from a tiny bakery down the street from your set, but you didn't think much of it until you took a sip.

"Oh my God." You looked up to George with starry eyes. You wouldn't have cared what he ordered you, but he somehow got it exactly right. "How'd you know my favorite order from this place?"

You'd never been to the bakery with George before, and you couldn't remember a time you'd mentioned it to him. He really was the perfect boyfriend.

"I asked Dean," George admitted with a smile. You thanked him with a kiss on the cheek, and when you turned to do the same to Dean, he was gone.

___

You spent the rest of the week acting your heart out during the day and decompressing in the evening with George between movie marathons and dinner dates.

He was always checking in, making sure you were comfortable and always excited to experience new things with you. And you made sure George knew just how glad you were for his company. And especially charmed by the fact that he could never keep his hands off you. When you sat watching old tv shows he would trace patterns against your knee. He kept an arm around you as you walked the streets and always greeted you with a kiss.

Today, that's how he left you on set, with a sweet peck on your temple and a few words of encouragement. It was your last day, and you just weren't ready to say goodbye to everyone.

The last scene to shoot was of you and Dean, alone together in the isle of a convenience store. Your characters were meant to be having their first big fight, when a song comes over the loudspeakers neither of them can resist dancing along, bickering all the while.

It took you a couple of takes with the director suggesting different approaches, but it was over in the blink of an eye, Dean's character delivering the final line, while you were instructed to keep lazily dancing. After the director called cut, someone turned up the music and everyone cheered as your time together drew to a close.

You danced your way closer, throwing your arms around Dean in celebration.

"You've been the best castmate in the world! Thanks for putting up with me this long Dean. On and off set." You nodded, feeling your heart begin to ache. Dean hugged you back, offering similar sentiments, but unusually, something in Dean's tone fell flat.

You gave him an extra squeeze before he slinked off toward his trailer. While everyone else was offering goodbye hugs, you wondered if Dean wasn't keen to show how sad he was too. You shook it off and went on thanking the rest of the cast and crew for such a wonderful production.

The wrap party was later in the evening, but you left a big part of your heart on the set that was being torn down on your ride home.

___

George made it a bit hard for you to slip all the way into your party dress with the way he kept slipping it right back off. But with a little luck, you straightened his collar and dragged him out the door in the nick of time to party the night away.

The wrap party was at a nightclub where a live band was playing. As you slipped past drink stations and loudspeakers with George's hand in yours, you were reminded of when you met. How you'd keep running into each other on nights like these.

You held his hand a little tighter as the thought passed your mind and smiled up at him like a loon as he moved closer to your side.

"I'm glad you're here with me." You spoke up past the music.

"Me too." George grinned, leaning to place a kiss on your temple.

Your cast members bombarded you with hugs when they noticed you'd made it, asking for selfies and handing out drinks.

When you turned to look for George he'd found Dean and you were glad to skip toward them.

"Long time no see." You joked, sitting perfectly between the two of them.

"I can't believe it's over." Dean shook his head and cast a look to you.

"Yeah, but we still have press tour! And the premieres." You reminded, lifting your glass to your lips.

"Yeah." Dean smiled like he was glad, but you knew him better than that. Now was the time when he'd dream up some wild scenario he hoped would happen as you traveled to advertise for your new film. Or surely at the very least crack a joke.

You almost wanted to ask if he was okay, as he'd been totally reserved for a couple of days in a row. Of course, you knew he was probably just as sad for the production to wrap, but something was off. You could just tell.

___

Dean was weird during the entire press tour. He kept getting increasingly weirder as the days went by. And it was hard to pretend you weren't bothered. You called George every night, begging him to check up on Dean, make sure he was alright, get him to tell what he wouldn't tell you.

Over the past couple of months, you and Dean had grown inseparable and after the film, that changed. You knew your closeness couldn’t have been an act. You knew Dean made genuine connections with people he cared about. He was still close to George after their film had ended. Why was he suddenly so cold to you?

When you did interviews together, it was almost like it used to be, suppressing snickers and sharing secrets through the rise of an eyebrow.

But on the bus and out to dinner, Dean kept his distance. He still spoke with you and asked about your life, but it was like he'd severed himself off from your connection. By the time you got home, you hoped leaving him alone for a week and getting back to normal would make things better.  

But the morning of the premiere, you'd had all you could take. You and Dean were just leaving a hotel conference room after the last of a dozen interviews.

Dean walked a few paces behind you on your way out to the lobby. George was there, waiting to take you to some celebratory lunch before you were meant to start getting ready. He was all smiles, happily greeting you with a warm hug. He started to say something about how excited he was to take you out when you noticed Dean brush by, headed for the door.

"Uh, give me a second." You decided all of a sudden, leaving George in the small waiting area so you could catch your castmate before he reached the hotel doors.

"Dean! Wait." You demanded, fed up with how strangely he'd been acting. You couldn't possibly show up to the premiere tonight without at least trying to make things better.

You had to chase him out of the revolving doors, but when you reached the pavement, Dean was shocked enough by your low tone to stop and face you. You finally had his full attention, thank God.

"Are you okay? Have I upset you, somehow? Did I do something? Please tell me what's wrong." You begged, your throat started to close, but you managed to press the words out in time. As you spoke, Dean's face changed.

His eyes left yours, cast to the floor, and flicked up to somewhere behind you.

"Please talk to me." You begged in a hush. You didn't care about anyone passing by who might have looked at you funny.

"I-I'm sorry. No, I'm not upset with you. I never meant to make you think that." Dean explained in a low manner.

"Then what's going on?" You asked, worried by how reluctant he was to say anything.

"I didn't want to be in the way." Dean started, searching your face. "You and I had gotten so close and when George got back I felt like I was breaking some kind of boundary." Dean sighed, waving a hand as he cleared the air. And right on time, out of the corner of your eye, you noticed George stepping out of the revolving doors to find you.

"I was only trying not to hurt his feelings." Dean finalized. All the while, you tried taking a step closer to your friend. He took a step back.

"Well, you're hurting mine." You batted back, feeling tears sting your eyes. You were much too overwhelmed by the interaction to keep talking to Dean.

As George approached the pair of you, you grabbed his hand and spun around to the other end of the pavement. You heard Dean call your name to try and stop you, but you were already around the corner to where George's car had been parked.

George hurried behind the wheel but didn't start the engine. He leaned gently toward where you settled back against the passenger seat, defeated. You sucked in a sharp breath, determined not to totally lose your cool.

"What's happened?" George worried in a high pitch. One of his warm hands wrapped around your shoulder as you tried understanding everything Dean had just explained to you.

"He finally told me what his problem was and," You let out a humorless laugh as a tear escaped. "And I guess I just wasn't expecting it."

"Oh love," George barely whispered, lifting a finger to wipe your tear away.

"I think... he thinks you're jealous of him? Or at least he was afraid of our friendship coming across as something it wasn't, in your eyes. So he just shut me out. I guess it's nice he cares for you that much huh?" You let out another small, watery laugh.

George had that adorably confused look on his face, casting his pretty eyes into yours.

"That's what he’s been worried over?" George seemed just as confused as you had been. He'd never been able to get a read on Dean, any time George had tried to talk to him about how strangely he'd been acting.  

And you knew George wasn't jealous, not of Dean. He asked to hear all of the fun stories you had about Dean while you'd been working together. George seemed delighted that his friend cared for you so deeply. You knew that.

George reassured you that was the case, admitting he might have been a little jealous of missing out on all the fun, but not of Dean.

You'd calmed down a bit, with the help of George's sweet, gentle talk. He reassured that you weren't silly for crying, and then he took you to lunch. As you fueled up for a long exciting night, George insisted that he would knock some sense into his dear friend and that you'd get back to being just as close in no time.

___

The pair of you got all dolled up, painted for a premier. George's suit complimented your dress and you confessed you were totally madly in love with him. Maybe it was too soon, but it was just the right time, all things considered. George returned your sentiments with a light in his eyes and a smile on his face and everything was almost perfect.

You piled into George's car and drove to the studio where a limo was waiting to escort you and Dean to the premier. You were a packaged deal tonight, and he never invited a date.

Thank God Dean was already waiting at the studio for you, and early. George was able to pull him aside as your agent fussed over a bunch of silly questions. Your director still hadn't shown up by the time George and Dean reappeared before you, both wearing relaxed smiles.

"I'm sorry I never really talked to you. I shouldn't have ghosted you like that." Dean approached, looking dapper in his navy blue suit.

"Never do it again. Yell at me next time, I can take it." You swore, nodding in his direction. Dean rolled his eyes as his smile grew and all the tension between you fizzled away.

"So are we finally back to normal? I want to have game night and I need you on my Monopoly team." You fell back into a familiar banter, longing to make plans with your friend.

"I can't play a single board game without you. We share one brain cell, I think" Dean reached out, grabbing your shoulder to pull you into a hug, a real, meaningful one. You could have cried again just knowing he would be there to make fun of you for being so emotional.

"Yeah well, you're gonna need it because I'm the best Monopoly player in the British Isles." George sauntered up to the pair of you, seemingly very serious. You let out a loud chuckle as your embrace with Dean ended.

And when you piled into the limo between the two people you cared most about, you wondered how you'd gotten so lucky. It was official, everything was picture perfect.

───※ ·❆· ※───

[mess-inside-and-out]

Brazilian movies I recommend:

Cidade De Deus (City of God) Direct by Fernando Meirelles (2002)

Cidade De Deus (City of God) Direct by Fernando Meirelles (2002): In the favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two boys follow different paths. Buscapé is a photographer who records the violent daily life of the place, and Zé Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer who uses Buscapé's photos to prove how tough he is. The movie got 4 Oscar nominations, and was of the cinematography inspirations for diverse works across the globe like Oscar winner Marvels Black Panther.

"Carandiru" Directed by Héctor Babenco (2003)

A sanitary doctor offers to carry out HIV prevention work in Carandiru, the largest prison in Latin America, during the 90s. Living daily with the harsh reality of prisoners, he witnesses the violence aggravated by overcrowding, the precariousness of the services provided and the animalization of prisoners. Paradoxically, he knows the internal organization system and the fragile, romantic and dreamy side of those who seem to have done so badly to society.

Aquarius Directed by Kléber Mendonça Filho (2016)

A retired journalist defends her apartment, where she has lived all her life, from harassment by a construction company. The plan is to demolish the Aquarius building and make way for a major development.

O Beijo da Mulher Aranha (Kiss ofthe Spiderwoman) directed by Hector Babenco (1985)

The film tells the story of left-wing political prisoner Valentín Arregui (Raúl Juliá) and Luís Molina (William Hurt), an effeminate homosexual convicted of "minor corruption". The two share a cell in a Brazilian prison. Molina recalls, in prison, one of his favorite films, a romantic war thriller that is also Nazi propaganda. He weaves the characters of the film in a narrative that brings Arregui comfort to distract him from the harsh reality of prison and the separation from the woman he loves. The movie got 4 Oscar nominations, William Hurt wining for leading actor.

Tropa de Elite (Elite Saquad) José Padilha (2007)

The captain of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police's special force trains two novice recruits so that they can succeed him. While dealing with urban violence, racism and corruption within the Military Police.

Bacurau Direct by Kléber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles (2019)

Residents of a small village in the Brazilian hinterland, called Bacurau, discovered that the community is no longer on any map. Gradually, I noticed something strange in the region: while drones pass through the skies, foreigners arrive in the city. When cars turn into shots and corpses begin to appear, Teresa, Domingas, Acácio, Plínio, Lunga and other inhabitants come to the conclusion that they are being attacked. It remains to identify or attack and collectively create a means of defense.

Central Do Brasil (Central Station) Directed by Walter Salles (1998)

Dora, a bitter ex-teacher, makes a living by writing letters to illiterate people, who dictate what they want to tell their families. She pockets the money without even posting the letters. One day Josué, the nine-year-old son of one of his clients, ends up alone when his mother is killed in a bus accident. She is reluctant to care for the boy, but joins him on a journey through the Northeast in search of Josué's father, whom he never met. Winner of Best foreign language film in the Golden Globes, and two time Oscar nominationated for best foreign language film and Best leading actress for Fernanda Montenegro.

Ó Paí, Ó Directed by Monique Gardenberg (2007)

In a lively tenement in the historic center of Pelourinho, in Salvador, everything is shared by its residents, especially the passion for Carnival and the dislike for the building's manager, Dona Joana. Everyone tries to find a place in the last days of Carnival, whether working or playing. Troubled by the residents' party, Dona Joana decides to punish them by cutting off the building's water supply.

O Auto Da Compadecida (A dogs will) Directed by Gues Arraes (2000)

In the village of Taperoá, in the hinterland of Paraíba, João Grilo and Chicó, two northeasterners without a threshing floor, walk through the streets announcing A Paixão de Cristo, "the most affordable film in the world". The session is a success, they get a few bucks, but the struggle for survival continues. João Grilo and Chicó prepare numerous plans to get a little money. New challenges are emerging, causing more confusion armed by the cleverness of João Grilo, always in partnership with Chicó, but the arrival of the beautiful Rosinha, daughter of Antonio Moraes, arouses Chicó's passion and jealousy of Corporal Seventy. The duo's plans, which involve the marriage between Chicó and Rosinha and the possession of a clay nut filled with money, are interrupted by the arrival of cangaceiro Severino and the death of João Grilo. All the dead are reunited at the Last Judgment, where they will be tried at the Court of Souls by a black Jesus and the devil. The fate of each one of them will be decided by the apparition of Our Lady, the Compadecida and brings a surprising ending, mainly for João Grilo.

[cribb4eva]

Trump ft. Beauty and the Beast au

A Retelling of

The Beauty and the Beast

AND THE WALL THAT BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER

featuring

·         Donald Frump as the majority stakeholder of BeautyTM

·         J Jenkins, better known as the Beast, a professional competitive eater

(HENCEFORTH REFERRED TO AS B&B)

[A/n - as I write this I hear the two loudly arguing about the moniker.

Beast: “I like it. It goes a long way to show how we truly united.”

Beauty: “Covfefe”]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once upon a time there lived an immensely wealthy merchant in a lavish home the likes of which the world had never seen (and god willing would never see again). As the rich are prone to do when bored, he bred in his spare time. As the result, the monstrosity he called his home witnessed a flowering of horses, ducks and wailing human children, and Monsieur (because Frump was a fan of the French) Frump had to overcome the first hurdle of parenthood – the naming ceremony. We can safely assume he did not do very well, as one of his (many, many) children and (equally numerous) ducks ended up with the same name – a lovely, well rounded ‘Donald’. Pause now, and witness this wonder of the world, both Donalds have illustrious careers ahead of them- one immortalized on the silver screen along with his various animal friends, who he loved to take the mickey out of, and the other, human version immortalized thanks to the work of your very own writer of this tale.

We move now to the future, an older Donald the Human greets us, spewing pearls of wisdom ( à la the classic fairy-tale Toads and Diamonds, pardon my old fangled references) while Donald the Duck, sailor’s cap et all is sadly, dust in the wind. To make my point, let me grace you, dear reader, with some of his (earth shattering, epoch defining) words - "I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." One could say he had delusions of grandiloquence.

Ah, but this Wall is to play a role in the tale, as all great dreams begin with a dreamer, to borrow from Madam Tubman, who will no doubt be distinctly displeased at my using said quote for said human. What one needs to remember then, is that the human Donald had grown up into his name, and now (very un-ironically) owned Beauty Corp.TM, the premier destination for exploiting societal expectations of beauty for women and turning a profit, and its subsidiary, Miss Whole-Goddamn-Universe, where Donald the human, whom we shall now refer to as Mr. Frump, would fulfil his yearly quota of ogling at women and generally making everyone uncomfortable. In a sentence, Mr. Frump owned BeautyTM, and if that bit of irony doesn’t make your day better, I’m afraid the dark side has won you over.

The wheel of time turns, kicks up the gravel on the road, and leaves dust in its wake. Circumstances change. For it just so happened that Frump the senior had to leave his monstrous home to bring down the economy of a small third world country, and this parting from his brood brought much sorrow. “What shall I bring for you” he cried, tears flowing down his cheeks thanks to dust allergies caused by the afore mentioned wheel of time. In a chorus of “drones!” “A small spaceship!” and “the Kohinoor!” young Donald’s “a wall” claimed the heart of his sire.

Thus Frump senior began his long and arduous journey to the third world country, his pain exacerbated by the fact that the airline did not offer first class passage. His return found his joy dulled, for while he had successfully managed to oust the leader, and scam them , the country still retained the rights over its own resources, and in his fatigue, he forget about the promises he had made to his children. Presently he remembered those promises and went about fulfilling them; a quick text to his friend Geoff Pesos of Amazing Inc. would take care of the easier demands. A wall would prove to be more daunting, and in his desperation he directed his goons to the first wall he saw and told them to take it apart and bring it to Donald.

Alas for Mr. Frump that the wall belonged to one J. JENKINS, COMPETITIVE EATER EXTRAORDINAIRE, with a social media presence to rival even that of the most venerated reality television stars. Now Jenkins was a simple bloke. He lived to eat and not the other way around. His online persona The Beast would have gotten along excellently with Monsieur Frump on any other day, given that both were paragons of Western gluttony.

However, as one might assume, Jenkins did not take kindly to thugs tearing down a wall of his house (who would have thought?). And as is the norm, Jenkins threatened an expose, which as we know, is universally accepted as the Truth, which Mr. Frump, slayer of third world countries could not risk at present. As diamond cuts diamond, so does social media prove to be a wonderful defence against Mr. Frump’s team of lawyers( who took great pride in being called sharks and endeavoured to live up to the name by looking more and more like the watery predators). I have said before, and I will say again, nothing beats the threat of public embarrassment, as Frump Senior would find out unless he agreed to bring Donald the human to the abode of one J. Jenkins and apologise. Jenkins was a traditionalist and believed in punishing the son for the sins of the father.

For the purpose of this tale, let us assume that both Frumps, junior and senior are unable to pay off the wily Jenkins and scowling, go out to meet him- “But daddy, it's really cold outside, they are calling it a major freeze, weeks ahead of normal. Man, we could use a big fat dose of global warming!”

The Beast, as Jenkins was known, had grand plans for Mr. Frump junior, who was well known around the globe for his previously mentioned making-women-uncomfortable activities. The Beast also had a secret. His WeTube sponsors had threatened to withdraw, following his ‘I ate a bat for breakfast’ video which they believed would not be taken well since it had been a mere ten months after the outbreak of the MorBid 19 pandemic. He needed to pull something so amazingly outrageous, so steadfastly loony, and so horrifically absurd so as to make the ramifications of his previous video null and void. And along came Frump junior, funny how fate functions. Rarely had the world witnessed such serendipity; the solution dropped into the lap of a mortal with such ease.

Thus was born the idea of a video titled- ‘The Famous Mr. Frump Eats Healthy For A Week, Shocker I Know’. Cue the gasps of amazement, the astonishment of the netizens; for if there was a thing Mr. Frump was even better known for, it was his absolute detestation for anything green and fibrous. God forbid you utter the word healthy around him, while the N word (nutri****) had to be censored to avoid the inevitable hissy fits.

And so Jenkins convinced Frump junior to pay off his father’s debt by living with him for a week, to record the challenge (which would go on to be featured in WeTube’s yearly Rewind, and thus achieve digital stardom). Needless to say, Donald’s siblings were decidedly not pleased, for there are those in this world who envy a fellow human even a chance of dodgy WeTube fame.

Donald dithered, and as per usual, couldn’t make up his mind. In the end, he had to return to the Beast, for the Frump Empire was still very much open to the criticism of said WeTube star and animosity due to his demolished wall. Thus the Wall brought the owner of BeautyTM to the Beast, who had been languishing at the thought of having to make a living once his sponsors cut him off.

Cue dramatic reunion, a week of healthy eating that changed their lives, for the Beast repented his ways and decided that perhaps wasting food in a hungry world was in bad taste (pun intended), and the owner of BeautyTM realised that perhaps there was something to be said for actually focusing on what goes in the body rather than what is slapped on outside.

When you thing of their future, think of a viral WeTube video. Think of a new WeTube channel called B&B. Here we end our tale, and they lived (how long I cannot say, for I am no seer).

[shadowofthelamp]

A list of Zim’s Schemes

This is mostly for my own use to figure out a ‘pattern’ of sorts so I can come up with ideas for Zim to be planning to feel authentic my own fics. Some were more implied as they’re mentioned offhandedly. I cut the ones that aren’t really ‘plottish’ relating to invading like Germs. I threw a couple of personal observations at the end. (Sorry to mobile people if the readmore doesn’t work)

SEASON 1

-Infiltrating a human school

-Using a human as a ‘friend’ to blend in

-Something to do with laser weasels

-Entering Dib’s body via mini-ship to mess with it and force Dib to get rid of evidence of him being an alien 

-Using the robo-parents as his ‘real parents’ to blend in

-Consuming human organs to be ‘more human’ and blend in

-Attempting to retrieve his ship from humans who had captured it- notable for having complete control of a crowd of humans that he didn’t brainwash and being uncomfortable with it

-Dropping a giant water balloon on Dib in retaliation for being basically tortured by water earlier in the episode

-Trying to figure out how to control the world’s population via fast food. (Considering his species seems really attached to junk food, not an unreasonable assumption)

-Saving the planet from Planet Jackers because it’s his to conquer/destroy.

-Something to do with shooting chickens into space after spinning them around

-Hypnotizing his schoolmates and using said hypnosis to force Dib to give him information about a weak spot in his security.

-Using time travel to erase Dib from existence

-Using a wormhole and moose to get rid of his bullying classmates, especially Dib

-Mutating a hamster to massive sizes, with the intent to make humans bow to him because they can’t resist its cuteness

-Tries to interrogate a baby, then dispatches with the Na’gok via stupidity ray

-Captures Dib who snuck into the base with the intent of performing horrible experiments on him

-Sell candy for a fundraiser to get the ‘mystery prize’

-Return movie to avoid suspicion by the FBI

-Turn Dib into bologna for setting off his allergies

-Find use for Mars, and then, use it to squish out all life on Earth

-Try to make Dib look bad on TV

-Sabotage the PEG to blow up the planet, after using a Dib robot to walk past security. (Probably one of his more elaborate plans. Why did he have a Dib robot, though? I can’t imagine he made it in the span of like... two hours.)

-Not Earth-related but go through extra training to get weapons

-While doing time field experiments on Dib, has to deal with the slow explosion

-Gets a giant stealth mech, immediately attempts to kill Dib with it

-Pumping cows full of sewage to taint the food supply

-Attempts to put GIR into defensive mode to make him more useful, changes a guy’s brain who sees him with a squid’s

-Puts Dib in some kind of virtual life simulator to make him admit he threw a muffin at him

-Stop Tak

_______

SEASON 2

-Controlling the Massive to get the Tallests to watch his plan about unleashing a brain-eating parasite on the humans

-Infecting the city with genetically enhanced vermin

-We never found out in Zim Eats Waffles, but he’s got a happiness-inducing brain probe (possibly for human slaves to make them more docile?) and a demon mutant cyborg squid, so that’s something

-Messes with Dibship and tries to get it to get rid of Dib

-Wants weapons from the ‘Plakoosians’, gets them. Also something to do with a globe stuffed in a fishbowl- maybe making the fish giant like Peepi, or shrinking the planet?

-Uses the skool election to try and gain power

-Packed Gir full of monkey explosives

-Pretends to be Santa to make humans obey him and build a teleporter to be beamed to the Tallests as slaves.

_______

MOVIE:

-Sit in a toilet for like a year to get Dib out of shape and even more obsessive than usual, then bring Earth to where the Tallests can’t ignore it.

_______

THOUGHTS

-Of these, three/four (depending on if you count Mysterious Mysteries where he tries to discredit Dib) were pretty much for the sole purpose of ‘blending in/appearing more human’. 

-Nine involve animals (ten if you count rubber piggies, I guess, eleven if you count the brain-eating parasite)

-Megadoomer, Bolognius, Dib’s WLOD, and objectively Mysterious Mysteries are all super petty.

-I was originally going to say The Wettening was petty too, but nah, he earned that. I still hold to my theory that that episode was a reworking of the pilot (the plot to both is ‘Zim discovers an allergy to an earth thing and Dib immediately tries to exploit it, leading to them both building machines to trying and get back at each other using the allergy thing) and it’s Dib at his most sadistic.

-One thing from the show bible that sticks with me is that a lot of plots could be derived from him taking what he hears other students/humans saying seriously, like someone mentioning cooties and him demanding more information on this strange disease. This is where Door to Door/Career Day/sort of FBI Warning especially come in.

-Utilizing gaps in his knowledge about humans (like babies being not a threat) can be used in tandem with that ^^^

-Zim is pretty competent when it comes to actually building things, he just doesn’t really think beyond whatever the next step of his plan is. IE: With Peepi, the idea of increasing the size of an Earth animal that seems to immobilize humans isn’t a bad one, but he didn’t think to brainwash said animal to listen to him. Or making an energy-absorbing blob, again without some kind of failsafe built in. 

-He also seems to enjoy experimenting on Earth animals, although that’s probably because it’s fun to play with alien stereotypes.

-He’s somewhat protective of Earth, in a possessive ‘only I get to destroy it’ way. He wants to impress the Tallest with this planet, and that means it needs to be in one piece long enough to get them here. He’s still totally willing to demolish parts of it if need be, though, see the Wettening or Hampstergeddon or Battle of the Planets.

-Oftentimes, his plans are prompted by something Dib did to either annoy or try to expose him.

[errantabbot]

On Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Jesus (and Buddha et al.) - Myth, Reality, and Truth Beyond Historicity

I spent the better part of the day yesterday roaming Kansas City, and checking into some of my more recently neglected places of once common frequent. Taking advantage of the unseasonably delightful weather, in the afternoon I took a stroll through the Country Club Plaza, noting the dizzying array of empty and emptying storefronts, amidst a demolished tract of land where an underground IMO’s Pizza location, a Bank of America branch, the better part of a cinema and the parking garage for my place of Zen practice for many years once stood. It was perverse in many ways.

Eventually, we came to the towering three-story Barnes and Noble which was undoubtedly the Mecca of my youth (that is after Borders went out of business and I started reading, almost exclusively, esoterica not routinely stocked in most any bookstore), and it was fascinating to see the dramatic was that it had changed. The lower level of the store which once housed thousands of albums on compact disk, and films in a variety of formats had been rendered mostly an empty shell, with a few awkwardly placed and angled shelves of freshly pressed vinyl (on sale for 50% off) shielding our eyes from the sparsely strewn cases of decades-old movies, and last-change bargain books.

The upper levels of the store were in relatively better shape, though shelves had once again been commonly turned to more space-filling angles and placements so as to hide the thinning stock. Casually perusing a section of shelving where I once spent many hours browsing eastern religious and philosophical titles, I quickly realized that a rather large selection of wedding planning texts had taken up roost in the space. Among the many titles, one, in particular, caught my eye - “The Wedding Officiant’s Guide - How to WRITE & CONDUCT a Perfect Ceremony.” Leafing through the text, much irony was apparent. In a space where hundreds of volumes on religious praxis and myth once stood, a text now shouted to onlookers with instructions on how to legally usurp the previously uniquely religious requirements for celebrating vows of matrimony, so as to build a business with but DIY training in the wedding industry as an officiant. “An astute if not incidental commentary on the state of religion in the global west,” I thought. Scoffing at the book’s contents, I returned it to the shelf, in its outward-facing, highlighted space.

Continuing through the store, the second floor’s periodical, game, puzzle, and memorabilia collections seemed to remain vigorously stocked and equally shopped. Fascinatingly, to me anyway, was the nearly endless variety of Harry Potter-themed memorabilia, which was interspersed with Lord of the Rings themed trinkets, and Star Wars products galore. I am reminded that the first Harry Potter book was published in 1997 (some twenty-four years ago), and while the last film was released in 2011 (ten years ago), fervor for the series has seemingly done little but increase. Millennials and Gen X’ers (together comprising the ever-absent demographics in mainline religious institutions today) continue to spend their hard-won dollars on Harry Potter themed tattoos, jewelry, home decor, and even vacations with the same energy and resources that religious devotees once earmarked for pilgrimages, icons and wall art, necklaces, rings, and awkwardly placed verses of scripture (tattooed or otherwise).

Lord of the Rings (published some seventy-three years ago in 1948) has enjoyed similar devotion, albeit among a typically older demographic, and Star Wars is receiving nothing but new renewed interest as Disney has begun to pump billions of dollars into the production of content for the franchise some forty-four years into its history (debuting in 1977). Each of these fantasy universes too finds life in ongoing conventions around the globe, replete with Live Action Role Playing (“LARPing”) and “cosplay.” In some cases, there have even been somewhat successful attempts at moving beyond LARPing and into the realm of actual religious praxis with the initiation of such movements as “Jedi Realism.” I find it all quite fascinating and wonderful.

There seems to be something about the overt mythic ethos of these aforementioned universes and appendant pursuits that renders them that much more attractive than the literalism that religion frequently seeks to uniquely attribute to its dazzling array of fantastic stories and parables. Indeed, devoid of such literalism, the fantasy worlds of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars render the truths and archetypes present within their myths (beyond historicity) profoundly more accessible and attractive to generations of post-modern seekers of meaning than religion could possibly hope to at present.

I wrote elsewhere this morning that meaning is made and not found, and that wonder and awe (essential components of the meaning-making process) are found and not made. There is, beyond the shadow of any doubt, wonder and awe to be found in the constructs of the fantastic and mythic, both as presented in contemporary fantasy and in ancient religious fable, and it need not be held up as uniquely literal and real to be really accessible, attractive, and meaningful.

Much like human physiology needs vitamin D to make use of dietary calcium, it seems that myth needs reality to make use of its nutrient contents for the mind and soul, at least in the psycho-spiritual physiology of contemporary people.

It’s a shame to me that the most devout religious practitioners of today tend to also be the most literal adherents of religious mythology. Indeed, there is hardly room among such zealots for seekers so inclined to even sit among them so as to inquire as to what truths might be contained and accessible in the ceremony, ritual, and attached stories of a given religion in any authentic way. The older I get the less tolerance I have for such devotion, bellicose as it tends to be.

As the famed scholar of comparative religion, Max Müller once put it, when it comes to religion “He who knows one, knows none.” I would suggest that interested parties start putting in the work to realize that the present devotion to such fantasy worlds as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars constitutes a de-facto form of proto-religion, from which we can learn much should we wish to reform and thereby preserve the wisdom of our inherited traditions, before they vanish into the immaterial realities that their literal conceptions constitute.

I’m reminded of a favorite quotation from the venerable poet and thinker W.H. Auden who once wrote “It is as meaningless to ask whether one believes or disbelieves in Aphrodite or Ares as to ask whether one believes in a character in a novel; one can only say that one finds them true or untrue to life. To believe in Aphrodite and Ares merely means that one believes that the poetic myths about them do justice to the forces of sex and aggression as human beings experience them in nature and in their own lives.”

Truly, we do not need mythological literalism (which in fact can be construed as nothing more than overt heresy) to approach reality and commune with its wonder and awe through the uniquely efficacious tools of religion and myth, so as to derive the tools necessary to construct meaning in enduring and transmittable forms. Those threatened by the uncertainty and mystery that is to be found in surrendering to the innate emptiness of mythological literalism stand not on an unshakable or sturdy ground as it is, and would do well to open themselves to the dis-ease intrinsic to the introduction to existentialist unknowing, so as to sooner than later find themselves made whole in its inexorable vest. In doing so, they might help reclaim the once tangible power of the gods and cosmologies that they hold so suffocatingly dear.

~Sunyananda

[yuexuan]

Fiction recommendation 19

Halloween’s here! As per past tradition, here’s another round of fic recs! The theme is still horror/supernatural/apocalyptic-oriented (because that’s my jam~). 

My previous Halloween fic recs can be found here and here

1.  小蘑菇 (Little mushroom)

Author: 一十四洲 (Xiao Shi Si Zhou)

Future, apocalypse, sci-fi

Summary:

He who brings Judgement is judged...by none other than a small mushroom. 

An Zhe was a simple mushroom and his only goal in life was to ensure the survival of his spore. One day, he lost his spore. He searched high and far, even risking his life to infiltrate a human base where he suspected the spore was taken to. The problem was that the human base was guarded by the Judge, a human with an inexplicably acute sense of distinguishing infected mutants from normal human. 

Too bad that he could only distinguish animal and plant-based mutants, and An Zhe was a fungi, eh?

Comments: 

Set in the future where Earth had finally lost its magnetic fields, inducing changes far beyond what anyone might anticipate. I particularly liked the world-building, from creating mannequins to commemorate the dead as a job, to the different ways they detect mutants, or the facilities that humans built to counter incoming attacks. Definitely worth a read!

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Audio drama

2.  不死者 (Undead)

Author: 淮上 (Huai Shang)

Future, apocalypse, sci-fi, ABO, zombie

Summary:

2019, the year when the Pandora Virus raged across the globe. Infrastructures  were destroyed, basic services halted, nuclear plants experienced meltdown, and cities were sunken into despair. In a place without God, humanity's hope rests in the hands of a few. 

Unit 118 was responsible for bringing back the antidote, in the form of an omega who had developed resistance to the Pandora Virus. The problem was that the omega wasn’t entirely cooperative. Also, he was more-than-capable of taking down zombies and alphas alike.

Comments:

This is an ABO x zombie fic, so if you like both settings and appreciate a power couple, you’re gonna enjoy this!

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Audio drama

3.  民调局异闻录 (Bureau of paranormal investigation)

Author: 耳东水寿 (Er Dong Shui Shou)

Supernatural, mystery, modern

Summary: 

During a stakeout, Shen La and crew were tricked into a cave filled with the Undead. In the course of escaping, he reopened his Heaven’s Eye that enabled him to see ghosts and other paranormal beings. As a result, he was approached and recruited by the ‘census bureau’, a secret government agency tasked with dealing with paranormal activities.

**Note that this is not a danmei

Comment:

If you like Daomu, you’re going to enjoy this novel because the writing style, characterization etc. are heavily inspired from Daomu. The entire novel consisted of short stories where the main cast deals with different paranormal events. It is situated within a larger universe, including prequels and sequels such as 勉传、暗夜将至、绝处逢生、民调局异闻录后传. I’m currently reading 勉传 , but it’s nowhere as exciting and entertaining as the main book lol. 

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Donghua

4.  寒武再临 (The return of Cambrian Period)

Author:  水千丞 (Shui Qian Cheng)

Sci-fi, future, apocalypse, special abilities

Summary:

A sudden earthquake caused the rapid evolution of all living things on earth. Suddenly humankind found itself no longer at the top of the food chain and their hope rests in the hands of those who evolved special features to protect them. 

Chong Xia came by an old jade holding the secrets to advancing others’ evolution, possibly giving humankind a second chance at survival. 

Comments:

Another apocalypse fic with very expansive world-building. I really enjoyed the first part of the story - it’s refreshing to see a smart characters that make wise use of scientific knowledge. Somehow this dwindled later in the story, and Chong Xia became just any typical nice-hero, which was kinda disappointing but hey, the world-building more than makes up for it! Also, I heard that there is a new donghua coming out based on this.

Novel | Novel [Eng] Translation | Audio drama

5.  图灵测试 (Turing test)

Author:  唇亡齒寒0 (Chun Wang Chi Han 0)

Sci-fi

Summary:

The 28th test: failure. Once again Yu ShaoQing correctly identified the AI in the virtual reality test, much to the frustrations of the AI’s creators. But what if...the AI was losing on purpose? 

"Is this reality?" Yu ShaoQing awoke again from the virtual world, but he was supposed to be dead.

Comments:

Interesting take on the Turing Test, which is a method of testing whether an AI is capable of thinking like a human. It’s a relatively short fic for a good read :)

Novel 

6.  复生门徒 (Revived disciples)

Author:  四十九盞燈 (Si Shi Jiu Zhan Deng)

Apocalypse, sci-fi, mutants/special abilities

Summary:

‘A species is never extinct. Instead, their DNA is just sleeping. When the conditions are right, these DNA will reawaken.” - <Summary of the Solar Plan>

2017, the Solar Plan went askew, resulting in the reawakening of ancient species and the destruction of society. Majority of humankind fell into the bottom rung of the food chain. At the same time, the ancient DNAs resting within some humans were slowly coming back to life......

The killer ‘Red Eye’ and mercenary ‘Ghost Wolf’ were accidentally embroiled into part of the Solar Plan. Amidst the chaos, they paved a bloody pathway for humankind.

Comments:

If you like a power couple, this fic will be to your liking. It is fast-paced, with a lot of plot twists and interesting takes on power mutation/evolution. 

Novel 

7. 灵笼: Incarnation

Apocalypse, sci-fi

Summary (taken from myanimelist)

In the not-too-distant future, the human world has long been overpopulated. Humanity marched to the stars in search of a new home, and just as this was going on, the moon's alignment caused massive earthquakes to ripple across the world, lasting several decades. Humanity was demolished. When the land finally recovered, humanity reemerged to face this strange yet familiar world. Will we, who once lorded over this domain, still remain the masters of this world?

Comments:

This is not a fiction but a 3D donghua that really deserves more views due to its engaging plot and high-quality production. Honestly I felt like people didn’t talk about it just because it’s not BL/GL, but I strongly recommend the donghua. It is available for free on Bilibili’s official youtube site. 

[newstfionline]

Headlines

More fireworks in Americans’ hands for July 4 raises risks (AP) Saturday will be unlike any Independence Day in recent memory. From Atlanta to San Diego, hundreds of fireworks shows have been canceled as officials restrict large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, especially as infections surge across the U.S. With fewer professional celebrations, many Americans are bound to shoot off fireworks in backyards and at block parties. And they already are: Sales have been booming. Some public safety officials say consumer fireworks in more hands means greater danger of injuries and wildfires in parts of the country experiencing dry, scorching weather. In Arizona, which has battled wildfires for weeks, thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for Gov. Doug Ducey to ban fireworks this summer. Delanie Thompson, 28, said she started the petition after seeing a neighbor’s house engulfed in flames last week during a wildfire in Phoenix. She said she and her boyfriend were forced to evacuate their home for 30 hours.

Trump at Mt. Rushmore (Washington Post) At the foot of Mount Rushmore’s granite monument to his presidential forebears, President Trump on Friday delivered a speech on what he described as a grave threat to the nation from liberals and angry mobs—a “left-wing cultural revolution” that aims to rewrite U.S. history and erase its heritage amid the racial justice protests that have roiled cities for weeks. Praising presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, the men carved into the cliffs behind him, Trump declared that their legacies are under assault from protesters who have defaced and torn down statues. “The radical ideology attacking our country advances under the banner of social justice. But in truth, it would demolish both justice and society,” Trump said. “It would transform justice into an instrument of division and vengeance and turn our free society into a place of repression, domination and exclusion.”

The risk of catching coronavirus has started to ‘frazzle’ some Secret Service agents (The Week) As President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence continue to host events in areas hard-hit by the coronavirus crisis, the Secret Service agents assigned to look after them are starting to fear for their own health and safety, The Washington Post reports. “The heightened risk of agents getting sick” while preparing for rallies in states like Arizona and Oklahoma “has begun to frazzle agents and their families,” the Post reports, citing people close to agents. Their worries aren’t unfounded: The Post says Pence was forced to duck out of a “Faith in America” campaign rally scheduled for Tuesday in Arizona after some of his Secret Service agents displayed coronavirus symptoms and at least one tested positive. This is the second time recently that Secret Service agents have contracted the virus while prepping for an event for the administration. Two agents tested positive before Trump’s controversial rally in Tulsa on June 20, and at least eight campaign staff members who helped plan the event have also tested positive.

The big factor holding back the U.S. economic recovery: Child care (Washington Post) The child-care crunch triggered by the pandemic has rapidly become a crisis for many workers and companies that is hindering the economic recovery, disproportionately harming women and threatening to leave deep scars for years to come. A consensus is emerging among top economists and business leaders that getting kids back into day cares and schools is critical to getting the economy back to normal. And the American Academy of Pediatrics warned this week that keeping children out of school in the fall would threaten a degree of “social isolation” for children that could lead to mental and physical harm. Yet many school systems are discussing only a partial reopening in the fall or remaining virtual, and up to half of the country’s child-care centers may shut permanently because they can’t survive financially, industry leaders warn, leaving families with even fewer options. If schools and child-care centers remain closed, German researchers estimate 8.4 percent of economic activity in Europe won’t happen, a substantial loss that could hit the United States similarly, researchers say.

Mexican border states raise new concern about Americans bringing coronavirus south (Washington Post) For years, officials in northern Mexico watched as a border wall rose just north of the Rio Grande, and as the White House threatened repeatedly to freeze cross-border traffic. Now, with coronavirus cases soaring in the southwestern United States, it’s Mexican leaders who are asking for tighter border enforcement to keep their communities safe. “The situation is very bad in Texas and [cross-border travel] would only bring us problems in northern Tamaulipas,” said Javier García Cabeza de Vaca, the governor of Tamaulipas state who tested positive for the virus this week. García Cabeza de Vaca and other border governors have pleaded with Mexico’s central government to better vet people entering Mexico from the United States, to ensure that their trips qualify as “essential travel.”

England’s pubs, restaurants and hairdressers reopen (Reuters) People could get a drink in a pub, have a meal in a restaurant or get a haircut for the first time in over three months on Saturday as England took its biggest steps yet towards resumption of normal life. Pubs were allowed to start serving from 6 a.m., sparking worries of over-indulgence on what the media dubbed a “Super Saturday” of coronavirus restrictions being eased. Some hairdressers were reported to have opened at the stroke of midnight. The Holland Tringham pub in south London opened at 8 a.m. and was about three quarters full by 11.20 am. “It’s beautiful just to get back and have a pint,” said Jim Martin, a 56-year old carpenter.

Rapid Arctic meltdown in Siberia alarms scientists (Washington Post) Much of the world remains consumed with the deadly novel coronavirus. The United States, crippled by the pandemic, is in the throes of a divisive presidential campaign and protests over racial inequality. But at the top of the globe, the Arctic is enduring its own summer of discontent. Wildfires are raging amid ­record-breaking temperatures. Permafrost is thawing, infrastructure is crumbling and sea ice is dramatically vanishing. In Siberia and across much of the Arctic, profound changes are unfolding more rapidly than scientists anticipated only a few years ago. Shifts that once seemed decades away are happening now, with potentially global implications. Vladimir Romanovsky, a researcher at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, said the pace, severity and extent of the changes are surprising even to many researchers who study the region for a living. Predictions for how quickly the Arctic would warm that once seemed extreme “underestimate what is going on in reality,” he said. The temperatures occurring in the High Arctic during the past 15 years were not predicted to occur for 70 more years, he said.

India coronavirus cases hit record high amid monsoon rains (Reuters) India recorded its highest singe-day spike of coronavirus cases on Saturday, with over 22,000 new cases and 442 deaths, as infections rose in the western and southern parts of the country amid heavy monsoon rains.

Heavy rain floods southern Japan; over a dozen presumed dead (AP) Heavy rain in southern Japan triggered flooding and mudslides on Saturday, leaving more than a dozen people presumed dead, about 10 missing and dozens stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued, officials said. More than 75,000 residents in the prefectures of Kumamoto and Kagoshima were urged to evacuate following pounding rains overnight. The evacuation was not mandatory and it was not known how many actually fled. “I smelled mud, and the whole area was vibrating with river water. I’ve never experienced anything like this,” a man in a shelter in Yatsushiro city, in western Kumamoto, told NHK TV. He said he fled early fearing a disaster.

[thechroniclesofdaraliss]

100 Mutants & Masterminds Session Ideas (Part III)

It has been some time since I made one of these lists. But when you fight crime with your best friends every few weeks from the comfort of your DM chair, you have some stories you want to share. That’s right, another 100 ideas for all your superhero adventures! Whether you defend a small neighborhood or the entire planet, there should be something here for everyone. If you like what I do, please like, comment, or reblog. So let’s grab our utility belts and bend our morals like iron bars, and take to the skies for another day of heroism!

A mercenary from the last war has developed psychic powers, and is targeting the rich. Forcing them to see the war through his eyes, to endure what he did behind enemy lines.

An underground community is revealed that has people forced into acting out the master’s wishes.

An anonymous Hero is stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

The world’s smartest computer strays from winning chess matches and desires to conquer humanity.

A miraculous medical treatment has the whole world excited. Strange insects can apparently heal any wound or cure any illness. But the origin of these bugs is horrifying. They are mingled with vampiric blood, and perform these procedures to cure patients and eat them once they’re made whole. They cure meat, not disease.

A mysterious figure (robot, knight, etc) waits at the same location for a worthy opponent to defeat him. No matter who approaches, they remain undefeated.

The villain has infused the next rainfall/snowfall/hailstorm with a deadly substance (acid, micro-explosives, a carnivorous liquid species). They will hold the city to ransom, or let loose with the deadly drops.

A skilled hypnotist is bending people to their will. They don’t appear to have designs of conquering the world or even the city, but they are still ruining lives.

A fiendish union has formed in the criminal underworld. Four of the most powerful syndicates have joined forces for their biggest operation ever (super-heist, massacring heroes, expanding influence to another major city, etc).

The most powerful figures in the city are committing acts that open them up to scandal and criminal punishment. Acts they wouldn’t perform in a million years. They seem to have no will of their own, like puppets. You must find out who’s pulling the strings.

The sewers of the city are overrun with monstrous creatures at the call of a villain (hidden foe who’s resurfaced, new alien presence, mad science gone wrong).

A young con artist is being hunted by the mob and the FBI. He plans to ruin both his pursuers in one big sting before skipping town. You have been tasked with taking him down.

You discover that a young individual is absorbing demons to fuel their power. But they aren’t trying to cause harm. They’re doing this to arm themselves for an onslaught against an archdemon. To fight fire with fire.

Royalty from the Far East has arrived to demolish agents of an organization dedicated to tearing their family and throne apart. They have requested that you and your team assist in defeating them.

A rogue religious leader is performing miracles of biblical proportions. You must get to the bottom of this before he garners too strong a following. His human flock could become an army and his meta-human acolytes could become powerful villains.

The Police department’s golden boy/girl has been shot in cold blood. While they are recovering in the hospital, their would-be murderer is still on the loose. You need to track them down before they try to kill them again.

Someone is using Transmutation to turn all of the scrap metal into military-grade weapons.

A monster is running across the city, absorbing people’s bodies almost instantly by touch. Is he a dog on someone’s leash, acting on his own, or part of a larger operation?

Energy-absorbing entities are fighting to reach earth’s surface so they can harness the power of the planet’s core. Earth will shatter and die, but they will continue their conquest among the starts. That is, unless you stop them.

A scientist is attempting to perfect the technology to steal superpowers. But when his latest attempt goes sour, he is an amalgamation of all his subjects. A screaming mass of bodies, personalities, and super-capabilities.

A demented and extravagantly wealthy cyborg has designs on taking political office. While the press and voters adore him, there’s evidence suggesting he’s in league with the underworld.

A collection of stone tablets have been discovered at different sites across the globe. But when they are unveiled at a museum opening, they summon giants made up of the four elements, all in order to summon “the Fifth Element.”

Men are turning up in hospitals wounded and completely unaware of who they are. It turns out that a psychic has been taking to the streets. One with the ability make people forget who they are the more they make you look into their eyes.

When a team of arcane champions dies, the ancient order they represent go for the next best candidate, your team. They need you to defeat an Elder Evil.

A villain has been released from prison. Their crime was forgiven too easily, and they seem to be immune to the law when they get out.

A convention for heroes is being held in your city. All of the heroes gather for panels, signings, and interaction with fans. It’s the perfect place to recount your adventures, or for your enemies to set a trap.

After a public execution, a practitioner of black magic has risen from the grave. You must discover the truth behind how it was done, as their return is the beginning of a “grand design.”

A meta-human child has emerged with incredible powers. But they don’t want anything other than to find their mother, who has gone missing.

A legendary hero has issued you a challenge. If you complete all of his trials, he will share the secret to expanding meta-human abilities.

In wake of the solstice, a supernatural force demands an audience with you and your team. The twist? The villains have intercepted this message and want to destroy the contact point before you get there.

A band of young rebels aid your team in the fight against crime. But their methods entail terrorism, wanton destruction, and interrogation of civilians.

As you engage in superpower practice, you discover that anomalies are forming in your DNA. Is it the next stage in your development as a hero, or could this spell disaster for you and your team?

You discover that the world will be destroyed in a few years time (alien invasion, super-virus, magic-induced apocalypse) unless you destroy the pillars of the plan. While some prove to be simple, others demand you to do the unthinkable.

A movie star comes to the city, and their arrival coincides with the theft of government property. Is the star responsible, or is there more to the story?

An Android has become obsessed with creating “the master race” of humanoid automatons. They will stop at nothing until the human race has been corrected to fit his picture of perfection.

You discover an artifact that forced you to delve inside yourself and confront your psyche, both the good and the bad.

Your team has been forced into different bodies. You must find a way to get them back before the villain uses them for his own ends, and cuts you off from getting them back forever.

You investigate the theft of cargo on vehicles coming into your city. You soon discover that a race of animalistic humanoids (shark-folk attacking ships, mole-folk attacking trucks, etc) are stealing weapons that will be used to slaughter their people.

A young and inexperienced meta-human hopes to join your team. Is this a trick, or an earnest attempt to right wrongs in your city?

A vain perfectionist of a meta-human has kidnapped your entire team and forced them to run a deadly obstacle course.

A malicious presence haunts your home base and starts taking your team away one by one.

You and your teammates decide to crash a gathering of villains, only to find that they are trying to start over. All they want is to lead normal lives.

A killer is running rampant in the city, and he’s donning a Battlesuit to ensure he can fight off heroes. But how does a serial killer get access to such technology?

A contract killer has been murdering heroes so he can cover them in the press. It’s a scam worthy of the underworld’s foremost assassin.

A series of artifacts must be gathered, or a sorcerer will leave your loved ones in a permanent state of petrification. The catch? They plan on killing them anyway and unleashing a demonic entity onto your world.

One of the most powerful individuals in the city is funding both heroes and villains. They plan to start an all-out war and to get rich from the ensuing chaos.

You battle a Necromancer in the local cemetery. However, you discover that the graveyard is the ritual circle for the most elaborate mass-summoning in history.

A series of giant robots have threatened to destroy the city if the heroes don’t willingly surrender themselves. When captured, the villains reveal their plan to use your team as batteries for their most ruthless collection of weapons ever: The Dominators.

The heroes uncover a conspiracy that is nearly a century old, and the agents are finalizing the plot to demolish the country (cold-war tensions, remnant Nazi Regime, etc)

A twisted sorcerer intends to revive his deceased patsies and take over the world with their help.

Someone is kidnapping women and sending them off to an unknown location.

The most powerful and famous heroes from across the world gather in your city. Soon after, you receive word that someone has intercepted the location and intends to kill them all.

A host of powerful villains declare war on the heroes, using their mobile fortress and demand the heroes surrender. You and your team fight back with everything you have from your headquarters to each other.

A villain has set out to poison the city’s water supply.

A call for help has come from the local jail/asylum. But when you arrive, it turns out that the villains want to test your morals and put you on trial for your deeds as a hero.

A small group of aliens crash-land on earth, hoping to find one of their missing brothers/sisters. But when they find them, the individual wants to stay on earth, the result is a fight that could endanger the whole city.

Artifacts with diverse and terrifying sets of capabilities have fallen in and around your city. A villain hopes to gather them all, and use them to become invincible.

People are going missing across the city, and resurfacing the next day, completely drained of energy and reduced to shriveled husks. Find the killer before they strike again.

The Triad has entered your city and is muscling in on every criminal operation.

A mischievous meta-human has set out to use their abilities for their own ends. While they start out a hero, they discover that consequences don’t meet them, and they elect to use their abilities for more selfish reasons. If left unchecked, this potential ally could become a formidable enemy.

A new technology has been developed that has the capability of stealing data from a computer and/or demolishing it.

Miniature menaces (robots, aliens, goblins, etc) are attacking all over the city. In order to stop them at their source, you need to keep fighting and capturing them. Once you clear the area, the villain will reveal themselves and there will be an all-out battle.

A shroud of darkness falls over the city, and you have been touched by a malevolent presence within it. Since you are tougher than the average human, you’ve gotten hit with influence of this being, with only some of the drawbacks. Use this new power to fight back!

You tamper with the timeline, and suddenly your city is prehistoric, Bronze Age, colonial, modern, and futuristic, all in one!

All of the natural aspects of your city (trees, water, animals) are dying. The source appears to be a center of rot in one of the last vestiges of natural life in your city. Delve into it, and discover an entire lair, home to a Lord of Rot.

A massive crevice has formed below your city, and upon further investigation, it’s a hub of hostile reptilian creatures. You must fight them back, or the city’s will be overrun with an ancient, and overwhelming species.

Oceanic creatures take to the shore of your city and demand that you give up the surface world to the “superior regime.”

A Necromancer poses a challenge, saying he will meet you at the point between life and death. You follow his clues, and arrive at a mausoleum, only to find that you must fight a house of the dead to capture this man.

A tower shoots out in the center of the city, and it appears to be from another time (far past or far future). Approaching it from any angle makes it fire a horrible death-ray. You approach it, and suffer damages, but lose your powers. You must find a way to get them back and to stop the death ray from holding the entire city hostage.

The local police are planning a raid on the local crime boss’ lair.

A villain has approached a member of your ranks with the intent to turn them to the side of evil.

A psychic investigator falls comatose at the scene of a crime, and you swear you can hear their voice asking you to perform tasks to get them back in their body.

A trickster is zooming across the city, causing mayhem wherever he goes. The heroes intervening only convinces him to stick around.

Dark versions of your team emerge and commit the crimes. But when you try to defeat them, they know your every move before you even do it.

You have been chosen to represent earth in a series of intergalactic games that will test your intelligence, athleticism, and combat capabilities. The losers all have their planets destroyed.

A series of crystals are discovered within your city. When touched, they transport you to a dark version of your own world.

A sorcerer has inherited their master’s spellbook. But when they use it, they accidentally unleash powers they are helpless to control.

Someone is combining alien technology with human devices.

An army of aliens is bound for earth with the sole purpose of enslaving every human.

An anonymous terrorist is keeping the entire city on edge, forcing the everyman to perform services for him in exchange for keeping their darkest secrets.

Heroes have become split on the issue of siding with the government, or remaining independent.

You and your team have been outfitted with the battlesuits that will enhance your powers to fight an immense evil force. While they work at first, the drawbacks are crippling.

You and your arch nemesis are forced to work together in order to survive an onslaught against someone who is trying to kill you both.

A new hero emerges, stopping crime as soon as it appears. But it’s revealed that these supposed criminals are staging the crimes because the new hero is paying them to do it. They are actually playing their boss for a fool, and are using this leeway to actually pull off the crime and pin everything on him. He wanted glory, and will instead get jail time unless you intervene.

One of the most powerful crime families has had a coup. Anyone who was part of the uprising will be killed, along with anyone that can be affiliated. The last few survivors come to you for help escaping.

A contest has been announced where all of the most powerful meta-humans will be asked to fight, race, and compete to get the title of “Ultimate Hero.” But those who lose go missing.

A tribe of small creatures have been expelled from their home, and they ask for your help getting it back.

A gargantuan mutant has been terrorizing a small community, and they are helpless to stop him, as he has hostages. You must defeat this creature and rescue the captives.

You and your team elect to take a vacation, but trouble follows you more than ever. Little do you know that all the crimes and accidents are the attempts of a reporter trying uncover proof of your secret identity.

You investigate a set of “mystery spots,” only to find that they are connected by a strange alien presence that bends the laws of physics.

The heist of the century has begun as the villain(s) plan to kidnap all world leaders at a secret meeting.

Children are going missing, and you soon discover the Faye are involved.

A gang war threatens to tear the city apart. All of the most powerful members have meta-human capabilities.

You have been captured by a tribal meta-human society that refuses to acknowledge humanity. However, if you beat them in their challenges, they will determine you as worthy and let you go.

You discover an island in the sky, and must override its weapon system from becoming a threat to the entire world

A mysterious entity is defeating heroes across the globe and freezing them before teleporting away. The assumption is they are gathering these fallen heroes as trophies, but villains soon go missing too.

A mage has been using her influence to summon her most powerful rivals to her, and is stealing their powers. One of them comes to see your team, and says in time, she will try to do the same to you.

Your archrival challenges you to a duel to see who is the best, once and for all. Whoever wins gets to unmask the other. The loser will go into witness protection.

The resurrection of a villain goes horribly wrong, and it’s discovered living humans are required to restore them to their former glory.

You discover a portal that leads to alternate dimensions/parallel earths.

[scintillating-galaxias]

give ‘em hell, darling

Chapter Three—Step 2

Uriel makes an example out of Aziraphale.

CW for descriptions of body horror. (Read it here on ao3!)

Aziraphale had forgotten how absolutely clinical Heaven was.

The air had a sterile tastelessness to it that laid heavy on his tongue. Everything was an inoffensive gray, white, or beige, or possibly a daring khaki. Every building was made of polished and unblemished marble and cut perfectly into either cubes or a strange design that, in the human world, would be called ‘modern art’ and then be scoffed at for being labeled as such. There were no decorations to be found. Fountains of holy water and nature were the only exceptions and both were native only to the living quarters of the good human souls that had made it up here. The angelic HQ had no need for such lavacious things. 

Crowley was right about the smell of bleach. Aziraphale hadn’t noticed it before, but it was everywhere, soaking into the cold, cold stone and purging any disease from its purity. It stung his nose and reminded him of the ghastly stories of hospitals that took patients in with no intention of allowing them to leave again. It made him yearn for the metallic smell of rain, the belching fumes of gasoline, the rich, the faintly sweet smell of his leather-bound books, oh his books. He missed them dearly. He missed Earth dearly. And he had only been here for a couple of minutes.

Aziraphale was beginning to feel that he had made a mistake turning himself in so easily. 

He shifted his wrists beneath his tightly bound cuffs. Upon Aziraphale’s arrival, Uriel had bound them and his wings as well so that if he tried to go back down to Earth, he would fall and reach terminal velocity before becoming angelic paste on the pavement. He didn’t use his wings to literally fly from Earth to Heaven or vice versa, but he required their Holy presence to properly go to and from the two places. That being said, he had an extremely painful cramp that was seizing up his entire left side, and he very much doubted he could convince Uriel to loosen the cuffs on his wings so that he may stretch them out.

Speaking of Uriel. That was a rather wicked looking dagger they had.

“What is it?” Their face was a perfectly cut mask of cool indifference, as per usual. But something about it looked pleased at Aziraphale’s discomfort.

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” Aziraphale said quickly. He glanced away, warily watching the dagger out of the corner of his eye. It was made of some pulsating purple-black material that hissed and bubbled and dripped with something that clearly disagreed with being in such a holy space. He could feel its tarlike aura molding itself onto his, trying to capture as much as it could before drowning it. It made him feel a bit nauseous. It was a mystery how Uriel could hold it at all, even with the glove.

Aziraphale tensed and untensed his arms, trying to relieve some of the pain. “Erm,” he said awkwardly. “That’s a fascinating... knife you’ve got there. Is it new?”

Uriel hardly spared him a glance. “It was specially commissioned from the Hell Forge just for you.”

“I-I see.” Aziraphale swallowed and inched further away from the blade. It appeared Crowley had been correct. Again. Aziraphale should really start to heed his cautiousness more often. You’d think he’d be a little less uppity about it, especially after six thousand years. He bit his lip and hoped Crowley was doing alright without him. 

He tried to distract himself by flicking his eyes to a familiar cityscape. He took in skyscrapers and apartment complexes gleaming in the too-bright sunshine. They stretched their bony structures and scraped an ivory intrusion against the pure blue sky, punctuated by painting-like clouds. Rain was a rarity, yet a rainbow arched gracefully above it all, its colors bold and bright in a way they never would be on Earth. This felt incredibly ironic to Aziraphale. The rainbow had been made for humans after the Almighty had demolished the entire population of Mesopotamia and then some. It was a gift, a promise, to never let it happen again. Shouldn’t that have been proof enough that the whole Written Plan about the Apocalypse was a load of old tosh? Humanity was not meant to come to an End. And here was Heaven using Her promise as a minute detail to a perfect picture.

Aziraphale felt a venomous critter of disgust creep through him. He smiled thinly. “Lucky me.”

“Yes. Lucky you.”

He decided Heaven’s imitation of Earth’s atmosphere was not for him. He focused instead on the floating Globe lazily spinning in the middle of the floor. It felt like yesterday that he was being berated by the Quartermaster as he dipped his finger into the little brown-green patch that was England. He desperately wanted to relive that moment right now. In fact, his finger actually twitched in a desperate attempt to flee, despite being fully aware of what would happen if he did.

He wondered what was going to happen if he didn’t. They’d been standing here for a good ten minutes now and had not moved. “Pardon me, but could you perhaps enlighten me of my fate?” he said, allowing a bit of a plea to slip into his voice. “I am your prisoner. I’d like to think I have a right to know.”

“You’d be wrong.”

Well then. So much for that. Aziraphale pressed his lips together and nodded. Questions still bounced uselessly around his head like the balls inside of a bingo wheel. He picked whichever one popped out first. “What is it that we’re waiting for?”

Uriel finally looked at him, but he almost wished they hadn’t. “Your cell is being prepared. You need to stop asking questions.”

Heaven has a prison? thought Aziraphale. What was the point of that? Why would anyone need to be punished if they, with himself and his Fallen brethren as the exceptions, could do no wrong? Perhaps humans could still be a bit rowdy.  

Or maybe they merely made one just for him. They made a dagger just for him. A room didn’t feel like that large of a stretch. 

Uriel’s chin came up slightly as though they were listening to something. Aziraphale turned his head about, but didn’t see anyone, until he noticed the earpiece place snugly on Uriel’s head. They were silent for a few more seconds. Then they brought a finger to their ear and said, “We’re on our way.” Then, to Aziraphale, “Follow me.”

“Wh—I demand you tell me where we’re going first!”

Uriel barked out a wrathfully amused laugh. “You’re in no position to be making demands. Come.”

They began to walk away. Aziraphale followed them after a hesitant moment.

Together they went down stairwell after stairwell, through hallway after hallway. Every place was strangely devoid of life. Aziraphale peered into offices as they passed by—not a single soul. No one at the desks, no one bustling back and forth with a clipboard, not even a single friendly conversation. The only sounds were the colliding echoes of their footsteps: Uriel’s, firm thuds from the heel of their boots, Aziraphale’s gentler shuffles from his loafers. Apprehension and curiosity began to struggle beneath his skin, straining for answers. He swallowed them down and tred on.

They finally made it to the first floor after what was paradoxically a short eternity and thirty seconds. Uriel went straight for the sliding doors without a single glance back. Either they were confident Aziraphale would not make a harebrained escape attempt, or—no, Uriel was quick as a whip, and could be as dangerous as one, too. Especially with that dagger. Aziraphale wouldn’t be going anywhere. He trudged after Uriel, trying to keep his gaze from drooping to the ground for too long. They went through the sliding doors and Aziraphale—

Aziraphale… stopped.

Because before them, stretching for miles and miles and miles, were millions of angels. The ground and sky were swallowed up by grey suits, white dressed, five thousand all-seeing eyes staring in directions that could never be named. A cacophonous mix of true forms melding around corporeal forms lit up space in impossible colors and shapes. Heat and cold lived as one, light and dark, unified and separate. All types of heavenly creatures from raging seraphim whose being swelled and engulfed everything in a five hundred meter radius to a ninth rank angel who was dwarfed in comparison and everything in-between was there. 

And every single one was staring at Aziraphale. 

Stupefied, he could only manage, “So that’s where everyone went.”

The front of the crowd swelled towards him at his words, taking him in, picking him apart, like a greedy ocean tide lapping at the soles of his feet.

“That’s the traitor?” murmured a Throne. “He doesn’t look it.”

A buzz of agreement rose and fell. Some were even dubiously daring to dart their gaze back and forth between him and Uriel. He could feel it too—the strange mix of righteous anger and unyielding love, yet doubt was melting holes into that steely resolve. Aziraphale coaxed a weak smile to his face. Perhaps—perhaps Heaven had some hope.

“Shut it,” snapped Uriel. Evidently, they were not pleased with the reaction. “Don’t you feel it? This is who sabotaged the Great Plan. This is who turned God’s Will into something of his own creation.”

A few Powers shared a glance. “Do you… want an answer?” said one, very carefully avoiding the word “honesty.”

A nearby Cherub bristled, its interlocking wheels made up of nonexistent planes of existence spinning faster in agitation. This is who renounced God’s will, it howled, their celestial voice resonating from every atom and screaming into every angel’s head, this is who twisted the Great Plan and put Her plans to ruin! This is he who turns his back on the Almighty!

And just like that, the crowd shrank away from Aziraphale, hissing like water on a burning skillet. Uriel smirked and strode into the crowd. It slowly parted around Uriel at first, but as Aziraphale reluctantly went to follow, it shot away as if he were poison. Which, if Heavenly propaganda was up to its old standards, he may as well be.

“There is hope for you yet!” shouted a fellow Principality as he passed. “Renounce, and God’s Love will shine on you once again!”

Aziraphale cringed but did not allow his head to bow in shame. He resolutely kept his eyes up. They couldn’t possibly know what had really happened on Earth. They couldn’t possibly really know Earth. Humanity. He could forgive them.

“Look upon the grayness to his being? He has been tempted to Sin by that demon! Oh, for shame, for shame!”

They didn’t know what a wonderful creature Crowley was. He could forgive them.

“Save him, save him!”

They didn’t know.

“O Lord, bestow upon your lost child the sight to see what is good and just once again…”

He could forgive them.

Aziraphale walked on, and on, and on, walked on through the jeers, walked on through the judging glares, walked on through the tears. The anger was overwhelming him, but he couldn’t tell if it was his own, or simply what he was absorbing from twenty million angels. The tide returned and snared his ankles. It felt like drowning in a boiling sea. Foaming waves dragged his struggling body away from the safety of the shore, tossing him out to churning open water and plunging him deep, deep down into seething depths. Reaching for air wasn’t possible—it was burning too. It forced its way into his mouth and began to broil his insides, setting his very heart aflame. His skin blistered and popped, liquified salt poured into his wounds before he could heal again, taking him apart one quark at a time, until—

“All I have done!” roared Aziraphale, his cuffs humming as they strained to keep his wings from flaring out. The tears on his face steamed up as soon as they touched his flesh. “All I have done is love humanity just as She commanded me!”

Uriel spun around, an ugly rage marring their face. “You went against Her Written Plan!” they bellowed back, dagger jabbing closer to him with each word. “Did She not command that, too?”

“It never was Her Ineffable Plan!”

A collective gasp went up. Heaving, Aziraphale spat, “Or did Gabriel fail to mention that, too?”

The jury of Heaven fell completely silent. Uriel worked their mouth. Aziraphale closed his eyes and desperately tried to control the solar flares leaping from his body. When he reopened his eyes, it was to the sound of Uriel stalking forward, taking Aziraphale by the front of his shirt, and hissing, “We’re going.”

And then they were in a new room. The audience had vanished but their voices echoed again and again. Aziraphale wrenched himself away from Uriel and stumbled back. In the same instant, Uriel disappeared again, leaving him alone.

Like most of Heaven, the room was composed of white. The only color was the golden sigils engraved into the marble walls and himself. He noted with some hysterical despair that the room had nothing in it to fill the space—no beds, no tables, no windows, not even a chair. And, like most of Heaven, it was very cold.

There were no such things as shadows here, no creases in the corners to indicate there even was a corner. He could not tell when one wall ended until another one began. It all stretched into an everlasting white expanse wherever the golden sigils were not present. He sighed; the sound barely made it off his lips before it fell dead. The gazes of the sigils bore down on him, waiting to see what he would do. He closed his eyes against them; they felt too much like what amalgamation waited for him outside.

Quietly, Aziraphale knew this would not last. He remembered the first few angelic beings who doubted his crime. There must be more beyond them. The Cherub had gotten everyone riled up, Aziraphale included. That was simply how Cherubs were. He had seen Uriel’s face when they did not immediately denounce him; clearly, something was incorrect about how they thought Heaven really was. He swiped away another tear and struggled to steady himself with one, two, three shaking breaths. Under better circumstances, perhaps they would have listened. 

There was hope yet. He was not alone. He firmly held on to that thought as he knelt down and wept.