#yes king go and state the obvious in a profound way

[yuuemei]

Happy birthday to Shinri. 🎉🎊 He is just too silly to not love. ❤️

[mahayanapilgrim]

Unveiling the Essence of Buddhahood: Insights from the Tantra of the Secret Wisdom of the Great Perfection

The Tantra of the Secret Wisdom Of the Great Perfection

In the Indian language this book is:

Santi-maha-jñana-guhya-tantra

In the Tibetan language it is:

rDzogs pa chen po ye shes gsang ba’i rgyud

In the English language it is:

The Tantra of the Secret Wisdom of the Great Perfection

Chapter 1: Buddhahood From the Primordial

Homage to the Blessed One, the All-Aware Vairocana!

These things were once said:

In the totally unhindered abode, the uncontrived dimension of reality, the abode of Nothing Less, there dwelt the Blessed One, the Vital Essence of all Dharmas, the King of Secret Wisdom, [dwelling] in an essentially unmoving state.

At that time the glorious Vajrasattva sat before the Teacher. There were also large communities in the audience, brought together in a unified demeanor.

Then Vajrasattva rose from his seat. He spoke out these words for the benefit of the audience present, and to remove doubts from the intellect:

O Lord of Secrets, Abider in the Essence of All Dharmas, I beg you to explain to the audience present the meaning of the Great Perfection, bringing it together in four instructions. He spoke out these words, and the Blessed One, the King of Secret Wisdom, rose up out of the Dharmadhatu, and gave instructions using these words:

O Mahasattva, listen!

E Ma Ho!

E Ma Ho!

E Ma Ho!

I teach the Dharma of primordial, expansive perspective, amazing, and fabulous Buddhahood!

Listen, Vajrasattva!

This is how it is: The reality of Samsara and Nirvana is, in essence, the Bodhicitta. Their non-duality is present in the mind in a single moment. All things are self-arising wisdom. Wisdom does not move anywhere outside the essence of the mind. The conceptualizations of ignorance are nameless, so one does not contemplate or accept them. The supreme, self-arising perspective is that of wisdom. It is, for example, like the sun rising in the sky. The purity of true reality cannot be examined in any natural way. Self-awareness has no object. It is obvious without concentration. There is, therefore, nothing but the Dharmadhatu.

Wisdom of this sort has never had an obstruction, or the possibility of mistake. If you ask: “How could it be that it does not?” [the reply is ] that when the lamp of wisdom appears to you, obstructions due to the darkness of ignorance are cleared away, going back to before time itself. Through great wisdom one emerges from the dimension of Samsara. This is ascertained from the primordial in the perspective of one who understands. In this way the dwellings of self-grasping, longing, and attachment are demolished into a pure condition. The profound inspiration of the One Who Moves In Bliss penetrates this.

In sky-space, the great abode of bliss, all things are one in the Bodhicitta. This is everything. As a simile, it is like the sky. All the world and the living beings within it are created by the Bodhicitta. Primordial Buddhahood is therefore in the Dharmadhatu. There is no preventing or encouraging this. No matter what the mind itself appears as, there is never ever a mental image of anything. So wisdom is the inseparability of all things, primordial Buddhahood. If you ask how this is so, all the high and low vehicles are generators of wisdom, which is the matrix of each and every thing. Good and bad and great and small are therefore non-dual.

Samsara and Nirvana are taught to be inseparable with respect to the truth of self-arising wisdom. The [[[mind’s]]] object and the mind itself are non-dual. Everything has been Buddhahood since before time. In this way, [approaches based on] activities and examinations are destroyed.

Great wisdom is pure. It is this wisdom which is, itself, the matrix of all things. It is spontaneously realized, a supremacy that knows no bounds.

It is everything, and it is nothing at all. This is the vast space, the supreme bliss. It is the glorious purity of all the three realms.

The Buddha-field of the mind is gentle and expansive. The Single Circle is the supreme view. The All Good One is all good. There is nothing but pure space, the nature of which is the sky.

So he spoke, and the audiences were terrified. Vajrasattva himself fainted.

Do a complete article

From the Tantra of the Secret Wisdom of the Great Perfection this is the first chapter which teaches Buddhahood from the primordial.

**Introduction:**

The "Tantra of the Secret Wisdom of the Great Perfection," known in the Indian language as "Santi-maha-jñana-guhya-tantra" and in Tibetan as "rDzogs pa chen po ye shes gsang ba’i rgyud," offers profound teachings on primordial Buddhahood. This article delves into the first chapter, illuminating the essence of Buddhahood from the primordial perspective.

**Chapter 1: Buddhahood From the Primordial**

*Homage to the Blessed One:*

The chapter begins with homage to Vairocana, the All-Aware, setting the stage for teachings on the uncontrived dimension of reality.

*Setting the Scene:*

Within the unhindered abode, the Blessed One, the Vital Essence of all Dharmas, resides in an unmoving state. Vajrasattva, the glorious figure, requests the Blessed One to elucidate the meaning of the Great Perfection in four instructions.

*The Blessed One's Instructions:*

The Blessed One, rising from the Dharmadhatu, imparts wisdom in a series of powerful declarations.

1. **The Nature of Samsara and Nirvana:**

- Bodhicitta, the essence of both Samsara and Nirvana, exists in a single moment within the mind.

- All things are manifestations of self-arising wisdom, unaffected by the conceptualizations of ignorance.

2. **The Supreme Perspective of Wisdom:**

- Wisdom, like the rising sun, exists purely within the mind.

- True reality's purity cannot be examined conventionally; it is evident without concentration.

- Self-awareness transcends concentration and is inherent in the Dharmadhatu.

3. **Obstruction-free Wisdom:**

- Great wisdom clears obstructions arising from ignorance, reaching back to primordial times.

- Emerging from Samsara, one attains a pure condition by demolishing self-grasping, longing, and attachment.

4. **The Bodhicitta in Sky-space:**

- All things in the great abode of bliss are one in Bodhicitta.

- The Bodhicitta, like the sky, creates and encompasses everything.

- Primordial Buddhahood resides in the Dharmadhatu, uncontrollable by prevention or encouragement.

*Inseparability of Samsara and Nirvana:*

- Samsara and Nirvana are inseparable in the truth of self-arising wisdom.

- The object of the mind and the mind itself are non-dual.

*Primordial Buddhahood:*

- All phenomena have been Buddhahood since before time.

- Approaches based on activities and examinations are annihilated.

*Supreme View and Wisdom:*

- Great wisdom is the matrix of all things, spontaneously realized and boundless.

- It is both everything and nothing, representing vast space and supreme bliss.

*Impact on the Audience:*

As the Blessed One concludes his teachings, the audience, including Vajrasattva, is overwhelmed. Vajrasattva himself faints, emphasizing the profound impact of these revelations.

**Conclusion:**

The first chapter of the Tantra of the Secret Wisdom of the Great Perfection unfolds a majestic panorama of primordial Buddhahood. The teachings transcend conventional understanding, inviting readers to contemplate the inseparable nature of Samsara and Nirvana and the boundless wisdom that leads to the ultimate realization of the Dharmadhatu.

[ayuuria]

Yashahime Translation: Animage Magazine March 2021 Issue

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

The Two Beast Kings

At his daughters’ crisis, Sesshōmaru makes his satisfied appearance! It appears he has some kind of connection with Kirinmaru but their intentions are still unclear. In what way will the two beast kings be involved in the fate of the Yashahimes?

While chasing Tōtetsu who is the last of the Four Perils, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha finally confront Kirinmaru. The three of them are overwhelmed by Kirinmaru’s immense power. Saving the girls from a desperate situation was none other Sesshōmaru. The impact of the clash between the two great demons shook the earth and was put to an end in a moment. While Towa and others are left pondering what the relationship between Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru is, they somehow managed to survive the fierce battle.

The spirit of the Tree of Ages considers Kirinmaru’s existence as one that should be killed. However, looking at his actions, they do not seem to be simply “evil”. Kirinmaru intended to defeat Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha as they were “the half-demons who would take his head”. However, he could’ve buried the three with one strike of his overwhelming strength. It appeared as though he was not taking the battle seriously in episode 18.

On the other end, although Sesshōmaru saved the girls from a crisis, it looked as though he was not truly hostile towards Kirinmaru. The meaning behind Kirinmaru’s words to Sesshōmaru “I will still have you work for me” puts a weight on one’s mind.

The relationship of the two beast kings who bare many mysteries. It might be a little longer before the full picture behind their motives becomes visible.

Character Bios

Sesshōmaru A proud, ruthless greater demon whose father is the Dog General. Towa and Setsuna’s father. (A man of) very few words, he does not show his thoughts for the most part.

Kirinmaru A beast king on par with the Dog General. He was in a long slumber but was awakened by his elder sister, Zero. Apparently, he’s trying to destroy this world to a degenerate state.

Jaken A small demon who serves under Sesshōmaru. Cowardly but helpful, he placed upon himself the role of child rearing and caretaker to Towa and Setsuna who had been taken from their mother not a moment after being born.

Rin Towa and Setsuna’s mother. She accompanied Sesshōmaru for a long time as a child and has faith in him. For some reason, she is currently sleeping within the Tree of Ages.

Higurashi Towa In order to save Setsuna who had her memories and dreams stolen, she searches for the Dream Butterfly. Her explosive power when Setsuna was driven to a corner was enough to leave a scratch on Kirinmaru.

Setsuna Even in the feudal era she sometimes plays the violin she borrowed from Mama Moe. The details on how she came to wield her favorite naginata, Kanemitsu no Tomoe, will become clear?

Moroha Although she is Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, in order to escape Kirinmaru, she was placed in the care of the wolf demon tribe in her early childhood. She carries the sword Kurikaramaru, which she received from her master, Yawaragi.

The Mystery Behind Sesshōmaru’s Actions

14 years ago, Sesshōmaru took a newborn Towa and Setsuna from Rin and sheltered them in the forest of the Tree of Ages in order to keep them away from Zero and Kirinmaru. However, 4 years after that when Zero burned the forest, Sesshōmaru tolerated her actions. The intentions behind what he is thinking is unreadable.

The Dream Butterfly and Rin

The Dream Butterfly steals Setsuna’s dreams and takes them to Rin who is sleeping within the Tree of Ages. It seems Kirinmaru has something to do with the actions of that Dream Butterfly. What is Kirinmaru’s “profound plan” regarding the Dream Butterfly that Konton of the Four Perils spoke of? And what is the reason behind Rin’s slumber?

Moroha’s Master

Yawaragi, the wolf demon who trained Moroha who was separated from her parents and raised by the wolf demon tribe. The of two them broke their ties 3 year ago but reunited due to Konton’s trap and fight each other as teacher and student. During that battle, Yawaragi explains to Moroha how to fight without becoming Beniyasha. Putting her life on the line, she bestows upon Moroha the grand technique “Crimson Backlash Wave”.

The One Who Will Defeat the Beast King

The prophecy the Shikon Jewel once told Kirinmaru was “(The one who will destroy Kirinmaru) will be one who is neither human nor demon and can impossibly traverse time”. He seems to think it refers to Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha but the difference in strength between the three of them and Kirinmaru is obvious. Presently, it would probably be difficult for the girls to defeat Kirinmaru.

Inheriting the World of “Inuyasha”, Director Satō Teruo

Following the “Inuyasha” Rule for Shot Divisions and Presentation

— Director Satō, please tell us first the details of how you became involved in this current work.

Satō: “Inuyasha” was the first work I took part in as a freelance producer and it also taught me the fundamentals of production. Afterwards, I was the assistant director for “Inuyasha The Final Act” and because of that, they reached out to me this time asking, “We’re going to make a work that inherits the world of “Inuyasha”. Would you be interested?”.

— As a work that inherits the world of “Inuyasha”, what points do you place importance on?

Satō: Among the viewers of this work, there will of course be those who watched “Inuyasha” but reversely, I think there will be those who come to know of “Inuyasha” through “Hanyō no Yashahime”. I intentionally created the work so that when these people reach the point of wondering “What kind of work is “Inuyasha”?”, they’ll get the same taste (as “Hanyō no Yashahime”).

There’s also a task for “Hanyō no Yashahime” to “Inform the generation that doesn’t know “Inuyasha” that there’s a wonderful work by Takahashi Rumiko-sensei called “Inuyasha”.” Just like “Great Detective Conan” that’s also on Yomiuri TV, families can enjoy (the work) together as parents become nostalgic and the children have a fresh feeling. From there, it would be great if the children are told “There’s a work called “Inuyasha”.”

For that reason, I felt that I wanted to depict the characters that were carried over from “Inuyasha” in a way that didn’t feel off as much as possible. The serialization for the original work “Inuyasha” ran for 12 years and the anime continued for 4½ years, so I think everyone has a complete image of each of the characters within themselves. I’m conscious of trying to stick to that set image people have of “This person was this kind of character.” as much as possible.

— Director Satō, you were directly in charge of the storyboard for episodes 1, 2, 4, and 6. What sort of things are you mindful of as you create the images?

Satō: In “Inuyasha”, there was something like an ““Inuyasha” rule” for shot divisions and presentation. I wanted “Hanyō no Yashahime” to inherit those rules. Episode 1 for the most part depicted “Inuyasha” since then so we couldn’t exactly break away from that rule. However, starting from episode 2, if we suddenly used a different shot division method that feels as though it’s from a different work, the viewers probably wouldn’t be able to follow along. Thus, in order to show that rule from the start, I did as much of the storyboard as I could myself.

— What kind of rule is it exactly?

Satō: For example, how Inuyasha releases the “Wind Scar”. Also, I was frequently asked “Tessaiga is always written with dokkun (translator’s note: pulsing sound effect) but what is the “dokkun disposition”?” or “What is “mokomoko”?”. The pulsing Tessaiga does when it transforms is what we call the “dokkun disposition”. The “mokomoko” refers to the fluff that Sesshōmaru trails behind him. There are people who call the fluffy scarf worn during events like the coming-of-age ceremony “Sesshōmaru’s Mokomoko” and we call it “Mokomoko” at the production site too (laughs). Conversely, there are many people who give Setsuna’s mokomoko the same volume as Sesshomaru’s like in the “Inuyasha” era, and I remember at the beginning (animation character designer) Hishinuma Yoshihito-san was always correcting them like, “Please make hers more subdued than her father’s”.

— How do you do the shot divisions?

Satō: We use a sort of old-fashioned method of shot division that’s different from the current trend. Currently, there’s a lot of finely chopped, speedy shot divisions and while cutting battle scenes short is easier, we purposely make it one continuous shot so that the battle is endless. My thought process is that I want there to be traces of “Inuyasha” in that part of the screen.

Even the Effects Have Traces of the Parent Generation

— You spoke of Setsuna’s mokomoko but does she herself know of her father’s mokomoko?

Satō: I don’t think she knows. The clothes were probably given to her by her caretaker, Jaken, like “Let’s have you wear this” (laughs). Towa and Setsuna were named by Rin in episode 15 but they were babies, so they didn’t know. Probably while Jaken was in charge of educating them, he told them “You’re Towa and you’re Setsuna.”

— We heard that Moroha’s clothes is the same as Inuyasha’s “Robe of the Fire Rat”.

Satō: Yes. Just like the “Armor of the Iron Rat” that appeared in episode 16, it is made of fabric from the fire rat. Inuyasha himself is inside the black pearl and Moroha was left in the care of the wolf demon tribe, so Inuyasha couldn’t give the clothes to Moroha. However, I think the wolf demon tribe probably got their hands on something similar somewhere.

— What is the reason for Towa’s clothes being a school uniform?

Satō: It’s probably Towa’s own uniform for living in the feudal era (translators note: basically, it’s her way of dressing for the times). Her reason for dressing as a boy is because “It’s easier to fight in” after all, and it’s something I discussed with Takahashi Rumiko-sensei and (Series Composition) Sumisawa Katsuyuki-san many times. As to why we made her core like that. First, starting from her being a child that avoids the standard femininity, we came up with all sorts of thoughts like “Why not just give her an appearance with a Kyary Pamyu Pamyu like originality”. From within (those ideas), it was Takahashi Rumiko-sensei who came up with “It’s easier to fight in”. She said, “Rather than having a complex reason, wouldn’t a simple reason like this be easier to for the people watching to understand?”. That’s how Towa’s appearance and character were solidified.

— Towa’s weapon is also a little different. What she thought was the national treasure, Kikujyūmonji, was actually a fake, and she creates a blade with her demonic power at the part where it broke.

Satō: That part is probably also Sumisawa-san’s sense. Turning the broken sword into a demon sword. Even though she once obtained the real thing through Riku, the result was that she continued to wield the fake one. I think that part makes things more entertaining.

In a sense, “Inuyasha” was also a story about a sword’s growth. Inuyasha’s Tessaiga absorbs the demonic energy of demons it cuts and turns many techniques into its own. On the other hand, Sesshōmaru created the weapon, Bakusaiga, from within himself. Whether Setsuna inherited that or not is something to look forward to going ahead.

— How did you create the techniques for the three?

Satō: There are various techniques such as Setsuna’s “Scrouge of Swallows” and “Cyclone Burst” and Moroha’s “Crimson Dragon Wave”. The creation was basically Sumisawa-san coming up with the (kanji) characters and us coming up with how to portray them. We had the photographers match the shade and disposition of the effects to the parent generation and lineage. Towa and Setsuna have the same blue and green as Sesshōmaru and Moroha has the same yellow effect as Inuyasha’s “Wind Scar”.

We Want Towa and Everyone to be Happy

— Of the episodes that have aired thus far, which one in particular left an impression on you?

Satō: Episode 15 where Riku talked about the past. It was an episode that was related to the crux of the story and I think it was a crossroad of the past. The fact that it only appears as flashbacks to the three princesses who are the lead characters is characteristic. It was to the point that I was surprised on the day of the recording like “Oh, they’re not here!”. For this episode, we had Yamaguchi Kappei-san, the role of Inuyasha, do the commentary for the PR spotlight and it had an “Inuyasha” feel to it. Rin has grown-up a little bit but for her acting, we ordered that we “Want you to be conscious of childhood Rin” when addressing “Lord Sesshōmaru”.

— Episode 15 was also the episode that revealed Rin was the mother of Towa and Setsuna. What were you conscious of when depicting Sesshōmaru and Rin?

Satō: Regarding that, it was something I wondered about the most as an Inuyasha fan when my work in “Hanyō no Yashahime” was decided. Since Rumiko-sensei did not depict this, there were probably fans that had complicated feelings with how the relationship between the two is presented… In that sense, I’d say it’s best to make it so that the two can properly live together in happiness. How do I put it, it’d be hard to look at if things stay as they are.

— Director Satō, you yourself want everyone to be happy.

Satō: Correct. The moment “Inuyasha The Final Act” ended, I thought everyone would be happy, but it ended up like this… Based on the actions of the other characters, I would like to shape Sesshōmaru and Rin-chan’s afterwards in a way that everyone can agree to. Regarding Moroha, there’s the matter of when she will meet Inuyasha and Kagome. It would make me happy if you could pay attention to that part going forward.

— This month we published an illustration of Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru (P. 42~). Director Satō, do you have any situations you would like to see in future copyright illustrations?

Satō: As a fan, I would like to see the parents and children sitting together. “Inuyasha, Kagome, and Moroha would be there and beside them would be Sesshōmaru, Rin, Towa, and Setsuna” like they had a family gathering at New Years. I think that kind of situation would be fun. However, in actuality I think that might be difficult as the dog brothers don’t get along (laughs).

— In episode 18, Sesshōmaru finally appeared before his daughters and that created major movement in the story. Please tell our excited readers some highlights going forward.

Satō: Episode 19 is a story where the demon slayers play an active, albeit not serious, role. You could say it’s a breather episode and it feels as though the tempo is completely different from episode 18. However, please enjoy it while relaxing (laughs). Following with episode 20, Shiori-san, the half-demon who appeared in “Inuyasha”, will make an appearance. It is an episode where she and Setsuna will interact. Sumisawa-san thought that in order to depict half-demons, this was something that couldn’t be left out and Inuyasha walked down this path as well. Then, the final chapter begins in episode 21. Things will move all at once. Zero, who started appearing in episode 14, will especially be a key person going into the final episode. Please pay attention to her relationship between Kirinmaru and Sesshōmaru.

Having Takechiyo Around Is A Big Help!

“Takechiyo is fun to move. As a therapeutic mascot character, just him being there is a big help and he has room for growth going forward. From the start, Takechiyo was born from “having a character that could be messed with in some way or another like Shippō” but he feels completely different. Also, with Fairouz Ai-san’s tenacious acting, he has grown into a very good character. Apparently, he’s a favorite of Sumisawa-san (laughs).” (Satō)

Sesshomaru’s on A Different Level! The Role of Sesshōmaru, Narita Ken

Episode 18 was his first appearance outside of flashbacks. The impression I got was that it’s as though Sesshōmaru thinks Kirinmaru is “Not an opponent worthy of my time”. That’s why I didn’t even insert a breath and imagined that “he could easily win this” during the scene where they crossed blades. I also checked with sound director Nagura Yasushi-san like “Would you like me to insert a breath?” but he said, “No need”. On the other hand, Kirinmaru was taking breaths so I really think Sesshōmaru is on a different level. Even my impression of Hosoya Yoshimasa-kun was… the level is not the same. Just kidding (laughs). Hosoya is quite adorable so it was fun doing (the scene) with him. What will become of the relationship between Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru is something to look forward to going ahead.

Today’s Diary

This month we visited Sunrise’s studio #1. The selection begins in the conference room lined with plastic models of Sunrise’s works. Hishinuma-san, what do you think seeing all these works we have collected? **

“We created “Hanyō no Yashahime” with the intention of simply gearing it towards the children of today, but there’s a wide age range of contributors. From elementary schoolers to those in their 50s, I can really feel that the work is loved by everyone. It seems there are many people whose deep-rooted support for us stems back to the “Inuyasha” era.”

Which character is the easiest for you to draw?

“The one who’s easy to approach is Moroha. There’s a part of her that resembles her father (Inuyasha) so at first, I was conscious of copying (him). However, over time, I gained the ability to bring out her uniqueness.”

Who is the most popular on-site? (translator’s note: aka the studio)

“I’d have to say there’s a lot of staff who say, “I want to draw Moroha!”. When the plans were stood up, Towa and Setsuna were the two protagonists but Takahashi Rumiko-sensei’s design of Moroha was so appealing that the 3 of them became the main characters you see now. That’s why I want the on-site staff to love on Towa and Setsuna more! Especially for me, I want to continue to sympathize with Towa and watch over her growth with the emotions of a foster parent. Of course, the parent that gave birth to them is Rumiko-sensei.”

The main story is finally approaching its climax. Please show us your enthusiasm.

“My main job right now is designing and copyright illustrations but the staff are working hard towards the climax that will be at the end of March. The story development is going to be hardcore, but I would be really happy if you continued to support us. Look forward to it!”

 ** Back story: This month’s Animage held an art contest for Yashahime with the judge being animation character designer, Hishinuma Yoshihito. Also, this page has a “One point lesson” on how to draw the 3 girls. However, that one is heavily image reliant so I will not be translating it (I do not post scans as much as possible).

[jackiearbs]

things that rwrb characters have said that i will never forget, a thread:

alex claremont-diaz, giving off dumbass™ energy (he has the most on this thread, for obvious reasons) 

- "put them in my room, put them in my room, put them in my room-" 

-  “Jesus Christ, it’s like they can see into your soul. cornbread knows my sins, Henry. cornbread knows what I have done, and he is here to make me atone.”   

- "do it for the 'gram"

- "leading member of korean pop band bts kim nam-june" 

- "whatever, fine. henry is annoyingly attractive. that’s always been a thing, objectively. it’s fine.”

- "see attached bibliography"

- "i said, you look great, baby!”

- "yo there’s a bond marathon on and did you know your dad was a total babe"

- "awesome, fuckin' love doing things out of spite.”

-”Huge Raging Headache Prince Henry of Who Cares”

-”it is amazing you can sit down to write emails with that gigantic royal stick up your ass.” 

- “who names a dog David? He sounds like a tax attorney.”

-” “Do I go on your side of the cubicle and turn off your Dropkick Murphys Spotify station, no matter how much I want to?” Alex demands. “No, Hunter, I don’t.”

- “for fuck's sake, man, you just had my dick in your mouth, you can kiss me good-night.”

- “Bake Off makes Chopped look like the fucking Manson tapes.”

- “THEY KNOW. THEY KNOW I HAVE ROBBED THEM OF FIVE-STAR ACCOMMODATIONS TO SIT IN A CAGE IN MY ROOM, AND THE MINUTE I TURN MY BACK THEY ARE GOING TO FEAST ON MY FLESH.”

- “You’re from Boston, Hunter. You really want to talk about all the places bigotry comes from?” (he really hates hunter goddamn) 

-”so, what? you want me to quit politics and go become a princess? that’s not very feminist of you.” 

hrh prince dickhead😎  - "the moment you first called me a prick, my fate was sealed. O, fathers of my bloodline! O, ye kings of olde! Take this crown from me, bury me in my ancestral soil. If only you had known the mighty work of thine loins would be undone by a gay heir who likes it when American boys with chin dimples are mean to him.”

-"“I’ve been gay as a maypole since the day I came out of Mum, Philip.”

-”i will turn this car around.”

- “yes, the cocaine, alex.” 

-”i am a delight!”

-”have i mentioned lately that you’re a demon?” 

- “are you psychoanalyzing me? i don't think royal guests are allowed to do that.”

- "i can't believe even mortal peril will not prevent you from being the way you are.”

-“the phrase ‘see attached bibliography’ is the single sexiest thing you have ever written to me.”

-"i just mean to say, you know, Philip is the heir and I'm the spare, and if that nervy bastard has a heart attack at thirty five and I've got malaria, whither the spare?”

- “they wanted something less fruity than the truth, but truly, what is gayer than a woman who languishes away in a crumbling mansion wearing her wedding gown every day of her life, for the drama?”

- “You are a delinquent and a plague. Please come?”

- “fat and sexually conquered, snuffed out in the spring of my youth. Here lies Prince Henry of Wales. He died as he lived: avoiding plans and sucking cock.”

june:  “- that is a clear quartz crystal for good vibes do not @ me.” 

- “He’s just so frail, it’d only take one good push-”

- “ugh! men! no emotional vocabulary. i can’t believe our ancestors survived centuries of wars and plagues and genocide just to wind up with your sorry ass.” 

nora: 

-”sorry, are we not? did i skip ahead again? my bad. hello, would you like to come out to me? im listening. hi.” 

“prince henry is a biscuit. let him sop you up.”  

- “you’ve been, like, Draco Malfoy–level obsessed with Henry for years.”

- “i don’t know, man. I was in my junior year of high school, and I touched a boob. It wasn’t very profound. Nobody’s gonna write an Off-Broadway play about it.”

dahra: 

- “You need to get back to fucking England now, and if anyone sees you leave, I will personally end you. Ask me if I’m afraid of the crown.”

- “both sides need to come out of this looking like your little slap-fight at the wedding was some homoerotic frat bro mishap, okay? So, you can hate the heir to the throne all you want, write mean poems about him in your diary, but the minute you see a camera, you act like the sun shines out of his dick, and you make it convincing.”

-”come on, you backyard-shooting-range motherfuckers,”

ellen (should i say PRESIDENT claremont) 

- “Diaz, you insane, hopeless romantic little shit"

-  “I had Planned Parenthood send over all these pamphlets, take one! They sent a bike messenger and everything!”

- ”where? Are you hiding a turkey habitat up your ass, son? Where, in our historically protected house, am I going to put a couple of turkeys until I pardon them tomorrow?”

-“As your mother, I can appreciate that maybe this isn’t your fault, but as the president, all I want is to have the CIA fake your death and ride the dead-kid sympathy into a second term.”

PEZ !!!

- “frolic naked in the hills, frighten the sheep, return to the house for the usual: tea, biscuits, casting ourselves onto the Thighmaster of love to moan about the Claremont-Diaz siblings, which has become tragically one-sided since Henry took it up with you. It used to be all bottles of cognac and shared malaise and ‘When will they notice us’-” 

-”-and now i just ask henry, ‘what is your secret?’ and he says, ‘i insult alex all the time, and that seems to work.’” 

**extra: nicer quotes from alex and henry 

alex heartthrob diaz  - "never tell me the odds"

-"we were not afforded that liberty."

-“I hate this so much. I know. But we’re gonna do it together. And we’re gonna make it work. You and me and history, remember? We’re just gonna fucking fight. Because you’re it, okay? I’m never gonna love anybody in the world like I love you. So, I promise you, one day we’ll be able to just be, and fuck everyone else.”

- “On purpose. I love him on purpose.”

- “history, huh? Bet we could make some.”

- “But the truth is, also, simply this: love is indomitable.”

-“Take anything you want and know you deserve to have it.”

- “Someone else’s choice doesn’t change who you are.”

- “I am the First Son of the United States, and I'm bisexual. History will remember us.”

- “America: He is my choice.”

- “Give yourself away sometimes, sweetheart, There's so much of you.”

- the entire list of the things he loves about henry. i would die 

henry: 

-”i’ll be damned but i miss you.” 

- “when you rang me at truly shocking hours of the night, I loved you. When you kissed me in disgusting public toilets and pouted in hotel bars and made me happy in ways in which it had never even occurred to me that a mangled-up, locked-up person like me could be happy, I loved you. and then, inexplicably, you had the absolute audacity to love me back. Can you believe it?”

- “it sounds like you did your best.”

- “I’ve bloody well had it. I’ve sat about long enough letting you and Gran and the weight of the damned world keep me pinned, and I’m finished. I don’t care. You can take your legacy and your decorum and you can shove it up your fucking arse, Philip. I’m done.”

- “Should I tell you that when we’re apart, your body comes back to me in dreams? That when I sleep, I see you, the dip of your waist, the freckle above your hip, and when I wake up in the morning, it feels like I’ve just been with you, the phantom touch of your hand on the back of my neck fresh and not imagined? That I can feel your skin against mine, and it makes every bone in my body ache? That, for a few moments, I can hold my breath and be back there with you, in a dream, in a thousand rooms, nowhere at all?”

[supop]

Daily Thoughts: Daechwita’s muster performance was a complete joke.

I genuinely laughed during the entire ordeal.

If that was BigHit’s intention, then congratulations, they succeeded. They took what was meant to be a profound depiction of Yoongi’s alter egos and turned it into a circus show. Hoseok did an amazing job on Yoongi’s part but it doesn’t change that Namjoon nor Hoseok can really rap the way Yoongi does. Just like Yoongi’s rap style doesn’t fit Daydream or Bicycle. So let’s fairly call a spade, a spade. As for vocal line, despite their beautiful voices, they can’t rap to save their lives (sorry, talking fast ≠ rapping). And this is coming from someone who listens to actual rap music religiously. If the whole point of muster is to celebrate BTS’ music then why drag Agust D into it?? Agust D whom Yoongi has repeatedly stated is how he’s able to express himself and his music outside of the group.

If BigHit wanted a repeat of Ddaeng at Muster 2019, then they should have turned UGH! (an actual bts song) into an OT7 themed performance, not Daechwita. What irks me the most is this was the first ever live performance of the song. At least with both Ddaeng and Ugh! (and the rest of the solo songs the members have ever done), we were able to first see it performed in its original form. Not only was this muster version of Daechwita a joke, it completely overshadowed Yoongi’s artistry. Ironically enough, they had him sitting on that throne for the majority of the performance...like some figurehead king. Which was fitting, seeing as how he was basically a figurehead in his own song.

And yes, people can sit there and argue....”Yoongi approved it”, “it’s his song and he wanted to perform it with the members”, blah blah blah yaddah yaddah yaddah. Unless you were in the muster performance meeting room then your opinion is just that: an opinion. As fans we only see what BigHit shows us, and we can only ever digest the narratives they feed us. Was Yoongi given the choice to perform Daechwita on his own? Who knows. Given the praise and recognition the song received (not only in Korea, but worldwide), then I’m not surprised that out of all the songs they’ve released that’s the one they chose to f*ck up. There’s so many OT7 songs that have yet to get an actual live performance, so why go digging into solo work???

Objectively speaking, there’s a reason BigHit tweeted this image of the set list only a few days prior. They made it obvious Daechwita would be performed. Daechwita in all its full glory. All tactless marketing. Because which fan in their right mind wouldn’t want to see that? Yoongi originally produced Daechwita as an OT7 song, however, when it was rejected by the company, it ended up on his mixtape instead. The production, the lyrics, the music video, everything about the song was his vision come to life. And I guarantee had Daechwita not been the talk of the town, it would’ve been placed on the back-burner (just like the rest of the songs on their mixtapes).

[Cries on the inside].

On that note, sources say to expect an OT7 Chicken Noodle Soup performance for day 2 of Muster’s world tour version. Hopefully it doesn’t get the same parody-esque treatment.

P.S. If Yoongi ever came out and said the performance was indeed his idea, then I’ll gladly retract this entire think piece and apologize for overstepping any boundaries. Because if there’s one thing I respect before my opinions on an artist I admire, it’s the artist themselves.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

If there’s one enduring theme about tyrants in myth, literature, and history it is that, for a long time, no one takes them seriously. And there are few better examples of this than Shakespeare’s fictional Richard III. He’s a preposterous figure in many ways, an unsightly hunchback, far down the line of royal accession, socially outcast, riven with resentment, utterly dismissible — until he serially dismisses and/or murders everyone between him and the throne. What makes the play so riveting and often darkly funny is the sheer unlikelihood of the plot, the previously inconceivable ascent to the Crown of this indelibly absurd figure, as Stephen Greenblatt recently explored in his brilliant monograph, Tyrant.

I’ll never forget watching a performance by Antony Sher of Richard decades ago — playing him as a spider, instinctually scuttling on two legs and two black canes, to trap, murder, and ingest his foes. The role is, of course, a fictional portrait, designed to buttress the legitimacy of the Tudor dynasty that followed Richard III and that Shakespeare lived under. But as an analysis of the psychology of tyranny, it’s genius. Like Plato and Aristotle, Shakespeare saw this question not merely as political, but as wrapped up in the darker folds of the human soul, individual and collective.

The background of the drama is England’s “War of the Roses”, the civil war between two regional dynasties from which Richard emerged. And that’s often key in tyrant narratives: it’s when societies are already fractured into tribes, and divisions have become insurmountable, that tyrants tend to emerge, exploiting and fomenting chaos, to reign, however briefly, over the aftermath.

The war seems resolved when the victorious Edward, Richard’s older brother, succeeds to the throne: “For here I hope begins our lasting joy!” And no one thinks the deformed, bitter sibling, of all people, would be a threat. It seems preposterous. But it’s true. And at each unimaginable power grab by Richard — murdering one brother, killing the late king Edward’s young heirs, killing his own wife, and then trying to marry his niece to secure the dynasty — Richard’s peers keep telling themselves that it isn’t really happening. Greenblatt notes: “The principal weapon Richard has is the very absurdity of his ambition. No one in his right mind would suspect that he seriously aspires to the throne.”

But he has one key skill, Greenblatt notes, the ability to lie shamelessly: “‘Why, I can smile and murder whiles I smile, And cry ‘Content!’ to that which grieves my heart, And wet my cheeks with artificial tears, And frame my face to all occasions.’” It’s a skill that serves him well — and there seems no limit to the number of those eager to believe him. His older brother George, Duke of Clarence, told by thugs that Richard wants him dead, exclaims: “Oh no, he loves me, and he holds me dear. Go you to him from me.” At which point the hired goons reply — “Ay, so we will” — and merrily murder him, taking him to Richard as a corpse. (In a good production, that can get a laugh.) One of Clarence’s young sons, told that his own uncle hates him, declares, “I cannot think it.” Others witness obvious depravity but can’t quite call it out. One official receives clearly illegal orders from Richard, and follows them, asking no questions: “I will not reason what is meant hereby, Because I will be guiltless from the meaning.”

Denial. Avoidance. Distraction. Willful ignorance. These are all essential to enabling a tyrant’s rise. And keeping this pattern going is Richard’s profound grasp of the power of shock. He does and says the unexpected and unthinkable in order to stun his opponents into a kind of dazed passivity. It’s this capacity to keep you on your heels, to keep disorienting you with the unacceptable (which is then somehow accepted), that marks a tyrant’s relentless drive. He does this by instinct. He craves chaos, lies, suspense, surprises — not because he’s a genius, but because stability threatens his psyche. He cannot rest. He is not in control of himself. And whenever the dust settles, as it were, he has to disturb it again.

This is what we’ve been dealing with in the figure of Donald Trump now for five years, and it is absurd to believe that a duly conducted election is going to end it. I know, I know. I’m hysterical and over-the-top and a victim of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” Trump is simply too incompetent and too lazy to be an actual tyrant, I’m constantly scolded. He’s just baiting me again. And so on. But what I think this otherwise salient critique misses is that tyranny is not, in its essence, about the authoritarian and administrative skills required to run a country effectively for a long time. Tyrants, after all, are often terrible at this. It is rather about a mindset, as the ancient philosophers understood, with obvious political consequences. It’s a pathology. It requires no expertise in anything other than itself.

You need competence if you want to run an effective government, or plan a regular campaign, or master policy with a view to persuading people, or hold power for the sake of something else. You need competence to create and sustain something. But you do not need much competence to destroy things. You just need the will. And this is what tyrants do: they destroy things. Richard III ruled for two short years, ending in his own death in battle, and a ruined country.

This is Trump’s threat. Not the construction of a viable one-party state, but the destruction of practices, norms, civility, laws, customs and procedures that constitute liberal democracy’s non-zero-sum genius. He doesn’t need to be competent to destroy our system of government. He merely needs to be himself: an out-of-control, trust-free, malignant narcissist, with inexhaustible resources of psychic compulsion, in a pluralist system designed for the opposite. All you need is an insatiable pathological drive to avoid any constraint on your own behavior, and the demagogic genius to carry a critical mass of people with you, and our system, designed as the antidote to tyranny, is soon unspooling into incoherence, deadlock, and collapse.

I’m told he’s been ineffective even as a tyrant, so no worries. To which I can only say: really? Once you realize he doesn’t give a shit about any actual policies, apart from doing all he can to wipe the legacy of Barack Obama from planet earth, he’s been pretty competent. Note how he turned Congressional subpoenas into toilet paper; how he crippled and muzzled the Mueller inquiry; how he installed a crony at the Department of Justice to pursue his political enemies and shield him from the law; how effectively he stymied impeachment; how he cucked every previous Republican opponent; how he helped destroy the credibility of news sources that oppose him; how he filled his cabinet with acting secretaries and flunkies; how he declared fake emergencies to claim the power of the purse assigned to the Congress; and how he has reshaped the Supreme Court with potentially three new Justices, whom he sees solely as his loyal stooges if he comes up against the rule of law.

And gotten away with all of it!

In protecting his own power over others, he has been as competent as hell. Imagine where we’d be in four more years. Despite a mountain of criticism, he has not conceded a single error, withdrawn a single statement, or acknowledged a single lie. His party lost the mid-terms, but seriously, what difference did that make? His control of the Republican party, and his cult-like grip on the base, has never been greater than now. Yes, he has said and done racially polarizing things — but the joke is he may yet have more support from blacks and Latinos in 2020 than he did in 2016. Think of his greatest policy failures: the appalling loss of life in the Covid epidemic and the collapse of law and order in the cities. Now recall that on February 1 of this year, Trump was at 43.4 percent approval; 200,000 deaths later, and the wreckage from Seattle to Portland to Minneapolis, and his approval today is at 43.1 percent.

This is, of course, not enough to win re-election. And Trump has no interest in broadening his appeal, because it would dilute the tribalism he feeds off. So he has made it abundantly clear that if the results of the election show him the loser, he will not accept them. Simple, really. He said this in 2016, of course, refusing to honor the result in advance. But this year, he has stumbled upon something quite marvelous for his purposes. Because of Covid19, it is likely that mail-in ballots will be far higher in number than before, and, as Barton Gellman has shown in this essential new piece, this gives Trump an opportunity he has instinctively seized. He has been saying for months now that: “MAIL-IN VOTING WILL LEAD TO MASSIVE FRAUD AND ABUSE … WE CAN NEVER LET THIS TRAGEDY BEFALL OUR GREAT NATION.” In late summer, Gellman noted, Trump was making this argument four times a day: “Very dangerous for our country.” “A catastrophe.” “The greatest rigged election in history.” He is telling us loud and clear that, if he has anything to do with it, this election will not be decided at the ballot box, but at the Supreme Court, which he expects to control.

If you haven’t, read Gellman’s piece closely. It seems inevitable to me that, unless it’s a Biden landslide, Trump will declare himself the winner on election night, regardless of the actual results. Because most mail-in ballots will take more time to count, and several swing states have not changed their laws to allow for counting before election day, and mail-ins are easily challenged, it is quite likely that much of Biden’s vote will remain uncounted or contested — and could remain so for a long time. And after declaring victory within hours of polls closing, Trump will follow the script he used for Florida in 2018: “The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged,” he tweeted, making shit up as usual. “An honest vote count is no longer possible — ballots massively infected. Must go with Election Night!”

I’ve no doubt this bullshit will be challenged by the networks, the press, and many of the states, and other sane people, who will urge patience. I’ve also no doubt that many states will do their best not to pervert the process. But I fear the result will be close (I’m underwhelmed by Biden’s near-invisible campaign), which will give Trump a chance. The fanaticism and alternate reality of a base already addicted to conspiracy theories means a hefty chunk of the country will back him. And it’s perfectly possible that Trump’s pre-emptive strike on the election result could prompt a massive revolt across the country from those who want to defend our democracy. (I will be marching in such a scenario myself). Most presidents would balk at anything close to this kind of scenario. Trump can’t wait. Violence? You can almost feel Trump’s hankering for it.

All he wants is chaos, because in chaos, the strong leader wins. Would he incite violence on his behalf if the votes seem to be drifting away from him? You bet he would. Would he urge his supporters to physically prevent ballot-counting? He already has. Would he try to corral Republican state legislators to back him in electing electors? Gellman has sources. Would he take this country to the brink of civil conflict? Way past it. Will anyone in the GOP do anything to stop him? We know the answer to that already. If they cannot condemn him this week, when would they? And he will do all this not out of some strategic calculation or tactical skill but because he cannot do anything else. He is psychologically incapable of conceding anything. And he has no understanding of collateral damage because his narcissism precludes it.

In every Shakespeare play about tyranny — from Richard III to Coriolanus to Macbeth — the tyrant loses in the end, and often quite quickly. They’re not that competent at governing, or even interested in it. The forces they unleash come back to wipe them from the stage, sooner or later. They flame out. Richard III lasted a mere couple of years on the throne.

But in every case, they leave a wrecked and reeling society in their wake. Look around you now and see the damage already done. Now imagine what we face in the next few months. We are tethered to Trump at this point because he is the legitimate president: the man who cannot control himself is in control of all the rest of us. And that’s why I desperately want to appeal to right-of-center readers at this point in the campaign to do everything they can to vote and to vote for Biden. This is not about left or right. This is about the integrity of a system that can give us such a choice. It really is an existential moment for liberal democracy, and its future, not just here but across the world. The next few months are critical.

It fills me with inexpressible rage that we have been brought to this. But there is no way out now other than through. This was always going to be the moment of maximal danger. And we cannot lose our focus now.

[aion-rsa]

The Teleprompter Interview: Katy Wix ‘My First Screen Crush was King Kong’

https://ift.tt/33I5zd9

“Anchors, rigging, shackles,” lists Katy Wix down the phone, “poop deck, wheelhouse, three sheets to the wind…” The comedian and writer has had a productive year. Filming wrapped on Ghosts series two just as UK lockdown began. Since then, she’s finished one book – Delicacy: A Memoir – due out next April, is pitching another, writing a TV show, and thanks to a new-found obsession with Netflix yacht-based reality show Below Deck, has also managed to acquire an enviable grasp of nautical terminology. 

Wix is an established UK comic actor, with credits across the board, starting with cult hit Time Trumpet and going mainstream as witless, lovable Daisy in BBC mega-sitcom Not Going Out. She’s currently part of Channel 4’s Stath Lets Flats, the hottest comedy around, fresh from multiple Bafta wins. She plays Fergie in royal satire The Windsors, and was among the comedian-contestants in series nine of Taskmaster. In BBC One sitcom Ghosts, Wix plays Mary, a 17th century yokel burned as a witch and now part of the motley group haunting a modern-day stately home. Mary’s distinctive west country accent “just came out”, says Wix. “It’s an insult really, because I can’t claim to do that accent well. It’s sort of a stock noise. The more I do it, the more I think it sounds like Nanny from Count Duckula. Ducky!”

Ghosts series two, which lands as a boxset on BBC iPlayer on Monday September 21st , will give fans more about Mary’s background, says Wix. “I think people will really love it, and then there’ll be another series next year, depending on the big C. Not cancer. The other big C.”

From superyachts to Alan Partridge, The Day Today to Ghostwatch, Anna from This Life to formative sexual fantasies about prehistoric apes… here’s the Katy Wix Teleprompter interview.

Your parents were quite arty, working in dance companies and the theatre. Did your childhood allow for much TV watching?

Oh my god, yes! My routine was: come home from school, watch the tail-end of Fifteen to One, and when I was really young, repeats of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Then it would be The Broom Cupboard, something like Round the Twist, then the sound of the Six O’Clock News and turning over to The Simpsons. I still do it now, if I’m at home and it’s five to six, I’m going to watch The Simpsons, it’s a tradition.

Welsh telly was slightly different to the rest of the country. We have S4C rather than Channel 4. I remember going through the TV listings and seeing what was on normal Channel 4, like The Word, then I’d look at Welsh Channel 4 and it would just be something boring in Welsh at the same time.

Was there a TV show that inspired you to start acting and comedy?

The one I remember the most is Abigail’s Party. Seeing Alison Steadman’s performance made me want to do character acting. It was just a phenomenal, convincing, detailed performance. Years later, I wrote a radio sitcom that she was in. It was one of those absurd moments where you just have to leave your body and look down on yourself to be able to handle it. 

That must happen a lot, you’ve been part of a lot of great comedy casts…

What got me into comedy was Brass Eye and The Day Today. When I was about 15, that’s what changed my brain. It was the first time I’d seen adults being silly and coming up with absurd situations that were my sense of humour. Before that, comedy on TV would always feel like just something your parents would watch but this really felt like it was for us, for me and my friends. It was the same with The Office.

And then you were in This Time with Alan Partridge with Steve Coogan last year.

I was in sixth form when Knowing Me, Knowing You came out and I had it on VHS. Watching people like Rebecca Front and Doon Mackichan… anytime Alan had a guest on the sofa, the level of detail and all the reactions and the tiny little social awkward moments, that made me think I want to do that type of performing. So then, when I got to be in the last Partridge, it was mad. It was phenomenal to be that near to the character and all his tiny micro-expressions. Even the colour of his socks – this weird salmon pink – that was so perfect. Tim [Key] was there as well and we’re old pals, so that made it feel more like, well if Tim can deal with it. But I think even Tim now says he still has times where he has to go into the loo and give himself a moment.

Who or what was your first TV love?

This will sound like a joke, but I swear to God it’s true. It was a running joke in our family that my first crush when I was about four, was King Kong [laughs]. My mum used to tease me about it all the time. It was the combination of brute strength and these massive, soulful, pained eyes – which I still look for in men – that absolutely got me. It was an erotic connection for me. When I look back on it in a Freudian way, it feels like a really obvious, very heterosexual image for a little girl to have, because I wanted to be that woman in the nightie in his massive hairy hand. 

Unusual, yes, but then a lot of people our age cite the fox in the Robin Hood Disney film as their first screen crush.

I do get that. I do get that. What was it about that fox?

He’s rakish. And politically, he was sound too – rob from the rich, give to the poor.

You’re right. And he was really confident too. 

Growing up, which TV character did you idolise?

There are two, a younger one and a slightly later one. When I was 11 or 12, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I would draw outfits all the time in my school books and I had the Usborne Book of Fashion Design and spend hours on it. So I wanted to be Hilary Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air because she just had incredible fashion. She always got boys and she was really cool and confident and wore amazing clothes. She was everything I wanted to be.

Then a little bit later, maybe sixth form or in my early 20s. I wanted to be Anna from This Life, so much and I kind of still do. Because she was tall and really cool and had dark hair and a lot of attitude and wore black a lot and smoked a lot and didn’t give a shit. That was my vibe at university. 

Is there a TV character you’d like to be now? 

Probably still Anna? 

Which TV show gave you nightmares?

The massive one for me, when I was about 11 or 12: Ghostwatch. I went to a friend’s house to watch it and I remember being a bit like ‘yeah right’ watching it, and then when I got home that night, I just cried. I was in the bath, hysterical and my mum had to come in and calm me down. It was horrendous. 

Everyone totally swallowed it at the time, because we were less TV-savvy in 1992. I remember they had a phone-in and someone called in to say ‘There’s a shape in the curtains’, which really fucked me up. The whole Pipes thing. I remember being in my bedroom and seeing a shape of an old man in the curtain all the time. I’ve got really vague memories of Craig Charles being in a park, saying that someone had killed a Labrador. I was thinking about watching it again. I actually don’t know if I dare. 

Read more

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When did you last cry watching television?

Last night. Have you ever seen the show Below Deck? I’m obsessed with it. I’m not massively into reality TV but it’s an American reality show all filmed on superyachts that rich people charter. It’s almost like a perfect sitcom family – you have a different captain every time and the deckhands and then the interior, who do the hotel stuff, and then you have the chef, who’s always a temperamental big personality and then each episode has a different group of insanely rich, usually quite horrible, sexist people with loads of money who get really drunk, that’s the premise. It’s non-stop drama. You’re just watching people fall off boats and have arguments. 

How did it make you cry?

In this episode, there was a girl who’d been really quiet and grumpy and everyone was slagging her off, and then she revealed that she’d got a text that morning saying her estranged father had died, so that’s what set me off. It’s got me through lockdown, it’s so addictive. 

When did you last laugh out loud watching television?

Below Deck, same episode!

All human life is there!

I think it was someone’s malapropism, that’s my favourite thing about reality TV, the way people talk in a kind of Stath-like way and get it wrong.

What was the last TV show you recommended to a friend? 

Below Deck! [Laughs] I’ve just got Lolly [Adefope] onto it, and Adam Drake – he’s a comedian in a sketch show called Goose and does Capital, a podcast with Liam Williams – he’s now devoted. One of my best mates was bemoaning that her boyfriend’s not into reality TV, but boys can watch Below Deck too. It’s got loads of boat stuff in it. Chains and anchors. I’m learning all these terms, like shackles, poop deck, wheelhouse, three sheets to the wind… That’s where the expression ‘in my wheelhouse’ comes from. Three sheets to the wind means you’re sailing off course. 

Which TV show would you bring back from the dead?

Changing Rooms. 

Good call.

I also loved The Late Review. I really loved that.

What’s a TV show you wish more people would watch?

Do you know Iyanla Vanzant? She started off on The Oprah Winfrey Show – I love Oprah so much – and she’s a TV therapist/healer/spiritual. She’s got a show you can only get on American TV called Iyanla: Fix My Life. She just speaks so much wisdom. She spends a week with people who are really traumatised and it’s their healing journey. It’s so moving, it’s so profound. She’s doing incredible work for the human race.

She did an amazing show called, I think, ‘The Myth of the Angry Black Woman’ with a house full of women of colour who all got to talk about this trope that they were angry and how they felt unable to speak without being silenced. She did a show that was rehabilitating people that had come out of prison and women that had been sex workers all their loves, just amazing. 

Which current TV show do you never miss an episode of?

In lockdown, what kept me going was I May Destroy you, obviously, Below Deck, obviously. I also became obsessed with the Japanese Big Brother Terrace House, but it just got pulled because there was a suicide. It was so, so awful. I read an article saying the producers didn’t behave well, so I feel like I can’t like it any more. I love Succession too. I started watching this show on Netflix called Intervention and got totally obsessed with it. Again, it’s maybe ethically a bit dubious. It’s American, obviously, and they’ll film an addict who’s in a really desperate state and then the family kind of trick them, or persuade them to go into a room and then the intervention therapist is there and they’re like ‘Guess what, you’re going to rehab now!’ Anything that’s got human suffering, and then a redemption story in it, I’ll watch. 

Given the power, which TV show would you commission?

I think about this a lot – what if I had a channel? I’d commission the sketch group Sheeps to make tons of series. That’s Liam Williams, Al Roberts and Daran Johnson, and so far they’ve only done live shows, but I would commission them for hours of TV. Colin Hoult doing his character Anna Mann, I’d commission hours of that. Everyone involved in Stath Lets Flats, I’d just say ‘Turn up, pitch and we’ll make it’. There’s a documentary from the 70s that I adore, that I would like to show again, which is John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. It’s one of the most beautiful, gentle documentaries. I feel like that should be on TV. And just whatever Gemma Collins is doing, commission that. 

Also, you know in the 90s, late at night you’d get some weird, bizarre performance art happening on BBC Two? I miss that. The sort of stuff that was on after The Word. And then finally, maybe just all of Peep Show again? 

What’s the most fun you’ve had making television?

Ghosts is where I probably laugh the most because of Lolly [Adefope]. We make each other laugh all the time. When me and Anna [Crilly] did our sketch show on Channel 4, it was incredible. It was stressful but exciting. It was such a nice atmosphere to be with all these gorgeous people that you find funny. 

Stath Lets Flats is like that, because we’re all genuine mates. When people take comedy so seriously I really love it. I love that attention to detail. Jamie [Demetriou] and everyone involved really cares. There’s no ‘that’ll do’ attitude, everyone wants it to be the best it can be. Why not treat comedy as a science that you have to absolutely get right?

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Ghosts series two starts on Monday the 21st of September on BBC One at 8.30pm. All six episodes will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from then. 

Delicacy: A Memoir by Katy Wix, published by Headline, is available to pre-order now.

The post The Teleprompter Interview: Katy Wix ‘My First Screen Crush was King Kong’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/32GM7ya

[fic-for-fic-sake]

To make you feel my love, Loki x reader

A/N: Literally sitting in the dark in my room listening to the Adele song To make you feel my love and I thought, wow, I should totally write a fic about this song because I’m some kind of sadist. So anywhere, here’s the oneshot nobody asked for but I delivered anyway.

When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case, I could offer you a warm embrace, to make you feel my love

You had been in love with Loki Odinson for as long as you could remember. In fact, you couldn’t think of a time that you /weren’t/ in love with him. You two had grown up together running through the palace hallways after each other. As a nobleman's daughter, you and Loki ran in the same social circles. The only problem was, Loki didn’t see you the way you saw him.

It was tragic but true, though you had never expressed your devotion for him, you were certain he saw you as nothing more than his very best friend. You two were closer than close, told each other everything. You saw the way he looked at attractive young men and women of the court and you knew he didn’t look at you the same way. But there was something you knew none of them had, his ear.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear, and there is no one there to dry your tears, I could hold you for a million years, to make you feel my love

He would bring people in and out of his chambers but they never stayed, not like you. You were one of few constants in the Prince’s life. Every time Thor annoyed him or Odin chose Loki as his personal punching bag, you were always there to help him through it. Often times he would ask you why you had never courted anyone for longer than a couple months at a time. How could you bring yourself to tell him it was because in your eyes nobody could hold a candle to him? That the only person you wanted in all the realms only saw you as a friend.

You would simply gaze fondly at him and ruffle his hair, something he would /never/ let anyone else do, and ask him about his latest conquest. No matter how much you felt like you were being gutted, it was better than having the attention on your and your affection for the younger prince.

I know you haven’t made your mind up yet, but I will never do you wrong. I’ve known it from the moment that we met, no doubt in my mind where you belong.

The day was fast approaching when Thor and Loki would have to choose brides to be by their side when one of them eventually ascended to the throne of Asgard. Though you saw Loki gallivanting with every possible bachelorette in the kingdom, none of them seemed to stick. You knew it was foolish but you had hoped it was because of you. But in truth, you knew it probably had to do with his restless and mischievous nature. Having a wife would tie him down and hinder his ways.

How badly you wanted to tell him that with you it wouldn’t be like that. You didn’t want to change Loki, you loved him just as he was. To you, he was perfect. How could anyone ask him to change something so fundamental about himself? Those who tried were all fools who didn’t want the real Loki, only the version they had projected onto him.

I’d go hungry I’d go black and blue. I’d go crawling down the avenue. No there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do, to make you feel my love.

Even though you lived outside of the palace you were there most nights because of Loki. Whenever he was having a moody day or just felt like it, he requested your presence. He said it was because having you near him focused him more. You always tried to hide the blush that would creep up your cheeks when he said this.

You recalled the first night you had permission from your father to stay over at the palace. Queen Frigga had said she would arrange for you but Loki wouldn’t have it, insisting that you spend the evening in his chambers with him. Once the two of you had decided to call it a night you walked down the dark hallways from the library to his chambers with only the flicker of torchlight illuminating the way.

You had been in Loki’s room numerous times before but this was the first time you were there past reasonable hours. When he shut his chamber door behind him, you had began to position yourself on his chaise lounge by the fireplace.

“Y/N, what in Odin’s name are you doing?” He had asked with a curious smile on his face.

“I’m getting ready for bed.” You simply stated, thinking it was quite obvious.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re not sleeping on that. You’ll sleep in my bed with me. There’s plenty of room for both of us.” He replied as if this was a normal occurrence for the two of you.

Your mouth went dry at the suggestion. He couldn’t have possibly meant that you two would share a bed. Yes nothing would happen but the mere thought of being in the bed with the person you were so enamored by was incomprehensible to you. When you were again able to form a cohesive thought all you let out was a measly “oh”. You then watched as Loki got on the left side of the bed and you went around to the right side and got in as well. You two weren’t touching each other by any means but gods were you aware of his proximity to you. You turned your body to face away from him and eventually you drifted into a peaceful sleep.

You awoke to something pressing against your back. A second of consciousness later you were aware that it was Loki. As you continued to wake up more you realized that his arms were around you and he was spooning you. Ever so slightly, you turned around to face him, careful not to disturb him. You saw as obsidian locks cascaded over the pillow and a few had made their way across his beautiful face. You observed as his chest softly rose and fell in time with his breathing as his long eyelashes fanned over his cheeks. You swore you could wake up to this sight every day for the rest of your life and never get bored.

A feeling of profound sadness washed over you in that moment, longing for something that you knew would never come. You slowly got up and found a book and began to read it as you sat in the chaise by the fire.

The storms are raging on the rolling sea, and on the highway of regret. The winds of change are blowing wild and free, you ain’t seen nothing like me yet.

A month later it had been decided that Thor would succeed Odin as King of Asgard. A decision that threw Loki for a loop. You stayed up with him night after night as he grew more and more enraged. He was sure he had proven himself as a true leader to Odin time and time again. He kept insisting that Thor knew nothing of diplomacy and would surely mess up the first chance he got.

You had talked him down from each one of his rampages, speaking soothing words and gently rubbing his back as he held his head in his hands. Your poor lost prince, how would he make it out of this one?

The day came for Thor’s coronation and the whole aristocracy was there to celebrate, at least almost everyone. While you were happy for Thor you were there for Loki. You had promised him that you wouldn’t leave his side for the duration of the day and he was thankful for it. As Odin spoke the words of Thor being worthy and a true heir of the throne of Asgard, Loki entwined his fingers with yours and gently squeezed your hand. You gave a reassuring squeeze back, trying to mentally tell him that you would always be there for him, no matter what.

Odin was about to end the ceremony when disaster struck. The frost giants had invaded and Thor decided he was going to break his father’s command and go to Jotunheim to teach them a lesson. As his brother, Loki decided to go with him. You were panicking and imagining the worst case scenario but Loki assured you that he would be fine.

“Y/N you always worry too much. I’ll come back in one piece, I promise.” Loki whispered to you between the golden columns of the palace, out of earshot of the guards.

“You’d better, if you come back in multiple pieces it’ll be harder for me to kick your ass for this.” You retorted, hoping your idle threat would cover up how scared you were. You couldn’t bear the thought of losing Loki to the barren tundra of Jotunheim.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse, they somehow did. You were waiting with the Queen when Loki returned. You had learned of Thor’s exile to Midgard and you were terrified as to what this meant for the realm. Before you could even fully wrap your head around that, Odin had fallen into the Odinsleep and Loki was crowned as king of Asgard.

You were pacing around in the hallway outside of Loki’s chambers, itching to knock on the door but not sure what to say or do once granted entrance. Do you bow to him now? Congratulate him? That seemed inappropriate. Finally gathering your courage you knocked on the door but found there was no answer. That was odd, there was light coming from the other side of the door so you knew Loki was inside. You knocked again but yet still no answer came. Before you could think too much about it, you opened the door into Loki’s chamber.

You weren’t sure what you were expecting to see but the sight you were met with wasn’t it. Loki sat crumpled up in the corner of his once pristine room. It looked as if a tornado had come though and destroyed everything. Books were torn to pieces, furniture was broken, clothes and drapes were strewn across the room and the only sound came from Loki’s gentle sobbing in the corner. You instinctively ran over to him and crouched down on the ground so you were on his level. You embraced him in your arms and made soft shushing sounds as you slowly rocked him back and forth.

“Loki what’s happened, what is it?” You implored. You’ve seen him upset before but this was something different. He wasn’t upset, he was devastated and broken.

He pulled away from your embrace and you tried not to give in to the disappointment you felt at his lack of presence. He looked up at you with disheveled, matted hair. His eyes red and glassy from crying.

“Do you know what it’s like to be lied to your whole life Y/N?” He asked in a voice so harsh yet quiet you had to strain to hear the words he laced together. “To believe one thing and then suddenly find out another.”

“Loki, what are you talking about?” You asked in a soothing tone. You could feel tears threatening to spill from your eyes, Loki’s current state scaring you.

“My whole life has been a lie. All these years I’ve been nothing but a pawn in Odin’s twisted game.” He seethed, his voice lacing with venom at the mention of the Allfather.

“I don’t understand.” You replied, still dumbfounded.

Suddenly, Loki’s skin began to shift and change. Where his skin was once ivory and brilliant it turned a deadly shade of deep blue. The forest green eyes you spent countless hours staring into shifted into a dark crimson. All over his body were heightened ridges.

“I’m a Jotun Y/N!” Loki practically yelled, not at you but at the empty night air. “This is why father always favored Thor over me, because he could never have a frost giant abomination sitting on the throne of Asgard.” Loki roared. In his rage, more objects combusted in the room.

You know you should’ve had a strong reaction to this. Any logical or sane person would. They would run screaming straight out of the now King’s quarters. But you weren’t most people. You had been in love with this man since you were children. You had seen him through the highest of highs and now the lowest of lows. How could you abandon him after all you had been through together? Loki was the only person that understood you. You loved him for him, his true heritage didn’t change that. He was still Loki.

He seemed to realize that his rampage and blue form hadn’t scared you off. “Why are you still here? I-I’m a monster.” He trembled as he said the words.

As an answer to his question, you crawled the space between the two of you and feeling particularly brave and high off the moment, you climbed into his lap. You looped your arms around his neck and with a small smile on your lips told him your true feelings for him. As you rattled on and on about your constant devotion and love for this man small tears made their way down your face. Not tears of sadness, but tears of letting go. You knew that after this moment nothing would be the same. But somehow you knew Loki needed to hear this and he needed to hear it now. As you brushed a stray onyx lock of hair behind his deep blue ear, you told him that even though it felt like he was alone now, he wasn’t truly. You would always be there for him, because you loved him unconditionally.

I could make you happy make your dreams come true. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do. Go to the ends of the earth for you, to make you feel my love.

With a mouth wet from tears, you slowly leaned in and kissed Loki for the first time. It took him a second but he responded by wrapping his arms around you and gently kissing you back.

To make you feel my love.

Tags: @lokixme @drakesfiance

[zirroxas]

So I Found All the Characters With Unique Backstories

Spent some time rooting around in the files to figure out which characters the game actually gave unique background descriptions to. There’s 94 in total. There’s something around 750 historical characters in the game, but only these comes with unique backstories. 

Some of them are quite hilarious. 

cai mao  -- Competent Sailor  -- "Cai Mao is adept of naval combat, and a budding admiral." cao ang  -- Prince Min  -- "Cao Ang's fate is to one day be prince of the House of Cao, be it in life or in death." cao cao  -- Strategic Mastermind  -- "The wily Cao Cao sees opportunity in the hardships of others, skewing things to his advantage." cao pi  -- Political Animal  -- "In war, you can only be killed once, but in politics, many times.""""" cao ren  -- Brave Hunter  -- "The skills of a fearless outdoorsman --horse-riding, archery, and hunting --make Cao Ren a valued battlefield ally." chen gong  -- Master Magistrate  -- "Chen Gong knows that even great men are imperfect, and righteousness is often not immediately obvious." cheng pu  -- Bandit Killer  -- 'The General of the Household Who Defeats Bandits' is living proof that bravery can overcome adversity. dian wei  -- Brute of Unmatched Power  -- "Such prowess! This is old Elai again!""""" dong zhuo  -- Cruel Tyrant  -- "Consumed by his hunger for power, Dong Zhuo's despotism knows no bounds." fa zheng  -- Vindictive Strategist  -- "The intelligent and vengeful Fa Zheng should not be crossed, lest you become the target of his deadly schemes." gan ning  -- Pirate of the Bells  -- "Cao Cao may have Zhang Liao, but I have Gan Ning! Thus we are evenly matched.""""" gao gan  -- Loyal Nephew  -- "Ever the rebel, Gao Gan's true allegiances shall only die when he does." gong du  -- Master of the Land  -- "Far from being just a heartless bandit, Gong Du is a principled soldier of honour." gongsun du  -- the Warlike  -- "In war, Gongsun Du does what is required of him; he revels in bloodshed and conquest." gongsun zan  -- The Iron Fist General  -- "Defence of the frontiers requires more than just the resources of a warlord, but also a merciless attitude." guan yu  -- God of War  -- "A famed warrior and righteous slayer of all who dare oppose him, Guan Yu's deification is already assured." guo jia  -- Astute Advisor  -- Guo Jia is a confidant of unparalleled foresight --to ignore his counsel is to invite failure and defeat. han fu  -- Diligent Agriculturalist  -- "Using his ability to manage food supplies with tireless efficiency, Han Fu is a most valuable logistician." han sui  -- Tireless Insurgent  -- "Insurrection is in Han Sui's blood. To him, subservience cannot be permanent." he man  -- The Most Powerful  -- "I am He Man, the devil who shoots across the sky! Who dares challenge me\?""""" he yi  -- Leader of the People  -- "With unwavering faith, He Yi inspires others to follow in his righteous footsteps." hua xiong  -- Fierce Beast  -- "With a head shaped like a leopard's and ape-like shoulders, Hua Xiong's ferocity is matched by his appearance." huang gai  -- Unreadable Warrior  -- His outward demeanour belies his real allegiances --Huang Gai truly is the very definition of inscrutability. huang shao  -- Wielder of the Heavenly Way  -- "All uprisings, no matter how widespread, stand little chance of success without strong leadership." huang zhong  -- of the Ageless Strength  -- "The venerable Huang Zhong, to whom age is just a number, is frequently underestimated in battle." huang zu  -- Ranged Ambusher  -- "Huang Zu likes to start offensives on the front foot, from a safe distance and out of sight." huangfu song  -- Aged General  -- "In the brutal business of war, there is no better teacher than experience." jia long  -- Short-sighted Peacekeeper  -- "Jia Long may dedicate much time to forethought, yet still lacks caution now and then." jia xu  -- The Blade in the Dark  -- Decisions made in secret can have the deadliest outcomes. jiang wei  -- Budding Commander  -- "Known for being an expert general despite his inexperience, Jiang Wei has a precocious talent for war." kong rong  -- Master Scholar  -- "Kong Rong claims descent from the great Confucius himself, attested to by his remarkable wit and scholarly fame." kong zhou  -- Pure Conversationalist  -- "A master at the art of Qingtan, Kong Zhou utilises discussion and debate as a means of intellectual self-improvement." lady sun  -- The Rising Sun  -- "As surely as the sun rises, the Lady will always endeavour to get her way." li ru  -- Vicious Shadow  -- Behind every despot's schemes is the intellect of a consummate strategist. ling tong  -- Daring Errant  -- "For some men, war is a chance to prove one's self and seek adventure." liu bei  -- Virtuous Idealist  -- "Despite having come from modest beginnings, the blood of ancient Han emperors flows through Liu Bei's veins." liu biao  -- Gentleman of the Han  -- "A man seldom ruffled, Liu Biao demonstrates his aristocratic pedigree through stable officiality." liu dai  -- Generous Attendant  -- "In spite of the harsh realities of palace life, Liu Dai conducts himself according to his nature: with kindness and benevolence." liu xie  -- Former Emperor  -- "While no longer leading their people, they still strive to bring peace to the land." liu yan  -- Opportunistic Ruler  -- "Some men just want to watch the world burn, while others use the opportunities placed before them." liu yao  -- Welcoming Magistrate  -- "Liu Yao appears to be a 'yes' man, but is nevertheless known for his staunch incorruptibility." liu yu  -- Prosperous Trader  -- Liu Yu's rapport with foreigners and minorities has enabled him to amass considerable wealth from trade. liu zhang  -- Proponent of Peace  -- "A timid and suspicious noble, Liu Zhang displays a willingness to avoid war, even if that means surrender." lu bu  -- Warrior Without Equal  -- "With unpredictable loyalty and unsurpassed martial skill, Lü Bu is the most dangerous warrior beneath the heavens." lu fan  -- Go Master  -- Go is not just an abstract game of strategy --it is a measure of one's aptitude in tactical forethought. lu meng  -- Late Scholar  -- "Despite becoming literate late on in his career, Lü Meng has proved himself a most able scholar." lu su  -- Charitable Envoy  -- "Ever the philanthropic diplomat, Lu Su's affluence empowers his charitable nature." lu xun  -- Scholar General  -- "Equal parts brains and brawn, Lu Xun can oversee both civil and military matters." ma chao  -- Most-brilliant Warrior  -- "With a complexion like jade and eyes like shooting stars, Ma Chao is a warrior truly brilliant in appearance." ma dai  -- Fraternal Warrior  -- There are few things more important to Ma Dai than bloodline and family. ma teng  -- Protector of the West  -- "Ma Teng may treat his friends well, but he remains merciless with the Han's enemies." mi zhu  -- Dependable Administrator  -- "In these interesting times of fluctuating allegiances, the steadfast loyalty of Mi Zhu can always be relied upon." pang de  -- White Horse General  -- "Pang De is an unrelenting force, whose avowed enemies know they must face him sooner or later." pang tong  -- Fledgling Phoenix  -- "Having risen from the ashes of obscurity, the 'Crown of Learned Men' is an advisor of the highest esteem." pei yuanshao  -- Virtuous Outrider  -- "Whether in charge of brigands or soldiers, one must lead by example, always riding at the head of the host." shi xie  -- King Shi  -- "With his long and distinguished record of sophisticated service, Shi Xie is destined for stately eminence." sima yi  -- Silver Eminence  -- "If you cannot fight, defend. If you cannot defend, flee. If you cannot flee, surrender. If you cannot surrender, die!""""" sun ce  -- The Little Conqueror  -- "Sun Ce has been likened to the warrior-kings of old, with an aptitude for military leadership that belies his youth." sun jian  -- Tiger of Jiangdong  -- "Claiming ancestry with the renowned military strategist Sun Tzu, the fearless Sun Jian has war flowing through his veins." sun qian  -- Upstanding Loyalist  -- Sun Qian's word is an unwavering bond. sun quan  -- Emerald-eyed Administrator  -- "Striking looks and a sturdy frame betokens Sun Quan's great nobility, heroism and longevity." taishi ci  -- of Exceptional Dexterity  -- "From horse-riding to archery, Taishi Ci excels in all manner of physical pursuits." tao qian  -- of the Sincere Jurisdiction  -- "Tao Qian may be a highly influential and ambitious figure, but expansionism is not on his personal agenda." wang lang  -- Ardent Educator  -- "A keen imparter of knowledge, even when it is neither wanted nor welcome." wang xiu  -- The Righteous Hero  -- "Never can it be said that Wang Xiu was ever disloyal, dishonourable or unwilling to come to the aid of those he serves." wei yan  -- Disobedient Tiger  -- "For the distrustful Wei Yan, a violent betrayal always simmers below the surface." wen chou  -- Fierce Firebrand  -- "If only Wen Chou were here, I'd have nothing to fear!""""" xiahou dun  -- Hotheaded Officer  -- Those who know Xiahou Dun know not to get on his bad side. xiahou dun 2  -- The One-eyed Exile  -- "You really don't want to know what he did with his eye after losing it to that arrow...""""" xiahou yuan  -- Maker of Ways  -- "When it comes to military logistics, where there's a will, Xiahou Yuan has a way." xu chu  -- Tiger Fool  -- "Xu Chu is a man of simple thoughts and principles, but an impressive warrior who fights with a bestial rage." xu huang  -- Guardian of the Gates  -- "When assigned to guardianship, Xu Huang is an immovable sentinel, requiring a tremendous effort to bypass." xu shu  -- Disguised Diplomat  -- "His body may be in one place, but his heart is in quite another." xun you  -- Gentleman Attendant  -- "A member of the learned scholar-gentry, Xun You is a profound thinker of great insight." xun yu  -- Hegemon's Aide  -- "Here comes my Zifang!""""" yan liang  -- Valiant Vanguard  -- "A foremost general of considerable military prowess, the gutsy Yan Liang is unmatched among ordinary warriors." yu jin  -- Enforcer of the Law  -- "As an imperious, by-the-book disciplinarian, Yu Jin rules his subordinates with fear and drilled-in obedience." yuan shao  -- Preeminent Commander  -- "Yuan Shao's astuteness, dignity and arrogance are the mark of his ancestors, many of whom served emperors past." yuan shu  -- Ambitious Powermonger  -- Yuan Shu is an ambitious but overconfident individual --time will tell whether such qualities shall trip him or aid his desires. yue jin  -- The Lion of Yangping  -- "What Yue Jin lacks in stature he makes up for in fierceness, fearlessness, and deadliness with his bow." zhang chao  -- Flowing Calligrapher  -- Such graceful skills with ink and brush are the mark a man of great education and scholarly puissance. zhang fei  -- Drunken Brawler  -- "Hold my wine...""""" zhang he  -- Courageous General  -- Zhang He's fearlessness enables him to retain his composure when having to adapt to unfavourable situations. zhang kai  -- Slayer of Tyrants  -- "The unjust rulers of the old regime shall perish.""""" zhang liao  -- The Heavenly Dragon General  -- "The model of professionalism and organisation, Zhang Liao has heavenly leadership skills." zhang lu  -- Celestial Master  -- "Just as water penetrates mountains, Zhang Lu always seeks to overcome hardness by his own accord." zhang yan  -- King of Black Mountain  -- "With his scores of followers, the bandit leader known as 'Flying Swallow' wields the influence of a king." zhang yang  -- Ignored Warlord  -- What is the fate of he who is forsaken and unjustly distrusted by his fellow warlords\? Only heaven knows. zhao yun  -- Light in the Dark  -- "In the darkest times of war, the auras of the most resplendent warriors gleam brightest." zheng jiang  -- Bandit Queen  -- "Hell-bent on plunder, Zheng Jiang goes to unspeakable lengths to obtain her loot." zhou tai  -- Man of Many Scars  -- "His scar-riddled skin is a canvas of stories, telling of countless bloody battles past." zhou yu  -- Melodic Strategist  -- "If there is a mistake in the tune, Zhou Yu will look up.""""" zhuge jin  -- Bookish Scholar  -- "Having studied history and poetry in years past, Zhuge Jin is a man who appreciates scholarship." zhuge liang  -- Sleeping Dragon  -- "A peerless genius and insightful strategist, there are few situations that Zhuge Liang's astute intellect cannot overcome."

[twdmusicboxmystery]

AK’s Script Notes and Why I Love Them!

Okay, I’ve gotten some questions about this the past week and people asking me to post about it. This actually came out before last Sunday’s episode, so I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to address it. (Life is crazy and all that jive.)

So some of Angela Kang’s notes came out from episode 1. Unfortunately, they’ve lit a fire under a certain dark ship who are now on a mission, and I know people are a little disturbed by it.

So, for anyone who hasn’t seen it, what surfaced were AK’s notes on the scene they released as a sneak peek for episode 1. The one where Daryl and Carol are talking and he says Ezekiel is corny, but he’s happy for her, etc.

I want to start by saying that my FB group actually talked about this scene and reached several conclusions long before AK’s notes came out. Because it was a sneak peek for the premiere, we had this scene broken down, analyzed to death and had practically written dissertations on it before it even aired. (Hehe.)

And I remember us specifically talking about whether there was a jealous factor involved. We decided that there was, but not in the way most people would think. We thought Daryl WAS jealous of Carol and Ezekiel, but not because he’s in love with Carol and wants her to be with him. Obviously. It’s because he’s jealous of what they have. He’s lonely and has never found happiness with a romantic partner.

I think some of his bitterness about Ezekiel’s “corniness” comes from the fact that Daryl never got to have this with Beth. I can see his thought process being a little bit spiteful like, “How come THIS guy who’s so corny gets this happiness and I don’t?”

So again, my group figured all this out before episode 1 aired. In it’s purest form, his jealousy is really more about Beth than Carol. And, perhaps even more to the point, about himself and his own loneliness. At this point, he’s seen SO many couples around him in the people he cares about: Glaggie, Richonne, Rosita/Abraham, Sashraham, Tara/Denise, Aaron/Eric, and now Carzekiel. I’m sure it’s on his mind a lot.

So these notes of AK’s surfaced and one word that people are zeroing in on is “Jealousy.” Naturally, it has a certain shipping fandom screaming from the rooftops that “C@ryl is endgame.” You just have to understand that they’re misinterpreting her notes

While it doesn’t define what she means by jealousy, that didn’t bother any of us because we already knew that and what it meant. If you break down the scene in conjunction with both Daryl’s and Carol’s long-term arcs, its very apparent what the jealousy refers to.

But if you want more proof, check out the word next to jealous that those shippers are completely ignoring and just pretending isn’t there:

Saudade. 

Saudade is a word that exists in Portuguese and Galicican, but doesn’t have a direct translation into English. As you can see from Angela’s notes, it means “a feeling of nostalgia or melancholy; longing for someone or something you love that’s gone.

THIS is what Daryl is feeling in this scene. And he’s never lost Carol. She’s never been gone (although she has tried to abandon him a few times). I know the shippers are trying to say it means he’s lost his chance to be with her or some such nonsense, but think about what’s been said in the show.

Then @bluesandbeth sent me THIS LINK, which describes what saudade means. Look at what is written here, guys. Everything about it screams Beth and nothing in here sounds remotely like Carol’s arc or character:

“…a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves…the object of longing might never return…”

“Stronger forms of saudade might be felt toward people and things whose whereabouts are unknown, such as a lost lover, or a family member who has gone missing, moved away, separated, or died.”

Beth anyone? Missing girl theme, anyone? Carol has never fit ANY of these descriptions. But it goes on:

“Saudade was once described as ‘the love that remains’ after someone is gone.” 

“…the recollection of feelings, experiences, places or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being, which now triggers the senses and makes one live again. (emphasis mine). It can be described as emptiness, like someone…that should be there in a particular moment is missing, and the individual feels this absence.”

See what I mean? For me, this is absolute confirmation from AK that Daryl is still thinking about Beth and it’s her loss still making him sad. (Thank you, Angela!)

Furthermore, in terms of basic logic, they would not send something like this out to fans (apparently it was part of the TWD drop box) that would have spoilers in it. So that ship saying this came out to hint that Caryl is about to go canon is kinda ridiculous. They wouldn’t be that obvious or put spoilers in the drop box.

I believe they included this to give us insight into Daryl’s loneliness. They wanted us to understand how Daryl is feeling during this scene. (Naturally some people are twisting it around to fit their own theories.) With that in mind, let’s look at some of these other notes because they really are fascinating.

Starting at the top, Angela’s notes say, (next to the line where Carol puts out his cigarette and says, “These things’ll kill you.”

“Want the sense of shared history between them, honest in a way they can’t be with anyone else; it’s 2 a.m. after the bar closed down, sitting on the hood of a car.”

So establishing their history and the fact that they’re BFFs. We already know all that, but AK was noting that she really wanted it to come through in the scene, which I think it did.

Below that from “snore fancy” through “corny” it says:

“Daryl – buried jealousy of Zeke but knows he’s not a bad guy. – King persona so counter to Daryl’s personality.”

It’s that last part that’s super-interesting to me. I already addressed the jealousy, but it specifically says that Daryl has the opposite of a king’s persona. Yeah, I could go off on volumes of tangents about this. I won’t, but here’s a few things to consider:

1. Daryl doesn’t consider himself a king. He considers himself something between humble subject and not-deserving-of-anything.

2. Maybe some of his jealousy/bitterness stems from the fact that he IS so opposite of Zeke. Like he thinks he’s undeserving BECAUSE he’s not at all like that.

3. It also goes to show that he and Carol both need someone as a romantic partner that is utterly unlike them. We’ve said it a million times: these two are ridiculously similar. That’s why they’r besties. But also why they wouldn’t make good romantic partners. They both have way too much of a predilection toward falling into darkness. Beth may not have a “king persona” (though we all know she’s the Queen of Diamonds) but her personality is VERY similar to Zeke’s, which is why she’s good for Daryl and Ezekiel is good for Carol.

Okay, you get the idea. Let’s move on.

Next, Carol’s line about how after what she went through with Ed, corny is really nice, is circled. Angela’s note says, “the heart of the deal for Carol – she’s probably never said this to anyone else.”

So once again, she can talk to Daryl about things she doesn’t talk to anyone else about. But I like that AK calls this the “heart” of the scene for Carol. This tells us a lot about the relationship from Carol’s side. She’s telling us why she’s with Zeke, why she wants to be with him, why she values his love so much. And Daryl understands not only because he knows her first husband abused her, but because he’s been the object of abuse himself. So he gets it. (Which is what it says one line down in the script: Daryl nods. He gets it.)

Finally, the part where Daryl says he’s glad and happy for her and she deserves it, AK’s note says:

“Vulnerable; heart of Daryl’s problem…wants things to be…they were but they’re not and he’s struggling with that.”

This is something Daryl’s says later to Rick in episode 1: he wants things to go back to how they were in the beginning with just their small group. He’s nostalgic for the prison and the fulfillment he felt there, but obviously, “you can’t go back.”

So yeah. That’s about all I have to say about this. Don’t let other shippers freak you out. They’re gonna say what they’re gonna say, and believe what they’re gonna believe and that’s their right. Keep in mind, they said the same thing about 5x06, because it was about Daryl and Carol running around Atlanta together. Nothing. They said it about their cabin scenes in 7x10. Nope. It won’t be any more true now than at any other time they’ve said it. The show, the show runners, and the actors have told us again and again that Carol and Daryl’s relationship is platonic.

In fact…okay this is a different ship and I’m sorry to mix them, but I was glancing back through Asks that I answered prior to 9x01 airing, and I received and answered a LOT of worried Anons about the Darsita ship. The Darsita shippers were really laying it on thick at that time about how that ship would go canon this season. 

Again, I’m a ship and let ship sort of person, but all their theories have already been pretty much disproved. We don’t know what will happen the rest of the season, of course, but we already know Rosita is with FG and spoilers tell us she’ll cheat on him…but not with Daryl. So please don’t let the shippers freak you out.

Yes, we’re shippers too and I’m sure they say similar things to this about us, but we’re also the only ones I know of that pay attention to actual symbolism in the show and listen closely to what tptb and others involved in the production actually tell us.

And then there’s that shot of Beth lying beside Daryl in Rick’s hallucination in 9x05. Just saying. ;D

[momo-de-avis]

So, as per @insanityisfine ‘s wishes, here is the story of how a hardcore catholic member of the Opus Dei repressed his homoeroticism with sexism and plagiarized Harry Potter thus teaching me a valuable lesson about writing.

So, let’ call this guy C.

C, as I said, was a hardcore catholic. By that I mean, of course, that you couldn’t actually tell until you actually met him. Though he kind of dressed like your average beto (but not so much, since he was kind of poor), he kind of came off as a regular dude who you could have a conversation with. Except, of course, if you were a girl. In which case you’d get a huge creepy vibe just from engaging with him shortly. He touched a lot, he leaned in, he smiled way too much and he had a really, really weird way of going about women.

First of all, a little background. C was like, the sixth brother of like, I don’t even remember, 10? 12? His mom was a super, hyper devote catholic and his dad—surprise, surprise—was a locksmith atheist who he venerated. The two—MOST SHOCKING OF ALL—were actually divorced. I know. The scandal.

They weren’t really poor, but they weren’t middle class either. They were adrift, you know. Which makes you wonder—how the hell does a family of like, 10 children and one single and stay-at-home mom manage to get this entire progeny into private schools (so Private they didn’t follow the regular, state-issued high school program, they actually had a list of banned books: I cannot tell you how much he despised Saramago lmao) and into high-end universities (like Católica)? Well, that’s where Opus Dei comes in. I never really understood how the fuck that works, but if you’re a member, you basically got a green card to live as a king even though you gotta mend the holes in your socks yourself.

The thing was, this guy was peak Mommy Issues. His mother was a goddamn viper. From what I gathered, because of her religion and the fact that she was divorced with so many fucking children at home, she was desperate to control her children. So the way she found of doing it was by simply playing mind games with them. She pitied her kids against each other. She clearly had a favourite one, and she compared all others to him. C was treated like waste, like he would never achieve the primal status of perfection his older brother achieved, and his sisters were constantly getting into fights because she used hearsay to pity them against each other. I also vividly remember him saying things like a kiss were banned from his TV, and his grandmother would smack whoever if they even dared to glance at the television when something as dirty as that came on. Mommy here would particularly pick on C. She specifically had him share a room with his youngest brother, who always went to bed earlier, specifically so she could complain about how late he got home, and she often hid his laptop away from him. She never even gave them a single phone, they always had to buy it themselves, with their money.

So you see, lovely home already. Which I would have accepted as an excuse, if he hadn’t grown up to be a huge dick. But you know, trauma or not, life in the end is made of choices, and boy, C chose to be a spiteful, humongous dick.

I met him in my first year of college. He was in this group with two other girls and another guy (C on the list I mentioned, let’s call him Z, cause he will be important for the story as well). We got together first because we were all, in 2010, some of the few who had been born in 1989. We were the ’89 group. And damn bitch, that was one fucking weird group. It was like Friends on a budget: they all tried to sleep with each other like there were no cast members left to fuck.

Initially, I thought he was nice, easy-going. We bonded over our passion for writing, mostly. You know the snippets I’ve been sharing of my WIP, with Selena as the protagonist? At the time, I was working on it, it was my second draft, and he was helping me construct the story, along Z (actually, Z is an even bigger dick, but he was the one who provided me the key ingredients into shaping the story. Literally, if it wasn’t for him, that WIP wouldn’t exist). We would sit for hours at this local café talking about it, and let me tell you, I hesitated, yeah, but C was quick to share his WIP with me.

Now, that WIP? When I explain to you what it was about, it’ll throw you off because the premise is actually cool as fuck. Basically, it’s about a young man who finds himself a victim of a curse. The curse causes his skin to fall off, and the only way he can survive is by killing other people and perform a skin transfer so his own skin can regenerate.

Sound rad as hell, doesn’t it?! Except this is C. And C really has a way of masterfully destroying things that look cool to the eye of the beholder.

Well, this cool ass premise? This how it kicks off:

The protagonist is a young kid, I don’t know, of 17 or 18, who’s hanging out Cais do Sodré at 4AM and somehow—somehow—that is weird enough for a police guy to approach him. For those not Portuguese: let me tell you as a person who lives across the river form Lisbon. Cais do Sodré is a liminal space, and the shit that happens there between 3 and 5AM? It stops being weird after a couple of months. Literally no police come near you unless someone’s fighting or someone’s pissing in broad daylight. So I really don’t get wtf this guy was going on about, but moving on.

This dude’s skin’s falling off, so he kills the police guy. Then, he takes off and sees a guy sitting on a public bench wearing, and I quote, «the habit of a monk» (yes, I have the document open right now). That guy tells him, literally, ‘I am a wizard and you can’t hurt me, my name is Cedric’ and this begins the long line of plagiarizing HP. Wait for it, it gets better.

Also, if you’re wondering if this is set in Lisbon, despite there being exactly one Portuguese name? Yes it is. In Sintra, too.

THEN it skips to summer (I have no clue what the fuck that intro is supposed to tell you) and we’re in Sintra, specifically Galamares (the story gets oddly specific). This guy’s out partying with his beto friends and shit, and one night he meets a 25 year old French dude called Goulage who invites him over to his mansion for the weekend and what does our protagonist do? He goes, of course.

This already feels like a premise for a horror story that will inevitably turn into an erotic romance, but remember: this dude’s hyper catholic, and to him homosexuality was not just… a Sin. You see, for it to be a sin, you actually have to think about it. Thing was, this guy pushed it down so far he was deepthroating that denial. He avoided it at all costs. And naturally, what happens when you do this, is your story gets an unnaturally homoerotic subtext that jumps off like a dildo slapping you across the forehead. That’s exactly what happened here.

It gets obvious in the way he describes this French dude: he mentions that going over to one of his parties was ‘a privilege’ for merely ‘a lucky few like [protagonist]’. When he gets to his physical appearance, it gets really neat: he had a smile that went ‘from ear to ear’, ‘glistening eyes, dark and full’ and his hair ‘could be described with one word: confusion, or in another: revolt’ because he had hairs that ‘turned against each other like someone who doesn’t comb their hairs after getting off the shower’. And then, the exact next bit of text says some of the funniest things in this piece of shit: ‘if I were an aspiring psychologist I would say there is a very profound reason for his hairs to be like that, perhaps an inner confusion’. He also says he ‘moves with extraordinary lightness, seemed to be everywhere and spoke with great expression coordinating his words with his gestures. He would be a great professor, if he were ever up to that’.

Two paragraphs later, the love interest, a girl, shows up. Her description? ‘She would look great in a bikini’—a direct thought of the protagonist

There’s this incredible exchange where Goulage snaps his fingers and fire spits out of his finger and he does this to light the protagonist’s fucking cigarette and the protagonist is like ‘wow you gotta teach me that’ and the dude’s reply is ‘I can teach you many tricks’. So the French dude promises a class that night, and off they go to ‘the basement, that was entirely dark’ lmfao. Goulage then prepares a drink for him and the protagonist slams down on the floor, unconscious. Yes, date-rape drug. When he comes to—and by god, bear with me on this one cause I fought against this little shit for this scene—he touches his neck and realizes there are two small wounds there.

What does this genius think?

‘I was bitten by a snake’

I remember SO WELL the conversation I had with him about this bit, because at this point the snake comes off as very, VERY evident homoerotic symbolism because in no fucking world would it make sense for a snake to bite you in the fucking neck, what are you talking about, and I tried to make him see that but boy—lost time.

When summer ends, our protagonist realizes the date-rape thing was actually the French dude’s way of cursing him with his skin disease from hell and the two get into a fight.

Now, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know there is a maxim I live by: there are no bad ideas, just ideas that need working. C was actually the one who taught me that, because he actually had a really, REALLY fantastic idea for a story that he completely fucked up because he refused to do any work besides sitting at his laptop and shitting a few words together. He did no revision (he thought himself above that), did no research (he couldn’t understand why that was needed, when he could simply copy it from existing books) and he did no fucking work on his plot—and if you tried to show him, he would take your criticism to heart.

Because not only is this a story about a protagonist who lives under a curse that causes his skin to fall off and his only way of survival is killing so he manages to make a new skin transfer, this is actually the Friends to Enemies trope, which I fucking adore. But he fucked it up completely by somehow—somehow I have no clue how exactly—doing it in light of the entirety of Harry Potter. (My favourite sentence in this WIP is—and I remind you, I quoting this shit: “I am going to the suburbs, so many people disappear there they won’t notice my presence”. Absolute fucking poetry, this little gem. Love it.)

This is set in a wizardry school and this somehow relates to elves in Lisbon (lmfao). Cedric dude from the beginning? He’s from the Ministry of Magic (YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN). They teleport to some fucking city that is like, magically concealed behind a barrier or some shit in Sintra (LMAO). Also, wizards are divided in Orders like, First and second and shit, which I understand also comes from HP (remember I never read HP, these comparisons were actually made for me by an HP aficionado I used to know who pointed them out for me, yet even I could see the plagiarism lmao). And what’s even funnier, most of the names are lifted from somewhere obvious: Gorbachev is there, so is Oskar Koskoshka (yes, like the painter) or Gorbunov. And guess what non wizards are called lmfao.

Also, the spells are exactly like HP: stupefy, stritia maxima, accio fogo, incarcerous and invicta are some of the few I caught eye of here.

I remember there’s a Brolyk somewhere in there as well, and someone called Polidoro, even fucking FREEZER is here (if you’re not Portuguese: that’s our version of Frieza lmfaooo). Oh, and Marowak as well (that’s a pokemon isn’t it?) The protagonist at some point is recruited to work for the, idk, FBI of the wizardry world? Or the Wizard Police Department or Wizard CSI or some shit?

I remember the climax of the story is a sword fight between he two former friends, totally-not-gay-nope dudes and the way he did it… It was in a poem that sounds like a DDR recital. Like, first he gets this swarm of anger that, as it always goes, propels him to be the Best There Is and the weirdest fucking modern poetry ensues, and then the fight scene is like this: “Step forward, attack through the right / step left, attack forward” etc etc. Just this fucking SHIT.

So yeah, when this guy showed me this my reaction was pretty much

Now, I TRIED to be critical in a constructive way. Because, as I said, his premise is actually super fucking original and, being well worked out, it could have been actually incredible. But C refused to take criticism. When he approached anyone with his ‘would you like yo read my story and tell me what you think’ mumbo-jumbo, he didn’t mean criticism, he meant praise.

So what happened was he did to me what he thought I was doing to him. He put me down constantly.

Joke was on him. He was so excited about my story, he actually went on google sketch to project some scenarios from my story. The School, where the story starts and introduces Selena to us, he actually fucking drew the whole thing, so I don’t really know what his problem was cause he was actually more excited about it than I was.

But he just couldn’t take the fact that I was being critical of his work. I started noticing that most people around him hesitated when it came to giving him real opinions. When he asked someone what they thought, he didn’t say ‘what do you think?’ He’d say ‘it’s good, isn’t it?’ and that left people cornered. But I just.. don’t take shit. And my friend back then, who knew HP back and forth, he jumped in as well because he could see that like, if this thing would ever see the light of day, JK Rowling would have a field day suing his ass (though it’s way too bad for it ever to reach publishing, trust me. He doesn’t know how to accent prepositions. He writes “fui áquela casa” or “vou á casa de banho” by fucking hand).

He constantly nit-picked my work. “Swords don’t wheeze, Ana” he said. “I know, C, it’s called a fucking metaphor”.

“This looks too much like the Chronicles of Narnia, I think you’re risking plagiarism, because of this Tiger symbolism”; “C, the Chronicles of Narnia has a Lion passing for Jesus, the Tiger is literally just a symbol of a god, what do you mean”.  

“This is too much like the Mists of Avalon”; “have you even read the Mists of Avalon?”, “no, but it’s celtic paganism all the same”, “???????????????”

Now, here’s another thing about C: he really had no fucking clue how to deal with women. They were alien concepts to him. And one thing he really believed (I mean he really believed this) worked wonders in conquering a girl’s heart was basically put her down and annihilate her self esteem. Call her ugly, say she’s fat, tell her she’s got ugly teeth—and then provide the compliments! So he was a professional sexist. And I remember when he started picking on me because I dared criticized his masterful magnus opus of a fucking piece of shit book, he went in for the looks. At the time, I was about to go on the table for my jaw surgery, and he actually said this to me: “Finally men will look at you, Ana, and you’ll look decent!” He would ell other people “Ana? She’s not a girl, to me she’s a guy—she’s even too ugly to be a girl”.

He really went fucking hard.

It didn’t take long for me to just… fuck off.

But I kept his fucking first and second draft

What’s outstanding is how a hyper-catholic dude who wasn’t allowed to see kisses on TV and who was a virgin at 24 years old out of religious beliefs but bragged about getting a boner for his female friends on the beach managed to just… Become my prime example of everything you shouldn’t be as a writer. I am not kidding. C was my life lesson. Whenever I can’t write, I go back to his first draft and like… It’s so fucking bad, I get a boost. IT’s not just poorly written, everything about it is bad.

But then I remember what’s so bad about it: he made it bad by being a shit person. C thrived off of attention, negative or positive, it didn’t matter, so long as he was the subject of the conversation. He used others to aggrandize himself, by putting them down and treating them like shit in front of others—specifically, in an environment where others couldn’t control but he could (his brothers used to make jokes in front of me—as well as literally everyone else, whether I know them or not, about how C was fucking me—he wasn’t—and say things like ‘is she the one you’re eating?’ in public). He hated women because of his mother, his mommy issues were down to his marrow and man, he projected that onto every girl he ever met. He specifically sough women with little initiative, little impulsivity and who submitted so he wouldn’t be challenged. For friends and girlfriends.

But I challenged him, and that wouldn’t stick. So he treated me like shit, constantly. So much at one point I stopped showing up, stopped talking, just.. walked away.

But those shitty first drafts? Oh, my friends… you wouldn’t believe the shit I have here in my computer.

[averil-of-fairlea]

Pendulum

Based on: Imagine having to choose between T’Challa and M’Baku  from @thefandomimagine + Imagine coming to Shuri for advice from @pocsuperheroimagines. || A million thanks to @siancore @nina-sj and @theimaginesyouneveraskedfor​ for beta reading || More love-triangle fanfic (based on“The Hobbit”):  Too Hot (Parts 1, 2 and 3),  The Good Fight, and Two Promises (Parts 1 and 2) || Masterlist

M’Baku is standing near an enormous stone fireplace, commanding his feast hall with an authoritative stance. Guests head toward a long harvest table, fastidiously carved from a expansive tree trunk with thick branches for support. 

A rainbow of vegetarian dishes is served on wide leaf beds and placed on etched wooden platters in a row down the center of the table. A savory, squash-based soup in a large hollowed pumpkin is the star of the table.

As beautiful as the setting is, M’Baku cannot hide his disdain for this gathering. You’ve known it since your arrival two months ago: the leader of the Jabari tribe is clearly a reluctant host of the group you are part of. You and the others in your party, representatives of a number of countries, have been invited by King T’Challa himself to participate in a foreign outreach program, established shortly after his announcement at the U.N.

How in the world T’Challa convinced M’Baku to get involved with building new bridges between nations, you will never know.

At least on the surface, the two men are vastly different. Yet they are of one accord when it comes to protecting what they love: family, friends, citizens, land. You admire them both for their conviction and loyalty.

While everyone takes seats, you take notes. M’Baku is flanked by an advisor on one side, sharing the delegates’ itinerary on a sheet of paper, and a member of King T’Challa’s council on the other, trying in vain to get him to look at the same information on her vibranium-powered tablet instead. He looks annoyed.

“Why do they require so many meals?” Shaking his head at the paper itinerary, M’Baku doesn’t even try to whisper. He launches into rhetorical questions that everyone can hear. “Are they working with their hands all day, or on the water? What tasks are these foreigners doing during their visit that call for constant food?”

You stifle a laugh, loving how M’Baku expresses his intolerance for stupidity and wasted time through exasperated commentary. Honestly, that’s what you’ve come to like most about him.

Liar! You like a whole lot more than that. He and T’Challa both have captivated you, and they’ve shown undeniable interest in you, too. Neither of them gives anyone else the smoldering looks and intentional brushes against the hand when passing, or engages in profound discussion as they do to you. You get the feeling that all this attention may lead to an invitation for some romantic one-on-one time. What you don’t realize is that it will happen today.

M’Baku finally takes his seat in an oversized wooden chair. Its height and breadth - like the man himself - state the obvious: he is in charge. As you sip your soup, you start to wonder about other ways he takes command, and the heat of your thoughts causes you to stop mid-slurp. M’Baku calls you by your first and last names, and you snap out of your daydreaming at hearing his deep, assertive tone.

“If you don’t like the soup, there are at least fifteen other meals you and your friends can look forward to today,” he says.

Scattered, nervous laughter skips around the table at his exaggeration. You smile and dab the corners of your mouth with your napkin.

“Everything is delicious,” you answer truthfully.

“Then why do you look troubled?”

More like horny. You wave it off. “I just have something on my mind. I’m fine.” Vague but true. You take a long sip, then slowly raise your head to meet his mesmerizing gaze.

“Leave us,” M’Baku says suddenly. The guests and advisors rise quickly and without question or fuss.  

M’Baku exchanges a few words with T’Challa’s council member, who then gives you an assuring nod and smile. She leads the delegates around you toward a vestibule. “We are going to the lab for the tour. Your transport will be here momentarily,” she whispers before exiting.

Once the room is cleared, M’Baku waits a few moments before speaking. He leans back in his great chair, his index finger sliding across his bottom lip. Your imagination soars again.

“You are unlike the others,” he says at last.

“How so?” you ask, genuinely curious about his assessment of you.

“They are terrified of me. They scurried like mice the moment I opened my mouth.” He gestures toward the chairs where the other delegates sat. “But you show respect, not terror. And yet….” He pauses again and gives the slightest hint of an amused smile. If you blink, you’ll miss it. “You are trembling. In fact, you have done so every time we’ve met.”

Out of nowhere, it feels as if an oven has been turned on your face while the rest of you fights off the shiver he’s just pointed out.

“It’s probably the change in weather,” you suggest, unconvincingly. “I’m chilly.”

“How does that explain when you’re in the heat of the day?”

You hold your breath for a second, trying unsuccessfully to think of a quick comeback that actually makes sense.

“I can’t explain it,” you concede. It’s a relief to stop pretending you have all the answers.

“I can.”  

M’Baku rises from his chair and you do the same, feeling the butterflies unleash in your belly like never before around him. Once you’re standing, he moves closer.  You’re finding it hard to breathe.

“Join me here later tonight, and I will tell you,” he says, just as his adviser briefly peeks in to announce your ride back to the lab is waiting.  

Another second alone, and you might have been in his arms.  

“We will talk and sit by the fire, away from any chill,” M’Baku says, walking you toward the vestibule, “then we will see if it is still the weather that makes you tremble, or what I suspect.”                    

                                                        ***

A few hours later, a soft knock on the door of your guest quarters in King T’Challa’s palace tears you away from a book that doesn’t interest you much, but keeps your mind off your emotions. The king announces himself. At hearing his voice, your heart races as you move from the bed to the door and open it for him.

Clothed in a black tunic with intricate white-thread detailing down the center as well as coordinating black trousers, he enters with a smile and swagger.

You bend at the waist in reverence, noticing as you stand upright that he has something in his hands: it appears to be a blend of a metronome and a pendulum.

“It’s beautiful.” You already know there’s something special about it. Everything and everyone here is.

The king nods and his smile widens. “Yes. Shuri designed it, at my request. For you.” He places it with care in your hands. 

“Thank you…” The words don’t seem to be enough. It’s lighter than it looks, with its dark silver body and softer scrollwork accents framing the brilliant vibranium orb. It slides from side to side, a circle resembling the sparkling blue ocean at sunrise. You gaze into the blue glow.

“There is a most perplexing song you listen to - I hear you playing it when you are in our library.” He blinks, and his luscious lashes flutter as he points to the iPod on your bed. You know the tune he’s talking about.  

“Oh, that song is a mess,” you say, laughing. “It’s jumpy, but I love it.” You had no idea you’d been playing it so loud that he could hear it - or that he’d been observing you.  

T’Challa holds a finger up and his eyes brighten. “That is the one! The beats are irregular, to say the least.” He smiles that lopsided smile, as uneven as the rhythms you love. “Shuri found the song for me. She was also intrigued with the rhythm, and she was inspired to design this machine - with a little push from me, that is. It works like a metronome in that it can keep a beat. But this one can follow any beat in any piece of music, no matter how varying.” He moves in closer to you and runs his finger along the curved edges of the device. “It only needs to take in the tune for a few seconds, and it can predict the outcome of the song. It’s very intuitive.”

“It reminds me of a pendulum, too,” you say, looking from T’Challa to the object. The beauty of both hypnotize you.

He nods with a grin. “It has the properties of a pendulum as well. That is what Shuri prefers to call it.”

The king starts talking about wider applications for the metronome-pendulum hybrid. As he speaks, you can’t help but gaze at his supple lips, his neatly trimmed facial hair, his broad shoulders. That sensual imagination of yours could win awards.

“Is that a ‘yes’?” he asks.  

Embarrassed, you have no clue what he’s talking about. You were so busy checking him out that you missed something. Fortunately, he sees your confusion and graciously repeats his proposal.

“A late night walk through the gardens after dinner, around 10. I will meet you in the conservatory.” He smiles that smile again.

Completely caught off guard, you set the pendulum atop a mahogany cabinet. You don’t want to refuse him, but you feel it’s only right to let him know you might be busy later. “I would love to, King T’Challa, but -”

“Please,” he says, holding up his hand for a moment. “I am not so formal.”

“T’Challa.” You breathe his name effortlessly. Any awkwardness you thought you’d feel from dropping his title is nonexistent. “I might have another engagement tonight.”  

He looks off for a moment, thinking, his face expressionless. “I do not remember anything so late on the itinerary.”

You glance at your shoes before explaining: “It isn’t part of the itinerary.”

Now he has an expression: curiosity, a hint of disappointment, followed by what can only be described as acceptance.

“I see,” he says, slowly nodding. “M’Baku. I was told he ended the lunch early to have a word with you.”  

That oven-on-your-face feeling returns. “If I go tonight, we’re just going to chat.”  

T’Challa chuckles. “Chatting is not something I would associate with M’Baku,” he says, “but perhaps you have changed him.” He looks deep into your eyes. “You have that effect on me as well. I am all the better for knowing you.”

You could honestly melt into a puddle right there. You truly hope you haven’t hurt him.

“Well, you still have several hours to decide,” T’Challa says.

“Decide?”

“Where you truly want to be.”

You gulp noisily, sure of only one thing: two remarkable men desire your company tonight, and spending time with either one of them would be an honor.

T’Challa takes a few steps back toward the door.

“I look forward to seeing you later,” he says, then utters your name. It’s never sounded so sweet.

                                                     ***

After that visit, you can’t get back into your book. You need guidance. So, accompanied by a guard, you visit Princess Shuri’s impressive lab, where she’s tinkering with small, floating gadgetry that probably has enough power to melt the world’s ice caps. The guard announces you, then excuses herself. A bright smile lights up the princess’s face

“Here for another tour?” she asks.  

You walk in but keep your distance, not wanting to disturb her concentration. “I was just wondering about your work. I hope I’m not interrupting.”  

“Not at all.” She beckons you to stand by her, and you do.

“What is it you would like to know?” Shuri asks.

“Do you have an invention that can help people make decisions about...feelings?” You can’t think of an easier or less pathetic way of asking it.

She laughs. “That’s what your mind and heart are for.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know which to follow.”  

“Does this have anything to do with T’Challa?” She smiles, then touches the small gadget with a slender, stylus-like instrument and it makes a buzzing sound.  

“Um...“ You don’t know how much you should reveal. This is T’Challa’s sister, after all.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Shuri says. “But tell me this: which is speaking louder, heart or mind?” Her are eyes still on the tech but she’s 100 percent listening to you.

“They’re both equally loud. I go from one to the other, back and forth.

“Sounds like a certain gift I made at the request of my brother,” she says with a wink.

“It’s gorgeous. Thank you.” 

Shuri puts down her instruments and focuses on you. “You are welcome. But back to your problem. Relax and think. Which makes you happier: what you’re hearing from your heart, or from your mind?”

She’s looking at you with such intensity that you swear she can see your thoughts. You close your eyes and consider her question. Two answers catch in your throat, competing to be uttered. But only one emerges victorious. Finally you understand; finally you see. Your smile tells the princess you’ve figured it out.

“You see?” she says, beaming. “You don’t need a lab invention to make a choice for you,” she says. “You just need courage.”

“I hope you mean liquid courage.”

“Liquid courage is deceptive!” Shuri says through a laugh. “You must find your own courage, and trust it.”

                                                       ***

Standing at the entrance of the appointed meeting place, you take a deep, cleansing breath. Peace and excitement simultaneously wash over you as you knock twice firmly on the door.

You’ve sent word to the man you won’t be meeting that you are unavailable, with your sincerest apologies. You still consider him nothing short of amazing. But he is not the one you’re drawn to. Your courage has told you so.

The door opens, revealing the handsome face behind it.  

[occupyvenus]

The good, the bad, the ugly, the incredibly STUPID and the thin silver lining

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPOILERS FOR LEAKED EPISODE 6 UNDER THE CUT  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU ARE ON MOBILE, APPROACH WITH CAUTION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME.  FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME. FUCK ME.

Why didn’t Dickhead & Douchebag just break into my house, take a giant dump in my living room and then ask me to pay for it?  Why don’t Dipshit & Dumbass just put a bullet in my head and end my misery???? WHAT THE UNHOLY FUCK

Okay, that’s not really enough, but just to get this out of the way. Let’s start: 

THE GOOD

Finally a dragon died. Only real good thing in the episode. Undead Ice-Dragon is kinda cool, I’ll admit that.

Some of the interactions of the let’s-go-die-beyond-the-wall-like-a-bunch-of-fucking-idiots-squad were funny? - interesting? I guess? 

The differences between Tyrion and the D are getting more profound. He’ll turn on her in season 8. Thank god. Fuck god for saving all the interesting plotlines for later. 

The undead ice bear was pretty sweet as well. 

Jon looking hot in his furs.

THE BAD

“Bad” is too weak a word for all the bullshit that happened. All of that was moved to the “incredibly stupid” section. It can only be used for the things that weren’t on screen: 

No Bran. Couldn’t he simply end this amazingly-fucking-idiotic-piece-of-shit-ooc feud between his sisters? Both Sansa and Arya know about his visions, why isn’t one of them just going to him for some info? But that would make too much sense, so D&D cut Bran from the plot, hoping we are all to stupid to notice. 

No Cersei, no Jaime, no Euron. (Yes, that’s bad. The Cersei-stuff is the only thing that was kinda thrilling this season.)

Plotlines that were completely forgotten: Euron having Yara, Grey Worm and the Unsullied in Casterly Rock, as stated above no Bran, no Theon. Establishing a plot point just to let lie unused for the rest of the season is bad writing.

THE UGLY

Jon didn’t choose to go to Kings Landing. Blondie just put him on a boat while he was knocked out. Not happy about it happening, but at least he didn’t ditch WF for the stupid stupid dragon pit meeting by choice. 

The Wight hunt was as close to filler as you can get in a show like this. Half the episode was Benjen showing up was completely useless, if Jon had just hopped on the dragon with anyone else he wouldn’t have been left behind. No major human character died. (Thoros is not as important as say Tormund). 

BERIC FUCKING DONDARRION TEASING A FUCKING BOSS-FIGHT WITH THE KNIGHT KING ONLY FOR IT NOT TO HAPPEN. LIKE FUCK YOU TOO, BERIC. FUCK YOU.

THE INCREDIBLY STUPID 

I know they are playing loose with the timeline BUT HOW LONG WAS THE SUICIDE SQUAD WAITING FOR THE D IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT FROZEN LAKE? A couple of days, right? Gendry getting back to Eastwatch, a raven flying to Dragonstone, the D getting her dragons and flying beyond the Wall. How long did they camp there? 

Speaking of that: If they Army of the dead is close enough to the wall, that Gendry can sprint back there in one go.... Shouldn’t they just breach the wall within the next 24 hours tops? 

How did they fight off the Wights for so long? They only way to kill them is with fire, there is no reason for them to stop moving when cut down with a normal blade. 

Again the story beat with Benjen showing up was so fucking useless. It didn’t accomplish anything (Jon is super dead, btw. The fucker fell into icecold water, he like froze to death. Believe me it happened, even if they didn’t show that. Don’t let the show fool you.) other than killing his character in a completely senseless way. What? There’s no time to get on the horse? Just like there was no time for Jon to get on the fucking dragon?

Fuck, if one of those bright minds would have thought about taking a bow and some dragonglass-arrow heads with them, they could have killed the night king and the rest of the White Walkers right then and there. But no. That would have taken some logical thinking and planning.  

Beric teasing a fucking showdown with the Night King. Yeah Beric tell out

Why can’t they bring Thoros back to Eastwatch when they haven’t even come that far???  I mean what the fuck??? 

Under the assumption that there is no twist involved: WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING TO ARYA? LIKE WHAT THE FUCK? I don’t really know what else to say about this... 

Rant under the assumption that there is no twist involved: I was this close to throwing up, like I was seriously physically sick over Jon being all “D*ny, My queen, they will if they see you for what you really are” uugggghhhh .... *kotz* so eine elendige scheiße. Fuck. ... 

Please keep reading the next section because those two “plots” are so extremely stupid I can’t believe they are actually really happening the way it seems right now.

THE THIN SILVER LINING

Still not sure if I’m buying Jon’s “feelings” for the D. Nothing we saw from Kit’s performance so far (especially last episode) build up to that. Plus, Tormund reminding him how many people died because of Mance’s stubbornness. Jon didn’t give two shits about the dragons last episode, there is no reason for him to be that heartbroken now. If his targ-blood was supposed to give him an instant connection to those fucking ugly fire-breathing lizards he could have just answered “yes, they are beautiful” last episode. But he didn’t. If he was supposed to be super in love with the D, he could have turned around when leaving. But he didn’t, quite contrary they emphasised that by Jorah turning around. Nothing about Jon so far suggested that he actually has any kind of serious feelings for her. They didn’t write in a single scene where both of them bonded as people.  Jon was still refusing to kneel last episode, the only two things that could have changed his minds: 1. Tormund talking shit about Mance. 2. witnessing how effective the D’s dragons are against the WW.  Still holding out hope for Jon playing her to get her help. It doesn’t make any sense otherwise (though would that stop Dickhead&Douchebag ???) Plus, Beric doubling down on “we are not fighting for a king/queen on a chair, we are fighting for life against death” and Jon doubling down on his former nights watch vows of shielding the realms of men ... makes it hard to believe that Jon would suddenly decide to serve “his queen” .Uuuughhhh..... I can’t believe I had to hear that with my own to ears. Can I sue Dickhead&Douchebag for compensation for my mental and emotional pain?  His behaviour towards the D after waking up, taking her hand, calling her his queen, appearing heartbroken about Viserion’s death, TAKING THE FUCKING BLAME FOR THIS MISSION WHEN HE ONLY WENT BECAUSE THE D REFUSED TO HELP HIM BEFORE, praising her, etc is so over the top, standing in such a vast contrast to his behaviour the previous episodes, it’s hard to take it as genuine. It’s so fucking cheesy, I never thought I would ever hear something like that out of Jon's mouth. If they had taken it only a nudge down I might be ready to buy it ... but like this??? I’m crossing my finger that Jon is only saying what the D wants to hear. Why would he call her “D*ny” ??? Seriously why? They never addressed each other on a first-name-basis.  He hasn’t called her anything but “Your Grace” until now. They could have easily written in a scene where the D tells him “you don’t have to call me your grace”, for example after the dragon-petting, to make it more believable. Jon first declines, but now makes good on that offer, going a step farther and calling her by a nickname. This came out of nowhere for Jon (the D had been making hearteyes at him, but the other way around? Naah.), it makes absolutely no sense.  I’ll say it again: Season 7 j0nerys can be described with two words: Obvious and superficial. It smells of red herring, it still does, because other than the hard-core-shippers the audience had no time or reason to actually get emotionally involved in this relationship. There was no “human moment” between them so far, none that didn’t end with their “kneel!” “no,fuck you” dilemma. 

If this amazingly-fucking-stupid-useless-piece-of-shit-ooc starkbowl is a trick to end LF, Sansa doesn’t know about it. Arya is so ooc and insufferable right now, it only makes sense if she (and maybe Bran) came up with this convoluted plan to get one over LF somehow. Why and How I don’t know, but it would be a nice enough twist to justify this giant turd of a plot. Maybe to get LF to feel safe, believing that Sansa has no other choice but to rely on him? Still holding out hope, because Arya just can’t be that stupid (THE LAST THING SHE SAW OF SANSA WAS HER PLEADING FOR THEIR FATHER’S LIFE BEING RESTRAINED BY THE KINGSGUARD AND FAINTING AFTER THEY CUT OFF THEIR FATHER'S HEAD). But all those interactions make me believe that at least Sansa doesn’t know about the plan. I hope, like really hope, that this will be resolved that way. Arya will kill LF next episode, revealing that she was playing LF and Sansa (he’s always following you around, I couldn’t risk him noticing something, I had to leave you in the dark) with a tender, lovely sister moment where apologizes for all the shit she said, saying that she doesn’t hold Sansa responsible for their father's death. I swear to all the goods, if that was just Arya, without a hidden agenda, I’m rooting for her to die on the show (book!Arya would never be like this. never). Her character is dead to me if that really is what she thinks and how she’s feelings. 

To sum this up: The Wight Hunt was the most stupid thing ever. If both Jon and Arya are truly thinking and feeling how they are show to be .... I will lay my two favourite book characters to rest. I want all of them to die. I hope the White Walkers win and kill every single living thing in Westeros. FUck D&D. Seriously, fuck them. You can tell that they only meant to have 7 seasons, but then decided to stretch the last one, write in some senseless, useless bullshit and then cut it in half. 

Unless they are turning a lot of this around in s8, grrm should be given the right to cut of their fucking, incompetent heads for ruining his life’s work.  

There’s probably more, but for now I’ll leave you with this. 

[lorrainewiseman]

Three Ways of Defining Leadership

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Here are 3 popular ways of defining leadership, each from a slightly different perspective:

Leadership means being the dominant individual in a group.

Leadership means getting things done through people.

Leadership means challenging the status quo, promoting a better way.

For many, leadership means doing all three of these things but there are subtle and important differences. Let’s look at them one by one.

Leadership means being the dominant individual in a group.

In primitive tribes and higher animal species the dominant individual was the leader. Being the leader simply meant having the power to attain and hold the top position for a reasonable length of time. Contrary to definition 2, you could be the leader without getting anything done through others. A leader was the person in charge even if the group was in a stable state where people went about their business as normal. As long as group members obeyed the leader’s rules, the leader did not even need to be actively involved in the lives of group members, let alone get anything done through them. You could also be the leader in such a group without promoting a better way as suggested by definition 3. If you didn’t need to be voted into power, why have a platform for change? You simply seized power; no sales pitch was needed on how you could make life better for the group. Yes, such leaders may have led groups successfully in battle and built great monuments with them, but, strictly speaking, you could be the leader without achieving anything through a group effort. The meaning of leadership, according to this definition, is simply to be at the top of the pile.

Leadership means getting things done through people.

Great leaders throughout history have led their groups to momentous achievements, but the idea that leadership should be defined as getting things done through people has been developed most fully by modern business, which is all about achieving results. As business has become more complex, the leadership challenge has grown form one of the simple issuing of orders to a few “hands” to the subtle coordination of highly skilled, diverse knowledge workers to build sophisticated machines and put men on the moon. There is a problem with this definition of leadership, however. It used to belong to management. Why the switch from management to leadership? And is this a good move? Up to the late 1970’s writers used the terms leadership and management interchangeably but with more emphasis on management. For example, the management theorists, Blake and Mouton, developed their famous managerial grid in the 1960’s. At the time, it was portrayed as a way of identifying your management style. Today, in line with the shift to leadership, the name is the same (managerial grid) but it is now positioned as a leadership style instrument.

Similarly, we used to talk about management style more than leadership style. Managers could be either “theory X” and task oriented or “theory Y” and concerned for people. But a profound shift in thinking took place in a revolutionary period lasting from the late 1970’s through the mid 1980’s. The cause of this upheaval was the commercial success of Japanese industry in North America. This led pundits to claim that the U.S. had lost its competitive edge because U.S. management was too bureaucratic, controlling, uninspiring and inept at fostering innovation. Rather than upgrade management, there was an emotional over reaction such that management was rejected and replaced by leadership. Since then, leaders were portrayed as theory Y, inspiring and concerned about people while management got saddled with all the bad guy attributes of being controlling, theory X, uninspiring and narrowly task focused. Similarly, the distinction between being transformational and transactional was originally launched to differentiate two leadership styles, but it wasn’t long before it became used to separate leadership from management, the former being transformational and the latter transactional.

In our haste to trash management, we grabbed whatever tools were handy but with heavy costs. First, we painted leadership into a corner by suggesting that you needed to be an inspiring cheerleader to be a leader, leaving no room for quiet or simply factual leadership. Second, we created a bloated concept of leadership by banishing management. Third, by attaching leadership to getting things done through a team, we associated leadership irrevocably with being in charge of people, thereby ruling out positionless leadership. Yes, there is informal leadership but this concept is essentially the same as formal leadership except for their power bases. Like its formal counterpart, informal leadership still means taking charge and managing a group to achieve a target. In either case, you need to have the personal presence, organizational skills and motivation to take charge to be a leader.

Leadership means challenging the status quo, promoting a better way.

We have always felt, intuitively, that leaders have the courage to stand up and be counted. They go against the grain, often at great risk, to call for change. We only need to look at Martin Luther King, Jr. His leadership rested not so much on his oratorical skills – they were just icing on the cake. He was a leader primarily because he marched and spoke against injustice. He challenged the status quo and promoted a better world.

However, and this is the whole point here, if you think through what it means to challenge the status quo or advocate change, there is no necessary implication that you have to be in charge of the people you are trying to influence. The bottom line is that this third definition, when worked through fully, gives us a way to break the stranglehold of the previous two definitions. The benefit of this move is that we gain a clearer understanding of how all employees can show leadership even if they totally lack the skills or inclination to take charge of groups in a managerial sense, even informally. Think again of Martin Luther King, Jr. He sought to move the U.S. Government and the population at large to think differently about such issues as segregation on buses. His leadership efforts were successful when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled such discrimination unconstitutional. Now, it is obvious that he was not in a managerial role within the Supreme Court. He showed leadership to this group as an outsider. You could say the same of Jack Welch who had a leadership impact on countless businesses around the globe through his novel practices, such as being first or second in a market. Again, those who followed the lead of Jack Welch did not report to him. They were not even members of a common group.

Leadership Reinvented for the 21st Century

If we cast aside the first two definitions of leadership, what is left? If leadership means nothing more than promoting a better way, then we need to upgrade management to take care of everything to do with getting things done through people. We need to say that management does not entail being controlling, bureaucratic or theory X, that they can be as inspiring as they need to be, good at coaching, developing and empowering people.

A critical supporting fact is that the power on which leadership is based is shifting from having a dominant personality to the ability to devise new ways of working, new products and better services. Businesses that compete on the basis of rapid innovation are engaged in a war of ideas and no one has a monopoly on good ideas. This is revolutionary because it suggests that leadership can no longer be about group domination. Now, leadership is a brief influence impact, an episode or act, not an ongoing state or role. You still may need a larger than life personality to ascend to the role of Chief Executive, but leadership conceived as a good idea for a better way can be very small scale and local. Any employee with a better idea can promote it, even if only by example, without having the personal presence to be promoted to a managerial role. Strictly, speaking there are no longer any leaders, only leadership. This view captures the fact that leadership is a fleeting state that can shift quickly from one person to another. It is an impact rather than a type of person or position. It must be so if it can be shown by outsiders.

Key Features of Leadership Reinvented

It does not involve managing people to get things done.

It comes to an end once those led get on board. It sells the tickets for the journey; management drives the bus to the destination.

It is a discrete episode, a one-off act of influence, not an ongoing position of dominance.

It is based on the promotion of a better way.

It can be shown bottom-up as well as top-down.

It can be shown by outsiders and between competing individuals or groups.

Thought Leadership – The Essence of Leadership Reinvented

Organizations today need all employees to think creatively and to promote new products. Promoting a better idea can be called thought leadership. In a knowledge driven environment, the newest, best idea influences others to get on board. When a product developer convinces top management to adopt a new product, that person has shown thought leadership bottom-up. But it can be shown across groups as well. When Microsoft develops products or services invented by Apple or Google, they are following the lead of these innovators. This also is thought leadership.

While the possession of great emotional intelligence and the oratory of a Martin Luther King, Jr. can help thought leaders make their case, it is vital to see that these skills are nice to have add-ons, not an essential part of the meaning of leadership. Technical geeks with zero emotional intelligence and an obnoxious influencing style can show thought leadership if they can demonstrate the value of their ideas. This is very empowering because it moves us away from the demand to develop sophisticated leadership skills as a precondition of showing leadership. Strictly speaking there are no leadership skills, only influencing skills and great content. Imagine asking Tiger Woods. after the end of the third round when he is in the lead, how he developed such great leadership skills. The truth is that he shows leadership through being great at the content of his profession, not by having a separate set of talents called leadership skills. On the other hand, there are very definite management skills. Getting work done through people calls for quite sophisticated interpersonal and organizational skills.

Content is King

The point of the previous section is that convincing content or substance can trump great style or form. Having a larger than life personality may still help you get to be CEO but this is the power of style over substance. If the prospective leader has enough charisma, it almost doesn’t matter what is being advocated (the content). Conversely, thought leadership is most convincing if backed up by hard evidence. Having persuasive influencing skills helps but isn’t essential. This means that front line knowledge workers can focus on what it really takes to show leadership: begin by developing convincing content. If your idea is good enough it will virtually sell itself. It’s not that influencing skills are not valuable. The point is that we can define leadership without mentioning influencing style. Also, there is the fact that opportunists will get on board with a great idea with no persuasion whatsoever. Thus, if it is possible to show leadership without being personally persuasive, then having such skills cannot be a necessary condition to show leadership.

The Future of Leadership

Leadership reinvented can still be shown by CEOs. They just need to accept that much of what they do needs to be reclassified as management. They also need to devote more time to fostering leadership in front line employees, thereby taking empowerment a huge leap forward. If they want to reap the full innovative potential of all employees, CEOs and other managers need to engage and inspire employees more fully. Helping them to see how all employees can show leadership now could make all the difference between winning the war of ideas and falling further behind. Where knowledge rules, the old fashioned conception of leadership as group domination is dangerously obsolete. Complexity drives specialization. It is time to bring management back from the dead to take care of getting things done through people, leaving leadership to focus on finding and promoting new directions.

Definition number 1 may still be good enough to capture what happens in small street gangs and primitive tribes but it is most clearly out of date in a world that is a war of ideas. Number 2 is a mess because it is a total confusion of leadership and management. Only definition number 3 captures all leadership – that shown by people in charge, by those with neither the inclination nor the skills to take charge, and by outsiders like Martin Luther King, Jr. Uniquely, this definition also captures what it means to be a market leading company or a leading individual or team in sports. Leadership is simply a matter of showing the way. One of the many exciting features of this definition is that followers must choose to follow of their own free will because coercive power and authority are missing. Definition number 3 captures the essence of pure leadership.

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