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szopenhauer · 4 years

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Do you like Chanel purses? no

When was the last time you had Pepsi? ages ago

Do you know anyone with exaggeratedly big muscles? not personally

What is your favorite endangered animall? elephant

Can you name someone with the same last name as you? my parents

Who was the last person to scream your name? ...

By the way, that wasnt meant to be perverted. too late I have no idea why I thought about that - no one ever screamed my name this way and nobody ever will :x

Do you struggle to articulate your thoughts and feelings? it seems Name something that you are doing tonight. nothing and I realized that I don’t want to go to sleep more than ever before, I just don’t want to wake up tomorrow and yet I’m scared of dying (suffering)

Do you like the smell of a barbecue? nah

Would you date an 18 year old at the age you are now? too young for me Are you more likely to show affection through your words or your actions? words I guess Do you have an easy time falling asleep? I wish Are you a crier? crybaby Do you like to wear makeup? no Do you have a high tolerance for people? pfft Do you like your bed? why not How many times have you been to the ER? few

Are you wearing shorts? basically never

Do you eat randomly, just whenever the hell you want? ...

Did you have trouble getting up this morning? yeah What’s a few things that automatically make you go, “Awww”? cute little dogs Do you have soft hands? Do you like holding hands? do I? I like to hold hands tho What’s your opinion on perfumes that are REALLY expensive? dumb, I hate perfume but expensive - that is ridiculous! Have you ever really hated a teacher and practically made it clear you did? Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. Are you a little bit cautious around horses? Do they scare you a bit? I’m just a cautious person in general If you could live next door to ANYONE, who would you want to live beside? love of my life, I mean - we can live together but for now it would be cool if we were neighbors at least, you know what I mean? Do you think your friends are pretty? Do your friends think your pretty? what friends... Are you currently worried about your parents finding out about something? maybe mom about that one particular thing that starts on S and ends with X

What is your opinion on air pollution? less cars!

Were you forced to read ‘The Odyssey’ in high school? from what I remember

Who was the last person to come visit you? M.

When was the last time you shaved your legs? recently

Do you own any superhero shirts? nope

What is your opinion on the “Team Edward/Team Jacob” shirts? I dislike Twilight

If you had to teach a class, what would you teach? if I really had to then art

How did your parents meet each other? personal

What profession do you think is the most under-appreciated? garbage collectors, those who clean the streets or hospitals, postmen etc.

Have you ever drawn on someone while they were sleeping? don’t do that

Does time really heal all wounds? Or is that just a trivial saying? trivial saying

Where is your favorite place to take a nap? I don’t do naps but my bed

Would you rather lose all your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? not be able to make new

Have you ever swerved off the road to avoid hitting an animal? I don’t drive

What’s a tradition you hope never dies out? it’s a secret

Do you have any exes you’d consider dating again? I’m dating my ex

Have you ever went a year without getting your hair cut? yes Do you think you could go a week without sugar? without sweets? I already do, I don’t even drink tea with sugar Would you be willing to go one day each week without meat? absolutely Do you feel comfortable telling people how much you weigh? whatever Are you any good at sewing? I know basics Have you looked at any old photos of yourself lately? this year Do you carry a calculator around with you everywhere? I don’t need it that often Do you like to plan things out or just go with the flow? plan but not strictly

Do you garden at all? If so, what types of things do you grow? I help my parents which I find pointless because there is always much more work than results Do you consider cooking to be an art? when done right How many pairs of sunglasses do you own? too many considering that I barely wear ‘em ^^” Are you a fast or slow reader? fast Would you ever spend $500 on concert tickets? hell no Do you know anyone who looks like you? there was a gal who was similar to me on tumblr but younger than me, I lost contact with her Do you get nervous when you go to the doctor? yeah :( Are you a short tempered person? oh well...

Does it take a lot to gross you out? I’m easily grossed out Last time you seen an ocean: never saw ocean in person Do you collect sea shells? not as much as I used to

What is one change you need to make in your life this month? lets not talk about it, ok?

Would you have sex with the last person you texted? done Are you planning on kissing anyone tomorrow evening? she’s gonna be busy working Do you require a lot of private time? yasss Have you ever told a guy you were a lesbian to get him to leave you alone? it’s because I’m a lesbian lmfao If you have a favorite television show, who’s your favorite character? in my most fav shows plot was more important to me than characters tbh, it’s hard to explain, I hope I’m not the only one who thinks this way haha but in Buffy I didn’t like Xander and Angel was annoying even though he was necessary, I wasn’t a fan of Faith and didn’t understand Riley existence in the universe, also Dawn changed a lot for worse but I swallowed it with patience, in Call the midwife I felt crappy when they took Chummy and Jenny away, I didn’t watch newest episodes so I have no idea who Lucille and Valerie are, I horribly miss sister Evangelina :(

What’s the best part about flying? don’t ask me, I’ve never been on a plane

Did you ever watch Sailor Moon? fragments

Chocolate or Vanilla ice cream? vanilla

If you had to get glasses would you wear contacts? I’d prefer glasses

Are mac’s really better than PC’s? I’m a PC gal

D0 y0u l1k3 t0 t@lk l1k3 a 5c3n3 k1d? *cringe*

When you were red and green clothes do you feel like a Christmas Tree? lol

What TV show has the best theme song? hard choice

New Year’s Plans? I don’t plan to live that long

Would you agree that Sex and The City is the best show ever? no way, I didn’t even care enough to watch one episode of it

Do you call your friends with red hair “ranga’s”? wtf

Have you ever been surfing? me? surfing? r u kidding?

Would you feel funny if you kissed somebody of the same sex? excuse me, I’m into women exclusively

Name a thing in your room that other probably don’t have in theirs: me ha!

What’s your best jacket like? comfy :3

What’s something you can cook or bake like a pro? nothing

If you could pull off any hairstyle, what would it look like? I have couple of ideas ;)

What is the worst thing that happened so far today? my failed appointment as I didn’t get any answers nor help for my heart condition and allergies and that was the last attempt, I have no other ways of fixing things to survive next months, my life;s officially over, I only have suffering and fear left, I’m a burden and I want to kill myself sooner than food or cardiac arrest

Did that ruin your day? it ruined my LIFE

What’s something good you’re looking forward to? sweet relieve of death?...

What’s something that you think is really cute?

*wish it was mine

Describe your feet: eww, why, better not

If you see somebody crying, do you start crying too? depends

How do you like your hoodies? oversized, without kangaroo pocket in front and/or a zipper, yuk

Is having to pee really badly worse than being really thirsty? it is to me at least

Were you a cute baby? I was a red haired potato

Are you talking to anybody right now? online

How tall are your tallest socks? I kept my rainbow knee high socks but I don’t use them anymore

Are you waiting for a phone call? at night?...

Do you look forward to swimsuit season, or get really nervous? I was skipping swimsuit seasons for over 10 years until this summer - I bought the cheapest and went to stand/walk in the water and sit on a beach despite my insecurities

If you could live for a year with any foreign family, where would you go? don’t wanna, scary

What do you wish people would pay you to do? browse the internet XD

Do you take good pictures? I try

Should you be doing something else right now? wash my hair, drink water, commit suicide - who knows

Did that question make you nervous? that question made me sad

Why don’t girls like porn? some enjoy it

Tell me a memory of this summer: this summer is all about romantic love, illnesses and nostalgy

Do you think it’s pretty when 100s of balloons are let loose into the sky? a waste but still pretty, sorry love, I know you’d be irritated so don’t worry - I will never do smth like that to ya

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in-a-cave-with · 5 years

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What are your favorite fanfictions based in any of the Marvel comics universes?

ok this is certainly a . question. lmao . so i..have bookmarked like Three 616 fic on my actual ao3 account and i honestly dont know why. i have read so much 616 fic but i never bothered to make it a habit to .. save them . so rip me. this will be an incomplete list! huge f in the chat lads

there’s also the issue of like. pretty much all of the comics fic i like being, uh, stevetony. im a loser.

anyway.

When The Lights Go On Again by elspethdixon, seanchaiSummary: Aliens have invaded earth, and the Avengers are scattered. While Steve leads the resistance, Tony once again finds himself playing captive scientist. In the midst of a violent alien regime, separated by seemingly insurmountable boundaries, Steve and Tony have nothing to keep themselves going but each other.rec note: i JUST read this fic and it ruined my life. go read it and ruin your life too

Resurrection, Reconstruction & Redemption by elspethdixon, seanchaiSummary: Doom brings Steve back from the dead. Hijinks ensue, some of which might vaugely be considered plot.rec note: a classic! i think this was the first stevetony fic posted to ao3? you should def go ahead and read the rest of the series (yes it is a series yes it is 300k+ words yes it is worth it)

The Roughest Day by elspethdixon, seanchaiSummary: Steve is in a motorcycle accident, Tony catches a cold, and someone is after the New Avengers.rec note: this gives me warm fuzzies because it’s the new avengers avenging and there isn’t enough of that

King of Infinite Space by elspethdixon, seanchaiSummary: A villain from Tony’s past comes back to cause trouble for the Avengers. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so easy, if things weren’t already so awkward over the events of Execute Program.rec note: it’s not a tony stan created reclist if there isn’t a tiberius stone fic somewhere on it

Winter Is All Over You by KiyaarSummary: Tony can’t remember why he’s running.rec note: *soft wheezing noises* oh,

My Mallory Heart [Add Violence Remix] by KiyaarSummary: He keeps seeing that bundle of metal set into Tony’s bare chest, the raw edges around it like Tony’s body was rejecting it. Keeps wondering: what have you done to yourself this time.rec note: *incoherent blubbering*

Sea Stars by MuccamukkSummary: Steve comes back to life somewhere entirely unexpected; Tony doesn’t remember being a hero; something is rotten in the province of British Columbia, and the 2010 Olympics are doomed.rec note: i LIVE for this fic it’s so good. the setting…the mystery…the characterization…top notch

Indelible by PenumbrenSummary: When an experiment goes awry, Tony thinks he may have found an answer to his problems and Steve faces something he’s been avoiding for a very long time.rec note: this turned out to be way sadder than i thought it was going to be

(Not So) Lonely At The Top by foldingcranesSummary: Riri has a bad day, and Tony tries to be An Emotionally Available Adult for her. It doesn’t go so bad.rec note: there isn’t enough riri fic out there…

if you leave by CapnShellheadSummary: After so many months passing each other in silence, Steve and Tony find a marriage counselor to try to work through their issues with communication.rec note: warning: fic is akin to a bat swung to the knees

Marvels: The Bloodstone Odyssey by teaberryblueSummary: The year is 1940. In the middle of the Blitz, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts set out to London to recover Howard Stark’s lost work. But it turns out that they’re not the only ones hunting for it. Tony finds himself contending with Nazis, crooks, and perhaps his most formidable adversary yet: a scrawny, asthmatic, bullheaded kid named Steve Rogers.rec note: this gives me huge indiana jones vibes and it’s GREAT

Emanata (The Comics Will Break Your Heart Remix) by teaberryblueSummary: Steve Rogers has the opportunity to fulfill his childhood dreams of becoming a comic artist when eccentric billionaire, superhero patron, and obsessive comic enthusiast Tony Stark offers him a job drawing Iron Man. But Tony Stark has no idea that Steve Rogers is really Captain America, the newest member of the Avengers. And Iron Man has no idea that Captain America is really Steve Rogers, up-and-coming comic book artist. And Steve doesn’t know what to do about the fact that he’s falling head over heels for them both.rec note: this one has a special place in my heart bc it’s the one that got me into 616 stevetony! the identity shenanigans make my head hurt and i love it

Genesis by teaberryblueSummary: Reluctant to make the truth about their secret weapon known, the American Government tells the world that Captain America is a man named Steve Rogers. According to public record, he died, tragically, in 1945, and he became legend. In 1998, the Avengers find a body trapped in ice. She’s alive. Her name is Eve. She has Captain America’s shield.rec note: i think this is the..only steve centric fic here lmao . and also technically this is a mix of 616/mcu/ults but i’m still putting it here bc it’s…very good

Highest fall you’ll ever grace by laireshiSummary: “You’ll probably want these back,” Tony says at last, and it hurts almost physically to pull the dog tags over his head and offer them to Steve. But they never really belonged to Tony, did they? Steve seems to hesitate for a second, but then he takes his dog tags with a weird expression. “Yeah,” he says. “They’re mine.”rec note: *clutches heart* hhhh

Transmission by laireshiSummary: The incursions are stopped. Steve hopes for things to go back to normal. Instead, he finds himself stranded in an alternate universe with Tony. Getting home won’t be easy. There are too many things they haven’t told each other, too many arguments they’ve never solved. Now, with just each other for company, they might have to face them all—especially as they seem to be telepathically bonded, and can’t keep anything unsaid anymore.rec note: oh boy am i a sucker for Stevetony Finding Out About The Confession

Chasing Shadows by laireshiSummary: Steve is still adjusting to the future. Tony hopes he is helping, but Steve’s and Iron Man’s morals might be too different for them to work together. Then Steve starts to act strangely, and all Tony can do is chase at shadows.rec note: this fic hurt me . that’s it that’s all i have to say

The Counselors Are In by cptxrogersSummary: Steve and Tony from Avengers Assemble open a counseling service for all the other Steves and Tonys from across the multiverse. God knows they need it.rec note: come on Other Universes GET IT TOGETHER

Think of This as Solving Problems (That Should Never Have Occurred) by SinealaSummary: No one knows Tony is Iron Man. Then Tony gets amnesia, and literally no one knows Tony is Iron Man.rec note: ok here comes the sineala spam in the reclist lmao

The Jar by SinealaSummary: The Avengers are ridiculously competitive people, and what starts out as a silly late-night team discussion quickly becomes a contest: their names. Not the code names – the nicknames. Who can go the longest without using them? They pledge to spend a week not nicknaming each other, and they’ll pay up every time they mess up. This hits Tony the hardest, and not just financially. Tony’s got a lot of nicknames for everyone, but most of all for Steve – and when Tony can’t use the names he’s already got, the names he uses reveal feelings he had no idea he had.rec note: super cute! lov those funky avenging dudes

Changeling by SinealaSummary: Instead of deleting his entire brain and reloading from a backup, Tony attempts to erase just the SHRA database from his mind. As Steve later finds out, this is unfortunately not what he actually did.rec note: *ugly sobbing* ttngngjfgnTONY ,.,,,,CAROLLLLL ,,FDF..,,KSDJBVSD ,,,S T E V E..,,,, FVKJD,,,,SFDJKDNFVNKDJFD

If You Want to Live (The Historical Present Remix) by SinealaSummary: The Civil War is over. The SHRA is gone. Steve has been brought back to life. He’s settling into his new duties as America’s top cop. His longtime friendship with Carol Danvers – Avenger, former director of SHIELD, and former leader of the pro-Registration forces – is now a tenuous one. But something is very wrong in the world. This isn’t how it was supposed to be. Someone is missing. Tony Stark was killed at the age of seventeen, and it’s up to Steve to travel into the past to save a man he doesn’t remember from a man he knows all too well: a mysterious assassin from another time and place, a man with a metal arm. And the truth is more complicated than anyone could ever have guessed.rec note: super interesting fic! the Plot is,,……. some güd shit

Straight on till Morning by SinealaSummary: Tony Stark resigned his commission in Starfleet five years ago, after a disastrous away mission, and he swore he’d never go back. He just wants to be left alone to build warp engines in peace. But the universe has more in store for him than that, as he discovers when Admiral Fury comes to him with an offer he could never have expected and cannot possibly refuse: first officer and chief engineer aboard the all-new USS Avenger, a starship of Tony’s own design. What’s more, the Avenger’s captain is Steve Rogers, hero of the Earth-Romulan War. Believed dead for over a century, Steve is miraculously alive… and very, very attractive. But nothing is ever easy for Tony. As he wrestles with his secret desire for his new captain and his not-so-dormant fears, another mission starts to go wrong, and Tony becomes aware that Steve has secrets of his own – and the truth could change everything.rec note: ok there is, like, really weird porn in this fic but it’s a STAR TREK CROSSOVER and that’s all that really matters. and also it’s very heartfelt and the action is r e a l l y i n t e n s e

Your Name on Every Wall by SinealaSummary: The Time Gem throws Steve into the past rather than the future, and in doing so, it gives him the opportunity to undo his past mistakes. But when it turns out that all of his mistakes involve Tony Stark, Steve begins to wonder if he’s ever going to be able to mend things between them.rec note: wow…….stevetony…….. am i right boys?

Get Some Now by SinealaSummary: Avengers Mansion has a mysterious feline infestation. Meanwhile, Steve just can’t figure out how to ask Tony out on a date. And the thirteen teleporting cats sure aren’t helping matters any.rec note: as you all may know. i am an active member of the “tony…..but give him a cat” movement and this fic brings me great joy

Sucker Punch by Sineala Summary: Steve never quite warms to Tony Stark, Avengers benefactor. The Molecule Man never strips Iron Man out of his armor. Life goes on for the Avengers, but as disagreements split the team – and Shellhead and Winghead – again and again, Steve wonders why Iron Man always picks Tony over him. And when Steve finds out, it happens in the worst way possible.rec note: and here is a fic that does NOT bring me great joy and instead goes out of its way to hurt me in every way it can

Tony Stark Advises The Avengers by copperbadgeSummary: Somehow, Tony Stark ended up Team Dad.rec note: ANAD AVENGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Zero Sum by CraitSummary: Did you do your best, Anthony? And did your best only make things worse?rec note: let ao3 user crait write marvel comics, they clearly understand tony’s character better than anyone who’s written him in the past 10 years

#fic rec #long post #lmao tumblr user in-a-cave-with exposed as angst leech #a couple of these delve into potentially triggery topics (i.e. suicidal ideation/alcoholism) but theyre all properly tagged #except for. uh. the first two which talk abt the 2nd drinking arc in vol 1 a lot. so just b careful

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marksarmel · 4 years

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Another edition of What I’m Consuming for you to consume.

What I’ve Been Consuming 05/13/20

Look, we are not heroes for staying home and watching ungodly amounts of tv, but it’s the smart thing to do. So let’s all be smart while calcifying our brains with movies, tv, video games, comic books, Zoom meet ups, the FUCKING INTERNET that contains the entire collection of human creation and knowledge and our favorite snacks. I’m settling in with Flaming Hot Cheeto’s popcorn, Pork Rinds and the occasional edible with my favorite cocktail. I wash all this down with my nightly dose of Simvastatin, my cholesterol medication.

Also, let’s get out and walk around since it’s beautiful weather right now. This is especially important for those of us in the Midwest who were blessed with snow just last week!

Recently finished the Amazon series Hunters. It was good, but looking at it as a whole it seemed to be holding something back. The characters felt like they were supposed to be larger than life and more bombastic, but they were instead subdued. Even Al Pacino is reserved. Was it a comic book adaptation or an inspired-by-actual-events type show? it was a compelling story somewhat overshadowed by not being sure what kind of show it wanted to be.

Midnight Gospel! Oh my god where to begin? This is simply great tv. The rhythm of the show sets in super fast and all you can do is hold on for the duration. I’m nearly done with the season and it’s deconstruction of philosophy and life and death are pretty timely, but never preachy. Just sit down and enjoy. Best served with a side of your favorite marijuana infused edible.

The new limited series RUN from HBO quickly got me hooked. It’s premised on two old lovers who have a pact to meet again if one texts “RUN” to the other. After 15 years one texts the other and our story begins! It was no struggle for me to dive into this show since I’m already well along in my Merrit Weaver addiction. She has been a spoonful of sugar with a side of cake in shows such as Godless and Unbelievable. I’m making room on my calendar now to watch her in Nurse Jackie and I’m super embarrassed to admit that I had no idea she was Denise in the Walking Dead. Ok, enough about Ms. Weaver, Domnhall Gleason is in this show too.

I’m rewatching Watchmen because it was one of the best shows of 2019. It is great to see Damon Lindelof stick the landing like Simone Biles on this one. It was completely engrossing in every way.

For a much needed salve of humor in these times Middleditch and Schwartz is absolutely sting free healing. It’s a short three episodes and all three episodes are solid, but one and two are the best.

Killing Eve is back and I couldn’t be happier! So so happy to have all of these characters in my life. So so sad at what happens to them.

Quick Bites - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is still living its best life. Real Time with Bill Maher not so much. Still keeping up with Homeland, but season 5 is not the best. The Westworld season finale wrapped up a wobbly season with a solid if forgettable final episode. I miss the heady hard to understand first two seasons. Props for some good action sequences this season though.

I need to get back too… I started Lock and Key a while back and lost it somewhere in the ether. Also, an FB convo reminded me to get back to Doom Patrol. I never finished Counterpart either. (Looking back at my post from last moth I see that I also mentioned getting back to Counterpart then too, so it’s probably safe to say I won’t be getting back to it.) Not sure if these shows were good or bad or just not coming at me the right way. Oh, oh! Devs I do want to finish that, but yes I do agree with others comments that the main character’s acting is… not the best.

MOVIES

The Apostle - Starring Dan Stevens from Legion, The Guest and Downton Abbey this movie starts out a bit slow, but winds itself up to a flat out bonkers ending. Worth watching with the lights off and no bathroom breaks.

I started the great Korean action flick The Villainess, but I fell asleep before finishing it. Can someone call a movie great if they fall asleep during it? If that someone was absolutely thrilled by watching the opening sequence then yes, yes they can.

GAMES

Still finding myself indulging in the occasional Mario Kart binge. Also got some friends together for Bomberman which is frivolous fun. Spent a few hours back with Mario Odyssey too. Purchased Child of Light a few days ago so I’m hoping to get to that soon.

BOOKS/COMICS

Not much in the way of books month. In the comics world I did start JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but was thrown off by the revelation that the book I’m reading, which is marked book 1, is actually part two in the story. Shrug emoji.

I did finish the first trade in the Outcast series from writer Robert Kirkman, now superrich and superfamous creator of The Walking Dead and not so famous, but no less talented, artist Paul Azaceta. It is filled with great dread and atmosphere. It does not wrap up the story in the first trade which always irks me.

MUSIC

I was excited to see that Fiona Apple’s new album “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” came out! Then I listened to it. And listened to it again, and then listened to it one more time. It is an uneven album that frustrated me with how many songs are filled with the same refrain. I love the music, the writing not so much. That being said Under the Table, Rack of His and For Her are repeat listens for me.

Drake dropped a new album/mixtape called ”Dark Lane. Demo Tapes” and so continues my love/annoyance with Drake’s music. Listening to Drake’s music is like being in a 60+ year marriage and still being very much in love, but absolutely hating how your partner chews with their mouth open.

RANDOM NOTES

I discovered Coco Rico soda in a local Asian Market. It’s a lovely sweet coconut beverage.

As mentioned earlier Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Popcorn is becoming my new go to snack. Move over Doritos Cool Ranch because Chester Cheetah is here!

I was in a good running routine and then it started snowing and raining all the time. Back to the couch for me.

That about sums it up for this month. Don’t be afraid to skip your next work Zoom meeting. The work will be there tomorrow.

#Watching tv #playing games #listening to music #reading comic books #what i'm consuming #MarkSarmeldoesthesethings

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phoenotopia · 5 years

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2019 May Update

Greetings everyone! Can't believe end of May is already upon us and E3 is just around the corner D:

We're still making steady progress towards the finish line. We crossed some big milestones in the past 2 months and started some new. For one, all of the levels in the game world are now done (except for "one" room, which is on hold for reasons). With all the levels effectively done, the final count for rooms actually just crosses the 700 mark! That's 3.5 times the original flash game!

Now that we've got a big beautiful game world, it's time to fill it up with NPCs, quests, and loot (the enemies have already been added). Until now, I've generally left the loot areas empty, since setting the loot heavily effects the game's pacing and difficulty. For instance, an example question I'll mull over is how much money has the player accumulated by the time they reach the 2nd town. We want the player to have enough money to buy the new equipment that becomes available - not so much money that they can buy everything and not too little that they can't buy anything - the amount of money needs to be just right. This forces the player to make decisions which forms the basis of all interesting gameplay.

On the NPCs and Quests front, I've been writing more and more. I've even started reading more! I've picked up books, which I haven't done for perhaps over a year or two! I think reading good diction helps to set your brain in a mode conducive towards good writing. Kinda like "You are what you Eat".

Here's a sampling of the Quests, Mini-games, and NPCs you can expect to meet on the journey.

The Free Runner's Quest

Bo is an NPC that the player will meet over and over. He challenges the player to a timed "Free Running" race course where they need to collect 10 flags within the time-limit. Besting his courses requires quick reflexes and route-planning. Every time you beat his course, he gives you a little prize and moves to a new location. He's not unlike the racing koopas you'd meet in Mario Odyssey.

(a bystander inspired by your performance)

The Shooting Galleries

Hard to believe 3 years ago I teased this video. (when work on PHO2 was proceeding in earnest). As cool as the old video looks - that was literally all of it, and it was really early and bug prone. Only recently did I finally revisit the shooting galleries and take it all the way home. A lot of improvements have been made to the scripting system by now and there are more robust and less buggy ways to deal with the player breaking bounds.

There'll be 6 different shooting courses total (of varying difficulty). Similar to setting loot throughout the game world and all the factors that could play into it, shooting courses boast their own interconnected challenges. I guesstimate where I think the player would be weapons-wise and power-wise, and then create a shooting course that I think the player can handle. Some shooting challenges are easy so the player can claim its prize early - others are harder and best attempted when the player has leveled up some more.

(Interestingly, the best prize is guarded behind the medium level course. Reason being the player would appreciate it a lot more at that point in the game)

(Don’t shoot the Queen!)

Fran and Moonstones

The Moon Stone hunt returns in an even bigger fashion than before. This time there are 100 moonstones to find, and they can be actually be given to 2 different NPCs. Giving moon stones to Fran advances Fran's storyline and unlocks shortcuts through the game world.

One of the major intentional changes to highlight the traversable world map is that you no longer have a quick select menu to access old areas. To access Panselo from Atai, you'd actually have to run through that broken bridge area again. And that's why it behooves the player to aid Fran in her quest for Moon Stones. Her teleportation research opens links between the towns and allows for more speedy traversal.

(Fran's quest starts when you first save her from beneath a pile of rubble)

I'm taking the the time to write more naturally flowing dialogue and give better characterization to Fran. I thought her whole story was kinda stilted and awkward the first go around.

youtube

(A video where Fran demonstrates how teleporters work)

As seen in the video, that song is Fran's theme. Will scored Fran's theme song a while back and now you can listen to it on his sound cloud as well. There was also this old song, which was in the running to be either Thomas's or Fran's theme. It's now been decided that that will be Thomas' theme!

Endings

We've also started work on the ending. Right now we're creating the art assets. The dialogue and scripting is still to come. I've settled on 2 endings. Both of which will be very different from the flash game's ending. The main ending will also vary a tiny bit depending on how much of the game the player completes. Ala Metroid, there are also different final ending portraits that can be obtained depending on the clear conditions. But the main portrait most people will see is the group shot, where more characters appear the closer to 100% game completion the player reaches.

(Depicted above is a end game portrait WIP that was rejected for a different take/version. So we decided this wasn’t too spoilerific)

Naming Contest I'd like to thank everyone for the numerous submissions! A lot of entries really went the distance - some created elaborate backstories, others created systems of names and acronyms. In an ideal world, I could choose them all. But, alas there are limited slots. Here are the name winners - I'll be contacting the submitters shortly:

I chose these names for a variety of reasons. The names were short, concise, and alliterative ("moth mines" and "mole mines"). The name keeps to a fantasy theme ("evil eye"). The name made a joke or pun ("rail shooter" and "rail sawer"). The name was cute and descriptive ("turtle bot" and "porcubot"). Or the name just sounded cool ("Constructs"). There were two entries where after screening the submissions I found I liked the "temporary" in-house name more ("smart turret" and "scrapper").

And with that, the naming contest comes to a close. Thank you again to everyone who participated!

Fan Works

Two fanarts were submitted on the reddit, which I'll be sharing here. Both were depictions of the "Last Song of Earth" place. Thank you to Firanka and laptekoz!

(by Firanka)

(by laptekoz)

Oddly enough, this place might be the most depicted place in the realm of fan art! Another interesting trivia is that the song connected to this place was the song Will wanted to cut since he didn't like it too much - but having seen how much people asked about it, of course we had to keep it in.

Next Update

The next update will run a bit later than the usual 2 months (likely August 9th). Reason being I actually have a trip to Vietnam with my Dad and brother coming up in the later half of July.

Indeed, it's an inopportune time to have a trip. I normally wouldn't go - I haven't been on a family trip in 3 years! But this one seemed important. We're getting OLD! My older brother has a wife and kids, so the opportunity to hang out like this comes but once every several years.

But I'll still try to sneak in some work. My plan is... and I hesitate to say this because whenever I communicate a plan, it falls part, but I'll say it anyway. My plan is to have the first playable version of the game, start to finish, in mid July. Then on the plane to Vietnam, I'll make my brother playtest the game since I'll have a captive audience. I'll take tons of notes on the play through, what needs to change, and so forth.

We'll see if that pans out. While we are working on things like the actual ending sequence, which signals the near end of development, I'd like to remind everyone to keep your expectations in check. Things go SLOOOW - there’s still tons of NPCs and quests to write. There’s the credit sequence to program. We still gotta playtest, we still gotta do PR, get an ESRB rating, launch the website, find an uncontested date, etcetera, etcetera. It seems like actually finishing the game is merely the arrival to the start of another race...

So pour your excitement towards E3 instead. That's soon!

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cruelangelstheses · 5 years

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11 questions meme

i was tagged by @arcanedagna like a month ago and i kept forgetting to actually do this so !!!

Rules: answer the questions of the person who tagged you, come up with 11 new ones, and tag 11 new people.

1. What’s the first fandom that you remember joining? avatar: the last airbender baby!!!

2. What style of clothes do you prefer to wear? i like to refer to my style as “fuckboy butch” lmao. i like a lot of sporty “boyish” clothes, jackets, baseball caps, as well as punk fashion, like patches and pins and spikes and that kind of stuff

3. Do you like making playlists? What kind of themes do you use when making a playlist? yeah i do! depends on what i’m using it for. if it’s songs that remind me of a certain thing lyrically (like a character) then i don’t really pay attention to genre, but if i’m making a playlist for myself when i’m in the mood for a certain type of music than obviously the genres are usually similar

4. What’s your favorite OTP and why? oh god oh fuck. i think my biggest ones are zukka and fenhawke. zukka was my first same gender ship back in like 2011 and i’m so glad it’s getting more popular now because zuko and sokka honestly balance each other out perfectly, they bond really quickly and have impeccable teamwork and are a PERFECT example of enemies to friends to lovers and. kind of lowkey hoping they’ll do something with it in the live-action atla remake djfsdkdslkfk. as for fenhawke. idk i just love both characters a lot and seeing fenris actually have a positive relationship with like, anyone is super important to me and the way it’s written is super important too, how he recognizes that he’s not ready and takes time to himself to heal, how hawke is understanding and patient and loving and kind, and how fenris is so fucking loyal and devoted and passionate when he’s actually finally ready.....im soft. im soft!

5. What’s the video game quest that you hate the most? Why? oh god fighting thunderblight ganon in botw was so fucking hard dude sdfhkjdsk i actually had to learn how to block/parry which i’m never good at in video games

6. Who’s your favorite video game character? f...fenris...uwu

7. Are there any “tropes” that you love seeing in games/books/series you like? Things like the “found family” trope or stuff like that. I FUCKING LOVE THE FOUND FAMILY TROPE!!!! also like idk enemies to friends to lovers is Good, and so are a lot of supernatural tropes, like “immortal falls in love with a mortal” or something lol

8. What’s your favorite class to play in fantasy video games? ROGUE ALWAYS

9. What are some fictional characters that you personally relate to? oh lord time to expose myself as a kinnie lmao. anders, sera (!!!), hawke, alphys from undertale, roger davis from rent, nico yazawa, robin from fire emblem, and also fenris and zevran. lol!

10. What video game moments have made you cry because they got you emotional? a lot of fenris’s cutscenes always get me lol, especially his romance cutscenes, and i got really emotional (in a good way) finishing butterfly soup bc it made me soft :0 also the last few chapters of FE fates conquest :-(

11. If you could teleport and visit three video game locations, which would you pick? Oh Lord Uh. the mushroom kingdom at the end of super mario odyssey made me rlly happy so that’s one, hateno village in botw, and uhhh im really pumped for animal crossing new horizons so im gonna say the island you go to in that game !!! :D just let me go to a nice peaceful place with magic and anthropomorphic animals

———————————

uhhh i tag @feiandaris @caed-nua @ghostmage @courier76 @ovinkype @will-and-her-fandoms @sparklingdwarf @fandomn00blr and uh !!! i can’t think of anyone else!! you don’t have to do this obviously i just thot i would tag some ppl lol. also if you want to do this and i didn’t tag you, you can just say i tagged you! (i know people probably feel awkward doing that, i know i do, but seriously don’t be shy if you want to do it lol)

and here are the questions i came up with:

1. How would you describe your “aesthetic”?

2. Do you have any pets?

3. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?

4. What was the first video game you remember playing?

5. Do you collect anything?

6. What was the last book you read?

7. If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would you want to meet?

8. What’s your favorite meal?

9. What video game has your favorite gameplay?

10. What is your least favorite color, and why?

11. Who is your favorite band/singer?

#fun!!#ash.txt #long post

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thatsouthernanthem · 5 years

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[ac odyssey fic] don’t you waste me in the ground rated: m characters: melina (oc), methodios (oc), random other ocs

so these start out kinda cute and then around story 3 get darker...and then story 5 is the darkest. So uhm. Read at your own risk...I just had to get it out and then post it to share the feelings with y’all :P

part iii-v deals with slavery in ancient greece.

some content warnings for part v: implied rape (i will never actually write it), physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and the depression that comes with it.

Iola knows her baby’s name immediately.

Tradition dictates they wait ten days to name their daughter, and so Iola keeps the name to herself for now, and instead concentrates on making sure her tiny newborn daughter survives those first ten days. Midwives bustle around her as she carefully wraps her child in blankets and cradles her to her chest. A lot can go wrong in the first week, they gently remind her.

But she barely listens because she is lost in the ocean blue of her daughter’s eyes, in the wisps of pale hair on her head, the tiniest freckles on the tiniest nose and the curl of her small fingers around her own. Melina will be her name, for she has the disposition of honey.

Her husband cries when he sees their daughter for the first time, marveling at how his hand is bigger than half her body. She is so small, he wonders if she is alright. “Well,” Iola smiles gently, looking down at her daughter noisily feeding at her breast. “I am small too, Sebastos. I think she’ll be fine.”

ii.

Melina has the bestest best friend in the entire world. She is the blacksmith’s daughter, and she is her partner in crime. At least that’s what Auntie says when they run past her in the village. Lalaia is small, and everyone there knows everyone but that’s also a good thing because Melina is never far from a friend.

Methiadusa grabs her hand and tugs her through the worn dirt streets of their home, toward the Kephisos Springs, both of the giggling along the way. Melina is five now and she is absolutely old and brave enough to go climb the rocks on her own, no matter what mater says.

They stick to the rocks closest to the shore, laughing and yelling across the stones over the roar of the waterfalls. There are the prettiest, tiniest fishes in the water below them and Melina cannot wait to return here with pater and go swimming together. She wants to be a fish when she grows up, even if her mother laughs when she says it. Mater just doesn’t get it.

She leans forward, reaching out to brace herself along the rocks as she wiggles her way up a particularly large one. Methiadusa is whining at the bottom, telling her to get down and that it’s time for a snack. She always gets whiny when she needs a snack and it’s probably because Methiadusa is a full three months younger than Melina and so--

With a screech, Melina slips and falls, catching her hands and leg on a jagged rock. The sharp stone rips through her skin like it’s papyros and Melina feels more sick than she does pain. Biting her lip hard, she looks down at her leg and hands and only starts to sob when she sees how much blood there is. Methiadusa takes off down the dirt path, screaming for help and Meli is left alone with her tears and the fear she will fall off the rock before someone comes to get her.

It feels like hours but then pater is there suddenly, pulling her off the rock and sitting with her in the shallows of the spring to wash off the wound. He’s scared, she can tell by the way his hands shake, but she’s also scared and she is small so she keeps crying because she doesn’t know what else to do.

The doctor comes to their house while mater paces back and forth, wringing her hands with worry. He gives Meli something for the pain and it makes her so sleepy she can barely think straight. When she wakes up, her leg and hands are wrapped up in tight bandages and the pain is a little bit better.

“Melina,” mater whispers, pushing the messy curls out of Meli’s face so her mother can see her. “Do not climb those rocks again, do you understand me?”

She nods meekly, scared at how sad mater looks. Sad at how pater keeps glancing over like he’s scared she’ll disappear. “I’m sorry, mater. Pater, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“We just want to keep you safe, mélissa,” her father murmurs as he walks over to her. “We will always try to keep you safe.”

iii.

We will always try to keep you safe. The words from nearly a year ago rattle around in her brain and she isn’t sure why she’s suddenly remembering them now. Now, long after the wound on her leg has scarred over. Now, when Melina is forced to leave her dead parents’ bodies on the ground and go with the men who killed them.

They laugh and joke and are loud and crude. They taunt her and mock her when she stumbles on rocks and can’t keep up with them. She is only six and a half years old, she wants to scream at them, but she is scared they’ll stab her too. So she lets them drag her over the rocky border into Malis. They’re meeting their ship off of Thermopylae, she hears them say, and the words barely mean anything to her. She knows there was a battle there. Everyone knows there was a battle there.

But that is all she knows. One of the men gets tired of watching her fall, tired of hauling her back to her feet so he carries her. She wants to kick him, wants to scream until he drops her, but they’re along a rocky ledge and she’s scared he’ll let her fall to her death. And she’s so tired, so drained, so she lets him carry her down to the shore.

Gonna take you to Attika, lil’ one, one of them tells her that night. Her clothes are ragged scraps now, and she’s covered in dirt and grime and she prays that Zeus strike this man down and take her away but he doesn’t listen. They make it to Attika and she’s bartered and sold like the one time mater bought a goat from their neighbor.

She wonders if anyone has found her parents yet. She hopes someone holds Auntie Philea when she cries...she’s just had a baby, Melina’s little cousin who she will never know.

She’s ushered into the kitchen of her new owner--an old man who is fond of gambling, she overhears the ladies in the room say. She doesn’t know what that means, but they clean her up and set her to work delivering snacks to the lady of the house. They’re not unkind to her and she’s at least grateful for that.

“When can I go home?” She asks the housekeeper one night and the old woman just sighs and turns away, giving her an answer without meaning to.

iv.

“What do you mean he lost us?” Phylia snaps, holding the opposite end of the blanket Melina holds. She just wants to finish this room so she can move to the next, but Phylace is clutching the blanket with white-knuckled fingers. “He fucking gambled us away?!”

“More like gambled his house and savings away and can’t afford us anymore,” Lede shrugs, resting her hand on Melina’s shoulder. “We’re bein’ split up and sold off. Some of us will stay here and others, I hear are...being sold to Lakonia.”

Melina looks up sharply as Phylia quiets, both of their eyes wide with fear. Shaking her head, Melina sets the blanket down, the situation finally sinking into her brain. “Lakonia? Sparta? But the...they literally hunt slaves.”

“Usually just the male ones,” Lede winces, her fingers tightening on the younger girl’s shoulder. “And who knows...it’s probably not any of us goin’ there anyway.”

Lede is wrong and her face is sheer terror when the slavers grab Melina’s arm. She steps forward, as if she’d grab the thirteen year old back from them but she stays silent, mouthing I’m so sorry over and over again. And then they grab Phylia and as they’re taken to the ship, she can hear Lede’s sobbing.

Melina leans into her friend, only two years her elder, their fingers twisted tightly together as they sit and sway on the ship headed for Lakonia. The slavers have kept them in cages, like animals, but Melina almost doesn’t mind--it is a barrier between her and them.

They have them stand before a crowd in the harbor: Melina, Phylia and the other slaves brought from all over Attika. Men and women alike stop and study each one of them, murmuring to themselves in their accented speak. All of them are tanned with dark hair and eyes--Melina feels more out of place among them physically than anything else with her lighter skin, blue eyes and blonde hair.

“I want her,” a deep voice rumbles, and she glances up quickly to see a wide-shouldered and fit older man point directly at her. “She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she? My wife needs a new attendant,” he laughs with the slaver at some secret she’s not privy to, “since we had to get rid of the last.”

She’s dragged off the line, her fingers slipping from Phylia’s for the last time (she hisses out a be brave, girl, before turning her head back down and staying in her place), and brought before the Spartan. He takes her by the chin, forcing her to look at him and when he smiles, it’s not entirely unkindly. “What’s your name, girl?”

“Melina, sir,” she answers, keeping her head tilted up and her eyes locked on his until he releases her chin.

He asks how old she is and she tells him she’s thirteen--fourteen in two months--and that seems to satisfy him and he shoves a pouch of drachmae in the slaver’s hands and escorts her to his home. He doesn’t seem half-bad, and he introduces himself as Methodios.

“My wife,” he says, ushering a waifish woman toward her. “Kallixiena.”

“Pleased to meet you, mistress,” Melina recites dutifully and the woman just scoffs and leaves the room. She’s not sure why the woman hates her already, but she seems pretty adamant about it. The weeks pass and Melina finds herself not hating Lakonia as much as she thought she would. She doesn’t have many friends here--the helots are encouraged not to befriend each other here on Methodios’ farm, and while she doesn’t understand, she also doesn’t want to rock the boat when she is so new here.

He brings her things, sometimes, when his wife is gone or Melina has been dismissed back to her room for the day. Jewelry, hair pieces, and after about three months of living on the estate, he brings her an honest-to-gods bed with the plushest mattress she’s ever felt.

“You’re too thin to be sleeping on the floor,” he laughs, but doesn’t up her food rations at all. Nevermind, she thinks as she sinks onto the bed, the golden bracelets on her arms jingling as they shift, she will take the small victories where she can.

Suddenly, in blinding, sickening clarity, the gifts of the past two and a half years make sense and she hates herself so much for accepting them even if she knows declining them would not have stopped this from happening.

Her stupid bracelets tinkle as he pushes her down onto the bed and she sobs out a weak please stop that ends with him backhanding her across the face. She tastes the metallic tang of blood on her lip and she freezes as he presses the cold iron of a dagger against her throat, pressing in just enough to draw a thick red line that oozes down her throat.

He curses her, tells her she is the temptress, that this is her fault, that he is only obeying her wills. She’s numb inside now, when he calls her names and in the same breath whispers how beautiful she is. He’s grown fat since his injuries made him retire from active duty; slovenly and drunk on wine. He reeks of it when he presses his mouth against hers and she forces herself to kiss him back, if only to keep from being killed.

Afterward, he dresses himself as she lays on her gifted bed, clutching the ruins of her gifted dress to her chest, the annoying jingle jangle of gifted, gaudy jewelry hanging from her ears and arms. He takes her chin in between his fingers and forces her to look up at him--he tells her he will be back later and she has to bite her tongue to keep from shuddering.

She grows number every time. She stops asking the gods for help--they do not care for mortals such as she. They stood by while her parents were murdered for trying to protect her, they stood by as Methodios touched her--as he touches her every time, as he lets his thugs touch her. He’d never hurt her before that night but now it’s like a fire in him has been stroked.

The mark on her neck heals into a curved scar around her throat, so he beats slashes into her back, slides a blade down her thigh, tells her she is lucky to carry his marks and all she can do is blink at him and smile vacantly because if she doesn’t, it will be so much worse.

A new helot makes the mistake of trying to help her one day, when the lashes on her back send pain down her arms and make her drop her basket. She tries to shoo him away, to tell him no and to leave her alone but he just smiles and presses the basket into her arms.

That night, she’s forced to watch as he’s beaten nearly to death by Methodios and his ‘friends’, who then decide to teach her another lesson as well. Eventually, she walls off all feelings and relishes in the numbness that overtakes her. She never knows what happens to that boy, just knows that she never sees him again and wishes, not for the first time, that Methodios would die.

That she would die. She may not pray to the gods anymore, for they do not listen, but she does hope for the end.

#homestead au #melina (oc)#she really has a shitty backstory #and i'm sorry #melina ily #writing #my stuff #tw: abuse #tw: r*pe #tw: physical violence

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boisoup-blog · 5 years

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something more than a favour, chapter 1 / READ ON AO3 fandom: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey pairing: Brasidas/Kassandra additional tags: everyone lives au, fake marriage au, unrequited feelings

The nature of the favour was peculiar but, when he asked, she agreed with no questions asked. He assured her that he would only call the favour in when absolutely necessary, “you have my word,” he had promised. However, Kassandra knows what Sparta is like, a little bit too set in it’s ways but it works, normally. So when Brasidas had finally called in the favour, (“the Kings are threatening my position as General,” his letter had said) Kassandra knew that he had worked to hard to have his position taken due to an age old tradition.

So she married him.

Kassandra was, to put it simply, nervous. Her palms were sweaty, her breath uneven and heart thumping a little faster than it probably should. This was the least nerve wracking experience, riding Phobos through the gates of Sparta; what’s making her nervous is who’s waiting for her. Brasidas. He had finally called in a favour that had been in the back of her mind, collecting dust, about 6 months ago.

The nature of the favour was peculiar but, when he asked, she agreed with no questions asked. He assured her that he would only call the favour in when absolutely necessary, “you have my word,” he had promised. However, Kassandra knows what Sparta is like, a little bit too set in it’s ways but it works, normally. So when Brasidas had finally called in the favour, ( “the Kings are threatening my position as General,” his letter had said) Kassandra knew that he had worked to hard to have his position taken due to an age old tradition.

So she married him. She wasn’t going to get married anyway. Her Mater wasn’t exactly pleased with the reasoning behind the union, whereas Nikolaus was ecstatic, providing Brasidas would keep his oaths as a Husband and Kassandra would give them grandchildren. ( “One day,” Nikolaus had added when Kassandra glared at him and Brasidas looked away from his Future Father-in-Law, probably unhappy with the idea of children.)

Phobos finally stopped outside of Brasidas’ house--- well, their house. Kassandra got out of the saddle, took a deep breath and entered their home, where Brasidas was sat at the head of the table, writing on parchment. He only looked up when his wife closed the door behind her.

“Ah, welcome back Kassandra, I trust Messara was fruitful?” Brasidas stood up and braced her shoulder with his hand with a small squeeze and a friendly smile upon his lips. Kassandra’s heart sped up again, as she tried to push down all too real feelings for her law bound, but ultimately fake marriage.

“It was nothing my sword could not handle,” she answered smuggly, patting the hand on her shoulder as she moved away from his grasp, removing the weapon belts from around her waist, hanging them on a hook near the door. One thing she did truly appreciate about Brasidas as a husband, he did not stop her from gallivanting around the Aegean Sea and she could virtually come and go as she pleased. There were only a reasons Kassandra had to be present for, unfortunately, King Archidamus wanted to honour the union between Brasidas and the misthios and was getting impatient due to her extended absences. “Have you heard anything from Archidamus?”

“ King Archidamus, my love.” Brasidas corrected, sitting back in front of his parchment, face almost buried in his work, “and yes, he will dine with us in three nights, the new King, Agesipolis, is giving him some trouble.”

Kassandra was still recovering from the pet name, my love, pretending to dust off her blades as they hung from hook . He did this sometimes, she thought it was so that he could get into the mindset that they were in fact married, not just friends, after all, they were going to try and deceive Archidamus into believing that their marriage was, in fact, real. However, the stutter in her heart was silenced, and she continued the conversation. “I almost feel sorry for Agesipolis,” she admitted, sitting in the chair opposite Brasidas, her elbows on the table, “at least we don’t have to think about the cult anymore.”

(Kassandra never told anyone but Barnabas the Ghost’s real identity, it was the last kindness for someone who helped Kassandra find her family, despite what they did to the Greek world. Although Barnabas liked to tell stories, he also knew when to keep things to himself.)

Brasidas looked up again from his letter and said, “no, we won’t.”

The first night they stayed in the same house, they drank wine until their sentences were slurred and they couldn’t walk in a straight line. That night, as they drank, Kassandra told him everything she had done, from surviving the fall from Mt. Taygetos, to holding a lifeless Phoibe in her arms. Brasidas had sat in silence as she went on and on, going through the motions of anger and sadness. He embraced her that night, and told her that the Cult would never hurt her again, not as long as they were married. Although, she was very drunk at the time and can’t recall whether he actually embraced her or if she imagined it.

Later that night, Kassandra went to bed first, wrapped herself up in the blanket, relishing in the luxury of bedding and hoping she’d fall asleep before the other Spartan came to bed. It wasn’t their first time sharing a bed and it wouldn’t be the last time either. Unfortunately sleep did not embrace her quick enough and it did nothing good to her heart and her libido.

Lying on her back, staring at the ceiling trying to count sheep, movement by through the door urged her look down, seeing a full dressed Brasidas enter the room. Fortunately, it seemed like he hadn’t noticed that she was still awake as he unbuckled his cuirass, and lifted it over his head. Kassandra saw the red tunic, that Brasidas wore under his armour, lift a little too high as it got snagged on the cuirass, grazing over his thigh so she could see the hem of his linen underwear---- she swiftly turned on her side, away from Brasidas and temptation.

Just as she got comfortable on her side, she felt the sheet peel back just a little and heard Brasidas shift his weight as he slipped under the sheet. It seemed as if his back was towards her, judging by the way the sheet spread between the two of them.

It was too easy to share a bed with the Spartan General, she always felt too safe, too comfortable and Hypnos always pulled her in just a little too deep. But right now, the image of the red tunic was burned into her memory, his toned thighs, his skin darkened by the sun but most likely flecked with scars and freckles, either way, she just wanted to see what would happen if the tunic went up even further.

Then she remembers the marriage is fake, any feelings are probably a fake, and all she has to do is survive another three nights so she can return to the Andrestia and sail away.

Brasidas was nervous, sleeping next to a woman he frequently likens to Athena and Artemis. He always knew that she was only here as a favour to him but, a small part of him hoped that she was here for something more than the favour. Either way, he knew his love was unrequited (her reaction to him accidentally calling her my love is proof enough of how she sees him, as just a friend,) and, there’s no Spartan military tactic he can apply to be victorious in this situation.

He lay on his side, awake for an unknown amount of time. The General guessed that Kassandra was asleep behind him, she seemed to get go of her strangle grip on the sheet and he could hear her breathing gently and evenly. They’d been in the same bed enough times for him to know when she’s asleep. He carefully peeled back his half of the bedding, trying to slip out of the bed as quietly as possible.

Brasidas didn’t bother with his armour as he left the house, toeing on his sandals as he left their home to walk around Sparta. This was becoming a tradition, to steal away from their shared bed on the first night she returned. To clear my thoughts, he tells himself every time, which is true but, the content of the thoughts differ every time. Sometimes he thinks about professing his love, waking her up with kisses, and other times, he thinks about asking her to end their marriage, the pain of it not being real almost too much to handle.

Regardless, he considers every thought selfish. If he professes his love, it’s selfish, if he asks her to leave, it’s selfish; both ways preserve his feelings and takes none of hers into account.

He returns to their room after a walk around the Temple of Artemis Orthia, his mind cleared and his eyes heavy. He toed off his sandals and slipped back into the sheets, unaware that Kassandra had stirred until she spoke, “you went for a walk again?”

Any tiredness Brasidas had acquired had vanished, replaced by the shock of one, she’s awake and two, she knows about the midnight walks. He was speechless, just for a moment, before answering, “yes, I had to clear my thoughts.” He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling, his breath a little uneven, made noticeable by the sheet moving on top of him.

He heard Kassandra shift, then her breath on his shoulder, as she asked, “which thoughts?” She was obviously half asleep, her voice quieter and softer than usual. Brasidas tilted his head towards her, seeing her eyes opening and closing slowly, as if she was fighting to stay awake to hear his thoughts. “If they’re guilty thoughts, I’m great at those,” she murmured with a small but sad smile on her face, “it’s either you or them, you do what you have to do to survive.”

Brasidas huffed, a little bewildered at how casually she rationalises killing, then again, he knows she has always lived in a kill or be killed world, even without the help of Sparta. “They are not guilty thoughts,” Brasidas explained, briefly looking back at the ceiling, “go back to sleep, we will talk in the morning.” He turned back to Kassandra and moved a piece of hair from her eyes. She hummed appreciated but ultimately, didn’t roll back to her side as she usually did.

Brasidas rolled on his side, first away from Kassandra and then towards her, but by that time, she was back asleep, lips open slightly as she breathed evenly. He gazed at her for a few minutes before he too closed his eyes and fell asleep.

#assassins creed #assassins creed fanfiction #brassandra #kassandra/brassidas #kassidas #***ff #i love fake marriage aus ok

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thegreatpikminzx789 · 5 years

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Yggdrasil’s Nexus: Prologue (Chapter 1) - Etrian Odyssey Nexus Fanfiction

Wattpad|Ao3|Fanfiction.Net

Summary: Korey wishes upon a single star in the night, wishing to be reunited with his loved one. His previous searches yielded no results, so he hopes that all the friends he made along the way may have had some clue to where she might have been in the time Korey was gone. He had to hope that they had found some means of getting his old guild to reach him...

But perhaps hope lies within the Maginia, and its promise of a new journey.

Introduction (You are here)|Next Chapter

AN: Man, writing this was soooo worth it, especially towards the ending of this chapter. I probably might not want to wait until I reach the specified point in Beyond the Stars, so the next chapter may likely contain a spoiler. Maybe. Depends on how long I wanna delay the next chapter so I can write it, which is honestly gonna drag me down so far behind like I did with BtS...

I decided to go with a rather different method of having my characters meet each other, as I feel like what I had written in my draft was good enough for a start, though the other characters meeting likely won’t come until the next chapter... Oh, and did I mention that this is a little over 7200 words on Wattpad (Almost 7600 words on Fanfiction.Net)? I’m quite glad with how this turned out that I went a little further. Sometimes the extra details is what’s really needed in the long run~ :3

Lynus and Drayce, although both are mentioned, belong to @theshatteredrose

The night sky was always a pleasant sight to behold. Shirota and Shira definitely had some fun watching the night sky before the Dancer let out a yawn. A side effect that mostly came from her efforts of using her dance skills to assist with the exploration of the Sacred Mountain's labyrinths earlier today for a quest.

"I'm glad I'm able to spend some more time with you, mom. I wanted to make it up to you, so I hoped this was a start..." Shirota began, smiling as she placed her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Me too, my sweet sunshine," Shira replied, in a soothing tone, looking at her daughter's eyes, and smiled back at her. "I hope we can do more of this, soon..." She continued, hoping to spend more time with her daughter and catch up with what she's been up to the past few months.

"We will, don't you worry." Shirota hummed, starting to make her way over to the bed with her warm pair of clothes on her. She wasn't willing to get the cold over being through cold temperatures, so some warm clothes really helped her thrive in the cold region of the Sacred Mountains, and the often cold winds that arrived during her time in Tharsis.

"For now though, I'm gonna get some shut eye." Shirota sighed, falling onto the bed and placing the sheets over herself. The silver-clad Imperial knelt beside her bed.

"Very well. Good night, Shirota. I love you." Shira cooed, getting a little chuckle out of Shirota.

"I love you too, mom." Shirota responded, feeling her mother place a kiss on her cheek before getting up and make her way out of the room, closing the door behind her. It certainly felt like years since she spent time growing up alongside her daughter.

Whenever Imperial duties weren't weighing on her shoulders, she would teach her daughter the ways of dancing. It was always something to help pass the time, and to get close to each other as mother and daughter. Ever since her disappearance though, she was worried her lessons would be for naught.

A faint recalling of her memory reminded her that she talked to his husband about the possibility of her being unable to return. There was a village of dancers not far from the presumed location of civilization beyond the Cloudy Stronghold, and she had suggested that they live there should anything happen to her. She might not be aware of how happy her husband is, but the letter she received back from him a few days ago was reassuring , and that he was soon coming to Tharsis.

Needless to say, Shira and Shirota couldn't be anymore happier. Soon, they were going to be reunited as a family... Kurita and her sisters were still looking for their father, but the guild searched everywhere in search for him, and so far, turned up nothing.

Glaring up from the ground, she noticed that someone was on the balcony. A man with long brown hair and wore clothes from the Highlander tribe, staring at the night sky... Shira placed a hand on her hips, unable to help ponder to herself why he would be out at a time like this. She was usually strict about being able to sleep on time, so seeing their guild leader not get any sleep is a bit worrying, both as a friend, and as a mother.

Without regard to her movement, Shira walks up to him, hoping to question the man who refuses to sleep. "You know you should be asleep by this time. So why are you still up?"

Startled, Korey turns to see Shira approaching him, with a rather stern look on her face. It's only been a few weeks since Shira joined his guild, but her stern look reminded him of his mother whenever she was crossed... He took a few seconds to recompose himself.

"I just... couldn’t sleep, Shira." Korey replied, taking a deep breath as he looks back at the sky. "I thought looking at the night sky would help tire me out, but every time I look at them, it reminds me of my time back home..."

The brown skinned woman soon relieved herself of the stern expression upon hearing his reason. The night sky was always such a wonderful thing to look at, no matter where they are in the world. "I remember watching the night sky as I slept in, waiting til the day I get to see my daughter again..." She commented, placing her hands on the railing as she stared at the millions of stars in the sky.

"And that you did. I just hope that would soon happen with me." Korey's repeated sigh soon turned Shira's attention from the sky to the person beside her.

"I’ve been praying ever since I started my journey that one day, I will reach her. And ever since I gained my sudden amnesia, I’ve been lost, with this ring as my only guide... I feel like I'm never going to find her, no matter what I do."

Shira places her hand on the Highlander's shoulder, his gaze turning to a concerned mother that Shira's aura resonated. "I’m sure you will, Korey. Perhaps there might have been a reason she could not have found you sooner, or even the other way around." She began.

"I know how much it feels to worry about loved ones, but you just need to trust your heart to not worry. That’s how I managed to get through." Shira continued, hearing Korey scoff at himself. "If only I can keep that advise to heart."

He heard giggling from Shira. "Maybe you should get it memorized." She suggested, unable to hold back a few more giggles she tried to withstand.

Korey's eyes soon gazed at something else that caught his attention. Something gleamed off of the silver armor, turning his head back to see... "Ah, a shooting star! Gotta make a wish!"

Korey clasps his hands together and closed his eyes. Before Shira questions what he's doing, she too spots the shooting star, and proceeds to mimic the pose Korey is in. Silence filled the air for a while, before the two of them opened their eyes to see that the shooting star is gone.

"Shooting stars are always the prettiest things the sky has given us." Shira commented, smiling almost as if she didn't have a care in the world. She gazed at Korey as she places her hands back on the railing. "So, what’d you wish for?"

What he wished for... It felt obvious to the Highlander, but Shira won't know unless he spoke it to her. "I wished to be back with my beloved Hilda, no matter how long it takes."

Shira could only chuckle in response. "Heh, maybe I shouldn’t have asked..." She muttered to herself, hardly surprised by the wish she heard from Korey.

"Well, it’s only fair to ask what you wished for after I told you mine. So tell me already." Korey urged, like a little child asking their parent to read them a story.

Shira couldn't help but giggle at his need to know her wish. "Alright, fine." She sighed, giving into the plea. "I wished for you to live the happiest life you can, as you make others happy."

She spots a smirk come onto Korey's face, chuckling a little bit as he scratched the back of his head. "That wish of yours feels like I might have spoken some words similar to what you said to a guild I was in back in High Lagaard. God, it felt like it was just yesterday..."

"How so?" The silver-clad Imperial inquired, personally intrigued. "We were facing a dangerous creature on a floor hardly anyone else knew about." The Highlander began, placing a finger on his chin as he began to recall the exact moment in time.

"In the spur of the moment, my mind thought back to a similar event where things were as desperate as it can be, but managed to make it through in the end. I ended up speaking about wanting to make people smile, and to live their lives like one happy family. And the rest was just a blur as we, alongside a certain guild I met in Lagaard, took down the destructive creature."

"I see..." Shira hummed to herself, more than satisfied with the answer she hear from Korey. Her eyes gaze at him again, seeing his eyes closed from the corner of her vision. Was he thinking about something? "Something wrong?"

Korey opened his eyes when he heard the question. "O-Oh, nothing. Just pondering to myself, is all." He assured, turning around and grabbing his bag, placing it on his shoulder, before turning to the silver Imperial.

"I’m gonna go get some shut eye. I’ll see you in the morning, Shira." Shira nodded, silently motioning him to get going. She didn't need to reassure him any further regarding his sleep schedule.

Once he was out of sight, Shira turned to look at the stars above her. She couldn't help but ponder on his wish, despite showing little interest earlier. "Perhaps he might get his wish granted faster than we’d expect. Fate does work in mysterious ways, after all..."

.........................................................

The morning came and went, as the Refulgent Guild was taking the day off from exploring to do whatever they wanted until something was discussed. Soon enough, the afternoon started to arrive without much of a care. Though Korey didn't mind. After all, talking with Baldur, Logre, and Shirota was going rather smoothly.

They had visited some shops earlier, likely to stock up for medicine and whatnot, and nesting on the porch of their guild house was a way to relax after a typical shopping spree. They were just talking about whatever came to their mind, whether it was in the past or plans for the upcoming future. It was right around then that the noise of shifting armor caught Shirota's attention, gazing upon tons of Tharsis' soldiers.

"Is it just me, or is there a lot of guards today making their way to the Count’s place?" She couldn't help but question, as the others turned to see what she was talking about. They also spotted some soldiers that weren't of Tharsis origin.

"That certainly is quite the number. I wonder why the need for that many guards..." Baldur pondered, as Logre's eyes soon spotted some figures of extreme importance.

"Perhaps those two likely explain the protecting formation the soldiers are in." He explained, pointing to a woman with orange hair, and rather unique golden armor, walking beside a man with black armor and white hair. They were walking alongside the soldiers to the Outland Count's place, likely to discuss something with the Count in particular.

"You certainly don’t see people like them everyday." Shirota commented, rather amazed at the armor the woman wore. "Not really, though I wonder why they’re here. They don’t seem like bad people..."

As they see the two regal looking figures walk off in the distance, Shirota spots Anai from the corner of her eye, seeing the Medic approach them as the young girl smacks her hands on the table, startling the boys and turned their attention to her.

"Guys, you’ll never believe what I just saw! It was... oh my god, it was huuuuuge!" Anai blurted, almost about to go on a never ending talk about whatever she witnessed.

Shirota quickly urged the young Medic to calm down. "What is it that you saw?" Baldur questioned, which only made Anai squee with excitement.

"I-It’s just better to show you guys! Come to the entrance!" Anai urged, rushing ahead of them.

Well, who were they to question Anai's sudden thrill of excitement? The group of four got up from their chairs, making their way to the entrance of Tharsis, spotting Anai wave her hand at them, meeting up with the Medic at the spot she stood.

"What might be so important to get our attention over?" The prince inquired, seeing the Medic swiftly turn and point at something. "Take a look at that!"

Everyone's gaze turns to where the purple haired girl was pointing, getting a few surprised gasps and looks from the group. There appeared to be a huge ship docked next to the city's entrance, putting the airships that Korey and the Empire's had to mere shocking levels of mediocrity. Baldur noticed that there were buildings on the ship, hardly able to witness a few figures over in the distance walking around as if they live on it.

"A floating city?" Baldur was only able to speak after having confirmed his thoughts on the matter. Logre smirked, rather impressed about the huge ship.

"Heh, rather impressive someone managed to make a combination of a flying ship and a city to live on for the people on it. That’s an impressive feat that nobody's ever managed to accomplish." He commented, feeling like he could take up his regarded Whirlwind name and start a new life there...

"Ugh, silly me. I almost forgot something..." Anai groaned, reaching into her bag and grabs a letter, handing it to Korey as he reads over the letter's details.

"Somebody sent you a letter, Korey. From what I can tell, it’s very important." Korey gazed at Anai, unable to help but wonder something.

"You didn’t take a peek at it, did you?" He questioned, the young Medic quickly shaking her head to prove her innocence. "Just from the royal seal that I saw on the letter was what gave me the hint that it was important." She explained.

Baldur placed a finger on his chin once he heard word of a royal seal. "Did you catch a name of sorts?" The prince asked.

"No, just the symbol was all I saw, Baldur." The girl replied, leaving Korey to stare at the letter for a while. "So, guild leader, what’s our next move?" Logre queried, wondering when Korey was gonna speak up or simply stare at the letter for a while.

Korey blinked for a few seconds, looking at the Imperial that had asked him a question. "Logre, Baldur, Anai, gather everyone in the guild. I suppose this letter is considered an important thing everyone should know." Korey issued without further delay.

"Why not just have me get everyone? I always seem to enjoy the easier tasks you give me." Logre jested, smirking as he did so.

"Just get going, Logre!" Korey urged, hearing him chuckle as he motions for Baldur and Anai to follow him. Shirota soon starts following them, before turning to the Highlander.

"I’ll see if I can help in getting everyone. See you later!" Shirota chirped, turning to follow the trio she was following, not wanting to lose sight of them.

Korey looks at the letter once again, seeing a rather interesting topic that peaked his interest. "...Guess I made the right call to have a meeting with my guild." He uttered to himself, as he began to head back to the guild house.

..............................................

After nearly an hour of waiting for everyone in his guild to come, every member of the Refulgent Guild was here at last, gathered in the lobby. Everybody was talking among themselves, waiting for Korey to come down and issue the meeting. A white haired Vessel huffed, not liking the crowded situation he found himself to be in.

"I don’t see the point in us being here. Weren’t we just fine doing our own thing until something was planned?" Silvius argued, staring rather coldly at everyone, despite his calm demeanor he typically has with them.

"This is the part where something just came to our guild leader’s attention, Silvius." Wufan began, sighing upon hearing Silvius complain. "Despite being the White Vessel, you should know that if something is important, you hear it out."

"That’s true," Kibagami chimed in. "I’m sure Korey has a great reason for calling us all here."

The blonde haired Medic with black clothes soon spotted Korey coming down the stairs. "Ah, here comes Korey." She exclaimed, getting everyone's attention as the Highlander made his way to the center of the room.

"Terribly sorry I’m late, I had to make sure I read the contents the letter contained." Korey apologized, immediately getting some of his guild members telling him that they understand the wait.

"No need to worry yourself about it, Korey." The white haired Nightseeker woman known as Elma spoke up, adjusting the red garb around her as she sat up. "Please, do speak about what this letter delightfully entails." The black haired Imperial known as Akhos urged, adjusting his glasses as he spoke.

Korey took a few seconds to clear his throat before beginning. "The letter seems to have been written by somebody from the flying ship me, Logre, Baldur, Anai, and Shirota witnessed earlier this afternoon, as it was hand delivered from Anai to me. It says that the leaders of the airship are talking with the Outland Count to speak about getting explorers to join them on the Maginia for a new journey."

Kurita's older sister and landsknecht, Jayla, tilted her head, a bit puzzled. "Maginia? Is that the name of that ship thing?" "I would assume so, Jayla." The purple haired landsknecht sitting right beside Jayla, named Eliza, guessed her answer on the subject.

"A new journey sounds rather exciting. But why the discussion with the Count?" Sakuma wondered, before the sound of an open door can interrupt anyone who was going to express their opinion.

"I believe I can answer that myself, lass." A familiar voice chimed in, as the Count allowed himself into the guild house. "Hello, Mr. Count!" Kurita greeted, waving a hand in his general direction.

"Hello to you too, Kurita." He greeted back. "I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything."

Korey shook his head. "No, you weren’t. I’m honestly at a loss as to what the letter I got earlier could mean." Korey stated, explaining the situation he and his guildmates have found themselves in.

"Oh don’t trouble yourself with the details. I’ll explain everything I know." The Count hummed, closing the door behind him so no one else could interrupt him.

"You see, I’ve had a meeting with the founders of the floating city, the Maginia. They spoke with me about having explorers from all of Tharsis to come and assist them search for some treasure in a far off island." He explained.

"Island? Like, lonely continent, island?" The red haired Sentinel named Hiraku inquired, getting a sigh from the brown skinned Vessel next to him.

"I’m sure that’s what he means..." Seti argued, feeling a small bit of movement from the blue-haired female Runemaster next to him as she peeked her head to see the Count. "It's still strange as it is, considering that’s exactly what the letter entailed as well- minus the treasure part..." Haruka exclaimed, causing the Count to pace back and forth for a few seconds.

"If I had to conjure a guess, I surmise that the most likely possibility is that the Refulgent Guild has been selected to board the Maginia to travel to this new place." The Count concluded, getting several gasps from the people in the room. "Isn’t the thought of searching through a new land exciting? It’s just like how you explored new lands with your airship when you finished your first labyrinth..." He reminisced, feeling like it was only yesterday when he had met the Highlander and his guild.

While some liked the idea of traveling to a new land... Some, like Kurita, had some thoughts of her own. "I’ve grown to like Tharsis, though... It would feel weird to leave it and potentially leave it in danger." The blonde Runemaster spoke up.

"That certainly is a lot of pressure, especially for me..." Lysandra groaned, still unsure about her decision. It was a fifty-fifty situation, and it was hard to know whether they would want to go or not.

"How long would the Maginia stay here, if I may ask?" Korey inquired, wanting to know at least that before making a formal decision. "For a few days, from what the orange haired woman told me. She wanted to be sure that she wanted to give explorers a fair chance to make up their minds, and not pressure anyone."

A few days... That was more than enough time. At least for Korey. The others will likely have their answers sooner than his.

"Then what of the guild house? Will it remain intact for us, or not?" Logre inquired, wondering about the possibility of them all saying yes to going on the Maginia.

"That’s something I would like to discuss when you are ready to travel on the Maginia. Please take your time, and come visit me if you all have decided." The Count gave a reassuring smile, before bidding them a good day, leaving the building to head back to his place.

Silence filled the room again. Everybody exchanged looks at each other, almost worried to express their thoughts on the subject they were left with. Even Frederica Irving and Yukina were rather silent about the whole ordeal.

Before long, Shira got up from her seat and cleared her throat. "I must admit, although the Empire has been me and Shirota’s home for some time, I feel like we should take the time to see if we’re truly ready to move on from Tharsis, judging from everyone's reaction. Sounds good to everyone?"

Her objective for everyone was rather clear, yet it felt like a mission discussion towards everyone in the room. But if they had to be honest, the pressure was sort of huge. They needed some time to at least come to terms with what they plan to do. Everyone ends up nodding, as some of them mutter a positive reaction to having to spend some time to think about this situation.

Soon, the room was suddenly filled with discussion, as if the embargo had just been lifted. Although it was a little complex to have Korey gather his thoughts alone in peace, turning around and making his way back upstairs.

The prince couldn't help but follow the Highlander. Despite the rather tough crowd of people in the lobby, it wasn't hard to get to his destination without further issue. He climbed the stairs, feeling others follow behind him, likely wanting to converse in their rooms.

Reaching the balcony, Baldur spots the brown haired Highlander looking through the busy streets of Tharsis. "Mind if I join you up here?" Baldur inquired, getting a short gaze from Korey as he approaches him.

"I just need some time to myself..." He groaned, looking away from the prince, almost acting like the first time he had met the Prince. Baldur wasn't going to take it at face value this time around. "Can’t I be concerned for someone who is going to be my future guild leader?"

Huh? Future guild leader? The Highlander turned to face the prince, seeing his eyes rather determined, much like the time they were trying to give chase to him in the Cloudy Stronghold.

"I’ve debated on it for a while, ever since the Yggdrasil Curse had been removed from me," Baldur continued. "I saw how hard and dedicated one must be to exploring. After much discussion with everyone else for the past few days, I decided I want to become an explorer, starting with wherever this Maginia will take us too."

This... Was this even a dream? Cause it freaking felt like one to Korey, alright! The fact that Baldur is going to be giving exploring a chance, is honestly rather surprising.

"That’s what I’ve decided, Korey. I’m sure Logre would agree with me one-hundred percent on this." He concluded, starting to feel the wind blow through his hair.

Well, who was a leader if he wasn't willing to give someone a chance?

"I can tell that it'll be a good start for you, Baldur. I’m all in on letting you explore with us." Korey grinned, seeing the prince smile for the first time in his life.

"Thanks for understanding, Korey." Baldur thanked, letting the wind be their source of sound, along with the people down below them. Time flew by for a bit, before he heard Korey sigh, getting up from the position he was standing in.

"I might be taking a little longer to debate on my current position. Cause every place I’ve been to feels like home." Korey recalled the open thrill of Etria, the great comfort in High Lagaard, the amazing view of the ocean in Armoroad, and the land of Tharsis was quite beautiful. Each place truly felt more unique than the last.

"But I know my hometown is out there somewhere, and with the thought that I might one day return and leave everyone I know behind to return home is just... worrying." The Highlander groaned, looking down at his ring that he still wore throughout every travel and journey he had this far.

Baldur couldn't help but feel like he had a point. When he was recovering with the Refulgent Guild, it felt rather worrying that it felt like he was leaving the people of his empire to suffer. But with each Imperial visiting Tharsis, things felt more better, despite the curse that was placed on him in the aftermath of summoning the titan.

"To straight up leave and search for my old guild, and my wife... It's a painful thought that never left my head." Korey's voice brought Baldur back to the conversation, placing his hand on the Highlander's shoulder.

"You have us to help you with that search, you know? Doing it alone won’t get you anywhere, as far as I’m aware." Baldur insisted, reminding Korey that he had another option the whole time.

"You’re right, Baldur. I’m sorry, I just feel like I don’t want anyone else to help in my search, due to how much trouble it will be." The brown haired man apologized. "I’ll see if I can change my mind about that... is that alright?"

"Fine by me." The prince chuckled, removing his hand from Korey's shoulder. "I’m going to see if the others made up their minds yet. I’ll see you later."

"See ya." Korey replied, seeing the prince head down the stairs, waiting until he was out of sight to ponder something to himself. "Would it really be worth leaving, knowing I may not find her there in our next destination?"

After all, his previous searches held nothing. All the hints he may have had an inclination to, were wrong by a million miles more than the last. It felt like he was following a dead trail, hoping it still went onward.

Finding his old guild felt like finding a group of friends lost in a huge public area... And that was the worst kind of situation he could ever find himself in. "Perhaps a walk can ease my nerves. I can't think about getting on the Maginia without having some more time to myself." He concluded, making his way downstairs.

He heard the conversations had died down a little, likely guessing some of them made their decision on the matter. The lobby was also less cluttered with people walking about, making his path to the door a lot more simple. Before he could leave, he felt Shirota's eyes catch him as he touched the door handle.

"Where’re you heading, Korey?" Shirota queried, seeing Korey turn his head a little to face her. "Just gonna go for a walk, Shirota. I shouldn’t be long."

Well, as long as he had something in mind, he was all set to go. "Alright. Stay safe, Korey." She hummed, seeing him leave the building before focusing her attention back to the conversation at hand.

..............................................

He found himself sitting down on a bench near the water fountain. Despite the roads being somewhat busy with adventurers, they were more focused on getting preparations, or just chatting about by their front doors, helping citizens one last time before they likely headed out to explore, or to go to the Maginia. While Korey didn't get a great glimpse of the Maginia in full, he had to trust the Count's word that it was a floating city. It was the only thing that can keep his mind on track with what he was currently thinking.

"This Maginia seems like a great place to live for the time we’ll likely be spending our days in our next destination. But who knows if I’ll ever see some friends from my hometown, or from Lagaard. I already miss seeing Lynus, and god knows how long it’s been since I’ve seen Drayce..." Korey pondered, soon clutching his head upon remembering Drayce.

He was the guy who got him and his previous guild into treasure hunting. The guy who came down from a descendant of treasure hunters, and the first guild he ever met that was all filled with boys. His mind felt like it was starting to remember more and more, but even when it fit one piece of the puzzle, another piece just wasn't adding up.

"Ugh, this damn amnesia is driving me crazy!" He growled to himself, rubbing his head in an attempt to calm himself of the headache he felt. Korey desperately wished there was a much more better solution to fixing amnesia instead of waiting it out, cause each second he wasted felt like it was just more trial and error for his mind to fix the puzzle.

He was unsure how much time passed as he attempted to calm himself, while trying to speak out certain connections that his memories might eventually come back. "Excuse me, sir..." A voice called out to him, tugging on his pants alongside speaking out to him.

"Huh?" Korey turned his head and sees a child who was about a few inches taller than Korey's legs in his current sitting position. He couldn't help recognize the white hair the child had, noticing his eyes are the same color as his own. And while he was unsure if the landsknecht armor was just for show or not, it seemed as if he was wearing the clothes Tharsis landsknecht males typically wore.

The child tilted his head, trying to get a grasp on the details of Korey's face, eyes, and hair color. "You look a bit like my father. You almost sound like him, too." He commented, feeling like he's heard the voice somewhere before.

"Your father?" Korey felt rather confused as to where this was going, but decided to ask anyways. "Yeah, he’s been missing for two years, and mommy really misses him."

Two years? Had it really felt like it was two years? He felt like it was just countless days, but if what he said about his mommy missing him... Korey felt placed his hand on his chest, almost recalling the exact moment he felt the missing link when he once woke up to find himself in some unknown place.

Hilda... He felt her miss him, almost as if their link was somehow re-established somehow. He wasn't sure how, but upon gazing at the kid before him, he feels like he's seen him somewhere before.

"You look familiar, but I can’t seem to place a finger on your name... Mind telling me your name?" Korey inquired, wanting to confirm something that was nagging on his mind.

"My name’s Karim." He introduced himself. Korey felt like his heart was pounding, yet he wasn't sure why. Was it because he was aware of the name and just hadn't remember, or...

His mind was telling him that he was close to the answer, but if he had to be sure of himself, there had to be something he can do to confirm his identity to Karim... He looked back at the white haired child, who quickly stares back at him, almost as if he was like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. "Any chance you happen to know your father’s name? And was he wearing anything that would be the key to finding him?"

Two questions was all that it took for Karim to ponder to himself. "Well, my daddy's named Korey... From what mom told me, he always wore a ring that had her name and dad's name on it, as it was the ring she bought for him."

If Korey could express his shock right now, he would. He got off the bench and knelt down to Karim’s height, removing the ring on his hand and held it up for the kid to see it clearly. "Would this be the ring in question?" He asked, as Karim squinted his eyes to try and read the font indented on the ring.

The kid let out a gasp as soon as he saw his mother's name, alongside Korey's own name. He looked up at Korey, who quickly looks at him, before feeling the child wrap his arms around him. "I finally found you, papa! I've missed you sooooo much!" Karim beamed, rubbing his head against Korey's chest.

He... found his son. Korey forgotten his son due to the amnesia... To think he was so focused on finding his wife, that he had forgotten the child that they were raising together. He felt nothing but a rush of happiness and sadness taking over him, soon wrapping his arms around Karim.

"My son... I thought I’d never see you again..." Korey cried, feeling water come down his cheeks and into Karim's hair. "I was afraid my efforts of trying to return to you and Hilda were for naught... But I’m glad they weren’t!"

Korey continued to bawl for a few minutes, feeling his son comfort him the best he can. He soon felt the tears slowly come to a halt, rubbing a finger against his eyes to remove anymore that dared to escape at the last second.

"Feeling better, daddy?" Karim asked, separating from the hug he initiated. "Yeah... I'm feeling better, my child."

Korey grew a smile on his face, as he picks up Karim and sits on the bench, placing Karim on his leg. Whatever thoughts about the Maginia were tossed aside, as all Korey wanted was to reconnect with the son he had forgotten.

"Tell me, what have you, Hilda and the others been up to while I was away?" He asked, his voice acting much more fatherly than it previously was seconds ago.

"Oh, you know, school and homework..." Karim began, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Aunt Misaki has been helping me with some of the schoolwork as well." He added.

Korey let out a sigh of relief, glad to hear that his biological sister was still around. "Glad to know sis is doing just fine. I’m sure she must’ve been worried about me, much like Hilda." Korey pondered, considering not seeing her big brother was likely shocking for her.

"She certainly was, though only for a month." Karim noted, causing Korey to blink in surprise. "Only a month? Here I thought it would be more than that..." The brown haired Highlander commented, amused by the answer his son gave him.

"Aunt Misaki’s really grown up! She said she wanted to find you as much as all of us back in Iorys did!" Karim explained, causing Korey to chuckle in amazement.

"I see. I might just have to speak with her myself when I see her again..." He imagined she might have grown a few inches taller since they last saw each other, if two years of missing her birthday only now smacked him hard in the face.

"By the way," Korey continued, looking over Karim's clothes. "Where’d you get the small armor set for Tharsis’ Landsknecht clothes?"

Karim tilted his head for a moment, lost in a thought of his. "Oh, mommy allowed me and Ms. Brown Haired Lady to go get me some clothes from here." He responded, catching Korey off guard with the nickname he said out loud. "You mean-"

"Karim, there you- agh?!" A familiar voice called out, before somehow tripping and hitting the solid ground before them. Korey gasps, recognizing the girl before him. Her ears were rabbit-like, and her brown skin and brown hair easily could look like it would mix together any second. She also appeared to be wearing a necklace of sorts- and that necklace was familiar to him as well!

Korey places Karim down on the bench as he placed down his bag and sat Keiko up. "K-Keiko! Are you okay?!" He exclaimed, looking quickly over the injuries she had. Unlike the first time she ran into him, the ground definitely wasn't something to mess with in regards to getting hurt.

"I-I’m f-fine..." Keiko groaned, before blinking several times after registering the voice in her head. She looked towards the man tending to her injuries... His hair color was familiar, his eye color was the same, even his voice was the darn same!

"K-Korey?! Is that you?!" Keiko yelped after speaking, feeling her arm sting a bit in pain. "H-Hold still, Keiko, I can’t tend to your wounds if you move around!" Korey grunted, looking where the bits of her skin bled.

"Not moving." Keiko silenced herself afterward, letting Korey do his thing. Seemed like she got a few abrasions on her skin. If the advise he learned from Lynus was correct, he needed to scrub and clean the wounds off before they get infected.

Korey turned his head to turn to Karim. "Hey, Karim, there's a bottle in my bag that contains purified water. Can you get it for me?" Karim nodded, getting up from the bench and walked over to his bag, opening it and started searching through it.

"O-Oh, I see you found Karim, Korey..." Keiko hummed, trying not to speak a lot due to her injuries. "Moreso he found me. I'm so glad to see him again." Korey chuckled in response, soon grabbing the bottle of water Karim found.

"Now, this may sting a bit, but I gotta apply water to the places that your skin scraped against. Just try and endure it, okay?" Korey warned, seeing Keiko nod in response. He opened the water bottle, and dripped water on her arm, letting the water drip to the side where the wound was visible.

Keiko winced in pain, but tries her best not to express her pain. "Karim, there should be some gauze that I can use. Do you see it in my bag anywhere?"

Karim looks further in the bag, seeing a box with a label written 'gauze' on it. "I believe this is the one, papa." He hands it over to Korey, as the Highlander places the water bottle beside him, and opens the box, grabbing one of the translucent fabrics and placed it over the wound, moving it over the surface of the skin to pick up some of the light debris that made it onto her skin.

To be honest, Korey was glad he taken some interest in healing without having the direct skills of having a Medic nearby. Situations like this usually saved some rather regrettable injuries, like back in Armoroad, where Yukina taught him some of the ways to treat open wounds. Alongside the advise from Anai that he learned, he was making sure that he recalled the exact steps needed to heal the wounded areas.

Time felt like an eternity, as he had to make sure to apply the right amount of pressure. He had Karim assist him with grabbing some items, as he did not want to keep his eyes off the injuries for more than a few split seconds. Certain spots took longer than most, but it was better to cover all open wounds and prevent them from getting worse.

Part of Keiko's arms, hands and leg were wrapped in bandages, with some spots having some wet drips of purified water on it to help hasten the recovery time. He took his time with the few injuries on her face, wanting to make sure that the wounds were covered and well moist before moving on to the next. "This should be the last one. Just wait a little longer, Keiko..." Korey huffed, hearing Keiko gulp, still wincing from the last open wound on her body.

"Woooow, father’s so good at healing Ms. Brown Haired Lady!" Karim couldn't help but utter to himself in excitement. "For the last time, Karim, her name is Keiko." Korey overheard him, correcting him on the name of the Therian before him.

"H-Hey, I-I don’t mind the name." Keiko stuttered, wincing a bit more from the gauze that touched her cheek. "But you and Demetria basically share the same skin, eye, and hair color, Keiko! That naming scheme Karim has is gonna be confusing to me as it is!" The Highlander argued, before shutting himself up so he can focus on treating the last wound.

After waiting for a few minutes, Korey dipped his finger in the water bottle, quickly touching where the bandage was located, hoping to keep it moist for a while. Korey took a huge breath in relief, thankful he didn't mess up anything. "That ought to do it. Now, for the love of all that is the Heavenbringer, do not trip from this point on, Keiko!"

The brown haired Therian tilted her head in confusion. "What’s the Heavenbringer?" Korey brought his hand up to his face and shook his head in disappointment.

"Never mind, forget I said anything..." He sighed, placing the lid on his bottle and placed everything that Karim had placed inside his bag. Korey help assisted Keiko stand up, as she took a couple of seconds to get her balance.

"Now, make sure that the covered wounds remain moist if they start to become dry, and make sure you get plenty of rest." Korey began, moving away from the Therian after she was able to stand on her own. Though Korey couldn't send her back without doing something to get Hilda or the other old members of his guild to come to him...

"In fact, why don't you go head back to the Maginia, and get some guild members of mine to come visit me?" Korey inquired, seeing Keiko nod in response to his request. "S-Sure thing, Korey. Just gotta- ooooh, get back without causing more injury to myself." Keiko yelped in pain a little bit, but stood her ground to still stand tall.

"Make sure you yell mommy I found daddy, Ms. Brown Haired Lady!" Karim added, giving the Therian a rather cheery smile. Keiko couldn't help but smile back at Karim.

"Don't worry, Karim, I will." Keiko giggled, before she begins to make her way back to Tharsis' entrance, at a reasonable walking speed. After seeing her off, Karim turned to face his father, who picked up the bag and placed it on his back.

"So papa, what have you been doing in the two years you were gone?" He asked, seeing Korey look at him with a satisfied smile on his face. "I hope you love loooong stories, son. Cause my tales of adventuring will likely last us all the way to our destination on the Maginia." Korey responded, lowering his hand to Karim.

"In the meantime, why don't I give you a head start on meeting my current guild? I'm sure you’ll love them." Korey asked, feeling his sons hand grab his own hand.

"Sure! Let's go, go, gooo!" Karim chirped, jumping up and down with excitement. Korey couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"Alright, little one, patience... Let’s just take the opportunity to walk together. After all, it has been years, hasn’t it?" Korey hummed, seeing his son stop jumping the moment he heard patience come out of his father's mouth.

"Oookaaay..." The white haired child sighed, feeling his arm move due to Korey trying to cheer him up a little. "Come now, Karim- allow me to give you a tour of my recent adventuring guild in my resident guild house!" Korey declared, hyping up his child to wonder what sort of people Korey has met with.

Today was gonna be quite the busy afternoon, but it was gonna be worth the wish he hoped for the night before today.

#eo #eon #Etrian Odyssey #Etrian Odyssey Nexus #writing

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szappan · 6 years

Text

a bunch of tags (again) (i do this like) (every three months)

@savoy-brown-shoe tagged me in this really fun game: the rules are to answer the questions only with songs from the band you chose

Band: David Bowie (he’s now a band)

Gender: Rebel Rebel (got my mother in a whirl)

How do you feel: Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed

If you could go anywhere: Underground

Favourite mode of transportation: Something In The Air ( :D )

Favourite time of the day: Moonage Daydream

Best friend: Queen Bitch

If your life was a TV show: Join The Gang

Relationship status: China Girl 1983 Single

I’ll tag @fancybasementfestival, @vanillatumbleweedscoffee and @sastrugie in this. Oh, and @spooky-opossum

This next one was by @yogurtbattle! Thanks, man! (But I can’t seem to tag you, again. Sad.)

freshly mown grass / hay

peppermint / cinnamon

falling rain / ocean breezes

gasoline / new car smell

play-doh / crayons

chlorine / sunscreen

coffee / chai

wine / cheese

bleach / permanent markers

incense / candles

citrus / fresh flowers

old books / leather

clean laundry / perfume

campfire / matches

wet cement / fresh paint

freshly baked bread / sizzling meat

lavender / roses (lavender smell is. too much.)

pine trees / fallen leaves

new clothes / new books

I’ll tag @savoy-brown-shoe and @fancybasementfestival and @vanillatumbleweedscoffee and @stars-in-my-damn-eyes

This next one is by @savoy-brown-shoe again! Thank you!

Rules: Answer these questions and then tag some bloggers you want to know better!

Relationship status: songle

Lipstick or chapstick: None. I can’t stand anything on my lips so they’re just. Breaking apart if I don’t drink enough.

Last movie I watched: I think I watched twenty minutes of A Hard Day’s Night in the hospital last week then fell asleep. It counts tho.

Top 3 shows: Sherlock, Season 1 of Guilty Party (on YouTube, watch it if you want), uhm. Frakk, a macskák réme.

Book I’m currently reading: it’s officially Perri by Felix Salten but instead, I have 60 pages of fanfic opened.

Last thing I googled: moonage jelentése :D

What’s the time: 15:27. A good time.

A song I really like right now: Atlantic City sung byThe Band (it’s been my favourite song since April or something when I first heard it but I just. Really love it.) Also Mellow Yellow

Anything I want: more rain, my mum to be happier, a good night’s sleep later.

Dream trip: London, Vietnam, the North of Europe, Switzerland, Slovakia.

Favourite smells: I don’t know, bakeries? Meadows. Embers.

I’ll tag @sneez , @raedioh , @fancybasementfestival . And @vanillatumbleweedscoffee and @stars-in-my-damn-eyes

This next one was by @sastrugie! Thank you, dear! <3

What is your icon pic of: it’s a cat!

How did you get your screen name: slight bob dylaning

Relationship Status: I’m as single as I was ten minutes ago

Favorite Colors: blue, green, purple, bordeaux, black

Lipstick or Chapstick: neither. There was that one time we had to put makeup on as a class and one of my classmates put lipstick on me and I spent the whole day smearing it over my hand, but my friend laughed at me and I laughed at thim, so it was fun. Next year we had to colour our hair tho.

Favorite 3 Foods: steamed vegetables, mushrooms, bulgur

Last song you listened to: The Great Pretender (sung) by The Band. I’m actually listening to it right now. And Lee. I love you.

Last Movie you watched: yes

Book You’re Currently Reading: nO

Last Thing You Googled: sáfrány (which is saffron. wow, a word that’s similar to the English one?! A miracle.)

Song Stuck In Your Head: BYE BYE MISS AMERICAN PIE

What are you wearing: a t-shirt with the very faded first verse of Odyssey on it and pyjama pants. (at 15:43)

How many blankets do you sleep with: 1 Very Big one

What is your dream trip: you know what? Warren, Michigan

I’ll tag @stars-in-my-damn-eyes @sneez @savoy-brown-shoe @vanillatumbleweedscoffee and @fancybasementfestival (you know the deal by now.)

AND FINALLY

Tagged by @sneez, thank you, dearest!

Name: Johanna

Star Sign: Agwareius, which I love. (Also I really really love Leos, George, they’re groovy people)

Height: 5′4″ (probably) or 163 and a half centimeters for those who measure like Normal People

Put your playlist on shuffle. What are the first four songs to come up?

Crackerbox Palace - George Harrison

Mellow Yellow - Donovan :-)

Lay Lady Lay - Bob Dylan son

Highway To Hell - A cö dö cö

Is This The World We Created? - Bitter Sad Boys

Ever had a poem or song written about you? I don’t think so :D But I had fanfic gifted to me and I was really really happy about that.

When was the last time you played guitar? on tuesday on a playground where I met up my friend. It was very nice. I miss her.

Who is your celebrity crush? I don’t have no-one :/ can I Even Fall In Love???? I never have? People my age have already done did that!?

What’s a sound you love? What’s a sound you hate?

love: nice singing, guitars, my cat chattering, Ezzie, notifications

don’t love: sudden noises, loud noises, rustling that doesn’t seem to cease

Do you believe in ghosts? why not :D

How about aliens? firmly :P

Do you drive? beep beep beep beep nope. i’m young.

What was the last book you read? Líra and Epika by Varró Dániel, poet, and Szabó Borbála, novelist, it was written in rhymes and proze and was about two kingdoms and it was very entertaining and I loved it. :D (Varró means someone who sews and Szabó means Taylor so. NAME PUNS IN THE INTRODUCTION. And puns all the way through. I love puns.)

Do you like the smell of gasoline? I would say there are a lot of things I like more than that.

What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had? I broke my left arm all the way thru once and had a concussion another time, but it was oll korrect.

Do you have any obsessions right now? the way British people say Sherlock, Sherlock and them Traveling Wilburys

Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?No. I don’t think I ever held a grudge. Mad? Yes. For three and a half minutes. Sad? Yes, maybe for longer than that, but I love you.

In a relationship? naw. But I have like! Two real good friends and some more people I like a lot irl and a lot more across the world! They make me happy.

I’ll tag everyone who I tagged today already. Except for George, but I mean, if you want to do it again? :D

Thank you all!

#tag #long post #i put a cut on it tho #about me #for real this time #have fun frens #tags

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redwhale · 6 years

Text

re: Fic Rec Days, I was hoping to have this done by the 12th! Nope. This is an updated rec list for James/Thomas and James/Miranda/Thomas for Black Sails.

I am still wanting to rec a lot of the newer stories on this list separately (plus some other wonderful stories), but I don’t think that will happen before mid-March, so that’s really frustrating. Curses! I haven’t even caught up on writing reviews for some of the newer stories, which I’m even more frustrated about. I sadly don’t have a lot of time to read fic, so this is by no means an extensive list. There is so much goddamn fantastic work out there! The following is just a very small taste. Positively, there are some underrated gems linked here that deserve some more love.

(I always feel awful about rec lists, because I know I’ve inevitably lost track of some amazing stories, and there are also equally as many excellent stories from stupidly talented authors that I might have missed or haven’t gotten to read yet, so I want to emphasize again, this is by no means extensive.) The following stories are just AO3 links, as I’ve lost track of so many Tumblr fics, and when a user changes their username, the links break. Double curses!

James/Thomas:

Idealism Sits In A Prison - Sunnyrea

Thomas Hamilton's ten years without James.

Stimulus - AstronautSquid

After ten years of separation and hardship, their hearts love each other the same.

It's their bodies that need longer to settle.

Thomas Hamilton: A Life - AstronautSquid

Thomas Hamilton is born with two front teeth.

He dies with the morning sun in his eyes.

This is everything in between.

Les mille et une nuits - andloawhatsit

Abigail Ashe grows up, buys a printing press, and finds a man she thought she'd never see again.

On Kindly Beaches - Theonenamedafterahat

Woodes Rogers tries to get Thomas Hamilton to help him persuade Captain Flint to accept the pardons. This does not go well for him.

A Break In The Clouds - moonflowers

The end of his nose brushed the back of the man's hood; he smelt of oil and salt and wet canvas. For the first time that evening, Thomas was thankful he was cold and miserable - it provided a distraction from the firmness of the body pressed against his front, and how inconvenient it would be for Thomas to crave it.

In which Thomas is lost in the rain, and rather enamoured with his rescuer.

For whither thou goest, I will go - OrangeLady

When Thomas is set free from Bedlam, he knows he has to see New Providence, the place that stole so much from him: his lovers, his family and his life.

wooden tides to run - AstronautSquid

James was almost certain he had walked more miles on wooden planks than on solid ground in his life.

Fascination - AstronautSquid

“Pirates,” was all James rasped above him.

“A general history thereof,” Thomas agreed. “Detailing the most fearsome scoundrels to ever plague the high seas. Though I have to say, this likeness doesn’t quite do you justice. Your moustache is not as ridiculously curly as that.”

Imitation - AstronautSquid

In battle he was clear-headed and footsure.

Faced with Thomas' request for a taste of Flint, James felt anything but.

Reorienting - Palebluedot

Thomas grabs ahold of his holy apparition with both hands and keeps him there, draws him nearer. Let them hold each other until they both bruise, he thinks fiercely, for tenderness needn't always step light. Love owes them kind wounds.

Eye of the Beholder - Palebluedot

“Open your eyes for me, love,” Thomas reminds him, voice husky, and when he does, the first thing he sees is Thomas's reflected grin, hungry as the gaze that caresses every inch of skin from James's parted, panting lips down to his flushed and leaking cock. “Just look at you,” he sighs in James's ear before he trails imprecise, open-mouthed kisses back down to James's throat. Author’s Note: ((alternatively, that time bean was like "so what if they fucked in front of a mirror" and I was like "shit what if they DID"))

Unaccommodated Man - kvikindi

It is at this point that, for the first time, Thomas Hamilton begins to consider that he has gone mad.

The Peaceable Kingdom - kvikindi

William Manderly visits the plantation, some six years after the events of Unaccommodated Man.

Congress - kvikindi

James and Thomas put the "fuck" in "fucked-up."

The Cup of Their Deserving (the wages of their virtue) - DreamingPagan

Madi decides not to be sent away after her rescue. When she returns to Skeleton Island, she finds a betrayal in progress and takes steps to save her friend and put her people's choice regarding the war back in their hands.

name one hero who was happy - mapped

Lying in bed together, James and Thomas talk about the Iliad. (Thomas is practically ready to write Achilles/Patroclus fanfiction.)

Crescent Moon - sebastianL (felix_atticus)

One shot of the months following the finale, with a focus on a certain tattoo.

Bent - azarias

In a warm room in London, James tells Thomas about the events on the Exeter.

Thomas applies what he learns. (Established relationship, consensual kink.)

With Fire and With His Sword - azarias

After the reunion, after the plantation, Captain Flint returns to the sea.

He takes James and Thomas with him.

katabasis - csoru

Flint discovers Thomas is a passenger aboard the Maria Aleyne alongside his father, and events proceed from there.

Lord Captain - Apetslife

“Once a year, I send a letter to My Lord father, accounting for every penny of commerce I have cost the colony of the Bahamas, and every lover I have taken in that time. So far, he has failed to send a reply. An oversight, I’m sure.” (Pirate Captain Thomas Hamilton).

Sea Salt and Lavender - moonflowers

James hadn't heard the song, nor spared it a thought, for years. He'd had no need of it. But her singing grounded him, reminded him that he'd had a home once, before everything, where his grandmother had sung those same words as she rolled out pastry, where he'd played as a boy, and dreamt of sailing away through those harbour walls and making something of himself. It came as a surprise to uncover something of James McGraw from so long ago, and to find it still intact.

With Sweet, Reluctant, Amorous Delay - Magnetism_bind

For the Flinthamilton prompt: "There's no way you're getting me in /that/"

Thomas takes James to a costume party.

The Loaning of Books Between Friends - Magnetism_bind

Thomas loans books to James in an attempt to get to know his new liaison better.

The Fields of Elysium - Fyre

A man who has been through bitter experiences and travelled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time. - The Odyssey.

The Pirate - x_art

(Modern AU) What if Pickram got there first?

The Sundering Sea - x_art

Stepping into the foamy surf, gasping at the force of it, the surprise of it—it had been breathtaking. Thomas had been that for him, his boundless sea, and he wasn’t ashamed.

Folly - x_art

It wasn’t too late to nip this in the bud. He could do it because he’d done it before, because his heart was always subservient to his head. Always.

Thomas the Mariner - shirogiku

Thomas' voyage home takes slightly less than ten years, but not for the lack of misadventures.

a word like tiger - bellis

A few months after Charlestown, Flint finds out that Thomas is alive. This is, by all accounts, terrible timing.

James/Miranda/Thomas:

Feed Among The Lilies - willowbilly

James has been warned that they are duplicitous people, and by all rights he should remain on guard.

He does not care to.

Thomas actually chuckles when Astraea meets his eyes as fiercely and haughtily and lingeringly nonplussed as only a raptor can be, and it is such a disarmingly lovely sound that she immediately discards all the proud composure she'd just managed to gather and swivels away to preen busily beneath her wing, her hot yellow glare in its bandit stripe of brown ducked and hidden with telling alacrity within the downiest and snowiest of her feathers. (Daemon AU)

Firebird - Wind_Ryder

There are two truths in the world.

One: Before Thomas and Miranda leave London to begin Governing Nassau, they receive a note that reads: "Lt. James McGraw died a resident of Bethlem Hospital on December 25, 1705." And they have nothing left to live for.

and Two: on December 25, 1705, Admiral Hennessey takes James from Bethlem and brings him to his new life far away from London society. He is told he will never see the Hamiltons again.

These two truths were never meant to be spoken at the same time.

Elisha made the oil pour forth - azarias

Miranda is a widow. Miranda has a husband, but not the one she wants. Miranda may have gone mad a month ago, but no one's had the guts to tell her.

Start Anew - Neery

James and Miranda rescue Thomas from Bethlem. This was supposed to solve all their problems.

As it turns out, things are more complicated than that.

Late night walk date - fandomfan

Having just returned from the West Indies, James tries—rather unsuccessfully—to take his leave from the Hamiltons' London house.

Where The Winds Sigh - Chainofprospit

The last levee of tradition belaying him gave way, and with it any sense of reticence. James could feel his furrowed brow falling, his chin lifting, without needing to will it so. I am going to be kissed by Thomas Hamilton, he thought, and in the next second he was.

We've seen the moment that James and Thomas finally kissed; this is what I imagine comes after.

To The Upper Air - DreamingPagan

James Flint goes to sleep expecting a battle the next day. What he's not expecting is to wake, eleven years in his own past, with a very different fight on his hands - to save the people he loves and his own soul.

Full of Grace - DreamingPagan

Alfred orders both Thomas and James to be taken to Bedlam. Miranda is left to rescue them with the aid of Admiral Hennessey.

You Can’t Handle The Truth - Wind_Ryder

Now, all of England and beyond were discussing how an MP of Thomas' reputation was actually gay, that a Naval Officer with James' CV was a home wrecker, and how Miranda was either the victim of her husband's deviations, or a slut begging for more. Modern AU: In which Thomas, Miranda, and James are outed to the press.

Thereto I plight thee my troth - azarias

Thomas consults Miranda on the subject of his military liaison. Sexily.

a more rational burning - sea_changed (foxlives)

She had understood this as her role from the beginning, the head to Thomas's heart and James's hands.

and into what it will be changed - sea_changed (foxlives)

His own heart, so often obscure to him, has become clear. (Tag notes: Political philosophy, art, naval policy, mostly threesomes.)

to ithaca - sea_changed (foxlives)

Miranda finds him first.

A Savor of the Heart - drivingsideways

In some cultures, speaking the name of the dead is taboo.

Apprehension - orienter (orientinme)

For a year, Miranda watches them with fear. Until the day she understands why they feel none.

The Art of Asymmetry - AstronautSquid

Her sketches of people tended to veer into caricature with their lively emphasis of all things out of the ordinary - a large nose, a double chin, a foppish gesture -, and had thus quickly been ruled unfit for display among polite company.

Thomas encouraged her to keep a rotating selection framed on a dresser in the chamber connecting their rooms.

It was a week into their affair that Miranda first sketched James.

No Part Behind - atrata

James thinks of Thomas.

A Knock Upon the Moonlit Door - FeoplePeel

A werewolf, a fairy, a witch, and a vampire walk onto a magical island and--no wait. Once upon a time, there was a Knocker who betrayed his friend and spent over a century in a Sidhe prison until he met a handsome werewolf and--hang on a minute.

There are stories that reach even the Sidhe's side of the Veil, of Nassau and its healing shores. But what use could the ghosts of giants, and vampires, and all of those who will never meet death find for a fountain of life? The obvious answer is: keep it away from everyone else.

Or: The story of how John Silver joined Flint's very non-traditional pack.

Miranda/Thomas:

May it happen to me (all) - drivingsideways

In the summer of 1695, Miranda Barlow meets Lord Thomas Hamilton.

James/Miranda:

book of days - sea_changed (foxlives)

He looks at her, lost, like he is trying to understand the distance between them and cannot. A line of longitude, incalculable, mysterious and imprecise.

whalebone, rigged to stem the floods - AstronautSquid

James had learnt how to unlace a woman's stays, and how to help put them back on.

The fine material of the cords had snagged on his callouses, but they were after all just delicate ropes, and ropes he knew. The knots came together between his fingers under Miranda's direction and adjusting the tension of the laces running through the eyelets felt surprisingly familiar, the same way he could almost feel in his own body the tension of a ship's rigging.

It was the first time during their affair that James had felt truly in control of the situation at hand.

#ficrecdays #flinthamilton #flinthamiltons #captain flint #miranda barlow #thomas hamilton #black sails #black sails fic rec #redwhale fic rec #again - this is by no means an extensive list #(i wish i wasn't so time poor - sigh)#thank you to everyone who writes fic for our black sails fandom playground

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patriotsnet · 3 years

Text

Are Other Republicans Running For President

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/are-other-republicans-running-for-president/

Are Other Republicans Running For President

Im Running For President Because Its Time For New Leadership Because Its Time For New Energy And Its Time For A New Commitment To Make Sure That The Opportunities Getting Out There Being Able To Hear Peoples Concerns Address Them With New Ideas Has Been An Extraordinary Experience He Said

Biden thought hard about running in 2016, but he decided against it, being so soon after his son beau’s death and. Running for president of the united states is an. But there is so much more to it. Joe biden opposed president reagan’s peace through strength that led to the fall of the berlin wall. And speaking of brand image i read the program of warren recently, and was tempted to give her a french honorary citizenship as she is trying to import.

With The Debates About To Begin Bill Whittle And I Discuss Whether Republican Candidates Should Have To Perform In Exploding Chairs Like The Villains In Thunderball So That The Process Of Elimination Can Be More Immediate And Entertaining

There have been previous unsuccessful efforts to drop the natural born requirement. Former vice president joseph r. Here’s everyone who’s running for president in 2020, and who has quit the race. Amash, the republican turned independent congressman from michigan, announced last month that he was launching an exploratory committee to run for the libertarian party nomination for president. They’ll be able to catch you when you fall.

As for the opposition, there are four republicans running in the primaries as of april 2012. They emerged because when andrew jackson was running for president he was for the ‘common man and they called themselves democratic republicans. But what about the other republicans running for president in 2020? Running for president of the united states is an. Dead things most rotten before they.

Biden thought hard about running in 2016, but he decided against it, being so soon after his son beau’s death and. Is there any other republican running than trump ? There was plenty of motivation to take me out. But these figures don’t quite include everyone who’s running. On the republican side, there is, of course, president donald trump.

Lets Take A Look At The Republican Landscape And The Potential Challengers To So Far There Are Three Official Republican Challengers And One Was Just Announced A Few Days Ago:

I’m going to run for president of the united states because, as a young mom, i’m going to fight for other people’s i know there is a tear in that fabric right now; There are 24 main democratic candidates. People embark on a presidential odyssey for a wide variety of reasons. And speaking of brand image i read the program of warren recently, and was tempted to give her a french honorary citizenship as she is trying to import. But it can be repaired by someone who can lead, and i ran for president to win and make a difference in our great country, swalwell photo: He is not expected to run for any other office in 2020. But these figures don’t quite include everyone who’s running. On the other side, some republicans have challenged president trump in the republican primary. Republican leaders have said they want to protect trump by having state parties change the rules for their primaries to guard against an insurgency. The players and other stadia will make their show of support, so the benefit has already been had. Not coincidentally, there’s been renewed talk of a serious republican taking on the president in the 2020 primaries. ‘there is a rot at the center of the modern republican party,’ he continued. On the republican side, there is, of course, president donald trump.

Notable Candidates Include Individuals Who Have Qualified To Appear On Enough State There Were 21 Candidates On The Ballot Each In Vermont And Colorado

Bush said in retrospect that the divisiveness of the primary challenge might have cost bush reelection. There are several people running for the republican nomination, but given the current president is a republican, he is the only one that matters. Notable candidates include individuals who have qualified to appear on enough state there were 21 candidates on the ballot each in vermont and colorado. While the republican and democratic nominees will be on the ballot in all states, independents must meet an array why is he running for president? Former congressmen joe walsh announces republican presidential primary challenge.

But it can be repaired by someone who can lead, and i ran for president to win and make a difference in our great country, swalwell photo: Since the current president is democrat, we already know who the democrat running for president will be . The only other person running worth mentioning is bill weld, former governor of massachusetts, who was the libertarian nominee for vp back in 2016. Other republicans have made it quite clear they don’t see a path to the nomination for anyone but trump in 2020. I think that as a republican party, we have lost our way. mark sanford.

Republican Hopefuls Will Need To Lay The Groundwork For Potential Campaigns Of Their Own Without Alienating The President And His Supporters

WASHINGTON—President Trump’s public and private musings about running again in 2024 are scrambling the calculus for the large field of fellow Republicans considering bids.

Most hopefuls have been quick to show deference. But it’s unclear whether Mr. Trump, who refuses to concede his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, will follow through, and rivals either way will likely seek ways to remain viable. Prospective GOP candidates don’t want to risk alienating Mr. Trump’s base by appearing to push him aside, but they also don’t want to be left unprepared if he decides not to run.

“For the last 20 years everyone who has run for president has always started off pretending like they weren’t. You can still do that with the possibility of Trump running again,” said Republican strategist Todd Harris. The 2024 election, he added, “could be the first time loyalty to Trump and political ambition are put on a collision course.”

Mr. Trump—who managed to get more than 74 million votes in his losing effort this year—demonstrated his grip on the party base with Saturday’s rally in Georgia for two senators locked in tight runoff elections. “Four more years, four more years,” a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd chanted. He is raising millions of dollars for a newly formed political committee that can fund future campaign activity.

Next Test Of Trumps Influence On The Republican Party: A Crowded Gop Primary Fight For An Ohio House Seat

A GOP primary Tuesday to fill a congressional seat outside Columbus is shaping up to be a test of former president Donald Trump’s influence over the Republican Party, coming after his preferred candidate lost a Texas House campaign last week and some of his allies aligned with other candidates in the competitive Ohio race.

arrow-right

Tuesday’s contest — in which 11 candidates are vying to replace longtime GOP congressman Rep. Steve Stivers — has caused serious consternation among the former president’s advisers and even Trump himself, according to people familiar with the private discussions.

Trump railed at aides after Susan Wright, the candidate he backed in a special Texas Congressional race to replace her late husband, Rep. Ron Wright, lost to a state Republican lawmaker last week, they said.

The defeat was an embarrassing setback for the former president, who has sought to flex his hold on the party by making a slew of endorsements since leaving the White House, inserting himself into GOP primaries and going after political enemies.

Trump has made his preference clear, issuing slashing statements in which he has complained that other candidates are suggesting to voters that he supports them rather than Carey, a close friend of Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager who advisers say helped secure the endorsement.

Collins says infrastructure bill could pass Senate by end of week with at least 10 Republicans in support

New 2020 Voter Data: How Biden Won How Trump Kept The Race Close And What It Tells Us About The Future

As we saw in 2016 and again in 2020, traditional survey research is finding it harder than it once was to assess presidential elections accurately. Pre-election polls systemically misjudge who is likely to vote, and exit polls conducted as voters leave the voting booths get it wrong as well.

Now, using a massive sample of “validated” voters whose participation has been independently verified, the Pew Research Center has . It helps us understand how Joe Biden was able to accomplish what Hillary Clinton did not—and why President Trump came closer to getting reelected than the pre-election surveys had predicted.

How Joe Biden won

Five main factors account for Biden’s success.

The Biden campaign reunited the Democratic Party. Compared to 2016, he raised the share of moderate and conservative Democrats who voted for the Democratic nominee by 6 points, from 85 to 91%, while increasing the Democratic share of liberal Democrats from 94 to 98%. And he received the support of 85% of Democrats who had defected to 3rd party and independent candidates in 2016.

How Trump kept it close

Despite non-stop controversy about his policies and personal conduct, President Trump managed to raise his share of the popular vote from 46% in 2016 to 47% in 2020. His core coalition held together, and he made a few new friends.

Longer-term prospects

BillGalston

Seemingly Every Other Viable Republican Politician In The United States Is Lining Up To Make A Run

There are several people running for the republican nomination, but given the current president is a republican, he is the only one that matters. Epl had their logo plastered with the rainbow colors all of june, was there any sanctions on them!? But what about the other republicans running for president in 2020? Notable candidates include individuals who have qualified to appear on enough state there were 21 candidates on the ballot each in vermont and colorado. Former congressmen joe walsh announces republican presidential primary challenge. The only other person running worth mentioning is bill weld, former governor of massachusetts, who was the libertarian nominee for vp back in 2016. Who is running for president in the 2020 election? Seven other candidates qualified to appear on the ballot in five states or more. I think that as a republican party, we have lost our way. mark sanford. Bush said in retrospect that the divisiveness of the primary challenge might have cost bush reelection. Is there any other republican running than trump ? But it can be repaired by someone who can lead, and i ran for president to win and make a difference in our great country, swalwell photo: 18 democrats and two republicans, according to the latest numbers.

Us Election 2024: Who Are The Likely Republican Candidates To Run For President Against Joe Biden

Mike Pence, Ivanka Trump and Ted Cruz are among the rumoured candidates to become Donald Trump’s successor

The 2020 presidential race has only just finished, but the Republican candidates for 2024 are already preparing themselves for their shot at the White House.

We take a look at who may be looking to get themselves in to the race.

Pa Republicans See A Big Opportunity In 2022 But Some Are Worried Their Candidates Might Blow It

Philadelphia Inquirer

It’s a summer of worry for some Pennsylvania Republicans.

A rocky July has increased concern among some party insiders that they’re lacking marquee candidates for critical statewide races next year.

First came a public blowup between likely gubernatorial candidate Bill McSwain and former Attorney General Bill Barr. Some prominent GOP donors and operatives saw it as a daft mistake that reinforced questions about his political acumen. Those insiders, largely from Southeastern Pennsylvania, have spoken to a political veteran from McSwain’s backyard — former U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach of Chester County — to gauge his interest in running for governor, according to four people familiar with the conversations, and some are hopeful that additional candidates join the fray.

Meanwhile, in the state’s critical 2022 U.S. Senate race, fund-raising reports this month showed the leading GOP contenders all . None of the major Republican Senate candidates has ever won elected office, a stark contrast with the emerging Democratic field that includes an array of well-established officeholders.

Republicans are hoping the governor’s race delivers total control in Harrisburg , while the Senate contest is one of a handful that could decide control of the chamber — and with it the fate of President Joe Biden’s agenda.

In a state as closely divided as Pennsylvania, the strength of individual candidates can make a difference in races that could come down to a few percentage points.

With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibitionthe Run For President

Return to Rise to National Prominence List Previous Section: The New Lincoln |

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was the least known of all of the contenders for the Republican Partyâ€™s nomination for president. Heading the list was former New York Governor William H. Seward, with the politically awkward Governor Salmon P. Chase of Ohio a distant second. Conservative Edward Bates of Missouri was considered too old, and many Republicans seemed uncomfortable with the popular but unpredictable Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the New York Tribune.

To overcome his disadvantage, Lincoln adopted an unobtrusive publicity campaign. The timely release of his published debates with Stephen A. Douglas and brief autobiographies and a carefully orchestrated speaking campaign in New York and parts of New England all worked to Lincolnâ€™s advantage. The nomination and the subsequent campaign were left largely to trusted handlers, but even after his election was secure, Lincoln maintained a dogged silence on national issues prior to his inauguration.

In Gop Poll From Hell Republicans Say They Want Donald Trump Jr To Be President In 2024

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A recurring nightmare among millions of Americans is that come 2024, Donald Trump will forget the fact that he actually hated being president, decide to run again, and win. Seriously, can you think of a more horrifying scenario, except perhaps falling through a sidewalk into a rat-filled chasm, which some people might still prefer? We maintain that you cannot. But an equally terrifying, skin-crawling situation would definitely be to turn on the TV on January 20, 2025, and see Donald Trump Jr. being sworn in as president of the United States, which a number of Republican voters apparently actually want to happen.

The poll, which was conducted between July 6 and 8, did not include Donald Trump Senior, who maintains an inexplicable grip on voters despite the mass-death stuff, an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and a mental state that suggests he should be in a home or studied by a team of Swiss doctors.

And the fact that Don Jr. came out on top is not where the scary news ends. Because apparently if Republicans can’t have Sheep Killer over here, their second-favorite choice is Florida governor Ron DeSantis, the man currently responsible for this:

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More Great Stories FromVanity Fair

Nj Primary Elections 2020: The Five Republicans Who Want To Take Over As Us Senator

Colleen O’Dea, Senior Writer and Projects EditorNJ Decides 2020Politics

Five Republicans are vying for the chance to try to do something no one else has been able to do in almost a half-century: Convince New Jersey voters to elect a Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate, where Democrat Cory Booker now sits.

It has been 48 years since New Jersey voters have sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate, and registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly a million. In 2018, Republican and former pharmaceuticals executive Bob Hugin spent more than $39 million, including $36 million of his own money, and lost by 11 percentage points to incumbent Bob Menendez, who had been considered vulnerable after his trial on political corruption charges ended in a hung jury.

“Statewide races are the toughest ones of all for a GOP outnumbered by a million more registered Democrats in the state,” said Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University. “But even before party registrations were so lopsided, Republican Senate candidates have fared more poorly here than almost anywhere else in the nation.” Since New Jersey last sent a Republican to the Senate in 1972, “the GOP has lost a staggering 15 Senate races in a row,” he said.

President Trump Your Legacy Is Secure Stop The ‘stolen Election’ Rhetoric

As many on the left have pointed out, the 2020 election was less a repudiation of Trump than a narrow loss for a man who proved just unpalatable enough for a critical sliver of his coalition.

Sean Spicer, a former Trump press secretary, told The Post his ex-boss would be an instant front-runner in a 2024 primary. “He has a rock-solid base, I just don’t think that there is anyone else who even comes close.”

Teasing a potential run in 2024 would at the very least ensure Trump stays relevant and in the press for years to come.

If Trump himself passes on the opportunity, his two very political children Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump could also potentially pick up the mantle. Trump Jr. has long acted as an outside surrogate for his father online and in the press and connects strongly with his base. Ivanka, meanwhile, has years of administration experience under her belt as a White House adviser to her father.

Republican Presidential Hopefuls Move Forward As Trump Considers 2024 Run

Less than three months after former President Donald Trump left the White House, the race to succeed him atop the Republican Party is already beginning.

Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has launched an aggressive schedule, visiting states that will play a pivotal role in the 2024 primaries, and he has signed a contract with Fox News Channel. Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice-president, has started a political advocacy group, finalized a book deal and later this month will give his first speech since leaving office in South Carolina. And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been courting donors, including in Trump’s backyard, with a prominent speaking slot before the former president at a GOP fundraising retreat dinner this month at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort where Trump now lives.

Trump ended his presidency with such a firm grip on Republican voters that party leaders fretted he would freeze the field of potential 2024 candidates, delaying preparations as he teased another run. Instead, many Republicans with national ambitions are openly laying the groundwork for campaigns as Trump continues to mull his own plans.

They’re raising money, making hires and working to bolster their name recognition. The moves reflect both the fervour in the party to reclaim the White House and the reality that mounting a modern presidential campaign is a yearslong endeavour.

___

President Trump Your Legacy Is Secure Stop The Stolen Election Rhetoric

As many on the left have pointed out, the 2020 election was less a repudiation of Trump than a narrow loss for a man who proved just unpalatable enough for a critical sliver of his coalition.

Teasing a potential run in 2024 would at the very least ensure Trump stays relevant and in the press for years to come.

Republican Lawmakers Are Terrified Of Trump Running For President Again

A new report by Politico cites multiple unnamed Republican lawmakers – even those who publicly praise Trump – who say that they REALLY don’t want Donald Trump running for President again in 2024. They would much rather see Trump working “behind the scenes” to help shore up support for the Party as a whole, and they insist that the Party is stronger now than it was five years ago. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Transcript:

*This transcript was generated by a third-party transcription software company, so please excuse any typos.

Recently, Politico interviewed several Republican lawmakers, who of course all chose to remain nameless. But Politico says that these were Trump supporting lawmakers, still are Trump supporting lawmakers, by the way. And each one of them said that they do not want Donald Trump to be the Republican party’s nominee in 2024. In fact, they don’t want Trump to run for president ever again. I’ll read a couple quotes from some of these lawmakers here. Here’s what one of them said, he’s one of the best presidents we’ve had in terms of policies. But having said that if it were up to me, I would never have Trump on any ballot ever again, because it’s such a distraction. I would love for him to play a behind the scenes role and not be on the ballot. Another one said, I’d like to see a fresh face. I think we have a lot of them.

Eight Republican 2024 Candidates Speak In Texas Next Week But Not Trump

Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, April 30 – A Republican Party event in Texas next week will hear from eight potential candidates for the party’s presidential nomination in 2024, without former President Donald Trump, a source involved in the planning said on Friday.

The May 7 event at a hotel in Austin is being co-hosted by U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, to thank donors who helped fund a voter registration drive and get-out-the-vote efforts in the state.

High-profile Republican politicians who are considering whether to seek the party’s nomination in 2024 are expected to speak to the crowd of about 200 donors.

They include former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and U.S. senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and Rick Scott, the source said.

The event comes as Republicans wrestle with whether to try to move past Trump in the next election cycle or fall in line behind him. Trump told Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo on Thursday that he was “100%” considering another run after losing in 2020 to Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump was not invited to Texas, the source said. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was invited but was unable to attend, the source said.

Many Republican insiders doubt Trump will follow through on his musings about running for president in 2024, leaving a void that other party leaders will seek to fill.

Fact Check: Trump Did Not Call Republicans The Dumbest Group Of Voters

5 Min Read

An old quote falsely attributed to Donald Trump has recently resurfaced online. The viral meme alleges Trump told People magazine in 1998 that Republicans are “the dumbest group of voters in the country”. This is false.

While the quote has been debunked several times since it apparently surfaced in 2015, users have recently been resharing it on social media. Examples can be seen here , here , here , here

The meme reads: “If I were to run, I’d run as a Republican. They’re the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and they’d still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific. – Donald Trump, People Magazine, 1998”

Snopes first wrote about the false quote here in October 2015 . Since then, the quote has been debunked multiple times .

People magazine has confirmed in the past that its archive has no register of this alleged exchange.

“People looked into this exhaustively when it first surfaced back in Oct. . We combed through every Trump story in our archive. We couldn’t find anything remotely like this quote–and no interview at all in 1998.”, a magazine spokesperson told Factcheck.org that year .

In December 1987, People published a profile on Donald Trump titled “Too Darn Rich”. The article quoted him saying he was too busy to run for president .

Trump Remains 2024 Candidate Of Choice For Most Republicans Poll Shows

59% of Republican voters said they wanted Trump to play prominent role in party, but tens of thousands left after Capitol riot

If the 2024 Republican presidential primary were held today, Donald Trump would be the clear favorite to win big. That was the message from a Politico-Morning Consult poll released on Tuesday, three days after Trump’s acquittal in his second impeachment trial, on a charge of inciting the insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January.

Among Republican voters, 59% said they wanted Trump to play a prominent role in their party, up a whopping 18 points from the last such poll, taken in the aftermath of the Capitol riot. A slightly lower number, 54%, said they would back Trump in the primary.

Tens of thousands of Republicans left the party after the Capitol insurrection, and a majority of Americans have told other pollsters they would like to see Trump banished from politics.

Though the 45th president will be 78 by election day 2024, he will be able to run again if he chooses, having escaped being barred from office after a 57-43 Senate vote to convict – with seven Republican defections but 10 votes short of the majority needed.

Mike Pence’s life was threatened by Trump supporters at the Capitol, as the vice-president presided over the ratification of electoral college results confirming Trump’s defeat by Joe Biden. He placed second in the Politico-Morning Consult poll, with 12%.

Trump Challengers: 10 Republicans Who Could Run For President In 2020

Ryan Sit U.S.Donald TrumpMike PenceBen SasseBob Corker

President Donald Trump faced down a crowded field of GOP presidential hopefuls in 2016 as a political outsider, but he could see a packed stage of Republican challengers again in 2020—only as an incumbent this time.

Trump made few political friends during his ascent to the White House. He made headlines making fun of his competition, doling out nicknames—”low energy Jeb Bush,”“Little Marco Rubio,”“Lyin’ Ted Cruz”—along the way. The president’s diplomatic dexterity hasn’t noticeably improved much since taking office. Senators Rubio and Cruz have improved their relationship with Trump since his inauguration, but other lawmakers from within his party have emerged as outspoken critics, fueling speculation he may face a stiff presidential primary race in 2020.

Here are 10 Republicans who may challenge Trump:

Cpac And The Broader Republican Party Agree: Its Trumps Party For Now

All VideosYouTube

alex: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. We know he’s a rising star in GOP circles and I think the CPAC straw poll pointed out his popularity among the Trump wing of the Republican Party. Another poll, too, after Trump.

Plus, being from Florida gives him an edge in a competitive state. To me, it appears that at this point, people like DeSantis because his policy priorities are similar to Trump’s, but he lacks the former president’s ego and baggage.

sarah: Stole my first round pick!!

geoffrey.skelley: DeSantis isn’t terribly well known, but I suspect we’ll see him try to correct for that in the coming months. He may be coy for a while about his plans, though, because he needs to win reelection in 2022, and we know that would-be candidates want to take care of the home front first.

nrakich: Yeah, I think DeSantis is a smart pick. He’s doing all the right things — picking fights with Democrats, going on Fox News a lot …

sarah: Could not agree more. There is no autopsy report yet of the 2020 election from the GOP side , but one thing that stands out to me is something Echelon Insights pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson wrote for the Washington Examiner in February, “Trump’s legacy in the party isn’t policy, and it isn’t a person. It’s a posture — a fighting posture in a moment where Republicans think the fight is what matters most.”

I bring that up because something Anderson and her organization have found is that many GOP voters want someone who will fight for them.

Republican Support For Trump Running Again In 2024 Falls To Just 45%

Daily Mail

Republicans are quickly losing interest in President Donald Trump running for president again in 2024.

In new polling conducted by Echelon Insights, 45 per cent of GOP-leaning voters in January said they wanted to see Trump run for the White House again in four years, down from the 65 per cent who said so in December.

The January 6 insurrection may have played a role in the 20-point dip as January polling found that even 30 per cent of Republicans wanted to see the ex-president barred from holding office again after the MAGA riot.

< PREVIOUS SLIDE

At the same time, Democrats and independents were way more keen to see Trump punished for his role in inciting the crowd on January 6.

Fifty-two per cent of independents said Trump shouldn’t be able to run again, with 85 per cent of Democrats in agreement.

Thirty per cent of Republicans also agreed that Trump should be banned from social media platforms, with 29 per cent saying they’d support the ex-president being censured by Congress.

The smallest group of Republicans, 21 per cent, wanted to see Trump impeached and convicted.

Trump’s Senate trial begins on Capitol Hill next week.

Pollsters also asked Republicans over the past few months who they wanted as the leader of their party.

Trump’s popularity actually increased after he lost the November 3 election to President Joe Biden.

In November, 52 per cent of Republicans said they wanted Trump to be the leading voice of their party.

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getoffthesoapbox · 6 years

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[SW:TFA] Escaping Neverland - From Childhood to Adolescence in The Force Awakens

This probably isn’t the best time to write a meta about the child coding present in the main characters in The Force Awakens, but I wanted to get this piece out before the spoiler wars for The Last Jedi begin in earnest, rendering any writing on The Force Awakens obsolete. Plus I think this is a nice primer meta for going into TLJ. #SoHumble

In my meta on the trailer for The Last Jedi, I mentioned in passing that TFA infantilized Rey in TFA. Back a few months ago, I received a request to go into more depth on this idea, and I meant to oblige sooner than this, but here we are. I’ll be broadening the topic to include the three main characters--Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren--because all three of them are coded as younger than their actual ages.

If anyone out there in the fandom has covered this topic before, I apologize for not knowing in advance. This post is based on my own thoughts about TFA, the reactions I’ve seen from the fandom toward these characters, and my own background in filmmaking. If my ideas are similar to anyone else’s out there, it’s purely coincidental, I swear. =)

Just in case anyone stumbles into this post unawares despite my care with my tags, this is pro-Reylo due to the nature of my own interpretation of the story. =)

Dedication:

@notamister this one’s for you! Sorry I kept you wating on it. =)

What the Devil is Coding Anyway?

Sometimes in films, filmmakers don’t want to spell out aspects of a character to the audience, or they want to convey something to the audience in a more subtle way without using heavy exposition or beating the audience over the head with the idea. This is where coding comes in, which allows a filmmaker to use wardrobe, props, acting choices, and scene direction to say something to the audience that may be at odds with what the viewer would expect given the character’s specs and situation, especially if the subject the filmmaker wants to get across isn’t necessarily relevant to the story and is more a backdrop piece.

Coding is frequently used for mental illness, drug addictions, exploring darker or more mature areas of sexuality during periods where sexual depictions were taboo, representing LGBT+ characters during prohibitory periods, altering the expectations of the audience about who the hero/villain is, and I’m sure many more things I can’t think of this late at night. =)

I’ll use the Sherlock Holmes stories to explain how coding works. Let’s say a new filmmaker wants to tackle yet another variant of Sherlock, but not be so obvious about Sherlock’s addictions. Rather than show Sherlock with a pipe or wiped out on the floor, they’ll “code” him as addicted--say, for example, he’ll be irrationally irritable until he leaves a room and returns, for example, or perhaps in another scene he’ll have bloodshot eyes for no reason. This is a cue the audience may not even pick up on consciously, but if such cues are repeated frequently, the audience’s minds will automatically begin to fill in the “gaps” of meaning--this character is probably addicted to something. This way, the creators can focus on other aspects of Sherlock’s story without beating the audience over the head with the idea that Sherlock has an addiction problem, if that’s their intent. It can also be used for other purposes, such as to highlight why Sherlock has so many problems interacting with people, perhaps, or what his emotional state is.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens contains quite a bit of coding, and when I first saw the film I wasn’t sure it was intentional, but now I think it was given some of Adam Driver’s recent interviews, the way Rian Johnson talks about the characters, and the way JJ Abrams talked about crafting their journeys. I’m only going to focus on child/adolescent coding here, but there are many other intentional and/or unintentional coding points to explore besides this.

The Ones Frozen by Time - Coding Adults as Children

In TFA, we have three main characters: Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren. Each one of them is a specific age much older than adolescence--Rey’s arguably 19, Finn’s in his early twenties, Kylo’s nearing thirty. Not a single one of these character should, under reasonable circumstances, be treated as children or adolescents by the narrative because all of them are varying stages of adulthood (especially Kylo).

Yet, we have an interesting phenomenon where many audience members came out of TFA feeling fiercely maternal/paternal about one, two, or all of these characters. How was that even accomplished? How is it that so many people seem to have a parental attachment to these characters when they’re all self-sufficient, strong people in their own rights who bear adult responsibilities?

The answer is in the coding. And the coding in TFA is quite interesting and says quite a bit about where this trilogy is going.

Rian Johnson has mentioned we’re on the hero’s journey (I would argue the heroine’s, but that’s for another day)--and he specifically pointed out that in his mind the hero’s journey is the adolescent’s journey. While this isn’t true (plenty of hero’s journeys are taken by men in their thirties or older--see Dante’s Inferno or the Odyssey), it is interesting that this is his take on the story, and I see echoes of his mindset in JJ’s directing of TFA.

Although these characters are older than their coding, the audience does not respond to their literal ages--they respond to their coded ages. This is where I believe we begin and end in TFA with the coding:

Rey: child --> fledgling adolescence

Finn: fledgling adolescence --> young adulthood

Kylo: child --> fledgling adolescence

Finn is the most interesting of the trio because he begins in a different “place” than the others, and he also is further along in his journey than they are. I do believe this is one of the factors that contributes to why he doesn’t seem compatible with Rey romantically, despite how much chemistry the two actors have in general. His character’s journey is further along than Rey’s, and he can’t push her journey forward. Kylo, on the other hand, is beginning in the same place she is, and thus can propel her forward as she propels him forward.

Remember, coding is not literal--the reason these characters are coded this way serves several purposes. The first is that it establishes a sense of innocence among each of these characters, making it easy to like them and feel for them. The second is that it allows room for their maturation as characters throughout the trilogy while keeping them accessible to the target audience (families of all ages). And third, and I think this is most important, it says something about their stunted internal lives.

These three characters are trapped in Neverland--an eternal youth that can’t step into adulthood. The coding is there to help us see that these are damaged people who have deep wounds they must overcome in order to gain autonomy and actualize their full potential as human beings. This is the heart of the trilogy, I think, the journey from adolescence into adulthood.

Finn begins our journey, fittingly, as he is the first to take the first step on this road.

Finn - From Youth to Man

Finn goes through the most rapid change of any character in TFA. The journey from childhood to adolescence is one of lost innocence, and from adolescence to adulthood is one of accepting the burden of the world willingly. Finn takes all these journeys in one film, which is an amazing amount of growth for such a character.

Childhood is represented as the fall from the garden of eden. Now, Finn obviously isn’t in a literal eden (he’s a member of the first order). But he has been brain washed, which places him in a “kind” of eden. The scales fall from his eyes when he enters the battle of Jakku and watches his comrade die in his arms. This death marks the end of his “innocence,” and sets him on the path to growth--adolescence. Thus, Finn is the catalyst of the film and his journey sets the wheels in motion for the other two lead characters.

Once we establish that Finn’s coded as an adolescent, it’s easy to understand why he reacts to things the way he does:

Despite being a soldier who’s undergone training, Finn gets excited easily and overwhelmed easily, just as a young teen might.

He becomes unsure of himself and his place in the world.

He both fears and wants to rebel against authority figures such as Phasma.

He is overwhelmed by Rey the minute he meets her, another key feature of adolescence. He lies to her to impress her.

He tries to run away from responsibilities out of fear, because he’s not yet ready to take on adulthood.

He is the one who receives advice from Han as a father figure about women--advice men give to teens, not children.

After Kylo kidnaps Rey from Maz’s castle, Finn begins to make the shift from adolescent to adulthood. He begins to take a stand rather than waiting for others to rescue him, he does what he can to rescue Rey, he takes responsibility for his mistakes (even if he does lie again to get Han to take him to Rey).

But despite all this, he isn’t the one who saves Rey, and that’s because that’s not part of his journey. Instead, his crowning moment of glory is actually the moment where he stands to protect Rey against Kylo. In this moment, Kylo is shrieking at him like an adolescent in a hormone storm, and Finn is calm, cool, and collected--the first sign of adulthood. He knows he will lose, he knows he’s outmatched, but he takes on the burden of the world willingly. And this is where his story ends in TFA, because once he does this he’s fulfilled the end of his journey in TFA--willingly accepting a sacrifice for another. The first step into true adulthood.

If I’m reading Finn’s coding right, what we’ll see from him in The Last Jedi is his true journey into full-fledged adulthood--he’ll have to begin grappling with his past, taking on the burdens he’s meant to, not running away when he’s afraid, taking leadership of others when the time calls for it, and most importantly: deciding what he believes, what he’s fighting for, and what future he wants to build. And perhaps find a little romance along the way. ;)

Rey - The Girl Who Held Back

Rey’s coding trajectory is easier to see than Finn’s when you lay it all out, and it’s just as potent. She begins as a child and hits adolescence in tandem with Kylo. In her section here, I’m just going to discuss her child coding (I’ll do the same with Kylo’s). I’d like to tackle the adolescent journey with them together, as they’re a pair narratively speaking.

Rey’s child coding is one of the reasons why I believe so many people are deeply offended by the way the interrogation scene is handled, and I think the filmmakers maybe could have allowed her to open up her sexuality a bit before that scene in order to avoid the backlash, but hey, hindsight is 20/20. =P But I’ll get to that here shortly.

In the meantime, there is a deeply serious reason why Rey is coded as a child. She is keeping herself frozen deliberately because she is trying to freeze time until her family returns. Despite her body changing, she tries to hold on to childhood so that she will be recognizable and lovable when her family returns. This refusal to accept the natural stages of life keeps her unable to move forward--she can’t find a new family, she can’t find friends, she can’t find a lover, she can’t explore the world, she can’t hear her calling. She’s a deeply damaged girl who is rejecting her true self in order to hold on to something that, as Maz says, is never coming back.

Here are the key hints that Rey’s being coded as a child:

Her hairstyle is up like a little girl’s. At her age, she should be wearing it down to display her sexual viability, or wearing it in a style that is flattering to her emerging mature femininity.

Her clothing is modest and simple, showing very little of her form.

She rides her little sand sled like a kid.

In her home, she has a decaying flower, which represents her attempt to hang onto the flower of childhood despite the passage of time.

She also has a doll in her home.

She eats like a child, scarfing her food and hunching over the bowl to cram it into her mouth as fast as possible before she plays with her helmet.

The way she bounces around with her pilot’s helmet has a childish quality to it.

She’s waiting for her family like a child, rather than actively seeking them like an adult (most stories of lost families begin with the hero/heroine setting out on a journey to find the lost family members).

She has childish, idealized fantasy images of “legendary” figures such as Han or Luke, which implies she hasn’t had a reality check yet despite her harsh circumstances.

When she meets Finn, she’s completely oblivious to his romantic interest in her, something only aces and children do. =P

She argues with Finn about him holding her hand in a situation where she shouldn’t be worrying about something that petty. This is something nine-year-olds do, not nineteen-year-olds.

She turns down work (responsibility) from Han in order to remain a child.

She doesn’t get upset about Finn lying to her and instead pleads with him like a child.

Maz flat out calls her a child.

The audience sees all this, and in their heads their brains read: Rey is a cute adorable cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs. =P They’re not reading her as a capable, strong, independent woman, because she’s not coded as one, despite the fact that she is one (as the remainder of TFA demonstrates aptly). In the beginning of the story, her rage, her inner issues, her distrust are all there, but they’re much more subtle and subdued than we’ll see later once Kylo brings out her darker sides.

Furthermore, JJ Abrams mentioned that Maz’s castle is where the fairytale really begins--the castle, the princess, and the prince. If you know your Snow White, the princess begins her flight when she’s just beginning adolescence. She flees into the woods, away from maturity (the Evil Queen) and into the unknown, where she meets a masculine authority figure in the Huntsman who she thinks will rescue her, only to realize that she can find no comfort there. This is exactly what happens Rey at Maz’s castle--she picks up the saber, is overwhelmed by the reality of her destiny, and flees into the woods, where her Huntsman appears to cut her heart out. This flight from childhood in the protected castle into the beginning of adolescence via the woods, so key to fairy tales, is evident in Rey’s story as well. Of course, Snow White isn’t Rey’s true fairytale path, but it’s as good a place as ever to start. ;) More on her journey after Kylo!

Kylo Ren - The Child Behind The Mask

Kylo’s coding is a little less straight forward than Finn’s and Rey’s, and I think that’s why he’s such a polarizing character for so many people. Kylo has two “personalities”: Masked Kylo, and Unmasked Kylo.

Masked Kylo is a persona Unmasked Kylo has created to “pretend” he’s an adult. Masked Kylo is confident, cool, snarky, evil, collected, powerful, and in control. He is coded as a young man who’s a bit full of himself, a feral rival to Hux’s ordered masculinity. But Masked Kylo is a sham and a lie, and this is also probably why so many people have trouble with Kylo--he’s not the mask in reality.

Unmasked Kylo is coded as a wayward child, and every now and then he can be seen peeking through Masked Kylo. Until he meets Rey, he won’t begin his true journey into adolescence. (Just a quick refresher: Kylo’s coding has nothing to do with his actual age. Just like with Rey, the reason he’s coded as a child isn’t because he literally is one, but rather because he’s a damaged soul whose time has been frozen due to his life circumstances making it difficult for him to actualize himself.)

Evidence of Unmasked Kylo peeking out early on in the film:

He talks to his grandpa’s mask, something kids do when they’re playing pretend.

He has destructive temper tantrums indicating lack of impulse control and emotional control more typical of small children than adolescents, but his temper tantrums are usually against inanimate equipment, not people. An adult with anger management issues would attack people, not valuable equipment. People are expendable, equipment is not.

He is obsessed with pleasing his father figure (Snoke/Vader) and still feels he needs authority over his life. This is not consistent with an adult or an adolescent. Hux acts as a counter point here--Hux has a proper subordinate/superior relationship with Snoke without any hero worship.

He uses his mask to cover his vulnerabilities, something children do.

He has no firm sense of self or identity; he allows others to define him.

He gets distracted easily by things he wants and forgets his responsibilities.

The moment he unmasks himself for Rey is the moment that will begin the destruction of Masked Kylo, but this transformation won’t be complete until Rey gives him the saber scar.

But let’s talk about Kylo and Rey as a set, because that’s where their stories lead. =)

Kylo & Rey - Childhood’s End

Adolescence is a time period of significant change, of exploring one’s sexuality, of exploring one’s independence, of taking initiative, of testing authority, of discovering one’s limits and boundaries. Rey and Kylo move from their child coding into adolescent coding via the forest scene--an undercurrent of sexuality between them begins there.

The reason sexuality is so important for these two is because it’s one of the key elements of adolescence, and these two both have been stunted by their damaged connections to their past. All their scenes together have a sexual under current to them because they’re jumpstarting this phase for each other narratively (again, coding isn’t literal--literally they’re just butting heads and acting like normal enemies). The problem with these two numbskulls is that the sexual coding is so thick with them that the audience picks up on it too readily and gets weirded out by it because it’s too fast a jump between Rey being coded as a child to her suddenly having a burgeoning sexuality with the villain no less, lol. It comes off as very confusing for the viewer, and perhaps should have been handled with more delicacy, but it is what it is. =P

The interrogation scene is the “shift” scene for both of these characters, although the first sign of that shift is the monster/bridal/princess carry (that should have been the first clue to the audiences that these two characters were about to move out of their child coding and into something new). Their mind battle, their mind connection, forces them both to open up the doors to growth they’d been running from. Rey comes out of the match empowered and brimming with confidence--Kylo comes out of it exhilarated and unable to contain himself. It’s quite a bizarre reaction for both characters if you just view them as two war opponents who had a weird encounter via mind meld. =P But if you look at it as two children who had their first taste of adolescent attraction, it’s easier to understand their bizarro reactions to each other.

This shift is further confirmed by the next sequences, where Rey rescues herself and “hides” her experience with Kylo from Finn and Han--what she went through with Kylo is personal and special, not something she wants to share. This is more a reaction you’d expect from a first kiss than a torture scene. =P It’s a private moment she doesn’t want to share. The keeping of secrets is a step into adulthood, and this is the first scene that shifts the viewer’s image of Rey significantly--her coding begins to change from here on out into that of the blooming adolescent.

Kylo, for his part, takes on the burden of responsibility--he goes searching for Rey, warning his troopers that she’s dangerous, but wanting to look after her. He’s not hunting her down to kill her or harm her--he’s looking to reach her and take responsibility for her and the damage she causes. This too is a step forward for him; before this, he was content to let others take on his responsibilities.

Everything culminates of course when Kylo disappoints Rey to the core by killing Han. She turns on him, and he persists in pursuing her anyway. Their snow fight is their mutual step into true adolescence--the battle of wills and desires and the shaping of identity by clashing against each other. It’s an astonishing, beautiful metaphorical scene that is choreographed more like a dance than a battle. The moment when they feel the force together, when he’s giving her everything he’s got, and she’s taking it in and then turning the tables on him, that is the moment where we change trajectory for good--these two are never going back to childhood. Childhood ends here.

After this, Rey marks Kylo as hers--the fact that he keeps her scar in TLJ shows his acceptance of her claim on him. This mark seals them for each other, but only after they’ve moved through adolescence and into adulthood. That journey is for TLJ.

If my read of this coding is correct, what we’ll see in TLJ for these two characters is their mutual journey from adolescence into adulthood. Basically, they’re about a film behind Finn, fufu. We should see them grappling with many of the issues of adolescence--rebelling against authority, finding an identity, finding their true selves and their path, testing each other.

You can already see hints of this in their new character appearances--Kylo bears her scar while she’s beginning to wear more revealing clothing and her make up is more sexualized (letting down her hair halfway is a perfect way to symbolize that she’s not yet in full adulthood). While we may not have any full romantic interactions between them yet (they may leave that for the final film, where we’ll explore their young adulthood), this time there won’t be any difficult child coding to make their interactions feel unacceptably sexualized--both of them, coded as young people in their teens exploring their world, will be appropriate for each other at last.

Or so I think. =) Like Wendy and her brothers, all our kids have to leave Neverland and grow up sometime. ;)

And that, as they say, is that. I hope this is helpful to anyone who decides to read through to the end. If this interpretation of the film conflicts with your own, don’t worry--it’s just an interpretation. Thanks for reading this behemoth. One day I’ll learn to be brief, but it is not this day. =)

#star wars child coding #reylo #swtfa #sw: tfa #tfa #the force awakens #star wars the force awakens #star wars: the force awakens #finn #rey #kylo ren

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patricksilvrrozartistry · 6 years

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Current Music Obsessions: January 16 - 31, 2018

It's time for the last CMO for January, AND I'M ACTUALLY EARLY! I have A LOT to get through in this one because I'm doing an intense purge of my watch later playlist. So let's see those honorable mentions.

Awaken Solace - Moon Over the Mountain Annatar - Reflection Eve's Fall - Enough Edenbridge - A Turnaround in Art Sozos Michael - Life Finds a Way (Helion Prime cover) Aastraal - Majesty of the Nightfall Dragonfly - Silent Scream Nyx Aether - Odyssey of the Forlorn Acid Deathtrip - The Aftermath A Dream of Poe - Lady of Shalott Silent Descent - Voices Origins - The Power Inside Septicflesh - Martyr Kyle Morrison - Mammoth feat. Sean Zatorsky (Sinsaenum), Adrienne Cowan (Light & Shade) Fourth Circle - Iron Drops Dawn of Morgana - Embers Fade Nightmarer - Skinner Eric Hazebroek & Gogo Melone - Winter is Coming Crimfall - Mother of Unbelivers The End Party - Debutante Gary Numan - Ghost Nation Tristania - Pale Enchantress Vanguard - Hyper1one The Sins of Thy Beloved - My Love Shade Empire - Map of Scars The Dark Element - Only One Who Knows Me Meden Agan - The Purge Starset - Frequency Dust in Mind - Anesthesia Dust in Mind - Coward Heilung - Othan (live) The Murder of My Sweet - Echoes of the Aftermath Camila Cabello - Crying in the Club Skies Collide - This Divide

Now for the excessive amount of real obsessions.

1) Edenbridge - The Die is Not Cast

The Great Momentum turned out so much better than I thought it would be. Such a powerful symphonic power metal album with such a strong symphonic element. It's also a lot more aggressive (riff wise) than I was expecting it to be. The chorus is so dramatic and I love it so much. Just an amazing song all the way through.

2) Alwaid - Amphisbaena

This is their latest single off their new album and it's pretty good. It takes a dramatic turn near the end of the song which I really enjoy. It starts out strong and continues to bring throughout the track. I'm definitely am gonna have to give the new album a listen.

3) The Classic Crime - Driftwood

This is a gorgeous atmospheric rock track. If you need something beautiful to chill to, this is it. The singer's voice is so lovely and pleasant and really suits the instrumentals. A very pleasant song.

4) Crystal Gates - Dreamers (Revisited)

This is the second song I've heard from them and holy tits is it amazing. It starts out seeming like it's going to be a pretty ballad track, then it escalates into the chorus and turns into the gorgeous symphonic metal track. And the vocal lines after the first chorus. Gurl. Yes. So good.

5) Adeia - Architect

Found these guys while browsing the metal archives in the Netherlands section. The Dutch prog scene has always been amazing to me, but this band is so different from the ones I've heard in the past. This song is really great and has such a cool vibe to it. I love the subtle symphonic touches to it in the instrumentals.

6) After Forever - My Choice

How am I so late on finding this music video??? I found it out of nowhere one day and got hooked. I've always been a huge fan of After Forever and this is a traditional song of theirs. Very strong vocals as always, but I mean it's Floor Jansen, of course they're gonna be strong. Also I LOVE the bodysuit that Floor wears in this video. It's so cool and funky.

7) Zoe Nash - Rather Die

I have no clue how I found this song, but I absolutely love it. It's so catchy a fun, but with such a dark-ish twist. The way that the background singers sing "I'd rather die" is just a bit to happy sounding. This girl has such a different voice. It's kinda raspy and strange, but so pretty at the same time, which is what has me hooked.

8) Blessed with Rage - Nightfall

This is one of those songs that catch you off guard as to how good it is. I've always have loved bands with a great electronic element to them. I LOVE the edm bit in the bridge. Such a fun touch. It reminds me a bit of We Butter the Bread with Butter, just not as intense and in your face.

9) Lovelorn Dolls - Dead Sea

This song is so great. I'm not too familiar with them, but everything I've heard has been wonderful. The chorus is so simple, but it's so powerful at the same time. It's so weird how that works out. Definitely give this song if you're into gothic metal. Definitely a great jam.

10) Swallow the Sun - Weight of the Dead

I heard this song on Pandora one day a few months ago and finally got around to listening to it on my own time. What a great gothic doom metal track. It really takes off around the last 3 minutes and just evolves into this gorgeous and haunting doom track. It's so powerful. I really need to check out more from them.

11) Banks - Goddess

I haven't heard a bad song from her yet and I'm kinda scared for the day I find something that I don't like. This song is absolutely gorgeous and so fucking pretty. I still don't really know how to label her music. Modern pop? Trip-hop? Experimental? I don't know, but who cares, it's fucking beautiful.

12) Dream Ocean - Forever feat. Jake E. (ex-Amaranthe)

Found this song through a friend on Facebook and it's so pretty. I'm definitely gonna check out more from them, because their singer has such a pretty voice and she herself is really pretty. I mean look at her hair! Anyways, definitely digging this.

13) Unleash the Archers - Ten Thousand Against One

Apex is how their last album should've sounded. I know I keep saying that, but this album is MILES better than the last one. This and Cleanse the Bloodlines have to be my favorites. It's powerful, dramatic and heavy. What more could you ask from an aggressive power metal band?

14) Jucifer - The Mountain

Found these guys when digging through the metal archives to see what the metal scene is like here in Atlanta. Turns out it's not active, just as I expected. But I did find this sludge band here. This song is pure sludge/stoner metal and I love it. I wonder if they'll release any new material any time soon.

15) Dawn of Morgana - Revelations

I found these guys while searching for symphonic metal bands based here in the States that are listed on the metal archives and gurl are they good. It's so hard for me to actually like symphonic metal bands from the States since so many aren't good, but these guys are dramatic and powerful as all get out. Don't sleep on these guys.

16) Tigersclaw - Princess of the Dark

Randomly found this song one day on the recommended videos on YT. It's a pretty good symphonic power metal track. Their singer has a really pretty and high pitched voice and girl can hit a note. It is a bit cheesy, especially since the chorus is repetitive, but it's a great song nonetheless.

17) Amber Asylum - Cardinal Sin (Dead Can Dance cover)

This is the second song I've heard from them and it's absolutely gorgeous. They did a really great job with this cover and making it their own. My question is though is do these guys have any "metal" songs? I found out about these guys while trying to find some prog bands from the States, but this and the other song I've found aren't even metal songs. But besides that, really beautiful and haunting stuff.

18) DRMCTHR - Get Lost

Found this through Spaceuntravel and really dig it. It's almost as if alternative rock and shoegaze had a baby and this song was made. I'm really interested in possibly checking out more from these guys, because this song is really lovely and great to chill to.

19) Crimfall - Wayward Verities

I decided to listen to Amain after hearing a few great songs off it (and also because the cover art features a "naked" dude on it) and this is one of my favorites off it. The bridge is on some other level because it completely shifts tone. It just turns into this epic track in that moment with the choir bits. I also LOVE the yodeling in the intro. Such a great touch.

20) Trail of Tears - Empty Room

Decided to try to find a song off this album after reading an interview Ailyn (ex-Sirenia) did in which she talked about how Emma worked with Trail of Tears before, so I had to find out what exactly she did. That's how I came across this gorgeous and powerful gothic metal track. I honestly prefer Emma here over Sirenia. It just seems as if her voice is more well suited for this kind of music. Definitely check this song out.

21) Gali - Dancing to Another Love Song

Discovered this song through Hellvetika's IG story one day when she posted about having to listen to this song at the gym. I can't remember if she liked it or not, but I decided to give it a go and needless to say I fucking love it. VERY reminiscent of mid 2000's electronica, which was my shit as a tween. I still love it to this day. Such a fun song and girl has some pipes.

22) MILCK - This is Not the End

I discovered her through her song Quiet, so when I saw she dropped a new track, I decided to give it a listen. This song is also a really empowering track and is so lovely. The chorus is rather catchy, but that's necessary when creating a song that's going to be treated as an anthem. The burst of emotion right as the final chorus starts is so wonderful.

23) Sanguine Glacialis - Monsters

Discovered them through their record label and I am so hyped for their upcoming album after hearing this. This song is such a ballbuster. It's been so long since I've found a promising female fronted death metal band. This a bit of an avant-garde metal flare to them that I'm really digging. Oh, and she sounds fucking insane and ferocious.

24) Shade Empire - Lecter (Welcome)

This song is so amazing and is a wonderful start to an amazing album. If you enjoy symphonic black metal, definitely give Poetry for the Ill-Minded a listen. This, Anti-Life Savior and Map of Scars are my favorites. They're all so powerful and leave such a huge impression. I never once thought I'd hear a song about Hannibal Lecter, but here we are with this track.

25) Starset - Unbecoming

This and Satellite have to be my favorites off their new album. It has such a cool vibe and is slightly haunting. The electronic element is so strong and adds this really cool dimension to the music that I am absolutely in love with. Definitely a great jam.

26) Diablo Swing Orchestra - Interruption

Pacifisticuffs is such a fun album and this is one of the many cheesy songs off it. It's cheesy, but in the best way possible. That's how this band works with its cheese. The chorus starts with a strong "ohhhh wah-ohhh" that just sucks you in. So much fun. Definitely can't wait for the day I can see these guys live.

27) Fairy Bones - Killing Me

This is their latest single and it's so fun. I LOVE the blend of psychedelic rock with punk. Such a cool and fun sound. They're always bringing some new vibe in with their music and I always love it. Definitely give these guys a listen.

And that's it for this month! Hopefully next month won't be too long. ANYWAYS, enjoy these great tunes!

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