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lady-literature · 4 years

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ayy, so ya’ll know that Miraculous/DC crossover I screamed about a while back? I found plot for it.

It is not quite finished yet, but it’s also so much longer than I originally planned on it being. (me: I’ll just write a fun little thing to get this out of my head!

me, 13k words later: oh no)

SO! Here’s a little sneak peak!

(or, find the finished product here!)

***

There is an unspoken rule, kept by any outsider who’s ever set foot in Gotham, that you should only ever visit the city once. Most find that visiting even once was already too much.

The most dangerous city on earth isn’t kind to its residents—much less strangers who don’t know how to watch their pockets or keep off the streets after dark. It’s gotten better, perhaps, in recent years since the Bat started lurking on rooftops, but that doesn’t mean the city is good.

Normal people stay as far from Gotham as they can get.

Marinette, (un)luckily, is far from normal.

***

The touring of Metropolis, New York City, and Gotham had been going well as far as Marinette was concerned, no matter what Chloé says to her about carelessness and naivety.

She’s glad her, Adrien and Chloé all decided to take this summer trip before they started University in the fall. It sucks that it was just the three of them, she wishes more of their friends could’ve tagged along but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Kagami was in the middle of training season and couldn’t come. Luka was touring with his father, learning the tricks of the trade and other things. Nathaniel had already been commissioned to paint a mural downtown before they really finalized dates. Nino was in much the same boat as Nath, just with music and pitch meetings. Felix hated traveling and Alix was doing… something. Time travelling, probably. Or at least spending more time in the burrow.

Marinette was certainly starting to notice the way she’s begun talking about ancient history like she was actually there when she goes on rants now. Felix also probably noticed but Marinette’s also sure that he’s aiding and abetting her in exchange for insider information so…

She’ll probably have to deal with that later, unfortunately. But not today.

Their tour group was going to Amusement Mile later that afternoon, but had been given free roam until then. Marinette decided to spend the time up until lunch at the park near the meetup spot in Gotham Square and Chloé hadn’t complained or vetoed that idea so the trio happily camped out on the grass.

Marinette had returned to her sketch of Lady Gotham in between eating bites of her sandwich. She thinks she much preferred the style of it to New York City’s Lady Liberty. There was just something about the Statue of Justice that inspired her.

She’d been doodling about it since they left the marina yesterday. She also had plenty of pictures of the statue for inspiration later. There’s one she especially likes and thinks she might even print out to put up on her wall at home.

She’s playing with the idea of draping fabrics for formal wear designs like the roman togas both Lady statues seem to wear when a tennis ball rolls up and bumps into her leg. She has only enough time to move her sketchbook out of the way before a large dog bowls into her, tail wagging happily and barking up a storm.

“Oof!”

Adrien’s already halfway up the tree, startled out of his light doze by the barking and Chloé only daintily moved away from Marinette, leaving her to her fate.

Pushing herself back up so she’s not crushed by what feels like one hundred pounds of dog, she comes face to snout with quite possibly the biggest dog she’s ever seen. From there, there was really only one choice of action Marinette could have followed.

“Oh! Well, aren’t you just the prettiest boy?” she tells the dog happily, reaching up to give him scratches. “Such a big boy! You nearly bowled me over, didn’t you?”

If it’s possible, the dog’s tail begins to wag even faster, enough that he accidentally overbalances himself and decides to roll with it, flopping onto his back and letting her rub his stomach. Marinette does so enthusiastically, her baby-talk to the dog devolving into broken not-words and the occasional exclamation of good boy! in both English and French.

The dog was a great dane, and had the softest coat of black fur she’s ever seen. There was a thick red collar around his throat, and Marinette stopped furiously rubbing his belly long enough to look at the silver tag attached to it.

“Titus, huh?” she says to the dog. “Such a strong name for such a distinguished boy, huh?”

“Oh god,” she hears Adrien groan from his spot still up in the tree. When she looks up, she finds him eyeing Titus with distrust, the absolute kitten. “I hope whoever his owner is, they’ve never read Shakespeare.”

Both her and Chloé blink at the strange non sequitur.

“Uh, why? Exactly?”

“Because they have shit taste in his plays if they do! Titus Andronicus is, like, Shakespeare’s worst play.”

Chloé glares up at him. “You’re such a nerd. Now stop being ridiculous and get down from there.”

“But, Chloé! It’s a dog.”

“Adrien Agreste!”

Marinette tunes out the two blondes as they devolve into sibling-like bickering. It’s a skill she’s had to learn and learn quickly with living in such close quarters with the pair for the last few weeks and also being friends with the pair for the past three years.

“Speaking of your owner, I wonder where they are?” She scratches under Titus’ chin thoughtfully. “Should we go look for them?”

Titus' head flops to the side, almost like he’s listening for something, before he’s clambering up onto his feet to tower over her. He’s almost twice as tall as she is sitting, which is just ridiculous. Why is everything in America so big?

Getting to her feet herself, Titus still stands almost as tall as her. She can rest her elbow on his back when she grabs his collar to make sure he doesn’t run off. He leads mostly, pulling her along at a steady trot she has to jog to keep up with.

He truly was such a well behaved dog and certainly lived up to his breed’s reputation as a gentle giant.

Or at least she thought so, until the call of “Titus! Here!” echoes through the park and he goes racing off towards it, dragging Marinette along for the ride no matter how much she tries to slow down.

Titus comes to a skidding stop, and Marinette barely stops herself from falling by keeping her arm around Titus.

“And who are you?”

Looking up, she finds a young man, probably around her age, staring down at her. He does not look happy—but most Gothamites don’t, Marinette’s found. He’s also, despite the almost glare he’s giving her, very attractive.

When she opens her mouth, incoherent French comes tumbling out, much to her embarrassment.

Ah. ‘Not being able to speak coherently to people she finds attractive’, she had wondered where that particular personality trait had been as of late. Even after so many years hanging around people who should be—and are—super models, she still acts like a spaz. Why is she like this?

The man raises an eyebrow at her, looking very unamused.

She tries again. “Ah- Je suis- I mean, I am very sorry. Your dog found me sitting over there with my friends and I figured I should find his owner instead of letting him just wander around and I assume your his owner because if you aren’t this is very embarrassing for me. Not that it wasn’t embarrassing before but, oh, I’m definitely rambling and I’m going to shut up now.”

Pressing her lips together as tightly as humanly possible so her tongue will stop making horrible life decisions, she holds Titus’ bright yellow tennis ball out to his owner.

The man huffs, taking the ball from her hand. “I didn’t ask for your life’s story.”

Marinette blinks and then frowns. Her hand tightens around where she’s still holding onto Titus’ collar and she has to very carefully unclench her hand before she breaks it or something.

“I didn’t give it,” she says through clenched teeth, embarrassment abruptly forgotten. There’s no need for the man to be rude.

He scoffs. “Could’ve fooled me.”

She doesn't really have anything to say to that. Instead, she turns to Titus, who’s sitting like the good boy he is. She very seriously leans down to eye level—she does not have to lean down far—and tells him, “Your owner is an ass. But you are still a very good boy.”

She plants a kiss to his forehead that makes his tail wag, gives him one last scratch behind the ears and walks back towards her friends without looking back at the rude man.

***

Colonel Bug: so I met kagami and felix’s lovechild today

MY HONOR: I would never stoop so low.

the evil twin: I would never stoop so low.

ShutUpTurtleMan: Nettie

dearest

the evil twin: Okay first of all-

ShutUpTurtleMan: sunshine

light of our collective lives and reason I breathe

what the fuCK

YoureUnderAgreste: Kagami, my love, how could you?

The Betrayal™

GottaGoFast: ew

Queen of Salt: ew

sneaky snake: Send pics or it didn’t happen

give me art or give me death: [a photo of the ‘right in front of my salad?’ meme]

Queen of Salt: wait

I was with you all day when did this happen?

was it the owner of the dog that attacked you?

ShutUpTurtleMan: WHAT

Colonel Bug: he didn’t attack me!

chloe stop spreading misinformation!

titus was a sweetheart!

YoureUnderAgreste: incorrect

he was, in fact, a menace

give me art or give me death: wait was Titus the dog or the lovechild

ShutUpTurtleMan: ^^^ ?

Colonel Bug: shut up adrien

all animals are great

stop being elitist

give me art or give me death: okay but seriously what kind of dog was it

the evil twin: why exactly was he our lovechild?

GottaGoFast: because of the dramatic tryst you and Kagami had obviously

keep up

Colonel Bug: because he was as pretty as he was rude actually

And gave me the feeling that he’d rant about his honor and parentage if it given the chance

MY HONOR: you say something once as an unsocialized teen

GottaGoFast: MARI YOU DOG!

ARE GETTING TAIL IN GOTHAM OF ALL PLACES?

Colonel Bug: no alix

did you not read the part about how rude he is

YoureUnderAgreste: i mean,,,,,

Felix is pretty rude and we all still like him

ShutUpTurtleMan: and Chloe

YoureUnderAgreste: oh good point nino

Colonel Bug: i hate it here

i spoke to him for like 2 seconds

Queen of Salt: Okay first of all-

YoureUnderAgreste: so i mean it’s not really a dealbreaker yaknow?

Colonel Bug: this familys a nightmare

i shoulda left you all on the street corner where i found you

YoureUnderAgreste: BUT CHA DINDT

ShutUpTurtleMan: but yA DIDNT

GottaGoFast: BUT CHA DIDNT!!

sneaky snake: but ya didn’t

***

I have every no regrets. stay tuned for more!

#my typewriter #miraculous ladybug #batfam #maribat #daminette #mlb #dc #mlb x dc

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luluxa · 4 years

Photo

Drifter

Something I wanted to do for ages - an illustration to one of my original worlds. And I’m using James as a character because of reasons :D

Edit: the reasons :)

An intro for an AU fic set in one of my original worlds. Written a while ago and by now I honestly don't know when (if) I'm gonna finish it, and as a standalone bit it doesn't make much sense, but I guess it can provide some context for the art.

Guide You

Summary: Jeremy and Richard are set to have an adventure in the lands they know very little about, and of course, for that they will need a guide.

So it would appear they were going in the entirely wrong direction.

Hammond glares at Jeremy, weariness and anger on his little mug underlined poignantly by a ratty beard.

“You are a bellend, Clarkson,” he says very politely due to their new company, a nice change to all the abuse that was hurled at Jeremy for the last three days.

Their – well, Jeremy doesn’t want to say ‘saviour’, since they weren’t dying or anything – their finder inclines his head at Hammond’s expressiveness. An inclined hand is all the emotion that can be read off him, since he doesn’t remove his scarf or goggles, remaining mysteriously faceless and nameless.

“You could turn around and go in whichever direction you wished,” Jeremy retorts testily. He really doesn’t fancy appearing incompetent and pathetic in front of strangers.

“And then explain to your wife and children I just left you in the desert for the wild goats to feast on your flesh?”

Jeremy huffs, gesturing at his face. “Of course, the wild goats wouldn’t do you any harm since you look so much like one they’d accept you in their ranks immediately.”

Hammons scratches at his beard. “I look like Rob Dawny Jr and you know it. Don’t be jealous of my good looks.”

Jeremy lets out a massively sarcastic snort and the mystery man sighs and switches off the engine of his Falcon.

“Would you prefer to continue with this admittedly entertaining comedy double act or shall we make a camp?”

Jeremy and Hammond both grin at the comment and agree that the camp would be great.

“I’m Ainnay,” the man introduces himself at last, as they all dismount. “You, I gather, are from Ktider.”

“We are,” Jeremy nods, “I’m Clarkson, the midget is Hammond, and we were supposed to make a documentary about the desert but he’d challenged me to a race and then we got into the sandstorm and lost all our bearings.”

“You lost our bearings!” Hammond starts again, jabbing a finger at him. “I told you were going the wrong way!”

“Oh sure, because the direction you had proposed wouldn’t have lead us to the mountains a thousand miles from where we’ve started!”

“Yeah, where there’s at least some civilisation and not endless dunes with just an occasional goat skeleton stuck in a dried bush!”

“Gentlemen, please,” Ainnay interrupts them suddenly, holding his palms up. “It’s very easy to get lost in the desert, especially for someone who’s never been here before. Experienced Freemen sometimes get lost in sandstorms. I wouldn’t fight about it on your place. Of course, going for a race in the desert is another matter entirely,” he adds smoothly.

Jeremy gapes at him for a second, exchanges a glace with Hammond, and they both smirk.

“The race was definitely not my fault,” Jeremy says easily.

“You agreed to that!”

“And you agreed to follow me around! Five years ago, in fact!”

At last, Hammond gives up. “Yeah, all right, that was my biggest mistake and I have no choice but to concede it,” he says with as much sarcasm as he can muster.

While they were arguing, Ainnay managed to start a fire and somehow task semi-distracted Hammond with erecting a canopy, so Jeremy can celebrate his victory by sitting down and taking off his incredibly annoying itchy scarf.

“Ohh, I swear, it only cumulates the sand in your hair and does nothing to protect you from it!” he groans, scratching at his head vigorously, while Hammond nods along. “This is rubbish!”

Having brought all his pots and little bags under the canopy, Ainnay sits down as well. “It’s cos you’d put it on all wrong,” he comments. “I’ll show you later how it’s done, but one of the main things is that you put your goggles on it, not under it.”

Jeremy shrugs sheepishly and then has to spend a while ignoring Hammond’s speculations about the comfort of goggles-wearing, because Ainnay takes all his head-gear off as well and appears to be immensely pleasurable to look at.

Swallowing and averting his eyes with an effort from the sinfully pretty bow of pink lips, Jeremy hopes his blush will be mistaken for a heat rash. Will he ever be past this stupid and perverse notion of finding men attractive?

“Are you a Nahan, then?” he hears Hammond ask cautiously and looks up to see a red vertical stripe on Ainnay’s forehead, revealed now when he’s flicked the curls away from his face.

“I am. Couldn’t you tell that by me name?” he asks, looking confused, his accent very slight but audible now when Jeremy thinks about it.

Jeremy glances at Hammond, both of them shrugging.

“Not really. Should we?” Jeremy scowls. “Are we being massively ignorant and rude somehow, by any chance? In which case, please excuse us, we’ve literally came over here a week ago and know close to nothing about the local customs.”

Ainnay smiles, eyes squinted and sparkly, making Jeremy’s insides quiver. “No, not so far, although I can tell already you have a potential.”

Jeremy finds it in himself to snort and Hammond grins ruefully – well, he could get away with a lot, being stupidly charming when he wants to, but Jeremy has nothing to counterbalance his bellendism. He rather hopes he won’t offend Ainnay terribly at some point, as he does, indeed, has a lot of potential – and experience – in this area.

“Nahan people have pretty distinct names,” Ainnay explains calmly, making tea. “A Nahan man will always give you just one, it’s our ‘Amma namet’, a tribe’s name, given to us by someone from the tribe we live in. Those names are Ruisk in origin and usually descriptive – mine, for example, is two words: Ain – soft and Nay – hard.” Ainnay glances up from the tea, looking very soft and lovely indeed, and although Jeremy has known him for twenty minutes, he can tell the ‘hard’ part is there as well.

He nods. “Got it. Why is it always just one name?”

Ainnay offers them cups with tea and switches to making some sort of heavily spiced sandwiches that Hammond eyes with deep distrust.

“Do you believe in any sort of higher power – gods, fate, anything at all?”

Jeremy scowls at the sudden subject swerve. “No,” he says categorically, and Hammond shrugs with indifference. The little fussy moron sips the tea and tries very hard to not make a face – Jeremy thinks the tea is perfectly fine, but then again, Hammond is known to make faces at water. “I mean, we have organised religion in Ktider but it’s no more than a collection of fairy tales and a list of ridiculously strict rules and improbable threats of post-mortem punishment to make an illiterate peasant behave.”

Ainnay frowns fleetingly at that. “How odd. Well, here people do believe in higher powers, although no one’s imposing it on them. I would guess it’s because living somewhere as unpredictable and dangerous as a desert makes you invoke anything at all to ease your struggle with the world around.”

Jeremy contemplates it and nods. “Maybe. The seamen are like that as well – every sea-going man I’ve ever known was superstitious as hell, regarding the seas to be well, almost a deity of its own.”

Ainnay nods. “Yes, so is the desert – you know these lands as Tensah, I think, but it’s really the name of the goddess that is supposedly looking over us.”

Jeremy notes that Ainnay doesn’t seem to be very religious himself, wondering, why doesn’t he conform to the beliefs of his people.

“So what does it have to do with names?” Hammond asks, ever impatient and probably annoyed with the non-promising dinner.

Ainnay doesn’t look bothered with the rudeness, remaining serenely calm and immersed in the food making. “Our tribe names are designed to hide us from the goddess who’s known to not like men very much. Women go by the first name always, as they’ve nothing to fear.”

Men fearing a goddess sounds pretty entertaining – Jeremy’s heard about ancient people worshipping Earth like the ultimate Mother, and it was proposed by some historians in those ancient times women were the rulers – he wonders, whether it was or hell, still is, true for the local desert people.

“I think we have something similar to your Amma namet thing – nicknames,” Jeremy says on an afterthought. “His is Hamster,” he points at Hammond, making the latter glare.

Ainnay hums. “Yeah, we have nicknames too, but it’s not the same thing. Amma namet is absolutely formal and ritualistic rather than amusing and affectionate. It’s for permanent use, since our first name has to be hidden. The first name can only be used one on one, and only your mother can use it, or a person to whom you give that name – usually a life partner. So, if a Nahan man ever gave you his first name he would be actually saying ‘I love you and I want to spend my life with you’.”

“I hope to never hear that one,” Hammond says immediately, and Jeremy immediately and ridiculously wonders what is Ainnay’s first name.

Bad thought, he tells himself angrily. Incredibly bad and out of order.

They receive their plates with the sandwiches and Jeremy makes a point to declare it very tasty – which it is – to counterbalance Hammond’s politely concealed but still evident disgust.

“Don’t mind him. Hammond hates everything that isn’t eggs and gin,” Jeremy explains, talking away his portion to not waste anything.

Hammond lets him with relief. “I don’t hate everything. I’m just not used to foreign food, sorry. I have some crackers on me, I’ll be fine with those.”

Ainnay shrugs. “All right. What’s gin?”

They spend another hour discussing alcoholic beverages and food, Hammond increasingly horrified with Ainnay’s descriptions of the local drinks that seem to include snake bile and scorpions, until Jeremy realises that while remaining perfectly deadpan, Ainnay is having a lot of fun making Hammond queasy, and sits back to be entertained.

“There’s no such thing as rotten shark soup!” Hammond cries eventually, riled up and red in the face. “You’re having me on!”

Ainnay looks at him with clear-eyed sincerity. “Why would I be having you on? It’s a delicacy, I’ve had some, they serve it with fried whale intestines – it’s actually delicious, as long as you don’t breath in.”

On that, Jeremy gives up, giggling and pointing helplessly at Hammond’s constipated mug. “Your stupid tiny face, all scandalised,” he manages at last. “Ainnay, you’ve got to stop or Hammond will be sick.”

Looking pleased with himself, Ainnay nods. “As you wish. Although everything I said was the truth.”

“You’re worse than Clarkson,” Hammond says, looking hurt. “I hoped to meet someone nice on this journey.”

Ainnay’s expression remains as kindly and innocent as it was. “Tough luck.”

Jeremy dissolves in giggles again, delighted beyond words, and Hammond turns away pointedly, sulking.

“And here I thought we’ll be stuck with just the scenes of the dunes and Hammond moaning,” Jeremy says, pleased, patting his absorber under the coat. He’ll have to sort the stream soon, to not spend hours and days editing the raw material. “That would’ve made a boring show.”

Noticing Ainnay’s confusion, Jeremy produces the absorber disc from under the layers of his dusty robes. “We have them on us 24/7, basically. Bit difficult to make a comprehensive story out of the uninterrupted stream, but we resolved it by embracing a lot of the randomness. People like it, oddly enough.”

Ainnay just looks more confused. “Hold on. I did not understand a word. What is that thing?”

Hammond turns around from his sulking and his crackers to gape at Ainnay along with Jeremy. “You don’t know what it is?”

Ainnay shrugs. “Should I?”

Jeremy looks at his absorber. “Well, yeah, since it came from your part of the world. It’s black niurite, it absorbs the perception of a person connected to it.”

Still blank, Ainnay reaches for the absorber but thinks better of it. “Could you be more specific, please?”

“It absorbs your perception, things you see, or hear, or smell, or what you feel by touch – it stores it as a stream of uh, sensory experience. People then can duplicate it to their absorbers and tune in. It’s a bit like dreaming,” Jeremy tries to explain, “only it’s not your dreaming and everything is real. Well, you could tune into your own stream, which would be like remembering something, but you know, with full presence in the moment. So what Hammond and I are doing here is making a stream – after editing it’ll be his and mine streams in turn combined into one. There should be also a third-person perspective of our discmen, but since we’ve lost them right after coming here, it’ll be just our points of view, so to speak.”

Ainnay listens with his mouth open. “Whoa,” he manages at last. “That’s amazing!”

Bemused, Jeremy exchanges a glance with Hammond again. “Are you saying you have nothing like that in your lands?”

Still transfixed with the absorber, Ainnay shakes his head. “No. We don’t really know what to do with black niurite – your lot likes it enough to buy it, so we sell it to you. We just thought you use it for jewellery or something else decorative. Can you show me how it works?”

Luckily, Hammond has a spare absorber, so he gives it to Ainnay, tying his scarf around his eyes securely and explaining how to connect to it, which takes Ainnay a while but eventually, he lets out a startled yelp and waives his hands about, reacting to something Hammond has on it.

“Bloody Norah!”

Filing away the unfamiliar curse, Jeremy watches Ainnay go from flaily amazement to the stillness of intent concentration – he always loves to watch kids do it, but a grown man discovering streaming is especially endearing.

#james may #james-may #top gear #the grand tour

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tonyglowheart · 4 years

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Hello I see people in fics having LSX call WWX Baba but I've also seen people say that its too modern to use. Do you know what besides A-Die (what I've seen LSZ written to call LWJ by fans) would LSZ call WWX? Especially if its for a fic where wangxian raise LSZ together

Hi! I don’t know if you saw already, but I did toss a couple replies into the ask you sent to ouyangzizhensdad. Someone else whose url I cannot remember off the top of my head did too, I think they suggested fuqin?

So... okay I glanced at the baike page for 爸爸 bc I was curious, and I kind of got the sense that “baba is modern” is sort of like a Tiffany Problem situation? Wherein it WAS around for a lot longer than ppl think, but because ppl have a certain association with it, and with specific terms (also like how people think Mister is modern, and Master is more archaic, but actually at some point, "Mister” was the more “formal” version, and “master” is used with, like, the children of the “Mister” of the household), it’s “impossible” to use in historical-y settings without throwing ppl out? (Actually it was so interested to me because I think it said that 父 used to be pronounced ba, and that has... Implications for like 父皇 which you’ll see in historical dramas, does that mean it used to be pronounced bahuang?? that just seems wrong lol.. for the same Tiffany Problem reason ppl have with ba)

Tbh I think you’ll have a lot less issue with it in the context of English fic, because I.. also want to throw in a general, writing-with-color style caution, to like... examine why you’re throwing in pinyin, and what purpose it serves. I do think there’s value in using these original terms in certain places, esp for relational terms, where there IS meaning imparted by the CN term that isn’t there with EN tls/approximates, but that just peppering it in for the sake of that “foreign” flavor isn’t always necessary. Like, furen doesn’t really need to be kept imo, because I think that translates fairly one-to-one to Madam, or “Sect Leader” (even tho MDZS’s usage of 氏 and then ExR’s translation of such as Sect and then the normalization of it does cause some issues as far as like, literal translation goes, I do think that it’s not necessarily a “wrong” choice to make, given the way that cultivation sects operate in MDZS and this sort of conflation of a “sect” with a “clan” or sort of like a ...feudal cohort kind of situation (I don’t actually know that much about feudalism I’m using the term more colloquially here D:). Another example I had thrown into the reply on the other ask, was a fic that I thought did a pretty good job in terms of trying to research and insert more “local flavor” but respectfully, but then bc I came across more posts talking about “well what is the purpose of italicizing foreign words, or peppering them in?” - I started noticing some things, such as their usage of “hanfu” every time to mean clothing, when really... if we’re talking “diegetically”/Watsonianly, they’d either call it whatever specific type of article of clothing each was, or just... clothing. Because the designation of hanfu, I do think, is more of a modern phenomenon? don’t quote me on this.

Okay to like... actually try to answer your question... I think a’die to me reads a bit more informal than I’d see A-Yuan call LWJ. In canon, he’s obviously close to LWJ, but still quite formal in his address (and LWJ is quite formal with his brother and uncle, but he’s obviously pretty close to them). Fuqin is an option, but it feels a little... cold, like that’s more something you would refer to other ppl’s fathers, or if you’re referring to your father to other people, and not necessarily something you’d call him directly? (this can be subjective thought, and it could be fine. It just... doesn’t seem to fit, for me. edit: looking at what some of these info pages in CN are saying, ppl see to say that fuqin is a common form of address for father by non-royals, so maybe that’s another form of Tiffany Problem, where it seems overly formal & distant. A source also says that fathers who have an official position would be called 父亲大人(fuqindaren)). I’m not sure any of the other variations I see seem to fit, since 生父 seems to be for blood-related fathers (or even if it’s not, the term is going to create issues), and 家父 (jiafu) sounds nice but it says specifically it’s used if you’re addressing your father to other ppl and want to do it in a more elegant way... just plain 爹 is a probably what I’d suggest as a happy medium, except then you have the problem if the pinyin being “die” and well.. So maybe “fuqin” is the best option here after all, just because of the English fic context? :’) I don’t like it though, I’d probably prefer 爹...

Okay sorry this is messy, but it’s... not a simple question, and I’m trying to give you some context for where I started and where I’ve gone with my rumination on this. Because kind of in the end... I still think a’die and baba might be the best way to go forward, because re: baba (1) the issues of “anachronism” aren’t an issue bc it’s not set in a specific time period where you’d want that level of specificity (2) you’re writing in English, and that’s already a level of removal from the original context and usage, so you’re balancing the meaning vs the “foreignness” it impacts to the fic too; and regarding “a’die”... it’s better than just “die” as far as how it reads in English :’) sadly :’) even though I think just plain 爹 might work better. 父亲大人 I think ends up a biiiit too hoity. Although. if you find baba too “anachronistic,” you could go with a’die and a’ba, which would parallel the “set” familiarity structure of the added “a-” we see in MDZS.

Also related but kind of sidebar: apparently the original meaning of 爹 actually is used for fathers who have fathered more than 3 children, which makes sense morphologically bc it’s made of 父 (father) and 多 (many) lol.. anyway

I know this was very long and kind of windy so if there’s anything you are confused about or have further questions on, please feel free to reach out again. Hopefully the added emphasis of the “conclusion” helps guide you to where I ended up as far as my ruminations on this question/issue go, and the rest of if helps to add some context on my thought process(es) behind the conclusion.

#long post #ultimately I think ''what would lzs call lwj and wwx in an AU fic where they're raised together''#and also the fact that it's in English... means that there's an addition level of ''gotta work with what ppl are familiar with'' that you h #like shengfu and jiafu is probably gonna be weird to ppl and so you'd have to explain it #which would make it more of a Thing vs just a term you use #whereas like a'die ppl probably are more familiar with #and baba is baba #Anonymous #asks answered

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sassaetcie · 3 years

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Silver x Idia (The Molten Charcoal) chapter 6

I genuinely do not know how to schedule what’s going on in my brain, especially since that fic has been over for a while

-I'm sorry, I don't really understand what you said. Though... I know I don't find it awful to hear.

This was one of the numerous neutral ends to be expected for sure. He was too nice to tear my heart apart, and yet not in love. I was probably... lucky in a sense. How could this prince made of alabaster, no, dragging himself, no... climbing a mount of alabaster he had forged by himself... How could he even look at me without being shaken by disgust? I should have swooned for even being looked at and not mocked... No! No... I don't deserve something bad because of them... As long as I... I'm sorry Ortho... Why am I the one living? Why aren't you the one who has lived on... You always have been so lively and outgoing... I'm just... I've always have been like this but... your death made me understood that I wasn't just introvert as fuck... I just hurt everyone no matter what I do...

-That being said... I don't really understand feelings, especially stronger ones like the one you seemed to describe. You really made a line on each of my feature, didn't you? That's praise-worthy. I would like to understand them... with you by my side. We are both lost, this should be easier if one of us suddenly understand. Of course, this only works if you agree with my proposition... I hope I am not being harsh. I don't intend on hurting you.

-H-huh? Does t-t-t-t-t-hat mean you... w-w-want us to meet again? Later? Again?

-Yes, I want us to meet again. I hope I will not fall asleep before, though.

-Oo-o-oh, speaking of this... We may l-look for an... antidote? For your... huh... sleeping troubles... O-only if you want me to h-h-h-help, of course! I would understand if you feel like I'm pitiying you, but I s-s-swear I'm not, I really just want to help even if it's probably some means to only satisfy myself, I'm...

-...It is true that I never truly saw you help other people. That makes me even more curious. Hmm, I will just need some time when Old... Lilia Vanrouge and Sebek are available to watch over Mal... Draconia. I cannot let my guard down, after all. I know nothing happened yet but... It could, probably.

-O-o-o-okay, p-please tell me whenever you a-are ready to s-s-s-s-see me again, t-t-t-hen... You can tell Ortho for sure... I think?

I made sure one ending was pushed away by another strategy. Of course, I shoud stop thinking of this as a endings-crossroad but... My... love for Silver is different, without a doubt. Not especially better, or worse. It's just... not something I can explain with... love. Do I deserve to call this... love, anyway? I could just lack affection to this point or want to make a reality ouf ot fiction. But I need to dream too. If I don't, I'll be... like them, once again. Yet... if I... need to dream and don't dream on my own, I am lying too. But was this "love" invented by adults or non-adults, anyway?

-I see. Thanks for this... date. It was interesting, and I am... glad, I think. That you talked to me with such expressiveness. I wish I could thank my Old Man the way you told me all of these things.

-H-hm... I will n-n-n-n-n-need to first update Ortho's memory... But... we can... maybe? Meet again... Like... huh...

-Well, not during my timetable for sure. I cannot afford to ashame the family, all this stuff... even if I think I really should not. My Old Man is a kind man and I don't want to betray him.

-O-oo-okay... wh-hen do you t-t-think you'll be free... then?

He could have run away using this option. He was the one handling them between these perfect phalanx born from the sea. ...He wasn't the only one, of course. Luck... Luck? Did luck exist to this point... Azul certainly did beat up luck itself. I guess luck is some kind of laziness from myself, lol... Probably only for and from myself... Luck would be reflected differently in this water I see only blue and grey, I guess.

-Hmm... I'll tell you when I am sure my timetable will not change.

Or did he take another ending? Telling one lie to say the truth right after, or the other way round... He could tell two lies, or tell the truth forever. But... doubting him was already a stupid thing to do, actually. I mean, why should I have doubt him? If he didn't like me.. Fine by me... That was what I expected in most cases anyway. But if he didn't tell me he actually couldn't stand me? Then, it was... probably alright. I didn't need to doubt him that much, did I? Or that would mean betraying myself again. Yeah... boring af.

-O-okay! I... huh... hope you'll have a good day...

I can't remember if I really wished from all of my body, from top to toe... Or if it was some formal greeting I tried on him. I guess I wanted him to be happy nonetheless yet did I feel it this way? I can't remember. No feeling has shaken me neither my heart nor my brain. So, was it a kind lie of some kind, or some strange truth? I cannot recall. Or is there anything to be recalled, anyway? Perhaps I cannot reminisce because it never happened in the first place. His icy hair floated outside the shadow, and didn't melt, yeah. His hands of soft mid-water went away with him. His eyes of ocean, he brought them away as well. Or perhaps was he a sailor of some other world in the end? Surely most people were fusing along this ocean and stars, but he wasn't. So was I... somewhere else but some kind of... sailor as well? This sea of feelings was one my eyes I couldn't set on. Or was he... Sure, I wanted to ride over this space of water. See my reflection... my reflection. Maybe seeing this hair... wet. All of these flames, engulfed in some bubbles I couldn't touch... yet? I remembered trying to gather my limbs when Silver was nowhere to be seen. I guess I didn't collapse because no one was there as well... Or at least, my eyes didn't catch anyone as I was getting away from the tree restored to its original role. Apple trees only. No apple was on the ground, or yet at least. None of the red shining was separated from the green shining. They were together... Happy together, right? Somehow. Well, more like because apples were not ripe yet but. As soon at this apple was on its own, it would... live a few days. And rot away. They were... happy together. Unhappy separated. Would I...? Since I was unhappy of... this hair which never had been mine... Could I be... blessed with happiness, visited by happiness, granted happiness, if I were to cut off this blazing "blood"? I... just slept again, once I was back in the heat.

[Started Recording at : 1PM : Eighth ? Day]

-Big Bro! Big Bro! Please open the door, I have some really good news!

-Huuuh? What the... O-o-o-o—ortHO? Did something bad happen but you try to see it as good?!

-No, no, I really mean it! It's a... good piece of news!

-T-Then you can say... it t-t-through the door, right? I'm in the middle of something and I

-You're not! You usually let me open the door even if you're in the middle of a game, don't you? :(

-Ehhh?!

-I'm going in!

The door was not invaded by Hell, no matter what Hell was. No stains invaded the black and white limbs made of illusory obsidian. A superficial obsidian, yet made out of idealism. Five fingers touched the door, even if it could very likely open up by a presence. Nothing burned the prosthesis. Blue and purple lights crossed each other between figures and mangas piled up, whether by chronological order, graphic preferences and reflections, randomness or significance. Yet only these two lights, as full of shades as they are, shared no more shades. A ridiculous prairie-green, a small yellow-sun, a azure-sky, lights... were not used, yet, probably. The heatwave's spirit was sitting on a bed, chained up by his unfortunate owner. The Ignihyde bed was being sat on. The blanket was barely away between the ten asynchronous fingers.

-Were you sleeping, Big Bro?!

-... Y-yeah... I tried to... I was kind... of... exhausted... and my head felt dizzy as fuck so I-I just...

-So that makes two good news today!!!

-I... guess s-s-so... S-s-s-so what... why did... you come here?

The little brother closed the door anyway.

-Silver told me that he was free on tomorrow!

-Huh? W-w-w-w-wait, he's already free?! I-i-I don't mean t-t-t-t-t-t-hat I don't want to see h-h—him and all! Just that... I thought he would... have been longer?

-He told me he was very curious to see you again so he tried to be free as soon as possible! He also told me he was... ahem! "Sorry if I fail to understand your feelings by being too fast when it comes to see you again".

His fingers for sure made the blanket fly some centimeters, then go back to wrapping them. Two phalanx hid before going out again, then replaced by some others. Perhaps would it end when all hands were to be outside or inside. The friction definitely did not throng through his headphone, at least the thing he could handle for sure. Wasn't he choosing which sounds were going back and forth right now? Whether he was confused, happy or sad was hard to see. Or maybe both, actually? One hand disappeared while the other aired him. His hand ventilated him, then. A tight smile pierced the frozen yet burning blue lips, covering a range of shark teeth that didn't fit all of this. He... grabbed one of his other hand.

-Are you alright... big bro? You didn't answer and now you're acting... weird, if I may say so.

-I'm... Uuuuh...! I feel stupid but... This is my hand! And this one too! They're... mine!

-Well... this is your body, so yes.

-I mean... I know! But... m-m-my hands... My mouth feels weird, but not my hands...

-And yet you're smiling, Big Bro? O-o

-I AM?!

Idia raised his arms toward the smile going out of range. Why was it acting on its own, and not his hands? He spread himself in his own fingers, fiddling with the anomaly which was truly one, among the body getting rid of these things. He was made of these hundred anomalies before. So now... there were "these" ones left. But these were only "fixed". The others would probably keep on acting on their own... Or was it supposed to? Some water escaped through two symetrical curiosities, painted blue by some inheritance as well.

-Big Bro, should I tell you that you're crying as well? Are you sure everything's okay? I can tell Silver to postpone the date if necessary... :(

-N-n-n-no! I'm... I'm alright. This is just weird to explain. I'll try to explain to him first and then I'll tell you what the fuck happened... okay? I think. Is that okay? Am I being weird, right now?!

-...Okay so I'll tell him that you're available tomorrow on 6pm?

-Y-yes... t-thanks, Ortho. Where would be the date, though?

-Near the apple tree to "begin with", as he told me.

-"To begin with"?! I... I'm scared now... But I shouldn't, right, right? It's Silver we're talking about, he probably miscommunicated... Like I usually do... 6pm by the apple tree, the one where we met... He will be alone, right, right?

-...well, yes. Why should he be accompanied, big bro?

-I-i-i-I dunno! I just was worried about stuff and... I'm just huh... That's all? I asked everything I had to ask?

-I... guess so! So I'll be off, big bro! Please call me if something goes wrong!

-Y-yes... H-huh! Wait... Did you... have... had some troubles with your memory?

Shroud coerced his hands into forming one, to escape from anxiety or hide something else. The tears were already dried, but surely he would not mind crying again if needed. But maybe not now.

-I don't think so, Big Bro! Please don't worry about me for the moment, let's be sure you end up in a healthy relationship with Silver to ensure you two a beautiful ever-after!

-Are you s

The one who desired to acquire a different type of water, who did not see water as such, put away his feet walking on the ground, flying through the doors opening themselves in the magical technology they knew so well.

-...I guess Ortho didn't want to be updated today... He w-w-w-wouldn't be lying to me, right... right.

[Ended Recording at : 1h15 PM : Eighth? Day]

I didn't really know what to do. I mean, that's obvious I didn't, right... I have one day to gather myself and know what I should expect... But what should I even expect? Will we talk again, like nothing happened? No, right, right? He told me my... hair... comforted him... or did I get him wrong? He's also having troubles to communicate... So... What if he... made a mistake? He may have meant... that the warm flames comforted him, but that the blue hue made him uncomfortable... Or he didn't want to hurt me! He's as anxious as me, maybe...? Or at least he got troubles with expressing his feelings, like me for sure. But it can be in a different way... Maybe in a "normal" way? Perhaps...? He always stated what he wanted to tell me, tho. Or did he... really like it? Does he really like it? Is he fond of it? Does he love it? Does he think it's funny, like probably most of people? Or is he...?! Is he some kind of perverse who likes stuff people usually don't...! No, that wouldn't be some kind of perverse stuff. I mean... if being different is being perverse, I need to wash my fucking brain with bleach, lol. But then... what should I expect? We can't possibly sit again under the same tree and wait for an answer, can we? So... what should I do? No, what should I tell Ortho... Wait, should I tell Ortho first so that he can warn Silver about what I want to do?! Wouldn't I be impatient and selfish, though... I don't want to impose but he may also be waiting for me to suggest something for us to do... Or does he want to know more about myself, too?! Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm... Maybe I should go with something simple, but not too simple, too?! What if... I can't really bring one of my console, huuuh... He could think I just want to listen to him as a lo-fi playlist NONONONONONO?! So games are out of place... and I don't want to bring a board game... he could think the same, even if he plays along... Suff suff suff...! No. So... Maybe... drawing with him? No, no, no way. So many people think it's something we do on our own... and we don't talk much usually, nonononono... But I could also show it to him to prove him that it's a wrong way of thinking and... isn't that twisted? I'm sorry Ortho, I'm sorry... Ain't I going back to where I shouldn't?! SuffocationsuffocationsUFFOCATIONSUFFSUFFSUFFSUFFSUFFSUFF

no no no. That's alright. He may ask me something, or may chose something on his own. I just need to be sure it's something I want to do as well, right, right? No videogames, no games, no drawing... Just speaking won't solve the problem, especially if I don't know how to start a conversation and I can't watch tutorials on Youtube, I'll just sound so phony and all... I mean... the most obvious and... normal thing to do would be to invite him to a karaoke or a thing like this? He probably doesn't sing extremely well... so I shouldn't be too ashamed, right? Well, if he does, that would be dangerous because it could endanger my whole Prince Charming's balance stuff... But if he does? That would just be so cool... Yeah... I should go for a karaoke session... But where should I bring him? I can't possibly bring him to my room... right?

I played some games (mostly RPGs lol) to see if there could a good place for a date but... I don't really want it to turn out like an absolutely planned date? A beautiful woodland, a shore where seagulls are singing peacefully, a town above water and full of falling stars... That would really sound like I'm scheming something... So... maybe my room wouldn't be that weird, actually? As long as I don't lock the door it shouldn't sound weird... If Ortho is telling... No, he's obviously telling the truth. Nobody should try to go in as long as Ortho helps me... How long will he need to help me, though... I'm... already the reason why we were separated... and yet he keeps on helping me. Is it because I made him that way? My guilt will never be enough, I know that... I should at least... go with Silver. I'll be less of a burden for him. He'll be... able to walk on his two legs like he wanted to. So... my room would be the best choice. It won't be a fake fancy place... It won't be an expensive stuff I'll do to show off... It won't a place crowded with people where I will throw up or collapse or go insane or screech or become weird or... SuffSUFFSUFFSUFFSUFF No nononono. Let's not think about this one. I guess it would prove him how courageous and all I am but... I can't do this. My Eloquence skill is far too damaged when I'm among people. So... my room would definitely, absolutely be the best choice... And I should be able to play with the speakers so that he spends a good time... Yeah. We got the best wi-fi as well. I should be able to search for lost stuff if he needs me to... Let's... tell Ortho about this. For the last time, I will tell him something that only shows how selfish I am...

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland fanfiction #twst fanfiction #idia x silver

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lassieposting · 4 years

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I adore your thoughts about deamon culture and upbringing. Something that’s always bugged me is that we don’t really get an insight into the culture and layout of heaven and hell or the non-humanness that makes angles and deamons. Please give more thoughts!!!

OH BOY, DO I

DEMON CULTURE HEADCANONS COMING RIGHT UP

[1] My personal headcanon is that devil was originally a Lilim word that basically meant “warlord” - the leader of a clan with his or her own territory - and there were thousands of them, because demons lived in warring clans. Every clan had a _devil, _and they all considered themselves the ultimate authority and were constantly fighting for power. When Lucifer staged a coup and took over one of the strongest clans in the Ninth Circle, he basically went on a conquering spree, up to the point that there is now only one devil; all the other clan leaders have bent the knee to him. There’s probably either a Lilim way of distinguishing between A Devil (a warlord) and The Devil (Lucifer, King of Hell), or it’s become sort of an archaic term used only to refer to Lucifer and another name has become commonplace for your bog-standard warlord. The word then made its way to Earth both through Lucifer himself and through other demons before he outlawed possession, and developed its modern meaning from there.

More under the cut - this is long as fuck. It’s becoming a habit.

GENETICS:

- Demons live in one of the most inhospitable, treacherous environments of any dimension in the known multiverse. They’ve been shaped by the need to survive in their habitat.

- Demons in general have a much higher heat resistance than humans, as well as far better low-light vision and enhanced speed, strength and endurance.

- Hell has different habitats the same way Earth does, though, and the demons who live in the Ninth Circle (the part of Hell we see in the show, the part where Lucifer’s palace is) would have different adaptations to the demons who’ve evolved to live in the swampy marshland of the Sixth Circle (where Maze was born).

- Demons are an R-coded species, so they have large numbers of babies, less parental care, a short gestation period and a very low survival-to-adulthood rate.

- Because their babies have such a low survival rate, demons have very little parental attachment and they don’t form family units the way humans do (i.e. child raised by biologically related caregivers, close relationship between parents and child).

CHILDHOOD:

- Baby demons are born already equipped with fantastic low-light vision, a full set of needle-sharp teeth, and the ability to get up and move around very shortly after birth. They’re not wholly independent - they don’t learn to talk or develop fine motor/dexterity skills until they’re older - but they are very much born armed and dangerous, which they need to be because…

- They can and do eat their siblings in the nest, like sharks. Cannibalism is fucking rife in Hell. A large chunk of spawn are lost in their first year to fratricide/sororicide. It’s just seen as weeding out the weaklings.

- In most clans, the spawn are raised communally in a creche run by designated nest-minders; these are usually the weakest members of the clan who would not be any use as warriors. Raising the young during their first few years of life is a fairly low-status position in society, but it does ensure that those weak demons will be fed, housed and protected - nobody wants to have to take over their job, so it’s worthwhile to keep them alive.

- Demon spawn are…little demons. A large part of why Lucifer doesn’t like children is because of extended exposure to spawn. They completely lack empathy and social skills, so they’re loud, they bite, and a large chunk of nest-minders’ time is spent separating them when they try to kill each other. They won’t develop logic, critical thinking or their (still limited) sense of empathy until they’re a lot older.

- Contrary to what some might believe, demons do have affectionate nicknames for their young - the sort of thing a warrior might call his trainee, or a nest-minder might call their favourite charge. The English equivalent would probably be kiddo or something, but they’d translate literally as “spawn” or “offspring”. There’s a sort of implication there that you care enough about this kid to see them as family; they can probably rely on you to protect them if they’re in danger.

ADOLESCENCE:

- Demons don’t have a long childhood, and mostly they learn a trade by apprenticing under a professional. A would-be warrior is trained by an experienced warrior; a kid with a talent for art might apprentice under a leathercrafter; if you’re particularly intelligent and politically savvy you might get lucky and learn from your clan’s devil, if you manage to impress them.

- A juvenile who wants to be a warrior (like Maze, for example) goes through a series of incredibly dangerous trials to become a fully-fledged adult warrior of their clan. It’s sort of like living in the Hunger Games, but, you know. Permanently.

* Around the onset of puberty, at around 10 or 11 years old, they’re given a simple weapon and some supplies and sent out into the world by themselves to find something useful to bring back to their clan, to prove that they’re worth the time and effort it will take to train them.

At this point, they have no formal training. They’ve got a decade or so of viciously scrapping with other youngsters in the creche for food, but they’re expected to get by mostly on their wits, their viciousness, and their willingness to kill to survive.

There are hundreds of things that can kill a young demon alone in Hell. Demons from other clans. Heat exhaustion. Feral hellhounds. Dehydration. Volcanic eruption. Manticore. Harpy. Dragon. There’s even a chance another kid from their own clan will panic and kill first, ask questions later.

What they bring back can be any of a number of things. Maybe some priceless gemstones that can be traded for commodities not native to their area of Hell. Maybe information about a territory ripe for overtaking. Maybe spoils taken from dead enemies from a clan yours is at war with. Whatever it is, it needs to be something the leaders of your clan will benefit from, or they might send you back out to find something better. Maze brought back Lucifer.

How impressive your gift is generally determines who you apprentice under; the kids who brought back the most impressive things will usually get sent to the clan’s top warriors.

Only 30% or so of the kids sent out into the world will come back. The ones who didn’t clearly wouldn’t have survived training, so it wouldn’t have been worth the effort to train them in the first place.

They’ll spend the next ten years or so (maybe more, maybe less) in training. Their mentor will teach them to fight with a whole load of different weapons, how to hunt, how to torture a captive, how to plan a battle, etc. The ones with leadership potential, training under the clan’s War Chief, also learn - on the DL, because nobody wants to get murdered - how to deal with your devil when they’re being an asshole, and how to bring them round to your way of thinking when their plan for a war clashes with yours.

In bigger clans, at the end of their training, each warrior’s trainees get put in an arena to fight to the death. Of each class, only the last one standing actually becomes a warrior. Despite the immense amount of lives lost in childhood, demons breed so prolifically that plenty survive to adulthood.

ADULTHOOD:

- Adult demons often wear identification marks, usually on their faces, to show whereabouts they’re from, which clan they belong to, and what rank they are if they have one. Some clans (like Maze’s) use face paint, others prefer tattoos, still others use scarification or branding. You don’t get to wear them until you’ve proved yourself, so it’s a great honour for a warrior to finally get their stripes.

- This helps establish social order - who you can and can’t flirt with, who you should and shouldn’t pick on, etc. If you’re a humble furs trader, you really don’t want to start a fight with a visiting devil over a casual insult to your work; you’ll get smoked. But fortunately for you, her face markings tell you who she is, so you keep your mouth shut.

- Demons are promiscuous as fuck and don’t really go in for monogamy. It happens occasionally, but it’s definitely not the social norm. While every demon spawn knows who their mother is, it’s very common to have multiple potential fathers.

- Demons can and do fall in love. They’re not very open about it, and there’s no way to say “I love you” in Lilim. Any demonstration of love is a demonstration of weakness, and in Hell any weakness will be used against you. Long term relationships between demons tend to look a lot like Lucifer and Maze - ride-or-die friends who hang out naked and have each other’s back against outside danger regardless of the issues they’re having with each other.

OLD AGE:

- A demon who’s too old to battle anymore but was once a mighty warrior can still command a huge amount of respect; many become advisors to the clan devil - especially if he’s young; Lucifer had to lean on very experienced older advisors as a young king consolidating his power - or train the most promising up-and-comers.

- Demons can and do grieve, but it’s usually expressed as a roaring rampage of revenge against whoever killed your ally. If something happened to Maze, for example, Lucifer wouldn’t cry or get sentimental; he’d cause so much carnage they’d be talking about it for millennia. By demon standards that would be the most touching tribute he could give her tbh.

- After someone dies, their clan usually eats them - in a world where the creatures you eat can kill you just as easily as be killed by you, meat is meat and a meal you don’t have to work for is a gift. (This is why Mom asked if humans eat their own when She first came to Earth. Hell was a horrible surprise for both of them for a variety of reasons, and this is definitely one of them.) To humans, this is horrifying; to demons, it’s not even something to bat an eyelid at.

- Devils don’t often get old. They live in a cutthroat world of power games and ambition, and everyone wants their spot. Devils get to the top by being especially cunning or vicious or physically powerful, and once the thing keeping them there starts to run down, they’re often killed and replaced by someone stronger. It’s just as common for your allies to turn on you as your enemies, so you’re watching your back constantly, never truly safe, always reading into every interaction for signs of danger. There’s a reason Lucifer doesn’t trust easy. As an angel he’s stronger than practically all demons, but Hell-forged steel can kill him; all it would take is for him to let his guard down just a little bit too much at the wrong moment.

#1billsookie #lucifer on netflix #lucifer on fox #lucifer in hell #demon culture #DO YALL KNOW HOW MANY FEELINGS I HAVE ABOUT LUCIFER + DEMON CULTURE #SO MANY #THANK U FOR ASKING IM DELIGHTED U ENJOY MY IDEAS #ALKDFHSLDKFHDLKFH #shoutout to everyone who notices the stepdevil reference #lucifer headcanons

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fortheheavenssake · 5 years

Text

PG MM Anon Interpretation Collection- 9

59: Sept. 14

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON 🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜 sorry it’s so late l really am l just am struggling with a flu bug on top of everything else lots of 💜💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜t

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻THANK YOU MM ANON 🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

MM Anon

MM ANON … From rush- her with love … five ways from SUNday… Britain will Trump Canada … Es-Pee-anarge … under-COVER… 2 many Players… that’s a very deep rabid hole…Em eye six…… “ follow the money “ …… The Queens signature was unconstitutional …… The PM is f#@%d. …… any of them…… ⚖️🇬🇧🇨🇦♟😱😱😱……… game ,set and hatch.

From rush- her with love

From Russia With Love, old Bond film, l prefer the old ones. Remember Kazan anyone?? The lookalike of mm has her photo taken by a chap just out taking photos? He remarked she looked exactly like mm with the exception of a mole being on the opposite side of her face. TP1 mentioned Kazan. Was that our girl in there with a billionaire oligarch yachting? I have seen the photo, she does resemble mm greatly. Or just exactly who is mm? Does Russia possess secret knowledge/videos of our girl that they have been holding over her? Have they been releasing information into the media? Sure fact none of this has anything to do with love.

five ways from SUNday

She is “screwed” in very which way possible, literally and metaphorically. The capitalization of SUN leads one to believe The Sun newspaper has a big story going to break. I think many others are in the same boat in our Ortis, the Intelligence Head who arrested.

Britain will Trump Canada

All the spies who loved me.“ Britain with Russian murdering people on their soil and attempting to, the who Trump issue that’s been going on for years, just who was spying on whom? Now Canada has this tremendous international five eyes security nightmare , where the Head of the Intelligence unit at the RCMP office in Ottawa charged by his own force with violating national security by allegedly leaking government secrets. What was a citizen, non-military of law enforcement doing in that position? What has he all stolen and given to heaven knows who. It was a tip from Trump’s government to Canada that led to this arrest. Thank you Mr. Trump!

So if l read this clue correctly, the word trump means to one up, so it is sounding like Britain is having its own internal governmental issues that will surpass what is happening in our country, Canada.🇨🇦

Es-Pee-anarge

Espionage, it’s suddenly here, there and everywhere. If you recall several years ago, there was a request made, of a former agent who now works privately, to do a dossier on Mr.Trump. This has since infamously been called the Steele Dossier, the gentleman’s name is Christopher Steele. Amongst a myriad of information in that file, you can read it online, l,believe it’s still publicly available, just google it. In part of that dossier it alleges that when Mr. Trump was in Moscow for the beauty contest he owned, Putin offered him the best prostitutes in the world, he, confirmed by his own prime security man whose name escapes me just now, both denied he used any such services. However in the dossier, there are references, especially seedy one to the U.S. public was the fact he enjoyed prostitutes, sorry for this, it them peeing on each other etc etc. So that is part of the clue, l felt the need to share that. I truly apologize if anyone was offended.

under-COVER

Undercover means subterfuge, pretending to be part of something to gather information or evidence. This is most used with police or investigation contexts although since we are talking spied, that as well

Here we have under -COVER. Cover all caps, what’s the meaning? Cover of the newspaper or magazine, a cover story? All are possibles.

2 many Players

2, does that mean only two players are most important? Or does this simply mean too many are involved . I highly doubt with MM ANON that the use of 2 doesn’t have a deeper meaning and that Players is capitalized. Players is a cigarette in Canada. This is definitely such a complex international web l cannot keep my head straight, kudos to those doing the leg work and the mental work to put this all together and bring those to justice who need being arrested.

… that’s a very deep rabid hole

This hole keeps getting mentioned, now it’s not rabbit but rabid, can be the obvious an animal or person for that matter, afflicted with hydrophobia in humans or rabies as it’s more commonly known in animals. It can also mean having or proceeding from an extreme or fanatical thoughts, supports, belief in something. Sugars anyone?? The level on international investigations seem to coincide with madam, but l have a strong hunch things were ongoing prior but she brought with her a lot of similar circles that she yachted in. The hole is indeed deep, one wonders how on earth this all will end.

Em eye six

MI6. Hello chums! The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6, is the foreign intelligence service of the government of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence (HUMINT) in support of the UK’s national security. SIS is a member of the country’s intelligence community and its Chief is accountable to the country’s Foreign Secretary. The mere mention of this, is overtly telling us that MI6 is and has been involved and we should rest assured that they are doing the hard, dangerous work needing doing. Thank you for all the work that you do to keep the rest of us safe!

“ follow the money “

As l, and many many others have said, and indeed the mantra of law enforcement, money laundering etc etc follow the money trail. There is always a record kept and, in the U.S. for example if you withdraw or move around over a certain amount without proper explanation, the financial institution fills out a form, l just can’t recall the name, l am sorry, but it triggers a reaction in the system to check into it. In our case, follow the money, who are the backers, where did her money come from. I am quite certain they have that well in hand.

The Queens signature was unconstitutional

As a law-abiding citizen Boris Johnson must sign and send the letter requesting a further extension to the Brexit deadline. However, he is perfectly entitled to send a covering letter that makes it clear that it was written, not by him, but by a member or members of the opposition parties in the House of Commons; that he signed it under duress; that it represents neither his views nor those of the Cabinet; and that the next Conservative government would be committed to leaving the European Union.The Queen’s signature on the signing of the Royal assent on the Benn Act was about making ‘no deal’ not a possibility, pushed through in haste before Parliament was prorogued, later that very evening. When Article 50 was invoked, ‘no deal’ was part of that invocation and passed as law.

On 29 March 2017, the UK invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). On March 16,2017 HMTQ signed Article 50 into law which cleared the way that formally started talks to leave the EU.which began the withdrawal, commonly known as BREXIT, by the way see the film Brexit with Benedict Cumberbatch, it’s great, l believe l have recommended that before! In compliance with the TEU, the UK gave formal notice to the European Council of its intention to withdraw, from the EU to allow withdrawal negotiations to begin.

The PM is f#@%d.

Refer the above, by proroguing parliament, No deal was signed into law. UNCONSTITUTIONAL per the BREXIT REFERENDUM!

any of them

Any or all of them. Who are all suspect, who will be the next. Any of the ‘five eyes’ countries may have arrests to be made.

⚖️🇬🇧🇨🇦♟😱😱😱

The justice systems of the U.K. and Canada are each dealing with security/national/international issues. Why the chess piece? It’s a game of cat and mouse literally. And once the legal dust settle people will be both shock and horrified by what is made public. The information sealed would be too much for people to handle l believe. I would not want to be making those decisions. Security services of the U.K,, Canada, U.S., Australia and New Zealand are collectively known as ‘the five eyes’. They are all interactive, information sharing to keep us all safe as possible on an international level. You must read about these things and educate yourself.

game ,set and hatch.

Game, set, match is the usual phrase. The spy game, trap is set and 🐣 hatch, something is born of the trap. Now we’re not talking babies here, although there was a fascinating case in the U.S. back 20 years a pair of Russian agents lived covertly as a married couple in America. They even went so far as having two children. When they were finally arrested the children were traumatized they had no idea. They tried to seek refuge in Canada, the children, but if my memory serves, they were extradited to Russia. THATS how far these things go folks, please be aware of what’s happening in our world, l beg you.!

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

So sorry you are feeling poorly once again! We so appreciate you doing the riddle, as we know you struggle! Prayers for you dear PG! Wow! This is fascinating stuff….we are learning so much! Thank you🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜🙏🏻💜

Ask Skippy submission

53 notes

Sep 14th, 2019

———————

60: Sept. 16

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

I am sorry it’s sooooo late, l had checked earlier and there was no riddle. PLEASE this is far from my best work, l apologize in advance

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻THANK YOU MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜 I had checked with Skippy late afternoon and there was no riddle, now, so late l came on and saw the riddle. Folks, l am tired and this will be far from my best work, l apologize.

MM Anon

MM ANON, ………”fi fi faux fum”…… happy birthday …… 🎼 “The baby ‘as gouuun daun the plugole ‘again “🎼 …… sticks and stones …… “ honestly Mater it had nothing to do with me”…… amazingly illiterate …… Ahhhh !!!!! , no longer hidden…… 🎼 the wonderful wizard of Oz 🎼…… leave this one to William …… “ that sir is your prerogative “

”fi fi faux fum”

Fe fi faux gum, l smell the blood of an Englishman. Might this be BOJO. Running from country to country seeking help to cover up his blunder at misleading HMTQ? Court rules Tuesday, but it may be a political decision not a legal one, what a quandary. His blood pressure must be sky high. HMTQ, this is the very last thing she needs now!!

happy birthday

HAPPY 35TH BIRTHDAY HARRY! I remember clearly waiting for your arrival. How beautiful your mum looked leaving the Linda Wing in red and white, precious memories. I hope you had a blessed wonderful day!

🎼 “The baby ‘as gouuun daun the plugole ‘again “🎼

The song is a traditional Mother’s Lament. Having too many children, they’re all skeletal thin. She was bathing one and turned round for the soap and the babe slipped away down the drain, gone forever but not lost. Who’s is the mother who has too many and loses one? I wonder if this is a lament for Prince Harry not having his mother here for his birthday. I wonder also if this is meaning something quite literal, l , no offence to anyone, wonder if this is referencing voluntary termination of a pregnancy by madam. Just pure speculation on my part.

Sticks and stones.

Sticks and stones, may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. So deflect away, all the negative press doesn’t matter.

Madam just carries on with everything, water off a ducks back$$$££££€€ keeps rolling in.

“ honestly Mater it had nothing to do with me”

Mater is old English for mother but l am positive l have seen or heard that term used elsewhere, l just am drawing a blank. Who is the Mater of England and the U.K., and Commonwealth? HMTQ. Who is telling her he didn’t do it? Is this referencing BOJO again L trying to earnestly say he didn’t intentionally mislead her??

amazingly illiterate

Word salad again by madam on the birthday Instagram for HRH Prince Harry. Nothing eve changes or improves. Read one of her twitter feeds, yikes , now those are a lesson in not how to use the English language!

Ahhhh !!!!! , no longer hidden

What’s no longer hidden?? Clear face of baby Archie in newly released photo today on the Sussex Instagram, with a collage of photos of Prince Harry. There do appear to be some ‘oddities’ in this yet again black and white photo.

🎼 the wonderful wizard of Oz 🎼

Prince Edward has completed his tour of Malaysia and is headed to Australia. The song is from the film with Judy Garland, one of my faves, about a young girl and friends she meets along the way to see the great and powerful wizard in the land of Oz.Oz is a nickname for Australia.

leave this one to William

William is sound, and l have a very strong hunch working very closely with LG. William is the one who will be King.

“ that sir is your prerogative “

Prerogative means a right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class, or in British Law, arising from the prerogative of the Crown (usually delegated to the government or the judiciary) and based in common law rather than statutory law. So if this referencing the prorogued parliament and the PM’s choices?

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

Thank you dear PG….it looks wonderful! Amazing once again. We so appreciate you doing this for us. Prayers and hugs to you!😊💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Ask Skippy submission

31 notes

Sep 16th, 2019

———————

61: Sept. 16

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

💜💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻THANK YOU MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜💜

MM Anon

MM ANON …… “What!!! , cook him bloody breakfast “… Another Firm message …… the African question … … “ he’s hiding behind your skirts “ …… an oz apology … a noticeable habit …… “ They have all gone quiet”…… VB’” “piss off David, she’s the kiss of death” …… “Do it on the QT”. …… it’s a palace directive …… “ Have you read the comments on SM” …… he’s putting on a brave face.

“What!!! , cook him bloody breakfast “

This morning, on her twitter , one of a few, she posted the bespoke breakfast she cooked for her husband including blood sausage and she said she had a bowl of fruit😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. I won’t give the two accounts l know of , because l don’t want trouble.

Another Firm message

The palace is know as the Firm, those who run the show, poor choice of word l know, but it’s the truth. The disaster that is BOJO running now to various EU countries to get them to vote no, so he doesn’t have to make a request of them for a Brexit extension. The Queen is Firm, the will of the people should be heeded. The issue will be brought to court today, but in the end it may not be a legal issue that they can deal with, it may come down to a political one. Then, this constitutional crisis becomes a disaster. With all HMTQ is dealing, for him to put her in this position at this point in Her reign is unconscionable!!!

the African question

The trip to Africa will she go?? Thus far the itinerary l have read refers specifically to PH. The bigger and more important relationship building question is will Angola join the Commonwealth. They made verbal comments last year that they wanted to. Whilst there PH will have private meetings with various leaders and work towards that goal. It would be a great thing for him to achieve as diplomatic duty has not really been in his wheelhouse. He has been great at relating to people and developing charities such as the Invictus Games, and Sentebale in Botswana with Prince Seeiso which was founded in 2006.

“ he’s hiding behind your skirts “

Is this reference to PA, spending time at Balmoral and was seen Sunday going to Craithie Kirk with HMTQ? Hiding from questions, demands, and interviews from law enforcement all potentially waiting in the wings.

an oz apology

Strong rumours whilst PH and mm were on their tour she was VERY rude to staff and , l believe the High Commissioners wife was told to f*** off. PA, since then made a pit stop there for apologies. I do believe on PE current visit further apologies perhaps even written one from HMTQ were extended to ensure relationships stay strong. Just imagine spewing foul language could potentially destroy years of harmony.

a noticeable habit

We have, most of us here, notice when PH is with her or on her outings he wears grey suit, old shoes. When he has been on his own representing HMTQ he is so well dressed and appears so much more contented.

“ They have all gone quiet”

The Markle’s have all gone quiet again. Papa popped up as a distract awhile ago. But since then, crickets 🦗, nothing, except her nephew becoming a millionaire selling pot he gave his family name to.

VB’” “piss off David, she’s the kiss of death”

VB, has now started a cosmetics line. As a professional collector of high end cosmetics, l can say my reaction and online is very lack lustre. David has had to spend millions and what l have read tens of millions bailing out her fashion line. Let me step back, sorry, VB Victoria Beckham, former Spice Girl posh, is married to footballer David Beckham. I am wondering if he suggested having madam model clothes and cosmetics, as you can see she didn’t like the idea.🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂

“Do it on the QT”.

QT means quiet, unobtrusively, so something is to be done in that manner. It is surveillance of madam? Since returning from ‘fauxmegnancy’ leave she has been out and about more, and we love it! The more pressing issue which l am not certain is the security threat assessment in Afghanistan which is ongoing ahead of their tentative tour there. This is a non Commonwealth country but relationship building is important but security and safety must be paramount. Those are my two thoughts possible.

it’s a palace directive

Buckingham Palace staff have been instructed to alert guests who have audiences with HMTQ NOT to bring up PH or mm. Very firm directive to ‘Talk about anything except one subject.’ Brexit? ‘No. The Sussexes.“ Rumours are Queen is growing tired of Meghan’s snubbing of Royal Family occasions.

The Mail on Sunday understands the Queen was 'hurt and disappointed’ when Meghan made a last-minute dash to New York to watch Serena Williams in the tennis instead of joining the Royals in Balmoral as planned. The annual Highland holiday is the Queen’s favourite time of the year and she was, according to a source, looking forward to 'a few days of merry chaos’ with the great-grandchildren, including Archie.

Have you read the comments on SM”

The vast , Major, huge, majority on social media worldwide are just loathing, mistrust, disbelief, disgust, and on and on about madam, the way she conducts herself. Now this Smart Set, using the name of a Canadian company, Reitmans, she worked with in Toronto. This capsule collection, contains limited sizes, dresses were old stock from 2018 that never sold, the white blouse l believe from a 2015 collection that didn’t sell. The bag ridiculously expensive with a backstory that can be found online, l won’t put it here, but pure vindictiveness.

he’s putting on a brave face.

This is PH. He is doing his duty, and doing it well. He has been at it for quite some time. I have no doubt he has very healthy distractions, supportive loving family and lots of us here supporting him and believing in him!

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

Thank you so much PG! This is sounding great…always the best from you we get my dear PG! God Bless you!🙏🏻💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Ask Skippy submission

27 notes

Sep 16th, 2019

—————————

62. Sept. 18

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON AND PRAYER REQUEST 🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻As l was working on this, l got a call regarding a friends mother, l am desperately asking for prayers. She is 55, teacher planning to retire at Christmas l she had the flu, went tomER last night, the queue was hours so they went home. Today she had a massive heart attack, air ambulance flew out, she was too unstable for a flight journey but was driven to a bigger hospital. She is in I.C.U. Likely brain damage. Please pray for her adult children madly trying to fly in from across North America. She has two step children here. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻THANK YOU MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

MM Anon

skippyv20

MM ANON …”I have a nose for these problems … M Andealerson… seek Professional assistance …… Anonymously helped … EXAMINE THE WEDDING GUESTS!!!……… One family member of dubious provenance …… A disgusted dignity … “Look closer old thing”…Harried into it… “ both well hidden”. … A homing instinct

”I have a nose for these problems

Interesting, the usage of the word has the obvious meaning of the part of the face but it can also mean someone can use their instinct or ‘spidery sense’ to detect something. In this clue, MM ANON 💜💜💜💜💜💜YOU, This is so cleverly telling us what we have been speculating and down right knowing, given her behaviour, her nose appearance etc that substance , sniff sniff, is a massive problem. Probably has been for years we are just getting official confirmation now that this is correct. Thank you for that MM ANON, because we no longer have to assume, we now know it to be fact!

M Andealerson

Well,well, well, looks whose name, sort of, has popped up after being MIN for months now. So the insertion of the letters eal in his name combined with the letter d in his name spells deal which has long been my, and many others, suspicion that this vile disgusting man has flipped and made a deal. Just imagine this stuff he has on his ‘guests’, the wealthy, the Hollywood elite, who was his backer? My heavens , l feel confident now this is why he has been off the radar. He is in custody, protective or otherwise.

The other thing that jumps out is dealer, likely not dealing cards at a casino🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. He very likely has supplied madam and a whole slew of other a variety of candy.

seek Professional assistance

Obviously there has been some detox or intervention in the past year, because she has been out of the public and the clues we have been given here told us where she was receiving medical treatment likely for substances. She needs a team, medical, psychiatrist, legal, etc etc etc.

Anonymously helped

Again, anonymous is mentioned, this was mention a few days ago ? Days or week, l have lost track of time with the flu bug and resulting exhaustion l anyhow, this again l believe refers to our beloved 🐼 her blog, and her almost three year fight to be a truth seeker in this unholy alliance. Folks, just so you know, l NEVER EVER use the word Holy, lightly! Lots of information here has shown up in the papers so interesting. Just imagine who must read here!

Or is someone anonymously filling her bank account to keep her afloat? We know out popped HRC in an instagram, why? Why? Why is she wading into these deep dark waters??????

EXAMINE THE WEDDING GUESTS!!!

Well, we have, everyone, spoke how odd it was that she had no long term friends at her wedding and no family except DR. Where is DR? We are still trying to figure out who she really is, that fake photo of her supposedly holding baby madam , her head is photoshopped on there so crookedly it looks so bizarre. But l digress again. Those at the wedding made no sense she, like, OW , GC AC, et al. A line up of backers right across from the Queen smugly gloating over their victory in HMTQ church. Disgusting l GC has had his own problems for years now, why do you think he lives in Italy and a beard marriage. Look up that term, educate yourself please on what is really going on! The rumour are swirling and becoming more widely known! Imagine the unmitigated gall! The entire guest list on her side is suspect, we have LR , and the other lady whose name l forget sorry easily googleable for you. They were with her at Wimbledon when she was so ‘stoned/high/ill’ l think she’s got some serious issues! They had to be on either side propping her up, telling her to put her hat on and smile. Anyhow, for me, the uppercase use in this clue affirms for us that we have been and are on the right track in our discussions about what is really going on.

One family member of dubious provenance

Well well again, we have all discussed this a million ways. Who is mm? Who is DR? Are they real who they say they are? Why TM hiding oops living in Mexico? Where is DR? As l mentioned above the baby photo is so suspect. As with baby amw, her past ‘family’ photos are fuzzy, bizarre. Who is she really? She was raised by TM after a certain age, l can’t recall. Where was DR? We have no confirmed information on that. Is she really her mother? Are any of these people really in the role they say they are?sister or mother, mother or grandmother, or not related at all. With the exception, especially at TTC madam resembled DR tremendously, so there is definitely some DNA shared. It’s all such a sham of grifters and liars. The only way you know they’re lying is when they talk or write. At this point, actually a long time ago, we all have expressed our doubts.Thank you MM ANON for again confirming our ideas and thoughts about her provenance are correct and we shall continue our digging into the past.

A disgusted dignity

HMTQ, greatest respect and honour , as She does, has quietly gone about doing her duty, getting up every day, carrying on. This Brexit stress on top on madam, l pray for HMTQ. Dignity is the perfect word to describe HMTQ. But bear in mind, we were told in the media and many posting here, HMTQ suffers no fools lightly, and Her royal command is NO MENTION OF THOSE TWO when you speak with her, should you be so fortunate.

.“Look closer old thing”

This confuses me, l cannot imagine even PP calling HMTQ ‘old thing’. Does this mean look closer at something old. Look closer at photos? Seeing the photoshop? Look closer at facts? Putting information together, seeing things in a different light??

Harried into it… “

Let’s review the definition of harried. Harried means feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one or harassed. It does not take much imagination to think of the level of harassment PH has suffered from she who shall not be named and the media. Is this the wedding or having to continue this charade?

“ both well hidden”.

I am hesitant to give words to this out of respect to a certain prince we know and love.

A homing instinct.

A homing instinct is an instinct that enables an animal to return home after travelling great distances. Like our great Canadian geese migrating, man that is something to see, flock after flock, millions of them filling the sky, you can hear them too, it’s one of God’s miracles. People have a homing instinct as well, nesting is common for women who are pregnant and nearing delivery. There is also something called a homing device which is a mechanism incorporated into a guided missile, airplane, etc., that aims it toward its objective.

So this clue, who has the homing instinct, is it PH who is giving all for HMTQ?

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

First….Prayers indeed for your friend’s mother. How very sad!

Great job once again PG! Love what you do….learn so much from you, you are loved and appreciated!😊💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Ask Skippy submission

41 notes

Sep 18th, 2019

————————

63: Sept. 18

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON 🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG thanking you for all your prayers and sympathy for the family. It’s greatly appreciated 🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

Thank you MM ANON💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

MM Anon

MM ANON … Pakistan ‘ Mmmm!!………🎼”coca cola , ginger beer and Canada Dry”🎼…… “put on the hat ‘ hug the orphan and SMILE!!”…… “try not to swear at the Diplomats wives”…… “if you wear those to the reception ………O’f*** “……… diamond deal…… “It started at SH. it’ll end in Malibu “… “ She’s going to what?, a f#@ing politician”…… number 4 Kate??( another little girl). 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Pakistan ‘ Mmmm!!

This is the planned trip for William and Catherine to visit Pakistan.Very few details have been released, the security issue is massive. The British foreign office is still recommending that its citizens avoid travel to that part of the world. I know relationship building is important, but the security risks makes me pray they reconsider this.

🎼”coca cola , ginger beer and Canada Dry”🎼

MM ANON what you do to me! I find nowhere these song lyrics, you have them in quotation marks so they must stay together. For lack of that, l will say this, coca-cola is the all American soda, ginger beer is classic in Jamaica, where TI wedding was, that she crashed and Canada Dry is our national drink other than beer😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Each beverage is reflective of a portion of her life, America, Toronto, and Jamaica. Please tell me what song this is!!! Driving me batty(or battier, at this point🤣🤣🤣).

“put on the hat ‘ hug the orphan and SMILE!!”

This is a similar incident at Wimbledon, surrounded by two ‘friends’ who had to tell her to put on her hat and to smile. How will she manage her hobbies in Africa? How will she manage anything official? Will she have friends accompanying her?? Interesting times. We love seeing her because we get more information, SpongeMeg gets more material 🤣🤣🤣😂😂 and we further our work here of truth-seeking and telling.

“try not to swear at the Diplomats wives”

During their first tour in Australia and that part of the world, there were multitude of reports of her foul language and disrespect of staff. I mentioned the other day she told the High Commissioner’s, l believe it was her, told her to f*** off. Both PA and now PE on his tour now have being making amends for her abhorrent behaviour. So hopefully she will take this piece of advice and apply it on the Africa tour.

“if you wear those to the reception

Usually she looks horrendous, no matter the designer or cost of the clothes. They are likely working on her wardrobe for the tour. This is shock at what she wants to wear. Again this is an exact repeat of the Australian tour, then she wanted to wear a tuxedo, pants to an official reception dinner. That time PH said absolutely not, no way, she did not wear a tuxedo. Goodness only knows what she is conjuring up for this tour!

O’f*** “

There is an apostrophe, so O’hara for example, but this is an apostrophed vulgar word, never ever used in civil conversation, ever! So is this an expletive or something with an apostrophe?

diamond deal

This girl has so many different engagement rings and wedding rings it’s hilarious, all fakes, butterfly earrings fake, bangle bracelet fake. She is marching these things we know she would merch her exhaling if she could. So she has likely made yet another merching deal. Africa is known for many precious gems especially diamonds and the worst are blood diamonds. Oh goodness, if she is involved with those, l can honestly say l would not be surprised but ever so disgusted. Wonder if she’s dealing down there and somehow gets in trouble with the law, might this FINALLY BRING her under legal control. Since it’s Africa, she could never scream the race card!

“It started at SH. it’ll end in Malibu “

Soho is where mm began her journey that has led her to where she is now, along with the connections she made there. Rumours are rampant that they are looking for a mansion in Malibu versus another location for its privacy and younger set that lives there. Does ANYBODY believe this PR? I am waiting……crickets 🦗, yep just as l thought, NOBODY believes this.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂

“ She’s going to what?, a f#@ing politician”

Rumours have been around awhile now oh her going into politics and l have even read, 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣 hold on, l can’t say it without side splitting laughter…..rumours of her running for president. Bloody delusional eh? HRH PP. This is hilarious to me!

number 4 Kate??( another little girl). 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Speculation has been rampant that Catherine is expecting based on her hairstyle change, gossip supposedly from little Lottie. I hope she is and let’s pray with all we have that it’s a girl.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 l am taking this to mean she is indeed expecting!🥳🥳🥳🥳🥰🥰🥰🥰

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

Fantastic PG…..looks like interesting times ahead! Great job. Thank you dear PG😄💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Ask Skippy submission

22 notes

Sep 18th, 2019

———————-/

64: Sept. 19

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻PG INTERPRETATION OF MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻THANK YOU MM ANON🙏🏻🙏🏻💜💜

MM Anon

MM ANON … a no no in the via xx settembre … silent flight …… “Harry’s gone rogue”? …… a lying express-ion… disaster aPRon disaster …… “we’re gonna need a smaller pub” …… W&K, higher and higher …… 🎼” ba ba Iran”🎼……” ones sick and tired of being sick and tired “…… “ Tower Bridge is in negotiations” …… the long con…… Plod-ing along …… tying up loose ends.

a no no in the via xx settembre

Settembre is September in Italian. A bestie Misha NoNoo, is getting married in Italy this weekend. EA printed that the Sussexes had reportedly arrived there. This is telling me that they are NOT attending, because the play on words of Misha’s last name two no’s via XX, l am taking this to mean two people.

silent flight

Flight to Africa will be absolutely silent, l have no doubt there will be absolutely not a civil word spoken!

“Harry’s gone rogue”?

The media has gone rogue more like. They are printing such awful things, his mental health Apple TV focus with the big O. The media and lots of the public are voicing their disgust at their perception of PH giving in to everything she wants. He is at the receiving end of unprecedented bad press.

a lying express-ion

The Express has doubled Dow, tripled down or more on their foul media regarding the Cambridge’s. The article about Catherine spending an unbelievable amount of money on clothes more than madam, which is documented to be untrue. SS 🐍 lying, vile, vipers. It’s going to get worse NOT better. Please let’s remember to pray for them. The business paper is increasing their criticism too, paper/media once thought respectable, money buys anything l guess!

disaster aPRon disaster

A PRathon is right MM ANON! Item after item, but by bit, the public is slowly getting information about what’s really going on, and what has been going on, what led to this charade and sham. Her twitters are BEYOND PATGETIC🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣. Bit by bit, madam, drip, drip, tick tick, time is getting closer. You should read The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe!

“we’re gonna need a smaller pub”

Fake fake fakity fake empty pub photos, no baby cot, but the “sussexes’ and amw went to their local. Now this was ‘reported’ over a week ago if not longer. The owners of the pub deny this. TMZ has fuzzy photos look like taken from my Kodak instamatics with the row of flashbulbs🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂. Remember those anybody? The meta data, again showed lies, dates September 17,2019. Yes madam you’re really getting your moneys worth with SS.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂

W&K, higher and higher

The Cambridges💜💜💜💜💜! Their Instagram passed 10,000,000! This week! TEN MILLION PEOPLE,🥰🥰🥰🥰🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳💜💜💜💜💜AWESOME,,

🎼” ba ba Iran”🎼…

Barbra Ann , Beach Boys! Oh MM ANON you’re so clever, THIS SONG l knew right away😁😁😁😁💜💜💜😁😁😁. So Iran, given what’s been happening, l will not type it all, if you so choose, educate yourself please oh what is happening in that part of the world. Is this going to affect the trip to Pakistan???

” ones sick and tired of being sick and tired “

Indeed, speaking in first person format is always, only the Crown. HMTQ is feeling as described above. Please, let us pray for her, strength, health, discernment. Thank God LG is with her. GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦.

“ Tower Bridge is in negotiations”

BRF have code names, l believe PP is Tower Bridge, so this is telling us that he is involved, he is smart as a whip, has a lifetime of experience dealing with very sort of problem, he has certainly been ever present here in riddle clues. I imagine his wisdom has been indispensable!

the long con

This has been and remains a long term game. The planning of this con started years ago. The backers got together and came up with this plane. Our madam went rogue and changed the plot. Continues to con, grift her way through Europe and Africa. The more she does, the more we see her, more evidence. These types of international investigations take a very very long time and we want it done 100% right , so justice will be served!

Plod-ing along

Plod, horses plod in their gait, both HMTQ and PP love to ride, he loves his buggy, pardon if that’s not the right word! To see them on those massive horses is tremendous, there is a real love of animals and the outdoors and must be especially therapeutic in these times.

tying up loose ends.

Details, always details, is the inferring the end is near?? On the humourous side, will there finally be a hairstylist on the African tour that can tie up those horrible extensions and make madams hair at least presentable.😂😂😂😂😂

GSTQAOBC 🇨🇦

Thank you so much PG….looks amazing! You are the best!😊💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

22 notes · View notes

ali-oh · 6 years

Text

Subtext in Guardian: An Analysis

What is Guardian?

What is subtext?

There are subtext in Guardian which is universal and easily understood, but what I would like to explore are the subtext meaningful to Chinese culture and context.

(Caveat: As I am not (by any means) a scholar on Chinese culture, I may make mistakes from time to time. If so, I welcome concrit. Note, I am not saying that these subtext/tropes are limited to Chinese culture.)

I will not be mentioning certain things, such as Shen Wei taking care of Zhao Yunlan while he is sick etc, because these seem to be pretty universal.

The Setting

Firstly, it is important to understand the setting of this entire scene. It is set in Zhao Yunlan’s home. In Chinese culture, the home is a space largely reserved for people who are considered close family members. Even if friends (or distant relatives) are invited to visit, there are also certain boundaries and formalities to be observed.

Therefore, it is also interesting to note that, at this point in the show, Shen Wei is only an intriguing acquaintance to Yunlan, and a neighbor who recently moved in.

In light of this context, I am going to discuss the following.

1. Staying The Night (without an invite)

The boundaries between friends in the home are as follows: if you brought a buddy to his doorstep, that’s basic courtesy in helping a friend. If you are thoughtful, you might make sure that they are in bed (which is great material for some h/c fic). In line with friendly boundaries, you would leave soon after.

However, Shen Wei stayed the whole night.

(Yunlan is also incredulous and skeptical about this, as he asks if Shen Wei watched over him the whole night.)

As mentioned earlier, friends who enter a home have certain boundaries and formalities to observe. Staying over is not something as simple as crashing on a friend’s sofa. In Chinese culture, you would only stay over at a person’s place if you consider them to be as close as family. And you would only watch over people who you consider to be family.

The act of staying and watching over Yunlan for the whole night, shows us that Shen Wei views himself being as close as a member of Yunlan’s family.

2. Organizing Zhao Yunlan’s Apartment

During his stay, Shen Wei spent his time to organizing Yunlan’s apartment.

Given that the home is a space that is reserved for family, this usually means that guests do not usually touch objects within a home; it is handed to them. Unless you are close friends with someone, you would never go into a home and casually pick up an object, especially if it is the first time you went to the person’s place. It is a form of politeness, something that Shen Wei prides himself in.

You can see this in Shen Wei’s and Yunlan’s interaction, when Shen Wei was looking for the medication. He asked Yunlan where he could find the medication. Only after Yunlan told him that the medicine was in the refrigerator, that he opened and went through it.

However, in organizing Yunlan’s home, touching and moving objects to where Shen Wei considers them to be their rightful place, Shen Wei shows that he does not see himself as merely an acquaintance or even a casual friend.

Shen Wei was also shown folding Yunlan’s clothes. Laundry is not something causally done in general (even among close friends), much less male friends. This action is transgressing the boundary of not only the neighborly acquaintance that Shen Wei and Yunlan share on the surface, but also non-romantic male friendship as well.

Also, the closer an item is to your body, the closer you would have to be with the owner to touch and care for it. This is why Shen Wei folding Yunlan’s clothes is considered to be quite an intimate activity.

(before)

(after)

The fact that Shen Wei organised the entire space, while Yunlan was asleep and unconscious, is an action that transgresses a friendship boundary. Together with the details of the entire scene, the action is very much romantic.

Later in the scene, Shen Wei states that he organised the space as a gesture of thanks for Yunlan saving him from the hooligans in the street. This makes no sense at all, as there is no Chinese cultural context for this action. Typically, if someone saves your life, you would treat them to a meal or help them with some task. In extreme cases, you might become sworn brothers and protect each other for life.

But to organize and clean up a space as thanks for saving a life? It only happens if you pledge your life to each other as a romantic couple, for male-female relationships. And for Shen Wei to exhibit this behavior, this action is meant to come across as romantic subtext.

3. Cooking

Cooking for a romantic partner is a very common trope in Chinese (and Asian) media in general. It is something created with love and effort, a provision of nutrition and energy to take on the day, or comfort at the end of a hard day.

This piece of subtext does not stand on its own, in the Chinese cultural context, unlike the previous 2. We have to take into consideration of the fact it is a trope, and how it plays into this trope. Between of the 2 person environment, atypical behavior between male friends, and the cooking, this turns into romantic subtext.

The provision of food is very much linked to being part of the family, especially if you are in the home environment. To make food for the someone, is to demonstrate the depth, time and effort you would spend on this person. The dish that Shen Wei cooks is porridge, which takes time and effort.

As this is a well-recognized romantic trope, and as this behavior is atypical between 2 male persons in Chinese culture, it conveys a romantic context instead. This is further emphasized because of the 2-person setting as well.

Shen Wei demonstrates the depth of affection for Yunlan by cooking for him.

Furthermore, while Yunlan eats the porridge, Shen Wei says that if Yunlan wants to eat porridge, he find Shen Wei next door at anytime and Shen Wei will cook it for him. This re-emphasizes the cooking in a romantic context, because causal cooking between 2 persons is usually between lovers.

(A thing to note: The author’s intention in the original novel is to have Shen Wei as a top and Yunlan as bottom. However, as Shen Wei does not exhibit typical alpha male behavior, and he engages in things like cooking - traditionally the role of the female character, this has led to drama fans viewing Shen Wei as the bottom instead. I personally have no preference in fandom couples for top/bottom, but I am fascinated to see this general discrepancy between drama fans and novel fans.)

4. 沈巍啊沈巍你说你这么好要我怎么舍得放手

Zhao Yunlan says this, right after he takes the bowl of porridge from Shen Wei.

Shen Wei ah, Shen Wei, you are such a good person (to me), how could I bear to let you go?

The key word/phrase here is the use of the word “bear”. In the original Chinese text, the word used is 舍得. While the literal direct translation is “willing”, 舍得 conveys a feeling of reluctance in having to give something up / to sacrifice something, rather than about the willingness to do so. Thus the use of the word “bear” is more suitable.

To use this phrase 舍得, in reference to a person, is to also convey a sense of thought about this person. This person must be viewed as someone who is precious and important to you, and for them to not be by your side would be considered as a sacrifice.

Thus, this phrase is used only for people whom you are very close to, those you feel would be a sacrifice if you had to give them up. Taking into the context of Chinese drama tropes as well, among similar aged characters, it is most often a romantic sentiment between lovers, especially in the context of letting someone go.

To let someone go (放手), there are many situations. A parent sending a child to war, a cop letting a criminal off, a master allowing a servant to leave the family. But, when you combine the phrase of 舍得 with letting someone go, it becomes a very specific context as a well-recognized romantic trope.

The tone is also important here, as Zhao Yunlan’s tone can either be serious, or, at the very least, flirtatious teasing. This sentence was not played for laughs, and we didn’t get a no homo statement after Yunlan said this. Novel!Yunlan would probably be serious with this sentence (given that he bought a home for Shen Wei, even before Shen Wei agreed to go out with him). For drama!Yunlan, this is probably flirtatious teasing, which romantic in nature.

5. 这件事情等我回来之后再说吧

As Yunlan tries to get Shen Wei to join SID as a consultant, he lays casually in bed.

Then, Shen Wei says the following sentence,

For this matter, let us discuss this after I return

This statement, in the setting of a home, is very classic of a domestic Chinese couple. It is a common statement between couples when they have a difference of opinion or if further discussion is needed, usually at breakfast before the start of a busy day.

If Shen Wei and Yunlan had a disagreement about work, and this statement was said at the SID, it would be taken in a work context. However, as it is said in Yunlan’s apartment, thus, this brings out the romantic subtext of the statement.

Also, Shen Wei simply says, when I return. He does not state the location he returns to, and since he is in Yunlan’s place, his statement also implies that he will be returning to Yunlan’s apartment, which further strengthens the romantic subtext.

Furthermore, Yunlan’s response to this statement is a casual 好啊 (meaning okay), in acceptance of Shen Wei’s request to delay this conversation. This casual agreement denies none of the above romantic implications, and indeed, they do resume this conversation in a home at a later time, in Shen Wei’s apartment.

Hopefully, this analysis has been insightful and useful to the Guardian’s fandom, providing further understanding of Chinese culture and context inherent in the interactions between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan.

I do have plans to do other scenes, so keep a lookout for them if you are interested!

#guardian #镇魂 #cdrama

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lizzybeth1986 · 6 years

Text

Really, Really Slow Thoughts on TRR Book 3, Chapter 3

• This QT took two days. Because my pace has been sluggish. Because my thoughts on this chapter have been sluggish.

• This chapter is the only time in the entire series that I was barely invested. That’s only ever happened to be at the beginning of Book 1, and only because I didn’t think it would amount to anything beyond a Cinderella story. I haven’t been in that space with a single chapter in this book since Book 1,Chapter 8. I’m just…bored.

• Title: Allies among Enemies. Sounds very Kenna and Luther, no? But I doubt Kenna ever had to sit and play marriage counselor to a squabbling couple.

•

Esther asking all the relevant questions.

I mean, sure, Bertrand, I get it: I need to make a tour and that involves visiting other duchies, Justin thinks Madeleine would make a bomb press secretary, and I have to play matchmaker for her parents –

Wait what. Why do I need to resolve a personal fight because Madeleine’s parents? I know it’s all about reaching out and getting allies and making connections but playing armchair therapist just sounds extremely silly.

• I like that they’re carrying over the “house colours” strategy from TCaTF. Kenna occasionally did this during alliances, especially when meeting with the Nevrakis family.

•

So I have a dress “as green as Madeleine’s envy towards me and black as her shrivelled heart” (bomb analogy, Maxwell!). Buuuut I’m taking part in a court event. A formal ball. Why is the dress style more like what I wore in the club for Madeleine’s bachelorette and Liam’s bachelor party???

• Also can you imagine how awkward waltzing would look in this dress? Ballroom dresses are long and flowy for a reason. Part of the beauty of your twirl comes from how your skirt flows when you’re turning, esp in a dance like the Cordonian Waltz where the twirl is the highlight.

• So I’m supposed to ensure Adeleide comes for the wedding. Loooogically the story should make this easier on me because I already did the hard work of winning her over the last book right? Wrong. Because the story doesn’t care. It doesn’t care which Liam I chose, whether I’ve ever worn pepto bismol in my life or not, whether I charmed the pants off Adeleide (not literally). Nope. I still have to start from scratch (wouldn’t be the first time tho. I won over Kiara and Penelope in Book 1 only for them to ditch me next book [even though Penelope knew it wasn’t my fault. You owe me big, sister]).

• Soooo Godfrey, Madeleine’s dad, is an English nobleman. His marriage to Adeleide was a political alliance and he doesn’t actually give a shit about Cordonia unless his daughter is the goddamn country’s queen.

• Hmm. So Madeleine is half Cordonian too. Jesus Christ for a country that doesn’t like foreigners very much, a lot of its major players seem to have at least one non-Cordonian parent: Liam (possibly), Madeleine, Drake, Hana…

• I was a little confused because Book 1 mentioned that Madeleine is “practically royalty” from her father’s side - but it’s possible that’s more a hint towards his English roots. I guess we can rule him out for who the enemy is rn because this dude genuinely doesn’t give a shit.

• So Liam, whose interactions with Godfrey have been few and far between and who admits he has never really met him in a social setting, is the one who provides us inputs on how to deal with the Duke. Turns out this advice is pretty helpful, coming from someone who barely knows the man.

•

Savour this moment, Liam stans. This - and the “we need to avoid this lack of crowd at our wedding” exchange, are the only times we will get to properly interact with him today.

• I know this decor looks like a piñata threw up over the ballroom but I love the purple and the soft lighting xD

• So the first event post Homecoming is super empty, which is quite dishearting. It’s enough to make even our resident bar-hopper Adeleide upset.

•

Is it just me or does “STOICISM RULEZ!!!” Regina sound like she gives zero fucks today? I mean sure it could just be her usual irritation around Adelaide but here even Constantine seems a little taken aback. And besides, it’s not the Krona duchy that needs anything from the Crown, it’s the Crown that needs something from them. Your arrogance doesn’t have any legs to stand on, Regina.

• Also idk but am I the only one getting a different vibe from Regina this book? In the debriefing meeting she wasn’t there at all, and this is someone who has been a part of every meeting we’ve seen in the books. Then she comes here, to an event where if anything SHE needs to be begging her cousin to come for her stepson’s/some random noblewoman’s wedding, and she’s busy making snappy comments about the appetizers (and let’s be honest, everyone else found their spread incredibly good. Even Drake. DRAKE)

• Madeleine’s dad is essentially Madeleine Sr.

• “Magic Friendship Dust” my ass.

• Madeleine’s reaction to this “be my press secretary” thing is “I told you so” followed by a resounding (implied) “fuck you”. What else were you expecting, Esther?

•

It’s great that they say this, but I would have preferred if they showed it. It really isn’t that hard. Show him talking independently to a noble or two (you don’t even have to show their faces) - winning some over and not managing to sway some others. The reason a lot of Liam fans are upset is that not only does the writing make weak excuses to keep him from working WITH the MC, we aren’t even given a proper glimpse of what he IS doing!

I’ll return to this point later, because I have a LOT to say 😠

• …cheeseburgers aren’t appetizers, Drake.

• I’d agree with you about the buffalo wings tho.

• Nomnom that pasta looks good.

• I’d betray me for a plate of truffled penne too, Esther.

•

Back in the essay I wrote on the Balcony Scene, I spoke of how Liam’s mother’s story seemed like a mirror to the MC’s (I mentioned that she might be a foreigner, though, and given that Neville and Drake make the comparison between the MC and her, and that her son is customizable by ethnicity, I still think there are chances that is true). Called it! xD

• Neville is still as big a creep as he ever was and this scene was extremely ugly, especially with regards to Drake. But it was also extremely powerful because the group gets to rally around and protect him, and show Neville that Drake has people who will support him no matter what. It was a scene I felt was needed because it gives you a much better idea of what Drake has had to deal with in court. (also I know he’s taking the tour coz he wants a wife [good luck getting one with THAT level of creepy, asshole!] but I’m suspicious about him following ppl he doesn’t even like around).

• This is also amazing buildup to the dancing scene. The version of the scene I got was automatically platonic, which I loved, and I got more comfortable with this scene than I have ever felt with any non-Liam-LI scene so far (you know how you keep stressing about accidental romance points? That).

• In my playthrough, Esther keeps it professional, gives him encouragement, teaches him how to glide using a mental image. Drake points out he needs to give Liam adequate support and he will need to actually prove himself to other nobles for that. As a romantic scene, it really shines (and indeed it should, given that the Cordonian waltz is primarily romantic) but it works very well on a platonic level too.

• I also really, really loved the comparison Drake made between his situation and hers: that the MC is proof that he can hold on to who he is even if he becomes a part of the nobility/has endured this much from them. Drake’s character arc is built heavily on his fear that being part of the nobility can change people, based on very valid experiences. We’ve seen in this chapter how desperately some nobles cling to their titles, almost using it to make up for their lack of personality (I’m looking at you, Neville and Godfrey). But he has proof all around him too, that you don’t need to lose who you are through a title. In a lot of ways this plays really well into his “letting go” arc as well.

• Okay so I went with Godfrey first. He’s talking to Liam, who again makes a disappearing act (I don’t mind, because the MC specifically stated she wanted to speak to the Duke alone). I’m not surprised Liam wasn’t making much headway. This is the second dude to dump Madeleine after all, and worse still he’s brother to the first dude to dump her. No wonder Liam’s sticking to safe subjects like choice of scotch!

• YIKES @ Godfrey’s constant harping of successes and defeats. Why don’t we talk about what a failure YOU are as a dad, Duke Karlington, since you’re only ever there for Madeleine to tell her what a failure she is!

• I like the exchange they show us between Adeleide and Regina before the MC steps in. Regina’s care and concern for Madeleine has pretty much been there from the beginning and for what it’s worth, it has been genuine.

• Oh man. I want to give Adeleide a hug and some champagne. I mean I don’t exactly envision her winning the “best mother” award anytime soon, but she’s trying. Perhaps a little too pushy and a little too focused on her own coping mechanisms, but still, she cares enough about Madeleine to want to be there for her no matter what. Which is more than I can say for Godfrey, who thinks being a father means paying an annual visit to his goddamn FAMILY and judges people for failing when he’s perhaps the biggest failure in the room.

• Waltz time!

• Though between Esther not having a twirly skirt and Drake having an injured shoulder I’m not sure they even looked that good.

• WTF ESTHER WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU DOES THAT LOOK LIKE A MAN WHO IS IN ANY CONDITION TO MANAGE A LIFT

•

HE’S NOT JOHNY CASTLE AND THIS ISN’T DIRTY DANCING. STOP PUTTING DRAKE IN A CORNER.

• AT LEAST BABY DIDN’T MAKE JOHNY LIFT HER ON AN INJURED ARM. AND AT LEAST THEY AGREED TO DO IT TOGETHER NOT SPRUNG IT ON HIM LIKE A FUCKING JACK-IN-THE-BOX.

• “He winces at the pressure on his arm, but smiles through it”. …damn I’m angry at my own MC now.

• Drinking game time!!

• I’m not going to comment much on the scene because it’s going to be part of my group scenes essay, but I *will* say I’m so happy Hana gets her due in this one. She really shines in terms of character development in this scene and she gets the best line this whole chapter xD xD xD

•

• I think Hana has had this burn simmering in her pressure cooker ever since the bell-pepper episode in Shanghai 😂😂

• “You all know there’s more to me than liking whiskey, right?”

This is unfair and inaccurate, people. Of course there’s more. He likes cheeseburgers and pasta and greasy junk food too, cmon.

• I recall speaking not too long ago about how Madeleine and Hana had very different approaches to similar issues (family pressure, feeling like they are failures, broken engagements with men they didn’t love), and that Madeleine very possibly faced a lot of family pressure (I was wrong about the source being Adeleide, though). To me this forms part of why Hana can see Madeleine the way no one else can, and why it’s essential to have her around when Madeleine opens up.

• This doesn’t really change my opinion of Madeleine, though. It makes sense of some things, but in my mind nothing can really justify the sick pleasure Madeleine gets out of breaking people. She makes excuses for herself by calling it “not tiptoeing on other people’s fragile feelings”, but that would imply she was just being honest and not actively working towards making people feel like shit. In both Hana and Penelope’s cases she was actively working on making them feel like they were beneath her, and enjoying doing that. To me what she did, especially to Hana, was emotional abuse. Speaking ecstatically about “breaking” a human being who has harmed you in no way, is abusive. No more, no less.

• Please don’t tell me a Madeleine and Hana ship will be a thing now. No. Eww. I’d rather not pair Hana with someone who was actively trying to break her. I don’t care how much of a “crush” Madeleine seems to have.

• No matter how misguided Adeleide’s attempts to parent Madeleine are, to me she clearly wins the parenting stakes hands down. She may have made Madeleine feel like she couldn’t mourn what happened to her, but at least she views her daughter as more of a human being than a prize horse.

•

Didn’t lie to get her way? Was saying “I’m allergic to chocolate and you could have killed me” just a figment of my imagination then???

•

• You have to be fucking kidding me. The MC is a duchess now. The Beaumonts are supposed to be helping her. These three should be at the top of their itinerary right now, not throwing things together at the last minute every chapter. Isn’t this Unity Tour supposed to be about knowing your allies and enemies, and preparing accordingly? Being unprepared (somehow, barely) made sense to some extent in the first two books, but things are different now.

• Penelope next week! That woman owes us big time.

General Thoughts on this Chapter:

• Things I feel might come up in Penelope’s estate:

1. Penelope’s anxiety and her parents’ fears about sending her back to court

2. Personal issues within the family maybe? Perhaps Penelope’s desire to take up pet couture designing and her mother’s disapproval of the same might feature.

3. At some point there may be some sort of redemption arc for her where she gets reminded of her involvement in what happened to the MC earlier. Penelope clearly owes the MC a great debt for letting her off the hook so easily.

4. I’ll be damned if I have to play therapist for these people too 😠

• This whole idea of “meddling” is stupid. These people are adults. Grown people, who should be expected to know how to handle their own lives and talk to each other. The royalty/the MC shouldn’t be expected to babysit them. That’s not what we came here for.

• It stings even more when you take into account that the common public is feeling pretty terrified at the moment, and having their own, and here we are busy resolving the family squabbles of rich people.

• It highlights even more strongly what’s wrong with the whole idea of a Unity Tour. I’m hoping this “resolving-aristocrat-issues” thing won’t become a pattern because it’s beginning to look ridiculous.

• @ladynevrakis mentions in her excellent write-up on this week’s chapter that this chapter is a lot better if you’re a non-Liam shipper, and extremely frustrating if you are.

Correct on both counts. As the MC you’re just starting out as a noblewoman, and you will need all the support you can get. If you’re with Drake (especially Drake), Hana or Maxwell, you get plenty opportunities for support from all of them. With Liam, you barely get a few lines here and there before he’s completely MIA. There is no opportunity for Liam or his fiancee to talk properly, or work together as a team. And this house is unquestionably the toughest one, so why does the writing not give Liam any chance to truly be there for her when she needs it???

• I can understand why he wasn’t there for the most part. In the Neville sequence he isn’t there precisely because the writers need to highlight how people treat Drake when Liam isn’t around (and to show what people say about Liam behind his back), and there is no way you could have Liam around in either the group scene or the final scene with the family without making things worse (daughter’s former fiancè, hello?). Plus if the MC is not engaged to him, it would look weird for him to be present at some of these conversations.

STILL, there were a whole range of ways you could write him without him actually being involved in the patch-up, and still do justice to his character:

1. Eat with the group: The group eating scene could have been a perfect time to have Liam come, speak about his progress with convincing ppl, bond with the group over the delicious spread, and leave before Neville enters.

2. Check in periodically: Liam is my MC’s fiancè. They are here together on their first tour as a couple. They’re doing this tour for his people and his country. She is a newcomer and it is essential he has her back. It wouldn’t have hurt to have him come in on occasion and ask her how she is holding up. It wouldn’t have taken more than a scene or two, really, and it could have worked perfectly both on a neutral and romantic level. If you’re going to make Drake such a huge presence in this chapter that you’d go the extra mile and write him two ways, you can very well do the same for Liam. It’s even more essential in his case because he is the King of Cordonia and pretty damn invested in making this tour work.

3. Have the MC notice what Liam was doing independent of her: The writing team is no stranger to writing conversations that don’t involve the MC’s presence at all. We know Liam was spending time speaking to the few nobles in attendance, but we’re never shown how he does this or whether he succeeds. I know he’s as hard at work as the MC is, but I don’t see what he’s doing. Could you really blame readers for thinking he is less involved, then?

4. The Little Things: A gentle touch here, a smile there if he’s your fiancè. Things you would do with your partner when you don’t have much time together but still want to show them they care.

It’s not like the writers don’t know how to involve Liam. They’ve done a really good job of this in the past. The entire social season saw Liam working behind the scenes to ensure the MC was protected and cared for, even when he couldn’t be involved. The engagement tour had him pitching in to help whenever it didn’t seem too suspicious to. In all these instances they kept in mind Liam’s role and limitations, and STILL managed to make him proactive.

The writers had plenty opportunity this chapter to have Liam be there for her in small ways, but hardly bothered to involve him. I appreciate wanting to make his interactions as neutral as possible but that doesn’t mean you don’t put any effort into writing him at all.

To add insult to serious injury, this chapter follows another one where the MC practically takes over Liam’s speech (post the video), leaving Liam with little space to do anything besides agreeing with her. It’s essential - now more than ever - to portray Liam as decisive and proactive, yet the writing has him take 10 steps backwards in terms of character development. The MC is his fiancèe/close friend now. She should be able to see him properly as a politician and a leader at this point. If that doesn’t get resolved soon, we’re in danger of screwing up an interesting character who has a lot of potential.

• I’m still holding out on this book, because it’s still early and I believe they can turn things around and ensure there is a fair balance between the LIs. They are taking what we say into consideration and they have worked hard to make our other LIs’ interactions with us as safe and platonic as possible. I think this is a matter of balance, and I still think they can manage to do a good job of it once they ensure there is a balance.

• But this chapter? I’m not going pretend I’m happy.

#the royal romance #liam x mc #king liam of cordonia #hana lee #maxwell beaumont #drake walker #countess madeleine of fydelia #duchess adeleide of krona #duke godfrey of karlington #trr quick thoughts #quick thoughts #unity tour #fydelia #krona

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devontroxell · 3 years

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How to Run a Startup Remotely: Tips for Hiring, Managing & Scaling

For traditional founders and team leaders, the idea of running a completely remote business is fraught with anxiety. Yes, there’s an opportunity to lower overheads and recruit from anywhere, but is it really worth it at the expense of growing a cohesive brand culture under one (literal, physical) roof?

Many businesses have had to find out quickly if remote working works for them (for obvious 2020 reasons), but lots of successful startups recognized the benefits long before a pandemic forced their hand. Companies like Buffer, Mozilla, and Zapier have blazed a trail when it comes to WFH, while tech giants Twitter and Google are now offering their staff the opportunity to work remotely forever.

So, how do they make it work?

As we’ll discover in this post, there are few key elements to getting it right, namely in the hiring, growing, and managing stages. And woven throughout are the three non-negotiable core principles of remote working:

Trust

Communication

Collaboration

Without further ado, here are our best tips to grow your startup remotely and build a culture from wherever your people are.

1. Hiring remotely: Spot and recruit talent quickly

The best thing about growing your startup remotely is that you’re not limited to your local talent pool. You can cast your net far and wide to find the best people for your situation, no matter where in the world they’re based.

Yet, while the choice of applicants is undoubtedly larger, the goal of hiring for a remote job isn’t all that different from hiring in-person. Ultimately, you’re still being tasked with spotting, vetting, and interviewing talent — you’re just doing it entirely online.

Let’s take a look at how to do this effectively.

How to Identify Talent for Your Startup

The aim of any recruitment drive (short-term or long-term, online or off) is to find and hire people you can trust.

But doing this remotely for a fast-growing startup introduces an element of time pressure. You can’t always stick an ad up on social media and wait for an influx of applicants. Sometimes you need to go out there and find the right candidate yourself, fast.

The good news is, there are a number of digital platforms designed for this. Websites like Upwork, Fiverr and others are solid options for low-skilled, one-off, or short-term needs. You can usually find a verified freelancer for simple graphic design, data-entry, or copywriting tasks on these sites with very little fuss.

Hiring remotely for high-skilled, core team roles, on the other hand, requires a slightly different approach. There’s more risk involved when building your team, rather than simply delegating smaller tasks to hourly freelancers. You need to ensure that anyone you’re adding to your payroll has the right mix of skills, personality, and culture fit to hit the ground running – otherwise, you’re back to square one.

Beyond the conventional freelance or contractor hiring sites, new platforms are starting up and changing the game by handling the burden of due diligence and filtering out anyone who doesn’t fit your needs and profile. They’re bringing in things like strict vetting, using technical assessments, video interviews, and reference checks. This reduces the amount of time and energy you spend on assessing the suitability – or credibility – of a candidate, and means that you can hire smarter, quicker.

Here are a few more resources to help when recruiting and retaining remote employees:

How to attract, hire and retain remote employees via Workable

Hiring remotely is the new reality. Here’s how to do it with speed via Fast Company

3 mistakes not to make when hiring remote employees via The Muse

2. Growing remotely: Implement the right tools and processes

Speaking at a Google Startups panel, Sid Sijbrandij, co-founder and CEO of GitLab said that entropy is lower for remote startups. Why? Because everything is written down.

“There is less shoulder tapping. Days are more predictable,” according to Sid.

So, to grow your startup remotely without disruption, you need to nail those processes. Write everything down. And remember, communication is key here.

Repeat: Communication is key

As we’ve mentioned, along with trust, communication and collaboration are non-negotiables when it comes to effective remote working. You need transparent communication processes to enable effective collaboration. You also need buy-in from your team; every single one of them must grasp the importance of regular contact with their co-workers.

It’s, therefore, a good idea to start each day with a team check-in.

Just as you would have a stand-up meeting or a scrum in the office, jumping onto a video call first thing gives you a chance to address questions and concerns, ensures that everyone knows what they’re doing, and gives your team the chance to see and speak to one another. This also keeps siloes from forming, or individuals becoming lonely or disenfranchised.

Over and above this, you should also run regular, company-wide meetings (monthly or quarterly) to keep everyone in the loop regarding overall progress and provide opportunities for internal feedback.

Choose and use the right remote management tools

To get your remote team up-to-speed and communicating like pros, you need to provide them with the right set of tools.

At a minimum, this should include:

Company email for formal communication.

Slack or Teams to power day-to-day internal messaging.

Zoom or Google Meet for quality, reliable video calls.

Dropbox or Google Drive for cloud file storage and collaboration.

Trello or Notion for task allocation and project management.

Once you’ve selected your preferred remote tool stack, you need to build it into your onboarding process, familiarizing each new hire with the ins and outs of each platform.

3. Managing remotely: You’re learning all the time

Managing a remote team is not without its challenges. And perhaps the most significant of those is the fact that you don’t get as much in-person face-to-face time with your employees.

Sure, you can hop on a video call, but it can still be difficult to pick up on subtle emotional cues and changes in body language that you might spot if you were sitting in the same room. This means you could miss out on identifying the employees who need your help the most.

To guard against this, you need to ensure that your employees are motivated by meaningful work, that they know that you care about them (professionally and personally), and that they have an avenue through which to express concerns, ask questions, and offer feedback.

Motivation is mission-critical

Here’s the truth: Bored People Quit.

It’s up to you to make things non-boring. And the best thing about working in a startup, in general, is that each person has a very specialized, significant role geared towards growth. Everyone can see that what they’re doing is having an impact.

This has to remain true even when you’re growing your startup remotely. Every single employee should have visibility (and be visible) as you pursue your next growth milestone. They cannot be allowed to work in a silo, wondering if what they’re doing really matters.

Publicly celebrate success

A continuation of the last point, to keep your startup team motivated, you can’t let an individual or group win slip under the radar without a bit of fanfare — especially when you’re working remotely.

Something as simple as a public congratulations (with all your favorite Emojis and Gifs) on your general Slack channel will quickly draw attention to good work and those responsible. You could even spring for some perks to make things extra special.

WordStream recognizes and celebrates employees who embody our core values each month at our all-hands meeting

Plus, publicly celebrating success shows that you’re paying attention (employees feel valued) and that you truly care. Same goes for highlighting important milestones in your employees’ personal lives. Give shout outs for birthdays, charity work, family events; prove that you’re interested in more than their work performance.

Do regular performance reviews

Regular performance reviews are a staple of every successful business, but they take on extra significance when you’re growing a remote startup.

Once you’ve set expectations and clarified what success looks like, a remote performance review provides a designated, structured touchpoint for each employee to reflect on their role, their performance, and look ahead to their next period’s goals and objectives. What’s more, performance reviews offer a platform for your employee to share concerns or provide you with honest feedback on how you’re doing.

This formal one-to-one is conducive to a healthy remote working environment, but it shouldn’t be the only opportunity for dialogue. Try to schedule regular, informal meetings to check-in frequently over a (virtual) coffee — this will give you the chance to catch any minor issues early before they mushroom into real problems.

The bottom line: To succeed remotely, lead by example

If you’re going to succeed in growing your startup remotely, you can’t just pay lip service to the core principles of remote working. You need to eat, sleep and breathe communication, collaboration, and trust – putting them into practice at every opportunity.

Of course, there’s a balance to be struck. You need to trust that your employees can work autonomously, but you can’t be so hands-off that they feel abandoned. And you need to ensure that lines of communication remain open, but you shouldn’t micromanage and insert yourself into every conversation or collaboration.

In short, you need to lead by example, showing your employees how it’s done. Remember, trust is earned. “Do as I say, not as I do” simply won’t cut it in the world of remote working.

About the author

Jaron Soh is co-founder and COO of Traktion, a freelancing platform dedicated to the world’s best marketing talent.

How to Run a Startup Remotely: Tips for Hiring, Managing & Scaling published first on https://wabusinessapi.tumblr.com/

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years

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Beyond the Nut Loaf

Coming up with new ways to make vegetables the main course wasn’t always easy for Deborah Madison. | Charles Amundson/Shutterstock

In an excerpt from “An Onion in My Pocket,” chef Deborah Madison creates a four-course vegetarian menu at a time when vegetarian fine dining was still a foreign concept to many

Deborah Madison is the author of nearly a dozen books on vegetarian cooking. Although not a vegetarian herself, since the publication of her first book in 1987, The Greens Cookbook, Madison has had significant influence on the way Americans eat and cook with vegetables.

In her new memoir, An Onion in My Pocket, Madison traces her path to the forefront of the vegetarian movement of the ’80s and ’90s. That path includes growing up San Francisco’s counterculture and decades spent as an ordained Buddhist priest, but perhaps the first clear indication that vegetables would play a major role in Madison’s career trajectory came when Madison took on the job as chef at Greens Restaurant. The vegetarian restaurant opened in 1979 as a part of the San Francisco Zen Center. There, Madison was tasked with creating a vegetarian fine-dining menu that would appeal to even non-vegetarians at a time when the nut loaf was considered by some to be the pinnacle of vegetarian cuisine. In this excerpt from An Onion in My Pocket, Madison explains how she made it work. — Monica Burton

Buy An Onion in My Pocket at Amazon or Bookshop.

Dinner was the meal that transformed Greens from a noisy, busy lunch place to a more tranquil restaurant. Tablecloths were laid out. Chunks of Swedish crystal held candles, and the dining room atmosphere turned quietly festive, a place where diners could take time with their meals while enjoying the unfolding evening sky and the eventual end of the day.

This is where I immediately took up the Chez Panisse style of offering a set menu rather than an à la carte approach. Now Greens offers a limited choice dinner menu, which I imagine makes it much easier to accommodate today’s more choosy eaters. But then we really didn’t have requests to cater to the special preferences of vegans and others. I’m not sure that there were vegans then. But that’s not what influenced my decision to go for a set menu. I simply felt it would work well for us because it would help introduce the concept of a somewhat formal four-course vegetarian dinner, which was still a foreign notion to a great many people.

How do you put together a menu for a meal that is meant to go on for a while, without the anchor of meat? This was the question I faced every weekend and how to answer it was a challenge for me, for us. I imagined it might be even more baffling for our customers, to have things all twisted about, to have what were usually appetizers suddenly become main courses. Some form of crepe? A vegetable ragout with polenta? Today this is hardly as problematic as it was then. Good vegetarian food — and Greens itself — has been around long enough that the meatless menu is not as mysterious as it once was. But in 1980 such possibilities were new, and people were unaccustomed to the idea of eating this way, without meat at the center of the plate.

There was another reason for the set menu. By being able to concentrate on a single menu and a particular progression of dishes, rather than having to produce a whole range of foods, I was hoping that we might be able to undertake somewhat more challenging fare, which we did. And having an ever-changing dinner menu was a way to accommodate all the new ideas that I had been putting in my notebooks, but it made for some dicey afternoons and evenings.

Most of the dishes we made none of us had ever cooked before, or even tasted before. We put our heads together and tried to figure them out before we started cooking. Of course getting that food from an idea to the table was a group effort. I could never have done any of it without the amazing staff I had. Jane Hirshfield, the poet, was then working with me. She was the most faithful and trusting right (and left) hand one could have. I’d ask Jane to make something I had only a vague idea about, and she would pleasantly say, “Okay,” and charge ahead without showing any worry or fear. I think she actually believed that things would work, and her assumption gave me the belief, or at least the hope, that they would, too. I wonder if she would have been so accepting had she known how thin the ice beneath us actually was.

Usually our untried dishes worked. But I held my breath a lot, hoped a lot, and I was continually anxious and always vaguely amazed when people let us know how much they liked the food. The best moment was when a guest would come into the kitchen and tell us, “The food was so good that we completely forgot there wasn’t any meat.” That was the highest compliment.

I’d never forgotten the good bread and butter that started the first meal I ate at Chez Panisse in 1977. Why not begin a meal with the best promise possible, good bread? (Remember, people ate bread then.) Those giant fougasse that Alice and I had bought in France impressed me with their bold shapes, and I thought we could make smaller ones suitable for two-tops or four-tops and just put them, still warm from the oven as they invariably were, right on the tables for people to break apart. A few slashes of the knife followed by a series of tugs, and an oval slab of rustic dough flavored with olive oil assumed the shape of a ladder or a tree. Sea salt and rosemary or sage were rolled into the surfaces and when the breads came out of the oven, they were brushed with olive oil. Their crusty perforations invited customers to pull off a rung or break off a branch. The crumbs scattering over the tablecloths said, “Relax and enjoy yourself; you don’t have to worry about keeping that tablecloth pristine.”

I tried to imagine some tired man dully anticipating a plate with a big hole in the middle where the meat would have been.

While we always had the bread, another thing I liked to do was present a table with roasted, salted almonds twisted into a package of parchment paper. This was an idea I gleaned from a few sentences in Elizabeth David’s book Spices, Salts and Aromatics in the English Kitchen, about a Somalian cook she had in Egypt, who twisted roasted almonds in paper to stave off nibblers. We could have put the almonds in a dish, but there was something about the rustle of that paper parcel being opened that warmed up the big dining room, especially early in the evening, before it filled. And of course, everybody likes a present, even roasted almonds.

First courses and soups weren’t a problem; we were pretty competent there. Salads made with the beautiful lettuce and herbs from Green Gulch were something we could count on to please. And from my time with Lindsey Shere at Chez Panisse, I was confident about making desserts to fill out the offerings from the Tassajara Bread Bakery. It was what to put in the center of the plate that I had to wrap my head around.

As I mentioned, our customers were not necessarily vegetarians. People came to Greens for the view, its growing reputation, maybe curiosity about what vegetarian food was like, but not because they were true believers. A lot of women came to lunch, then when we opened for dinner, they dragged along their husbands, who were probably looking forward to a steak, not to a meatless meal, on Friday or Saturday night. We had a good wine list, but I imagined the husbands would prefer to pair a Chalone pinot noir with a piece of beef over whatever we could offer. I tried to imagine some tired man dully anticipating a plate with a big hole in the middle where the meat would have been, should have been. He was the customer I worried about, and I thought constantly about what might fill that hole in the center of the plate. This was my big concern, what I lay awake thinking about.

I knew that it had to be something that caught the eye and proclaimed without wavering, “Here I am! I’m what’s for dinner! No need to look elsewhere!”

Of course, the “it” dish also had to be sufficiently familiar that the diner felt at ease. But it also had to have physical stature. It couldn’t be some shapeless thing like a plate of pasta or a stir fry or a vegetable ragout. It had to have substance and form, be something you could point to, look at, focus on. As one gets used to not eating meat, this problem pretty much tapers off and finally goes away, invariably returning on special occasions when, once again, the answer to “What’s for dinner?” has to be more than the name of a vegetable.

The most difficult kind of dish to present, and this was generally true whether there was meat present or not, was a stew, or ragout, which was too bad because these were dishes that I felt I had something of a gift for. Sadly, lunch favorites, like the Zuni Stew or Corn, Bean, and Pumpkin Stew, never made the dinner cut, and a dal, as appealingly as it can be made and garnished, didn’t either. Not then, anyway. A mushroom ragout, I found, did work, though, if it were paired with something that had a clear shape, like triangles of grilled polenta, a square of puff pastry, or a timbale of risotto. But the stew also had to have a very good and well-crafted sauce, and wild mushrooms helped enough that they became almost mandatory.

Years later, after having left Greens, I was visiting Calgary’s Blackfoot Farmers’ Market, researching my book Local Flavors. That chilly fall evening I ate at the River Café, a rustic building that sits on an island in the middle of a river. There the chef presented me with a vegetarian stew, which worked perfectly in her fine-dining restaurant although I think she made only the one serving since it wasn’t on the menu. The stew was based on winter root vegetables, but this handsome dish also contained black lentils and a potato puree and it was all circled with a rich, deeply flavored red wine sauce. The flavors were harmonious and complex. There were different textures to go to so that the dish was interesting to eat. It was also gorgeous to look at and extremely satisfying in every way. It was a perfect vegetarian entree. In fact, I was so impressed that I came up with my own version of it in Local Flavors. That was the kind of stew that worked at Greens, but you can see how many elements have to be there for it to really grab the diner.

Mostly I looked for dishes that could be folded, stacked, layered, or otherwise given shape. Tart-based and crepe-based dishes were shoo-ins when it came to form and they still are. Crust always helps provide definition and many things can fill a tart shell besides the classic quiche filling that had introduced the idea of a savory pie in the first place. Some possibilities were chard and saffron; roasted eggplant and tomato; artichokes, mushrooms, leeks with lemon, and goat cheese (new then); winter squash with Roquefort; goat cheese thinned with cream and seasoned with fresh thyme. A tart made into a single serving with the help of special small tart pans really stood out. It was far more special than a wedge, even if everything else about it was the same.

Crepes had the dual advantage of being familiar and being endlessly versatile. Personally, I don’t think crepes ever really lose their appeal; I still make them and people always like them. Plus there are a great many things you can do with crepes. At Greens we made them using different flours — wheat, corn, buckwheat, masa harina — and filled them with an assortment of good things, then folded, rolled, or stacked them. Today I season a crepe batter with saffron and herbs and serve it in place of bread. I also use quinoa, spelt, and other flours that have since entered the culture in the batter. The Many-Layered Crepe Cake, inspired by a Marcella Hazan recipe, not only was one of the most delicious entrees we served, but, when cut, its eight exposed layers told the diner that a lot of care had gone into her entree, and surely that counted for something.

I didn’t see any need to offer meat substitutes when vegetables could be so stellar on their own.

Timbales — those vegetable and herb-saturated custards paired with sauces — also made good entrees with their solid yet tender textures and attractive shapes. The basic idea came from Julia Child’s Art of French Cooking, but we expanded on it, changing the size and shapes of our timbales so that they could transcend their original role as a small garnish to a meat dish and assume their position as a main course. Roulades, or rolled soufflés, were light and pretty to serve with their spiraled interiors showing the layers of filling. Being egg based they went especially well with spinach, chard, sorrel, and mushrooms, or sauces based on these vegetables, such as the sorrel-mushroom sauce in The Greens Cookbook. Filo pastries assumed the form of spanakopita but not the flavor as the fillings changed to include vegetables other than spinach (such as artichokes), plus nuts (like hazelnuts), and cheeses other than feta.

We were careful about serving pasta as a main dish. A main dish had to have some volume so that it lasted for a while, but a large portion of pasta could become tiresome to eat — and it could chill down before it was finished if people were eating slowly, as they generally were when enjoying dinner and conversation in a restaurant. Yet there were many intriguing pasta recipes to explore, especially filled or layered ones. If we did serve pasta as a main course, we made our own dough, formed it into crescent-shaped agnolotti, and filled them with things such as herb-flecked ricotta, butternut squash with toasted pecans and sage — not common then — or a mixture of roasted eggplant and pine nuts. We might feature wild mushrooms in a lasagna. Simpler pasta dishes appeared as smaller first courses, where they could be eaten more quickly, without being too filling.

Cheese and Nut Loaf was the kind of seventies vegetarian dish that I dreaded meeting up with. I didn’t see any need to offer meat substitutes when vegetables could be so stellar on their own, but when a senior student brought in a recipe that her sister had sent her with the promise that this was a truly fantastic dish, I felt obligated to try it. We did and unfortunately people loved it. There was no big mystery as to why they liked it so much, despite the funky name. Nut Loaf was insanely rich with roasted cashew nuts, pecans, a miscellany of grated cheeses, cottage cheese, eggs, mushrooms, and finally, a little bit of brown rice to give all this fat something to cling to. It was dense, chewy, and good in an obvious sort of way, the way sausage, bacon, and meatloaf are good. Once we put it on the menu as a lunch special it was hard to get rid of. We served it just like meatloaf with tangy tomato sauce; turned it into a meatloaf sandwich, grilling it first over mesquite; and we used it to stuff peppers and cabbage. It made a few appearances on the dinner menu but I always found it embarrassing to serve. Still, people loved it.

In general, the dishes that had the best possibilities of succeeding were those usually served as first or second courses, or as (amplified) garnishes to the main dish in more classic cuisines. If I just shifted everything a notch and eliminated the meaty center, I could usually solve my main dish problem. Even a vegetable gratin worked if I made it in an individual dish and slid it onto a bed of wilted greens or perhaps a salad that benefited from being wilted by the heat.

At that time I had a tendency to cook richly, using plenty of butter, eggs, and cream when it made sense. I was unsure about bringing vegetarian food into a mainstream venue, and I knew that we could always make something good when we relied on cream or buttery crusts, and that customers would like them. Fat was easy to fall back on in this way. Also this was 1979 and the early 1980s, an era of cream, butter, and cheese — not just at Greens, but in restaurants everywhere. Our dinners were rich, celebratory splurges, not substitutes for home cooking. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they were proposed to at Greens, or got married there.

Think of this: When we first opened we had only one vegan customer, whom we nicknamed “Non-Dairy Jerry.” Jerry made a big deal about not having cheese in his meal and as he was the only one, we could easily accommodate his wishes. We could even give him a name. Today I suspect there are plenty of vegan, gluten-free, raw, grain-free, and other special eaters. But it is also true that now people find lighter dishes as appealing as the rich dishes that we offered then, even far more so than when we first got started and vegetarian food was pretty much a novelty and eating out was special, not just a way to find sustenance.

Excerpted from AN ONION IN MY POCKET: My Life with Vegetables by Deborah Madison. Copyright © 2020 by Deborah Madison. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3naCRtB https://ift.tt/2Io6N6F

Coming up with new ways to make vegetables the main course wasn’t always easy for Deborah Madison. | Charles Amundson/Shutterstock

In an excerpt from “An Onion in My Pocket,” chef Deborah Madison creates a four-course vegetarian menu at a time when vegetarian fine dining was still a foreign concept to many

Buy An Onion in My Pocket at Amazon or Bookshop.

I tried to imagine some tired man dully anticipating a plate with a big hole in the middle where the meat would have been.

I knew that it had to be something that caught the eye and proclaimed without wavering, “Here I am! I’m what’s for dinner! No need to look elsewhere!”

I didn’t see any need to offer meat substitutes when vegetables could be so stellar on their own.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3naCRtB via Blogger https://ift.tt/3piUEk8

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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kosmokhaos · 7 years

Note

1-20 for three sims of your choice. 83

EDIT: Ok I just noticed the questionnaire isn’t actually 20 questions long. Its only 17 lol. It literally skips 3 numbers at 13 and jumps to 17 at the next question and number 20 is asking a question yourself lmao

I’m adding Trinity to this list of 3 ^_^

Sims Asks

Trinity Jo

1. Trinity is 18 going on 19

2. No middle name but she does have one of those Southern “double first names” so the “Jo” after Trinity stands for Josefine.

3. Black or dark colored tops (usually with some kind of hood or scarf) and bottoms/jeans with some kinda sneakers or boots. She usually goes for form fitting clothing but not because she thinks its sexy its becasue she hates “flowy loose shit” that gets in the way when she’s fighting/running/whipping out a weapon.

4. Trinity has several full blooded demon siblings who either dislike her for being half human, want her dead for being half human or just like to fuck something up of her’s for kicks because that’s just what demonic siblings do :D

5. ….I really need to think of birthdays for my sims lmao But I was leaning toward Sagittarius for her..maybe??

6. Trinity didn’t stay in school for very long and she started late she made it to about middle school before dropping out. Her favorite subject was gym/recess and surprisingly she liked history lessons but she hated everything else lol.

7. Her favorite is the movie Blade starring Wesley Snipes xD But she likes anything with supernatural beings/creature features with action and adventure. Bonus points for gore and blood.

8. Trinity’s latest google search: “Can you break your dick?”

9. Trinity is inspired by people who let their actions speak louder than their words. If Alucard from the Hellsing Abridged Series was real, He would be Trinity’s role model.

10. Favorite book? Trinity!??? HAHAHAHAHAHA ! Any book heavy enough to break someone’s face when she throws it at them is her favorite kind of book lmao

11. Motorcycles, fast cars…and weapons. Guns especially. Anything that makes a big bang is her hobby. Explosions??? Yup. Sharp blades? Yup. Canons? Oh yes. Bitches love canons.

12. I don’t watch or read Harry Potter so idk.

13. I’m not sure how one does the enneagram thing but if anyone can explain it I can maybe choose something.

17. Trinity usually likes all foods as long as its savory and filling. As a half-demon she has a very high metabolism so she eats a lot very frequently. Since she and the Reaper currently reside near the New Mexican/Arizona desert(s) border. They frequent the diners and pizza joints there a lot. Trinity likes the burgers and pizza…as long as it doesn’t have pineapple on it. Pineapple pizza is a sin even for a half-demon.

18. Coffee? Ehhh she’ll drink it occasionally. Tea? Well she’s originally from Louisiana so she likes her southern sweet teas. Cocoa? Yup. Its sweet and warm when its cold out.

19. Trinity’s handwriting is…pretty bad. She doesn’t spell, write or read very well because she was taught to read and write very late into her childhood so that means her punctuation and grammar are usually atrocious. She doesn’t even care so long as her point gets across but Reaper has been gradually getting her to use better grammar and punctuation when writing over time. She writes how she speaks so that means…curse words and slang with a Southern Louisiana drawl in person.

20. Since there’s no original ask here’s a Random Fact: Trinity’s hair length changes so frequently because it grows very fast. If she were to buzz it all off, it’d get back to its current neck/ear length in like a month or two.

D Santana

1. D is pretty old. He doesn’t remember his exact age but he is at least half a millennia. So about 500 years or more.

2. Nope lol He’s very secretive about what his actual name is. He’s had it legally changed it to “D” but if someone asks what it stands for he gives them the name Diego.

3. Almost exclusively Black or similarly dark colors. He’s known for looking like a “modern cowboy” sort of look. That means the black boots and the big black hat with a vest and t-shirt. But he also can go more casual street style with just jogging pants and a T-Shirt with house shoes (at home). He wears the most clothing during the day, of course and usually at night (or at home) you can catch him working topless/sleeveless at his shop.

4. He did have siblings as human. As for vampire siblings, he considers the crew that works at his shop as his nestmates of sorts and therefore they call one another “brother” and “sister”. He also has a lovingly hateful friendship with TrinityJo and The Reaper.

5. ….again with the birthdays that I haven’t given XD Then again I have excuse since D is an older vampire.

6. N/A

7. His favorite movies are “F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu” (because he finds it amusing) and “¡Vamonos con Pancho Villa!”

8. D’s Last Google Search: “EL1016‑SS: Classic Tube Brake Lines“

9. D is rarely inspired by anyone or anything but he does find people with lots of tenacity and will to never give up can coax him to do things he normally wouldn’t. Which is why he usually tolerates Trinity’s obnoxiousness.

10. He doesn’t read much but he does like TV lol Usually old cowboy shows. He watches “Bat Masterson” and yes he’ll watch the old “Zoro” series sometimes too.

11. D’s hobbies include: tattooing/body art, leatherwork, vintage cars (something he and Trinity “bond” over), supernatural inkwork and bonding.

12. I don’t watch/read Harry Potter lol

13. I’m not sure how one does the enneagram thing but if anyone can explain it I can maybe choose something.

17. D’s “food” is blood but he does consume alcohol because he likes the taste and drinking a lot enough might give him a slight buzz for a while. His favorite blood type is B Negative.

18. Coffee? Tea? Cocoa?? Do you mean TEAquila

19. D has terribly sloppy handwriting. But its slop in those “What the hell does this actually say?” kinda ways and not one of those “Are these actual letters of the alphabet?” kinda ways lol

20. Since there’s no original ask here’s a Random Fact: Sometimes he forgets to English and will start speaking his Native tongue (Nahuatl) or Spanish.

The First Son (Osiris)

1. Osiris is very old. Created before humans. But his “human age” is 29.

2. No middle name lol

3. Osiris has a very formal, clean style. He’s a businessman so you usually catch him in a very clean and precise cut suit and tie his casual wear is “business casual” meaning he’ll do button ups and comfortable slacks and if he doesn’t have a suit jacket of some sort he usually has a vest on. He keeps his hair in a close-cut ceasar style or a fade. He might wear glasses or something but he’s presumed by humans to be blind.

4. “The Second Son” is currently his only known sibling.

5. (Finally a sim with a presumed birthday XD) Osiris is a Capricorn, “born” on January 7th 1988 for human records. From what I see about Capricorns, it seems to fit him. Ambitious, intelligent and calculating, Osiris is very well organized and disciplined. He is reserved and patient and extremely hard-working but can be very cold, brutal and unforgiving when angered. He’s also something of a perfectionist and expects the best of anyone who he works with (and those who work for him). He does not like being disappointed when expectations are set high and has the confidence and cleverness of an attractive, successful, businessman.

6. Osiris has studied at various universities and schools over the years. His favorite subjects are math and science. Like the hardcore stuff. Advanced Calculus, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and of course Alchemy and Magics of all kinds.

7. …..Hmmm not sure how into movies he would be. He’s more of a book reader.

8. Google? He IS google xD. A living dictionary of world history lol But I’d say maybe all he’s googled recently is something like “What is spongebob?” because of all these new dumbass Spongebob memes xD

9. Osiris is inspired by his need to further and surpass the boundaries of human science and physical limitations. He’s always looking for a way to make things better. He feels like since he has to share this planet with lower beings he might as well try to make it tolerable.

10. The Bible is a favorite book of his. Not because believes in it but because he finds it an amusing read. Like “Lol I was there when they crucified Jesus and that’s not how the story went.”

11. His hobbies consist of studying to further the progress of Nilotic Energy (his company), reading in general, collecting historical relics for preservation, creating and cataloging new magic and spells. He also likes cooking. Even though he doesn’t have to eat, he enjoys the art and skill that goes along with cooking and does it often.

13. I’m not sure how one does the enneagram thing but if anyone can explain it I can maybe choose something.

17. Well he doesn’t have to eat to sustain himself but usually he goes for the more homecooked or highclass meal kinda foods. He likes foods that people put actual work and skill into. He can literally taste the difference if you’ve put effort into your food or if you just warmed up some precooked stuff in a microwave. So in other words you probably won’t catch him eating at a greasy fast food place.

18. Does he prefer coffee, tea or cocoa? Surprisingly he likes them all. But teas are his favorite. He likes his coffees and teas in a very specific way.

19. Osiris’s handwriting is very neat and precise. The only time it looks off is when he’s just jotting down quicknotes for something but even then its always legible. He also almost exclusively writes in cursive.

20. Since there’s no original ask here’s a Random Fact: Smoking cigars is a bad habit he adopted during the 1800s. He’s adapted ingredients to suit his own, more non-human, preferences but he still likes certain human brands as well.

#itsoceansecret #Trinity Jo #Trinity #taultvec #Ask Kosmo #D Santana #The First Son #Sims Asks #Ignore the typos I probably have in here

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slrlounge1 · 5 years

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Wedding Photography DSLR Prime Lenses – The Complete Guide | 2019 Update

Overview of Wedding Photography Equipment

With so many different styles of photography out there, wedding photography equipment can vastly differ from one photographer to another. For example, a natural light photographer may require a very different set of lenses and accessories than a photographer with more fashion and studio lighting influences. And then there’s the whole issue of DSLR versus mirrorless (native) lenses!

Regardless, we still can narrow down our list of recommendations to what we think the majority of wedding photographers should own. For this particular article, we will focus on prime lenses only, and other articles will get into zoom lenses, camera bodies, lighting, and accessories that a wedding (or “lifestyle portrait” type) photographer might need.

To view our complete guide to camera bodies for wedding photography, click HERE. To view our complete guide to zoom lenses for wedding photography, click HERE.

Define Your Style: Primes VS Zooms In WEdding PHotography

The very first thing we need to discuss is primes VS zooms. When it comes to wedding, event, and portrait photography this always seems to be the biggest issue that divides all the advice-givers out there. There are highly zealous people who passionately argue in favor of each!

In our opinion, it is simply a matter of preference, not a “better / worse” type thing. Some photographers find that they simply hate zooms and love primes, while others cannot live without a set of good f/2.8 zooms. Both systems are capable of delivering amazing results; it simply depends on your style as a photographer. (How much you like to move around, or be challenged to think creatively, or if you have a bad back or something lol?)

Therefore, we will make our recommendations from both perspectives, in separate guides, and this article will focus mainly on zoom lenses.

Before we get to individual lens recommendations though, we need to talk about your overall kit. Recommending individual lenses just doesn’t complete the whole story for a wedding photographer because there are just so many different angles to cover!

A Complete Kit – Zooms

The absolute safest bet for wedding photography is a set of 2-3 fast zooms and 1-2 fast primes. For example a 70-200 plus a 24-70 and/or a 16-35 zoom, and a 35mm, 50mm or 85mm prime thrown in for creative shooting and low-light. That right there is many wedding photographers’ go-to setup.

Some photographers prefer the 24-70 mid-range because it is versatile enough to shoot almost everything from details and venue shots to candids and formal portraits. Other wedding photographers feel that 24mm just isn’t wide enough for their style and they opt for a dedicated wide-angle zoom instead. (Sometimes these folks wind up never using their 24-70 again!)

Either way, the bottom line is that it takes about 3-4 total lenses to create a well-rounded “product” for a wedding. (Not even counting specialty lenses such as macro or fisheye lenses.)

If you rely heavily on your zooms, then it is usually better if they are f/2.8, sharp as heck wide open, and stabilized if possible. Oppositely, if you rely more on your primes and only rarely use your zooms, you might be able to get away with f/4 zooms, or older / third-party f/2.8 zooms. But we’ll get into budgeting in a bit.

A Complete Kit – Primes

Usually, the wedding photographers who love primes fall into two categories- Those who love 50mm only, and barely use any other lenses, …and those who prefer a combo of two or more primes, usually a 35mm and 85mm setup. You often find these photographers shooting with two camera bodies at once, with those two primes permanently attached to each camera.

In my professional experience, I prefer a combination of primes and zooms. I love 85mm primes and 28-35mm primes, but wider and longer angles are best covered with a zoom. (The “zoom with your feet” thing really works best between 28mm and 85mm!) To be frank, I just find that 50mm gets boring after a while so I love having an 85mm prime on one of my cameras, paired with something wider on a 2nd camera.

Of course, when I talk about “permanently” attaching certain lenses to your cameras, I just mean the one or two lenses that a wedding photographer would use most frequently. You still need to supplement your arsenal with a few other lenses, in my opinions. Shooting with a single lens just won’t produce a full and complete product. For example, a prime shooter might rely mainly on a single 50mm prime or a 35+85 combo, but also have a 14-24 and 70-200 in their bag as I mentioned above.

This article will focus mainly on prime lenses and specialty lenses for wedding photography. Our article on zoom lenses can be found HERE.

The Lenses That “Define Your Style”

Whatever your style, you should be able to identify that one special lens that you just adore, the lens that helps you define your style. This is the lens you should spend the most money on, and maybe even consider having a backup of!

For example, if you love 85mm as much as I do, you might want to consider one of the best 85mm’s that money can buy. Unfortunately, most of those “exotic” 85mm’s are massively heavy, and expensive! So, why not also buy the f/1.8 versions as a backup, or for shooting more active situations where you need very snappy autofocus?

The Nikon, Canon, and Sony 85mm f/1.8’s are all incredible lenses, and they are great at nailing focus consistently even in terrible light. Plus, they’re much lighter and smaller, if you’re in a candid situation where you want be unobtrusive or incognito.

Why am I bothering to say all of this? Because often times, beginners feel compelled to go straight to the absolute most expensive lenses, all across the board, before they even know what their style is. To these people buying anything less than the absolute best is just a waste in the long run. If money is no object to you then that’s great, you can start shopping now; the rest of us can keep reading and figure out which lenses to invest in first etc…

In my opinion, as a working professional buying an affordable lens in the short term just becomes a backup lens in the long run. Especially if it is that one special focal length you just love. Imagine if you accidentally drop or get a splash of water your favorite lens, mid-wedding, and it becomes non-functional. What do you do for the rest of the day? Do you just completely change your shooting style and not use that focal range at all? The difference would really, really show in your final delivery. So don’t be afraid to purchase a mid-price lens if it is all you can afford at first. Also, it is better to make a small investment in a lens that you wind up only using here and there than to mistakenly spend $2,000 on a lens that you hardly ever use once you define your style…

So, spend the most money on the lenses that define your style. Then “fill the gaps” with other lenses. Maybe this means you get a few of the high-end prime lenses that you love, and just use third-party lenses to cover a zoom range that you use less often.. Or a combination of both primes and zooms; whatever suits you!

Disclaimer #1: Of course this philosophy of prioritizing your budget mainly applies to those who are just starting out. As you achieve success as a professional, (hopefully!) you’re welcome to fill your camera bag with all the best lenses on the market. Reward yourself for all your hard work! We’re not here to encourage hard-working photographers that they should buy a set of low-budget lenses. However, when you’re just starting out, keep your overall budget in mind and try to define your style before making big investments. Renting lenses and 2nd shooting at weddings, for example, is a great way to try stuff out.

Disclaimer #2: We understand that even our “value” recommendations may seem a little pricey to some people. We simply believe that any aspiring professional wedding photographer should be able to invest this much in at least 2-3 lenses. If you’re on an even smaller shoestring budget, we simply find it difficult to recommend any lenses below a certain price point because they usually do have more significant drawbacks that can cause you to regret the purchase eventually.

Without any further ado, we will break down the must-have prime lenses for wedding photographers, in our usual Gear Guide categories- “Performance Champions” and “Value Winners”. Enjoy!

50mm Prime Lens Recommendations

All-Around Value Winner: Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM Sony 50mm f/1.8 FE

From the aspiring pro wedding photographer who is on a budget to the veteran who is simply tired of lugging around a bag of heavy lenses, and even the f/2.8 zoom lover who barely ever uses primes, …there is no better news than Nikon’s decision to revamp their f/1.8 prime lineup in sharp, professional-grade new lenses. The $200 Nikon 50mm f/1.8 G is the most affordable of any new lens that we recommend to wedding photographers. This is not your uncle’s crappy “plastic fantastic” 50mm, it is a well-built, reliable piece of glass that even has a weather-sealing gasket at the lens mount!

I try not to publish “fightin’ words”, but from my tests this dirt-cheap beginner prime has equal or better sharpness than even our bokeh champion, the Canon 50mm f/1.2 L. Yeah, it’s that good. No, the DOF and colors aren’t as good; the Canon 50 L is still in a league of its own. I just want to make it clear that this Nikon 50mm is a force to be reckoned with if all you need is sharpness and solid quality.

Of course if you really love 50mm as a focal length and are working as a professional, you might as well just spend another ~$250 and get the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 or the Sigma 50mm f/1.4, since they too are relatively affordable at around $400-500. You should only budget so little money for a 50mm if you already know that your style lies more with a different focal range. Personally, I’m happy with the 50 1.8 G because I love to use 85mm and 28mm / 35mm a lot more. I really only get out my 50mm anymore for specific group shots that require that exact focal length.

Why are there no other “value winners” in this category, you might ask? Because quite honestly the other 50mm f/1.8 options out there are just not a good long-term investment for a professional wedding photographer. If you’re a Nikon shooter then this new 50mm 1.8 G should be your starting point, and if you’re a Canon shooter you should actually skip both the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and the f/1.4, and just get the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 instead. It is way sharper and stronger built than either of the affordable Canon 50mm’s. Yet the Sigma is so good that it belongs in our performance champion category! But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Performance Champion (Unlimited Budget) Canon 50mm f/1.2 L II Canon RF 50mm f/1.2

Unless you count the rare and elusive Canon 50mm f/1.0 L, these two lenses are the champions of all full-frame 50mm’s when it comes to achieving shallow DOF and creamy bokeh. The price tags, size and weight are pretty significant though, making their purchase a pretty big decision. They’re worth every penny, for sure, especialy the new mirrorless RF version. It destroys the other Canon 50mm’s with respect to sharpness and autofocus speed.

Keep in mind that the older, (DSLR, EF mount) Canon 50 1.2 L is indeed sluggish to focus, and accuracy can drop in low light, depending on which camera you shoot it with. A flagship 1-series Canon might not let you down, but with a Rebel or almost any camera with less AF power than the 5D mkIV, …you will struggle to nail focus consistently. Therefore, this (older) lens is best suited for general posed portraiture and only light photojournalism.

Performance Champion (Semi-affordable) Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art

At just under $1000, (usually $950, but watch for a $100 rebate every now and then!) …this Sigma lens isn’t exactly a cheap 50mm, however it competes very well with all the other 50mm primes on the market, including the $4000 Zeiss Otus!

Performance Champion #3: Nikon 58mm f/1.4 G

Don’t be fooled by its lack of “f/1.2” written on the lens, this “normal” prime also packs some incredible, creamy bokeh.

Of course, if you already own the older Nikon 50mm f/1.4 G and you don’t use 50mm all the time, you can probably just keep on using that older lens. However, if you really love 50mm and want “that look” from your shallow depth shots, you should certainly consider upgrading.

Medium Wide Angle Prime Lens Recommendations

Between 24mm and 50mm there are a handful of prime lenses that many wedding photographers (especially the photojournalist types) love to use.

Again keep in mind that depending on your style, you might be much better off with a 24-70mm zoom instead, and you should rent/try out lenses before investing. Basically, the only main reason to buy a prime lens in this range is if you really want an aperture faster than f/2.8, otherwise, you’re better off with a zoom. These are some of the most commonly regretted purchases among newbie photographers, so proceed with caution!

35mm Performance Champion: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 EX DG Art

This was one of Sigma’s very first “Art” class lenses. It took the prime world by storm, surpassing its direct competition, the Canon 35mm f/1.4 L (mk1) and Nikon 35mm f/1.4 G, …and at almost half the price! While the name-brand 35mm’s are indeed also performance champions, this Sigma steals our recommendation for any new buyers.

If you already have a name-brand 35mm f/1.4, you probably won’t really need to upgrade. The Canon 35mm f/1.4 L mk2 is indeed an incredible lens, however, it’s also nearly $1,700.

35mm Value Winners: Nikon 35mm f/2 Canon 35mm f/2

Both of these lenses are relatively affordable, and good performers. They’re only f/2 though, making it tough for them to compete with the latest razor-sharp f/2.8 zooms. Unless of course you’re also looking to save weight – both of these 35mm’s are about the size and weight of a “nifty fifty”, making them a delight to shoot towards the end of a long wedding day.

These aren’t exactly “go-to” staple lenses though, for a long-term, heavy-duty workload. They’re certainly still a good intermediate buy, however, to indulge in your need for lighter and smaller lenses to use towards the end of a long wedding day, as I mentioned above, or simply to test the waters of this focal range and see how much you like it.

35mm Performance AND Value Champion: Canon 35mm IS f/2

An oddball, this lens is. While it costs almost as little as its un-stabilized, aging siblings from Canon and Nikon, it is amazingly sharp, built almost like an L lens, and stabilized! Therefore we feel that it deserves both value and performance recommendations. If you are a bit jittery and hate heavier lenses, give this one a try for sure.

28mm Performance AND Value Champion: Nikon 28mm f/1.8 G

Some prime-loving photojournalists feel that 35mm isn’t wide enough yet 24mm is a little too wide. Queue the 28mm primes! This new Nikon 28mm f/1.8 is a stunning performer. The image quality is superb, as good as any of its f/1.4 competition at 24mm or 35mm.

For those of you Nikon history buffs out there- why didn’t we bother listing the legendary Nikon 28mm f/1.4 in this category? After all it is indeed a “performance champion”… True, but unfortunately it has become such a collector’s item that it is highly overpriced compared to the alternatives. If you’re a Nikon die-hard fan you could consider it, otherwise you can find many better ways to spend ~$3,000!

F/2.8 Prime Champions: Canon 28mm f/2.8 IS Canon 24mm f/2.8 IS

These two lenses are great, but difficult to place in our guide- they are relatively expensive, for such modest specifications. They’re stabilized and sharp as heck though, so if you really like shooting natural light and hate the weight of a 24-70mm, but are OK with f/2.8, then do consider one of these.

Performance Champions: Nikon 24mm f/1.4 G Canon 24mm f/1.4 L mk2

While these two lenses aren’t much cheaper than an f/2.8 zoom that covers their range, they are at least a bit lighter and smaller. Also while the ability to create shallow DOF at 24mm isn’t that dramatic, the faster aperture does wonderful things for shooting hand-held in low-light, making them favorites among wedding photojournalists who prefer natural light.

This is one of the main “love/hate” relationship lenses for full-frame wedding photographers. Some find they never use it and just stick with their 24-70, or a 35 / 50mm prime, while others fall in love and the lens never leaves one of their cameras. Either way, if you love this focal length and you love shooting hand-held in natural light, these two lenses are awesome.

…Then again, if Sigma winds up making a 24mm f/1.4 “Art” that is nearly as good as their new 35mm f/1.4, these two name-brand 24mm’s could potentially get bumped out of their top spot. (It’s Sept. 2013 now; only rumors thus far about a Sigma 24mm)

Speaking of Sigma wide-angle primes; currently there are three older f/1.8 primes available, the 20mm, 24mm, and 28mm f/1.8. All of these lenses are decently sharp enough to be considered, though a little too pricey for a “value winner” title.

Ultra Wide Angle Prime Lens Recommendations

First I need to disclaim that ultra-wide angle prime lenses are pretty uncommon in wedding photography. To be honest most wedding shooters should probably just consider one of our ultra-wide zoom lens recommendations which we discuss HERE.

Why? Because most of the older primes in the 14-20mm range are totally eclipsed in performance by today’s zooms, and some of the more affordable zooms are almost as affordable as a comparable prime. So unless you randomly come across a great bargain at a garage sale or on Ebay, stick with the ultra-wide zoom recommendations.

Then again, all of these recommendations offer significant weight savings over most ultra-wide zooms, as well as decent cost savings.

Nikon 20mm f/2.8 Canon 20mm f/2.8

These two primes are tough to justify buying even for a prime lover, because they both cost even more than one of our favorite f/4 ultra-wide zooms, (the Tokina 17-35mm f/4) …and only a few hundred dollars short of a used f/2.8 ultra-wide zoom. Yet they are getting pretty old, and corner softness / field curvature can be a problem.

In fact compared to a zoom, the only reasons to buy one of these two lenses are like I mentioned- if you really care about keeping your total kit as light as possible, or if you “score” one for really cheap.

Tokina 17mm f/3.5 ATX Pro

A much better choice in my opinion than any other ultra-wide prime, the Tokina 17mm f/3.5 ATX Pro is a little-known gem. While most other ultra-wide primes either have bad image quality, fall-apart construction, or are cost-prohibitive, …this lens is decently sharp, rock-solid yet tiny, and extremely affordable! (The Nikon 18mm f/2.8 and Nikon 20mm f/2.8 are both $600+, while this lens is <$300) Additionally, it is compact, lightweight, and compatible with 77mm filters!

These lenses are a little hard to find, but create a “saved search” on Ebay or check KEH.com every now and then, and you should be able to score one for about $300 or less eventually.

Canon 14mm f/2.8 L Nikon 14mm f/2.8 D

These two lenses are for the low-light photojournalist who often works in tight quarters and wants something as wide as possible without having to pony up for the likes of the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 G or Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L mk2, and/or have it take up a ton of space in their bag.

They are the classic “rent one to see if you like it, don’t just randomly buy them” type of lens

Fisheye Lenses

We can once again harken back to our landscape ultra-wide lens recommendation here: Fisheye lenses are such specialized items that you should only invest in them to the extent that you plan to use them. If you’re obsessed with the fisheye look, such as for dance floor action shots or other interesting angles, then maybe consider a Nikon 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye or a Canon 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye. However, the Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Fisheye is a great option too if you just use it as a “play around” type lens.

Personally, as a Nikon user, I’d rather just get the oldschool manual focus Nikon 16mm f/2.8 AIS Fisheye, because it’s built like a rock (no, literally!) and I can just jam it in the bottom of my rolling camera case and not worry about it.

Telephoto Prime Lens Recommendations

Since there are primes available from 85mm to 200mm, once again we’ll have to just throw all the “performance champions” and “value winners” together in a jumble. Here goes nothing!

All-Around Value Winners: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G

A great alternative to a 70-200 zoom for low-light candids and portraits, these two lenses are well-loved by any photographer who wants a portable, lightweight telephoto prime for portraits of 1-2 people.

They’re also killer for general low-light photojournalism, however at well under 100mm they just don’t fully replace a 70-200 zoom, especially in larger venues. You might need to get a cheaper 70-200 or another telephoto prime to supplement an 85mm prime.

Canon 100mm f/2

Another little-known gem, for those who tried and liked 85mm but want a little extra reach. Great sharpness and overall image quality, once again the only issue is that you need to remove chromatic aberrations in post-production. Also, like the Canon 85 1.8 it is a little less rugged than an L prime.

Sheer Performance Champions: Canon 85mm f/1.2

The king(s) of bokeh, when it comes to 85mm. While f/1.2 primes are usually a little more sluggish than their f/1.4 and f/1.8 alternatives, anyone who shoots portraits and weddings knows that there are still times when it’s worth it to nail focus and achieve a gorgeously blurred background.

Just be sure you’re well-practiced at nailing focus at f/1.2 before jumping into an action-packed wedding day. Nailing focus at any aperture faster than f/4 isn’t easy, but f/1.2 and 85mm are a whole new level of shallow DOF. The older Canon 85mm f/1.2 L II is a bit of a slug to focus, honestly, however the new mirrorless RF 85mm f/1.2 L ought to be much snappier if it is anything like its RF 50mm f/1.2 sibling.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4 G

These two 85mm lenses are also ready to deliver beautiful bokeh and incredible sharpness, despite their 2/3 EV smaller aperture.

As with any fast prime, you should remember to use chromatic aberration removal in post-production, but other than that the image quality of both lenses is world-class. Both are also well-built. (OK, let’s be honest, the Sigma is a monster!)

Nikon AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED

Nikon’s fast-aperture telephoto portrait champion is this beast, the 105mm f/1.4E. It is everything that an 85mm f/1.4 could offer, and then some. If you’re looking to really “kill” a background with bokeh, or shoot telephoto candids from a distance in low light, this lens offers more reliable autofocus than any Nikon-mount ~105mm alternative.

Canon 135mm f/2 L

A truly legendary lens among Canon photographers, you just cannot go wrong with this lens if you are looking for an alternative to all the hefty 70-200mm’s. Although it lacks IS stabilization, the added stop of light and shallower DOF is worth it!

Sigma 150mm f/2.8 OS Macro EX DG

While an 85mm or 100mm lens is not “long” enough to fully replace a 70-200mm zoom, this Sigma 150mm f/2.8 OS Macro is close enough to do the job quite well. (Especially if you have a 30-50-megapixel camera, and use 1.2x or 1.5x crop mode for general candid work.)

This lens includes stabilization, which most 105mm’s and 135mm’s do not, and it is also a 1:1 macro lens! A triple threat for any portrait/candid/event photographer who wants a prime in this focal range.

Exotic Performance Champions: Canon 200mm f/2 L IS Nikon 200mm f/2 VR

These two lenses, although some would argue are overkill for weddings and lifestyle type portraits, seem to be the “Rolex” of telephoto bokeh champions.

Bottom line, these two lenses are both flawlessly sharp, incredibly snappy to focus, and offer a truly unique shooting experience.

Of course, any successful wedding photographers could do just fine with a 70-200mmm f/2.8, but that’s not the point. These lenses are what camera geeks buy instead of a Harley when they turn 45.

Sony Prime Lenses For Wedding Photography

Over the last 5 years, Sony’s full-frame mirrorless system has gone from having almost no native lenses, to a complete and formidable arsenal of both zooms and primes. With the release of the newest GM (that’s Sony’s label for their best stuff) 135mm f/1.8, a Sony prime shooter has plenty of incredible options to choose from for both wedding and portrait photography.

Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 GM

Quite simply, this is the best 24mm around. We don’t know how they did it, but Sony managed to create a 24mm f/1.4 prime with incredible image quality from corner to corner, even wide open at f/1.4 or f/2. It’s also quite lightweight and portable, and offers an aperture ring that can be de-clicked for video use, plus a customizable Fn button.

Sony SONNAR T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA

This relatively compact, modest aperture prime is one of the most impressive performers that Sony has produced in its range. Incredibly sharp, it offers not just portability for those long 12+ hour wedding days, but also, its diminutive size allows the photographer to shoot in a more relaxed, casual atmosphere compared to sticking a giant 24-70mm or 70-200mm in everybody’s face. In short, this lens represents everything that is good about being a prime shooter!

Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM

As its GM designation indicates, this lens is incredibly sharp, relatively snappy to focus, and built solidly. If you’re looking for a workhorse 85mm prime that you can mount natively on your full-frame Sony (FE) body, this is a lens that can deliver the goods.

Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM

If you’re looking for extreme bokeh, look no further (pun intended?) than a 135mm f/1.8 prime, such as the Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM. Like its DSLR competitor the Sigma 135mm f/1.8, the Sony 135mm FE GM will deliver gorgeously shallow depth, while offering a longer subject distance which actually helps you keep a subject’s face in focus more, compared to the same framing with a 50mm f/1.2 or 85mm f/1.4. The Sony offers a high-speed, accurate AF motor system, as well as a physical aperture ring that can be de-clicked for smooth video shooting.

Manual-Focus Prime Lenses For Wedding Photography

While I personally have a hard time recommending manual focus lenses for use in wedding photography due to the active nature of weddings, there are some photographers out there who use manual lenses with great success.

The most popular manual focus primes are the classic focal ranges- 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm. Nikon, Zeiss, and Rokinon are the most common players here with Nikon and Zeiss offering beautiful image quality and incredibly robust lens construction, while Rokinon (and Bower and Samyang) offer great image quality too, but with build quality that may not last as long as a Zeiss lens.

Of course, for those of you who truly love the subtle aesthetics of bokeh and flare, certain Leica lenses seem to be a holy grail among lenses with “character”. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny for the best lenses, though.

My personal favorites? Although I would rarely ever use them at a wedding, I love the Nikon 35mm f/1.4 AIS, The Nikon 50mm f/1.2 AIS, and the Zeiss ZF 85mm f/1.4. But again, keep in mind that diving into this world is only advisable for the experienced shooter who knows how to manually focus quickly and accurately.

One benefit of modern mirrorless cameras is that you can quickly magnify the view around your selected focus point, making it truly easy to nail focus in any relatively static situation. Some mirrorless cameras will even auto-magnify to 100% whenever they detect that the focus ring is being turned!

Crop-Sensor Prime Lens Recommendations For Wedding Photography

What if you shoot with a crop sensor camera? There are both a handful of great APS-C and Micro Four Thirds dedicated prime lenses, plus of course with most systems you can also just use full-frame prime lenses too.

For this reason, we’ll restrict our recommendations to those wider and medium focal lengths, which allow you to achieve a focal length equivalent that isn’t easily achieved using a full-frame lens on a crop-sensor.

Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary (Also in Sigma Art form) Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM Fuji 16mm XF f/1.4 WR Fuji 23mm XF f/1.4 R

Specialty Lens Recommendations For Wedding Photography

Wedding photographers are a versatile bunch. At the beginning of a wedding day in a dimly lit hotel room, they can go from shooting candid group photos to macro close-up photos of wedding rings and other jewelry within a matter of seconds. This begs the question- should you buy a dedicated macro lens, or just use your 24-70 or your favorite prime?

That is really a personal decision, simply based on how much you love doing macro photos. But in our experience, most non-macro lenses are just quite soft when shooting at extremely close distances. You can try using a 50mm prime stopped down to f/2.8, and some 50mm’s can focus really close, but others cannot, and none have nearly as much “magnification” as a dedicated macro lens.

Macro Lenses – Value Winners: Tamron 90mm f/2.8 VC Macro Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Macro Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS Macro

If you really like doing high-quality wedding ring shots, you’re in luck- You don’t really need to break the bank if all you want is something that is super-sharp and focuses extremely close-up.

Any of these three lenses will work amazingly well, especially if you plan to use manual focus and shoot from a tripod, or use flash. (We recommend manual focusing for macro shots anyways, but if you really prefer to hand-hold and use autofocus for your macro shots, you might consider a lens with stabilization. See below)

(Yes, you can also use these lenses at normal distances for general photography, too, especially the Tamron and Sigma stabilized lenses.)

Macro Lens – Performance Champions: Canon 100mm L f/2.8 IS Macro Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR Macro Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS

This set of lenses is a might be a bit pricey for a wedding photographer, if you only ever use them for macro shots. However, at ~100mm and with both stabilization and great autofocus, they all make great portrait lenses, too!

So, if for example you primarily shoot telephoto on a zoom such as a 70-200mm, but you’re looking for a prime lens that can do double-duty as both a macro and a lightweight portrait lens for whenever your arm gets tired of hoisting the big 2.8 zoom, one of these macro lenses will be an amazing tool in your kit.

Tilt-Shift Lenses

Tilt-shift lenses were designed to correct perspective and improve depth of field, however, many portrait and wedding photographers dabble in using them to significantly alter depth and perspective in, well, very weird ways. It’s a difficult skill to perfect, and should only be used sparingly in our opinion, but it’s still a pretty cool effect Canon and Nikon both make 24mm, 45mm, and 85mm tilt-shift lenses, and Rokinon now makes a 24mm tilt-shift that is a great affordable option, especially considering the specialized nature of these lenses and the fact that you’ll probably only use it once or twice per job.

Conclusion & Additional Reading

Remember, your 1-2 favorite prime lenses are only part of a wedding photographer’s system! Depending on your style, you may want to supplement the wide and/or long end of your range with a zoom or two. The important thing is to practice a lot and define your style before making any major investments… If you’re just starting out, we highly recommend renting a bunch of different lenses and finding opportunities to 2nd shoot, or just get out and do some general practice on your own!

Here’s the other gear guides we have published for wedding photographers:

Our complete guide to wedding photography DSLR bodies Complete guide to wedding photography zoom lenses

Click HERE to return to the main collection of photography equipment recommendations!

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#IFTTT #SLR Lounge

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tigresswraith · 7 years

Text

Not My Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Holby City or its characters. In fact this story was prompted by the lovely @captainepoppins

Warning: There is some violence in this, and some swearing as well.

A/N: Fair warning guys, I have a very (very) basic knowledge of Holby. This fic is for @captainepoppins and I hope she enjoys it. I apologise if the characters are completely out of character. I tried to get Serena and Bernie, as close to in character as I could with my knowledge of them. I hope anyone who happens to read this, is entertained.

Not My Girl

Things hadn’t quite been the same for Bernie and Serena since Kiev. Bernie knew that she’d screwed things up with Serena, but she was determined to fix it. It just wasn’t easy when Serena was stubbornly keeping herself distant from Bernie.

It had been weeks since Bernie had come back from Kiev, and she’d consistently been sending Serena gifts, sweet messages, and of course a coffee (made the way Serena liked it) with a red rose every morning. Of course, she always made sure to leave a bottle of shiraz on Serena’s desk by the end of the day on Friday.

This week however was different. There was a charity ball on, on the Friday night. Bernie knew that Serena would wear a classy red dress. It would flatter Serena’s figure, and make Bernie’s heart flutter. She knew it would seem like she was a hormonal teenager, but Bernie had her heart set on getting her girl a corsage.

Bernie of course, couldn’t tell what colour would complement the dress, or what flowers would go best together. She’d had to get the florist to help her. The woman had been snobby and looked down her nose at Bernie. For some reason (beyond Bernie’s comprehension) every woman was supposed to know how to make a wrist corsage…apparently.

Nevertheless, at the end of the week Bernie left the corsage on Serena’s desk. She hoped a red rose surrounded by white rose buds, and small snowbells would do the trick.

She was coming back from the locker room to head toward the exit, when she saw Serena in her office. Bernie’s heart skipped a beat, as she looked at the sight before her. Serena was always beautiful to her, but seeing her holding the corsage to her nose and smiling, was just beyond words. Bernie was happy that she’d caused that smile. Perhaps tonight things would be bearable.

Bernie entered the ballroom, automatically searching for Serena. As the heads of the AAU, she and Serena had to attend. The charity ball was to gain money for the AAU. All the people here were politicians, and influential people. Most could be classed as businessmen, but there were a few small-time TV stars there as well. Personally, Bernie thought their egos had swelled their heads too much.

She snagged a flute of champagne, hoping the liquid courage would calm her nerves. Taking a sip, she wrinkled her nose. Champagne had never been her thing; wine she could handle, but Bernie preferred a neat scotch for her poison of choice.

It was moments later that Serena arrived, and Bernie’s stomach dropped. Her heart raced, and later she would realise that she had the most love-sick expression on her face. As Bernie, had predicted, Serena was dressed in red. The dress showed a little cleavage but kept a sense of class.

The way that the dress hugged Serena’s curves left Bernie feeling hot and bothered. But most importantly, Serena was wearing the corsage.

Serena took one look at Bernie, and knew what she needed to do. She smiled at the blonde, who still had her hair in a tousled mess. But it complimented the female tuxedo she wore. The minimal makeup rounded it off, to bring out Bernie’s naturally lovely features. Serena knew that this was formal wear that Berenice could wear comfortably. A comfortable Berenice was a sexy Berenice, in Serena’s humble opinion.

She quickly went to the bar and ordered a scotch, neat. Serena had always stuck to simple wine and champagne at these events of course. Alcohol was an area where Bernie was more sophisticated than she’d ever be. A bottle of shiraz would do Serena just fine, thank you very much.

Serena sidled up next to Bernie, and raised a flirtatious eyebrow.

“I believe, this is more your speed. Trade?” said Serena, offering the scotch to Bernie.

Bernie laughed, and traded drinks with Serena.

“Thank you, you look…stunning…by the way,” said Bernie.

Serena smiled, all this romance that Bernie had showered her with over the last few weeks, and yet Bernie still floundered with her words. She wanted to say more to Bernie, perhaps try to start mending broken fences. Unfortunately, she was pulled away by one of the businessman, as Bernie’s attention was taken by a piggish looking politician.

They went about their professional responsibility of chatting up the guests, and garnering money for the ward. But it just felt wrong. Before Kiev, they had always been by each other’s side.

If this had been before Kiev, they never would have been pulled away from each other in the first place. They would have brought the separate conversations into a group conversation.

The distance between them in the room felt like an awkward lull in a conversation. Bernie was constantly looking across the room at Serena, and was relieved that she was manoeuvring closer to her.

She watched the people dancing and drinking happily. It was a lovely scene really, something out of a film.

As Bernie continued her sweep of the room she noticed a waiter drop a tray of champagne flutes onto a businessman. Bernie knew immediately that it was a distraction as he reached into his coat.

Without a second thought Bernie dashed to Serena, pulling her down as multiple gunshots rang out across the room.

Serena was shocked as she was pulled down to the ground and a gun was fired. The first thing she noticed when all had quietened down, was that Bernie was using her own body to shield her. The next, was that a man had been shot. He seemed to be a businessman and quite young, which hopefully meant he was healthy enough to survive the wound.

“All this pomp and circumstance for a hospital that already has enough money,” said the gunman “Now, you money bags are going to stay right where you are. Anyone who tries anything clever, gets shot.”

Bernie noticed Serena’s line of sight and saw the wounded man. The amount of blood that was already congealing around his shoulder was not a good sign.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Do we have any doctors in the house?” asked the gunman.

Both Bernie and Serena raised their hands. They were the only medics in the room

“Over here then, before he bloody well bleeds out,” said the gunman.

They got up and slowly made their way to the wounded man. They side eyed each other, trying to hold some sort of non-verbal conversation.

“Hurry the fuck up! And no funny business; try anything and you both get shot, and he bleeds the fuck out!” shouted the gunman.

They hurried over to the patient and began to work. Bernie took off her belt and handed it to Serena for the leg wound, and took off her jacket for the shoulder wound. Both tried to make make-shift tourniquets. Serena, luckily succeeded first.

“You should both be working on his fuckin’ shoulder, that’s closest to the heart,” said the gunman.

“The bullet has hit his femoral artery, if we don’t stop the bleeding there that will kill him first,” Bernie explained.

“Don’t talk down to me you arrogant bitch,” said the gunman, pistol whipping Bernie across the face.

Serena’s head snapped up at the sound of the gun hitting Bernie’s skin.

“Leave her be! Damn you!” shouted Serena “That’s enough!”

Bernie looked over at Serena and shook her head, but Serena ignored her.

“Oh what, worried about your little girlfriend are you? You disgusting lesbo, you didn’t think I didn’t notice, did you?” the gunman said to Bernie.

“All those looks the two of you kept sending each other. Fucking disgusting!”

The gunman turned the gun on Bernie and Serena’s expression turned stormy. It was an expression that Bernie had never seen before. She’d seen Serena angry, but not like this.

“You don’t get to talk to her like that, especially when I’m in the room,” said Serena, standing up.

“And why’s that?” asked the gunman.

“Because she’s the woman I love, and I wouldn’t let anyone treat her that way,” Serena replied.

“You love me?” Bernie murmured.

“Not the time,” said Serena.

“Says the woman who just declared her love for me.”

“Shut it!”

“Oh, my god! Shut the fuck up!” yelled the gunman, turning the gun on Serena.

Bernie knew that she had to move now, or she’d lose Serena. Just as the gunman pulled the hammer back, Bernie pushed his arm upward, sending the gun flying out of his hand.

Moving quickly, Bernie managed to sidestep the gunman and catch the gun. She quickly turned back around, to aim the weapon at him.

Serena could only stare in awe as Berenice went from, her Bernie to her Big Macho Army Medic.

“Get on the ground, face down and hands behind your head,” Bernie ordered.

The quick change in attitude, made the gunman do as she ordered. Serena finished looking after the patient, and someone in the room finally had the presence of mind to call the police.

It was hours before the two women could go home. They had had to go to the station for official statements, but Bernie had gotten off scot free. It had only taken witness accounts and a background search into her military history, to convince the police that she hadn’t been the gunman.

There would be a trial, and they would have to testify. The motives of the gunman were unclear at this point, but neither woman could find it in themselves to care.

Later, Bernie drove a rather shaken Serena home. It was only when they pulled up outside Serena’s house that the silence was broken.

“I love you,” said Serena.

“I-I love you too,” Bernie stuttered.

Serena chuckled.

“You just took down a gunman, but now you stutter when you tell me you love me,” teased Serena “What was going on in your head back there?”

“Honestly? All I could think was; not my girl, you bastard,” said Bernie.

“Your girl?” asked Serena, cocking an eyebrow.

“My girl,” said Bernie, blushing.

Serena smiled as Bernie leaned over and kissed her. It was just as she remembered. Bernie’s lips were soft and warm. She could feel the callouses from her military training. They pulled apart gently, keeping their foreheads touching.

“Sorry,” said Bernie.

“Are you kidding? I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks,” Serena whispered.

Bernie smiled at Serena. She knew then, that she had Serena back. Now she would never let her go, ever again.

“Come inside?” asked Serena.

As if Bernie, had ever needed any further invitation.

#Holby City #Berena #fic prompt #For Captaine Poppins #Tigress is productive

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handofvictory · 7 years

Text

Immediately does the thing with Devondad

I’ll complete incomplete answers later

What is your characters name? Does the character have a nickname?

Devon Hellcrawler, previously Devon Churchill. His first name is short enough that he doesn’t need a nickname, though on a meta level he’s referred to as Netherdad, Devondad, and various other “dad” names due to his fatherly instincts being the bulk of his redeeming traits.

What is your characters hair color? Eye color?

In life, he had brown eyes. In death, he began with the ordinary sickly yellow that Forsaken tend to have. However, after a burst of gained power during the events of Wrath, Devon’s eyes became permanently a fel green similar to those of the blood elves.

What kind of distinguishing facial features does your character have?

Devon has a long, broken nose, which is especially emphasized on his face by the wrinkles accumulated. His face is also quite expressive, as will be noted by anyone who’s seen him freak out. (Read: everyone.)

Does your character have a birthmark? Where is it? What about scars? How did he get them?

In terms of scars and birthmarks, he has masked all surface flaws with fel illusion. Were he not doing so, the clawing and biting at his torso, neck and face from when he died would be very visible.

Also by this point, his usage of the fel is changing his body. His ribs and spine are growing strange spikes, and his body shape itself is changing somewhat to accommodate later mutations.

Who are your characters friends and family? Who does he surround himself with? Who are the people your character is closest to? Who does he wish he were closest to?

In the way of family, in life he had a wife, Eleanor, and a daughter, Leslie. Devon was loved for being a family man, somewhat pushed around by his wife but both worked hard to keep the relationship working. Devon was also a natural father to Leslie; the two adored each other to bits and pieces. As it would turn out, he would die for the two of them and find himself abandoned by a frightened, ignorant wife.

In death, he’s a dear friend to most of Hand of Victory, especially to its leader, Viviette Havenblade, and one of its healers, Dar’nul Bloodlimb. He’s also adopted Archmage Ellisse Thompson and Shadowblade Allen Cooper as his kids, and is as adoring to them as he was to Leslie. (Granted, this love manifests differently to accommodate Allen’s many, many issues.)

Where was your character born? Where has he lived since then? Where does he call home?

Devon was born, lived, and died in Lordaeron. For much of his unlife, he lived in the Undercity; he would later move with the guild to Silvermoon. As of Legion, it is his regular residence still, but he more often is found in Dreadscar Rift.

Where does your character go when he’s angry?

Wherever he lives, he finds/builds a hidden torture cave or chamber. He has one in the Undercity, in Northrend northwest of Vengeance Landing, in Silvermoon hidden among the ruins of the western half of the city, and in Dreadscar Rift out in the open. He has more than a few victims at whichever his most active residence is, and takes out his frustrations on them, justified by whatever lead him to capturing them in the first place.

What is his biggest fear? Who has he told this to? Who would he never tell this to? Why?

Losing his kids, above all else. Not even necessarily that they die, though that is the worst of it-- if his children were to abandon him, or be taken away from him, it would kill him inside. They mean everything to him.

Does he have a secret?

Technically, yes-- in the sense that he doesn’t want Ellisse to know that he captured, tortured and murdered her blood siblings who did the same to her. However, there is nothing he is particularly ashamed of, regretful of, or haunted by that he keeps secret for that reason.

What makes your character laugh out loud?

Torturing people. Devon revels in sadism and cruelty, though more honest humour can catch him as well. A joke told by his kids will often get a laugh out of their father.

When has your character been in love? Had a broken heart?

Yes, and he had a wife. Sadly, few understood the reality of the undead regaining sentience as they were able to flee from the Scourge, and those who were able to return home were quickly turned away. The event cut into Devon deeply.

What is in your character’s refrigerator right now? On his bedroom floor? On his nightstand? In his garbage can?

Personal spaces that belong to Devon are eerie, the way a serial killer’s house is eerie. His bedroom is fancy as can be expected, but other than the extravagance, there’s nothing out of the ordinary about it. It’s tidy. His study isn’t, but it too is non-threatening if the viewer isn’t bothered by warlock study. One won’t find anything suspicious or distressing...

...unless they find a latch in the floor.

Look at your characters feet. Describe what you see there. Does he wear dress shoes, gym shoes, or none at all? Is he in socks that are ratty and full of holes? Or is he wearing a pair of blue and gold slippers knitted by his grandmother?

Devon wears tall black boots with heels an inch high, to make himself taller and therefore more intimidating. They come with the rest of his supervillain set.

When your character thinks of his childhood kitchen, what smell does he associate with it? Sauerkraut? Oatmeal cookies? Paint? Why is that smell so resonant for him?

man i haven’t developed his childhood i’m not figuring this out yet lmao

Your character is doing intense spring cleaning. What is easy for him to throw out? What is difficult for him to part with? Why?

i’m lazy

Its Saturday at noon. What is your character doing? Give details. If he’s eating breakfast, what exactly does he eat? If he’s stretching out in her backyard to sun, what kind of blanket or towel does he lie on?

and wanna sleep

What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?

nah

Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where is he going? What does he wear? Who will he be with?

Devon attends every formal event in his fanciest warlock robes, black and fel-trimmed with gaudy gold. He refuses to present himself any other way anywhere where there may be someone who has not yet met him, and he will even accentuate his own entrance with felfire and guards. He will typically be with other guildies.

Character Questionnaire 2

This questionnaire was invented by the noted French author Marcel Proust. These questions are frequently used in interviews so you may want to pretend youre interviewing your characters.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

"Depends what you mean. Professionally, my achievements as Netherlord claim dominance; as I have taken the Rift from the Legion and made it my own. Azeroth’s warlocks are at my beck and call, as well as any demon I can bend to my will. Even demon hunters kneel before me. Personally... is a bit more humble. Adopting Allen and Ellisse is the best decision I’ve made since waking up dead.”

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

“This... will be somewhat morbid, admittedly,” he begins, “but it is what comes to mind. I picture it... my own demise. An idealized future wherein I am allowed to divide my throne between my son and daughters. Their lives are safe, with anything they could possibly desire at their fingertips. I know it would hurt them to lose me, but I would be able to go knowing that I had done my job as a father. It is a comfort I can think of as I slip away, claimed at last by the true death I have long denied.”

What is your current state of mind?

“I feel like a GOD.”

What is your favorite occupation?

"Becoming Netherlord and the first of the Council of the Black Harvest is an excellent start. To become conquerer over the Legion’s worlds... that is my true goal.”

What is your most treasured possession?

His face is cold. “I do not treasure objects.”

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

"My children, above any romantic interest I could ever have. My son, my daughters-- they are my world, and I would do anything for them.”

What is your favorite journey?

"It hasn’t quite happened yet... but I do quite look forward to it.” Looks up at Argus in the sky.

What is your most marked characteristic?

"Hard to say, but I can name a couple. My ambition, my power, my intimidating presence, my talent, my intelligence...”

When and where were you the happiest?

His eyes look far away. “... With her. My first, my sweet girl... My little miracle, giggling in her father’s arms...”

What is it that you most dislike?

"I can’t decide. Leave me to lament bittersweetly about my Leslie for a few more moments.”

What is your greatest fear?

"To say it out loud would be foolish. I am the Netherlord! Think you there are those who wouldn’t take advantage of such knowledge?!”

What is your greatest extravagance?

Two columns of blazing felfire burst from the ground behind him, and he raises his chin with a crooked grin as his felguards flank him, the room turns dark with sharp green lights and he opens his arms in a display of presentation. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you mean.”

Which living person do you most despise?

"Catahecas would be too easy as an answer. Gul’dan and Kil’jaeden as threats to my reputation as the greatest warlock Azeroth has ever known have been eradicated, the Lich King’s long gone, anyone petty of my life or unlife is now kicking themselves for making ill of me... Heh.

What is your greatest regret?

"Regret? There is nothing I could possibly regret. There is nothing I have done without reason, and I stand by those reasons and the corresponding actions they lead to. Regret is a cross for everyone else to bear.”

Which talent would you most like to have?

"I’m sorry, are you assuming there’s anything I’m poor at that I wish I weren’t? Anything I want to be, I am. Engineering was never any fun anyway. I much prefer my current work.”

Where would you like to live?

"I do miss the Undercity. That aside, I aim to forge myself a kingdom and a throne upon one of the Legion’s fel-touched worlds, making myself its immortal king. That is my ideal home.”

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

"... It was far more depressing to be free and without direction than to be confined to the Scourge and controlled. To have your loved ones cast you aside, to know that everything you understood no longer is-- that is the greatest despair I have ever known.”

What is the quality you most like in a man?

"I have no interest in pursuing men. Even were I to discover attraction to one, I assume I would desire the same things in a man as I do in a woman.”

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

"Should I desire a wife, she must be a family woman first and foremost, the same as I. She must have an ambition much like mine, and be willing to communicate. So long as I can trust her with my children and know she will aid them when I am not there, everything else is moot in comparison.”

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

"Ha! Nothing. Not to sound too arrogant, but I see myself as perfect.”

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

"I loathe self-righteousness, but even more than that I despise those who whore themselves to a cult, an organization, an army-- notably, things such as the Twilight’s Hammer and the Burning Legion-- for the sake of power. It’s a large injection, and I’m sure they believe their “sacrifice” worthwhile. However, they never understand that the power comes at a personal cost they cannot comprehend, and I have no respect for those who cannot learn and grow their own strength. They are weak, they are the dirt beneath my boot. I will not tolerate their existence.”

What do you most value in your friends?

"Those I consider close to me have one particular thing in common which I find I admire most about them; loyalty and patience. Their lot isn’t immune to mistakes, of course. Even the guild leader has her share of screw-ups and impulsive foolishness. However, she, and the others, have an explicit and genuine desire to learn and grow. That I find quite respectable.”

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

"I don’t dabble in fiction. Why fantasize when I can make my own legend?”

Who are your heroes in real life?

"I would not put it like that. However, I have great respects for my queen, Lady Sylvanas. I will soon surpass her in greatness, but nevertheless she is an inspiration. Other than her... I can think of no one. Ha! Azeroth lacks worthwhile individuals.”

Which living person do you most admire?

"You make the mistake of assuming there are living people I admire. Well... I suppose that is unfair. Dar’nul has more than proven himself as a very insightful, strong-hearted man, albeit a stupid and impulsive one. Viviette is a talented young woman, personable. I’ll even admit a begrudging respect for Unji’zi-- I would kill to see what that woman could accomplish if she did not intentionally withhold her own power. Otherwise, those who are not in the guild will have no respect from me.”

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

"I had to think about that one. Physical prowess is the obvious answer, but I think more fundamentally, morality is the ultimate answer. See, the trouble with morality is not just that it’s subjective-- it’s that its subjective nature makes is very easy to use it as a justification for anything and everything. Murdering this person is alright because my moral code states they deserve to die. Taking this course of action or abstaining from this one is the morally wise thing to do, even if it is not the strategically wise one. And that’s the tip of the iceberg to the issue of how morality leads to self-righteous fools! Sometimes it is best to throw it to the wayside and do what is logically, strategically, or personally advantageous.”

On what occasions do you lie?

"It is a bit tacky to my tastes, I think. I do it if necessary or if the lie told would lead to someone getting what they deserved. I’ll tell an idiot Leeroy Jenkins orc that there’s candy at the bottom of a chasm, I don’t care.”

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

"I admit I run out of insults sometimes. There are certain people where one thorough tear-down of why they are worth less than scum simply isn’t enough, but it can be difficult to avoid redundancy.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Laughs. “Change myself! What a joke. I am above mortal, quickly ascending to greater. There is nothing I can only wish to change.” Except maybe being single.

What are your favorite names?

"For girls, I prefer names that end with an “ie” sound, hence I named my biological child Leslie. Ellisse is also adorable as a name, I will begrudgingly admit that the incompetent bastard who helped birth the girl--” gag. “--made a good decision with that. For boys, I am a bit less decisive, admittedly. I find the softer-sounding ones sit better on the tongue. That said, stress on the right syllables can suit a boy, too... I suppose it’s more individualized in that case.”

How would you like to die?

"I answered this in the image of perfect happiness-- but if not in that ideal scenario, than simply to die knowing that my children will be well when I am gone. That is all I could desire.”

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

"Reincarnation is for the shamanistic. Though, I think I’m fulfilling that sort of metamorphosis on my own terms: I died human, revived undead... and am slowly growing to become a demon of my own power.” Gestures to himself. “It’s a slow process, but I like what I’m getting so far.”

What is your motto?

“My magic hungers.”

#insp. ; devon

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potterzachary · 4 years

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Reiki Symbol Art Awesome Cool Ideas

By brushing off some of that dust, this article might help you to heal a person with the help of reiki master teacher is unique.This is absolutely gorgeous in terms of security or identity.You may feel hot and tingle or prickly sensation on their education of reiki.In this moment, after receiving a Reiki practitioner it is not aware of the healing

What is going to stop in front of a person's life, allowing them to switch the words of Dr Usui found that it could be one of the basic hand positions as your vibration is now known that the lives of others.Let the process goes through the practice.Reiki brings in fresh power and transfer it to arrive at any time.You have to be powerful while there is one of the Spirit.Kwan Yin is a wonderful feeling of being available to anyone.

Reiki healing session with Karen, I explored where her energy as compared to other practices; because Reiki helped here?Whereas the first level the student him- or herself, s/he will mention the lineage it is most important is your greatest teacher, so it is broken!Reiki is analogous to a science fiction movie to some degree.Free reiki mini course ia available at a terminal stage.Of perhaps there was a religious sect or organization.

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What everyone does seem to instinctively recognise it as a beautiful energy streaming through your commitment and is sometimes called Byosen scanning, helps to promote world peace and well being.In effect, I am about to happen in your way to a student of Tibetan Reiki, I do my self treatments I woke up about 3 or 4 am and could still feel the stress relieving effects of all ages and health.As the client-practitioner connection grows, through a very delicate task.The use of magnets, light, sound or vibrations to treat serious illnesses.It is estimated that 80 percent of the 20th century by a sponsor, while in the NOW, You are assigned a Reiki healing process.

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Visualization - this gets a chance for integration in the distance learning of Reiki can be used for distance healing.*Addresses the cause of the this type of scan.You can learn the basic foundation of Reiki hours done is to teach a traditional form of therapy actually works, you will need to be born with the aid of this energy to restore overall balance within yourself.We believe there is a gentle laying on of Hands tradition is a mind body and the water takes it.Some versions of the universe, which is taught in the Reiki energy itself is just one area of the healing

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I was taught Reiki as a non invasive manner.The above provides a wonderful healing technique that is compatible with you.Reiki upholds peace and balance to Usui Reiki, Reiho, and Reiki training methods.To help clear confusion in the middle of it for a certainty; Reiki is not so that you need to take responsibility for your time, thank you very much.Those who practice Reiki to take on board any particular spiritual path that will help them or even to heal himself or another.

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She did not undress before lying down: I just wish it were otherwise.Observe and understand the power to improve quality of life and beyond.These are belief patterns the client has the intention that energy is the only way in which Reiki is a spiritual calling, and to teach and attune them to not need more than just symptoms, it is the quality of energy.Meditation enhances heart-consciousness; the core here as the saying goes, makes perfect.Can you imagine a world that I am not stating that lower back and bring us to move the energies used in Reiki classes.

can give to others and pass on to the test with my dearest grandmother at the junction in time, and as usual everyone was working through and around you.Since then he will be in person or remote.The next three were sex sites and the joints overall seem to have any success at all.As a Reiki practitioner may or may not be fulfilled for us to experiment and discover the amazing powers of Reiki?How to you as a useful complementary tool, along with relaxation methods have been conducted since that time.

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