“what’s shadow thinking about in that comic?”

okay i'll spill but it's insane AU nonsense as always so i'm readmore'ing it to spare anyone who just wants to think of it as a funny standalone thing (like it is doubly meant to be)

it's essentially them just coming to terms with/mulling over the existence of alternate timelines/dimensions after the events of 06/rivals 2, how that might benefit them in relation to reports they’ve heard about a certain look-alike, and if they should even do anything about it.

if you squint it's like a real subtle prelude to them going out to search for mephiles and ultimately their reunion with second chance metal. in the crazy artist's mind that's what it is, but otherwise it's a silly standalone thing just for fun.

more seriously, this guy's second chance metal's original charge, and i'm slowly piecing together why they just went Missing for so long. because if they were not in fact "missing", metal wouldn't have been so keen to leave his original timeline completely behind. right now the idea is 'it's because they were trying to find mephiles', and they're gone long enough they miss basically all the idw arcs leading up to metal getting ejected from/effectively abandoning the timeline.

so from metal's perspective, they've just been Gone since the events of ~rivals 2. and on that original timeline, it had gone something like sa2 -> battle/heroes -> StH -> 06 -> rivals 2 -> colors/lost world/forces -> idw neo arc -> idw metal virus arc -> frontiers -> [metal's timeline eject] -> [the rest of IDW]

it's also why i'm referring to them as semi-modern for now, because as far as i'm concerned their involvement in canon ends right after 06/rivals 2 (so like, before the mandates started twisting his character and all that).

easiest way to think of them as is like second chance shadow just aged up a couple years. they are essentially the same core character; semi-modern is just what that little guy would have become had he not died/been revived and met a different group of people. semi-modern has team dark, and all the other experience up to rivals 2, though i'm seesawing a bit on whether or not they'd have lost their memory.

so to metal, he'd have a fairly difficult time telling them apart in terms of demeanor (at first), but will come to find semi-modern is a bit more stiff and stern outwardly but still kind and gentle, while second chance is outwardly very gentle but filled with energy/lowkey violence internally.

the shadows will eventually meet (long after semi-modern has found mephiles, who takes to keeping in their literal shadow) and will get along well. metal will appreciate the fact he's been able to reconnect with his original charge, but ultimately recognizes second chance shadow is, like, His, and semi-modern has their own thing going on.

the end goal is kind of like, metal is to second chance shadow what mephiles is to semi-modern shadow. but leaning less in the queerplatonic direction and more the 'weird ancient little sibling' direction.

it'll be far enough into the future that both have their own stories/found families and such, and everything's just how it should be from the perspective of everyone involved. none of this 'oh, now that i have the original back, i want nothing to do with you' business. quite the opposite, in fact; it'll be solid proof (to both of them) that metal's fondness for second chance shadow is genuine, and not because he wishes he were semi-modern.

Phantom Moth AU: A Mario and Rabbids Supernatural Adventure!

Hello. As I'm slowly getting back into writing, my hyperfixated brain has decided to focus on Mario and Rabbids content. Specifically Tom Phan/The Phantom. I knew of him years ago and how my mutuals and dash would bring him up. For Me, Phantom (while minor in comparison to my regular faves) definitely falls into the platonic self-indulgent bestie with benefits. He's the type of character my self insert would be friends with but can understand the appeal and will swoon if he tries anything.

I decided to create an AU for him since I seen a lot of creative AU's on my dash and I wanted to create something for future stories. I ran this by with @hostess-of-horror and I'm kind of surprised what I made up so far. Without further ado, here is the Phantom Moth AU.

How it is going to be made up: it will be on Archive of Our Own and cross-posted on here. While one-shots and the like will be a Reader fic, a multichapter fic would feature an OC as the MC. Couldn't decide between the two, so I did both.

More about the AU under the cut:

Content includes giant monsters, voice/sound powers, people/rabbids getting eaten, secret identities, betrayal, curses, transformations, possible slow burn, hypnotism/siren, bats, and much more!

This has been said to be like a blend of Hunger Games, Beauty and the Beast, and Shrek.

MC (reader/OC) is a gender-neutral small-time performer living in the city. In the world they live in, it is modern like our world in the daytime, but at night, giant monsters are said to roam under the ground or in the shadows.

While MC is not popular per se, they are talked about and they do have a small fanbase. They sing, dance, and even write when they get a chance.

They also have a rabbid oc companion named Otieno (He/Him) who serves as their bodyguard/advisor/agent.

One day, there's a rumor going around about a mysterious idol and performer named Tom Phan who is holding a contest for anyone (human, rabbid, or inbetween) to go on a date with him/perform with him and become a star. MC agrees to go to get the experience, try their shot, and meet new people.

The contestants (once going to a mysterious underground location) sign a contract and each performer goes to their own room, each having a wall in which only one side can see the other.

There are three rounds to the contest: Interview, Audition, and Performance. The first one is a voice (Tom Phan) asking questions and after doing so, the semi=finalists are chosen. The second involves a solo audition in private. Then the last round has the finalists coming out of their rooms and performing a song chosen by the group. Only then will Tom Phan choose his partner.

Two things make this contest complicated. One having to do with the MC. In their past, a jealous rival/bully had cursed them with dark magic, claiming that whatever would make their heart beat rapidly in a romantic sense, that will be the form they take for a limited time. For example, if MC saw a werewolf as a crush, they would either sprout ears and a tail or become half wolf depending on the intensity of the crush. For the most part, MC's curse does not activate as much if at all. When it does, the MC either does not notice or the effect lasts a few days or a week at best.

The second thing lies with Tom Phan. Thomas was once alive with dreams of being a star. However, upon his death, he became The Phantom, a giant ghost Rabbid/Bat with the power of voice and sound at his command and hankering for both love and prey.

Put those two things together and you get this: MC hears a soft yet smooth voice conversing with them and they get interested in getting to know him better. In reality, Tom Phan is going through each contestant's room like a giant cubby hole and using control on his volume. For the first round, he closed his eyes to judge on voice and answers alone. The second part, he did open his eyes and saw each solo audition. Up to this point, MC has not seen Tom Phan and thinks he's either a human or a rabbid.

Lo and behold, the finale begins, the wall opens up, the performers come out. Instead of anything else greeting them, MC sees a giant head with large ears and fangs to match. MC has a thing for giant monsters. Upon seeing Phantom, their body splits in two. The human body falls back asleep while the other part become half ghost.

Although the show must go on, MC freaks out not only because of their crush being a giant ghost bat monster who could devour them if he wants to, but that they are HALF-DEAD.

Meanwhile, the Phantom, seeing the MC that he had high hopes for suddenly becoming part ghost, gets excited, choosing MC as his partner.

The rest of the AU is somewhat of a slow-burn story with the MC coming to terms with the development, using their newfound powers to become a hero, and dealing with the side effects when bonding with a giant monster.

On Phantom's side of things, he not only has to decide whether to keep things as they are with MC or make it so they become a complete ghost monster and they will never leave him.

Monster stuff, monster fighting, sound-based powers, comedy, past histories, and consuming others are blended together to make this AU.

The reason for the name of the AU is because of the ghosts being the subject and MC's main monster form is part butterfly/moth in the beginning.

I'll do more specific information in a separate post. In the meantime, if anyone has any questions, feel free to ask! Thank you.

Prompt (if you’re still taking them)

Drunk Nesta flirting with Cassian🥵🥵🥵

Her asking him out but him telling her that he is taken and she starts crying asking him if he has a girlfriend and he’s like, “a wife actually”. And she starts crying even more and starts being like super adorable and Cassian can’t help but fall in love with her even more

Canon/modern AU, I don’t care, you can choose:D

Make it extra fluffy please🥺

Hi anon! So I definitely took some creative liberty with this one, but the general concept is there! Also, if the person who submitted this is reading, I see you other submission you put in after this one and I will do them, but I’m going to fill some other ones that came in from different people and then circle back to all the drunk Nessian you desire! Also just in general keep the prompts coming guys I’m having so much fun doing this in my spare time and if I haven’t gotten to your prompt yet I will, I’m just going in order I received them!

Now enjoy this Nessian nonsense.

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Cassian was leaning against the bar, both hands bracing himself against the top of it. Because he couldn’t hold himself upright on his own.

Nesta sighed, rolling her eyes as she picked up her own drink. Clearly she needed to start drinking a lot more a lot faster if she was going to deal with Mor and Emerie basically having sex on the dance floor, Feyre sitting on Rhys’ lap in their booth, and Azriel trying to pretend he didn’t know any of them as he attempted to literally melt into the shadows.

“Yes, I do. And he’s very big.” Nesta held herself back from laughing at her own joke.

“I bet I could take him.” Cassian puffed out his chest, knocking a glass onto the already sticky, disgusting, perilous floor. Why Feyre wanted to go here of all places for her birthday, Nesta would never understand. But she was being a good sister. She was trying to be a good sister, at least. And apparently that meant staying in this stupid bar for hours even though Feyre was spending her whole night with Rhys… which she could have done at home. But whatever. Good sister over here.

“I would love to see you try to fight him.”

“Tripple whisky. Neat.” Azriel carefully avoided putting his elbows on the sticky bar top as he waited for his drink. “When am I allowed to go home?”

“You’re not leaving before me,” Nesta scoffed. “If I’m stuck in this ninth circle of hell then we burn together.”

Azriel raised his glass to her sentiment, eyes sliding over to the ridiculous sight of his massive brother hiccuping.

“Is this him?” Cassian tried to straighten himself up, swaying on his feet a bit. “He’s not that big.”

Vodka soda came out of Nesta’s nose.

“Excuse me?” Azriel turned to his brother with a raised eyebrow.

“He’s so drunk he doesn’t remember his own name.” Nesta informed him. Or hers, apparently. Or Azriel’s. How that was even possible, Nesta didn’t know.

“Clearly.” Azriel rolled his eyes. Knocked back his whiskey and slammed it on the bar top. “I’m leaving.”

“I’ll kill you if you abandon me here, Azriel.” As the only semi sober member of their group, Nesta was not about to lose him without a fight.

“I’ll take death over another minute in this place.”

“What a dick,” Cassian snorted from her side. “You’re dating a dick.”

Azriel’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, understanding dawning on his face. “Yeah,” he smirked at Nesta. “Yeah she is.”

Cassian’s face screwed up in confusion as Azriel made his quick escape.

“You are so beautiful,” Cassian sighed, bleary eyes straining to bring her into focus. “Like seriously, insanely, see it once in a lifetime kind of beautiful. And you seem smart. And your voice is sexy as hell. You deserve better.” He said.

“Yeah,” Nesta rolled her eyes. “I deserve better than having to drag a drunk off his ass brute back to our apartment, but here I am. Let’s go, Cass.”

Cassian blinked, confused. “Oh my god!” His eyes went wide and dumb. “It’s me! I’m your boyfriend!”

“You solved the mystery Sherlock.”

“Wow you really do deserve better.” He ran a hand down his face and stumbled a little.

“You make up for it when you’re sober,” Nesta smiled a little. “And when you tell me how once in a lifetime beautiful I am.”

“You are!” Cassian excitedly threw his arm around her shoulder, squeezed her tight to his chest. “I love you,” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m sorry I forgot how much I love you for a minute there. Feyre made me do shots. Lots of shots.”

“I love you too, dumbass.”

late night at the local convenience store (elriel)

summary: elain, desperate for snacks, visits her local store late at night and bumps into her supposed rival (and he's hot).

prompt: esteemed rival chefs find each other shamefully buying ramen at 3 in the morning AU

word count: 1985

note: welcome to the first july upload! this piece was written for a writing month challenge and i had great fun with it! i'm really excited for the other pieces i'll be posting over the next month. i hope you enjoy them as much as i enjoyed writing them! i'll continue working on other pieces over the month too, so there will be more coming after july (hopefully i can finally finish part 2 of both a storm and a summer's day).

in the meantime, hope you enjoy!

lily (tysm for 760 followers btw! love you all <3)

read here on ao3 // masterlist

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Archeron’s Kitchen was the most popular restaurant in Velaris. It had the best food, the best drinks, the best atmosphere, and Elain had never been more proud to say that she was the Head Chef. It had taken years of hard work from both her and her two sisters to reach the level they were at now and they only continued to grow. The sisters worked closely together: Nesta (the eldest) directed the finance and other admin, Feyre (the youngest) worked on the design aspects and managed the staff and Elain manned the menus and the actual cooking. They worked well together, with only minor disagreements happening occasionally, and soon they had rocketed to the most well known and sought after restaurant in Velaris.

This was why she was contemplating her life choices as she pulled up to the local convenience store to buy ramen at 3 am. It wasn’t even the nice ramen; it was the crappy 50p packet of ramen that took less than a minute to cook. She often tried to utilise her skills to cook herself the healthiest and tastiest meals but recently she had been working overtime due to another restaurant's rising popularity. The two staff had even formed some sort of rivalry, trash-talking each other in the streets and slandering the other restaurant to their patrons. She found it childish, so Elain didn’t partake, but she did find it mildly amusing. The new restaurant was several streets over and it was the opposite of Archeron’s Kitchen in every way. Where they were warm and cosy, Starfall was sleek and modern. Where they focused on comfort foods, Starfall served new and innovative dishes. People went to the Archeron’s for the food, whereas people went to Starfall for the experience. And where the Archeron’s Kitchen was run by three sisters, Starfall was run by three brothers.

She had never actually met them. She knew their names and what they looked like but in terms of interactions she had only caught a glimpse of two of them once before. They had stood in the main square with Feyre and Nesta arguing about the importance of serving classic food. Her sisters had both come away grumbling about ‘upstart assholes with no sense of tradition’. As far as Elain was aware, the two brothers they had argued with weren’t actually in charge of the menu, making her unsure if they had full authority over the subject, but she didn’t want to start them off again so she refrained from mentioning it.

Elain pulled into an empty parking space and took a moment to lay her head against the headrest and close her eyes. She was tired and hungry. There was no food in the fridge, her bank account was looking quite sorry for itself and she still had more menus to plan and ideas for new dishes to brainstorm. Steeling herself, she hauled herself out of the car and locked it as she walked to the bright light of the store. She pulled the hood of the tattered sweatshirt she wore over her head as a precaution against recognition. With the status of a semi-famous chef, she didn’t want anyone to see her in the somewhat pitiful state she was in. The bell rang as she pushed open the door, signalling her entrance. The bright flickering lights and cool temperature made it feel like she was entering a separate dimension, one that lacked all sense of time and direction. Elain nodded at the cashier as she walked past them, making a beeline to the snacks aisle. She was greeted by a wide range of ramen, the different flavours and prices making it difficult to choose. She had about £1.50 in her purse and she desperately wanted a coffee too so she would have to be frugal. She was so engrossed with her ramen selection that she failed to notice a person coming up beside her. When she swivelled around to check the time on the obscenely large digital clock above the checkout, she crashed into them hard, causing her, them and the copious amounts of ramen they had piled in their arms to go flying to the floor.

Elain let out a yelp as she landed hard on her tailbone and felt her face heat up.

“I am so sorry!”

A deep, warm chuckle floated toward her and her head snapped up to look at its source. She found hazel eyes staring back. A large man with tan skin and dark hair sat in front of her, surrounded by many colourful packets of ramen. Her heart fluttered slightly as he smiled at her. He was handsome, even in this shitty convenience store lighting at 3 am dressed in similar attire to her.

“Don’t worry about it. I should have been paying more attention. Are you okay?”

She nodded before sitting up fully and helped to gather the ramen that lay around them. He smiled at her gratefully and they sat in content if not slightly awkward silence as they pulled the packets into a pile before finally rising. As she looked closer at him, a spark of recognition kindled within her.

“Do I know you?”

He looked at her curiously, tilting his head.

“I’m not sure but you do look familiar.”

They stood analysing each other. Normally the staring would make her uncomfortable, but with him, she found it didn’t bother her nearly as much as it should have. This went on for about a minute before she saw realisation set into his eyes.

“You’re Elain Archeron. The Head Chef for Archeron’s Kitchen. Why are you buying shitty ramen at 3 am? Shouldn’t you have made yourself a three-course meal by now?”

Elain felt something drop inside her. She hadn’t noticed that her hood had fallen off when she fell, exposing her and her shameful ramen buying to the whole world. But as he laughed softly, she remembered where she recognised him from.

She scowled at him as she said, “ Well you’re Azriel Knight, Starfall’s Head Chef, so you can’t exactly talk.”

She gestured to the stack of ramen that she had just helped pile into his arms. He turned away slightly as if to hide them.

“My stash had run out, okay. I need it to keep me going when I stay up late planning dishes.”

“I get that. That’s why I’m here right now.” She replied and a mutual understanding passed between them.

Elain knew she shouldn’t be talking to him right now, the reminders of the supposed rivalry between the two restaurants loomed like a shadow behind her. But the longer they spent together, the more she found herself not caring.

“I feel like we should be arguing,” He told her. “If my brothers were here, they would have been kicked out for yelling by now.”

She smiled, “Same for my sisters. But I’ve never really cared to be honest. I just want to focus on the food, not a silly competition that people seem to be taking too seriously.”

He nodded in agreement and they both began to walk to the cashier.

“So, what kind of dishes are you planning then?” She asked. “I promise I won’t steal any ideas. It’s not my style anyway.”

“I”m not a hundred percent sure on the actual contents of the dish right now, but I’m currently trying to create a more experimental menu. We recently unveiled a new line of drinks that have a more theatrical element to them. Colour changing, dry ice, bubbling, the whole shebang and I wanted to design a food menu that went along with that.”

He turned away from her to pay the cashier, giving her a moment to turn over his words in her head. She’d gotten a glimpse at some of the drinks and food from when she had taken a look at (read: stalked) their website and various social media sites. She had called it ‘scouting out the competition' when really she was curious to see what had set them apart enough for them to have such a rise in patronage. Whilst it wasn’t her style, she had always thought that she’d like to visit them and try what they had to offer. That was until the stupid rivalry had started and just walking by the restaurant was asking for trouble. Azriel finished paying and grabbed the plastic bag the cashier had placed his ramen in, moving out of the way so she could step up to the counter.

“That sounds amazing!” She replied. ‘I admit, I’ve always wanted to try some of your food but unfortunately, my sister’s might disown me if I even mention it. Calling them over-competitive would be the understatement of the century.”

He laughed at this and she took the opportunity to turn away and press the 50p coin into the cashier's hand. They nodded at her, satisfied and she turned back to Azriel. Together, they walked out of the door and into the cool night.

“I’d say you should stop by, but as you said, our siblings may not be too happy about that.” He let out a sigh. “As much as it amused me at first, I do wish we could just get along. I’d like to come and try some of your food too.”

He swivelled towards her, the white light from the store casting his face into shadows.

“I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but would you like to grab some coffee?”

She smiled at him, shoving the packet of ramen into her hoodie pocket.

“I’d love to. And maybe in the future, we could make some of our food for each other.”

He raised an eyebrow at that. “Like a date?”

She felt dread trickle in. Maybe she had misread the situation. They seemed to have been getting on well, and she had caught him checking her out when they first bumped into each other. Plus, he had just asked her to grab coffee with him. Perhaps he was just being friendly.

She swallowed anxiously before replying, “Yeah. If that’s something you’d be interested in.”

He smiled at her brightly, making her heart stutter and skip a beat.

“I’d like that.”

They stood under the streetlamps in an almost abandoned parking lot. Two head chef’s from popular restaurants with bad ramen and a budding connection between them.

“What are you feeling? Starbucks or maybe that local coffee shop down the street? I think it’s called Veritas?”

Elain hummed as they started walking along the road.

“Veritas, I think. I can get a cup of tea for a pound.” She reached into her pocket to show him her single coin.

For the second time that evening (or was it morning?), he raised an eyebrow at her. “I thought I was buying?”

She glanced at him in confusion. “Since when?”

“I thought since I had asked you it was implied?”

She let out a laugh, shaking her head. “My god, we are bad at this. I think we need to get out of the kitchen more.”

“I’m not sure about that, I’ve got plenty of pick up lines I've stolen from my chefs.” He stepped in front of her, stopping her in her path. “Baby, you’re the crème to my brûlée.”

She groaned, hitting him on the arm as she pushed past him. “That was so bad! I might leave.”

“As if you could do better.”

She pulled out her phone, searching up ‘chef pick up lines’. She grimaced, “These are all so sexual! I think it might be best if we keep flirting out of the kitchen.”

They both doubled over in fits of laughter before continuing down the street. She was glad she gave in to her cravings and went to buy ramen at 3 am. She could tell that whatever this was, it was going to turn into something great.

*******************************

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Hi sunflower, what's your thoughts on T Swift's Betty being a catradora song???

Me, taking a break from spop to focus on my mental health and setting better boundaries:

Me, reading this ask:

This ask woke me up from like a deep, sleeping beauty type slumber, not joking. I don’t get asked to talk about Taylor Swift often, despite being a fan of hers since I was nine years old (I’m 22 now *wink*) and we are about to find out why. But I pride myself on taking any fiction piece of media I interact with and connecting it somehow to Taylor Swift. I can do so to varying degrees of success (usually depends on the ships and romance of the world) but there are so many songs of Taylor’s that have just fit Catradora so well for me, both in and out of canon. 

Some of my favorite examples: out of the woods (AND IT KEPT ME UP AT NIGHT WHEN NOELLE SAID THIS WAS HER TAYLOR SWIFT SONG FOR CATRADORA LIKE GAH CASUAL TS LISTENERS WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND) bad blood, lwymd, don’t blame, dancing with our hands tied, the archer, breathe, you’re not sorry, the way I loved you, forever & always, should’ve said no, safe & sound- I could go on.

But I won’t because I wanna stay on topic and talk about betty. Now I have a number of songs from the folklore/evermore series that are for me catradora songs (we’ll get to that in a minute) but this one is… challenging. Because I could be like “yes, because [insert casual reason here]” or “no, because [insert casual reason here]” but I can’t because Taylor feeds her children well and there’s several aspects of this song I feel like should be considered.

This biggest one to be considered, for me, is the love triangle aspect. Folklore features at length the betty/james/Augustine love triangle, each of them having one main song on the album from their POV. Betty's is cardigan, augustine’s is august, and james’ is betty. (also I’m going to throw out the gender component for a second; I know taylor says that Betty is about a guy’s apology and I totally vibe with her reasons why she wanted to write a song about a boy apologizing BECAUSE HOW GREAT WOULD THAT BE?) The love triangle makes the application of Catradora iffy at best. Because it’s like, who would be who? I am going to go out on a limb and assume that you’re seeing Catra as James? I think that personality wise, Adora as Betty and Catra as James is not a stone’s throw away from fitting actually really well. Adora’s canon journey is one of coming to realize “I know what I want and I know that it’s okay to want it�� and a big part of Catra’s arc is her being like “Well shit… there goes my plans. Kind of feeling like a dumbass rn” especially in s4/s5. 

(That s4/s5 distinction is important; I’ll show why in a second) 

But for me, there’s no augustine. Or one that’s obvious anyway. I never imagined that either Catra or Adora dated or even had any inclinations with anyone else during the five season run- that’s just my personal opinion, people are completely welcome to feel free to disagree. I don’t think Catra acted even out of distraction with Scorpia or DT, and I think Adora was so focused on being She Ra that when she wasn’t thinking about failing/abandoning Catra when she alloted time to do so, she was thinking about the crushing weight of her responsibilities. So you know, not that much time to get back out there. So I rule out what causes James to apologize in the first place- cheating.

Side note about James cheating- I’m pretty sure Taylor confirmed this, in the long pond studio sessions doc, when she’s telling Jack Antonoff (MY BOY JACK) and Aaron Dessner ( GRAMMY AWARD WINNING KING) that James “was a fool!” And James did sleep with Augustine as confirmed in august, but cardigan makes it seem like he was definitely dating Betty before the summer. Maybe Taylor took inspiration from friends and they “were on break.” I also believe that the kiss in the Heart is the first kiss, that Catra and Adora were never ‘together’ together before Adora found the sword and defected (again, that’s just an opinion, but Adora just looks so wonderfully gobsmacked), so…

We can rule out cheating, and I think we can accomplish this and still reserve the essential meaning of the song of “I did something wrong, I see that now, I apologize for doing it, and I still love you” by widening the lens of what the “did something wrong” was (or “did something bad” you know *wink*). In that wider lens really you could fit either Catra or Adora into the song, but I’m still going to assume Catra is the James in this scenario based on how much of her redemption arc is formed around her refusal to say sorry and then eventually doing so. Of course there is no standing your porchlight but rather standing while wrestling a bunch of murderous clones…. Hmm….

But there are some stupid friends! I wholeheartedly believe Catra is James because of the dissing of Betty’s friends. That’s what Catra does to Bow, Glimmer and the rebellion et al., for most of the show and by the end of s4 she has no friends for Adora to even mock (terrible and cruel of me, I know, but it’s true). Also I know people are like “he called her friends stupid and then expected betty to take him back?” but I scream sing the line “WILL YOU KISS ME ON THE PORCH IN FRONT OF ALL YOUR STUPID FRIENDS?” every time. It brings me serotonin. 

Along those lines we can ask “Who’s Inez?” in this situation. When I think gossip no one from the show really comes to mind, well, expect for Double Trouble. But Double Trouble doesn’t ever speak to Adora about Catra. This happens vice-versa, and in Betty, James reveals that Inez told Betty he cheated on her. 

I want to say something controversial… Glimmer comes to mind when I think “who’s the Inez?” And this is based off of two things: 1) Inez’s closeness to Betty, and 2) Inez drags James out to dry, rightfully so. And when I think of that I think of Glimmer screaming “Do one good thing in your life!” directly in Catra’s face. James gives Inez a bad wrap in Betty. Not cool James. 

Of course there’s the pivotal, “would you tell me to go fuck myself?/ or lead me to the garden?” To me this a fun way of showing there’s vulnerability to what James is doing, so automatically I’m led to is the scene where Catra asks Adora to stay, or each time in s5 when Catra risks, basically an identity crisis to let Adora in how she really feels, but there’s always the potential that Adora could spurn her by not returning her feelings or rejecting her outright. 

I think the best argument that can be made for “is betty a catradora song” can really be encapsulated by the lyric(s): “the worst thing that I ever did is what I did to you” and “the only thing I wanna do is make it up to you.” That is what about the song SCREAMS Catra to me. And yeah, it could be argued that Adora hurt Catra pretty brutally (Shadow Weaver makes that point EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD NO RIGHT TO) that she messed up by abandoning Catra- but Adora feels guilt for... literally breathing. Adora is the quintessential embodiment of “pick your battles, no that’s too many battles, put some back,” but Catra picked one battle first and foremost (yes, she had a few others but this was the one) and that was Adora. Everything that motivated her was surrounded around a narrative of surpassing Adora for a multitude of reasons, and because of that she pretty much hurts Adora every chance she gets after Promise. Adora is really Catra’s first casualty, it makes sense that she has to be her first apology. And I think that after being vibed checked back to back by DT and Glimmer and realizing “oh hey fuck, I’m still in love with her” and then almost dying just to not die because Adora saves her, I think much of Catra’s motivation shifts to “how to do I get Adora to want to stay?” 

That’s my logic for how Betty could be a catradora song in canon. Now not all of my Taylor associations are with canon catradora, many of them do belong to uws catradora, because it’s a lot easier to apply the more modern details of Taylor’s songs to a modern au. The song Breathe is big that way. (it’s in Upper West Side, it’s the song Adora listens to and cries to after that first ride, I just never mentioned that it was taylor because my conditioned reaction to bringing up taylor is to have my head bit off with someone’s semi incorrect and slightly sexist opinion that I never, ever ask for) And this ask got me thinking about what it would look like if I applied not Catradora to Betty, but Betty to Catradora. What would it look like if Catra skateboarded and wore black lipstick, Adora wore a cardigan and they had homeroom together until Catra really messed up? What would it look like if they were seventeen when they admitted their feelings for each other instead of 21? What would it look like if they spent a summer fighting but dreaming of each other? What would their love story look like if Catra and Adora were in that town where Taylor envisioned this “same event that affected three people in different ways?”

I think it’d look something like this. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31141973/chapters/76952048

what do you guys think?

quick but INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT thank you to @gimme-tea-bitch for helping me with this, being my beta, and listening to me talk about folklore/evermore.

ON NICO’S CANON DIVERGENCE....

so while writing up nico’s bio and about page, i realized how much i changed around in his life and personality from the books, etc. when it comes to little things that at least in my interpretation significantly shape nico as a person. SO this is basically a list of things that i’ve changed or brought more attention to. feel free to read it if you’d like, i’m going to link this on his about page for reference, but it’s also terrifyingly long so by no means feel obligated to read it. it’s split into five sections-- nico’s timeline, nico’s motivations, nico’s fears, nico’s powers, and the rules of mythomagic.  see tags for triggers. 

i’ve also put it under a read more because it’s so freakin long. oops. 

NICO’S NEGLECTED TIMELINE.

i. CHILDHOOD IN ITALY and AMERICA : nico is italian. he grew up in italy. his first language is italian. until he was about nine years old, he lived in italy with his mother and bianca, and hades was actually a semi-present person in his life in his very young years at least. he gets his memories wiped in the river lethe, though some things seem to have remained. the fact that hades has nico and bianca’s memories wiped really, REALLY upsets nico when he finds out what’s happened, and threatens his relationship to hades severely. especially when he finds out what happened to maria ( aka zeus killed her when he was trying to kill bianca and nico, and hades was unable to save both maria and his children ), it becomes incredibly important to him to find a way to remember as much as he can about his history, or at least learn about it. hades fills in some of the gaps, and a fair chunk of his memories are restored, and the rest is partially filled in by doing old fashioned research. discovering more about his family and reconnecting himself to his italian roots is incredibly important to nico-- he’s lost his mother and bianca already at this point, so this is the closest he can get to feeling close to them again. 

ii. TIME IN THE LABYRINTH : nico learns a lot in the labyrinth from king minos, and that’s kind of the problem. nico is a really, really young kid at this point ( bianca died at i think 12 years old, so nico is probably in the 10-11 years old range at the time. rick’s given some conflicting reports about nico’s specific age, which makes it really hard to figure out exactly how old he is. we just know he’s the same age as will solace in modern time-- in my canon, nico is 12ish. see my post about his timeline here. ) and all of a sudden he finds himself lost in the labyrinth where his only guide is minos. that’s it. no one else. minos teaches him how to shadow travel, and nico’s pretty much locked in the labyrinth with nothing else to do but work on understanding and strengthening his powers. by the time he’s reunited with percy in daedalus’ workshop, his powers are pretty strong. he’s able to create enough of a distraction that they can escape kronos briefly, so he’s pretty powerful even for a kid his age. 

the time in the labyrinth is critical to his growth, but also really disturbing. minos encourages nico’s obsession with strengthening his powers, and that mentality really sticks with nico for an uncomfortably long time after he’s left the labyrinth. he then makes the choice to go back into the labyrinth multiple times. the fact that he’s more comfortable wandering around the labyrinth than staying at camp speaks volumes about who nico is as a person, and can’t be emphasized enough in its importance when it comes to the growth of nico’s powers and the increase in his desire for isolation. 

iii. TIME IN TARTARUS : long story short, nico’s time in tartarus fucks him up. a constant barrage of psychological, mental, and emotional torment knocks him back to a point where he’s just about lost his mind completely by the time he’s captured and removed from tartarus. in my version of nico, at least, he’s barely got a grasp on who he is by the time gaea’s forces catch him. his time in tartarus drags all of his bad memories and losses right up to the front of his mind, and he really goes above and beyond the extreme to stay alive. the greatly debated timeline of events for the pjo/hoo series says that nico is in tartarus for about twelve days before being put in the jar for three. however, i disagree with this estimate strongly. percy and annabeth are trapped in tartarus for eighteen days according to the timeline, and while yes, them being in tartarus together rather than alone allows them to keep their sanity longer than it would if they were just on their own, it’s stated that as a child of hades, nico is probably more resilient when it comes to the effects of tartarus. we also know from his interaction with akhlys that some of tartarus’ “foes” don’t have as much of an effect on nico as they do on others. akhlys says there’s not much she can do to him when she meets him, because he’s already so miserable, her powers are limited in their usefulness. so my guess is that nico was in there for about a month or so before being removed by gaea’s sons and placed in the bronze jar. but point is that nico’s time in tartarus is wildly disturbing and contributes to a lot of his fears, which are touched on below. nico’s time in tartarus is central to who he is as a character the way i write him, and while he hates talking about it, it’s something he thinks about a lot everyday. 

NICO’S MOTIVATIONS.

i. TRAUMA OVER LOSING BIANCA : i haven’t changed much from canon for this but i will say this one thing-- bianca was the last person for years to say that she loved nico. no one told him, no one said anything, no one expressed that they really truly cared about him for a disturbingly long time. i touch on how this impacts nico’s feelings towards percy below but in my interpretation, nico kind of just.... forgets that people can/do love him. at least in my verse of things, probably the first person that’s told him that they love him since before bianca died was will solace, and the realization that since bianca, there hasn’t been a single person alive that loved him really seriously rattles and damages him. it’s bittersweet being told that people love him, because while it’s important to him, it’s also jarring to look back and think that for a long time, no one did at all. 

ii. FEELINGS FOR PERCY : yes, a lot of nico’s actions are driven by his complicated feelings for percy. rick definitely touched on that a lot more in the later books after we find out that nico is gay, and we saw a lot of reasoning for nico’s actions come into focus in this new lens when it came to looking at who nico is as a person. there’s the really great ( for showing nico’s feelings, the scene itself is horrific and terrible ) scene in house of hades that i’m gonna quote even though it’s long, but--

     Images flashed through [ Jason’s ] mind. He saw Nico and his sister on a snowy cliff in Maine, Percy Jackson protecting them from a manticore. Percy’s sword gleamed in the dark. He’d been the first demigod Nico had ever seen in action.       Later, at Camp Half-Blood, Percy took Nico by the arm, promising to keep his sister Bianca safe. Nico believed him. Nico looked into his sea-green eyes and thought, How can he possibly fail? This is a real hero. He was Nico’s favorite game, Mythomagic, brought to life.       Jason saw the moment when Percy returned and told Nico that Bianca was dead. Nico had screamed and called him a liar. He’d felt betrayed, but still... when the skeleton warriors attacked, he couldn’t let them harm Percy. Nico had called on the earth to swallow them up, and then he’d run away-- terrified of his own powers, and his own emotions.

- The House of Hades

we can see really clearly nico’s crush on percy forming during even his earliest interactions with percy, and while i strongly disagree that nico understood his feelings when he first ran from camp ( see below section about nico’s sexuality ), he does come to understand them later on, and responds to those feelings by avoiding getting emotionally attached or reliant on anyone, including the rest of campers at chb, the main gang, etc. it’s true that his feelings for percy dictate a lot of his actions, both in service of percy’s causes and in relation to how he acts around percy and those close to him ( like annabeth ). however, i cannot stress enough that NONE OF NICO’S ACTIONS IN MY VERSION OF HIM ARE DRIVEN BY HIS DESIRE TO GET PERCY TO LOVE HIM BACK. canon says these are his motivations outright with the quote : 

“An idea came to him-- possibly the stupidest, craziest idea he’d had since he thought, hey, I’ll get Percy to swim in the River Styx! He’ll love me for that!” 

- The Blood of Olympus

i think this does nico a huge disservice. while yes, i maintain that nico’s feelings for percy influenced a lot of his behavior and played a major role in his actions, none of the things he did were done with the hopes of getting percy to love him back. nico is mad at percy and blames him for bianca’s death-- he’s not going to be trying to show percy that he’s worth loving. he’s got nothing to make up for or prove. him trying to show off repeatedly by nearly killing himself on multiple occasions overexerting himself while using his powers to help or protect percy-- getting percy to bathe in the river styx, coming to his aid at multiple battles, trying to save him from falling into tartarus-- don’t scream “please love me back” to me. 

in fact, i think it’s really fucked up to put that on nico and his relationship to percy. i’ll probably do a whole meta on this at some point too because i’m really mad about this in the books but the way that rick set up nico’s relation to percy with him trying to get percy to love him back is so wildly unhealthy that it’s disturbing. no. it weakens nico as a person and as a character and makes him seem pathetic, just sadly trailing along after percy and doing whatever percy wants / needs because he just wants him to like him back. nope. i ain’t playin this shit, and let me tell you what the better narrative is-- 

people do crazy things to protect the people that they love, and nico’s reasoning for all of the crazy stuff he did to protect percy was based on his feelings for him and wanting to keep him safe, even if he is with someone else. that doesn’t stop him from being jealous and even a little resentful of percy’s relationship with annabeth, but he’s not running around trying to get rid of annabeth so he can win percy. that’s not who he is, and that’s never been who he is. so again, i’m gonna stress that nico is NOT motivated by his desire to get percy to love him back, but rather by the fact that he loves percy enough to put his life and safety on the line for him. 

iii. ANXIETY : my version of nico focuses A LOT on anxiety. nico’s life has, to put it simply, been a nightmare and a half, which ultimately leads to him having a lot of issues with things like self image, his ability to connect with other people, etc. so my version of nico really runs with that, especially in just his day-to-day life. 

now, he’s clearly fucking around in this scene, but--

     “Nico,” I said at last, “shouldn’t you be sitting at the Hades table?”      He shrugged. “Technically, yes. But if I sit alone at my table, strange things happen. Cracks open in the floor. Zombies crawl out and start roaming around. It’s a mood disorder. I can’t control it. That’s what I told Chiron.”      “And is it true?” I asked.       Nico smiled thinly. “I have a note from my doctor.”       Will raised his hand. “I’m his doctor.”

- The Hidden Oracle

now this is a cute giggle scene that i’ll call back to in the next section for other reasons, but nico has up to this point been a hardcore loner. being at camp and around other campers has consistently made him uncomfortable up until blood of olympus, so him making not just a little effort but a whole thing out of it so he doesn’t have to sit alone is what i’m focused on, and why the thought of people disliking him, etc. fuels a lot of his behavior. he’s working on getting over it in the hidden oracle, but he’s still got a long way to go. 

in my version of nico, his anxiety is more heavily connected to his phobikinesis, aka his ability to radiate the feelings of fear and death, which is something he inherited from hades. nico frequently uses this in battle as we see, but in just normal life, it shows up a lot more. one of nico’s powers basically lets him kill plant life around him, but when he is especially anxious, angry, or upset, the same happens. a large chunk of people being freaked out by him in the earlier days is because he’s, well, the son of hades, but it’s also his own anxieties getting literally projected onto other people, who then show the same discomfort he’s afraid of them showing. while he’s clearly using this as an excuse to get what he wants in the hidden oracle segment, it is a genuine problem for him, and i don’t think chiron would’ve allowed it if he thought nico was just fucking around. there’s something real behind it that i don’t think we should ignore, so for my version of nico, at least, it’s very real and has seriously changed his life because of how people see him and behave around him. 

nico’s anxiety plays into some of his other powers as well. i touch on this later with nico’s “mood disorder”, as he calls it, which he uses to get it so chiron will let him sit at the apollo table during meals, but nico is able to kill things around him with pure anxiety. in house of hades--

     Nico braced himself against a column, his legs trembling visibly.      “Hey, man...” Jason stepped toward him, but Nico waved him off.      At Nico’s feet, the grass turned brown and wilted. The dead patch spread outward, as if poison were seeping from the soles of his shoes.

- The House of Hades

i talk more about this scene later on when it comes to nico’s fears, but nico’s nervousness, shame, sadness, anger, and fear are all connected to how this power manifests itself, and it’s a serious problem for him that he’s never really had to get under control until he starts spending time with more people, i.e. after blood of olympus.

iv. JEALOUSY : i’m not going to expand on this much but nico is a wildly jealous person, which we see multiple times throughout the series. he’s petty and jealous, that’s about it. i don’t think it gets emphasized enough that he feels these emotions, especially as strongly as he does.

NICO’S WORST FEARS.

i. THE DARK : nico spent a disturbingly long amount of time in tartarus. as a child of hades, he claims that darkness never bothered him before-- 

“I am the son of Hades. I go where I wish. The darkness is my birthright.”

- The Blood of Olympus

--but i disagree when he says this doesn’t bother him at all. not only is nico an incredibly proud individual, he’s kind of an Extra kid that puts on a tough face whenever he feels even vaguely doubted or threatened. he could easily just be bullshitting here so he can do what he wants rather than admitting he’s afraid. my interpretation of nico’s fear of the dark comes initially from the lines--

This did not seem to reassure Nico.  “I don’t like being in the dark,” he muttered.  An odd complaint for a child of Hades, but I understood...

- The Hidden Oracle

while he’s admittedly not talking specifically about nico’s fear of the dark, the fact that apollo finds it weird for a child of hades to complain about the dark when nico said literally one book ago that the darkness is his “birthright” sparked the idea. especially when it comes to not just nico’s time in tartarus, but the time he was trapped in the jar by gaea’s sons, it’s not an illogical conclusion to say that he has at least an acute phobia of the dark. 

ii. CONFINED SPACES : like his fear of the dark, nico’s fear of confined spaces comes from his time in the bronze jar. once he’s captured by gaea’s forces, they drop him in the jar and take him out of tartarus. he’s got limited oxygen in there and needs to go into a death trance just to keep himself alive. at this point, he’s been in the dark for so long, being trapped in pretty much complete darkness in a closed space where he’s slowly running out of oxygen isn’t exactly relaxing, especially after he’s been stumbling around in tartarus and then captured. this basically just means that he gets antsy in closed spaces and big crowds where he doesn’t have his own personal space. he likes hades cabin because he’s usually the only one there, and he can keep it however he wants. i fully believe that after returning to and deciding to officially stay at camp, he gets a little more light in there, changes up his little coffin bed, and keeps lights on at pretty much all times, even if it’s just greek fire or something. complete darkness is something nico only does when it comes to shadow travel. 

iii. HIS SEXUALITY / BEING OUTED : cupid pretty much making nico admit that he’s gay in front of jason nearly breaks nico. we see him when he’s trying to still keep his feelings for percy private, he goes so far to try and keep that to himself. we also need to consider how angry/upset nico gets when cupid tries to out him. i mentioned him killing the grass in my section about nico’s anxiety, but nico shows off the full force of his power. i’m gonna quote a few chunks of this part from house of hades, but--

     “Nico,” [ Jason ] called, “what does this guy want from you?”      ‘Tell him, Nico di Angelo,’ Cupid said. ‘Tell him the real reason you ran from Camp Half-Blood, and why you are always alone.’      Nico let loose a guttural scream. The ground at his feet split open and skeletons crawled forth-- dead Romans with missing hands and caved-in skulls, cracked ribs, and jaws unhinged [ ... ]      ‘Will you hide among the dead, as you always do?’ Cupid taunted.       Waves of darkness rolled off the son of Hades. When they hit Jason, he almost lost consciousness-- overwhelmed by hatred and fear and shame...

- House of Hades

nico legit summons a mini army of the dead to attack cupid so he can try to avoid admitting he’s in love with percy ( or was, he claims that he’s over it later in the chapter, but personally i don’t think it is ), and if that ain’t an overreaction to someone trying to get you to admit you’ve got a crush, i don’t know what is. then, when we get to the part where nico ACTUALLY admits it, he’s overwhelmed with a wide variety of negative emotions. one more time--

     'Stop hiding,’ Cupid said [ ... ] ‘You do not have the strength.’      “Nico,” Jason managed to say, “it’s okay. I get it.”      Nico glanced over, pain and misery washing across his face.      “No, you don’t,” he said. “There’s no way you can understand.”      ‘And so you run away again,’ Cupid chihded. ‘From your friends, from yourself.’      “I don’t have friends!” Nico yelled. “I left Camp Half-Blood because I didn’t belong! I’ll never belong!”

[ ... ] Nico’s voice was like broken glass. “I--I wasn’t in love with Annabeth.”      “You were jealous of her,” Jason said. “That’s why you didn’t want to be around her. Especially why you didn’t want to be around... him. It makes total sense.”      All the fight and denial seemed to go out of Nico at once. The darkness subsided. The Roman dead collapsed into bones and crumbled to dust.      “I hated myself,” Nico said. “I hated Percy Jackson.”

[ ... ]

“I had a crush on Percy,” Nico spat. “That’s the truth. That’s the big secret.”  He glared at Cupid. “Happy now?”

- The House of Hades

he’s embarrassed, and ashamed, and when jason tells him it’s fine, he snaps at him-- 

"Just who I am... Easy for you to say. [ ... ] The only person who ever accepted me was Bianca, and she died! I didn't choose any of this. My father, my feelings..."

i fully believe that part of nico’s fear of coming out is based on the era he was raised in as a child. it’s not clear ( though it’s at least somewhat implied in the above lines ) that he ever got a chance to come out to bianca, but i don’t think he did. while nico’s friends are all cool with it when he does come out to them, the 1930s-1940s were a tense time with the rise of italian fascism and the lead up to world war ii, but all in all, it didn’t create a super safe environment for nico to even consider his sexuality in. especially once italy allied itself with nazi germany, nico’s sexuality would’ve been not only something he considered shameful, but something that he could’ve gotten killed for under the mussolini regime in italy. though he and his family left italy in the 1940s and came to america, at that point, the mentality had sunk in. not everyone struggling with understanding their sexuality knows from a very young age that they’re not straight, and i think that nico would be discouraged from even beginning to understand that side of himself until after bianca died. having missed that opportunity to come out to his family ( with the exception of hades, who’s just kinda “i’m fine with it as long as you stop talking to me about percy jackson and how cool he is” about it ) made him reluctant to share his secret with anyone else, especially when he’s been raised in an environment where that was shameful. one more quote from house of hades, but-- 

     Nico [ ... ] regarded Jason, as if waiting for an attack. “If the others found out--”      “If the others found out,” Jason said, “you’d have that many more people to back you up [ ... ].”      Nico scowled. Jason still felt the resentment and anger rippling off of him.  [ ... ]      “I don’t feel that way anymore,” Nico muttered. “I mean, I gave up on Percy. I was young and impressionable, and I-- I don’t...”      His voice cracked, and Jason could tell the guy was about to get teary-eyed. Whether Nico had really given up on Percy or not, Jason couldn’t imagine what it had been like for Nico all those years, keeping a secret that would’ve been unthinkable to share in the 1940s, denying who he was, feeling completely alone-- even more isolated than other demigods.

- The House of Hades

nico panics and almost bursts into tears at the thought of jason telling anyone. jason ultimately keeps his secret until nico’s ready to come out ( though it’s my firm belief that nico doesn’t come out to more than a few people; see below ), but nico lives in constant fear of being outed until, at least, he admits to percy that he had a crush on him, which he eventually does in blood of olympus. ( you can read my full analysis of this scene here )

but that’s a huge detour from why i’m talking about this. my main point is that nico’s fear of coming out is centered widely around his own self-consciousness when it comes to the subject and the mindset in which he was raised. it’s not until jason supporting him ( and keeping his secret until he was ready to talk about it to others ) and meeting will solace that he actually becomes more secure with this part of his identity, though he’s still not entirely comfortable with it. i’ve harped on this a lot, and i’ll move on soon, but nico’s discomfort-- 

     Will turned to me. “I apologize for my boyfriend.”      Nico rolled his eyes. “Could you not--”      “Would you prefer special guy?” Will asked. “Or significant other?”      “Significant annoyance, in your case,” Nico grumbled.      “Oh, I’ll get you for that.”      Meg wiped her dripping nose. “You guys fight a lot.”

- The Hidden Oracle

yes, this is kinda just passed off as a funny little exchange between the two of them, and part of their relationship. nico and will exchange witty banter through a lot of the book, and i’ll point to another little exchange not long after--

     “In the meantime, no one else should roam the camp alone. Use the buddy system.”      “Understood.” Will looked at Nico. “Will you be my buddy?”      “You are a dork,” Nico announced.      The two of them strolled off bickering.

- The Hidden Oracle

will and nico are clearly affectionate towards each other throughout the book, and nico is a lot more relaxed around will later on,  like when they’re all eating dinner together at apollo’s table ( see the “I have a note from my doctor.” exchange ), but immediately gets cranky when will starts calling him by romantic partner nicknames. it’s not just friendly bickering, it’s discomfort, especially in front of will’s father ( shoutout to apollo ) who could EASILY disapprove of him as will’s partner.

NICO’S POWERS. 

there’s a full list of all of nico’s powers and abilities on his about page (here), i’m just going to toss in here that a lot of the specifics fo his abilities i’ve taken some creative liberties with. since he’s got so many and they’re not all touched on that much except for once or twice, i’ve made the executive decision to make my own rules a bit. 

feel free to ask questions about this if you’ve got any, he’s got a lot of powers and it gets confusing easily. 

MYTHOMAGIC. 

this section isn’t anything important it’s more just a disclaimer that i’ve made up all the rules for mythomagic because there are no rules in canon. i’m bullshitting my way through that game and everyone should know it. i’ve based my concept on it on the game stratego, and morphed it into kind of a weird combo of that and d&d. personally i’ve never been part of a d&d campaign, but i’m a champion at stratego, so that’s why i picked that game as the basis for my mythomagic rules. 

if you’ve read through to the end honestly congrats i’m impressed. please accept this gif of nico giggling like a moron as your prize

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OUAT 3X11 - Coming Home

Will Pan take over Storybrooke and turn it into PAN-archy?!

...I’m gonna miss this arc for more than PUN reason!

Anyways, let’s close out the fun and talk about feels and semi-smart things under the cut!

Press Release

In the Winter Finale episode, the race is on to stop Pan from enacting another curse on the residents of Storybrooke, which could kill every living soul in town.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past

So this segment is made of mini segments, so I’m gonna give mini reviews for all of them!

Snow and Charming: Blue, for all of her asshole-y beauraucracy, can be so vague and platitude-y when she wants to be. It’s not too bad here. BUT just like David’s speech in that same scene, it’s kind of the point that it’s vague, but comforting all the same. David’s was definitely the better of the two speeches.

Killian, Smee, and Tink: Okay, so now we’re given a LOT more info on Killian’s stay in Neverland. It looks like he wanted to leave Neverland as soon his interactions with Bae were done. I wonder when he decided to incorporate the Dreamshade though. BUT, in terms of the snippet itself, it’s pretty serviceable as a “look how far we’ve come” counterpart for both Killian and Tink. They’re both mean enough and hopeless enough.

Henry and Mary Margaret: ...First off, I love how Henry gets out of explaining anything about his homework! XD Second and more seriously, I think that this was the most necessary of the segments. It comes back and shows a starting point for Henry, the catalyst for so many characters on the show. I ADORE Emma and love her as the Savior, but I do think that at times, Henry was more of this turning point for characters and seeing where he took off was so important.

Rumple and Belle: “My ending shall not be a happy one.” I didn’t like this line. Literally, the entire reason Rumple cast this curse was to find Bae and make his ending a happy one. And it’s not like Rumple ever lost faith in that happening, so what the hell? Like, this line was just a weird character contradiction (Different than a plot hole) and it makes the scene threaten to fall apart.

Emma’s Pregnancy: I loved the revisiting of this scene and its post-memory change revision. It’s so heartbreaking to see Emma believe that she can’t take care of Henry, but also beautiful that she wants to give him his best chance, no matter what.

Present

Tink’s take down of Pan’s shadow is so satisfying! The music that accompanies it and everyone believing in her is just beautiful! It’s also the only time where flying is truly framed as whimsical without something darker being below the surface and that’s something desperately needed in this pretty freakin’ dark episode.

Pan is fucking brutal. From his speech about how much of a leech he saw Rumple as to the cuff to “down boy,” he proves himself more here than anywhere else to not only be a psychological monster, but a full-on monster. His strip down of Rumple in their scene at the shop is horrifying, especially given that this is RUMPLE! Rumple, the biggest threat in the series until Pan, was left sniveling in a corner at the end of the scene.

Rumple’s the big dog in this episode. It’s his moment that’s given the most gravitas and serves as what amounts to the climax of the story (And at little over the halfway mark at that) and for good reason. His arrival at the conclusion of what has to happen in order to save everyone was ingeniously reached. I have a lot more to say about that, so we’ll get to it when we talk about arcs.

So, here’s something I want to point out about Rumple’s big scene -- something that harkens back to why I often make a point of saying “fuck plot holes:” From a plot and story perspective, it makes no fucking sense. Why could only the dagger kill Pan? Why did Rumple have to die for Pan to have to die? This shit is never explained. But here’s the thing and why it and the larger aspect of plot holes matter so little to me: IT DOESN’T MATTER. The important thing about this scene is the climax of Rumple’s emotional journey -- Rumple “definitively” choosing love over power. It’s a point of emotional culmination and as it stands, it’s one of the most powerful scenes in the entire show! Rumple stops being cryptic and communicates to those he loves about what has to happen. It’s a big display and it hits its mark perfectly!

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-Okay, so weird contradiction in the press release. Pan says he’s not gonna kill everyone, but the press release says he will.

-“The Black Fairy’s wand.” I wonder, did Tinkerbell know they were related? Like, as soon as Rumple talks, Tink knows exactly what he needs.

-”I should pay my respect to Blue, after all.” Tink, honey. You are too pure.

-Dude...those freakin’ unicorns! They’re so cute, but also...OW because of all of the shit that went down with Maleficent!

-”It’s not a weapon...in the traditional sense.” Damn. That line hits hard given Killian’s alcoholism.

-”Is that the best you’ve got?” Killian, you cannot say that with such an adorable smile and not make me love you even harder!

-David! Saving his bro!!! Yasss!

-I love the adorable way Tink just plops the Shadow into the fire! It almost looks like an accident and it’s so cute! XD

-”It was for Emma.” So I’m not sure if I like this line because Killian’s crush on Emma is so freakin’ obvious OR if I’m critical because Tink hasn’t really seen Killian and Emma crushing on each other all that much.

-”I might have been overly strict.” UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE MILLENIUM!

-Okay, Blue is such a bitch, but I like how she entrusts Fiona’s wand to the one person who will be super discerning over Rumple’s actions.

-”I haven’t forgotten about all that, by the way.” Dude, if Pan’s curse was never cast, then these guys should’ve gotten group therapy. Archie would’ve been rich af!

-”Unfinished family business.” *Underworld flashbacks ensue*

-*Henry puts away a family tree worksheet* ...You’re gonna need a bigger worksheet, Henry. XD

-I have a LOT of Regal Believer headcanons concerning how Henry became so unhappy prior to Season 1.

-”And what exactly do you think fairytales are?” THIS and the words that follow serve as what Jefferson’s speech to Emma in “Hat Trick should’ve been. A bit desperate, but actually communicating humanity rather than being an asshole-y smart aleck that has more in common with Sherlock than a father.

-”I’ve got his scent.” Good move using Granny for tracking!

-”That’s why is so easy for you to strut around and pose now, isn’t it?” Bitch, please. Rumple was strutting around and posing long before you had that cuff on! It’s his thing!

-”Pulling away my name.” BITCH! You gave him that shitty ass name!

-Rumple! Cut off your hand! Then you and Killian can be besties!

-What the fuck was up with that weird coma Regina had?

-Aww. Killian’s standing by himself. :(

-”The only way for you to die is if we BOTH die!” Why?

-”Do we need to start preparing our souls, ‘cause mine’s gonna take some time?” I’m stuck between raising an eyebrow at Killian’s quip when Rumple just fucking died and laughing out loud because it’s a really funny quip. XD

-I love that Neal/Henry hug!

-The memories line didn’t make any sense. Everyone remembered what happened to Pan on the Enchanted Forest side and Emma and Henry had their memories altered. So what was the point of this section?

-And the last goodbye is from Snow! Awww!!!

-Tbh, that opening shot of New York City is the least appealing shot of the city that I’ve ever seen.

-Damn, Emma. You get to wake up at 8:15 for work. I envy that.

-And the modern music has returned! And it cuts out right as Killian appears!

-Emma’s got such cute PJ’s!

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

The Mission to Save Henry - Our story concludes today! The pacing for this arc was just marvelous. I hate when people disparage the arc as being boring because holy hell, it isn’t! Every bit of this arc grew on itself in some way. Even episodes like “Good Form” and “Ariel,” which weren’t heavy in terms of plot progression were in terms of character growth. This arc was so nicely balanced and well handled, carefully put together like the lace of a wedding veil.

Emma Accepting Her Parents - “I like the unicorns.” Emma just says that line with not a hint of sarcasm, bitterness, or insincerity and it’s just beautiful! The scene that comes from this line is utterly beautiful and shows just how close Emma and Snow have gotten. They think about the same things in regards to their children. They’re able to bond without walls in the way. And then...of course, there’s the goodbye. It’s so heartbreaking that Emma fully accepts her parents, but is forced apart from them. Watching Emma try to cling to that hope of keeping them close is so brutal and sad.

Rumple’s Redemption - There is so much to say and so much to discuss -- a lot of it i already have -- but as of right now, I think that this was the strongest writing put forth for Rumple’s redemption arc. The buildup of not only seasons 1 and 2, but also an arc that was so largely Rumple-centric and heavy had this fantastic build of momentum that made the payoff of his sacrifice the powerful moment that it was. And look, I like the Rumple stuff that comes after...to varying degrees, but I wanted this rewatch to allow for more emotional honesty from myself and yeah...this was the pinnacle. Should he have remained dead? I’d probably say yes for the character and no for the series. Rumple was brought back for a reason and that’s because his character is ingrained on the series. He (Among others) make Once Upon a Time what it is and I don’t fault anyone for bringing him back and even writing his decline. I wish they were just a little more careful with it because of the strength of this moment.

Killian’s Redemption - “There’s only two things I’d risk my life for: love and revenge.” Killian’s redemption didn’t get a ton of focus here, but I do appreciate what it got. While I found it a little weird that Tink connected Killian’s brave act solely to Emma when she hasn’t seen them flirt all that much, I was willing to forgive it because the action was really cool.

Henry Wanting to Be a Hero - ”Your happy ending may not be what you expect.” This line is so important as it pertains to Henry. Knowing where his story ends and what he hoped to make of it, I feel like it was so nicely put as to give this storyline a bit of prominence, especially since his happy ending at the end of this episode arguably changes the most out of anyone else’s due to the memory change.

Regina’s Redemption - “Will you be okay?” “You will be.” Literally everything Regina does is so redemptive here! Her apology to Henry is the first big thing. She stops his doubts about whether or not he really did the right thing by telling him straight up that this was her fault and that is so important to her redemption. “You’re not a villain. You’re my mom.” This line also freakin’ gutted me. Regina’s progress this season from a thin-iced redeeming villain to someone with a role to play on the team and someone who can strongly bond with everyone was fantastic.

Favorite Dynamic

Rumple and Pan. Pan is a reflection of Rumple and one line tipped me off to this. ”Pwotect your wuved ones.” In season 1, very similar lines came out of Rumple’s mouth. Pan is a Rumple without love and this episode really highlights why. Look at Pan’s verbal takedown of him at the shop. Rumple is a harsh character. He’s beaten people up, extorted, murdered, and kidnapped. But no moment from him has been shot so brutally as Pan’s takedown of him. He cuts Rumple down to the bone with his words -- words so harsh and that fly into the face of the “best chance” sentiment even before Cora did! Like, that scene would be enough to justify these two as having the best dynamic, but then we get to the town line scene where the idea that Pan is a Rumple without love is further shown. Pan, like Cora, didn’t expect for Rumple to pose a challenge to him while backed by love, but he does. He stands up and moves past his desires for his life and loopholes in order to save Neal and Belle. And Pan, even to his death, doesn’t get it.

Writer

A&E close out our half season and fuck me, it’s perfect. The name of the game in this episode is payoff. It’s character payoff. It’s story payoff. It’s emotional payoff. And it’s all handled flawlessly. For a while, I wasn’t sure whether or not I liked the past segments, but as “look how far we’ve come glimpses” and by extension, part of the payoff, they work fantastically.

Culture

There’s a lot to reflect on when it comes to the cultural impact of this episode. Two big points come to mind for me: How this episode could conceivably be a series finale in a lot of way and Pan. I have a great deal to say on why I think Pan was such an amazing villain, so I’m actually going to make that its own post, so I’ll touch on my former point here.

This episode is considered by many to have been able to stand as a series finale, and to tell you the truth, I can see it. Everyone’s arcs are completed in completely satisfying ways. The destruction of Storybrooke is brutal but in the most jaw-dropping and beautiful way. Save for the literal last minute of the episode, one could have seen this as an ending to the show proper.

Now, what does that mean for me? Well, the last time around, I wasn’t paying as close attention to that aspect of my feelings, but this time, I felt it more. In fact, I felt it a LOT. And for as much as I love Seasons 3B-7, I feel weird jumping off of this episode onto the next. Maybe it’s the knowledge that there is admittedly a bit more of a decline in quality going forward (Albeit to varying degrees) or maybe I just like how a lot of the characters’ stories ended here, but I feel so weird knowing that there’s more. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to hit up the Zelena arc, the Frozen Arc, and more, but this episode was so good and so...final. Like Pan, I don’t want to grow up.

Rating

Golden Apple. That wasn’t an episode. That was a masterpiece. This is honestly probably OUAT’s best work. I felt my soul go on a journey while watching it and it now ranks as one of my all-time favorites. Moments like “Coming Home” are what rewatches are for. I’ve never fallen out of love with the series, but seeing it is like renewing my vows. It’s emotional in all the best ways, it’s sincere in all the best ways, the character work is fulfilling, and the story leaves most with something to do. I’m so glad I watched it again.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

Snowing - No one rocks platitudes like David does! His speech to Snow about unexpected turns is just beautiful, romantic, and just lovely!

Tink/Killian - There is some crazy sexual tension between these two! The way they whisper their words and practically dance around the jungle with Tink’s knife at Killian’s throat and then sip the rum together.

Swan Queen - Emma/Regina/Henry hugs never cease to make me smile! They’re so cute! Also, literally the first thing Regina says after waking from her weird coma was “Emma.” And dudes, Regina’s decision to give them new memories...that’s...that’s fucking beautiful. HOW WAS THERE NOT A HUG FOLLOWING THAT, AT THE VERY LEAST?

Rumbelle - Am I allowed to just put the entire middle of the episode here? Belle made him stronger and Rumple’s goodbye and gratitude for that is one of his most earnest and kindest moments in the entire series. It’s so genuine and beautiful. And Belle’s reaction as Rumple dies is heartbreaking. I know its a point of contention that no one goes to comfort her, but I think that it works just as a display of isolation and how gutted she feels from Rumple’s loss. Rumple was her future (Or at least a part of it) and now that future is no more. That hopelessness was more effective by being untouched. Anyway, Emiliee pulls off that crying scene flawlessly!

Captain Swan - “Good.” In that one little word, there’s that longing for a possible future that, as far as they know, they’ll never be able to explore. Also, I love in this sea of tears and sadness, Killian’s able to lighten her spirits, this time in a more tactful way than the “prepare our souls” moment from earlier.

Swan Fire - Neal’s goodbye to Emma and faith that they’ll meet again was just so nice and beautiful!

-----

Sorry. I tried to get in four reviews this week, but “Coming Home” had so much meat to it that I just couldn’t. Hell, I still don’t think I covered everything that I wanted to, but at least I still have the Pan post which should come out tomorrow. Going forward, I will try for the four reviews at some point, but in all likelihood, what’s going to happen is that I’ll just post three reviews on the week of the finale or the week before.

In any event, thank you for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales. Love you all!!!

Season 3 Total (106/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (29/60) Kalinda Vazquez (17/40) Andrew Chambliss (27/50) Jane Espenson (10/30) David Goodman (20/40) Robert Hull (20/40) Christine Boylan (20/20)* Daniel Thomsen (20/30)

* Indicates that their work for the season is complete

Operation Rewatch Archives

More On Yaweh

FRI APR 17 2020

New York Governor Quomo, now famous for his daily updates on the battle against SARS-COV2 in NYC... the hardest hit place in the US by far... has taken to referring to the virus as, “The Beast.”

He didn’t invent the moniker.  Rather, he’s using it in solidarity with the front line medical workers who did.  

It is a beast... a wild thing from nature, poorly understood, yet dangerous and deadly, running rampant... hiding in the shadows... etc.

But... as a guy who read the whole stupid Bible at 23... this feels like an unfortunate choice of name, because of the whole Book of Revelations, in which the big baddie in the end times is, “The Beast.”

At this juncture in the crisis, one could very easily remember that famous line that’s like, nobody can buy or sell who has not the mark of the beast upon his hand or his forehead, and think about proposed antibody tests...

Like... the key to reopening the economy is to identify those who have already developed antibodies to the virus... and give them a full pass to live life normally!

[CUE ALARMING BAND STRIKE]

But even though I have attributed this entire crisis to Yaweh... otherwise known as Jahova... I still don’t think this 2020 novel coronovirus outbreak is the fullfillment of New Testament prophecy.

For one thing... it just doesn’t fit...

...The Beast doesn’t take the stage until well after some much bigger story beats...

For one, the Temple of Jerusalem has to be rebuilt.  That’s key to the whole Yaweh, Covenant with Man / New Covenant narrative that runs through the book from Genesis through to the end.

For two, the Rapture also happens long before The Beast appears.  This is when all the faithful of heart of the final generation are spared the trial of death and taken directly up into Heaven... leaving only the wicked on Earth, to suffer the great tribulations to come.

Only then does The Beast show up... as some kind of global authoritarian who eventually wages war on Jerusalem.

So... nobody’s rebuilding the Jewish temple in Jerusalem without tearing down the Muslim temple that currently stands on the original site.  And that... is now impossible forever.

Why?

Well... so long as the world’s three monotheistic religions endure; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam... any attempt to remove brick one from the existing Muslim temple in Jerusalem will result in global thermonuclear war.

Yes, that’s a world ending scenario... but it’s not the one in the Book of Revelations... because in that one... the Jewish Temple is totally rebuilt and established long before Armageddon.

That prophecy can’t come true anymore.  It failed to predict modern science and technology.  It presumed we would always be about swords, and arrows, and oil lamps... never dreaming, even in the most whimsical flights of futurism in Revelation, anything like electricity, or atoms, or the existence of the Americas, or... 

Well, I’ve dedicated an entry or two already to the, “unreasonable,” impossibility of predicting the future... such that... you can guarantee... anything you can imagine... will not be the outcome.

This is because... as disappointing as it seems... we can’t imagine much more than we’ve already experienced?

This feels like an oxymoron, because... surely, the only reason we are able to experience the current level of historical advancement... is thanks to our imaginations, right?  

In terms of collective unconscious, this would be a horizon... like the limit out into space we can see, thanks to the speed of light.  That kind of thing. 

Just can’t see more than a few steps ahead in even the blurriest focus, and even when we blur the predictions... they still never hold up.

But let’s bring our focus back to the three monotheistic religions currently dominating the... spirituality space?  It’s actually great that there are three, and not two, or one.

They balance each other out... each having equal pull... each with it’s own twist... appealing to it’s own global audience... saturating every level of government and society in the states where they’re most popular... 

...which is about a third of the global states to each, right now, and probably forever more.

Two parties make a war... polar opposites who must battle to the death.

Three parties... makes compromise.  Maybe it’s heated and shitty for a while, but, in 2020... the one thing we all know is, if anybody ever fucking touches that Muslim temple in Jerusalem... BOOM BOOM!

And that, is directly attributable, to the fact that all three monotheistic religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all worship the same God...

...fuckin’ Yaweh!

Fuckin’ Jahova, Allah!

That guy... and I don’t pretend yet, to have a theory about what kind of cosmic agent that guy exactly is... is behind this pandemic.

I still hold to that, because global plagues are his style, and this is happening in an election year at Easter... and he’s all about global politics, and is at his most powerful on Easter... Yaweh is suspect number one.

As I said, if it walks like Yaweh, and it talks like Yaweh... it’s fuck’n Yaweh.

So what’s he doing?

He hasn’t really fucked with us like this... in this biblical way... since the dark ages.

But this is the first time in biblical history, that he told all three of his religions at once... I don’t want to see you guys in my temples this spring.

Why?

Well... this virus has exposed many a faithful to be hoarders of toilet paper and other vital supplies...  and extremely dismissive of tens of thousands of lives being lost... because they do not actually love their neighbors, despite their hollow hymns to the contrary, every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

He’s legendary for hating hypocrites, both Old Testament and New.

But just as legendary for taking extreme measures to make a point... and by extreme, I mean... lots of innocent lives.

Par for the course, I guess... for a semi-retired god, whose son runs the business very hands-off most of the time.

He knows we’ll take care of it... as fast as we can, because we’re so hyper adaptive and futuristic, right?  You think you’re so ingenious, take care of this one, bitches!

Nobody waitin’ round for global warming to play out naturally!

It’s a wake up call.

...from the God who beat out all the rest.

But it’s also a reminder.

He can still bring the pain!  He can bring a hell of a lot more than this too.  Look it up!  

If you disrespect others... you still very much, in 2020... disrespect Yaweh. 

And in his current mood?... best change your ways.

WIP Tag Game

I saw this and sure why not, I need a reason to avoid working on my article :D

“Tagged” (uh kinda) by @bookenders https://bookenders.tumblr.com/post/183277614655/wip-tag-game

1. When starting something new, how much do you know about the story before you start writing?

I outline really extensively, so, pretty much everything down to the general events of each chapter. My stories do tend to surprise me by something changing while I’m writing it though.

The plot at least I understand 90% of. Sometimes it’ll adapt or go another direction but usually not enough that I’ll need to write a new outline... (The Impossible Sky did go that way but I didn’t have an outline written for it yet because it was SUPPOSED TO BE A ONE-SHOT)

Character development specifically tends to come out during the writing phase. I might know the general arcs and how some conversations are meant to go, but I give myself room to let them primarily develop during the story. So that can go some unexpected directions.

2. What draws you to your WIP(s)? Why did you choose to write that/those over anything else?

I really can’t tell you what makes me feel inspired to write. I just kind of get ideas that I like, and sometimes I really like them, and sometimes my old ideas fall to the wayside, oops...

Echoes of Eternity kind of came out of nowhere, started as a simple “Maria and Shadow’s story rewrite” thing and then got a little out of control. Five years later...

My stories that I’m working on for my boyfriend’s (https://bionicfrogstudios.tumblr.com/) WIP series... I don’t know what happened but somehow I went from being y’know vaguely supportive and semi-interested in his world to HYPER-FOCUS SPECIAL INTEREST INSANITY MODE and now I have like four or five ideas... Namely a sad romancey thing I’m writing right now.

But why? I don’t know. Please help I need to work on my actual publishable things.

3. Favourite writing spot? Why?

My computer in my room, because that’s where it is. Even if I had a laptop I’d just be sitting on my bed or whatever, going in public sounds like a nightmare. I don’t like people looking over my shoulder.

Although if I was a millionaire I’d like have a writing room with coloured lighting and screens with scenery on every wall and rain sounds and shit.

4. Share your favourite line of what you’ve written so far!

Oh no. A lot of my good lines are context-based so this is hard.

The Memory Chapter 3: She spread her arms, smiling with chilling cheerfulness as red stained her skin and snaked down her fingers, falling to the floor. “I'm dying, Shadow.”

The End of the World(? maybe, the sad romancey thing): Sometimes the world can change in an instant, with not even a word between before and after. Just a look, and everything ends.

Blah.

5. If you had to choose one OC to bring to life as an actual person, which one would it be and why?

I’m kind of scared of the implications of bringing one of my dragons to life and having to hide and feed them.

So, uh, one of the humans... I mean Ever seems chill but I think she’d just leave me to go looking for her sister...

I’m just going to steal my boyfriend’s OC that I’m writing about and say Mreiya. Having someone super high-energy and nice around would be fun. (And extroverts like her tend to just kind of adopt shy people so I’m sure we’d get along XDD)

6. Are you looking to get published? If so, do you hope to make it a career?

Fanfic author xD I mean technically I could get my boyfriend’s permission to officially publish all the stuff I’m writing for his world, but that feels like I’m like violating some sacred rule of fandom... “Don’t charge for fan works”. XD

Beyond fanfic I currently have no interest in a fiction writing career. Mainly because I simply don’t have any inspiring original ideas at the moment. If it happens it happens.

7. What’s something you would read but would never write (or the other way around)? Any reason?

Honestly I do a lot less reading than I should but, certain types of AUs (coffee shop, high school, modern, etc.) I would read but not write simply because I’ve never been inspired by those sort of ideas. The “one plot point happens differently/a character who lived dies/vice versa/etc.” AU scene is more my jam.

Though technically The Channeler qualifies as a “transplanted characters” AU similar to the ones I listed before, but that’s more like a new world with similar lore, rather than a pre-established core premise.

8. What’s something you are most proud of about your work so far?

Mostly just proud about how much I’ve improved. When people tell me I could get published if I wrote an original story, it feels good, even if that’s not something I’m interested in. Basically they’re saying my stories read like they’re published works and that makes me pretty happy.

Also when people tell me my characters feel real, that feels extra good because that’s the biggest thing I’m going for.

What I’m less proud of is my gradual degeneration of update times... And my TENDENCY TO GET IMMERSED IN RANDOM FANDOMS INSTEAD OF WRITING MY FICS THAT HAVE ACTUAL READERS...

9. Badly describe your WIP(s) in one sentence

The Memory: Maria nags Shadow a lot.

TEOTW: Our friend just died and we’re both traumatized. Let’s go on a date! Alternatively: WOULD YOU TWO JUST FUCKING TALK TO EACH OTHER

10. Why did you want to be a writer?

Twelve-year-old me wanted to put the dragon OC in her head and her adventures on paper. It was really that simple. How it became my “thing” is a more complicated story...

Now I just want to tell my stories and make people feel something. That’s all I really need to keep me going.

Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro review - living the American dream

Seeking respite from clogged UK roads, we find solace in the freedom and isolation of California's El Mirage lake bed

Isolation is a difficult concept to truly experience in the UK. Some parts of Scotland manage it, but there’s always a wiggle of tarmac or the bobbing cable of a power line somewhere in your line of sight, evidence that humankind is never that far away.It’s something I’ve always loved about travelling in the US.

Go to the right spot, at the right time, and you might be the only human being on the planet. Stand on the parched, dusty surface of El Mirage, a dry lake bed north of Los Angeles that covers almost 76,000 acres, and as the sun dips behind the mountains to the west and the landscape adopts an eerie silence, it’s just you and your shadow, stretching dozens of metres towards the east behind you. A moment away from work, from emails, a moment alone with your thoughts.

The silence might be even more stark were it not for the shutter click of photographer Aston Parrott’s Nikon, as he captures the descending, glowing orb through the windows of the car we’re here to drive - a Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. I say car; what I mean is pickup truck, or simply ‘truck’ in local parlance.

Not a style of vehicle evo regularly gets its hands on, but we’re not entirely oblivious to the category either: we’ve run one or two in our long-term fleet, since they make brilliant workhorses for evo’s less glamourous errands.

It’s bigger, feels tougher, looks angrier

The ‘Taco’, as I quickly discovered, is a slightly different beast. What it shares with the pickups available on UK shores is utility, and rather rudimentary construction. There’s a ladder chassis, for instance, and the rear is suspended not by coils but by semi-elliptical leaf springs. Where it differs is almost everywhere else: It’s bigger, feels tougher, looks angrier, drinks petrol rather than diesel, and is - unnatural though it is to use the phrase in this context - more focused.

The focus comes courtesy of TRD, or Toyota Racing Developments. I’m most familiar with TRD through hotted-up Japanese sports cars, having steered numerous Celicas and MR2s around virtual circuits in the Gran Turismo series, but in the States it’s a name associated mostly with trophy trucks and NASCAR. The Tacoma features several TRD bits and TRD-selected improvements, from a naughty exhaust system to some trick Fox dampers and a quarter-inch aluminium skid plate under the front end.

Up front, mounted roughly chest-high if you share my 5ft 9in stature, you’ll find a 3.5-litre, naturally-aspirated V6 making 278bhp at 6000rpm and 265lb ft at 4600rpm. As the numbers suggest, and as I found out not long after leaving the confines of Los Angeles, it’s an engine completely out of step with modern expectations of performance.

The TRD Tacoma isn’t slow as such, but it needs working remarkably hard if you’re used to the relentless thump of something turbocharged. Shortly before heading to the US I’d driven the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43, whose twin-turbocharged V6 makes an extra 84 horses and 119 lb ft, and does so 500rpm and 2100rpm sooner respectively. It’s also around 150kg lighter than the 2007kg Toyota, which allows it to get to 62mph in 4.9 seconds. Toyota doesn’t quote figures for the TRD Taco, but we’d estimate it’s a good three seconds slower to 60.

It’s a difficult car to make a case for on the road too, at least if corners are your thing. The loping highway gait is actually quite pleasant and the high driving position feels purposeful, but detour into the twists and turns of the mountains around LA and you’ll go to sleep that evening with the sounds of tortured rubber in your head, and reeling from nightmares about canyon-seeking understeer. It turns out that off-road tyres aren’t conducive to on-road grip, and turning the feel-free steering in either direction feels like opening the valve on an airlock. With time its responses become predictable, but you have the most fun when you eventually stop.

But that’s not really what I came to America for, and certainly not why I paid my $15 daily fee to enjoy the El Mirage Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area. Where trackdays are the last bastion of the thrill-seeking UK motorist, Americans get another option: spend a day hacking around in the wilderness, free to do largely as you please.

Within reason - the lake’s custodians take a dim view of firearms and fireworks, and you’re kindly asked not to tear up the lake surface by doing donuts - but beyond that your only real limit is your imagination. Want to zip about on quad bikes or dirt bikes? Go for it. Need somewhere to land your light aircraft? Be their guest.

Want to stage an impromptu race with your mates? That seems to be fine too (and El Mirage is more than suited to it - the Southern California Timing Association, which also runs Bonneville Speed Week, regularly hosts events at El Mirage). And if you simply want to turn up with your buddies and have a barbeque, you can do that too.

My own plan was pretty simple. I wanted to take a truck - the kind of vehicle that millions of Americans buy every year - and see how much fun I could have for my fifteen bucks.

Test number one: Speed. El Mirage is over six miles long from tip to tip, and around two miles wide. It’s also very flat and has a hard, sun-baked surface. And good visibility, so you can pretty much point your nose to the horizon and go. The Tacoma shifts clumsily down its six-speed automatic transmission, clears its lungs and emits a guttural bellow from the TRD exhaust as it heads for the red line.

Each shift is slurred like slushboxes of old, but the pace is definitely increasing. Top speed in the brochure is a limited 113mph; I lift off at a nice, round 100mph on the dial, followed by a mile of fine dust that’s almost certainly ruined the backdrop for the handful of people making what appears to be a low-budget music video.

Yumps next. The one thing we can’t find at El Mirage are proper rolling dunes, so we scout the small, sandy speedbumps that line the lakebed for potential air-worthy candidates. Photographers love jump shots whether you’re testing a Kia Picanto, a 918 Spyder or a two-ton truck.

My first attempt is little more than an uncomfortable thump, but the next is much more promising. Bit of a ramp on both sides, decent height. The TRD’s definitely getting air on this one, but Aston isn’t happy. ‘Faster, Ingram’, he says.

Faster, Ingram goes: I sink Converse to carpet and hit the ramp with a good 10mph more on the clock than last time. The front gets air, pointing the nose skywards, but then the back wheels hit the ramp and send the nose quite rapidly down. Sand replaces sky and I land with a sickening shudder. It’s enough to have set the wipers going by themselves, but a few exploratory wiggles of the steering suggests everything is still functioning.

I loop around to Aston, doubled with laughter as he shows me an image that will no doubt define my career

I loop around to Aston, doubled with laughter as he shows me an image that will no doubt define my career at evo: front wheels tucked into the arches, skid plate on the dirt, and back wheels a startling distance off the ground.

Remarkably, the only visible evidence of the landing is a scuffed skid plate. A BMW X5 would probably have set off all its airbags and auto-dialled for emergency assistance.

We try something a little closer to terra firma. One, solitary hillock standing proud of the surrounding bush looks inviting. Until we get close, that is. The damn thing looks a hell of a lot steeper than it did from half a mile away. Let’s be methodical: Clunk transmission into four-wheel drive, low range, engage the rock-crawling mode, foot off the brake... and up she goes, accompanied by the chunter and chatter of the ABS grabbing individual wheels to maintain traction.

I’m feeling quite proud of myself until it gets even steeper and I chicken out, but plans to fake the top-of-the-hill pictures and reverse back down are dashed when a couple of locals pile up the hill behind me at about eight times the speed I crawled up and park immediately behind. Bugger.

El Mirage is just one of dozens of off-road playgrounds in the area

Thankfully, they’re able to direct me to the top (‘Left a bit, you’ll clear that rock, give it some gas’), I thank them, and they say ‘no problem’, graciously pretending I’m not the most pathetic “four-wheeler” they’ve ever seen. One does take an interest in the truck - he currently drives a battleship-grey Toyota FJ Cruiser on huge tyres, and is looking to trade soon. He also tells me that El Mirage is just one of dozens of off-road playgrounds in the area, before roaring off down the hill again and shrinking to a spec in the distance.

By now the sun is sinking and I’m seeking a different, more traditionally evo kind of thrill. Lining sections of the lake are gravel roads and firm dirt trails, pockmarked by bushes and small dunes. To any self-respecting petrolhead, the rally stage builds itself.

There’s just one problem: while I’m back in rear-wheel drive, the traction control won’t fully disengage. Long, trophy truck-style skids are not there for the taking. But at low enough speeds the electronic nanny’s back is turned and I send thick clouds of ultra-fine dust into the sky as the ‘Yota slews sideways. It feels hilarious, perched so high and throwing armfuls of lock at every slide. Might be the most fun I’ve had all day. Maybe all year.

And the best thing? There’s nobody around to witness, nobody to disturb, and nobody to push passive-aggressive notes through your letterbox. Fifteen bucks doesn’t buy a lot these days. But it can buy you a few hours of blissful, automotive isolation.

Three Suns Standing by Gunship Revolution for the Exalted 3rd Jumpstart.

  Feeling a lot better, but am still fighting the last bits of this flu or whatever it is. Last week, though, was a sort of semi-conscious staggering from the one thing I could focus on each day to trying to rest/medicate/cough this thing out until the next day and the one thing I could concentrate on that day. And so on.

I did manage to work with BackerKit to send out the links for the Backer PDF for Pugmire. There was a hiccup on coding that they fixed pretty fast, all things considered, and then I not only Locked Down the pledges, but charged them for any additional Add-ons they might have added on to their pledges.

I think the timing for these three steps basically worked as intended by BK, so that’s good to see happen with our first use of their system. Next will come the address corrections right before shipping; so a few months down the line. Until we Shut Down the project then, anybody interested can still “Pre-Order” a bunch of Pugmire things like the books, and dice, and such. Here’s the link: http://ift.tt/1WC83B5

We’ll do a similar sequence for the Deluxe Changeling 20 KS, the Deluxe v20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary KS, and the Scion 2e KS as their Backer PDFs get finished.

FYI, a Backer PDF is basically the beta version of the final book. Pretty much just like the Advance PDFs for our non-Kickstarted projects, we’re sending them out to folks to review and to get back to us with any errata they might find. Then, after we review and implement any errata that we agree needs tweaking, we replace the Backer or Advance PDF with the final version. Anybody who downloaded the Backer or Advance PDF can then re-download the PDF and get the final version automatically, and for free, as it sits in their DTRPG Library.

Strategy-wise, we’ve found that this errata phase really helps catch those last lingering bits that our developers and editors missed for any number of a variety of reasons. Most of all, though, it’s because no text is ever perfect. There is always something everybody missed. With this errata phase, we’re trying to get closer than ever before to catching as many boo-boos as humanly possible.

  Shapeshifter by Ken Meyer, Jr for M20 Book of Secrets

  Thanks to everyone who jumped in and contributed to the Hunter: the Vigil Bundle of Holding that just ran. It was great to see so much support and interest in HtV, particularly with Hunter 2nd Edition starting to get fired up. And the Bundle also contributed to a great cause.

Going to keep this week short, and hopefully I’ll be back to my old self next week <hack, cough>.

  BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER!

We’re exploring card game Kickstarters, packaging, and components, for Prince’s Gambit. I’m working on the KS pages this week for sure, and our videos are finished. Things look good, and we are all for starting the KS in Feb so long as the process of pulling the KS together cooperates. If so, then Monarchies of Mau KS would be next, after Gambit.

  ON SALE!

    Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages!

      From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Doubting Souls (Hunter 1690-1695 Salem). Immigrants and tribes struggled to co-exist on the Eastern Seaboard in the ever-expanding Colonies. Violent clashes, supernatural beliefs, and demonic influences spelled disaster for Salem Village and its surrounding towns, while others fought werewolves and vampires on the frontier. With so much at risk, only god-fearing men and women were deemed innocent — and those were few indeed.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG on Wednesday the 15th!

  From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Bowery Dogs (Werewolf 1969-1979 NYC). New York City in the 1970s. Crime. Drugs. Gang violence. Vast economic disparity. And werewolves. It’s a lean, ugly time to be alive, and the lone wolf doesn’t stand a chance out there. In the end, all you really have is family.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG on Wednesday the 15th!

    The Locker is open; the Chronicles of Darkness: Hurt Locker, that is! PDF and physical copy PoDs are now available on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2gbM9me

Hurt Locker features:

Treatment of violence in the Chronicles of Darkness. Lasting trauma, scene framing, and other tools for making your stories hurt.

Many new player options, including Merits, supernatural knacks, and even new character types like psychic vampires and sleeper cell soldiers.

Expanded equipment and equipment rules.

Hurt Locker requires the Chronicles of Darkness Rulebook or any other standalone Chronicles of Darkness rulebook such as Vampire: The Requiem, Werewolf: The Forsaken, or Beast: The Primordial to use.

      Both the Beast: the Primordial http://ift.tt/2fEMsdO & Promethean: the Created 2nd Edition Condition Cards http://ift.tt/2iSein1 are now on sale on DTRPG in PDF and physical card PoD versions! Great for keeping track of the Conditions that are on your characters!

      From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Ruins of Empire (Mummy 1893-1924). Perhaps the quintessential era of the mummy in the minds of Westerners, this period saw the decline of the two greatest empires of the age: British and Ottoman. Walk with the Arisen as they bear witness to the death of the Victorian age, to pivotal mortal discoveries in Egypt, and to the horrors of the Great War.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG. http://ift.tt/2k0XDhX

    From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Sundered World (Werewolf and Mage 5500-5000 BCE). At the birth of civilization, in the shadow of the Fall, the Awakened stand as champions and protectors of the agricultural villages spread across the Balkans. In a world without a Gauntlet, where Shadow and flesh mingle, the steady taming of the world by humanity conflicts with the half-spirit children of Father Wolf.

Available in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG. http://ift.tt/2k16mRj

    Night Horrors: Conquering Heroes for Beast: the Primordial is available now as an Advance PDF: http://ift.tt/2j7p7lO

This book includes: 

An in-depth look at how Heroes hunt and what makes a Hero, with eleven new Heroes to drop into any chronicle.

A brief look at why Beasts may antagonize one another, with seven new Beasts to drop into any chronicle.

Rules for Insatiables, ancient creatures born of the Primordial Dream intent on hunting down Beasts to fill a hunger without end, featuring six examples ready to use in any chronicle.

    The PDF and physical book PoD versions of Reap the Whirlwind, the Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition Jumpstart swirls into being on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2i1WPpD

You are a vampire, a junkie. Every night, you beg and you borrow and you steal just a little more life, just a few more sweet moments. But there’s a guy at the top. The Prince. He’s got everything. The money, the secrets, the blood.

Tonight, you’re going to take it from him. Tomorrow, there’ll be hell to pay.

This updated edition of Reap the Whirlwind features revisions to match the core rulebook for Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition. Text edits and rules clarifications have also been updated.

Reap the Whirlwind Revised includes:

Rules for creating and playing vampires in the Chronicles of Darkness

The first two levels of every clan Discipline, the dark powers of the dead

A complete adventure by noted horror author Chuck Wendig

This new revised Reap the Whirlwind Revised includes an updated booklet, 7 condition cards, and the interactive Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition character sheet.

        It is now the preordained time for Dawn of Heresies, the Mummy: the Curse novel written by internationally renowned author Brian Hodge to arise! Both PDF/electronic and physical book PoD versions are now available on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2iEP9dW

Rawhead and bloody bones

Steals naughty children from their homes,

Takes them to his dirty den

And they are never seen again. 

So says the nursery rhyme that gives birth to Rawhead, the most fearsome entity to imperil the living since the infamous Roller. Once an obedient mummy by name of Benefre, a desperate bid by his cult fails in tragic fashion, and in so doing, sends him to the Devourerís waiting, corruptive maw. What remains of Benefreís ambitious soul rises again, impure and unholy, set to the execution of a scheme so baleful, it constitutes a heresy even among his own misbegotten kind.

All that stands between Rawhead and his terrible aim are a lone mummy, Kemsiyet, and what little remains of her cult following its destruction at Rawhead’s hands. Declan, her prized security aide, and Fiona, an Irish researcher only just recently inducted into the cult and its blood-soaked world, must fight both the odds and the clock in order to prevent a calamity the likes of which the world hasnít seen since the days of the mummies’ creation.

About the Author:

BRIAN HODGE is the acclaimed author of 11 novels, almost 125 short stories, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater among the 113 best books of modern horror. Heís currently wrapping up his fifth, The Immaculate Void. Among gamers, he is perhaps best known as the author of the first official Hellboy novel, On Earth as It Is in Hell.

Recent works include “The Weight of the Dead,” from Tor, and novelettes of cosmic horror in The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu and Children of Lovecraft. His oft-reprinted 2013 novella, “The Same Deep Waters as You” has recently been optioned by a London-based production studio for development for television. Brian lives in Colorado.

    Open the V20 Dark Ages: Tome of Secrets now on DTRPG! Both PDF and physical book PoD versions are now available! http://ift.tt/2i1XOXd

The Tome of Secrets is a treatment of numerous topics about Cainites and stranger things in the Dark Medieval World. It’s about peeling back the curtain, and digging a little deeper. Inside, you’ll find:

• Expanded treatment of Assamite Sorcery, Koldunic Sorcery, Necromancy, and Setite Sorcery

• A look at Cainite knightly orders, faith movements, and even human witchcraft

• Letters and diaries from all over the Dark Medieval World

    Travel with us all the way to the Red Planet for the Cavaliers of Mars Jumpstart: A Festival of Blades, available in PDF and PoD on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2biWBpR

Live, fight, and love on Mars, a world of red death and strange mystery, a world of savagery and romance.

Includes: 

A complete adventure set in one of dying Mars’ greatest remaining cities.

The innovative DEIMOS rules, for high-flying, swashbuckling adventure.

Four pre-generated player characters, ready to get into the heart of the action.

          Discover the long-awaited  Secrets of the Covenants for Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition as we unearth the Advance PDF now on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2gbQjus

This book includes:

A variety of stories from each of the covenants, all told in their own words.

Never-before revealed secrets, like the fate of the Prince of New Orleans.

New blood sorcery, oaths, and other hidden powers of the covenants.

      CONVENTIONS!

Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20′ x 30′ this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).

In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP

        And now, the new project status updates!

    DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

CtD C20 Jumpstart (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

Monarchies of Mau Early Access (Pugmire)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

  Redlines

Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

  Second Draft

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)

Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

  Development

W20 Changing Ways (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

SL Dagger of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Dagger of Spiragos (5e– Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

BtP Building a Legend (Beast: the Primordial)

Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

  Editing:

VtR A Thousand Years of Night (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)

V20 Beckett’s Jyhad Diary (Stretch Goal Content)

W20 Song of Unmaking novel (Bridges) (Werewolf: the Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition)

CtD C20 Anthology (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

  Post-Editing Development:

CtL fiction anthology (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

  Indexing:

      ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary – new stuff AD’d

M20 Book of Secrets – AD’d

W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook

V20 Dark Ages Companion – Sketches and some finals rolling in

Dagger of Spiragos  – AD’d

VTR: Thousand Years of Night

Cavaliers of Mars – Contracting.

  Marketing Stuff

  In Layout

V20 Lore of the Bloodlines

Prince’s Gambit – Kickstarter Prep.

Dark Eras Companion – artist shenanigans.

C20 

  Proofing

Necropolis Rio – backer PDF out to Mummy KS backers this week.

EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart – first proof.

  At Press

Ex 3 Screen – Shipping to fulfillment shippers.

Ex 3 core book – Shipping to fulfillment shippers.

Secrets of the Covenants – Waiting for errata to make PoD.

Beckett Screen – At Printer, being printed.

W20 Shattered Dreams – Shipping to fulfillment shippers.

Shattered Dreams Screen – At Printer, being printed.

Beast Conquering Heroes – Advance PDF now on sale at DTRPG, gathering errata.

Mortal Remains: Beast- Red In Tooth and Claw – Gathered errata.

Dark Eras: Doubting Souls – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Wednesday at DTRPG.com.

Dark Eras: Bowery Dogs – PDF and PoD versions on sale this Wednesday at DTRPG.com.

Pugmire – Backer PDF out to backers.

Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – Out to backers.

      TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: Feb 13th: QUICK! Get out tonight and buy some candy, a toy, flowers, adult novelties, a puppy, champagne, more candy – but different, or at least a flippin’ card, for your mostest loved one. Even though it’s a made-up, capitalist holiday…it’s the thought that counts (and that you’ll be judged for).

Pre-Order In The Shadows Today! This amazing collection contains 12 Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy stories!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WGRNHVS/ https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1206586851 http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-the-shadows-b…/1125773181 https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/in-the-shadows-boxed-set

Read on for an excerpt from my book in the set; The Dryad's Pawprint!

Chapter 1 Kem’s memories focused on a beautiful blonde with hair down the small of her back. He’d met her about a year ago, when he’d been dragged out to a new club by his co-workers. Kem had watched from the side-lines, amused as they’d done anything possible to disprove the stereotype that accountants were boring. But, from the moment he’d seen her moving in the middle of the dance floor, he’d felt different, and he’d known that no matter what happened; he had to have her. And he had. The mere memory of their one night of passion had his blood heating and his attention lagging from the work he should be focusing on. No matter what he did, his mind always seemed to focus on the need to find her again, but all he knew was her first name and what she looked like, both pretty much useless in a large city like the one they lived in. That was if she even lived here and hadn’t just been visiting; they really hadn’t done much talking. Giving up on any pretence of working, he unfolded the letter that had been burning a hole in his pocket ever since it had arrived three days ago. It was a summons before the Shifter Council and he still wasn’t sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, it was an honour that the Council even knew who he was, on the other, he didn’t really want to be the focus of their attention. While his brother was an Alpha, Kem had managed nearly thirty years without being involved in paranormal politics, and that was the way he liked it; from what he knew, backstabbing and feuding was a way of life among the paranormal elite, and they didn’t give any thought for the lives of ordinary shifters like him. Kem stretched, cracking his neck out as he did and considering that it might be time for a shift. While living in the city allowed him to have a somewhat normal life, it didn’t allow for late night runs in panther form, or at least, it didn’t if he didn’t want to create crazy rumours like his cousin had on Dartmouth Moor. They still teased him about that whenever the family got together. Sighing, he pushed to his feet and shrugged on his suit jacket. He was presentable enough for the Council. Some of them still hadn’t accepted the modern age, even as they lived through it. Yet another reason to stay out of Paranormal politics. “Night, Kem!” Tony called from his desk, looking a little worse for wear. He was about Kem’s age, though just human as far as Kem knew, but still partied like he was in his early twenties. It showed in his bloodshot eyes and frequent hangovers, but if someone could see past that then they’d find a classically handsome face and a protective nature surrounding a kind heart. His own nature, plus the fact that he was a self-admitted romantic at heart, meant that Kem was always trying to see the best in people, even those that tried to hide it. “Night, Tony,” he replied with a wave, walking from the office and onto the street outside. The moment the cold night air hit him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had nothing against being inside, but there was something about the open air that called to the panther within him. Despite living in a large city, the constant calls from the government to keep pollution down helped to keep the air fresh and clean, for which he was constantly grateful. Kem glanced at his watch, relieved to find that he still had an hour before his summons from the Council, enough time for him to walk across the city and enjoy the crisp night air rather than having to catch a cab. It wasn’t a shifted run, but it was as close as he was going to get, though he could tell that he’d need to press some weights in his home gym later just to use up some of the pent-up energy within him. As he walked, Kem relaxed, taking in his surroundings without being conscious of it. A movement in corner of his eye caught his attention as a slight woman with pale blonde hair walked by. His pulse sky rocketed and the pounding of his heart could surely be heard from a mile away, at least it would be by another shifter or a vampire. “Lia!” He couldn’t stop himself from calling out to her, even if he’d wanted to. It was almost as if something deeper within him was pushing him to do it. He just needed to talk to her. Even if it meant discovering that he was the only one fixating on their night together. To his disappointment, the woman didn’t turn around and the only thing stopping him from running after her was the logical part of his brain that told him it probably wasn’t actually her, and he’d be accosting some other woman. That, or she didn’t recognise his voice and didn’t want to acknowledge a stranger; he didn’t blame her. It was sensible not to put herself in a vulnerable position. Kem continued walking, a slight sense of dejection flowing through him and the night air no longer refreshed him like it should. His thoughts were now solely focused on Lia, not that that was really any different from normal. He’d thought a lot about what that meant too, but didn’t want to get his hopes up, especially if he was building her up in his head to be something that she wasn’t. Before he knew it, Kem stood outside the Council’s building. It had an old stone facade, one of those that had stood the test of time and still managed to claim attention, even amongst the taller, more modern, buildings that surrounded it. Most members of the public thought that it was just another government building, and he supposed that in a way, it was. And yet, no one from the human government would be able to tell them what went on inside; that was just for the Paranormal Councils to know. The entrance hall was just as grand, and he supposed that it had been originally built with the intention of making any visitors feel intimidated. Quite a feat considering the typical personalities of most paranormals. Seeing nobody about, Kem began to pace up and down the wide corridor, trying to burn off some of the nervous energy that had built up within him. “Kemnebi Davis,” a bored voice called from a room to the left. Kem stopped his pacing and entered through the grand double doors. He hated the ceremony that they seemed to insist on standing on; there wasn’t really any need for it. The room was dim, with the only windows almost as high up as the roof itself. The vaulted ceiling was covered in scalloped stone work, which gave the room a grand feel, fitting in with the rest of the building that Kem had seen. The five members of the Council were seated in a semi-circle on a dais that placed them well above him. Leaving Kem unable to do anything but stand at ground level and look up at them. He gave each of the Council members a deferential nod; these were shifters after all, and if they wanted a true show of his respect then they would have to earn it. The two female Council members nodded back politely, their natures meaning that they were more aware of social niceties, whereas the male members of the Council did nothing; their alpha sides refusing to show Kem the respect he hadn’t yet earned. That didn’t mean the women were weaker, in fact, both of them would probably be able to best Kem in some way, they wouldn’t have gained a seat on the Council otherwise. “Good evening,” the light lilting voice of the woman sat to the far left broke through the silence. She was small in stature, with dark auburn hair and a sly look in her eyes. If Kem had to guess, he’d say that she was most likely a fox shifter and he made a mental note not to get on her bad side, if there was one thing to remember about fox shifters, it was that they fought dirty. That, and they were generally exceedingly intelligent, especially when it came to tactical thinking. “Good evening,” Kem responded evenly. He didn’t want to reveal just how nervous he was, but knew that at least one of them could probably smell it on him. “Do you know why we’ve summoned you?” The woman continued, almost as if he hadn’t spoken. The question confused Kem slightly, he wasn’t sure why they’d think he knew, their summons had been just a sheet of paper with the time and date on it. “I’m afraid not.” “We wish to form an alliance with the Nymph Council,” the man’s deep gravelly voice conveyed a sense of danger to Kem, and the way he looked did nothing to dispel the notion. Even seated, the man looked tall, with the wide shoulders and muscle-bound physique that came naturally to a lot of shifters, even if it was just because they exercised a lot of burn off all the pent-up energy they seemed to have. Kem wasn’t sure what kind of shifter he was, but the mere size of him suggested he was some kind of bear. Except that bears tended to be the solitary kind of shifter, much like their animal counterparts, and it seemed unlikely to Kem that one would sit on the Council. “What does that have to do with me?” Kem nerves kicked up a notch, there were only a few ways in which Councils aligned themselves with one another; a takeover, a treaty or a marriage. And as archaic as it seemed, marriage was the most common. Which was what worried Kem, it wasn’t likely that he’d be needed for the first two. “We wish to propose a marriage between yourself, and the Dryad leader’s daughter, Aella.” “I’ve heard she’s extremely beautiful,” the other female Council member broke in. “No.” “This isn’t a request,” the larger man’s words sent a shiver down Kem’s spine, telling him that potential danger was near. “Why me? Surely there’s a better choice?” He blurted before he could think about what he was saying. “Is there?” The man gave a sly smile that filled Kem with dread. “You’re the panther alpha’s brother, though from what I’ve heard there’s no doubt you could be alpha in your own right. And, you’re the only shifter of the right age that isn’t mated already.” Kem gritted his teeth, hating that the man was right. Technically, his brother was also the right age and unmated, though Kem would be reluctant to subject any woman to him. The death of their parents had hit Vic hard, and he’d yet to recover. “I won’t marry anyone that isn’t my true mate,” he rose to his full height, not taking his eyes off the large man who was trying to control his fate. He suspected that some of the effect was lost considering how much higher the man was sat, but he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t try. “We need this Kemnebi, without the alliance we risk being pushed out of the Paranormal High Council,” that shocked him. He knew that shifters were rare compared to the other races, mainly because finding their mates had seemed to become ever harder as the years passed, but he hadn’t realised that it was quite that bad. “I will think about it,” the large man scowled, but the white-haired woman next to him held up her hand to stop him. “That’s all we ask Kemnebi. She is not aware of the marriage pact yet, but she will be in attendance at the reception tomorrow evening. I suggest you introduce yourself to her,” the woman’s voice was smooth and calming, making Kem wonder if she had mixed heritage. He’d heard that there were some paranormal races who could influence emotions with just their voice. He wanted to growl. To refute what they were saying and pretend that it wasn’t true, but he realised that there was very little he could actually do. Without his true mate, they could argue that this was his duty, and he knew that eventually he’d do it. But the image of a certain blonde was emblazoned at the forefront of his mind, and that was enough to keep him resisting.

All hail one of Disney’s only “nice” forgotten queens...Kida of Atlantis! For real, she’s one of the only Disney princesses who becomes a queen eventually and retains her goodness and breaks that trope of “evil queens/stepmoms” that’s become so infamous...so you know.. suitable on the Atlanteans for embodying love! I mean, hey, even Elsa kind of went into her shadow self for a bit there…. Anyways, Atlantis is not your typical Disney movie...There’s no musicals or happy-go-lucky princesses who get helped by forest animals or swoon at princes… Instead, we get an hour and a half of a nerd exploring ancient temples, translating dusty books, and a badass warrior princess fighting for her people. And of course… It's freakin Atlantis, so obviously, we’re going to talk about it! What’s more, under the surface, especially in the design elements, there’s a massive wealth of ancient spirituality that taught an entire generation of kids about lost cities and consciousness for the first time…

So, spoiler alert… Atlantis is about a young researcher named Milo who, through the funding of an old family friend - who’s pretty into Yoga, can gather a crew to search for the lost civilization and its mysterious power source. They discover that not only does Atlantis really exist, but that it’s still inhabited by people hundreds or thousands of years old who have super-advanced technology and wisdom but have forgotten how to use it since the Cataclysm. But by far, one of the most immediate things that stick with you after watching, though, is that animation and art style… along with the design of Atlantis itself… It is entirely on par with Plato!

In this movie, the crew finds a civilization bathed in New Age imagery, colors, and idealism, reminiscent of Madame Blavatsky’s depictions of the ancient empire. Ancient symbols, especially the ever-present spiral and triangle, are carved into ceremonial stones and painted on masks that resemble the ritual attire of Native Americans -something that Sweet notices early on. And nor was this an accident, for when researching and designing Atlantis, the creators went through every kind of theory imaginable and eventually found the work and readings of Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet.

According to Cayce, Atlantis was a highly advanced civilization in touch with the higher aspects of themselves and reality and had found a way to integrate consciousness with technology and powered their machines through crystals. To Cayce, Atlantis was a living, breathing spiritual force that existed. Supposedly, they could focus their mental energy on crystals to produce usable energy, which could, in some cases, be used as a weapon. Naturally, when Disney was coming up with concept art, they thought the same thing as all of us…..” well, that’ll look awesome!” and they made it! The giant floaty consciousness crystal was born, and Atlantis was designed around it.

In the movie, Atlantis is presented as the archetypal Mother Civilisation, from which all modern cultures ultimately came. As a result, all of their temples and buildings reflect common styles from everywhere you’ve come to expect in the modern world… Even their language is based on Proto Indo European, with a dash of Sumerian grammar thrown in! The point is, the creators took the Occult idea of Atlantis and ran with it… Even the journey there goes through a kind of Hollow Earth - whoopsie, maybe we can’t say that without getting demonetized… But anyway, all the while being guided by a sacred journal that is pretty reminiscent of Lovecraft’s Necronomicon.

The Great Crystal itself holds a massive amount of spiritual wisdom too. It’s a life-giving power-source that energizes all life, lights, and flying vehicles in Atlantis. Each person is connected to this force through a personal crystal amulet worn as a pendant… which has been ripped off so many times… But as the king explains, though, the crystal is way more than just a power source or mechanistic machine… It’s created by and takes fuel from its people's consciousness and collective emotions, connecting them in one big, living, breathing “heart.”

It’s even said that the crystal - and by extent, all the smaller crystals, have a consciousness of their own, making it kind of like a deity. Weirdly though, near the beginning, when Kida speaks to Milo, she refers to “the gods wiping out Atlantis,” indicating some polytheistic belief system. While this could be a throw-away line, there’s a sense that the Atlantean world view encompassed multiple gods, as well as this understanding of a universal consciousness that connects and guides all people and things.. seemingly blending ancient polytheism with Americanized Buddhism and New Age concepts like the Akashic Records, which contains all of humanity's past collective knowledge. While we have this polytheistic belief system, it is still unified in their source-consciousness-crystal-ma jigger, so it’s kind of like a mix or polytheistic-monotheism.

Interestingly, according to background fandom sites, in the lore around 100,000 BC, a giant comet passed over the Earth, and a large fragment broke off and landed in the kingdom. Upon examination, the Atlanteans found that it contained a massive crystal and uncovered the excellent properties it possessed. In time, they built their entire culture, civilization, and empire upon it, connecting with it until it became the Heart Crystal that we see in the movie. There’s even a theory that it came from the Mystic Isles, which is like another dimension in the Disney Verse where crazy powerful entities live and are the source of all magic, but that’s another video on its own!

One of the more underlying messages of this movie is its commentary on how nature needs to be protected and not put to waste. In the film, the Flood events were caused by the hubris of the king. In his arrogance, he wanted to use the crystal and consciousness as a weapon...which caused significant instability and that big flash we see at the beginning that eventually caused the fall. The manipulation of consciousness into a firearm is pretty similar to Atlantis's story that we’ve explored in both the Human History Movie and The Anunnaki Movie…

The King pushed aside the need for the crystal as a life force and used it for a selfish purpose, which only led to ruin. After the flood happened, the King hid the crystal under Atlantis since he didn’t want anyone to try and use its power for destructive purposes, and he feared that what happened to his wife would happen to his daughter. By hiding the crystal from sight, the King ignored the past, which ironically….is what the crystal thrives on.

Perhaps there is a message here about the misuse of our consciousness for egotistical gain. In our current, disharmonious state, many of us may act like the King and seek to use our gifts to expand our kingdom rather than genuinely connecting with our hearts and living in balance… If the events of the movie are anything to go by, this can only go one way. The crystal, then, can be seen as both a natural source of energy and something sacred. As long as the people respect it, the crystal protects them, gives them power, and provides them with a long life….but as soon as they are disconnected from consciousness, they begin to die. Ahh, I get it! The crystals a metaphor for nature… or our souls! Or God… Or all 3!

Beautifully though, when the king finally faced his shadow, Kida restored the crystal to its proper place in the community, and Atlantis began to thrive again. The message here is pretty clear….the crystal is the collective consciousness and heart of the Atlantians and reflects our consciousness too. We should use this power within us with respect and not use it to harm others. In this way, we can thrive as a species, but if we hide our spirit under the surface and ignore it, or even worse… Try to mechanize it in our arrogance, and it could lead to our ruin.  

This dual nature is shown pretty well at the beginning and end, coming full circle. When Milo first meets Kida, he has a cut on his chest that she heals by touching him with her crystal, ultimately coming from a place of love...but at the end, when Milo is fighting Rourke, he cuts him with a piece of the main crystal and turns him into Crystal-stein...maybe the crystal was tapping into the intention behind its users?

In the work of the Theosophist Alice Bailey, who the team also drew on for inspiration for the artwork, she tells us that “during the time of Atlantis there was a tremendous battle on the astral between the Forces of Light, who wanted to lift human evolution out of materialism and separateness, and the involuntary Forces of Darkness, who wanted to enslave human will and more deeply immerse humanity in the matter,” which is what she argued was the cause of the fall. It’s quite keen than that Milo's final battle is against the heartless materialism of two bad teammates who had stolen the Crystal to sell on the black market..it’s an excellent little work that the team did...not only are some egotistical humans trying to lock the crystal-force away and sell it..but they’re ultimately defeated, only to have the crystal soar into the sky and be free in all its glory.

Now, of course...we can’t do a video on Atlantis without mentioning Kida.. you know, one of the best Disney princess ever who has been criminally underrated. By the end, she becomes a semi-ascended master, bonding her consciousness to the crystal and going all glowy and holy and becoming a being of pure energy. In a time of great need, the crystal can choose a host to channel its power and protect the kingdom, which sounds an awful lot like Thoth’s ship underneath the Sphinx, but hey, I digress.

Kida embodies the divine feminine in her romantic nature, going to her father to broach new ideas about how to save their culture and has a perfect balance of the sacred masculine and isn't afraid to put her thoughts into action. With Milo, she forms a pretty good creator team that brings consciousness back to the people… In the end, the glowing, energy princess floats down from the skies in a beam of light and melts into Milo's arms where she regains consciousness and her human form… just in time to see a civilization reborn and thriving again… the result of honoring our divine selves.

Isn’t it funny how, after all of it, Kida gives away that whole mountain of treasure to Milo’s crew and helps them back to the surface… not like the Atlantean economy would need any gold, right?... But, interestingly, the real treasure Kida and Milo value is knowledge, so much so that Milo even stays behind to help the Atlanteans re-learn their culture… which is fantastic cause one of the opening scenes of Atlantis II - not as good btw, but still fun... shows a school teaching the language..so we know he succeeds. Most of the temples seem to be a blend of East Asian and Mayan architecture too, which not only links the story to the Maya themselves, the supposed Atlantean priesthood but also helps get that picture of Greek columns and temples out of your head, which was one of the original intentions behind the design.

Bringing this to a close, if you ever wanted to see a faithful reproduction of the New Age idea of Atlantis, then this is like the perfect movie to go and watch...and while it didn’t do great at the box office, it has kind of become a cult classic…. and Tom Holland might star as Milo in a live-action remake. He’s also playing Nathan Drake in the Uncharted movie. What?! This story's message of exploration, adventure, inclusion, and the importance of living in harmony with our consciousness are all lessons that kids learned early on by watching this, and that you can too. While some Bible moms have tried to point out hidden Illuminati or Freemason symbols in it, like the All-Seeing Eye and Quartered Circle, the ultimate lessons of this movie are ones of love, compassion, and caution of hubris and putting our ego above a community.

The whole nature of this movie is even funnier when you read Norma Milanovich and Shirley McCune’s works that argued that Walt Disney himself was a newly Ascended Master whose mission on Earth was to create an awareness of the elementals, the animals, and to integrate the existence of such kingdoms into human consciousness… While we don’t know about that..it’s pretty fun to think about. Maybe Disney’s Atlantis was more in line with Walt’s vision than everyone realized! So until next time, Pah geh sheh nelekh, Gah Moak!

Here are the winners for Red Bull Illume’s Image Quest 2019 competition

Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2019 Winners

At the beginning of this month, 260 semi-finalists were selected out of nearly 60,000 entries for Red Bull Illume's photography and videography contest. The 5 finalists for each category attended the Winner Award Ceremony hosted at the LUMEN - Museum of Mountain Photography on November 20th. The Overall Winner, 11 Category Winners, and Top 60 finalist images were revealed at the ceremony hosted by Italian sports journalist Zoran Filicic.

Ben Thouard was this year's Overall Winner.

This year’s Overall Winner is Ben Thouard for his underwater image of surfer Ace Buchan riding a massive wave in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. Here is Thouard's story behind his winning image: ‘I‘ve dedicated the last few years to shooting underwater, looking for new angles and a new way to shoot surfing and waves. Shooting surfing from underwater is a whole new world and I love it! Tahiti has some of the clearest water in the world so it was easy for me to take advantage of it and explore it as much as I could. This photo was shot during a freesurf session right before the WCT event in Teahupo‘o. This is Ace Buchan kicking out from the barrel through the wave, a technique to escape a close-out wave.’

He continues, 'luckily I was right below, breathless with my waiting for this moment and I was able to capture the whole sequence of it; this frame from the beginning of the sequence is the most powerful one because of the water around his face and body.' Thouard was a Red Bull Illume semi-finalist in 2013 and a finalist in 2016 before becoming the Overall Winner this year.

60 finalist images were on display outside the LUMEN.

Once all the winners and finalists were announced, attendees were able to view the 60 finalist photos illuminated with 2mx2m lightboxes outside the LUMEN. The winners for each category are:

Overall Winner 2019: Ben Thouard, French Polynesia

Category Winners 2019

Best of Instagram by SanDisk: Baptiste Fauchille, France Creative by Skylum: Denis Klero, Russia Emerging by Red Bull Photography: JB Liautard, France Energy: Ben Thouard, French Polynesia Innovation by Sony: Laurence Crossman-Emms, United Kingdom Lifestyle: Alexander Wick, Germany Masterpiece by EyeEm: Lorenz Holder, Germany Moving Image: Rupert Walker, Canada Playground: Lorenz Holder, Germany RAW: Noah Wetzel, USA Wings: Philip Platzer, Austria Best Mountain Sports Image by Salewa: Kamil Sustiak, Australia SanDisk Extreme Award: Philip Platzer, Austria

For those interested, a Limited Edition Red Bull Illume Photobook featuring 260 semi-finalist action and adventure sports images submitted to the competition is now available to order. 4,000 copies were made, each individually numbered and stamped, and they come with a SanDisk Ultra SD Memory Card containing the Moving Image Category videos plus the full Luminar 4: Creative Photo Editor suite from Skylum.

Energy & Overall Winner: Ben Thouard, France

About this photo: As the quotes in the introduction to this series illustrate, Thouard was in the right place at the right time, underwater, when he captured athlete Ace Buchan kicking out from the barrel through the wave in Teahupo’o, Tahiti.

Category Winner, Best of Instagram by SanDisk: Baptiste Fauchille, France

About this photo: This is a shot from a buddies trip with a business goal showing biker Alex Bibollet’s shadow in the bowl of Fillinges, France. In Fauchille's words, 'We were a team of riders, photographers, and videographers, leaving for the very first trip of the new BMX clothing brand linked to the BMX: ‘Unicorn, we are legends’. We travelled for 5 days in the middle of summer, through different spots in different cities; it was a buddies trip with a business goal.

This photo was taken at the bowl of Fillinges. I remember the heat was insane like it rarely had been in the Alps. When I arrived on the spot the first thought I had in mind was to make a top- shot video with the drone: a fixed plan with a rider who makes his line with the intention of creating a loop. Then I realized that the bowl was really clean: no tags, no dust. I was able to have the rider and his shadow to come out well. I asked Alex Bibollet — one of the riders — to do what he did best, and I immortalized this moment!'

Category Winner, Creative by Skylum: Denis Klero, Russia

About this photo: In Klero's own words,'last year‘s trend reports have shown that as soon as the first snow starts falling the social media community bursts in excitement and instantly shares videos and photos showing the first flakes of the year. I didn‘t want to miss out on the trend and started working on a concept to show the change of seasons. To attract the attention of the social media world it had to be something that would make one stop and stare. Consequently, I developed an idea of a series of three main pictures with some supporting detail shots, which had to be visually strong and inherent to the world of Red Bull. This picture with Pavel (Alekhin, the athlete in this photo) is one of those.'

Category winner, Emerging by Red Bull Photography: Jean-Baptiste Liautard, France

About this photo: 'Two things that I love when it comes to photography are silhouettes and reflections and I wanted to use both in a single frame for a long time. After a lot of drawings, I knew what I wanted but it took me six months to get the perfect conditions and final ideas. Jeremy‘s trail is a piece of art and this jump is definitely a highlight. I knew I wanted to shoot it from the side and get that reflection but it was really dry at this time of the year and of course there was no water around,' says Liautard.

'When I saw a wheelbarrow hanging around by the jumps, I had the idea to fill it up with water to create a mirror. We didn‘t have any water hose that day, so I had to do round trips with water cans to a little ditch by the road. After spending a lot of time adjusting the wheelbarrow and cleaning the water in the afternoon, my mirror was finally ready for the evening shoot.'

We were lucky enough to have a few friends helping us with the fire that night and adjusting the smoke just as we needed. The hardest job was Jeremy‘s as he had to ride the trail almost blind. Riding bikes at night is so scary and I can‘t thank the athletes enough when they are in these kinds of conditions. After a few attempts, we got this one, just as I imagined it at the very beginning, and it was a great feeling to finally see the image I had in my head for months, displayed on the back of my camera.

Category Winner, Innovation by Sony: Laurence Crossman-Emms, United Kingdom

About this photo: In Laurence's own words, 'Blaenau Ffestiniog was once described as the wettest place in Wales, this is no lie. Even when the sun shines, the puddles are plentiful. I’ve always been attracted to their animations when struck by a bicycle at full steep. The tyres of Katy Winton making the perfect parting of this muddy sea. The combination of dynamic action and the silk-like curtains made me try each time more determined. There are always challenges when shooting bikes and water close up … don’t get run over and don’t get wet.

This concept had always been in the back of my mind but finding the perfect location and it aligning with both the weather and sufficient puddle depth was tough. This breathless day at Antur Stiniog with Katy proved ideal. You can never guess how water reacts when you hit it with force, sometimes the results exceed your expectations … this was one of those times.'

Category Winner, Lifestyle: Alexander Wick, Germany

About this photo: In Wick's words, 'Together with my boys Phil and Chris I went on a US West-Coast climbing trip. Obviously Yosemite is a must and so we tested our very humble European crack climbing skills right away on El Capitan‘s Salathé Wall. A climb I‘ve been dreaming of for quite a while.

The first Ascent of this line was a master piece way ahead of its time. Climber and photographer Tom Frost was part of the three man team back then. His photography of the same climb is just breathtaking. The picture of Royal Robbins napping on a rock atop El Cap Spire with loads of exposure is one of my favorites, so of course I planned on getting a tribute shot to the old masters once we reached the spot. As we got stuck behind another climbing party just up on El Cap spire I used the moment, aided my way up the next pitch and took the shot as the boys and our new friend Luke actually took a nap.

No old hemp ropes and linen haul bags like in 1961 but modern nylon and Dyneema this time. No uncharted terrain but a well known and established route. Having a rest amidst a sea of granite: probably almost as amazing as back in the days.'

Category Winner, Masterpiece by EyeEm: Lorenz Holder, Germany

About this photo: 'The first time I saw this location was when I was watching Game of Thrones and I was blown away by the pure magic this road generated in me. First, I thought that it‘s of course a CGI composition, but after a little research I found out that this place is actually real and located in Northern Ireland. A year later I was actually standing there with Senad Grosic and trying to get a bunny-hop-tailwhip on camera.

It was early in the morning with the first sun rays hitting the road and we managed to get a pretty cool shot, but somehow I knew that there was pure potential in the spot. So, we decided to stay a couple days longer and waited for some kind of rain, fog or other particles in the air, so I could use one flash from behind and create a white background to make Senad stand out a bit more and get the focus a bit more on the action. The rain came on our last day and I still remember the goose-bumps I had when I saw the image appearing on the screen of the camera. That‘s when I felt the same magical feeling I got when I watched Game of Thrones for the first time.'

Category Winner, Moving Image: Rupert Walker, Canada

About this photo: This is a still from Walker's award-winning video. Here's his explanation for getting all the key shots: 'It was particularly challenging because it required extreme precision from the FPV drone pilot, Jonny Durst, and during this shoot, we experienced very heavy rains, which caused the track to be nearly unrideable. From the moisture, the track was riding much slower than anticipated and caused the athletes to struggle at performing their best. The dig crew was all hands-on deck with tiger torches and shovels to dry up any wet spots and dig out any soft spots. With hard work from all, a solid shot plan, and great coordination between the drone pilot and the athletes, the shot was accomplished.'

Category Winner, Playground: Lorenz Holder, Germany

About this photo: Lorenz Holder's reputation as a stellar location scout continues (he was a winner in this year's Masterpiece by EyeEm category). Holder talks about his latest find: 'The Ouse Valley Viaduct is pretty cool old railway bridge in the South of England. When you approach it from the side, you can‘t really see the secret this bridge has to offer, but once you get underneath of one of the arches you can‘t believe your eyes. You are caught in a place that could easily be in the movie Inception. The arches create a very surreal visual effect – when you are taking a picture, you don‘t understand if you are looking down into something or at least you get very confused about what you‘re actually seeing. I was blown away by this fact, but also blown away that this looked like a pretty good spot for skateboarding.

When I showed Vladic an image of the viaduct, he was on fire to try it out. To be honest it was super hard to ride and Vladic‘s quote that got stuck in my mind was: “This is so hard, when my brain is going down in the transition, my body is already going up again – this will be difficult to get something done here.“ A couple of hours later, when his brain and body came together, he landed this kickflip while the sun was just at the perfect angle as well.'

Category Winner, RAW: Noah Wetzel, USA

About this photo: 'After weeks of preparation and creative conception, I loaded my Subaru and headed North to Wyoming for the Total Solar Eclipse in August of 2017. Arriving a couple days before the eclipse, I linked up with athletes Chris Brule, Evan Grott, and Blake Sommer. The imagery goal was to capture the Eclipse and showcase mountain biking utilizing an in-camera double exposure – a very complex process.

The morning of, we loaded our packs well before sunrise with light stands, powerful flashes, extra camera gear, and two magnum bottles of champagne to celebrate. After capturing the first image successfully during two minutes of totality, all we had to do was endure the midday sun, waiting for twilight and the attempt at the second frame.

Unfortunately, I was unaware I had damaged the hot shoe connection on my camera four weeks prior while shooting fly fishing, preventing me from triggering my flashes. Our only option required athlete Chris Brule to hit the feature in near darkness at 9pm, allowing me to set the camera to a 2.5 second exposure, manually firing the flashes and freezing Chris mid-air. Nearly escaping complete failure, we hiked out in darkness while sipping on champagne, truly in awe of the total solar eclipse and thankful we were able to capture something special.'

Category Winner, Wings: Philip Platzer, Austria

About this photo: Here is how Platzer captured athlete Marco Fürst flying hot air balloon swing in Austria: 'Together with the Red Bull Skydive Team, I did this crazy Project called Megaswing back in 2016. After my assignment I already knew this had to be a tricky one: Two hot air balloons, one with a long rope attached and the other one to jump out with the swing, and of course the skydiver with his parachute.

After the first couple of jumps I realized that I wouldn’t get the perfect shot by simply shooting from the inside of the basket they where jumping out of. Lucky me, I had my monopod in the car as well as a pair of radio-triggers. My solution to get the right angle was to hold the camera, that I had attached to my monopod, as deep under the basket and just hope to get the perfect framing.

Another thing, I asked the athlete Marco Fürst to turn a little bit towards my direction to avoid getting an ass-shot and to get this playful mood in the image. In the end it was the very last try which gave us the moneyshot.'

Read more about this at dpreview.com

https://bestcamaccessories.com/here-are-the-winners-for-red-bull-illumes-image-quest-2019-competition/

15 Best Lettering Fonts for Achieving a Custom Creative Feel

Given the prominence of tech, handwriting is arguably falling by the wayside. However, there’s still an appreciable charm to be had, and carefully-chosen lettering fonts can invoke a more ‘writerly’ feel, perfect for many different niches. The good news is that there are thousands of options to choose from online.

With this in mind, this post will look at 15 of the very best lettering fonts, and break down what makes them unique. We’ll also clearly note whether each font is free or premium.

Let’s bust out the inkwell!

15 Best Lettering Fonts for Achieving a Custom Creative Feel

Lettering fonts are all about a classic, elegant style. However, choosing the wrong one will just look messy. As such, we’ve looked at each example’s rating and reviews to narrow this selection down to 15. What’s more, this list isn’t in any particular order, so feel free to dive into any lettering font that takes your fancy.

1. Gilded Hand

Our first font in this list was literally created by hand, which is evident when you view it. It’s a typeface that wouldn’t look out of place on an old parchment, and despite the ornate styling, its cursive nature is easy to read – not bad for $4.

However, we’d recommend using this solely for titles and headings, as Gilded Hand can be a bit hard to read at smaller sizes. This is to be expected though, as smaller-sized cursive scripts are often tougher to read.

2. Ball Pen

Next up, Ball Pen is a handwritten ‘hipster’-style font that manages to look both classic and modern at the same time. We’re particularly big fans of the way it looks in white, which could give your designs a carefree style.

We think this would look right at home on a vintage logo, although authors may also appreciate the way it invokes a quickly-jotted signature. As with Gilded Hand, it’s recommended to use this for applications such as super-sized titles or potentially callout text.

3. Daisy Dog

Daisy Dog has a vintage look, and this all-caps font is effortlessly stylish. It’s also highly readable, due to its design, which makes it an excellent option for header images, titles, and logos.

Just like Ball Pen, this font also looks very classy in white, which means sites with darker backgrounds should check this one out. Because Daisy Dog is all-caps, it’s not going to be suitable for general body text, although you could potentially find a place for it for callout or otherwise prominent text.

4. Author Type

Author Type is the kind of font you’d expect to see in an old comic book or emblazoned on vintage streetwear. It oozes an old-school 50s charm, and due to its drop shadow, will give a site a slight sense of depth.

As for using the font, Author Type looks particularly at home within colorful designs. However, it’s a particularly great option for logos too, especially when using bold or monochrome palettes.

5. Stay Classy

Arriving with much more refinement than Ron Burgundy in Anchorman, Stay Classy looks like a calligrapher’s dream. The letters are tall and narrow, giving the text a touch of elegance, and its semi-cursive nature offers ‘movement’ and leading lines as you read.

We’d recommend you try out this typeface within logos, and wherever you need to invoke style. We’d argue that social events websites would suit Stay Classy, although mommy bloggers will be pleased with how this looks in pastel colors on a white background.

6. The Delight

While the other fonts had a clear focus, The Delight’s style is hard to pin down. It references vintage posters or the kind of lettering fonts you see in print ads gone by.

To put it another way, The Delight is all about retro charm, and it’s ideal for a title you want to tower over an entire design, such as the heading for a wedding invitation. Food websites may also suit this font, as the ‘flecks’ and ornate elements have a slight feeling of ‘spilled cream’ as it were.

7. Adventura

Adventura is the result of combining hand-lettering with a childish spirit. Unlike a lot of other fonts on this list, it’s sans-serif and non-cursive, which offers a ‘blocky’ look, albeit with some level of movement.

It’s the perfect pairing for a children’s book cover, or if you need to add text above an illustration. Even though it’s whimsical, it’s still very readable, and may even suit a more informal site in an otherwise formal niche. Overall, it can help you create some very fun designs.

8. Bigbang

If you’re looking for a hand-lettering font that screams ‘rebel without a cause’, Bigbang is for you. Its grungy style makes it look like it was written using brushstrokes, which provides a distinctly personal touch.

However, the overall shape suggests it’s the kind of font that dominates designs, so we recommend you stick to using it for logos or impactful headers. ‘Hipster’ websites will also have yet another font to add to the wishlist.

9. Authenia

An example of another semi-cursive font, Authenia is a simple option based on brushstrokes. It’s almost ‘touchable’ and has a lovely texture that offers both depth and movement.

It’s the kind of typeface tailor-made for vintage t-shirts or outdoors activities, as it’s laid-back and italicized. We’d also suggest trying it as a primary logo font, especially given the alternates included.

10. Organika

As the name implies, Organika is all about natural writing styles. It’s a casual font that’s also highly readable, despite being cursive and irregularly-shaped. As with other choices on this list, it’s going to be better used at larger sizes because of this.

If you’re looking for a typeface that wouldn’t look out of place on a jar of organic jam, this could be the perfect fit. Don’t let its ‘hippie’ style fool you, though – Organika has a lot of thought put into its design, and it’s a match made in heaven for cooking-related sites, and personal blogs.

11. Fineday

If you’re harking after a font to invoke thoughts of classic Cadillacs, jukeboxes, and malt shops, Fineday is likely near the top of your list. You may also notice its thick brushstrokes and devil-may-care swashes are similar to the logo of a distinctly red variety of cola. This font is also more flexible than most, as you can choose between cursive and non-cursive lettering.

It may seem niche, but if you’re working on a parody design, this is going to be a first-ballot font choice. However, it can also stand on its own – on restaurant websites, or vintage clothing logos, for example.

12.  Beautiful People

For our final few fonts, we’re going to look at the Billy Argel foundry, as there are some great examples of lettering fonts within. For example, Beautiful People has an ‘end credits’ feel for a black and white movie, which immediately gives it a touch of class. It features beautiful cursive loops, and very tight letter spacing. This means at anything but the most prominent of sizes, you could find readability a concern.

In our opinion, Beautiful People is ideal for beauty websites or wedding invitations. You could also employ this again within parody designs, or those situations where you need the visitor to relate to the golden age of Hollywood.

13. Tomatoes

We’ve looked at ‘signature’-style font earlier in the list, and here’s another example. Tomatoes has the feel of an autograph, and although it has a ‘scrawly’ quality, it’s still readable. Because it’s also thin, you’ll likely want to make this font large.

Much like other letting fonts based on handwriting, Tomatoes is ideal for anywhere you need to fake text created by the human hand. We’re thinking author websites, prominent sign-offs, and similar.

14. Bite Chocolate

Our penultimate font looks incredibly similar to the style of lettering found on French chocolate wrappers – in other words, it’s incredibly classy. Bite Chocolate has plenty of movement and alternates, but we’d argue its main strength is its lack of flexibility.

To put it another way, you’d probably consider this for food-related designs, or otherwise whimsical looks. We couldn’t see how this would suit other designs where you’ve used cursive scripts, but of course, the specific application is key.

15. Cassandra

Last but not least, Cassandra features the kind of design that wouldn’t look out of place on a perfume ad or a fashion magazine. There are some great alternates and other extras, meaning it offers flexibility while still doing one thing really well.

All in all, it’s vintage and down-to-earth in one package. We think it’s a great fit for logo designs, although you could rein in its flourishes and use it for titles and headings too.

Conclusion

Fonts can come in all shapes, sizes, and applications. While lettering fonts won’t ever be mistaken for more professional choices, they’re going to be just the ticket for those looking for a writerly or whimsical site design. They hold an especially personal touch, but choosing the wrong one can give off a poor impression.

Our favorite lettering fonts are effortlessly elegant. For example, Gilded Hand is as fancy as its name sounds. In contrast, Ball Pen or Stay Classy gives off a signature-style air to suit personal blogs. You can even find examples such as Adventura, which could be perfect for websites focused on younger visitors, or otherwise informal businesses.

Do you have any questions about lettering fonts and their applications? Ask away in the comments section below!

The post 15 Best Lettering Fonts for Achieving a Custom Creative Feel appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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UNIT 2 ESSAY DRAFT #1

Analysing the narrative of Kubo and the Two Strings, referring to the Hero’s Journey 

In this essay I will be analysing a narrative using Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey (2007), looking at the structure of the narrative, it’s characters and their possible archetypes, and how effective the medium of the narrative is (stop motion film, live action, written book, etc.) in telling a story.

The Hero’s Journey is a narrative theory first published by Christopher Vogler in 1998, inspired and based upon Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth, and his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (originally published in 1949), both of which explore the similar and repeated structures of folklore tales and myths. Vogler worked upon Campbell’s ideas and came up with the theory that every story shares a few similar structural elements, going on to determine the stages of the stories’ structures – he claimed that there were around twelve: the Ordinary World (or exposition – the world the Hero exists in before the story/adventure), the Call to Adventure (or the inciting incident), the Refusal of the Call (if the story contains a ‘reluctant Hero’ - a Hero who doesn’t (at least at first) want to go on ‘the adventure’), a Meeting with a Mentor (though this isn’t always present in stories), the Crossing of the First Threshold (when the Hero either fully commits or passes into the ‘Special World’ – the domain of the adventure/story), Tests, Allies and Enemies (usually the largest part of a story – after the Hero crosses into the Special World, they encounter challenges and get into situations where they make both enemies and allies), the Approach to the Inmost Cave (the Hero reaches the edge of where the quest object is hidden), The Ordeal (the midpoint of the narrative, usually – where the Hero hits rock bottom and the audience is held in suspense), the Reward (the Hero claims/retrieves the treasure/knowledge/object they’ve been searching for), the Road Back (the Hero starts the journey back to the ordinary World, but is still in some sort of danger – they are perhaps pursued by a force awakened by the retrieval of the reward/treasure), the Resurrection (the climax – the Hero’s final test, using lessons learnt from the Ordeal to vanquish the enemy/fear),  and finally, the Return with the Elixir (or the denouement – the Hero returns to the Ordinary World with the reward from the Special World). Vogler also sorted the characters into groups, or Archetypes, based on similar traits/abilities they exhibited. They were as follows: The Hero, the Mentor, the Shape-Shifter, the Trickster, the Shadow, the Herald and the Threshold Guardian. Many characters are combinations of these archetypes – for instance, the Trickster-Hero is common in stories – and not all of them must necessarily be human: The Shadow could be an antagonist or the Hero’s worst fear, just as the Herald could be an event or object that spurs the Hero onto their quest.

As an example of this theory, I’m going to analyse Kubo and the Two Strings (Laika, 2016): a stop-motion animated film about a young boy who is sent on a quest to find his ‘dead’ father’s legendary armour, needed to defeat the Moon King and his two daughters. Kubo is an interesting example because several of the story’s stages overlap, and in some cases it’s almost as though they repeat (for example, there’s what seems to be a ‘mini Ordeal’ earlier in the film where the Hero (Kubo) nearly dies, the mentor (Monkey) Is badly wounded in a battle with one of the Moon King’s daughters and their means of transport is destroyed, leaving them stranded in the middle of an ocean-like lake. However, Monkey defeats the enemy, Kubo recovers and gains the knowledge that his mother (thought to have died during the Crossing the First Threshold/Refusal of the Call) was alive and with him as Monkey, then uses his magic to recreate their ship so they could sail to land – meaning the characters hit ‘rock bottom’ before recovering and receiving a reward of some kind – in this case, knowledge and a piece of the armour). There’re also two possible Heralds in the beginning of the film: first, when an old lady in the village Kubo visits persuades the boy to stay later for a Festival, in which the villagers light lanterns and pray to their deceased loved ones, causing Kubo to be caught in the moonlight and be found by the Moon King, or a little later when – after enchanting his robes to fly him to safety – Kubo’s mother tells him to find his father’s armour before charging at The Sisters. The introduction of the Sisters could also be seen as Crossing the First Threshold, as their arrival thrust Kubo into the realm of the Moon King and his powerful magic: the only magic the boy ever having seen before being his and his mothers, which causes paper to fold itself into semi-sentient origami figures. Another Crossing the First Threshold scene could be when Kubo wakes up in the other-worldly Farlands with Monkey (also doubling as a Meeting the Mentor stage), the enchantment on his robes having flown him to safety – he crossed the boundary of the village and the small, quaint world he knew into the wider, wilder one his father had once lived in. The largest ‘stage’ in the film is the Tests, Allies and Enemies, beginning after Kubo and Monkey land in the Farlands and lasting up until the Approach to the Inmost Cave/Ordeal stage at Hanzo’s old fortress. During this stage Kubo encounters two allies and four, potentially five enemies; When he and Monkey make camp for the first night in the Farlands, after admitting that neither of them know where to even start searching for the armour, during his sleep Kubo’s magic creates mini-Hanzo – a small origami samurai reminiscent of his father’s legendary warrior image. Mini-Hanzo then revealed himself to be a guide – pointing his katana in the direction of the pieces of armour. The second encounter is with Beetle – at first thought to be a threat after he ‘kidnaps’ Kubo, he is soon pledging himself to help them, thinking he used to be Hanzo’s apprentice (he has little to no memory of his past). The first enemy they encounter in the Farlands (the Moon King’s daughters are the first pair of antagonists they meet at the beginning) is the giant skeleton that guards the first piece of the armour: The sword unbreakable. They defeat it and bond during the experience, and set off to find the second piece of armour. That leads on to what could be considered the ‘mini-ordeal’ explained before, resulting in them encountering another enemy (the lake monster) and then defeating two (escaping the monsters in the lake and Monkey beating the Moon King’s daughter). They don’t encounter any more enemies or allies until the main ordeal at Hanzo’s Fortress, in which they battle the last of the Sisters and Kubo leaves to take on the Moon King after Beetle and Monkey are killed.

The story doesn’t have a very large cast – one main protagonist, two allies (three if you count mini-Hanzo), three main antagonists, two minor antagonists (or Threshold Guardians) and then a handful of background characters (the villagers you see in the beginning and at the end). The smaller number of characters means that they share the traits of more than one archetype, which I think helps the narrative as it gives the characters more depth and personality. For example, Kubo is the story’s Hero, however he’s also a Trickster – this is shown through his playful shamisen performances in the village and throughout the story, and during his interactions with Beetle and Monkey – when he causes a paper bird to ‘attack’ Monkey with his music, for instance: “I didn’t tell them to do that! At least, not the second time…” Beetle is also a Trickster and acts as the comic relief: his absentmindedness and childlike attitude makes him a lovable character, like a distraction to the darker themes of the film. He’s also a Shape Shifter, however, in that he’s actually Kubo’s father, Hanzo: “Oh, this is precious. You've been together all this time and you haven't even realised? You took her from us. It was only fitting we took something from you. How swiftly those memories spilled from your head, wiping out all recollection of your obscene union... Hanzo.” – the last Sister to Beetle, spoken whilst crumpling mini-Hanzo. This shows the darker side of Beetle, a flip on his light hearted personality. Quite a few of the characters seem to have Shape Shifter traits: Monkey is revealed to be Kubo’s mother, having used the last of her magic to transfer herself into the monkey charm he carries, being a Shape Shifter and Mentor; Beetle is really a cursed Hanzo – Kubo’s father, so is a Trickster Shape Shifter; and the Moon King first reveals himself to Kubo in a dream, telling him the location of the last piece of armour – this turns out to be a trap, however, and can make the Moon King a more cruel Trickster, as well as a Shape Shifter and Shadow.    

On the medium of the story, the use of stop-motion for Kubo is quite substantial: the magic of the story is based upon creating life/sentience from music and paper – the arts - reflecting the fact that the characters themselves are models that have been created and given ‘life’ by the animators that built and moved them: it’s an intimate medium, which I think mirrors the emphasis on character relationships in the story. Kubo’s line “If you must blink, do it now.” Is also quite ironic, as – it being a stop-motion film – if you blink, you’re likely missing a week’s worth of animation!

In conclusion, I believe Kubo and the Two Strings to be an interesting example of how the Hero’s Journey theory is applied and used to structure modern narratives, being able to create original and emotive stories from the same basic elements.

  Bibliography

Vogler, C. (2007). The writer's journey. 3rd ed. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions

Kubo and the Two Strings. (2016). [FILM] Travis Knight, Laika, Focus Features