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writterracoon · 1 month

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Hades 2

Lately, I've been a bit obsessed about Hades 2, I've been watching people play the test run , listening to compilations of interactions and scouring theories.

While doing all of that, I noticed something of a pattern, a theme that often came back and I think I may have found out one of the MAIN theme and conflict of the game and I've seen nobody talk about it yet, so here we go.

More under if you're not against being possibly spoiled.

I think one of the major themes of Hades 2 is going to be about Humanity and its complex relationship with the Gods, the way the gods treat mortals and the way mortals treat the gods.

here are my evidences

The interactions

the first thing that put me on this path was this interaction between Melinoe and Nemesis.

In this conversation, Nemesis and Melinoe are talking about Retribution and Justice and how Nemesis believes that Kronos taking over the underworld and challenging the Olympians may be what they deserve. Notice how Nemesis specifically mentions mortals and the Golden Age.

For those who don't know, in greek mythology the Golden Age was the first Era of Humanity and when Chronos was the ruler of the heavens. It was a time of peace and harmony for humanity where there existed no plague or famine, there was no need to work as they could simply pick their food from nature itself. They lived long lives, remaining youthful and died peacefully in their sleep.

Nemesis is I think trying to hint to Melinoe that maybe the situation is not exactly as black and white as it first seems and that humanity may have a bigger role in this than first thought.

A second interaction i want to bring to mind is about Moros and his relationship with mortals.

Here Moros admits that sometimes he because of was simply bored he would knowingly bring doom and pain to Mortals ending their lives painfully.

Archnea's interactions are also the strongest contenders for that theory, as they bring back that theme of divine cruelty, the gods view of mankind and how they callously treat them.

She has been wronged by the gods for the simple reason that she was better than them at something and they naturally couldn't stand it so they cursed her to live as a spider. She is filled with resentment for them and even warns Mel not to trust them. Also, note how she admits she fears the gods more than she fears Chronos.

2. Dora

Now Dora is a bit particular because we don't know much about her, but I have seen a theory and some interaction with Moros seem to be pointing toward it, which is that she might be Pandora, the original sinner of Greek mythology.

the myth of Pandora goes a bit like this: During the Golden Age, after Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gifted it to humanity, the gods decided to punish Prometheus by punishing humanity. They built Pandora, a woman beautiful beyond compare, and gave her a box full of the evils of the world. They then send her to seduce Epimetheus Prometheus's brother, who despite his brother's warning is promptly seduced by Pandora's beauty and welcomes her into his home. She then opened the box and released the evil of the world upon mankind, thus ending the Golden Age. Only hope stays inside the box.

Again if this is indeed true, it would follow the theme of the gods inflicting pain and suffering upon mankind for petty reasons, uncaring about the consequences of those actions.

3. Hades I

During the first game, many interactions points toward the gods general uncaring attitudes about mortals. Demeter thinks it was a mortal who stole her daughter away, so she decides that she will punish them all by starving them with an eternal winter. The other gods make almost mention of it only to say how much it annoys them.

4. Speculation

This part is not so much about evidences and more about speculations about the story of Hades 2 based upon my theory that mankind is going to be central in this tale.

The reason how Chronos is so powerfull, powerfull enough to free himself from Tartarus and claim the Underworld for himself, is that mortal were tired of being the gods' playthings and prayed to him, they prayed for his return, for the return of the golden age, where pain and suffering were unknown to them and the gods weren't using them for their own amusement.

The gods are going to have to deal with the fact that their poor treatment of humanity has consequences and those consequences are the return of Chronos and a second titonomachy.

Melinoe will propably have to face the fact that Chronos is wrong in challenging the gods and that the current status quo cannot be sustained any longer. The Olympian gods will have to change how they treat mankind if they wish to even have a stand a chance against chronos.

(TLDR, The Olympian gods have treated mankind like shit for a long time and now they are dealing with the consequences of those actions when the mortals are praying to Chronos to come back and restore back the golden Age where their lives weren't even half as awful. Melinoe will have to deal with the fact that her family might very well deserve what is happening to them and if she wishes to save them, the gods will have to change.)

#I taught of all of this under the shower #might do more if I find new interactions that support this theory #but im actually pretty proud of this one already #I think it would be thematically intersting if a story about gods ends being in the end about mankind and its struggles #Apollo bless me with your dodgeball #hades 2 #hades ii #Hades 2 theory #hades supergiant

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argowrites · 1 month

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Love and Legacy, Chapter Six!

“Jayce told me about…many things, but he also told me about your diagnosis. I…I am truly sorry, Viktor. I know we have not always seen eye-to-eye, but it is a terrible thing.”

Viktor blinked in surprise. She didn’t sound polished. This was not a rehearsed speech or anything with a double meaning. This was just Councilor Medarda, speaking off the cuff, something he’d never thought possible.

“Yes, it is,” he replied quietly.

“With that in mind, I…would you like some tea? I know you offered coffee, and I could make that as well, but I am afraid good coffee is a bit beyond my skills. And…gods, I brought you a pastry from that quaint café you and Jayce frequent. It’s not cherry. It’s apricot. If was going to off-handedly mention how Jayce said that they were your favorite, though I know full well it’s the cherry ones because he always mentions it whenever we pass and they’re in the window because he’s been infatuated with you for years and, gods, it all seems so petty now. You’re—I’m—”

She stopped suddenly and put an elegant hand to her head. She took a deep breath through her nose, let it out through her mouth, and looked at Viktor, composed once more.

“How do you like your tea? Or, rather, do you have any tea?” she asked, an edge still clinging to her voice.

“Sweet and strong, with a dash of sweetmilk. It’s in the top cabinet, by the sink,” Viktor said, still amazed at Councilor Medarda’s outburst.

“Excellent. Perhaps I’ll have the same.”

Councilor Medarda stood, turned to Viktor, opened her mouth once and then closed it. For the first time since he’d met her, she looked as if she didn’t quite know what to say. Viktor grinned. This was new. He liked this version of her better.

“Apricot is my second favorite, if that eases your mind, councilor,” he said wryly.

Councilor Medarda’s shoulders stiffened, and she sighed, shaking her head, and turning toward the kitchen, close enough that he could watch her root around in the cabinet and wrinkle her nose at the dirty dishes in the sink.

“Mel, Viktor. Mel. Gods know there’s no reason to stand on formality,” she muttered as she pulled the tin of tea. “And I know it’s your second favorite. Jayce has also mentioned it a…few times."

Act IV of my Viktor Quartet

Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends

Rating: Mature

Chapters: 6/?

Characters: Viktor, Singed, Silco, Jinx, Ekko, Jayce, Mel, Heimerdinger, Caitlyn, Vi

Relationships: Jayce/Viktor, Jayce/Mel, Jayce/Mel/Viktor, Singed & Viktor, Silco & Viktor, Jinx & Viktor, Ekko & Viktor, Jayce & Caitlyn, Silco & Jinx, Minor Cait/Vi

Additional Tags: Angst, Viktor-centric, Author knows a little about League lore, Divorce Era (but short)

Next time: Jayce and Viktor do science! Things get spicy!

#arcane #viktor arcane #jayce talis #mel medarda #jayvik #meljayvik #fanfic #arcane fanfic #long fic

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winderlylandchime · 8 months

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1/2 3x08! ‘This better start with them fucking! I miss-(the ep starts with someone saying they have a tight ass)nevermind..why is that dude’s hat red but everything is in black and white? Oh they are workers of the street’ ‘ITS JUSTIN! Why is his head in a lamp? Dude it was just a harp player with a dumb goatee, its not that deep. Daph feels the same as i do, seriously what was so special about him that you cant stop thinki-(Justin says hes talking about Brian) HELL YEAH BABY! THATS FUCKING RIGHT! TEAM BRIAN! DAPHNE IS ALSO HAPPY! EXACTLY MISTAKE! (Daph reveals her plan) OH DAPHNE YOU BEAUTIFUL EVIL GENIUS, I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU! *pauses tv and runs to the piece of paper he taped on the wall and points* I FUCKING CALLED IT! IM PSYCHIC! RAVEN MOVE OVER BECAUSE THATS SO (his name) IS HERE *looks at his list* okay so I was off a little but it’s still close, but her working with Bri Bri would be dope as fuck! *keeps looking at his list* i wonder what else I’m right about’ ‘anyway we are going back to season 1 stalker era!’ Mel and Linds come on ‘oh come on! Nobody cares about you. We have a hot man to stalk!’ *waves at the tv* ‘hi brian! You wont guess what Blondie told me’ (Ted hurts his back) ‘oh this is just NOT his season, is it?’ THE INTERN SCENE IS UP!! ‘Bri Bri! (Justin is introduced as the intern) OH MY FUCKING GOD! LOOK AT BRIANS FACE! HE IS LITERALLY SPEECHLESS! MR KINNEY?! OH HE LIKED THAT. (The office scene is currently happening and he is smiling so big) HE IS HERE TO SUCK DICK WHILE YOU LEVITATE! OH YOU WANNA SEE HIS FACE EVERY DAY! YOU LITERALLY GOT A LOOKALIKE SEX WORKER! YOU IMAGINED HIM IN THAT ONE EPISODE! (Justin starts being amazing with his pettiness) now THAT is the Justin I missed and love! THAT YOURE PAYING FOR! HA! Got you! *pauses tv and starts fake praying* oh please big guy, give me Brian and Justin working together! Late nights and bonding back together! PLEASE BIG GUY DO ME A SOLID’ Ted takes his pills and he grabs his pills and shakes them ‘TWINSIES!’ ‘JUSTIN IS AT BABYLON AGAIN! Oh he missed this for sure! I just know he felt like he could breathe again. THIS *waves to tv* is where you belong baby boy. BRIAN! JUSTIN! THEY BROKE UP! THATS RIGHT BRI BRI YOUR MAN IS SINGLE AND HE WANTS YOU BACK! YOUR love will last for eternity! Yeah, its kinda hard to dance to violin music. See? You MISSED this! OH BRIAN IS ACTING HARD TO GET!‘ ‘is this kid gonna be a thing? Is this another way to make Ben less boring? Mike feels about kids the same way as me’ ‘ITS BRIAN! AND JUSTIN! Oh sorry mr KINNEY! THEY ARE WORKING TOGETHER! *justin memorizes Brians order and he pauses tv* SEE HOW FAST HIS IQ CAME BACK THE SECOND THAT FUCKER WAS GONE! Thank god Blondie remembered who the fuck he was! Oh Brian likes calling him Taylor. HE IS SUCKING UP TO HIM! I know another thing he could suck.’ He is now smiling so fucking hard and he looks insane with the way his hair is all over the place bc he keeps pulling them. The scene where Emmett comes home and Ted is drugged up on the floor came up ‘look its us! Except I don’t lay on the floor (i remind him of yesterday where he was laying on the grass) Hey! That was different! I already told you i wanted to look at clouds and accidentally took a nap. Leave us *points to him and ted* alone!’ He just groaned out of nowhere ‘im so so happy for Emmett BUT COME ON GIVE ME BRIAN AND JUSTIN! This is why I’m here! This is why I suffered through all *waves one of his hands* crap with that fucker!‘ Brian popped up on the screen and he literally fist pumped ‘NO DONT FIRE HIM! YOU HAVE TO FUCK HIM! (Justin says Mr Kinney) what did the hot priest say in fleabag about being turned on by calling him priest? That applies for Mr Kinney thing. But i think my man likes it more than Blondie (thee scene is on)Paganini junior, funny. LOOK HOW HES LOOKING AT HIM! YOU SHOULDVE TOLD HIM YOU LOVED HIM! take it from Nike and JUST DO IT! HE DID LOVE YOU WHEN YOU WERE GONE (kiss happens)HE HAS BALLS! AND HE STUMBLED! This is his first kiss since Justin left, i know he felt like he came up air again’

anyway we are going back to season 1 stalker era! EXACTLY

Sassy intern Justin is everything. I am so happy your brother is living for this!

Oohhhh your brother is so not twins with Ted with his pills. Yikes.

hot priest say in fleabag about being turned on by calling him priest? That applies for Mr Kinney thing I love how your brother constantly references Hot Priest from Fleabag. I love this man.

This is his first kiss since Justin left, i know he felt like he came up air again (brb sobbing about how this is exactly it)

#ask winderlylandchime #dear sweet anon #queer as folk #a straight man watches qaf us 2000 in the year of our lord 2023

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melis-writes · 2 years

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Hey, Mel!!! 💝💝💝💝

Just read the latest one-shot!!! Brilliant as always, my friend.

The love and chemistry between Michael and Victoria….ahhhh….my heart ♥️🥺

I also quite enjoyed that dance between Sonny and Victoria.

This one-shot is so wholesome what with the kids’ interaction with Vito(loved that bit, btw).It is also replete with romance, comedy, drama, and scandal(the nanny and Sonny, who would have thought? 😂❤️).I absolutely loved it.

Much love ♥️

Happy to hear it, lovely!! 🥰💕🥰💕

I know it was a little bit of a lengthy wait but I hope the 72 pages paid off in terms of anticipation for a truly unique oneshot I had lots of fun working on! 😇

Victoria and Michael’s chemistry, let alone attraction towards one another is just something else... 👀 They both honestly have their petty ways lmao and maybe you noticed Michael didn’t apologize in this chapter either?! I kept it to his character, not one to truly apologize but let Victoria know he’ll make what he wants happen, period. 😅

Lots of sexual frustration and desire there mixing with the fact Victoria’s not concerned about Michael’s business or how occupied he is, but such an absence can get worrisome once the babies aren’t spending enough time with their father, the twins asking, sleeping alone, etc, so we love Victoria for her concern and her pettiness too. 🤣

I love the swing dance!! It’s one of my all time favourites and really fits the era here in the chapter, so I think it’s amusing to see Sonny and Victoria bonding as in-laws and not anything romantic (no matter what Santino may think!!) over a dance! 🤗 Esther and Sonny are the real scandal this chapter tbh. 💀✋🏻

Lots of love right back at you! ✨

#moth to flame fic

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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5 underrated Richard Donner movies you need to see

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Richard Donner will forever be remembered as the filmmaker who created the blueprint for the modern superhero blockbuster with 1978’s Superman starring Christopher Reeve.

Yet that doesn’t tell even half the story of the Bronx-born filmmaker’s brilliant filmography.

Donner was in his late 40s by the time Superman came along, having made a name for himself in Hollywood two years earlier, with 1976’s suitably terrifying The Omen.

Prior to that, he was a budding director making the transition from the small screen to the world of cinema. Donner worked on everything from Gilligan’s Island to The Twilight Zone. Even then, it was clear he was destined for bigger things though, as anyone who saw “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, the iconic episode of The Twilight Zone he directed, starring William Shatner, can attest.

While a disagreement with producers ultimately saw him walk away from Superman II, the 1980s saw Donner establish himself as an incredibly versatile big budget director capable of handling everything from the epic family adventure fun of The Goonies to the balancing act of action and comedy found within the buddy cop antics of Lethal Weapon.

It was a skillset that drew admiration from the very best in the movie industry, including Steven Spielberg who was among the first to pay tribute to Donner after learning he had passed away, aged 91.

“Dick had such a powerful command of his movies, and was so gifted across so many genres,” Spielberg, who worked with Donner on The Goonies, said.

“Being in his circle was akin to hanging out with your favourite coach, smartest professor, fiercest motivator, most endearing friend, staunchest ally, and – of course – the greatest Goonie of all.”

Donner may not have had the same impact in the 1990s and early 2000s but he still enjoyed major success with the Lethal Weapon franchise and as a producer with movies like Free Willy and X-Men.

More importantly, the other films he made during that period and in the years between some of his biggest hits remain well worth revisiting or seeking out for the first time – starting with these five.

Ladyhawke

Coming hot on the heels of The Goonies and two years prior to Lethal Weapon, Ladyhawke represented another major departure for Donner. A dark medieval fantasy, it centred on Rutger Hauer’s mysterious Captain Etienne Navarre and his female companion Lady Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer), a pair of star-crossed lovers on the run from a vengeful bishop who has placed a demonic curse on their heads. While Navarre transforms into a wolf by night, Isabeau exists as a Hawk by day. Teaming up with petty thief Philippe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) they embark on a quest to overthrow the evil bishop and break the spell.

Something of a passion project, Donner had attempted to get Ladyhawke off the ground several times before finally getting the green light from Warner Bros and 20th Century Fox in the mid ’80s. The film then suffered another setback when Kurt Russell, originally cast as Navarre, dropped out during rehearsals.

That ultimately proved a blessing in disguise with Hauer going on to deliver arguably his best performance since Blade Runner. Not everything about Ladyhawke works – Broderick’s character feels a little too close to Ferris Bueller while the runtime could be trimmed down – but it remains a beautifully realised fantasy epic, full of memorable action set pieces, stunning cinematography and a spellbinding turn from Pfeiffer.

A box office bomb upon release, Ladyhawke has stood the test of time too, garnering a cult following as an authentic and fresh take on the sword and sorcery formula.

Maverick

Maverick is the film Will Smith must have hoped Wild Wild West would be; a funny, clever action comedy based on a classic TV show. Coming in an era when most westerns were deadly serious, Donner’s film also felt like a breath of fresh air and benefited hugely from a masterful William Goldman script that was both witty and unpredictable.

The latest in a series of films featuring Donner’s muse-of-sorts, Mel Gibson, this time out Mel plays Bret Maverick, a brilliant card player and equally impressive con artist trying to collect enough money to earn a seat at a high-stakes poker game. Along the way he is forced to contend with a fellow scammer in the form of Jodie Foster’s Annabelle Bransford as well as lawman Marshal Zane Cooper, played by James Garner, who starred in the original TV series.

While the glut of cameos from country music stars and the likes of Danny Glover can be a little distracting, there’s something wonderfully charming about Maverick with Gibson, Foster and Garner all on top form and boasting an undeniable chemistry that helps keep things entertaining.

The climactic poker game which sees Maverick face off against Alfred Molina’s psychopathic Angel is also expertly handled by Donner, who cranks up the tension as Maverick reveals his final, decisive, hand with a slow-motion toss of the final card towards the camera. A critical and financial success, Maverick has been largely lost in the shuffle since its release but should be sought out.

Conspiracy Theory

There’s something strangely prescient about Conspiracy Theory given the current predilection for such thinking on the internet at large. One of Donner’s most inventive and intelligent outings alongside Gibson, this time out Mel plays Jerry Fletcher, a New York City cab driver with a penchant for paranoid conspiracy theories.

Jerry’s life takes a turn for the strange when he finds himself being targeted by a set of shady government goons led by Patrick Stewart’s Dr Jonas. He quickly realises one of the conspiracies he has been promoting in his weekly newsletter (this was the ‘90s) is based more in reality than he thought. The question is: which one?

An engrossing thriller featuring Donner’s trademark dashes of witty humour, Conspiracy Theory is bolstered significantly by the presence of the ever-reliable Julia Roberts as a government lawyer with a soft spot for Jerry. Despite a lengthy run time, Donner also keeps the action moving along at an engaging pace while Gibson’s performance is just the right side of manic to keep you rooting for him.

A first foray into the kind of deep state conspiracy thrillers that were commonplace in Hollywood at the time, the film also boasts some genuinely striking moments, not least the sequence where Jerry undergoes “psychotic testing” at the hands of Dr Jonas, which wouldn’t have looked out of place in A Clockwork Orange.

Though it was a hit with audiences, Conspiracy Theory earned mixed reviews but appears increasingly worthy of reappraisal.

Timeline

Some movies are big, dumb but lots of fun. Timeline sits firmly in that category despite what many naysayers would have you believe. It’s a brash, simplistic sci-fi flick to rival the likes of The Core and Geostorm and thoroughly entertaining to boot.

The fact that it features Gerard Butler, as well as the late, great, Paul Walker only adds to that sentiment.

Walker plays Chris Johnston who, along with Butler’s Andre Marek and a team of fellow archaeologists travel back in time through a wormhole to 14th century France to rescue their professor, Dr Edward Johnston (Billy Connolly), who just happens to be Walker’s character’s dad too.

Based on a book by Michael Crichton, Donner had been in the running to direct Jurassic Park a decade earlier and jumped at the chance to adapt Timeline for the big screen. While filming went off without a hitch, Donner repeatedly clashed with Paramount Pictures in post-production and was forced to re-cut the film three times in a development that saw the release date pushed by nearly a year. The resulting edit did not sit well with Crichton either, who disliked it so intensely he stopped licensing his work for a few years after.

Whether Donner’s original cut would have earned better reviews or Crichton’s approval remains to be seen but what remains of Timeline is still a well shot, enjoyable sci-fi yarn with some neat medieval action flourishes.

16 Blocks

Donner’s final film also ranks among his most unappreciated. On the surface, 16 Blocks sounds like the perfect fodder for a game of buddy cop movie bingo.

It stars Bruce Willis as Jack Mosley, a worn-out NYPD Detective with a drinking problem tasked with transporting Mos Def’s trial witness Eddie Bunker to court. Problems arise when some of Jack’s fellow officers arrive to kill Eddie and prevent him from testifying. Eager for redemption, Jack decides to take the would-be assassins on and get Eddie to court on time.

A formulaic enough premise, 16 Blocks is emboldened by the fact it plays out in real-time with Eddie required at the courthouse by no later than 10am. In this sense, Donner found himself in new territory with an action thriller that thrives on a unique sense of urgency.

While the filmmaker is no stranger to the action formula, this setup sees him imbue events with a renewed sense of chaos, as Jack and Eddie fight their way through armed adversaries, busy crowds and bustling traffic, all against a cacophony of shouts, car horns and gun blasts.

Ostensibly a chase movie on foot rather than four wheels, the action traverses 16 blocks in 118 minutes and rarely lets up for a second with Donner proving a dab hand at balancing the action with the engaging back-and-forth between Willis and Def who are both understated yet effective throughout.

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

Throw in the ever-watchable David Morse as the leader of the shady cops baying for Eddie’s blood and you have arguably one of the most underrated action thrillers of the early 2000s

The post 5 underrated Richard Donner movies you need to see appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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aromantic-eight · 3 years

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This is part of a series of gen fic recs I’m making for Genuary 2021, organized by fandom. I’ll be putting these together quick, and many of these I have not read in a long time, so they’ll mostly just have a length range, either some general content tags I used for organizing or AO3 tags depending on the age of the bookmark, the summary, and a hopefully-still-working link.

Next up: Doctor Who! This is another fandom where I have over 100 gen bookmarks, so I will again be posting only those bookmarks flagged as favorites. For the rest, head over here (link). The following list is sorted into longfic and one shots, and seem to be mostly 10th doctor and Martha Jones, but there are a smattering of other doctors and companions in there as well.

Doctor Who

Longfic

A Busman's Holiday by jinxed_wood (PG)

Words: 10-50k | Era: 10th doctor, Martha Jones, Jack Harkness

Tags: plotty, action, humor, captured, undercover

Jack needs to be rescued, and the Doctor asks Martha to help. (Set after LoTL)

Planar Flight by jinxed_wood (PG)

Words: 10-50k | Era: 8th doctor, 10th doctor, Martha Jones

Tags: plotty, action, drama, captured, episode tag for 29x08

It's 1913, and The Farringham School for Boys is haunted by ghosts. Martha suspects foul play, especially when another Doctor arrives on the scene.

First Steps by Charamei (PG)

Words: 10-50k | Era: academy!doctor, academy!Master, Braxatiel

Tags: plotty, action, friendship, burns, pre-series, telepathy, trapped

There's being born, and then there's being born into a world with no adults, no clothes, no food and a terrifying alien Thing upstairs. When their Looms birth them straight into the middle of an emergency, can Our Heroes muddle through?

Past Due by Cryptile (PG)

Words: 50-100k | Era: 9th doctor, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness

Tags: action, drama, outsider pov, law enforcement, rumors/misconceptions, telepathy, time war

The Doctor gets in over his head searching for a dangerous relic from the Time War, meaning that Jack and Rose will have to bail him out. Too bad he's packed them off on a holiday.

The Man With No Name by Frostfyre7 (PG-13)

Words: 50-100k | Era: 10th doctor

Tags: plotty, crossover with Firefly, action, outsider pov, alien!doctor, rumors/misconceptions, gun injuries, telepathy, time war

He hadn't really counted on getting into a pub brawl over the color of his coat on some speck of a planet, or signing up with a crew of petty criminals. Still, he'd always wondered what really happened to those Lost Colonists from Earth...

After Life by Amy Wolf (PG)

Words: 10-50k | Era: 1st, 2nd, 3rd,4th,5th,6th,7th,8th,9th,10th doctors

Tags: character study, memories/reminiscence

Rationally speaking, you know you’re not dead. Also, there aren’t eight other people in here, and you aren’t trapped in Jean-Paul Sartre’s vision of Hell. (The ninth doctor's point of view as he regenerates and, in the process, makes peace with some past mistakes)

Here There Be by Cryptile (PG)

Words: 10-50k | Era: Mickey Smith, Rose Tyler, TARDIS

Tags: plotty, action, character study, parallel universes, repercussions, therapy

Rose Tyler battles Prehistoric Beasts, Torquay housewives and her new therapist.

One Shots

Five Times Jenny Met One of the Doctor's Companions by Netgirl_y2k (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: Jenny, Mel Bush, Mickey Smith, Romana 2, Sarah Jane Smith, Tegan Jovanka

Tags: humor, hijinks, chance meeting

Jenny saves some civilisations, does a lot of running and meets some of the Doctor's old friends.

An Outlaw's Life For Me by charamei (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 4th doctor, Romana 2

Tags: humor, fluff, hijinks, gallifrey, slice of life

During an enforced stop-over on Gallifrey, the Doctor encounters what may well be his greatest threat ever. Romana isn't so sure.

Attack of the Chronofaeces by Charamei (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 5th doctor, Adroc. Nyssa, Tegan

Tags: humor, gallifrey, slice of life, time travel

A blinky light on the TARDIS that none of the companions has ever seen before begins to flash urgently. There's an incoming package... but the Doctor doesn't seem too keen to explain what it's a package *of*. (Worldbuilding gone cracky. Approach with caution, and an umbrella.)

Timey Wimey Tea Time by jinxed_wood (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 8th doctor, Romana 2, Martha Jones

Tags: time travel, chance meeting

In which Martha wakes up to the sound of two intruders making tea in her kitchen.

Leave the Light On by Cherry Ice (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 9th doctor, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness

Tags: character study, addiction, grief, memories/reminiscence, pre-series

The summer Jack was fifteen, his sister stepped out of the world. "Gone for pomegranates," the note on the kitchen table said, black marker and a backward slant.

Duality by The_Bookkeeper (PG-13)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor

Tags: character study, outsider pov, scary!doctor

He seemed nice. Friendly, polite, big smile.

Ten Calls by Jayne Leitch (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Martha Jones

Tags: character study, friendship, post-series, time travel

Martha left the Doctor her cell phone so she could call him if necessary. As it turns out, he calls her first.

Come to Utopia by aralias (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Simm!Master

Tags: AU, episode tag 29x13, time travel, drama

In which the Doctor, having saved the Master's life at the end of LotTL, returns to Utopia to rescue the human spheres he was forced to trap there, the Master gets sick of the sound of his own voice, and the universe nearly ends twice.

Everything But the Kitchen Sink by Netgirl_y2k (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 11th doctor, Oswin Oswald, TARDIS

Tags: AU, character study, introspective, episode tag to 33x01

Another important lesson Oswin learns is that creeping up on the Doctor while he sleeps and shouting, "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!" in his ear is only funny to her.

Changing Directions by jinxed_wood (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: Martha Jones, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Jack Harkness

Tags: humor, hospital, law enforcement

Martha Jones. In the surgery. With the cleaver, and the body. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. Pity she couldn’t share it with the London Metropolitan police force. Set after season three; a prequel, of sorts, to my short story, The House Call

Extraordinary by thirty2flavors (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Donna Noble

Tags: episode tag for 30x10, angels

“They were scared,” was all the Doctor would say, and for once Donna found herself wishing he’d relinquish the moral high ground and admit that they were wrong, wrong, wrong, cowards and idiots and quite nearly murderers.

Flowers on Fire by etherati (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 1st doctor, 10th doctor, Academy!doctor, academy!Master, Delgado!Master, Simm!Master

Tags: angst, character study, drama, canon character death, unusual format

They burn, in the darkness and the light, circling round each other like binary stars just on the edge of nova. They both burn, but they do not burn the same. Theta, Koschei, and their successors.

An End has a Start by Netgirl_y2k (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Martha Jones

Tags: crossover with Firefly, action, time travel

It seemed that the Doctor's moral stance on not participating in major jewel heists for fear of screwing up the timeline was considerably weaker when they were a) in another universe b) especially fun jewel heists. Crossover with Firefly.

Hivetwist by charamei (PG)

Words: 1-500 | Era: 10th doctor

Tags: character study, episode tag for 30x06, telepathy, introspective

Jenny's untrained telepathy is giving the Doctor problems.

It Is Defended by charamei (PG)

Words: 1-500 | Era: 10th doctor, Simm!Master

Tags: character study, introspective, episode tag for 29x12 and 29x13

Even renegades need rules, and the Master has broken them.

Technical Difficulties by bendingsignpost (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Donna Noble

Tags: fluff, humor, banter

An alien git and possessed office supplies. Just another ordinary day for Donna Noble.

Hey Now Hey Now by Cryptile (PG)

Words: 5-10k | Era: 10th doctor, Rose Tyler

Tags: angst, character study, introspective, repercussions, unusual format

It's not that the smiles aren't genuine. It's not that the songs aren't howled from somewhere heartfelt and that the laughter is fake. It's all real, at the end of the day. But there are other things that are real, Rose Tyler knows, and the TARDIS croons and murmurs to her again and wolves howl from a place she hopes she wishes she prays isn't there.

All Through the Night by Significant Owl (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Rose Tyler

Tags: episode tag for The Christmas Invasion, regeneration, sentimental

This was when it was hardest. When he was still, when he was quiet, when he could be anybody. [post-ep for TCI]

Downtime by Cryptile (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Rose Tyler, Jackie Tyler

Tags: angst, episode tag for The Christmas Invasion, regeneration, unusual format, holiday

The reasons he does not give her for why they do not leave on that enchanted December night, the snow (ash) piling up around their ankles as they stare at the stars:

A Pound Note And A Soft Smack by Versaphile (PG)

Words: 500-1k | Era: 10th doctor

Tags: humor

S4, no spoilers. The problem with lying about your age is remembering to be consistent.

Twentyish Lies Told To Rose Tyler by nostalgia (PG)

Words: 500-1k | Era: 10th doctor

Tags: character study, 1st person pov, unusual format

"Please select from the following options."

Wouldn't You Like To Get Away? by Doyle (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Martha Jones

Tags: fluff, humor, episode tag for 29x13

Months after she left the Doctor, Martha gets a surprise visit.

Peacetime by garrideb (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Jack Harkness

Tags: friendship, hurt/comfort, sentimental, cuddling, grief, holidau, episode tag for 29x13

After Last of the Time Lords, the Doctor needs a friend, so he convinces Jack to take one more trip with him. They travel to a war-torn planet in the midst of a special festival. Written: 11/2007

Fake a Smile by The_Bookkeeper (PG-13)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Martha Jones

Tags: angst, character study, dark, introspective, memories/reminiscence

Martha is persistent, but the Doctor is evasive, and he’s had more practice than she has.

One Day at a Time by Settiai (PG)

Words: 1-5k | Era: 10th doctor, Martha Jones

Tags: episode tag for 29x10, rumors/misconceptions, slice of life, time travel

It was just another normal day in 1969. (coda to Blink)

#genuary #genuary 2021 #f: mind the plants #fic recs

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chysgoda · 5 years

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Small Victories and Large

Prompt 20: Bisect

FFXIV Write 2019

Word Count: 2553

Rating: PG

AU: The Last Dragoon

Bel laughed with everyone else in the kitchen as they watched the lalafellen matron Chochoba Choba repeatedly bisect the mound of cookie dough on the counter of the communal kitchen. She winked as she handed out the little pieces of dough and told them with a perfectly straight face that they had to make sure it was alright for the rest of the village to eat. She savored the mild sweetness of the dough and the rich flavor of butter. The cookies and bread being made were a distraction, something to keep people occupied as they waited for word on how the first childbirth in four years was going. She caught Cho’s eye and gave her a grateful smile. The matron winked at her and motioned for her to keep kneading the bread dough in front of her.

She let herself hope. They had managed a decent harvest of wheat finally, a blessing given that winter showed signs of being a trial and a half this year. But they had done it. The goats and pidgeons were staying alive more often, there had even been a boar to slaughter. She ran her tongue over her lips to catch the last vestige of the sweetness of the cookie dough. She wanted to take a loaf of bread and go shove it down Nero and Cid’s throats just to prove that not all hope was lost. She let the warmth seep in and ease the fury she’d been trying to quell since leaving Revant’s Toll. Small victories in their little teacup story in the eighth umbral era. Victories that made her heart soar nonetheless.

Small victories, she had heard so many of her family and mentors say that small victories were what made all the toil and suffering worth it. She had remembered asking Serella why as she’d watched the Elezan paladin work on repairing her armor. She laughed, a sound that always made Bel think of spring and warm soil ready for a garden. “Because they’re real, and nothing can steal those small victories without your permission.” Bel hadn’t understood the answer entirely at eleven winters. Now nine winters and a calamity later she understood it to the depth of her soul. She wished she could share her new insight with her aunt… She blinked and looked up half a second before Gaius Baelsar stepped into the kitchen.

“Ser Aliender, a moment please.” The handsome Garlean was stoic as ever which just made the tittering whispers between some of the women and a few of the men all the more salacious. Bel hid a grin at his expense as she turned away to take off her apron and hang it on a hook in the wall.

“I’ll be in the mood for some mountain climbing later deary!” Cho gave Baelsar an exaggerated wink.

Bel had to suck her lips between her teeth to keep from laughing at the slow blink that was the former Lagetus’ only response. Once they were out of the building Gaius looked down on the Mi’qote disapprovingly. “You shouldn’t encourage them.”

“You think they need encouragement?” Bel laughed. “It’s a good day, a bit of light-hearted ribbing is good for the soul.”

Gaius sighed and shook his head. “There’s a traveler that’s asked to see you, he said he is interested in joining the settlement.”

“What did you make of him?” Bel had to skip every third or fourth step to keep up with the tall Garlean. She frowned and managed to keep herself from rolling her eyes, even the Shadowhunter could be petty in his own way.

“He is at the very least a competent traveler and mage to have made it out here by himself,” Gaius stopped and frowned.

“But?” The dragoon encouraged, something in the pause made her uneasy.

“There is something that does not feel right about him, though I can not say what it is precisely.”

“Would you turn him away?”

Gaius Baelsar frowned. “There is no reason to turn him away out of hand.”

“Than let’s hear what he has to say.”

Gaius shortened his stride so that Bel could walk without having to skip steps. She took in a breath and focused on the situation at hand. When she had first made it back to Ishgard after the calamity she’d nearly choked when she’d been addressed by a title she’d had less than six months with the expectation that she was the one in charge. To start with the persona of Ser Aliender had been that a persona. An amalgamation of Mama Mel, the Lord Commander, Uncle Estinien, and Uncle Haurchefant pulled together to help her cope with the fact that her Drachenmail identified her as someone who was probably in charge. (Even if in the order she and Bianca had still been considered to wet behind the ears to be let loose without supervision.) In the four winters since the calamity, she’d lost track of when it had stopped being a persona and was just another aspect of herself.

They reached the gate in the fence and Baelsar held it open for her. She nodded her thanks as she stepped out. One of the dragonettes from the tower was curled up on the ground between the traveler and the gate chin on her forearms as she watched the traveler with interest. The guards on either side of the gate saluted as she walked past, Fury when had that started? She focused past the guards and the bored dragonette to the elezan man. More likely half elezan given the shortness of his ears and stature. His copper hair was streaked with white and badly needed a trim, but who didn’t these days. His clothes surprised her the most. A bright white sleeveless shirt under a plum vest and purple leather gunslinger’s harness all tied together with a flourish of a cravat. To say nothing of leather trousers that were flattering. The dandy was balanced by signs of trials won, two scars on his face one on his left cheek and the other crossing through the center of his forehead. There was a Garlean pistol on one hip and an Arcanists grimoire on the other.

“I’m Bel Aliender.” Bel stopped beside the dragonette who looked up at her curiously before turning back to the traveler.

“The Last Dragoon in the flesh.” The man bowed. “I am Cary Ermingild.”

“And what brings you to our town Mr. Ermingild?” Bel watched as the man straightened up and noticed his posture was deplorable.

“Perhaps a place to stay for a few days or maybe to settle down.”

“Are you willing to abide by our rules?”

Cary Ermingild laughed, “Are you always so blunt Good Ser?”

“This isn’t the royal court of Ul’dah or the halls of Imperial Garlemald Mr. Ermingild. I don’t have time for word games.” Bel was a bit sharper than she had intended but something about how he called her Good Ser made her defensive. Behind her Baelsar shifted his weight and his boots crunched the gravel.

Pale gold eyes continued to laugh as Cary Ermingild bowed again. “My apologies Ser, yes I will abide by your rules.”

Rushing feet made Bel half turn. She recognized one of the youths that Raya-O-Sena was training in conjury. The boy practically slid to a stop. “Ser Aliender! Lady Raya said to tell you that both mother and child are doing well and that Elianne wants to see you!”

Bel felt the tension in her spine release, she’d stressed and worried since Elianne went into labor during the previous night. She smiled, “Let Lady Raya and Elianne know I will be there shortly.” The boy nodded and ran back the way he had come.

“You certainly are much prettier with a smile than that forbidding scowl.” Cary Ermingild chuckled.

Bel’s smile vanished as she turned back to the traveler, he smiled with affected innocence. Behind her, Baelsar and the older of the two guards regarded him with disapproving looks. The younger guard looked like his eyes might pop out of his head. Bel turned her head to address the older guard. “Jaren could you please show our guest around? Ask Jessica to take your place on lookout duty.”

“I seem to have offended with my observation, I do beg your pardon Ser Aliender.” Carry spread his hands in a show of regret.

“I’m not overly fond of insincere apologies,” the dragoon spoke shortly. She gave the man a curt nod of farewell and turned on her heel.

A few heartbeats after the dragoon and the shadowhunter had walked back into the settlement. Jaren eyed the newcomer, “You are incredibly lucky that she takes the rule of hospitality seriously.”

“And why is that pray tell?”

“Because the last bloke that said something like that to her doesn’t have a straight nose anymore.”

~~~

Bel let out a relieved breath when she stepped into the room and saw that the new elezan mother was indeed healthy, worn out, but healthy. She smiled at the indignant sound the highlander midwife made. Linda Conner had been cut from the same cloth as Chochoba Choba and then left out in the wind and rain until what was produced was a healer and midwife with a taste for weaponry that went boom. The old woman nodded to a pot of steaming water and the harsh lye soap next to it. Bel took the hint and rolled up her sleeves before scrubbing up to the elbow.

“Thank you for coming,” Elianne said with a tired smile as she adjusted how her baby was laying on her chest.

“I couldn’t say no to the hero of the season.” Bel sat on the edge of the bed. She grinned at the Elezan woman’s blush. “I am serious about that. It’s not been an easy time for you and as far as I know, this is the first successful birth in Coerthas, Mor Dohna, Dravinia, or Idlyshire since the calamity.”

“I wish Imax was still with us.” Elianne whispered as she ran her fingers over the baby downy, russet hair. “He had hoped for a daughter.”

Bel put her hand on the other woman’s knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. She managed to keep the grimace off her face. She’d been teaching Imax how to fight with a lance, he’d been a quick study, but it hadn’t been enough to save him in a skirmish with bandits midsummer.

Elianne put her hand on top of the Mi’qote’s. “We didn’t want to pick out a name until she was born, and… and I could use some suggestions that didn’t come from a crone with no shame.”

Linda snorted, “None of your sass girly.”

The exchange brought a soft smile to Bel’s face. She glanced at Elianne who nodded and between the two of them, they transferred the baby girl to the dragoon’s arms. Bel swallowed hard looking down into the little face. She gently ran a finger over the point of a little ear and stopped when the baby scrunched up her nose in distress. She thought of all the women she had known, all strong in such different ways, all kept close in her heart. She thought of little victories and the battles to win them. She said the first name that felt right, “Serella.”

Elianne leaned forward and ran a hand over her daughter’s head. “Serella is a beautiful name. Who did it belong to?”

“My Aunt, she was a free paladin.” Bel rocked the baby gently.

“A good name, Imax would have liked it.” Elianne wiped tears off of the Dragoon’s cheek and then wiped away her own.

Bel kissed the baby’s forehead and then gave her back to her mother. “I’ll let you sleep.”

The new mother smiled gratefully and Bel slipped out of the after giving Linda and Raya both hugs and quiet words of appreciation.

~~~

The news of baby Serella and Elianne both being healthy had brought celebration to the small town. Four years of hard struggle, four years were it felt like life could barely find purchase and they had come through it. The coming season would be just as hard, but they had stores of wheat, honey, and smoked pork. It meant that more would survive the winter, that the new life could be supported. On the outskirts of the town square, Bel closed her eyes and felt the heat of mulled cider seep into her hands, listened to untrained human voices raised in song with dragonettes eager to join in the celebration. Bel opened her eyes when a presence settled next to her. She looked up at the former Legatus as he watched the festivities and drank from his own mug. “Is it foolish of me to take hope from small victories?”

Gaius took a long drink as he seemed to consider his answer. “Enough small victories will win wars.” He paused looking into the middle distance for a moment. “But these are not small victories Aliender. We’ve both been through the ruins of other settlements that did not survive. Do not underestimate your own strength the way the fools you have bested did.”

“Thanks…. Dad” Bel hid a grin by taking a drink of her own cider.

Gaius Baelsar arched an eyebrow, “If that is leave to be more direct with my critisim you may regret it.”

“Why? Going to try to ground me?” Bel grinned openly now. She yelped when she didn’t move fast enough to duck when Baelsar cuffed the back of her head.

“You are hardly the first callow youth I have met that needs guidance.”

Bel laughed and let a bit of pride sink into her bones. Small victories and large, it had been a good day for both. Baelsar’s usually neutral expression cracked for a moment to betray a smile quickly hidden by taking a drink from his mug. They stood in companionable silence for several moments, for a time undisturbed on the edge of the festivities.

“Could I be so bold as to ask the Lady Knight for a dance?” Cary Ermingild’s voice broke the silence from behind them.

Both the dragoon and the Shadowhunter tensed suddenly reaching for weapons that were not there. They turned to the grinning mage both looking for how he had gotten so close without their notice. He grinned lazily and held out a hand to Bel. The dragoon frowned deeply, but before she could speak to turn him down the redhead spoke again. “I merely wish to have a few moments offer a more sincere apology for my misstep at the gate. Such tension would not help to foster cooperation.”

Baelsar watched as the young woman blew a breath out of her nose and composed herself. She rested her hand delicately in Cary’s offered one with all of the drilled in etiquette of a daughter of Ishgard’s high houses. He watched as Cary bowed over her hand solemnly and lead her into the square where there had been space set aside for dancing. The Shadowhunter frowned feeling unsettled. There was something about the Mage’s mannerisms and eyes that haunted him, but he could not place it. He watched and made a note to keep an eye on the second newest arrival to the town called Defiant.

AN: It’s fucking done!! Oh my god, this ran so much loooooooonger than I intended, but I really needed Bel to have some victories after Violence of Light.

@stars-bleed-hearts-shine does Bel naming a baby in honor of Serella make up for Hallowed Ground being on cooldown in Violence of Light? ;)

#FFXIVWrite2019 #ffxiv #ffxiv fan fiction #AU: Last Dragoon #Bel Aliender #gaius baelsar #some new faces #a town called Defiant #why? Because I love me some good wholesome Cheesiness

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elosp · 5 years

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Historia de "CHEER DOWN"

"Cheer Down" es una canción del músico británico GEORGE HARRISON, que fue lanzada como single el 24 de agosto del año 1989 (justo hoy hace 22 años) como parte de la banda sonora de la película Lethal Weapon II protagonizada principalmente por Mel Gibson y Danny Glover. Posteriormente, la canción sería incluida en el álbum Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989, donde ocupaba el último lugar del tracklist y que reunía los principales singles como solista de este gran artista y ex-miembro de The Beatles.

La historia de esta canción data de mediados del año 1987, cuando HARRISON y el productor, y ex-ELO, JEFF LYNNE preparaban las canciones que serían incluidas en "Cloud Nine", el disco que traería en todo su esplendor al ex-Beatle, que ya hacía años que no sacaba un disco super-ventas. Mientras seleccionaban las canciones que serían grabadas en California junto al grupo de amigos de George, apareció "Cheer Down", una canción con aroma a country, que estaba acreditada a Harrison y al famoso músico estadounidense Tom Petty. LYNNE, tras escucharla, decidió preguntarle al ex-Beatle si grabarían esta pieza musical, pero George le respondió que la estaba guardando para el proyecto con los Traveling Willburys, una superbanda liderada por George y Jeff donde compartían escenario con puros cracks, como: Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan y Tom Petty. Lamentablemente, "Cheer Down" no entró en los planes de los Willburys, y quedó por una buena cantidad de meses olvidada en alguna cinta en los estudios de grabación de Jeff Lynne. Al final esta canción, que había sido inspirada de una frase de apoyo dicha por Olivia Harrison en medio de las sesiones de grabación del mencionado disco, fue pedida de manera exclusiva por el director Richard Donne, para que formara parte de la música de su película Lethal Weaphon II. Esa banda sonora, que incluía canciones de Dylan, Beach Boys y Eric Clapton fue un éxito en ventas, dado la alta promoción de la cinta. Tras esa aparición en los créditos de la cinta, los productores decidieron que estuviera incluida dentro del "Best Of" que estaban preparando para el ex-Beatle. Para ello, un ocupado Harrison, decidió simplemente enviar algunas cintas de la canción a la Warner Bros. y que ellos vieran si la incluían o no. Al parecer "ni le interesaba" esta canción… Era tanto la confusión por no tener los datos exactos de quienes participaron en esta canción, que el sello discográfico decidió no incluirle algunos créditos, como por ejemplo en la voces, donde no se sabe a ciencia cierta si los que cantan son Harrison o Lynne, aparte de la participación de Petty quien también puede estar en las voces. Eso aún es un misterio en la cinta original y al parecer fue hecho "sin querer queriendo" por el irónico George… Dado que la canción estaba ligada al sonido de los Traveling Wilburys, se pudo saber con certeza que el baterista fue Jim Keltner, mientras que las guitarras rítmicas probablemente sean de Harrison, Lynne y Petty. La guitarra slide suena a Harrison, pero en algunas tomas se cree que fueron grabadas por Mike Campbell, quien era el guitarrista de la banda que usaba Petty en sus discos. Finalmente, y tras una dura tarea de saber quienes participaron detrás de esta canción, "Cheer Down" fue la pieza que da el cierre a este disco que recopila de manera democrática los éxitos de Harrison entre el año 1976 al 1989. Artículo publicado por Jimmy_Jazz en HISTORIAS DE UNA CANCIÓN Read the full article

#electriclightorchestra #elo #elosp #harrison #jeff_lynne_elo #jefflynne #jefflynnes_elo #jefflynneselo #richardtandy #travelingwilburys #wwwelospcom

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musical-chick-13 · 1 month

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ACTUALLY, you know what, I think I will read TLT, because its existence seems to be making all the fandom misogynists mad.

#nothing is a greater incentive to get me to watch or read something than that lmao #I live to make women-haters angry <3 #it also seems to be making the Anti-Cringe crowd angry which is ALSO a favorite past-time of mine <3 #mel's petty era

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defy-sing-beginnings · 7 years

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Worldbuilding June Day 11: Language

Language is another thing that isn’t super relevant to my world because I’m just using the standard D&D set of languages. While I know that realistically, there should have been a significant amount of linguistic drift over the 300 years it’s been since the barrier went up around Adena, so I could build new languages if I wanted to, it’s just something that’s never really gonna be relevant to the gameplay, so I’m using my time on better things.

One thing I have been doing, though, which has almost nothing to do with language but I don’t know what else to put today, has to do with the backstory of one of my players, who made his character super quickly and therefore allowed me to make up his backstory and kind of hint at it as he goes along. I don’t think any of my players are following me and reading these, but if you are and I just don’t know your username, major spoilers for Mel Gibson’s backstory under the cut.

Yes, one of my player characters is named Mel Gibson.

Well, kind of. The actual character’s name is Angus MacFergusson, which, apart from naming your character Mel Gibson, is the most aggressively Scottish thing I have seen in my entire life. But the character himself doesn’t know it. He’s got amnesia. His backstory is basically Avatar: The Last Airbender OC fanfiction, but that’s his fault for making a Way of the Four Elements monk and joking about going into the Avatar State whenever he uses a ki point (spoiler alert: he’s not the Avatar).

Here’s the backstory I wrote up for him. Warning: it’s long. And seriously, guys, if you play in my game and you’re still reading this, QUIT IT. You’ll ruin the fun of finding out.

15,000 years in the future, the world is divided into four nations: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Civilizations have risen and fallen, but over the last 10,000 years, the four nations of the Avatar franchise have expanded their borders quite a bit. And uniting all four nations, ruling a city larger than any other in history, hailing from all four nations and belonging to none, is the Avatar, a wise and powerful leader who brings peace and harmony to the world.

At least, that’s how the pamphlets go.

In reality, the four nations are petty and crass. They squabble over nothing and will do almost anything to gain a bit of an edge over the other three. Some remember and believe the stories of the great technological marvels thousands of years in the past, and seek to recreate them. Others would rather cut themselves off completely from the rest of the world, keeping to themselves, caring for no one and nothing but ancient tradition. Even the Avatar has become corrupt, a figurehead more than anything else, who lounges around doing nothing and abuses his power. The whole world is caught up in a kind of bureaucratic morass, and no one cares enough to do anything about it. Anyone who thinks about the situation long enough assumes that the universe will just take care of it eventually. It usually does.

Only, time keeps passing. And the universe doesn’t do jack shit.

So, in the outlying reaches of the empire, on a group of islands that looks and sounds suspiciously similar to the modern United Kingdom, a resistance arises. Their plan is radical: create a new Avatar, one who would do good rather than evil, who would care about, respect, and fight for all people, who would rather fight than lay about in the name of pacifism. They would go to the ancient lion turtles that gave Avatar Wan his bending. (Or at least similar lion turtles. After all, it’s been 20,000 years. Even lion turtles die eventually.) They would convince these lion turtles to join in their cause and create a new Avatar. Then, at the impending Harmonic Convergence, they would convince Rava to leave the old Avatar and enter a new one, creating a new era of prosperity and pride.

The Resistance’s plan almost succeeds. They convince the lion turtles to give Mel the ability to bend earth, fire, and air, in addition to his natural ability to waterbend. At Harmonic Convergence, they enter the spirit world, as does the Avatar. The spirit portals merge. The planets align.

And that’s when the universe decides to do something.

Maybe Mel trips over a vine or something. Maybe he is pushed. Either way, his hand brushes the merged spirit portals, and he instantly vanishes. No Mel. No new Avatar. No Resistance.

The next thing Mel knows, he’s woken up at the bottom of a sinkhole with no equipment, a splitting hangover, no memory of who he was or how he’d gotten there, and a large pair of eyes peering confusedly into his. He has no idea of what his past holds, or of what his future will bring. He doesn’t even know where he is, although it turns out that the question is not only where, but when. He’s been transported to the sealed island of Adena, thousands of miles from the Fire Nation, Air Nomads, Water Tribe, or Earth Kingdom, 15,000 years in the past. The universe sits back contentedly. Job done.

#worldbuilding june #wbj #day 11 #d&d #long post #like realllly long post #I actually wrote a short story about this that I'm pretty proud of #might post/share it if someone wants me to

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scrumptiousnerdcollectionzi-blog · 7 years

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Thee Privy Texter's chuckle Paris pal Airline to Tel Aviv '— Vu' (Warwick hit) PBS funder Scatter about Encore presentations Chortles Asian temples Peacekeeping org. Actress Ward Hgt. Bro or sis Gossip source 'Got it' Pottery oven Skin-care brand Spy org. Rams fans? Apiece Thanks Served soup RenFest waitress Man-mouse link String quartet player Big waves Genetic stuff Corn spike Peruke Brock of baseball Reuben cheese Hearty quaff Tic-tac-toe win Macho type Painter Vermeer Bit by bit Yalie Tram load Seriously loyal Swiss metropolis Greek vowels Costa — Sol Rail Kathmandu's land Christmas Bit of advice Low-fat Appointments Snake's sound Leb. neighbor Prefix with pad or port Capital of Rwanda Fabrics Unwell High card Elvis Presley's home Like sashimi 'If I — rich man …' Actor McKellen 'My word!' Grimace - See more at: http://crosswordpuzzlehelps.com/clue/Eugene-Sheffer-Crossword-Puzzle-Solutions-January-16th-2017-#sthash.5sMQz2pI.dpufVictorian __ Nil 'Lovely' Beatles ticket writer Watermelon cover Sunrise direction Marsh denizen Bay Area NFLers Colossus island 'SNL' alum Kevin Empathize Ladders partner in a kids' board game Novelist Morrison Wise guys? 'Popstar!' and 'Tiger Beat,' casually Humongous You may get a whiff of one Hit the road BBC time traveling hero __ get-out: to the utmost degree Pleistocene period Rear end in a fall? 'Gimme a few __': 'Be right there' Stridex target Vaulted church areas Maroon, as after a shipwreck Guileful Couple's word 'Little' deception Russian ruler until 1917 Tennis Hall of Famer Gibson Fawcett who played one of Charlie's Angels Sci-fi princess Supporter 'As seen on TV' record co. O'Neill's 'The Iceman __' Feeble Detox program Mgr.'s underling Concludes Treaty Cubic meter Half a picking-up tool Showy perennial Down-yielding duck Et __: and others Letter after epsilon First to walk on the moon Move it, old-style Modern: Ger. Word before a birth name Singer's syllable Looney Tunes rooster with a Southern accent Separate by percolation King's decree Sunset direction RBI and ERA Letterhead design 'All My Children' vixen Hammerhead parts 2007-'14 E! comedy talk show host Sixth sense, for short Old nuclear agcy. Apr. is in it Started to eat, with 'into' Record-setting aviator of the 1930s Opposite of stuffy, roomwise Jazz trumpeter Al Hercules types Shabbat service site Agreement to shake hands on Cybermessage Go Fish request __ Romeo: sports car Car roof accessory - See more at: http://crosswordpuzzlehelps.com/clue/La-Times-Crossword-Puzzle-Solutions-January-16th-2017-#sthash.cFgeV7wi.dpuf

Mil. morale boosters Sneakers with a Taylor Swift line Knee-slapper Words of approximation Show sorrow Bunker or Breed's 'Of course' Unable to sit still Gas meter reading Dr. Phil's benefactor Jack Horner's treat Supplied brunch for Spam catchers Fashionable shop Stadium vendor's offering Semicircular church area Bird in magic acts Activist Brockovich Word that can follow the first parts of 20- and 51-Across an Runs off to Reno, perhaps Threatening but ineffectual sort Smartphone message '___ a Lady' (Tom Jones classic) Roguish sort Young socialite, for short TV's 'Science Guy' Barbershop quartet member Obviously awed Issuing false warnings Big ___ (California coast area) Ballet about Princess Odette 'Animal House' chant Like Jekyll's alter ego Cleopatra's craft States as fact Rogen of 'Steve Jobs' Uber offering Bocelli delivery Fishhook part Ocelot features Hard to get a grip on Goat's opposite Spiff up, as a fairway Google listings, for short Stores in an oak cask, say Stranger than strange Become an ex-smoker Classico competitor Satellite television option Trident-shaped Greek letter Feel feverish Square one Act the petty thief Stop at a pit stop Word before alarm or arrest 'Hansel and Gretel' prop Pedometer unit Manage, somehow 'Let's Dance' singer David Where new products may be seen Ear cleaner Uncool sort Follows the Hippocratic oath Pouch that may contain gunpowder Tropicana Field location, familiarly Loewe's lyrical partner Slice in a Reuben Wall St. newcomer City with Roman-built spas Meg of 'The Women' Latvia's capital Diplomacy breakdowns Primal instinct Admit openly Horned zodiac symbol 'Take off, tabby!' What bookies book Model airplane wood - See more at: http://crosswordpuzzlehelps.com/clue/Usa-Today-Crossword-Puzzle-Solutions-January-16th-2017-#sthash.Xw6HiIYp.dpuf

Dove's sound 'Alas …' Exams Sign of a beaver's activity, maybe Larsson who wrote 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Completely … with a summation of 17-, 30- and 47-Across Nut-bearing tree Pizazz Abbr. before an alias Co-ops, maybe: Abbr. Sheet on a mast Prop for a golf ball Rare occurrence on 'Jeopardy!' Table tennis Odor Eye part with the iris Stairs Ancient Peruvian Mixes Something that may be hidden behind a framed picture Walkie-talkie Play about Capote 'Ah, now it's clear' Intestinal fortitude, informally Have a mortgage, e.g. Apparatus pulled by oxen Nut popular in ice cream Somehow Like four-leaf clovers, supposedly Highly classified Poet Robert who spoke at J.F.K.'s inauguration ___ Longstocking, girl of children's literature 'Penny Dreadful' channel, for short French seasoning British ref. work Freshly painted Syringe, for short Duck-hunting attire, informally Common Core dept. Other: Sp. W.W. II foe Toy on a string Aide: Abbr. Transmitted Most-wanted groups for parties Thin but strong 'Hop to it!' Lipton products Scissor cut Falafel bread 10 things in an Olympic swimming pool Missouri river or tribe 'Goodnight' girl of song Golfer's gouge Given to crying Stomach woe Cowboy's workplace 1960s dance craze Readily accept Cushiony '___ the night before Christmas …' Inquisitive Lavish party favors Lebanese city that was once the center of Phoenician civilization Polling bias Eight: Sp. Sign of a well-worn trail Daisies and dahlias Roma's country Arrested suspect, informally One who gives tips (and gets tips?) at a country club Slippery, as winter roads Alternative to bubble wrap Grp. that includes Iraq and Qatar Sharpen, as skills 'Halt!' - See more at: http://crosswordquizanswers.co.uk/clue/New-York-Times-Crossword-Puzzle-Solutions-January-16th-2017-#sthash.4UQ1xsVB.dpuf

Lightning catchers Cheese type Hurried Border lake or canal Slow river boat ___ to the occasion Pig-out party? Mel who voiced Fudd Jan. 1 song title word Attractive male features, for many Dutch master Jan Home of poles and hides Fatal August feature Pile One of 12 lengthy things Hither and ___ Where professors take shape? Feminine pronoun Take five Stories passed on through the ages Barbecue accessory Eastwood and Black Measure in 18-Across Requires NBA strategy encouraged by Phil Jackson Village kin 'White Cliffs' city in England Emailed already With many decibels Busy Midwest hub Elegant lake swimmer Teen's facial blemishes Angelic symbols Lima's country Drags to court Sudden incursion Mark replacement Picnic side dish Falls back at the beach? Ice cube grabbers Belafonte or Lewis of entertainment Vital beat Provide with gear Former Russian rulers Aquatic slitherer They can be wild on tables Chaired 'Friends' friend Bird long extinct Kuwait noble (var.) Cable sports award 'Physician, ___ thyself' Christmas toy, sometimes Have a role to play

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