#please if you can find the original source of the last two tell me so i can credit
Text
i’ve been clearing out old screenshots in my camera roll but i have ted lasso brain rot so you all have to see what they made me think of (part one. more posts)
#lily ted text post#ted lasso#colin hughes#roy x jamie#roy kent x jamie tartt#jamie tartt#roy kent#henry lasso#sam obisanya#royjamie#afc richmond#ted lasso brain rot#ted lasso memes#please if you can find the original source of the last two tell me so i can credit#these screenshots r years old😭#my posts
2K notes
·
View notes
Text
La Cosa Nostra - Pt. 4
Cowritten w/ @janeyseymour
Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
Summary: The search warrants on your salon and house are executed and Melissa turns to an unlikely source for help...
WC: 2k
You turn to your right, glaring hard at Sammy. And then you remember that the books for your family are stowed away- in your safe... at home. Melissa is at the restaurant as far as you’re aware, and if the FBI finds that safe hidden under one of the broken floorboards in your room, you’re dead meat.
What you don’t know is that Melissa, after making a few calls, ends up back at home. She immediately goes for the safebox to look for anything else that could somehow miraculously get you out of this sticky situation, but when she opens it she finds the binder that holds your fate. That’s the absolute last thing she wants to see in your house. She lets out a shaky breath before picking it up and holding it close to her chest. She has no idea where to even take it. If the interrogation leads to warrants, they’re going to check your salon, your home, your cars, even her restaurant.
And then an idea strikes her- and she hates that she even thinks of this. Barbara Howard has no connection to anyone other than being the sweet woman that your family engages with at church. And even at that, your girls are so popular among the congregation, that the entirety of that circle adores you and your family- they can’t certainly go there and interrogate every single person who gathers. Even if they did, nobody knows of the illegal business that she and you run- not even the reverend.
Before she can talk herself out of it, the Italian woman dials the number that she had only dialed a few times before- mostly to pray over you and your girls together, and once to gossip about the fact that Sister Sloss had been skimming money off the top of the church funds and dipping her own toes into a business she had no right to be a part of.
“Hello? Melissa?” the other woman answers the phone.
“Hey, you remember when you told me I didn’t need to wait to meet you at Mass?”
“Of course I do, and I meant it,” Barbara says into the phone, eyebrow raised.
The redhead runs a nervous hand through her hair. “Care to have brunch?”
“I would be delighted,” the church going woman smiles into the phone. She has no idea what she’s just gotten herself into.
The two women meet at a small diner a few blocks away from the church, and Melissa has the ledger hidden in her all too big bag.
“Not that I’m not happy to be here, but what made you change your mind?”
Melissa lowers her eyes to the table as she lets out, “I need you to do me a favor- no questions asked.” When the woman across from her furrows her brow and bites her lip, the redhead continues. “I have something I need you to hold onto for the time being.”
“And what would that be?”
“I thought I said no questions asked,” Melissa grumbles. “Just... the ledger for the salon. You just have to hold onto it and keep it safe until I take it back.”
“Melissa, are you and Y/N committing fraud?” Barbara asks lowly, just barely audible.
The redhead shakes her head, and she’s telling the truth. “It’s just an extra copy of the financials, but I have a feeling they’re going to take the original copy and I need a backup so I can sue their asses when this is all over.”
Barb closes her eyes for a few seconds, internally wrestling with herself.
“Please,” Melissa begs. “If not for me and Y/N, then for Cat and Rosie.”
“Okay. Hand it over.”
“I’ll give it to you when we’re leaving,” the redhead sighs. “Now, can we talk about what Delisha was wearing today?”
The pair end up having a delightful brunch, and when they part ways Barbara takes the binder with explicit instruction from the Italian to never open it and to hide it somewhere safe- somewhere where even Gerald or the Howard girls won’t be able to find it.
And then Melissa is on her way back home.
Meanwhile, your salon is being torn apart as they look for anything suspicious. There is nothing though of course, because the one thing that they’re looking for isn’t there anymore. Hours go by, and as they move and rearrange everything in the building, you’re right behind them cleaning it up. Your salon might be a front, but you still do good business, and you’d like to keep it that way if possible. It’s the extra pocket money that you and your wife use to spoil the girls as often as you can.
You think of them as you put your business back together- how they’re probably running amuck right now in kindergarten with their all too smart little mouths that they undoubtedly learned from Melissa, their insanely high energy levels. If you can remember as you glance at the clock, they’re probably sprinting around the recess yard giggling with glee at this very moment. It makes your heart warm, and you silently pray to whatever God is out there that they’re safe, happy, and that they get to keep their innocence as life continues for them.
It seems like hours pass before the search is over. But then they move onto your house, and a nasty pit settles in your stomach. Sammy drives with you back to the house, but when he pulls in, the family car is sitting there. Melissa’s home?
Danik knocks on the door rather abrasively, and inside where your wife is folding your girls’ clothes in the living room she jumps.
“Hello?” She comes to the door and opens it wide, hoping to give off the impression that the two of you have absolutely nothing to hide- only she knows that there’s nothing here.
“Hey honey,” you sigh softly as you step past the officers to peck her lips. “Why are you home? I thought you had work today?”
She holds up her injured hand. “I got into a fight today... the knife won.”
“Baby,” you look up at the ceiling with an exasperated look as you take her hand in your own and start to unwrap it to check the damage. “Were you singing and dancing again while trying to dice the onions?”
“Maybe,” Melissa shrugs, although she knows that is very much not why she nicked her fingers today.
“Enough,” Danik steps between the two of you. He holds up the search warrant for Melissa to see. “We have to search your home now for any ties to the murder of Bobby Esposito.”
“To Bobby?” your wife plays dumb. “That was such a shame what happened to-” She doesn’t get to finish her sentence because the police push past her rather harshly and begin their search.
They look through the whole house- moving furniture, opening drawers and cabinets, even going as far as pulling back the blankets on your twins’ beds while you and Melissa just continue to fold laundry in the living room. Hopefully by just letting them do their thing and not trailing their every step, they realize that you were not involved in the hit on Bobby. They find nothing. But then, they head into your bedroom.
Melissa is clearly trying to silently convey something to you, but you can’t pick up on what she’s attempting to tell you. Her eyes dart to yours every few moments from over the laundry you’re both folding, returning to the doorway of your bedroom that the agents are currently tearing apart.
“We found something!” Shaw shouts to Danik, who is still combing through the girls’ room. The woman goes rushing into your room, and you blow out a breath as you know they’ve just found the loose floorboard with the safe... that contains your ledger. You know your arrest is only minutes away.
“Mrs. Schemmentis, enough of the domestic household act,” Danik rolls her eyes as she steps into the living room. “We found the safe, and we need you to open it.”
You take your wife’s hand in your own and squeeze it gently, as if to say, ‘I love you, and I’m sorry’. She just returns the gesture as you both make your way into your bedroom.
The safe is sitting on your bed, and the agents look all too happy to have found what they think they’re looking for.
“Open it,” Shaw instructs.
You do, and when you expect to find the ledger laying on top where you had put it last night, you only find all of your other legal documents- birth certificates for your family, passports from the trip to Italy a few summers ago, your marriage license, social security cards. You try to hide the absolute shock in your face- where the hell could the ledger have gone?
Admitting defeat for now, the agents leave your home promising that they will find whatever you’re hiding. You shoo them out, telling them that you weren’t connected to the hit on Bobby in the slightest and that you wish they would just leave you alone. You tell them that you would kindly appreciate it if they would leave you to take care of your injured wife.
Sammy also makes his exit after assuring you that they aren’t going to find anything. That leaves just you and Melissa. You gently unwrap her hand to change the gauze out when your eyes meet hers.
“Where the hell did the books go?” you whisper, almost afraid that the cops had somehow bugged your house and you weren’t aware.
“Why was it in our house to begin with?” your wife shoots out just as quietly. “We had one rule, and it was that none of that shit ever comes home with us to protect the girls. Do you know how pissed I was when I found it?”
You close your eyes briefly at your wife’s biting tone. She may be quiet, but you can see the echoes of how furious she was when she initially found the ledger in your home.
You’re taken back to just after the girls were born. Barely six months old, swaddled in blankets and tucked safely in their car carriers a few feet away from you and Melissa both. The two of you helped put back together the apartment that had been flipped entirely upside down by the police. An hour before you had watched the tail end of the search being finished. It had, unfortunately in your eyes, been successful for the police and ended with Melissa’s younger brother Mickey in handcuffs.
It was then that Melissa had looked at you, in the middle of trying to put her brother’s apartment back together, with determination set in her features. ‘Business never comes home.’ She said firmly. It wasn’t a sentiment you were inclined to argue with, and if you had been, the look on your wife’s face would ensure you wouldn’t have.
“I knew they were going to search the salon, so I brought it home until I could figure out what to do with it,” you mumble. “I was going to get rid of it by the end of today.”
“Well you’re damn lucky Val convinced me to take the day off after I nearly cut off my fingers because I was so distracted worrying about you,” Melissa hisses out. “If you knew they were going to search the salon, you damn well knew they were going to search the house too!”
“I didn’t think they’d do it all in one day!” you defend yourself as you wrap her hand just slightly more aggressively than you usually would (and even then, it’s not aggressive at all... you handle your wife with such delicate care). “Now where is it?! My life depends on that book!”
“It’s somewhere no one will ever think to look,” the redhead tells you with a smirk on her face.
“Melissa Ann,” you huff out in frustration. “Now is not the time for games. Where is the damn book?!”
“With Barbara Howard,” Melissa whispers.
#melissa schemmenti fanfiction#melissa schemmenti x reader#melissa schemmenti x you#abbott elementary fanfiction#la cosa nostra#janeyseymour#collab fic
118 notes
·
View notes
Note
△ Elliott, how did you get turned?
3/10 - It's not a fond memory and still quite fresh but, it is what it is I suppose.
"My original plan that evening was to attend a dinner party at my friend Frederick's home. He'd invited me to his last two get togethers, and my invitation was likely...misplaced.
When I arrived no one answered the door. Likely too occupied by the festivities of the evening which is understandable.
I waited a bit at the door, and even saw Frederick through the window in the middle of what was likely a highly interesting conversation, but it was getting late so I left to have a drink elsewhere and not be tempted by the wine I had brought for the party.
I had a few drinks and left for home, though it was a bit later in the evening than I had realized and the call of that particular wine bottle was too strong for me not to have a little bit on my way home."
TW: Whump, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Vampire Bite wounds.
Please be safe about your Tumblr and online experience! :D
"I never did get another invitation for any social gatherings from Frederick again, unfortunately. It's been tough trying to find a new crowd when you can't go out in broad daylight."
It was entirely an accident, that hungry vampire thought he'd drained them dead and left a corpse behind. Elliot does not know this. I only added that last comment in the 3rd page to help the reader.
Does Elliot know they were accidentally turned into a vampire?
- NOPE. As far as they're aware: "I got bit by a vampire and that's why I am one now." But that is not the case.
Their corpse just laid there undisturbed with enough of a trickle of vampire blood in their body to keep it up long enough to regenerate a bunch of new vampire blood. So they woke up a few hours later as a brand new very confused vampire with no mentor to tell them how ANY of this works so they have NO idea how this shit happened. Just that it did. :)
Also what little tiny bits of their original blood left on their shirt collar from that vampire drinking it smelled AWFUL tasty when they woke up.
Did I bullshit vampire lore into existence just for this ask? Hell yes.
Did I intend to draw a 3 page comic? No.
Have I been working on it since the day I got this ask about Elliot? Absolutely.
Being bitten by a vampire and surviving is not enough to be turned.
Generally one of the most common/main methods is to transfuse or ingest the blood of a vampire and hope it takes (extremely rare) it has like a 1% success rate to be turned JUST by ingesting the blood of a vampire.
For a much more successful turning, do the above process but ALSO be bitten by the vampire that was the source of the blood, and that is the most common and effective way to turn someone. This knowledge is kept quite secret even among vampires. A majority of those turned may not even know how it worked or were made to forget it.
The blood reproduces quickly to replace the victims original blood type. It's extremely rare to survive a vampire attack like Elliot did. They're very lucky. It also contributes to how vampires can heal and regenerate much faster than a human.
~ Being bitten by a vampire and surviving would make a LOT of vampires and what if the vampire is nice and doesn't want to kill a human or end up with a competitor for food? Bam. funky vampire lore to solve the problem. Don't ask me the science behind it. I don't know. Maybe you know more than I do frankly. (Although Remus would LOVE to.)
22 notes
·
View notes
Text
Why do Fanfic writers generally hate “constructive” criticism?
This is a topic that comes across my dash a couple times a month, but those posts generally focus on how unsolicited criticism is rude. Today, I wanted to take a moment to talk about the ways that it’s also generally useless even if you’re trying to be helpful. To do this, I will be using examples from my own comment section, but please do not seek those comments out. This post is about informing, not about creating a hate mob.
Issue One: You don't know if your criticism is already known
No story is perfect. There will always be flaws. Sometimes you find a flaw that the author can improve on. Sometimes you pick up on something that the author accepted as a flaw during the writing process for whatever reason. It may have been because they're writing for fun. It may have been because they liked the flawed version of the story better than the story without the flaw. It may be because they genuinely didn't know how to fix it, but still wanted to tell the story flaw and all.
To give an example of this, here’s an excerpt from a truly lovely comment where the person also tried to give some helpful feedback:
you did a fantastic job with the characters you altered to fit the story. They were mostly rounded and felt like whole people instead of cardboard cut-outs. However, this made the characters that you didn't change feel very flat. [List of characters] often felt like window dressing, like they were included solely because they were part of the original show.
This is exactly why those characters showed up in that fic and the issue of them being window dressing isn’t something that I introduced. It’s a flaw in the original work. To fix this issue, I would have cut these characters or merged them into one character. But this wasn’t original fiction. It was fanfiction, so I decided to sacrifice quality for the sake of honoring the source as it felt wrong to remove these guys when they’re a classic part of the roster. I also actively chose to not develop them more as it would have killed the pacing and added nothing to the story I was trying to tell. There are characters that I arguably should have given more screen time to in that fic, but these were not those characters.
Issue Two: Timeliness
Unless the story is newly published, you have no idea if your criticism is still useful. Even if it is newly published, how long has the fic been going for? Are you critiquing a chapter from 3 years ago or last week? Unless it’s the latest chapter, you don’t know. Even if it is the latest chapter, you don’t know when it was written. Sometimes people find an old work of theirs and just post it without editing because they don’t want to edit and they know people will enjoy the story as-is. Sometimes people write the whole fic and then post it week by week while they work on the next one.
I recently had someone ask me for some feedback on a section of dialogue and I pointed out an area for potential improvement. The person who asked for the feedback has read some of my stuff and pointed out that I’d used a similar technique in a fic and they were absolutely correct. I had. But the fic was a few years old and I simply haven’t yet taken the time to go back and edit all 100k+ of it. I write at least a quarter of a million words every year and that means that I’m always learning. It’s incredibly rare for me to reread an old piece of mine without finding something to edit. It won’t always be something major, but it’s there. Waiting. Taunting me.
Along similar lines, if you're pointing out a flaw that's specific to the story, I'm not sure what you're expecting to happen next. While some writers go back and edit old works (I certainly have), a lot of writers consider older works done and prefer to focus on new ones.
Issue Three: Most people are shockingly bad at giving good constructive criticism.
Constructive criticism is a skill that you have to learn and practice. It’s also genuinely difficult to learn as it's the difference between helping a person tell the story that you want to read and helping them tell the best version of the story that they want to tell. The first is not good crit, but it is the crit that most people give.
There are times when I’ll beta for a fic and think “that character would never do that”, but that’s terrible feedback because I’m imposing my version of the character over the author’s take on the character and they’re not trying to tell a story with my headcanons. They’re using theirs and my job as an editor/beta is to accept that and help them tell their story as best they can.
I've also been given feedback like this. Here’s an excerpt from a comment where someone pointed out something that they didn’t like in one of my fics:
it's cute to see him like this once in a while but he's a grown man and "adorable" feels a little out of place in this situation
This is utterly useless feedback and I will die on that hill. In my opinion, I wrote this character perfectly because this is how I see him. It’s my headcanon and the version of him that you'll see in all of my fics. What’s funny is that I actually think that I got the female lead in this story a bit wrong. I should have toned her down, but this was early in my journey to learn these characters and then we’re back to issue two.
Final Thoughts
If an author asks for constructive criticism, then absolutely feel free to give it to them, but if you've ever wondered why most authors don't, the above is probably why. It's why I only welcome grammatical corrections and historical/cultural accuracy corrections on my own fics. Those are the only comments that I've ever found useful.
There are times when I seek out other types of feedback. I just don't get it from random readers after the story is already published. I get it from select individuals during the writing process and that's the feedback process favored by most writers as it's the one that's most likely to lead to improvement.
If you ever come across a fic that you love, but you feel like it could use an editor, my advice is to leave a comment saying how much you love the story and then offer to beta read (the fandom word for an editor. No I don't know why fandom has a different definition for that word than the definition used in the publishing industry. It just is what it is.) And if you don't want to take the time to beta for someone, that's okay! But if you don't want to make the massive time commitment to truly help the person improve, then maybe don't give unsolicited feedback that's more likely to make them stop writing altogether? I promise you, that person will improve on their own just by writing more. I certainly did! If you read the fanfic that I wrote when I was 13, you'd be shocked by how bad it is compared to my current stuff.
I personally consider that fact a source of pride.
#fandom#writing fanfic#fanfiction#not a call out of any sort#It just seems like people are genuinely confused why fanfic writers don't want feedback and so I figured I'd give my personal logic#I like to improve but I do it in my own manner
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Just whining.
I'm so sick of all the drama that comes along with organizing museum events. Not even in the 'how should we interpret this' or 'what about including that activity' but in the 'no, you need to actually let me know BEFORE THE DEADLINE' that you want to participate and in which role'. So far I've had:
Not enough qualified people for role X, Y, or Z. Scrambling to find more of each.
Finally got the minimum number for X and Y. Then someone dropped out of X.
Got a few more for X and Z, then someone dropped out of Y.
Meanwhile, people keep trying to volunteer for role Q, which is completely full, while also insisting that they can't take role W (which we have sufficient volunteers for, but actually could use the extra help).
Group insisting they all want to be in the same roles. I fold space-time to make it work with the qualifications and event needs, only for two members of the group to break up, and now they Absolutely Must Not be in the same area.
Playing e-mail tag with the neighboring museum that usually lends us materials. To be expected, but I'm just out of bandwidth.
Board members ignoring my 'please let me know you'll come' emails and verbal requests at board meetings until they are personally asked if they're doing their usual roles. And then equivocate that last year the other volunteers weren't up to snuff so maybe they will, maybe they won't. But by golly do they send timely snark about missing a single letter in their name.
Same person is getting whiny at me over not agreeing enthusiastically enough about their idea to switch to widgets that are twice as expensive as the ones we've used for years, and which may or may not solve a problem which developed last year. Nor have they offered to acquire the new widgets, which I don't have the time or energy to source. Person claims knowledge of the missing prime-widgets from previous years, which would solve one area of the new problem while allowing us to keep using the cheaper and easier to find widgets elsewhere, but can't tell me where to buy more prime-widgets. Nor can I find them anywhere.
All the new X and Z folks, who did not respond to my original requests, but only followed-up a month later when someone else asked (after the registration deadline, but I'm desperate enough to make exceptions), and now asking for special permission to hold a meeting onsite since they're all traveling there. Fine. Whatever. Someone else can let them in. But now I have another volunteer in role W whose travel needs would be much easier if the X & Z folks have their meeting (so this person can arrive early and get into the building), but the X& Z folks aren't comfortable letting a 'stranger' be in the building at the same time.
The people in the one subgroup of volunteers I'm not wrangling, J, keep emailing me for information. I try to pass along the inquiries, only to find out the J-wrangler is in the hospital (not their fault), so now I need to get information out to the J team, most of whom I don't have contacts for.
And this isn't even a paid job. :(
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
Arknights Lore Shit - Amiya Module Part 1
Amiya’s module dropped on CN and holy shit is it a big one with SO MANY FUCKING IMPLICATIONS. Beware for absolutely MASSIVE spoilers.
As always, everything I say is just my own personal interpretation of the text. Original source of the module can be found here: https://aceship.github.io/AN-EN-Tags/akhrchars.html?opname=Amiya
EDIT: Corrected a thing because I forgot that Terra had 2 moons.
The basic summary of the module is that a certain individual is reviewing memories. Probably watching space ships launch up into space. Then the memories come into focus, a giant metal sphere floating in space, waiting for it’s father. The viewer feels tears forming and the memories change to the birth of a child, the viewer’s child and all the feelings and emotions that come with witnesses said birth. Then the memories end and there’s a bunch of people yelling, asking the viewer what they saw. Did it work?
"Check his brain, I told you we shouldn't be in such a hurry, we've only just established a protocol channel for communication with the database! This has only just completed the first successful delivery!"
It turns out the viewer was actually witnessing someone ELSE’S memory. The memory of a planetary engineer.
"I said ...... I never actually used to like you planetary engineers very much, I thought you were doing flashy things ...... But I saw it. I saw your past, I shared your past, I felt your emotions, and it was ...... unparalleled."
The project, code named DWDB-221E, appears to be a repository of human history up to a certain point but relying on memory instead of texts and videos. I’m not sure why memory except somehow...
"We've learned enough, except that in the future, they'll never find an excuse to tinker with history."
The same group of scientists then debate on what to name it. They don’t want to keep calling it DWDB-221E, it sounds too cold. The scientist arguing for the name refers to the AMa project. There’s an argument over what to name it and one of the proposed names is “Black Crown” but ultimately, the lead suggests calling it “The Survival of Civilization."
That’s the summary.
Here’s the my theorizing:
First, we now know that whomever created Kal’tsit is also the same group of scientists who created the Black Crown. We know this because Alty calls Kal’tsit AMa-10 in HoSF OF-EX6:
Alty: AMa-10 Dr. Kal'tsit, please tell me... How were those special Ægirians born?
We also know this because of this line from Amiya’s module:
“I know there's a prescribed format for project numbers, just like AMa“
Second: So we have confirmation that one of the two moons hanging over Terra is fake. The question is why. What is it for? Is THAT what’s storing all the data and where Originium comes from? What’s with the fake sky then? Was Terra a terraformed system adapted to be more hospitable to human life and both the fake sky and the second moon were created to maintain the balance? Or something else? To hide it from whatever unknown entity lies Beyond? Are the humans fleeing from something or did they just really fuck up Earth? Is Enfield actually a prequel?
Third. I’m going to put money down that the Doctor and Priestess are both part of the original ‘humans’ that created the Black Crown and Kal’tsit. Most likely they are their descendants and the Doctor is the last survivor, having been kept in a pod and left buried after disaster struck, probably with or near the Rhodes Island Landship and then excavated at some point, where they basically they lived their life as a professor and researcher of Originium before Theresa dragged them into her war.
Fourth. This is the big one. The Black Crown and how it relates to the Sarkaz. When discussing what the Confessarii’s arts were all about, I had once theorized that the Sarkaz Collective Memory was less some nebulous collective unconscious and more like a singular mass cloud storage where all the memories were just uploaded with maybe a random file name and no organization.
The fact that my analogy is... most likely not an analogy and ACTUALLY WHAT IS GOING ON amuses the fuck out of me. Anyway. If all this memory is uploaded, it needs to be stored and that’s a MASSIVE amount of data that needs to be stored and there’s no way Terrans wouldn’t have found artifacts unless... said data is actually stored in Originium. It’s a semi-organic material that’s capable of self-replicating and we know from Ptilopsis’s module and her first Op Rec, that it’s actually capable of storing massive amounts of data. But not only that, but the Originium as a memory storage device is linked to ancient Sarkaz legend.
From the Module:
If Originium really has the ability to store information, and we are able to decode and translate it, then Columbia's science and technology will surge forward by leaps and bounds!
I've encountered a bottleneck. Current electronic computational devices are not able to handle the enormous amount of information contained within Originium. I need a more suitable computational carrier...
From the Op Rec:
???: All of this information is consistent with our hypothesis.
???: With these data on hand, Rhine Lab's newest results now directly correlate with the ancient Sarkaz legend. I don't think this is an accident.
???: And if our hypothesis is verified, it will revolutionize everything we know about Originium.
???: People think that Originium is a source of energy, a calamity; They think it can be used as a weapon, with only narrow applications outside of that. But the truth may be something far greater.
???: If Originium really 'stores information,' just think about what that implies. From Originium, we will be able to read the story of this world, spanning hundreds or thousands of years, maybe even more...
This brings us back to the Sarkaz and the Black Crown. The Black Crown is clearly device created to interface with all this data and the Sarkaz are clearly somehow genetically “in tune” with interfacing with the Black Crown and these stored memories on a level that other races in Terra can’t. I suspect this is also what makes them more susceptible to oripathy than other races. So if the Sarkaz basically connected 24/7 to the data bank and have one-way write access and the Black Crown is the only way to easily interface with the data bank, then it’s understandable why the Lord of Fiends aka King of the Sarkaz is a title that can be passed on to pretty much anyone, because it goes with the Black Crown.
Amiya is the current wearer of the Black Crown, having inherited it from Theresa but with a caveat. Because Amiya is not Sarkaz, she appears to issues interfacing with the crown properly, thus the suppression rings created by Theresa and Kal’tsit. (You could also argue that the Crown is also Amiya’s arts unit and because of it’s unique properties to not just read but also ‘access’ memories, she’s able to use it to do things like copy Ch’en’s swordsmanship.)
Which brings us to the Confessarii and what all of this means for THEM. I once theorized that the Confessarii’s arts work by being able to access the Sarkaz Collective Memories and based on what Salus said in Chapter 11, it sounds like the Confessarii arts can bypass the Black Crown entirely and tap directly into the data bank. The issue is that it’s basically like a script kiddie who hacked into a heavily encrypted database and thus can only read fragments of the data stored. Shining and her brother’s arts are a little more advanced. From my readings, it sounds like they have more than just read access. They can download a whole snapshot. But just a snapshot, a moment in time, not the whole memory.
Only the King of Sarkaz can do that via the Black Crown. Even more interesting is that the King of Sarkaz can basically utilize their connection to the database to manipulate the memories and feelings of all the other Sarkaz. Basically it sounds they have root access and can either edit or upload specific memories to illicit specific emotional responses.
There’s a TON of implications for this. Shit like ‘what’s Nightingale’s whole deal then’? And ‘what does this mean for Kirsten’s dreams of breaking out into space?’ But also ‘WHY THE FUCK DO THE SEABORNE REMEMBER THE NIGHT SKY?!’
I’ll continue my musings in part 2.
#arknights#arknights lore#arknights spoilers#i cite my sources#but holy shit y'all#this is like the motherlode of lore dumps#i can't wait for what this means in chapter 12
43 notes
·
View notes
Note
read chap 3-13 of theogeny this morning since i was free until 2pm (wanted to wait until it was complete before starting, and did 1-2 last night since i had some time). very nice story! the tone and style of your writing feels totally professional (and honestly surpasses many published authors i’ve read LOL). however, i was especially blown away by all of the historical details about ancient athens & greece. i’m as close to the opposite of an expert on the time period as possible, thus am not fully convinced this isn’t based on a true story where you got sent back in time, but then chose to come back to the present afterwards. were there any sources you leaned particularly heavily on? even my own experience writing a gen-ed history paper about the original Olympic games during my undergrad felt about as straightforward as navigating a swamp of hopelessly entangled, greek-speaking, arguing jellyfish, what with all the completely speculative secondary sources and glaring holes in the firsthand accounts of the events.
i’ve been away from the depths of the hp fandom scene for a year or two, but my recollection of your blog was that you’re a law student? given that law ≠ classical greek history (as far as i know), i’d say the fact that you specifically researched all of this for the story makes it even more captivating. (although the attention to detail does also align exactly with the depth of case-research i’d assume is possessed by the top-tier, most competent lawyers, though that is purely speculation). but if your real answer is the time travel thing, just blink twice and cite wikipedia or whatever ;)
also, i’m curious how realistic it is for a classics scholar to know enough ancient greek that she can carry even a stilted conversation with native speakers. if so, i find it mind-blowing that such depth of knowledge of a dead language is wrapped up into a subset of a history PhD—makes my own discipline seem like 3rd grade times tables.
LOL thank you so much! this is such a wonderful, detailed review! I can safely say that I have not traveled back to ancient Athens, but if there's any way I can visit for about a day and then return to the modern era please LMK…
so: I tended to use a lot of sources from Google Scholar, JStor, my own university's online library, what have you; there are a few times I went back and read through my old Classical Civilizations lecture notes, but I only ever took an intro class so I wasn't exactly delving into the minutiae. many of the sources are listed in the end notes, but I have an entire bookmarks folder (which I should probably delete) that looks like this lol
of course, I had to suspend my disbelief and expect/hope the reader would suspend their disbelief at the things that I just couldn't really know; but that was my moment for artistic liberty, which I used a lot of let me tell you.
and yes! I'm a second year law student. but I started this story when I was still applying to law schools :") I have worked as an archival and online research assistant/hired researcher/research fellow since I was 19 in my undergrad days, so I've become very familiar with the process of sifting through online archives. I also just really enjoy it! I love learning about areas of history I don't know a lot about, so this was just such a perfect passion project.
so — in terms of speaking Ancient Greek, I think it's absolutely possible that students at the PhD level would be able to communicate, given that many programs have really robust Greek language curricula. however, and this is something I touched on in the early chapters and something I researched to the best of my ability, the way that academic accents from non-Greek native speakers (aka, modern Greek people) sound is very different in pronunciation and would likely sound strange and unnatural to someone in Ancient Greece; such is the nature of language development. so, I think would have been pretty much like any non-fluent language speaker being thrown into an immersive program with no preparation.
I'm not here for any discipline ribbing, though! I'm sure whatever it is you study is just as challenging and engaging as Lily's field :)
6 notes
·
View notes
Text
So I watched "Bullet Train" (A while ago but that's not important)
Since it's been a while since the movie came out I feel pretty safe but never the less Spoilers!
If I had to describe "Bullet Train" I'd call it Hollywood's greatest attempt at emulating less conventional methods of storytelling. With the original text being written by Kōtarō Isaka as a novel (and that end, I have no idea what liberties were taken with its production, and adaptation compared to the original story) and because of that fact it may be cringe to say that on my first viewing, I thought the film felt like something that would do well as a single season 12 episode cult classic anime from the mid-nineties to early two-thousands. Everything from the film's setting to the characters screams that sort of slightly absurdist charm that you'd usually see from that era of anime and manga. A collection of assassins board a bullet train in Japan for a myriad of different yet interconnected reasons strung along by a well-foreshadowed central antagonist and a mysterious yet charismatic dark horse, all taking place in a black humor thriller.
Yuichi Kimura is a father out for the blood of the person that put his son on life support struggling with his position as a father demands of him. Not knowing that his decision had left him as a pawn in a dangerous game he does not completely understand.
Ladybug (which is what I will forever refer to this character archetype as) is a charismatic if oafish thief who seems to live in a state of perpetual bad luck however never fatally succumbing to it. returns to work after a stent away from attempting to reevaluate his choices and steer himself away from some of the more unsavory aspects of his profession and more often than not failing miserably at it.
Lemon/Tangerine, a dynamic duo of hitmen who share a familial bond that goes deeper than blood. The former of the two possessing a humorous yet undeniably advantageous character quirk iconic of the film. While the latter becomes an instant fan favorite due to his relatable yet enviable personality. Both of which serve as the poster children for the film.
The Wolf, a self-made legend of the Mexican cartel who shot up the ranks of his organization with his charisma, intellect, and brutality finds himself in Japan to find the murderer of not only his beloved but his partners in crime. An impressive back story for someone who dies within ten minutes of being introduced.
Hiroyuki Sanada, a disgraced former yakuza and the father of one of the other characters also comes to find the would be assassin of his grandson only to be presented the chance to settle a grudge thats haunted him for the better part of his life.
Last but not least The Prince, the dark horse of the film whose motivations and origins tantalize the viewers the entire runtime. The character you love to hate and a secondary antagonist who far outshines the main one. My hat goes off to Joey King for her performance from this absolute menace The Prince is one of my favorite aspects of the film, the fact that the vast majority of situations she's faced with go her way which helps her be more hatable yet interesting as a character. I'm especially fond of her aesthetic as a character she's not a traditional fem fatal but she still leverages her femininity to achieve her goals falling into that gap-moe of having this adolescent schoolgirl design yet being this conniving machiavellian character.
Now after hearing that line up tell me this doesn't sound like an instant cult hit of a dark comedy. Overall I'm quite fond of the film and if you haven't seen it and didn't heed my warning at the top please watch it its quite the treat. for those who have watched the film and just wanted to read this for yucks, I suggest you read the source material Kōtarō Isaka's Maria Beetle if you can find it.
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Olive Branch: Chapter Three - The Proposal
Thank you to those who have been reading so far! Here’s chapter three of Olive Branch.
(Itasaku, AU in which the coup was successful) You can find the first chapter on my masterlist at the top of my page :)
_____________________________________________
Sakura stared at him as though he had just sprouted a third arm.
‘I'm sorry, what did you say?’
‘I am asking for your hand in marriage,’ repeated Itachi.
Her face had drained of colour. ‘Are you insane?’
‘No,’ he replied.
‘Did you hit your head recently?’
‘My head is perfectly fine, thank you.’
She shook her head, half-smiling as though this was an obvious prank. ‘This is a joke, right? It has to be. You're not actually asking me to… to marry you?"
Itachi didn't answer. He was starting to become irritated by her ridiculous questions, and simply decided to wait, stone faced, until the reality of his statement had sunk in. And soon enough, it did. She dropped the bouquet of Narcissus on the grass, shaking her head slowly.
‘You barely even know me. You realise that this is probably the most we've ever spoken, discounting yesterday?’
‘Yes, I'm aware.’
‘Then why?’
Her eyes were wide with uncertainty. Of course, she didn’t trust him. After what he had done, why would she? In her mind, he was just as power hungry and egotistical as the rest of his clan.
Itachi glanced around at the original Uchiha training grounds. He wasn't sure exactly how much she already knew about their village's political history, but it was time he made things clearer to her. Soon, she would understand.
‘Sakura-san, what do you know of the events of the coup d'état seventeen years ago? More specifically, the political influences behind it?’
The question seemed to throw her off.
‘Not much,’ she said. ‘I was seven at the time so I don't really remember about the tension between the clans. I only know what Tsunade-shishou told me."
He couldn't help but notice how her hand flinched. She shouldn't have referred to her old tutor as 'shishou' in front of him. And judging by the look on her face, she was expecting him to reprimand her. Luckily for her, he didn't really care about her old affiliations. It wasn't a surprise that Tsunade would have filled in as many gaps as she could before her communication with Sakura was discovered. Itachi knew very little about the finer details of their relationship.
As far as he understood, Sakura first encountered Tsunade during a mission when she was thirteen. During Sakura's missions from then on out, the two would communicate through summons and Tsunade would track her down and teach her everything she knew. But their partnership wasn’t destined to last.
Itachi had been present when a sixteen year old Sakura returned from a mission, only to be apprehended by Anbu at the village gates. He had been present when she was cuffed and thrown into an interrogation cell, and when she passed out in her chakra restraints after being subjected to interrogation. And he had been present when it was revealed that Sakura, in fact, knew nothing of Tsunade being a member of the Senju clan.
According to Sasuke, Sakura was rather guarded about her relationship with her mentor, however it was clear that Tsunade had been the main source of Sakura’s medical training. As for what Tsunade had taught her outside of their training, it was anyone’s guess.
‘And what exactly did she tell you?’ he asked.
Sakura eyed him warily. ‘Why do you need to know?’
‘Because if I’m to explain my actions, it’s necessary for your full understanding.’ When Sakura still didn't look convinced, he sighed deeply. ‘Please bear with me, Sakura-san. I have no ill will toward your mentor.’
She nodded reluctantly. Although she seemed to accept his plea, traces of suspicion still lurked in her expression.
‘Fine then,’ she said. ‘She told me that Hashirama, the First Hokage, had been close with Uchiha Madara. Their relationship was kind of like brothers, but the tensions between their clans split them apart. Hashirama's younger brother, the Second Hokage, didn't trust the Uchiha like Hashirama did, and he shunned them and relocated their compound to the edge of the village where they were under constant surveillance.’
Itachi nodded. This was all in the history books at the Academy. Many years ago they had all been edited to focus on the sufferings of the Uchiha clan.
'Did she tell you anything of the events leading up to the coup itself?’
‘I remember her telling me that the Third Hokage and the village elders had a plan to combat the coup, but the Uchiha clan struck before they could put their plan into action.’
‘Correct.’
Sakura shrugged, peering around at the marred trees with a vague sadness. ’The Third Hokage and the elders are all dead though. Nobody knows what they were going to do and it’s not like we can turn back time.’
‘I do.’
‘Hm?’
‘I know of the plan established by the council and the Third Hokage.’
‘What was it?’ she asked uneasily. ‘What was the plan?’
‘They intended to have the Uchiha clan exterminated before the Coup could take place.’
Sakura gave a sharp intake of breath. ‘Exterminated? No,’ she mumbled, ‘That can’t be true...there's no way the Third Hokage would… would he?’
‘He agreed to it,’ Itachi said. ‘With persuasion, of course. The plan detailed that a single shinobi would dispose of the Uchiha within one evening and then live out the rest of their life as a missing nin, taking full responsibility for the carnage.’
In her silence, he could feel her her silently pleading for him to deny everything, to tell her that he was playing a cruel prank.
‘And the shinobi assigned to take care of this task,’ Itachi said, ‘was me.’
He refused to look Sakura directly in the eye. He knew what he would find reflected there; a mixture of horror, shock, confusion... disgust. He felt the same way whenever he remembered how he had accepted such orders. There was a moment of silence before he heard Sakura’s small whisper.
‘But you're an Uchiha…'
The unspoken question rang loud and clear. Why ask an Uchiha to kill his clan when he should be on their side?
‘I was not in agreement with my clan,’ he said. ‘Neither was my cousin, Shisui.’
‘You didn't go through with it.’
‘No, I didn’t,’ he said. ‘My clan struck before I could carry out my orders.’
Sakura's eyes flashed, her fists clenching. ‘That's the reason you didn't do it?! Because you weren't fast enough? What about Sasuke-kun, huh? He was seven at the time. I suppose you were going to kill him too.’
‘No.' Itachi's voice sharply cut her off. ‘Sasuke was innocent. He would have been spared.’
Sakura flinched at his sudden intervention, and Itachi instantly felt bad about raising his voice. She fell silent, her entire demeanour cold and distant. Although she didn’t seem entirely satisfied with his answer, she nodded anyway.
‘I hope so, because I was about to break every bone in your body.’
Itachi mentally winced at the thought. ’Believe me Sakura-san, I wouldn’t have harmed a single hair on his head. The extermination was a last-resort. My cousin and I had a separate plan that we wanted to try before resorting to the kind of bloodshed the elders had in mind. But that plan failed too. My goal was not to massacre innocents, but to prevent a civil war.’ He paused, grimacing. ‘Clearly, I failed.’
Sakura’s iciness had melted away, and she was now staring at him with curiosity. ‘You're a pacifist.'
‘I am also my father's heir. Not just to the clan, but to the position of Hokage,’ he explained. ‘Do you remember what I told you yesterday when you asked me why my father can't have you incarcerated, no matter what you do?’
‘You said that I'm liked by civilians and shinobi, but you never explained.’
‘It means that you have a lot of allies.’
She raised an eyebrow. ‘Your clan hates me.’
‘Aside from my clan,’ he clarified, ‘you have many friends inside and outside of the village. You’re responsible for saving many of your comrade’s lives, and you have the respect of both civilians and shinobi. Hypothetically, if my father had you apprehended or executed, there would be a public outcry.’
‘Oh…’ she whispered. ’I never really thought about it that way.’
‘As you know, many lives were lost in the coup, including some of my clan members. The Uchiha clan is not infallible. Directly after the coup, it took a lot of strength to keep outside enemies from taking advantage of the political instability. If anything were to happen to you, your comrades wouldn’t keep quiet – take your team, for example. If there was unrest on such a wide scale, the Uchiha wouldn’t find it easy to maintain the control that they already struggle with.’ He paused, adding, ‘Especially as your teammate is the Kyuubi Jinchurriki.’
Sakura scoffed lightly. ‘The Kyuubi is hardly a threat when the Sharingan can control it.’
Itachi tried not to show his surprise. It was hardly common knowledge that the Uchiha could control the tailed beasts. In fact, although the Mangekyou Sharingan’s genjutsu prowess was now well-known, the extent of its abilities had been kept within the Uchiha clan under absolute secrecy.
So how did she know that the Sharingan can manipulate the tailed beasts?
All he could do was dismiss the matter for now. ‘Naruto-kun's seal is unique. The Sharingan can theoretically control the Kyuubi, but should Naruto-kun truly lose control, there's a risk that the Sharingan wouldn’t do much to help. Even when his seal is fully intact, it’s not an easy feat to control the most powerful tailed beast. It can only be done by someone with a huge store of chakra.’
‘You're telling me that there's no way the Sharingan can bypass it?’ She asked. ‘What about times when the seal is weakened?'
Itachi couldn't hold back a smirk. ‘Aside from his loss of control, there is only one other instance in which his particular seal would be weakened.’
‘Oh?’
‘Childbirth.’
Sakura released a half-hearted laugh. ‘Yeah...no, I don't think Naruto has anything to worry about there.’
‘I should hope not.’
They fell into a comfortable silence. He could see Sakura trying to process all of this information, her whole worldview turning upside down. As expected, it was a lot to come to terms with.
‘And that's why you want to marry me,’ she surmised. ‘You're the heir to the Hokage title. I guess a marriage with someone like me would be—‘
‘A symbol of trust,’ he said. ‘An offer of peace. Ideally, it would make sense to wed a member of the Senju clan and restore the harmony in the village, but I'm afraid there's only one surviving member.’
Sakura smiled bitterly. ‘Tsunade-shishou is a bit old for you, Uchiha.’
‘She’s certainly older and wiser than me,’ he agreed.
‘Thinking about it, she'd probably knock you out if you proposed to her. From what I remember, she wasn't too fond of your clan.’
‘Her feelings are understandable,’ he replied. ‘So long as my father is Hokage, she can’t return to her home.’
A heavy silence fell between them, until Itachi spoke softly.
‘Sakura-san, you may not be a member of the Senju clan, but you are a disciple of Tsunade, and your connections and reputation within the village make you a strong compromise.’
He could see that that this decision was going to tear her apart. She looked fraught and overwhelmed, no matter how she tried to hide it behind a straight-faced facade.
‘So ultimately, you're asking me to marry you for the sake of peace.’
‘Yes. I'm aware that this is a lot to ask, but given the scene you made yesterday with that patrol officer, I trust that your thoughts toward the current state of the village are the same as mine.’
‘They are,’ she said. ‘I want peace, I really do. It's just... I'm not sure.’
Itachi expected as much. After all, this was a huge decision for her. Sakura probably had dreams of falling in love, getting married, and living out the rest of her life in happiness. But he was asking her to enter a loveless marriage that resembled nothing more than a business transaction. He couldn’t blame her for feeling the way she did.
But a part of him wondered if, having lost Shisui and Izumi, he was more prepared to make sacrifices than Sakura. Aside from his family, of course, he had far less to lose.
‘Please, take your time to think,’ he said. ‘I know that this is not an easy decision to make.’
The hardest decisions are always the most important, he thought, as the image of Shisui’s eyeless corpse burned in his memory.
______________________________________________
Sakura clutched her pillow tightly. The clock on her dresser read 2.00am, and she had spent the last four hours attempting to coerce her brain into getting some well-deserved shuteye.
It was difficult to come to terms with. Uchiha Itachi was not the man she had previously thought he was. His fearful reputation as Fugaku’s right-hand-man… the rumours about him… none of it was a true reflection of the person who had stood before her in the clearing earlier that day.
But then there was also the issue of the Third Hokage, the village elders, and the corruption that lay between them. Although Itachi had mentioned that the Third Hokage accepted only with persuasion, it was a cruel manoeuvre regardless. She couldn't imagine what Itachi must have felt when he received the order to assassinate his entire family.
Surely there would have been another way. A compromise with less bloodshed.
There was another way.
Itachi himself had said that he and his cousin tried to prevent the coup themselves. Perhaps it was possible to use whatever method Itachi and his cousin had originally planned.
But from what she knew about Uchiha Itachi, he was a meticulous man. Everything he did was within reason, and there must have been a good explanation as to why he gave up on his original plan.
She rolled over with a huff and stuck her legs out from under the duvet, searching for cool air. It was no use. At this rate, dawn was going to break and she would still be tossing and turning in indecision. But she didn't have to decide just yet.
‘There is no rush to make up your mind,’ he had said. ‘If you were - hypothetically - to take me up on my offer, there would be two possible routes and neither one requires immediate action.’
He had gone on to explain how they could marry in secret and wait until after Itachi's Hokage inauguration before announcing their marrage - and with it, Itachi's peaceful intentions as Hokage. Or they could marry immediately after the inauguration. Either way, they would need to make sure that Fugaku cannot intercept. If they were to marry openly beforehand, it was very likely that Fugaku would find a way to prevent Itachi from becoming Hokage. But if they waited, Fugaku would still attempt to stop them from taking any action to save the village from itself.
And even then, would a marriage really do much to create peace within the village?
This is all too much.
She continued to toss and turn, and it wasn't until the first gleams of dawn peeked over the Hokage mountain that Sakura finally fell asleep.
————————————————-
Itachi was sitting on the roof of his family home. The cool night air was refreshing against his skin, but did little to soothe the stale thoughts that ran circles around his mind.
He couldn't help but feel guilty at the situation he had put Sakura in. It was true that there was room for compromise. Even so, all other plans he had thought through were drawn out and messy. At this point in his life, he was tired. He was tired of fighting battles against his father's ideology. He was tired of politics. If he could avoid complication, he would.
A chakra signature flared from within the house, but Itachi paid it little attention. He had been half-expecting this.
There were careful footsteps on the roof before Sasuke sat down beside him.
‘Can't sleep?’ Itachi asked.
Naturally, there was no reply. He waited for Sasuke to finally ask the question that lay dormant between them.
‘What do you want with her?’
Itachi almost smiled. Sasuke would never admit to it, but to anybody who paid attention, it was evident that he considered his teammates a second family.
‘You told her that the flowers were from me,’ he replied.
‘Why did you even send her flowers anyway? You've never been interested in Sakura.’
This time, Itachi chuckled. ‘That bouquet was going to be the first of many, if only you hadn't given the game away so quickly, baby brother.’
‘Tell me what you actually want with her.’
Itachi paused to think. There were certain things that even Sasuke couldn’t know. ‘I just need her assistance with a certain task. That's all.’
Sasuke scowled. ‘So you were planning on buttering her up before begging for her help? You're lucky she didn't paralyse you from the waist down.’ He gave Itachi a pointed look. ‘Just don't mess around with her.’
Itachi knew what he really meant.
Don't hurt her.
He didn't even turn to look as Sasuke climbed back through his bedroom window. There was a faint click as his baby brother's lamp went out. Itachi stared at the array of curved rooftops spread out across the new Uchiha District.
‘I'm sorry, Sasuke.’
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
WIP Character Introduction: One
The Blorbo Train continues ever onwards, and I have been debating what level of detail to cover with the antagonists and the clockmen in particular. I've settled on covering the two most prominent in The Clockwork Boy, One and 10. Today, we're dealing with the original specimen herself, the one who sees and hears without being seen or heard.
To start off with her allegiances, One works with the Clockmen and ostensibly answers to their tyrannical ruler, Creator. It is, however, not on Creator's orders she assists her brutish compatriot 10 in attempting to reacquire 13. While she does assist in the hunt, One clearly has bigger plans in mind. Exactly who benefits from these plans in the long term remains to be seen, but suffice it to say, their impact will be considerable.
One's clockwork body is somewhat shorter in stature than 13's, but her long limbs give her similar reach. Even without seeing the more complex internal clockwork unfold and transform with unnerving speed, it is obvious that she is more than capable in a fight. Even so, the many scars left on her face and buzzcut brown-haired head tell tales of violent encounters that got closer to ending in death than One would have preferred. Her green eyes, similarly, appear keen and alert, but with a slight tremble to them that makes her seem perpetually nervous.
The general idea behind One at the outset was as a sort of mirror of 13. She is the first-ever Clockman, 13 is the last, she's a hardened cynic with a soft spot somewhere deep inside, he's an emotional idealist whose pacifism might one day shatter into blind violence, and so on. While this isn't quite where she ended up as her story is more tangential to 13's than parallel. Her role in the narrative, apart from the help and hindrance she provides is more like being the protagonist of a different, considerably grittier story. It is my hope that I'll be able to show sufficient parts of this story to communicate this bit, and One's ultimate goals and motivations, without writing a whole spinoff from her perspective, but we'll see what the future might bring in that regard.
The inspirations for One are a bit harder to track for me, but I do think of her as a bit more of a post-post 9/11 spy movie-type character, still marked by the intense brutality of the previous era, but not gleefully, or grimly, indulging in it. It's been a while since I saw it, but my mind does harken back to Atomic Blonde from 2017 as a possible source of inspiration. If nothing else, Charlize Theron in her Mad Max look has also been a reference point my mind has gone to several times. There is also, I'm starting to realize, more than a little bit of Akemi Homura from Madoka Magica in her, albeit in reverse. While Homura twists the story around her in a more cynical direction to suit her goals, One's investment in 13 could be construed to try to force the cynical post-collapse world to tend toward optimism. Whether this optimism is warranted, of course, remains to be seen.
One is probably the character in this series that feels the least like she'd ever listen to music, but if she did, she'd probably like classical music pretty well. Danse Macabre and Valse Sentimentale are both songs I can imagine her finding some scant bitter, enjoyment out of, and perhaps she could even be found cracking a slight smile of enjoyment over Vivaldi's Four Seasons provided her day was good and she didn't see any observers coming.
Taglist:
@ettawritesnstudies
@mrbexwrites
@teacupsandstarlight
If you want to be put on the Tag List for this project, please interact with my Tag List Post
6 notes
·
View notes
Photo
Found the article where the Film Archive got the photos from and decided to translate it. Please note that I’m no translator by any means and I left notes where I struggled.
“I don’t get why such a good kid always plays villains in Hollywood?” – asks Peter Lorre’s father in Budapest
Warner Oland’s Charlie Chan got an interesting rival in the form of Mr. Moto. Mr. Moto the Japanese master detective is the hero of a new novel and movie series, and is played by our old friend, Peter Lorre, who few may know is actually Hungarian and his family still resides in Pest.
- He was my most serious son, I never would have expected him to become an actor – tells us Mr. Löwenstein, Peter Lorre’s papa. – He graduated in Vienna with honors and I enrolled him into the academy (it says keresekedelmi akadémia, which is for trade, merchant academy, but I couldn’t find like the correct translation for it so I just left it as academy). This is the first time when Lacika (this is Peter Lorre’s nickname at home) tells me that he wants to become an actor. I replied, that at least work in a civilian field for two years, and if you don’t like it, then I don’t mind…
- Lord, Laci was a genius banker – continues the papa his story – after six months he became the head of the foreign exchange branch in the English-Austria bank. There were ten phones in his room, he was headed of such a great career, but when the two years were over, he took his hat and left the bank. He didn’t even take his last month’s salary… Then he became an actor. For long years he fought, and acted in smaller German stages (again the translation is not precise, because it says vidéki which is like village, but can be used for smaller towns as well, so I just opted for smaller stages instead), until he was discovered. He had great successes in Berlin when he started in movies. His first success came from the movie “Bombs on Monte Carlo”, for me – for his father – I liked him best in “F.P.1”.
Mr. Löwenstein also said that Laci got married in London and together with his wife set out to Hollywood. I also have to tell him stories, as Peter Lorre very seldom writes back home. He doesn’t like to write, once a year he does and for the papa’s birthday. But with cable he isn’t thrifty, and phones very often.
- I just don’t get – ponders Mr. Löwenstein – that how can such a good kid always play villains in Hollywood?
Peter Lorre finally got rid of the villainous roles. Instead he became Mr. Moto, the Japanese master detective, a master of jiu-jitsu, and the enemy of all bad guys. The character only lived in books so far. In America the adventures of Mr. Moto are currently rivaling the popularity of the Sherlock Holmes books. From the book series the first movie was completed. It’s title: “Think Fast, Mr. Moto”.
Peter Lorre has such success in the role, that each month they are filming a new Mr. Moto movie with him. After this he will have even less time to write, for the birthdays of Mr. Löwenstein he will probably start phoning instead as well.
Original article by Emil Balázs.
Text under images:
Peter Lorre with his father. The picture was taken in 1921, when the Hungarian Hollywood star was last in Pest.
Childhood picture from the family album: Laci (on the right) and his three siblings.
Thomas Beck, Virginia Field and Peter Lorre in “Think Fast, Mr. Moto”.
Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) helps his Chinese acting partner out of a Shanghai rickshaw.
(Source: Színházi Élet 1937, 46)
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Car damage was much worse than team realised says Leclerc after retirement | 2023 Dutch Grand Prix
Charles Leclerc said he retired from the Dutch Grand Prix after his team discovered the damage he incurred on the first lap of the race was worse than they originally realised.
The Ferrari driver tangled with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri at the start. Leclerc said his team initially estimated he’d lost up to 10 points of downforce, but they later realised it was more severe.
“Already on the first lap when we had the damage, I could feel much more [deterioration] than the guys were telling me on the radio,” said Leclerc in response to a question from RaceFans.
“I think initially it was five to 10 points, what I’ve been told, but obviously then we realised that it was more than 60, and more than 60 is a different category. So after the first lap it was all uphill.”
Despite the early end to his race, Leclerc was pleased with how the team managed his strategy in the rain-affected race.
“It was very tricky because you’re always changing from wet to dry, dry to wet,” he said. “So it makes things very difficult.
“But on the other hand, it was the same for everybody. I think we actually managed today quite well the stops and the different strategies, but with 60 points less, there’s not much we could have done better.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free
As he sank towards the rear of the field in his damaged car, Leclerc admitted he was “just waiting for some rain” in the final laps. A heavy shower eventually hit the track after he retired.
“With some rain, obviously 60 [downforce] points less, it’s very tricky to drive a car with 60 points less in the rain, but it also adds a lot of chaos and you can do something different than others.
“Maybe [get] one or two [championship] points, every point counts. So we didn’t want to give up too early, then we understood that the rain wouldn’t come – even though now it’s come – but it would have been too late anyway.”
Leclerc lost some time when he pitted for intermediate tyres at the end of the first lap and Ferrari appeared not to be ready for him. However he said that was a result of him deciding very late to change tyres.
“I did call for it in the last corner, so very late. But obviously looking at the situation in the last corner, I was sure that even if we had lost five or six seconds at the pit stop, we will recover them during one lap easily.
“So I expected to lose some time. I think we could have optimised it as a team just for the guys to be ready a little bit earlier in those type of situations. But apart from that it was, I think, the right choice.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free
However he admitted it had been a tough weekend for the team as the car hadn’t handle well prior to the grand prix.
“In terms of results, obviously with a DNF like this, it’s not good,” he said. “It’s been extremely difficult.
“In terms of balance, it is probably the most difficult weekend of the season, and driveability of the car. So we need to look into it because the last two or three races were getting better on that side of things and for some reason it worsened quite a lot this weekend.”
Bringing the F1 news from the source
RaceFans strives to bring its readers news directly from the key players in Formula 1. We are able to do this thanks in part to the generous backing of our RaceFans Supporters.
By contributing 1 per month or 12 per year (or the equivalent in other currencies) you can help cover the costs involved in producing original journalism: Travelling, writing, creating, hosting, contacting and developing.
We have been proudly supported by our readers for over 10 years. If you enjoy our independent coverage, please consider becoming a RaceFans Supporter today. As a bonus, all our Supporters can also browse the site ad-free. Sign up or find out more via the links below:
2023 Dutch Grand Prix
Browse all 2023 Dutch Grand Prix articles
via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://racefans.net/
#F1#Car damage was much worse than team realised says Leclerc after retirement | 2023 Dutch Grand Prix#Formula 1
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
Hi! I just read one ask you posted and I am curious about one thing. I never, ever, even remotely truly understood what people mean by "twin flame" when I read about it in new age stuff.
Also they are still using twin flame related stuff while we all know where it come from etc but "no I don't mean any harm while talking about it, I'm not talking about the evil twin flame" no no there is only one twin flame concept and if you want an other term there is simply "soulmate" even if this term got lost in a lot of false belief.
Could you please elaborate on what you mean by this original twin flame concept or tell me to what it is affiliated so I can research about it? I would really like to understand this whole thing, I don't know where it comes from. Thank you!
Hello, I love your blog aesthetic
You say you have trouble to understand that concept and it's fully normal, first if you try to do research you'll only fall on article from new age blogs etc and the funniest is if you search "twin flame origin" because those mad guys litterary take the origin and definition of soulmate. I haven't done this research since my begining and damn it was hard to find links to put here.
Before I explain what it is and where the wrong stuff is I'd like to remind something. Sadly spirituality is "a place" full of scammer we know this since the dawn of time. People often turn to spirituality in their last resort (not always of course I'm talking about majority) of course scammer got specific target : desperate people and the ones who don't know that much, people who are easy to trap. What are the bait ? Two simple subject ; Money and Love. I feel like back in time money was the main source of scam but now oh boy Love, love is now the biggest bait
What is a soulmate ?
Actually the term ”soulmate” comes from an author but it’s the most knew term based on the greek story of human’s origin, it is said that back in time humans had 4 legs, 4 arms, 2 heads and 2 heart (im not sure for the heart) but one day the gods separated humans into 2 beings. ” αδελφή ψυχ” mean other half it isn’t to define an actual person, it’s like an expression, it is used when you found someone who you love deeply it is like saying ”you are mine and I am yours”. So in the end ”finding your soulmate” = meeting someone you truly bound with, that you deeply love and trust. Soulmate ≠ someone over here is meant for you. Some people say soulmate can be about platonic love but the greek ”other half” is purely about romantic love. So to be clear in order to explain to you the twin flame stuff i’ll use the term ”soulmate” as romantic love like it’s origin
OK so now imagine you’re someone who’s very lonely and you really want to meet love,you’re almost desesperate then someone come to you and tell you ”hey, did you know that there is something stronger than a soulmate ? It’s called a twin flame it’s your other half and you have to go through a whole journey in order to find them !” (im using neutral pronounce but this concept is deep into cis heterosexuality) who is your twin flame ? It’s someone from the opposite sex who is meant to complete you, once you’ll find them you’ll find yourself !
How do you know someone is your twin flame ?
You don’t know it you feel it, you feel deep love toward someone so what to do ? It’s time to tell the- they say no ? Oh don’t worry love it’s normal ! Remember twin flame are stronger than soulmates they are a challenging relationship!! (Congratulation you’re now a chaser)
You’re in a relationship and it’s very difficult and challenging but you love them ? Keep going it’s your other half ! They horrible to you ? They are wounded and you need to heal them remember you are nothing without them ! Are they still toxic ? You might not put enough effort in this relationship. You broke up ? Don’t worry twin flames always need to separate each other in some way it is a big sign that this person is your twin flame have faith ! Oh you're sad it’s normal you just lose your twin flame, your soul miss its other part. They won’t come back but you found someone else ? Don’t worry it’s how twin flame works the first one was a test from the univers now you found the true one !
Here I gave an exagerate scenario that (sadly) probably was the reality of a lot of people. Twin flames originate from Shaleia and Jeff Ayan your classic white couplé who build up a ”spiritual/therapeutic” way for people to find true love, how cute two healer full of good intention (no). You got it twin flame is made for people to keep call upon spiritual scammer people to ask help again and again, to pay 40$ (or more or less) to get a love reading about their twin flame thousand of time. Here I gave the exemple of a chaser but this concept is made to create stalker, for people to be stuck into very toxic relationship there are many story online about people’s ”crazy ex who said I was their twin flame” or how people stayed with a narcissic dude just because ”it was their twin flame”. This concept is made to make you feel miserable and not complete in order to play with your insecurities. No matter how and when you use this term, it is giving those crazy scammer and their victimes stronger.
Here are some link to check, be careful when searching online because there are a majority of ”self care” website who drowned article who talk about the truth. Sadly back in time I saw a post on tumblr explaining everything from a to z but can’t find it so I hope those one will be enough for you
Everywhere I Went, They Went With Me, Because They Were on My Phone”: Inside the Always Online, All-Consuming World of Twin Flames Universe
@windvexer’s take on that
Inside the Toxic World of 'Twin Flames' Spirituality
I’d like to say one last thing, remember cults and cult movement aren’t vilain from movies, you won’t see them come in the horizon with big evil music they won’t have an evil laugh with thunder in the background. They are sneaky shit, scammer, they got strategies, they get under your skin, they search your weak spot and use them to end up calling that coincidence, they will act like your friend, like someone who just want you to be happy, only if you follow their words.
16 notes
·
View notes
Text
checking sources and giving proper attribution are two issues near and dear to my heart, especially in the age of Everyone Makes Quote Graphics. don’t get me wrong, i love a good quote graphic as much as the next girl. i’ve even got an isak dineson quote on a cushion cover! but the internet is rife with the promulgation of misattributed/incorrect/badly used quotes because apparently doing a quick google search to check the information is just too much effort. here’s a rant about three quotes i came across on a single day:
We need the tonic of wildness -- [misquotation of] from Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. this is the beginning of a paragraph in chapter 17. i’ve never read walden, but i found this information in about three seconds. the full text of the book is available online! it was the third result of my search! yet there are dozens of graphics that say, “We need the tonic of wilderness”. is it a reading comprehension issue or what?
No legacy is so rich as honesty -- [that does not mean what i think you think it means] Shakespeare, from All’s Well That Ends Well. i read this somewhere and wanted to know which play it came from. my first search result was a link to a Forbes article where the author tells us earnestly, “I've lived by Shakespeare's words since I started my business.” except that a brief scan further down my search results tells me that the quote is actually a joke, using a play on words, where ‘honesty’ means ‘virginity’. awkward, bro.
You have bewitched me, etc. -- [misattribution] ugh, i can’t even bring myself to fully type out this insipid, trite garbage that whoever wrote the 2005 movie adaptation of P&P inflicted upon the world. it’s been spread around like manure but without any of manure’s usefulness, so it just sits there stinking up the place with its foul miasma. anyway, i saw a graphic in which this drivel was attributed to jane austen and i think i had a small aneurysm. (i also read someone quoted as saying she’d seen the movie 4,000 times and knew every line and i was like, oh, honey, that’s not something to brag about.) (AND OH MY GOD SOMEONE GOT IT TATTOOED ON THEIR BODY I AM SO EMBARRASSED FOR THEM AND THEIR BAD TASTE)
so anyway. the c.s. lewis foundation actually has a page for quotes misattributed to him.
then there’s quote investigator which i love because they correct misattribution and provide the original context.
and don’t forget six things darwin never said, which is what it says on the tin.
(if anyone knows of other resources like the above, please share!)
last but not least, some advice: if the only mentions of a quote in english that you can find are on quote websites and/or pinterest, there’s a 99% chance it’s not authentic for one reason or another. when the quote is an english translation of a text, it gets more complicated, but for well known writers/works it’s typically not difficult to establish provenance. if you can’t do that, at least consider it highly suspect.
#words are my life#the date on this is 23 January 2021#it's clear that it was Not A Good Day for past!me#for present!me however it's extremely funny
8 notes
·
View notes
Text
Time and Chase
Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Fem! OC
Author's Note: Hello and welcome. This is a major throwback but we are kicking off my TUA series of fics all the way from season one so that this story actually makes sense. Or about as much sense as it can be. I will be posting daily. *Please note that I am well aware that Elliot Page portrays Viktor, but due to season one being before his transition, that is why his character is still Vanya. I am not deadnaming him and I sincerely hope I don't come across as such. I will transition when I write season three.*
Warnings: mentions of blood, cursing, and violence.
Previous | Next
*Gif credits to its original source/creator*
Extra Ordinary
~ * ~
On the first day of October, 1989, forty-three women around the world simultaneously gave birth. None of the women showed any prior signs of pregnancy. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and playboy adventurer, made it his personal mission to find and adopt as many of these children as possible.
He got seven of them.
~ * ~
The next morning, after Five very briefly explained what he was up to last night, Karina was stitching his arm up.
"So, you're telling me…hold still!" Karina instructed, wincing slightly when Five hissed in pain. "That you decided to risk your life by blinking into a store during closing hours just so you could steal a mannequin?"
"Delores was our friend and she even asked to be your maid of honor. I couldn't just leave her there. She helped us before, she can help us again," Five remarked.
Karina held back from rolling her eyes. "I am aware she was your companion for the first five years of being alone in the apocalypse, but, you could have been smarter about this. Or at least not have gone alone."
"And risked your life instead? No way. Hazel and Cha-Cha are ruthless, as you can see."
"Yeah, well, sooner or later you're going to need more help," Karina finished stitching his wound up and cleaning up the excess blood. She put a bandaid over it and gave his cheek a kiss.
He faintly blushed. "Thanks. Speaking of help, you can help me watch the guy from the prosthetic office. I want to know what that son of a bitch is up to. Consider it a couple's field trip, dear," Five stood up to put a clean uniform on.
Karina turned around so he could get changed. "How exciting," she flatly sighed.
Once he was ready, he slung his backpack on and opened the window so the two could get out through the fire escape. Little did they know someone was busily dumpster diving below.
"Damn it, where's Dad's stuff?" Klaus groaned.
"Can we go see a movie or something? Or the ocean?" Ben Hargreeves asked.
Though Five and Karina had no clue Ben was there, they could hear Klaus rummaging around.
"Shut up! I'm trying to find whatever…priceless crap was in that priceless box so that Pogo will get off my ass!" Klaus snapped as Five and Karina climbed down the ladder.
"I'd ask what you're up to, Klaus, but then it occurred to me…I don't care," Five paused.
"Hey!" Klaus laughed. "You know there are easier ways out of the house, buddy?" he watched as Five landed on the ground before helping Karina down.
"This one involved the least amount of talking. Or so I thought," Five took her hand into the crook of his arm.
"Hey, hey, hey, so. You need any more company today? Besides the wifey? I could, uh…clear my schedule," Klaus took a drink out of the flask in his hand.
Five eyed him warily. "Looks like you've got your hands full."
"Oh, this? No, no. I can do this whenever. I'm just…" Klaus suddenly fell into the dumpster and there was a clatter. "I just misplaced something. That's all. Oh! Found it! Thank God!" Klaus popped back up with a half eaten doughnut in his hand. He sighed and took a bite, gulping. "Delicious."
Karina watched him in partial disgust as Five rolled his eyes. "I'm done funding your drսg habit." He gently led Karina off.
"Come on! You don't-maybe I just wanna hang out with my brother and my sister-in-law!" Klaus looked at Ben. "Not you." He saw Five and Karina climb into a van. "Mi hermano! I love you! Even if you can't love yourself!"
The car doors slammed shut and the engine started before the van took off. A couple of blocks down, Five parked the van in an alley, out of view.
"This isn't suspicious at all," Karina dryly observed.
"He can't see us," Five retorted, watching Lance walk towards the building. "Oh, shit. Hey." He sighed, taking out a mannequin in a polka dotted blouse from his backpack. "Sorry you were in there for so long, Delores."
Karina eyed him.
"No, I'm not drunk. I'm working. Yes, it's about the eye thing. This is the place it was made. Or…will be made," Five sighed. "We just have to wait." He looked at Karina. "Rina's here, too. I'm sure she's happy to see you as well."
"Yup. Hi Delores," Karina greeted casually as she pulled a book out and began reading.
~ * ~
Five was busy studying his surroundings when he frowned, noticing white flakes beginning to drift down from the sky.
"No," he muttered, getting out of the van to see that everything around him were in ashes. He frantically looked around. "No! Rina! Guys! Rina! Where are you?"
"Five," Luther's voice distantly called. "Five!"
"Five, what's going on?" Karina's voice echoed as Five looked back at the van.
"Rina?" he drew out fearfully, wondering where she was.
"Hey, Five!" Luther sounded with a knock.
"No!" Five screamed.
"Five!" Luther shot Five out of his flashback.
Five jumped, feeling Karina's gentle hand on his shoulder. He weakly gave her a smile as the two watched Luther struggle to get into the passenger seat of the van.
"You okay?" Luther asked his brother.
"You shouldn't be…how did you find us?" Five was exasperated.
"Oh. Um…" Luther glanced back and so did Five and Karina.
"Hey, baby…" Klaus was pretend swaying with Delores. "Hey, a little privacy, guys. We're really hitting it off back here." He screamed as Five chucked an empty cup at him.
"Get out!" Five yelled. "You can't be here! We're in the middle of something!"
He turned back to Luther.
"Any luck finding your one-eyed man?" Klaus whispered, joining the three.
"No," Karina replied.
"What's he talkin' about?" Luther frowned.
"Does it matter? It's Klaus," Five sighed. "What do you want, Luther?"
"Um…so, Grace may have had something to do with Dad's death. So I need you to come back to the academy, all right? It's important."
"'It's important.' You have no concept of what's important," Five remarked and Karina nudged him.
"Hey! Did I ever tell you guys about the time I waxed my ass with chocolate pudding?" Klaus interrupted the tension, causing Five to wrinkle his nose and look away as Karina cringed in disgust. Luther was just lost as Klaus laughed. "It was so painful."
"What are you still doing here?" Luther questioned him.
"Ay, ay, ay…what? I…what? I need an excuse to hang out with my family?" Klaus returned.
"We're trying to have a serious conversation."
"What, and I'm incapable of being serious? Is that what you're saying?"
"Luther's got a point, you should get out," Five agreed.
Klaus was in disbelief. "What? Fine! I get it. The wife gets to stay but the weirdo brother doesn't!" he ranted before exiting the van and slamming the door shut.
"Do you really think kicking him out was a good idea?" Karina raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. What the hell are you two up to?" Luther demanded as Karina went back to reading her book, wanting nothing to do with the current conversation.
Five was casual. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me. Last I checked, I'm still the leader of this family," Luther tried to impose authority.
"Well, last I checked, I'm 28 years older than you and Rina is your sister-in-law, so don't pull that shit on her," Five shot back.
"You know what your problem is?" Luther eyed him.
"Really hoping you'll tell me," Five rolled his eyes.
"You think you're better than us. You always have. Even when we were kids," Luther sighed. "But the truth is, you're just as messed up as the rest of us. We're all you have. And you know it."
"I have Rina, so no, you are not all I have. Disregard her again and I'll send your ass back to the moon. Besides, I don't think that I'm better than you, Number One. I know I am," Five bit out with a rather bitter chuckle. "I've done unimaginable things, things you couldn't even comprehend."
"Right," Luther dismissed.
"Just to get back here and save you all," Five finished coldly.
"Hey, bitches!" Klaus suddenly caught their attention with his arms full of stolen snacks as he ran past the van.
A police officer blew his whistle, chasing Klaus. "You, get back here!"
"Out of the way, asshоlе!" Klaus shouted.
"Now I'm starting to wonder if that was the wisest decision," Five commented as another car's tires squealed and Klaus ran into an incoming taxi.
Karina took her chance by casually leaning on the back edge of his seat. "I normally don't say this but: I told you so," she smugly shot and he gave her a look for it.
~ * ~
It was nighttime now. Five, Karina, and Delores were still in the van, watching for Lance to make an appearance. Karina was asleep in the passenger seat and Five debated if he should just take her back to his room where she'd be more comfortable.
"You know, you don't have to tell me that. I know there are only six days left. Yeah, you got a better idea?" Five scoffed at Delores. "Okay, then." He looked out and saw Lance leave the building with a bag in his hand. He gently shook Karina awake.
"What?" she groaned and he pointed to Lance.
"There's our guy."
Lance went over to a car approaching him. He opened the car door, slipping the bag in and subtly hiding a folder in his coat.
"What the hell is he up to?" Five muttered.
"Beats me," Karina yawned.
He glanced at her. "Do you need me to take you home so you can rest?"
"I'd really prefer to stay with you."
"Are you sure?"
Karina nodded but she yawned again.
"Yeah, no. You're going to bed," Five scooped her up and blinked into his room.
"You need your sleep, too," Karina argued as he laid her down on his bed.
"Later. First I want to figure out what that Lance guy is up to," Five tucked her in. "I'll be back."
"Five, wait-" she reached for him but he blinked out, leaving her alone. She groaned and rolled her eyes, deciding it was no use to follow him. So, she ended up falling back asleep.
Bang!
A shot fired woke Karina up from a sound sleep. She cursed, throwing the covers off of her. She glanced at the hall to see a woman in a weird animal mask chasing Allison down the hall.
"Shit! Hazel and Cha-Cha!" Karina raced after them.
She quietly snuck through the house and heard more rounds, coming from the basement kitchen. Along the way, she grabbed a katana from the wall, as well as a spare knife Diego left.
Karina silently crept down the stairs, seeing that Allison was fighting Cha-Cha.
"You want to rumor this psycho?" Diego stalked into the room.
"I don't need to because this bitch just pissed me off!" Allison whirled around.
"We just want the boy!" Cha-Cha hissed.
"Oh. Well in that case!" Karina kicked the back of Cha-Cha as Allison kicked her a few times.
Karina blocked a few strikes with the katana, but Cha-Cha flipped and sent her foot crashing into her nose. She screamed out as Cha-Cha struck her clean in the side with the pool stick, probably cracking a rib or two and sending her to the floor.
"Karina!" Allison slid to her side as Diego whistled to get Cha-Cha's attention.
He started fighting her now as Karina groaned, handing Allison the knife she had. Allison grinned and sprung up, kicking Cha-Cha hard and making her stumble back.
"Get her," Allison handed him the knife and he threw it, stabbing Cha-Cha in the back of the leg as she tried to get upstairs.
Diego gently helped Karina to her feet. "Are you okay?"
"I've felt worse," Karina seethed angrily, wiping blood from her nose and grabbing her weapon off the ground.
"Come on," he almost growled as the three stormed out.
They went upstairs to find the others. Vanya was hiding from Hazel and Luther was on the ground near the staircase.
"Luther!" Allison raced to his side. "Come on, Luther, get up."
"Ah, you gotta cut down on that fast food, soldier," Diego helped Allison get him to his feet as Karina looked around.
Cha-Cha was upstairs, eyeing the rope that held the chandelier up. She glared down at the four.
"No!" Karina screamed as Cha-Cha stabbed the rope, sending the chandelier crashing down.
"Get out of the way!" Luther shoved Allison back and Diego dove off, taking Karina with him.
"Luther!" Allison cried as the chandelier fell on him.
Hazel and Cha-Cha quickly made their escape while Luther grunted and panted, slowly getting to his feet. He pushed the chandelier off of him, ripping the coat off and exposing what Sir Reginald did to him all those years ago: turn his upper body half-ape.
Allison, Diego, Vanya, and Karina stared at him in shock.
"Holy shit," Diego drew out.
Luther looked around breathlessly, before he ran away and rushed upstairs. Allison went over to check on Vanya.
"Did you know?" Vanya asked her.
Allison swallowed. "No."
Diego looked up and heard a faint, familiar hum. "Shit. Mom!" he raced upstairs to check on her.
Seeing that the two Commission officers were gone, Karina slowly and painfully made her way back to Five's room. She shut the door and locked it, making sure the window was locked as well. With the katana hidden under the bed and within her reach, she groaned as she sat down, clutching her side.
"Five, what the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" she mumbled, staring at her ring blankly.
She sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight.
~ * ~
#the umbrella academy#five hargreeves#klaus hargreeves#allison hargreeves#ben hargreeves#diego hargreeves#luther hargreeves#tua#viktor hargreeves#aidan gallagher#tua season one#tua s1
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
Interview with TOSHI (summarized)
Published in the hide BIBLE (by Akemi Oshima) 2008
Note 1: This is not a translation. The interview is eight pages long, in rather small characters, and printed on bright pink paper, which is stylish but not easy on the eyes. My Japanese is simply not good enough to give a word-by-word translation of this text, or even to generally understand all of it. So I just read it and will now make a list of the things I learned from it. (I did my best and I will skip the parts that I am really unsure about, but there is no guarantee that this is actually accurate. Read at your own risk.)
If anyone who understand Japanese and knows this interview reads this and recognized something I am totally wrong about, please let me know so I can fix it!
Note 2: You may wonder why I am starting with Toshi rather than Yoshiki for this project. The reason is simply because I will not cover Yoshiki’s interview at all. And the reason for that is that he did not give one. Instead, he contributed a two page essay on hide and their time together, which was sweet in places (like how hide was like a mother to him, of all things, and losing him was like losing family) but offered little that you cannot find in plenty of other sources. The most interesting part for me were the additional details on the story about how he tried to get hide to join X, covered here.
Note 3: They talked about other things a bit, but I will focus on the parts relevant to hide. Also, this interview was made in 2008, when TOSHI was still under the influence of the cult, so some of the things he says have to be taken with a grain of salt. Most of those parts were not really related to hide though, and are not included here anyway.
Reccomended reading: Toshi's post-cult book "Brainwash" which offers a similar but more detailed and less under-the-influence-of look at some of the moments described here. A very good English translation can be found here.
Things Toshi tells us:
- During concerts, he used to use the sound of hide's guitar as guidance for his vocals. He didn't need to see him for that. During the reunion-concerts he also heard hide's guitar so it was like he was still around.
- Toshi did know about the song “Without You” before meeting with Yoshiki again, but had never heard it and didn’t know it had been written for hide. When he learned about that, he thought, “Ah, that’s why it’s so good.”
Even though the song was written in the midst of despair, he felt like it had a powerful, life-affirming message.
- hide always took care of people and supported Toshi during the Last Live, which was really hard for him. He was like a good older brother to Toshi and used to give him advice, and directions on how to act on stage when Toshi didn’t know how to rock star.
- hide was good at observing and reading people.
- Toshi first saw hide when he and Yoshiki went to a SAVER TIGER performance. Yoshiki thought that hide was very weird. Toshi thought that Yoshiki lacked self-awareness.
- Toshi was impressed with SAVER TIGER’s / hide’s music, performance, style etc.. Yoshiki invited hide for a drink and immediately tried to recruit him for X. Toshi was with them in the beginning but left halfway through.
- While Yoshiki had his individual hairstyle already, Toshi was just an ordinary guy without a particularly special look. hide was the one who came up with Toshi’s hairstyle, and Pata’s as well. He was generally in charge of their visuals, and also of the band’s sound/arrangements.
- hide rescued the song “Kurenai” from the pile of discarded creations by giving it a new arrangement. The original version was too melodious for rock, so the metal crowd made fun of it and even Yoshiki didn’t want to play it anymore.
- Unrelated to hide: Toshi’s misadventures with bleached hair during the pre-hide-X days (“Just leave it in overnight, it’ll be fine! Oh, now it’s white, my bad!”). Having to go to his classes (he was the best student in his class) at piano-tuning school like that. They has weird clothes and styling for their first performance at a club, and the same day Toshi had his final at piano tuning school. He could't get onto the train because of the giant outfit he was carrying, then slipped and got his foot stuck in the gab between train and platform and kept it from moving and everyone kind of hated him. Then he wasn't allowed to ride the train. Then he lost his shoe. And he came too late to his final exam and was not allowed into the classroom, because his teacher claimed not to recognize him. (He made it in eventually and passed.)
- Toshi doesn’t really remember when he first talked to hide. Probably when they went to see SAVER TIGER for the first time.
- At that time, Toshi was really impressed with hide’s energy on stage and really wanted to perform with him. He thought that hide was the only musician who could match X and be a good fit for them.
- Toshi and Taiji hand-made their outfits in the early days. Taiji was very skilled at that and also brought the materials. Toshi didn't have any knowledge in these things so he just assisted Taiji where he could.
- A friend made Toshi's leather jacket. They did everything by trial and error and had no money.
- They got night-packs for the rehearsal studios, because it was cheapest from midnight to 6 a.m., and met for rehearsals three times a week. Between the drum set and the uneccessarily large amplifyiers there was no room in the small studio for the vocalist and Toshi had to sing from the corner behind the amplifyers and was completely inaudible over the instuments even though he learned how to scream his vocals.
- Yoshiki and hide were the only ones who already had a driver’s license, but Yoshiki rarely drove. hide was the one who did most of the driving, something he was used to from his SAVER TIGER days. Toshi was always in the back seat.
- hide came as a full package with not only a license, but also a van, various know-how, and a lesson in how to best transport their equipment.
- Looking back, Toshi thinks that X really started those days.
- hide was X’s leader in terms of fashion. He has always been like that, wearing big hats and his gandmother's sari.
- He was always very original and forward-thinking in regard to music as well, just like Yoshiki. People did not always understand their ideas.
- Recording with hide was very fun. With Yoshiki, not so much.
- They would record the songs hide had written (Miscast, Joker, Drain etc.) in hide’s studio in his apartment in Los Angeles. They also did the pre-production at hide’s place in Japan. Toshi has many memories of going to hide's to sing.
[Note: According to I.N.A.’s book "Kimi No Inai Sekai" as well as hide’s own interviews, and his mother’s, he did not actually have a real recording studio in either of his apartments in L.A., nor in Japan. He just had extra rooms that were filled with recording equipment. They weren’t soundproof, tough, and they were in constant trouble with the neighbours, who were creating their own noise and were bothered by theirs.]
- hide was the judge of Toshi’s vocals in those cases.
- When Yoshiki recorded songs, he had Toshi sing the lines over and over and over and went through all the recordings to pick out the best bits from each and edit them together. hide focused more on the rhythm of the song and placed great importance on fitting the vocals in with the instruments and fit everything into a 16-beat-groove. It sounded increasingly cool as the finer details were added and just really felt like rock music.
- Toshi has no sense of rhythm.
- Recording with Yoshiki was famously terrible.
- Yoshiki recorded every song very carefully. hide was more like, “Let’s just go with the mood.” He didn’t mind if Toshi’s voice turned in the middle of the song and still considered it good, and everything turned out cool in the end.
- When they were getting drunk, they had a rule that said, “Don’t touch hide’s hat!”, as he tended to flip out if it was missing and destroy the hotel.
- Toshi doesn’t drink much. He rarely joined them for private drinking, was only there for the after-show parties. They had a lot of those in the early days, though.
- Both hide and Yoshiki tended to get angry and violent when drunk. Yoshiki would pick some outsider and start a fight.
- Toshi doesn’t understand the thoughts and feelings of drunk people.
- When hide flipped out, Yoshiki would calm him down, and when Yoshiki went on a rampage, hide would stop him. When they both lost it at the same time, they would also fight each other. Meanwhile, Pata would keep drinking at his own pace, completely chill.
- Once things started to get too wild, Toshi would simply go home.
- Nevertheless, despite the fights and the violence, he still enjoyed those days.
- After X JAPAN broke up, hide called Toshi one day, angry about things that had been in the media about him without his knowledge or intention. Toshi gave a lot of explanation, talked for a long time about his feelings regarding quitting the band, various troubles etc, as this was the first time they had spoken to each other after Toshi left X JAPAN. hide was the only one he ever talked to about this. By the time he was done, hide had calmed down and suggested they should meet for a drink and talk about everything, before hanging up. It was the last time Toshi really talked to him.
- In the beginning of their conversation, hide had been angry with him, by the end of it, he openly expressed his affection. That was just like hide, though. Toshi is happy that hide listened to his story like that, and that he gave him understanding and encouragement.
- hide called him when he was angry rather than seething silently. He was confrontational like that and in turn was able to express his affection just as openly. Since Toshi was not confrontational at all, hide came to him, which enabled Toshi to open his heart. That was just one of hide’s good points.
- hide was the only member of the band who ever contacted Toshi after he quit.
- Toshi blamed this lack of communication on his own inability to open up.
- By the time of the interview, he was able to talk to Yoshiki and the other members again.
- Toshi liked hide’s solo music and thought that he had a great sense for pop, skill for song writing and amazing, deep lyrics.
- hide came to see Toshi perform in the Hamlet rock-opera and was surprised by how different Toshi the actor was from Toshi the rock musician. It was the first time he saw Toshi as a spectator rather than a companion on stage. He was impressed. Toshi says he looked weird but hide praised his looks none the less.
- hide played the guitar on Toshi's first solo album "Made in Heaven". hide, as well as Pata and Heath, supported Toshi during his first solo tour as guest musicians. He also praised Toshi's third album, "Grace".
- When it came to his own solo work and doing vocals, hide called Toshi his master and joked that he was a genius. He thought that doing MC stuff and getting the audience heated up were among the hardest part of being a vocalist.
- Toshi didn’t really give hide advice when it came to vocals, but he introduced him to his own vocal coach, Michiko, who helped him master his singing.
- If hide were still alive, Toshi is convinced that he would be at the forefront of the time, with his originality in both music and fashion. He would probably do a lot of other things, too, but since he was so inventive and ahead of everyone, Toshi can’t actually imagine what. He just knows it would be great.
- hide would be happy about X JAPAN’s reunion. He probably wished for it more than anyone and was talking about being with everyone again one day. Besides, he was the one who took on the role of creating a connection between Toshi and Yoshiki while remaining the most neutral person around, and Toshi thinks that in a way he contributed to the reuinon as well.
#Toshi#x japan#interview#summary#hide#hide Bible#I hope one day I will go through this and correct all the things I was totally wrong about#'hope' because that would mean by that point my Japanese would be much better
2 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
sleepy-daydream-in-a-rose
Daydream away
johnslittlespoon
sam has mota brainrot :^)
dileklelezzetdurag
DİLEKLE LEZZET DURAĞI
artkreed
ArtKreed
