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crazyfreckledginger · 4 years

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Ikemen Vampire x Reader - “Residents In Modern Times”

Requested by anon: “Hello glorious author-chan! I have a request for you. I have a fun little imagine for you. Can you make an Ikemen Vampire imagine of what their reactions would be like in modern times?”

A/N: I honestly don’t know what this is, like it ended up as the child of a drabble and a headcanon.

Warning: implied smut and nudity (come on Arthur is here)

Napoleon Bonaparte:

He’d be shocked and in awe at the same time.

Wanting to know EVERYTHING about how people live in the 21st century.

Is it a better, easier life? Is everyone treated equally and safe?

He’s astonished by the night lights as well, so bright and beautiful.

It’s absolutely unforgettable and he stays up at night a little longer to watch the busy city below, drinking the beautiful view until he falls asleep.

Also more content with the clothing fashion.

Yes it’s very unusual to him since he’s not used to it but clothes used to be so uncomfortable, especially for women.

Though he really didn’t feel comfortable with such revealing clothes.

He’s very cute about it around you though, hiding in your neck with flushed, embarrassed cheeks.

Leonardo Da Vinci:

Doesn’t show his amazement as much except through his tone of voice.

Wants to know how a phone works.

Surprisingly -- or unsurprisingly -- not having to explain it regularly, he picks up on it very quickly.

He’s very impressed.

Your days were divided into visiting shops, showing him technologies, public transport, probably every single thing about the city and cuddling in bed and showing him how the TV works because “the mattress is so comfortable”.

Even though you know how comfortable a surface is, never stopped him from falling asleep.

He really likes it in the modern day.

I think he would be one of the residents that would fit in rather quickly and easily.

Comte De Saint Germain:

It’s not that much of a shocker for him for obvious reasons but because you’d spent your life in modern day, he got to see your view and had a much positive outlook on it.

Not that it was negative to begin with, he just didn’t pay as much attention to it before and now that he has, it’s eye opening, in a way.

He loved the sparkle in your eyes as you rejoiced in the things you used to know before you travelled back in time.

It was a sight for sore eyes.

He enjoyed visiting with you, even though he spent more time seeing the twinkle in your eyes than being happy over the smaller things.

Comte is much more open about PDA for obvious reasons and he feels the modern day is something the both of you share as a precious memory now.

Arthur Conan Doyle:

His demeanour is one of someone who’s seen everything already but the huge smile and eyes just showed that he was a little boy excited about discovering everything.

Arthur dragged you around to tell him how things work if he couldn’t pick up on by himself.

You went to a mall and Victoria’s Secret caught his eye so fast it was S C A R Y.

“Try this sweetheart, and this and this-”

Yes, despite all your protests, you spent the whole day in the store trying on clothes for him.

He enjoyed it very much.

Arthur promised he would discover something new with you that didn’t involved being naked.

How nice of him *chokes*

It was a tiring day for you since you did all the standing, changing and displaying for him.

But the night provided to be very rewarding hehe

If you know what I mean

;)

You know what I mean, why am I saying this.

Theodorus Van Gogh:

He has a similar behaviour to Arthur at first, indifferent behaviour but very curious eyes.

You can tell he doesn’t want to ask questions but wants the answers.

So you just start talking and explaining things.

He’s a little flushed because he would have told you to stop talking by now but he doesn’t since you’re informing him on everything.

Theo would keep visiting until you got tired and wouldn't hesitate to carry you back to your place and cuddle up on the couch.

Showing him how the TV works but he prefers sleeping in your bed because it’s so comfy and he can hug you.

Vincent Van Gogh:

“WOW!” *sparkly eyes*

Asks you about EVERYTHING

Holds your hand the whole time.

Also he apologises for always inquiring about everything.

Reassuring him that it’s alright.

Proceeds to go back to questioning everything.

Politely asks if you guys can go to an exhibition the next day to see paintings and saying yes.

Very gladly cuddling in your neck and saying how amazing everything is.

He’s too cute T-T

Vincent was smiling in his sleep because he got to discover so many new things with you and he couldn’t express how content he was.

Your heart is constantly melting as he acts like an overjoyed puppy.

He’s forever thankful to you and this will always be engraved in his memory.

Amadeus Mozart:

The pianist can’t physically hide his amazement.

“Can we go to an instrument store?”

Holds your hand tightly and keeps you close like he’s protecting you.

When in fact it should be the other way around given that you have lived your entire life in the modern day.

But you already knew that 🤦‍♀️

His eyes light up more than they already did when you enter an empty store and there are three or four pianos.

Mozart let his fingers caress the smooth surface, taking in all the details of the instruments.

He’s relieved that they didn’t change as significantly as everything else in the world.

Lowkey wants to buy all the pianos because he wants to try them.

A very confused boy at attire.

And blushing at how more ‘revealing’ they are.

He could get used to this.

Jean D’Arc:

He would be in silent shock, staying close to you and looking around in amazement.

Jean would be pretty shy about asking too many questions, not wanting to bother you.

Reassuring him that it was fine, similar to Vincent.

Jean was somehow more considerate about it, not wanting to bother you with his inquiries.

Whispering questions and trying so hard to try and make sense of things himself, sometimes it works, kind of!!

Like Napoleon, he’s relieved the world is happier and fairer.

It was a huge shock for him at first, everything was different, but he was fortunate enough to be with you.

Now he reminisces of the experience as a magical moment that will forever be engraved in his memory.

Isaac Newton:

Absolutely astonished.

He has so many questions but he didn’t know where to start.

Similar to Jean, he was a little shy about asking questions and trying to solve things on his own.

Being surprised at how complex things turn out to be.

Isaac has mixed emotions about knowing that the foundation of physics are his three famous laws.

Because the world seemed overwhelmingly unknown and huge, he nearly clung onto you.

You locked your arm with his, seeing his unease but also not wanting to trouble you.

He felt better instantly and silently thanked you, blushing in embarrassment.

The first thing you taught him was what a phone was and about the kindergarden/school system.

You reminisce about how he went along into town with Napoleon to attempt to teach children.

It wasn’t a particular detail he would have inquired about but he feels strangely relieved about it.

He was touched by the small details you remember about him and he keeps it in mind.

It was an unforgettable experience for him to have with you.

But something he does not want to let go is the bed, it’s shockingly comfortable for him.

Osamu Dazai:

“Wow, are you seeing this (Not Y/N)-chan?”

“That’s not my name-”

“What is this?”

No shame about asking whatsoever.

“Miraculous!”

A lot of him grinning and praising everything and anything, including you.

“You’re delightful (Y/N)-chan, such an interesting answer!”

“D-did you just call me by my nam-”

“Are you coming (Not Y/N)-chan?”

“Nevermind,” you grumble, pouting as you follow behind him.

He chuckled, finding you so cute before cupping your cheeks and openly kissing you in public.

Dazai finds even more amusement with how flushed you are for a while as you clung onto his arm, answering questions with a breathy tone.

Despite his second degree humour throughout everything, he’s actually thoroughly enjoyed spending time doing this with you and becoming a treasured memory.

William Shakespeare:

He was actually rendered speechless for a long while.

Which was unusual for him obviously.

But it was a little disconcerting for him since he always had something to say.

You couldn’t help but eye him admiring everything.

Despite his unnerving silence, the way his eyes lit up was something that you didn’t know you needed to witness.

It looked like he found something to look forward to in life. (can’t relate lol)

That thought alone made you hopeful and sad at the same time.

He was always very polite and considerate about inquiring about things.

As in, he always read the ‘room’ before asking, wanting to stay in your good graces, even though he is already in them.

Finding the bed in your place being painfully heaven-like.

If he wasn’t as invested in learning about the modern world, he would totally examine and savour the beauty that is a bed.

Without you knowing, however, he would spend a lot of time studying you as well.

It was fascinating to him, seeing you enjoying yourself in your natural habitat.

Sebastian:

I mean he lived there before so there isn’t much to say.

He does reminisce a lot though, all previous memories rushing back.

Just as if the residents were a long dream.

One thing that surprised him a little was that he enjoyed spending time with you in the modern day so much that it’s in a smal, different compartment in his brain altogether.

Basically nostalgia but also happy new memories.

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sanzoumon · 3 years

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**FIRE FORCE FIC PROMPTS**

Note: A good chunk of these are smut prompts, featuring various ships (mostly BL ships). There are noncon prompts at the end, clearly marked where they start. I threw in some purely platonic SFW prompts for those of you who are into weird stuff like that lol

Please, if you like any of these prompts and are going to write them - tell me. Also some of these prompts are super detailed while others are like one sentence long.

Ships Included:

Konro x Benimaru • Joker x Benimaru • Viktor x Joker • Burns x Joker • Shinra x Sho • Shinra x Arthur • Charon x Haumea

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-PLATONIC-

- Arrow & Sho. Sho gets upset and cries into Arrow’s chest. He’s so upset he calls her “mommy” without realizing it.

- Charon & Haumea. “Unconditional love” is what his thoughts told her. What she doesn’t understand is why. No matter how much she tries to find out, the answer alludes her.

- Shinra & Sho. Bed sharing and cuddling.

-SHIPPING-

Konro x Benimaru

- Teenage!Benimaru confesses his love for Konro when he’s drunk after having drank Sake for the first time.

- D/s. Benimaru loves giving up control to Konro when they have sex.

- Rumors about them being in a relationship spread, leading to so unsavory comments about Konro regarding their age difference. (Ex: suggesting Konro took advantage of Beni when he was young; that it’s creepy since Konro was an adult while Beni was a child when they first met; etc) Needless to say, Benimaru gets pissed anyone would dare think that about Konro.

- Doppelgänger!Konro x Doppelgänger!Benimaru. Hell’s a little nicer when you have someone you love to have sex with. Even Doppelgängers feel love.

- Doppel!Benimaru manifests and wreaks havoc because his Konro is dead. Now he wants Konro to replace him and he won’t let Benimaru get in the way of that. (Doppel!Beni is Yandere for Konro [both if them] because that’s how people perceive Benimaru to be... and turns out it’s correct, Benimaru IS Yandere for Konro).

- Mourning. Doppel!Benimaru finds out his Konro is dead. All of Adolla quakes from the outburst of his sorrow.

- (past noncon) Teenage!Benimaru tries to thank Konro in the only way he knows how - with his body. Konro is, reasonably, freaked out and finds out why it is Beni thinks this is appropriate.

- Benimaru is a bit of a submissive masochist. Konro is happy to help with whatever Beni needs.

- Their first time together wasn’t gentle. It was passionate, overwhelming, aggressive, heated, rough. All their pent up feelings for each out came rushing out violently and they were both happy to get caught up in it. Benimaru never felt so content in his life as when Konro was manhandling him that night.

- Benimaru does something special, and embarrassing, for Konro. Puppy-play.

- Konro is a bit of a voyeur. Those pictures he took of Beni for the calendar are not the only pictures he has of him. For Konro’s birthday, Benimaru supplies him with extra special pictures that Beni took of himself. As it happens, Benimaru is an exhibitionist.

- The world is on fire and Benimaru has nothing left to give. Before the flames take him he has to tell Konro he loves him. (Sad fic, death fic)

Joker x Benimaru // Benimaru x Joker

- They each have their own shit to be frustrated about. They take it out on each other when one of them needs it. It’s fine, they can take it.

- It’s not love. They don’t even like each other. They irritate each other. But they sure do love angry fucking each other.

Viktor x Joker

- Joker loves how fascinating Viktor finds him.

- Unlike any other partners he’s had, Viktor treats Joker gently when they have sex. He’s not used to it and gets flustered.

- After killing the captain at the Holy Sol Temple, the reality of the situation hits him. The man who violated him for years, who continued to haunt his nightmares into adulthood, was dead. All of a sudden he needs to see Viktor no matter what. (Hurt/comfort)

Burns x Joker

- (past noncon) Joker cries during sex and Burns really doesn’t know what to do about it.

- 52 has a crush on Burns and comes onto him one night. Burns can’t bring himself to turn him down, knowing what 52 goes through, and opts to make him feel good instead.

- Joker mourns Burns’ death.

- After all these years, Joker has daddy issues. It doesn’t surprise Burns’ in the slightest when Joker calls him “daddy” in bed. What surprises him is how much he enjoys being called that.

Shinra x Sho

- Sho has zero sense of personal space and Shinra’s been having some very uncomfortable thoughts about his little brother.

- Sho is in love with Shinra and doesn’t understand why everyone says it’s “wrong”.

- “Let big brother take care of you.”

- (past noncon) Arrow confesses to Shinra about all the terrible things the White Clad did to Sho since they abducted him. When he got old enough to start questioning things, they broke him. They did it again after Shinra’s Adolla Link with Sho (which in turn Shinra feels guilty for). [this one could be romantic or brotherly but either way hurt/comfort]

- Shinra thinks Sho is the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. An angel too perfect for a devil like him.

- A little bit of brotherly playful roughhousing, making up for all the years they lost, leads to something much more heated. Neither stops to think about it, it feels too good to finally be together.

- Shinra likes it a lot when Sho cries out “big brother” while they make love.

Shinra x Arthur

- A stupid argument about something pointless ends in Shinra pinning Arthur to the floor. Before either knows it they’re grinding against each other, kissing harshly.

- (attempted noncon) Doppel!Shinra tries to force himself on Arthur when Arthur confronts him about the real Shinra’s whereabouts.

- Arthur knows this isn’t the real Shinra, but there’s something alluringly taboo about being taken roughly by a devil like this.

Charon x Haumea

- The world is about to burn, but before she fulfills her duty she wants to show Charon how thankful she truly is for his devotion to her all this time. She figures she’ll kill two birds with one stone, rewarding him and indulging in pleasure herself.

-NONCON-

Mob x Benimaru

- Before ending up in Asakusa, being found and taken in by Hibachi, Benimaru lived on the streets of the Tokyo Empire. There’s a good reason he resents the Tokyo Empire and doesn’t like to leave Asakusa. A child alone on the streets is dangerous and he was so weak back then. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be cornered in some alley and sexually assaulted, left in the trash once they were done with him.

- Benimaru doesn’t know how this happening to him of all people, why he’s unable to fight off his attackers. They’re mocking him, degrading him, humiliating him, and they’re forcing him to get off on what’s being done to him. At some point he starts crying, begging for them to stop, which only makes them enjoy his torment more.

- Benimaru is drunk off his ass and someone decides to take advantage of the situation. How often do you get the chance to have Asakusa’s “King of Destruction” begging for you to fuck him?

Mob x Joker

- 52 still isn’t learning his lesson. To break him further, and to reward the rest of the shadows for their hard work and dedication, the captain has them punish 52 by letting them do whatever they want to him (nothing that will cause permanent injury, at least). 52’s entire week was spent as a plaything for them all, torture, rape, humiliation, degradation, all manner of creative punishment. It came damn close to breaking him.

- The criminal underworld isn’t a nice place. Sometimes Joker messes with the wrong people and he got taught painful lessons, no different from what the captain did to him.

- Forced Burns x Joker. The church calls it a bonding ceremony. Burns knows it’s just their way of attempting to break 52 by having the one person who hasn’t mistreated him hurt him. If Burns refuses, it won’t end well for anyone involved. So he forces himself on 52 and hates himself for it.

Mob x Sho

- (Extreme underage) Sho was just too tiny and cute. Only 5 years old. So soft, so sweet. Naturally, they had to beat that out of him.

- Haumea x Sho. She dresses him up like the beautiful doll he is. She plays with him like the toy he is. She violates him like the object he is. She makes him cry, cry out for his brother, his mother, Arrow, anyone, like the child he is. She makes him spread his legs for other White Clad members and then hurts him when he gets his dress dirty, like the useless slut he is. She leaves him hard, needy, alone for hours, until he’s begging for release. She tells him if his brother could see him now, he’d be disgusted by him. He agrees.

Kurono x Nataku

- Kurono loves every pathetic thing about Nataku. Or it’s as close to love as he’s capable of. In his own twisted way, he shows his affection for the boy.

- Nataku is such a masochistic boy, it’s impossible for Kurono to resist him.

Doppel!Benimaru x Konro

- Doppel!Benimaru manifests and infiltrates Company 7 while Benimaru is away. He tricks Konro into fucking him.

- Doppel!Benimaru promises to leave Asakusa alone in exchange for Konro fucking him.

Doppel!Konro x Benimaru

- Konro wasn’t there when the Demon Infernal showed up. Benimaru attempts to fight it on his own but the demon gets him on his back and starts ripping off his clothes. Benimaru is too confused to register just what’s happening until he feels white hot searing pain splitting him in half. He’s afraid, too shocked and in too much pain to do anything. In spite of it all, he gets hard. The demon notices and its grin gets wider. He remembers a burning hand jacking him off and feeling liquid fire inside him. Before he blacks out he hears Konro call out his name. When he wakes, the demon is gone and Konro is hurt.

Doppel!Benimaru x Benimaru

- Doppel!Beni captures Konro and forces him to watch while he rapes Benimaru. Beni can’t fight back because he and his Doppelgänger and too evenly matched and Konro would be hurt. All the while his Doppelgänger taunts him and Konro, describing how “his Konro” (the Doppelgänger) used to fuck him - finding all of Benimaru’s sensitive spots easily because he had them too. Tells them how it’s obvious to everyone how in love they are, that everyone suspects they’re together, because Doppel!Konro has been fucking Doppel!Beni’s brains out since he was a teenager. In spite of the situation, Konro ends up getting hard.

- Benimaru is haunted by dreams of hellfire. In them he always sees himself, a version of himself engulfed in flames. He’s had these dreams since the night before he discovered his powers. In them his other self violates him. It hurts. The dreams always feel so real, even in the morning. Nevertheless he chalks them up to just being nightmares until the discovery that Doppelgängers are real.

- They were evenly matched but his Doppelgänger blindsided him. His head is bleeding, Asakusa is burning, he doesn’t know what’s become of Company 7, and his damned Doppelgänger takes time out of his destruction to rape him - just to add insult to injury.

NOTE: If you’re unaware what “mob” means, it’s a doujin term basically meaning their only purpose is to assault whatever canon character. It’s not an OC, self, or reader insert. It can be an individual nameless character or a group of them.

Also yeah you can clearly tell the kinda stuff I’m into and I don’t care. I put all these prompts in one list because laziness.

May or may not update this list as need be! Enjoy the naughty stuff I know y’all really want as well!!

#fire force #en en no shouboutai #enen no shouboutai #en en no shobotai #enn enn no shouboutai #konro x benimaru #prompts #fanfic #joker x viktor #viktor x joker #shinra x Sho #shinra x arthur

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wildwesternwoman · 4 years

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My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (Modern!Arthur Morgan x Reader) Part One

Author’s Note: This was originally just supposed to be a one shot imagine, but I think I’m going to end up doing three, if you guys are into it. Feedback is always appreciated.

You grew up fascinated with cowboys. John Wayne, Matt Dillon, Willie Nelson. No one in your family really knew what kickstarted that, it had been natural, like you were born with this infatuation. As a child, it was rather sweet. You’d watch old westerns with your grandparents and sit wide eyed as your great uncle told you about the cowboy stories he used to hear on the radio when he was your age. As a teenager, you devoured every Western book you could get your hands on. Louis L’Amour, Lucia St. Clare Robson, Elmer Kelton. You would’ve given your heart to any of those Texas Rangers he wrote about. And, God, did you adore a young Clint Eastwood. You were a polite, educated young lady, but you longed for the day your cowboy would arrive and you’d be highwaymen together.

But it wasn’t the old west anymore. This was the 21st Century and you were quite certain there weren’t any cowboys anymore. Not real cowboys. Sure, there were actors who played them in TV shows and movies and singers who really, truly, thought that wearing a cowboy hat and singing about a horse made him a cowboy. But what had happened to the Andy Pickards? The Doc Hollidays? Hell, even the Marlboro Man was more cowboy than modern day cowboys.

That’s what you truly believed.

Until you started college. You’d applied for every university within a reasonable tuition range in the West. Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, even California. Somewhere where you might find a kindred spirit. Someone with a cowboy soul, just like you. Even if there weren’t any real cowboys left in this world.

And that, that is where you met Arthur Morgan.

Arthur was a “non-traditional” student. He was a little bit older, but still incredibly handsome. He worked at the school’s ag farm, helping to tend to the animals. But you met him in an English class your sophomore year. He was generally quiet and kept to himself, but he had this unmistakable laugh. The first time you heard it, you were certain it was angels singing.

You had never whipped your head around so quick. You were just in time to see the way his eyes crinkle as he laughs. A smile spread across your face. God, what a beautiful man. He caught your stare and you thought your heart would thump out of your chest. He gave you a polite head nod and you had to consciously look away before he thought you were a weirdo. You could just picture him going home with you at Thanksgiving. Meeting your family, seeing your hometown, sweetly poking fun of your childhood bedroom. Your grandmother would just love him. Your mother would love him. Hell, your dog would love him. You could see yourself loving him. You knew that was a lot to gleam from just a laugh, but damn, what a laugh.

You really did not mean to bump into him as your tried to exit the class a few moments later, honest you didn’t. You were just that distracted by your fantasy life with him. By the time your shoulder bumped his hands, you guys had already grown old together in your mind.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” You said as he let out a soft oof.

“Nah, don’t you worry. I wasn’t paying much attention either.” He said as he stooped to pick up his books. He cast you a gorgeous smile as you stood there, somewhat awkwardly.

“Um, I’m Y/N.” You introduced yourself, holding your hand out.

“Arthur Morgan,” he shook your hand. His hands were big. Big and rough. Calloused, like a cowboy’s. You wondered what all he could do with those hands. The pleasure he could bring you, but not just sexually, from holding your smaller, softer hand in his, from bringing you coffee in the mornings, from picking you wildflowers. God, those hands.

“It’s nice to meet you, Arthur.”

“You too, Miss Y/N.”

After that chance encounter, Arthur often waved at your when he saw you on campus or said hello or goodbye in English class. You didn’t have any real substantial conversations, other than to maybe ask how one of you thought you did on the last test. But then, your science class took a field trip to the ag farm to learn about the science that goes into running a farm. A necessary topic since many of your classmates were ag majors themselves that would eventually return to running their family farms and ranches.

You really shouldn’t have wondered off, but the sound a familiar voice called to you and you couldn’t ignore it. Besides, the professor would never notice. She was so scattered; she’d hardly miss a student or two. Many were starting to poke around on their own, anyway. And you had to find the source of the voice you could just barely place.

“Yer alright,” It spoke softly. “That’s a good girl.”

You found Arthur in a pen with a large black horse trying his damnedest to calm it down. You seated yourself on the gate and watched as he approached the animal and it reared up over him. He only laughed and mumbled something about the horse being feisty and needing to calm down. It took him only three tries under your gaze to approach the horse and get his hands on her.

“That’s it, girl. You’re ok,” He spoke gently, then added, without missing a beat. “You just gonna sit there and grin or you gonna come over here and see her up close?”

You faltered. Was he talking to you? But there was no one else around, so he must’ve been talking to you. “Can I?”

“Sure. She won’t bite. Probably.” He laughed and you could’ve died and went to heaven with all those angels.

You climbed over the gate and into the pen, incredibly grateful that you’d opted for your trusty cowboy boots today. You walked over to the horse, staying as close to Arthur as possible. He just smiled at your timidness.

“You ever been face to face with a horse before?” He asked.

“Yes,” You shot back defensively. As if you’d never touched a horse before. You had. But maybe not as often as you’d like.

“Alright then, cowgirl, saddle ‘er up and take her for a spin.”

“Oh, hell no!” He laughed. Again. You wanted to make him laugh forever. He took your hand and placed it gently against the horse’s neck.

And he looked at you with that sweet smile you’d been daydreaming about and those little lines around his beautiful blue eyes and you realized that, for the first time in your life you were face to face with a cowboy. Just like you’d always wanted. A real cowboy. The last of your heroes. And you don’t know what he felt, but you were certain you were in love.

#rdr2 #red dead redemption #red dead redemption 2 #Arthur morgan #Arthur Morgan x reader #female reader #sort of #writing #my writing #modern au #modern red dead redemption #modern!Arthur morgan #modern Arthur morgan #van der linde gang #also somewhat #college!au #college!Arthur morgan

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sea-side-scribbles · 3 years

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Fanfiction: Sympathy For A Downer

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22737214/chapters/71793039

Chapter 49

Nick accepted the sandwich and took a bite. He indeed found it was a pity that he had to put the rags back on, because Arthur had so many worries about it. But at least he could hold him close and caress his bare skin with his finger. Arthur showed his approval by cuddling into Nick's shoulder and from time to time dared to do the same. It was fascinating how the tall Downer had turned back into his shy self after a moment of self-awareness. Nick was very curious about how far he would get. His personality seemed to break out more and more. He trusted Nick, and that made him optimistic. And still, he didn't want to go too far yet since he didn't want to scare him and ruin the progress. It was also the reason why he had given in.

Perhaps I've changed too, perhaps I've become more tame, he wondered while he held his devoted Downer in his arms. Actually he didn't want to call him a Downer, because it was a cuss. But he didn't feel any anger when he thought at that word. If all Downers were like Arthur, they were downright charming. Nick stroked Arthur's cheek and kissed his forehead. No, he then thought. If I changed I wouldn't be here. He sighed.

"Does the garden make you pondering, too?", Arthur asked quietly. "Yeah...I guess so....but...I don't know if it's the garden..." "Are you a thoughtful person, Nick?" "Uh...well...I wasn't for a very long time...", Nick began, feeling a bit blindsided. What did he know about his character from the past, from before Joy? "I'm learning to think again." "And how does it feel for you?", Arthur asked with honest concern. "Er...sometimes it's unpleasant and sometimes I'm glad about it." "I feel the same." Arthur looked up to the clouds that slowly went by. Nick wondered if that was true. "You...you too? Are you sure?" "Absolutely. Thinking isn't always pleasant. Sometimes I wish I could turn my head off." "Well...you can. It's actually easy. Why don't you do it?" "Because I have to live with it", Arthur said so bitterly that Nick felt pity for him. "Who told you that?"

Arthur closed his eyes. For a while he pressed his head into the crook of Nick's neck, as if he was seeking comfort, then he said: "Whatever is done is done...and taking Joy doesn't change anything. We can't turn back time and make everything better. We always have to live with what we've done...". Arthur fell silent, feeling that he was getting way too depressed. He patted Nick's arm, to distract him if necessary. Now Nick stared into the clouds. Arthur had struck a nerve. He was so right. But exactly that had been the reason why they were taking Joy. "Nick? Are you okay?". Arthur sounded worried. Nick only nodded quietly.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to ruin the mood...Must be the garden after all." Nick looked around. "How could something as beautiful as this ruin our mood?" He indeed had good memories of gardens and parks. It gave him just the right feeling, with nature around him and the touch of melancholy. He grabbed his guitar. Arthur left his shoulder and lay down close beside him, with a hand supporting his head. Nick began to play a melody, testing how the sound melted into his surroundings. Some things stay the same after all.

Arthur listened with a throbbing heart. He had been nervous about this moment all the time, afraid of his own reaction. It reminded him of how he found Nick in the tunnel, completely stoned and out of his mind. He had been afraid that this would happen again. He didn't want to hurt Nick. But now that he heard Nick play, not defaced by drugs, he was overwhelmed. He had always thought that all these popstars would be lost without their expensive equipment. Nick definitely wasn't. His pure voice, not forged by a studio or loudspeakers, moved him. He now understood why his fans loved him, why they were screaming like crazy at his concerts. They would do everything to be here but instead he was here, a worthless Downer, and Nick played only for him. When the song was over, Arthur was glad that he was stilll wearing his mask and Nick couldn't see how red he was. Still, he put his hands on his cheeks.

"What's wrong?", Nick asked. "I'm...I'm just getting red", he admitted. "Really? I didn't sing anything naughty", Nick chuckled. "No, but I know now, why your fans are screaming when they see you...and why they throw their underwear at you." Nick laughed, and Arthur couldn't help joining him. "You're not throwing anything", he then said and lifted an eyebrow. Arthur gulped. "I...I don't think that's my style." "Why not? Just do it! Go crazy, man!" Arthur winded. "I'm already on the brink. Play another song, please, Nicky." Nick chuckled again. "You're a grateful audience." He began another song that insidiously called on him to dance. Arthur imagined dancing with Nick, while he listened to the music and constrained himself to sit still on the blanket.

Then he jumped up anyway because he saw Wastrels coming at them. "Oh no", he squeezed out. Of course it had to happen. And how naive he was. Of course the music would summon them and they would wonder why they were so happy, they would become suspicious and eventually attack... Nick stopped singing when he noticed that Arthur hadn't jumped up because of him but instead was staring into the distance with alarm. "Get behind me", he said and already stepped forward to hide Nick, who now also saw the Wastrels. "Hello there", Arthur approached them, hoping he could come out of this cheaply. "We're just trying to forget the past for a while, there's nothing bad about it, right?" "Play on", one of the Wastrels shouted. A woman swooned: "You sound just as Nick Lightbearer! Oh, how much I miss him! They never play him through the speakers and all the records here are broken." "Play a song for us", also the others begged.

Being pressed so nicely, Nick couldn't say no. He now sang with more enthusiasm, flattered that his audience had so spontaneously increased. It was something else that hadn't changed, and it made him very happy that it still worked. He felt a little like in the old days, when he had been simply making music for the fun of it, and he felt vindicated that not all his charm was gone. That he could find back to his old self and also that he really had this kind of impact on others and didn't just make it up over time. Seeing the Wastrels dance and laugh, he noted that they weren't so different from the Wellies. This could be a nice place just like every other. He should perform here if they missed him so much.

Arthur instead wasn't very happy with this situation. Of course he was happy for Nick, who was even a star in the Garden District, but now their beautiful privacy was gone. Everyone was dancing except Arthur, who was feeling like an outsider. Then a woman danced past him and grabbed his arm. "Come on, get a move on!" Arthur protested, but he was pulled along by the slaphappy Wastrelette. Her dance style was quite peculiar. He was struggling to hold her pace that was completely independent of the rhythm, but she had the time of her life. "So, what did you do in the Parade, tall guy?", she asked along the way. Arthur cut out asking what gave her the idea. By now he knew that his suit was giving it all away.

"I was an editor in the Department of Archives...mostly reading papers and cencoring articles", he said bluntly. He found it was better to appear casual. "Ohh", she blew a whistle. "I bet it was a very important job, right? Prestige and everything." "Er...rather not", Arthur said. "I wish I didn't do it." "Heh. You're not the only one who has regrets", she replied. "Honestly, I was a supervisor at the bridge to Hamlyn Village, judging who gets in and and who stays out. We had that stupid quiz 'Oh, behave!" I don't remember anyone passing it on my shift." Arthur was about to answer when their conversation was interrupted. "Oh, oh", the woman said and stopped dancing.

"Well, well, well, looks like someone's having fun out here!" A group of moody Headboys showed up. "Do you have a licence for this concert? No? So we're afraid we have to put an end to this!" The Wastrels cried and ran. They didn't have the power to fight shovels and bats. Still, Arthur found it would've been nice to stay and help. Nick stared at the aggressive gang, confused, pressing his guitar to his chest.

"Nick, run!", Arthur yelled, setting himself into motion. Nick jumped up and ran, but a Headboy caught him. He however didn't count on Nick's resistance. The guitar hit him hard in the face. Cussing, he let Nick go. Arthur promptly jumped at him, choked him with one arm and wrenched the bat from him. When the Headboy finally lay on the ground, Arthur wasn't helpless anymore. But four against one was still an unfair fight. Fortunately, he still had enough nails in his pocket, wich he quickly tossed at the attackers. The first one was so distracted with pain that Arthur could strike him down with no problems. Nick quickly understood this concept and insisted on taking the next out by himself. "This is giving a new meaning to beat music", he chuckled.

The other two were already warned and avoided the nails. One of them swung at Arthur who wished he had brought his electric truncheon. Blocking an attack and shoving the headboy away, he could cop a look at Nick who was hard pressed by the other one. The rockstar definitely had the weaker weapon. His tactic was merely avoiding the blows, running away and trying to bring him down from behind. But he was getting out of breath. Arthur hurried to get rid of his importunate enemy. Finally, he managed to hit his carotid, what made him faint. With horror he saw that his lover was lying on the ground, with the headboy above him, already taking a swing.

"Nick!", he yelled. He distracted the headboy for a second. Arthur quickly wrapped his arms around him and choked him while he fell into the grass with him. Nick got up and took the bat the headboy had lost, in case Arthur needed help. The headboy struggled. He wasn't as easily choked as the others. Arthur and Nick exchanged glances for a second, then Arthur nodded, let the Headboy go and Nick at the same time gave him a blow with the bat. The headboy fell unconscious. Arthur checked on him, then Nick helped him up. "Are you hurt?", Arthur promptly asked.

Nick palpated his head. "Not badly...only a bump...My baby got it worse." He showed the guitar, that didn't only have a few more scratches but was also almost broken in half. "I'm sorry, looks like it's beyond repair now." Nick patted it. "Perhaps Mr. Bates can fix it...I mean Mrs. Bates." Arthur didn't seem to notice the mistake. He had most likely never visited the shop. "It's not so bad", he said louder. "And it was kinda fun." Arthur looked rather down-hearted. "I'm sorry...I should've been more careful. After all, I know this place." "Who were these blokes?" "Headboys...they rule this place, or that's what they think. They put me in their arena once and called me "King of the Parade", I told you." "Oh, I remember!", Nick blurted out. "Nasty fellows, they don't fit in with the garden at all." "Yeah...they like to attack helpless Wastrels. They're not very brave. But they're still dangerous. I thought we're safe here. I'm sorry."

"Hey, Arthur", Nick put a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing bad happened. We had fun, everyone had a random party, it was great! I want to do that again!" He squeezed his shoulder happily. Arthur found his smile back. He hugged Nick in silence. "I reckon you have to go home soon...", he then whispered. "You're right. But I had a wonderful time."

They strolled back to the hatch. Arthur regretted he had to let Nick go again. He was the only bright spot in this screwed up life full of lies. They put their proper clothes back on and kissed each other goodbye, rolling around in their bed for one last time, then Nick left with his destroyed guitar. Arthur remained sitting on the bed for a long time until he left.

Meanwhile Nick actually planned to have his guitar repaired. He didn't like to give up one of his babies, and also his mistake had reminded him of something he had repressed all the time, and also forgotten because he had had no reason to come to the shop. But now he found it was time to face the truth, even if it was very unpleasant. In addition he wanted to know if the shop still existed. It looked normal from outside, he stated. It was hard to believe that it would never be the same again. When he entered, the bell rang, and he halfway expected Mr. Bates to stand behind the counter and to find out that it was all a misunderstanding. But the counter was empty. It was also clean. The bobbies must have removed all traces of the crime scene. In general the shop was very clean and tidied up, as if it was still in business.

"Hello? Anyone there? You have a customer!" Nick put his guitar on the counter and waited. "I beg your pardon", he heard a familiar voice say. "I've been packing goods. It's not the same anymore since...". The woman that came out of the storage room eyed her customer and froze. "Nick!" Her face lit up. "Oh, Nicky, you're back!" She ran around the counter and fell into his arms. "Hey, baby...", he whispered. "Are you okay?" "It's hard..doing this all alone...some people only come by to ask their stupid questions. They're stealing my time as if I had nothing else to do", blustered out of her mouth. Then she put on a smile again. "But I'll make it." She gave Nick an adoring look. "I'm sorry for what happened...", Nick said quietly. "You don't have to be sorry for anything." She kissed him again. "You keep the shop?" "U-huh", she nodded. Nick smiled. "You're a tough girl." "I've got you to cheer me up", she purred. "That's the spirit", he said giving her finger guns. "It's so awesome! That you're back with your band, that everyone remembers how great you are! I know you're busy now, but please pay me a visit, will you?" "Oh...uh...sure...as soon as I can..."

Nick pointed at the counter to change the subject. "You think you can fix that?" Kitty viewed the damage. "Oh, Nicky, you're a bad boy." She giggled. "I could do it, but I'm afraid it'll never look like new again." "I don't mind. I like the scratches, they are memories...I mean, good ones. I just don't want it to fall apart." "Okay." She wrote something on a paper and handed it to Nick. "This is the verification that you turned it in. I need your signature there." Nick drew a big lettering with hearts as tittles. Kitty giggled and admired it. She left the counter again to hug and kiss her idol. "I miss you". "I'll come back", Nick said, carefully winding out of her grip. "I send you a message when it's done", she said. "Okay..."

Kitty blew him multiple kisses while he left and he gave her more finger guns and a wink. Then he was out, happy that the shop wasn't closed. Another walk through the tunnels later he was finally back home.

#we happy few #wehappyfew #whf #nick lightbearer #whfarthurhastings #whfarthur #whfnick #whf nick #fanfiction #nickxarthur

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ariainstars · 4 years

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Star Wars: Fatalism Against the „I Wish” Moment

Here it goes again, the question as to why The Rise of Skywalker sucked. Sigh. It just can’t leave me alone, can it?

After the first two chapters, honestly, I was expecting the sequel trilogy to become as good (or almost) as the original one. But precisely the last chapter set the seal on one of its worst problems: the lack of agenda.

I love musical theatre. And one of its most beautiful sides is that it teaches you so much about storytelling. Now what makes a story, a character truly compelling? The conflict. Without a conflict, something that has to shift the narrative from A to D going through B and C, nothing makes sense. And in a good story, the conflict is set up right from the start. We meet someone and we are supposed to identify with them due to their agency.

Heroes With An Agenda

To name an example, there is “Into the Woods”, one of my favorite musicals which retells some classic fairy tales with own interpretations and unexpected twists; and it opens with an iconic ensemble number called “I Wish”. (If you’re unfamiliar with it, you might want to check out the 2014 film.) We get to know a bunch of people who all want something, and we follow them through the narrative as some of them get their wish (though not exactly the way they expected it); then are confronted with the backlash, the consequences, the price to pay for the things they wanted.

With Star Wars now belonging to Disney, it is only legitimate to make a few comparisons with Disney movies.

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel’s song is “Part of That World”, setting up her character as someone who wants for something that fascinates her: the world of humans.

Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, wants to leave his tower and live among other humans, even if only in for a day.

Belle from Beauty and the Beast is introduced to us explaining how she wishes to explore the world outside of the small village she’s living in.

A somewhat disappointing Disney heroine was Merida in Brave: despite the films’ title, the story fails at making its protagonist compelling due to her lack of agenda. Merida knows what she does not want, i.e. becoming like her mother, because she’s a different kind of girl: but she does not know what she actually wants from life. It is quite fitting that in the end she manages to restore and improve the relationship to her mother but does not really change her, or her family’s or her kingdom’s situation. Merida does not grow up. Her story is nice enough, but not really compelling.

Disney “princesses” are often criticized for wanting nothing but a partner from life, and sometimes settling down with a man even if that was not their main goal at the start. But we have e.g. Moana, a girl who wants to help her family and her people and to restore balance in nature. Not surprisingly, her story is interesting and convincing.

Antiheroes With An Agenda

Perspective is hugely important for a narrative: authors can use it in order to manipulate the audience’s perception of a story in order to make us identify with someone although he is a negative character. Two examples I came across with lately are Joker (Arthur Fleck) and Hannah from the Girls TV series. Both these characters have personal agendas that in the end don’t get their fulfilment.

We know from the beginning that Arthur will become the Joker, but the film follows him and his social background so closely that we watch everything from his point of view, which makes us sympathize with him despite what he becomes in the end.

Arthur is poor, mentally ill, in charge of a sick mother, friendless; but he believes he can make a great breakthrough as a comedian. He is at the bottom of the social scale and still believes he can make it to the top; it is only all too clear that he is deluded and that none of the people he admires would move a finger to help him. Though he becomes a criminal, his story is a tragedy; he was born and raised under circumstances that hardly offered him room for a simple, satisfying life. His dreams were all he had. Which is why we feel with him, even if from a moral standpoint we know we shouldn’t.

Hannah is a toxic personality if I ever saw one onscreen; but she officially is the protagonist, she’s female who wants a career, she has “friends”, she is “sexually independent”, so as female viewers we will automatically identify with her, or at least try. (Personally, after a while I came to the conclusion that about 75 % of the other character’s problems would quickly find an end if they simply shot Hannah and buried her without a funeral, with a few silver crosses to make sure she never comes back.)

However, Hannah is not from a poor family, she has an education, she has friends. She has things she wants, nothing she desperately needs, like Arthur needs employment or medication. Her whole attitude is subject to her desire to become a famous writer, so her story is about exploring and observing other people’s weaknesses, often even eliciting them for the worse. I find it interesting that when we learn how she first met Adam, he caught her stealing. Apparently, Hannah never understood that you can’t simply take but also have to give something back. Their relationship is so typical for the story because it looks like Adam is using her (mostly sexually), while she is using him in order to make “experiences”, playing with his feelings instead of giving him the chance to grow and mature into a responsible man. Girls always had a bleak undertone; but by manipulating our perspective making her the pivotal character, the authors made us care about Hannah although she is someone who did not deserve it in the first place.

My guess: what makes these two antiheroes in the first place, from a moral perspective, is perhaps the fact that both feel entitled to their dream and won’t settle for less. Disney heroes usually get their wish fulfilment because they go through the moment of openly and innocently admitting their dreams without Arthur’s or Hannah’s latent arrogance.

Now to Star Wars... The Classics

One of the reasons why we so easily identify with Luke Skywalker in A New Hope is because he is introduced to us as someone who dreams. He has a personal wish - leaving his home planet, meeting new people, living adventures and contributing to the future of the galaxy. The “Binary Sunset” scene is not iconic without reason: in a musical, this would have been the moment where he would have broken into song. 😊

Don’t kill me, but Disney’s Hercules reminds me a little of Luke in his first grand scene: he also looks at a sunset, saying that he would go most anywhere to find where he belongs. (Maybe Lucas knew well why he sold the rights to Star Wars to the Disney studios of all places.)

This continues through his other two films: Luke always has a strong agenda. He learns the ways of the Jedi through Obi-Wan (who interestingly never actually questions whether he wants that at all) and Yoda, but his first priority always are his friends. Saving who he loves is what drives him on all of the time, even if this may seem foolish at times - like traveling all alone to Bespine where Han and Leia are kept hostage, or wanting to save his father although he is a dangerous criminal.

Star Wars In-Between

Rogue One and Solo are well-made, interesting films, too, because the protagonists know what they want. The Clone Wars is one long story explaining Ahsoka’s development from a Jedi to someone who relinquishes the Jedi’s ways. The Mandalorian wants to follow “The Way”, i.e. his code of honor, in order to help as many war foundlings as he can. This is what you need to do in order to make a story compelling.

Star Wars Prequels

One of the weaknesses which I see to this day in the prequels is that we so rarely witness someone’s personal agenda; the stories are more driven by the plot than by the persons. A few desires are hinted at and never pursued.

“I’m going to be the first to see all of them” (the stars). - Anakin in The Phantom Menace

“At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge.” Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace

What became of Anakin’s desire to explore the galaxy? And revenge from what, if you please? I can understand that the Sith were a byproduct of the Jedi’s rejection of the Dark Side, their weaknesses all projected unto them: but this also is never explored.

What did Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon etc. want, after all? When did they ever say or show clearly what they wanted, and what they would do for the purpose? Qui-Gon wants to train Anakin by will of the Force, Obi-Wan wants to train him because Qui-Gon asked him to. The Jedi want to keep the status quo of the Republic and the Jedi Order. There is no actual heart-felt wish from their side. The only person relentlessly pursuing his aims is Palpatine, the mastermind behind the stage.

Padmé has her political aims, but they are not a really personal agenda for her. She wants to help people who were enslaved or hungry or otherwise suffering, but she does not know such situations from own experience. Her personal wish is having a family, but in her case it is not as passionate as in Anakin’s, who had lost the only family he had with his mother. Add to this that the scene where she talks with Anakin about this desire of hers was unfortunately cut out from Attack of the Clones.

The compassionate and protective Anakin wants to keep the ones he cares for safe. Interestingly though, the films rarely show us his perspective, we usually rather see other people reacting to him; and since the Jedi always brainwash him not to “let his personal feelings get in the way”, Anakin comes over more as a whiny brat than as a conflicted human being we can sympathize with.

Revenge of the Sith is, though a terrible story, a very well-made film and emotionally very demanding because Anakin finally takes his destiny into his own hands. But it is also not very satisfying, because he wants to prevent things from happening and doesn’t actually have a definite, positive aim in mind. Still when he speaks to Padmé on Mustafar he tells her that he would overthrow Palpatine for her and rule the galaxy according to their wishes; but even in this moment he sounds insecure and confused, and his ideas are everything but clear.

The Sequels

The same procedure all over again. Finn wants to get away from the First Order, but where does he want to go? It is only hinted at that he wants a girlfriend (“Do you have a boyfriend?”), and not thematized again. Poe already is a Resistance fighter from the start, no personal aim there either. Rey wants her family back: she does nothing but waiting. On Takodana, we literally see her running from her fate after her vision with the Skywalker legacy sabre. In The Last Jedi, she says she needs someone to show her her place. She says to Luke that she is afraid. Again, she has no agenda.

Kylo was pursuing Luke, but why? What exactly had happened between uncle and nephew before the fatal night at the Temple, why was Kylo’s resentment so deep? He killed his father because he was coerced; he did not actually want it. Later he wanted Rey, but why, if she was almost always aggressive towards him?

The Last Jedi finally seemed to make up for all of these lacks. Rose was such a powerful character because while she always did everything in her power for the cause, she never forgot or let go of her personal feelings and desires, like keeping Finn safe, inspiring hope in the Canto Bight children, freeing the fathiers.

The moment Rey ships herself on the Supremacy, Ben kills Snoke and then both team up against the Praetorian Guards is so powerful because both of them, at last, have an agenda, and they pursue it together. It’s a moment of relief for the audience, what we had been waiting for all along: finding out what all of this was about - the Force working in balance. Naively, many of us then assumed this trilogy would be about Ben and Rey finding balance and a happy ending together.

Then The Rise of Skywalker made our frustration flare up again. Rey wants to become a Jedi because Leia expects her to; she kills Palpatine because he wants her to do it; the voices of all Jedi encourage her… great. No personal agenda all over again. Ben saves her from death because he loves her, very well. Then he dies. Han, Leia and Luke all wanted him to come “home”, i.e. back to the Light Side, and they died for the purpose. It seems wanting something is dangerous in itself in this galaxy. And Rey ends up alone on Tatooine. Again, what does she want there?

So It Was All... Fate?

Han, Leia and Luke were much more compelling characters than Rey - their aims were sometimes misguided, but at least they had them and they were clearly defined. Even Palpatine has an aim: it is veiled (typically for him), but it is there. He knows that his spirit will live on in the person who manages to kill him. So, he is still more powerful than Rey. It looks like Rey defeated him, but the truth is that he used her naïve faith that she could erase him by killing him in order to reach his own aim: living on in a younger, more innocent person who believes that being a “Jedi”, she is doing the right thing.

We may of course argue that the Force is behind all of this; but as intriguing as the Force is, it is not a person. When we follow a story, we want living persons to think and feel and suffer and be hopeful and joyful for. It is all very well if characters want different things or maybe want the wrong things; but at least, their wishes ought to be understandable, and if they don’t come true, we would like to know why, instead of being left with... “reasons”. It is hard to identify with a character if we never learn what drives them after all. I daresay it would be more satisfying to see them pursue an aim and fail, than never to understand what they’re about, what their heart’s wish is.

I have argued over and over that the ways of the Jedi, i.e. sacrificing everything to a cause, and individual aims are naturally opposite to one another. If there will ever be Balance, future Force-sensitive creatures must find a way in between. But again, this is not openly said and the audience has to either resign to the fact that the films are badly made, or to scavenge them for months searching for messages. Of course, there is nothing wrong with using ones’ own brains. But I would like to leave a cinema after a Star Wars film feeling satisfied. The Rise of Skywalker did not only leave many questions unanswered; in many instances, it did not even start posing the questions.

“Into the Woods” is not a story with a happy ending. One of its messages is that you need to be careful about what you wish for, but I think that’s all right if the moral implications of getting one’s wish are explored. Which with the Star Wars prequels and sequels was not the case - people suffer and die for decades, and in the end, the story goes nowhere. The events of the prequels took place because “they were meant to”; same with the sequels. Anakin turned evil because it was his fate, his grandson the same because it was fate, Rey took over the Jedi mantle although she is not in the least suited for it, but it was her fate so we have to accept it. No wonder everyone is disappointed.

Star Wars saga, what do you have in store next? After more than 30 years, I dearly hope, someone who actually has an aim and purses it this time. And doesn’t have to die in the process, thank you very much.

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diveronarpg · 4 years

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Congratulations, JULIE! You’ve been accepted for the role of OBERON with an approved FC change to Oscar Isaac. Admin Rosey: I don't know how many times I said I was possessed when I wrote Oberon but I very much was. I think you have to be a little bit possessed to write him because that's the kind of person he is; you have to be all in with him or perish. I don't know what it is about these types of enigmatic, almost ethereal characters that you understand - they have one foot in heaven and one foot in hell - but you get them at their core, Julie. Thank you for bringing my most beautiful son to the dash. Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Julie

Age | 20

Preferred Pronouns | She/her

Activity Level | I mean, y’all know how it is. One draft a day usually does it for me, and at the bare minimum, I shoot for a few replies a week.

Timezone | MST

How did you find the rp? | I was perusing the ‘lsrpg’ tag, and the rest was history.

Current/Past RP Accounts | Lucien!

IN CHARACTER

Character | Oberon / Olivio Rivera -- with a fc change to Oscar Isaac, if it’s okay with you guys.

What drew you to this character? | There’s something about Olivio that makes him half-man half-hell, and that’s fascinating to me. I think, to a degree, he’s as human as the rest of us, with good parts and bad, but most people don’t show those parts so brazenly and manage to be half as discreet while doing it. This charm is pretty different from a character like Lucien’s, because it’s not a necessary charm. It’s not something he learned to do. It’s something he's always had in him for as long as he’s been -- it’s essential to the core of who he is as a person. There’s a dream-like quality to him that pulls you in and a nightmare-like quality that makes you take a step back when you get too close. He’s brutal in the way he orchestrates his own downfall just to get away from work he no longer has an interest in. He’s gentle with Theo, still grieving, because he knows they’re still working through something and it’s not entirely his place to poke and prod. Walking the thin line involved in this dichotomy is something that immediately caught my attention, and I’d love to explore both sides to him in the way Oberon deserves.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

1. I’d like to explore what Olivio has to sacrifice in order to ascend in the Capulets. He’s already lived a fair bit of his life without any of it really being impacted by the mobs of Verona, so his priorities and goals are likely pretty different from characters that have been here their entire lives. It’ll probably take a while before he builds relationships strongly enough in Verona that he has anything worth sacrificing, but as soon as he does, I’d like to yank them from under him, see how he fares -- if he’s worth becoming a soldier or an emissary in the way that Theodora thinks he can be. He’s strangely comfortable as an initiate, sitting at the bottom of the barrel, but how long is that comfort going to last him?

2. With Olivio, there’s definitely a two-faced element to him, in much the same way there’s a two-faced element to Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He’s brutal and gentle all in one, and I’d like to explore what dictates in him which part comes out where. He gets his work done and ties it off in a neat bow, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he shies away from the ugliest parts of himself. How does he fare in comparison to someone like Orpheus, a dead man, who had similar goals and aspirations as the Robin Hood of Verona but didn’t set out to become that sort of figurehead -- everyone remembers Orpheus. No one knows Olivio. I also think it’s entirely possible his two-faced nature could undermine his reputation and his overall climb towards a more concrete place in the Capulets, if he isn’t careful, and I’d love to see what the consequences are. It worked for him in Spain. It might not work for him here.

3. In the para sample, I allude a little to Olivio’s dream in the same way it’s alluded to in his biography -- this borderline fantastical dream of a better place, a better world, where the underdogs and the fantastical alike can come together and live in harmony. A place where he can taste honey in his mouth where there might have been blood. I’d like to explore Olivio’s past in reflection to his present. He’s had the same dream his entire life, worked towards it slowly but surely in his youth, and then he ended up sitting on top of an empire he didn’t expect to have and didn’t really want. He gets caught up in his own flaws, and it all crumbles apart right from underneath him, and I’d love to see if he’s doomed to repeat that in Verona or if things are really going to be different this time around.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | I think so! As long as it serves a purpose, I’m happy to dip my hands in angst.

IN DEPTH

TW: VIOLENCE, DEATH

Cesar’s face is so heavily caked with blood that Olivio doesn’t think he could see through the red if he wanted to. His right eye is swollen. He’s missing some teeth. His breath is coming out in wheezes from a few broken ribs, and Olivio -- in spite of his shape, in spite of being three years Cesar’s junior -- is out of breath. They’d grappled for the pistol for some time only for it to go flying under a table somewhere when Cesar kicked it up. Now, staring each other down in an empty backroom in El Valenciano, they’re catching their breath. They’re both drenched in the vibrant pink of overhead lights. It could be a painting, he thinks. Something right out of sleep. He’s had dreams like this before, and they usually don’t end quite so badly.

It makes sense in Olivio’s head that Cesar wouldn’t go down without a fight. That’s fine. He never has. But Cesar knows that Olivio’s never liked losing. Even in drills and races and training exercises, even in the field, neck-to-neck, rifle-to-rifle, Olivio never gave him the chance to get ahead. So those few months where Olivio was falling from grace, slipping from his throne? They must have felt like winning to Cesar. He must have not even realized that the game was rigged from the start.

That’s fine, too. Olivio was always the brain of the operation. Cesar served his purpose as the brawn, the Lancelot to his Arthur.

“You should’ve let me leave, a year ago. Otherwise we wouldn’t be here.” There’s a headache building at the back of his head. Stress or exhaustion. Both? He takes his own trembling hands and grapples for a glass of what looks like bourbon from one of the still-standing tables. Cesar watches him, licks his lips when Olivio swallows.

“No one leaves. You’ve never let anyone leave. You shouldn’t get the same luxury, Olivio.” Cesar spits the words out so angrily that Olivio’s almost convinced he believes them, but it’s still hard to hear him over the thrumming reverb of the music. Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree? Catchy. In this moment, in spite of the gore, Olivio thinks Cesar looks young again. Fuzzy around the edges, purple-pink-crimson, young. No more grey at the temples, crow’s feet around the edges. Just blood on his teeth, shifting from pink to blue in a moment’s notice.

“Where are you going to go?” Cesar asks, as he moves a few steps closer. He’s still holding the glass in a white-knuckled grip. His heart is going a million miles a minute. It’s not easy to kill a man with your bare hands, but he’s done it before. He’ll do it again. It feels right to do it this way, with his fists, rather than the barrel of a gun. He wraps his fingers in Cesar’s collar with his free hand and Cesar barely even jerks to meet the movement. He’s all dead weight. Olivio considers the question.

“I’ll go to Verona.”

“In Italy? Bah.” Cesar laughs, throat hoarse. Spittle paints Olivio’s face, but the disgust barely registers. “You always hated Italy -- shot down any business there every time.”

“I hear it’s nice this time of year.”

“You’re burning every bridge you have in Spain. When winter comes around there won’t be any coming back. This is it. You kill me and we’re done.” This feels right out of the pages of the novel. He wonders if maybe he should deliver some sort of dramatic monologue. Something about being brothers from the very beginning. Hold your head up! Moving on! “You’re going to regret it, and you won’t get to crawl back and apologize to me this time.”

Even Olivio’s two divorces weren’t this messy. Still, he leans in close. “It’s not my dream anymore. I’m just making sure it won’t be yours, either.” He searches Cesar’s face for something. Anything. An apology. An indication of guilt. A plea for mercy. The animal-like terror that comes into men moments before they die. They’d seen it a thousand times before, together, and they’d laughed about it over drinks. A shifting green light passes slowly over his eyes. The world goes seafoam.

Nothing. Just their shared breaths. Not even a do it. Olivio sighs. He lifts his hand holding the glass and brings it down. Cesar, to his credit, doesn’t scream. He just takes what he’s given and dies quietly, in the club they bought back when they thought they’d go somewhere bigger than Barcelona. Or maybe that was just him. It doesn’t take more than two minutes.

Olivio stands back, checks Cesar’s pulse, and then wipes his hands on his slacks, chest heaving.

The ‘ludes start to kick in just as he leaves the club, bloodied jacket in hand, a little later than he would have liked. The cleaners sweep in to wipe evidence away as soon as he’s stepped out of the room and towards the exit. Not a single employee looks at him as he leaves, and the people dancing on the floor hardly notice him. The doorman nods at him on his way out. The car waiting for Olivio at the curb takes him straight to the airport, and he barely has time to settle in his seat before he’s asleep. When he wakes, it’s to the sight of Verona and the river that runs right through it, the sun cresting overhead. He descends onto the tarmac cotton-mouthed, changed into clean clothes, and satisfied.

Cesar had been the last loose end. With his death everything in Spain has tied itself up into a neat bow. The ashes of whatever vision he and Cesar might have shared at some point would be gathered up and put into someone else’s hands. Marta’s, he hopes. She’d always been the most capable, in his mind. She’d been the one to tell him of Verona, originally, when she caught wind of what he was doing: razing everything he’d built. She’d been smart enough to stay loyal in the face of his personally orchestrated coup, and he let her live.

He just hopes she doesn’t take it for granted like he had. That she’ll lay out her own path and stick to it, instead of watching it build by itself and grow restless. Verona won’t be like that -- he’s sure of it. It has to be a new start, one he’ll be happy to die by.

In two days’ time --- and he doesn’t know this now, but he will look back at it and laugh --- he’ll kill an enemy of the Capulets in much the same way he killed Cesar, hooked on the sheer euphoria of his newfound love for the city, just outside a place achingly close to El Valenciano, and it won’t even get him in trouble. The Capulets will sweep him up before he has the time to come down from the high, and they’ll bring him into the fold without even knowing his name. He’ll start from the very bottom, and he’ll relish in it, because it’s been a long time since he had nothing.

What he does know: the Capulets are the key to this newfound dream of his, this new-and-shiny-glossy illusion, and Olivio Rivera will take whatever he can get in a city like this, so long as it means he doesn’t have to raze it to the ground.

Extras: [glass him] PLAYLIST / PINTEREST [cesar won’t remember this.]

#accepted #accepted: oberon

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jacklynnfrost · 5 years

Text

A Peaceful Snowday

NNT Flashbang “Snow” prompt Art by @thestarrynightgazer and Fiction by JacklynnFrost

Their breath mists as they exhale, the cold already nipped their noses pink and with each step snow crunches under their feet. The taller red headed lad sports a large smile, anticipation lit up his eyes and when he turns to his companion to share in the joy, he laughs at what he sees. Zeldris, with his black hair harshly spiked in one direction, has hunkered down in his scarf and his narrow eyes roam the frozen landscape with dread.

“You act like I’m marching us to war.” Arthur beams, loving each opportunity he gets to tease him like this. His chuckle is deep and attractive, so much so, that the scowl on Zeldris face eases. His green eyes shift to look over Arthur and under his scarf a little smirk plays on his lips. He finds Arthur adorable, bundled up as he is.

“If I had the choice between this and war, I’d pick the fighting,” Zeldris mutters but he doesn’t mean it. “You know I’d turn around right now if I could.” This he does mean as a warm drink and a blanket sounds perfect. The trees around the couple sway as a gust of wind hits. The feel of it on their cheeks is almost painful and wafts of snowflakes fall from the branches the snow had clustered on. The white powder dances around the two before the gust fades to a breeze and the flakes settle with the bulk of the snow on the ground.

“Best wager I ever made.” Arthur boosts, pushing the unruly lock from his forehead but after another step, it falls back in place to frame the side of his handsome face. “This is going to be fun! Everyone is a beginner at something!”

“Well, it seems like you know a little about everything,” Zeldris complains more from his anxious tension than truly being upset.

“I’ll think of something you can teach me, then you can lead next time,” Arthur promises and this relaxes Zeldris as a few things come to mind that he would love to educate Arthur on. Violet eyes meet green and they both share an easy, flirtatious smile. The two crunch in the snow a while longer, each carrying their needed equipment over their shoulders. Zeldris reaches across the gap between them to take Arthurs mitten-covered hand.

Arthur’s grip tightens over Zeldris’ fingers and there is comfort in the act. “You won’t let go?” Zeldris asks, biting his lower lip in worry as the frozen lake comes into view between the trees up ahead. Drifts of snow dance over the flat sheet of ice and with the trees blowing around the lake it is reminiscent of a snow globe. Clear blue skies are overhead, reflecting in his eyes as Arthur nods but doesn’t promise.

The two separate to take a seat at the edge of the frozen lake. Zeldris is fuming as he removes his snow boots to replace them with... of all things- ice skates. Arthur is opposite in so many ways, vibrating with anticipation and seemingly unable to switch his shoes quick enough. He is up and standing in front of Zeldris before the scowling man is finished lacing up his first skate. Arthur laughs, his head tilts back and Adam's apple bobs.

Zeldris pauses in his lacing to watch. Against the blue sky above Arthur’s hair shifts with his chuckles, his neck stretches and inside a great force in Zeldris’ chest starts pounding. All seven of his hearts race and when Arthur’s violet eyes meet his, sparkling with his delight, Zeldris cannot stop the smile that stretches across his lips. He naturally responds to Arthur. When his other skate is laced, Arthur offers Zeldris a hand and he takes it along with a very deep breath to accept his fate. The taller man helps Zeldris to his feet.

“It’s not like walking.” Arthur starts his instruction when Zeldris lifts his foot to get moving. He lowers it back down, feeling unsteady with only blades to stand on. The only thing that made this bearable is the man by his side.

“Blades are for wielding, not sliding on,” Zeldris grumbles. He looks down at his feet and he feels stable as long as he doesn’t move, which doesn’t last long. Arthur glides around to offer Zeldris his other hand and because he knows it’s going to happen one way or another, he reluctantly takes it. When both his palms are in his partners, Arthur pushes off and skates backward to tow Zeldris along.

He glides with minimal error under Arthur’s mirthful guidance. Zeldris is a quick learner, picking up more from the swing of Arthur’s hips and the shifting of his weight than his steady, encouraging words. Arthur holds Zeldris’ hands but after a few circles around the lake, Arthur knows its time. With a quick twist, Arthur releases Zeldris and spins too fast for the flailing man to do anything more than try to steady his balance.

“You promised not to let go!” Zeldris exclaimed, his arms spread wide to help him adjust his weight as he slides.

“How else will you learn?” Arthur jokes, his winning grin sparks the indignation on Zeldris’ handsome face.

“Arthur!” Zeldris wobbles as his right skate bumps over their previous indent in the ice and his skates jolt out from under him. With a solid thump, Zeldris’ rear smacks against the frozen lake and a rush of air is forced from his lungs as he groans. Arthur’s resulting laugh echoes around them and it only marginally cools Zeldris’ ire.

From the ground Zeldris watches Arthur. He refuses to rise and humiliate himself a second time. Arthur glides gracefully as if he dances in this way so often he does not need to think of his next move before executing it. Zeldris’ eyes roam. He is fascinated by Arthur’s legs dipping over and under one another, but when Arthur does it he is in complete control. Seeing his boyfriend in his element, using his body in such a beautiful way, it made Zeldris feel as if losing the bet hadn’t been so bad.

“You’re having fun!” Arthur accuses, having caught Zeldris’ not-grimacing expression. With the mitten, it was harder to point but Arthur attempts to and Zeldris crosses his arms, denying it. “I saw you! You like watching me.” Arthur grins, showing off his skills a bit more knowing his boyfriend appreciates his from. “I’m sure it's the same as how I feel when I watch you sparing or practicing your swordplay.”

“There is no playing when it comes to swords.” Zeldris condemns but flushes when he and Arthur share a knowing look.

Arthur glides to a stop before him and once again offers his hand. This time when Zeldris puts his palm in Arthur’s, he pulls him down rather than stand. Arthur loses his balance but Zeldris angles to catch his fall and their bodies collide. Zeldris’ laugh echoes in the trees this time as he wraps Arthur in his arms, truly having fun. He looks to his grinning boyfriend, with his cheeks and nose tinted pink from the cold and his light eyes twinkling with love. Zeldris dips forward and ever so gently kisses Arthur’s giving lips, smiling against his mouth.

“You’re right.” Zeldris whispers, flipping them so Arthur’s back is to the ice and his hips wedge between Arthur’s thighs. They both begin feeling warm for the first time since they entered the snow and Zeldris continues, “This is fun.”

#nntflashbang #zelthur #nanatsu no taizai #fanart #fanfic #snow much fun #nnt flashbang #zeldris #arthur pendragon

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galadrieljones · 5 years

Text

that he may hold me by the hand: chapter 1

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Albert Mason

Rating: Mature (Adult Themes, Violence, and Sexual Content)

Summary: After saving Albert from falling off a cliff in the Heartlands, Arthur invites him to Valentine for a drink. What ensues after that is a quiet love story, in which both men find themselves completely undone.

Masterpost | AO3 | Epigraph

Chapter 1: Well, we are untamed.

It was a quiet evening, that night he ran into Arthur Morgan again out near Caliban’s Seat, just south of Valentine. Albert had been photographing eagles, or trying to, spouting off a real big game as he tripped off the ledge up there like a fucking fool. He should have died, showing off like that. Truth be told. But the outlaw—he rustled him back up the ledge, put him back on his feet, and dusted off his vest like nothing had happened at all. He was never flustered, this man, Arthur Morgan. He seemed untamed and yet quietly sewn around the edges. The seams were messy, but there they were, seams.

Reduced to a wilting version of his former self, Albert glanced over the ledge after his near-death experience. As usual, he placed himself in Mr. Morgan’s debt, charming with his song and show energy that had become, to him, second nature. Arthur was unconcerned with anything like debts. He just smiled. Albert looked up at the sky now where the sun was on its last legs in the west. He felt strange about leaving. The randomness had begun to stack up and was beginning to trigger inside of him some odd anxiety in which he wondered if he was ever going to see him again. “I’m—I’m sorry for all the trouble,” said Albert, straightening his hat, picking up his leather valise with the fraying handle. The tripod and the camera all gathered into his arms. He freed one hand, held it out for a shake. “Mr. Morgan. Perhaps—”

“I’m going into Valentine,” said Arthur. He shook Albert's hand, held it firm, then released him and lit a cigarette. He tipped his hat back a little so Albert could see his whole face. “I got a thing going with a buddy of mine. Told me to meet him at the auction yard, but that ain’t till morning. You wanna come, have a drink with me?”

Albert blinked. Sometimes he got hot, around the rim of his collar for no reason.

“It’s just an offer,” said Arthur, confident. He smoked. “I mean, if you’re headed that way.”

“Oh, right,” said Albert, shaking out his head a little, as if he had only just realized what he was being asked. “Yes,” he said. “You know, I haven’t made many friends here. The untamed country, it can be unforgiving, to say the least. Dreadfully lonely. A drink would be—it would be nice.”

“Good,” said Arthur, that half-smile. He tossed the cigarette, took Albert’s valise in a gentlemanly fashion, lashed it up on Albert’s horse then hopped up to the saddle of his own. “Come on. Get the rest of that stuff on your horse, and follow me.”

“Okay.”

A molten, muddy town, Valentine welcomed them. Its name alone was sweet, like an invitation. Though neither of them thought of that at the time. Life is sometimes full of feelings that we do not know we feel until we're already inside them, captives to our own ignorance.

“It’s kind of good,” said Arthur, taking a seat at a booth by the window, “meeting on purpose for once, don’t you think?”

“I do,” said Albert, sitting across from him. He still had his valise which seemed home to all of his earthly goods, but he had left the rest of it all outside on his horse, which they could see through the window. “I very much do. I've never been terribly charming, I'm afraid. I don't find myself forging many friendships.”

"You charm just fine," said Arthur, settling in. "And I wouldn't worry about forging too many friendships, Mr. Mason. In my experience, one or two will suffice."

Albert seemed to find this comforting.

Arthur set a toothpick between his teeth then, leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “So, where are you from anyway?”

Albert removed his hat, straightened up in the booth. “I am from Philadelphia.”

“Philadelphia,” said Arthur. “Well, that is a place I can safely say I have never been.”

“Oh, it’s nothing like this,” said Albert. “This wide open country. It’s very…constricted. There are walls on all sides it seems. Pressing in.”

“And you don’t like walls.”

“No, sir. Well, I mean, I am not opposed to walls. But in a more philosophical sense, no, I do not like walls.”

“Me neither,” said Arthur. He gestured for the bartender, snapped his fingers and was immediately catered to.

“What’ll it be?” shouted that bartender, wise to Arthur by now, shining up a glass behind the counter.

“A whiskey for me,” said Arthur. "Make it a double. And, uh—” He looked at Albert. “What do you want, Mr. Mason?”

“Uh, gin, perhaps?”

“And a gin. And do that one up nice, won’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

Arthur returned his focus now, chewing that toothpick.

“What does that mean?” said Albert. “Do it up nice?”

“Ah, I just meant, you ain’t the rough sort, Mr. Mason. Straight-up don’t really seem like your style. He’ll put a little mint leaf in there for you. Maybe sweeten it up a bit.”

“Gin with mint and sugar?”

“Sure. Why not?”

“It sounds good,” said Albert, nodding. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They sat for a little while. There were conversations everywhere in the saloon, the smell of liquor like ribbons, wrapping all around and inside. Arthur had his hands folded on the table now, gazing out the window. A coach went by, pulling a whole load of timber. The man driving was holding a lantern that sort of dangled, and he was shouting for the horses to pull steady through the mud.

“Where are you from, Mr. Morgan?" said Albert.

This sort of yanked him back into the moment. He looked back at Albert who was a patient man. "Sorry?" said Arthur.

“Did I startle you? I just asked where you were from.”

“Oh,” said Arthur, a little clumsy feeling. “Apologies.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I think I was born somewhere in northern Nebraska,” said Arthur. “Whereabouts, at least. My ma and pa set out on the Oregon Trail when I was four or five? I ain’t got much memory of that.”

“The Oregon Trail?” said Albert. “Fascinating.”

“I’m sure it was, in some respects.”

“Albeit difficult, I surmise.” Albert removed his hat, set it on the booth beside him. “For your mother especially. I can't imagine that being an easy journey, particularly when you've got a small child. Is she still alive, your mother?”

Arthur shook his head. “No. She passed when I was nine years old. We was up in Oregon when she got sick.”

“Oh,” said Albert, softening, becoming almost transparent, like a ghost. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay,” said Arthur. “It’s a more or less typical thing to ask. And that's a long time ago. I was a kid.”

“Ah, yes. I suppose.”

The bartender came over then with their drinks. They toasted. “How is it?” said Arthur.

“Very good. Thank you, sir.”

“So where you living?” said Arthur, sipping his whiskey. “You must have a room, or a place around here somewhere.”

“Well, I’ve camped some.”

Arthur chuckled at this. “You? Camping?”

Albert laughed as well, canny to this particular predicament of heroics and protection and how it had become commonplace in the fabric of their friendship. He was not offended. “I’ll have you know, good sir, I’m not quite as hapless as I may seem,” he said. “Of course, I’m not you. That is well-established. I cannot live meaningfully off the land for any sustained period of time. I am far from a...piece of its beauty, if you will. But I do my best.”

Arthur gazed at him. A man started playing a little tune on the piano, and some of the saloon girls were singing along. “You’re not camping near no gator nests, I hope.”

Albert shook his head, amused. “No, no. Of course not. I have learned something these past months. But speaking of predators, I do have a room, down in St. Denis, over the high saloon there. They’ll rent by the week if they like you.”

“And they like you, Mr. Mason?”

“Well.” He blushed. “Apparently. Though I've no idea why.”

“Please.” Arthur took a long drink. “Why St. Denis?” he said. “I thought you said you didn’t like walls, in a philosophical sense.”

“I don’t,” said Albert. “That’s just where the train dropped me off. Tonight I suppose I’ll get a room here, in Valentine. I’ve stayed at the hotel once or twice.” He took some of his gin, tapped his fingers on the table. He had a little bit of sun burn on his face, Arthur noticed. Albert picked up his hat off the bench and set it on the table, as if to keep an eye on it, and then he wiped his forehead with a gold handkerchief from his pocket. “It sure is warm in here.”

“Little bit,” said Arthur.

“Where do you live, Mr. Morgan?”

“Please. Just call me Arthur.”

“Right,” said Albert. “Where do you live, Arthur?”

“All over,” said Arthur. “My gang—I travel with, a gang of sorts—we got a sort of big old camp, not far from here.”

“You live nearby?”

“For now.”

“I see,” said Albert, nodding. “You know, I’ve thought of you often, Arthur.” He looked up, a starry man. The way he talked sometimes, it was just like storytelling. “I’ve seen you enough times now, out in this wilderness. You live a life of your own inside my foolish memory. But there, you’re more a character than a man. So far, I mean. Though I expect that will change.”

“A character?”

“Yes,” said Albert. “Like a hero from the storied wilds of the west. Almost Byronic. Always seeming to be there right when the damsel is about to accidentally kill herself with her hubris.”

Arthur laughed at this. “Now, I've read Byron,” he said. "I think you're either flattering me or insulting me, Mr. Mason."

“It’s just Albert,” he said, smiling down into his drink. “Al, if you’re feeling cheeky. And I would never insult you. But don’t mind me. I grow sentimental with alcohol.”

“Good men always do in my experience,” said Arthur.

“Sometimes I miss the walls back home," said Albert, a little subdued. "Their absence, it makes me fearful. Like I’m falling forever, and there will be nothing there to catch me. I wish I weren't so sheltered. The uncertainty, it makes me babble.”

“You got a family?” said Arthur.

Albert shook his head. He finished his drink. Arthur snapped his fingers, silently beckoned the bartender for a refill.

“I never married,” said Albert. “Never had the time. Then again, I'm only thirty. My mother, she’s still alive. I suppose that's family enough. She writes me letters, telling me about her goings around the town. She’s a dreadful gossip. But a good woman. She may be moving to California soon.”

”California? Whereabouts?”

”Her brother lives in a cabin near Monterey, in a charming township called Carmel-by-the-Sea.”

”Carmel,” said Arthur. He had never been there, but he'd heard of it. It made him think of fishermen. “Yeah, I know that place.”

“She was always proud of me,” said Arthur. “My dear gossip of a mother. She helped put me through school, even after father died.” He nodded to himself. The bartender came by to refill his gin drink. “Thank you, sir,” Albert said.

“No problem,” said the bartender and went away.

“She sounds real nice,” said Arthur, smiling. He wasn't surprised by Albert's age. That seemed right. “It’s nice that she helped you.”

“I haven’t seen her in a couple of years,” said Albert, drinking. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you got a wife? A family?”

Arthur sighed, shook his head. “No.”

“Why not?”

Arthur laughed, mostly at himself. “Lord knows I’ve tried,” he said. “Believe me. I’ve had my share of chances.” He was turning a coin in his fingers now, from his pocket.

"Well, you can't be but what, thirty-five?"

Arthur studied him. "Pretty close."

"There's still time. If it's what you want."

Arthur found this amusing. “I do miss her sometimes. But let’s just say it ain’t worth the headache.”

“How come?”

“She’s—well, she’s a little like you.” He smiled. “I don’t mean the headache part. I mean that she’s above my station. Our inequalities manifested in any number of detestable ways, drove us apart. It wasn’t never gonna work. She’s too good for me. ”

“I’m not too good for you,” said Albert. “Don’t be silly, Arthur. And I’m sorry, that it didn’t work out.”

Arthur saw the ways his face flickered, an optimist. He smiled at Albert but he did not agree with his former claim. “Thank you.”

”Don’t mention it.”

“When will you be going back to Philadelphia?” he said.

“Not for several months, at least,” said Albert. “Truth be told, my timeline is a bit of a shit show. Pardon my language. I haven’t gotten nearly enough of what I came for.”

“Oh yeah? What are you still missing?”

“A great deal,” said Albert, seeming filled with resolve all of a sudden. Maybe it was the booze. “Perhaps you could help me. I’m on the search for black bear.”

“Black bear?” said Arthur. “I know a couple good spots for finding black bear.”

“Really?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well,” said Albert. “Perhaps we could meet again, sometime soon. Go…bear hunting, if you will. I don’t mean bear-shooting. No, of course not. I mean, unless they try to eat me. I just mean—well you know what I mean by now.”

Arthur smirked, just a little bit. “Yeah, I do.”

Albert straightened up with his elbows off the table, looking relieved. “Where are the black bear?" he said. "I thought I read in my atlas that west of Annesburg was a good spot.”

"Yeah, a good spot if you wanna get ambushed by hill people who'd fancy sucking your eyeballs out through a straw."

It was like being pitched straight off a cliff. Albert looked up from where he had been fussing with the buttons on his sleeve. "Good heavens. Hill people?"

"You stick with me, Mr. Mason," said Arthur, taking a long drink. "I'll get you some black bear, but considering your luck, I think we should avoid the Roanoke Valley."

"Whatever you say."

“Will you be heading back to St. Denis?” said Arthur.

“Tomorrow, yes,” Albert said. “I have a meeting there, with a gallery owner.”

“A gallery?” said Arthur, seriously. “They gonna show your photos?”

“I hope so,” said Albert.

“That’s wonderful.”

“Indeed. Though it's all very cut throat and unclear, and I haven’t got my hopes up.”

They finished up their drinks after that, listening to the piano. The bar was getting fuller, men standing shoulder to shoulder and the occasional woman, fanning herself at the bar. Neither Albert nor Arthur seemed very willing to drink any more.

“Well,” said Albert after a little while. “I suppose I should be going. The train out of here is very early in the morning.”

“Yeah, I should be going, too,” said Arthur.

"Will you head back to your camp, or...?"

"Maybe," said Arthur. "Or I might just set up shop in the hills till morning."

"You mean, sleep under the stars?"

"Sure."

"Well," said Albert. "I do envy you your casual relationship with nature. You know I always have."

"You're too kind to me," said Arthur, giving in a little. It was easy, which surprised him. Arthur thought it felt vaguely like looking in a mirror that could reflect another universe. He left the coin on the table for the bartender. Then he went up to settle whatever there was on his tab. Albert had put on his hat and was waiting for him at the door.

Outside, the night was cool. The sky was big and so clear you could see the whole galaxy up there, spread out like buckshot. The streets were quiet, but there was some bustle. Always men moving in and out of these parts, working girls smoking. One of the girls said hello to Arthur, as he had seen her around before. Her name was Violet, and she was young and this always triggered inside him a sense of failure. He wanted to save her, but he had tried that sort of thing before. It was an old complex for Arthur, and by now he knew a selfish endeavor.

Arthur took the reins on Albert’s horse and lead her along, walking Albert over to the hotel. He kept his hat off the whole time. Albert held his valise with one hand by his side. Arthur tied up the old girl and patted her once behind the ear. “What’s your horse’s name,” he said.

“Martha,” said Albert. "After my late grandmother."

“Martha,” said Arthur, smiling. “That’s a nice name.”

“I think so. What about your horse. She’s a real beauty. Is that an Arabian?”

“Yes, sir,” said Arthur, gazing back to where she was tied up at the saloon. “Wild. I broke her myself. Found her up near Lake Isabella."

"Boy, that's far."

"You're telling me. She was so averse to me at first, I basically lived up there for two weeks, trying to get her to like me. It was grueling, but it worked.”

“That’s remarkable,” said Albert. “What is her name?”

“Amelia.”

Albert smiled. “Amelia.”

“You gonna be able to stay out of trouble, Albert?” joked Arthur, walking him up the stairs. “I mean, till I see you next.”

“Of course,” said Albert. “Or, I’ll try.”

“That would be good.”

“When will I see you next?” said Albert.

Arthur thought on it. There was a whole lot of moon out that night, illuminating their eyes. They stopped just short of the door. The hour was late and there was no one else in earshot. “Well, for black bear, I'd take you out to Big Valley.”

"Big Valley, in West Elizabeth?"

"Yes, sir. Beautiful country out there. I think you'll really like it."

“All right,” said Albert, seeming giddy all of a sudden. “Perhaps we could meet in Strawberry, in two weeks? That should give me enough time to get back to St. Denis, get my affairs in order with the gallery, perhaps write my mother again. She’s a bit of worrier.”

“Sounds good,” said Arthur, nodding. He thought that Albert's mother probably ought to worry, given the wayward tendencies of her son. “Two weeks. You wanna meet me at the hotel there? It's a dry town, but you can bribe the proprietor. He's got a speakeasy in the back."

"You're kidding."

"No, sir. Meet me there, in the middle of the day. How’s noon?”

“Noon is perfect.”

“Good,” said Arthur. He opened the door so that Albert could step inside. “It’s been a pleasure, Albert Mason.”

“For me as well, Arthur Morgan. I’ll see you in two weeks. In Strawberry. On purpose this time.”

“Two weeks.” Arthur patted him on the shoulder, gave him a two-finger salute. Albert did the same. It was a bit of an awkward gesture for him but truth be told Albert's particular brand of awkward gestures were endearing to Arthur. That whole man made him feel warmer, like he'd been heated by one whole degree from the inside. It was a trifle confusing, but Arthur was somewhat used to confusion in those days.

He rode his horse out of town about five miles and decided to camp on the river, rather than head back to Horseshoe. He felt like loneliness. He caught a fish and panfried it and ate it with his fingers. He drank water, and he drank more whiskey. Then he took out his journal. He lit the torch from his saddlebag, let it sit there, attracting moths, reminding him of that stagecoach in Valentine, pushing through the mud, and the fine evening he had spent. He didn't write much, but he did sketch a little. He drew Albert Mason, holding his valise and wearing his hat, waiting by the saloon double-doors. He also drew a picture of a mint leaf, floating in gin. On the opposite page, he wrote, I shall die a fool.

Arthur fell asleep flat on his back on his bedroll, too tired and drunk to build a tent. The world had been kind to Albert Mason. That was one very important thing that Arthur learned that night. The world had been kind, and this imbued him with some bright confidence, despite what he might have had you think, and his overall bumbling demeanor. Talking to him was a cleansing experience. It made Arthur remember things. It made him feel things, remember that he could want things. It reminded him that he was still young, and life was strange and full of welcome confusions, like this one.

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shyeehaw · 5 years

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Van der Linde Gang in College

Choice of degrees HCs

Dutch: Politics degree. He has the charisma and is well spoken. I would vote for Dutch! He’s dynamic and would succeed in the versatile politic setting, also many times he used his voice to motivate others. Although we don’t know if he would follow his Robin Hood days or will weight more to the outlaw side. Let’s just hope this time his plans actually work, for the greater good.

Hosea: he strikes me as a dedicated person to his studies. Calm and precise he would be a good architect. A visceral job like this would give Hosea a sense of fulfillment, his projects would actually impact in the life of many others.

Arthur: He would be one of those students that even when it’s midway through his course would doubt if that’s really what he wanted. I can see Arthur being torn between veterinary medicine or a design degree. At the same time he is excited to learn all about different species, he fears that his connection to animals might not be enough for him. Albert Mason would be his classmate in some classes, and so would Kieran. With a design degree he would feel more fulfilled as he would be able to create not only for him , but to the other’s benefits as well.

John: He lived a tough life and grew up on the streets, John knew exactly how the bad side was and he never wanted to get back at doing those things. When time came, he didn’t wanted to spend years of his life with his nose on a book, he found pointless to just memorize things that other people already knew. He wanted to actually do something meaningful. He got a spot at the police’s academy. Training for years in the hope of someday avoiding young kids fall in that kind of life he had before.

Abigail: She convinced John to live a decent life didn’t she? He woke up early every day to mend fences until his back was about to snap in two. Highly persuasive with her sweet words, she would do just fine with a marketing degree. Abigail has the right proactive attitude that this profession needs.

Bill: People never let him forget how bad he is with words. But he is actually pretty smart with numbers. What a waste would he be locked away in a room doing just that. Bill would prosper with a agriculture degree, with which he would be able both to work in the field using his strength, getting his hands dirty and using his natural aptitude for mathematics.

Javier: Fashion degree! Javier is very versatile and just like Arthur he second guessed his choice. He ended up picking a history degree in mexican culture, a way he founded to keep the love for his homeland always burning. He would be an active member of the political debates groups and be responsible for organizing collective acts to help improve life in Mexico countryside. He is a very engaged student. In his spare time, he will attend to music workshops.

Micah: In which field almost anything is valid? Where the competition is always ferocious? What’s the modern translation of a merciless lifestyle? Micah would have a degree in business and management. A title he got from his father, Micah was a prospect to inherit a big company built on blood and secrets. What could suit him better than being able to be rude to everyone “under” him without any consequences? He never cared for it before, and his not going to start now when his about to be CEO.

Lenny: This sweet boy wants a job that will allow him to help people but without having their lives at his hands. Lenny is hard-working and focused, so he would end up getting an English degree, in hopes to someday become a teacher. He is patient, kind and funny. The type of teacher he wish he had when going through college.

Charles: He is a deep and compassionate person, and I can see him choosing an physiotherapy degree. At first he thought about a psychology one, but being and introvert and sometimes finding being around new people too draining, he choose the next good thing to help others. He’s strength helps him lift his patients and aid them to do their exercises. It’s a long process that he finds so rewarding when it’s done. Being able to notice other’s improvement makes him genuinely happy.

Sean: All right, he will admit that he just needed to enter in a course, any course really. All his energy made a lot of degrees impossible, even game design, one of his options, required a level of attention he didn’t had. For some weeks, he even enrolled in a P.E course but the brodudes had their own little posse, and didn’t liked Sean, making fun of his jokes and skinny body. He found himself in the audiovisual communication course. Initially it was all a part of his plan to take over YouTube with his gaming videos, but slowly he started getting interested in experimental techniques, being able to go as crazy as he liked. People actually looked up to his carefree techniques.

Sadie: Sadie is not want to stay still and do boring stuff. With this in mind she kept seeking careers that would give her a sense of adventure and excitement. Archeology seemed good as any guess, she was lured by all the traveling she would get to do, but the job itself was too still. She then chose a crime scene investigation degree, solving those crimes and bringing closure to the victim’s family was something that kept Sadie going. Never a boring day at work, always something new to uncover.

Karen: A body positive queen, Karen pursued a esthetician’s degree. She is great at making people comfortable on their own skin, always looking forward to make young girls embrace their natural beauty. Her bubbly, talkative personality won over the hearts of celebrities even when she was still an intern in training. That brought her a status of beauty guru on Instagram.

Tilly: Ambitious and diligent with her studies, it was written in the stars that Tilly would have a bright future. Her dedication paid of by earning her a spot in a prestigious medical school. She has many traits suitable for this profession. Empathic and understanding, she is leaning towards the pediatric specialization, but not only that, Tilly is practical and good under pressure, which makes her stand out among her classmates.

Mary-Beth: A life among books was all that Mary-Beth could dream of. But she also knew how difficult the publishing industry is. So not only she now studies creative writing improving her already natural skills, and flirting with new genres, she decided to get a degree in library sciences. A way to secure her financial independence and be surrounded by the things she loves the most. The work as an intern at the library is lovely, she gets to meet new people who shares the same interest at her and contribute so everyone gets access to books.

Mrs. Grimshaw: Let’s go ahead and admit that Susan likes to be in charge. He was not born to hear others telling her what to do. When choosing a degree, she kept that in mind. The one that she showed more interest was in people’s management and Human Resources. Where she could delegate all she wanted. But not only that, Susan likes to analyze who is better suited for each task. Great at reading people, she will do great in her field.

Molly: Oh, elegant and classy, Molly! Her sense of aesthetic is on point and that lead her to a life of famous trendsetter on the internet. But she thinks that’s not a real job, so, looking to put her good taste in things at a use, she ends up getting a degree in Jewelry design. Uniting her passion of expensive, beautiful things with artistic talent.

Kieran: All he ever wanted to do with his life is to be around horses. They brought such peace and joy to Kieran that he knew his life would have to follow this path. He started pursuing a Large-Animal vet, with a minor in equestrian studies. It was even better than he imagined, he was fascinated by every aspect from animal nutrition to the actual care of horses. Being a responsible, calm person made a lot of his teachers very pleased.

Trelawny: Captivating and a social butterfly, Josiah had no doubts about looking for a career in communication. His charming personality was very suitable for a journalism degree. He knows his way around words and the most terrible news don’t sound as awful coming from the charismatic (future) anchorman. I wouldn’t mind having his face on my TV every night.

Pearson: Truth is didn’t mattered if he loved cooking for people, as people didn’t loved his food. He didn’t knew if was the improvising or just the plain lack of formal knowledge, he was never taught, just jumped on it. Tired of people giving the food piece by piece for the dog, Pearson pursued a degree in Gastronomy. Finally being able to dive deep in the dishes he was trying to master for years. Pearson is a simple, rustic man and most of the students gave him a hard time for him not being sophisticated enough. He doesn’t mind, at least his foods fills more than the gap of teeth, like theirs.

Swanson: He was kicked out of his theology course, never showed up sober. That’s it. Currently studying philosophy instead and actually enjoying himself. Orville has many thoughts that can be deepened by getting this degree. He looks forward to a get a minor in counseling though, to help others there were in the same place he was a few years ago.

#rdr2 headcanons #rdr2 AU #rdr2 #no one asked for this but here I am!#If anyone thinks differently let me know #I would love to hear yall thoughts

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douxreviews · 5 years

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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Review

(This movie review includes big spoilers.)

2001: A Space Odyssey is a difficult masterpiece. There are so many books, documentaries, articles and interviews about it. I'm not sure what a review by little old me will contribute to the zeitgeist, but here we go.

I'm going to date myself, big time. I was an adolescent when I saw this movie in the theater. And it wasn't a tiny cineplex, because we didn't have those back then; it was one of those huge old theaters with an immense screen. 2001: A Space Odyssey blew my mind. My mother, who liked science fiction even though she was never into it as much I was, was blown away, too. As we were leaving, she said something like, "I have no idea what that movie was about, but I loved it." I said, "Me, too." And then we spent a couple of hours talking about how it looked, how it sounded, what might have happened and what it could possibly mean. This movie made us think, and talk. It was one of my most memorable childhood movie experiences, possibly the best I ever had with my mother.

And yet, while 2001 consistently makes top-ten-of-all-time movie lists, some people think it is monumentally dull. I will readily admit that it is 180 degrees away from films like Star Wars. When 2001 was released, the critics fell into separate camps on complete opposite ends of the spectrum, as in either "It's absolutely brilliant," or "It might be the worst movie ever made." I find it fascinating that, even after all these years, people come away from this movie with such vastly different impressions.

2001: A Space Odyssey was produced and directed by the brilliant and controversial Stanley Kubrick, and it was written by Kubrick in collaboration with one of the great science fiction novelists, Arthur C. Clarke. It took a long time to make this movie, and Kubrick was obsessed with getting every detail absolutely perfect, a monumental feat when you consider that it was pre-CGI and every single object and scene in every frame had to be imagined, considered, designed and created before it was filmed.

I feel like my vocabulary is inadequate when it comes to describing how this movie looks. Every shot is so perfectly framed, the photography so stark and imaginative. The space stations and ships, especially Discovery One, look real, functional, and exquisitely beautiful. I've always wondered if Kubrick deliberately created ships that looked like they had faces and space helmets that resembled animal heads, or if it was a happy accident.

Much of the movie has no dialogue and when it isn't silent, it is accompanied by disturbing choral vocalizations, the stunning and majestic "Also Sprach Zarathustra," or exuberant classical music. I'm pretty sure no one had ever paired classical music with science fiction before 2001. There are other memorable sounds, too: alarms, electronic shrieking, the grunting of the apes, the breathing that is all we hear from Dave while he is trying to shut down Hal.

2001 has three distinct sections, with the third being the longest and most memorable.

I don't have a lot to say about the first section, in which a mysterious black monolith somehow changes our starving ape-like ancestors into tool users. Except that the ape man (he has a character name: Moonwatcher) tossing the bone into the air that turns into a spaceship might be the most brilliant segue in the history of the movies.

Four million years later, humans uncover a black monolith buried on the moon that sends a radio transmission to the orbit of Jupiter. The shuttle slowly docking with the partially constructed space station to the accompaniment of a Strauss waltz is spectacular. So is the look of the interior of the space station which is peppered with familiar corporate names, most of which have survived the sixties. I've always loved how the beauty of technology created by human beings is given as much weight and attention in this movie as the beauty of nature, space, the stars and the planets. I particularly liked the symbolism of a pen, another extremely important human tool, floating in the air like the ship floating in space.

Eighteen months later, the space ship Discovery One with five astronauts on board is nearing Jupiter. Three of the astronauts are in suspended animation, so the action centers on the other two: Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood), plus the HAL9000 computer, the artificial intelligence that runs the ship. Dave and Frank both come across as real astronauts, highly trained and even-tempered professionals who stay calm even in life and death situations. Which is what they soon find themselves in as Hal's conflicting instructions cause him to go mad.

Hal is so pleasant and amusing at first with the banter and the chess, although what he is about to do is foreshadowed since Hal's point of view always shows Dave and Frank as distorted. (There is also foreshadowing when Dave and Frank are shown sleeping in their coffin-like beds.) Their extreme isolation is highlighted during the taped interview with the BBC when we learn that Discovery is so far away that it takes seven minutes for a transmission to reach Earth.

The Hal sequence is undeniably the edge-of-your-seat part of the movie, as Dave and Frank slowly realize that their soft spoken, efficient, all-powerful computer is lying to them. Although the constant close-ups of Hal's "eye" are undoubtedly creepy, Hal's voice is so melodious and calm -- an excellent vocal performance by actor Douglas Rain. I remember how shocked I was the first time I saw this movie when Hal eavesdropped on Frank and Dave in the pod by reading their lips. Humans just don't expect the tools they create to turn on them. Does Hal have genuine emotions? Is he just simulating what he was taught? What would be the difference?

After Hal kills Frank, we can see the patterns of light and shadow playing over Dave's face as he nearly succumbs to panic, realizing that he must either expose his naked face to vacuum in order to get back into the ship, or die outside in the pod. I've always loved the disconnect scene where Dave, wearing a mismatched green helmet on top of his red space suit, won't respond to Hal's apologies, questions and suggestions while he carries out the complex actions that will kill Hal. All you can hear of Dave is his breath as Hal degenerates into a baby computer and sings a song ("Daisy") that was taught to him by his creator. Interesting parallel, when you consider what ultimately happens to Dave.

Dave completes the journey alone, and appears to take a pod into the monolith that is orbiting Jupiter. What is Dave seeing during this "trip" in the most bizarre of sixties psychedelic colors? Is he seeing the home world of the beings that created the monolith?

Since the monoliths were deposited in our solar system four million years ago, it seems unlikely that the aliens were still hanging around. I've always assumed that they left their automated monolith "seeds" and moved on. I've also always wondered -- what did the powers that be on Earth think that the astronauts were going to do with that monolith? Go up and knock?

It's also fascinating to conjecture what is happening during the surreal, strangely lit bedroom scene at the end. Dave appears to see older versions of himself, and then he becomes each older version of himself: quite elderly and in a robe eating dinner, visiting what looked like a fully appointed bathroom, in the bed as he breathes his last before turning into a strange space infant floating above the Earth. Did Dave spend the rest of his life in a real place (unlikely) or was it simply a mechanism that took his mind to the end of his life so that he could be reborn?

What does Dave become? Is it the fate of the entire human race, or is it just him?

There is a 1984 sequel to this movie entitled 2010 that doesn't really answer this question. At least it's based on a book also written by Arthur C. Clarke, so there's that.

Bits:

— Even though the five astronauts on the Jupiter mission are all white males, Heywood Floyd runs into several colleagues on the space station, three of whom are women, and obviously some of whom are Russian.

— BBC 12. Loved that.

— I also loved the zero gravity toilet with the very, very long list of instructions on how to use it. Unspoken was how uncomfortable and difficult it would be for the user to absorb and follow all of those instructions when they really had to go.

— Gary Lockwood, who played Frank Poole, was also featured in the second Star Trek pilot. I had a pleasant encounter with him at a Star Trek convention, which I related at the bottom of my review of "Where No Man Has Gone Before."

— Dave: "Open the pod bay doors, Hal." Hal: "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." I use "I'm sorry, Dave" a lot in my real life.

— Hal: (trying to talk Dave out of turning him off) "I feel much better now. I really do. Look, Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill and think things over." Laugh out loud.

Every few years, I watch this movie again. It's such a rich and complex motion picture that I inevitably see something I never noticed before. Four out of four pod bay doors, of course.

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

#2001: A Space Odyssey #2001 #Stanley Kubrick #Arthur C. Clarke #Hal 9000 #Dave Bowman #Frank Poole #Doux Reviews #Movie Reviews #something from the archive

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themattress · 6 years

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My Top 50 OUAT Episodes

And now, as a final goodbye to OUAT, I give you this list of my personal picks for the 50 best episodes in the series, listed in order of airing. Two-hour broadcasts are counted as one here.

1. Pilot - 1x01. One of the best TV pilots of recent years due to how quickly it grabs you and emotionally invests you in its magical atmosphere and the plight of its central characters.

2. The Thing You Love Most - 1x02. Best watched immediately after the pilot, as it deals with the same story but from the dark and twisted perspective of its villain, the Evil Queen.

3. Snow Falls - 1x03. Snow and Charming are, well, charming in their first adventure together and the start of their romance, as is sweet Mary Margaret in the present day.

4. That Still Small Voice - 1x05. Jiminy Cricket of all characters gets a surprisingly dark and emotional backstory that resonates with him in the extremely intense present-day scenario.

5. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - 1x07. Jamie Dornan gives an incredible performance as the tormented Sheriff Graham / Huntsman, all the way to the episode’s tragic conclusion.

6. Desperate Souls - 1x08. We get our first true insight into the backstory of the enigmatic Rumpelstiltskin, and Emma becomes sheriff, making this a truly pivotal episode for the show.

7. Skin Deep - 1x12. A truly subversive, twisted take on the Beauty and the Beast story, with some unexpected layers added to Rumple’s character and Robert Carlyle’s performance.

8. Red-Handed - 1x15. Little Red Riding Hood IS the Big Bad Wolf. That is awesome.

9. Hat Trick - 1x17. One of the most terrifying, surreal episodes in the entire series, with the great Sebastian Stan knocking it out of the park as the deranged Mad Hatter, Jefferson.

10. The Return - 1x19. We learn why the curse was cast in a devastatingly emotional story that adds more to the characters of Rumple and August as the season enters its final stretch.

11. The Stranger - 1x20. August’s true identity is one of the best reveals in the whole series.

12. An Apple Red As Blood - 1x21. Part 1 of the season finale, as Regina in both the past and present gears up to finish off her nemesis, with the episode ending on a huge shocker.

13. A Land Without Magic - 1x22. Part 2 of the season finale, the best finale the show ever had, and quite possibly my all-time favorite episode. Almost everything about this episode is perfect and gives you the feeling of a story coming to its end as the threads come together.

14. Broken - 2x01. A solid season opener that sets the show on an exciting new course.

15. Lady of the Lake - 2x03. Things really pick up as Team Princess is formed, Cora is established as the new Big Bad, and we get some beautiful moments between Snow and Emma that make it all the more shameful that the show utterly ruins this dynamic later on.

16. The Doctor - 2x05. Dr. Whale is Victor Frankenstein. Did NOT see that coming!

17. Tallahassee - 2x06. The first adventure that “Captain Swan” (Emma and Hook) partake in together, while at the same time we finally learn about Emma’s sad past with her ex-lover.

18. Queen of Hearts - 2x09. A thrilling conclusion to the first arc of Season 2, where we finally learn Cora’s motivations and get an epic fight between the heroes and the villains.

19. Manhattan - 2x14. This episode is a real turning point, with Emma’s ex-lover being revealed as Rumple’s long-lost son, along with several new insights into Rumple’s past.

20. The Queen Is Dead - 2x15. One of the show’s most emotional episodes, in no small part thanks to Bailee Madison’s truly amazing performance as young Snow in the flashback.

21. The Miller's Daughter - 2x16. We learn about Cora’s fascinating backstory and the true nature of her relationship with Rumple. But then she dies, and the season totally falls apart.

22. Second Star To The Right - 2x21. Finally it feels like shit is getting done, and the concept of a terrifying re-imagining of Peter Pan in the flashback is immediately captivating.

23. And Straight On 'Til Morning - 2x22. The mess Season 2 became gets cleaned up in this gripping finale, with a brilliant new story set-up laid out to be followed in Season 3.

24. The Heart Of The Truest Believer - 3x01. OUAT is truly back at the top of its game here, juggling four different plot threads perfectly and introducing its greatest villain, Peter Pan.

25. Lost Girl - 3x02. The flashback here is meh, but the present day stuff is nigh-perfect.

26. Quite a Common Fairy - 3x03. For the first time, Regina’s potential redemption feels good and genuine, and Rose McIver’s re-imagining of Tinker Bell is a delight from the start.

27. Good Form - 3x05. Hook’s backstory is amazing, and Captain Swan truly begins here.

28. Ariel - 3x06. JoAnna Garcia Swisher makes a truly perfect live-action rendition of Ariel, and the interactions between all the characters in Neverland take a truly engaging turn.

29. Dark Hollow - 3x07. Belle and Ariel, on a mission from Rumpelstiltskin, team up to fight John and Michael Darling who serve the villainous Peter Pan. Only on this show, people!

30. Think Lovely Thoughts - 3x08. The “Nevengers” truly show how far they’ve come working as a group here, and we get one of the show’s most shocking and twisted reveals.

31. Going Home - 3x11. The perfect series finale that isn’t a series finale, with the action increasingly slowing down so that you can fully appreciate the emotions. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if the show had ended right here, I’d have been completely satisfied.

32. Witch Hunt - 3x13. Just plain fun and funny, with great dialogue and great character interactions that really get you re-adjusted to these characters and to life in Storybrooke.

33. The Jolly Roger - 3x17. Quite possibly the quintessential Hook episode, showing just what kind of a person he was and how he desperately wants to be a better man now.

34. Snow Drifts / There's No Place Like Home - 3x21 / 22. After the incredible letdown that was the climax of the Wicked arc, we get this two-part finale that really embodies the magic OUAT had and never quite will again, with Emma’s character arc coming to a fitting end.

35. The Apprentice - 4x04. “The Dark One lies. The Dark One tricks”. This episode does a perfect job at re-establishing Rumple as a true villain and a schemer to be reckoned with.

36. The Snow Queen - 4x07. Quite possibly the most heartbreaking villain backstory the show has ever had, plus riveting scenes between Elizabeth Mitchell and Jennifer Morrison.

37. Smash the Mirror - 4x08. It’s overlong and the Regina and Robin subplot is complete bullshit, but everything else in both the past and present is golden. The 4A arc peaked here.

38. Shattered Sight - 4x10. The boffo comedy in this episode is cringe-inducing, but all of the serious, emotional stuff centered around the Snow Queen and her family gets me every time.

39. Poor Unfortunate Soul - 4x15. Ursula’s backstory is kind of iffy, but the effect it has on Hook and his development here is really good, as are the villains and August’s return.

40. Sympathy for the De Vil - 4x18. “Evil isn’t born, it’s made”...except in this case, where it is 100% born and takes us on a twisted tale that could pass for a good Twilight Zone episode.

41. The Broken Kingdom - 5x04. The twist of the glorious kingdom of Camelot being a kingdom literally built on sand, and its monarch a disturbed megalomaniac, is a great one. Plus, Snow and Charming actually get do something heroic after a long period of inactivity!

42. Nimue - 5x07. The actors portraying Merlin and Nimue really sell the doomed epic romance between the two, as we get the most far-back flashback in the show’s entire run.

43. Labor of Love - 5x13. This episode can be summed up as “The Nevengers are back.” That alone counters the disappointment of how blandly Hercules and Megara are portrayed.

44. The Brothers Jones - 5x15. A touching tale of brotherhood, good intentions gone wrong, self-loathing and forgiveness, plus giving Hook closure with his big brother. I just love it.

45. Firebird - 5x20. The flashback is utter tripe, but the escalation in the present-day story, the performances, and Captain Swan’s True Love test makes this episode well worth it.

46. Last Rites - 5x21. Aside from that moment with Robin, this episode is awesome, especially the Underworld scenes with the duo I never knew I wanted: Hook and Arthur.

47. The Other Shoe - 6x03. This episode embodies what the show SHOULD have become: a more light-hearted series with adventures-of-the-day starring Emma, Hook and Henry.

48. A Wondrous Place - 6x15. Hook sails on Captain Nemo’s sub, the Nautilus, alongside Aladdin and Jasmine, meeting up with Ariel and facing down Jafar. Only on this show, people!

49. The Song in Your Heart - 6x20. Because really, who doesn’t love a Musical Episode? This one centering around Emma and her marriage to Hook makes it all the more special.

50. The Final Battle - 6x21 / 22. It’s got a LOT of problems, but the ending it reaches is truly one that fits the show, and we would have been better off if ABC hadn’t renewed it afterward.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Price of Gold - 1x04. Rumpelstiltskin’s first showcase episode, and he’s terrifying in it.

Dreamy - 1x14. Screw the haters, I really liked this episode! It was hilarious and sweet.

The Crocodile - 2x04. Our introduction to Killian Jones / Captain Hook. It’s a good one, and I’d have liked it better had Rumple’s role in both the past and present not been so disturbing.

Save Henry - 3x09. A tad anti-climactic and the Regina focus was misaimed, but still good.

New York City Serenade - 3x12. A damn fine start to a new beginning for the show.

Rocky Road - 4x03. Elsa and the Snow Queen are both fantastic characters, both shown well here. It’s held back by the introduction of Will Scarlet, who ended up being a waste.

Darkness on the Edge of Town - 4x12. This episode gives us the visual of villains on a road trip stopping at a drive-thru. You just gotta love that! Also, the Chernabog was awesome.

Operation Mongoose - 4x21 / 22. Despite Isaac’s (and by extension, A&E’s) terrible writing, the weird situations and performances from the actors makes this an entertaining finale.

Siege Perilous - 5x03. A good old-fashioned Camelot adventure is just what I wanted.

The Bear King - 5x09. Again, screw the haters. The show needed more episodes like this, a standalone where the plot takes a pause and the side characters are allowed to develop.

Broken Heart - 5x10. The present-day plot is absolute crap, but the flashback in Camelot is really well executed, and Colin O’Donoghue is clearly having a blast playing Dark Hook.

Souls of the Departed - 5x12. Not ideal for the 100th episode, but a good start to the Underworld arc, with a lot of familiar faces returning and a great new villain introduced.

Devil's Due - 5x14. Despite her fate in this episode, it’s great to see the writers presenting Milah more sympathetically than she was before, and Hades continues to be a delight.

Our Decay - 5x16. The first episode where Zelena feels truly human instead of the cartoonish psychopath she was before, with her and Hades’ romance being legit touching.

Sisters - 5x19. While I don’t much care for the subplot with Prince James, the main plot featuring the reconciliation between Cora, Regina and Zelena is great and beautifully acted.

Strange Case - 6x04. Oh, Mr. Hyde, you left us way too soon. The episode is sadly weighed down by Rumple’s textbook abuse toward Belle, which we now know is never truly punished.

Dark Waters - 6x06. A good bonding episode between Hook and Henry, plus a great new character from the Land of Untold Stories who is actually faithful to his source material!

Heartless - 6x07. For once, Lana Parilla actually gives us an old-school Evil Queen performance, where she’s scary and truly malevolent rather than campy and over-the-top.

Mother's Little Helper - 6x16. I really like the Dark Realm, and wish that more was done with it. The reunion between long-time rivals Hook and Blackbeard is also a lot of fun.

The Black Fairy - 6x19. The retcon that Rumple was born a Savior is ridiculous, but the titular Black Fairy’s backstory actually makes her an interesting character for the first time.

A Pirate's Life - 7x02. It was nice to see Emma again, and even better to see that the Hook in this arc is actually Wish!Hook rather than the original, who is still living happily with Emma.

The Girl in the Tower - 7x14. Robin and Alice are beyond precious as a couple in both the past and the present, finally washing away the bad taste left behind by “Ruby Slippers”.

The Guardian - 7x18. It may have been late in coming, but Rumple / Weaver actually becomes interesting here as we get to explore his relationship with his newfound friends.

Homecoming - 7x21. It’s good to see several old characters again, and even better to see all the loose threads from that abominable Season 6 Wish Realm two-parter finally addressed.

Leaving Storybrooke - 7x22. Except for Rumple’s end, most of what happens following Snow and Charming’s appearance is utter shit. But.....at least the show is finally over!

#Once Upon a Time #ABC #Opinion

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littlehouseonthewater · 4 years

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“Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials.

Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius.” ~Comte de Buffon

“Have you sold your Cruise-a-home yet?” someone with a cheerful disposition asks me. “Not yet,” I sigh, “we’re still waiting.”

Truly we could not have chosen a better boat than our Cruise-a-home to transition from foundational home to hull home. Now, at the end of 2019, our children are ages 13, 11, 9 and 6. They have grown at least twelve inches since we began our nautical lifestyle three years ago. Proud mama moment, my children are amazing. Their “bedrooms”, if you could call it that, are 29″x68″. Their bed takes up 27 1/2″x63″, leaving 5″ for knickknacks, treasures, stuffed animals and books. Like when Alice grew too big in the Wonderland home, the six of us have most literally reached capacity of our Cruise-a-home.

Keeping the dream to cruise alive, Ryan and I have looked at hundreds of sailboats online. May 2019, a dear friend of ours excitedly found the most probable sailboat candidate to be our next home. We walked aboard as a family, and felt the “yes, this seems right!” feeling in the pits of our hearts. Tripling our current living space with three state rooms, two heads (bathrooms) and a walk-in engine room for Ryan to store his tools and me to have a washing machine, how could this not happen quickly for us? We came back to our cruise-a-home and taped up a “For Sale” sign. I just knew all the puzzle pieces would click into place quickly for us.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s many times about the person he calls – not about the calling itself. He’ll take anyone with an obedient spirit, no matter how green, messy or ignorant they may be. But once you sign on, he’s got to put you through basic training to get you in shape to operate with his high standards, methods and ways. Perhaps you don’t have the mental knowledge, the spiritual maturity, or the emotional depth needed to accomplish what he has in mind. Maybe you want to call the shots in how things proceed – and God knows you’ll fall flat on your face unless he’s the one in charge. He’s got to test your commitment, your endurance – to see what kind of stuff you’re made of for the long haul. Perhaps it is for you to see what you’re made of…for God already knows. This basic training always, always grows you in maturity, self-confidence, and ultimately, dependence on God.

So while we’re waiting and getting upset at God for not doing anything, could it be that we are the hold up? Is it us that he’s waiting on? To show we trust him – so he can trust us with what he’s about to do? To prepare us mentally, having thoroughly thought things through? To prepare us emotionally, with a solid resolve and conviction to move ahead? To just grow up a little? Or a lot? Spring showers can pop up in an afternoon. Hurricanes take days. I think God makes us wait because he’s got bigger ideas in mind. Plus, his timing is always perfect – he can see what’s coming down the pike in eternity, and he knows the right moment in time to get you moving.” ~ Jenny L. Cote (Now I Sea p. 29)

I wept when I read this. Waiting IS SO HARD!! But in the months of waiting, I have succumbed to the conclusion: I would rather patiently wait for God’s timing, than try to manipulate something premature and make a chaos of decisions. That being said, our life continued.

This last summer we cruised 10 days in our 27′ sailboat. It was our first long sail, overnight, cooking…anything longer than a sunset sail. Amazingly enough…our kids are crazy. It was unanimously agreed by our four (not of this world children) that they actually preferred the cramped close cockpit quarters of our 27′ sailboat to our spacious 40′ cruise-a-home (at least when cruising). They enjoyed snuggling and reading in the cockpit, taking naps in the V-birth, and never once complained.

Our kids are resilient and adaptable. We spent our first night rocking and rolling (not exceptionally pleasant), moored at Blake Island. The view of Mt Rainer to the south and Seattle to the east, were beautiful. The following morning, we walked the island and found treasure while geocaching.

Later, we met up with our friends and cruising companions from our yacht club…and then one boat was not like the others. I’ll admit, jealousy is hard to combat when I feel I’m lacking…and forced to wait. But if I remained unsatisfied with what I do have, and stubbornly put my foot down that a 27′ sailboat is just too small for me to even give it a try, how many wonderful memories my family would have missed out on. So, I put forth my best “I got this, let’s figure this out” attitude. Pleasantly, I’m amazed how well we’ve all adapted to such tiny spaces. And I thought 238 sq ft for a family of six was tiny! The memories we’re making, the experiences we’re having, and the bonding and growing we’re doing…strengthens our resolve to keep waiting for the right timing for our one-day bigger sailboat.

A few months after our summer cruise; we felt Ryan had reached all he could learn working on the ferry. Before his transition to his new job, we decided to seize the opportunity and take a road trip halfway across the United States to visit family. In typical Taisey fashion, we made this decision with two days planning. Packed into our 2007 Toyota Highlander, we realized the joy is in the journey, not just zipping to the destination. Contentedly we passed the hours and miles by listening to Focus on the Family’s radio drama of all seven Chronicles of Narnia series. Watching the changing landscape as we climbed the Rockies and drove across the Great Plains, I couldn’t help but think of the courageous pioneers, wagon trains and families traversing this ruggedly beautiful terrain so slowly. Such courageous people of long ago, willing to take the risk in search of a better life and adventure.

On our way to Illinois and Indiana, we drove I-90 and had 3 twelve-hour days to get to our final destination, Elgin, Illinois. We visited with three sets of great grandparents, made yummy cookies with my favorite Auntie and Uncle, and reconnected with a beloved cousin and her family. When our time was up, our hearts were filled to the brim with love after reconnecting with loved ones we haven’t seen in years.

On our way back west, we decided to take the meandering two lane country roads. One stop was in Arthur, Illinois where we happened to meet a very nice Amish family who kindly answered all our enthusiastic questions. They shared how they make buggies (the family business), how they function off the grid, and their fascinating way of life. We delighted spending a whole afternoon with them, ending with Arianna becoming pen pals with their youngest daughter!! Now, how cool is that!! I connected most with their love for family, enjoying the slower pace of life, and putting their whole heart into their craftsmanship and homemaking. We left with hearts full, and strangers who quickly became friends.

Another interesting stop was at Vandalia, IL. This city was Illinois’s second state capital from 1819-1839. This particular building was capital from 1836-1839, before the capital was ultimately moved to Springfield. Abraham Lincoln was a delegate here. The wood beams and floors upstairs are still original to 1836. I get so excited touching and walking where history happened!

Behind the old Vandalia Capital building was an old church turned into a historic museum with 1800 era artifacts. One reason I love homeschooling, my children naturally exhibit an intellectual curiosity to learn. In times like these, my heart swells with pride and thankfulness for the museum lady delighted in allowing our responsible children to respectfully hold and handle historical artifacts from this time period. Textbook history became multi-dimensional with weight, time and place. Experiences like this is what excite and draws us to continue to work hard toward our future voyage.

“Treading alongside the men folk, were women with dainty calloused hands who, after giving birth, would tote water from a brook, never seeking sympathy or aid; but, boldly under bonnet brim her beaming eyes looking far into the future, she’d thrust her dainty feet into sturdy books, never dreaming of the History she made…” (Written by Deloris Lynch in honor of the Madonna of the Old National Trail) Madonna of the Trail is a series of 12 identical monuments dedicated to the spirit of pioneer women in the United States. The monuments were commissioned by the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). They were installed in each of the 12 states along the National Old Trails Road, which extend from Cumberland, Maryland, to Upland, California. (Wikipedia) Wives and mothers of such high character inspire me to be a bold and courageous helpmate to my husband and example to my children.

An unseasonable blizzard hit the Dakotas, so we headed south through Missouri. We visited the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis. Ryan delighted in bringing our children to a place he went when he was a child. The mighty Mississippi was close to flood stage.

“The Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act, and the Dread Scott Decision proceeded the succession of the southern states.” We memorized this history statement from Classical Conversations. The Dread Scott case and decision was conducted at this St. Louis Courthouse. One of my favorite book series I read as a youth, which has become a favorite of my children, has its plot line about the Underground Railroad and its setting along the mighty Mississippi and the St. Louis Courthouse. I feel so privileged to be walking along the trail of our nation’s history with my children.

“We met the advance company of Oregon emigration…It is remarkable how anxious these people are to hear from the Pacific country and strange that so many…should sell out comfortable homes…pack up and start across such an immense, barren waste to settle in some new place of which they have at most so uncertain information, but this is the character of my countrymen.” James Clyman (June 24, 1846) At one museum in Independence, Missouri, we learned about one gentleman, Ezra Meeker, who traveled the Oregon trail via ox-driven wagon as a child, again along the trail via automobile as an adult, and flew over it a third time before he died. My mind was blown as I thought through the timeline in my head of all the things that transpired throughout his lifetime from 1830-1928. Incredible!

We celebrated Felicity’s 9th birthday visiting Bear Country, and Mt Rushmore. It was a bucket list item for Ryan and I. Our kids enjoy being Jr. Rangers, filling out different informational pamphlets regarding different national parks. The girls outlined our road trip route, marking our different stops along the way.

A very sobering Memorial, we visited a piece of the Berlin Wall and read its history to our children. I know this quote is regarding a different battle, but it touched my heart, and made me ponder. “The price of Liberty. Let me ask you something. Did the men of D-Day sacrifice themselves because you and I had earned it and deserved it? No. Many of us weren’t even born yet. Even so, those men realized how precious and valuable we were. Liberation is not dependent on the action of the imprisioned – it is dependent on the Value of the imprisoned in the eyes of the Liberator…” (Jenny L. Cote Now I Sea! pg 132)

Soldiers, First responders, Men and Women of Valor…my family and I, Thank You.

Continuing west, we visited Kansas’ Capital building. One of two capital buildings where you can take a free guided tour and walk up all 239 steps to the top and outside of the rotunda. This capital building held significance for our history memory sentence regarding the court case, Brown vs. Board of Education where segregation by race in public schools was deemed unconstitutional. Until the 1960s, this building was completely open to the public. Unchaperoned youth would climb throughout the highest heights of the dome and write their names and dates on the brick and steel supports. It is illegal to do so now, but has been preserved as part of the building’s history. Amazingly, there are no reports of injuries for such escapades.

The last major place we visited was the Badlands of South Dakota. What an amazing landscape!! Buffalo blocked our road. Prairie dogs played hide and seek with our kids as they ran from hole to hole as if playing Whack-a-Mole. Taking a break from listening to Chronicles of Narnia, we listened to Jenny L. Cote’s audio book, The Ark, the Reed and the Fire Cloud. This story is about Noah’s Ark. It is amazing to see the strata of the rock and read of the fossils they have uncovered in the Badlands ranging from fish and birds to rhinoceros and saber tooth tiger…all fossilized together in the Badlands.

Our spontaneous two and a half week road trip took us across eleven states, from Washington State to Indiana and back again. We indeed have a beautiful country, and we’d spontaneously do it all over again in a heartbeat!!!

“So while we’re waiting and getting upset at God for not doing anything, could it be that…he’s waiting for us to trust him – so he can trust us with what he’s about to do? To prepare us mentally, having thoroughly thought things through? To prepare us emotionally, with a solid resolve and conviction to move ahead?” ~Jenny L. Cote

The weeks have turned into months of waiting. Our living quarters are as cramped as ever. My emotions have tumbled from wanting to just give up and quit this adventure, to resolved determination that another stubbed toe will not break me and to just hang on…this waiting cannot last forever. Ryan began his new job late in October and absolutely loves it!! In November, we switched docking places with another member from our yacht club, so we could be right next door to our best friends who are another live-aboard family. What a blessing it has been to do this live-aboard life with another family with kids!!! Lastly, with the dawn of 2020 right around the corner, we have saved enough to make an offer on the sailboat we walked aboard in May 2019!! This season of waiting has been a hard season, but it has left me with a solid resolve and conviction that God’s delays are not God’s denials, and His timing will always be perfect. The future adventure is worth the pain of waiting.

Blessings,

Jacy

The Future Adventure is Worth the Pain of Waiting "Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius." ~Comte de Buffon…

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mysteryshelf · 7 years

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BLOG TOUR - The Last Train: A Tokyo Mystery

Welcome to

THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF!

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by Smith Publicity. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

About the Book

Hiroshi Shimizu is perfectly settled into his life investigating white-collar crime in Tokyo. But when an American businessman turns up dead, Hiroshi is pulled into a high-stakes search across the enigmatic, maze-like metropolis. The reader quickly learns how close homicide and suicide can appear in a city full of high-speed trains just a step—or a push—away.

From there, celebrated Japanese culture writer Michael Pronko’s, The Last Train: A Tokyo Mystery [Raked Gravel Press, May 31, 2017] only picks up speed. Hiroshi’s mentor Takamatsu drags him out to the notorious and intriguing hostess clubs and futuristic skyscraper offices of Tokyo in search of a possible killer, immersing the reader in fascinating Japanese culture. Hiroshi goes deeper and deeper into Tokyo’s intricate, ominous market for buying and selling the most expensive land in the world to find her.

When Takamatsu goes missing, Hiroshi teams up with ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi. They scour Tokyo’s sacred temples, corporate offices and industrial wastelands to find out where Takamatsu went, and why an average-seeming woman could have been driven to murder. It is an intense look at the nuances of Japanese interpersonal relationships and the power dynamics of gender roles and how women—and men, too—are treated in this ancient society.

The Last Train is the first book in the exciting new Detective Hiroshi Pronko series, whose writing has been lauded by Kirkus Reviews as, “an elegantly written, precisely observed portrait of a Japanese city and its culture.”

Interview with the Author

What initially got you interested in writing?

I was always interested in writing. One of my plays was put on in fifth grade. I wrote the whole thing based on (actually, stolen from) Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. I won a prize in eighth grade for a story based on (stolen from) a Twilight Zone episode. I hope I’m not the only young writer who has absconded with some story in their youth? My teachers all through school always encouraged us to write and I always liked that. I worked on the high school newspaper. At college, it was philosophy papers. I never took any creative writing classes, but always read a lot. Writing was always just there, so no “initially.”

What genres do you write in?

I publish in crime fiction and creative non-fiction. In the past, I also wrote essays, editorials, music reviews, art critiques, and academic papers, but now most of my attention is on mystery novels.

What drew you to writing these specific genres?

I was drawn to mystery fiction because I spend a lot of waking hours reading fiction and in some sense, all fiction is a mystery. We wouldn’t keep reading otherwise. What I like about mysteries is the tension between it being highly structured and highly flexible, the predictability and surprise factors balancing in the right proportions. You can pack in all kinds of things into a mystery—cultural customs, passing characters, arcane details, mini-travel essays. I also like the built-in ethical dimension—someone must pay. As for non-fiction, I feel like that was a way to start writing regularly for publication. By writing non-fiction, I learned the basics of writing and could develop it as a habit. I still like first-person essays for their immediacy and thoughtfulness.

How did you break into the field?

One guy I taught with asked if I wanted to write about music for an online magazine. I knew the answer to that one. So, I started writing about jazz. That led to an invitation to write about jazz for The Japan Times (when invited, “yes” again). Then I started writing short personal pieces (imitating the New Yorker but about Tokyo), which led to another invitation to write for Newsweek Japan. Which led to an editor inviting me to publish a collection of my columns about Tokyo in Japanese. Then, two more collections. I put those collections out in English, and then started to work on fiction. So, I wouldn’t say that counts as “break into,” exactly. I’d say it’s more like “chip away at for years.” Basically, it was lucky breaks and baby steps.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your works?

With the The Last Train I want readers to see Japanese society and Japanese people in a fresh way. The novel is more of a whydunit than a whodunit, so I hope readers find it interesting to read about the characters, how they live and why they do what they do. I think the best mysteries delve into the why of crime. Why kill someone? That’s the toughest question around. Thinking about it in story form gives us ideas, in reverse negative, about why we live. I think it’s easy to misunderstand a culture. I do that constantly in Japan even after years. In my novels, I want people to become immersed in Tokyo, to connect to and bring up close the people and experiences that make up this amazing, and gigantic, city. What they take away from that is their own.

What do you find most rewarding about writing?

I learn. I like to have things revealed to me and that happens all the time when I write. It could be an understanding of the world, or of Japan since that’s the setting, about myself or about language or stories. I think we live in stories. Stories are how we organize our lives, how we see the world and see ourselves, so writing is a constant reevaluation of the power of stories. I love that “aha” moment when the story connects in a way that makes me jump and tingle. It’s a pleasure every morning to jump back into the story I’m writing, and through my one little story, I also jump into the larger mystery of how stories create, and sometimes destroy, the meanings in our lives.

What do you find most challenging about writing?

From the practical side, finding time. I teach full-time at university, so the end and beginning of the semesters, the planning, grading, faculty meetings (pure drain) and advising students takes so much energy finding time for writing is impossible. But that’s the same for everyone, everything that takes time conflicts with everything else that takes time. Sometimes, it’s hard to push other things aside and simply not do them. Other things often have immediate payoff, while writing is very, very delayed (sometimes never) in its gratification. It took me a long time to enjoy writing in and of and for itself. But at the same time, to keep my mind always thinking how it can better connect to readers. Writing a beautiful sentence is one thing, but writing a sentence that will affect another person with power is always a challenge.

What advice would you give to people wanting to enter the field?

Write a lot and write for people to read. I was lucky to have gotten many writing jobs that let my writing be read. And I wrote a lot. At one point, I had seven deadlines a month, plus my full-time university job, research and writing. I managed that for a couple years, and it was excellent training. So, however writers can get traction is fine, but you get traction by having your work in a public space of some kind. That deflates your ego by giving you a good, solid reality check. I think every writer must learn how to focus, to shove the world aside, produce by deadline, work with editors, think about readers. If writing can be said to be “a field,” I tend to think of it as all-encompassing, you get out of it what you put in. I think input is equally important. Garbage in, garbage out is really true. It’s essential to read, and to take in other things like film, art, travel, discussion with friends, all the things that put meaningful pressure on the mind to grow and develop.

What type of books do you enjoy reading?

I read so widely, that’s hard to answer. I like fiction mainly, literature and mysteries. But I also read a lot of literary theory, which, like how-to-write books, I take with a grain of salt, or two or three. I like non-fiction essays and I read a lot for my classes in American literature and culture. I love reading about music, film, art, history, philosophy, both Asian and western. There’re few “types” of books I don’t like in some way.

Is there anything else besides writing you think people would find interesting about you?

I’ve lived in Japan for twenty years and in China for three years. I suppose that’s interesting, though it feels natural and normal to me. I’ve written about that, so maybe that’s writing? I’m addicted to music and run a site about jazz, www.jazzinjapan.com, but I guess that’s also writing…hmmm…so, nothing else, only writing, I guess.

What are the best ways to connect with you, or find out more about your work?

I love to hear from readers and prospective readers. I put up new info, articles and content on my website. I think I’m connect-able through most online routes. I’ll put all those below. I value the chance to connect with readers, so please do.

www.michaelpronko.com

@pronkomichael

https://www.facebook.com/pronkoauthor/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2793539.Michael_Pronko

www.amazon.com/author/michaelpronko

BLOG TOUR – Till Dirt Do Us Part

FRIDAY SF & FANTASY – Eric Olafson: Spa...

BLOG TOUR – Dandelion Dead

FRIDAY SF & FANTASY – Rook

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BLOG TOUR – The Last Train: A Tokyo Mystery was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf with Shannon Muir

#shannon muir #pulp and mystery shelf

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