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dweemeister · 1 year

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2022 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (final)

It is highly recommended you view the direct link to this; the indented bullets are still not fixed on tumblr after a few years now.

Wow. 10 years. Where does the time go? Happy anniversary to this bonkers, wonderful end-of-year blog tradition.

TAGGING: @addaellis, @emilylime5, @halfwaythruthedark, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @introspectivemeltdown, @maximiliani, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @rawberry101, @rosymeraki-blog, @shootingstarvenator, and @theybecomestories, @umgeschrieben, @underblackwings, and @yellanimal

OPEN INVITATIONS TO longtime followers, active followers, and previous participants including: @asexual-idiot-ramblings, @biglifehightides, @birdsongvelvet, @chinadoll408, @cinemaocd, @dansmonarbre, @dog-of-ulthar, @exlibrisneh, @machpowervisions, @memetoilet, @metamatar, @myluckyerror, @noelevangilinecarson, @qteeclown, @shadesofhappy, @the-lilac-grove, and @thewolfofelectricavenue. And any other followers who might be interested in helping out here!

A good day to all of you,

After an exciting end to the preliminary round, we arrive at the true business end for 2022's Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS). This is tenth annual edition of MOABOS on this blog, as many of you know, and the ninth with participation from family, friends, and tumblr followers. If you asked me back in 2013 how long this would run, I would never have imagined five editions, let alone ten.

Record-keeping for this year's edition began when I saw All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989) on January 2, 2022. Somehow, that one song I picked out in that movie has survived the entire year to get to this point. Over the rest of 2022, numerous songs from various movies filtered in and out on my master shortlist, culminating into this final round.

INTRODUCTION

For those who have never participated in this before, my classic movie blog traditionally ends the year by honoring some of the best achievements from movies that I saw for the first time that calendar year (the "Movie Odyssey", in which any rewatches do not count) withan Oscar-like ceremony. I choose all the nominees and winners from each category except for this, Best Original Song. Original Song is the only category which does not require you to watch several movies in their entirety. As always, MOABOS is considered a sort of cinematic-musical thank-you for your moral support in various ways over how long I've known you for. In addition, I think it's a fun way to introduce to all of you films and music you may not have otherwise encountered or sought and to give everyone a dose of film and music history. MOABOS is but a foot-deep glimpse into my Movie Odyssey for this last year.

This final will be contested by fifteen songs. But it should (and still could be, unless I can't find it by January 1) be sixteen. Absent from the final round due to the fact I cannot find any video or audio on it is "Nous sommes seuls dans la forêt (We Are Alone in the Forest)” from 1930's Le Million. Unless I (or someone else) can find a video or audio clip of before January 1, this song will have to be considered an honorable mention. One online movie reviewer had a YouTube link to this song, but unfortunately it ran afoul of the Criterion Collection (who handle the film's distribution in North America) some time ago.

COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on the film industry. And as such, for the second straight year running, there are zero original songs from movies released this calendar year (I know, some of you are wondering why I didn't see the Top Gun sequel, and that's because I haven't seen the original). There was one entry from 2021 in this year's preliminary, but it was barely eliminated.

Also reflective of how personally difficult this year has been for me, this is a monolingual field for the final. That is a MOABOS first. I've said how much I find this distasteful, that I have no French chansons, Japanese anime songs, Viet Film Fest finds, Indian cinema discoveries (I refuse to watch RRR in any language other than the original Telugu and certainly not the Hindi dub on Netflix), or anything else found their way into the mix. Tracking down a significant amount of non-English language movies I see every year requires a certain amount of effort and time, and I wasn't able to do that as much as I'd like this 2022.

For this year's final, an MGM musical makes a MOABOS bow for the first time since 2017, with one the studio's more iconic songs (albeit not in the form of its most famous rendition). Doris Day, Warner Bros.' principal musical actress in the 1940s and '50s, was featured heavily in last year's edition, but did not end up in the top ten, She returns with three songs in the final this year. This ties a record for a performer - shared by Prince who had three songs for Purple Rain in 2018 and Elvis for three songs in Blue Hawaii and Frankie and Johnny in 2020).

Animation fans might raise their eyebrows with the sort-of rekindling of a rivalry: Disney (with The Rescuers and Oliver & Company) v. Don Bluth (All Dogs Go to Heaven). Meanwhile, the ageless Harry Belafonte makes the final on his MOABOS debut. As does the incredible Alice Faye (who is here twice over for The Gang's All Here). It's shaping up to be an interesting final!

2022's winner will join this company:

2021: “Lullaby in Ragtime” , The Five Pennies (1959) 2020: “Can't Help Falling in Love” , Blue Hawaii (1961) 2019: “I Wish I Didn't Love You So”, The Perils of Pauline (1947) 2018: “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing”, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) 2017: “Remember Me (Recuérdame)”, Coco (2017) 2016: “Stayin’ Alive”, Saturday Night Fever (1977) 2015: “Amhrán Na Farraige”, Song of the Sea (2014) 2014: “Rainbow Connection”, The Muppet Movie (1979) 2013: “The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re In the Money)”,Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

INSTRUCTIONS

Please rank (#1-15) your choices in order. The top ten songs will receive nominations; all others get "Honorable Mentions". There is no minimum or maximum amount of songs you can rank, but because of the nature of single transferable vote, it is highly recommended to rank as many songs as possible, rather than only one or two. Those who rank fewer songs run a greater risk of their ballots being discarded in the later rounds of tabulation. Again, this is all described in the "read more".

Please consider to the best of your ability (these are only suggestions, not strict guidelines):

How musically interesting the song is (incl. and not limited to musical phrasing and orchestration);

Its lyrics;

Context within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films);

Choreography/dance direction (if applicable);

The song's cultural impact and context/sociopolitical context/life outside the film (if applicable, and, in my opinion, least important factor)

Because of the difficulty to find clean recordings of much of this music, imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song. You are highly encouraged to send in comments and reactions with your rankings - it makes the process more enjoyable for you and myself!

The tabulation method used in the preliminary round (10 points for 1st place, 9 points for 2nd, etc.) is being used for this round. But is used for the final only as the second tiebreaker (the tabulation method that will be used principally for the final – aka "single transferable vote" – is described in the "read more").

The deadline for submission is Saturday, January 7 Sunday, January 15 at 7 PM Pacific Time. That is 5 PM Hawaii/Aleutian Time and 9 PM Central Time / 10 PM Eastern. That deadline is also Monday, January 16 at 3 AM GMT / 4 AM CET / 5 AM EET / 8 AM Pakistan Standard Time / 8:30 AM Indian Standard Time. This deadline – and I really hope we don't have to do this – will be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time.

All of the below songs can also be found in this YouTube playlist (but please note you may not judge the music video of "9 to 5", you must judge the song and how it is used in context).

Enjoy the music! Feel free to listen as many times as you need, and I hope you discover music and movies you may have never otherwise heard of that you find fascinating. The following is formatted... ("Song title", composer and lyricist, film title):

2022 MOVIE ODYSSEY AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SONG – FINAL ROUND

“Good Morning”, music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Babes in Arms (1939)

Performed by Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney

4th in Group A

This song appears early in the first Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney musical of several (the two had previously appeared together in the fourth film of the Andy Hardy series) for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Here, two vaudeville kids from different families – "Mickey" Moran (Rooney) and Patsy Barton (Garland) – are attempting to sell one of his songs to a musical publishing company. Babes in Arms was released a month after Garland starred in The Wizard of Oz.

If this song sounds familiar, it's because its most famous use was when it was recycled for Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor during Singin' in the Rain (1952) – a movie that recycled many MGM songs to immaculate results (MGM liked to recycle its songs multiple times for some of its musicals).

“I’ll Never Stop Loving You”, music by Nicholas Brodszky, lyrics by Sammy Cahn, Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

Performed by Doris Day

2nd in Group B

(use in film) / (single version)

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Ruth Etting (Day) has left the rough-and-tumble Chicago nightclub scene, thanks to her gangster boyfriend Martin Snyder (James Cagney). Ruth wants to break into the recording industry and, early on that journey, partakes in this early rehearsal with singing coach Johnny Alderman (Cameron Mitchell; whose character falls for Day's).

“Island in the Sun”, music and lyrics by Harry Belafonte and Irving Burgie, Island in the Sun (1957)

Performed by Harry Belafonte

5th in Group A

Played over the opening credits of this romantic drama, complete with aerial footage of the island where the film takes place. Set on a fictional Caribbean island (and shot on location in Barbados and Grenada), Island in the Sun was controversial when it was first released due to its depiction of interracial relationships, adultery, and colonial politics.

Jamaican-American singer and actor Harry Belafonte introduced calypso music to American audiences in the 1950s. The genre, originating in Trinidad and Tobago in the 18th century, is influenced by the storytelling tradition of West African griots and often employs a syncopated 2/4 beat derived from West African musical beats. Calypso is a precursor to ska and reggae.

“Johnny Guitar”, music by Victor Young, lyrics by Peggy Lee, Johnny Guitar (1954)

Performed by Peggy Lee

Advanced directly to the final

Appears in the transition into the end credits of this proto-feminist Western. Victor Young's melody is the centerpiece to his score to this movie, and it is heard throughout. Joan Crawford plays Vienna, a saloonkeeper who has a tumultuous relationship with the locals because of her support for a local railroad project. The locals, led by hotheaded Emma (Mercedes McCambridge) find a pretext to run Vienna out of town for good, but not before the mysterious Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden) shows up in town. The film was received cooly upon release, but time has elevated its reputation.

I know certain folks who have played Fallout: New Vegas are going to have a hard time setting aside their animosity for this song, but alas. “Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter.”

“A Journey to a Star”, music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Leo Robin, The Gang's All Here (1943)

Performed by Alice Faye; reprised by film's cast

5th in Group B

(initial performance) / (reprise)

Onboard a ship bound a destination to, erm, somewhere, onboard entertainer Eadie Allen (Alice Faye) starts falling with Andy Mason (James Ellison), who is shortly about to report for duty in the South Pacific. The reprise occurs as a film-ending fantasia, complete with Busby Berkeley's oftentimes kaleidoscopic mass choreography, which he popularized in the 1930s (although they were already out-of-fashion by the time he made The Gang's All Here).

In the days of Old Hollywood, key cast and crewmembers were contracted specifically to the major studios. Some of the major studios had their signature musical stars. Among musical actresses? Judy Garland was contracted to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM); Doris Day to Warner Bros; Deanna Durbin for Universal; Ginger Rogers for RKO while partnering with Fred Astaire. Until her being blackballed for a perceived breach of contract, it was Alice Faye who was 20th Century Fox's principal musical actress (she was supplanted by close friend Betty Grable). Faye makes her MOABOS debut, and it won't be the last time we see her.

“A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow”, music and lyrics by Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole, A Mighty Wind (2003)

Performed by Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara

Advanced directly to the final

(use in film) / (soundtrack version)

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Christopher Guest's A Mighty Wind is a comedic mockumentary about a folk music reunion that sees three acts reunited for a send-off public TV special. Levy and O'Hara are Mitch & Mickey – once a married couple, but long separated after Mitch had a mental breakdown and never recovered. Mitch is seen having difficulty communicating and concentrating throughout the film, except when playing music. This song is heard in bits and pieces through the film until finally played in its entirety in this final scene. If you like this, I highly recommend watching Levy and O’Hara’s Oscar performance of this song (in character, to boot).

"I know this song. This is that really pretty one." – you better know this one Michael McKean, as you're the one who co-wrote it! Yes, the tall blonde lady is Jane Lynch

“Love Survives”, music and lyrics by Al Kasha, Joel Hirschhorn, Mike Curb, and Michael Lloyd, All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

Performed by Irene Cara and Freddie Jackson

3rd in Group B

“Love Survives” appears as the first song in the end credits of this animated musical fantasy directed by Don Bluth (1986's An American Tail, 1988's The Land Before Time). To preempt your questions about the YouTube comments in the provided link, it should be noted that this song was dedicated to voice actress Judith Barsi – who plays the human protagonist, Anne-Marie, in this movie (and Ducky in the original Land Before Time) – after she and her mother were both murdered by her father before this film was released.

“A Mighty Wind”, music and lyrics by Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean, A Mighty Wind (2003)

Performed by The Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer); Mitch & Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara); and The New Main Street Singers (John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey, Christopher Moynihan, David Blasucci, Mark Nonisa, Steve Pandis, and Patrick Sauber)

6th in Group B

The son (Bob Balaban) of an acclaimed folk music producer tries to put together a memorial concert on public TV to honor his late father, asking the three most famous of his father's acts to participate. After some drama among all three groups, they all come together for the concert, with this number concluding the occasion.

The video provided is from the public television alternative print that was offered as a DVD extra, not how this scene was shot in the movie. I have decided to provide the public TV alternative because the original is not available on YouTube (and also because the public TV version mirrors closely how it was shot in the film).

No apologies for that dirty lyric.

“Never Look Back”, music and lyrics by Chilton Price, Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

Performed by Doris Day

2nd in Group A

Ruth Etting (Day) has left the rough-and-tumble Chicago nightclub scene, thanks to her gangster (and now ex-) boyfriend Martin Snyder (James Cagney in one of his final gangster roles). At this point, Ruth has made it in the recording industry and is now recording a song for a Hollywood movie she just starred in. A jealous Martin watches on in the recording booth.

“9 to 5” , music and lyrics by Dolly Parton, Nine to Five (1980)

Performed by Dolly Parton

Advanced directly to the final

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

This song is performed over the opening credits to this workplace revenge comedy starring Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dabney Coleman as the three leads' chauvinist boss. “9 to 5” represented Parton's breakthrough into pop music, having previously only been known as a country music star.

NOTE: the above link takes you to a clip of the opening credits. The provided YouTube playlist only has the music video (remember you are judging the song and its use in context, not a music video).

“No Love, No Nothin'”, music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Leo Robin, The Gang's All Here (1943)

Performed by Alice Faye

3rd in Group A

A dinner-and-a-show club is in dress rehearsal for their newest show and, more urgently, a war bond party. Eadie Allen (Alice Faye) is the performer here, with U.S. Army servicemember Andy Mason Jr. (James Ellison; whose character is on a furlough) among the few people permitted to preview the performance. Andy and Eadie had a chance encounter a few years back, with the two clearly interested in each other but nothing transpiring.

“Nous sommes seuls dans la forêt (We Are Alone in the Forest)”, music and lyrics by Armand Bernard, Philippe Parès, and Georges Van Parys, Le Million (1931, France)

This entry is a placeholder. Do not rank unless I find the audio/video to this online somewhere. If I cannot find a video/audio clip by January 1, this song will be considered an "Honorable Mention".

Performed by Constantin Siroesco and Odette Talazac

Lyrics in French

Siroesco and Talazac are two operatic singers at a stage show that is almost interrupted by the heavily indebted Michel (René Lefèvre) and fiancée, Beatrice (Annabella). Michel has won the lottery, but he has misplaced his winning ticket in his jacket. Michel's pursuit of the jacket has taken him to this theater, where he and Beatrice run out on stage at the worst possible time. They crouch behind some scenery, while this song - reflective of their relationship - plays.

“Pillow Talk”, music and lyrics by Buddy Pepper and Inez James, Pillow Talk (1959)

Performed by Doris Day

6th in Group A

This is the title song – played over the opening credits – to this romantic comedy starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson.

This was the first of three groundbreaking romcoms (an informal trilogy) starring Day and Hudson. Tony Randall also starred in all three of these movies in supporting roles. Along with Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964), Pillow Talk was considered risqué for the time and helped to contribute to the demise of the Hays Code (a series of self-censorship guidelines for almost all major Hollywood movies released from 1934-1968). For the classic film buffs out there, Pillow Talk is like a pre-Code picture that just happened to show up in the late '50s.

“Someone's Waiting for You”, music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Carol Connors and Ayn Robbins, The Rescuers (1977)

Performed by Shelby Flint

1st in Group A

Six-year-old orphan Penny (Michelle Stacy) has been kidnapped by the greedy Madame Medusa (Geraldine Page). Medusa has imprisoned Penny in a Louisiana bayou. But the resourceful Penny has sent a message in a bottle that has been received by the Rescue Aid Society, an international mouse organization housed in the U.N. in New York. This song plays non-diegetically as our two mice heroes, Bernard and Ms. Bianca (Bob Newhart and Eva Gabor), arrive.

“Tomorrow is the Song I Sing”, music by Jerry Goldsmith, lyrics by Richard Gillis, The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

Performed by Richard Gillis

4th in Group B

Thumbnail image is slightly NSFW

In this American Western film's opening minutes, Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) has been abandoned in the desert by his two companions. He wanders the Arizona desert, speaking in a folksy demeanor to no one but God as if trying to bargain over his desperate situation. The opening credits play during this song and Cable's exhortations to the Lord. For film score fans: this movie was released one month after Patton (which Jerry Goldsmith also scored).

The Ballad of Cable Hogue was an unusually light-hearted and tender Western by director Sam Peckinpah, best known today for revisionist Westerns that soaked in nihilistic ultraviolence (most notably 1969's The Wild Bunch).

“Why Should I Worry?”, music and lyrics by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight, Oliver & Company (1988)

Performed by Billy Joel

1st in Group B

(use in film) / (soundtrack version)

Early in this adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (but where almost all the characters are sassy talking animals), the dog version of Billy Joel, Dodger, reneges on a deal with young orphan cat Oliver (Joey Lawrence) to steal hot dogs from a human vendor.

Have a question or comment about MOABOS's processes? Maybe you would like to know something more about a song or a movie featured in this year's competition? Well, just ask yours truly! If you are having difficulty accessing any of the songs (especially if region-locked) or if there are any errors in the links above or the playlist, please let me know as soon as possible.

Once more to all, my thanks all for your support for the Movie Odyssey, the blog, and for me personally over this last calendar year and beyond. However long you've known me - whether it's been a few months, or, wow, more than half my life, it is a privilege and a pleasure to share all this music and (at least excerpts of) these movies with you. It's my hope you find this entertaining and enlightening about cinema and the music that goes along with it. Do not worry too much about this if you cannot participate, although I will be checking in as the deadlines get close. Happy listening, and I hope you have fun!

The winner is determined by a process distinct from the preliminary round. For the final, the winner is chosen by the process known as single transferable vote (the Academy Awards uses this method to choose a Best Picture winner, visually explained here):

All #1 picks from all voters are tabulated. A song needs more than half of all aggregate votes to win (50% of all votes plus one… i.e. if there are thirty respondents, sixteen #1 votes are needed to win on the first count).

If there is no winner after the first count (as is most likely), the song(s) with the fewest #1 votes or points is/are eliminated. Placement will be determined by the tiebreakers described below. Then, we look at the ballots of those who voted for the most recently-eliminated song(s). Their votes then go to the highest remaining non-eliminated song on their ballot.

The process described in step #2 repeats until one song has secured 50% plus one of all votes. We keep eliminating nominees and transfer votes to the highest-ranked, non-eliminated song on each ballot. A song is declared the winner when it reaches more than fifty percent of all #1 and re-distributed votes.

NOTE: It is possible after several rounds of counting that respondents who did not entirely fill in their ballots will have wasted their votes at the end of the process. For example, if a person voted the second-to-last place song as their #1, ranked no other songs, and the count has exceeded two rounds, their ballot is discarded (lowering the vote threshold needed to win), and they have no say in which song ultimately is the winner.

Tiebreakers: 1) first song to receive 50% plus one of all #1 and transferred votes; 2) total points earned (this was the first tiebreaker in the preliminary round); 3) total #1 votes; 4) average placement on my ballot and my sister’s ballot; 5) tie declared

#Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song #2022 Movie Odyssey Awards #MOABOS

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maeve-is-annoying-about-books · 4 months

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Hey come read up on some Steam Next Fest games I tried out

I do genuinely like Next fest, it's nice to see a bunch of indie stuff put front and center for awhile and try out all the fun demos. Naturally, I gave some a spin, here are some thoughts.

Virtua Unlimited Project is very much a love letter to the Mega Man Zero series. The translation leaves much to be desired, which is a shame because I feel like it's going to turn a lot of people away from what is otherwise one of the best-feeling Zero-likes to date. You got your dash, your wall hope, a buster and a sword, but added into the mix are a neat drop kick you can use to bound off enemies. Also gaining a boss's EX weapon regardless of your rank, something the Zero series really could've benefited from. The overall moveset, as a result, leads itself into a ton of neat, fun, and tight interactions in the moment-to-moment. No really, I can't say it enough. Even Gunvolt's physics didn't feel this much like playing Mega Man Zero again. It's clear the devs really loved that game and did their utmost to recapture the essential feeling of it all.

Pepper Grinder - It's what I've come to expect from Devolver-backed games at this point. A nice, single-minded experience that tries to get the most out of an idea. I'm a big fan of the Wario Land games, so I really love moving about and ransacking the stage to get all of Pepper's treasure back. That's great, top-tier motivation for a little drill gremlin girl. The earth-swimming with your drill really toes the line between chaotic and controlled. A sweet spot that asks you for mastery, I think. It's a lot of fun, I love when a game is super intent on getting the most out of one mechanic.

Umbra Claw - Hey remember when I mentioned Gunvolt up there? Inti Creates dragged me into their works with GV and Blaster Master Zero, but lately I feel all their frenetic action has become... Slow and clunky. Look, I broker no joy in being harsh on a creative work but our friend Kuon, the cat, feels so very off to control. I mean even with all of their powers in place, there's no real flow state like the other games where you're constantly moving and reading your foe. I don't feel feline fast at all and it's just kind of disheartening.

Toree Saturn - The bird is BACK(pack). They took Toree's run and gave him a butt slam that sends him careening forward. And for good measure added a homing attack. All of this comes together to make a barely-controllable bird that rockets through stages, gobbling up stars and flying high over pits. Really glad to see Toree return, I'm really a huge fan of these bite-sized 3D collectathons. Toree, Kiwi 64, Lunistice in particular is something of a comfort game. It's relaxing to be able to complete an entire little experience with nice movement in a few hours at the end of the day.

Death of a Wish - Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream. Play Lucah: Born of a Dream.

(I am so FUCKING normal about Born of a Dream and Death of a Wish. Born of a Dream obsessed me until I got every single achievement, and Death of a Wish, the sequel, plays just like Lucah but with enough tweaks to give combat a whole new feel. I love the new character portraits for everyone and the scratchy, sketchy style that permeates everything. I love the consistent battle against guilt to find your own expression. I fucking love fighting off the Nightmares that seek to drag you down, becoming better than this burdensome fate bestowed to you.)

Geometry Survivor - Looks like they made Geometry Wars into a VS clone. Neat. I guess I can argue all day whether VS clones are hitting saturation but the answer is I don't really mind. I like a good 20-30 minute bullet heaven experience, it's really relaxing. And more just means there's an aesthetic out there for me. This was... not that, but I don't think it's the game's fault. I ran into a graphical glitch that spun a neon-magenta polygon across the entire screen at incredible speeds and immediately vomited. I am... Very highly photosensitive. Like severely, so that hard-stopped me. But I implore anyone who likes VS to give it a go.

Shield Knight - I just... Kinda wasn't feeling this one I think. It seems to involve a lot of waiting to get the one type of attack you can parry to spawn. Also the colors are a little too desaturated for me to personally keep track of easily. Light sources tend to blend things so I tend to need contrast. I love the core idea, a knight who can only parry, but it needs just a touch more oomph in what can be turned back at your foes. There's probably a powerup somewhere to do just that, and I might go back to see.

The Land Beneath Us - Radical. It's a roguelike in a truer sense of the word, with turn-based movement on a grid. This one is much more in line with space-dancing, though. You can see the enemies' attacks at all times, and you're expected to be out of the way before they land true. If you're like me you probably find standing still, repeated tapping into an enemy to be a huge grind, but here it's more a matter of managing your position. Each turn is a little puzzle, and that's without getting into its main element. You may assign one weapon to each cardinal direction. You must do so, even, and then it's just.. there. You have to come up with a build and think sincerely about how to arrange it and approach enemies. It's great, anything that can keep me thinking and on my toes is a win in my book, ever since Necrodancer.

Alright that's it, go play some video game demos.

#steam games #steam next fest #lucah born of a dream #virtua unlimited project #pepper grinder #umbra claw #toree 3d #toree saturn #death of a wish #lucah: born of a dream #geometry survivor #the land beneath us #I'm too tired for witty tags please add your own

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fourth-quartet · 5 months

Note

For the fanfiction writing asks: 2, 4, 6, 11, 14, 17, 29, 34, 38, 50, 59, 68, 75, 79

🥰 hi sass <3

2. Where do you get your fic ideas?

Oh god. Everywhere? Sometimes a particular line in a scene will stick out to me, or a small detail. Sometimes it's just "I wonder what would happen if I stuck these two in a room together and didn't let them leave until (arbitrary goal)". Sometimes a song inspires it.

4. How do you choose which fics to write?

I... write all of them. 😅😅

6. What’s the last line you wrote?

“Draw attention to the labor assignments. Hurt a few of them, I don’t care.” Her eyes glittered and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, a cold cruel smile that was far too fetching on her face.

“And what will you do?”

Bren smiled at her. “Research. It is, after all, what I do best.”

11. Do you write scenes in order, or do you jump around?

Mostly in order - but I also don't write chronologically a lot of the time, so that makes it a little more fun. If a scene is eating at me, I'll write it.

14. What is your favorite location and position to write in?

Between 3-6pm at the Starbucks down the street, between 9-11am camped out at a table at the campus library or dining hall, or between 8-11pm with the lights off in my room.

17. Do you have a writing routine?

I do! I have a candle I only burn when I'm writing. I put on the playlist for whatever project I'm working on. I reread the last bit I wrote, edit a page or two back. Then I delete a sentence and start from the sentence I just deleted.

29. What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of?

That I still do it. That I write for myself, with tropes I like, with characters I like. That I get compliments on dialogue and character.

34. How much of your personal life/experience do you include in your fics?

I have at least two fics published where I made the protagonist into a writer... Jokes aside, a decent amount. I can point to something I was working through in each fic I've published since 2015.

38. What is your most self-indulgent posted story?

exposed

50. How would you describe your writing style?

Dynamic. If I'm not actively trying, I don't think my writing stays terribly consistent across projects.

59. Have you participated in any fic events/writing challenges? If yes, what were they and did you enjoy them?

My discord server made the "Fanfic Fests Anonymous" section just for me. There was a period where I was signed up for 37 at once. All of them were RPF events on Twitter, and I used to love them. I'm not sure I'd like them as much anymore, but I used to love working with prompts.

68. Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do?

Oh boy, yes. Again and Again, We Killed a Dragon Last Night, A History of Heaven and Its Angels, as Understood by the Archangel Gabriel, once upon a damn-you-all, Mistakes Were Made, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, Sir?, Internecine, Avengers: A Deal with the Devil, and a long deleted Arrow fic that was pre-relationship Oliver/Malcolm and was so so good.

75. Is there a particular fic that readers gravitated towards that you didn’t expect?

stillness - the whole eldritch Gaon thing really hit something people wanted. Genuinely surprised me, for a fic I'm pretty sure I wrote in a couple of hours.

79. Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

Write for yourself. Write the things you want to read. It's okay to share an idea and have it not go anywhere. It's okay to have WIPs in your back pocket forever. It never hurts to re-read things. Always read.

Fanfiction Writing Asks | Send Me Asks

#took answers #moot tag #send me asks!#sass tag #fic stuffs

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linuxgamenews · 6 months

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Explore the Powerful Features of Heretic's Fork with Proton and Steam Deck

Heretic's Fork deckbuilding tower defense game is confirmed to work on Linux via Windows PC. Thanks for the further details through Ravenage Games. Available on Steam with 92% Very Positive reviews. Heretic's Fork has rolled out an impressive update, and it's something you won't want to miss, especially if you're into action-packed deckbuilding tower defense games. The update aligns with the Bullet Heaven Fest climax from November 20, bringing a ton of new content and features that greatly enhance how you play. But first, let's talk Linux support:

It should work on Linux.

This email response clarifies that Heretic's Fork isn't directly developed for Linux, but it's fully compatible with Proton and Steam Deck. It's made with GameMaker Studio 2, a tool known for its great support across different Linux distributions when used with Proton.

Heretic's Fork - Launch Trailer

youtube

The latest update includes:

Torment Mode: Once you finish the main storyline, Torment Mode unlocks. It's a higher difficulty level that offers a serious test and gives you more reasons to dive back in. You'll tackle this mode with each character, unlocking more as you go. You also get extra credits and higher scores. Plus there are five new achievements to grab.

Character Variants: Four new variants are joining the roster – the Unknown Tormentor, Tormented Ruby, Spooky Niya, and Messy Denny. Each brings a unique spin to your strategies. You unlock these by nailing specific achievements in Heretic's Fork, adding more targets to aim for.

Meet Gilbo Gibbins: Here's a new character with a twist – the Gamble mechanic. This hinges on your Luck stat, making each move an intense roll of the dice. It adds a random element that really mixes things up.

New Music - Perverse Visionary Collection: The soundtrack gets a boost with this DLC by Nightcrawler. Music plays a big role in setting the mood, and this collection promises to deepen the immersive gameplay. It's a separate purchase, but it supports the artist, which is a better way to give back.

Playlist System: The Heretic's Fork update revamps the playlist system. Now, it's more user friendly with a select / deselect all feature, organized by album. Plus, you can access the mini-player during pauses in the action, which is a nice touch.

Fixes and Enhancements: They've ironed out various bugs and issues, enhancing overall play. This includes changes in difficulty, more cards, and challenges. They've even fixed some menu depth issues and improved the Ukrainian font.

Lastly, Heretic's Fork has crossed over 1,100 reviews, showcasing strong community support. Both 9FingerGames and Ravenage Games express thanks for this milestone. The reviews present an intriguing picture. Players admire its art, sound design, and the dynamic blend of rogue-lite, tower defense, and deckbuilding elements. The diverse characters and tower ideas, along with its challenging new difficulty spikes, offer adding depth and replayability. However, there is a stale meta that limits strategic variety, an overwhelming card deck, and certain overpowering towers that reduce the need for thoughtful strategy. The base character options are seen as imbalanced, and some gameplay modes, like endless mode, have performance issues. Overall, Heretic's Fork is a slick game with room for upgrades, offering a unique and enjoyable title for fans of rogue-likes and deckbuilders. In summary, this update isn't just a few tweaks – it's a major overhaul that adds depth, challenge, and variety. Whether it's trying out new characters, facing the harder Torment Mode, or losing yourself in the new music. There's plenty to explore and enjoy. It's due to the evolving nature of Heretic's Fork, making it a standout choice for a strategic test mixed with intense action. Priced at $9.99 USD / £8.49 / 9,75€ on Steam. And already confirmed to work on Linux via Windows PC. Which also includes Steam Deck.

#heretic's fork #deckbuilding #tower defense #linux #gaming news #9fingergames #ubuntu #steam deck #windows #pc #gamemaker studio 2 #Youtube

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wychive · 4 years

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𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩𝙨 — 𝙟. 𝙮𝙝.

pairing(s) // yunho x reader

genre // smut, fluff, soft sex basically,, non-idol!au, s/o!au

author’s note // this is my first time doing a bullet ‘oneshot’. i apologize if it’s too long! this oneshot is based off one of my friends’, @felymoon ‘s, dream. i tried to make this gender fluid- so i hope you enjoy this as much as i did writing it <3

taglist will be in the replies!!

it's been a week?? since you both got married

after two years of dating, he finally proposed to you on that fine sunday twilight

you still cant believe that you got married to this?? perfect handsome soft puppy of a human

you're just baffled at the fact that the best boy is yours, forever

for your honeymoon, the tall boy decided to bring you to the city of love

as soon as he surprised you with the ticket, you were just like,,, omfg bless God for an amazing man for the 28239032932nd time

the both of you stayed at some fancy hotel near the eiffel tower

after entering the room, you both laughed at the rose petals on and around the bed

you guys decided to go to disneyland and rode on some fun yet terrifying rides!

he ofc took many pictures of you

most of them were candids of you laughing, which made him fall in love all over again

that night, you both decided to just chill and watch some cheesy romantic movies

it wasn't long before it turned into a cringe and make out session

*sees the male lead flirting with the love interest in a vvv disgusting way*

"gross. that was you on our first date."

"don't think so, y/n. as i recall you were the one who looked up 'top 10 pick-up lines”

when i wasn't looking"after one (1) movie, you both decided to just rest and chill for the rest of the night

or so you thought

yunho flipped you over and decided to give you a small tickle fest

you bursted into giggles which made him go all -////////-

he stopped and just stared lovingly at you, kinda just going damn.. this is my wife?? this fr my baby? oh we going heart eyes 24/7

"you finally calmed down and placed your hand on his chin, grasing your thumb on his bottom lip

not long after, he kissed you. the last kiss you shared wasn't even an hour ago, but this treat made you hungry for more

you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to deepen the kiss you both shared

he slipped his tongue in which earned a slight moan from you

you both grew hot by the second, wanting to strip everything you had on, off

being the gentleman he is, he paused his actions, asking if it was okay to proceed

you never had sex before as you were scared that you might regret your first time by having it with someone who wouldn’t matter in five years time

but this was yunho, the person you promised to spend your lifetime with

alas, you gave a nod. you were read

he kissed your cheek and whispered a "it'll be okay." in your ear before he went to give pecks and small licks onto your neck

your husband could feel you getting wet as his knee was pressed onto your underwear

good thing you were wearing a bathrobe

purple marks appeared on your collarbone as yunho's hands untied the knot that was shielding yourself from his touch

when he opened up the white cloth, he sat up and admired your body figure

you could see a red blush appear on his face when he bit his bottom lip

the lover before him could never be more perfect

you let your cheek lay on the pillows, embarrassed at the way he looked at you. you bit on one of your fingers

after what felt like an eternity, yunho bent down once more

he took your hand, pinning you down against the mattress

his left hand was placed on your chin and turned your head to face him

the hunger you had deep inside didn't want him to hold back, and he knew that

you smashed your lips together with him tasting the sweet cherry soda that you drank earlier

you felt like you were in heaven your hands touched his soft skin, feeling his chiseled body

this was the point where you were thankful that he slept topless

one of his hands intertwined with yours, gripping them tight

the other, grazing your body little by little, feeling your outline

after stopping the second kissing session, he chuckled at your red plump lips

he began to move downwards to your wet core

a pink tint glowed on your cheeks as you gripped his hair

yunho planted purple flowers on your skin, some hyacinths and gladiolus’

the sounds that came out of your mouth were simple yet lewd enough to turn him on even more

he made it to your clothed area

ngl, the smell of lust almost drove him wild

he slowly pulled the thin underwear off, kissing the insides of your thighs while doing so

your husband hurriedly took out a condom from the side table

you closed your eyes, not wanting to get all flustered again

"babe,,"

you heard his comforting voice, followed by slight laughter

"you can open your eyes now"

the voice was coming from above you, clearly as he had the protective rubber on already

you flutter your eyes open and immediately looked below and saw him lined up at your hole

you knew he was packing but?? excuse tf

"hey, promise me something"

“if it hurts, just tell me, i'll stop immediately"

you were taken back at his words. he really was the best person ever

you nodded, getting ready for the pain

before he pushed it in, he laced yours and his fingers once more, gripping them tighter than ever

he began to insert it slowly, keeping in mind that this was your first

you bent your neck backwards, and kept you head on the pillow

you manage to get the word 'continue' out, before letting out a small whimper

he finally pushed all the way through and bit his bottom lip, trying not to let out a loud moan

your walls clenched around him, which could make him cum right then and there

"you okay, y/n?"

"y-yea,, im fine, yunho"

he pulled it back out, almost all the way

before thrusting into you, hitting your g-spot

"f-fuck,"

your eye capsules filled with tears

it was painful, but the good kind

yunho saw this and became worried but suddenly

you moved on your own, wanting to feel more of him

he began to be filled with lust and began to thrust in and out of you at a good speed

lewd sounds came out of your mouth, as messy groans came out of his

you tried to cover your mouth from letting out too much noise but nonetheless some of them slipped out

he kissed you

the kiss was full of passion, lust and love

you returned the kiss, of course, which muffled some of the sound

you couldn't take in everything that was happening rn

you were having sex, with your husband, jeong yunho, in paris

you couldn't have dreamt for a better setting

a tight feeling in your lower abdomen caught you off guard

you arched your back, letting yourself feel the whole of his length

he knew what was happening and started thrusting into you at full speed, hitting your g-spot so well

you took one of the pillows beside you and covered your face with it, letting out a full-hearted moan as you came

yunho pulled his shaft out of you and took off the condom in the process

he stroked himself until he came onto your stomach, as you were laying there, breathless and sticky

your mind went into a haze, still trying to process everything

the love of your life immediately rushed to get a wet towel

he wiped off his aftermath on your stomach, making sure it was clean

yunho removed the pillow on your head and gave a small peck on your forehead

"you did so well, baby. i'm so proud of you."

once he came back from washing the white cloth, you were already sleeping

he smiled softly before crawling into bed with you

he laid beside you

and wrapped his hands around your bare torso

before falling asleep, next to his lifelong lover.

#ateez #jeong yunho #yunho ateez #yunho x reader #yunho x y/n #yunho au #yunho fluff #yunho smut #ateez x reader #ateez x y/n #ateez au #ateez fluff #ateez smut #i love him #hes so soft #stan him and ateez or perish #hhhhhh #alachi mind puke #alachi's bffs!

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this-is-quite-homoerotic · 4 years

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John & Jack - The Bad Old Days playlist

Made for the @torchwoodfanfests 2020 Bingo Fest, this is my fill for the prompt ‘music’. You can view my bingo card under the cut.

1. Charming Disaster - Grifters

You may plan to double cross me (Slip a dagger in in the back) / But I’m sticking with this horse / If the con is long enough it doesn’t matter... / Since we met I don’t know if I’ve fallen for you baby / Or if you’ve set me up to take the fall / Love is just another con / A fairy tale to lead them on / But together baby maybe we could love them all / Let’s take this sleepy town by storm / And when the sheep have all been shorn / We’ll be gone just like the gentle breeze of yesterday / With your skills and my good looks / Those fish’ll be begging for the hook / Reeled in by our seductive serenade... /

The ultimate Jack/John song from their conning days. In the beginning this was the bulk of their work together, conning and grifting their way through the galaxies and enjoying the benefits of a lush lifestyle. Jack was also looking for Gray on the side, so whenever he thought there might be a trail, he and John followed it. But other than that and doing the occasional job for the Agency, they were free to indulge themselves in each other and whatever else took their fancy.

2. Dorothy - Raise Hell

Young blood, run like a river / Young blood, never get chained / Young blood, heaven need a sinner / You can’t raise hell with a saint... / We gonna raise hell anyway

John’s POV. Meeting Jack was a heady rush for John, someone who could keep up with him and even teach him a thing or two and who shared his worldview was a rare delicacy, and that the package was so pretty was a plus, both for his own enjoyment and for the advantage it provided in cons. He isn’t planning anything long-term at this point, he’s simply looking forward to having a little fun.

3. LOLO - Hit and Run

They never saw us coming / 'Til they hit the floor / They just kept beggin' for more, more / Na, na na, na na na na, all dressed up for a hit and run / Na, na na, na na na na, all dressed up for a hit and run... / You always liked the taste of blood / And I get off when I point the gun / It's so good to have someone to be so bad with

The honeymoon phase, as it were. Jack and John are dangerously good at what they do, none of their marks realise they’ve fallen prey to con men until well after they’re gone. They’re out there painting the town red, looking pretty*, making a steady profit through criminal means and having a blast doing it.

*see lyric: ’all dressed up’, also see edits of them all dressed up at the top :)

4. Alessia Cara - Outlaws

Run, run like the devil’s behind us / Run to where no one can find us / Be the accomplice to my crime / Oh baby, run / Run cause we’re guilty as sin / Run cause we know we won’t win / We know together we kill time... / Run, run like you never did / 'Cause they found the evidence / And they found your fingerprints / All on me.../ We’ll be outlaws / Partners in crime

John’s POV. They’ve got complacent and their crimes and overindulgences are starting to get them in trouble. They’re taking more risks, John’s drug and alcohol addiction and anger issues have started to take their toll. They were almost caught and had to run, resulting in them being declared wanted criminals in three different planetary systems. John doesn’t care, if anything he’s more invested than ever in this thing they have together; he’s envisioning a partnership that only grows and becomes deeper with time and shared experiences. He’s falling in love.

5. Banj Heard - Whatever Doesn’t Kill Me (Better Run)

Bite the bullet baby we all got our own enemies / Locked and loaded won't you pour me out a glass of gasoline / And set me on fire / Set me on fire / Go ahead and pull it, bang bang, down on my knees / Set me on fire / Set me on fire / Now they say whatever doesn't kill you, will only make you stronger / But I say, whatever doesn't kill me, it better run / Whatever doesn't kill me better run

John POV. John’s violent tendencies are escalating. An old enemy and competitor gets the drop on him and tries to kill him (and Jack, though he’s only collateral, as John’s partner he was just there). They manage to escape, but John is furious. He goes berserk, vows to find their would-be murderer no matter the cost. And he means it. He leaves a trail of blood and fire behind him as he tracks them down and eventually kills them. John doesn’t care about collateral damage any more than their competitor did. It’s an eye-opener for Jack.

6. Unlike Pluto - Worst In Me

I saw you standing there, and I knew / I'm done for, it's over, I'm through / Playing games from the start / Sinking your nails in my heart / You bring out the worst in me / You bring out the worst in me / Looking back in my rear view / Nothing, no nothing can change you / I decided to play when I knew you were fire / It started off warm and now I hear the choir

The break between them, from Jack’s POV, when John goes a bit too far and he realises he wants out. Looking back, Jack realises that the problem isn’t just that John is out of control, it’s that Jack doesn’t like who he becomes when he’s with him. John brings out all his worst qualities, he can make anything seem acceptable, he’s too good at making high-stakes risks look like fun adventures, ever the consummate seducer, and all of a sudden Jack realises he let John steer him too far. This isn’t who he wants to be. So he walks away.

#Torchwood #Jack/John #my edits #my playlist edits #Captain Jack Harkness #Captain John Hart

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sagehaleyofficial · 3 years

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HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (12.16-12.22.20):

NEW MUSIC:

After releasing their latest single “That Won’t Save Us,” Against the Current dropped an acoustic version of the track. The video was directed by Jade Ehlers, who also photographed the single’s cover artwork.

Enter Shikari released a new music video for their song “T. I. N. A”., which comes off of their latest album Nothing is True and Everything is Possible. The music video was directed by Matthew Taylor.

Good Charlotte released their first new music in two years, an emotional song titled “Last December.” Their last music was released in 2018 in the form of Generation Rx.

Cane Hill released their second song since becoming an independent band, titled “Kill Me.” The track follows their previous single “Power of the High,” both of which will be featured on what is presumed to be a new album called Krewe de la Morte.

Beartooth released a remixed and remastered version of their second album Aggressive. After selling out on vinyl almost instantly, the new version was officially uploaded to streaming services.

Mayday Parade released a new Christmas song, titled “I'm With You.” The band went on to perform the song live from the Decatur City Church in Georgia.

After releasing their album Sudden Sky last year, Crown the Empire debuted a new music video for their song “Red Pills.” The band recently put out another visual for the song “Blurry (Out of Place).”

The Maine’s John O'Callaghan released a new song under his solo project John the Ghost. The song, titled “Live Once,” follows the previous single “Rolled Down Window,” which was released earlier this year.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Jimmy Eat World announced a new concert series, where they will be playing numerous albums in full, titled “The Phoenix Sessions.” The band will be performing their albums Surviving, Futures and Clarity.

“A Bowie Celebration: Just for One Day!” was recently announced, organized by the late singer’s longtime pianist Mike Garson. The lineup features The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, Jane's Addiction’s Perry Farrell and Yungblud.

After performing a livestream of their debut album White Noise in full, PVRIS announced they will be playing their second album in full on January 9, 2021. The album, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, was first released in 2017.

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their album Hold Me Down, You Me at Six will be performing two special live events. The shows will be held on July 6-7, 2021, at Pryzm in Kingston, England.

Lizzy Farrall performed a cover of The Beastie Boys’ classic hit “Sabotage” during her set at Five4Five Fest. The singer released her full-length debut album Bruise earlier this year via Pure Noise Records.

OTHER NEWS:

Waterparks released a new “pop-up event” educational video for their latest single “Lowkey as Hell.” The informative video is packed with random facts about the band.

After 178 days, Twenty One Pilots ended their never-ending video for their single “Level of Concern.” The video in question recently set the Guinness World Record for the longest music video of all time.

The Teenage Cancer Trust revealed details of a special Christmas raffle. The Christmas Rocks giveaway features prizes donated by Bring Me the Horizon, Don Broco, Enter Shikari, Architects, Bullet for My Valentine and Twin Atlantic.

I Don’t Know How but They Found Me reached the No. 1 spot on the U.S. Alternative Radio chart. Their song “Leave Me Alone” knocked All Time Low’s “Monsters” off the top spot, which they held for several weeks.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley,” only at @sagehaleyofficial!

#sage haley #posi talk #mayday parade #waterparks #twenty one pilots #idkhow #idkhbtfm #against the current #enter shikari #good charlotte #cane hill #beartooth #crown the empire #the maine #jimmy eat world #pvris #you me at six #lizzy farrall

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deuterium51614 · 4 years

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So I don’t know when I’ll have time to write my Death Husbands AU because of uni, work, and game development, so here are the bullet points I’ve done so far:

15x19 - Inherit the Earth

Jack asks what made Cas happy, and Dean touches the handprint and starts breaking down again

Michael says that losing Adam physically hurt him, that it took everything to keep his body as a vessel

Lucifer still pretends he’s Cas on the phone

Lucifer brings Betty from the Empty and kills her, but she doesn’t become Death

“That’s weird. Should’ve worked.”

“What should’ve worked?”

“She’s the first reaper to die since Death, so she should’ve become Death. Seriously, what gives?”

Cas appears behind Sam and Dean with a scythe similar to Billie’s, but it has feathers coming off the heel of the blade

Since reapers are a type of angel, Cas was compatible with becoming the new Death

He was dragged into the Empty at the same time as Billie, and when they arrived, she delivered a fatal blow to him right before she died

The Shadow was still upset that it was loud, and that everyone was talking about Cas’s confession to Dean

The Shadow decided to go back on its deal, saying that bringing Billie to the Empty was enough to pay for bringing Jack back, and implanted the grace of reapers into Cas so he could return to Earth

“This may be a mistake on my part, but I feel if you’re Death, you’ll succeed in not dying and coming back here for a long time.”

“…Thank you?”

“Now, go back to your boyfriend.”

Cas reads God’s book in private

While he’s reading, Dean comes into the room and tries to kiss him, but Cas blocks him, saying that a reaper having romantic or sexual relations results in the death of their partner

Like how April killed Cas after they had sex

However, he’s happy that Dean feels the same way, and says Dean can fully reciprocate when his book ends

Cas doesn’t read the book aloud like Betty

Cas smites Lucifer and Michael as soon as he’s done reading? Or Michael still smites Lucifer?

Maybe he just reveals that Lucifer was actually sent by Chuck

“Ha, yup. You got me.”

Michael still gets jealous, fights Lucifer, and the two of them release energy for Jack

Michael still betrays Team Free Will, but not just for Chuck’s approval — he wants Adam back, and is willing to do anything for him

Chuck’s defeat doesn’t change

Chuck asks Cas to kill him because Sam and Dean won’t, since Death was supposed to reap God

“But you’re not God anymore. You’re just a man, and so you will have an average reaper when your time comes. Jack is God, and according to his book, I will not reap him for a very long time.”

Jack’s book being God’s book — since he became God, the big book became his, and Chuck now has a normal book

15x20 - Carry On

Set up for the episode is still the same

Sam isn’t as sad at the pie fest, but he’s still a little glum

“Just thinking about Cas and Jack. Wish they could be here, you know? They’re family.”

“Hey, Cas said that Jack had a special mission for him as the new Death. Jack didn’t have complete control over his powers yet when he brought everyone back, so he even brought back monsters. So Cas has to round up all the evil sons o’ bitches in the world so that one day, we don’t have to hunt anymore.”

Dean still gets impaled, but this time he makes Sam promise he’ll stop hunting and have a life with Eileen so it’s explicit that she’s his wife in the flash forward

Dean sees Cas reaping the vampires, and when he’s stepping towards him, realizes he’s going to reap him

“C-Cas?” “Hello, Dean.” “Gonna give me the ol’ Kiss of Death?” “Yes.”

Cas asks Dean if he wants to continue hunting doing good in the world

Dean says yes, and Cas slips the ring onto his finger and they kiss

Sam can’t see Cas, and only sees Dean disappear when the ring is on

“Dean?”

Sam lives his life with Eileen, the montage is the same, but he’s signing with Dean II

Dean and Cas travel the world, reaping monsters before they can harm anyone

In the case of Garth and his family, and other monsters that don’t hurt humans, they reap them when their lifespans are up

Jack restores the souls of characters like Crowley, Ruby, Benny, Garth, etc. so they go to the new Heaven instead of the Empty or Purgatory

Dean and Cas visit the new Heaven, relax at the roadhouse to fulfill the Funko prophesy

Sam’s personal reaper was shown to be Death, so when his time is up, Cas and Dean are now his reapers and they come for him

“Heya, Sammy.”

#destiel #spn #spn spoilers #spoilers #writing #fan fiction

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nightwingism · 5 years

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The Devil of Blüdhaven

So, I’ve had this thought for a while, couple years actually, and it’s always been something that’s been in the back of my head. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone talk about it, either in the past or now. So, I thought it was about time that I sat down and typed it all out. Air it out. See if I would be crucified at the stake or possibly have people agree with me.

With comic book stuff, it always seems like it’s the extreme of the two options.

Heck, maybe people will see it and point other things out too.

It’s a long one, so I hope y’all don’t mind.

Nightwing, more specifically Dick Grayson, is one of my favorite characters in all of comic book history. Rather, I should say IS my favorite. I own every solo title issue that has been printed. Some of them I have multiple copies of. I currently have a large word document on my computer for my ideal and planned “Volume 5” of Nightwing, where I elevate him to become the Fourth Pillar of the DC Universe. Full of characters, stories, and re-introductions.

But with that being said, I am definitely no expert on the character. I often read other’s opinions and thoughts on him and find new and interesting facets of the character that I never even considered. It’s always a great day when I get to read a long ass essay on why Dick does something or why he is portrayed a certain way or even why he shouldn’t be portrayed in another way.

For the most part, people gravitate towards the same general literation of the character for his characterization. The highly praised Chuck Dixon run on Nightwing, from 1996 to 2002, issue #1 thru #70. I’ll be honest and state that his run was not my introduction to the character, nor even the first comic I bought involving the character. That honor would belong to Batman TAS and the New 52 Nightwing series. Loren Lester is my dude. But that’s a post for another day.

Getting back on track. I’ve reread Dixon’s run so many times, I can basically recite it by memory. This is the run I often cite for people to read, or for a Nightwing Netflix Series or movie. I have much love for it and all that it went out to do to set Nightwing apart from all the other heroes in the DC Universe and I wish that would have stuck around for much longer. Thanks Devin Grayson.

Nightwing is not the only superhero I’m enamored with. Shocking, right? Cyclops, Superman, John Constantine, Spider-Man, Captain America, and literally any hero from Valiant publishing. Love all those characters. They’re amazing. But one hero in particular is one I often circle back to. He goes in the same sphere as Nightwing usually. That is my boy in red, Daredevil.

I’ve been a fan of Daredevil since I saw his episode crossover in Spider-Man TAS. See a trend here? I’ve probably watched that individual episode a couple dozen times. I even own it on DVD. Frank Miller’s Daredevil run is one of my favorite runs, only behind the current one by Chip Zdarsky. His run went through Issues 158 – 191 and 226 – 233.

And while reading through these two actually short runs (70 and 40 issues respectively), I thought of something. I want it to be known that I say this with a lot of love and care for both characters and their stories. And this is where the possibility of me being crucified comes in.

I feel that Chuck Dixon really borrowed a lot from Daredevil, both as a character and in storytelling elements, when crafting his Nightwing run. There are many elements that are eerily comparable to each other, and less so in a normal, comics can only do so much before they start overlapping, kind of way. None of the things that are borrowed are “bad” so to speak for the character, and most of the time, they really just helped Nightwing branch out from Batman and any of the other superheroes in the community. And since a lot of people have clamored to this interpretation, it can be assumed that people responded well to this.

Let’s start with the basics.

Dick Grayson’s mainstay use of escrima sticks started during this run – being the first time they were used and started the trend in issue #1. Religion became an unspoken, but added part to Dick’s life, with Chuck Dixon even going on record and stated that:

“...(he) finds solace in religion. He’s never been the cynical brooder that Bruce Wayne can be at times. Even though both went through the same childhood trauma Dick sought answers outside of himself. I think that’s the basis of his belief in Christianity.”

Though, it should be noted that religion was something that Marv Wolfman and George Perez has hinted at during The New Teen Titans. Now we just have more to go off of here. We also have the fact that he found himself working in law, though working as a police officer rather than a lawyer. The job itself became important and tied into many of the stories. There’s some more superficial things, such as Dick being a rambunctious kid, who instead of stealing patrol sticks from officers and breaking-and-entering like a certain New York born kid, would run away from home and ignore direct orders from Bruce.

From there, the next part is the fact that Dick gets a whole new city to call his own. While this isn’t overtly a copy of sorts, every superhero has their own city, we can look at the name. Bludhaven and Hell’s Kitchen. Heaven and Hell. Both are these horrible places, where people are just bad to be bad. Crime runs amuck. I don’t really know how to put it into words, but it’s basically a sort of “worst possible city a person can be in, and it’s up to this guy in a mask to make this city a better place.” Bludhaven was actually a really great addition for Nightwing though. Everything was really a good addition for his mythos, but this was probably my favorite.

Then we have the rogue gallery.

Nightwing really didn’t HAVE a rogue gallery before his solo title. And that makes sense, because he was either fighting Batman villains or Teen Titans villains. The only villain that would be in his gallery currently would be like Deathstroke, and even then, that’s up for debate for some people.

Blockbuster is an obvious comparison to Kingpin. Up and coming Crime lord who is trying to take over their city through force and intimidation. Bribing officers, and having high-leveled officials under his thumb. He has a wide range of underlings, and often hires assassins to take out the hero when he starts to interfere with his plans. They can both be placed as an archenemy to their respective hero.

Shrike was an attempt at making a Bullseye, a mysterious identity psycho who has a personal vendetta against the hero due to past experience with them. Both are deadly in the arts of killing, and are quite successful in that field.

Nite-Wing I feel was an attempt at making a Punisher type character. An anti-hero with a twisted ideology that comes in clash with the hero and has at one point worked with the hero. Although, as we know, Nite-Wing fell more to one side in regards to Nightwing, becoming more and more of a villain, as opposed to the Punisher who fell to the other side with Daredevil and actually helped a good amount of the time - albeit still a thorn in DD’s side.

Amygalda could be seen as a Gladiator type character. A misunderstood character with a good heart, and not necessarily do the right thing but more so live a normal life, but can’t because of personal demons - whether it be mentally or physically. Both are adversaries to the hero when they are unable to keep that other side dormant. The hero is more willing to talk to them than straight up slug fest every time - though that is a thing that happens.

During the Love and Bullets storyline and the Hunt for Oracle storyline, we have Helena Bertinelli as this Elektra type character. Not to say she became Dick’s college girlfriend who left after her father died only to become the world’s deadliest assassin. That'd be overkill. Huntress instead became this sort of “femme fatale” who showed up to cause havoc in Dick’s love life, and his blossoming relationship with Barbara at the time. She was this dark and mysterious character who showed Dick this other side of addressing the world. Their relationship was built on that adrenaline, and who’s to say that he didn’t actually love her too. I’m sure if Dixon continue writing, that probably would have been touched upon again.

These, to me, were the biggest ones. I’m sure you can probably draw more comparisons that are maybe just as much as a stretch as some of these. I couldn’t help to see some of these comparisons though while rereading it again for the hundredth time.

#Dick Grayson #Nightwing #Matt Murdock #Daredevil #Chuck Dixon #Nightwingism opinions #nightwingism talks #i don't know what else to really tag this as

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sfusummerfestival · 5 years

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Artist Spotlight: Purrnest and Zince!

🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨🎨

Happy Canada Day, everyone! Here’s today’s Artist Spotlight featuring the amazing artist duo Purrnest and Zince!

🎨 Introduce yourselves!

Purrnest: Hello! I’m Purrnest. If you haven’t realized yet, I might be that crazy cat lady who show you endless photos of my cats every time we talk. I spend my spare time drawing cat illustrations and recently start making cat stickers for bullet journal lovers.

Zince: Hi! I'm Zince!! I'm an animator by day and I draw on my free time! I've always loved creating original characters since I was little and I still do now. That said, this year I debuted two books featuring my OCs - one art book, and the other consisting of two one-shots which I am excited about. I will bring some copies to Summer Fest! I love meeting new people too so please don't hesitate to come chat!!

🎨 What are your favourite art mediums to work with?

Purrnest: My works are digital and I mainly draw with Procreate on iPad. It’s a gift from last year, and I’ve been practicing almost everyday since. In the future, I would like to move to computer and try other drawing softwares to experiment with different styles and possibilities.

Zince: I love working digitally the most as it accommodates my busy schedule best simply launching an art program, pulling out my tablet and I can quickly get straight to work. However, I love working traditionally as well! Some of my favourite traditional mediums are ink & dip pen, alcohol-based markers, acrylic and watercolour paints, and clay!!

🎨 What inspired you to pursue art?

Purrnest: I can’t resist anything cat related, even if it’s a small paw sticker on a random merch, and a shop full of cat-themed items would be my heaven. With this passion in mind, I created Purrnest aiming to give cat lovers an one stop shop and a simple place to get gifts for your cat loving friend.

Zince: Art has always been this calling for me for as long as I could remember. It's something I can't imagine living without! As long as there's a pen and paper, I will be doodling away~

🎨 Describe your individual art styles. How do they differ and complement one another?

Purrnest: Zince draws human body elegantly and Purrnest is all about cats. Both of our works are vivid with positive vibes. We complement each other by being diverse that customer can easily find their favorites in at least one of our works.

Zince: I think aside from the type of characters/subjects that we draw, the first noticeable difference is the line width that we use! I tend to use thinner brush and let my colours take the spotlight, while Purrnest has a sweet balance using bold lines and vivid colours that look pleasing to the eyes. I think it's really fun that we have such different styles yet we mesh so well together LOL I love that the colour pink seem to show up time and time again in our artworks and both of us share a Spring season vibe. I think that may be why our works look harmonic when placed side-by-side!

🎨 Tell us the story of how you’ve both gotten to know each other to the point of sharing a table? In other words, tell us about your art journey as a unit!

Purrnest: A big reason why Purrnest exist is because of Zince. It’s quite a magical coincident to have Zince to work closely with me at animation studio for 4+ years, and influence me with her creative minds. The first couple months we knew each other, Zince had her first tabling experience at Minicomi. I visited the event and shared the joy with Zince. We then made a promise to be tabling together one day. It took us 4 years to make it comes true. And I’m excited we finally did!

Zince: We first met back in 2015 at an animation studio as co-workers in the same team and as seating neighbours! It was around 2016 we started expressing interest in exhibiting art together in events such as Summer Fest. By 2017, we committed ourselves to debut as a unit in 2019 and worked hard for the entirety of 2018 in preparation for it. In our merch-making journey so far, we have been very supportive of each other, bounced ideas back and forth, shared resources we'd find, and were super excited about our improvements! This is only the start and we hope to connect with more and more people with each event we attend!

🎨 Check out Purrnest and Zince’s social media pages:

Purrnest:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/purrnest

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purrnest/

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/PurrnestIllustration

Zince:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZinceArt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zincedraws/

DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/izince

Portfolio: https://zinceart.wixsite.com/portfolio

#sfusummerfest

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keywestlou · 3 years

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LOSE JOB BECAUSE OF REFUSAL TO BE VACCINATED…..COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT

LOSE JOB BECAUSE OF REFUSAL TO BE VACCINATED…..COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT - http://keywestlou.com/lose-job-because-of-refusal-to-be-vaccinated-collect-unemployment/There was a time government was a team sport. No more. The good of the country and its people not a major concern. Purchasing reelection is. COVID has to be killed and buried. The best route the vaccine. However whether to be vaccinated has become a political football. Iowa, Tennessee, Florida and Kansas are anti-vaccine. Federal mandates re vaccinations and employment vaccination requirements have caused many to accept termination rather than give up their "sacred beliefs." It is now coming out that some who have taken dismissal are being rewarded. Certain states have "bought" their positions. Simply stated, lose your job because of a refusal to be vaccinated and collect unemployment. The unemployment benefit increase is not equal to the lost salary. However it is sufficient to ease the burden. States providing additional unemployment payments as an incentive against vaccination seems wrong to me. Morally, legally and otherwise. It is anticipated other states will follow suit. A court case is sure to ensue. Then the answer as to propriety will be known. Today is World AIDS Day. December 1. AIDS came into being in the early 1980's. Since Key West was a homosexual haven, its impact was felt. I started doing Key West in the late 1980's. AIDS meant nothing to me. My first confrontation was in Key West. I noted thin sickly looking men. A few visits and I saw them no more. They had died. I made friends with healthy looking folk. One fellow in particular. Enjoyed sitting at the Square One bar and chatting with him. I noticed on one trip he had begun looking sickly. A few trips later, emaciated. Then gone. I was impressed how Key West rallied to help its own. Those afflicted and those non-afflicted came together. One human family. There is a celebration today to remember those who were lost to the disease. It begins at City Hall at 4:30. A procession of candle holders will march to the Knight Pier. At 5, a ceremony will take place. Though AIDS is not the disease it once was, I guarantee the crowd at the Pier will be huge. It always is. I wrote about hurricanes in yesterday's blog and talked about them on my blog talk radio show last night. How this has been a "quiet" hurricane season A major article in one of the national newspapers this morning involved the Keys and hurricanes.. There were 21 hurricanes in the season just concluded. None hit the Florida Keys. Many hit New York City. Have things changed? A major weather change? Does not appear so. The "experts" claim it was merely pure "luck" that the Keys avoided the bullet this year. Twenty one hurricanes and not even one came close. I wrote yesterday also that in the 30 years I have been doing Key West, the hurricane season has been extended time wise several times. It was reported today the National Weather Bureau is considering extending the season at its opening. June 1 will be moved back to May 15 if approved. Blue Heaven is open again. One of Key West's more notable places has been closed for several months. Even through Fantasy Fest. Major remodeling was done. Terri White sang at Blue Heaven last night. It is expected she will be a regular this season. Every country comes up with ways to "force" vaccinations. Greece has designed one a bit different. Persons over 60 and unvaccinated will be fined $114 American money monthly. One hundred euros to the Greeks. The program goes into effect January 16. Eighty six years old and I still learn. I recall World War II vividly. I was 5-10 years of age at the time. Even that young, I recognized there was much we on the home front had to do without. My mother kept an empty coffee can on the stove. All grease, used oil, fat, etc. had to go into it. My job was to take it to the corner grocery store when full. We were given a few additional points to use when purchasing food. Everything was in short supply. It was five years of rationing. Americans did not bitch, however. They cooperated. Gasoline was limited to 2-3 gallons per week. No one complained. On this day in 1942, gasoline was rationed for the first time on a national level. I thought it was to save gas to be used in the war effort. This past week, I Learned I was wrong. The government's goal was not so much to limit gasoline usage. Rather to conserve rubber. Rubber was desperately needed for the war effort. Ration gasoline and cars would be driven less. The result being less wear and tear on tires. More rubber for the war effort. Syracuse basketball. I have said it before and repeat it again. Syracuse's team this year is the best I have seen talent wise. They even play well together. Yet their record is only 4-3. Syracuse's problem is they get huge double digit leads in the first half and then cannot hold on for the win. Everything still working, but the lead whittles down. Last night, a perfect example. Syracuse was 4-3. Playing Indiana that was 6-0. Syracuse won in double overtime 112-110. Syracuse had an 18 point lead in the first half. An 11 point lead at half time. Indiana caught up. Grabbed the lead several times in the second half. Then it was anyone's game. Enjoy your day!

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buzzdixonwriter · 6 years

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Compare & Contrast: Carousel vs Guys And Dolls

A dear departed friend of mine loved Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Carousel, and he was far from the only person to do so.

Ever since it opened in 1945, Carousel has been a perennial favorite, revived countless times on Broadway and regional theaters, adapted into a film, and chockablock with memorable numbers and well crafted scenes. “If I Loved You,” “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” and the big hit from the show, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” have been covered by thousands of artists and are in repertoires all over the world.

I can understand the fondness for the songs, and the admiration for the quality of the writing, but Carousel itself as a story?

This is one of the vilest pieces of crap penned.

Based on the play Liliom by the Hungarian playwright and poet Ferenc Molnár, Carousel is the story of Billy Bigelow, a self-destructive idiot who diminishes the lives of those around him simply by existing.

Molnár’s original play doesn’t dodge that bullet, and it ends with the protagonist being led off to eternal punishment while his dim-witted widow waxes nostalgic over him, despite the fact he abused her, never supported her, and left her in the lurch to bear and raise their daughter after he was killed in botched robbery.

Given a chance to redeem himself by performing one good deed for his daughter, Liliom (Hungarian for “lily” but also slang for a street thug) botches even that simple task and so gets dragged off to the fate he well deserves, the fate he quite deliberately and exquisitely fashioned for himself over the course of the play.

Small wonder those who adapted it to stage and screen typically sought a means of mitigating Liliom’s fate, to give one last ray of hope instead of following the story through to its grim but wholly logical conclusion.

Of all the adaptations that tinkered with Liliom, Carousel is by far the most egregious. It explicitly endorses spouse and child abuse as acts of endearment, Billy Bigelow (the Americanized Liliom) being a prideful, arrogantly ignorant sociopath who cares only for himself, and despite the vain promise of “You’ll never walk alone,” his daughter and wife are compelled to suffer all their lives for his sins and shortcomings.

He brings his daughter a star from heaven which even in the context of the story doesn’t mean anything; it’s just a gaudy trinket that can be and ultimately is ignored.

Geeze, a Marvel movie would at least see the kid get some superpowers out of the deal…

And if such a thing is possible, the 1956 film adaptation is even worse than the stage play: It begins with Billy in heaven, gainfully employed polishing stars, no need to either account or atone for his earthly behavior. His return to Earth is just to help his daughter out, not redeem his terrible behavior with a single good act, and in that context he’s more trouble than he’s worth.

One’s tempted to call Billy Bigelow a worthless sac of human excrement, but that’s not accurate: Excrement has use as a fertilizer.

Billy Bigelow is a 55-gallon drum of toxic waste, poisoning all it comes in contact with.

The key plot elements of the stage play are this: Billy Bigelow, carousel barker, gets fired by his jealous boss, Mrs. Mullin, when she sees him flirting with young mill worker Julie Jordan. Julie loses her job as well because of her infatuation with Billy, and the two marry impetuously.

A month later and he’s still found no work due to his refusal to return as Mrs. Mullin’s barker or take any other job that requires him to answer to a boss. He’s drunk and abusive, and while the stage play raises the issue that Julie should leave, it just as quickly subsumes it with Julie’s "he's your feller and you love him" attitude.

When a disreputable pal, Jigger, suggests they rob Julie’s old boss, Billy first refuses (though he doesn’t warn anyone of Jigger’s criminal intent), but when he learns Julie’s pregnant, launches into the most odious song in the show: “Soliloquy”

“Soliloquy” is a schmaltz fest that most people choose to hear as a loving father doting over his unborn child.

It’s not.

It’s a sociopath’s love song to himself.

Billy Bigelow does not care what is truly best for his son, he only cares about vicariously enjoying success through the boy, and not through the boy’s own efforts and desires but by shaping him into a mirror image of his father, a toy for him to manipulate and play with.

Almost all the careers he imagines for the boy are the kind of low level manual labor jobs that he’s only fit for, the exceptions being carnival barker and President of the United States (which he disdains).

“Bill, my boy Bill I will see that he is named after me, I will. My boy, Bill! He'll be tall And tough as a tree, will Bill! Like a tree he'll grow With his head held high And his feet planted firm on the ground And you won't see nobody dare to try To boss or toss him around! No pot-bellied, baggy-eyed bully Will boss him around.”

He even fantasizes about teaching his unborn son how to seduce girls…then realizes to his horror that his “son” maybe be a daughter.

“My little girl Pink and white As peaches and cream is she My little girl Is half again as bright As girls are meant to be! Dozens of boys pursue her Many a likely lad does what he can to woo her From her faithful dad She has a few Pink and white young fellers of two or three But my little girl Gets hungry every night and she comes home to me!”

That’s pretty damn sick.

Bigelow, perfectly willing to raise a proto-rapist male, doesn’t want the shame of having a victim for a daughter, and thinking the only way he can protect her is by buying her a higher station in life, decides to help Jigger rob Julie’s ex-boss.

Even there he’s a punk, not willing to do anything directly to threaten the old man, but perfectly willing to share in the proceeds of Jigger’s crime. (He’s also an idiot insofar has he had a nasty confrontation with the intended victim about a month earlier and apparently presumes the old man won’t remember him.)

But he’s not done destroying himself and Julie’s future and the future of their unborn child yet: While waiting in ambush, he and Jigger gamble, betting their anticipated shares of the loot.

Billy loses all his shares!

There is no point to him participating in the robbery.

There is no reason to help Jigger any further except arrogant pride.

They attempt to rob the old man, the old man draws a gun, Jigger flees, and Billy, rather than face the consequences, takes the coward’s way out and kills himself.

His daughter grows up being scorned and taunted by other children for having a father who was a stupid brute and a thief and a suicide, and as cruel as that is, who’s fault is it but Billy’s?

It was his choices that put her in that predicament, his pride, his arrogance, his lack of character and courage and imagination.

And Carousel celebrates this; it doesn’t pity Billy but rather feels sorry for him.

This is the difference: Pity can recognize the suffering of another person yet still recognize that person’s responsibility in bringing tragedy upon themselves; feeling sorry for someone negates the harm they have inflicted on others.

Billy deserves nothing. Julie deserves nothing -- she enabled this tragedy.

Only the daughter deserves sympathy and a second chance, Carousel’s climax is arbitrarily tacked on to give a fake happy ending and is as phony as a three dollar bill printed on a Xerox machine running low on toner.

Liliom and Carousel are tragedies, but only Liliom has the courage and clear vision to recognize it.

Compare and contrast with Guys And Dolls, the 1950 Damon Runyon musical by Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling, and Abe Burrows.

Like Carousel, it’s a crowd pleaser: Plenty of great scenes, lots of great numbers like “A Bushel And A Peck”, “Adelaide’s Lament”, “Luck Be A Lady”, “Sue Me”, “Sit Down (You’re Rocking The Boat)”, and “Guys And Dolls” itself.

It’s got a better structure than Carousel: A common convention in Broadway musicals is to have a main couple that the show focuses on and a supporting couple to offer a counterpoint to the main action.

One could eliminate the supporting couple in Carousel and, while the show would be diminished, it would not change the story of Billy and Julie.

But Guys And Dolls thoroughly integrates the stories of Sky Masterson and Sergeant Sarah Brown with that of Nathan Detroit and Adelaide: Remove either couple and the entire show collapses.

And of special interest is this: While Sky and Nathan are gamblers and by association at least peripheral members of the underworld, they are also men of personal integrity (Nathan less so than Sky, granted, but it’s still there).

Nathan is trying to stage “the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York” in the face of intense police scrutiny not for his personal benefit alone, but so he provide for his crew and so he can finally marry Adelaide, the show girl he’s been engaged to for 14 years.

Sky is riding on top of the world, a superstar among gamblers, a man who doesn’t need anything…

…yet at the same time is acutely aware of a large vacuum in his heart.

The story’s hilarious, with all sorts of outrageous characters and plot twists, but it rings far truer than Carousel because for all their flaws, the characters are trying to better themselves not for their own good but so they can better the lives of others.

This is a crucial difference between them and Billy Bigelow. The characters of Guys And Dolls may be foolish on occasion, but they ain’t dumb, they know the score, and more importantly, they know themselves.

The show’s songs are rich with self-awareness, and while the characters take risks -- they’re gamblers, after all -- they aren’t stupid self-destructive risks that will harm others.

Sky and Nathan, in fact, demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice themselves for others, and accept the consequences for their own actions.

More importantly, they are willing to change in order to better help the women they love, and that change comes without regret but rather with (again!) the self-awareness that their happiness is intrinsically wrapped up in the happiness of the person they love.

No song better sums it up than “Guys And Dolls” itself:

“When you see a guy reach for stars in the sky You can bet that he's doing it for some doll. When you spot a John waiting out in the rain Chances are he's insane as only a John can be for a Jane. When you meet a gent paying all kinds of rent For a flat that could flatten the Taj Mahal. Call it sad, call it funny. But it's better than even money That the guy's only doing it for some doll.”

The song closes with as direct a repudiation of Billy Bigelow as we could hope for:

“When a lazy slob takes a goody steady job, And he smells from Vitalis and Barbasol. Call it dumb, call it clever Ah, but you can get odds forever That the guy's only doing it for some doll!”

#Broadway #musicals #Guys And Dolls #Carousel #Rodgers and Hammerstein #Frank Loesser #Liliom #ethics #morality #writing #Ferenc Molnár #Compare And Contrast

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linuxgamenews · 7 months

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Swarm Grinder Action Roguelite - Experience Unique Challenges at a Discount

Swarm Grinder action roguelite game discounted in Steam Bullet Heaven Fest on Linux, Steam Deck, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the innovative team at Last Bite Games for crafting this experience. Available via Steam Early Access with 81% Very Positive reviews. Step into a world where each venture is a unique challenge. Where a sprawling mass of evolving cells spread across a chaotic landscape. This is the realm of Swarm Grinder, an action roguelite title that also offers a fresh experience every time on Linux. As you start, you're met with a map that's never the same twice. It's created on the fly, brimming with a menacing swarm that grows and transforms. Within these cells lie dormant enemies, eager to end your journey. Your mission in Swarm Grinder is to navigate this ever-changing setting. Since you must claim territory, amass power, and stay one step ahead of the opposition. Since it threatens to overwhelm you at any moment. With exploration comes strength, discovering various abilities that are due to alter your approach.

Swarm Grinder | Trailer

youtube

Each run you undertake is a new adventure. You'll face a plethora of skills scattered throughout this world. These aren't just power-ups; they're game changers. Due to ensure your approach is tailored and fresh with every attempt. As you progress in Swarm Grinder, you'll meet with waves of challenges and formidable bosses that test your mettle. With a rich roster of characters, each equipped with unique starting abilities, your strategy will also vary depending on your choice. Want more variety? There are multiple modes to suit any style of play, along with a host of achievements that reward your prowess and skill. Now, it's true, the landscape of similar titles is vast and varied. Yet, Swarm Grinder stands out since it offers relentless, grind-centric experience. It's not just about battling foes; it's about becoming a master of this ever adaptable domain. Right now, it's also available at a 40% discount. This isn't just any sale; it's part of the Steam Bullet Heaven Fest, offering you the chance to dive into this frantic and thrilling title without weighing down your wallet. Priced at $4.79 USD / £4.19 / 4,79€ via Steam Early Access. Swarm Grinder isn't merely a action roguelite; it's an evolving challenge, a test of skill and adaptability that beckons you to overcome its trials. So, if you're someone who thrives on mastering dynamic challenges with a dose of action. This could be the next experience you're looking for on Linux, Steam Deck, Mac, or Windows PC.

#swarm grinder #action roguelite #linux #gaming news #ubuntu #mac #windows #pc #steam deck #last bite games #Youtube #unity

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moonbelt · 7 years

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»if by chance

↳ soulmate au | college au

⇢ pairing: mark tuan | reader

⇢ genre: fluff + soft angst

⇢ word count: 8.825

author’s note: uh, so it turns out i’m a sucker for soulmate aus. thanks anon for requesting! hope this is as fluffy as you wanted!!

It was a stupid idea, you admit, to have a random name permanently inked on your wrist just because you wanted to dodge the bullets that came with not having a soulmate in modern society. It also didn’t help that the name you’d chosen had little to no importance to you and every time you thought of it, it seemed to be mocking you.

Like right now, as you hastily type the concluding lines of your final lab report and flip through your notebook to find a sentence you planned to quote, it sat there in full black swirling letters.

Mark, you didn’t even know a Mark. The only Mark you’d ever known was back in fifth grade, and you were sure he wasn’t your soulmate because for whatever it’s worth, the both of you had hated each other. Before he moved across states the day of your birthday, never to be seen again. Even though you were skeptical to this whole soulmate for life thing, you were absolutely sure that the system wouldn’t pair the two of you together.

You'd picked the name on a whim — it was the first thing to filter through your mind. The tattoo artist had asked you, repeatedly, if you were sure you wanted it but it felt wrong to choose anything else. So you walked out of there with your first ever tattoo.

Raising your head to examine the work you’ve typed up you’re met with a blank screen with a small loading signal as the computer begins the process of shutting down. Frantically, you bang your fists on the keyboard praying to a higher power that what you think is happening is not.

“No, no, no!” You watch as the device completely shuts down, dragging your unsaved hard work along with it. “You can't do this to me!”

But indeed it does, and for the second time in the span of ten minutes, your eyes fixate on the writing on your wrist. Again, Mark seems to be sneering at you. Your face falls into your palms, just the thought of redoing your report is enough to bring you to the edge of tears. You’d already forgotten to do the last online quiz, so this was supposed to bring your grade up to your standards, but it looks like the Universe was conspiring against you.

You don’t realize when the first round of waterworks start to fall from your eyes until they land on your hands. God, you’d just dedicated two and a half hours of your life to this lab and to be honest, you’re still in shock that the computer crashed. So here you are, seated at one of the computers sparsely stationed around your dorms study lounge, crying yourself out.

It is times like this that you wish you had a soulmate that you were inexplicably attuned to. The stories your friends had relayed down to you about theirs always seemed to borderline with them balancing each other out. How if one of them was sad, the other could always find ways to lug them out of their slump. You harrumph at that. What an absolute lie. There was no way someone like that existed, especially for you. When everyone else was busy getting stamped with names on their hands, you got imprinted with static silence.

High school had to have been the worst four years you could’ve endured. Being embarrassed that you were the only person you knew to not have any sort of mark on your body that tied you to someone else, you remember actively wearing sweaters that covered your entire arms. And it had worked, at first, but then mistakes happen. Suddenly, you were serving as the token soulmate-less in your classmates jokes.

The recalling of these events brings you to the second round of waterworks. Ah, you hate this. On a good day, you aren't a crier, but you believe it to be justified at this point. Just thinking about the number of words you have to re-write is enough to send you into a fit of madness. At least the study lounge is empty, and no one can see as you break down.

"I'm sorry but, are you okay?"

Your head whips up from your hands, and through your blurry vision, you observe the person standing in front of you. It's a guy, you think. Your mind is in such a state of disarray that nothing particularly makes sense.

"Oh my god..." You choke out completely mortified by the turn of events. Great, it was bad enough that you were crying in the study lounge, but it just had to be the icing on the cake that someone would walk-in on you while doing it.

You're sure he feels awkward by the situation as well, and your thoughts are reaffirmed by the little glances he keeps taking around the room. "Are you okay?" He clears his throat, repeating his question.

"I'm fine. Great actually," you say forcing a smile into your voice. Lifting your hands to your face, you furiously wipe the strains of the tears off, but they keep coming against your will. "I'm not usually like this," you offer a justification.

He chuckles nervously, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You don't look too good though. Did the computer crash?"

"How did you know?" Your eyes widen in surprise, and you practically jump in your seat.

"Two days ago, I was the same situation," he says softly. "Did you save what you were working on?"

You shake your head, sniffling from the aftermath. "No. I was so stupid; trusting technology."

"Eh, don't beat down on yourself. It happens to the best of us." The boy offers you half a smile as he reaches behind him to produce a canned coffee and a packaged granola bar. "I don't know if this would help but here you go." He passes the snacks to you.

Gratefully you accept them but don't tell him that you're not a fan of caffeine, but you appreciate his efforts. You smile at him, a lesser strained one than earlier. "Thank you. You really didn't have to get this for me though."

He shrugs, his smile widening a bit. "It's no problem. I couldn't just leave you to cry all by yourself — I was raised better than that."

There’s a pause as you take in his appearance, now without blurry tears clogging your vision, and you’re thrown aback by the faint recognition like maybe you've seen him before ages ago. A red bandana tied around his forehead, a pen planted behind his left ear. You have the insane urge to stretch out and touch him. Check out for yourself if his hair really is as soft as it looks. Shaking your head, you scatter the thoughts away and blame your feelings on the lack of sleep.

"Thanks," you place the drink to the side of your notebook. "I would have preferred if you didn’t see me cry at all.”

He waves your gratitude away as he slinks into the computer station next to yours, a grin still gracing his face. "I can pretend I didn't if that's what you want."

"Do what you like. I doubt I have a say in your actions." You say seriously, pushing the power button on the Computer.

"True," he replies as he cocks his head to the side. "You remind me of someone I used to know."

"Isn't that a song?"

"Yes..." he laughs through his sentence, and you find yourself joining in. "But I swear you do remind me of someone. Don't remember who exactly, but someone."

You flex your shoulders, releasing pent-up tension. Maybe the cry fest you just had was a needed evil. "If you don't remember them, then they're probably not important." The computer screen lights up to the login page, and you quickly type in your credentials.

There's a slight pause as he logs in to his computer before turning his attention back to you. "Not necessarily. But I guess I see your point."

Ripping the granola bar open, you take a bite of it and relish in it. It had been hours since you'd eaten anything, focusing all your energy on completing semesters work in a few hours. And now you had to rewrite a whole essay in an hour, you didn't have the time to sit around thinking about how much time you'd already wasted. So you crack your knuckles and pull open a new file to begin working on.

He must sense that you're in no mood for small talk because instead of continuing the conversation, he allows it fall into comfortable silence. Choosing to rather drag his phone from his pocket and resume playing a racing game. Sticking by his promise to keep you company for the next hour. You're not sure why he feels the need to do it, but at the same time, you can't find it in you to complain.

The both of you spend your time together majorly in silence that’s decorated with your occasional screams of agony every fifteen minutes when you check the time. He laughs every time but still manages to get you to calm down, you don’t know why but his unblemished honesty and somewhat witty humor does the trick.

As it turns out, he's an English major — something you don’t expect because for some reason he doesn’t look like one. To that, he asks "what is an English major supposed to look like?" And even though you're tempted to tell him you'd always pictured your high school English teacher as the standard, you instead bite your lip before steadily going back to your work.

When you finally finish the paper, three minutes before it's due and still bedridden with grammatical errors you're too tired to realize exist, you jump up from your seat with hands raised to the heavens.

"Yes!"

The boy jumps alongside you, you find yourself grasping his arm and jumping ecstatically unable to hold in your happiness. Your semester isn't ruined, your hard work wasn't for nothing, and most importantly you'd completed the damned lab.

"It's done, it's actually done." You say, still in a state of shock. "I'm not gonna fail."

"I doubt you'd ever fail but, it is amazing that you finished within the hour." The smile on his face, if possible, widens. "Somehow I feel proud of you. I could never do that."

"Given normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be able to either. I guess you're like my lucky charm."

He scoffs at that, a look of disdain crossing his features. "Nah, that title is reserved for your soulmate. Is it not?"

Your train of thought falters at his words, and you're tempted to scoff back at him. Maybe the title would be reserved if you had one. The system had fucked up, and you knew better than to hold out hope for someone that wasn't going to appear. Unconsciously, your fingers wrap around your wrist in an attempt to hide Mark. From the boy or from yourself, you don’t know.

"Not really," you mumble. "I mean who does that? Reserve stuff for people you don't even know?"

"You'd be shocked," he offers you a small smile. "Anyways, it was nice meeting you. Hopefully, if we meet again, it wouldn’t be with you crying."

"Don’t you ever get tired of being honest?" You refrain from scoffing at his bluntness by grabbing your backpack from the floor and throwing it against your back.

Shrugging, he stuffs his hands deep into his pockets. "Not really. If you're honest about things, people know what to expect from you."

"Bet your soulmate loves that." You say with laughter in your voice. Bending down a bit, you log out of the computer and click the restart icon.

"Mm, maybe..." His voice trails off. "Anyway, I'll see you around," he says, turning on his heel and starting the walk to his room.

You have no idea why you reach out and latch onto his arm with a sort of vigor you don’t recognize. But once you’ve done it, you can't remember why you decided to hold him back. You stutter a little before the words fall out, beginning and ending with one another.

"Thank you for staying with me. I really do appreciate it."

"Don’t sweat it," he flashes you a lopsided grin. "Like I said; I was raised with basic manners."

Prying your fingers from his forearm, you let out a nervous laugh. He cocks an eyebrow at you, maybe he can tell that you still have something you want to say? Whatever it is — that look in eyes — pushes the question out.

"If you don’t mind me asking. What's your name?"

He's not expecting such a mundane question, and if you're honest with yourself, you don’t quite understand why you have the overwhelming urge to know what it is. The universe isn't your best friend, it never has, so you can't fathom why all of sudden it feels like the strings of your safely created world are in his hands.

Just as he opens his mouth to answer you, his cell phone lights the room with a ping! And on cue, he pulls it from his back pocket to examine the text message. Quickly he types his reply, and you move to stand at the side wondering what exactly, in the name of all hell, are you doing? This isn't you. Well, to be frank, nothing that has happened so far is you. You don’t cry in the study lounge, you don’t allow someone you don’t know keep you company, and most importantly, you don’t go around asking people for their names because they bestowed one act of kindness on you.

When he finishes the conversation on his phone, he angles his body your way. An amused smile on his face.

"Mark."

Now you’ve had your fair share of heart-stopping moments. Once in fourth grade when you fell down a flight of stairs and broke your jaw. Another was in seventh grade when you accidentally mailed your love letter to everyone in your class instead of the one person that mattered. But none of that could compare to right now. Time becomes an inexplicable concept because regardless of how much rationality you have, it stops.

He doesn’t give you the chance to say anything, not that you have the words anyway before he's waving at you and rushing out and down the hall. Leaving you alone with your thoughts, Mark, and an empty study lounge. Your mind must be in a delusional state because for some reason Mark seems to heat up. You don’t know why you don’t know how. But for everything you do know, you don’t want this feeling to stop.

"I know you said you don’t like parties, but I'm begging here," Jackson says as he pulls you into a hug from behind.

"If you know what I said why are you making me repeat myself?" You roll your eyes, reaching above your head to the cupboard and pulling out a pack of microwaveable popcorn. "I hate parties Jackson, you know this."

He pouts, resting his head on your shoulder and tilting it up at you. "But if you don’t come with me I'll be all alone. Is that what you want?"

"You have other friends," you don’t want to laugh at his words, but you do. "Yugyeom would love to go with you."

"It's different. You're my best friend [y/n]. What kind of friend would I be if I allowed you to wallow in pain alone on a Friday night?" He doesn’t wait a second for your reply. "A bad one, that’s what."

"But today’s movie night."

"We can have the movie night tomorrow," Jackson releases you from his death grip to flip your body to face him. "But today is the last party of the semester."

You wave the popcorn sachet in his face. "You want me to choose a party over Moana? Do you not know me?"

Sighing, he rolls his eyes and moves closer to the counter to pick up his glass of water. Ah, you know what he's doing. A master of guilt-tripping you into doing stuff you'd never do otherwise. You can already imagine what his next words are going to be.

"What if you finally meet your soulmate there? You act like you don’t care if you find them, but I know you, and I can tell that you want to."

That’s not quite right. You despise the fact that you haven't told your best friend the truth about the name on your wrist and how it was all made up, but you think you’ll despise his pity even more. The whole reason as to why you got it inked in the first place was because everyone always looked at you some way when they realized that you didn’t have a soulmate. It wasn't quite prejudiced but more 'thank God, that’s not me.' And even though you've had Mark for two years already, you know better than to think it to be the same as the real thing.

"Plus even if you don’t find them, you get to spend the night with the actual love of your life; me." He says with a smug look as he tosses the empty cup into the sink.

Throwing the sealed popcorn paper bag on the counter, you admit your defeat. "I'm only going because I know you're gonna get drunk off your ass and call me to drive you home."

He nods his head in mock agreement. "Yes, yes. Thank you for being amazing."

Parties have always had a weird imbalance in your heart. Most times you thought them to be ridiculously loud and all people used them for was to justify why they hooked up with the resident bad boy on campus. On the other hand, it did give you access to free booze and give you a window to human interaction. Albeit a slurry and impaired one.

And today your body is leaning towards the first half. On a good day, you’ll mingle a bit and get slightly buzzed, but the music is throwing you off. You can’t stop thinking about how your man-made mark had reacted, slightly, to human Mark. The rational part of your brain knew it was simply an illusion but the fanatical part of you was clinging to it like it was the key to life.

You groan as you grab a solo cup from your friend’s hand and down it in one gulp.

“Whoa, slow down tiger.” Naru laughs as she rubs your back lightly. “I thought you said no drinking tonight.”

Wincing as it goes down your throat, you hiss out. "I thought so too."

She snickers at you, taking the empty cup from your hands and placing it neatly on the table next to her. "Jackson owes me 10 bucks."

"You guys bet on me?"

"Of course. How long before [y/n] cracks? I said 30 minutes, Jackson said not at all."

You twist your lips up at her. "Really Naru?"

Naru shrugs at you, a smile still on her lips. "What? You looked stressed out. Do you have a crush or something?"

"No..." You don’t exactly know what it is.

"You do, don’t you?" Naru pipes up with interest. "Did you find The One?" She nudges her shoulder against yours, wiggling her eyebrows.

You shake your head. "Not yet."

At this point, you’re willing to crawl down a hole and die. No, scratch that. You want to hurl yourself at the sun. You’re ready to go play beer pong, which you suck at, in hopes of getting stupidly drunk, so you don’t have to remember anything for the next hour or so.

“I need a drink. Do you want any?” You change the topic as you push yourself off the wall. Turning your gaze to the crowd of people littering between the living room and kitchen.

The place isn’t packed from wall to wall, but there are still enough people around that it makes you feel queasy just thinking about the struggle to get there.

Naru shudders at your offer. "I feel like I'm about to pass out so no." After a beat, she adds. “Do you know where Jackson disappeared off to?”

"Beer pong, I think."

She pats you on the shoulder and shoots you a wink as a goodbye before she’s weaving her way down the stairs and into the basement. You take a deep breath before you dive into the swarm and begin navigating your way, avoiding as many elbows as you possibly can.

It takes you more than six minutes to get to the kitchen, and you’re immediately reminded that this is Jaebum's party. He’s the center of attention, bickering with a group of people. Some you recognize from hasty glances in hallways, some you don’t. You catch his eye on your way to the cooler station at the back, and he gives you a small nod of acknowledgment.

You’ve been to a handful of Jaebum hosted parties all because of Jackson’s friendship with him, but you’d never actually hung out with him. Now that you think about it, you never really spent time with any of Jackson’s other friends. Mainly because the few first times you’d met them it had been so awkward that you willingly uninvited yourself to other events they planned.

Waving at him, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Maybe you should’ve connected better with Jackson's friends, perhaps then you wouldn’t be stranded in a house party with such a weary way out.

“Well, don’t you look bored,” the voice comes out in a drawl. “Let me guess Jackson dragged you out again. You’ve got to learn to say no [y/n].”

You roll your eyes as you reach past Yugyeom to grab a canned drink from the cooler. Yugyeom is a friend. You aren’t that close to him, but whenever you stayed over at Jackson’s apartment, he always seemed to be there. Filling up space. He even dragged you along to a dance practice once because he didn’t want to be alone and Jackson had been busy doing… stuff.

“I did say no. For the past two months actually,” you answer as you pop open your can and take a swig.

He doesn’t say anything after that. Instead, the two of you stand in solidarity and drink. After a while when you’re more than considerably tipsy, the both of you engage in small talk which continues until a guy across the room beckons Yugyeom over. After a minute’s indecision, he obliges. “Anyways, I’ll see you around. We should hang out more often.”

Since you don’t disagree with the idea, you make sure to smile extra wide, so it doesn’t seem like you're faking it. “Sounds good.”

Once he’s slipped past you and gone over to his group of friends you are thrown back to reality. The bass music is pumping at a deafening volume, you wouldn’t be surprised if the cops showed up to shut the party down. People are everywhere. Bumping into you, giggling, dancing, hooking up. You start to feel insignificant compared to everyone else here. All these people trying to make moments in their life while you’re standing in the corner of the kitchen right next to the trash can.

Your feet have begun to ache. The time on your watch reads 12:04 AM, you let out a strained sigh. You know for a fact that neither Jackson or Naru will be leaving until at least 1 AM. Turning on the heel of your foot you make your way out of the kitchen and try to find the back door. You’ve been to Jaebum’s house enough times to know that his parties never extended to the backyard. There really wasn’t any space there anyway, and you guess it made it harder to manage if people were everywhere.

Outside the air is fresh and frigid against your skin and you’re tempted to call it a night and just head back to the dorms on your own. You’re so focused on the weather that you don’t notice the figure sitting a good foot from you. Your feet are planted steadily on the back porch, you feel somewhat elevated. Maybe you could just waste time here until you had to leave.

You plop down on the porch’s steps with a thud and then a scream as you come face-to-face with the one very thing you’ve been trying all night to forget. You're thrown away by how different he looks up-close and with a spark in your system. Almost like you’re staring at a painting. The urge to run your hands through his hair has returned, you thought you had won that war in the study lounge, but apparently, you had not.

“W-what are you doing here?” It’s a miracle that you don’t fumble your words.

Mark offers you a slight smile, takes a long gulp of his beer, coughs a little bit before he raises his hand up and waves a little. “You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?”

You try to return his smile, but in the back of your mind, you’re positive that it most likely comes out as a grimace.

“Uh, yeah we had —” Your sentence is cut off by Mark snapping his fingers. He reminds you of a light bulb with electricity constantly flowing in.

"You're the crier, aren't you?" He seems pleased with his answer. "It's been what? A week? Since we met, how you holding up?"

There's a stone wedged in your throat at his nickname for you. Fuck, why did it have to be crier of all things? It brings back a memory you had almost forgotten. The Mark from fifth grade had incessantly called 'crier' day in day out. All because you had tripped on air, fell down a set of stairs and broke your jaw. You were pretty sure if you ever came across the Mark from that time, you were going to blow a major blood vessel.

You nod, not trusting your voice as another breeze sweeps past and you drag your arms closer to your chest.

He sighs as he leans back on his arms and raises his face to the stars. “So, what are you doing out here?”

“Nothing really. I’d just rather be out here than in there.”

Nodding in agreement, he finishes the rest of his beer before he crushes the can to half its size. You look down at your folded fingers. The silence cascading around you is comfortable, and you don’t feel the need to make conversation. It dawns on you that the silence you experience around him has never been awkward.

“Ah, this feels nice,” Mark breathes out. “Still. Quiet. Sometimes everything just gets so loud, and I can barely think.”

“To be fair, you are at a party.”

He grins at that. You can tell he’s drunk by the asymmetrical smile on his face, but regardless, you can’t help but smile back. “True. Promise not to tell anyone, but I hate these parties. I only show up out of obligation.”

You raise your drink to your lips. “Relatable. Honestly, I came for the booze.”

His laugh is honestly like a barricade of brick walls crashing into each other. So profound and sonorous it makes the hairs on your back stand up straight. You catch yourself laughing along with him. You don’t want to, but you tell yourself to slow your roll, after all, Mark is the epitome of a nice guy. He most likely laughs at all his friends jokes — out of obligation.

“So that’s why you’re here? Not because my sparkling personality drew you in?”

You realize that although Mark is a man of refreshing candor without alcohol lighting his system, he's more if it were possible, honest to a fault with it.

“I didn’t even know you’d be here.”

The back door swings open right at that moment and a girl stumbles out. Hair wild and untamed. She’s smiling broadly but at the same time looks confused. You watch as her eyes illuminate as soon as they fall upon Mark. She reaches down and flicks his forehead with her forefinger and thumb.

“Have you been here all night?” She rolls her eyes to all heavens. “C’mon, we gotta go.”

In the midst of this, Mark doesn’t lower his focus from you. He seems, for the most part, bent on pretending the girl behind him isn’t here. You drop the empty can from your mouth and place it gingerly beside your foot. With a grunt, Mark lifts his head up and squints his eyes at the girl, you assume to be his friend.

“Why? This party is finally getting fun. You’re ruining it.”

She scoffs, flipping her hair. “Uh-huh. You’re having so much fun, I’m jealous,” her eyes cast sideways to you. “Jinyoung’s drunk off his ass and keeps asking for you.”

There’s a moment of hesitation before he pushes himself up on the balls of his feet. His gaze is unwavering. It feels surreal just being near him, you don’t know if this feeling comes from how many drinks you’ve had or if it’s something deeper. But you don’t want to question it.

“In case you don’t remember, I’m Mark,” he says, and immediately you forget the girl behind him. He smirks down at you.

“[y/n],” you quickly stand up as well. All your choices this night catch up to you, and you waver a bit, his hands reach out to stable you. You can feel embarrassment creep up your neck by the second.

"[y/n]," he airs your name out.

He licks his lips, you’re sure he’s not doing it sexually however that doesn’t stop you from interpreting it that way. “I would ask you for your phone number but my phone died,” Mark says, running a line through his hair vigorously with his hands. It falls down in waves over his eyes which hold a semblance of confusion.

You’re about to offer your phone and get his number instead when he snaps his fingers. Eureka! He has a knack for snapping his fingers when he's drunk, you observe. He reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and brings out a blue pen. Handing it to you he says, “would you do the honors of writing your phone number down?”

“Where?”

The girl — his friend — is becoming more agitated as the minutes tick on. She keeps tapping her foot and muttering incoherent words under her breath. You focus your attention back on Mark. You don’t know her, and you don’t want to. You cock your eyebrow at him. He chuckles, thrusting his palm forward. Carefully, like maybe he’s glass, you hold his hand and fastidiously write down your phone number. His fingers are slim and long, you kind of want to trace it with yours, but you control yourself.

Once you’ve finished, he beams at you. Your eyes fall on his lips. You are curious about how they would feel on yours. They look like they could crush you, and you feel like maybe you’d like it.

“I promise to call you,” his words are almost drowned out by his friend dragging him by the arm.

“Let’s go, Mark! What am I? Your babysitter?!”

He puts one foot through the door. “Guess, I’ll see you around [y/n].” His grin doesn’t slip away from his face, but it does shift into something smaller.

Before you can even find the words to say the door slams shut and you’re thrown back into the dead air. Confounded, you sit down on the steps once more. There’s a giddy feeling in your chest. Actually no, it's something more. Something you don’t know how to explain. It feels like you’ve reached the peak of a mountain. Exhilarating but scary. A compulsion to run straight through the party and relay everything that transpired back to Jackson and Naru runs through your veins.

You cover your face with your palms. The smile on your lips threatens to crack your cheeks open. Time seems to, again, have stopped. Your heart beats so loud you wouldn't be surprised if it were louder than the music thumping through the house. For the second time that day you want to crawl in a hole, but it's for an entirely different reason. This time it's because you're afraid, afraid you wouldn't be able to hide how bubble-headed and flustered you feel.

Winter break comes and goes without human Mark calling you, and Mark smirks smugly every time you hold your phone out and wait. You try to push the situation to the farthest point of your mind by drowning yourself in books. But even then, you find yourself researching on the soulmate-less. From what you know, and from what you gather, the population without soulmates is a rarity. And contrary to what your high school peers had told you they do not, in fact, die alone.

However, that does nothing to lift the weight on your chest and you must not be doing a good job of hiding your emotions because Naru decides, after days of deliberating, to lay down the truth.

"Are you still worrying about your crush? [y/n], come on, it's a crush it'll fade away." She says now as the two of you move the last of your boxes into your dorm.

"I'm not thinking about him."

"Yes, you are. I know you."

"Honestly, Naru. I'm not," you lie. "I'm just thinking about all the work I'll have to do this semester."

She rolls her eyes at you as she dumps a box near your bedside table. "Whoever this crush of yours is, it will never compare to the name on your wrist. So, don’t get invested."

You mutter under your breath while you squat down to tear open one of the boxes. "I'm not."

"Whatever you say," Naru raises her hands up in surrender and lets the conversation go. "You hungry? I am."

Abruptly you stand up to your full height, thankful that Naru can read how awkward you get whenever someone brings up this whole soulmate business. You grab your wallet from the table. "I'll go to the vending machine and get something, yeah?"

Naru flops down on your bed. "Can I get a Cheetos?"

You nod your head before you're dashing out the room and out to the hallway. You won't lie. The more you hear the word soulmate, the more the weight on your chest seems to cave in. You take a sigh of relief when you realize the pathway is empty and begin making your way to the Laundry room where the vending machine is located.

It's when your debating what item you want that the door swings open and in comes Mark. He looks stunned to see you there in your Spider-Man shirt and jeans and then he looks quite happy to see you. For reasons, you don’t know. The smile on his lips is full on frontal, and you have to remind yourself that he probably has a soulmate out there and whatever this is between the two of you isn't going to last.

"Oh God, you're not ignoring me are you?"

"W-what?" You stutter a bit.

He moves a little closer, still smiling but wary at the same time. "I don’t know if you didn’t get my messages, calls or if you’ve been avoiding me. So I'm giving you an out if that’s what you want."

"Well, I did not get anything from you. I thought you were ignoring me," your sentence ends with your nervous laughter as you grab the nape of your neck.

"Do you think maybe I was texting the wrong number?" The reality of it settles in, and he lets out a wimpy sound. "They probably think I'm a weirdo. Oh God."

You laugh at his antics as you make a random decision on the vending machine, clicking the first thing you see. "What did you say?"

He sighs, devastated. "I basically asked you out on a date and got turned down by radio silence."

You choke on air. "You what?" You give up on trying to constrain your laughter, opting to allow it flow out to the point it brings tears to your eyes.

"Hey, I made a promise to call you. Even as a drunk, I wouldn't make a promise I can't keep."

"Honest to a fault." You say as you bend down to grab your paid item only to find an empty slot. "Did it just eat my money?" Hastily you stand up, scoffing at the machine. "Really?"

"Try hitting it?" Mark offers his suggestion, and soon enough the both of you are frantically smacking the life out of the inane vending machine that refuses to give you your money's worth and laughing so loud that you forget that you're in a laundry room in a dorm housing three hundred other people.

Once you've let it all out of your body a vertiginous feeling washes over you as you take a deep breath. You don’t know how it happened, or maybe you do, but without warning, you're beyond close to Mark. So close you can feel his little releases of breath that fan against your skin. Your eyes latch onto his lips and for a second time you know he probably doesn’t mean it to be sensual, but regardless your body reacts to it.

The person to break the silence is him. "Would you find it highly inappropriate if I kissed you right now?"

"I don’t think I have a problem with that... but your soulmate might."

"I doubt that," he bites his lower lip and you watch as his eyes light a fire you can't contain. "I don’t believe in assigned soulmates. Some higher power shouldn't tell me who to love."

You agree, closing the space between the two of you by etching forward. "Right. We should be able to decide who we love and who we don’t." A burning feeling chases up your arm, and even though it stings, it feels strangely calm.

"I think I'm probably going to scare you away."

"How?"

"Because it scares me, how attracted I am to you. It's not even a crush, maybe it is, I don't care. All I know is that life is too short to be classifying the way someone who likes another person into categories. I just want to be around you and make you smile. Maybe I'm exaggerating and giving you too much credit, but it scares me how the most trivial things around you don’t seem that way. It scares me how my body responds to you. It's really fucking scary."

You can hear the unrhythmic beating of his chest. You can feel the heat emitting from his body. You like the feeling of his heat hitting your skin. And with the expression on his face, you wish for a moment that you could tell him the truth behind your predicament.

You clear your throat. "If you're gonna kiss me and then say you just want to be friends, get it—"

Without a second thought, he puts his hands on either side your face and your heart spikes up as the rest of the room fades to dust.

And when his lips come crashing down on yours, you forget how to breathe. He tastes like butterscotch and mint, and you never knew those two were the best concoctions the universe could've created. He traps your waist in his hands and squeezes once, twice, and sets your lips apart and ablaze simultaneously. It became an urgent need to feel him. You clamp onto his hair and get taken aback by how soft it is. It feels like you're being burnt alive. Butterflies set a nest in your stomach and flutter up to your neck before they break out from your mouth. He feels like the ocean; calm, gentle and serene yet deadly like it could sweep you off into the distance at any time. There's a silent gasp as the two of you broke up for air.

You're breathing so loud the ramifications hit your skull and fizzle back to your toes. Contrary to other kisses you’ve had, your eyes aren't dazed. No, they are alight. Sparked up with a new flame. You swear to yourself that even soulmates can't feel something like this. And for the first time, you're not hung up on finding that non-existent person. You can't get your heart to stop pounding, and by the look in Mark's eyes, you don’t doubt that he's doing the same thing.

"That was... interesting," you finally say when you've caught your breath. You remember now that Naru is probably wondering why you haven't returned from war and you burst out in giggles.

"Wow, you really do remind me of crier," Mark says joining in your laughter.

Something dies in your throat. "Crier?" Your mind goes back to weeks ago when you'd first met him. "The person you said you couldn’t remember?"

Running a hand through his hair, he grins at you. "Yeah. We were best friends for two years but I had to move without notice, so I'm pretty sure I'm hated now."

"What year was that?"

He upturns his head in thought. "I left after eight grade."

Your eyes widen in alarm and not from the all-time high that you're on. Your chest fastens up again. "Did this crier trip and break their jaw?"

"Yes," he snaps his fingers. "And once they even mixed hot sauce in my ketchup. I kinda wonder if I'll ever meet crier again."

"A-are you Mark Tuan?"

As much as you don’t know how to feel about this turn of events, you can't deny that a little part of you hopes it's real. It's now when the air seems electrified that you fully recall the details that led to the Mark of fifth grade leaving town.

You hadn't always loathed him, of course, you hated his nickname for you, but he had been one of the few friends you had back then. And you'll be honest, you did cry a lot when you were younger, and kids made fun of you for that. The Mark from that time had always stood by you, during lunch every day, the two of you walked home together almost every day. Every day had become slightly better with him on your side.

Then one day, he was gone. Suddenly your birthday that you'd been looking forward to became one of the worst times for your 15-year-old self. You'd decided then and there that you’ll hate him, forget about him, do anything in your power—

"Do you remember me now?"

"I thought you left," the words come out in a whisper.

He takes a step back from you, casting a downward look to his converses. "I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have disappeared like that, but I didn’t know I was leaving until the day of. I--I tried to call you but it never went through, and when I finally came back, your family had already moved someplace else..."

"What about now? Why didn’t you tell me who you are? If you knew who I was why did you hide it?" Your tone is accusatory, but your mind is running laps against each other. Nothing is making sense. And despite the fact that you don’t blame him for what happened or how you handled the situation, you still very much feel... cheated?

"Because you didn’t even remember me [y/n]," Mark lets out an exasperated sigh. "We had a History class together during Freshman year, and you didn’t recognize me—we sat next to each other. I called out to you in the cafeteria once, maybe you didn’t hear me. Who knows. I thought you were ignoring me and then I saw you crying in the study lounge and—"

"—and the cycle started all over again."

Are you okay?

The possibility of crying is becoming a more likely outcome as the second's pass on. And the more you blink your eyes to keep them at bay, the more your eyes start to glisten.

"Were you never gonna tell me that it was you?"

"I wanted you to like me for the me now. Not the me that was your best friend years ago. I've changed, you've changed. I just wanted you to not like someone that may never come back."

You scoff at that. "What's the difference between the two?"

Mark finally looks up to connect his eyes with yours, and the impression on your chest breaks way. "Me then had a soulmate. Me now does not."

Scrunching your eyebrows, you cock your head at him. "I don’t understand."

"I had one, but it didn’t feel right. I had already met you, and they couldn’t compare to it. Not even a little. And I guess when I decided that I could never love them like how I do you, the mark just faded. Everyone acts like predestined soulmates are the best thing but, sometimes they are not. I haven't got a new one since then, so I guess that means the system accepted my begging."

You throw your arm out and show him Mark. The Mark that you created on your skin. It wasn’t given to you by the higher-ups. Instead, it was something you unknowingly had wanted.

"I got this done two years ago. I never knew why but it seemed like the only thing I would like permanently."

He tries to hide the shit-eating smile on his face, but really he can't. It's such a broad smile that you kind of wonder how his cheeks survive the expansion. "Maybe the universe is actually on my side."

"You think I got this because of you?" You ask incredulously as you fold your arms across your chest.

Mark shrugs. He doesn’t particularly care why you have his name tattooed on your wrist, the truth is he's beyond ecstatic that his prayers, by some miracle, have come to life. "I pleaded to a deity that you and I get matched up. I don’t need a stupid mark to tell me who I love, but it feels great when you see it stamped in concrete."

"So what, were you planning on getting my name tattooed on yours? Are you insane?"

He grins slyly at you as he pulls up his shirt's sleeve to show you his wrist, wherein medium sized letters your name sits proudly. "Maybe so. I got this two years ago too before I started college, and then I met you."

"You're so fucking insane."

"So are you. Crier, you got my name on your wrist. I don’t know about you, but I'm claiming you as my soulmate."

"We're gonna have to start from scratch, you know. Sure we have physical attraction and what not, but that fades away. You have to actually love me. To put in your words: not the me from then but the me now. If I'm taking you as my soulmate, then I don’t want to let you go. Ever."

In your head, you can list all the problems that come with this. It's a game of tug of war. If you pull too far, then the other person lets go. If you don’t pull at all the other person still let's go due to lack of effort. Either way, there's no winner and—

Mark moves closer to you. "If you have me now. You have me forever, I promise. I'm willing to change fate with you [y/n]. If that’s not soulmate material, then what in this world is?"

Change fate, he says. You realize you've started crying when he reaches up and uses a thumb to erase the path the tears are making. But it keeps coming. This is why you hate crying, once you start it just doesn’t stop. Like a waterfall, it pulls and pulls. Mark chuckles at you.

"What's the thing you're doing right now, crier?"

You want to punch him. Strike him so hard he feels all the misplaced but warranted hate you harbored towards him for years. How dare he just waltz into your life and try to reclaim the very thing you didn’t want anyone to have?

"Screw off."

"I know I've made some mistakes. I thought it over and I want to make it up to you by being honest. I love you [y/n] even if it's a little spark right now, I love you. And our marks might be human-made, but I'd do anything for you."

"Anything?" You ask, looking at him through blurry glasses.

"Anything." He reaffirms, resting his forehead against yours. "We'll work through anything. I already cheated the system once to get you, and I'll do it again and again and again as long as it means I'll get to spend my better part of forever with you."

A/N: oh my gosh, i hope people like this and tell me what they think. thank you very much for reading! ahh, please do tell me if you liked this :)

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