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weiandhan · 14 years

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He should have got life - a mother's anguish

July 18, 2010 — 3.00am

WU LIPING is constantly crying and furious, and says Australia should have given a life sentence to the ice-bingeing madman who caused her only child to jump to her death at knifepoint from a Sydney apartment block.

(WU LIPING은 계속해서 울부짖으며 분노하고 있으며 호주는 시드니의 한 아파트 블록에서 하나뿐인 아이를 칼끝에서 뛰어내려 죽게 한 이 얼음덩어리 미치광이에게 종신형을 선고했어야 한다고 말하고 있다.)

''I am very angry about the result,'' Ms Wu said through her Sydney lawyer yesterday from her home in Sichuan province in China. ''A young life has been lost and that has destroyed our whole family.''

(우씨는 중국 쓰촨성 자택에서 어제 시드니로 변호사를 통해 "결과에 대해 매우 화가 난다"며 "젊은 사람이 목숨을 잃었고 이로 인해 우리 가족 전체가 파괴됐다"고 말했다)

Her daughter's killer, homeless man Brendan David Dennison, was sentenced to 28 years' jail in the Supreme Court on Friday, with a minimum of 21 years, having pleaded guilty to 19 charges including the 19-year-old University of NSW student's murder at Waterloo in October 2008.

(그의 딸을 살해한 노숙자 브렌던 데이비드 데니슨이 2008년 10월 워털루에서 19세의 뉴사우스웨일스대 학생이 살해된 것을 포함한 19개 혐의에 대해 유죄를 인정해 28일(현지시간) 연방대법원에서 징역 28년에 집행유예 21년을 선고받았다.)

Ms Wu asked her lawyer Daniel Shen to lodge an appeal, but Mr Shen said he had been trying to explain to the family that only the Director of Public Prosecutions could lodge an appeal.

(우씨는 변호사 다니엘 션에게 상소를 요청했지만 션씨는 가족들에게 검찰총장만이 상소를 할 수 있다는 것을 설명하려고 노력해왔다고 말했다.)

''I can understand their anger but unfortunately that is the system,'' he said, adding that he found Justice Elizabeth Fullerton's judgment ''fair and reasonable'' and the sentence ''within the expected range''.

(그는 "그들의 분노는 이해할 수 있지만 불행하게도 그것이 제도"라며 엘리자베스 풀러턴 법관의 판단이 "공정하고 합리적"이며 형량이 "예상되는 범위 내"라고 덧붙였다.)

Justice Fullerton told the court 28-year-old Dennison was liable for murder because the young woman, who cannot be named to protect her de facto partner's identity, had died trying to escape his detention.

(풀러턴 판사는 28세의 데니슨이 -그녀의 동거남(남편)의 신원을 보호하기 위해 이름을 밝힐 수 없는- 젊은 여성이 그의 감금에서 탈출하려다 사망했기 때문에 살인에 대한 책임이 있다고 법원에 말했다.)

Dennison's ''reign of sexual terror'' lasted four hours, during which time he held hostage four students, including the 19-year-old and her boyfriend, a Korean national, forcing them to strip and perform sex acts on himself and one another. The young woman fled to the balcony and fell to her death on the concrete below. Police said his abuse of ice had probably contributed to his behaviour.

(데니슨의 "성적 공포의 지배"는 1시간 동안 지속되었고, 그 시간 동안 그는 19세의 학생과 한국 국적인 그녀의 남자친구를 포함하여 4명의 학생들을 인질로 잡고, 그들을 발가벗기고 자신과 서로에게 성적 행위들를 하도록 강요했다. 젊은 여성은 발코니로 도망쳤고, 아래 콘크리트 위로 떨어져 죽었다. 경찰은 그가 뽕을 남용한 것이 아마도 그의 행동에 기여했을 것이라고 말했다.)

The dead woman's boyfriend had not spoken to the media because living with his girlfriend was ''shameful'' in Korean culture, Mr Shen said. Nor had the boyfriend spoken to Ms Wu because he could not speak Mandarin.

(사망한 여성의 남자친구는 언론과 대화하지 않았는데 여자친구와 동거하는 것이 한국 문화에서는 "수치"이기 때문이었다고, 션 씨는 말했다. 또한 그 남자친구는 중국어를 할 수 없어서 우씨와 대화하지 않았다.)

Mr Shen said he would visit Ms Wu and her de facto partner Ha Fa Heng to explain the sentencing.

(션씨는 판결문을 설명하기 위해 우씨와 그녀의 남편(동거남)인 하파헝씨를 방문할 것이라고 말했다.)

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s-c-r-i-p-s-i · 4 years

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Cruel to be Kind

[Dead by Baelight’s Kinktober // Day 3, 17, and 24 : Knifeplay, Bond, Basement]

🖤 🖤 🖤

“You gonna tell me what we’re doing here, or…?”

“I mean I could,” Danny conceded, casually throwing up his hand in a sort of shrug gesture that Frank was positive was specifically manufactured to show off his knife and the fact that he was holding it, steel glinting menacingly in the unnaturally red light of the basement.

“But that would ruin the surprise.”

🖤 🖤 🖤 Pairing: Ghostface (Danny Johnson) x Legion (Frank Morrison)

Rating: Explicit

CW: homophobia, non-con/dub-con, knifeplay, bondage, smut, canon-typical violence

Word Count: 2,828

“Well, well, well. What do we have here…”

Incredulous, Frank squinted at the man through the pinhole slits of his mask, lip curling over his teeth. “I - You’re literally the one that did this. You haven’t even left the room.”

Ghostface had torn him away from the lodge and tied him to this fucking chair in the basement - and Frank had been helpless to stop it, because even with all their God-given gifts from the Entity, Danny was still stronger than him.

All the others had fucked off, Joey in a Trial somewhere, and Jules and Sooz were… doing their thing. (God help anyone who fucked with ‘girl’s night, that shit was sacred.)

The minute he’d been left alone, that fucker swooped in like he’d been waiting - shit, maybe he had been. Creepy bastard.

And now he had the audacity to act like he’d just stumbled on him here? For - what - dramatic effect?

The man deflated exaggeratedly, his head flopping to the side like his neck suddenly just couldn’t support it anymore. “Don’t be a party pooper, Frank.” He sighed, somehow managing to make even disappointment reek of dishonesty and condescension. Nothing about that guy was real. Not a goddamn thing.

Releasing a nostril-flaring, profoundly annoyed breath out from his nose, Frank bunched his hands into fists so tight his fingers cracked and tried testing out his restraints behind his back. He wasn’t terribly surprised to find the ropes completely unyielding, but it still shot an ample dose of pure, uncut panic right into the mainline. Not that he’d ever fucking show it. Frank didn’t even want to think about the level of sadistic glee Danny would bag from that. A whole metric fuckton, he was sure. “You gonna tell me what we’re doing here, or…?”

Frank did not like it there. It was the place where the veil - if there was such a thing - between the realm and the Entity was the thinnest. The place where her whispers were the loudest. It gave him the creeps. Of fucking course Ghostface would feel right at home there.

“But that would ruin the surprise.”

“Which is?” There was a beat of silence, just long enough for Frank to realize what a stupid fucking question that was.

“…I’m starting to think you don’t grasp the concept of ‘surprise.’ That’s fine.” He said, hooking his knife underneath Frank’s hood and knocking it off his head, gently tracing the flat of the blade along the side of his neck. It was cold against his skin, and he had to reign in a shiver. “I never did pick ‘em for their brains.”

Pick… who? Frank wondered. His victims? “If you kill me I’ll just come back,” Frank scoffed a little too quickly, sounding nervous even to him. Dying fucking hurt. And it’s not like it happened all that often for him to have built up some kind of tolerance to it - if that was even a thing. “What’s the point in that?”

“Very astute, Frank,” Danny cooed, quietly flipping the blade so that the sharp side was just grazing Frank’s neck. “But…” He continued, leaned back and quiet, like he was distractedly admiring the sight. “I think that overlooks an awfully big part of the whole appeal. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll admit, that little caveat can be a little… dissatisfying at times. But I’ve never killed people just because I want them to stop existing. That’s boring.”

If he weren’t literally being held at knifepoint, Frank would have let his head fall back with a groan. Did he ask for a fucking monologue? Was that why he tied him up? So he’d be a captive audience to his bullshit?

“No,” Danny continued, “Sometimes… You just want to watch ‘em bleed.”

A sharp, stinging pain biting through his neck had Frank suddenly sitting up a little straighter, muscles clenching at that zing that shot through him.

That son of a bitch actually cut him!

“Fuck. Off.” Frank grit out.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

Frank grunted at the weight of the other man suddenly dropping himself into his open lap, no warning or discretion, just plopping down and straddling him like he owned the place. Once Frank got over the initial shock he immediately tried to jerk away in protest. Shit, Danny was surprisingly dense for someone so short. Heavy. “What the fuck are you eating, guy?! Get the hell off me, you fucking… fag.”

Another beat of silence that seemed intentionally timed to make him start regretting it. Not that he needed any time to regret it. Saying it always made him feel fucking gross. But he’d rather just bullheadedly… keep on keeping on than actually acknowledge that weird ass feeling.

“Hm.” Danny lifted Franks mask, sliding it up and off his face to rest on top of his head. “That’s an awful nasty word for someone who regularly fools around with another guy, himself, don’t you think?”

It didn’t even feel like it was supposed to be a stinger, it felt like he was just… asking. Taking off his mask like this was some kind of personal aside, just your friendly neighborhood Ghostface, checking in. It only pissed Frank off more, clenching his teeth tightly before finally responding.

“That’s fucking different. I’m not gay.” Most of the time that he was with Joey… that way - which was the only thing he could possibly be alluding to - it was all of them. Together. Threesomes or foursomes or whatever weren’t gay. It was hardly ever just the two of them; sometimes he had Joey blow him or something but that was it. And even if they did do shit - that was Legion. It was different. Danny wouldn’t understand. (How could he? He didn’t have anyone or anything.)

“Call it what you want, handsome.”

Frank’s lips couldn’t help but tug in two different directions at that little nickname, like he didn’t know whether he wanted to scowl or laugh. The middle ground was an embarrassing, wobbly, stupid little smirk that he just couldn’t seem to wipe off his face.

Mercifully, Danny didn’t call any attention to it. Returning the knife to his neck - on the opposite side now, Danny dragged it around to catch just under Frank’s chin, forcing his face up. Frank put on a tough face, jaw clenched, chin jut resolutely, eyes full of defiance, but he was hanging off every word and the bastard knew it. It was just - he was taking that little barb suspiciously well, and part of him was kind of just waiting for the other shoe to drop. For him to plunge the knife straight through his throat.

Instead, he leaned in and said “…But a spade’s a spade.” Then… he just eased off. Removed the knife. Pulled back.

And just when Frank thought he could take a breather -

“So you like dick!” Ghostface announced like it was one half of a headline, and far too loudly for comfort.

Frank visibly startled at the emotional whiplash, blinking back shock and incredulously glancing around the basement for witnesses even though he knew it was just the two of them. His mouth hung open, tongue buzzing with some acidic, half baked response that he never managed to get out.

“Big deal, that’s nothing to be ashamed of! And- not that it did before- but what the hell makes you think that kind of thing matters here? What are you scared of? The survivors? The Entity? You think big momma in the sky is gonna fucking… Spank you? She doesn’t care.” Danny huffed, clearly amused.

“I don’t-…” Frank sighed, gaze averted. He was tired of arguing, and hoped the note of… genuity? Would make him fucking drop it.

Fat chance.

In retrospect, maybe he should have just gone down kicking and screaming.

His attempt to deny everything was swiftly interrupted by a breathy laugh that Frank was disgusted to discover he actually found kind of cute. Until he promptly ruined it.

“Sorry - what was that? I can’t hear you over the fucking boner that’s been brewing ever since I sat down. You know your dick kinda jumps whenever I hold the knife to your throat?” Danny shook his head, chuckling. “No offense - but I think whether or not you’re gay is the least of your problems, you adorable little sicko.”

Furious, indignant heat shot up to the surface, Frank’s face becoming utterly inflamed as he burst out the first thing that came to mind. “F-fuck you!”

Okay - it wasn’t a particular intelligent, or even good response, but what the hell else could he say? If he was free, he’d just start talking with his fists, (or his boots, or his teeth) but there wasn’t shit he could do. Not that he wasn’t champing at the bit to try, struggling against the restraints so hard the friction was starting to make his wrists feel raw.

“No…” Frank could just hear the shitty smile in his voice as he put the knife away. “That’s not how it’s gonna go. You can blow me though!” Danny decided cheerfully, hopping off his lap and resting his hands on his hips, looking down at him expectantly. He had to be joking - he had to. But he didn’t even budge.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?! I’m not going to-”

“Sorry,” Danny gestured dismissively, as if he could just wave away the opposition, “Let me be more clear.” He told him, the smile gone from his voice as he spoke slowly, with a dangerous precision. It was such a severe tonal shift that Frank actually stopped struggling just to listen.

“You’re going to blow me. And if I feel any fucking teeth, I’m going to kill you, and every one of your friends.”

He felt the jolt in his core, but didn’t quite connect the dots that his body had reacted until he heard Danny snort, and realized that - not only was he right about his dick twitching, but Danny was playing him like a fucking fiddle. That wasn’t a threat, it was dirty talk. And he fell right for it.

Frank had to admit, the logistics of how he was going to do this while tied up weren’t exactly at the forefront of his mind as Danny began pushing the opening of his coat aside and tinkering with his pants.

And maybe he should have been more concerned, but asking would have been too close to - he didn’t know, acceptance? And he was still stubbornly clinging to the idea that he didn’t want this, despite the evidence on full display to God, the Entity, and whatever the fuck else was out there, no amount of twisting around doing anything whatsoever to conceal the painfully obvious bulge in his pants.

What he was thinking, was how it was kind of fucked up that the first real flash of skin he’d ever seen of the guy was his dick. That was like glory hole levels of dirty; it should have squicked him out that he had no idea what the guy looked like underneath that mask, should have had bile crawling up his throat, but it didn’t. He had a lot of pretty clear expectations in his mind about how he should have been feeling at that moment. But maybe Danny was right, maybe he was more fucked up than he thought. Because all he could feel was hunger.

Frank would be hard pressed to call another man’s cock pretty, okay - but it kind of was. He was paler than he was expecting, and he wasn’t sure why, he’d probably seen pictures of him at one point or another, international sensation that he was, but fuck if he ever paid any attention to the news. But he was from Utah or some shit, and Frank didn’t know all that much about the US but he guessed it made sense that he was whitebread whitebread. It just made it incredibly obvious how flushed it was, so very, very pink. It might have been funny, if it weren’t intimidatingly massive. Kind of lean - Frank could definitely say he was thicker, and yes, he was immediately mentally comparing like it was some kind of competition - but long. Sleek. With a glint of metal at the tip - that was unexpected.

“That’s right,” Danny hummed, gloved hand stroking himself to grip at the base, cock head swelling as he flexed it. He was fucking incorrigible, the cheeky bastard. “Keep staring. You’re really selling me on the heterosexuality.”

Fuck - that’s right, his mask was off. His eyeline, and his every goddamn expression completely out in the open. He was pretty sure he was still scowling - that was just the default - but he wasn’t sure it was terribly convincing.

“Someday, Frankie, you’ll realize what a gift this is,” He continued, faux-wistfully as he stalked forwards and grabbed the posts on either side of the chair back. For someone who wasn’t all that tall, he was awfully good at looming. Commanding attention, like he was the only thing in Frank’s entire field of vision.

The chair started to slowly tip forward, back legs lifting off the floor. Frank’s stomach lurched, and he immediately barked out in protests. “Hey!”

“Really - you should be thanking me,” Danny ignored him, steering the chairposts, dragging them down, down, down, tipping him further and further forward.

Frank felt like his heart was going to fall through his ass, if he didn’t go into cardiac arrest, first. Danny’s cock was practically in his face now, but all his lizard brain could think about was how he was going to fall flat on his fucking face, his arms frantically struggling to break free from behind his back so he could catch himself.

He couldn’t possibly be intending to…

“No teeth,” He warned, before pulling Frank down onto his cock by the chairposts, driving him down until he was forced to take him into his mouth. Danny sighed in relief at the warm, wet heat, guiding him down, unbothered by the choked sound of panic muffled around his cock as a particularly sharp falling sensation shot through Frank’s gut.

“Taking your choice away is the best thing that could happen to you.”

Oh, if looks could kill. Frank’s eyes were filled with hate, tears pricking at the corners as his nose finally bumped against Danny’s pelvis. The mask was looking down at him, unchanging expression mocking while he fought just to breathe, noisily and erratically shuddering through his nose, the intrusion down his throat making it feel like he was perpetually choking on top of perpetually falling.

“Now you don’t have to worry your pretty little head about it, or what it means about you,” Danny continued blissfully, rocking the chair back and forth, guiding him up and down on his cock like he was nothing more than a fleshlight. Frank’s frantic heaving was starting to sound wet, snot loosening down his nose as he desperately snivelled for air.

And yet despite it all, he could still feel that dull hum in his core. Muted, slightly, by the glut of overstimulation everywhere else, but there nonetheless, and constant. Begging for just a little of that attention to be directed there.

“You can always just say it was my fault. That I made you.”

Frank could hardly track what he was saying, but that feeling in the bottom of his stomach was starting to get sharper, an urgent fullness that was becoming more and more demanding by the second.

“And you’ll never have to learn-” Danny interrupted himself with a short grunt, and Frank could feel his cock twitch in the back of his throat, “Or grow or self-reflect. Aren’t I nice?” He pulled out, and the sound Frank made as he gasped for air wasn’t pretty, snapping the thick threads of spit still connecting them.

Danny kept him suspended there, one-handedly holding up the chair while the other lowered to pump at his spit drenched erection. “Thank me.” He growled.

“F-fuck you.” Frank managed to choke out, feeling pretty proud of himself until warmth splattered across his face, and hot mortification rushed to the surface. But apparently not even the embarrassment of Danny cumming on his face was enough to tamp down his want, arousal flaring parallel.

“Hm.”

Suddenly he was thrown back, chair clattering and pain shooting through his arms as he collided with the floor.

“Surprise,” Danny’s voice floated down to him, colder than he’d ever heard it as Frank’s vision struggled to come together in one picture.

Two Danny’s hovering over him. Two knives glinting menacingly in the unnaturally red light of the basement.

“Maybe you should have thanked me.” 🖤 🖤 🖤

Thank you for reading!!!

🖤 🖤 🖤

Notes:

For Pugge, without whom, the DBB server - and this fic - would probably not exist. 💖

Thank you to Rea for being my beta for this one, and the whole DBB server for encouraging this humble degen 🥺 Update: OMG thank you to @ApolloPale for taking inspiration from dis humble oneshot and drawing this piece! Which is now the Header!

This piece was written for Day 3, 17, and 24 of the 🔞 Dead by Baelight 🔞 Discord server’s Kinktober. Anyone over 18 is welcome to join here.

#dead by daylight #dbd #dbd ghostface #ghostface #danny johnson #jed olsen #dbd legion #frank morrison #scripsi #my writing #oneshot

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Right Stuff Review (Spoiler-Free)

https://ift.tt/34uaMFT

This The Right Stuff review contains no spoilers.

It’s impossible to see The Right Stuff, Disney+’s new drama series about NASA’s Mercury 7 astronauts, and not think about the award-winning 1983 film of the same name, but those comparisons don’t do this streaming series version any favors. Where the film is widely and rightly lauded for its authentic and ultimately inspiring depiction of the real lives behind the men who pioneered the U.S. space program, the small-screen version of The Right Stuff never gets off the ground.

On paper, I almost always enjoy an uplifting tale of humanity’s infinite possibility to do and be better than we have been, and regularly weep over stories about our collective ability to work together to achieve great things. Space stories are a particularly potent example of both of those things, as humans look toward the stars and risk their lives in the name of knowing more than we did the day before. But in the five episodes available to screen for critics, The Right Stuff’s story never reaches any point that might be called inspiring or even terribly interesting. In fact, for the most part, the story is both plodding and frustrating, and its characters are irritating enough to make you wonder how we ever made it into space at all.

There’s a certain appealing realism to this tale and its acknowledgment that these men who were depicted – and are generally remembered – as glowing examples of golden American perfection were truly as flawed and messy as any of us. Maybe even more so. But coming so soon on the heels of Netflix’s space drama Away, with its female lead, diverse cast and international message of hope and unity, The Right Stuff can’t help but come off as staid and old-fashioned by comparison.

Chuck Yeager, the character who grounded much of the film version of The Right Stuff, doesn’t appear here in this series at all. Instead, the television adaptation focuses exclusively on the Mercury astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton. They’re not just seven of the world’s best test pilots, they’re the men who established the idea of what being a NASA astronaut means in the first place.

But part of the trick of Wolfe’s original novel – also titled The Right Stuff – is that it deconstructs the golden boy images of these American idols, showing us not only the all-too-human men underneath the popular sheen but the ways in which they are essentially being used as propaganda by a government that doesn’t really care about their contributions to the space race and essentially treats them as very fancy lab rats.

Unfortunately, this The Right Stuff’s Mercury astronauts feel sadly interchangeable, largely little more than a posse of generic white men who are more recognizable from the actors’ previous roles – Hey! It’s Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time! It’s Mike from Suits! – than by any real defining characteristics of the people they’re meant to be playing.

Only three of them – John Glenn (Patrick J. Adams), Alan Shepard (Jake McDorman) and Gordon Cooper (Colin O’Donoghue) – are even really drawn as distinct people, with a fourth, Gus Grissom (Michael Trotter), that’s at least memorable enough that you’ll know his name. The other three? Meh. They’re there. Sometimes.

The Right Stuff: What To Expect From The Disney+ Adaptation

By Chris Longo

Most of the show is focused on the rivalry between Glenn and Shephard, who are in fierce competition to become the first man in space. (Ultimately, both men are bested by the Soviet Union’s Yuri Gagarin, who went to space in 1961.) Both are keenly aware of the potentially historic impact of their involvement in the NASA program, and the knifepoint upon which the entire enterprise sits, funded by a government that doesn’t entirely understand – or value – their contributions. Yet, their constant sniping and bickering feel endless, as both men regularly assume the worst of one another, and even the best of gestures are often interpreted in the worst possible life.

Though Adams lacks the overall appeal of Ed Harris, who played the role in the film, he makes the best of a generally thankless task, creating a version of John Glenn who’s both painfully earnest and annoyingly aware of his public image at all times. Yet, his aggressive do-gooder nature is strangely charming – or at least understandable – particularly when compared to the generally selfish attitudes of his fellow test pilots and future astronauts, particularly and especially Shepard.

As for Shepard himself, McDorman portrays a conflicted, cocky man who dreams big dreams even as he self-sabotages constantly by way of drinking, womanizing, and covering up a health problem that could damage his ability to participate in the program at all. That this version of Shepard comes off as such an incredible jerk is a testament to the power of McDorman’s performance, but it also makes the character nearly impossible to like or root for. Those who know how this story ends because history is what it is may well find themselves hoping it turns out differently at various points out of a sheer desire not to reward a person who so completely seems to not deserve it.

One of The Right Stuff’s more intriguing elements is one that doesn’t get nearly enough screen time in its first five episodes: its women. Though limited in number, the female characters who do appear are surprisingly interesting, given how male-centric the show is in general. From Glenn’s shy wife Annie, who regularly works out with her other half, to Trudy Cooper, who wonders if she can trust the husband who cheated on her and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut herself. These are the perspectives I would have loved to see more of, especially as it becomes more apparent how much joining NASA changes the lives of everyone connected to the astronauts in addition to the men themselves.

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

Maybe there’s magic waiting in The Right Stuff’s final three installments, that will somehow convince us that these men do, indeed, have “the right stuff” to lead humanity into a better world. Here’s hoping, because at the moment, this journey feels pretty uninspiring.

The post The Right Stuff Review (Spoiler-Free) appeared first on Den of Geek.

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catherinehathart-blog · 5 years

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20 Artists Who Failed Miserably Before They Succeeded Big

As Winston Churchill once wisely said, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

Anyone who has achieved anything great or has changed the world in some way has made a choice to embrace failure as a stepping - stone to accomplish his or her goals. Successful artists understand that every failure brings them one step closer to achieving their goals. Here is a list of 21 performing and visual artists who failed miserably before they succeeded big.

Charles Schultz

Before he created the beloved series, Peanuts (featuring Snoopy and Charlie Brown), cartoon artist, Charles Schultz was rejected by his high school yearbook. Rather than wallowing in self-pity, Schultz used that failure as motivation to create the comic series he became famous for. Today, the revenue from Peanuts has generated over $1 billion a year. Schultz’s high school actually went on to put a statue of Snoopy in the main office.

Walt Disney

The man who gave us Mickey Mouse and Disney World started his career as the artist nobody wanted to hire. His first animation company went bankrupt. A news editor fired him because he believed he lacked imagination. After this setback, Walt Disney decided to form Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. Disney Brothers Studio later became called the Walt Disney Company. In 1928, five years after creating the Walt Disney Company, Disney created Mickey Mouse. The rest is history.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey made his standup debut at a comedy club called Yuk Yuk’s, which he completely bombed. After 11 years of trying to become an actor Carrey finally got his break in 1990 when he was cast on the show, In Living Color. In 1994, he got his biggest break yet to star in Ace Ventura. It was that role that helped to catapult him into stardom.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga is one of the best-selling artists of all time. She has 6 Grammy awards under her belt and 13 MTV Video Music Awards. Before accomplishing all of that, Lady Gaga was dropped by Def Jam records after only 3 months of signing on with them. Def Jam Records believed that her over the top style of dress and music would not appeal to the masses. Lady Gaga stuck to her guns and it clearly worked in her favor.

Fred Astaire

Born in 1899, in Omaha, Nebraska, Fred Astaire is another famous failure. Astaire was supposedly rejected during a Hollywood screen test. He was told that he “Can’t act. Slighty bald. Dances a little.” He kept working at his dancing and acting and was finally able to create a successful career from it.

Beyoncé

You know you’re big when you are known as the queen. But even Queen Bey experienced her fair share of initial failures before she hit it big. Before she was Queen Bey, 12-year-old Beyoncé was a member of the group Girls Tyme. The group appeared on a 1993 episode of the talent show, Star Search, and lost. A group called Skeleton Crew beat out girls Tyme and clearly Beyoncé never forgot the loss. You can actually see a snippet of that loss in her music video for “Flawless.”

In a 2013 interview, Beyoncé called the loss “a really defining moment in my life as a child.” She went on to say, “At that time, you don’t realize that you could work super hard and give everything you have—and lose.” She added: “You’re never too good to lose; you’re never too big to lose.” She didn’t allow that setback to define her and today Beyoncé has 22 Grammys to her name and is worth $355 million.

Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z

It would be a disservice to talk about Queen Bey, without also mentioning the Jigga Man himself. Although Jay-Z is considered to be one of the most successful rappers of all time, his early life was characterized by an unstable family life and a string of failures that led to him dealing drugs. Because no record label wanted to sign him, Jay-Z started selling CDs out of the trunk of his car. After every major label had turned him down, he decided to found his own label called Roc-A-Fella Records.

Charlie Chaplin

Born into poverty in 1889, Charlie Chaplin’s father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for the family alone. Throughout his childhood, Chaplin was forced to go to a workhouse, an institution in the UK where the indigent worked in exchange for room and board. During this time, Chaplin participated in stage plays. Eventually, Chaplin made his way to Hollywood, California where he was continuously turned away and snubbed, only later to become the greatest silent-film actor to have ever lived.

Sylvester Stallone

After moving to New York City in the 1970’s to pursue an acting career, Sylvester Stallone seemed to experience nothing but rejection and failure. People would tell him that he couldn’t act, that he talked funny, and even that he walked strangely.

Stallone was rejected at least 1,500 times by everyone that he met in the film industry. He would sit for hours on end in offices just to wait to the see the person who would ultimately reject him again. Stallone ended up homeless. He lived and slept in the bus station for three weeks while trying to save money for an apartment.

After writing the script for Rocky, he was offered more than $300,000 if he agreed not to star in the film. He refused time and again. Rocky Balboa is now the pride and joy of Philadelphia and even has a famous statue that is a major tourist attraction. You know you’ve hit it big when a major U.S. city wants to build a commemorative statue of a fictional character you created and starred as!

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley has sold over 1 billion records worldwide; however, his rise to the top was rife with failures. When Elvis was 18-years old, he recorded a demo with Sun Records, but nothing came of it. A year later, in 1954, he recorded another demo, which also floundered. That same year, Presley auditioned for the Songfellows quartet, but was rejected. When his father asked him what had happened, Presley stated, “They told me I couldn’t sing.”

Through a friend, Elvis eventually met Eddie Bond who helped him to find a gig as a vocalist in a professional band. They arranged some recordings, but nothing came of it until months later when Presley performed Arthur Crudup’s blues number, “That’s All Right.” That performance got the attention of a professional DJ, which jumpstarted the career of the “King Of Rock And Roll.”

George Lucas

George Lucas is the creative genius behind the Star Wars franchise and the Raiders Of The Lost Ark. But his feature film directorial debut in 1971, THX 1138, lost more money than it cost to make. Undeterred, Lucas’ next film, American Graffiti, was a huge success. Even still, his newly gained clout wasn’t enough to persuade two different studios of the viability of his next project, Star Wars. Eventually, 20th Century Fox approved the script. When it was released, Star Wars went on to become the highest grossing film of all time.

Jerry Seinfeld

After graduating from Queens College in 1976, Jerry Seinfeld tried his hand at standup during an open-mic night in New York City where he froze on stage and forgot his jokes. He was then booed off the stage but he didn’t let that stop him.

Over the next three years Seinfeld honed his standup skills. This eventually led to an appearance on an HBO Special for Rodney Dangerfield, and afterwards, to a role on the sitcom, Benson. In 1988, Seinfeld created the semi-fictional series about his life with co-creator Larry David called Seinfeld. By 2002, TV Guide ranked it as the greatest show of all time.

Harrison Ford

When Harrison Ford headed to Los Angeles to establish a career in voice-overs, he failed to secure any jobs, but he stayed in the area. After two years of working odd jobs and small-time gigs, Ford landed his first role as a bellhop in the 1964 movie, Dead Heat on a Merry-Go Round. However, studio executives were rough on Ford, telling him that “he would never make it in this business.”

But Harrison Ford refused to give up. 9 years later in 1973, Ford landed his breakthrough role in George Lucas’s film, American Graffiti. Because of that role, and his relationship with Lucas, Harrison Ford was able to build a highly successful acting career. George Lucas later cast Ford in Star Wars and the Indiana Jones series.

Kerry Washington

Before being catapulted to stardom with her lead role on hit drama, Scandal, Kerry Washington was fired from a pilot she filmed after it was picked up. In an interview, Kerry mentioned that, “Before Scandal, the only other two pilots I’d ever done were shows that got picked up, but I got fired,” Washington said at the Hollywood Reporter‘s Emmy Roundtable, “They recast my character on both shows.” That would certainly be a tough pill to swallow once, let alone twice. But Washington proved that tenacity and perseverance can help you to overcome any failure.

Madonna

After dropping out of the University Michigan School of Music in order to pursue a career as an artist, Madonna started working at Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square. That job was hilariously short-lived because she was fired on her first day after squirting jelly on a customer.

With only $35 in her pocket when arriving in New York City, Madonna searched for other work. She took random jobs, primarily as a backup dancer for modern dance troupes. One night, when she was returning home after a rehearsal, she was even robbed by two men at knifepoint. Needless to say this discouraged Madonna, but it did not deter her.

She landed small singing parts and performed with bands such as the Breakfast Club. Eventually she caught the eye of Sire Records founder, Seymour Stein. In 1982, at the age of 24-years old, she debuted her single, “Everybody,” followed by, “Burning Up,” both which became huge club hits. Since then Madonna has become one of the world’s wealthiest music artists with a net worth of $800 million.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg is, without a doubt, one of the most successful American filmmakers in history. Nonetheless, he was rejected from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema Arts, not once, but twice. He finally went on to graduate from Cal State University in Long Beach. Spielberg eventually received an honorary degree from the film school that rejected him and is now worth $2.7 billion.

The Beatles

The Beatles were rejected by numerous record labels including Decca Records, which said, “guitar groups are on the way out” and “the Beatles have no future in show business.” Five months after that rejection, The Beatles signed with George Martin from Parlophone and released their first in a string of hits later that year entitled, “Love Me Do.” Since then, The Beatles have sold more singles in the UK than anyone else, and have moved more units in the US (more than 177 million) than any other group.

Jon Hamm

Following his move to Los Angeles, Jon Hamm couldn’t land a single gig. He was so unsuccessful in finding acting work that his talent agency fired him. Hamm began working as a waiter and had contemplated giving up entirely on the acting business, considering himself to be a major failure at the time.

During the time he had been considering quitting acting for a more stable career, Jon found work on Mel Gibson’s movie, We Were Soldiers. It was after getting this role that he decided to stick it out in show business.

Good thing he did because he eventually landed the role of a lifetime with 2007’s Mad Men, turning him, not only into a famous actor, but a cultural icon. When he was cast as Don Draper, Hamm stated that he was at “the bottom of everyone’s list.” Hamm’s story shows that keeping hope alive can lead to amazing results.

Katy Perry

In 1999, at the age of 15, Katy Perry dropped out of high school after completing her GED in order to pursue a music career full time. She signed with Red Hill Records and debuted a gospel album called, Katy Hudson in 2001. After the album only sold 200 copies, Red Hill Records closed its doors just a few months later.

When she was 20-years old, Perry signed with another label called Java to work on a solo record, but her record was shelved. Afterwards, Perry signed with Columbia Records, and recorded new music over the next two years. But before the record was completed, she was dropped from that label as well.

Katy Perry’s big break finally came in 2007 when she signed with Capitol Records. In 2008, she released the would-be-hit song, “I Kissed a Girl.” What seemed like an overnight success at the time actually took nine years to accomplish.

Vincent Van Gogh

For most of his life, Vincent Van Gogh believed himself to be a failure. Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. Despite that, he kept painting and finished over 800 pieces. Now everyone wants to buy them and his most expensive painting is valued at $142.7 million.

Luckily for the artists of today, you probably wouldn’t need to die before becoming recognized for your work.

#art #artists who failed #artists who succeeded #successful artists

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rightsinexile · 7 years

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Justice Collins Asks UK SSHD to Consider Compassion Before Resorting to Law

The following is an excerpt from a judgement in the UK High Court of Justice on the case IKM, R (On the Application Of) v SSHD. The judgement was delivered on 7 October 2015. A full transcript can be found on the BAILII Database. Reprinted with permission from John O, Coordinator at No Deportations.

1. Mr Justice Collins: The claimant, who will be referred to as "IKM", is a native of Sudan, a non-Arab from Darfur. She worked in Khartoum as an accountant, but in 2004 the Janjaweed were responsible for killing her father and for kidnapping her mother, and thus she had to look after the family that was left in Darfur. So she returned to her village together with her fiancé. Unfortunately the Janjaweed attacked and killed her fiancé and shot her in the leg and also raped her. She managed to escape and went to another village, but in 2006 she was arrested by state agents and accused of support for Darfur rebels. She was very badly treated. She was stabbed with a knife, beaten and raped and held for three days. She was then told that she would be further detained when information was obtained. Again she was detained in 2007; again she was raped and beaten and interrogated at knifepoint.

2. As a result of this, she decided that she had to leave Sudan and did so in 2008. She had managed to obtain a visa to come to this country as a student. Unfortunately she found that she was not able to study because of the recurrent flashbacks so far as her treatment in Sudan was concerned. Subsequent diagnosis by no less than I think four or five different doctors confirms that she suffers from PTSD, and thus these flashbacks are not in the least surprising.

3. In any event, she decided that she should claim asylum. She says that she thought that she would not be able to claim it in this country because she had the student visa, and so she decided to go to the Republic of Ireland and she claimed asylum there. Unfortunately, her claim was refused. She appealed, but her appeal was dismissed in 2010. The result was that she was liable for deportation, and indeed I gather that a deportation order was made against her, albeit it was not implemented.

4.The Secretary of State has said in the decision letter under attack that she is aware that Ireland does not at the moment returned forcibly to Sudan; it is only if there is a voluntary return that the deportation order can be put into effect. Whether that will remain the position and what the precise circumstances are I have no evidence about.

5.However, as a result of that refusal, she decided that she would leave Ireland and cross the border into Northern Ireland and to Belfast. In August 2013 she was arrested and she was detained for some five days. It is clear that the circumstances of her detention were, to say the least, unfortunate, because she was handcuffed and kept I think in a police station for at least two days. This had a very serious effect on her health, again because of bringing back what she had suffered in Sudan. Nonetheless, she was then released and she came to the mainland.

6. She complied entirely with the requirements of reporting and she began to establish a life here, living in the north-east of the country. As a result of that, there is no question but that her health improved. It was always fragile, for obvious reasons, but, as a result of support and, as a result of no concern that she would be returned to Sudan from this country, her health improved.

7. However, the Secretary of State decided that she should be returned to the Republic of Ireland in accordance with the Dublin Convention. That provides, so far as material (and I need not go into the details), that the country in which the first application for asylum is made is the country which will determine all asylum matters in the future. So it was that the United Kingdom requested under the Dublin agreement that she should be taken back into the Republic of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland agreed to that.

8. She knew that she had had her claim rejected in Ireland, and so she reasonably believed that if she were returned to Ireland the inevitable result would be that she would be sent back to Sudan. It may be that she would have a right to make a fresh claim. I say "may be", because that is what the Secretary of State has asserted in the decision under attack. I have no evidence that that is indeed the position, but what is said is that in the Republic of Ireland questions of subsidiary protection (or humanitarian protection as it is termed in this country) are dealt with separately from the asylum claim, and so it may be (again, we do not know the full details, because unfortunately neither side has produced the Irish appeal decision - which presumably is a matter of public record - or the refusal letter upon which the appeal was based) that there is now a right to claim humanitarian protection. However, I am told that the decision of the Irish, both the ministry and on appeal, depended upon to an extent credibility issues but concluded that internal relocation to Khartoum would provide the necessary protection.

9. It is important to note - and this, as I understand it, is not controversial - that in this country internal relocation is not accepted as safe for such as the claimant, namely a non-Arab from Darfur. That being so, and if, as I am told, the Irish decision was based at least in part upon internal relocation, then it is difficult to see that humanitarian protection could result in a different decision, because the alleged safety of internal relocation applies equally to humanitarian protection as it does to asylum. Thus the chances of any success in the Republic of Ireland are not likely to be great; indeed, they are likely to be non-existent if that is correct.

10. It now is the case that there is strong medical evidence that shows that the claimant's account is credible. There is a lengthy report from a psychiatrist instructed on behalf of the claimant, in which details are given of her account. In addition, the doctor has considered the injuries that she shows which are entirely consistent with the account of the ill-treatment and indeed torture that she has described. In those circumstances, and undoubtedly correctly, the Secretary of State has accepted that her account may indeed be credible. In the circumstances, it is difficult to see that she has other than a very strong case for asylum in this country, because in this country, having regard in particular to a country guidance case in the Upper Tribunal, it is not accepted that internal relocation would provide the necessary protection for someone such as the claimant. Nevertheless, the Secretary of State has taken the view that it is not for this country to determine her asylum claim but that she should be returned to the Republic of Ireland.

11. The second aspect which is of considerable importance is the claimant's state of health. As I have said, she suffers from PTSD and there is no question but that she is very fragile. For reasons best known to those responsible she was taken into custody at the beginning of December 2013 with a view to her removal taking place at the beginning of January. It was well known that she was someone who, in all probability, had sustained torture. That meant that she was someone who should not be detained unless there were very exceptional circumstances. Mr Mitchell has accepted that the detention was unlawful, and how anyone could possibly reasonably have believed that there were very exceptional circumstances in this case is beyond belief, particularly as there was no question of immediate removal because the custody was a month before the proposed removal.

12. Furthermore, on the first day that she was in custody at the relevant institution, it was said in terms that to keep her in custody would damage her health, yet those responsible still took the view that detention should continue. Indeed it did damage her health, to such an extent that when she was eventually released from custody at the beginning of January she had to spend three weeks in hospital. It is, I hope, a unique case, because the behaviour of those responsible was utterly unreasonable and truly, in my judgment, disgraceful. She should never have been put in custody in the way that she was; there was no possible case that there were very exceptional circumstances; and, as I say, the damaging effect on her health was warned about and indeed occurred. However, I do not need to go further into the question of detention, which is part of the challenge in this case, because, as I say, very properly Mr Mitchell on behalf of the Secretary of State has conceded that the detention was unlawful and I will deal with the necessary order in relation to the damages claim in due course.

13. I come back to the decision under attack. This case has taken a very long time to come before the court. It was instituted in January 2014, but there have been a number of interlocutory applications and various orders by a succession of deputy judges. The result is, as I say, perhaps unfortunately that it has only come before me today. However, there were attempts by the claimant's solicitors to persuade the Secretary of State to change her mind. So the final refusal is the one that matters, and that was a refusal on 3 October 2014. It resulted from additional representations which had been made in August following the medical report from Dr Millington.

14. That decision letter made a number of points. It recognised that the claimant was suffering from a number of health issues; it made the point that there would be availability of proper care in the Republic of Ireland. That is not challenged, nor, Mr Halim submits, is it really in issue because it misses the point; the point is the damaging effect on the claimant were she to be removed because of her reasonable view that the result would be that her claim to be able to remain was rejected and so she would be subject of a deportation order to Sudan. As I say, there is no possible doubt that that concern was one reasonably held, whether or not there are at present forced returns from the Republic of Ireland to Sudan. As occurred in detention, notwithstanding that there were available proper measures to deal with illnesses, whether mental or physical, she still suffered damage to her health. This showed that whatever arrangements there were available in the Republic of Ireland would not be likely to alleviate the health problems that she was likely to suffer. Furthermore, if she was aware that she was to be removed to Ireland, because of her fears of what would happen there, it was said that there was a real risk that she would become suicidal. Certainly, it would have a serious and damaging effect upon her health. As I say, the fact that there are proper arrangements in the Republic of Ireland (and I do not doubt that there are) in the circumstances of this case fail to meet the point which is relied on on the claimant's behalf.

15. The other aspect is the question of fear of onward refoulement. That is dealt with in the decision letter by making the point, as I have said, first of all that she will be able to have a fresh claim because of the humanitarian or subsidiary protection aspect, and that there are at the moment no forcible returns to Sudan from the Republic of Ireland. That again fails to meet the point, because she will not get any of the advantages that flow from being recognised as a refugee, and there is always hanging over her the risk that circumstances may change and that there may well be a question of return to Sudan. At the very least it seems to me that it is arguable that there is a real risk (and that is the appropriate test) of refoulement which has to be taken into account by the Secretary of State and which has not been taken into account in all the circumstances.

16. The decision under attack lies in the certification of the claim. According to paragraph 5(4) of schedule 3 to the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 that was put on the basis her human rights claims is clearly unfounded. The human rights claim depends upon the serious damage to her health, possible suicide implications of the decision to return her, but also goes beyond human rights because of the real risk of refoulement, and that has not been properly taken into account.

17. It seems to me that it is quite impossible for the Secretary of State in this case to say that there is no reasonable possibility that an appeal in this country would come down in the claimant's favour. The test for the purpose of certification is a very stringent one, and in my judgment, for the reasons I have indicated, is clearly not met in the circumstances of this case. It follows that this decision must be quashed.

18. I reiterate that on the facts of this case, albeit Mr Mitchell has referred to "asylum shopping", he has recognised that this may not be a case that could properly be regarded as asylum shopping, because this claimant on the face of it may well have a genuine claim to asylum so far as this country's law is concerned, whatever may be the position in the Republic of Ireland. She has begun to make a life for herself in this country. Her health has improved and is likely to improve more if she knows that she has a safe haven and there is no chance of her being sent back to Sudan unless circumstances in Sudan change dramatically, and there is no indication, I fear, at the moment that that is the case.

19. It seems to me that this is a case where the Secretary of State should seriously consider whether it really is humanitarian to require that the Dublin Convention provisions be followed to the letter, rather than adopting a compassionate approach in the particular circumstances of this case. However, of course, it is not my decision but the Secretary of State's in due course (or rather, I suppose, some employee of the Home Office who will have the matter delegated). But this is a sensitive case, a difficult case, and one where, as I say, perhaps somewhat unusually it seems to me all the merits are on the side of the claimant.

#Justice Collins Asks SSHD to Consider Compassion Before Resorting to Law #case note #may #may 2017 #2017

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readbookywooks · 7 years

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'That'sh the shtuff!' said Cohen. 'You're a marvel.' He ooked sideways at Twoflower. 'I would have beaten it,' he said quietly, 'even if you hadn't called it off, I would have beaten it in the end.' 'That's right,' said Bethan. 'You two can make yourshelf usheful,' he added. That Luggage broke through a troll tooth to get ush out. That wash diamond. Shee if you can find the bitsh. I've had an idea about them.' As Bethan rolled up her sleeves and uncorked the bottle Rincewind took Twoflower to one side. When they were safely hidden behind a shrub he said, 'He's gone barmy.' 'That's Cohen the Barbarian you're talking about!' said Twoflower, genuinely shocked. 'He is the greatest warrior that —' 'Was,' said Rincewind urgently. 'All that stuff with the warrior priests and man-eating zombies was years ago. All he's got now is memories and so many scars you could play noughts-and-crosses on him.' 'He is rather more elderly than I imagined, yes,' said Twoflower. He picked up a fragment of diamond. 'So we ought to leave them and find our horses and move on,' said Rincewind. 'That's a bit of a mean trick, isn't it?' 'They'll be all right,' said Rincewind heartily. 'The point is, would you feel happy in the company of someone who would attack the Luggage with his bare hands?' 'That is a point,' said Twoflower. 'They'll probably be better off without us anyway.' 'Are you sure?' 'Positive,' said Rincewind. They found the horses wandering aimlessly in the scrub, breakfasted on badly-dried horse jerky, and set off in what Rincewind believed was the right direction. A few minutes later the Luggage emerged from the bushes and followed them. The sun rose higher in the sky, but still failed to blot out the light of the star. 'It's got bigger overnight,' said Twoflower. 'Why isn't anybody doing something?' 'Such as what?' Twoflower thought. 'Couldn't somebody tell Great A'Tuin to avoid it?' he said. 'Sort of go around it?' 'That sort of thing has been tried before,' said Rincewind. Wizards tried to tune in to Great A'Tuin's mind.' 'It didn't work?' 'Oh, it worked all right,' said Rincewind. 'Only . . .' Only there had been certain unforeseen risks in reading a mind as great as the World Turtle's, he explained. The wizards had trained up on tortoises and giant sea turtles first, to get the hang of the chelonian frame of mind, but although they knew that Great A'Tuin's mind would be big they hadn't realised that it would be slow. 'There's a bunch of wizards that have been reading it in shifts for thirty years,' said Rincewind. 'All they've found out is that Great A'Tuin is looking forward to something.' 'What?' 'Who knows?' They rode in silence for a while through a rough country where huge limestone blocks lined the track. Eventually Twoflower said, 'We ought to go back, you know.' 'Look, we'll reach the Smarl tomorrow,' said Rincewind. 'Nothing will happen to them out here, I don't see why —' He was talking to himself. Twoflower had wheeled his horse and was trotting back, demonstrating all the horsemanship of a sack of potatoes. Rincewind looked down. The Luggage regarded him owlishly. 'What are you looking at?' said the wizard. 'He can go back if he wants, why should I bother?' The Luggage said nothing. 'Look, he's not my responsibility,' said Rincewind. let's be absolutely clear about that.' The Luggage said nothing, but louder this time. 'Go on – follow him. You're nothing to do with me.' The Luggage retracted its little legs and settled down on the track. 'Well, I'm going,' said Rincewind. 'I mean it,' he added. He turned the horse's head back towards the new horizon, and glanced down. The Luggage sat there. 'It's no good trying to appeal to my better nature. You can stay there all day for all I care. I'm just going to ride off, okay?' He glared at the Luggage. The Luggage looked back. 'I thought you'd come back,' said Twoflower. 'I don't want to talk about it,' said Rincewind. 'Shall we talk about something else?' 'Yeah, well, discussing how to get these ropes off would be favourite,' said Rincewind. He wrenched at the bonds around his wrists. 'I can't imagine why you're so important,' said Herrena. She sat on a rock opposite them, sword across her knees. Most of the gang laying among the rocks high above, watching the road. Rincewind and Twoflower had been a pathetically easy ambush. 'Weems told me what your box did to Gancia,' she added. 'I can't say that's a great loss, but I hope it understands that if it comes within a mile of us I will personally cut both your throats, yes?' Rincewind nodded violently. 'Good,' said Herrena. 'You're wanted dead or alive, I'm not really bothered which, but some of the lads might want to have a little discussion with you about those trolls. If the sun hadn't come up when it did—' She left the words hanging, and walked away. 'Well, here's another fine mess,' said Rincewind. He had another pull at the ropes that bound him. There was a rock behind him, and if he could bring his wrists up – yes, as he thought, it lacerated him while at the same time eing too blunt to have any effect on the rope. 'But why us?' said Twoflower. 'It's to do with that star, isn't it?' 'I don't know anything about the star,' said Rincewind. 'I never even attended astrology lessons at the University!' 'I expect everything will turn out all right in the end,' said Twoflower. Rincewind looked at him. Remarks like that always threw him. 'Do you really believe that?' he said. 'I mean, really?' 'Well, things generally do work out satisfactorily, when you come to think about it.' 'If you think the total disruption of my life for the last year is satisfactory then you might be right. I've lost count of the times I've nearly been killed —' 'Twenty-seven,' said Twoflower. 'What?' 'Twenty-seven times,' said Twoflower helpfully. 'I worked it out. But you never actually have.' 'What? Worked it out?' said Rincewind, who was beginning to have the familiar feeling that the conversation had been mugged. 'No. Been killed. Doesn't that seem a bit suspicious?' 'I've never objected to it, if that's what you mean,' said Rincewind. He glared at his feet. Twoflower was right, of course. The Spell was keeping him alive, it was obvious. No doubt if he jumped over a cliff a passing cloud would cushion his fall. The trouble with that theory, he decided, was that it only worked if he didn't believe it was true. The moment he thought he was invulnerable he'd be dead. So, on the whole it was wisest not to think about it at all. Anyway, he might be wrong. The only thing he could be certain of was that he was getting a headache. He hoped that the Spell was somewhere in the area of the headache and really suffering. When they rode out of the hollow both Rincewind and Twoflower were sharing a horse with one of their captors. Rincewind perched uncomfortably in front of Weems. who had sprained an ankle and was not in a good mood. Twoflower sat in front of Herrena which, since he was fairly short, meant that at least he kept his ears warm. She rode with a drawn knife and a sharp eye out for any-walking boxes; Herrena hadn't quite worked out what the Luggage was, but she was bright enough to know that it wouldn't let Twoflower be killed. After about ten minutes they saw it in the middle of the road. It's lid lay open invitingly. It was full of gold. 'Go round it,' said Herrena. 'But —' 'It's a trap.' 'That's right,' said Weems, white-faced. 'You take it from me.' Reluctantly they reined their horses around the glittering temptation and trotted on along the track. Weems glanced back fearfully, dreading to see the chest coming after him. What he saw was almost worse. It had gone. Far off to one side of the path the long grass moved mysteriously and was still. Rincewind wasn't much of a wizard and even less of a fighter, but he was an expert at cowardice and he knew fear when he smelt it. He said, quietly, 'It'll follow you, you know.' 'What?' said Weems, distractedly. He was still peering at the grass. 'It's very patient and it never gives up. That's sapient pearwood you're dealing with. It'll let you think it's forgotten you, then one day you'll be walking along a dark street and you'll hear these little footsteps behind you – shlup, shlup, they'll go, then you'll start running and they'll speed up, shlupshlupSHLUP—' 'Shut up!' shouted Weems. 'It's probably already recognised you, so —' 'I said shut up!' Herrena turned around in her saddle and glared at them. Weems scowled and pulled Rincewind's ear until it was ight in front his mouth, and said hoarsely, I'm afraid of nothing, understand? This wizard stuff, I spit on it.' 'They all say that until they hear the footsteps,' said Rincewind. He stopped. A knifepoint was pricking his ribs. Nothing happened for the rest of the day but, to Rincewind's satisfaction and Weems' mounting paranoia, the Luggage showed itself several times. Here it would be perched incongruously on a crag, there it would be half-hidden in a ditch with moss growing over it. By late afternoon they came to the crest of a hill and looked down on the broad valley of the upper Smarl, the longest river on the Disc. It was already half a mile across, and heavy with the silt that made the lower valley the most fertile area on the continent. A few wisps of early mist wreathed its banks. 'Shlup,' said Rincewind. He felt Weems jerk upright in the saddle. 'Eh?' 'Just clearing my throat,' said Rincewind, and grinned. He had put a lot of thought into that grin. It was the sort of grin people use when they stare at your left ear and tell you in an urgent tone of voice that they are being spied on by secret agents from the next galaxy. It was not a grin to inspire confidence. More horrible grins had probably been seen, but only on the sort of grinner that is orange with black stripes, has a long tail and hangs around in jungles looking for victims to grin at. 'Wipe that off,' said Herrena, trotting up. Where the track led down to the river bank there was a crude jetty and a big bronze gong. 'It'll summon the ferryman,' said Herrena. 'If we cross here we can cut off a big bend in the river. Might even make it to a town tonight.' Weems looked doubtful. The sun was getting fat and red, and the mists were beginning to thicken. 'Or maybe you want to spend the night this side of the water?' Weems picked up the hammer and hit the gong so hard that it spun right around on its hanger and fell off. They waited in silence. Then with a wet clinking sound a chain sprang out of the water and pulled taut against an iron peg set into the bank. Eventually the slow flat shape of the ferry emerged from the mist, its hooded ferryman heaving on a big wheel set in its centre as he winched his way towards the shore. The ferry's flat bottom grated on the gravel, and the hooded figure leaned against the wheel panting. 'Two at a time,' it muttered.' That'sh all. Jusht two, with horshesh.' Rincewind swallowed, and tried not to look at Twoflower. The man would probably be grinning and mugging like an idiot. He risked a sideways glance. Twoflower was sitting with his mouth open. 'You're not the usual ferryman,' said Herrena. 'I've been here before, the usual man is a big fellow, sort of —' 'It'sh hish day off.' 'Well, okay,' she said doubtfully. 'In that case – what's he laughing at?' Twoflower's shoulders were shaking, his face had gone red, and he was emitting muffled snorts. Herrena glared at him, then looked hard at the ferryman.

#LightFantastic

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