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charlie-rulerofhell · 3 years

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For they know exactly what they do

Today there was a pretty long article published in the German newspaper FAZ, written by Julia Schaaf. Since there were quite a few interesting topics raised in it and Måneskin talked about some new aspects (or in more detail), I translated the whole thing (it might also have helped me to procrastinate).

Full interview in English under the cut.

For they know exactly what they do

June 22, 2021

Four young rock musicians from Rome are today's hottest band. Måneskin are enchanting Europe. Why? We met them for an interview.

Every romance needs its founding myth, an anecdote from the beginning, something you can tell later in more difficult times for self-assurance.

In the case of the band Måneskin, who first had Italy and now half of Europe wrapped around their fingers, and who are now trying to conquer the rest of the world with their rock music, there is the story of the shoe box. Rome, around five years ago: Four teenagers who are meeting every day after school in their rehearsal room to make music together, and sometimes they play their songs on the Via del Corso in the city centre in front of a changing audience. One day they want to record their own stuff. They find a studio that they can actually afford and as they go there they bring a shoe box, with the name of the band written on it, 'moonshine' in Danish, the bassist's mother is Danish. In the box: around seven kilogram of coins. The things you get from playing music on the streets. Everyone searching through Instagram for photos from that time can find four hippies with children's faces, three boys in batik, the girl is wearing a straw hat.

As they have to pay [for the recording], frontman Damiano David, 22, says that there was this guy, Angelo, and his bandmate Victoria De Angelis, 21, is interrupting: “No, Andrea, not Angelo”, and all of them have to laugh because a rigid studio manager with the Italian name 'angel' would be even funnier for a founding myth. David continues his story: “The guy was completely dumbfounded. 'We can't do that.' We went: 'Sure we can, that's worth the same even if it's just 20 cent coins, it's still 300 euros.” Thomas Raggi, 20, the guitarist of the band, is gasping for air as he laughs, while drummer Ethan Torchio, 20, is smiling dreamily. David finishes: “And then we snuck off before he was able to count it.” [the German text says 'verdrücken' here which is just a colloquial way of saying 'we left', but it entails some sort of a dramatic exit, so yeah, let your thoughts get creative how they left exactly :D].

Four young musicians on the verge of global fame are sitting on a white interview sofa in Berlin, completely styled, babbling across each other like overeager teenagers.

Ever since the Roman band first won the music festival Sanremo and then also the Eurovision Song Contest, carried by the enthusiasm of European viewers, you could say Måneskin has become a phenomenon. “Rock 'n' Roll never dies!”, Damiano David yelled fueled by the adrenaline of winning, and the insinuation that circulated on social media of the singer snorting during the counting of votes in front of a live camera – including their strict denial followed by a negative drug test result – might have given an additional boost to their public interest, their exploding album, ticket and merch sales, and their outstanding success on Spotify.

“We think it's a shit prejudice against rock music that there always have to be drugs involved. We fully threw ourselves into our participation with the utmost professionalism. We give everything for the music. So of course we don't want people to think that we can only do that because we take drugs.” – Victoria De Angelis

Prior to Eurovision, Måneskin was more of an insider's tip outside of Italy. Handmade rock music, not creating something entirely new but paying homage to the good old times with classic guitar riffs and cracking drum beats, being a lot of fun but also quite fragile and vulnerable at times and, first and foremost, conveying a captivating energy. Finally, on the stage of Rotterdam, live after so many months of isolation and renunciation, this wave of energy spilled straight over into European living rooms. It seemed easy to (mistakenly) interpret the winning song “Zitti e buoni” (Shut up and behave) as a declaration of frustration of our youth in times of a pandemic. In fact, singer Damiano David is singing about the favourite topic of the band: the unrelenting need to, against all odds, be yourself, despite or perhaps because you are different. The message fits their provocative sex appeal, which the band uses to demonstrate their independence of gender norms at any given time. But the core essence of rock music has always been the promise of unlimited freedom.

Thus at the first moment, the meeting with Måneskin is kind of startling. It's Wednesday, we are in the top floor of the new Sony head quarters in Berlin. The four Italians have just started their two-week long promotion tour through Europe. In the afternoon there will be a live concert in a queer club [the SchwuZ, but that's not mentioned here] in Neukölln, which will be streamed via TikTok. Around one million viewers will watch the show, some of them even from Brazil, so people at Sony are pretty excited [for Måneskin to come here]. But at first, these stunningly gorgeous creatures [yes, that's the exact wording :D] are standing surrounded by an entourage of people – their management, PR team, a stylist, a photographer, people who can hold a smartphone or a cigarette if needed [this paragraph is worded a little weirdly, especially taking into account that basically their whole team / 'entourage' is just friends of them, but it seems like the journalist didn't know that or maybe they just wanted to describe their first impression]. They seem like fictional / artificial characters out of a Hollywood movie. Transparent frill blouses with blazers and flared leather trousers, even the platform boots, everything brand-new, the makeup makes their faces look like a glossy magazine cover even in person. The smokey eyes of De Angelis and Raggi make them look smug and bored. Later, on the pictures it will probably look cool.

So of course your first impression might be: This band is under contract to industry giant Sony ever since their success on an Italian casting show [X Factor] in Winter 2017. The music industry must have its hand in the game when a band is photographed half-naked by Oliviero Toscani and styled by Etro. Also, one does not simply rent a villa with a pool in Rome to produce new music there, isolated from the rest of the world. And who else went to London for two whole months, shortly before the winter lockdown, just for inspiration? After the TikTok concert in Berlin – De Angelis and David are now wearing fishnet shirts that sparkle with every move, their bare nipples covered with an X of black tape – the band is posing with a few influencers. In the world of social media you would call that 'producing content'. But what does that mean for a band who are preaching their hosanna of authenticity? How authentic is Måneskin? And is their pointedly casual approach to sexuality and gender cliches in today's pop-cultural spirit more than a marketing strategy?

We're in the interview, the recording device is running for not even five minutes, when Victoria De Angelis says: “Actually, we just try to be ourselves and do what we really want to do.” And really: The more you listen to those four how they speak about the early days of the band in their slurred Roman dialect, about the shoe box and their own experiences with being different, but most importantly about their shared obsession [with music], the more you realise that [De Angelis] is very serious. Ethan Torchio, who got his first drum kit at the age of six or seven from his father because he was beating everything he could reach, says: “For me, music is like food. I cannot live without it.” The bassist next to him laughs at his pathos. Singer Damiano David applauds the otherwise more reserved friend for his truthfulness [it says 'klarer Punkt', meaning 'for the point he makes', but it makes it seem like Damiano is agreeing with Ethan here, although it doesn't indicate whether he agrees that yes, music is everything for Ethan or that he understands and feels the same].

De Angelis and guitarist Raggi already knew each other from middle school and they were the ones who tried to form a band at the age of only 13, a band that actually took music seriously.

De Angelis: “It's just difficult at that age to find other people who really put everything into music and who truly commit themselves and are willing to invest a lot of their time.”

Raggi: “We set strict rules and scheduled fixed times for the rehearsals, for every day.”

David: “Fever, stomach ache, there was no excuse. Even if you were feeling sick in the rehearsal room. At least you were in the rehearsal room.”

The way the four of them talk across each other, completing each other's sentences, taking turns in talking and sometimes joking about each other, seems intimate and playful. Singer David remembers how at first bassist [De Angelis] was merciless towards him when it came to her first metal band project, as she told him that he wasn't committed enough [to the music]: “Back then I was still playing Basketball. I was one of the people that Vic absolutely didn't want [in her band].” Drummer Torchio was later discovered through Facebook, even though there had already been a drummer, a close friend, but he was not good enough. It seems as if even back then music was everything for them. Even if it meant that only Raggi managed to graduate.

And why rock, why rock music of all things? Because it's great, the four of them say in unison. David adds: “Actually, it's a genre that allows you to do everything you want to do.”

When they played on the street, they were laughed at by their classmates. But not only there. De Angelis explains that she never wanted to be a typical girl: “I was always deterred by those stupid boxes that people put you in, and that are just restricting and constraining you, because something is only regarded as male or female. I always rejected that. Instead, I just wanted to do the things I enjoyed doing, I went skating and played football.” Torchio says: “Friends who are not friends anymore were already telling me at the age of ten that those“ – he grabs his long, silky black hair – “were wrong. Because I'm a boy and boys are meant to have short hair, long hair is only for girls. I was bullied a lot for that.”

“Compared to the past, people in our age became much more open-minded. It gets better.” – Thomas Raggi

Frontman David on the other hand, for whom eye shadow, jingling earrings and nail polish as well as his bare torso with the tattoos have become trademarks by now, says: “I was actually more of the average boy.” De Angelis convinced him to try out some eyeliner, which he describes as a spiritual awakening: “I liked myself much more [with makeup]. I saw myself more as myself. As if it had been a suppressed desire of mine.” On a trip to Copenhagen with the others, when he realised that it really didn't matter what people were thinking about him, he got his first fake fur [coat? the article doesn't specify that] in a second-hand shop and let his clothing style be guided by his own love to experiment: “I realised that my whole life I was just going at half speed.” When it comes to diversity all four of them are becoming almost missionary.

At the same time, their success is not only opening doors for them. Back home in Rome they are barely able to go out on the street due to all the paparazzi. “[You need a] hoodie and huge sunglasses”, David says, “the mask is quite helpful, too.” And still, none of them is complaining, and Torchio explains why: “Even if those experiences right now may have sides that are not so pleasant, we still know that for us a dream is coming true. We experience something that we always had in our minds, so we are willing to face every consequence that this entails.”

So is the band facing difficult times, is Måneskin going to change with all the success? Again, all of them answer at the same time.

David: “I'm not worried about that.”

Raggi: “No way!”

De Angelis: “On the contrary. Everything that happened to us happened because we are who we are, so we want to continue the exact same way and stay ourselves.”

Just a few hours later, they are at the stage in Neukölln, bouncing around like pinballs, hammering at their instruments, flirting with each other. “We are out of our minds, but different from the others”, David sings their winning hymn against conformism, and: “The people talk, unfortunately they talk.” Here on stage, the four paradise birds [a German word describing someone with a flamboyant personality] with their half-nude-glittering outfits are radiating an incredible energy with the utmost sincerity, and you begin to wish there was a live audience instead of the TikTok cameras, absorbing and spreading this energy. Måneskin. A cry for a life after the pandemic, a cry for freedom and a better world.

“We do what we wished for all our lives.” – Ethan Torchio

#måneskin #maneskin #måneskin interview #my stuff #i'm sorry if someone already translated it but i was working on this for the past 3 hours now so i'm still gonna share it #i know most of it is not very new but there were some quite interesting details in there #and it's just always great to read about those four dorks so i wanted to share it with all of you who wanted to read it but couldn't #enjoy and please ignore any possible mistakes i didn't have the time to proof-check everything

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lightsupinthenorth · 3 years

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It’s the little things

Summary: Instead of giving up on trying to convince Mobius that the TVA agents are variants during their conversation in episode 4, Loki comes up with a new tactic to help him see the light.

Excerpt: "He interrupts Mobius’ rant by slamming both his hands on the table and shouting, seemingly out of the blue: 'you’re left-handed!'"

Read on AO3

Loki’s just blurted out to Mobius that the TVA agents are all variants, in a last-ditch attempt at convincing him they’re on the same side. And also in the hope it will make him shut up about Sylvie and what he thinks Loki feels for her.

Loki goes on, expanding on the bomb he just dropped, talking about Mobius’ hypothetical past and family, hoping it will be enough to make the walls Mobius built around himself crumble.

Once Loki’s said his piece, Mobius keeps silent for a beat. Long enough for Loki to believe it might work out.

Mobius looks rattled. So much so that Loki thinks he actually got through to him.

However, Loki’s hopes are annihilated with two little words:

“Nice try”.

These aren’t the kind of words Loki would ever react well to. Because “nice try”, despite posing as praise, is always thrown at you to point out you failed. Coming from Mobius, it hurts worse than being stabbed. Because, it doesn’t only mean “you failed”. It also means “you lied so many times before that I think everything that comes out of your mouth is just another lie”. It means “I don’t trust you”.

And, really, can Loki blame Mobius for that? He’s been trying his hardest to appear ten steps ahead of everyone ever since he arrived at the TVA, and now his pride and arrogance have turned against him. It’s not the first time it’s happened, but there’s no getting used to it.

As cracks are slowly forming in Loki’s cold black heart, getting it closer and closer to shattering, Mobius starts going off about Loki and Sylvie again.

Loki’s failed on both counts, then: Mobius doesn’t believe him, and he still won’t stop ranting. And he had the nerves to complain about Loki’s yacking!

Loki considers giving up and letting Mobius do whatever he wants with him. However, as he watches Mobius reach for the TemPad with his dominant hand, he’s suddenly hit by a ridiculous – and probably bound to fail – idea. Loki might have a lot of flaws (not that he’d admit to many, if any, of them), but he’s nothing if not resourceful. He thought telling Mobius he was a variant was a last ditch-attempt, but he apparently has another dagger up his sleeve. Its blade is not very sharp, to the point it might as well be made of rubber. Still, Loki will try to make something out of it. He has to try.

He interrupts Mobius’ rant by slamming both his hands on the table and shouting, seemingly out of the blue: “you’re left-handed!”

Mobius stops mid-sentence, thrown out of his depth. He sighs, trying to convey exasperation instead of the surprise he really feels. He shouldn’t be surprised by anything Loki comes up with, at this point. It’s not his fault this mad man (god, whatever) still manages to be unpredictable once in a while.

“What’s that got to do with any of it?”

“I… It’s just… Hear me out. I know you don’t trust me, but think about it… really think about it. What the TVA told you about the agents being created by the Time-Keepers doesn’t make sense.”

“You lost me.”

Mobius has no idea how Loki had gone from him being left-handed to “the Time-Keepers didn’t create the TVA agents”. He’s going to need a step-by-step explanation of the process.

Loki briefly looks down, takes a deep breath and then goes back to looking at Mobius, as if bracing himself for something.

“You’re left-handed-“

Mobius opens his mouth to interrupt Loki, because, really, this is becoming ridiculous and they’re running in circles. Loki is probably just stalling for time in order to concoct a new ploy that will get him out of the hole he dug himself. He doesn’t have time to say any of this, though. Loki notices he’s not on board and cuts himself off to say:

“Please, let me get this out. Please.”

His hands are now joined in supplication and his bright blue eyes are desperate and suspiciously shiny. Mobius has seen a lot of Loki’s life, which has included its fair share of tears. That’s how he knows he couldn’t take it if Loki started crying.

So, instead of protesting as he first intended to, he just nods, allowing Loki to resume.

“Thank you. The ‘left-handed’ thing is only the first one on a list of things corroborating my main point. If the Time-Keepers had really created you, why would they have bothered to make you left-handed even though it’s not the norm? Why would you have a sweet-tooth? Why would you be weirdly fascinated by jetskis? When you look at the TVA and the way it’s organised, would you peg the Time-Keepers as beings who would care about giving their agents any type of particularities? The way I see it, if you had been created by them, you’d all be robots passing as human beings, not people with their own personalities… Besides, have your seen your nose? It’s obviously been broken before. Probably several times. Do you even remember that happening?”

Mobius instinctively raises a hand to his nose, tracing the jagged shape of it. He’s still trying to process everything Loki said, and it’s a lot.

His thoughts, as soon as he manages to gather them, jump to the possible reason why Loki’s noticed and remembered all these little things about him. It doesn’t mean Loki cares. Of course it doesn’t. he was probably only gathering intel. Besides, isn’t it absurd that Mobius would focus on this instead of focusing on the point Loki is making?

Because, he is making a point. Isn’t he?

No matter how little is known about the Time-Keepers, Mobius can admit it indeed seems out-of-character for them to have bothered with making their agents have quirks. And he indeed does not remember breaking his nose. Why would the Time-Keepers have made him look this way voluntarily? It serves no purpose.

“Say something, please.”

Mobius regains focus after having lost himself in his thoughts, and he stares into Loki’s eyes. He decides to indulge Loki and speaks, not because Loki asked nicely – after all, the god is more often than not very polite despite his numerous less than pleasant personality traits –, but because everything in his posture suggests he’s on the verge of falling apart:

“Okay… I can see where you’re coming from.”

The effect of his words are instantaneous: Loki’s entire body sags from the relief.

“I’m gonna need more proof than that before I really buy your theory, though.” Mobius says. He’s got to keep Loki on his toes. He can’t have him believe he’s got Mobius wrapped around his little finger (even though he does).

“Proof… well, Sylvie can give you proof. As I said she can access your memories and-“

“Nope, nope, nope. There ain’t no way I’m letting her anywhere near my head to access so-called memories that might not even exist.” Mobius might have admitted to himself that Loki had a point. However, he’s going to pretend there’s still a chance he’s entirely wrong about all this, because if he’s right it means Mobius’s whole life is a lie and Mobius doesn’t have the faintest idea of how he’d deal with that.

“Can’t you do it?” He adds. Apparently, he’s lost every ounce of self-preservation instinct he’s ever possessed. He’s expecting a barb from Loki, something along the lines of “So you do trust me, Mobius, I’m touched”.

He gets none of that. Loki has really decided to catch him off guard today.

Loki doesn’t say anything. He stares at Mobius as if he’d grown a second head. After barely two seconds, though, he snaps out of it, and answers calmly:

“I don’t know how. But… maybe I could learn.”

“Okay… I suppose you’ll need your demented alter-ego for that?”

Loki cringes, which is answer enough.

Mobius sighs. He does that far too often around Loki.

“Right, let’s go get her, then.”

Loki goes back to staring at him as if he’d grown a second head, then. Eyes wide, mouth agape. Mobius would find it funny if the situation wasn’t so dire.

“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t trust her. And I don’t trust you, either… But I can’t go on with my life as if you fuckers hadn’t just upended it with your crazy variant theory… So I guess I’ll take my chances.”

Mobius gets up and Loki imitates him. Mobius is already moving in the direction of the door when Loki stops him by grabbing his forearm. Mobius turns back toward him and arches an eyebrow in question.

“I know it won’t mean much to you but… I have your back. I promise I won’t stab it… again. And I’ll make sure Sylvie doesn’t either.”

Mobius doesn’t trust Loki right now. He has no guarantee that he can. Most of Loki’s past suggests he cannot. But, stupidly, Mobius wants to. He really wants to trust him. It wouldn’t take a lot from Loki to make him. He won’t let it show, though. He’s stupid, but not this stupid.

“Right. Time will tell, I suppose.”

Loki is thoroughly unimpressed by Mobius’ time-related pun. It’s fine, though. Mobius is amused enough for the both of them. He smiles at Loki’s grumpy expression.

“Oh come on, it was funny!”

“A dagger through the heart would be funnier.”

Mobius rolls his eyes. Loki is such a drama-queen. It would be annoying if it wasn’t so endearing.

“Come on, you buzzkill. Let’s go before someone decides to prune your evil twin sister for real.”

Loki groans. “I really hate you sometimes.”

“Sure, you keep telling yourself that.”

Loki will keep telling himself that: he’s a skilled liar, especially when it comes to lying to himself, and he cannot cope with the truth right now (the truth being that he’s far too fond of Mobius for his own good). He’ll deal with it after they deal with the giant pile of their current problems.

First step: go to Sylvie. Second step: hightail it out of here

#Loki #Loki fanfiction #Mobius M. Mobius #Lokius #Loki spoilers #Canon divergence #takes place in episode 4 #light angst #a bit of fluff

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lifeofroos · 3 years

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A/N: It’s not an AU in the sense that Loki has been training to be a skater all his life. It is an AU in the sense that Loki and Mobius are dating and Loki has a sibling relationship with Sylvie (Like it should have been).

AO3 - KoFi

Bohemian Rhapsody, or: Mischief on ice

‘Loki, are you sure…’

Sylvie slammed her hand over Mobius’ mouth. ‘Skate!’

Mobius janked her hand away. ‘I didn’t say he shouldn’t…’

‘But you meant it. Now hush, let him show us what he can do.’

Loki heard his people yell from the side of the skating rink, but he hardly processed what they were saying. He was too absorbed into his routine.

‘He never told me he could figure skate,’ Mobius whispered to Sylvie. ‘I didn’t think he’d be so good at it.’

‘I said hush. And he isn’t that good.’ She almost took a step back when Loki landed a magnificent jump with a lot of spins that she didn’t know the name of. ‘... or perhaps he is. I thought he was joking about landing a spot in the competition and we would get to see him fall flat on his face.’

When he looked over for a second, Loki could see his friends were surprised. Hilarious - and exactly why he hadn’t told them about his placement before. It was way funnier to suddenly drop the news on them.

After he finished his routine, he slided to the side. ‘And?’

Mobius slowly nodded. ‘That went really well. Which makes sense, if you really got qualified.’

Loki nodded. ‘And you haven’t even heard my music yet!’ He dug an old ipod out of his pocket (‘He was skating with that? He could have fell and broken it!’) and handed it to Mobius. ‘It is already connected to the speakers. You only have to press play.’

‘I know how this works…’ Loki didn’t hear what else Mobius had to say. He skated to the middle of the rink. The Agent sighed and pressed a button.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy... Sylvie raised her eyebrows. Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality,... ‘He is skating to this?’

Wrong song! Next piece!’ Loki yelled.

It took a second before Mobius had found the right button. The next song on the list was ‘Autumn,’ from Vivaldi’s four seasons.

Sylvie also had a comment ready for this piece: ‘It’s so light.’

Mobius shook his head. ‘It starts out light, the way autumn does. The closer we get to winter, the heavier it becomes.’

He was right. The closer they got to the end of ‘Autumn,’ the heavier the music got. Loki’s jumps became more difficult as well. He finished with a spinning move, before getting into his final pose, low to the ice.

Mobius clapped. ‘Well done!’

Sylvie pursed her lips. ‘Well…’

Loki skated to the side of the ring. ‘What’s the matter, Sylvie?’

‘I think you could improve.’

‘How would you know?’

‘We are one and the same, Loki.’

‘Step onto the ice and do a triple axel.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of it. Can I see a copy of your routine?’

Loki stepped out of the rink. ‘Sure. See what you can change. Then you can come along to Brazil as my coach.’

‘I love the implication that you don’t even have a coach.’

‘I don’t.’

Mobius sighed and handed Loki back the ipod. ‘Good luck, then…’

Loki leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. ‘You’re coming too. I’ve got to pack now. See you tomorrow!’

‘What are you looking at?’

Sylvie scanned the gate. ‘I want to see if there are any more skaters here. I checked the site last evening…’

‘She means 3 A.M.’

‘Shut up, Mobius. You got yourself into a pretty high-end skating competition.’

‘It’s called a preliminary round to the world championships.’

‘But for someone who was unknown before!’

‘Loki… how did you even do that?’

Loki slowly shook his head. ‘Wouldn’t you like to know?’ He took a look around the gate. ‘That guy over there. He skates, too. I do not see more of them right now.’

Sylvie intently stared at the other skater. The young man didn’t even seem to notice.

‘Loki, I looked through your routine…’ Sylvie leaned over Mobius and put a sheet of paper onto Loki’s little table.

‘Don’t wake Mobius.’

Sylvie glanced at the agent. ‘He’s probably pretending. Anyway, I added a jump here, and I took a rotation away there. I think that will add more… drama. More suspense.’

‘I am sure of it.’

‘I know you are. Now show me the kür you actually wanted to skate, instead of this.’

Loki raised his eyebrows. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You aren’t going to actually skate this. You already showed me and Mobius this routine twice.’

‘You know me too well.’

‘Go figure. Now hand it over.’

‘Did you see his kür?’

Sylvie nodded. ‘Yes. I tried to tell him what worked and what didn’t, but I have no idea if he actually listened to me. He might have decided on a whole new choreography, even.’

Mobius sighed. ‘Sounds like our Loki.’

Loki, who was just done with his warm-up round, skated to the middle of the rink. He winked at Mobius, who in his turn looked at the guy manning the music. They had given him the old Ipod, which seemed to be enough.

The song that began to play was, again, Bohemian Rhapsody. Mobius sighed. ‘You can skip it…’

‘WAIT! DON’T SKIP!’ Loki yelled from the ice.

‘DON’T LISTEN TO HIM!’ Sylvie yelled even louder.

The soundman gave Mobius a confused look.

The agent thought for a moment. ‘...Let it play,’ he told the soundman. ‘From the top.’

When he walked back to Sylvie, she gave Mobius a look as if this was the worst betrayal she had ever faced. ‘How dare you-’

‘Just let him do it.’

‘He can’t fool around-’

‘It’s one of the things you Loki’s do best. Give it a chance, Sylvie.’

Just like the classical piece, the Bohemian Rhapsody started with light music and ended with a beat that went well with higher jumps. If you paid attention, you saw the the only changes Loki made to the routine were a few rotations and a lap around the skating rink at the end, which went well with the final twenty seconds of the Bohemian Rhapsody.

‘Sylvie, why so quiet?’ the god asked, while he stepped out of the ring.

‘...it was remarkably good. It looked like your Autumn routine.’

‘If the grand coach says it’s good, it’s good!’

‘But you are not doing this during the competition! That’s too risky!’

Mobius laid a hand on his shoulder before Loki could reply. ‘Well trained, Loki. What if we get something to eat, now?’

‘But not too much! Then he can’t jump anymore!’

‘We are gods!’

‘As if I care!’

Mobius sighed and ushered them away from the skating rink. ‘We’ll get some light salads,’ he shushed. ‘Delicious and healthy.’

‘I think I could do Bohemian Rhapsody. There are no rules against it.’

Mobius turned around. ‘I was asleep.’

‘And I wasn’t. It felt good to skate to Bohemian Rhapsody, even better than it felt to skate to Autumn. I already thought it was boring, Vivaldi’s Autumn…’

Mobius sighed and pulled Loki into a cuddle. ‘We can think about it tomorrow, or any of the other three days we’ve got before the competition after. You should rest now, otherwise you won’t have the energy to skate anymore.’

‘I just…’

Mobius gave him a peck on the lips. ‘Sh.’

After one last eyeroll, Loki obliged.

‘Morning!’

‘Morning.’

‘Did you sleep well?’

‘Yes?’ Loki looked up at Mobius, as if he would have a different answer.

Sylvie nodded. ‘Keep that up. You need lots of energy to keep skating.’

‘I already told him.’

‘Well, I am saying it again. Wait a second!’ Sylvie darted back into her hotel room, which was next to that of Mobius and Loki. ‘I’ve got information on the other skaters,’ she yelled from inside. With a stack of papers, she came back out. ‘We can study it during breakfast. I found out how many points each skater will probably get, based on what I saw of their routine yesterday and in the competitions before this one. Believe it or not, Loki, but you actually have a bit of a chance.’

Loki looked up at Mobius. Nope, the agent looked just as confused as he felt.

‘...thanks, Sylvie.’

She looked at him with stars in her eyes. ‘I want you to do the best you can.’

‘That being said,’ mobius cut in. ‘Did you sleep at all last night?’

‘Of course! With one eye! Now let us go downstairs!’

‘You’ll need your sleep too, you know…’

‘Tsk! I can sleep when I am dead. I’ve got enemies to study now.’

‘Mobius!’

‘Hmpf?’

‘It’s seven A.M. Let’s go on a morning walk!’

‘Sylvie won’t like that…’

The god tutted. ‘Mobius, Mobius. Yesterday, I sabotaged dear Sylvie’s alarm. That will be good for her, she barely slept the last couple of days. Believe me when I say she’ll sleep till 2 P.M., late enough for us to be back and have lunch before she wakes up.’

Mobius opened one of his eyes. Damn it, he wouldn’t be able to sleep now anyway. Slowly, he got up. ‘A short walk, then.’

There was a park near the hotel they stayed at. A very nice park, even. Loki hooked his arm through Mobius’s. ‘Hear, it’s the birds singing.’

Mobius closed his eyes. ‘I never imagined you would like the sound of singing birds.’

‘I think most people do. On Asgard, they also sing, you know. It’s nearly universal.’

Mobius nodded. ‘Ah-ha.’

Loki took a deep breath. ‘I didn’t really want to talk about the skating competition right now, but…’

‘Say what you want. Get it out of your system.’

‘Sylvie takes this very seriously. On one hand, I appreciate that, because I would love to win. On the other hand… I sort of got into this for the hell of it.’

‘I figured as much. Now you are torn between winning the gold medal and getting your fun. Because there is no way you are going to continue to the real world championship.’

‘I mean, I am not sure yet.’

‘I am for you.’

Loki sighed. ‘You’re probably right.’

‘I am not entirely foolproof, of course.’ Mobius stopped walking and pulled Loki into a hug. ‘Anyway will be fine. It’ll be fine.’

‘It’ll be fine,’ Loki repeated. He took a deep breath. ‘Because most things turn out fine.’

‘Exactly.’ Mobius kissed his forehead. ‘Now let’s go find a bakery. We should eat before Sylvie decides you aren’t doing that as well as you should.’

‘Loki?’

‘Hm?’

Sylvie held up his ipod. ‘This still plays Bohemian Rhapsody before it plays Autumn. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to sneak Bohemian Rhapsody into your actual performance.’

‘Who knows.’

Sylvie raised her chin. ‘I am going to delete it.’

Loki jumped up and snatched the Ipod out of her hands. ‘I don’t think so! I paid for that song!’

Sylvie rolled her eyes. ‘At least put the songs in the right order!’

‘Okay, okay,’ Loki lied. ‘I’ll delete it.’

With a few easy buttons, he had deleted Vivaldi and changed the name of Bohemian Rhapsody into Autumn. Sylvie, wrapped up in her routines and scores, seemed to already have forgotten about it. Keyword seemed.

Loki slid the ipod into his jacket. He would give it to Mobius. Sylvie wouldn’t try to search him in his sleep, but there was no certainty that she would grant Loki the same rest.

‘Competitions shouldn’t be in the morning,’ Sylvie complained.

Mobius patted her on the back. ‘Perhaps you’ll learn now that you, too, need sleep. This competition has been draining for all of us, not just Loki.’

Sylvie grunted, unwilling to agree. ‘Let’s just go to the rink already. He needs to stretch and we need to make sure the costume doesn’t tear at the last minute.’

The costume didn’t tear at the last minute. It looked wonderful. Black, with illuminating green streaks. ‘Like Autumn,’ as Sylvie said.

There were already a few people at the skating rink when Mobius, Loki and Sylvie got there. Other skaters and their coaches and loved ones, all fussing about.

Sylvie took a deep breath. ‘Loki, I hope you enjoy this, okay? You worked hard the last few days, and I can only imagine what the months before that were like.’

Loki almost felt guilty that he was going to skate to the Bohemian Rhapsody. Almost. ‘Thanks, Sylvie. I’ll skate my hardest. I had a great coach, after all.’ He meant it. He even used some of the tips she had given him.

Sylvie quickly shook her head. ‘Enough of this. Come, stretch. You need to be warm.’

‘Loki Laufeyson: Third slot,’ the voice-over yelled. Loki nodded. He liked that he wouldn’t be the first, but that he didn’t have to wait so long that he got anxious, either.

The man that did have to go first was a popular figure, you could hear it by the reaction of the audience as he took the ice. The blond man blew a kiss at the audience and a destructive look at his opponents as he skated to the middle. His music and routine began seconds after.

‘The swan lake? This man really is creative, is he?’ Loki scoffed. Sylvie snickered at first, but her look got more serious as she saw how the man skated. ‘Creative or not, he’s good, Loki. You’ll have to watch out.’

‘Watch out for what? That his score will be higher? I’d like to see him try.’

Yet, Loki had to agree the man was really good. He landed a couple of difficult jumps with no trouble. He turned back to Sylvie. ‘What’s your analysis?’

‘His choreography isn’t strong enough,’ she mumbled. ‘The jumps are strong, but he has no flair, no story. You’re better in that regard.’ Loki nodded.

Mobius stared at the two loki’s. Up until a week ago, he had heard neither of them say a word about figure skating. Now they talked about it as if they had done it their entire lives. He shouldn’t be surprised, he knew that. But that was easier said than done.

While the second guy was doing his kür, they were too nervous to say much, except for some light encouragement.

Right before the second guy left the ice, Loki pressed a kiss onto Mobius’ lips. ‘I am going to do it.’

‘Thought so. Go get ‘em.’

Loki nodded with a smile. Sylvie silently ushered him to the opening.

As he skated onto the ice, Loki felt a familair calmness come over him. He did a small lap before taking the middle.

‘Forgive me, Sylvie,’ he mumbled, as he waited for the music to start.

Is this the real life? With a start he realised his plan had worked. A second too late, he began his routine, but it didn’t matter. He forgot the world around him as he did what he had done over and over again the past few months. Light as a feather, he skipped over the ice, making jump after jump and gracious move after gracious move.

‘IDIOT! BASTARD! DO YOU THINK I AM DOING THIS FOR FUN?’

Mobius laid a hand on Sylvie’s shoulder. ‘Come on, Sylvie, he is doing his best…’

‘He told me he had deleted the Bohemian Rhapsody! Well, apparently not!’

‘Didn’t you check?’

‘He guarded that ipod with his life. I wanted to check last night, but then it wasn’t in the right spot.’

She could see the gears turning in Mobius' head. ‘That might be because it was still in my pocket,’ he confessed. ‘Which… that little sneak. He really lied to us over a skating performance.’

‘Wanna punch him once he is done?’

‘I won’t hold you back, Sylvie.’

With a feeling of euphoria, Loki finished his last jump perfectly. He managed to do his pirouette routine without mistakes and stopped after his lap through the rink.

The first thing he saw when he landed back onto earth was Sylvie and Mobius looking like they could destroy him on the spot. Now, he could either flee and escape their anger for a moment, or he could hear his score.

After a moments’ hesitation, he shrugged and skated over to his friends. He could always run after he had heard how he did.

They gave him death glares all the way to the bench where he’d hear his score. Loki tried to pretend he didn’t see it.

They sat down, Loki in the middle, Sylvie on the right and Mobius on his left. The previous anger was gone as they all waited with great anticipation.

His score appeared. 181.25, which for now put him at the very top of the list.

He jumped up with joy. ‘You sonofabitch…’ Sylvie whispered, with a wide smile.

Mobius kissed Loki on the cheek. ‘Let’s give way to the others now,’ he whispered after that. ‘It’s not like you’ve won yet.’ Loki nodded. He decided that for now, he didn’t have to run.

The other routines went by in a blur. Sylvie sometimes made a quip about one of them, when the skaters did something exceptionally good or bad.

Only the moments were the other skaters received their scores were clear. Time after time, they scored just below Loki, with the exception of a young skater from Italy, who got a 185. Sylvie shrugged. ‘I guess that’s deserved. That’s the guy from the airport I believe.’

Once it was clear he would stay in second place, Loki hugged both of his friends at the same time. ‘Thanks.’

‘Never pull such a stunt ever again.’

‘I can’t promise anything.’ He let go of Mobius for a moment to hug Sylvie, then let go of her so he could kiss Mobius. He took a deep breath and skated onto the ice again.

Somewhere behind the rink, Mobius and Sylvie were standing, he knew as he stood on the block. And they were proud of him, he was sure of that.

‘You’re crazy…’

‘It’s okay. Sylvie can do it too.’

Sylvie was indeed gracefully gliding over the ice. She might not have the same skill as Loki, but she could at least keep herself standing. Mobius didn’t have the illusion he could do so.

‘Come, I’ll help you,’ Loki said, trying to copy Mobius’ soft tone.

Mobius stuck out his hands. Loki took them and guided him onto the ice.

‘It’s slippery.’

‘Of course it is. Relax.’

Relax? ‘Oh god…’ Heavily leaning on Loki, Mobius let himself be guided over the ice. He heard Sylvie whistle. ‘Don’t taunt me, please.’

‘You just need to fall once, then it’ll be okay.’

‘Come on… Ah!’

He fell down onto the ice and Loki fell with him. Or, no. ‘You pulled us down.’

‘As Sylvie said: You need to fall once, then it’ll be okay. Because you’ll be less afraid.’

‘How does that work?’

Loki leaned over and kissed him. ‘It just does.’

Mobius chuckled, even though he didn’t really want to. ‘If you’ll help me up, I can try again.’

‘Very well.’ Loki helped him back onto his skates. To his surprise, Mobius realised he really was less afraid.

‘Thanks.’

‘The boyfriend of a silver medal skater can’t be unable to skate.’

‘Of course not.’ He took a stride forward. Then another, and another, until he could do it without help. ‘Next year, I am defeating you.’

Loki laughed. ‘I am already looking forward to it.

A/N: Now, I am not going to pretend I know anything about figure skating...

Fast forward a year and Mobius realises he should not have said that because Loki took it to heart.

Tagging: @lokis-right-nut @deanmekel

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chaniters · 5 years

Text

Blood in the water

Part 8 of @kruk-art‘s Awan Cormac’s series.

Awan mixes out some detective and thieving along with Steel and Anathema.

Tried to write up something a bit funnier this time too!

___________________________________________

“It’s like she’s everywhere now,” Anathema says watching Elyise’s billboard trough the car’s window. This isn’t the first sign you’ve seen, they’re all over the highways and TV. This one is massive, displaying her in a power pose in full costume. The fine print states her new slogan, which she accidentally said in an interview. If you recall she was crying about her mother’s death as the reporter kept pushing the questions “It’s not the powers or the cape that define a hero, but the sacrifices they decide to make”

“Reaper’s investing lots of money on her career,” you say leaning back. With Steel on the wheel and Anathema on the companion’s seat, you’ve got the whole backseat to yourself. “He’s even become her manager. I talked to him, and he says he thinks she can carry off his legacy now that he's’ retired.”

“Well, she’s amazing right?… Fighting her own supervillain mother… I thought that shit only happened in the movies they make”

“Not anymore,” Steel says taking a turn off the highway. “And there’s already a movie in the works”

“Already?” you ask

“Yes. She’s a real inspiration. Doing things by the book all the time, even if it means fighting her own. Registered as a hero in under a week. Unlike some other people.” you can feel his gaze squinting at you through the mirror.

“Well maybe you should ask her to join the Rangers” You say looking back.

“That’s a very real possibility” he answers dryly.

Eventually, Anathema breaks the uncomfortable silence that follows.

“So what do we know about this scene?”

“Nine dead. And they’re saying it’s not pretty so I hope you didn’t have too much for breakfast” Steel answers “Because we’re almost there”

-----------Half an hour later------------------

“This is fucked up,” you say circling around the bloodstains. Forensics already took samples and pictures so you have free reign over the scene. This isn’t the worst you’ve seen considering your past, but the killings in this warehouse are not something you’ve seen before.

“It’s really bad,” Anathema says looking at the corpse on the floor and the stains on the wall. “But I bet Steel’s seen worse right?” he adds nervously.

“No kid, he’s right” Steel answers looking at a severed hand, nearly split in two between the fingers. “This really fucked up. You have to be a really sick bastard to go all the way about actually dismembering people”

Anathema goes silent, his first time in a murder scene bloody enough to put Steel off his game. He’s clearly feeling the pressure but trying to keep appearances while you and Steel are unphased.

“Annie, why don’t you go talk to the forensics team, see if they can get us a first hand on the DNA results when they’re done?” you ask “We could end up catching the culprit from the database alone.”

“Aahh.. sure! I’ll go do that!” he says walking off trying not to look too relieved.

Steel approaches, speaking in a lower tone as Anathema goes outside.

“You beat me to it”

“It’s good enough that he didn’t throw up in here.”

“I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen anything like this, even during the war. It’s sickening. And it makes me wonder what’s the worst thing you’ve seen Sidestep because you’re going through this mess like it was a walk in the park”

You frown lightly. Always looking for clues, this one. Can’t let your guard down for a minute.

“It’s usually the living you should be scared off”

“True enough. You’re the detective, or so you claim. What do you make of this?”

Your gaze runs trough the crime scene slowly as you describe what your instincts are telling you.

“Seven males, two females, all dead and the cause seem to be severe, brutal slashing cuts. I haven’t seen a single stab wound, this isn’t knives we’re dealing with. Some sort of sword perhaps? The assailant also must be of incredible strength, enough to dismember with clean cuts, going straight through the bone. Went through them like paper”

Steel nods slowly, seeing what you see as you continue your assessment

“The victims had an impressive array of firearms, and two of them are modded with extra strength” you add glancing at a thorn mechanical arm “And what’s more, they fought back as hard as they could. The attacker came trough this window, and their response must have been almost immediate” you point to the numerous bullet holes and cracks on the wall by the window.

“The attacker did not use a gun, or at least none of the victims was shot, so unless it was bullet-proof we’re most likely going to get a clear sample of their DNA around one of the bloodstains on this wall. I mean, every shot here must have been aimed at them.”

“They used heavy ammo too,” Steel says running a finger through a large crack.

“I’ll defer to you on that, you’re the specialist. How much firepower would you say the victims were packing?”

“Let’s just say they would have put my armor to the test”

“Now that’s unnerving. Alright, so the attacker broke in, messed them up while they kept shooting at it, broke through here, and entered this hidden room which they somehow knew was here, then stole everything inside these medical-supply boxes and finally jumped down the street this way” you say looking through the broken window.

“Impressive” Steel nods “And It could be just right I'd say.”

“There’s more. They had tons of guns, were hiding in a nowhere apartment on the bad side of town in a semi-abandoned building, and they had a secure room hidden behind a false wall with broken needles and medical supplies behind them. I’m going to make a wild guess: They were dealers. Hero-drug dealers that is. That’s why the boxes are empty. The attacker took the drugs”

“You can’t be sure they were dealing hero-drugs” Steel complains

“Not from the scene. But look through the window” you say looking down. He joins you trying to see what you see.

“You know who that is, right?” you say pointing at the stout figure with the top hat. It waves back with a jovial smile revealing sharp shark-like teeth as it walks to the building’s entrance...

“You’re right. Hero drugs it is. No way in hell Hollow Ground’s number one stooge would show up here otherwise.”

“We’ll need to talk to him. Lewie doesn’t show up to these things for nothing. This definitely must be one of HG’s places.”

Steel sighs. “Do we have to?”

“He’s the only one who might know who did this”

“Agreed. But he won’t say a word to us. He must be just showing up to assess the damage. I bet he owns the building, that’s always his excuse”

“I can take Annie and then see what we can find meeting him at his office? He doesn’t really know us well. An I know you can’t stand talking to the guy”

Steel squints at you. “Are you trying to make me owe you one?”

“Not really, but it wouldn’t be terrible if you helped out next time I need something”

He studies you with a calculating gaze for a moment.

“Fine. You and Anathema go for it, he makes me want to squish his head every single time he gets within arms distance after the things he pulled on us”

“So you’ll owe me one?”

“I’ll think about it” he offers, but you know it’s a yes.

“Great! Enjoy your crime-scene big guy”

________Later, that afternoon____________

“Smells like fish in here. Can I open a window?” you ask without waiting for a response as you simply open it yourself.

The big, shark-faced person sitting in front of you squeezes his plastic cup with a huge scaled hand while holding the forms you presented in the other one. Fish references are no to his liking it seems. Anathema’s just reading a magazine on traveling he found in the reception room.

“So let me get this straight Sidestep… You want a loan from me, for the purpose of -and I quote- “Fucking fighting crime hell yeah”, but you won’t give me your real name, or your social security number. In the “Gender” item you just wrote “Enemy of the Patriarchy” and your occupation just states “Kicking evil’s ass”. No assets to your name, no previous employments, references, no bank accounts, insurance or anything. Also no driver’s license. … hm... And let’s not forget your address “1234 Chicken Dinner Road”. Excuse me but I’m not sure that’s an actual road here in Los Diablos…”

“Ok fine, maybe I don’t have all my paperwork with me, but I’m totally reliable!” you whine from your chair.

“I know you think I’m dying to get every hero to enjoy one of our exclusive loan products but this is really stretching it. Perhaps if you offered some fingerprints or took off your mask, we could…”

“Sorry! I think I got glue on my hands while putting on the costume today. Do you see? Can’t take it off” you say pretending to try.

He narrows his gaze at you, his annoyment palatable in your mind.

“Do I kick them out boss?” Debra, the modded thug standing on the corner says looking at the two of you.

“I’m really really busy Sidestep. Perhaps it’s time you and your friend hit the road?”

“What? You haven’t even read Anathema’s form yet!”

“He’s just wasting your time!” Debra complains

“Not true! Anathema’s the one who wanted it, I just wanted to see how good my credit is… sorry. I just never asked for a loan before. Maybe I’ll do it better next time?” you talk back.

“He’s asking for a loan too?” Lewie says turning to him, losing all pretense about being interested in you. Giving a loan to a ranger would be great publicity to him

“What?” Anathema snaps out of his magazine as he’s mentioned.

“Of course he is. For his vacations. He’s taking several friends on a cruise for a few good weeks of wild fun, you know, the really good stuff. And we know you've organized some of the best cruises for your own friends. Maybe you can help him out?”

“Well I have on occasion been known to organize legendary cruises, that’s true,” the Loanshark says with a smile that aims to be cordial but just looks plain murderous. He’s vulnerable to flattery, you sensed as much.

“Dear Sidestep. What the heck are you doing to me?” Anathema whispers gently at your ear pulling back at your suit’s shoulder fabric.

“What does it look like I'm doing my dear friend Annie? Getting you a free vacation” you whisper back with an equally charming tone, smiling at Debra and the Loanshark as if this were your normal interactions. You’re also sending them a mental command to distract them from the whispering because sharks have a very good hearing of lower sounds.

“Yes, I know that. But have you considered I don’t want to ask for a loan from a literal loan shark?” he says pulling you even closer.

“Remember the time I got the wrong door and accidentally entered Steel’s room once and he had a two-hour fit? Well to get back at him I stole his ranger manual and sort of never gave it back. I’ve been studying your regulations, and you’re allowed extraordinary expenses during investigations. This is an investigation, and the loan is an extraordinary expense. You can have the Ranger’s pay for it”

“That can’t be a real thing,” he says squinting at you.

“Perhaps you forgot the time Ortega went to investigate those mobsters in the casino and lost all that money on the dice table to overhear their conversation…?”

“Uh… that’s not... right”

“Of course it’s not, but it’s legal,” you say handing the Loanshark the paperwork you filled in for Anathema

“Ohh what have we here” the Loanshark goes over the forms. “Now this is a completely different story” he adds going over the pages. “We can do things kid. Great things! How many grands do you need for this cruise…?” he says standing up “Have you gone over destinations yet?”

“Ehr... no?” Anathema goes on.

“Give him the whole speech Lewie. I don’t think he’s ever had so much money at once before, least of all spent it”

“I will! Come here my new best friend!” he says patting his back “Follow me to the other office. We have to discuss this over drinks. Me and the rangers! I knew it would happen one day. We’re going to talk business!”

“I’ll be out of your hair Lewie... I’ll show myself out” you say sending another distracting command, specifically to Debra this time.

“Wonderful, wonderful. Your friend leaves you in good hands Anathema. This way please”

“... help…?” Anathema whimpers as the Loanshark guide him away.

You head out to the streets pretending to leave while actually maintaining the mental command to distract Debra so she doesn’t make sure you’ve walked far enough. She just acts as if you had already left for good.

Perfect.

As they turn a corner, you start climbing the rooftops making your way back. A single push of a button activates the scrambler you had prepared for The Void, freezing all the Cameras in a loop, while turning the alarms in the building offline. You knew that thing would come in handy. A single jump and you enter trough his office’s window. That’s why you opened it from the inside it in the first place.

Time for the fun part. Snooping around his stuff…

You sensed stray thoughts about his ledger being in the room. It takes a few moments before you find the safe, hidden under the carpet. The hatch’s lock is relatively easy to pick, but the computerized code lock on the actual safe is not.

It takes a painfully long amount of fiddling before you manage to plug in the cellphone you modified to the electronic lock. Normally a lock like this would be impossible to crack, but you’ve got access to the farm’s top-of-the-line black-ops decryption protocols programs… another thing Nathaniel thaught you.

It had been a while since you felt this thrill… They could get back and find you anytime. A quick scan reveals Debra hasn’t returned to the security desk yet, preferring to check on Anathema. He seems to be playing along with your plan, distracting the Loanshark just long enough for….

*Bleep* the lock goes, as the safe opens.

“Yes!” you whisper to yourself as you check the contents.

Several ledgers, and a few labeled data-rods. And a lot of money. You get to work immediately, taking quick pictures of each page with your phone. It takes a painfully long time, but you have to do it, the Loanshark’s old-school and he believes nothing’s safe inside a computer so everything he knows about Hollow Ground’s operations should be here.

You sense they’re about to be done with their chat as you finish the last pages.

You scramble to check out the data-rods. The labels are all names of relatively known people…politicians, and some heroes. You notice several dedicated to Ortega. One reads “Public drunkness, barging at the casino”. Another one goes “Unlawful arrest of citizen -me- claiming he’s blackmailing witnesses”. The next one goes “Crazed claims about me working for Hollow Ground and threats of violence”. And the last one simply reads “Marshall Charge, getting to second base with Lady Blades”.

Wow. Lady Blades? That villain was one of Ortega’s first enemies when he was just a sidekick. Clearly the Loanshark is digging dirt on Ortega and has found a fair share of it. It’s not a real surprise since Lewie is the closest thing Hollow Ground has to a spokesperson, and Ortega’s been trying to get him to talk for ages.

You’re about to close the safe when one last rod catches your interest. Its label reads “Riley. Ask first before using”. So he’s got dirt on her too? Weird since she’s only just now become a public hero persona. The Loanshark would never admit to having a boss. Hollow Ground doesn’t officially exist. Whom else could he ask about this? And it says Riley, not Elyise?

The rod could contain anything, and this could ruin her chances of entering the rangers. You’re not going to let him blackmail her. You plug the data-rod and copy it as well before setting it back. You’re not sure why you’re doing this even... There’s something funny about this being in the Loanshark’s safe.

Time to free all these people from his clutches. 0

You take a small device from your inner pocket and set it into the safe around the data-rods. A press of the button and it starts buzzing before emitting an electrical discharge that fries all the electronics inside.

The Loanshark might find out it was you at some later point, but you’re not going to let him keep dirt on half the city. Charge and Elyise can thank you later.

Footsteps approaching… you get out through the window, jump off a few rooftops and land on the streets before deactivating your scrambler, the alarms inside his building going back online. You don’t sense anything from Debra so they don’t suspect.

Turning around the block, you find Anathema waiting for you nervously.

“Did you get it?” he asks as you approach

“Oh, I got it. And some extras too”

“Great. Because he’s waiting for me to make a final decision about the loan”

“So are you going to take it?” you smile

“ Of course not! I’m not going to owe anything to that asshole!”

“Well, I could give you a loan myself now!”

“You? How? You never have any money!”

“Lies. I have a job now!”

“And what’s that?”

“Stealing from assholes!” you say letting him take a peek of the Loanshark’s money in your pocket.”

______________________________________

My fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

#fallen hero: rebirth #fanfic #Awan Cormac #marshall steel #Anathema #fallen hero spoilers

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stlplaybox · 7 years

Text

A TFN journey: a story in 3 parts - Part 3

2017 was my first Transformers convention. As a collector with more than a modest affection for Transformers, it had always felt like a box I needed to tick off. This is the third part of my story at TFNation.

If you’re joining me for the first time you can find parts one and two here and here respectively.

A convention roars to life and stutters to a halt as abruptly as Predacons on a march. In the time span of days you ride the current and eddies of an energon rush. The whirlwind of experiences that accumulate meld into a hazy mess that you find yourself trying to piece together. For some it’s easy, for others it’s hard. I fell into the latter category.

I’m not sure if it felt particular harder because it was my first convention or it was because of the distance I’d traverse to get there but it took a while for my understanding to coalesce.

What did become clear was that the comfort of finality was constantly thwarted by continuity. Conventions are sliding doors. You meet someone, chat with them, share great stories, build on old ones and move on. What’s never clear is if the story’s ended. You’re never sure if, where and when you might bump into them again.

That makes it hard to land on a sense of finality, to get a sense of closure, because you’re constantly accumulating new information. Whether its the big things like another piece of someone’s story or learning a bit more about their body language and mannerisms, incorporating this new information makes it hard to fully digest everything. It’s harder too as the late convention nights start to take their toll and you find yourself in need of a good slumber in the CR chamber.

I’ve mentioned Bobby and Matt previously but I want to start with them again. Two strangers who made me feel comfortable on the first night, I’d regularly meet them again and again over the course of the three days. Each time, I’d learn a little bit more about them, see how they were faring, and once again be grateful for generosity. More than that, through these repeat encounters I re-met people like Steve and Maz or met new people like the wonderfully talented Sam (who completed Trypticon hip surgery on the bar floor!).

Then there was finding Veicki (@megapurrv). At breakfast on Saturday, Veicki spotted me in my Rodimus costume. Turns out she was the one who’d made the t-shirt that was the centrepiece of my holo avatar costume. As I sat down to feast on the scrumptious Hilton breakfast, I penned in getting a photo with her later on. I mean, what were the odds of bumping into the person who designed my t-shirt? Something that had led to a mountain of fun? But as the hours of Saturday passed, ClubCon came and went, time snowed into the deep hours of Sunday morning at the bar, and another breakfast passed I thought I’d missed my chance. That’s the thing about conventions. You can never be sure if you’ll bump into someone again or have another chance to chat with them. You have to make the most of the opportunities you get. Fortunately for me, I did find Veicki just before I had to scurry away. I’m grateful to her for being such a large part of my TFNation story.

Among the reasons I chose TFNation over other conventions was Maz (@TFsquareOne). More than being the strong creative force that he is, Maz is a strong spark of positivity. A must in a fandom that predicates its joy on rekindling the fires of yesterday. I will admit to being apprehensive about spending some of my holiday time for a convention but I can attest that Maz radiates a lot of what is great about TFNation. The positivity, the camaraderie, the openness.

I also owe a lot to Maz. Pushing me to set up my collection was important. Coming home to my toy room, sitting in it, is an amazing experience. Left to my own devices, I would have procrastinated for years. The satisfaction I feel everytime I sit in it is hard to describe. But more important than that, Maz asking me to write a collector interview was something that forced me to reflect on one of the major privileges I’ve enjoyed in life. It made me acknowledge and appreciate my better half and the understanding she’s shown of my second love; a topic I somehow ended up chatting with Sexo (@sixo) about! So I looked forward to meeting this sod in the flesh.

An innately likeable bloke, Maz whirlwinded around TFNation. We crossed paths many times but it wasn’t until a quiet moment on Sunday afternoon that things slowed down enough for a meaty chat. It was amid this that he asked an incisive question. The exact wording eludes me but it was along the lines of “You seem to be doing really well for yourself?” It’s a hard question for me. One that I struggle with most days. For me, it’s hard because it carries the full weight of privilege that I know I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy in this life. And the open question that that leaves me with is what am I going to achieve with that privilege? Beyond a successful career that affords me the opportunity to travel wherever I want, buy whatever I want? It’s a burden I continue to struggle with but I do know one thing for sure: that I’m obligated to try and be a source of positivity and warmth. If there’s someone who embodies that, it’s Maz. I waffled and meandered but I think I mouthed off something vaguely coherent to Maz. It wasn’t the sort conversation I expected to have at TFNation but if I was going to have it with someone, I’m glad it was Maz.

Last and certainly not least I have to thank Graham (@grhmthmsn) and Dom (@domsalvia). There’s no way I could write about this weekend without mentioning them. I’d interacted with both a lot online before TFNation. When I met both on Friday night, it was clear they were as adoringly charming in real life as they were online. Throughout the weekend our paths crossed regularly and I’m incredibly grateful to share a bunch of memories with them both across the weekend. Whether it was our conversation at the bar on Friday evening, camping in line on Saturday morning, being introduced to the amazingly talented and affable Lisa (@DarkestH0ur), the fun in James Roberts’ queue, sharing a Blurr-like meal before ClubCon, or that conversation with Sexo about photography on Sunday, those guys were so much of what made TFNation great for me. I hope I was able to fully convey my appreciation to each of them.

You would think the story ends there. But it doesn’t. Something I’ve come to realise is that a convention like TFNation creates not only new memories but, more than that, new strands of continuity. Trying to organise them into tidy compartments is an exercise in futility. You might as well be Lug trying to dissuade Anode from a reckless course of action. This dawned upon me in the days post TFNation as I found myself still unpacking those things through the imperfect lens of information creep.

The post convention TFNation love you feel (on Twitter for me) makes you realise that you’ve formed new and stronger bonds with people you had only fleetingly known, bonds that make interacting with them all the more meaningful and fun.

There are the people you kind of knew but now know more about. Gareth (@SantiagoJones) was a sneaky bugger and snuck in a little reference I almost missed in a display of his hidden artistic talents. Every time I watch Geelong, an Australian Rules Football team, play now I think of fondly of him. He’s also responsible for a tweet that caused me to snort inappropriately in the middle of a pretty intense meeting. It was funnier because having met Mr. Jones I could hear the voice that was delivering the tweet. There’s also Kit (@tikgnat, a.k.a. Collector Interview 40) who I knew more by his hilarious resume of work rather than by who he was. Being able to hear his infectiously cheeky voice now whenever he trolls something adds an extra layer of amusement. These countless little post-convention moments remind me that TFNation wasn’t just an awesome Transformers convention, it was also a catalyst: a catalyst for new stories, new bonds, and new friendships.

But it also applies to the doors you missed. Missed opportunities with people re-manifest with unexpected acts of generosity and kindness. I missed Ben (@Waspshot) but he kindly posted me the amazing Refined Robot Co. booklet. In another example of things not going to plan but working out better than Prowl could’ve planned, Stuart (@Inflatabledalek) sent me a copy of his book that I’d forgotten to procure in person in the steam-rolling rush that was TFNation. You can find this wonderful walk down memory lane here. There’s also Becka (@tainkirrahe). I recognised her on Twitter post TFNation. Though I didn’t talk to her at TFNation, she seemed at ease and comfortable. But there was more than meets the eye there and in the weeks after TFNation I learnt about her amazing story of personal courage and fortitude. In many ways, it reminded me of the fragile journey my little sister is on and the role I still have to play in that.

Then there’s your own collecting. Collecting is generally a very personal and isolated thing. A convention brings to life figures new and old. Whether it be through conversation, observing robot surgery, cheeky posing, or browsing the stalls, you collect stories about toys that are additive to the appreciation of your collection. Many moments come to mind but two stick out more than others. The first was Maketoys Galaxy Meteor who was tucked under the arm of a generous collector’s father on his way to the car which I rambled on about in part two. As a result, even before the #GetMakeToysMade episode, I knew this figure was going to be special to me. The second was Micron Legends Tidal Wave where the collector (Tim, I think!) and I spent time reminiscing where we were at in that era of collecting. These shared moments come home with you. They make that next time you cross that old toy an extra bit special or that wait on that new toy just a bit more exasperating.

There are still so many stories that I was fortunate enough to accumulate but can’t fit here. But the fact I’m not able to squeeze those in does not make any of those less special. Hell, there’s a a wonderful Simon Furman story in there. But TFNation was great not because of any one event. It was great because of the kindness and generosity of the community that was there.

My TFNation experience reminded me that there’s never a script. The primal search for a satisfactory sequence of events, a sense of finality, is undermined by the fact that reality is a series of sliding doors that, with or without your best efforts, is dependent on the kindness of strangers. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t.

In my case, I’m pleased to report that it did. I have been the beneficiary of many privileges in life, and I’m grateful to count this experience among them.

Thanks for reading this far. Thank you, TFNation. Safe journeys, thank you all again, and see you when I see you.

#tfnation #mtmte #tf cosplay #transformers #transformers idw #lostlight

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petersanimation · 5 years

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Animation Foundations: Gestures with Andrew Gordon

Understanding Gestures

1) What are gestures?

A gesture is a way of visually illustrating something using hands, eyes etc. “Come up with interesting ways of doing something so that you haven't seen it over and over again. That’s the problem with most animation is that people don’t think about an interesting new way of seeing something” “less is more” - simplicity is always the best way, looking for the clearest answer 2) How animators use gestures Gestures add on to how a character is feeling Primary gesture- “main idea of the scene” Secondary gesture- “smaller and is adding on to the overall scene” “What is believable?” “What does this character need for this particular scene?” 3) Cliche Gestures “Cliche gestures are gestures that have been used so many times that they’ve become cliche” “A cliche is an essence, an idea that was so good that people just kept using it over and over.” Cliche gestures- “The point, the neck rub, the W-gesture.” “How can I do that gesture differently?” “You don’t wanna look at other animation for use of gestures you always wanna go back to yourself or an experience or some video you shot or a great film.” Specificity “You really have to be specific about the gestures that you have your characters doing” “You’re making something different” 4) Illustrative gestures “An illustrative gesture is any gesture that looks like the thing that the character is trying to describe.” “Convey and idea clearly” “Be careful not to do it too many times” “The acid test for any animated scene is to turn down the dialogue and look at it without anything playing to see if it reads without any accompanying dialogue” Self-touching gestures- when a character touches their face or when they are trying to comfort themselves - “caring about themselves” Make gestures before an important/ impact full gesture subtle to make sure that it reads well. Staging of gestures- “Where is it going to read best?

5) Hand gestures Texture: the musicality of a gesture “A thousand ways to do the same gesture, the point is to understand where to put it in your scene, how to vary it, and where the emphasis should be in that particular scene.” “sometimes limitations are great” 6) Facial gestures Precede the move of a head or something that happens with a the expression change first. Important to understand where we can push on a facial expression or a facial gesture without the use of hand gestures Understand what the scene calls for, understand it doesn’t need hand gestures or other. Can it be conveyed just with the face? 7) Acting patterns Acting patterns- “The musicality of the gesture” “Always look for what looks naturalistic? What looks spontaneous?” 8) Reference for gestures If there’s audio act it out with the audio playing multiple times “trying to hit the beats of the audio”

Thumbnails of gestures that I like wright notes such as “more accentuation here” or “hit four frames before this gesture?” What do I want out of this reference? Look at acting clips of actors from films similar to the one you’re working on Ask other people to act it out might give a different take “Collaboration is key” 9) Intent of gestures Understand where the gesture fits into the scene Where is the gesture happening? 10) Over-gesticulation “When characters do too many gestures, that being a gesture on every single line of dialogue, it gets to be too noisy and we can’t understand what’s going on.” Direct the eye to where you’re suppose to be looking in a scene “Break up twinning in pose and timing of gestures” “Don’t have things be symmetrical all the time” 11) Subtle gestures “Subtle gestures are the things that you add to your animation in order to layer in that wonderful acting and then the believably of character.” 12) Gestures with other body parts “Things that you do with other body parts in order to make the scene interesting” Whether its a human or animal character always ask “What are other areas that I can have that character gesture with?”- hands, the brows, the feet, hip DON’T always make it the hands 13) When not to gesture “very high, powerful characters don’t gesture much” as it lower their statues “Look for contrast in gesture and between characters” “sometimes its funnier to do nothing, understand how contrast plays in a comedic scene.” Understand the context of the scene and where it fits in to your story The Polish of Gestures

1) Polishing a gesture “Polish- Fixing what is broken, pushing poses, making the character feel alive, interacting with the environment, tracking patterns, simplifying controls, using video reference, anticipating/ overshooting, where does the energy go?” 2) Spline work on gestures “Try to get real time playback by using simplified sets and characters” “Polish relatable splines” “Smooth tangents” “Break up Evenness (break up both height and the spacing)” “Ease ins and outs” 3) Weight and Physicality of a limb Doesn’t to hit a point ( Overshoot and then settle, A shake then settle) “Tying in of features” Reference what other parts of the body move during a certain action “Residual Energy” “Making it feel real” Done in spline editor

What I’ve learned from this course:

Overall I found this course to be both enjoyable and interesting and really do feel like I’ve learned a lot and have an better understanding of how important reference is especially for “Cliche gestures” such as “The Point” and “Checking Watch” as well as being careful with hand gestures overall as too much can leave the audience confused or make the impact of a certain gesture loose it’s overall effectiveness (as demonstrated with the scene from Ratatouille) and that sometimes subtle gestures or no gestures can portray the character better like with “The Godfarther” there is no gestures which shows that the character is of high statics.

As for the second half of this course it demonstrated how important the graph editor is for animation in Maya while I have messed with the graph editor a little last year, mainly for ease-ins and outs this gave me a clear demonstration on how to use it. Along with making me consider something I never really thought too much about which is the residual energy of an action (the secondary body movements)

#ax3001

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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Bookshelf Briefs 9/2/20

Yay! Sean’s back!

Barakamon, Vol. 18 + 1 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – I had thought this was something like an epilogue to the series, but it ends up being more of a hodgepodge—there’s a number of 4-koma strips, there’s interviews and yes, there is a short “years later” mini-chapter that assiduously avoids showing us Naru looking older, though it teases it. Instead, the majority of the book is an artbook, showing off color illustrations. And that’s the reason to get it as well, as you’re reminded that the art was also a big strength with this series. The pieces are very character oriented, showing Handa and company in a variety of poses and places, and it adds to the overall peaceful feel that we got from this series. I’ll miss it. Also, show us teenage Naru, you cowards. – Sean Gaffney

Goodbye, My Rose Garden, Vol. 2 | By Dr. Pepperco | Seven Seas – I never actually reviewed the first volume of this series—it came out in the height of COVID isolation, and I was bogged down in other things. It’s quite good, though, being a fairly tortured yuri drama without quite tipping over the edge into melodrama, although the reason it reads so well is that it balances on that edge quite nicely. Here we learn the story of Alice and how she became everyone’s favorite suspicious person, as well as the tie that binds her past with Hanako’s. As for the two of them as a couple, we aren’t there yet, and may not ever get there—it’s unclear if there’s a happy ending coming here. Nevertheless, you hope for one—these two need some good things happening to them. – Sean Gaffney

Goodbye, My Rose Garden, Vol. 2 | By Dr. Pepperco | Seven Seas – I really wish I liked this more. I like the setting—England in 1900—and two heroines who love books (and talk about Oscar Wilde and Sherlock Holmes!) and want to thwart society’s expectations of women while still being constrained by them. But everything just moves so fast! I found myself wishing this was a romance novel instead so it could have a little time to just breathe. They love each other, they find out secrets, Alice’s mom and fiancé conspire to get Hanako sent away, Alice finds her, more secrets are revealed. Nothing really lands with any emotional impact because it’s cruising right along and, in fact, comes to an end in the next volume. I will probably see it through to its conclusion but am overall kinda disappointed. – Michelle Smith

Horimiya, Vol. 14 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – This is the manga that never ends. It goes on and on, my friends. Given that the writer and publisher seem dedicated to avoiding the original ending of the webcomic, there’s not really much that can be done here except ‘everyday high school life’ shenanigans,’ to the point where I was for once reasonably pleased when Hori’s sadist/masochist tendencies come to the fore again, as she spreads a childish nickname for Miyamura just so that he’ll get mad at her. That said, despite the two being a seemingly close couple, at the end of the day Hori is still a horribly flawed character who needs constant validation and can’t trust her own feelings. She’s the most annoying and most interesting part of this. – Sean Gaffney

I Don’t Know How to Give Birth! | By Ayami Kazama| Yen Press – This is an excellent combination of biography, information, and comedy, as the author and her husband take us through the steps they took in order for her to have a child—more steps than you’d expect, as they eventually need in-vitro fertilization—and how she felt as she went through the process, ranging from “why am I doing this? My husband is the one who really wanted kids” to “I am getting in touch with my inner animal!” Scattered throughout are facts about preparing for nursing your child, Japan apparently not teaching expectant mothers how to push, and the lack of meds in their non-Tokyo hospital. All this is done in a fun way, with the author’s self-portrait having an arrow in her head. – Sean Gaffney

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 4 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – Should you sacrifice your dream for love? Well, not if you’re in a romance manga, but it’s a question that’s thought about long and hard in this volume, as Nanase discovers that Dr. Tendo is getting an offer to study abroad so he can research a condition that killed someone he knew in his past. He is seemingly fine with abandoning it and staying with Nanase, but another patient with the same condition shows that he’s not as cool and collected as you’d expect. As with previous volumes, this strikes a good equal balance between the medicine and the romance, and there is also some lightness of tone, such as Nanase mistaking her lovesickness for a heart condition after the two spend the night together. – Sean Gaffney

A Man and His Cat, Vol. 2 | By Umi Sakurai | Square Enix – The more we see of Kanda’s late wife, the more we see how much her death has devastated him, and we are grateful for Fukumaru for being there. That said, Fukumaru is a big, awkward, untrained cat, so this inevitably leads to events like the cat breaking precious pictures and the like. The cat is also somewhat jealous of anything that gets in between him and his master. So it’s a nice mix of cute ‘the cat is destroying the house and acting like a cat’ antics and ‘the cat is basically the one thing keeping his owner away from despair.’ Kanda’s utter adoration of Fukumaru’s cuteness (made funnier by the fact that, to most everyone else, Fukumaru’s pretty goofy-looking) may be the best part of this. – Sean Gaffney

My Dress-Up Darling, Vol. 1 | By Shinichi Fukuda | Square Enix – Wakana has an unusual hobby—he admires and creates traditional Japanese dolls. In part because of this, he’s become a loner, but that changes after his popular high school classmate Marin discovers his talent with a sewing machine and convinces him to help her make a (sexy) cosplay outfit. Marin is passionate but not a skilled seamstress, so she hopes Wakana’s experience making doll clothing will be of some use. My Dress-Up Darling is rated “mature.” The first volume does include some risqué images and topics of conversation; however, it’s not overly explicit. Later volumes might become more so, but right now the story itself is surprisingly wholesome and the characters endearing. I’m really looking forward to reading more of the series and seeing Wakana and Marin’s relationship develop. But perhaps even more, I’m hoping to see Wakana follow Marin’s example and become more confident in himself and his interests. – Ash Brown

My Hero Academia SMASH!!, Vol. 5 | By Hirofumi Neda| Viz Media – The last volume of this series really does not stray from its mandate of ‘gags.’ We see 1-A and 1-B team up for a rescue exercise, the highlight of which is seeing that even the SMASH!! author thinks that Itsuka is a better Momo than Momo is. There’s some of Deku being such a hero fanboy that it’s hilariously creepy, and everyone participating in comedy training. (I was not prepared for Uraraka’s fantastic Aizawa impression.) There’s tanabata festivals, held back by a personality change in Bakugou (this actually comes up TWICE). And we end with a “years in the future” that isn’t really, with only Deku left to be the straight man. I’m happy this is ending now, but it was also a good deal of fun while it lasted. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 8 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – As expected, ‘making the relationship public’ gets put on the back burner, mostly as reality is far too complicated for things like that to go smoothly. Instead we spend much of this volume transitioning into a new arc, featuring Shirayuki and Ryu going up north to snow country to study as herbalists there… with the added addition of Izana, who is traveling there incognito to annoy his brother and to study Shirayuki further. In between these things we get a story looking deeper into Obi, who I sometimes get the feeling the author would be more happy making the lead character. It adds up to a good solid volume of the series, though I suspect the next volume will set a better pace. – Sean Gaffney

Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 9 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – The rule of thumb in this series is that Takagi is more readily able to admit her own feelings to herself than Nishitaka is to himself. His embarrassment and wariness of any action that he’s goaded to by Takagi leading to a “ha ha, so you like me!” moment drives whatever he does, and the moment he gets over this the series ends. (Mostly—the unlicensed next-gen series shows he never quite gets over it.) Takagi CAN occasionally be embarrassed—my favorite chapter in this volume, where they’re sending texts to each other, ends with her blushing—but for the most part is content to tease him every day and patiently lead him to a point where they can be a couple. It’s not happening anytime soon. – Sean Gaffney

To Be Next to You, Vol. 8 | By Atsuko Namba | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – On paper, To Be Next to You looks like standard shoujo fare. Nina Uemura is in love with her next-door neighbor, Kyosuke Tachibana, and to try to forget him, she started going out with a classmate. But when Kyosuke collapses with a fever on Christmas Eve, she bails on her boyfriend (Miyake-kun) to take care of him. Miyake-kun realizes that whatever happiness they can achieve together will always be vulnerable to being swept aside in an instant, and breaks off their relationship. What I love is how skillfully Namba-sensei has shown Nina’s maturation process throughout this series—she’s definitely not the same oblivious girl we encountered in volume one—and that we get little moments like Miyake-kun telling his friends what happened and them crying on his behalf. Between this and That Blue Summer, I have become a true Namba fan. I hope we get more from her soon! – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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fridayweed · 6 years

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Why should canabis be legal? (An opinionated and factual article) i know it sounds boring af. But if you like the topic. Its worth the ten or less minutes. Trust meh. We(ed) Fifty years ago, all the way up to today marijuana has been deemed a schedule one substance with no known medical use and it is considered addictive by the DEA Administration. I am here to set the record straight as well as provide some insight to those who don’t know what the DEA’s perspective on this “harmful substance” is as well as their reasoning behind why they believe this. I feel my philosophies, as well as my insight in the subject, may be deemed valuable to lots of people.POSITION:I firmly believe that cannabis has not one physical deficit that is applicable to everyone (which, in most cases, every other harmful drug typically does) While, according to the DEA and its sources, the use of cannabis appears to have addictive, harmful, and dangerous properties (as if every drug doesn’t. Not taking into account cannabis from my view and others). I do agree, however, that particular dangers can arise when consuming the substance which pertains to your current physical health prior to consuming the substance, the effects that an altered state of mind can have on your actions as well as your age. That is not to say that there aren’t aspects of using it that can be harmful. We will go through many topics in which I found of interest on the DEA.gov website as well as in the sources backing their logic. I strongly recommend you take a look at their website as well.CONCERNS I FOUND THAT THE DEA HAS:• ADDICTION AND WITHDRAWL• PREGNANCY RISKS**• DRUGGED DRIVING****• UNDERAGE USAGE• MENTAL DEVELOPMENT/ILLNESS• EDUCATION/CAREER DEFICITS****• ABUSE*• GATEWAY DRUG RISK**• HEALTH AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS• FATALITIES• EVOLUTION OF CANNABIS• OVERDOSE• SYMPTOMSThe stars next to the concerns indicate how relevant/important the concern is to me.Allow me to also state that in a video posted to YouTube,the former administrator of the DEA Michele Leonhart was questioned many times in Congress by Representative Jared Poulos District of Colorado and could not give a direct yes or no answer as instructed or even say “I don’t know” to a few simple questions regarding whether or not marijuana was more dangerous, addictive or harmful than prescription drugs, heroin, meth, and crack. The woman stated repeatedly “I don’t believe any drug is good for you”, “all illegal drugs are bad” and “I think you’re asking a subjective question” “they are dangerous, they are addictive and they do hurt a person’s health” she said also “I think some people become addicted to marijuana and some people become addicted to meth” as if there is some variance there all responses were a result of the same/similar question comparing marijuana to those drugs.(published August 19, 2018, on C-Span news: http://MOXNews.com ).Let’s take a look at these concerns in depth (which seems to be something the DEA has a troubled time in fulfilling).ADDICTION/WITHDRAWL: According to the DEA and its source (www.drugabuse.gov), a substance (marijuana) use disorder is a disorder in which causes the user to be absolutely unable to stop the use of the substance even though it is causing health and social problems (not necessarily the definition of addiction but we will roll with it).The source said and I quote:“research suggests that between 9 and 30 percent of marijuana users may develop some degree of marijuana use disorder”as I was perusing their findings, I found this VERY interesting due to the fact that their definition allows for so much wiggle room. How can an addiction vary so much from person to person if our biological construction (with regards to how we react to drugs) is nearly identical in the healthy individual? Especially since harder drugs (which are scheduled as less harmful than cannabis) have such consistent results of addiction while the most highly classed drug “may” cause “some degree” of addiction? Sounds kind of half-baked to me (no pun intended).The next thing they said seemed like it was a bit more reasonable and I quote:“using cannabis before the age of 18 can cause one to be 4 to 7 times more likely than adults to develop marijuana use disorder” I just wonder how they get such precise numerical values after saying words like “may” and “to some degree” of the disorder.The source also says:“a study from New Zealand conducted with researchers also at Duke University showed that people who started smoking weed heavily in their teen years and had ongoing marijuana use disorder lost an average of eight IQ points between the ages of 13 and 38 years old. The lost mental abilities didn’t fully recover in those who quit as adults. Those who started as adults showed no notable declines in IQ” – (www.drugabuse.gov)I’m curious as to what they think constitutes an adult. As they said from ages 13-38… and then they said that adults showed no notable decline in IQ. Hmm. I guess 18-38-year-old people aren’t adults.The source has even stated:“those who smoke weed frequently can have breathing problems that are the same as a frequent tobacco user like a daily cough, phlegm, lung illness, and higher risk of lung infections” – (www.drugabuse.gov)I’m sure this may be a concern that is valid as both forms of inducing the substance involve combustion in most cases which can have different effects on the respiratory system than vaping. However, marijuana doesn’t have 6000 chemicals in it like tobacco does that are extremely dangerous and addictive. Cannabis has about 400 or so chemicals in it. To add to that, tobacco has chemicals added to it while naturally grown cannabis doesn’t.On the DEA webpage, they clearly state in a downloadable pamphlet:“FACT: 1 in 6 people using weed starting in their teen years WILL become addicted”which seems ridiculous to me because of what was previously stated about the substance use disorder they believe in so much. How can they make a ‘factual’ inference on ‘some’ people undoubtedly becoming addicted to this substance when the source they retrieve the information from clearly states that one “may” be prone to “some degree” of addiction? I find this mind-boggling because with any other substance, there really is no “in between” with addiction in heavy users yet weed is deemed HAZARDOUS.One last thing to drive this topic home. The source also provides a list of symptoms one “might” experience when desperately trying to quit the heroine dwarfing substance:QUOTED:“Symptoms reported from those trying to quit” – (www.drugabuse.gov)• Grouchiness• Sleeplessness• Decreased appetite• Anxiety• CravingsSeems pretty hostile, right? Man, this stuff should be eradicated from the earth all right (sarcasm)!What’s funnier is that one of the effects of marijuana usage in some people is anxiety. So, I guess you can’t win either way.PREGNANCY RISKS:there really is no room for debate here because if you’re going to have a kid you should not be messing around with any substance anyway. But I could not agree more with the DEA here. We have a responsibility as humans to ensure the safety and environment of our youth. There should be a zero-tolerance engraved in the mother’s brain for using substances while pregnant. Especially because it’s at the expense of the brain of the fetus (potentially). Just as the DEA has indicated that alcohol and cigarettes have proved to cause deficiencies in pre-born children, I have no doubt that marijuana may be able to do the same (even though it is said in the source that it may have the potentiality to do so). There is no point in trying to find out.DRUGGED DRIVING: Again, this is a serious concern and I concur 100% with the DEA’s determination on the use of marijuana impairing your cognitive ability, reaction time, alteration in perception, etc. All of which are required to safely drive a vehicle and operate machinery. However, this argument is not unique due to the fact that it occurs daily with alcohol and other illegal substances. Marijuana is no different and should be treated just as seriously when it comes to the privilege of driving. But it should not be singled out because of this.UNDERAGE USAGE: It is the responsibility of adults and law enforcement as well as our schools and more to educate, enforce, and discipline our youth and young people in order to maintain an educational, responsible and enlightened view of the risks of partaking in such an endeavor for the kids of America. As marijuana is a big gateway drug. Our children’s minds are too malleable to be exposed to such an experience. The developmental process consists of observational learning. When children are around drugs and users of drugs of any kind, it makes an impact on them. Especially when they see their role models using them. It should be a primary concern to regulate this in my view.MENTAL DEVELOPMENT/ILLNESS: “Long-term marijuana usage has been linked to mental illness in some people such as:”• Temporary hallucinations• Temporary paranoia• Worsening symptoms in patients with schizophreniaThis was stated by www.drugabuse.gov (the DEA’s cited source).I don’t understand how long-term usage translates into temporary effects after using (then they go away within a short period of time, usually hours). And even if they are temporary, wouldn’t that provide the user the option to NEVER TRY IT AGAIN? What’s the big deal? If you see the trend of silly excuses provided for something that is mostly completely harmless, congrats. I just don’t understand how I feel like I’m the first one to see this writing and write about it. I also don’t see why those who made it illegal did so off the facts provided here (if they are facts at all) 68% of the united states wants marijuana to be legal for medical/recreational usage. So, what’s the hold-up? Why are people being criminally charged for something that can’t even harm a fly? For something that poses no risk to health? If the citizens of the united states recognize the laws, therefore, making them enforceable, why is it like this?EDUCATION&CAREER DEFICITS: I believe that it is never okay to show up to an event with the intention to perform at your best and be on any drug. Unless it is for the betterment of your health or ability to carry out tasks (Adderall for people with ADHD like myself for example). Marijuana has been shown to make you ‘dumb’ for a while. So, it’s clear to me that there are no excuses for using the substance while in a professional environment, both for safety, and performance reasons (unless it is for a medical purpose in which it is regulated by a physician). One quote that I found from the source that I thought was noteworthy: “people also report less academic and career success, for example, its linked to a higher likelihood of dropping out of school. Also, its linked to more job absences, accidents, and injuries” which is a huge concern for both employers/schools and the user. Much like Alcohol is.SUBSTANCE ABUSE: I believe there is a potentiality for a user to use marijuana “too much” however, there is no physical addiction that is seriously problematic (taking in to account what drugabuse.gov has found as symptoms of withdrawal) meaning that if someone needed to stop, they would have no physical impedances in doing so.As stated in the article the source provided:“there is no known cure for marijuana use disorder” – (www.Drugabuse.gov)I never heard of this disorder in school or anywhere until I visited the DEA website, which to me, indicates that they pulled it out of their behind. But as for abusing the substance, it should be treated as any other substance when it comes to abuse. And like alcohol and many others, it will be up to the user to get better if they see fit. There is also such a thing as rehab. There is no other variable within the aspect of substance abuse that could be fixed or avoided that isn’t the same as any other substance. It’s all up to the user to get better if they see fit to take preliminary action to do so. If anything, I would think the people of America would see it as far less dangerous to be hooked on marijuana rather than any other substance just by looking at the DEA and its sources findings alone.HEALTH/SOCIAL PROBLEMS: “marijuana use can have a wide range of health effects including” – (www.drugabuse.gov)• Hallucinations• Breathing problems• Possible harm to a fetus brain in pregnant womenIt’s odd how they only list three problems. Even if there were more (which I am almost 99% sure if there were, they wouldn’t be a life-threatening risk) the ones they list are temporary as they stated previously. I, personally haven’t met a single person with any of these symptoms. And I know an innumerable number of smokers. I honestly have to question the people who they interviewed to get this information. Those who were interviewed/tested were most likely a biased group based on the output of information.“the amount of THC in the marijuana has been increasing steadily in recent decades, creating more harmful effects in some people” – (www.drugabuse.gov)again, this is another statement that cannot be consistent and used as a reasoning to criminalize/ban it from everyone. Alcohol’s harm varies in humans but still kills and is addictive. Weed isn’t but one is legal and the other is considered criminal. The grounds in which they make their arguments are so invalid it is almost hysterical.“how does cannabis affect one’s life?” – (www.drugabuse.gov)• Lower self-satisfaction• Poorer mental health• Poorer physical health• More relationship problemsCouple things here. One, it has been shown that there is a positive correlation between the use of recreational drugs and HIGHLY intelligent people. Two, I know quite a few people who use weed to go work out because it gives them drive and makes them more motivated to power through their work out and work hard. Three, smoking is usually a ritual which brings people together for a good time (in most cases). Much like alcohol or cigars do. People love to get together and enjoy their company in an entertaining, fun, and lively manner. Cannabis provides that for them the only difference between the different methods of this form of socializing is that two of them are killing them in the process while the other is not. Four, I could see some potential for lower self-satisfaction. When someone fails at something or gets discouraged, they may turn to cannabis as an outlet, thus, preventing them from dealing with their problems in a healthier way. But then again, that’s nothing that alcohol or cigarettes are used for. Marijuana is just a safer way to do that.“the committee was charged to conduct a comprehensive, in-depth review of health topics with the greatest public health impact rather than to conduct multiple systematic reviews, which would have required a lengthy and robust series of processes”This is a statement from a source that www.drugabuse.gov used to back its article which was used in the DEA’s article. It seems odd to me how it would take so much time to analyze the public health impact that marijuana has especially since there is little (if any) harm caused by the substance that we know of (especially since some people have been using this substance daily for 50+ years with no health deficits).The source that this quote came from is: https://ift.tt/2QnUgzl the health and medicine division.The context of the quote was that of the study process undertaken on the: National Academics Report Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base (1999).The analyzation was done 18 years after the publication of the document that analyzed this one. Seems like a bit of an outdated source to me.From the same section of the article, in the last paragraph, it states:“because of the practical steps are taken to narrow a very large literature to one that was manageable within the timeframe available to the committee, there is a possibility that some literature was missed. Furthermore, some research may not be reflected in this report if it did not directly address the health endpoint research questions that were prioritized by the committee”sure, we all miss things from time to time, but I don’t see why there is a “time frame” for critical research which consisted solely of reading and no trials and tests of their own. (which would be understandable if they took a surplus of time).They also state also in their conclusions that:“there is strong evidence from randomized controlled trials to support the conclusion that cannabis or cannabinoids are an effective or ineffective treatment for the health endpoint of interest” – (https://ift.tt/2MlXyjv to that:“A firm conclusion can be made, but minor limitations, including chance, bias, and confounding factors, cannot be ruled out with reasonable confidence”How then, is this a truly FIRM conclusion? They basically just said that it can be effective OR ineffective in therapeutic treatment. Does that seem like a solid conclusion? It seems like a conclusion. But not a solid one. That’s like me saying “I am absolutely positive that I either passed or didn’t pass that test because my studying had some implications/variables which undermined my confidence. But I’m firmly positive I passed or failed” ludicrous. Not even taking into regards that there are variants of the “randomized test subjects” this is not substantial proof of anything.“there is weak evidence to support the conclusion that cannabis or cannabinoids are an effective or ineffective treatment for the health endpoint of interest” - (https://ift.tt/2QnDPDm do they mean by “of interest”? Because they basically could have been testing it on hair loss and we wouldn’t be able to tell based on the limited evidence in the full ‘conclusion’ stated above. Did they even do any work? I could have just simply said “ahh yeah man, we ran out of time because of how hard we were workin’ but we basically came up with some weak and inconclusive evidence for a conclusion that cannabis doesn’t help or hurt people in treating a health problem that we chose to study (not to get specific or anything)” obviously cannabis helps people. We have primary evidence in more than 30 states that it does.OVERDOSE/SYMPTOMS: “use of marijuana has also been linked to other mental problems, such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among teens, however, study findings have been mixed”I don’t understand how such a substance can be administered to treat things like depression (entitling suicidal tendencies), and anxiety when it is known to cause them? It is very likely that the claims they make are solely based on the users who didn’t find marijuana enjoyable. The findings are biased towards those who are against it, not a neutral party or those in favor of it. Which suggest they did not study a lot of people since 68% of America wants the harmless substance to be legalized. I’m sure you can tell which side I’m on. I just hope this article can change the view of those who did not indulge in the whole picture. Especially since all the claims against cannabis are completely dodgy and not solid AT ALL.“an overdose occurs when a person uses enough of a drug to produce life-threatening symptoms or death” – (https://ift.tt/2Mn2q8e indicates that it is most likely near impossible to overdose on the substance as we have never ever seen a single death caused by cannabis alone. A life-threatening symptom may be debatable as a rapid heart rate is linked with cannabis according to the source. However, again, that’s nothing that the legal drugs in America can’t induce on a human.“there are no reports on teens or adults dying from marijuana alone. However, some people who use can feel very uncomfortable side effects. Such as anxiety and paranoia and in rare cases, an extreme psychotic reaction including delusions and hallucinations which lead people to seek treatment at the emergency room” – (www.drugabuse.gov)Again, people don’t have to use it, like any other substance, they have side effects. Anxiety and paranoia aren’t life-threatening symptoms like heart attacks from cocaine or complete cut-offs of breathing from heroin. So, I say if you don’t like how cannabis makes you feel, then just don’t use it. It’s as simple as that. Also, I don’t really agree with hallucinations being “extreme reactions” in comparison to sudden death from MDMA, or fentanyl. The regulations put in place aren’t focusing its energy in the correct areas. This substance’s effects are smaller, less harmful side effects than alcohol, and tobacco can induce on someone over time (and any other hard drug that is deemed less dangerous). The sad thing is that it’s almost impossible to quit using tobacco, and in some severe cases with alcohol, you can die from seizures if you don’t keep using it once you’re addicted.Here are some facts that took me little time to discover:DEATHS/YEARTOBACCO CANNABIS• 480,000 or 1300/day(CDC report 2018) 0ALCOHOL CANNABIS• 88,000/year(Washington post 2017) 0ADDICTIONTOBACCO CANNABIS• ages 18-24: 13.1%. Unknown• ages 25-44: 17.6%• ages 45-64: 18%• ages 65+: 8.8%• TOTAL: 57.5%/188,025,000 people of 327million ALCOHOL CANNABIS• 9,800,000 men. Unknown• 5,300,000 women• 623,000 youth (12-17)• TOTAL : 15,723,000 people of 327 million (5%) Source: www.drugabuse.gov: National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.DEA.govSource: www.national-acedemics.orgSource: www.DEA.gov #Weed #Cannabis #Marijuana #Ganja #tumblr https://ift.tt/2OgPMcq

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