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wowowwild · 9 months

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Clay and his best friend spend a long weekend in seventh grade camping in the mountains. Some things change, and some things never will.

This is the bag-verse (a regretfully non aa6 inclusive au) Apollo name origin story. He starts off the fic as going by Jason so that's what that's about.

I had the concept for this already but decided to actually write it in time for Claypollo day! (This is way pre-ship but bag-verse is going to include plenty of claypollo in the pollycule.)

Seventh grade was a breeze for Clay Terran. The only problem he had was that his last period was not shared with his best friend, so he’d have to find him everyday after school. Luckily, that wasn’t hard since he was always wearing bright red and easy to pick from the crowd.

"Jason! Jace, did you see what they're doing in Miss Trawley's class?" "With the bugs?" "Yeah! I heard Jessica puked on sight." "That sucks. They probably should have asked if anyone had any aversions beforehand." Clay laughed. "Totally. I'll bet her parents will get her excused from the rest of it, so she'll probably be in our class during science. You know what that means…" he wiggled his eyebrows. "No?" "Dude, she totally has a crush on you!" "She doesn't know me, how can she have a crush on me?" "She thinks you're cute, duh." "I'm not cute…" he grumbled. "You're not really into girls, are you?" "I don't know. I don't have time." "And what are you so busy doing?" "I have to catch up on Case Closed and do the history report." "In that order?" "... Maybe." "Such a slacker." "It's not due for another two weeks! And I know you won't start yours until 3 days before." "History just doesn't do it for me like it does for you. I'm a science guy." "Maybe you can show Jessica how much of a science guy you are when she joins us." "Maybe I will. I think I'd rather get Freddy's attention." "You're too much." "I think I'm the perfect amount." "You would." "You're still coming with my dad and I tomorrow, right?" "Yeah. My moms' said it was cool." "You're going to love it! You can see the stars so well up there. You'd never know from down here that there are so many. We're going to bring the telescope, too. I'll show you Ceres." "And you're sure there won't be other people there?" "There never have been. It's our secret spot." "Good. I know you guys don't care but…" "But you care. And that's fine." "Yeah."

Clay did not envy his friend. Being born all wrong had to be hard.

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It was a long weekend, and long weekends for Clay were spent in the mountains with his dad. His mom had loved the views and being in nature, so they made sure to keep going. It’s what she would have wanted.

They picked Jason up early so they’d have plenty of time to hike to their spot and set up.

“Hey, kiddo. You’re going by Jason, now, right?” “Yes.” “Sounds good. Alex didn’t really suit you anyway.” “That’s what I thought, too.” “Got everything you need?” “I do.” “Great, I think Clay fell asleep, but you can wake him up when you get in.” “Thank you, Mr. Teran.” “No problem, kiddo.”

When Jason hopped in the car he decided not to disturb Clay. He knew his friend wouldn’t mind, but he had some scenic thinking to do first. Once they were on the road it didn’t take long for Clay to wake up with a yawn and a stretch.

“Hey, Jace. Are you ready for the best long weekend ever?” “Yeah, I’m excited to see the stars.” That had been Clay’s main selling point. Whenever he talked about space, Jason couldn’t help but listen. “They’re so bright out there, you can see so many constellations, I’ll point them all out to you.”

They chatted brightly, pausing only to eat, until they reached the base of the mountain.

“Alright, kiddos! Are we ready to go?” “Yeah, let’s go!” Clay cheered. Jason always joined in when his friend got rowdy. “Yeah!” Mr. Terran chuckled. “Alright then, don’t let this old man stop you.” “You’re not old, Mr. Terran. You’re 33. You probably have double what you’ve lived so far left, so that’s pretty young.” “Thanks, Jason, but I’ll let you in on a secret.” “Really?” “Being old is a mindset,” Mr. Terran and Clay said at the same time, though Clay’s tone was significantly more sarcastic. “So you’re old at 33?” “Mom said he was old at 15.” “I was! So don’t be afraid to be old. Now let’s be off, we’re burning daylight!”

It took a couple hours to get up to where they would be camping, mostly because Clay insisted on showing Jason all the best views and Jaason kept spotting little critters the others would have missed. By the fifth salamander Clay was already begging his dad to bring Jason with them more often. Up at the camp site, they still had plenty of time after they set up their two tents.

“Alright, kiddos, let’s eat lunch and then you two can explore while I get things ready for the fire tonight.” “Ok, dad. Jason, when we’re done, I’ve got to show you the clearing. There are lots of rocks to climb and sometimes deer wander in.” “Ok! That sounds like fun.”

The clearing was pretty big and there were lots of rocks as promised surrounded by a few patches of grass and wildflowers.

“C’mon, Jace! Let’s climb that one!” “That one’s kinda big, Clay.” “Exactly! It’ll give us a great view.”

Clay began scrambling up the rock and Jason tried to follow.

“Clay, are you sure this is ok?” “Course, Jace! Need help?” “N-no, I’ve got it.”

He did manage to get up to the top where there was a flat part. Clay was standing, but Jason chose to sit. It was a bit high up…

“This is my favorite place to see the stars from. We should come back here during the summer. A bit before my birthday, meteor showers come through.” “That’s cool. I’ve never seen any before.”

Clay wasn’t as perceptive as his friend, but he could tell when something was eating at him.

“What’s up?” “I just don’t know if my mom’s will want to keep me that long, so I don’t know where I’ll be. They’re only fostering me for a little while.” “Wherever you are we’ll come get you. You know my email and my dad’s so we can talk even if we can’t see each other all the time like we do now.” “You’ll forget about me after a bit. They always do.” “Well I’m not like the other ones. I’m not letting you go, ever.” “You say that like it’s simple.” “It is. You’re my best friend, Jace. Plus my dad thinks you’re great. Do you know how much trouble I used to get in before I met you?” “I’ve heard it was a lot.” “Sure was. Who else is going to keep me from doing crazy stuff if I don’t keep up with you?” “I’m sure you could find someone else.” “I don’t want someone else. I want my best bud, Jason. Unless this is your way of saying ‘Clay you’re way too annoying please leave me alone.’”

Clay ‘mimicked’ Jason’s voice as far lower than either of their actual voices making Jason laugh.

“Ok first of all, I don’t sound like that, thanks though. And second of all I wouldn’t come up a mountain into the middle of the wilderness with you and your dad to tell you to leave me alone.” “Just checking. So what do you think of my spot?” “You really can see the whole clearing from here.” “You can see better if you stand up.” “I’m good.” “Aw, why not?” “I don’t really like heights.” Clay froze. “You don’t like heights?” “Not particularly.” “Why did you come up here then? We didn’t have to climb anything if you don’t like heights! Is that why you were so nervous at the overlooks? Let me help you down.” Jason smiled. “If you want me to answer your questions you’ve really got to start asking them one at a time.” “Ah, sorry. Why didn’t you say anything?” “It’s not like a huge deal to me. And if you’ve been doing it this long, then theoretically it should be fine. You were really excited to show me this so I wanted to see. And it’s really not a problem if I just sit here. Can’t fall if I’m sitting on a flat rock.” “Oh, ok. Let me know when you want to get down. We can go to the stream that runs by here next… You’re not afraid of water, right?” Clay sat down next to Jason. “Not in a stream.” “Jason.” “I’ll be fine at the river, I just never learned to swim.” “Oh! I can teach you. I’m a very good swimmer.” “I’m pretty sure everyone at school knows that you think you’re a very good swimmer. You need a new pick up line.” Clay burst out laughing. “So what would you suggest, Mr. I’m-too-busy?” “I dunno. But if everyone’s heard it, you need a new one.” “Alright, I’ll think of something and let you know.”

They sat and watched the breeze run through the grass and flowers.

“My mom used to braid the flowers into circles and put them on our heads.” “Do you want to?” “I was never any good at it.” “How hard can it be? I’ve gotten pretty good at braiding, it can’t be too different from hair.”

Jason started his way down and Clay marvelled at how he was one track minded enough to forget his fear of heights when Jason decided he had something to do. It wasn’t all that surprising, he was always like that when he was doing something for someone else. All his anxiety would seem to slip away.

“Hey, wait up!”

Jason found a nice spot with a variety of wildflowers within reach. Obviously the stems weren’t long enough for a singular braid so it must be something like french braiding. The placement of the flowers was also probably important, but he figured he could adjust how they stuck out after the whole thing was done. The real question was how he was supposed to finish it off and get the front to connect with the back. Maybe he could twist the stems and tie it. That was a future Jason problem though. No use worrying about the end if you haven’t even started.

Clay watched Jason pick flowers and wind them together. He made it look so easy. Of course he was muttering to himself the whole time, barely audible and definitely not intelligible. That happened during math, too. Once he got to the end and appraised his work, he motioned for Clay to come next to him.

“What do you think?” “I think Mom’s were a little wider. She must have stuck extra flowers in after, too. But it looks really-”

Jason tossed his first attempt aside and started on another, this time using five strands. It would make sense to add more flowers after if you wanted it to look more full. Now that he’d gotten the hang of it, he made quick work.

“How’s that?” “Yeah, that’s… Mom might as well have made it herself.”

Clay choked up a bit looking at it. It was something so small to miss, but he couldn’t help it. He felt Jason put a hand on his leg, waiting for Clay to indicate what he wanted. Wiping his eyes, he turned to look at the crown once more. He picked it up and placed it on Jason’s head, whose eyes grew wide.

“She would have loved you.”

Jason could feel himself blush and looked away.

“She sounds really nice.” “The nicest.”

Jason started on another flower crown, weaving quickly and carefully. It would sit nicely in Clay’s fluffy hair. When it was done, it looked about the same as the first, and was placed carefully on Clay’s head.

“Thanks, Jace.” Clay leaned against him and Jason returned the gesture. “S’no problem.”

After a bit, Clay righted himself, which was probably a good thing because Jason definitely could have fallen asleep like that.

“Let’s go to the stream before the sun goes down too much. It gets darker faster in the woods with all the trees.” “Ok. Lead the way.”

They stayed at the stream splashing about, finding frogs and fish, and hopping from rock to rock until their stomachs protested the lack of sustenance.

“Let’s see if Dad is making dinner yet.” “Mm, I’m starving.” “I think we brought ravioli. There’s also stuff for s’mores.” “With regular marshmallows, right?” “Yeah? What other kinds are there?” “Well there are flavored kinds, but my moms get the sugar free kind and they’re really bad.” “Ew. Aren’t marshmallows just sugar? How do you replace the sugar in sugar?” “I don’t know but not well.”

Getting back to the camp the boys found Mr. Terran relaxing next to the campfire he’d set up in their absence.

“Ah, you’re back- Oh. Look at that.” “Dad?” “Did you figure out how to make those or did Jason figure it out?” “Oh,” Clay said as they both patted their heads remembering. “Yeah, Jason figured it out.” “Come here, boys.”

They did as told and were both pulled into a hug.

“Now I bet you boys are hungry. Who wants some Chef Boyardee?” “Yes please!” Jason bounced on his toes.

Clay got out the necessary equipment and plopped three cans of ravioli into the pot.

“So I see you went to the clearing.” “Yep! And then I brought Jace to the stream. We caught lots of frogs.” “You should’ve brought them back, we could have cooked some up.” “What?!” “Woah, I forgot about that. You’ve got quite the set of lungs on you. I was just kidding.” “Oh, sorry.” “No need to apologize. From what I’ve been told, outdoors is where you’re supposed to yell.” “Yeah, he sends me out back to yell all the time.” “So how’s school been, Jason?” “It’s fine. We’re doing a history report on Mesopotamia.” “Are we now?” Mr. Terran eyed his son who made a point to stir their dinner. “Do you like history?” “Yeah. I’m doing mine on their laws.” “You’re interested in law?” “Yeah!I learned a lot about it so I could help the other kids and found it really interesting. I’ve been studying a bit of case law in my free time.” “I thought you were watching Case Closed,” Clay said “That too.”

They chatted for a bit until dinner was ready. It was strange for Jason, not that his moms didn’t care or ask him about all this, but they were busy sometimes and he felt like if he bothered them too much they’d send him away. It wasn’t anything they had done, but some of the other places he’d stayed hadn’t been exactly pleasant. With Mr. Terran it was nice. And of course Clay was there which was always a bonus.

Taking the time to sit and eat they could hear the birds and sounds from the nearby river. The trees rustled peacefully and the sun was low in the sky, creating a golden glow.

“I don’t suppose you boys have room for dessert.” “Sure do! Mallow me,” Clay implored. Mr. Terran chuckled. “Here you are.” He passed the bag of supplies. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Jason asked Clay. “Umm… Sticks! Stick me.” Jason poked him with it. “Ouch! Hey…” Clay was rubbing his side. Jason laughed. “You told me to!” “Yeah, yeah. May I please have a stick?” “You may.”

Clay had at least five s’mores, he lost count. Jason had a sensible two, as did Mr. Terran. They chatted some more until the sun went completely down.

“Alright, this old man is going to get some shut eye. You boys are going to share a tent, but don’t stay up too late, talking, or else you won’t have any energy for swimming tomorrow!” “Thank you, Mr. Terran.” “Aw, call me Loamy. You’re around enough you might as well be my second son, you could even call me ‘Pops’ if you wanted.” “Um, thank you Loamy.” “No problem, kiddo.”

The boys quickly decided they would settle in as well. It was cloudy that night, so they didn’t stay out stargazing. Instead they turned on the electric lantern and talked for far too long about anything and everything.

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The next morning Clay and Jason found themselves tangled up together. That was how most mornings after a sleepover found them. Jason would always have his own place to sleep, but they would both pass out on Clay’s after talking too much.

“Hey, hey Jace.” Clay nudged his friend. “Are you up?” “Nnngh. Too early.” “C’mon, we gotta get up! Dad packed sausage, potatoes, and tomatoes for breakfast today.” “Mmm?” “Yeah? That do it for you?” Clay chuckled. “I like breakfast.” His voice was gravelly from sleep. “C’mon, get dressed. Don’t forget to put on your swimsuit, I’m going to teach you how to swim.” “Ok. Then breakfast.” “Yes, then breakfast.”

The boy stumbled out fully dressed and ready to bother Loamy about breakfast only to find he was already cooking.

“I thought I heard you rustling around in there, so I went ahead and started up breakfast. Might be closer to lunch at this point, though,” he laughed.

Clay looked at his watch and grimaced. 11:45.

“Don’t worry about it. If all you have planned today is swimming then there’s no need to get up early anyway.” “Yeah, I don’t think I could have dragged Jace out any earlier anyway.” Clay grinned. “Clay…” Jason groaned. “Oh, I do recall that you’re not quite a morning person.” “Mm.” “That’s ok! We all have different skills. I couldn’t stay awake late if my life depended on it. One of these times, though, I’m going to watch a movie that starts at 7 PM all the way through.”

Clay laughed and Jason smiled. He’d be able to wake up a little more once they ate and got moving. Breakfast was really good and eaten in comfortable silence.

“Thanks for breakfast, Mr., um, Loamy.” Loamy laughed. “Not a problem. Now you two have fun at the river. Be careful.” “Yes, sir.”

Once they got down to the river, Clay scrambled to get his socks and shoes off then threw off his shirt and jumped in. Jason removed his shoes and made sure not to get anything on his socks before he took them off and put one in each shoe. He brought down another shirt so he could swim in his black one. Clay didn’t care, and his dad didn’t care, but Jason didn’t really like to have to look at his chest, at least not until he could get surgery. He wasn’t particularly busty, but it was there.

Jason found a spot where he could wade in. It might have been a river, but it was wide like a lake and he could barely feel the water flowing. He went out to his stomach before he felt the chill.

“That’s why I jumped. You don’t have to wait to adjust if you throw yourself in.” “But jumping would require me being able to swim.” “Oh, right. Once you get used to the water I can help you.” “Ok…” “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. We can just hang out by the shore.” “No, I trust you. I can do this.” “That’s the spirit!”

Jason took a moment to compose himself more than anything. He’d nearly drowned in a swimming pool when he was younger and wasn’t keen to repeat the experience. Honestly he probably wouldn’t even be in the water at all if Clay wasn’t there.

“Ok, I think I’m ready.” “Great.” Clay made his way over to Jason but stopped out a bit deeper. “Are you ok coming out to me?” “I’m trans.” “Very funny, Jace.” Clay rolled his eyes but was smiling. “I thought so.”

Jason walked out to where Clay was.

“What now?” “Now you’re going to hold onto my shoulders and practice kicking your legs a bit, just enough to keep you above water.” “You’re sure?” “Mostly.” “Clay…” “Just go for it! I won’t let anything happen to you.” “Ok. I trust you.” Jason did as he was told. “Like this?” “Just like that. Not so bad right?”

And that was when Jason looked at him. Clay blushed at the proximity.

“Right. It’s not so bad.”

Jason was blushing as well. It felt like a slow dance. Especially when Clay started to turn them around.

“So right now you’re treading water. Would you be ok letting go and seeing how you do on your own? I’m still right here, I’m not going anywhere.” “Yeah, ok. I think I can do that.”

When Jason let go he sank a little, but Clay refrained from lunging out to him to see how it would go. He stayed above water.

“If you use your hands too it’s a little easier, I’ll show you.” He took a few steps farther out and demonstrated what he meant. Jason copied immediately and seemed to be having an easier time. “It’s not so hard once you get the hang of it.” “See? Then if you want to move you just lean in that direction. Here.” Clay swam backwards a few feet. “Do you want to try swimming out to me? It’s still shallow enough here, I can get you back to shore if you need.” “Ok, I trust you.”

Jason was very nervous. Maybe he should have brought a life vest. Clay would never make fun of him for something like that. But he’d already come this far, what was moving forward a few feet? Ok, Justice. You’re fine. You can do this.

“There you are. I knew you could do it.” “I did. I did it!” He tried to celebrate but sunk a bit further in the water, not being used to it all yet. “Woah, hey, don’t get cocky. You’re still a beginner, but you’ll get there. Do you want to try some more?” “I think I’ll hang out by shore, but you can swim. I just like to sit in the water.” “Are you sure?” “Yep!”

Jason went back the couple of feet and walked himself in to sit in the shallows. He watched Clay swim and occasionally dive down. A couple of times he brought back a snail or a rock that he found at the bottom to show Jason. If it was long enough in between, small fish would be surrounding Jason when Clay got there. They saw a couple deer on the other side of the river and watched them silently until they disappeared back into the forest. Eventually the boys were getting pruney and decided to get out of the water and dry off.

Clay let Jason start with the towel so he could change shirts. It was once he had dried off he realized something. In his haste he’d accidentally flung his shirt into a tree. He tried to jump for it but could just barely hit it with the tips of his fingers. He heard a snort and found Jason trying not to get caught laughing at him. Clay just grinned.

“Jace, you’re taller, can you reach?” “I think so.” He jumped and grabbed Clay’s shirt from the tree. “There.” “Thanks. I’ll return the favor when I’m taller than you.” “Ugh, don’t remind me. I have like two more years of growing, tops.” “Hey, at least you’ll always have me to grab things from the top shelf for you.”

Jason shoved Clay who laughed. They got their shoes on and explored until dinner. That night it was much of the same until the sun started to set.

“Ok, I’ve got the telescope, you have the flashlight?” Clay asked. “Yep.” “We should bring a blanket, too.” “I’ll get one.”

They set off for the clearing in time to set the telescope up before it was too dark to see. Clay pointed some stars and planets out as they appeared, Polaris and Mars being among them. Once it got dark enough, Clay followed through on his promise to show Jason Ceres.

“It looks like the moon.” “It’s a lot smaller than the moon, less than a third of the size.” “What are the bright spots?” “That’s light reflecting off of salts that were in the water that came up.” “There’s water?” “Yep! Most likely in liquid form beneath the surface. Isn’t that cool?!” “Yeah. I thought water was supposed to be rare.” “It is, technically speaking. Several bodies have water, mostly in solid form, but it’s still pretty rare. Liquid water is widely believed to be necessary to the creation of life, but we actually don’t know. Any evidence we have in support of that still only comes from a sample size of one.” “Huh. So all those documentaries about like the ocean or whatever that start off saying water is necessary for life?” “Have no clue what they’re talking about. They could be right, but not because they actually know. Water is necessary for the way carbon based life developed on Earth, but may be entirely unnecessary to other types of life that may or may not be possible.” “Science is way too complicated.” “And law is easy?” “Easier at least.” “No way.” “Well I’ll let you do science and I’ll do law and we won’t have any issues.” “That ‘s fine by me.” “Show me something else.”

Clay was able to find more interesting things to look at until they eventually laid out the blanket and switched to stargazing. Clay knew every constellation and its story, or at least it seemed like he did to Jason. Story after story, Jason took it all in, wondering what life was like for the people who had spun these tales. One in particular caught his attention for another reason. It was innocuous and unremarkable in most capacities, a single sentence with barely anything to it. But to him it felt like coming home.

“Over there is Corvus, Apollo’s bird, riding the hydra.”

Apollo’s bird. His bird.

"That one." "Huh?" "Apollo. I like that one." "You're going to have to be more specific." "Do you think you could call me that?" "Hmm? Sure! Apollo… I think it suits you. It would pair well with your last name and interests, considering he’s the god of law.” “Really?” Apollo rolled over and propped himself up so he could look at Clay proper. “Yeah. He covers the sun, prophecy, lyrical arts, medicine, healing, archery, and is patron of the shepherds and the ideal of male beauty as well.” “That’s a lot of things.” “A lot of people needed him to be a lot of things. I think you’ll be a lot of things too. And I’ll be an astronaut.” “Just an astronaut?” “I like to keep it simple.” “Being an astronaut doesn’t sound very simple.” “Well I’m a simple guy so I’ll simply be an astronaut.” “... That’s not how that works.” “Not with that attitude it isn’t.”

Apollo laughed. Maybe things could be that simple. A lot of people said being a boy wasn’t simple either, but he thought it was simple enough.

“Ok. You’ll simply be an astronaut and I’ll simply be a lot of things.” “That’ll be fun. We should live together.” “Obviously.” “We can get an apartment for college and then when I’m a rich and famous astronaut we can get a house. Maybe a dog.” “I like cats better.” “We can get a cat too. If we get them at the same time they can be friends so they won’t be lonely when we’re out.” “That would be nice. We should have a big yard and lots of rooms.” “Yeah! And at least one balcony, and we have to be able to get on the roof to see the stars.” “Our bedrooms should be next to each other. We should get a bath that’s giant and we can swim in.” “Oh! And we could have an arcade.” “And a library. And the kitchen has to be nice.” “You’ll have to cook. Everything I don’t burn tastes bad.” “You can get better. I’ll teach you.” “I appreciate the optimism.” “You’ll get better or you'll starve.” “Seems I’m destined for an early grave.” “Clay!” “I’m kidding. You can teach me how to cook that rice thing your moms make.” “With the chicken?” “With the cinnamon.” “Clay, you can’t live off of rice pudding.” “I can try.” Apollo sighed. “I can teach you how to make it, but you’re learning other recipes, too.” “Fine by me.”

They looked at the stars a while longer, Clay occasionally mentioning something about them which would lead them off on tangents. After they both nearly fell asleep, they packed up and returned to the tent where they passed out in their day clothes, not bothering with blankets.

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When the boys woke up, Loamy was off somewhere, probably having hiked up to see the sunrise. That was one of his favorite things to do. Clay walked over to a tree and began inspecting it.

“What are you looking for?” “I’m looking for… I think it’s… Aha! Here, my mom and da carved their names into this tree, see? I thought we should do it too.” “Really?” “Yeah! Unless you don’t want to. I know you might change your name again, so if you don’t want this one written in stone… or tree, you don’t have to.” “No, I think this is the one. I can’t explain it, but it feels right.” “Ok! Then here we go. Clay and Apollo.”

Clay found a knife and carved his name in a bit lower than where his parents had done it, then passed the knife to Apollo. When they were done they took a look at their handiwork. Their names would be there as long as the tree was, quite possibly long after they themselves were gone. Clay and Apollo.

“You boys are up early this morning!” “Gah!” “Oops, I think you startled Apollo.”

Nice one Clay. Seamless introduction.

“Jason not work out?” “I found something better.” “Well I’m glad. You know I had a friend once. She identified with the gender she had been given, but when she was 18, she changed her name. I asked her why and she told me that a name should feel like home. Every time someone you care about says your name it should feel like coming home. I didn’t quite get it at first, but after a while I realized she was right. So no matter how many names you’ve been through, it’s important to find the right one.”

Like coming home. That’s exactly what he’d thought when he heard Clay say it.

“That’s how I feel about this one.” “I’m glad. So how do you boys feel about pop tarts?” “Oh, what kind?” Clay asked. “Let’s see. Hot fudge sundae?” “Those ones are the best!” He nodded vigorously. “Yeah those ones are good. Sometimes Lisa will give me hers in the morning.” “Gee, Pollo, how come you get to have two girls with massive crushes on you?” “What?! They don’t either. She just does it cause we’re friends and she prefers strawberry.” “There’s no way that’s true.”

After breakfast, they packed up the site, but had a couple hours before they had to head back down the mountain. Loamy stuck around the site and relaxed while Clay and Apollo went back to the stream to see who could catch the most salamanders.

Heading back down the mountain was as lively as going up, filled with laughter and shenanigans. On the ride back they watched Shrek on the portable player they kept in the car. Apollo’s moms were out when he got dropped off, but that was fine. They were probably shopping sales. A saying Apollo had heard often was ‘Never pay full price for anything.’ and as far as he had seen it was good advice. Clay waved him goodbye with the promise of seeing him Monday and then they were gone. Apollo approached the small whiteboard on the outside of his door and erased ‘Jason’, replacing it with ‘Apollo’.

#i didn't know anything about aa6 until bag-verse was well underway and then it was too late rip #ace attorney #apollo justice #clay terran #claypollo #ace's fic

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bearielfdancer · 3 years

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A new Legacy Challenge

The Grecian Mythology Legacy Challenge

Synopsis: Before there were what we call the modern gods and goddesses of today from Mount Olympus, or The Olympians, there were those that came before them. Like every story, it has its origins. Gaea, birthed from Chaos, and Ouranus, birthed from Gaea, who then began to create their own legacy. In this Legacy Challenge, you will tell the story of the gods and goddesses from it’s very core to what it is today, from Gaea to Zeus and his many, many children.

Getting Started/Rules:

Disclaimer: For the purposes of this challenge,we’re just going to start out with Gaea and Ouranos as there are MANY MANY children born from Chaos and Gaea, followed by Ouranos and Gaea, and that is just too much time and energy spent. CC and Mods are also very much welcomed!

It would very much help to start a New Game, and by creating your sims. They must be married and of the opposite gender. Gaea=Mother Earth and Ouranos=The Father/Starry Sky. They may look however you please, if you have the Expansion Pack Get To Work, they can be aliens, if you have The Game Packs Realm of Magic, Vampires. You are very much welcome to make them into Mages or Vampires, the choice is up to you! If you have seasons you may start in any season you see fit.

After you are done creating your founders, you MUST move them into Newcrest on the biggest Lot which should be Twin Oracle Point. (It even sounds mythological XD). If you want more of a challenge try living Off-Grid.

You may not have any kind of job as you are just starting out, so in order to make your living wages you may:

Fish

Garden

Paint

Wood Working

Sculpting

And sell Collectibles (anything found)

Generation alpha : The Creation

Gaea, also known as mother earth, very much loved her children, too bad Ouranos didn’t feel the same and locked them all away to never be seen again… supposedly…

Gaea:

* Career: None

* Aspiration: The Freelance Botanist

* Traits

* Loves Outdoors

* Family Oriented

* Mean

Ouranos/Uranus:

* Career: None

* Aspiration: The Curator Aspiration

* Traits

*Hates Children

* Ambitious

* Perfectionist

Game Play:

All aspirations must be completed before the generation is over

Max out Mischief Skill

Max out Sculpting

Max out Gardening

Max out Herbalism (if Outdoor retreat is owned)

Home/Building:

You must start your build as a single hut and grow from there, limited to garden decor, but not exclusive to plumbing, lighting, and cooking.

Basement must be built… for obvious reasons

Children:

You can have as many children as you’d like but the main focus is Cronos.

Once Cronus is of age, he may start looking for his “Rhea”

Succession:

When Ouranos/Uranus is an elder he must fight with his son Cronos and be banished from the lot. (You can get creative with this or just have him move out)

This will end Generation alpha with Cronus taking over.

Generation Beta: The Creation 2

Just like his father before him Cronos found out through the prophecies that one of his children will overthrow him and become ruler, Rhea is not pleased by this and devises a plan just like her mother (in law) before her. You may start to have jobs/careers this generation

Cronos:

* Career: Criminal

* Aspiration: Public Enemy

* Traits

* Hot-Headed

* Hates Children

* Glutton

Spouse:

Must Have:

AT LEAST family oriented trait

Game Play:

All Aspirations must be completed before this generation is over

Max out Mischief Skill

Max out Fitness/Wellness

Home/Building:

Keep the basement from the previous generation

You are no longer restricted to just garden decor

No Modern Decor

Children:

Like his father before him, Cronos and Rhea should have Zeus’s siblings first, then Zeus. Have Zeus be sent off to live with some mages (if you have Realm of Magic) or make a foster family. And never have contact with him again until he is a teenager (You may switch back and forth between the households)

Zeus may start to look for his “Hera”

Succession:

Like the previous Generation once Cronos is an old man who fights with his son (teenage) Zeus multiple times. Cronos then dies from exhaustion or anger (you can cheat this) and Zeus takes over.

This will end generation Beta with Zeus succeeding his Father.

Generation Gamma: A New Age and Ruler

Once Cronos is out of the picture for good, Zeus can marry his beloved sweetheart Hera. But, he can keep his adulterous ways to himself, right... right?

Zeus

* Career: Astronaut

* Aspiration: Serial Lover

* Traits:

* Romantic

* Family-Oriented

* Non-Committal

Spouse:

Must Have:

AT LEAST Jealousy trait

Gameplay:

As a toddler and child max out almost if not all skills and

Must have fulfilled serial romantic aspiration and have as many kids and lovers as possible

Get caught cheating

Must reach level 10 in the Astronaut career

Max out Charisma Skill

Max out Fitness Skill

Max out Logic Skill

Home/Building:

Get rid of the basement, it’s no longer needed.

Children:

Have four children with Hera (Ares, Hebe, Eileithya, and Hephaestus(by Hera cheating on Zeus))

Have Athena (different woman)

Have Apollo and Artemis (twins and different woman)

Have Persephone (different woman)

Have Aphrodite (different woman)

Have Hermes (different woman)

Have Heracles(Greek)/Hercules(Roman) (different woman)

Have Perseus (different woman)

By the end of this generation, you should have 12 kids in total. (This is also where things get tricky. Pick a number 1-9 and you will have to play that child’s legacy or you stick to the route I’ve provided!)

Generation Delta: The God of War

Ares never did have the proper love he wanted from his father and mother, as he was constantly being outshone by his dear sister Athena; and as a result he grew bitter, and began to tread down a dark path, knowing that nobody had truly cared what he did… all except one.

Ares

* Career: Secret Agent

* Aspiration:Public Enemy

* Traits

* Mean

* Hot-Headed

* Loner

Spouse:

Never marry but have a girlfriend move in with you

Gameplay

As a toddler have the independent trait

Reach minimum skill level for toddler

Reach level 10 in the Secret Agent Career (Villain Route)

Max out in Mischief

Go to War (The Trojan War via cowplant OR if you have Strangerville The Mother Plant)

Make as many enemies as possible

Have your family despise you

Make AT LEAST three friends

Children

Harmonia

Deimus and Phobos

Eros

This will end generation Delta, which leaves you one of two options, You can choose Eros’s route or Harmonia.

Generation Epsilon: Eros, God of Love

You are Eros, God of Love, taking after your mother. Growing up you could see why the rest of the family despised your father and made a vow to never turn out like him, unlike your two brothers.

Eros:

* Career:Freelancer

* Aspiration: Soulmate

* Traits

* Romantic

* Art Lover

* Perfectionist

Gameplay

As a toddler have the charmer trait

You are your mother’s baby boy, max out in everything

As a child have a crush on your best friend (Psyche)

Your mother and crush dislike each other

Your mother forbids you from seeing your Crush and you have to hide yourself in a bear suit until you are a young adult

Have an argument with your mother and secretly elope with your best friend/lover and move out and live happily ever after.

Generation Epsilon pt. 2: Harmonia, Goddess of Concord and Harmony

Like your brother before you, you came to quickly realize why your father was despised by everyone he ever came across, and was doted on by your mother as to distract from how terrible your father was… but will this come back to bite you in the butt?

Harmonia

* Career: Law

* Aspiration: Friend of The World

* Traits:

* Bookworm

* Neat

* Good

Children:

Ino

Polydorus

Autonoe

Agave

Semelee

Illyrius

Gameplay

As a toddler have the charmer trait

Max out every skill as a toddler and most skills as a child

Have 5 friends as a child

Have 10 friends as a teen

You fall in love with your childhood crush Cadmus

As a young adult/adult marry Cadmus

Inherit an heirloom (it can be a misc. Decoration item)

Choose a negative lot trait, this lot trait will be passed down from generation to generation.

Generation Van: Semelee

You are Semelee, and just like our mother you followed in her footsteps to work in law enforcement.

Semelee:

* Career: Law

* Aspiration: Big Happy Family

* Traits

* Gloomy (this is because of the heirloom, and lot trait)

* Good

* Ambitious

Gameplay

Have Logic skill level 1

Max out cooking

Max out Gardening

Get pregnant

Die after having child (you can cheat this)

Generation Van pt. 2: Dionysus

Dionysus

Career: Actor (if you have Get Famous)

Entertainment Career

Aspiration: Party Animal

Traits:

* Romantic

* Materialistic

* Bro

Gameplay

As a toddler, have the wild trait

Host a party every sim week

Create a club with nothing but women (if you have Get Together)

Max out in Gardening

Max out in Charisma

Max out in Cooking

Have your mother come back to life

Die by Cowplant

Have your mother bring you back to life

While partying one night you fall in love with a beautiful woman

I worked really hard on creating my own Legacy challenge, as I’ve been super into Greek Mythology as of late. I sincerely hope you guys enjoy this short, but very fulfilled Legacy Challenge

#Grecian Mythology Legacy Challenge #GMLC #BearieSIMple #TS4 #thesims4 #sims #sims 4 #The Sims #maxis match #basegame #basegame compatible #sims4challenges #challenge #ts4legacy #origin: bearielfdancer

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sleepykittypaws · 3 years

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Celebrate the Olympic Spirit

Sure, the Olympics aren’t a holiday, per se, but the every-four-year, or two if you count both Summer and Winter editions separately, massive international sporting events sure seems like a reason to celebrate, especially given their recent, unprecedented delay. And what better way to get into the Games mood, than by watching a sports movie?

Here are my favorite motivating, inspirational, and aspirational tales of athletic derring do…

Favorite Sports Movies

The Cutting Edge (1992) - This figure skating romance was released around the 1992 Olympics, and actually name-checks that year's winter host city, Albertville, more than once. It's not good in the traditional sense of great storytelling or athletic veracity, but I loved it so very much I saw it three times in the theater as a teen. Watching it at some point during every Winter Games is a tradition for me so, yeah, I can’t help it, I love this silly sports movie/romance, which also features a bit of holiday feels.

Wimbledon (2004) - It's a rom-com. It's a sports movie. It's a rom-com sports movie that really should be better known. Notting Hill but set at tennis' best-known event. Paul Bettany and Kristen Dunst have surprisingly great chemistry, and there's more sports-related tension than you'd think.

Friday Night Lights (2004) - A football movie for people who don't really like football. a.k.a. 🙋‍♀️. The TV series it spawned is also brilliant (”Clear Eyes, Full Hearts,” indeed), and well worth a watch, but the original movie, starring Billy Bob Thornton, is, honestly, a masterpiece. Definitely Peter Berg's best work and the original book, written by Berg's cousin, Buzz Bissinger, is a great read.

Muriel's Wedding (1994) - You mean you forgot this Australian export, which made Toni Collette a star, was a sports movie? Yep, one of my all-time favorite movies, of any genre, this absolutely brilliant, ABBA-soaked comedy is not only a girls-night go-to, but also a stealth Olympic sport classic.

Remember the Titans (2000) - OK, football isn't in the Olympics, but it sure does make for a good sports movie setting. Even if this early 1970s-set story is most definitely Disney-fied, Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Ryan Gosling and a baby Hayden Panettiere really sell this sort-of true story.

Invictus (2009)-Rugby isn't an Olympic sport, or even one most Americans know much about, but this Matt Damon-led, Clint Eastwood-directed, based-on-a-true-story tale made me care about a sport I'd only tangentially knew even existed before watching.

Hoosiers (1986)-I grew up in Indiana so, by law, I have to include this basketball classic on any "best of" sports movie lists. Also, it actually is really very good.

Rudy (1993)-Ditto the above. But, again, it's hard not to root for Sean Astin (and Jon Favreau!) in this love letter to the Fighting Irish. Plus, there’s no better scavenger hunt task or TikTok challenge than going into a bar and convincing a patron to allow you to put them on your shoulders and march around chanting, 'Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.'

Miracle (2004) - Given how much more popular the Summer Olympics are, it's weird that the Winter Games seem to get all the good movies made about them, but this Kurt Russell-led true tale is another Disney sports movie classic.

McFarland, USA (2015) - Disney, and Kevin Costner, just really know how to make a sports movie, damn it! This movie made me care about cross country for which it, too, could have carried the title Miracle.

A League of Their Own (1992)-The best baseball movie ever. Yeah, I said what I said. Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty—even Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell are making it work. 1992 was a weirdly great year for sports movies.

Moneyball (2011) - A movie about baseball, and math, and yet it's also great, I swear. In addition to all of the above, it's also a stealth Christmas movie and maybe Chris Pratt's best non-Marvel, movie role.

Creed (2015) - This surprisingly effective Rocky reboot starring Michael B Jordan as Apollo Creed's illegitimate son has spawned its own movie series which, in many ways, exceeds the original Rocky franchise.

Rocky Balboa (2006) - Maybe it's because I was a toddler when the original Rocky came out, so only saw the ever-worse sequels as a kid, but this mid-aughts return to the character for Sylvester Stallone, as both writer and actor, is a triumph.

Eddie the Eagle (2016) - That Hugh Jackman features in as many movies (spoiler alert) on this list as Kevin Costner surprised me, too. This story of the English ski jumper who became infamous for being, well, less than golden, is one of those non-Olympic triumph stories that really works. If you're going to watch one underdog-at-the-Games movie, I definitely prefer this this to the more ubiquitous Cool Runnings.

Love & Basketball (2000) - Only because I'm an anglophile is this great, chemistry-filled Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps college basketball romance not my favorite sports-movie-meets-rom-com.

I, Tonya (2017) - Margot Robbie and a nearly unrecognizable Sebastian Stan are perfectly cast in this sarcastic, highly stylized look at the Tonya Harding scandal.

Pride (2007) - Apparently I like this swimming movie, which I think almost no one saw, better than critics, but I found this 1970s-set, Terrence Howard-Bernie Mac-starring story of inner city kids excelling in the pool emotional and entertaining.

Field of Dreams (1989) - This Kevin Costner magical realism baseball classic is often goofy and imminently tease-worthy and yet…It also works. Maybe it's no surprise that someone who loves cheesy Christmas movies as much as I do would have a soft spot for Field of Dreams.

42 (2013) - Chadwick Boseman is absolutely fantastic as legend Jackie Robinson. One of those movies that's ostensibly about baseball, but is really about so much more, except not in a pretentious way.

Race (2016) - Before Jason Sudeikis was Ted Lasso, he was famed track coach Larry Synder in this Jesse Owens biopic that is far from perfect, but still important. Plus, I honestly don't think Stephan James got enough credit for his relatively nuanced portrayal of Owens.

Goon (2011) - This overlooked gem starring Sean William Scott as a semi-pro hockey player whose main skill is his ability to take, and dole out, a beating, is surprisingly great.

Real Steel (2011) - This is a robot-boxing movie starring Hugh Jackman that is basically Rocky meets Over the Top—and yet it's actually really good. Yeah, I was surprised, too.

Forget Paris (1995) - OK, so maybe Billy Crystal playing an NBA referee doesn't really make this a sports movie, but it does begin and end (spoiler alert) at real NBA games, and I will die on the hill that this rom-com co-starring Debra Winger is wildly under-rated.

Bend it like Beckham (2002) - This girl-power sports movie has some highly questionable romantic dynamics (the coach is their love interest???) but this Parminder Nagra-Keira Knightley movie is also a heckuva sports movie and an inspiring immigrant story.

Bonus Pick: The Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso is one of the best things I watched in 2020, and I'm sure of that, because I watched it twice since, just to be sure. Jason Sudekis is absolutely perfect as an American college football coach taking over a UK Premier League team. This sweet show with a heart of gold is smart, funny, and absolutely impossible not to love—even for a cynic such as myself.

More Sports Movies Worth Watching

For someone not very into sports, I am, apparently, into watching movies about sports, so while not a comprehensive listing of the entire, vast genre, here are a few more suggestions I personally think are worth watching.

The Miracle Season (2018) - This movie about high school volleyball champs whose star player dies suddenly stars Helen Hunt and is a lot better than you'd think based on its tiny budget and, honestly, fairly small story. Just missed making my Top 25.

The Way Back (2020) - This Ben Affleck as a drunken high school basketball coach movie is a lot better than expected. Released just as the pandemic kicked into high gear, it was overlooked last year, but worth seeking out.

Fighting with My Family (2019) - Does it count if it's a show, not a sport? Either way (but that's why this isn't in my Top 25), this stealth Christmas movie/love letter to the WWE is a lot better than it ever needed to be thanks to some really great performances from Florence Pugh, Lena Headey and directer Stephen Merchant. Even The Rock reins it in.

Warrior (2011) - You couldn't pay me to watch an actual UFC bout, but this Tom Hardy story of (literally) battling brothers is incredibly compelling and well done.

Win Win (2011) - This movie isn't really enough about wrestling, even though its ostensibly centered around the sport, to make it into my Top 25, but it's still really good, and Amy Ryan gives an outstanding performance.

Fever Pitch (2005) - Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon star in this remake of a UK film whose ending they had to shift when the Red Sox unexpectedly won the World Series.

Fever Pitch (1997) - This Colin Firth-starring, Arsenal-centered original is much smaller, more realistic and arguably better than the big budget Barrymore-Fallon redux.

We are Marshall (2006) - A real-life sports tragedy made into a sports-movie tearjerker starring Matthew McConaughy. And my tears were very much jerked by the end.

Coach Carter (2005) - Samuel L Jackson plays real-life basketball coach Ken Carter and, because it's a Disney movie, doesn't use the F-word even once. Now that's a feat worthy of its own sports movie.

Invincible (2006) - Yes, it's Mark Wahlberg, and another based-on-a-true-story, Disney sports movie that hits all the cliches, but dang it, that works on me. It just does.

Glory Road (2006) - If you're sensing a theme with me and Disney sports movies…Well, you're not wrong. This look at the first all-Black starting lineup at the 1966 NCAA Final Four does, unfortunately, center white coach Don Haskins, played by Josh Lucas (though I always mis-remember it as Josh Charles), making the important story it tells less than what it should be, but it still mostly works.

Million Dollar Arm (2014) - Admittedly one of the lesser Disney sports movie entries, and another that centers a white guy in a film mostly about people of color (not a great look), this Jon Hamm movie about a scout seeking an Indian cricket star who can make it in the Major Leagues still mostly worked for me.

The Mighty Ducks (1992) - One of the few movies on this list aimed directly at kids, this beloved peewee hockey saga actually is cute, and mostly does hold up.

Cool Runnings (1993) - Kind of shocked this movie that is part White Savior-movie and part-wacky kids movie essentially making fun of a real group of athletes of color came out in 1993 and not 1973, but the earnest charm of John Candy and a general Disney gloss keep this from being totally unwatchable and mostly just mildly, rather than extremely, offensive. Not really recommending, but feels like it belongs on an Olympic movie list.

Nadia (1984) - This made-for-TV, mostly true biopic, starring Talia Balsam as Nadia Comaneci, was a Disney Channel staple in that network’s early days.

Munich (2005) - It's a movie with the Olympics very much at its heart—namely the 1972 Israeli athlete hostage tragedy—that isn't really about the Olympics at all, but this Steven Spielberg-directed movie about national revenge is compelling, if problematic if you think about it for too long.

American Anthem (1986) - Is this Mitch Gaylord-Mrs. Wayne Gretzky (a.k.a Janet Jones) starring movie good, realistic and/or well-written? No, no and none of the above. But did I still watch it 8,000 times as a kid on HBO? Yes. Yes, I did.

Men with Brooms (2002) - Once, on a business trip to Canada, my husband was stuck in a hotel that only got three channels, and one of them always seemed to be showing curling, which actually got him weirdly into this obscure sport. This movie wasn't quite as fun as I hoped, but it's still a mostly charming, if slight, Canadian classic.

Unbroken (2014) - The harrowing and incredible real-life story of Louis Zamperini deserved better than this Angelina Jolie-directed movie delivered, but it's still a serviceable version of a worthy tale.

Chariots of Fire (1981) - I remember being bored out of my mind by this movie trying to watch this movie on cable as a kid, but no denying that, if nothing else, the score is iconic and indelibly linked to sports-movie magic.

Without Limits (1998) - Jared Leto’s Prefontaine beat this one to the theaters, but this Billy Crudup-starring film is the better of the two movies about the life of running pioneer Steve Prefontaine. There’s also a 1995 documentary, Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story.

Personal Best (1982) - Mariel Hemingway’s story of ambition at odds with love, is a sports and LGTBQ+ classic.

Olympic Dreams (2019) - The story of how this small, meandering movie was made during the 2018 Winter Games is, unfortunately, more interesting than the movie itself, but there is some charm in watching Nick Kroll as an Olympic dentist making his way through the real Village, while interacting with real athletes.

Foxcatcher (2015) - This excellently-acted story is more true crime than sports inspiration, but if you're seeking a look at the dark side of the Games—and don’t want to turn on a doc like Athlete A—this is very dark tale indeed.

Seabiscuit (2003) - Every great athlete deserves to have their story told.

Any Given Sunday (1999) - Oliver Stone and Al Pacino take on pro Football. 'Nuff said.

The Replacements (2000) - I mean, the movie isn't amazing, but Keanu Reeves is super charming and Gene Hackman is always worth a watch.

The Program (1993) - Another bit of a dark-side-of-football take, worth it if only for the fantastic cast: James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Eps, Joey Lauren Adams.

Everbody’s All-American (1988) - Not a movie I particularly love, but this Dennis Quaid-Jessica Lange football story that spans decades has always stuck in my memory.

Bull Durham (1988) - Just let Kevin Costner play actual baseball already.

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lifeofroos · 3 years

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I cannot be stopped. Another bonus chapter.

In short: Nico gets therapy from Dionysus. In this bonus chapter, Dionysus has a point to prove. Also on AO3 and FanFiction.net and in Tumblr tags like Dionysus, nico di angelo, therapy etc.

Also, got the idea from This Tumblr Post by @heyimboredtalktome

Bonus chapter: Chocolate Milkshake

‘What if I say I was wrong and I believe you?’

Dionysus opened the car door. ‘No.’

‘And how exactly will this help my recovery?’

It was quiet for a moment. I stepped out of the car.

‘Perhaps it isn’t. But you should know that America is not the only country with a McDonalds menu.’

‘I said I believed you!’

He stared at me without replying. I sighed. He wasn’t going to change his mind now. ‘Well, okay, then. Show me how they actually do serve alcohol in French Mcdonalds’ restaurants.’ I couldn’t help but sigh.

Dionysus slid on a pair of sunglasses before we walked into the McDonalds. There was even a row, gods almighty. Now we had to wait before he could proof his stupid point.

I looked up. ‘It’s on the menu,’ I noticed. ‘I saw it, you’re right, they serve alcohol in McDonalds. I’ll never doubt you again.’

He stayed right where he was. I couldn’t see his eyes through the sun glasses, but I don’t think he was looking at me.

I sighed again and that also didn’t bother him. I guessed we would be here for a while.

It seemed to take an eternity before it was our turn. Dionysus looked at me. ‘Ten minutes. That wasn’t so bad, was it?’

I shot him a look. I hoped he knew what it meant.

Dionysus turned to the tired looking employee and asked something in French. The employee answered, with the look of someone who has had to deal with stupid people a little too often.

While he did so, Dionysus put a hand on the back of my head. ‘Yes, sir, we’ve got alcoholic drinks,’ I clearly heard the boy say, before his words became gibberish again.

‘...ah-ha.’

Dionysus was quiet for a moment, after which he sighed and ordered something.

A few minutes later, a chocolate milkshake appeared on the counter. Dionysus left a tip of way more money than the McDonalds’ employees expected to earn in a month and then we left.

Dionysus handed me the milkshake when we got out. ‘Here. Sorry for the wait.’

I looked at the Milkshake, before I smiled. ‘It was actually kinda funny,’ I said, with a genuine smile. ‘And thanks for the milkshake.

Dionysus smiled back at me. After a few seconds, he removed the sunglasses.

‘Did you really wear those so people wouldn’t ask questions about your eye colour?’

‘I did.’

‘So, let me get this straight: it’s normal to drag people across continents to prove a point, but it’s not normal to show people that you’ve got purple eyes?’

‘Indeed it is. I have reasons to show you I tell the truth. I don’t have any reasons to tell random people why my eyes are purple.’

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of the milkshake. Anyway, thanks, da… Dionysus.’

He looked at me, before giving me a very small nod.

A/N: Headcanon that Nico almost called Dionysus ‘dad’ more than once.

Please correct me if I am wrong, I thought they didn’t sell alcohol at American McDonalds’.

I actually have another idea for a chapter that doesn’t exactly fit the main story. I still think I am going to write it because it’s important. It probably takes places around… May, in the first year of Nico’s therapy, so when Apollo-Lester is in camp Jupiter.

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shonartori · 3 years

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Top most beautiful places to visit in Greece

Welcome to our site and today we are counting our options for the top destinations in Greece by 2021. In this list we look at the beautiful Mediterranean country of Greece and list some of the most beautiful cities, towns, regions and islands. You should visit in 2021.

NUMBER 1,

Santorini is one of the Cyclades islands settled in the Aegean Sea. This is unquestionably perhaps the most wonderful and heartfelt islands on the planet. Fantastic nightfalls, conventional whitewashed houses and the amazing sights of the sea is the thing that makes this island so uncommon.

Head to Oia for the notorious town of pastel-washed houses embracing the precipice face. Most of shops selling postcards in Greece will have photos from Santorini and once you visit you'll understand why this is Greek spot is so appreciated.

NUMBER 2. Delphi

If history is your thing, visiting Delphi is a must while you may come to this place nine on our list today back in ancient Greece. Delphi probably felt like a center of the universe. This was the seat of pithia high priest of apollo and oracle. Whose prophecies made her position so powerful and influenced modern visitors will not receive any life-changing messages from the gods but the site is very well maintained and separated from the top of the mountain from the city. It certainly encourages Delhi to be easily accessible less than 100 miles from Athens, which makes it easy to travel for a day. If you have no hassle but consider making an overnight trip by staying in the neighboring city of delphi that way you can appreciate watching the times when the crowds are gone and its timeless aura shines a bright.

NUMBER 3. Parthenon Acropolis, Athens – the striking noteworthy landmark and a really striking spot to investigate in Greece

There are numerous stunning authentic locales to investigate in Greece however this world-celebrated Greek objective is viewed as the main enduring structure of Classical Greece.

Found in the focal point of the Greece capital Athens, it's vestiges of an old sanctuary on the Athenian Acropolis committed to the lady goddess Athena and worked for years and years beginning 447BC.

4. Mykonos – the lively and very pretty Greek island

This island stands apart as perhaps the most wonderful in the Aegean district and makes a fabulous objective to investigate in Greece. Having a place with the Cyclades bunch in the Aegean Sea, in spite of the fact that Mykonos is a famous gathering island there is still a lot of common and conventional magnificence on offer. Mykonos has an assortment of one of a kind Cycladic design set around a beautiful fishing town straight.

The square whitewashed structures sit intently together shaping a labyrinth of limited rear entryways and roads and are exceptionally camera-ready. The island's wonderful sea shores additionally make an ideal scenery to watch the dusk.

5.Meteora, Kalabaka – an iconic rock formation which is one of the most stunning places to visit in Greece

Found in focal Greece, this striking and uncommon stone development is home to a religious community established in the fourteenth century and now has UNESCO World Heritage site status. The complex of six cloisters are assembled dubiously roosted on 1,300 feet high sandstone zeniths, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly close the lovely Pineios stream and Pindus Mountains.

The inhabitants of the structures situated on upward steep shakes unquestionably made some unpleasant memories descending, however so was their move up. It is a wonderful spirit that can leave you stunned – effectively probably the best spot to find in Greece!

6.Zakynthos – a picturesque island popular for its wreck and a stunning spot to visit in Greece

An endowment of the Ionian Sea, Zakynthos may bear a Venetian name however was referenced by Homer in both the Odyssey and Illiad. This excellent Greek jewel of a spot is celebrated around the world for its perfectly clear blue waters, brilliant sea shores, and exceptional undertakings, particularly around evening time.

Zakynthos offers heaps of beautiful excursions, particularly the Shipwreck Beach of Navagio in an isolated inlet, including Banana, Porto Zoro, Kalamaki, and Gerakas. Zakynthos Town is home to many historical centers and a fascinating Venetian Castle on the peak. Beautiful sloping towns are dispersed across the open country, including old religious communities handily found via vehicle.

Eateries speck the district offering scrumptious Zakynthos cooking with eminent must-sees, for example, Solomos Square with the bust of Greek public writer D. Solomos, Strata Marina with loads of eateries, bars and bistros, Stranis slope for a mystical perspective on the island and amazing old places of worship like Aghios Nikolaos, Dionysios, Markos, and Pikardiotissa.

Experience and adrenaline junkies can go surfing or recruit a boat, journey through the grand rocky area, go swimming, swim among ocean turtles, and scuba make a plunge submerged caverns between rocks in perfectly clear environmental factors. Perhaps the most appealing travel objections in Greece!

#Top most beautiful places to visit in Greece #best travel portal #travel guest post #high da travel guest post

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cloveroctobers · 4 years

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HENRIK LILJENQUIST—

IG info/Bio: @/adventuresbyhenrik | 53.1k followers — “imma wild boi🌿🌏🧗 | happily taken👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

23 (24) years old

Parents are both Swedish and only speak Swedish, leaving henrik to also become fluent

His father Halvi is a pilot

His mother Lova is a race car driver

Siblings? Probably a brother, named Jahan & younger by two or three years + they get along quite well

Born & raised in Isle of Wight, England + loves it there & thinks it’s the best place for him to live, it’s his own private island in his mind plus he’s always finding something to do. He stays active

Climbing & wilderness survival instructor, he gets to talk as much as he wants while also teaching people AND all while being active! Sounds like the perfect job for him

Probably developed ADHD around his pre-teen age, leaving his parents to find him something he enjoys + can slow down and focus on

used to be on meds for it

Was well-known in high school, probably in the yearbook club since he was able to run around & get to know people but was kinda shit at knowing the functions of a camera

His selfie game has gotten a lot better now but he mostly posts anything but his face. You’ll see more of his face on his stories & location shots on his feed

Feels his hair is his best physical feature & his prized possession, would never THINK about cutting it. Even just a trim is a bit much for him

Always tries to be positive but at the same time can be condescending since he sometimes won’t pick his words wisely ex.) when he gave MC a backhanded “compliment” about makeup, being active, + wanting them to “think of others ” feelings — just because someone is opposite from you doesn’t mean you have to shit on the way they carry themselves...that’s my issue with him

maybe he’s a Taurus?

Loves fall & spring, more so fall since that’s when the weather feels nicest to him plus allergy season is a REAL bitch

The guy’s real Adventurous & always managing to find something to do. If you’re ever bored just hit him up, he has plenty of recommendations

Family owns a cottage & he’s the one who goes out there more than his own family does! “You should just sell it to me at this point!” He tells his parents over dinner often & it is strongly considered

Has five birds & a husky, when he goes on road trips they’re always with him. Which can get a little hectic at times but they’re his family, he’s a, “birdog dad”

BLAKE secretly dislikes them all, feeling like they take up space sometimes (especially when she wants to cuddle) but she deals with it since she cares for the guy — yes, they’re still dating

She’s been convincing him to cut a few inches off of his hair which he took like a slap in the face, “that’s like me asking you to quit speaking up for humans!” “No, no it’s not.”

They’re polar opposites with flaws which causes disagreements between the two of them by putting each other in their places but they learn to compromise? (*insert eartha Kitt gif laughing here*] if they want this to work

His mother seems to be the only one who dislikes blake (she strongly feels he should have bought MC back home...that’s right she watched the show from time to time. Not always since she doesn’t care for reality tv but her friends encouraged her to watch bits and pieces) while his dad and brother approve

It is tense when Blake and his mom are in the same room which makes Henrik sad since he believes Blake deserves a chance. He took a chance on her and it seems to be going pretty well so why couldn’t his mother just be happy for him like the rest of the family is?

Henrik loves his low-maintenance girls who are open to trying new things with him, Blake is usually down most of the time but she likes her personal space too..which henrik struggles to understand

He wants her to live with him, he’s sure his parents will let him have the cottage if Blake decides to live with him but Blake loves her freedom in Kingston

It’s hidden but I feel like he might be one of those guys that feels like “a woman should follow a man” since that’s what his father installed into his boys— which failed because his wife isn’t just a housewife, she has goals and went after them

I feel like Blake turns to social media almost always to post about her feelings (I can’t remember what I picked the first time around as my occupation but as I’m currently playing I picked human rights campaigner so) but it’s mostly subtle shade & it always goes recognized by fans which brings drama between her, mc x Bobby

Henrik jumps in because what kind of guy would he be if he didn’t have his gf’s back? Doesn’t care for the drama but he & Bobby usually said slick shit to each other in the villa, it’s safe to say they’re not really friends but they’re not enemies either that’s mostly between their gf/wife

Henrik doesn’t care enough about Bobby to dislike him but he won’t put up with his shit any longer and what easier way to do that than online? He feels like they can settle this with a phone call but Blake & MC aren’t with the shits and don’t want their men speaking to each other

Henrik & Bobby eventually have a chat in secret anyways

Henrik warns Blake that this can effect her job status if she doesn’t calm down since she uses social media for her cause

She usually knows when to stop but can’t help it if it slips out sometimes

They talk it out and move on usually with whatever fun idea henrik may have

Owns a ford bronco from the 90’s that used to be his uncle’s who builds tree houses for a living and is still running, a jeep gladitor, or some sort of pickup truck

Knows how to make the best apricot jam

All about saving the bees

Loves animals, probably on his journey to veganism if he’s not already there

We all know this fucking guy likes eating M0sS

“Embarrassing fact” but uh big fan of twilight, feels like Seth Clearwater and him are meant to be best buds but he also stans the Volturi 😷

Him and Lucas of course remained the best of mates, since they live 2 hrs away from each other and are always busy living their lives they always have to plan out when they can hangout but that fails 60% of the time when henrik pops up at Lucas’ job or at his flat not giving him a choice but to hang out

They’re always vacationing together too? Sure Henrik is his own version of low-key while Lucas likes a bit of luxury...they still find a balance to just have a good time regardless if they live different lifestyles...they’re basically married

Always texting if they’re not hanging out, henrik with his memes that Lucas doesn’t understand & Lucas just checking in on henrik’s well being which leads the conversation to many topics

He’s actually cool with Gary now? They like/comment on each other’s posts & even text here and there

Even ran into Rocco once on a road trip, that was interesting but when life gives you lemons...we’ll just say that

Even him and Ibrahim share recommendations through text or DM’s which is nice! Henrik is always down for friends even tho they’re not like his personal friends (except for Lucas, he fits into his criteria)

Most of his work is physical and talking but he goes the extra mile by hiking every Sunday either with his friends, Blake, or family — he’s genuinely likes being one with nature

If he’s at the cottage, he’s always outside, chopping extra wood, making sure the yard looks like it belongs on a magazine, or takes the boat out on lake to nap since he doesn’t like to fish as much anymore

Currently trying to grow strawberries but some animal keeps eating them :/

Adores adventure time, the x-files, bobs burgers + animal planet, and travel channels—like he’s a real dad

If he could shower outside everyday, he would, it’s such a freeing experience to him

His outings consist of being in the woods 24/7 so in his mind when he brings Blake out there with him, it’s a version of a date, whenever they spend time together is a date to him, which she has to remind him that she wants to do something different like getting dressed up every now and then + go out to dinner which he HATES but he’ll do his best to please her, as long as the restaurant is more earthy than snobby he’s okay

100% would survive the apocalypse, he knows how to make due with what he’s got, he’s always been that way

Enjoys rom-com’s so he’ll laugh at how cringe they are but still enjoy it, indie films, ALITA was the best film of 2019 to him & currently his fav film is, “the call of the wild” with Harrison Ford

His favorite films ever are Indiana Jones, Lara Coft: Tomb raider, Terminator, and I am legend

Aliens ARE real, they’re out there and he’ll be part of the reason they’ve been exposed

I feel like he wanted to be an astronaut growing up but then realized he’d be a confined space for long periods of time and said cancel that shit lol + he isn’t the greatest at science. History? He did real well in that subject

I think he loves Lorde, listens to Bon Iver—especially on early morning commutes to work, Rex Orange County, Omar Apollo, Joji, the nbhd, the driver era, kid cudi...yktfv

Celeb crushes?/types: The main girls from Charlie’s angels 2019, Alexa PenaVega... “you know Carmen from spy kids?” Diana silvers, Dove Cameron, JAMIE CHUNG, & VANESSA HUDGENS

Anthem = Wallows, “OK”

#litg #litg2 #litg s2 #litg henrik #litg au #litg headcanon #litg headcanons #litg Blake #litg Lucas #litg bobby #litg mc #edited cause I wasn’t aware the mans was actually Swedish oops

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lesbianmarth · 4 years

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it’s been a while since i posted about aa but i just finished soj in its entirety tonight. here’s my new list so far

i still have to give thoughts on cases 4 5 and dlc so that’ll be under a cut. spoilers!

6-4: this was such a filler case, almost shamefully so. i don’t know why they thought they could manage to do this in the 4th case when every game with 5 cases has been pretty consistent about making the 4th case plot relevant, sometimes literally just a preamble to case 5. so yeah i think this one was kinda ass

the two things it had going for it: one, athena. in 6-2 i actually got confused about why i ever liked her, because in that case she felt like she was just acting the part of the Peppy Teen Girl With a Rowdy Streak that makes up almost every assistant character. But then as SOON as she started bantering with Simon in 6-4 i was like “oh, THAT’S why i liked her!” was nice to take control of her again.

two, uendo toneido. while i don’t think you can say the DID was portrayed with quite the necessary respect or kindness, it was handled better than i’ve seen other media handle it-- at least it’s not completely demonized. other people have written more on that in better detail so i’m not really the judge, but the basic point is that this witness was mad fun to read, and even the dumb jokes like the changing number of floor cushions were entertaining. thus why this case is in the “hard carried by one side character” tier.

especially since there was like nothing else going on. no connection to the main plot, only two other characters besides uendo, and for some reason the clown tits girl was here instead of the magic show case (and to be honest, she wasn’t enjoyable for me even BEFORE she did the standard aa female villain thing and changed her speech pattern as soon as she fell under suspicion). just a weird, nothing case stuck right around the point aa games usually enter endgame. And especially weird because...

6-5 part 1: inexplicably there are two separate cases in the final chapter and each gets one day of investigation and trial. such a weird setup, and it really shouldn’t work... but i think it kinda barely does. barely. it would still have been better to split it into case 4 and case 5 though.

i have a hard time articulating much on the first case bc it sort of blends together for me. the main thing is that the concept of it being a civil case where apollo and phoenix face off is really good. it was a good change of pace, even though you knew it was gonna be a murder somehow anyway. sarge was reasonably nice, i guess, paul atishon had some good animations and quirks (my favorite being when he tries to just walk away from the stand to avoid answering a question), and the logic of the actual murder was good enough.

but i especially got those strong “oh this is a FINAL case!” vibes during the segment in the cave, and that added so much to it even if not much of it was relevant in the first half of the case. the adventure feel reminded me of some of the (out of context bc i still havent played it) scenes i know from 3-5, which is a good association to invoke imo. and it did a lot to give apollo and dhurke time to bond.

speaking of which, dhurke, holy shit. what a KING. i don’t think i’ve ever liked a dad character in ace attorney this much. he’s so genuine and like down to earth that it’s impossible not to start liking him and believe how much he cares for his sons. the bit where he rescued apollo from the cave flood... i felt it in my heart

6-5 part 2: let me just get this out of the way: ga’ran sucks. her design after she goes full evil is so bad, she’s so malicious that it’s immediately obvious she’s going to be the culprit, her breakdown is ridiculous and just embarrassing to watch, and inga had already established way more charisma as a villain when he did the “those were orders of execution actually” bit in 6-3. with that said,

i actually liked it for the most part. the spirit channeling stuff was excellent imo-- they probably use it to similar or greater effect in 3-5 but as someone who again has not played that, i was surprised and almost impressed by how well it was applied. maya was relevant for something! it feels like it’s been ages!

rayfa was a little underutilized, i think-- her moment of determination where she stops letting ga’ran have control over her was alright but it fell flat bc it didn’t have any weight during the moment. i kept hoping she would like, wordlessly take of her shawl and do the little verbal preamble to the divination seance while ga’ran kept yelling at her to stop, but no, the script can’t be good like that, i guess. and since she didn’t get to be the investigation assistant for long, none of her charm in that role carried through.

but DHURKE!! oh my god! in a game almost devoid of emotional impact, his involvement in this case really hit. the way they painstakingly animated his death, the scene where he makes a promise with maya, and then the weight of knowing in hindsight that everything he did in the first part of the case was after he’d already died and just wanted to see his son again before passing on for real....... it hurt. i felt something during that section. this case would also be hard carried by him if not for the fact that i really liked the murder bits.

amara was good too--liked how they made her suspiciously serene and accentuated it with the lightning strikes to make her look like a hidden murderer character about to reveal herself, only to walk it back and confirm she was being forced to act that way. i thought it worked. nahyuta was boring though, i’m sorry-- i get the motivation with having to be a bastard bc his sister and mom were basically held hostage, but the only time i found him compelling in that mess was the bit where he removed his one fingerless glove and revealed he still has the dragon tattoo. that was it. athena was also completely unused the whole case (not even a single mood matrix? really?) and trucy one again went without any role of importance.

the ending also... yknow, a friend said they had to end it this way bc they never figured out what they were going to do with apollo (since following up on what they started in aa4 clearly wasn’t an option???) and just threw him on a bus to get rid of him. i agree with that-- he really feels thrown to the side, and with that i think trucy’s officially stranded with no hope of any character advancement. and the way they ended the game with phoenix and lamiroir deciding “yeah, maybe NOW we should finally tell those two they’re related” honestly felt insulting lol

but maybe the dlc case will let things go out on a high note...?!

6-6: it was okay.

it would’ve worked pretty well as a filler case in an older aa-- honestly i think it’d be one of the better filler cases, certainly worth replacing the shitty ones like 2-3 or 3-3 or, hey, 6-4. but whether i’d say it was worth paying for... eh.

the time travel conceit was done well enough, i think. the way they tied it back to sorin and pierce’s backstories was nice, and the twist about having two receptions was good, although they needed to treat that as a real twist with much more gravity. when the truth comes out it just feels like “oh of course that’s what happened” rather than a big surprise worthy of the Confessing the Truth theme. it’s sort of important because the case becomes a lot less interesting when you take out the time travel element.

far as characters are concerned, i think they needed more side characters to sell the whole thing-- another sprocket family member or another servant of the household. it felt a little limited-- sorin and pierce are pretty good witnesses and i like their quirks and their secrets, but the only alive woman (ellen) has very few traits and no connection to the deeper story of the case, so she falls really flat. the old aa characters didn’t add much- maya and edgeworth were just there for fanservice, ema didn’t get to do much other than acknowledge for the first time in years that she’s a big edgeworth fan, and larry is annoying as hell like he always is.

and oh my god i actually forgot while i was writing that, how they put in athena and trucy but only used them for brief slapstick where trucy would try to set athena on fire and shit. again-- no mood matrix? couldn’t even try once to fit those two characters into something?

i did like pierce’s transformation into his surgeon form though-- that was really cool. loved him doing surgery on a robot, taking xrays of the lawyers, and his breakdown was fantastic-- he would make a really good culprit if they didn’t whiff the last bit of pathos at the end. i don’t think he should’ve been aiming for revenge on sorin; it would have hurt much more if he was still loyal to the guy and never intended for him to be in danger, but the final “why’d you do it?” talk in the trial just felt flat and one-note, much like the one in 6-4.

... so that’s spirit of justice! not a super positive experience but i’m happy to say it’s done. as much as i want to go and replay dgs, i think when i do go back to ace attorney i’ll be replaying the trilogy for the first time since high school

#ace attorney #aa playthrough

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forlorn-kumquat · 4 years

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in vino veritas - chapter two

also on AO3

-----

They were halfway back to Robin’s Nest before Kumu broke the silence with: “So are we going to talk about what’s going on with you and Thomas?”

In the passenger seat, Juliet shot her an almost guilty look before the expression on her face smoothed over into pleasant neutrality. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t have to keep pretending, you know,” Kumu told her. “Not with me.”

“Kumu, I’m not pretending anything-”

“Try telling that to someone who wasn’t watching you sneak looks at Thomas all night,” Kumu interrupted her.

“I was just concerned-” Juliet started, but then cut herself off mid-sentence at a knowing look from Kumu. “Oh, all right. Maybe I was looking at Magnum a little more than usual, tonight. But that doesn’t mean that there’s anything going on between us.”

“It doesn’t,” Kumu echoed, flatly, her voice positively dripping with skepticism.

“No, it doesn’t.” Juliet kept her own tone firm, hoping that that would be the end of the conversation.

Really, she should have known better.

They drove in silence for another few minutes before Kumu tried a different tack. “You know, there’s just as much risk in your marriage scheme to TC as there was to Thomas.”

Juliet pressed her lips together, tightly. “I know,” she finally admitted, softly. “If TC and I are caught, I’ll still get deported, and TC could lose Island Hoppers. I’m well aware of what could happen.”

“Then why all the fuss of picking TC over Thomas?” Kumu sounded genuinely confused. “If the risk is the same-”

“I’d really rather not talk about it.” Juliet’s voice was far sharper than she’d intended, and she flinched as the words almost exploded out of her. “I’m sorry,” she added, softer, into the silence that filled the car. “But can we please just let it drop?”

Kumu nodded, reaching over and squeezing Juliet’s hand. “Consider that my last word on the subject.”

The rest of the drive was blessedly silent. In the driver’s seat, Kumu was practically vibrating with curiosity; just because she’d promised not to talk about the fake wedding again didn’t mean that she wasn’t clearly dying to. But Juliet was grateful for the silence. She’d had perhaps a bit too much to drink when they’d joined the guys at the bar, and she was afraid of letting something slip in her inebriated state.

Back at the estate, she parked the car in the garage and whistled for the lads as the door shut behind her. She wanted to take a lap of the property with them, let the cool night air clear her head a bit before she tried to get some sleep.

Kumu waved a goodnight as she headed up to the main house, stopping briefly to scratch Zeus and Apollo behind the ears as they trotted past her. Juliet watched until she was safely in the house before turning and heading down to the far end of the property, the lads right at her heels. They ambled along the perimeter until they hit the beach, and then Juliet toed off her shoes and sank her toes into the sand as she walked down toward the water.

She stood in silence at the water’s edge for a while, staring out at the darkness, Zeus and Apollo like sentinels on either side of her. Kumu’s words kept running through her head: ‘You don’t have to keep pretending.’

“But that’s just it,” she said, softly, “I have to keep pretending. Because I don’t know what’ll happen if I don’t, and that - that scares me.”

She couldn’t hide the hitch in her voice, and Apollo whined and nosed at her hand in response. Juliet smiled as she reached down and scratched him gently behind the ears, and then Zeus a moment later when he demanded his share of her attention.

“Good lads,” she crooned. “You understand, don’t you? I couldn’t ask Magnum to risk everything he’s worked so hard for. Not like this. Not for me.”

“But he would, you know.”

Juliet let out an entirely undignified yelp, spinning around so fast that she almost ended up in the water. She glared halfheartedly at Kumu, as the older woman made her way down the beach to join her.

“Kumu, you startled me,” Juliet told her.

“I didn’t mean to,” Kumu said, an apologetic tone in her voice. “I honestly thought the dogs would alert you that I was coming.”

“They didn’t,” Juliet replied, dryly, turning her glare onto the lads. They were as unaffected by it as Kumu had been. “Kumu, how long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough,” came the reply. “Juliet, Thomas would risk everything for you.”

“I’m well aware,” Juliet said, with a sigh. “But that doesn’t mean I should ask him to.”

“If I recall correctly,” Kumu reminded her, “Thomas is the one who offered.”

“Well, maybe he shouldn’t have,” Juliet snapped, feeling some unidentifiable emotion swell inside her. “He keeps throwing himself headlong into danger for just about everyone he meets - his clients, his friends, now me - he never stops to think that he might face consequences for his actions.”

“Is that really what you’re worried about?” Kumu asked, gently. “Thomas facing the consequences of his actions?”

“Of course I am,” Juliet insisted. “Magnum’s reckless about his own safety, and too compassionate for his own good, and one of these days he’s going to get really, seriously hurt because of it, and I can’t - I won’t let it be because of me!”

“It’s a marriage contract,” Kumu pointed out. “He’s not taking a bullet for you.” When Juliet just shook her head, too tired to say anything else, Kumu went on. “You’re nothing like Hannah, you know.”

Juliet gaped at Kumu in shock. “How did you-”

“Thomas was engaged to Hannah and she hurt him by betraying him in the worst way possible,” Kumu said. “Then he was engaged to you for a fake marriage, and you started to wonder if you were betraying him, too, by asking him to break the law and risk prison for you. Which is absolutely the same as selling him out to the Taliban, you’re right.”

“Well, it sounds ridiculous when you put it like that,” Juliet groused.

“Because it is,” Kumu told her. “Thomas asked you to marry him because he cares about you and he wants to help you. He knew what he was risking when he asked you; he’s not stupid.”

“Let’s not go that far,” Juliet protested, but the words were half-hearted at best. “So, what do I do, Kumu? I still won’t ask Magnum to risk his business and his freedom for me.”

Kumu very tactfully did not point out that she was still asking TC to do the same thing. “Have either of you talked to Mr. Masters about this?” she asked, instead. “You know, the man who sponsored your visa in the first place?”

“Um-”

Kumu chuckled. “I’ll go call Mr. Masters, shall I?”

“Kumu,” Juliet said, “could you maybe not mention the marriage thing to Robin?”

“And deprive you of joy of telling Mr. Masters that neither you or Thomas thought to ask for his help, and instead jumped straight into breaking the law to keep you in the country? I wouldn’t dream of it.” The grin on Kumu’s face was positively gleeful. “I will happily listen in on speaker, though.”

And, really, how could Juliet deny her that?

#magnum pi #kumquat writes

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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February 15th-February 21st, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from February 15th, 2020 to February 21st, 2020. The chat focused on the following question:

If a company wanted to publish your comic or adapt it for animation or games, how willing would you be to change the story if requested to do so?

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

That's such a tough question just because it's such a goal for so many creators, and yet a potential threat to their creativity in a sense. As always, it will depend on what exactly would be changed in order for such a project to be given approval. If it has to do with censoring LGBTQ+ content, changing race for 'marketability' purposes and the like, or erasing a specific topic integral to the plot with relation to politics- then it's a no go. There are plenty enough watered down media that doesn't stretch itself with diversity those companies can have and the subtext they pepper in to stay relevant, def something i find irksome with todays media (its 2020 guys !!) But if it's maybe cutting a chapter that acts like filler, or adding a character ( so long as it is plot relevant) i could take that into consideration! I actually take some time to imagine what Ghost Junk would be in a diff form of media and usually in those scenarios, things change to fit the way its being presented! A video game will differ more than an anime adaptation for sure, so long as the original intent and impact is kept, i would definitely consider some change!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

If I ever had the opportunity to pass my work off to a whole other team for an adaptation, I think I would take great joy in leaving them completely to it - barring a few obvious issues like race changes, gender/sexuality changes, and... changing the entire story to the point where it's unrecognizable. I love seeing reinterpretations of my work, and I understand that every adaptation would need changes of some form. My words and art aren't gospel - I'm open to any change if it improves the whole product. Whatever it takes to translate the material in the best way, which keeps the original message intact, is all good by me.

Changes in the actual comic would be harder to make - and I'd be far less comfortable with them, to be honest - but I wouldn't fight them if they obviously made the story/characters stronger. I've already added in ideas and reorganized plot threads based on reader feedback - luckily the story still has some places where it can bend. So long as a publisher took my basic story seriously, and aimed to remold it rather than remake it - I'd be down for a discussion. Hopefully a reputable publisher would know how best to sell my work, and would aim to make it as good as possible while maintaining integrity - I would try to trust them

chalcara

Comic stays mine, won‘t be changed beyound perhaps some professional line edits and polish. There’s a reason I didn’t shop it around as a graphic novel. I’d actually like that eitherway, would love to get myself a professional editor when I have the money. Adaptions can go nuts, provided the main characters stay true to their comic versions and the woman-loves-woman storyline stays in.

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

For the story to be told in another medium I would be pretty game for it to change the story a bit. Already now we are changing the story from how we made as a campaign. Makeing it more streamlined and more precise. I wanted originally that our comic could be a TV show. I come from a background of a character animator so that would make sense for me. So seeing it animated would be awesome! There would be some designs that needed to change to fit animation better.

Like Andree has this texture in his skin that needed to go away. But seeing it animated would be awesooome

Deo101 [Millennium]

I think if my Characters stay in Character, then I'm fine with changing pretty much any of the plot or world things. But the Character dynamics and who they are as people is what matters most to me, and I'm not sure I would be willing to sacrifice that. With some of my stories I'd be willing to completely let go of the reins, and with others I definitely want a tighter grip, too.

sagaholmgaard

Agree with the thing about character dynamics. My stories always stem from the characters' relationships and how they evolve, so I'd like for the essence of that to stay. Otherwise I'm pretty loose about the plot itself. Because I have an education in game development, I would totally be down for my comic being adapted into a story driven game of some sort. I'd be okay with changing the story to favor the game mechanics, like putting certain magic abilities in the focus and turning certain scenes into gameplay (like when they're sneaking around or fighting). As long as my handful of core emotional moments come across, I'm pretty happy to change things.

Tuyetnhi

I agree with the character dynamics too. I don't feel comfortable if they change the character backgrounds along with it as well for er what Krispy said for "Markability". That stuff won't fly with me. Comic stuff stay the same but for adaptations, I want to make sure it has similar story beats even if there's a change on few details. Tbh I could totally see er....a visual novel game happening in my comic since that's what my original intention was going for. still at the end I really don't intend my comic to transend other mediums since i'm planning to self publish the story someday lol.

kayotics

I’d be pretty willing to change stuff, actually. I’d want to be pretty involved in whatever adaptation was being made in this hypothetical, but I know that more people can make for stronger work. On the other hand, too many cooks can make for some pretty watered down soup, which is why I’d want to have a large role in things so some of the core stuff doesn’t get changed. But as it is, I’m not married to any ideas that exist in my comic, and am pretty welcome to changes.

DanitheCarutor

If the changes were to benefit the story than I wouldn't mind, if they were going to change everything to make it appealing to the masses than no. Definitely not if they want to mess with the characters since how they are play a major role in the comic. I've got a really specific story I'm trying to tell, so I'm very stingy on changes. If anything I'd be more open to a company making a spin-off or something not totally related to the main story, as long as it's not a complete bastardization. Other than free advertising and the brand name, I don't really see how getting published would benefit me anyway? I'm already in the process of rescanning and re-editing the first four chapters of my comic for self-publishing, if I really wanted to adapt it into an animation I would just do it myself. Along with teaching myself whatever else I needed to get as little help as possible. Sure, I have no experience but it's not like I can't learn, there are classes and free tutorials all over the internet. I've always wanted to get into animating. I can't imagine my comic being adapted into game, what would it even be? An anti-dating sim? An interactive novel? An Apollo drinking simulator?

Capitania do Azar

I WANT A BEAT THEM UP JUST RUN IN ONE DIRECTION KICK EVERYONE

eli [a winged tale]

The dream is a studio ghibli adaption but that won’t be happening I would want to vet the studio/company proposing the adaption and ensure that we are a good fit. I echo what many of you have said about the integrity of the characters and heart of the story. There are a lot of secrets that will come to unravel as the comic progresses and I hope the publisher will be accepting of them. I will be happy to have a conversation on why these structural changes are there and why I think it’s important to allow them to reach a wider audience. That said, I am also eager to see how they would themselves interpret the story and I will give creative freedom to that. Again, it’s a dream and while I would love to direct my own film, I simply don’t have the resources to do it (at this time). https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE3ODQ3MzIzMTM3NjY4MDA0?igshid=15bnlhamdu3tn&story_media_id=2149085305360952847

Capitania we should just have a super smash bros of all our comic characters

renieplayerone

I think like a lot of people here have already said, Im not changing anyones race, gender identity or sexuality. Otherwise? I'd be really curious what someone else's perspectives could bring to my work if it ever got adapted. I have ideas for comics that are written like they could be movies too, but idk. Its fun trying to write thinking of other mediums

mariah (rainy day dreams)

Im pretty much in the same camp of make changes as it makes sense, but stay true to the core. In the case of a live action thing being made of my story, I would actually be super ok with a POC actor filling the role of any of the white presenting characters. Or actors with different body shapes that what I'd originally draw. More diversity in film is always good

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

outside of censorship, I would be fine with most story changes? with that said, good luck lol. there are very few scenes I think can be cut out of the story without supremely messing up later scenes. every magic ability on-screen is important in some way, a bunch of random background characters end up coming back & getting way more focus later on, etc. add filler, sure, but there's really not much you can cut out without messing up the entire story down the line.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I'm pretty open to the idea of changing some details to fit a different medium better. The big thing that I wouldn't want changed in Whispers of the Past (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/whispers-of-the-past/list?title_no=191366) is the characters' races. Since the story explores the idea of culture-shock and cultural identity, and the races/cultures are integral to world-building, it would be stupid the change the characters' appearances/races willy nilly. And besides, we don't want what happened to Eragon or Percy Jackson when they became movies. Congratulations on completely killing a franchise But yeah, as long as races and major plot details aren't changed too much, I'm really open to adjusting things. As an example, cutting out smexy times or making the language a bit friendlier to a wide audience, fine by me. But changing Kelan to a blacksmith instead of a farmer... Why???? I would need a good reason to do something like that. (I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU, ERAGON! WHY WAS RORAN JOINING THE ARMY RANDOMLY, INSTEAD OF BECOMING A MILLER? ISN'T THE ARMY WORKING FOR THE EVIL KING WHO TAXES THEM HEAVILY? EXPLAIN THIS TO ME.) I'm actually pretty scared about the whole race thing. I mean, Hollywood also ruined The ]

if the adaptation is Bad I can always just, like, disown it lmao

Deo101 [Millennium]

clearly im the one with the ideas here B) soo

LMAO yea

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

If it was being published as a comic, I don’t think I’d be willing to change too much- though that would depend a great deal in what kind of change. Cleaning up some wonky dialogue? That would probably be fine. Censorship? Absolutely not. Changing my LGBTQ+ characters’ gender / orientation to appeal to the mainstream? Really absolutely not. If being adapted to a different medium, I’d be much more willing to change things around, but would still insist my minority characters not change their identities. But I understand that as far as plot goes, different mediums call for different approaches. I’m planning on writing my comics as novels someday, and will be taking a much different approach to them. The plots will definitely be altered a great deal to better fit being written in prose.(edited)

AntiBunny

It honestly depends on what the changes were. There's a fair amount I'd change myself. A few core things I'd certainly not change though.

In AntiBunny http://AntiBunny.net/ for instance I could see some people missing the point of Penelope's character being a pacifist and wanting to make her some kind of badass, as if the only kind of strength there is comes from violence. I wouldn't remove the question of Pooky's gender, as in order to ask the question of "what is identity" I stripped Pooky of everything including even a mental construct of gender.

Some things I would change though. Likely I would cut the first two chapters and start at the 3rd when the plot actually gets moving. So demands for a faster flowing plot I could certainly meet. I'd probably cut few extra characters from the cast to streamline things a bit.

So yes for the purposes of streamlining things I'd make changes. I wouldn't make changes that would go against the entire point of the cahracters though.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Oh, a conversation in #general reminded me of something else regarding adapting Super Galaxy Knights Deluxe R - If the comic is to be adapted with no changes at all, it'd be a legal nightmare. Off the top of my head, these are properties that have been directly stated in dialogue - - Yahtzee - Risk - Mario Kart - Settlers of Catan - Pokemon - Disney's Frozen I don't think you could technically get in trouble for any of those? It's not like anything copyrighted was shown on screen, it's just characters talking about things they've seen before. But a publisher would probably want to play it safe and avoid that. Also... the NFL might get mad at the publisher if the gang names in Cunoze City aren't changed? Like I don't ever say the team location, so technically full team names are never used... but again, it's probably best to play it safe.

Desnik

I'd be pretty flexible with changes, but if I have to take out demons to appeal to the Evangelical Christian states of America then obvs that's not going to work out

(And you wouldn't think that'd be a Thing to this day, but apparently it's been sort of this unspoken rule in book publishing since the Satanic Panic of the 80's in the US)

Some changes I'd be okay with: Adjusting ages of characters to appeal to target demographics, removing scenes that are difficult to draw, tweaking characters to be either more or less horrible depending on their role in the story

FeatheryJustice

I will be flexible to a point and the limit of this point is pretty align to my morals. If the editor tells me to include some weird things like "You must have a scene where this guy licks the curtains" I would also be like "What is the point of this scene."(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

“Your protagonist must fight a giant spider in the third act.”

Deo101 [Millennium]

I mean, if you bring up giant spiders in the first act... well...

Q (Wayfinders: Off Course)

Turn it around: if your protag must fight spiders in the third act, well, time to bring in the spiders in the first..?

AntiBunny

The more I think of it, the more I realize that the most likely thing I'd be asked to change in AntiBunny is to either tone down the violence and grimdark for kids, or make it even raunchier to appeal to the "mature" (not mature at all) animation market (Seth McFarlane's audience).

My own comic keeps it rather PG-13, but there's not much market for animation in that field, at least in America. Seems like it's all either kid friendly stories where no one dies or if they do it's off screen (people get shot and stabbed in my comic) or there's the opposite with dropping F bombs every other line and filling it with sex jokes.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Hey, I mean, never say never. Off the top of my head, Futurama and the Samurai Jack revival were both western cartoons that I'd put solidly in PG-13 territory. Both shows were able to go adult when they needed to be, but they didn't take that as a blank check to go into "rated R" territory for the shock of it.

#ctparchive #comic #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #creator babble #creator interview #comic creator interview #comic tea party #ctp

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hazyheel · 5 years

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WWE Summerslam 2019 Review

So before I get into the show, I am going to try something new on some of these reviews. Sometimes I watch the big shows with my girlfriend, who will now be referred to as HazyHannah, and she wanted me to throw in some of her comments. So at the end of each grade section, imma write down some things that she said during the match. If you want to check out her blog, it is @hanster36.

Drew Gulak vs. Oney Lorcan for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship: This was the first match of the kickoff show, which was disappointing to see, but something had to be in this spot. Gulak started out with a vicious shotgun dropkick, but the two mat technicians naturally went hold for hold right after that. Lorcan was actually keeping up with Gulak, so he issued a vicious slam right afterwards, then moving back into some holds. Lorcan didn’t actually regain the advantage until he took things to the outside for a hard hitting brawl. Lorcan then rolled Gulak back into the ring, only for Gulak to lock in the Gulock for a quick submission sequence. They then started with a striking contest, which Gulak won with a vicious series of slaps, finishing off by locking in the Gulock, but Lorcan rolled through for a very near fall. Lorcan then picked up Gulak and dealt several slaps and European uppercuts. Lorcan tried to hit the Half and Half Suplex, but Gulak held onto the ring skirt. As the ref went to put it back in place, Gulak nailed Lorcan with a right to the throat, and then a Cyclone Crash for the win.

Grade: B-. Pretty good match. They are very similar wrestlers so they blended together quite well. The two ripped into each other with vicious strikes, and Lorcan only got madder and madder as the match went on, as he usually does. He was overwhelming Gulak, so Gulak had to bend the rules a bit to get the win. He didn’t outright cheat, but this was far from an honest victory. Interesting to see where this goes.

Apollo Crews vs. Buddy Murphy: finally, Murphy’s debut match. This should have happened months ago, on TV. Murphy started with an awesome high knee for a near fall right out of the gate. He continued to follow up with various stiff kicks and strikes to a grounded Crews. Crews fought back a bit and they had some back and forth. At one point, Murphy went for a crossbody off the middle rope, but Crews countered with a samoan drop, followed by a moonsault for a near fall. The two continued to fight, and Murphy was able to nail a cheeky nandos kick in the corner, followed by a powerbomb for a near fall. The two then continued to fight on the outside. Murphy then threw Crews into the barricade and followed up with a tope con hilo. After Murphy threw Crews back into the ring, Rowan ran in from behind and started to beat Murphy down. Murphy won the match by disqualification.

Rowan threw Murphy all around ringside, and wiped him out with a running crossbody. He finished it off with a powerbomb into the ring post.

Grade: C+. The two were actually having a pretty good match here. Crews is a great striker just like Murphy, with just enough flying between the two of them to have an exciting contest for the pre show. However, the finish was not good. Yes, Murphy won, but he looked weak in his victory. And in his first match, he was beaten down ridiculously afterwards. He was not able to really get over because of it, and I really didn’t like that booking. But I won’t lower it too much because their match was decent. More time would have done them good.

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: I’m glad that these belts actually got on the card. They deserve better than the pre-show, but they need to be built up a bit more before they can hit the main show. Bliss was dressed as Buzz Lightyear ring gear, which for some reason pissed off Corey Graves to no end. It seems like Bliss is going face after winning these belts, which is certainly interesting. Saxton was defending Cross too, this is an odd switch of character. At one point, Bliss was yelling at Peyton Royce on the outside, and then turned right around into a big boot from Billy Cay for a near fall. Royce followed it up with a really nice shinbreaker for a near fall, and threw a tantrum after. She went to continue the assault, but Bliss floored her with a strike to the jaw. She went up for Twisted Bliss, only for Cay to try and pull her off the top rope. Cross yanked Cay off the apron, and Bliss hit Twisted Bliss to retain.

Grade: D. This sucked. The IIconics are just bad. I’m glad they lost the belts. Bliss and Cross have yet to really impress me, but they were not what I disliked about this. The IIconics aren’t very good, and the sudden change in opinion from the commentators was very odd. It was about half way through the match when Graves started to talk about how he hates that Bliss went soft. That makes sense, but her liking Disney is no reason to start hating her.

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya in a submission match for the Raw Women’s Championship: Nattie came out second because she is from Canada, which is more important than the belt. Naturally, they started with a couple slaps to the face, but Lynch quickly unloaded on her in the corner. Lynch locked in a triangle quickly, but Nattie rolled them to the outside and started to assault the legs. Nattie then gave her a snap vertical suplex, which her leg snapping into the ropes. At one point, Natalya wrapped Lynch’s legs in a sharpshooter on the top rope for a great visual. The only way that Lynch could escape was by falling to the outside. At first I didn’t like that a submission match didn’t have countouts or DQ’s, but it certainly improved the match. At one point, Lynch caught Nattie out of a basement dropkick, and Lynch locked in a sharpshooter of her own. After escaping, Nattie locked in a disarmer, turning the tables and dragging Lynch back into the middle of the ring. As Lynch tried to reverse into her own hold, Nattie had a great reversal into a sharpshooter for an intense submission sequence, where Lynch had to slide out of the ring to escape. Lynch slid back in and locked in the Disarmer for the win.

Grade: B. Pretty good technical exchange to open up the card. Meticulous holds, some nice limb work, just a solid match. The finish was not very dramatic, especially after a much better submission sequence with Nattie in control, but it was certainly the right outcome. The crowd was behind Natalya a lot during this match, so there was a hot atmosphere. It got everyone pumped up, so there was certainly nothing to complain about. HazyHannah (my girlfriend) says: Nattie is a dumb nickname.

Backstage, Trish Stratus was interviewed, and she said that although she is feeling the pressure, that is when she thrives. She said that tonight, she will prove that those who paved the way for the women’s evolution are just as good as the women of today. Stratus declared herself the Queen of Queens, and left.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Goldberg: Ziggler cut a promo, saying that he is the best thing in pro wrestling today. He said that Goldberg fears Ziggler, and Goldberg’s music cut him off. He did not whack his head on the door this time around. The two squared off right away, and Ziggler hit a quick superkick, but Goldberg kicked out at one. Ziggler nailed another, and another kickout at one. Goldberg speared Ziggler out of his shoes, and gave him the jackhammer for the win.

After the match, Ziggler got on the mic and called Goldberg a dipshit and said that he hits like a baby. He told Goldberg to fight him like a man. Golderg walked back to the ring, before Ziggler even got back to his feet. He gave him another spear, and another great sell. Ziggler got on the mic again after Goldberg left, and said that anyone can get lucky twice, and said that he didn’t have balls. He called Goldberg a laughingstock, and said that he will never stay down. When Goldberg got in the ring, he threw the mic away, helped him up, and gave him another wicked spear.

Grade: B+. Everything I wanted it to be. Less than a minute. Wonderful. Above average squash match and Ziggler sold like he was a limp corpse. The extra attacks where what bumped this up to a B+. This was really really fun to see, and even though a legend shouldn’t beat a full time guy, this was an exception. Just some fun stuff. I loved it. HazyHannah says: match of the night. This could have gone on for the rest of the night and I would have been fine with it. “Anyone can get lucky THREE times.”

Before the next match, they showed the international commentators, and they showed the british announce team. It was Carmella and R-Truth, trying to hide. They had an awful accent and it was awesome. Drake Maverick showed up to try to get the pin, but they ran before he got there. Funny stuff, it was nice to see.

AJ Styles vs. Ricochet for the WWE United States Championship: Ricochet was out in a full jumpsuit, looking like a biker Batman. Ricochet quickly used the OC out at ringside to his advantage, jumping off of them to hit Styles with a flying hurricanrana. Styles quickly got the advantage, and started to take out Ricochet’s base. Ricochet sold the leg like really well, even selling it when he hit his offense. At one point, Ricochet went for a springboard forearm, but only used one leg and got a near fall out of it. Several times as Ricochet went for his high impact offense, his knee buckled out from under him and he couldn’t continue. Styles capitalized on this and locked it a Calf Crusher, but Ricochet quickly transitioned into an Anaconda Vice. Ricochet took the advantage, and he had to fight off Anderson and Gallows on the outside, and Ricochet went for a twisting 450 splash, but Styles caught him in the air and transitioned into a Styles Clash for the win. It was an awesome finish.

After the match, the OC hit Ricochet with a Magic Killer and gave a Too Sweet.

Grade: B+. Good stuff from these two, good selling from Ricochet. They had a nice strike based match that was interlaid with some great leg work. Still probably not the best that they can do, but it was fun. That finishing spot was badass too. Really good stuff, but still not as good as I expected. HazyHannah says: Ricochet looked like a robot, and they hid his gorgeous muscles. When a man has that much muscles, you let ‘em pop.

Backstage again, we saw the Street Profits putting over Summerslam and Toronto. As they were talking, Ric Flair came up and they started to dance around with him and wooed a whole bunch. It was cute.

Bayley vs. Ember Moon for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. The two started with a bit of grappling before getting into some nice striking. Bayley worked over Moon’s neck and back with various suplexes. Bayley even locked in a weird reverse boston crab, which looked painful but odd. Moon was able to fight back with some of her very interesting offense, kipping up for a hurricanrana and then a superkick. But when she went for a suicide dive, Bayley countered with a stiff strike to the face. Bayley tried to capitalize with a superplex, but Moon nailed a super hurricanrana, and then a spinout codebreaker for a near fall. Bayley won a bit out of nowhere, with a Bayley to belly off the top for the win.

Grade: B-. They had some good interactions, but it felt like they just started to go from move to move randomly, without much story or reason. Moon looked good though, and got a big pop during one of her near falls. So people like her a lot, she could be big. But it makes sense that Bayley won, this isn’t quite the match where it is her place to lose. I hope they do more with moon in the future, because she is great. HazyHannah says: Ember Moon looks like someone’s first D&D character.

Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon, if Owens loses then he quits: Before the match started, Shane got on the mic and called out Elias as the special guest enforcer. Shane rolled out of the ring right away, and Elias prevented Owens from attacking him. Eventually Shane got the first hit, and the two teed off on each other in the corner. At one point, Owens went to attack Shane on the outside, but Elias distracted him and allowed Shane to chuck him off and into the barricade. At one point, Shane tried to go for a Sharpshooter, but Owens pushed him away and nailed a pop up powerbomb, but Elias hopped on the apron and made sure the ref couldn’t count. Elias then threw a chair in the ring, which Owens nearly used, but opted not to. Shane then accidentally nailed Elias with a forearm, so Owens nailed a superkick, aa swanton bomb and a frog splash, but Elias pulled the ref out of the ring and stopped the count. Owens then gave Elias a cannonball off the apron, hitting both Elias and the ref. Owens opted to beat down Elias with a chair while the ref was down, taking him out of the equation. The ref got back in the ring and threw the chair away, so Owens gave Shane a low blow and a stunner for the win.

Grade: C. The overbooking of this match made it better than expected, but it still wasn’t very good. Fun to see some comeuppance. The low blow was satisfying. But this was just fun enough to be okay. HazyHannah says: I just don’t really care about this one.

Charlotte Flair vs. Trish Stratus: the two started with a classic staredown, but Trish came out swinging with a Thesz press. Charlotte quickly gained control by throwing her into the apron. Stratus was very much overwhelmed in this match. at one point she was hit with a big boot off the apron. Charlotte then held the ring ropes open, and then ambushed her as she entered. She was constantly jaw jacking with Stratus, who would constantly get too frustrated and get a couple shots in. At one point, the two battled on the top rope, and Charlotte nearly landed a super powerbomb, but Stratus countered with a hurricanrana for a near fall. Flair targeted the leg afterwards, giving Stratus a bit more respect. Stratus then locked in a figure four of her own to a huge pop. She even bridged into the figure 8, prompting Corey Graves to say “it’s not fair to flair.” Stratus then hit Stratusfaction, but Charlotte still kicked out. Stratus then tried to keep fighting, but Charlotte put her down with a big boot, and locked in the figure 8 for the win.

Grade: B+. This was quite a solid match. Stratus delivered a much better match than a lot of people expected, and I think that she could have another run in WWE if she wanted to. Charlotte was awesome here, playing up the “legend not good enough” angle. Her trash talking was great, and the second that she realized that Stratus was dangerous, Charlotte got serious and put her down. Good story and a good match. HazyHannah says: why do they have to wear extensions? Just let them put their hair up. Vince is a disgusting old man who loves blondes.

Backstage, Bret Hart gave Seth Rollins some encouragement.

Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship: As the match started Orton tried to give Kingston a pancake, but Kofi was not having the disrespect. Orton tried to push the champion, but Kingston was not just going to take that. He pushed right back and stood up to his old enemy. Early on, Orton pushed Kingston off the top and sent him flying into the barricade. Orton then slowed the pace down attacked each limb. Kofi fought back, giving Orton a boom drop and calling him stupid a bunch. Kingston then tried for trouble in paradise, but Orton caught him and gave him a brutal neckbreaker. on the outside, Kingston gave Orton an awesome flying clothesline to the outside, but he didn’t keep control for long. Orton gave him a hangman’s DDT, and tried for an RKO, but Kofi fought out. Kingston pushed him away and went for a splash, but Orton caught him with an RKO, but Kingston rolled to the outside. Orton then followed him to the outside and went to embarrass him in front of his kids, but Kofi fought back with a flurry of strikes. Then ref called for the bell for a double countout, ending the match in a stupid and BS way, which the crowd definitely agreed with.

Kingston destroyed him with kendo stick shots to the back. He shattered the stick, and every time he hit Orton, the crowd chanted stupid.

Grade: D+. This wasn’t too exciting. The action was slow, they didn’t incorporate the story into the match at all, and the ending was dumb and unnecessary. Kingston should have won and just finished the feud. Summerslam is a place to cap things off, not start new things. This feud didn’t need to continue, but now it well. Not a good match. HazyHannah says: I fucking hate Orton. He is so boring. When they called him a brick wall, it is only because he has no personality or charisma. He has cool tattoos though.

Finn Balor vs. The Fiend: Wyatt’s entrance was awesome, it was creepy as all hell. He had a lantern in a severed head, and a remixed version of his music. It started with the firefly funhouse but slowly morphed into the darker fiend color scheme, with “Let Me In” showing up word by word on the titantron. He was getting Holy Shit chants the second that he got in the ring. The Fiend changed up his mannerisms to be creepier and more sadistic, and was powering him all around the ring. He delivered wicked strikes to his head, neck and back. He nearly hit sister abigail, but Balor fought out of it with some quick strikes and attacks. Finn went to the top for the Coup de Gras, but the Fiend caught him in the mandible claw and got the pin.

After the match, the lights went out and The Fiend was illuminated with strobe lights, and then he was gone, leaving Balor alone in the ring.

Grade: B-. A perfectly cool squash match. Exactly what it needed to be. It was creepy, showcased a new cool character, and got over with the crowd right away. Now we just need to see how the book the Fiend from here. I hope he isn’t wrestling every week on TV, because he needs a mystique around him. Keep up the firefly funhouse stuff, and let him be cool for a while, at least until he has a story that he needs to lose in. HazyHannah says: Finn looks like he is wearing a diaper. It is really distracting. But it’s a good thing he is wearing one, cuz the Fiend probably made him piss his pants.

Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship: Rollins came out with his ribs taped up. Lesnar targeted the ribs, and Rollins sold like he was shot every time. Early on Lesnar went for a German suplex, but Rollins flipped out of it and nailed the curb stomp for a near fall. Rollins then nailed a flying knee, a pair of superkicks, but was caught in an F5 when he went for the curb stomp. Lesnar then picked Rollins up by the wrapping on his ribs and threw him across the ring. Lesnar kept control for a long time, delivering loads of German suplexes. He tried to give Rollins an F5 into the ring post, but Rollins slipped out and shoved him into it. Rollins tried to keep it up, but Lesnar continued with the German suplexes. He even busted out a bear hug to continue the attack on the ribs. Rollins fought back into it and delivered a pair of suicide dives, but Brock caught him on the third and ran him into the ringpost. Lesnar then went for a move through the table, but Seth countered and got him on the table with a superkick, giving him a huge frog splash through it. He and Lesnar got back in the ring, so Lesnar nailed him with another frog splash, and hit a Curb Stomp for yet another near fall. Rollins then went for the curb stomp again, but Lesnar got him up for an F5. Rollins slipped out and nailed another superkick, finishing the match with a Curb Stomp.

Grade: A-. This was a really good match. They had a lot of big spots that were mixed in with working over Rollins’ ribs, and they did a really good job of convincing us that Rollins couldn’t win this. He was doing a great job of being in peril, and it made for a great match. Awesome selling from both guys, and Rollins once again overcame the odds. Match of the night. HazyHannah says: this is the best match of the night and it’s only been 5 minutes.

Overall Grade: B-

Predictions: 9/10. Although the finish of the WWE Championship was dumb.

Pros: Nattie vs. Lynch; goldberg squash; style vs. ricochet; charlotte vs. stratus; fiend debut; main event

Cons: owens vs. shane; kingston vs. orton

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andymull · 5 years

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WWE SummerSlam 2019 - Preview & Predictions

Brock Lesnar (c) vs Seth Rollins – Universal Championship Match

Again, yeah. If its not Lesnar/Reigns then its this and it will continue to be this as they thinks it’s the best way to put Rollins over but don’t realise its their actual booking that’s the main problem.

Seth gives Brock the opportunity to have a really fun match with a guy that can go who will sell great for him too, but, the storyline we’ve been given here is that Rollins took a hell of a beating the other week and isn’t 100% going into the match so he’s going to be badly selling for a lot of this match then ignoring the injury to hit all his moves.

It will still be an ok match but could be more, as I imagine this to be more of a storyline match rather than a full on normal match if you get what I mean. In terms of the winner I was pretty set on Lesnar keeping the title but with Seth giving that weirdly poor promo on Raw had him pretty much guarantee the win, so who knows. My ultimate dream here is Rollins being too injured to fight and Riddle debuts to brawl with Lesnar after being backstage for Watch Along, its Riddle’s hope to retire Lesnar at some point and I need that to happen as it will be such a hard hitting bout with tons of technical moves along the way - ROLLINS

Becky Lynch (c) vs Natalya – Raw Women’s Championship Submission Match

With the Toronto crowd I expect to see an Austin level reaction in Canada from them towards Becky which she will love, it’s a shame she’s facing Nattie here as I feel she isn’t at the tip top level anymore but can still go and should be fine here.

I see the finish to the match being Becky working over the arm of Nattie but Nattie gaining the advantage, she goes for the sharpshooter but cant apply it properly as her arm hurts and as she is pausing Becky reverses it into a dis-armer for the submission victory - LYNCH

Kofi Kingston (c) vs Randy Orton – WWE Championship Match

A match next where the title change should have happened what 11 years ago? Now though this match really doesn’t do much for me at all. Orton majorly feels in cruise control the past few years and truthfully would do wonders leaving the company for alittle while for something new and fresh if he still has the desire. But remember, he hasn’t been around properly for weeks for this, a title feud, as he’s been on holiday so……

Still not feeling the Kofi title run sadly, and its gone from me thinking they may change the belt quickly to then have him chase it back to gain some momentum back to him being someone’s pet project backstage and they will keep on trying to make him seem/feel a top guy until the fans really get bored of it – KINGSTON

Bayley (c) vs Ember Moon – Smackdown Women’s Championship Match

Another women’s match with no real excitement behind it, which sucks as Ember getting her first big singles match on the main roster should be a lot more important. But the way she’s been handled since debuting has made it so hard for fans to take her serious as a deadly threat, she should be handled the same as an Undertaker or Aleister Black in making her seem mysterious and special, not having her backstage joking with others, maybe when she’s accepted as one of the main women in the company but definitely not before that.

Honestly outside of like the top 5 women on the main roster a lot of the others haven’t been made to feel special at all, then when they get an opportunity the crowd isn’t fully with them and management lose faith in the woman when really it’s the overall presentation of the character that’s sorely missing. And the reason I say this is because Bayley’s title reign has mostly been against women of this level to keep her away from the Charlotte feud to run that later in the year, so its really harming Bayley as well as the others looking to get their chance. I know most people were in favour of the women getting their own tag team belts but honestly when there isn’t much depth in the singles division this NEEDS to be the focus, just having Asuka and Kairi Sane as singles competitors booked as a threat would make the whole scene feel better but instead they are a bit of a joke team around to give Paige something to do. Lets get Asuka/Moon running again on Smackdown and really show some competition in going for Bayley and her belt to make her feel more important too – BAYLEY

Kevin Owens vs Shane McMahon

If Owens loses he will be forced to quit……..I hate these match stipulations I really do, I fully imagine they may go the route earlier in the show of having pressure put on Shane to put his role on the line too. Otherwise whats to stop someone like Elias coming in and punching Shane for Shane to then win instantly by DQ and have Owens fired? That’s why these match stips are awful lol

The talk of Shane going for the title have thankfully died down as of late so hopefully someone important has reconsidered that idea, don’t be surprised if it returns though……

Owens should be doing something a lot better than this, no offense to Shane but his deal was a fairly big one and they feel the need to use him a lot to make the most out of their money - OWENS

Trish Stratus vs Charlotte

Now this could be a very interesting match, the last it seems of Trish’s career and also the way they came up with to not have Charlotte miss out on the show and payoff. Not that im cycnical here or anything but this feels like something Charlotte asked for knowing she wasn’t in the title picture but knowing this match would feel a lot more important than the actual title matches on this show…..

Hopefully there wasn’t anything to it on Raw with Trish being in the tag match and never tagging in, felt alittle suspicious at the time but also could just be their way of putting it off till the actual show (no idea why they felt the need to have in the tag match though?).

I imagine the finish here being really hot with the Canadian crowd but with Charlotte taking the victory then having Trish either shake her hand or raise her hand, to point out who the real star of the women’s division is in managements eyes….. - CHARLOTTE

Goldberg vs Dolph Ziggler

The booking of this has been weird and full of strange decisions, but ultimately to me this is a favour to Goldberg after his awful match with Undertaker the company has quickly given both guys the chance to get back out there and show that isn’t the condition they currently are in and can do a lot better still. Taker teamed with Reigns to pick his spots and Bill here fights Ziggler to steamroll through and hit all of his spots without being knocked funny beforehand.

Expect Ziggler to go straight back to the Miz feud on Raw and never mention Goldberg again after this weeks tv, honestly, I fully expect this to have been forgotten VERY SOON - GOLDBERG

AJ Styles (c) vs Ricochet

At last we reach what should be the match of the show, interference aside, both guys will be looking to make a big impact to be seen as the best and also help get Ricochet over huge. Ricochet seems to be one the projects that Heyman is taking on in his new role on Raw, getting big wins and good angles as well as being on screen around the likes of Lesnar so that it doesn’t feel weird when he finally earns the chance to step in there for a title match down the road.

Its an interesting time for AJ and the OC, Gallows and Anderson are finally getting the tv time and attention they deserve after signing new deals but Styles needs to be around the world title picture and feels alittle stagnant around the secondary title scene. Hopefully they continue to get good spots and move up the card, ideally for me we see Balor join them after his break and come back as a heel to see a four man group just destroy people on both shows to really get the club noticed big time. Then after a year you can go the route of Styles and Balor arguing over the leader role and who sides with whom which should be great – RICOCHET

Finn Balor vs ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt

So, no demon means no win for Balor, The Fiend makes his debut and has to win simple right?

From what we hear Finn is taking some time out after the show so a win really is vital tonight, Wyatt taking the win is vital and also lets them set up a rematch down the road with Balor back as the demon - FIEND

Drew Gulak (c) vs Oney Lorcan – Cruiserweight Championship Match

And finally, the cruiserweight title match, featuring Oney after winning a six pack challenge match on 205 Live. Should be a fun, fast paced match with Lorcan looking to push the pacing while Drew tries his best to slow it down to his pace and submission style. Would be fun for Lorcan to get the title but doesn’t feel time yet as he still is more of a tag guy on NXT than a singles guy on 205 Live for me – GULAK

Just added to the pre show:

Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs The IIconics

Apollo Crews vs Buddy Murphy

Both matches should be fun, l love Billie :), and that second match should be real fast paced and great to get both guys a showcase of what they can do.

Should be a good show and hopefully not too many more matches/angles get added as these PPV’s really are too long lately, to the point that a number of matches in the middle of shows are facing quiet crowds who are dead. It used to be that match before the main event was the tough spot to be in as everyone was there to see what happens when your match ends, but now its exhaustion from 5 hour shows upto 7 hours sometimes with pre-shows.

The main thing I expect is something added for Reigns, there are so many other guys in this company that dont have a match its dreadful when you think about it

Im not sure we will see many surprise tonight, both from the matches or from debuts or run-ins, as this feels like it may close out afew feuds with the build to Survivor Series starting over this weeks tv. Hopefully im wrong as everyone loves a good surprise or two on a big show to get everyone talking and speculating.

Enjoy the show

Bye for now

Andy

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fromtheringapron · 5 years

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WWE SummerSlam 2016

Date: August 21, 2016.

Location: The Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Attendance: 15,974

Commentary: Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves (Raw). Mauro Renallo, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, and David Otunga (SmackDown).

Results:

Kickoff Match: The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder), and American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) defeated Breezango (Fandango and Tyler Breeze), The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor), and The Vaudevillains (Simon Gotch and Aiden English.

Kickoff Match: Sami Zayn and Neville defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von).

Kickoff Match, First in a Best of Seven Series: Sheamus defeated Cesaro.

1. Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass.

2. Raw Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks (champion) to win the title.

3. Intercontinental Championship Match: The Miz (champion) (with Maryse) defeated Apollo Crews.

4. AJ Styles defeated John Cena.

5. WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) (champions) via disqualification.

6. WWE Championship Match: Dean Ambrose (champion) defeated Dolph Ziggler.

7. Nikki Bella, Natalya, and Alexa Bliss defeated Naomi, Carmella, and Becky Lynch.

8. WWE Universal Championship Match: Finn Balor defeated Seth Rollins to become the inaugural champion.

9. Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Randy Orton via knockout.

My Review

SummerSlam 2016 is one long ass show. I’m aware that’s a bit of a redundant statement because, in the age of the WWE Network, every show is long and, more often than not, they’re also ass. However, the point still stands: this show is a whopping 4 hours and it’s not something you can digest in one sitting on a rewatch. For the record, I totally support making the SummerSlams and Survivor Series and so on seem just as big and important as WrestleMania. It’s fine by me for WWE’s Big 4 to feature absolutely stacked cards. Unfortunately, in modern WWE, this approach also results in the shows running out of gas midway through and some of the matches going on way longer than they should. The 2016 edition of the summer classic isn’t exactly the worst example of this trend, but it definitely shows similar signs of fatigue.

On top of that, it’s such a heel-dominated show. It’s only occasionally satisfying. In their crusade to make the audience finally embrace Roman Reigns, the WWE would pile on the heel victories in hopes the crowd would pop like crazy once the Big Dog got the W in the main event. It’s inherently flawed psychology to think the crowd is just going to accept a long-awaited face win from just anybody. That can really only work in a particular situation. Needless to say, it often failed because while Roman would get the W, the crowd still hated him. Worse here is that he doesn’t even wrestle on this show. So who was this booking supposed to benefit? I guess you could make the argument for Finn Balor, whose Universal title win remains a highlight of his WWE tenure. Even then, it was rendered irrelevant 24 hours later, as Balor would vacate the title due to injury.

With all that in mind, it shouldn’t be surprising that such a heel-heavy show ends on a rather depressing note. Brock Lesnar pummels Randy Orton into a bloody mess and that’s it. That’s the show. Fade to black. It would’ve been fine if placed somewhere in the middle of the card, but it’s such an awkward way to close up shop. They did have a pretty workable story going into the match, and I’m not gonna pass up the rare occasion to see Orton get beaten into oblivion, but talk about deflating. The whole thing winds up looking like a pale imitation of Lesnar’s squash of John Cena back at SummerSlam 2014. Oh, and there’s some drama with Shane McMahon at the end because, as we all know, that’s exactly what the WWE needs: more McMahon family drama!

The far more successful dream match is John Cena vs AJ Styles. Truly something special. It’s essentially the same finishing move and near-fall spam fest that plagues every major WWE main event, but I don’t mind it here. This is meant to be an epic blockbuster between two of the biggest stars in wrestling of the post-Monday Night War era. It makes perfect sense for both guys to throw all of their deadliest ammunition at each other right out of the gate. Styles was in the midst of one of the hottest stretches of his career at this point, but Cena deserves just as much credit here. It’s kind of amazing. For all the times he’s proven that he can rise to the occasion in a big match situation, there are still anti-Cena bros to this day who’ll deny it every step of the way. His record of putting people over isn’t perfect, especially at SummerSlam, but what he does for AJ here is pretty selfless. I don’t think even his haters can deny that.

Overall, SummerSlam 2016 isn’t a bad show by any means but, again, the length ensures it will inevitably start to drag. A shame, because there’s probably a pretty good show somewhere in here. It’s nice that the WWE is trying to make the biggest party of the summer feel important, but too much partying can make even the most diehard fan eventually feel pooped.

My Random Notes

I can only imagine what someone like Jon Stewart really thinks of WWE’s comedy. I mean, he’s probably had plenty of experience doing his best with bad material, but you’d have to think he had to grin and bear it here at several points.

In light of Sasha Banks’ recent spat with the company, I can really see why she’d be frustrated with her booking. Would it have killed them to have her hold the Women’s title for longer than a month? I know an injury is cited as the official reason she dropped the belt here, but it’s still the first of several instances of them yanking the rug out from under her.

Man, Enzo and Cass were so frickin’ over. They’re such laughing stocks now that it’s quickly become lost to time how much the fans were digging them. Of course, they only have themselves to blame for fucking it all up, but they really did have something special there for a bit.

Dean Ambrose in his black torn shirt gives me some serious Bobby Heenan singlet vibes.

Funny how the pre-match hype package for Dean vs. Dolph centers so much around who Dolph Ziggler is because, as I’ve stated here previously, I still have no frickin’ idea who Dolph is supposed to be. He’s some anonymous hybrid of HBK, Mr. Perfect, Billy Gunn, and an ‘80s Trapper Keeper with literally no individuality. I find it ironic that he later got into a storyline where he kept changing gimmicks only to never find anything of his own. What a summary of his entire WWE career.

Hey, Balor may have had to surrender the title 24 hours later, but at least this meant him getting another run with the belt in the future, right? Right?!?

Man, Nikki Bella was so frickin’ over. Why does it feel like I’m repeating myself? In all seriousness though, people can hate on the Bellas all they want, but in no way should it be surprising that they still get big pops. They’ve done more for WWE’s mainstream visibility than a lot of other superstars allegedly have.

Speaking of Nikki, crazy to think that she’s only one in the six-woman tag to not hold the Smackdown Women’s title.

I can’t be the only one who felt a little kick to gut when they showed fans waiting outside the now-deceased Toys R Us. I don’t need another reminder that my childhood is dead.

When did Lana drop the accent? I don’t watch Raw and Smackdown weekly anymore, but it horrifies me to know I let this travesty pass me by.

I know some people were upset they allowed The New Day to surpass Demolition’s record for the longest reign as tag champs but I’m totally okay with the decision. Sure, they occasionally get into terrible storylines like this ringpostitis shit, but they’re incredibly over, sell a ton of merchandise, and can wring out some entertainment from even the worst material. If they really wanted to insult Demolition, they should’ve given that honor to The Ascension.

#wwe summerslam #finn balor #sasha banks #roman reigns #total bellas

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wardencommanderrodimiss · 5 years

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Witches of LA, Chapter 2: I hope you like exposition and pro wrestling jokes because that’s all we’ve got here

[Seelie of Kurain Chapter Masterlist] [ao3]

[Witches Chapter Masterlist] [ao3]

“And where exactly did you say we’re going?”

“It’s called Nine-Tails Vale! Jinxie – you remember her from New Years? – works there and invited us up for a yokai festival today!”

“A yokai ff – is it too late to get off the train and go home?”

Nine-Tails Vale sits in the hills at the base of the mountains of Kurain, far enough away that there’s a chance that they can have as normal a day as anyone at a yokai festival could, but close enough that the hills around the valley still might be faery mounds. Like most days at the WAA, anything goes, and Apollo has to live with it. And maybe he’ll die with it one of these days, sooner rather than later.

Trucy keeps trying again to explain to Apollo the storyline of the local wrestling scene, which she and Jinxie are avid fans of, on their walk over from the train station.

“It’s like a soap opera combined with a fantasy story, but also with grown men hitting each other with chairs,” she says, which is definitely a pitch that would appeal to certain people who aren’t Apollo. “They’ve got their thing that’s kinda like Court, or if there were two Courts who hated each other, and they battle it out in the ring like Daddy says some of the fae do within our legal system. Because the wrestlers are all masked and they’re the proxies for these powerful spirits who possess them whenever they’re wearing the mask. Like selkie skins but if the seal was separate and you were being controlled by it.”

“Uh huh,” Apollo says, surveying the main lane they’ve come up along. The dirt path, lined with a few scattered cobblestones, is overladen with little wheeled carts and pop-up stands selling little charms and trinkets and decorated with leering faces of yokai. Overwhelmed and shoved aside by the merchandise are older buildings bearing signs with both English and Japanese writing and weathered stone statues that have little offerings and candles scattered about their bases. “I wouldn’t feel like being possessed by a seal is very useful. What am I going to do, flop around a lot?”

“There’s always slapping,” Trucy says. “But I’m saying it’s like that. You put on the skin and you turn into it, wear the mask and bam.”

“Uh huh.”

“So when the wrestlers lose, they can have their masks stripped off, which is the ultimate disgrace because they lose both their power and the world and their enemies know their face and name and can claim them.” Trucy stops and leans over a table of paper tags marked all with a paw print and otherwise with a variety of characters and symbols. “And anyway it never got real big until the Amazing Nine-Tails – he’s one of the wrestlers obviously – started being active outside of the ring. And that’s a real no-go to use your powers like that, but he started getting attention, and the Vale started getting attention, and then this yokai craze kinda started up and now there’s lots of tourists from way out of the area watching the matches and visiting!”

“They’d have to be from way out of town,” Apollo says, “because there’s no one I know from the LA area who would hear about a town in the mountains full of monsters and say ‘yeah, I’m going to spend money to go spend time there’.”

“Yet here we are,” Trucy says. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a bracelet of wooden beads. “Oh, here.” She grabs his arm and slips it onto his wrist next to his bracelet, then shaking her own wrist to draw his attention to a matching one she wears. “I forgot to give you this sooner; it’s rowan wood, which is—”

“An anti-fae charm like iron,” Apollo finishes.

Trucy nods. “Yep! And anti-yokai, it overlaps. Anyway, Daddy says it’s very important to not get rowan mixed up with hawthorn wood, which the fae like. He says that’s a very dangerous mistake to make.”

(“Are you speaking from experience?” Apollo asked, and Phoenix cracked a broken smile and told him that’s all he has to speak from.)

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Apollo says.

“I know you’ve got your ring, but it can’t hurt us to be extra cautious out here today.” Trucy pats the necklace she is wearing; a small horseshoe-shaped charm that must be made of iron dangles from it. Horseshoes are a lucky thing, or thought to be, Apollo knows. Clay has one he keeps with him. “I think that’s why Daddy wanted you to come with me. I think he’s worried I would get into trouble alone, since Jinxie’s working and I won’t be with her all day.”

“I thought he sent me with you because he hates me,” Apollo says. Trucy smacks him on the arm.

Uphill to the alderman’s manor, the dirt roads merge with a well-kept cobblestone path to lead them into a beautiful garden, full of paper lanterns and long banquet tables. Trucy sticks her nose into a bush of beautiful golden flowers and is still admiring them when Jinxie, wearing an apron over her dress and carrying a round serving tray, finds them and slaps a warding charm – one of the thin formal slips that Apollo saw for sale down in the yokai extravaganza, like she wears on her own forehead, not a sticky note – on his forehead. Even after she remembers that she’s met him before, they have to make their way through another circular argument about whether or not Apollo is a fae demon. Trucy has apparently given up on convincing Jinxie of the truth, because she says, “He’s a demon but a good one!”

Does he look extra monstrous today, for some reason? Is his hair spikier, his voice louder? What has he done to deserve this?

Jinxie works as a maid at the manor, though she doesn’t live in the Vale but instead in the neighboring Tenma Town, and with her job she can’t spend all afternoon with them. She imparts on them some local lore from the village about the powerful and terrible yokai, Tenma Taro – is it coincidence or significant that its name bears such similarity to Tenma Town? Like Kurain and Khura’in, what does that mean? – imprisoned in the mountain that the manor is built against. Today’s festival, she explains, is a much more robust version, bolstered by tourist dollars, of a ceremony they hold every year, ritually releasing a shade of Tenma Taro and then banishing it.

Though instead of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the village’s guardian yokai – is that an oxymoron? Apollo once would have thought so, but he works in an office that has a guardian ghost fae – doing the banishing, the wrestler the Amazing Nine-Tails, will be.

Which reminds Apollo of Trucy’s one-sided conversation on the way over, and he interrupts Jinxie and Trucy starting to gush over some recent matches to ask, “So all of this you’re talking about, the wrestlers, uh, kind of channeling yokai spirits – that’s all just in the fiction of wrestling not really being real, right?” They both glare at him. “They aren’t actually using magic and summoning demons, right?”

“Apollo,” Trucy scolds, her hands curled into fists on her hips. “You can’t break kayfabe! You should know that!”

He wishes he had the strength to believe that it isn’t real, and that no one could be so stupid to be fucking around that deep into fae magic for the sake of televised entertainment, but he’s also here at a goddamn yokai festival on one of his days off and that’s pretty stupid too.

“I should get back to work,” Jinxie says. “I’ll see you later – ah!”

Making its way through the garden, causing people to spring out of its path, is a tall bird-creature, with gray feathers and three yellow eyes and sharp talons on its hands and feet, which with their yellow skin resemble the legs of some kind of raptor. It resembles the yokai on the scroll Jinxie showed them, the Tenma Taro, but it’s just – someone in a costume? Right? A costume for a festival, and not actually—

It rounds on Jinxie with a hiss. “Better watch out, little girl, or I’ll sssnatch you away!” She raises her platter up over her face and cowers back into one of the banquet tables. Apollo thinks that it probably is just someone in a costume, now that he’s seen it speak; its beak doesn’t move and its tongue lolls forth even in the middle of its speech. It’s too static, or is that wishful thinking?

But no one else is looking at the monster and how it’s cornered Jinxie, no one moving to help her – and Apollo realizes he is moving forward, not sure what he could do if it’s a yokai and knowing he shouldn’t do anything if it’s a performer (like how he and Clay got banned from a local haunted house when they were 13 because Clay reflexively punched one of the actors in the sternum), but still unable to stand by.

“Hey! Don’t stare like that!” someone nearby warns, at a volume that tries to be a whisper but doesn’t really succeed. They must be talking to Apollo and Trucy, because no one else, not even Jinxie, is staring. “If Tenma Taro locks eyes with you, he’ll steal your soul!”

Apollo turns his eyes to the ground instantly, reflexively, because that’s the one thing he knows not to take chances on even though, as he thinks about it, he’s more sure that this monster is a costume and even if it weren’t, he doesn’t think there’s anything powerful enough to just simply take a soul so easily. And if there were, they wouldn’t just casually set it loose. (He hopes.)

“Look!” Trucy whispers, nudging him and pointing toward the manor, where a small figure stands on the roof dark against the blue spring sky. Whatever – whoever – it is leaps down to the lower roof, disappearing from sight, but only a few seconds later springs again, with a long leap far too long to be human. (He thinks first of Lamiroir’s disappearing act and wonders what the trick behind this is.) The man who lands in the midst of them, between Tenma Taro and Jinxie, wears a wrestler’s belt and a golden fox-head mask, with a collar of the same color fur that turns into a cape of many long foxes’ tails. If he was going to guess, Apollo would say that there are nine.

Clearly the Amazing Nine-Tails, and with some silted words about vanquishing evil, he chases Tenma Taro back toward the manor. And Apollo might now be really convinced of the scriptedness of it – and admittedly relieved by that – but the crowds are cheering and Jinxie no longer looks like she’s about to faint from fright. With her platter still clutched across her chest like a shield, she waves goodbye and returns to work, and Trucy drags Apollo off to explore the town.

Trucy wants to buy everything. Apollo should have expected that – the amount of Gavineers merchandise that she acquired in the two weeks between their meeting Klavier and the concert was astonishing – and to that end he should have expected that she would run out of money and turn to him. She at least considers herself an organized businesswoman, enough to write up the invoice of what she owes him, and he strikes from it the paper warding charms they buy. He isn’t sure yet if he believes in them, but he’d probably be getting a few for his and Clay’s apartment anyway, and Trucy is talking about how it would be nice to have some kind of protective charm to give to Vera that wouldn’t hurt her like iron, and getting something for their friends seems a worthwhile investment. Trucy’s attempt to wheedle a few dollars out of him for another plush Nine-Tailed Fox keychain is not.

It’s warmer now than it was last April, enough that Apollo tentatively hopes that the fae are done throwing their winter tantrums. If Trucy had to drag him anywhere – and she would consider that a necessity – it’s a good day for it, pleasant to spend time out under the sun and the clear sky. He’s not even convinced that the town is as cursed as he first assumed.

Naturally, that’s where it always goes wrong, letting his guard down, no longer anticipating that the worst is going to claw its way up out of the dirt.

He and Trucy circle back to the manor as a crowd is starting to gather at the front doors; at the center of it, once they manage to push through the people, Trucy helping clear a path by sending Mr Hat off to the side to draw people’s eyes and attention the way a will o’ the wisp does, is Jinxie, simultaneously wild-eyed and looking close to passing out. She stretches out one visibly-trembling hand and grabs Trucy by the wrist, her other arm still hugging the platter close to her chest. It must be iron, it must. “Alderman Kyubi is dead!” she cries. “T-ten – Tenma Taro murdered the alderman!”

She sways on her feet and Trucy takes her by the elbow and helps lower her to sit on the ground, and Apollo does what is starting to become a habit in these sort of situations – which are becoming habitual in themselves – and rushes in, pocketing a charm that Jinxie throws at him as he goes.

The scene is a small room Jinxie called the Fox Chamber, up the entry stairs and down the hall to the right, and there, one thing is certain: the alderman is dead.

A classic locked room murder mystery: two men, one dead, the other unconscious, no one else seen when Jinxie discovered the crime. The killer? Obvious, seemingly: the unfortunate unconscious man, whose murder plan clearly ran into a hitch when it came time to get away, and for motive who happens to be the mayor of the neighboring town currently disputing over municipal issues with the dead alderman.

Except the mayor is Jinxie’s father, and if he goes to jail she has no other family, and she’s adamant that Tenma Taro did the killing, and the last locked-room murder case that Apollo defended ended up not being one at all. So, classic setup, maybe, never the obvious solution, and Apollo’s record of stumbling into complex cases while he’s trying to do something law-unrelated with Trucy continues. Is it her? Is it him? Is it them both, together? He can only write so much off as coincidence.

And he wishes he could write off Jinxie’s ramblings as those of a superstitious girl scared witless by the feathers and bloody footprints at the crime scene, and maybe once he could have, maybe this time last year, but he’s seen too much since then. If a monster, a yokai – are they connected to the fae? They must be. Isn’t everything? – murdered the alderman, then the question becomes: how does he prove it? How does he convince the judge and prosecution of it?

He should start with asking Mayor Tenma what happened, first.

Trucy tells him that the mayor can seem scary, but he’s nice, really, promise not to run away, Polly. His nerves would be frayed enough without it, but her warning snaps several more of the barely-connected threads, and like a self-fulfilling prophecy, he’s jumpy and nearly flees the room, sheet of glass between them or no. Mayor Tenma is very good at setting some very bad impressions, loudly, with great force, giving Apollo’s heart time enough to stop several times before the mayor corrects the misconception. It’s a very anxiety-inducing interview, and the facts he gleans from it are worse: Mayor Tenma’s fingerprints were on the murder weapon, and he, asleep from being drugged, remembers nothing, including who was it that hit him on the head. Apollo can’t see the wound or a bandage; the mayor’s entire scalp is covered in Jinxie’s warding charms, as though to make a full hat. Does he believe, or is he humoring his daughter? Apollo doesn’t ask.

He has barely left the building when he receives a phone call from the last person he expects. “Mr Wright? What’s going on?”

“Trucy tells me you’ve found yourself a case over in Nine-Tails Vale.” No preamble, no small talk: Phoenix, friendly as ever.

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

“Are you still at the Vale right now?”

“No, I was just talking to the client at the detention center. Why?”

Phoenix sighs heavily. “Because I’m at the airport, picking up the new addition to the Agency – Athena Cykes, Trucy’s mentioned her to you before? And I mentioned your case, and that was it, no stopping her, Athena ditched me with her luggage and took the rental car and is heading out to help you right now.”

“She – you what? She what?” Apollo won’t say that he doesn’t feel some small sense of satisfaction at Phoenix having to suffer someone else flaking on him, but what an impression to make on your new boss.

(Almost as good as punching him in the face.)

“So I need a favor, basically: can you go back to Nine-Tails Vale and intercept her?”

“I—” Once again, the way this day is going takes a sharp turn off the road. “Yeah, I can. But I’ve never met her – what’s she look like?”

“Yellow,” Phoenix says.

“What?”

“She’s got long red hair, and the way you’re red, she’s yellow. Hard to miss with how much energy she’s got.” The description is somehow both vague and incredibly specific – he can’t exactly picture Miss Cykes in his head, but he knows he won’t mistake anyone else for her when he finds her.

“Okay. I can do that. I have to go back anyway to check out the crime scene.” Did he say that Athena had a rental car? He can only dream of how convenient that will be once he gets to her.

“Cool, thanks. Good luck with the case – and with the Vale.”

So much for putting himself at ease convincing himself that it was just a man in a costume, and that there’s some sort of easy explanation for the feathers. (Or not an easy explanation, because saying that Tenma Taro passed through is very easy, but a mundane one.) “What does that mean? Mr Wright?” He doesn’t answer right away, giving Apollo’s stomach enough time to flip over itself and then squish his heart up into his throat. “The stuff Trucy was saying about wrestling, with the yokai and the masks and uh, channeling them? Or whatever it is – that’s not – that’s just the story on the show, right? That’s not…?”

“Not actually real? For most of them, it’s not, no; no magic in the mask but television magic and a tall tale to keep the audience.”

“But – most of them. You said for most of them? So for some of them it is real?”

“Yeah.”

Apollo wants to sink down to the sidewalk and cry. Or scream. Definitely scream, right here next to a police building where they can arrest him for disturbing the peace very easily.

“I can say with certainty that if any spirits involved were actually powerful and smart enough to be malicious, they wouldn’t be stooping to playing a part in half-scripted on-camera fights between half-naked men. Maybe it’ll be a nuisance to your case, at worst, but no threat to anyone’s lives or souls.”

Apollo wishes he could believe that wholeheartedly, and that he could say for sure that Phoenix’s definition of nuisance is something close to his own. “If you don’t get the Not Guilty tomorrow, when you head back up to investigate again, I’ll let you borrow the magatama,” Phoenix adds. “Just so you can really keep an eye on everything, if it’s needed.”

He thinks there will be a second day – that if Apollo doesn’t win in one, then he will have kept his head above water well enough to drag it out. He doesn’t expect Apollo to lose in a day. He thinks Apollo could win in a day.

“Thanks, Mr Wright.”

“No problem. Now you’ve gotta find Athena, and I’ve gotta figure out how to lug her suitcase home.”

Athena, Athena – what else has Trucy told him about her? She was studying in Europe – did she grow up there, too? Does she know what Los Angeles is like? Will she think him superstitious or ridiculous for everything he knows to be real? Does she know what she is walking into in Nine-Tails Vale? Did Phoenix warn her?

Apollo starts walking quicker than before. Of course Phoenix wouldn’t warn her – but hell, to be charitable to Phoenix (for once), he might not have had time to say anything to her before she took off.

If, against his own nature and his lived experience, he tries to be optimistic, he hopes for three things. First, that everyone involved in the murder his plainly human and that no monster committed murder. (That seems the most likely: would a monster know to plant the mayor’s fingerprints?) Second, that Athena has enough sense to be cautious about whatever village folklore they’re stumbling into instead of immediately dismissing it. And third, if he’s really dreaming, that Klavier will be the prosecutor on this case, easily able to identify who is and isn’t human and probably willing to share it.

But Apollo knows that’s all a little much to hope.

#roddy fanfics #fic: the witches of los angeles #next chapter: MY DAUGHTER APPEARS AND THROWS AN ENTIRE DUDE BECAUSE SHE'S SWOLE #and we also meet -- oh FUCK we meet fulbright oh FUCK #i'm not sure if we'll meet simon in 3 or 4 tho. depends on how quick i can gloss the investigation portion

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maekkelae · 5 years

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roadblog - Canadian tour 2018 (IV)

Another day in Canada. Forgot which one. It's a long haul. I wrote this before. And right, we're still on that Greyhound bus on its way from Toronto to Thunder Bay. As impossible as it seems to sleep on the coach, after 20 hours awake it will inevitably happen. So it did to me. Somewhere between Wawa and Nipigon. Woke up right in time to see the sun rise and get ready for the last coffee break before Thunder Bay. Stunning landscape reminding me a lot of Finland. A bit of Kuopio to Joensuu in here. Makes a lot of sense so many Fins settled in this area. No need to adjust on new, unknown landscape or climate. All good here, it's pretty much like where we came from. Let's stay. In general it seems people are not too unhappy to live their lives around here. Buying a cuppa on our last stop the guy behind the counter asks if I've got some kind of bonus card. And no, haven't got one. "You can have one, they're valid in all our gas stations across Canada." "Thanks, but that doesn't make a lot of sense, I don't live in Canada." "Oh man, that sucks, eh?" I'm not sure it does. There are possibly some few places apart from Nipigon with it's -19°C I'd actually prefer for a permanent residency. ################### And then there is Thunder Bay, Ontario. Finally. And yessir, we're still in the province of Ontario, Canada. With its Greyhound stop strategically perfectly located 3.5 km from tonight's venue. As you might have figured out following this blog this means “very close to“ or “almost in the centre of town“ in terms of local geographical understanding. In theory there'd be public transport into town, in fact waiting for a bloody bus til fuck knows when in minus ten is nothing you want to do after 22 h on a bus. Let alone possibly not being taken for not having the right change for the ticket or whatever else there could go wrong. My first taxi ride in Thunder Bay turns out a full on success. Whilst watching the desolate beauty of Thunder Bay's industrial areas glide by I get a crash course in the town's history and am pointed on to the most important sights. The one thing I remember is, it's apparently the place where Terry Fox stopped running. Good idea. Would have been a bit to go from here. To any destination. Sorry, dear Canadians, I'm disrespectful here. What my tourist guide didn't mention is the big Finnish community in this town located pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Being very early for the show there is time enough to do a little research on this. And yes, they've got it all here. Karjalan Piirakka, Pulla, Pepsodent, Salmiakki. Had a coffee at Hoito, the cafe/restaurant of the Finnish culture centre, located in the old „Finnish Labour Temple“. Sweet. Bought a copy of the Finnish-Canadian newspaper “Kanadan Sanomat“. Good read — interesting things in there like “Finnish alcohol sells well abroad“. Wouldn't have thought. Enjoyed the show at The Apollo in Thunder Bay on that quiet Tuesday night a lot. Sheila & Alex being wonderful hosts (thanks again for having me, feeding me, putting me up and all...) it turned out a fun evening with an exclusive audience. Bet you know what I mean. Handnumbered so to say. And most of them spoke Finnish. In fact, I think the main reason for them to turn up was the cinema billboard on top of The Apollo's entry reading “Makkela“. Some nice chats after the show learning more about the Fins who came here beginning of the 20th century to settle down on the banks of the great lakes from here down to Duluth, Minnesota. A heartwarming evening in that cold little town on the edge of Ontario. I'll be back. I suppose I have to. In fact, I want to. Still, my Thunder Bay moment was yet to happen the following morning. Started a chat with the not very talkative cab driver who took me to the Greyhound station. A great guy it turned out once he realized he could chat with me in Finnish. And in a way a very Finnish story. Left his home near Kauhava in the early eighties to start a new, better life out here and — as it goes so often — failed. Now stuck here driving a cab trying to save enough money to make it back to Finland. Felt like the right thing to give him a copy of my last album. Catch up next time Harri, if you're still there. ########################## Thunder Bay Greyhound station. Oh my. Been there? It's the place where excitement starts. I have to admit I was pushing my luck here. The Mayor in Winnipeg — no, that's how the call him, he's not the mayor of Winnipeg — set the show for 7.30/8.00pm the very night. According to Greyhound's timetable I'm supposed to make it to Winnipeg by 6.45 pm. Fair enough, should work. That's what I thought. Of course, it didn't. I was on time. The bus was on time. Just the hydraulic ramp for the wheelchair refused to do what it was designed for. Which is lifting a wheelchair onto the vehicle. One hour after our scheduled departure time Greyhound staff is still trying to fix the thing whilst yours humbly starts getting kind of nervous. And no, things aren't improving. Two hours later still here, a smiling driver submitting updates on our status quo. Another thirty minutes later we're finally leaving Thunder Bay. It was a joyful and glorious moment when the Greyhound guys cheerfully announced it was nothing really big – just a fuse. Thank god. If a fuse means three hours, I suppose a spark plug would have cost us a week. This doesn't look too promising. I can see my Winnipeg show slowly disintegrate with every extra minute of waiting. Message to Mayor Matt: “This will be a late one I'm afraid. You still up for having the show?“ “Yeah, sure. We'll start later. Jaxon Haldane 9ish then you. Should work. We'll save 30 minutes if you get off one stop before Winnipeg.“ Today's driver seems to be a nice person even though he has to deal with multiple issues just now. He doesn't know how to work the bloody ramp (which has been fixed, but by some other personnel) and there is me making things even more complicated. “Excuse me sir, would you mind dropping me one stop before Winnipeg?“ “Sure, no problem. Just come to the front once we're near.“ That was just too easy. We're still running late, starting the show by nine is wishful thinking by now, I haven't got a clue where we are except of being approximately 40 minute away from Winnipeg. Walking up the aisle towards our pilot. “Is this the place or are we close to where you can drop me off? You remember?“ “Sorry man, I can't drop you off here. This is a motorway. I'm not allowed to stop here or drop anyone off. I don't know where you want to get off.“ Situation is not improving with me calling Mayor Matt, listening to his instructions on one ear, trying to understand what the driver is trying to explain on the other, all blurred by the powerful sound of a Greyhound engine. Confusion. Despair. A crossroad with traffic lights. Not too far from a Petro-Can and a Subway. I'm finally dumped without the slightest clue of my whereabouts. Ah, that's Matt calling. Good. “Where are you now?“ Erm... next to a Petro-Can. And a Subway. Oh, and a crossroad with traffic lights. Good luck. I still don't know how he did it, but he found me. He turned up. 9.30 pm. It's a miracle. Apparently there is still going to be a show. We're shooting towards his house and my first show in Winnipeg. But listen up now, here is what made Mayor Matt immortal in the house of Mäkkelä. Once in the car he passes me a thermos mug and a can of cold IPA. „Thought you'd need this now. Just make sure you first pour it in the thermos. You're not allowed having a beer in the car in Manitoba.“ What a guy. Impossible to play a bad show after a trip like this. Just a pity I couldn't see Jaxon Haldane perform.

#Mäkkelä #Maekkelae #thunder bay #canada #finland #greyhound #winnipeg #Singer-Songwriter #ontario #mayormattallen #jaxonhaldane #travelog

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orbemnews · 3 years

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The Swift Collapse of a Company Built on Debt LONDON — The courthouse should have already been closed for the day. At a hearing that began at 5 p.m. on March 1, lawyers for Greensill Capital desperately argued before a judge in Sydney, Australia, that the firm’s insurers should be ordered to extend policies set to expire at midnight. Greensill Capital needed the insurance to back $4.6 billion it was owed by businesses around the world, and without it 50,000 jobs would be in jeopardy, they said. The judge said no; the company had waited too long to bring the matter to court. A week later, Greensill Capital — valued at $3.5 billion less than two years ago — filed for bankruptcy in London. An international firm with 16 offices around the world, from Singapore to London to Bogotá, was insolvent. Greensill’s dazzlingly fast failure is one of the most spectacular collapses of a global finance firm in over a decade. It has entangled SoftBank and Credit Suisse and threatens the business empire of the British steel tycoon, Sanjeev Gupta, who employs 35,000 workers throughout the world. Greensill’s problems extend to the United States, where the governor of West Virginia and his coal mining company have sued Greensill Capital for “a continuous and profitable fraud” over $850 million in loans. At the center of it is Lex Greensill, an Australian farmer-turned-banker, who in 2011 founded his company in London as a solution to a problem: Companies want to wait as long as possible before paying for their supplies, while the companies making the supplies need their cash as soon as possible. To Mr. Greensill, 44, it was personal. He recalled watching his parents, who had a sugar cane and melon farm, struggle financially because of long waits for payments for their produce. He said it bothered him that banks would offer loans only to large firms and their suppliers, leaving small and midsize companies in the lurch. It was “the thing that frustrated me to extremes,” Mr. Greensill said in October 2011, speaking at Manchester Business School, his alma mater. Mr. Greensill positioned his firm as a middleman that would pay the suppliers faster — minus a small percentage as the cost of getting quick payment — and then allow time for the buyer to pay back the middleman. It’s called supply chain finance, and it’s a traditional form of lending in the business world. But Mr. Greensill added an extra layer of complexity. He took the supplier invoices, turned them into short-term assets and put them into funds, similar to money market funds, that investors could buy. The funds were sold through Credit Suisse, the big Swiss lender, and a Swiss asset management firm called GAM. The money from investors helped to pay back suppliers. Greensill turned a mundane finance practice into an ultra-lucrative business in part because it was able to shuffle around the risk, pushing some of it onto insurance companies and other financial firms. It has echoes of the asset-backed securitization that was at the heart of the 2008 financial crisis. As his company grew, Mr. Greensill collected well-connected friends — and private jets. He helped Prime Minister David Cameron’s government set up a supply chain finance program in 2012. He told the The Australian newspaper that he did the same for President Barack Obama in the United States. Eventually, Mr. Cameron would become an adviser to Greensill. Julie Bishop, Australia’s former foreign minister, also joined the company as an adviser. Greensill Capital’s defining year was 2019, when SoftBank’s Vision Fund, the $100 billion investment vehicle built to make huge bets on disruptive technology companies, invested $1.5 billion. On the day the first of two SoftBank investments was announced, Mr. Greensill told Bloomberg TV that his company would have “multiple opportunities” to work with SoftBank and the other companies in their portfolio. Mr. Greensill had become a billionaire. Problems emerge Promoted as a “win-win” for buyers and suppliers, supply chain finance can obscure problems on a company’s balance sheet. The money a buyer owes to the middleman, such as Greensill Capital or a bank, shows up as a “trade payable” or “accounts payable” — that is, money owed to a supplier — rather than as debt. It can be a hidden form of borrowing if it is not disclosed — and there is no accounting rule that requires it to be disclosed. Supply chain finance “exists for a reason,” said S. Alex Yang, an associate professor at the London Business School. “But now, a lot of big companies are really abusing it.” The problem played a part in the collapses of the British construction giant Carillion in 2018 and the Spanish renewable energy company Abengoa, which filed for insolvency in February. Abengoa, an early customer of Greensill, narrowly escaped bankruptcy in 2015 when its huge debt load — billions of euros — was revealed. Regulators, auditors and ratings agencies have grown concerned about the lack of transparency that can make company balance sheets look stronger than they are. In June, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked Coca-Cola to provide more details about whether it was using supply chain finance after noticing an increase in its account payables of $1.1 billion. After pleas from accounting companies, the rules might be tightened in the United States. In October, the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board said it would start developing stronger disclosure requirements, though two months later, an international accounting board decided not to do the same. For Greensill Capital, signs of trouble began appearing in 2018, the year before SoftBank made its big investments. GAM, the Swiss asset manager, rocked the London financial community when it suspended one of its top fund managers, Tim Haywood. He later lost his job for “gross misconduct,” Bloomberg reported, after an internal investigation raised questions about investments he made in companies tied to Mr. Gupta, who was fast-becoming a steel and metals tycoon. The middleman in the deals, Bloomberg said, was Mr. Greensill. The next year, Mr. Greensill’s debt funds were attracting unusual interest from SoftBank. Even as the Vision Fund was investing in Greensill, a different arm of SoftBank poured hundreds of millions into the Credit Suisse funds, according to people with knowledge of the transactions. That arrangement put SoftBank in a complex position: One division was Greensill’s largest shareholder and another was a lender to Greensill, via the Credit Suisse funds. Other danger signals flashed in Germany, where Greensill had acquired a retail bank. An audit in 2019 found Greensill Bank was overly exposed to Mr. Gupta’s companies. That attracted the interest of BaFin, Germany’s bank regulator. This month, BaFin said it had uncovered evidence that assets linked to Mr. Gupta listed on the bank’s balance sheet did not exist. Reverberations of a collapse Even as red flags cropped up, Greensill remained in high esteem among British officials. In June, it was named an accredited lender for special state-backed loans to support businesses during the pandemic. And Mr. Greensill made one of his company’s apps available free to some National Health Service workers, allowing them to be paid quickly and more frequently than they normally would. Ultimately, the tipping point was the insurance. Tokio Marine Management, the parent company of Greensill’s insurance provider, said last July it would no longer extend two policies that were underwriting Greensill’s clients, the buyers in the supply chain, and protecting investors in the Greensill-linked funds. Greensill was unable to find another insurer willing to offer the coverage, according to Australian court documents. Alarmed by the lack of insurance, Credit Suisse froze the Greensill funds, by then worth $10 billion. At Credit Suisse, the reckoning since the bankruptcy filing has been widespread. It has returned $3 billion in cash to investors in the funds and said it was working to recover more money. It has also acknowledged that it was likely to suffer losses from a $140 million loan it had made to Greensill. And the bank said that it had replaced the head of its asset management division and suspended bonuses for senior executives involved in the Greensill funds. The fate of Greensill, now insolvent, is bleak. A plan to sell parts of its business to Apollo Global Management, the American investment giant, fell apart. Greensill declined to comment for this article. SoftBank has already written down much of the value of its holdings in Greensill, and its stake is likely to be wiped out in the lender’s insolvency proceedings, another high-profile loss after it was forced to rescue WeWork in late 2019. And in Germany, a judge has granted BaFin’s request to begin insolvency proceedings for Greensill Bank. Hanging in the balance: 35,000 jobs In the United States, Greensill had added a twist to its financing model: lending money based on a business’s potential future sales, court papers show, not just past transactions, heightening the levels of risk. Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia and his coal mining company, Bluestone Resources, sued Greensill for fraud on March 15 in federal court, arguing that Greensill misled them into deepening their ties without disclosing its financial troubles. Before it collapsed, Greensill lent Bluestone $850 million, much of it borrowed against “prospective receivables,” which are sales that haven’t happened yet. Greensill’s “sudden and unjustified abandonment of Bluestone” are a “clear and present threat” to Bluestone, the lawsuit says. The London-based GFG Alliance, Mr. Gupta’s string of companies, has now lost its main financier. The future of the companies, and their 35,000 jobs, remains uncertain. “Greensill’s difficulties have created a challenging situation,” GFG said in a statement. The companies have “adequate funding” for current operations but are looking for other sources of long-term financing, it said. Even though steel prices are relatively high, GFG has been hampered by the pandemic, with some mills shut or operating intermittently. In Britain, where Mr. Gupta’s companies employ 5,000, trade unions are concerned about job losses. For some, Mr. Gupta is still seen as a job saver for buying unwanted plants. In France, where about 2,000 jobs are in jeopardy, the finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, said the government would be ready to intervene to prevent job losses. One of the vulnerable French plants is Alvance Aluminium Poitou, an ailing foundry snapped up by Mr. Gupta in 2019. The company, which is bleeding cash, got an 18 million euro state-backed loan in December from Greensill Bank. But two days later, the bank abruptly pulled back the funds, said Jean-Philippe Juin, a member of the Confédération Générale du Travail labor union representing the factory, where 600 people work. While GFG said it had “strong cash flows” across the group, the workers at the Poitou plant were warned last week that there might not be enough money to pay their salaries for March, Mr. Juin said. “Mr. Gupta presented himself to us as a savior, with hopeful words and many promises,” Mr. Juin said. “In the end, he turned out to be an empty shell.” Michael J. de la Merced, Stanley Reed, Matthew Goldstein and Raphael Minder contributed reporting. Source link Orbem News #built #collapse #company #Debt #Swift

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