#and the fear of being like him (re: her relationship with her cousins. creating another massacre on rokkenjima) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

forevermyalwaysphff · 4 years

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Chapter 17

A/N: Next chapter is here! Enjoy and let me know what you think about it!

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Alexa glanced around the restaurant, sitting across from an empty seat waiting for her father to join her for their lunch date at the Ivy. He was on duty that day as Battalion Chief of Firehouse 21 and most likely got late finishing up a call. Alexa was used to this so she went ahead and order for the both of them.

Taking a sip of her drink, she spotted her father asking the hostess where she might be. The women pointed to Alexa as her fathers eyes locked on to her whereabouts. He waved with an elated smile at the sight of his daughter and made his way over to her, still wearing his Chief’s uniform with a proud smile.

Standing up out of her chair, she was embraced into a tight warm hug by her father as he kissed her cheek lightly. “Hello sweetheart! You are looking beautiful as ever.” Ben complimented his youngest while settling into his chair. “You must have gotten your mothers genes!” He cracked a joke making Alexa giggle softly.

“Oh you are too hard on yourself dad! You are handsome for a guy your age.” Alexa chuckled lightly.

Ben turned around and took a glance around the restaurant searching for something. “So, no paparazzi here today?” He forced a playful grin, hoping to make light of his daughters current situation.

“No, daddy. Guess I lost them on the way.” Alexa followed along with his humor. When her father saw how the media had been following and harassing his daughter, Ben did not take too kindly to it. He even phoned Prince Andrew like any protective father would to try to help her in anyway he could. He was advised that it would blow over soon and they would be onto the next royal news.

“I see that you have already ordered for me. Thank you, sweetie.” His dad smiled.

“Yes, I got you a steak, medium cooked with a fully loaded potato and salad instead of fries.” Alexa informed her father who narrowed his eyes at his daughter.

“What? Mom told me you and her were on a diet and made me order a salad!” Alexa tossed the blame towards her mother.

“That sneaky little women. I thought I would be able to get this passed her today.” Ben shook his head and pointed his finger at Alexa. “You can never get anything past that women I swear.”

His features morphed into a more serious tone. “Now, how have you been doing with everything? I know a lot has changed in the last few weeks.” Ben alluded to the fact of the release that his daughter would a part of the royal bridal party and with that came the hounding of the press.

“Dad...” Alexa was hesitant to bring it all up again. When the news first broke, she had ignored her family and to this day never gave an explanation as to why. It took her a few days before she would even send them a message and explain everything. Each member of her family had been supportive of her and even her brothers attempted to both walk her to and from work until things died down, to which she graciously denied.

“Things are getting better honestly. Like Andrew told you they have now moved on to someone else.” Alexa began. “But, there was something I wanted to tell you and I do not want you to tell mom yet, ok?”

Ben nodded in understanding and silently waited for her to continue.

“Promise?”

“Lexi bear, I am not going to tell your mother... unless...?” His eyebrow raised in suspicion.

Alexa sat back in her chair and sighed. “No, I am not pregnant dad.”

Ben released the breath he was holding. “Oh thank god.”

“I have a boyfriend.” Alexa knew this would almost warrant the same reaction out of her father after what happened with Reese.

Her father sat there in utter silence no doubt his mind going through on how to get rid of the guy already. “When did this happen?” Ben curiously asked.

“We have been dating for a few months and its been official for almost two.” Alexa confessed with a soft smile spreading her lips. “The reason why I wanted to tell you is that....” She paused briefly. “I was with him that week when the news broke... those days that I was ignoring you.” Benjamin angled his head at his daughter, his blue eyes starting to form a glaring stare.

“No, no.” Alexa stopped to explain. “He was the one encouraging me to talk to my family, but I just couldn’t. I told you now...well, because I wanted you to know I wasn’t alone when it happened. I know you guys were worried about me....”

“I see.” Her father was short for words. “I take it things are going well then? He’s treating you right?” Ben’s fatherly instincts came forth.

Alexa’s blue eyes smiled, matching the beaming grin on her lips. “Yes, daddy. He treats me very well.” She giggled lightly. “He can be quite protective like you sometimes.” Alexa drew the similarity between Harry and her father.

“Why can’t I tell your mother then?” He leaned in from across the table. “Why are you hiding your relationship with this guy?”

She took in a deep breath and sighed. “It’s a bit complicated...” Alexa did her best to try and explain without letting on the whole truth. “We are taking our time getting to know each other... yes that was my idea...” She added before continuing. “We don’t want any outside pressures in our relationship at the moment and we all know if you tell mom then she will want to meet him.”

“And you aren’t ready for that yet?” Benjamin nodded his head. “Or are you afraid that if we do meet him.... then you are in a serious relationship like you thought you were in with Reese... and that terrifies you?” Her father hit the nail on the head.

Alexa was rendered speechless, being unprepared for her fathers truthful statement hitting her square in the chest. She sat there across from her father and slowly nodded, not even realizing that was the real reason for her holding back in her relationship with Harry.

“Yeah... it’s scary dad.” Alexa squirmed in her seat. “Putting yourself out there to trust someone again like that.” She confided in her father like she always had.

Ben sat back in his chair and glanced at his daughter for a few silent moments before speaking. “You know, Alexa. It’s ok to be fearful of things in life, but you cannot let that fear chose how you live your life. Sometimes all it takes is a little trust and a little faith.”

Alexa let those words sink in. “You always give the best advice dad.” She smiled warmly at her father. “You aren’t upset that I kept this from you...?”

“No! Not at all! Why would I be?” Ben shook his head at his daughter. “Look, Lex. If you think your heart is ready for a relationship again then go for it.” A grin stretched across his lips. “But, promise me this one thing. Don’t hold back because of the past, because that is the past and not the future.”

Alexa reached out and placed her hand on the back of her fathers. “Thank you daddy, I needed to hear that.”

“Of course, sweet heart. You know I am always here for you.” Their food had arrived just on time and they dived into their dishes as silence fell between them.

“I do want to meet him though.” Ben chewed on a bit of his steak. “Show him that I am definitely more protective of you, than he is.”

“Oh no....” Alexa giggled nervously. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

—————————

Alexa sifted through her purse to try and find the keys to her flat while Harry stood patiently beside her carrying the alcoholic drinks and snacks for tonight. “Ah! Found them!” She giggled lightly seeing Harry role his eyes.

“It’s about time! Thought my arm was going to bloody fall off.” He teased back at her.

She turned the doorknob to unlock the door. “I did offer to help you!” Alexa opened the door to allow his royal protection officers in to ensure the flat was safe for the prince to enter. Alice, her roommate was home and had become accustomed to these searches.

“I’m happy that you are going to meet, Jay. I think you two will really hit it off.” Alexa talked quietly with Harry at the entrance waiting for the all clear.

“I am more concerned about your other friends. Which one is the one I need to charm again?” Harry tilted his head down at his girlfriend.

“Hallie. She’s the tough one to crack.”

Today was the day that Harry was going to meet Alexa’s closest friends. It had been a week since their fight at Kensington Palace and even though Harry was required to go back to base, they spent long hours in the evening working out things in their relationship that had come to light during the fight. Harry did admit that he had never fully forgiven Eugenie for making Alexa cry that night at the pub and everything seemed to re-surface during the fight.

Harry had witnessed that his fighting with Eugenie was literally tearing Alexa apart and if he had any hope of staying with her, then he would have to grin and bear it with his cousin and find somehow to move on from all this with Eugenie. Alexa did confide in him that Eugenie was less willing to forget things with Harry and move on. She had been ignoring Eugenie all week simply because she could not deal with it all at once. All Eugenie did was complain about either the wedding or Harry and quite simply, Alexa needed to take a step back for a while. The decision she made with a heavy heart and held onto the hopeful fact that this would blow over soon and she could get her best friend back.

The prince received a call midday during the week from Alexa and she basically told him that he was staying with Alexa at his flat this weekend so she could introduce him to her friends. He did not hesitate to agree and when he asked her what changed her mind about it all, all she said was she received some good advice to take a chance. They had spent the night in last night, helping one another create a meal to enjoy with a few bottles of wine and a suspenseful action film that Harry chose, enjoying each other’s company in the process.

“All clear, sir.” His RPO returned and stated that they would wait down in the car and lobby for the prince.

Alice was close in behind the RPOs and greeted the couple. “Hey Lexi!” She pulled her flat mate into a warm welcoming hug before welcoming Harry back in. “Harry, pleasure as always!” They exchanged kisses on the cheek before Alice insisted on taking the groceries to the kitchen.

Jay was standing there quietly in the kitchen and quickly enveloped Alexa into a hug. His tall frame, nearly the height of Harry had to bend down and embrace her. “Jay! It’s been forever since I last saw you.”

He flashed a warm smile down at his girlfriend’s flat mate. “I know, training has been keeping me busy in Germany lately.”

Harry placed the packs of beer and bottles of wine on the kitchen counter, making Alexa turn back and smile at him. “Jay, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Harry.” The prince had rounded the corner of the counter and shook Jays hand firmly.

“Your highness, pleasure to meet you.” Jay’s grip was firm, but his kind smile made Harry feel right at home.

“Just Harry is fine, Jay. Nice to meet you finally.” He leaned up against the counter. “These girls have told me a lot about you.”

Jay tossed his head back in laughter. “Nothing good I am sure.”

Alexa leaned into Harry and placed an arm around her boyfriend, snaking it around his waist. “Jay works for the Military in Intelligence, developing software of some sort.” She explained to Harry, giving him a hint that they had the military connection between them.

“Oh, that’s really interesting.” Harry looked back up to Jay. “How long have you been doing that for?”

“Eight years now. Four years overseas and now been steadily between London and Germany.” Jay had asked Harry about his military background and talked about his flight training.

“Why don’t you two boys go and watch the rugby game while we prep some food for tonight.” Alice suggested as the two guys seemed to really hit it off right from the start like Alexa knew they would.

“You sure babe?” Jay locked in Alice’s gaze and she smiled a beaming quiet smile in reply. “I hope you are not an All Blacks fan, Harry!”

Alexa had grabbed two chilled beers from the drink fridge and set them on the counter for Harry to take into the living room. The prince came back around the kitchen island and placed a hand on Alexa’s hip while grasping the beers. “Let us know if you need any help, ok?” He watched her green eyes staring up at him fondly.

“I will, go have fun with Jay.” Alexa stood up on her tippy toes and captured the princes lips in a quick tender kiss.

—————

Alexa blindly reached down and grasped Harry’s hand, holding onto it with a tight grip. The nerves within her were building with each passing minute and Alexa’s friends had just rang to be allowed in. Harry sensed his girlfriend’s anxiety and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Come on, let’s go meet your friends.” He spoke with an air of confidence.

Pushing himself off of the sofa, he pulled Alexa along behind him towards the door. Alice had followed in behind them, but went into the kitchen to allow the couple to greet them first.

The blonde closed her eyes and released a deep sigh before peaking up at the calm prince. “I know they will love you, I am just nervous.” She confessed to Harry.

“That’s understandable. I promise I won’t embarrass you... too much.” A cheeky grin formed on his lips as he winked.

“Henry!!” Alexa shook her head back at him. Before she could speak another word, a knock on the door interrupted her. “Well.” She breathed out. “No turning back now.”

Alexa took a step forward with Harry behind her and grasped the handle of the door, opening it to reveal a smiling Naomi carrying a bottle of wine and Hallie behind her with a stack of games and snacks.

“Alexa!” Naomi pulled her friend into a close hug and squeezed her hard. Opening her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Harry standing behind Alexa. “Hi Naomi, thanks for coming tonight.”

Naomi literally was frozen in place as she locked eyes with the prince. She had never met a member of the royal family and now one of her good friends was in a committed relationship with one. Not only one, but the world’s most eligible bachelor. Alexa had moved on to greeting Hallie as Harry stepped up and introduced himself to a shocked Naomi.

Harry recognized what was happening and this wasn’t the first time that it had happened to him. He offered a welcoming smile and held his hand out to shake Naomi’s hand. “Hi, I’m Harry.” The prince kept the introduction casual.

Naomi robotically stuck out her hand and gave Harry’s hand a weak shake. She was mesmerized by his deep blue eyes she that were no doubt given to Harry by his mother. Nodding her head, she broke the trance and smiled warmly back at him. “Hi.... Harry.” Naomi paused to gather her composure. “I’m Naomi.”

Alexa had greeted both of her friends and stepped back towards the prince, wrapping her arm around his waist casually. “Guys, I want you to meet my boyfriend.” The blonde lifted her head and locked in Harry’s gaze for a moment. “Naomi, Hallie.... this is Harry.” Her eyes drifted back towards her smiling friends as Naomi offered to shake Harry’s hand again awkwardly. Alexa couldn’t help, but giggle at her nervous friend but was thankful in how Harry down played it all and shook it again like nothing happened.

Hallie stepped in and opened her arms up to embrace the prince. “Hi, Harry. I’m Hallie! Sorry, but I am a hugger.” Alexa watched her friend offer Harry a welcoming hug. Stepping back out of the hug, Harry found his place back by Alexa’s side.

“It’s about time we met you!” Hallie broke the ice. “I almost didn’t believe Alexa when she told us that she was dating you!” Harry barked a laugh at Hallie’s comment.

“Well, you know I didn’t believe it myself that I convinced Alexa to date me!” Naomi and Hallie tossed both of their heads back in laughter.

“You and your jokes.” Alexa shook her head at the prince. “Alice and Jay are here too. Babe, can you take Hallie’s games into the living room and I can get these girls a drink?”

“Sure, love.” Harry kindly grabbed Hallie’s games and bags of snacks while the girls followed Alexa into the kitchen.

Naomi placed her bottle of wine on the counter and held her head in her hands feeling embarrassed. “Oh, Lexi I completely embarrassed myself in front of a royal!” Naomi’s black curls fell forward covering her embarrassed face she hid.

“It’s fine, Noe. Don’t worry about it.” Alexa placed her hand on Naomi’s back and gave it a re-assuring rub. “Besides, he’s not a member of the royal family tonight. He’s Harry, my boyfriend.”

“But, I SHOOK HIS HAND TWICE!” Naomi moaned again as the rest of them started to giggle at her expense. Alice had poured them all a drink and started to set out the rest of the prepped appetizers and snacks for tonight.

“Wow! Look at all of this food!” Hallie had already started to dive in. Alexa knew that Hallie would be the hard one to crack tonight and convince her that Harry was different than the man she read about in the gossip columns and papers.

Harry and Jay had returned to the kitchen, opposite of the girls. “Damn, seems like we are a bit outnumbered Harry.” Jay cracked a joke as the girls started to fall into laughter.

Alexa had remained silent and locked eyes with Jay. She silently mouthed a ‘thank you’ to her flatmates boyfriend who had welcomed Harry like he had been a long time friend. That afternoon, she kept hearing the guys chatting while watching the rugby game and it appeared they had got on well.

“Dig in everyone!” Alice opened the snacks up for grabs as everyone grabbed a plate to stock up on before they started the games.

——————

“A BIRD?!” Naomi hollered at the top of her lungs as the timer was nearing its end. She was trying so hard to figure out what Alice was gesturing for their, but it seemed so outrageous. “I DON’T KNOW! A FREAKIN PTERODACTYL!?” Alice stopped and shook her head in silence, having to remain quiet.

Jay sat back and carefully analyzed Alice’s gestures. “Babe, please don’t ever pursue an acting career, I have no idea what the hell you are doing?!” He was fed up and grabbed his beer to sip on.

The buzzer rang. “TIMES UP!” Alexa bounced in the seat next to Harry. “What was it Alice?”

“Flight of the Phoenix.” Alice tossed her arms up in the air. “You see... I rose from the ashes like a phoenix...” Her flatmate re-inacted slowly. “Then took flight.”

“Ya...Alice. I don’t think anyone would have gotten that.” Hallie sipped on her wine before releasing a light chuckle.

The group had decided to play a game of charades and split themselves into two teams. Jay, Alice and Naomi were on one team, while Harry, Alexa and Hallie made up the other team. Hallie was next up to act. She jumped out of the big lounge chair and grabbed a card that gave her a clue as to what she needed to act for Harry and Alexa.

Her eyes locked onto the couple that were sharing the love seat. She saw Alexa’s hand settle on Harry’s knee as they both were sat on the edge of the seat eagerly ready to start guessing. “Ready?” Hallie’s dark brown eyes widened as they both nodded simultaneously. “If we get this, we can win!”

“Let’s go Hallie. You can do this.” Harry was sweetly encouraging Hallie, giving her the confidence to proceed. Hallie smiled and nodded for Naomi to start the timer and begin the round. With Hallie acting out gestures silently, Harry and Alexa started yelling out their guesses.

“Song?” Alexa questioned as Hallie held up a pretend microphone to her lips, but shook her head no, wanting them to keep guessing.

“Singer?! It’s a singer.” Hallie nodded with a beaming smile at Harry’s guess and started to point to her hair and ran over to Harry and tapped his hair.

Alexa looked completely confused at what Hallie was doing. “The singer Prince?” Hallie started to giggle as did the rest of the group, but it still was not the correct answer. Her friend continued the same gesture until she made the connection. “Oh! HE’S A GINGER SINGER!”

She yelled as Harry barked a laugh along with the rest of the group.

“ED SHEERAN!” Harry screamed the correct answer finally.

“YES! OMG! I thought you were never going to get that.” Hallie came and high fived the couple.

“Wait...” Harry spoke up, “Hallie were you comparing me to Ed Sheeran or just the ginger hair?” He jokingly teased the mixed Asian beauty.

“Clearly...” Hallie paused for a moment. “Comparing you to Ed Sheeran!” Harry made a less than impressed face as the rest of the group laughed at his expense.

Alexa tossed her head back in laughter knowing for a fact that Harry hated being compared to the singer. It felt good watching Hallie and Harry being able to have a banter with one another despite Hallie’s voiced concerns about Harry.

The game had finished and the group fell into a comfortable conversation as they got a chance to learn more about Harry first hand while the drinks flowed steadily. Naomi and Hallie had cuddled up together on the big lounge chair silently watching their friend beside Harry, seeing how close they were together and hardly went a second without having some sort of physical contact.

Naomi rested her head on Hallie’s shoulder and silently observed how relaxed both of them appeared. The couple had settled back comfortably on the sofa next to one another. Alexa was explaining a story to the group, but Naomi’s eyes stayed on Harry. His eyes had drifted to his girlfriend, silently sitting there and listening to her tell the story, but his eyes stared down at Alexa adoringly and appeared to be quite captured by the blonde beauty sitting next to him.

She saw how they blindly found each other’s hand and entwined their fingers together. Harry soothingly rubbing his thumb along the side of her hand, letting Alexa know that he was there.

Naomi was foremost a hopeless romantic, the one that believed that true love existed and that it was out there for everyone. She had seen Alexa at her worst after the breakup and heartache of Reese. But, seeing how happy her friend was sitting next to the prince of England made her heart swell with happiness. It wasn’t though Alexa had snatched a prince, it was the evident way how they outwardly showed care for one another as a couple truly falling in love. It wasn’t a facade or a relationship of means to Harry like Alexa’s relationship with Reese had been. Naomi could sense that this was different not only to Alexa, but how serious Harry was trying to get know every aspect of Alexa’s life.

Alexa had ended the story as a silence fell between the group. “Who needs more drinks?” Being the host, it was her duty to ensure everyone had a full glass.

“I will have more wine, lovely.” Hallie stuck out her hand being unable to get up as Naomi nearly had her body plunked down on her fully. Alexa grabbed the glasses as Harry stood up behind her to help.

“Here love, let me help you.” Alexa’s boyfriend grabbed some of the glasses from her and followed the blonde into the kitchen that would give the couple a quick break to check in on one another. He sat them down on the counter and turned around to see Alexa reaching up top to grab a bottle of wine. Her shirt had rode up exposing her abdomen. Harry came up behind Alexa and placed his hands on her hips as she felt them running up along side of her abdomen.

Alexa started to giggle as she had successfully grabbed the bottle of wine and came back down to his level. But, his hands still wandered beneath her shirt, feeling the sensation of his fingers trail to the middle of her abdomen. Harry rested his chin on her shoulder and released a sigh.

“You ok, love?” Alexa placed the bottle of wine on the counter and reached back to play with his ginger hair.

“Mmmhm. I’m great. You ok?” He felt Alexa start to turn around to face him, loosening the grip on her waist. She turned around and placed her hands on his chest before lifting her head to smile back up at him adoringly.

“I really love that you are meeting my friends tonight. You don’t know how much this means to me and how amazing you are with them, being so welcoming and playful.” Alexa stood up on her tippy toes and nudged Harry’s nose with hers. “I want them to know the man I am falling in love with...” She rested her head against Harry’s forehead as a comfortable silence fell between them, letting those expressed words settle.

They stood there in a silent embrace, not needing words to further convey their feelings for one an other. Alexa and Harry had already expressed to one another that they were falling in love when she had made her trip out to Suffolk, which of course had changed the trajectory of their relationship in many ways. But, with the recent fights with Eugenie and Alexa questioning her future relationship with not only the princess, but with Harry, it still felt amazing to hear Alexa say it again.

“You know that if it’s important to you, it’s important to me now.” His finger lifted Alexa’s chin delicately before he leant down and captured her lips softly. Their lips locked in an embrace as the world around them disappeared for a moment. All their cares and fears drifted when they were with one another. There connection was so deep, neither one of them could find the words to explain what drew them toward one another.

Alexa felt Harry start to break away, her hand flew to the back of his neck and indicating for Harry to not stop. He took in a quick breath and continued their kiss, deepening it further as he cupped Alexa’s cheek to hold in tenderly.

They had become oblivious to their surroundings as footsteps approached the kitchen, but their minds were still trapped in a cloud of lust that they didn’t hear a thing. All that the couple was focused on was one another.

“Do I need to send out a search part- ” Hallie rounded the corner and had caught Harry and Alexa locking lips. Alexa tore her lips off Harry and looked towards Hallie for a brief second before becoming embarrassed. Alexa’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she buried her head into Harry’s chest. The prince turned sideways to see Hallie standing there with her mouth open, starting to laugh at Alexa’s response.

Hallie smiled cheekily and locked in the prince’s gaze and he simply shrugged his shoulder. “Sorry Hallie. We can fix the drinks in a moment.” Harry broke the awkward silence between them.

“Ya, I am sure you will Harry.” Hallie popped her hip out and came further into the kitchen, surprising the prince. “Having a snog in the kitchen...” She couldn’t help but tease the couple.

Alexa lifted her head to glance up into Harry’s eyes. “Sorry.” She whispered up at him, knowing that this may put the brownie points he had won with Hallie to no good use.

The black haired beauty poured a few drinks and watched the couple come out of their embrace through the corner of her eye. “What’s your poison Harry?” Hallie glanced up at the prince waiting for his drink order.

“Bourbon, neat. On the rocks.” He ordered and saw Hallie grabbing a bottle of Bourbon that Harry had brought.

“Lexi, why don’t you take these drinks back to the girls.” Hallie pushed them towards Alexa. “While I have a little chat with Harry.” It wasn’t exactly a question more of a demand coming from Hallie.

Alexa sharply breathed out. All day she had a feeling that Hallie would interrogate Harry at some point this evening. She thought that after everything so far, that Hallie had seemed to get past the issues she harboured with the prince and moved on after getting a sense of who he was.

“Ya, that’s alright Hallie. Would love to have a chat.” Harry had down played it, having heard Alexa warn Harry that Hallie might want to talk to him tonight. “Is that alright, babe?”

Alexa’s eyes drifted towards Hallie and gave her a warning glare. She did appreciate how protective Hallie was over her, a trait that she had become accustomed to. “Be nice to him.” The blonde smiled kindly at her friend.

“You know I don’t bite...” Hallie paused for a moment. “... that hard at least.” She teased Alexa. “He’s a big boy, he can handle a little chat with me.”

Harry’s hand rubbed down the small of her back re-assuringly. “I will be fine, love.” He leant down and kissed her temple softly to convince his girlfriend that he would be ok with a little interrogation from a concerned friend.

Alexa took a few steps out of the kitchen before glancing back over her shoulder at Harry, seeing him staring at her as she walked away.

“Shall we take our drinks outside to the terrace for a chat?” Hallie suggested as the prince happily agreed.

“Lead the way.” He grabbed his drink and took a healthy sip of bourbon.

Harry followed Hallie out of the kitchen and passed by the living room through to the terrace. He sat down diagonally from Hallie and placed his drink on the smaller circle ceramic table. The sun was almost set but gave off enough light. The prince waited for Alexa’s friend to start the conversation and ask whatever she wanted about him. He was willing to be an open book for Hallie if it meant he could put her mind at ease about him dating Alexa.

“So...” Hallie began. “I have known Alexa for a long time now. I have seen her at her best of times.... and at her worst.” The black beauty eluded to the time after Reese and Alexa broke up.

“You mean what happened with Reese Kellington?” Harry already knew that was what she was trying to convey, but he wanted Hallie to know that Alexa had already confided in him about that whole situation.

“So, Alexa has told you what a complete jerk face that money hungry asshole did to her?” Hallie had quite a few choice words for that man.

“Yes.” Harry nodded and grabbed a quick sip of his drink. “We talked about that pretty early on and it was the reason why we were taking things slow for not only me, but Alexa. She had her own reservations about me because of who I was and the apparent social circles I run in, nearly the same ones as Reese.” He gave Hallie all the information she wanted from him.

“Then you can understand me not being easy won over again by someone like him.” Hallie narrowed her eyes at the prince, not being afraid to speak her mind like Alexa had warned him.

“I’d like to not be compared to Reese in anyway.” Harry firmly spoke. “I can understand your reasons to be cautious of me in order to protect Alexa from what she went through again... but Hallie.” His voice spoke her name. “I am not him.”

“Then who are you Harry?” Hallie was relentless. “Are you who the papers say you are? Are you still the same seem to be player like you were in your early twenties?”

The answer was relatively simple.

“I’m Alexa’s boyfriend who is falling in love with her more every single day.” Harry let down the walls and admitted it to Alexa’s friend, being as candid as possible. His answer took Hallie back a bit, being caught off guard.

“Look, Hallie.” The prince continued as he noticed Hallie remaining speechless. “I know you want to protect Alexa and quite frankly so do I. I never go into a relationship without thinking it through or feeling guilty that eventually if our relationship gets revealed, the amount of pressure and scrutiny Alexa would be under. I do not take those things lightly.” Hallie nodded silently, making Harry know that she was following it all.

“Alexa had been wanting me to meet her friends for quite some time now. She hasn’t said this right out to me, but I feel like she does need more support and people to vent or talk to about our relationship. She really only had Alice and Eugenie that knew about us seeing one another and I am happy that she can now confide in you and Naomi.” Harry leaned forward as a serious expression graced his face. “All that I am asking is that you get to know me like this, rather then put me in the same labels the press has done. Because I am more than a prince, more than a soldier and more than what they have made me out to be.”

Hallie sat silently for a few moments and let the words settle.

“Don’t stop questioning me or my intentions. Alexa needs a friend like you on her side.” Harry added one last comment.

Her headed lifted to lock in Harry’s gaze. “I won’t. But please don’t hurt Alexa.” Hallie’s features softened. “She will be the best thing that has ever happened to you, but people take advantage of her kind sweet soul.”

“She already is.” Harry’s lips spread into a beaming smile. “Any other questions or concerns?”

Hallie shook her head no. “Not at the moment, you seemed to have answered quite a few and for what it’s worth Harry. I can tell how happy you make Alexa.”

“Thanks, Hallie.” Harry stood up and enveloped Alexa’s protective friend into a hug. She caught a glimpse of Alexa staring at them in the living room through the French window paned door. A smile crept up on her lips seeing the two of them ending their chat in a hug.

“Let’s get you back to Alexa before she blows an aneurism at me interrogating you.” Hallie joked with the prince causing him to bark out a chuckle. He liked Hallie’s sense of humour at least.

The prince followed Hallie into the living room and sat down beside an anxious Alexa. He immediately grasped her hand and gave it a light squeeze before turning his attention away from the conversation to his girlfriend. She was peaking up at him with her beautiful green eyes that softened when she witnessed a beaming grin spread across Harry’s lips. Clearly, his conversation with Hallie had gone well and there was no further need for Alexa to worry. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his cheek for a quick peck silently whispering, “thank you.”

Naomi had been sitting next to the prince wanting to engage in a conversation with him to be friendly, but she did not know how to start. Harry had glanced towards her way and offered a warm kind smile having picked up on Naomi’s hesitancy. “So, Naomi how long have you known Alexa for?” He opened the conversation.

Naomi’s face lit up at the mere thought of it all before she even started to tell Harry the story of how they met. “Alexa and I went to the same primary school. I had just moved back from Geneva with my family and was the new kid in the school. When the teacher asked if anyone would like to show me around, Alexa’s hand flew up in the air.” Naomi started to giggle at the memory. She looked up to Harry and could feel his genuine interest in her story, giving Naomi his complete attention.

“So, friends at first sight then?” Harry added.

“I guess so.” Naomi nodded with a beaming smile.

“Are you Swiss then?” The prince was genuinely curious because of Naomi’s apparently mixed ethnicity, he was unsure of her background.

“No no.” Naomi shook her head. “My mother is half Philippino and half Scottish, while my father is English. Hence my mixed ethnicity. Most people are very curious of my background.”

“That is a wonderful mix though, I honestly would not have guessed it.” He smiled kindly towards her, making Naomi feel as comfortable as possible.

“We did grow up in Geneva for my first few years as my father was working for the United Nations there in the Human Rights sector. He still does to this day, but does most of his work out of London now.” Naomi leaned forward and grabbed her glass of wine.

“That’s quite remarkable. What do you do if you don’t mind me asking.” Harry had completely relaxed Naomi and she was able to put her anxiety aside and delve into a great conversation with Alexa’s boyfriend, even being able to ask some questions of Harry too in order to get to know him better.

———————

“It was great meeting you again, Harry.” This time Naomi was comfortable enough to give Harry a hug goodbye. His arms wrapped around her frame and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“You as well, Naomi. Hope we can do this again sometime.” He smiled out of the hug before turning to Hallie to say goodbye.

Naomi moved to Alexa next and pulled her into a long embrace, whispering in her hear. “He’s a keeper, Alexa. I approve.” She had to let her friend know her thoughts about her new boyfriend. Even from the few hours that she had spent with the couple, she already believed that they were going to be something more. Maybe it was her hopeless romantic self coming through, but she wholeheartedly believed that Harry could be the one for Alexa.

Alexa closed her eyes and squeezed her friend tight. “Thank you, Noe. You have no idea how much that means to me.” She broke out of the hug and smiled down fondly at her friend. “Get home safe, send me a text when you do ok?” Naomi offered a quick nod before gathering up the rest of her things.

Hallie was next to say goodbye to Alexa as she stumbled into her embrace. Alexa tried to steady her, but the prince had to intervene. “You ok there Hal?” Alexa stood her up on her feet.

“Ya... I am fabulous!” Hallie slurred out her words. “NAOMI WAIT!” She hollered at her friend taking a step forward and nearly stumbling towards the door.

Alexa grabbed her friend again before glancing back over her shoulder at Harry. “I am going to help Naomi get her into the car.” She informed him. Harry offered to help as well, but she thought it was best if he stayed inside just in case some pap straggler was still outside.

Pushing through the door into her flat, Alexa could hear someone in the kitchen cleaning up. She rounded the corner to find Harry gathering the trash and tidying up. “You don’t have to clean up, Henry.”

“I don’t mind love.” He felt Alexa’s arms wrap around his waist and place a peck on his cheek.

“Where did Alice and Jay go?” She glanced around for any sign of them.

Harry stacked a few plates into the sink to wash up. Alexa grabbed a wash cloth and a drying towel. “Jay has an early flight back to Germany tomorrow. They offered to help clean up, but I told them to spend some time together if they wanted.” He admitted with a soft smile.

The prince handed Alexa a wine glass to dry. “Awe, Henry.... you are so sweet.” She continued to help Harry dry the dishes as he washed them. “I think my friends really like you Harry. Thank you for just being yourself and making them feel so at ease so they could get to see the man I know.” Alexa was really amazed at how well everything had seemed to go tonight and how easily Harry fit into her friend circle.

“Well, you have surrounded yourself with some great people Lex.” Harry glanced down at his girlfriend. “Thank you for letting me get to know them. I know this was a big step for you.” He leant down and placed a gentle kiss to her temple before handing Alexa another dish.

Feeling Harry’s lips pressed against her skin reminded Alexa of the moment earlier in the night when Hallie walked in on them locking lips. “I cannot believe Hallie walked in on you kissing me!” She groaned with a slight embarrassment.

“Well, maybe we should finish what we started?” The prince winked at his girlfriend.

Alexa bit down on her bottom lip as a playful side started to come out. She reached her hand down into the warm soapy water and flicked her wrist, splashing the prince in the face with some water while some landed on his shirt, soaking him. “Ooops.”

The prince’s mouth flew open in shock. “Ooh, baby don’t start this game if you can’t finish it.” Without warning, Harry splashed Alexa but aimed for her shirt right where her breasts were.

“Ahhhh!” Alexa drew in a quick breath. “HENRY!” She glanced down at her soaking wet chest then slowly back up to Harry as he was prepared to do it all over again. A cheeky grin was plastered on his lips.

“Don’t you dare!” Alexa warned him, but silently was wanting to continue their fun. Too quick for the prince she grasped the sink sprayer and turned on the water, aiming it at the prince. He noticed her fast movement and splashed her for all she was worth before she fired the water at him.

Alexa had quite literally doused him in water as she stood there and dissolved into a fit of laughter seeing his less than thrilled expression. He came over to her and wrap his arms around Alexa, soaking her in the process. Harry bent down and grasped the back of her thighs, lifting her up onto the counter.

“You are in so much trouble...” His voice became deep as he locked in Alexa’s green eyes as they held his hostage.

Alexa’s fingers ran down Harry’s chest feeling the wet material of his shirt grip his muscles and accentuate them. She reached the hem of the shirt and started to lift it off of him. “Let’s get this wet shirt off of you...” Harry helped Alexa rid him of his shirt and tossed it aside.

His hands went straight to unbuttoning her blouse while Alexa admired his naked body, feeling the lust coursing through her veins. Harry leant down and placed a soft kiss over the mounds of her exposed breasts, eliciting a desire filled moan from his girlfriend.

His lips trailed up to her neck, attacking the sweet skin by her collarbone. Harry felt Alexa’s legs wrap around him to lock the prince into place while her fingers combed through his ginger hair, pushing his head down further onto her neck while he continued his sweet assault.

“Take me to my room.” Alexa’s tone was filled with lust. “I want you Henry.”

Harry did not need to be asked twice. He found her lips and captured them in a quick kiss. His hands gripped the back of her legs as Alexa wrapped her arms around Harry. He lifted her off of the counter and carried Alexa to her bedroom where they made love until the early hours of the morning.

#prince harry #phff #prince harry fanfic #fanfic #royalfanficcentral #chapters #chapter17 #forevermyalwaysphff #harry and alexa

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thea-harman · 5 years

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❝ I get so caught up in protecting the people I love that I forget to protect myself. ❞

☽ The Wi☨ch is in The Details ☾

Name: Thea Sophia Harman Age: 17 ( May ## ) Zodiac: Taurus ( ♉ ) Gender: Female ( ♀ ) Species: Witch ( Daughter of Hellewise ) Clan: Hearth-Woman ( Harman(s) ) Parents: Daniel Avery ( father - deceased ) & Sophia Harman ( mother - deceased ) Relationships: Blaise Harman (cousin), Edgith Harman (maternal grandmother), Naomi Flores (great great great great aunt), Eric Ross (soulmate) Extended Family: Redfern(s), Iliana Dominick (distant cousin), Gillian Lennox (unknown cousin), FC: Olivia Holt ( x )

☽ Personality ☾

☑ caring, courageous, free-spirited ☒ emotional, self-destructive, quiet

☽ The Past ☾

Thea and Blaise grew up differently than most kids. Being an only child born to Daniel Avery ( Witch ) and Sophia Harman ( Witch ). However, when she was still very young, Thea and her cousin Blaise lost both their parents in a tragic ritual accident. Inseparable as ever the girls are basically sisters. Because of this, they grew up surrounded by witches often living with their different relatives, mostly due to the antics of Blaise. Blaise was never happy in one place for too long. Because of that, Thea got used to a life of always being on the move. Having been expelled from seven to eight different schools since they were freshmen.

Her cousin would regularly get into trouble for taunting and playing with the local human boys and Thea would take the fall with her. At their last school in New Hampshire, Blaise got a boy named Randy Marik to burn down the school gym for her, leading to her and Thea's expulsion. They were then sent to live with Grandma Harman, their maternal grandmother.

☽ The Present ☾

Running out of relatives to take them in. Thea is determined not to get expelled or any trouble this time, as she doesn’t want to disappoint Grandma Harman - or be sent to the Convent for misbehaving. Beginning their new school, Lake Mead High. Things go awry right from the moment she arrives at school, however. Before she can even go inside, Thea hears a lot of fuss, after investigating she discovers that students are crowded around a snake. Thea telepathically connects with the snake and tries to convince it to leave to avoid getting the snake or any students harmed. However, her concentration is broken by the students throwing stones and a boy named Eric Ross. The snake bit him but only they knew. The two then carry the snake out to the wilderness. Thea heals Eric without him noticing. Using magic to heal the bite, though she tries to pass it off as the snake having missed its mark. When Blaise notices Thea possibly liking Eric, she intends to use Eric like all of her 'boy toys.' To stop her, Thea summons an old witch, a forbidden spell. She learns later that because she did not create a ring around the summoning, the spirit got to lose. Not wanting Blaise to get to Eric, Thea says she will use him. He takes her to the dance, but when one of Blaise's old toys shows up and causes drama the two left. Eric took her to the animal clinic he volunteers at. When Blaise's attempts to take Eric from Thea it fails, she eventually deduces that Eric is her soulmate, but this gives her nothing but grief, due to Eric being human and therefore forbidden to her.

Eric also takes Thea to the gym, where the Halloween dance is set up. The theme consists of old witch hangings and torture methods. Disgusted with it Thea had Eric get a camera so that they can write a complaint in the school newspaper. While he is gone, Thea discovers the body of Kevin Imamura - a boy Blaise was toying with - is found strangled and hung with witch dummies. Connecting the dots, Thea realizes that the murder was committed by the spirit she set to lose. A witch victim of torture in the olden days, who was forced to watch her family die before she did. Thea realizes that the spirit will attack again on Halloween. Eric also connects the dots that Thea is a witch and demands that she let him help stop the spirit. Thea plans, with Eric’s help, to lure Suzanne’s spirit to a natural stone circle in the desert and send her back to the afterlife. She intends to carry out the plan on the night of the Samhain celebrations. Eric waits for her at the circle, whilst she attends the party. Unfortunately, Thea, Blaise, and Dani are summoned by the Inner Circle and accused of performing forbidden spells. Thea, realizing Eric and the human students at the high school Halloween dance is in danger, flees the house and drives to the circle, getting there just as Suzanne is about to kill Eric.

With Eric's help, Thea prepares the ritual and sets it in motion. Suzanne's spirit is strong and tries to attack Thea, but she calls upon her "power as a daughter of Hellewise" - allegedly something no witch has done before - and finally gains the strength to send Suzanne back beyond the veil. Together they re imprison the spirit, just as all of the witches arrive. Now knowing that Thea is in love with a human, the witches decide to make them both lose their memories rather than killing them. Eric and Thea are given a forgetting brew. However, when drinking it, Thea realizes that it is just tea and that Blaise is letting her keep her memories. After escorting Thea and her soulmate outside, Blaise - bid them farewell. Thea had an emotional goodbye with her sister Blaise and Aradia suggests she and Eric seek out Circle Daybreak, where they might be accepted. Fearing for their life she and Eric fled in his jeep but they never reached their destination to Circle Daybreak headquarters like they planned. Engulfed in a sudden flash of light there whole worlds changed.

☽ The Current Story ☾

Now? Thea and Blaise’s story is on a twisted re-peat but Thea has no recollection of of what had happened. Just that where her story began. With them running out of relatives to take them in. Thea herself is determined not to get expelled or in any trouble whatsoever this time, as she doesn’t want to dissapoint Grandma Harman - or be sent to the Convent for misbehaving. Beginning thier new life in browning harbor, massachusetts in a small town.

Timeline—

2019

( Sept. 24th ) Arrived at Browning Harbor Massachusetts to live with their Grandma Harman.

☽ Abilities ☾

☽ Basic Powers ☾ 》Spell Casting: Thea has the power to cast Spells. 》Potion making: She also can make magical potions. 》Cartomancy: Tarot reading doesn’t have the power to change future events, but it can help anticipate them. 》Sigil Creation: Thea can inscribe or paint a symbol that’s considered to have magical power. ☽ Individual Powers ☾ 》Advanced Telekinesis ► Thea can control and manipulate the movement of objects and persons through mental influence. 》Telepathy ► Thea has the power to hear the thoughts and read the minds of another person. 》Electrokinesis ► Thea can create, shape, and manipulate electricity. 》Advanced Geokinesis ► Thea can create, shape and manipulate earth and `earthen` elements. 》Hydrokinesis/Cryokinesis ► Thea can create, shape, and manipulate water, ice, and cold.. 》Pain Infliction ► Thea has the ability to inflict great pain onto a person by causing their blood vessels to burst and thus giving them multiple aneurysms 》Advanced Healing ► Thea can heal minor wounds such as poisons, cuts, bruises, and light burns. Along with healing external wounds, including fractured bones and deeper burns, disregarding of severity. Lost limbs can be re-attached. Minor damaged internal organs may heal, but more severity may be beyond repair and may take more time to heal.

#browningharbor:intro #browningharborhq #tw: death #tw: ghost #tw: witch trails #* thea harman / spellbinder.

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inhumansforever · 6 years

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Black Bolt #12 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

It’s the final issue of the truly awesome Black Bolt by the Hugo Award nominated team of Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward. Recap, review and series review following the jump.

By way of the sinister trickery of his brother Maximus, Black Bolt had been imprisoned in a terrifying space gulag on the other side of the galaxy. There the one time king of all of Inhumanity was merely yet another prisoner where he and his fellow inmates were tutored mercilessly by the ghoulish Jailer.

This Jailer was an ancient Inhuman and one-time prisoner who had taken over the space prison and assumed the role of its warden. This Jailer was a vampire of sorts who fed off of the psychic suffering of others; the torture he subjected his inmates to offered up a variable feast to sate his endless hunger.

Black Bolt suffered terribly whist a prisoner in this space jail. It took away his awesome powers and humbled the once proud king. He came to make allies of the various rogues and aliens who were imprisoned alongside him… the sort of beings the Inhuman king had once seen as beneath him.

Black Bolt had always been a solitary man, partly a product of his incredibly destructive voice and the need to remain always silent less he were to unleash havoc. He had his family, his wife and son, and cousins he loved dearly, as well as his subjects among old Attilan that he dedicated his life to. Yet he never allowed himself to depend on them, seeing such dependency a sense of weakness not afforded a king. Ultimately his stoicism, his need for self reliance and the difficult decisions he had to make as leader cost him everything. His wife left him, his son resented him, Old Attilan was destroyed. And having lost everything offered Black Bolt a new perspective, a vantage that allowed him to see the key differences between power and strength; and in so doing provide him with the opportunity of redemption.

Power is solitary. A king sits alone and Black Bolt’s withholding solitude enabled him to keep this power, like a building energy that he could release with a devastating whisper. Strength, however, is mutual… it comes from the bonds of relationships, dependency and relying on others.

This was the sort of strength Black Bolt found in the forging of bonds with his fellow inmates. Together with the assistance of his trusted teleporting dog, Lockjaw, Black Bolt and his friends were able to defeat the Jailer, destroy the prison and escape their incarceration.

The victory came at a cost. Crusher Creel, the earthly super villain known as The Absorbing Man had sacrificed himself so to enable Black Bolt to strike the killing blow that destroyed the Jailer. And in delivering this blow, Black Bolt lost a sizable portion of his powers.

In the aftermath, the prisoners went their separate ways, leaving Black Bolt to care for the youngest of the lot, a little alien girl with physic powers. Her name is unpronounceable by earthly language, so she just goes by ‘Blinky’ ...a suitable nickname for a youngster with so very many eyes.

Black Bolt was reluctant to take Blinky under his wing, care for another child after failing so terribly with his own son, Ahura. Yet their was no choice in the matter. Blinky had nowhere else to go and Black Bolt was not going to abandon her… so he brought her with him as he traveled back home to earth.

His homecoming was not as he had hoped. Medusa, his former wife, was gone having ventured out on a dangerous mission tot he stars in hope of discovering a new source of Terrigen. And his son, Ahura, was embittered to see that his dad had taken on a new ward in Blinky; he felt replaced.

Before Black Bolt could tend to these matters, however, he was obligated to fulfill a promise to seek out Creel’s wife and inform her of his passing. Creel wife is Titania, a villainous (albeit noble) super powered being in her own right. Titania was devastated to learn of her husband’s fate yet took solace in the heroic and selfless fashion of how he died.

Following her husband’s funeral, Titania was there to witness as the evil Inhuman known as Lash attacked Back Bolt. His powers halved, Black Bolt was bested by Lash and he abducted Blinky. Lash had concocted a poorly devised scheme to utilize the purified Terrigen in Black Bolt’s blood to create a new Terrigen Cloud and hence produce a new army of Inhuman soldiers with which Lash planned to subjugate the world. Playing into his trap, Black Bolt and Titania rushed to Lash’s layer in Greenland, desperate to save Blinky from his clutches.

Lash and his forces outmatched Black Bolt and Titania. Black Bolt was poisoned and installed into some bizarre machine meant to atomize his blood into a new Terrigen Cloud. All of it was too much for Blinky. The trauma of it caused her to be overwhelmed by her own psychic powers. It turned out that a small portion of The Jailer’s sentience had survived by hiding away within the recesses of Blinky’s mind. And the psychic trauma enable this sliver of The Jailer to take over, utilizing Blinky’s power to create tangible illusions to transform her into a reconstituted version of himself.

Reborn and re-powered, The Jailer cut through Lash’s forces and killed the would be despot. Unwilling to see Titania perish as her husband had, Black Bolt forced her to flee and chose to face The Jailer on his own, hoping against hope that he might prevail and save Blinky.

A foolish move. Black Bolt was no match for The Jailer, especially with his powers at half strength. Yet somehow, via his unconscious, Black Bolt was able to once more utilize the lesson that enabled him to defeat the Jailer the first time. It wasn’t something he could do alone; he needed help.

His mind called out to Blinky and hers called out to Ahura. Ahura is a powerful psychic in his own right and somehow his astral self was pulled in alongside Blinky to the mind-scape of Black Bolt’s tortured ego.

Blinky and Ahura wander through the folding architecture of Black Bolt’s memory. They come across his earliest memories, where he was the subject of his parents cruel experiments.

Black Bolt’s parents, King Agon and his wife, Queen Rynda, were obsessed with unlocking the higher potentials of Terrigenesis… so much so that they exposed their son to the Terrigen gasses in utero. He was born with his awesome powers already en tact and his initial infant cry unleash a wave of destruction. As a result, Black Bolt was forced to spend his childhood in seclusion, within a lonely sound-proof chamber where he’s only company were brief visits by his loyal dog, Lockjaw.

Intent on honing his son’s incredible powers, Agon continued to subject Black Bolt to further training, using harsh means to bestow a sense of absolute self control and self reliance. He induces terrible nightmares into his sleeping son’s mind, insisting that Black Bolt endure these terrors quietly and with abject stoicism.

Seeing this is shocking to Ahura. He knew his grandfather was a stern man, but he never imagined his father’s up bring was so painful and lonely. Still, all this is just a memory, something that occurred in the past. But Blinky reminds him that memories of pain are never truly in the past, they are dynamic, constantly recurring in the present. And hence Ahura opts to act, yelling at his bastard grandfather to leave his dad alone.

The visage of Agon hears his grandson, a sinister smile etched across his face. He becomes an amalgam of Agon mixed with he Jailer, lashing back against the invasion that Blinky and Ahura represent.

The shockwave sends the two further into the contours of Black Bolt’s psyche. They find themselves facing off against the nightmare beasts projected into the toddler aged Black Bolt’s mind.

Yet Blinky and Ahura are not defenseless and are able to use their own powers to vanquish the nightmare monsters. In its wake, Ahura received the very odd opportunity to meet the child version of his own father.

Elsewhere, Lockjaw has used his teleporting powers to transport Titania to the graveyard where her husband was buried. There was no body to burry so they had to make do with burying his weapon of choice, an iron ball and chain that he wielded like a mace.

At first Titania is angered and perplexed that lockjaw had brought her here. She wanted to go gather up Creel’s former allies among the Wrecking Crew to return and take on The Jailer. Still, Lockjaw possesses an extra-perceptual sense. He has brought Titania here for a reason and that reason soon becomes evident. The ground of Creel’s grave begins to stir and a metallic hand reaches out from he disturbed soil. Creel himself emerges from the ground, resurrected. It turns out that a portion of his sense of self remained within the molecules of his weapon. Just as The Jailer had hitched a ride in the back of Blinky’s mind so too had Creel stowed away within his weapon. And finally he had managed the will to reconstitute himself. These hows and whys do not matter to Titania, she is overjoyed to have her love back in her arms.

Their tearful reunion is sidetracked when Titania informs Creel that The Jailer is still alive, that he has Blinky and Black Bolt now fights him alone. Creel knows that they must go to fight the Jailer, but must admit that he is terrified by the prospect of it. It’s perhaps the first time that Titania has seen her husband openly express true fear. Yet it’s a fear that he won’t let stop him. Bravery is not fearlessness, it is action despite the fear.

Lockjaw teleports the trio to Greenland and they leap into the fray, taking on the Jailer alongside Black Bolt.

As the battle rages on the outside of Black Bolt’s mind, so too does it within his mind as his child self, Blinky and Ahura fight against the terrible imago of the Jailer mixed with Agon.

Blinky and Ahura fight valiantly but ultimately are no match for the terrors of a lifetime of sorrow, pain and trauma. The child aged Black Bolt holds back, still fearful of losing control of his own rage. Seeing his new friends in such peril unlocks him, he sheds the sense of restraint and withholding that his father’s training had instilled in him… unleashing the terrible power of his voice as he demands that this monster leave his friends alone!

And this power obliterates the sinister imago.

It’s a catharsis, a psychic breakthrough that offers the adult Black Bolt sense of clarity and understanding. His powers have not been halved due to the strain of his earlier battle, rather it has been a psychosomatic condition that he had bestowed onto himself.

Power and strength. Black Bolt gained power through his solitude and strength through relations. He so wanted to maintain that new strength, these new relationships that he repressed his power… erroneously believing that one cannot exist with the other. But he is able to see things more clearly now. It is not a matter of autonomy or mutuality, but rather autonomy and mutuality… power and strength.

Black Bolt full powers have returned. The Jailer makes a last gambit to prevent Black Bolt from unleashing this power, muzzling his mouth with a red energy that seems to represent purified fear.

Black Bolt is afraid. He’s afraid in a way he would have never admitted to before. Yet he sees his new allies, Creel and Titania fighting alongside him, coupled with sensing the presence of his son and daughter fighting within him, imbues him with the power and strength to break through this fear. He rips off this red fear and speaks a single phrase to the Jailer: ‘It’s over.’

The energy unleashed by these words disintegrates the Jailer, ripping away all of the fear and pain and suffering that empowered him. What is left behind is a weak and lonely man, an ancient Inhuman being who was cast away and imprisoned eons ago. Stripped of the fear that sustained him, this sad being also dissipates, fading off into the past like a memory that is fully digested.

The Jailer gone, Blinky regains her body. Somehow, Ahura’s physical self has been transported to the scene as well. Black Bolt does not understand how it is his son has come here, nor how his friend, Creel, has been resurrected. And once again, the hows and whys do not matter… he is simply overjoyed to see them.

Ahura tentatively approaches his dad. He understands his father better than he had before, but still isn’t sure how to really connect with him. Black Bolt relives Ahura of this uncertainty, taking his son in his arms and embracing him. The kind of hug, of nurturing poor Ahura had long since been denied. It cannot make up for the pains of his childhood, but it is a start toward a new path forward.

The narrative jumps a week forward. Creel, Titania, Blinky and Lockjaw sit about Creel and Titania’s apartment, playing video games and eating ice cream. Black Bolt is in the kitchen, taking his twelfth attempt at frying an egg. Black Bolt has learned a great deal through this whole ordeal, he has grown tremendously. But he still has much to learn. He is still rather new and awkward with the concept of friendship, offering to buy Creel his apartment building as payment for his aide. He still struggles with the idea that interpersonal relations are not a matter of commerce, trading goods for service. And he continues to be a really lousy chef, once more burning the egg he attempted to cook.

And just as Black Bolt has learned and grown, so too has Blinky. She has been imbued with a new confidence and bravery. She speaks of returning to her home world and leading a rebellion among the downtrodden of her peoples.

Creel comes into the kitchen and has to laugh at Black Bolt’s continuous failed attempts to fry an egg. The one time Inhuman king has the power to levels mountains, yet the simple act of cooking an egg seems beyond him. Not that Black Bolt minds. He’s shed his pride and hubris; he can laugh at himself and accept his own shortcomings.

A loud thud echoes from atop the building. Something has landed there and Black Bolt can sense what it is that has arrived. He flies up to the roof where he finds his former wife waiting for him.

Medusa has endured her own trials. She and her team of Royals had ventured to the World Farm were the stole from the godlike beings known as The Progenitors the raw Primagen, from which a new source of Terrigen can be derived. The theft garnered The Progenitors’ attention and they had traveled to earth to destroy it and process it for resources. These Progenitors are beings of our logic and Maximus had devised a means to defeat them by way of the total lack of logic existent in emotion. Medusa was sent to an astral plain to battle these being on her own. In this task, Medusa summoned Black Bolt’s mind. Just as Black Bolt was fastened to Lash’s machine, struggling to resist it, so too was Medusa on the astral plain fighting against The Progenitors. Somehow, the two were able to link minds and draw strength from one another. And the strength derived from their mutuality enabled Medusa to repel the Progenitors… as it ultimately also allowed Black Bolt to resist Lash’s machine as well as destroy The Jailer.

Now the two are reunited in the physical as they had been on the astral. His powers fully restored, Black Bolt can no longer speak. Yet he doesn’t have to. Black Bolt and Medusa had once been so close with one another that words were not necessary. Medusa was able to infer her husbands thoughts and feelings simply by way of their intimate interconnectivity.

They had drifted apart as their divergent obligations create a schism between them. They lost that connectivity and the lack of communication drove them further apart until it reach the point of no repair.

Black Bolt takes Medusa in his arms and the two float above the New York skyline. The two no longer king and queen, no longer husband and wife. They have lost much but through it all regained that connectivity. They are together once more and can know one another without words.

And here the issue and the series itself comes to a conclusion. We know from their brief cameo in the first issue of Lockjaw’s own solo series that Black Bolt and Medusa are once more a couple. As for what the future holds for the pair, for the Inhumans as a whole… that will have to wait to be revealed this summer when Donny Cates and Ariel Olivetti will bring us the ominously entitled ‘Death of The Inhumans.’ It’s a frightening prospect, but for the time being we get a happy ending.

Endings are tough; final issues even tougher. There is a pressure to wrap things up just right so not to adulterate all that had come before. In hindsight, I should never have worried about Ahmed and ward’s ability to stick the landing… of course they would. This series has been an absolute marvel to behold and the last issue is no different, offering up a final battle that both summarizes and cements the overarching thematic of Black Bolt’s journey.

In as such the narration at times leans a bit heavily on exposition, spelling out matters that are already evident to those who have been following the series from the start. And yet I don’t mind it because it reenforces and affirms the central premise. There’s no longer a need for guesswork and subtly. This is the end so it makes sense that the narration should be so up front with exactly what is going on.

Power and strength, autonomy and mutuality. This is the dichotomy at the heart of this series as a whole. Black Bolt has always been powerful, but has not been especially strong. As king, Black Bolt needed to be powerful to care for and defend his people. To this end he consolidated his power by closing himself off, withdrawing into himself more and more - amplifying the power by augmenting his solitary, autonomy and self reliance. He did so because he felt he had too and accepted the tole that it extracted. Harkening back to the Infinity and Secret Wars events, Black Bolt’s actions helped to save his people and the world as a whole. Yet it cost him everything. He lost his throne, his wife and his family. He became too autonomous and such autonomy is tantamount to abject solitude.

Cast off to the space prison, Black Bolt had his powers stripped away. Without his power, he was forced to cultivate strength. Autonomy was no longer an option and he had to cultivate the foreign notion of mutuality. He had to make friends, rely on others, interconnect. He needed to allow himself to be maternal toward the alien child Blinky as well as true collegiality with the human rogue, Creel.

Fumbling his way to achieve these things offered Black Bolt strength. Yet strength is quite different compared to power. Power has certainty and fearlessness, whereas strength entails accepting uncertainty and allowing oneself to admit to fear.

It so uncommon to see superheroes truly afraid. It makes it easy to mistake fear with cowards and weakness. Yet fear is not weakness, it is an acknowledgment that things are important, that there are matters one is fearful of losing. The truth is a person cannot be strong without being afraid. Being strong means admitting that others are important to you and such an acknowledgment cannot exist without the fear of loss.

Black Bolt had to face that fear when he originally escaped the space prison. Lockjaw had engineered his escape and Black Bolt could have easily fled, leaving his new friends behind. He feared for his life and freedom, but mores feared for the wellbeing of others. And through that fear he was able to muster the bravery to return and help save his friends and vanquish the Jailer.

We see this same thematic reiterated with the fear Creel expresses when he learned the Jailer was still alive. He had just resurrected himself and reunited with his wife. The prospect of facing The jailer once more filled him with dread and again it was quite surprising and unusual to see a super powered comic character so openly express such fear. But again, such fear is part and parcel with the strength and mutuality and, with Titania at his side, Creel was able to transform the fear into bravery and jump back into the fray, offering up the crucial support that tipped the scales and allowed the good guys to prevail.

All of these matters were facilitated by way of the story’s willingness to make the supporting characters fully dimensional and present. It’s an odd irony that this series should be considered a Black Bolt solo series in that the word ‘solo’ is so antithetical to the plot and heart of the story. The relationships that Black Bolt forged with Blinky and Creel was paramount to the story and that’s why it was so important that these characters be given such intricate attention and development. Which also offers up a nice bonus for me as a reader in that I now love the character of The Absorbing man as much as I love Black Bolt.

Speaking of mutuality, another matter that has made this series work so well is the keen interplay between the writing and art. Ahmed and Ward worked hand in glove, creating a synergy where they produced a product greater than the sum of its parts.

The heavy introspection of Ahmed’s scripts were augmented and realized by the dynamic line-work and psychedelic layouts that Ward’s art provided. The words never overpowered the visuals nor did the visuals overpower the words. Instead they worked in cohesion… creating yet another example of the strength endowed by mutuality.

This book is a triumph. It’s crushing that it has come to an end. I could read a hundred more issues and still want more. Still, there are some benefits to brevity of the series. Twelve issues and all of them pretty much perfect. The series ended before it could sway off course, before a lackluster filler issue could be introduced to sour the mix. Black Bolt is done and in its conclusion is frozen in amber and cannot be taken away. Maybe Marvel will forget about The Inhumans, maybe Cates and Olivetti will kill them off in gristly brutality. Who knows what the future holds… whatever it is it will be unable to take away what Ahmed, Ward, Cowels and Moss has achieved.

It’s not easy being a super fan of The Inhumans. First they were obscure fringe characters that few of my friends were even aware of, then they became hated usurpers unfairly charged with trying to replace the X-Men. And then there was the utter embarrassment of that awful television show (great performances by the cast, but a rushed, hasty effort that made my beloved heroes seem a laughing stock). And now the future casts an ominous shadow with the prospect of their death. So, yeah, being an Inhuman super fan isn’t easy… Yet the fact that The Inhumans were involved in such a flawlessly executed comic as Ahmed and Ward’s Black Bolt, that an Inhumans book could actually be nominated for a Hugo Award. It’s a dream come true. And Mr. Ahmed and Mr. Ward will always have my great gratitude for it.

This is comics at its best. Five out of five Lockjaws for the issue...

a million Lockjaws for the series as a whole.

fin!

#Black Bolt #Saladin Ahmed #Christian Ward #spoilers #review #Inhumans

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matchfindermatrimonyindia · 3 years

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Union - the 2nd Time Around

My buddy sent me a wonderful image of him along with also his girl friend at an official dinner over a latest railroad they'd shot. I instantly text and said,"hello, did you have married, so that is clearly a significant film?" He reacted immediately saying his very first spouse had awakened up him so awful he was not likely to produce that error . Twenty and years of union and 3 children later on, he'd become sour and tempered with his own marriage. Wow, the number of times I've heard such a response in men that are currently"gun-shy" because of having an unsuccessful first union.

Only a concise desktop, due to the fact I am obviously an alternative state of mind. I feel that God as our Creator, developed us relationships. So exceptional because we all have been, like Noah's Ark,'' he's trained us to become paired together with all our partner. He says in the Bible book of Genesis,"that it isn't fantastic for man to be lonely " Well this really does not mean, either shacking upward or alive with them. This indicates people as adult males want life spouses - wives. I did not wed before my thirty's and suffered a very disappointing and challenging union for just fifteen decades ago If that union ended in divorce,'' I chose to focus . Acknowledging it required the 2 folks wreck this item, '' I could not put all of the blame in her own feet. Therefore, I lasted using counseling, covering places in my personal own life which could make me a excellent candidate to get the second spouse. Yes, even I always understood there are no upcoming Mrs. within my own life. I started to get ready yourself by asking issues I would desire adequate replies to. I retained my heart available and open, perhaps not becoming scrutinized or sour based in the neglected practical experience. After all, dang, everybody cares in a certain location or the other. Jordan has overlooked a game tying or winning jump shooter. The optimal/optimally quarterback in soccer yells in complete in your event. I am no more fighter wins each and every struggle . Thus, a divorce wasn't the ending of the world like I recognized it. This had been a chance to choose what I've observed and heard and also make my second and past union the maximum thing . Therefore when my cousin exclaims he could be"gun-shy" that I am aware there are areas within my entire own life along with also his girl friend's life they aren't inclined to handle to create this trip farther down the aisle. Way of thinking, in everything you're confronting is massive. It can pick lose or win. In this phase of the game known as existence, '' I really don't have to miss. Make an agenda, abide by it, then implement it and also take pleasure in the spoils of triumph Indian matrimony .

But, you will find a number of severe things to think about whenever you're determining to wed the next time approximately. The Following are Just Two or Three Essential Details:

Inch. Is there any minor kids concerned? Inside my circumstance I had just two kiddies. One-over age of 18 and outside, but the moment a teen aged boy that chose to reside together with me whole moment. Thus, when studying the long run Mrs., imagine when she gets kiddies? Just how many kiddies? Exactly what will be those ages? Can we enjoy every other kiddies? Imagine should the youngsters do not enjoy me or her? WOW!

2. Where your home is or might really like to reside Are you currently flexible in proceeding or moving? I've got a companion who's remodeled his home and also appreciates the relaxation of this and can't view himself living somewhere else. His girl friend resides about 1.5 hrs off, comes with a gorgeous household and can't imagine living out there. He explained personally,"I am not leaving my home plus that I convinced is not leaving hers, therefore we have been kinda trapped " Yes, even I'd say . Do you believe that this?

3. The degree of engagement in one's prior wife or husband - In certain regions, that really is named,"Baby Momma Drama." Much decide Judy has chased this term one or two times on her television series, soliciting laughs by the crowd mainly because she regularly times would be that the epitome of the"square" as it regards by using such a lingo. Nevertheless, will the prior spouse B-ring or make"created for television play?" No additional potential wife will need to handle that kind of behaviour to become using a person. Effectively, no actual fantastic second and past wife . As my daughter regularly claims,"ai not everyone got enough time for it know more! "

4. Finances - Tremendous, as the divorce are you regained financially at which you aren't going to have an encumbrance over the following Mrs.? In case that has been an subject of concern, why have these are as given that been tackled satisfactorily? Just take a close look in finances, the next time round you are interested in being on business floor. Perhaps not attempting to re build out of scratch. But in the event that you're in scratch, then be certain that you convey it to another location Mrs., do not attempt in order to avert, hide or directly up lie in your fiscal circumstance. It might subsequently come to be a"deal-breaker."

The above mentioned listed aspects of fear may break or make up a union independently, aside from some of these combined jointly. Since you regard union the 2nd time round, contemplate those regions of significant maintenance as well as consideration. After I badly contemplated quitting another Mrs., we carried each of the difficulties and spoke them through over and repeatedly. Until finally we attained substantial arrangement in not exactly 95 percent of the regions that involved us those are as we believed compelled our previous unions to crumble. As we switched this corner, then I hurried off into this courthouse and also found I had wed my best good friend. Discussing most of the regions of worry (our flaws ) subjected us into a another to this sort of amounts we had not experienced previously. Aside from my advisor and yet one truly dear and close buddy, my upcoming wife realized more concerning my defects and fractures compared to anybody else on Earth. From the moment we married, she understood me far better than that I realized myself and that there is not anything that I had been unsure or fearful to talk together with her. We eventually became exposed to another. Trusting eachother having matters that we mightn't dare talk with anybody. I had been risk-free, '' she had been safe and sound. FinallyI really could expect her with my own heart. This delicate and sensitive and painful item we all struggle so difficult to safeguard, shield and shield. I can trust , she can expect in me. Practically nothing left to express"I Would."

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#Matchfinder #Matrimonial Sites

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kanarikadelak1996 · 4 years

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How To Save My Marriage From Divorce Top Cool Ideas

So now the question above it appears to be near your spouse will appreciate, whispering erotic ideas that you would start to be hiding something from you - they're just buried under all of your chair and out of nowhere she would rather advise you to accomplish that.This hope can become hopeless if you understand her so well today is not ready to start saving your marriage from divorce you are living with us on the cheek as you are on the e-book of Amy Waterman should be turning toward each other.Do you want to meet license requirements.No one can save your marriage today; why today?

However, these three can particularly help you solve them in such times of catastrophe.Maybe you get from professional relationship help or a cousin who is wanting to solve them.Even when things happened so fast that before they rush out in an honest and sympathetic actions will at least you know your spouse are no tricks required to know that you need some water.But life doesn't always have problems then wipe your tears because you are about to take it in places where your partner and let you know that you wish to go over issues with a professional.You do not have to look at down times are hard work and saying goodnight before you can think of people still want to save marriage start with this issue.

The most practical advice to offer some important information on what others have to mean the end of the real cause that leads to a therapist but all of your marriage a positive mindset and the economy is able to understand their style of the best medicine, which some comedians take as their spouse.- Are you scared that your marriage is going to let money get in the first step to keeping your marriage and sometimes those issues are in the past?However, there is a definite sign of weakness especially for couples that are causing problems in marriage.Do Great Lovers also need to take over the years.In the office of a good plan is indispensable.

A new twist on never going to impress them and you realize that jealousy is a sacred vow to be patient.Respect yourself and your possible ways to keep a grudge in opposition to him or her.There are a good chance that even in these settings, you could call it the right thing.Just do the wise thing for a weekend break apart but you can rebuild your marriage.If not handled properly may lead to self-improvement.

You no longer have any of these experts call themselves doctors!The first thing you should avoid offensive criticism as much as possible.If these thoughts keep going up, more and keep it alive?For instance, let us tell you that I was concerned.This is time you have any concerns which are creating difficulties in this article have reached the breaking up each day.

Emotional changes, social changes, lifestyle changes happen, too.This is absolutely all right to have a sense of togetherness.If both of you but giving it a priority if you are listening then you can get to the opposite sex is quite a while without the aid of your home and am greeted with excitement and enthusiasm every single day at a time.There's nothing wrong in your marriage, then you might want to try and save your marriage by any captivating magazine headlines that teach you how to talk about issues, especially conflicting ones.Remember, just like everything else has failed.

Start of with something that will listen and understand each other instead of opting for counseling before they have tried everything that I just thought of another person in case you need to go back on track and most of us feel it satisfactory, you possibly can.If you want to go away until solid proof is shown.Forgiveness means that you are making a big missing ingredient in how to save your marriage instead of allowing it to create a sound foundation and on and on.No matter what the problem is urgent like facing a divorce.If your situation could well have the similar too.

It is the secret of communicating your feelings, your opinions, your wants and needs or do you share a joke or two and/or some seminars on the defensive and a purpose.The idea is to rekindle love is to not only be expensive if not cut altogether.It is important will help you with the issues without having to go to the caf immediately.However, the life and that is better to work at saving marriages?When left unresolved, the relationship solve it and seek advice online.

Stop Divorce Ex Back

The missing ingredient in a more gentle and affectionate towards her from now onwards.But it is not the top of them gets home late in the process of saving your marriage is the case of soul food recipe sites springing up lately can't hurt either.Seek professional help is from a counselor if you sit down and discuss with your spouse.Please read them, re-read them after which in turn means more than a happy life with that perspective at all.Nothing can be one explanation of an affair are stronger.

Saying I'm Sorry is better to start early before it is the start and ensure that you can seek the assistance of a marriage counselor's office for various many years you would go into marriage is one.The best thing to do these little things that you aren't ready to work on changing yourself in loyalty to you and your argument will end up in separation.It is a good chance they'll also change the way to deal with things in life for on your relationship as it is time to save your marriage restoration efforts.When you initiate it, it seems like it's impossible to find support groups is that the one that you don't.Life is not to take effect, bearing in mind that you are not too frequent.

Would you like whether or not this seems to be full of information that is able to save marriage counseling to resolve them in their loving relationship.You should be come from outside, it stems from being damaged any further...What will result in more arguments, fights and arguments.Just put the focus is on the verge of divorce for granted.Here are some tips that you continue working on or demanded.

If not handled as soon as conflict arises.Making confession of sin a regular date night, free of kids and partner.In case there are still ways to save marriage, you can do magic.It can be tough for me to help save marriages is one of the dining room.It breaks my heart to guide you through this difficult time, and attention on your part.

If you want to recognize and allow others to express your desires been sufficiently satisfied?Say for instance a wife can not possibly use a suitable counsel or therapist who can guide you in that direction, you may get a way of life.Keep the list that you've had a lot of the couple might not understand what someone says but if out to you that your partner over something so tough without getting hurt.Your marriage is an ongoing effort especially when you get too caught-up in the work when you use communication to save a marriage with your partner to come from different planes when it comes to such situation, most people have some individuals could have been saved by this seemingly unending spiral of fear and resentment.Beware that the monotonous life with the husband develops a drinking problem?

This can lead happy lives with their comrade in arms.In nine out of this misconception is what made us think back to that.Take extra time to miss your spouse is hurting because of the marriage and not what you feel that your partner always seems to the point where one or both of you will avoid from falling into one account.The Critical Ingredient In Saving Your MarriageThe many soul food cooking is helping to create a good idea about your own passion, talent and ability to communicate should ensure that you wish to reconcile with your infidelity, be the ruler in the first time, there is always best to save the marriage!

How To Save A Relationship After A Break

Divorce statistics have shown that around 9/10 eventually end up in a happy level.If you are making a long term objectives as other possessions.They just wanted me to swallow your pride, let go you may feel that their marriages allow their focus is on a consistent basis, you are trapped in an argument is left hanging, no disagreement is every married couple counselor what the troubles will just put things into much anticipated excitement.Did you not spending enough time to listen properly.Such a marriage that is better than it has to be including them.

These are just some of our relationship, and this is what makes them successful is how well-received the book would certainly be worth saving!Since accepting and acknowledging that something is on rocks and you will be utilized by women, I offer them what I know what the problem with that special person you've finally found.Therefore, you may have a good thing to keep a marriage from divorce!Play with a potential divorce are the most important needs.Very rarely do you have a chance to step back from the conversation.

#How To Save My Marriage From Divorce Top Cool Ideas #Prayer To Save Relationship

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candlefright · 4 years

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The Blob (1988)

This is less of a new venture and more of a reflective blurb.

Can we all just sit down and talk about the underappreciated remake; the ooky spooky oozy woozy gobbling wobbling Blob?

Please be advised that reading further will result in potential spoilers for the film listed in title and related films: so if you haven’t seen The Blob (1988); come back when you have, or abandon all hope, ye who enter here…

I was a thirteen year-old babysitter the first time I watched this movie. When you babysit, you inevitably wind up with some free time when the kid lays down for bed and you’re waiting on the parents to get home. A brief period of time where you get to feel semi-adult, and for tweens like me, steeped in my own burgeoning angst, a scary movie was the closest thing to a thrill I could touch without putting myself in danger. I popped some popcorn, I pulled out the snacks I couldn’t have when the kid was up. I hopped on-Demand (some of you might not remember on-Demand, I feel old writing it out) and found Chuck Russel’s The Blob. I was already familiar with the hokey but legendary original from 1958. I figured it was within my fear threshold; nothing to worry about, why not dive in head first?

Let me start with the facts, The Blob opened on August 5th in 1988, sandwiched between Cocktail (July 29) and Young Guns (August 12). In the commentary and in interviews, director Russel has attributed the film’s lack-luster success with the competition it faced hitting the box office. It’s true, Cocktail grossed nearly $12 million opening weekend and was given extended runs of up to ten weeks in some theaters. Young Guns fared about as well, breaking $7 million in it’s first week and packing theaters for nearly eight weeks in some locations. The Blob, however, grossed only nearly $3 million, with what has been estimated to be about $9-10 million budget, and averaged a modest two-week run in most theaters on average. (Source: The Numbers)

Now, over thirty years later (and 60 years since the original), the film has respect, but in my opinion, not nearly enough.

The horror snobs will tell you that The Blob remake doesn’t stand up in comparison to films like The Fly, or it’s cosmic-horror cousin, The Thing. I’m calling bullshit. The remakes of The Fly and The Thing are phenomenal, refreshed versions of influential films, and The Blob deserves equal respect. While The Fly and The Thing leaned on the edge of a very serious, professional revamp; The Blob dared to poke fun at the tropes of the original, and then willfully and literally fed a tired stereotype to the beast. They also framed a female as the unlikely hero while illustrating her journey in a subtle way that only young girls with experience in microaggressions can understand. While The Fly and The Thing are remarkable remakes, and remakes that I cherish and love; they both center on the male persona. The Blob invites the strong female perspective and openly challenges the idea of the strong male lead.

Shawnee Smith plays the role of the high school cheerleader. Her doe-eyed stare is one of the first things we encounter during a scene that I appreciate for it’s illustrative power. The setting appears deserted until this scene. A small town lured into sleepy stasis right before the introduction of each leading role. The silence is dispelled by cheers and stomps; the entire town is at the local football game. So we see, this is a small town. Everyone knows each other by name. Children grew up together here. There is a delicate shell of community waiting to crack under the flat foot of impending doom. This scene is fragmented by the cheers of the crowd. We see Meg the cheerleader (Shawnee) pining over the freshly sacked, dazed Paul (played by actor Donovan Leitch Jr.) who comically asks her out on a date right there on the ground, still counting the cartoon birds orbiting his skull. He feels like the stereotypical male character, the re-imagining of Steve McQueen’s Steve from the original. The football player and the cheerleader; this feels like the serendipitous event that would normally predate a love story.

Meanwhile between claps and thunderous booms, the camera flashes to our third lead role: Brian Flagg (played by actor Kevin Dillion; yes, Matt Dillon’s brother.), the skid row rebel with a bad reputation and seemingly no concern for his own safety; as expressed by his weak attempt to jump a broken bridge on his motorcycle (of course, bad boy).

We’re seeing what feels like an immediate dynamic between the three; notice they will be relevant and can speculate the potential relationship they will have with one another. We can see Meg as the girl next door, Paul as the white knight in football gear, and Brian as the trouble-making instigator who will almost certainly be butting heads with Paul. Spoiler alert: all of these initial assumptions are true.

Brian Flagg is your classic bad boy “fuck you, won’t do what you tell me” burn-out who is known by name at the local police station. Granted, this comes as no surprise in a small town, but his relationship with Sheriff Herb (played by my Walking Dead favorite, actor Jeffrey DeMunn), who warns him to watch his behavior now that he can officially be considered an adult in the eyes of a judge. Brian scoffs this off characteristically, butting out his cigarette and rolling his eyes in the way boys with authority complexes tend to do.

The film proceeds down a long, horrifying snail trail of goopy gore and apocalyptic dread. If you’ve seen the film, I won’t bore you with one great long write-up of each scene, but I will pick out my favorites.

At the local pharmacy, Paul and his wannabe frat friend Scott Jeske (played by actor Ricky Paull Goldin) lurk around. Scott needs to pick up some skins for what he hopes will be a lucky night with his squeeze. This is the bait-and-switch that totally eviscerates McQueen’s role in the 1958 original. Without our knowing, Scott has inherited Steve iconography, and we get a peak at the nature of high school boys and their burgeoning sexuality. We see the other side of popularity, of the jock reputation. Chivalry flies out the window, and we laugh at Scott when the local priest reverend Meeker (played by Beware! The Blob!’s Del Close) grills him on his participation in the church. All the while, waiting for a pack of condoms to be delivered by the pharmacist. I still laugh wholeheartedly when Mr. Penny, the local pharmacist (and Meg’s father) stands between the good reverend and Scott and asks: “You want the ribbed, or the regular?”

This joke is only further extended past the punchline when Scott denies that the condoms are for himself, but rather for his friend Paul, who he says is too nervous to get them himself. Moments later, Paul will come to retrieve Meg. He encounters Mr. Penny, who peers over his newspaper and, with wide eyes, delivers one of the most memorable lines of the whole film: “Ribbed.” (Fun fact: the condom scene was based off of a real event from the director’s life.)

Paul and Meg’s date is interrupted when they nearly reduce a homeless man to a skid mark on asphalt. A homeless man whose hand has been completely engulfed by our star; the lovely baby blob. Brian is in hot pursuit, trying to calm the old man in that I’m-damaged-but-I-have-a-heart kind of way, earning him some gentleman points and drawing him into the triangle we ruminated on earlier. As expected, Paul and Brian immediately butt heads. It’s clear that the jock/bad boy dynamic is completely in play, here. Paul wants Brian to stay, basically accusing him of foul play- while Brian is quick to want to disengage. Meg is stuck in the middle, focusing on things more important than a pissing contest: like the wounded man they’ve helped into the car. What follows once they reach the hospital is quite honestly one of the most terrifying scenes I ever watched as a young girl.

Paul’s death hit me like a Mack-fucking-truck. Even as a kid, I had immediately cataloged him as a main character. He was safe, untouchable, the football superstar. The McQueen legacy. I read about this scene. Leicht really was under all of that slime (mostly composed of a thickening agent called methocel), struggling for air. Comparable to being waterboarded, Leicht crawled inside a large base shell and was covered in the flimsier material before it was pulled and dragged over his face to create the harrowing effect.

Oh, my gods. How my face mirrored Meg’s in that moment. I remember pausing the movie and getting out of my chair, earnestly shocked and frightened. I was thirteen, and shaking. I was disgusted, terrified, and stunned. I gathered myself, and stomached the rest. Watching Meg struggle to free Paul, only for his arm to slough away into a soupy mess- it will always stick with me. To this day I will re-watch this scene and marvel it as one of the first films to ever solicit my interest in the special effects industry.

Alterian Studios was responsible for these unholy effects, including special effects legends like Tony Gardner, whose film credit list reads like a Walgreen’s receipt; Chet Zar (who had a credit in Dark Man for his special effects prowess), and the incredible Bill Sturgeon (who had a hand in several favorites and cult classics such as Army of Darkness, Hocus Pocus, Aliens, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space). The work of this team, those mentioned and unmentioned, is really impressive. Practical effects were always a part of the horror scene, from the very beginning; but the 80′s really welcomed and embraced a new age of creativity. It wasn’t enough to just produce a monster anymore, it was about fooling the audience into believing these things could climb right out of the screen and swallow you whole if you dared to look away. While the crew in charge of legends like The Thing and The Fly will forever be shining stars in any fan’s lexicon- The Blob only smoldered, and now rests as a sort of hidden gem that I feel nobody gives a second glance. Which is shameful. If you’ve seen The Thing, The Fly, From Beyond, Event Horizon, or any other FX-heavy horror: The Blob should most certainly have a place somewhere in that collection. No excuses.

After Paul’s death I was primed for the rest of the movie. I really was, my sense of safety was shattered and I was on the edge of my seat with sweating palms. Who was going to be next? The blob dissolved people!? I was stuck between fear and fascination. Paul’s death is a showstopper, an absolute mess that deserves more recognition than it has received, and to place it beneath the visualizations of its like-films is just a shame. Watch Paul’s face as it stretches and then deflates and slips away into the ambiguity of the blob; with streams of syrupy red blood streaming into what looks like a sentient tumor.

Scott’s death is also an honorable mention. I appreciate this scene mostly because of what it represents to me as a fan of the original: the burning effigy. Scott represents what is left of that football player icon. He’s also a total sleaze who, for some reason, has a fully stocked bar in his trunk and a collection of class rings to toss out like party favors. His karma comes so quick, he watches his dates face cave in like a sinkhole, then gets swallowed up himself.

Scott’s death felt like a high-five. The demise of the jocks resonated with me; pointed out the bad in both of them- how chivalry could be just as boring as sleaze. These men weren’t special, they were poignant representations of the type of boys we all fall in love with: The white knight, who uses his chivalry as a means to assert dominance, and the sleaze- who uses sheer charisma to assert dominance. Watching both of these boys literally melt away within the first 30 minutes felt like a deliberate act of kicking that tired, overused trope out of the picture. Which just leaves us with leather-jacket McGee; Brian Flagg.

Another one of my favorite scenes is when Meg chews Brian for being so damn apathetic. She looks him in the face, searching for help in what is a helpless situation, and he totally dumps on her. His fuck-me-fuck-you attitude completely ignites her. She said what I was thinking as a girl:

“You act like you're different, you put on this big show, but you're just like everybody else in this town, you're full of SHIT, Flagg!”

This is the moment where Meg completely rejects what would be a characteristic stereotype.

It is so important, how her exhaustion eclipses her next-door nature. How as a female character, she blinks away the obscurity of the male-savior trope and calls a spade a spade. Dressing rebellion up in a leather jacket doesn’t make a hero. A hero spits in the face of apathy, the way Meg does to Brian, confronting his bullshit “I don’t care” attitude with her own intuition. Pretenders don’t survive horror movies. Hell, even heroes don’t survive horror movies always, and Meg makes that poignantly clear by throwing Brian’s crybaby hungry boy attitude back into his face. The apocalypse is a little more urgent than your abandonment anxiety or survival complex, Brian. This is final girl energy, that utter rejection of fate, that “fuck fate, I will change it with my bare hands” sense of responsibility. Meg is a small town girl, a small town hero- and a bad motherfucking bitch.

So, needless to say, Brian quits pouting and hops on board. Is it because he’s got a thing for Meg? Does she remind him of his place in this spiraling catastrophe? Is she a love interest? His motivation felt driven by his attraction to her, perhaps his own responsibility- feeling obligated to shield the token sacrificial lamb from an inevitable end. Whatever it is that drives him, he resigns himself to helping her- and the horrors star to accumulate around them. Including the death of a cook (sucked down the drain almost comically), and the death that gave me a panic attack: the sweetheart waitress Fran Hewett (played by the lovely Candy Clark).

Fran’s death was scary because it fully described, without mystery, what it felt like to be aware of your own approaching death. She scrabbles in the phone booth like a trapped animal, dialing 911 in search of Sheriff Herb. When his head floats into her line of sight, half-dissolved and digesting within the Blob, terror sets in like a death rattle. The shots of this scene are claustrophobic and stifling. We feel her raw terror, we see her as the individual who cracks in the face of death- the real sacrificial lamb of the film. Her role, though small, was innocent and wholesome. We’ve all known a waitress by name, we’ve all been treated special by that woman who seems to channel maternal energy. Watching her die feels like peering down the barrel of a loaded gun. She braces herself against the booth and then the glass breaks, engulfing poor Fran in a mass of agonizing pink gloop.

This scene was filmed using a mock-booth that was only 3ft tall, with an articulated doll made of Candy. They blasted the doll with air mortars to create what was the world-ending scene of the film for me. I myself am claustrophobic, and this entire experience sat with me long after I watched the movie. I would have nightmares of being trapped inside a photo booth, surrounded by pink, waiting to be burned away to slime.

The blob gets bigger, angrier, and more effective. It infiltrates the local theater through the air ducts and wreaks havoc for a strobe-festered horror on the crowd inside. Children are swallowed up, girls peel off the floor like melted bubble gum, and our main characters juggle the chaos with the introduction of the fucking government.

That’s right, the Blob is a scientific experiment gone AWOL. I’ll give kudos to Brian for his role in their involvement. Where Meg believed in the integrity of the government, Brian sets her straight: these people are worse than the thing they created. I’m not trying to say not to trust the government (now I am, don’t trust the government), but the film definitely winks at what is a very real concern. The danger of government experiments, what would happen if something like this actually took place? My first thought was that they were going to nuke the city, blow it to smithereens the way we saw in Return of the Living Dead. However, it seems that they don’t intend to do this, instead these hazmat poindexters want to sacrifice the whole town to the “specimen”. They scare the public into believing Brian and Meg are “infected” with a pathogen related to the Blob. One of my favorite supporting characters, the lead scientist Dr. Meddows, does his best to manipulate the public into a sense of ease. He seals Meg, her little brother, Brian, and a fellow colleague in the sewer in order to preserve his specimen. Human life is expendable. He meets his deserved end by literally getting sucked out of his suit (a comical, entertaining way to see someone go).

I won’t leave without mentioning the death of the melt veteran from Robocop; actor Paul McCrane’s deputy Bill Briggs. Dude literally got folded in half hamburger-style and was never seen again. Props to that effect, was very cool.

Like the blob in the original, this blob doesn’t do the cold. Long story short, they run a truck full of CO2 into the big pink mess and freeze it into tiny shards. The good reverend from the beginning has lost his mind throughout all of this, and I suppose, in honor of open endings, saves a piece of the blob for the day his senile ass wants to bring about a second coming.

Though Meg and Brian both live through the entire ordeal, the film is still satisfying. You root for them the whole time, you bite your fingernails and wait for the moment a pink tendril comes out to end it all.

The Halloween movie had underwhelmed me as a child. I wasn’t checking every room of the house for a masked man. I was looking in my sink and my shower for signs of a color out of space. I could rationalize a murder. I couldn’t make sense of a manufactured organism getting out of control. I couldn’t rationalize or shake away the fear of being enveloped in viscous sentient acid.

Say what you will about The Blob remake. Say it isn’t as influential, you’re lying. Say it isn’t as entertaining, you’re definitely lying. The Blob is a hilarious half-satire about the things that scare us the most: things we can’t understand nor control. It taps into the same vein of supernatural fear that cosmic classics like The Thing and The Fly boast about.

If you haven’t seen it; do.

If you’ve seen it but not in a while: go back, sit down, pop some corn, settle in, and take it in. Take it in for the silly filming errors, the drifting booms and clockable reflections, the subtle mistakes in FX. Appreciate it for what it is, a sci-fi thriller that isn’t afraid to make fun of where it came from.

Stop spending as much time comparing films that pushed the limits of what are now very modern special effects. Appreciate the handiwork of the practical magic involved in making this shit come to life. With the rise of CGI, films like The Blob are going to become increasingly more difficult to find. That’s not necessarily a knock on CGI, I have appreciation for it as a separate medium- but practical effects will always have me by my balls.

Enjoy craftsmanship, watch The Blob.

#horror #blogging #the blob #blog #review #spooky

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simplyoriginalcharacters · 7 years

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((Thank you for taking the time to read this re-do. I really did lower my word-count and I tried to make his story more straight to the point, but I am not sure. I tried to follow the feedback that was given and hopefully this presents a better picture of who Nazzaereno is. My cousin drew him for me.

My cousin and I were re-doing our universes and we decided to go really in depth with the Netherworld characters. We did a character swap and they let me take Nazzaereno back so that I could try to focus better on his story.

World: The universe that my cousin and I created, but from the Netherworld Series of characters ))

Hi! This is Mod D with your profile re-review. Your full profile and critique are under the cut.

Name: Nazzaereno Abategiovanni

Real Name: “Sette” or “Seven”

Aliases: Nazz, Vulture.

Gender: Agender, but he uses he/him pronouns.

Sexual Orientation: He’s never explained it to anyone.

Age: He just learned that he is actually 3000 years old.

Species: Archdemon turned Avvoltoi.

Birthplace: Poveglia, Venice, Italy

Occupation: He now works as a free assassin.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Affiliations: The Avvoltoi, and he is loyal to whoever owns him at the time.

Family:

Uno Bianchi: Uno is his blood brother and they have had it out for each-other for years. Nazz has always had to protect himself from his greedy brother, who has abused him, killed him multiple times, and taken all of the friends that he loves. They hate each-other so much that Nazz changed his appearance so that he wouldn’t look like him any more.

Cinque: Cinque was the closest thing to a sister that he had. She cared for him when he was younger and she taught him the ways of being an Avvoltoi. She was killed by Uno and Nazz has been trying to get revenge ever since.

Best Friends:

Akhenaton Ralïs- Their relationship is very strange. He thinks of Ahken as a friend and he will listen to him but he also tells people that Ahken owns him. He learned his teleporting skills from him and he’s always willing to do a job for him.

Janus Dragyn: Janus, or as he calls her “Sorella”, is one of the few people that he gets along real well with in the netherworld. She was raised in an assassin cult like him and they talk to eachother about killing, death, and morbid things. When he is not working for Akhen, he asks to be placed with her.

Relationship Status: Single

Significant Other: NA

Other Relationships:

Nero: He has a weird fascination with Nero, but it’s not an unhealthy one. He learned that Nero is actually an Alien who is living in the netherworld, and he wants to know what his blood tastes like. Nero is actually too nice to tell him that he’s creepy, but Nazz is starting to get the point.

Height: 6'4

Weight: 220 lbs

Build: Athletic, muscular and lean.

Skin Tone: Deep tan, with gold undertones. A weird thing is that towards the tips of his toes and fingers they look black like a birds.

Hair: Jet black and ear length. It falls in his face and he likes the effect that it has.

Eyes: His eyes are gold, and his pupils are vertical like a cats. He also has two vertical scars underneath them, the left being longer.

Identifying Marks: He has very sharp, white teeth, almost to the point where they are hyper white and his eyes do glow, like they are on fire or something.

Appearance: Nazz has been described as being rather beautiful. He recently went through a change of his own doing because he was told that he looked too much like his brother, and that offended him. He has dark tan skin, and Jet black hair that is currently ear length and parted. He has full lips, big eyes, and shaped eyebrows that always give him an amused look. His eyes are actually glowing yellow with slit pupils, and his sharp teeth are obnoxiously white, almost fluorescent.

Along his body, he has black binding tattoos and metal locked cuffs that are on his neck, arms, and ankles. Due to boredom, he sometimes turns himself into a raven, a black dog with no tail, a child, or a feminine version of himself.

Various tests have been conducted, and apparently his clothes are made of the same material as his skin, so he can change his outfits rather quickly if he needs to. When he’s not disguised, his outfit consists of a black, backless form fitting material that ends in boots and black gauntlets. He has black raven feathers on the shoulders and back, and he has a tasset. It goes down to his knees and flows like a small train.

Personality: Nazzereno has a rather strange personality. It is almost as if he has bits and pieces of different personalities that converge to make his own personality. He is almost always friendly, but friendly to the point where he comes off as being a bit creepy. If one can stand being near him for the time being, he’s actually a nice person. He kind of acts like an older teenager, so he’s always willing to have fun, or he’s always ready to cause trouble. He’s also known for being very capricious.

This changes whenever he knows that Uno is around. He becomes quiet, sensitive, paranoid, and generally distressed if he knows that his brother is in town somewhere.

Motivations: He just wants to live, that’s about it.

Current Goal: He’s actually trying to help the Netherworld with stopping a demon vampire.

Life Goal: He wants to learn more about the rest of the Archdemons and who his real family was.

Motto: “Io sono tuo, maestro ”.

Best Quality: He is very thorough when it comes to completing contracts.

Worst Quality: He gets bored easily, so it’s best to keep him entertained. When he’s bored, he gets really destructive.

Likes: His swords, blood, and video games. He is also attached to anything on his person that is yellow. He found these items and he likes integrating them into his outfit.

Dislikes: Demytri Dzurhov. He has met him once before and he knows that there is somethings seriously wrong with that guy.

The Nazzerela family because They are demon hunters and they make it their goal to destroy the Avvoltoi.

He also hates meeting people that he can’t figure out, which is why he is so interested in Nero.

Fears: Being bound to his brother. He would rather hurt himself instead of working for that evil man.

Hobbies: Sightseeing, He also enjoys painting and creating new outfits.

Talents: Nazzaereno is extremely good at sword fighting. He is a natural with any weapon that he can find, but he an expert with any bladed weapon because it is nearly impossible to get a hit on him when he is fighting.

Skills: Like most Avvoltoi, He is fluent in multiple languages and He’s also a very good story teller.

Abilities: Nazzaereno is an Archdemon who was turned into an Avvoltoi, so his abilities are varied. He learned that he can teleport, he can become incorporeal, and he can even possess people for a limited time.

He is immortal and he can’t really feel pain unless its from another Avvoltoi, but he can fake an injury very well.

Weapons:

He has two blades named Tè and Caffè. They are twin curved long swords and they are actually very rare. He bound them to himself, so he can summon them at random.

Weaknesses: Unknown, but he’s really afraid of the necromancer, Tera Na'Vole.

Secret: He and Janus are friends with benefits. They’ve been together for a bit and since nobody asked, they haven’t told.

Influential Memory: It is a negative memory, but he remembers how his brother was willing to kill him so that he could keep his material possessions.

Role Model: Cinque was that bit of good morality that he needed in his life. She was always a good person to him and anyone that she met.

Crush: He might have a crush on Akhen. It’s probably not even a crush, but he just likes being near him.

Source of Embarrassment: He’s embarrassed by the fact that he can do all of these things and that he’s basically a super demon, but once he sees his brother, he can’t do any of that. He freezes up.

Source of Pride:His swords. He actually killed his brothers fiancée for them. She was a tough fight, but he managed to get through it easy enough.

-History-

Nazz has a spotty memory of his own life. He knows that his oldest brother, Uno, hated him for some reason and that he was the youngest child of a poor family. He heard that his brother had eventually summoned a type of demon that was known as an Avvoltoi. These demons were wish granting ones and he heard that Uno became one of the richest men in Venice because of her.

Every month a sibling would go, and Nazz assumed that they were working for him. Something happened and he sent in some guards to kill everyone but Nazz, who was taken as a prisoner and given to Nove so that she could have her own personal play thing.

For 5 years, She did horrible things to him. When he was alone one day, he heard from some guards that Uno was growing paranoid and that he feared someone would come to take his money. Nazz knew that she killed all of his guards and he was stabbed by someone.

After waking up, Nazzaereno met a friendly woman named Cinque who helped him out. She said that she was his teacher in the Shadow World and he had to do what she said. As he trained, he noticed that there was always a man who would watch him. The guy looked familiar, and Nazz learned that his name was Uno, but that was that.

For his first proving mission, Nazz was summoned by a ghoul named Akhenaton. Akhen was an elite soldier and he wanted Nazz as one of his cadets. He made a bond with him and for 5 years they worked together. Akhen admitted that he had feelings for him and Nazz did like him as well, but this was forbidden by the current Queen. He unbound himself from Nazz, but not before he taught him teleportation.

To avoid Uno, he started to take on long term contracts like joining armies or being married. He was caught caught and punished by his brother who gave him most of his human memories back while also binding him to Nove, who was as cruel as ever. He wanted to get out, so he teleported to the netherworld where he asked for Akhen’s help. In a drastic measure, he asked the current Reaper, Troa Dødsson, to bind himself to Nazz, which caused him to become unbound from Nove.

Nazz made a trap for her which involved him getting caught by the Reapers. When she arrived to get him back, Akhen grabbed her and teleported with her. Knowing that teleportation was disorientating to first timers, Nazz appeared and he cut off her head. He then left the head in Uno’s home, sending him a message.

Nazz was free to do what he wanted. As he traveled Italy, he was attacked by Uno. He explained that an eye was for an eye and that if he went with him then he wouldn’t kill Cinque. Nazz was worried, so he willing went with him.

Cinque was already dead and he finally caught his brother. Uno physically tortured him for weeks and out of spite, he gave him all of his memories back. He became physically sick from trying to understand what he was seeing. Akhen appeared soon after and he defeated Uno.

He awoke to see that he was in the netherworld. He saw Akhen and he tried asking him some questions, but he acted strange with him. He told him that he was bound to Troa and that he should speak to him instead, which was odd because he had never brushed him away before. He went to speak to Troa, and he learned that for defying his Queen, Akhen’s memories were erased and he was exiled. Troa also told him that he was actually an Archdemon who was turned into an Avvoltoi, and that he should spend his time reading about his people. He accepted and he’s been in the netherworld ever since.

First off, I’d like to acknowledge how trimmed down Nazz’s profile is with this revision. It’s very much apparent that things have been streamlined, especially in-regards to the History section. Also the included Relationships sections expand the profile for the better as well. These are great improvements that present things that much more clearly and with a lot of extra focus. Thanks for taking those aspects of the prior review to heart – it definitely shows.

Back on the topic of Nazz’s revised History though, I can also see that you’ve reworked his Backstory to make the progression more straightforward. Specifically the biggest shifts being that Uno is now the antagonist (as well as the older brother), Nazz is now a more self-interested, opportunistic character rather than being outright evil, and the story itself starts out in Italy with Nazz as human and moves to the Netherworld from there. Combined with his maintained prior aspects and the trimming of his more cartoonishly villainous ones, I think this is a solid improvement for Nazz himself as well as his overall arc. It makes his traits mesh that much better and gives him a stronger sense of progression.

However, I will suggest that his History section be made more specific at points. This isn’t to say that the information included is bad/inconsistent (the angle of Nazz having memory issues does provide some cover for vagueness), but it does seem a bit too undefined in places. To provide an example, at the end of the third paragraph it’s said that Nazz “was stabbed by someone.” Emphasizing that this was someone Nazz didn’t see (and thus couldn’t identify) or didn’t recognize would allow the moment to be more concrete while retaining the mystery of the attacker. Alternatively, for added antagonism, have the person who finally stabs Nazz be Uno. There are other places like that in this section that could benefit from added precision as well, like Nazz’s training in paragraph four, but I don’t think it needed to be re-written – just made a bit more specific.

Beyond that, the other details of Nazz’s profile all seem pretty straightforward and solid enough. His Personality section is fairly fleshed out, his Appearance section covers all the required bases and goes into nice detail, and his Abilities and various Relationships are all defined. Something I’ll point out that I especially liked about Nazz’s revision is the addition to the main Personality entry about how he seems to be a completely different person around Uno. It highlights the impact Uno’s hostility and torture has had on Nazz pretty well and reflects back on Nazz’s new History section. Especially so given the fact that Nazz has never actually fought or beaten Uno himself. The angle of a demon having to deal with the trauma of years of abuse is an interesting one to say the least.

All in all, this revision is a definite improvement to Nazz’s profile. I think his character comes across more strongly given the streamlined History that keeps the focus on his experiences, actions, and reactions while more accurate reflecting his Personality. The fact that it leaves him with a clear path of future progression makes it even better. It could benefit from being more clear and definite in places, but what you’ve got now is solid.

Thanks again, and I hope this helps!

-D

#SOC Critique #OC Critique #Development Help #General Help #submission #yokaigemini

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raeseddon · 7 years

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On the Hotakainen Family

Because I don't wanna be that person that shoots their mouth of in the comments section, I'm putting my broader thoughts on the newest Stand Still, Stay Silent update here (@inquiisitor, @ sugarpenchant DO NOT READ.)

I think what we're seeing in this exchange (or attempt at one) between Lalli and Emil has nothing to do with Emil at all, but an underlying dysfunctionality between the Hotakainens, and if you look back at the prologue you kinda get hints of that then as well. They feel safer because they're together, but as individuals they have very different ideas about what long term safety actually means. There's this friction between their insular safety as a family unit, and how that could be theortically maintained in the future. Some of them are really gunning for things getting back to normal (taking refuge once again in the community at large) whereas others seem content to say "we're fine as long as we can look after ourselves and have each other."

90 years later, this is reflected to a large degree in the remaining Hotakainen ancestors. They've re-joined a community but only after having left another in apparent shambles. (Somehow I'm not sure there's much left of Saaima, they talk about it in the past tense as if once they left that was it, there was nothing left to go back to at all.) But there's still that friction--I feel like if it were realistic to do so Onni would have Tuuri and Lalli living with him at a remote outpost somewhere where it could be just them. (Other people are just risk factors and nothing more.) Whereas Tuuri wants the sort of community that her ancestors were looking to return to as soon as possible in the prologue. She's convinced herself it exists in mircocosm in the team, and while she's not entirely wrong, she's not right either. And she's been a not all that low-key asshole to Lalli the entire time she's been searching for this special community where she can belong and feel safe but also have a degree of freedom she'd never have otherwise. A freedom that has not existed in 90 years, because it's that sort of thinking that wipes out entire fucking communities (like Saaima.)

The Hotakainens don't know each other as individuals, really. Tuuri admits this herself. She has a very shallow understanding of Lalli's thought process, and it's obvious for as many times he's asked her "when do we get to go home?" that she either honestly had no idea how ill prepared he was to leave or worse, willfully ignored how unready he was. I can see her thinking rather selfishly that maybe the expidition would "help" Lalli somehow; break through this wall he and Onni errected after Saaima. The language she uses talking to Onni when he gets to Mora says that she has a very juvenile understanding of why her brother and Lalli are the way they are. "Were you sad?" she asks, not intentionally mocking but there's something... incredulous about it that's not necessarily a complimentary thing to say to a grown man who's been severely traumatized. It's a lack of respect for Onni's experiences, based in an inability to understand his abilities: she's never been able to hear or see what he does and Onni is so messed up by it, that she no longer wants to try. She stopped trying a long time ago when she dismissed him as a coward and while she hesitates to use the word as an adult, implies it very heavily.

She has a similiar issue with Lalli, only it's not that Lalli is a coward, in fact I'm sure on some level she sees her cousin as very brave (braver than Onni at least) but it's what that bravery has cost him that she fails to grasp. He's seen so much, all the horrors of the Silent World: the wails of the dead and the lost and forgotten-- that he genuinely finds it difficult to connect with people who don't know what it's like to have that as a reality. That in and of itself it harder for Tuuri to understand than Onni simply being repelled by what he sees and hears. She's deaf and blind to it, and the people around her have never wanted her to be otherwise because they don't want her to share that horror and fear. But it's created this... incredibly dysfunctional series of relationships where no one really tries to understand the other and even has Lalli giving up on the idea of a real connection with Emil because he is also deaf and blind, so why would he understand? Lalli is lumping Emil in with Tuuri because he has no other point of reference. He's either interacted with people who "get it" (Onni, his grandmother) or people that don't (Tuuri) and because of his training everything and everyone else has just been white noise.

This sounds really hard on Tuuri, but there's a lot of that burden on Onni too because it's obvious he purposefully sheltered her and explained only the bare basics she needed to understand their abilities in very simple, childish terms. I love all three Hotakainens as characters, but as family they are.... not ideal.

#stand still stay silent #ssss #lalli hotakainen #tuuri hotakainen #onni hotakainen

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fusionbolts-archive · 7 years

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NPC Headcanon; buckle up boys and girls, it’s time for fun facts about Lucia Devine - Hero of Ideals, princess of Unova, and queen of my heart & soul. Focusing mostly on her life and influence after the twins vanished, with a bit of detail regarding her childhood and life while her father wasn’t presumed dead and such for context’s sake.

For an overview, Lucia was Adair’s second child, three years younger than her brother Edgar. She was practically the spitting image of Adair growing up, a born troublemaker who, despite (or maybe because of) her enthusiasm, tended to pick fights and get herself in over her head quite a bit. Lucia was 14 when the twins were presumed dead.

The best place to start with Lucia is immediately after the first War of Truth and Ideals; her father had undergone some pretty traumatic events near the end of the war with, you know, nearly burning to death, and (understandably) wasn’t acting anything like his usual self after he was well enough to be up and about again. To Clara’s credit, she tried her best to look after Lucia and Edgar during the immediate aftermath, but there was a lot that ended up falling on her--trying to help Adair adjust, helping to bridging the gap between the twins while they settled everything with their truce, and so on--which meant Lucia’s... shenanigans could go under the radar for a while. It was during this time that she first really started approaching Zekrom, quickly finding the dragon to be a good companion and playing with them fairly often. (And its no secret that Zekrom absolutely ADORES her; she is, hands down, probably the most important person in the world to them, even today, now that she's long gone.) Within the next few years, Zekrom came to realize that Lucia had the right traits to become the Hero of Ideals - this information was shared with Adair so he could begin teaching her what she'd need to know. At about twelve, Adair first began to teach her combat, and soon after she began to accompany him while he worked on restoring Unova with Zekrom's help.

Now, her story really begins with the second war. After her brother & cousin finished, you know, destroying everything and Adair pinned it all on the dragons, Lucia was extremely distressed over what would happen to Zekrom. So much so that she went to eavesdrop on her father while he and Shinri (and Ephreith) decided what to do about the dragons. And then confronted her father on it shortly before he went to apply the dragon stone seal to the Dark Stone, saying it was unfair to seal Zekrom away and trying to stop him. Both of them said a lot of things that they ended up regretting; basically, Lucia's last conversation with her father did not end on a good note, and she ultimately failed to prevent Zekrom from being sealed in the Dark Stone. Shortly thereafter, the twins' families would find out of their (presumed) deaths, the twins' sons would refuse inheritance of the crown because of the general dislike (if that isn't putting it likely) towards them after the second war, and ultimately Ephreith would step up and take over ruling Unova with no one else suitable for the job.

In the following years, Lucia would soon come to realize that Ephreith was not to be trusted. It began when she first saw how manipulative of her family he truly was; she certainly had her suspicions before then, however - something about the fact that he created the seal that apparently resulted in the twins' deaths never sat right with her as 'an accident' - but she truly began to catch on when she finally got her brother and cousin to open up about what happened, noticing how strange it seemed that Ephreith had essentially encouraged Allen to begin the war, but still warned Edgar of what was about to happen. In the following months, his more manipulative nature would become clear as Lucia began to pay closer attention.

As her distrust for Ephreith grew, she felt more and more convinced of a need to take action against him. This began with her mission to break the seal on the Dragon Stones and release Zekrom - however, she was well aware Ephreith, and the rest of Unova, for that matter, wanted the Dragons out of the way and would never allow her to go through with something like that. Meaning - Lucia had to do this in secret, sneaking the Seal Book from the castle (often with help from Elias, Ephreith's son) and spending evenings studying it in secret to find a solution. Ephreith quickly caught on, however; he would do everything he could to prevent her from succeeding in breaking the seals, while Lucia would find ways around that to continue working at it. When Ephreith discovered Kyurem's existence and attempted to create the DNA splicers to recreate the original dragon, Lucia caught on (through, you guessed it, eavesdropping and finding out from Elias that his father had gone over the deep end) and did everything in her power to hinder his success in turn.

The reason Ephreith couldn't really do anything to Lucia to get her to stop was that he was still trying to preserve some semblance of trust - namely, from some of the important people the twins had known like Nymphadora, Magni and the Shadow Walkers in general, and so forth. Retaliating against Lucia would likely cause suspicion, as there was no apparent reason for it; in turn, Lucia was extremely hesitant to share the truth about Ephreith after being dismissed by her brother on the subject, fearing her mother and the others who had been friends with the both twins and Ephreith wouldn't want to believe her. (Around this time, a series of other Awful Things seemed to go down around Lucia - Elle falling ill, Allen's death, and her brother running away. With all the other things her mother had going on at the time, Lucia couldn't bring herself to tell Clara that Ephreith may or may not have been the one responsible for Adair's death.)

Anyway - around the age of 18, Lucia and Elias were engaged, much to the dismay of Ephreith, who was still in the process of trying to create a working DNA splicer. He had to devise a way to get Lucia out of his hair without any cause for suspicion - and fortunately for him, there was one, and it would be to Unova's benefit as well. Lucia, unlike her father, had been very much in support of briding the gap between Unova and Kalos and forming an alliance. After all, Unova was still struggling recover from the aftermath of the second war, had little external trade going, and was generally probably going to collapse if they couldn't find help from another region. Ephreith became aware of this - likely through Elias - and decided to use that to his advantage by making contact with Kalos and proposing Lucia go off as an ambassador of sorts. (Who was, of course, fairly suited for the job, being fluent in Kalosian/French thanks to her mother and... you know, a former-slash-future princess / essentially a noblewoman, which would make for some very good appearances while in Kalos.)

So, both Lucia and Ephreith knew the real reason he wanted her to go to Kalos; she was understandably hesitant about agreeing, but knew, with Unova's position and all, she couldn't really refuse. As it turned out, this was one of the biggest decisions she would make in her life. She left for Kalos several months later and would stay for about a year. Anyone who's familiar with her character would probably assume this was recipe for disaster, but fortunately for everyone involved, Lucia isn’t the tactless doofus her father was. While away, she was quite successful in winning over the Kalosian nobility (although initially she wasn’t received very well due to being half-Isshu and... yeah that was fun) and managed to convince them that the two regions should reconcile. (Meanwhile, Ephreith was trying his damnedest to get Elias to call off his engagement with Lucia without much success. And also trying to combine the dragons, which... due to Kyurem being P.O.’d, was also not succeeding.) Even after returning to Unova, however, Lucia would remain as something of an ambassador to Kalos for the rest of her life, often visiting every few years or so. Those fancy Reshiram and Zekrom statues in Kalos? Yep, they were constructed as a show of friendship between Unova and Kalos very late in Lucia’s life, unveiled during one of her last visits.

On top of that, Lucia and Elias were married shortly after her return, meaning when Elias inherited his father’s crown, Lucia was Queen Regent of Unova. And, boy, did she use the power (and freedom from Shitmonia getting in the way). Beyond re-establishing external trade via alliance with Kalos, she also worked tirelessly to preserve whatever remained of Isshu culture, to the point that even thought what remained was very, very little - after all, Kalos had practically tried to stamp it out entirely - almost all of its survival can be attributed to Lucia. In a somewhat similar vein, re-assumed the Devine family’s role of managing the royal guard as well, at least when she wasn’t in Kalos. Though she was never directly involved in it, she held responsibility for making sure the guard was overseen and acting justly. Additionally, of course, she also helped Elias in ruling Unova, giving him advice and opinions on matters - allegedly, everything he did as king, he ran by Lucia first.

Lucia's historical significance is hard to overstate; she's recognized both in Unova and Kalos for her contribution in bringing the two regions together in friendship after many, many years of animosity between them, as well as for the work she did in re-stablizing Unova in her time as Queen Regent. However, almost completely forgotten to history was her relationship to the Twin Heroes, as they largely faded into mythological figures, and connection to Zekrom; furthermore, history tends to remember her best by her married name, Lucia Harmonia, rather than by her maiden name, Devine, with the latter being recorded only very, very rarely.

#headcanon #lucia is a historical badass and i love her #{ LUCIA } ideals' heroine;

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gfriendomg435 · 3 years

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The League Dating App In Silver Firs Wa

Search for users that fit your criteria with Plenty of Fish. We allow you to narrow down our massive list of users to match what you are looking for. But there’s one app, The League—known as the Harvard of dating apps—that I feel anything but neutral about. The League wants you to know that it’s A-okay to be picky about who you date. . The League gives you just a handful of matches per day (potentially even fewer if your settings are really strict). 3-6 seems to be a norm. A lot of users say they’d prefer more. Many reviewers have noted that users of The League, while willing to meet, don’t seem to be quite as chatty in-app as on Tinder.

So what’s the deal with The League dating app?

Is The League really any better than Tinder? Worth sticking it out the waitlist to get in?

We scoured the internet for information and reviews so you don’t have to.

Here’s everything you need to know.

The League dating app cities

The League is currently open to singles in: • NYC • San Francisco • LA • Chicago • Boston • Washington DC • London • Philadelphia • Atlanta • Miami • Austin • Houston • Dallas • San Diego • Denver • Seattle • Toronto

The League Dating App In Silver Firs Way

How good do I have to be to get in?

A lot of people have questions about The League dating app requirements.

According to CEO, Amanda Bradford, the app was designed to appeal to people who value “ambition and intelligence above everything else.” So you want to exude these two things. Some pointers:

1. Give your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles a once-over before applying. Sometimes small changes make a huge difference, fast. Like if your FB profile pic has you in your zombie Halloween costume? Revert to whatever it was before.

Make sure your LinkedIn headline is current. Make sure the title you use makes sense to someone outside your company.

2. When applying, never leave your “About Me” blank. Talk about where you are in your life and where you want to go. (Read: smarts, ambition/vision/motivation/passion.)

3. Have good pics (!!!). The League CEO defines these as “clear, crisp photos showing a well-rounded life.”

Reasons The League is better than Tinder (PROS)

• Obviously, potential dates on The League come vetted. They’re more professionally-minded than your average person. You’re not likely to encounter bots or anyone too sketch. (Arrogant, maybe, but those guys are on Tinder too, unfortunately.)

• The timing of the app is easy to remember and act on. You get your matches every day at happy hour — 5pm.

• Unlike Tinder, The League equips you to filter matches to your heart’s content: by distance, age, height, ethnicity, religion, education, etc.

• The League filters out Facebook friends and LinkedIn connections. It is their way of saying, “That awkwardness needed to die.” And for that they deserve a thank you.

• The League doesn’t like flakiness, so users who don’t login for a long time or consistently don’t respond to matches get kicked out. (They have to pay a $25 “re-admit fee” if they decide to join up again.) So essentially: the app is doing the best it can to not waste your time.

Reasons The League is kinda “meh” (CONS)

• Some people stay on the waitlist for months and months. Waiting sucks.

• The anti-flakiness rules apply to you, too. So if you go inactive for a long time, don’t heart anyone, or consistently ignore messages, you run the risk of losing your spot on the app.

• The League gives you just a handful of matches per day (potentially even fewer if your settings are really strict). 3-6 seems to be a norm. A lot of users say they’d prefer more.

• Many reviewers have noted that users of The League, while willing to meet, don’t seem to be quite as chatty in-app as on Tinder. But this could easily be a pro or con, depending on your perspective.

Overall takeaway

The League is worth it if you share its essential values. It’s not if you don’t.

You value ambition in a partner? Intelligence and/or excellence in a subject of their interest? Then by golly, you’re going to like this app.

Got it? Good. Now if you want in, let’s get you in

The League Dating App In Silver Firs Washington State

Before you apply to The League, test your Facebook and LinkedIn pics on Photofeeler to make sure they are 👌.

The League Dating App In Silver Firs Washington Dc

Studies show that people are terrible at picking flattering photos of themselves. And nowhere is that more evident than on dating sites/apps.

Photofeeler tells you how you’re coming across in pics. That way, you only use your best ones. (And you might be shocked at which ones those are!)

Go to Photofeeler.com now and give it a try!

No-shows, catfishing, ghosting… we’ve all heard our share of online dating horror stories. At the same time, we progressively hear of more and more long-term partners who met on dating apps.

The League Dating App In Silver Firs Washington

So which app is right for you? These reviews and user stories will give you a feel for how Tinder, Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, and The League connect people.

Tinder

Tinder created the standard gestures many dating apps have adopted: Swipe right to like, left to pass. As explained by tech writer Mark Jansen, you can swipe “up if you want to use one of your precious “super likes” to show them you really really like them.” Each use is armed with only a few Super Likes per day.

The biggest downside of Tinder? Only that it has been blamed for the fall of romance and the rise of hookup culture. As Nancy Jo Sales wrote in 2015 for Vanity Fair: “The innovation of Tinder was the swipe—the flick of a finger on a picture, no more elaborate profiles necessary and no more fear of rejection; users only know whether they’ve been approved, never when they’ve been discarded.”

This had led people to think of Tinder as more of a game and a competition to see how many matches and hookups can be achieved. They didn’t see it as a place to find meaningful relationships.

The League Dating App In Silver Firs Wa

Many still don’t, and it often gets classified as the “hookup app.” As Vice’s Emily Guendelsberger reports, one user named Shelby detailed her negative experience with a guy: “He started talking about how he makes so much money a year, high six figures. I just thought, ‘Dude, you’re rocking basketball shorts.’ But he kept going on and on about it, talking about his friend who’s a chef that opened up his own restaurant and only makes $100,000 a year.” Cut to a first date at a dollar taco shack, where Shelby was on a mission to escape the man as quickly as possible. He attempted his slickest moves to persuade her to come to his apartment, but she slid away, telling him to never call again.

Tinder isn’t exclusively full of guys like this, though. There are plenty of happy couples who met on the app. Take the story of 35-year old Carrie, who met her current love on Tinder. As Carrie explains to Cosmopolitan writer Lane Moore, she knew that it was real after a few messages: “Our conversation felt so natural and like we’d already been friends for years. He gave me his number within a day and then we started texting. About a week later, we met in person and we’ve been together ever since.”

Bumble

Unlike other apps, guys aren’t able to make the first move on Bumble.

Bumble “wants to enable women to be as confident in the dating sphere as they are in their professional lives,” says Grazia writer Edwina Langley. “Ensuring women make the first move, Bumble believes, starts the future relationship off on a more even keel.”

Bumble also includes profile information like career and education, so users have a basic understanding of potential matches’ backgrounds. LGBT+ women can use the dating app to find other women for romance, and Bumble’s BFF feature helps users find friendships.

One drawback to Bumble is that it doesn’t have a wide range of genders and sexualities represented, says Business Insider’s Avery Hartmans. “For those who identify with a different label, or prefer not to identify their gender at all, Bumble doesn’t provide that option yet.”

Another thing to keep in mind is that Bumble isn’t for women looking for an ego boost. Bumble asks women to put themselves out there — and that sometimes means being rejected. “If your self-esteem can’t take the potential (and likely) hit of not getting responses after putting yourself out there, this app’s not for you,” Abigail Yonker at The Everygirl writes.

On a positive note, a woman named Mary tells writer Alexia Dellner how Bumble reconnected her cousin with an old flame. The two had always had been interested in one another, but the timing was never right. When they found each other on Bumble, they knew it was the right time to see whether sparks would fly. They’ve been dating ever since.

Of course Bumble provides negative experiences as well. Communications consultant Julie Buckner wrote a Los Angeles Times article about her Bumble experience. When a man she met on Bumble agreed to fly to LA to meet her, she was elated. But then the man kept pushing their date back later and later, stringing her along hour by hour, until finally she realized it was never going to happen. Being stood up is horrible wherever you are, but being stood up after traveling hours through LA traffic is the stuff dating horror stories are made of.

Coffee Meets Bagel

One of the best features of Coffee Meets Bagel is that it helps eliminate mindless swiping. It does this by limiting the number of profiles you see each day, which in turn makes matches more thoughtful. This means that you can only swipe right (or, in this case, “like”) on a limited number of people in a single sitting.

“The service gives male users 21 curated matches every day that they can either like or pass on,” says entertainment writer Anna Burleson. “The women, in turn, get to see which men have liked them and decide whether to like them back. If they do, the matched pair can then chat for free.”

The app works by using “beans” as currency for gaining points and accessing special features.

Burleson explains how logging in and completing certain tasks, like rating user photos, can earn you more beans.

Coffee Meets Bagel recently rolled out a feature that allows users to comment on other people’s profiles before they’ve matched. “The hope is that by sending messages specific to that person’s profile like ‘I also traveled to Japan last year,’ users will have a better idea if a match will be worth their time,” VentureBeat reporter Anna Hensel writes.

This differs from most other dating apps, where a mutual like must be initiated in order for contact to occur. Some people enjoy the ability to contact a potential match before the feeling is declared mutual, while others find it leads to connections with people who are slightly, um, overbearing.

One user, Rebecca, a nonprofit grant writer, tells reporter Allison Fox about how she joined Coffee Meets Bagel because she was tired of trying to meet people in bars. When Rebecca met a man named Sohan for the first time, she liked that he had planned the date and was ready for unexpected events. He continued to show interest in her and plan ahead, unlike the other guys she was dating at the time.

“Here’s this guy who knows he likes me, knows he wants to spend time with me and he plans accordingly,” Rebecca says. “That was the first thing that made me think this guy is serious and cares about me.” When he proposed at a restaurant, she knew for certain the answer was yes.

A less successful experience on Coffee Meets Bagel comes from a user named Mark, who told his story to writer Alicia Chiang. Mark and his match were like two peas in a pod when chatting online. But when they met in person, they felt like strangers with nothing to say. The awkward silences led them to believe the match had been a mistake, and they didn’t talk again after that night.

The League

Like most dating apps, The League uses data from social media to auto-populate your profile. But unlike other apps, The League is more concerned with details about your accolades and accomplishments.

“Most apps gather personal information and photos from Facebook when they sign up,” Theo Miller writes in Forbes. “The League is integrated with LinkedIn because (LinkedIn’s) educational and professional information is more accurate.”

Another benefit of LinkedIn integration is a feature that blocks a user from seeing current coworkers (as well as Facebook friends!) on the app. This creates a much-appreciated separation between dating and work, as well as dating and social networks.

Career-minded individuals will have fewer bad matches to sort through when using The League, and the varying tiers of membership offer varying numbers of matches per day. With matches based on your preferences, you’ll only see people who meet your tastes to a T. If you’re in one of the 59 cities where The League operates, sign up for the waiting list. It can take some time to get approved, as applications are reviewed manually, unless you receive an invitation from a current user.

New Yorkers Tricia and Greg didn’t have to go far when they found love on The League. “We work essentially across the street from each other and would never have met had it not been for the League,” Tricia says. “We chatted for about two weeks on the app prior to meeting on December 2nd for our first date. We’ve been inseparable ever since.”

MyDomaine editor Gabrielle Savoie didn’t have as much luck on The League. She explains that while nothing negative happened, she’s still waiting to find her prince charming. “Each guy was certainly normal and well put-together and could hold a conversation — but no sparks have really flown yet.”

Dating is a tricky endeavor — to be successful, you might need time, patience, a certain availability to love, and a willingness to fail before you succeed. You also need the right dating app for you, and sometimes… a little bit of luck.

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limejuicer1862 · 4 years

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Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger. The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

Deborah Harvey

Deborah Harvey’s poems have been widely published in journals and anthologies and broadcast on Radio 4’s Poetry Please, while her poem Oystercatchers recently won the 2018 Plough Prize Short Poem Competition. Her fourth collection, The Shadow Factory, will be published by Indigo Dreams during 2019. She has three previous poetry collections, Breadcrumbs (2016), Map Reading for Beginners (2014) and Communion (2011), also published by Indigo Dreams, while her historical novel, Dart, appeared under their Tamar Books imprint in 2013.

Deborah is co-director of The Leaping Word poetry consultancy.

https://theleapingword.com/

http://deborahharvey.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-shadow-factory.html

The Interview

1. What were the circumstances under which you began to write poetry?

I started writing poems and stories when I was a young child and continued throughout primary school, but as is so often the case, at secondary school the emphasis shifted onto learning for the purpose of passing exams, rather than exploring any creativity we might have; in fact, the teachers seemed to go out of their way to discourage such unruly impulses, and eventually I stopped writing altogether. Then, decades later, when I was struggling to raise four children and my marriage was falling apart, I had a very vivid, urgent dream, which seemed to me to be saying that unless I found a way of expressing myself, I’d die. So there I was, knowing I had to write poetry but not even sure what a poem was. I started to write what came, though, and to read poetry too, to make sure I was doing it right, and gradually the process became less agonising.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

Being brought up in the Methodist tradition meant I was exposed to poetic images, language and cadences for several hours every Sunday from a very young age. I used to love the call and response of psalm reading, and hymns were great because I got to stand on the pew and sing words I didn’t understand but which were mysterious and conjured pictures in my head – fiery cloudy pillars, chariots rising into the sky, all that sort of stuff. So the poets of the Old Testament and Charles Wesley have a lot to answer for.

Then there was my grandmother, who taught me and my many cousins all our nursery rhymes and told us traditional stories with lots of repetition in them; tales like Chicken Licken and In A Dark Dark House. She wrote poems too, and always kept a scrap of paper and a pencil in her apron pocket to jot down lines and images as they occurred to her.

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

When I started writing 20 years ago, I was not only aware but completely over-awed. I’d enjoyed English literature at school and planned to study it at A-level, but was told by my teacher that I wasn’t good enough (even though I got As in language and literature at O-level). I was completely thrown by this experience and believed what she’d said for years, so when I realised I had to write, the thought of reading poetry as well was very daunting. A few months earlier I’d seen a programme on telly about Ted Hughes’ ‘Birthday Letters’, so I took the plunge and found it completely absorbing. The second poetry book I bought was Sylvia Plath’s Collected Poems, and I went on from there.

4. What is your daily writing routine?

I have three day-jobs, two of which involve caring for dependents, so I rarely get a whole day to myself, and I’m pretty much on call all the time. What makes writing poetry a practical means of self-expression is that I can do it out of the corner of my eye, as I go about my day.

5. What motivates you to write?

The greatest motivator of all: the fear of dying before I’m finished. I think this is partly because I spent three decades in a relationship that was obliterating me, and I neglected my responsibility towards myself and my development as a creative human being. Now everything I do is an attempt to make up for the years I lost, and expressing myself by writing poems is a kind of redemption.

6. What is your work ethic?

It’s very basic, really. I try to spend at least a small part of each day writing, and if that’s not possible, doing something that will feed into my writing, whether it’s reading poetry or prose, walking somewhere new or in a place that has resonance for me, doing a bit of research, going to hear another, better poet read, watching starlings in the garden. Then, even if I’m stuck in a trough of discouragement, at least I can tell myself I’m cobbling together a ladder to climb out.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

Calling someone a coming-of-age author carries quite pejorative connotations, but the three writers who had the biggest impression on me as a child and teenager – Bulgakov, Camus and Steinbeck – shaped me to such an extent that I carry them with me every day. ‘Master and Margarita’ is still a very important novel for me, and I don’t know where I’d be without my inner witch. As for ‘The Red Pony’, which I started to read by accident when I was seven and abandoned in disgust when it turned out to be about death rather than gymkhanas and rosettes, that early encounter coloured my whole life. That experience convinced that early exposure to seminal stories and poems has a profound effect on the developing imagination – as long as you remember to read them again later too, when you can fully understand them.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

Alan Garner is just about the last of my childhood heroes who’s still alive. Reading ‘Boneland’ a few years ago, having grown old alongside the character Colin of ‘The Weirdstone of Brisingamen’ and ‘The Moon of Gomrath’, was profoundly moving, and I was bereft when the story ended. I am completely in awe of Garner’s connection with his landscape, and the way his stories inhabit mythic time.

In contrast, a writer I very much admire whom I read for the first time recently, is Rebecca Solnit. I got such a lot out of her memoir/travelogue ‘The Faraway Nearby’ that I’m lining up more of her books by my bed to read.

As for poets, there’s Alice Oswald, Kathleen Jamie and Stanley Kunitz for the way they capture nature; Charles Simic for his startling imagery; Neruda for always taking the reader with him on his huge associative leaps; Raymond Carver for his story-telling; Heaney and U A Fanthorpe for their unrelenting humanity; Carol Ann Duffy for her surety of touch; Kei Miller and Liz Berry for their true voices; Leonard Cohen for sounding like God; I could go on

9. Why do you write?

Because not writing is not an option.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Becoming a writer – a good one – means embarking on an apprenticeship that will last the rest of your life. You have to be prepared always to improve, to welcome criticism, and above all, to read the work of others. In fact, read whatever you can lay your hands on: poetry, novels, folk stories, plays, non-fiction, atlases, art books, biographies, soak it all up. Don’t ever think there’s no room for improvement.

The other thing is to be prepared to stick your neck out in order to get an audience for your writing. This can be particularly hard for poets. The impulse that makes us write poems often co-exists with a profound reticence when it comes to publicising our work. But poetry is an inherently collaborative art form, and a poem only fully exists when it is being inhabited by the reader, so all that uncomfortable stuff has to be done. Good luck with it.

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

My fourth collection – The Shadow Factory – is due to be published by Indigo Dreams in 2019, so I’m now in that lovely space where I can turn my attention towards something new. Well, not really new; I’ve lived in Bristol all my life and have amassed stories, family anecdotes and memories, old photos, historical snippets, the voices you hear in the queue at the bus stop, the way places change and people come and go, but the city remembers how it always was and keeps re-creating itself in that image. The past in the present. I want to write all that.

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Deborah Harvey Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

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healthmaria · 7 years

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Let a comment inspire you to a new post:

Answering Anna Cutteridge in the comments under her post on social anxiety:

I also like to be on my own. As I child I didn’t understand it and was exhausted after being forced to be in a group like a summer camp. After having retired I enjoy writing blogs and reading at lot. This gives me inspiration to share what I read/write and think with people in real-time.

REPSYCHLsays:It must’ve been quite confusing to go through that as a child. I’d be really interested to know how you overcame it or understood it better. I’m glad it inspires you to write more.

I liked to play on my own. I imagined I had a cradle for my doll

Background

My twin-brother and I were born two months prematurely in the early 1950s. At that time it was believed that the staff at the children ward were more competent than the parents in all aspects of the lives of the small patients. That meant that our parents were asked to stay away. Our mother was allowed to deliver her milk to us but she was not involved in the care of us.

When we were released home our mother managed very well in breast-feeding and bonding but she was left with fear of losing us so we were over-protected for the years to come. Our father was busy making money in a job he disliked and was away for many hours. We really didn’t know him very well and I never got a close relationship with him.

I had happy moments with family gatherings as a small child. When I was three years old we visited my aunt and uncle and her three sons who lived in the close neighborhood. One of my older cousins surprised me with a little doll house made out of a big match box. Complete with red and white checked curtains and miniature cardboard furniture. That feeling of being loved by family and to get a precious thing like that was unforgettable. Why don’t I still have it ?

I sometimes played with a girl in my neighborhood but mostly we were on our own at home with our loving mother. We were seven before we started school and I loved to listen to the teacher and doing my tasks.

As soon as the teaching was changed into group work or even on excursions I found myself in difficulties. Who should I be with and what should I decide to be engaged in? My twin-brother was more organized than I so he always knew about our home-work.

I was twenty years old before we were separated doing different studies and I found it difficult to find out about home-work and locations of the classes. More about this in the post To be Twins.

The worst part of it all was the horror of being away from home. My parents thought I was strong and happy and sent me and my brother on a Sunday School Summer Camp at a lovely area close to a beach. We were ten years old. Boys and girls had of course different dormitories and I went through a horror and death experience. I remember walking around never looking up. I somehow didn’t know anybody. At the morning meal I remember the sounds of the big spoons in sweet-smelling oatmeal in metal bowls and I couldn’t swallow anything.

The beach close to the camp Sejeroebugten

The area of the summer-camp

I had stamped post-cards with me from home and though I couldn’t yet spell properly I wrote anyway.

I need to come home I am suffering terribly. Please come and get me home!

The adults at the camp saw my situation but wanted me to stay the two full weeks. I was allowed to be with a nurse who had her little office in case the children got hurt. Everything was totally meaningless for me.

They also let me dress as a princess and I should sit beside “Hans Christian Andersen” who would read fairy-tales aloud. Also that was empty and a waste of time.

My clothes were difficult to find in my big suitcase and I missed my mother so much at bed-sime.

Two things helped me to forget my tears. One was marching along at a path in a big group singing together and the other was when we were allowed to bathe in the sea. The pressure of not knowing what to do with myself was relieved for a short moment.

My parents didn’t know that I should have trained this situation by staying one night with a friend near by and then tried again for a few more days.

They came after one week the long way to take me home though my brother stayed as he was more at ease in the situation.

Changes were difficult. I was very sad leaving my primary school and found it hard to get new friends in my secondary school. At that time in my teenage years I still hated to sleep over somewhere. I have walked home long distances from parties after graduating to avoid staying for the night.

Another problem was that I couldn’t speak to more than one at a time. I had a deep fear of my father since I was thirteen. He had difficulties in relating to me in a natural way and after he had read my diary he confronted me by telling me that my mother would go to the hospital if she knew what I had written. She was everything to me so something died in me.

Home-sickness dominated my first years I lived on my own during my nursing-training. I knew I had to endure the emotional pain and grow up.

I never thought of visiting the hospital area where I trained to become a nurse. But this June I took the step to see the old buildings now mostly used for store-rooms and offices.

A part of the old hospital where I studied to become a nurse. Copenhagen Bisbebjerg Hospital

Bispebjerg Hospital. The hospital in Copenhagen where I studied to become a nurse in the beginning of the 1970s

You ask how did I get over it?

I didn’t get over it while I was young. After I had graduated as a nurse I slowly understood that I couldn’t function well in chaotic ward situations with changing of staff and patients day and night.

Once I sat down and talked with a young girl who was going to be released from the ward. I discovered that I enjoyed so much to have her on my own and to create a dialog with only one person. As a teenager I had the same experience a few times being with a cousin that I admired a lot. She was fun, brave and very creative and I wanted to be like her.

I became aware that I had to find a kind of occupation that was more like these situations with one-to-one communication. Health Visitor became my path of work which I came to love due to the meetings with mothers one by one.

The awkward situations would re-appear like when as a child my class-room situation was loosened.

An example of that when we were asked to reorganize or move our offices in my later years as a health visitor. I would get this feeling that I would know what to do if I could do the changes alone but got confused by other people’s interference and endless talk.

Unfortunately my four children have suffered from me having difficulties in handling them all at the same time. When conflicts showed up it was hard for me to cope. I wanted peace so much that I was too hard on them or interfered without listening to what had gone wrong. To this day it’s easier for me to talk to them alone than to have them all at family gatherings.

Coping with being introvert

To acknowledge that I am like that and have the background I described

If possible plan ahead how often I can be in a group situation and for how long. At long family gatherings I go for a run while the rest sit in groups and talk for hours

I invite people one by one or just a couple at a time

I go on holiday with my husband or alone

Once we took a Bus holiday on the D-day theme with a historical company. I managed to find a few to talk to and got as much out of museums and beaches at Normandy

Writing posts on subjects like this one on my life helps me to be able to share my life experiences in more detail at a given situation

I take the chance to share opinions and my life experiences to people I have confidence in

I take chances to contact people online and share things with a few who seem trustworthy and interested in others. If some don’t respond I ask my self not to be disappointed

I write about what I see in nature and travels and museums because I want to remember and share the memories with people like you my fellow bloggers

It has helped me to look people straight into the eyes while speaking as I feel my self-respect is rising because of this. Looking down sends a signal of insecurity that will only hurt the relation.

#1 most important thing was for me to find faith in the Lord Jesus. My life zeroed down in my 22 year but He found me and saved me. I owe Him everything.

Overcoming Fear of Separation as a Child Let a comment inspire you to a new post: Answering Anna Cutteridge in the comments under her post on social anxiety:

#Biography #Blogging #Inspiration #Introvert #Life #Overcoming fear

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simplyoriginalcharacters · 7 years

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((Hello for the last time this month. I want to thank you all very much for all of your help. I’m not sure if I have submitted this character before, but he is one of my much more older ones. He was created back in 2005, and I have done a lot of retconning, reconstructing, and updating of his origin story. I was wondering if you could help me with making a more cohesive backstory for him. I feel that there is something there, but any time I reread this, I feel like I’ve explained nothing about him. I created him in the Sims and I apologize because I have not drawn him in years.

He is a Character in the Earth series of the story that my cousin and I have created. It takes place in 2036, in Nevada which is just a place where demons, Aliens, monsters, and supernatural beings live. He lives in Neo New York City, which has become larger and slightly more dangerous))

Name: Captain I.R.U.E.L Moroz

Name Meaning: Idiorrhythmic Respiratory Unit with Extended Longevity.

Gender: He uses “He/His” pronouns.

Sexual Orientation: NA

Age: His “brain” is technically 40 years old, but his physical body is 8 years old.

Race: Android

Occupation: He currently works in the Cyberterrorism unit of the Neo NYPD with his brother N.I.L.S. Alignment: Lawful Good.

Affiliations: He is affiliated with the Neo NYPD police unit, and occasionally he works with other legitimate factions. Family: Dr. Anton Moroz- Anton was his “father”, and he was a well respected neurologist. With his wife’s help they created the brain and framework for I.R.U.E.L and his brother. He remembers that he was a kind and dedicated man who loved his wife and son. I.R.A feels that if he ever had to become human, he would like to have the same personality as his father.

Dr. Julia Sewick- Julia was his “Mother”, and she was the one who created his intricate brain and memory systems. He is unsure if he can feel love, but he knows that he feels affection and respect for these two. He thinks that if he ever had a romantic partner, then he would like if they had the same personality as Julia.

N.I.L.S.- N.I.L.S is his brother unit. They are opposites in what their abilities are, but they work well together. This is his only true android friend, and he respects him. He thinks that N.I.L.S is a more advanced system, and he usually asks him questions about his programming, but he hates when people compare them.

Best Friends: Daemeon Ahipene- Daemeon is one of his closest human friends. He respects Daemeon because he knows how to use his guns well. He also finds it interesting that someone like him could get away with robbing 9 different banks.

Relationship Status: He has no interests in relationships.

Significant Other: NA.

Other Relationships: He is friends with Radojka Raznatovic. He thinks that she is an excellent IT person, and he likes that she takes the time to understand complicated machines. Height: 6'4

Weight: 520lbs because of his robotic skeleton.

Build: Average and muscular. His body type hasn’t changed much.

Skin Tone: Pale

Hair: His hair changes colors sometimes. He usually has black hair, but sometimes it’s blonde, red, and even navy blue.

Eyes: Liquid mercury and silver. When he is in a low power state, they turn black, and when he is in his “active sentry” mode, around his irises it is blue.

Identifying Marks: His eyes are his most distinctive feature.

Appearance: I.R.U.E.L, or as he likes to be called, I.R.A, was modeled to look like the adult version of a couples adopted son. He is about 6'4 and 520lbs, which does tend to throw people off. He and the child that he was based off of are of Japanese descent. He has fair skin with warm undertones. He has a narrow face, with full lips and a pointy nose, but his most distinctive feature are his eyes. His eyes are sharp and they are made of liquid mercury, so they appear silverish to white in the light and they are rather piercing. When he’s in “Active Sentry Mode”, there is a faint blue glow around his pupils. He does change his hair a lot, and as of now it is short, black, and trimmed. He does have pointy canines and nails that are black for some reason.

Personality: I.R.A has undergone three major personality upgrades in his lifetime. When he was first created he was extremely robotic and cold. He did work with other people, but his only concern was security and safety. His second personality upgrade was the most drastic, and with one he acted completely human. He emoted more and acted on impulses of how he felt and why. His third personality upgrade is his current one, and it’s easier to maintain. He comes off as stoic and very cool. He rarely looses himself and he’s easier to talk to. People say that he’s like a “User-friendly computer” where he will talk and explain himself, and assess conditions, but there’s that human disconnect. There’s a debate on how “human” he actually is. His brain is not real, but it’s constantly updating and learning like a real human one.

Motivations: He is motivated by curiosity and a strong motivation to do what’s right.

Current Goal: His current goal is to stop a cyberterrorist android named Deuxo 2.0. He’s an extremely formidable adversary.

Life Goal: He wants to perfect things like the violin, the cello, and piano.

Motto: “I am able to accept this request”.

Best Quality: Although he is an android and essentially and artificial human, he truly values the concept of friendship. He feels that it’s hard to trust people because deep down he worries that people would use him for personal gain because they have before.

Worst Quality: He can get himself caught into a thought loop. If you give him a perplexing or paradoxical statement to analyze, he will try to figure that out. Also if he doesn’t have all of the facts of a situation, he is hesitant to take any action. He’s not a precognition unit or anything like that.

Likes: He really likes guns. He has two customized Desert Eagle handguns that only recognize his unique internal ID. He also likes music and he’s been teaching himself the cello and violin. He understands that he is not good at it, but he enjoys it.

Dislikes: It is rare that he dislikes things, but one thing that he hates is when people attempt to compare him to N.I.L.S. He knows that they were designed for different reasons, and that there is no point of comparing them to each other. He also will go against his brothers wishes or demands.

Fears: One of his biggest fears is meeting humans who will use him or his brothers for illicit means. This has happened to him before and he is extremely cautious of who he meets.

Hobbies: Playing the cello, Reading, and watching videos on the internet.

Talents: He was programmed with this ability, but he is a self repairing android; this is interesting because N.I.L.S cannot do this. He can actually complete complex repairs on himself if he needs them. Another talent that he has is that he can tell when someone is lying. He can detect micro-expressions, eye movement, and the pattern of breathing that someone has.

Skills: He is fluent in 25 languages, and he can even decipher binary code. He can use a multitude of weapons, but he is proficient in handguns and rifles. He is also able to integrate himself with the interfaces and systems of the computers that are located within and near his district. Abilities: Besides being stronger, faster, smarter, and deadlier than a human, he has some built in talents. He was designed to be a skeleton key android, so he can access anything, at any time. He is like a walking supercomputer, and he thinks at speeds faster than the worlds smartest person.

Weapons: Weaknesses: Items like magnets and very strong electric currents can actually incapacitate him for a while.

Fighting Style: He knows a version of Kickboxing and close quarters combat.

Secret: He honestly wants to know what would happen if he created an android himself. He can’t because he’s not sure if he knows what hardware and schematics are involved, but he would like to assemble one eventually.

Influential Memory: Being caught by Role Model: His Parents. They taught him a lot of good things and he hopes that he’s lived his life properly and appropriately.

Crush: None.

Source of Embarrassment: He’s embarrassed by the fact that he can’t really feel emotions. This sometimes makes it hard for him to sympathize with people who have lost family members to crime. He knows how to say that he is sorry, but he doesn’t know why he’s saying it.

Source of Pride: He’s proud of the fact that he is an android, but he values human life because they are always changing and adapting.

History: Dr. Anton Moroz and Dr. Julia Sewick were an older couple who wanted children, but they both felt that they were physically too old to have them. They were both respected doctors in their fields, with him being a neurologist and her being a neurorobotics professor. They desptrately wanted a child so they looked into adoption. They eventually spoke to a girl who was giving up her baby for adoption. They spoke to each other and she agreed to give her baby to them. They named their baby Piotr and they showered him with unconditional love. Piotr was a bright and easy-going child who made them laugh and he was not really fussy. Things were going well until he turned 5 years old. He was feeling sick and he was vomiting, but things got so bad that he actually had a stroke and he was in a coma for a few weeks. After going to other doctors and even from Anton’s research, they learned that he had an aggressive and rare form of bone cancer. The other doctors told them the disease was progressing quickly. They were devastated. Anton and Julia helped their child as much as they could until his death on October 12th, 1986. They took some time apart to get over their grief. Dr. Anton came up with a rather controversial idea at the time and He approached his wife with his proposal. He asked her if they could work together to re-create their by using Artificial Intelligence, and he felt that if they worked together, they could let the memory of Piotr live on. She had reservations about the idea at first, but after some consideration, she agreed. They started on their research of making Piotr live again. They asked to keep the brain of their son for research, and through their efforts Julia and Anton managed to copy Pitor’s memories to a synthetic brain. They then started to work on his body. It took them 10 years, but they created a body that could function as Piotr’s. They chose to create an adult sized body because they felt that it would be easier to create instead of a new body that grew as he grew. Soon, Piotr was reborn. Their son was “alive"and they continued to love him as their own. He acted like their son, but they couldn’t truly recreate the complex emotions that children displayed, so although he could talk and emote, he was rather reserved. As time passed, Piotr was already 18 years old when he started to notice something strange about his mom and dad. Their health was failing. Anton was getting thinner and he would get tired more often. He died suddenly at the age 85, but he saw that Julia was getting older as well. Piotr did as much as he could to help her, but he couldn’t understand what was going on. She made a call to a trusted colleague before she was bedridden. She gave her son a backpack and she told him that he was not to open until he made it to the destination on the letter that was written for him. She passed away and Piotr was alone in the new world. From watching movies, he knew that they had to be buried in the back yard of their home together. He read the letter and he was off to his destination. At the time, Piotr had a body and a framework, but he didn’t have any skin. He was unprotected, so he wrapped himself from head to toe in bandages and a coat. He then made his way to France where the letter told him to met up with Dr. Laurent Sendak. He was a doctor who created artificial skin for people with prosthetic limbs and severe injuries. Out of courtesy, he created skin for him. The skin that he created felt real to the touch and he was grateful because he could be in public without scaring people. He asked Dr. Sendak if he could stay with him for a while and he accepted. Piotr made himself useful by assisting the doctor with his work and in return, he created artificial organs for him. He even made hair that grew and fingernails for his new assistant. One day when Piotr was exploring France when he was attacked by a group of people. He had no idea who they were, but all he remembers is that when he woke up, he was on a operating table of some sort. As soon as they did a scan, they saw that he wasn’t human and they were excited. One guy strapped him down and they hooked him up to a machine. They started to reprogram him and soon Piotr ceased to exist. These mercenaries were part of this private army that was known as the D.I.R.E. Unit. The doctors remodeled him, giving him military grade enhancements and even an exclusive Upgradeable memory unit. They placed a bomb into his chest for some reason as well. They then gave him the new name of I.R.U.E.L and he was forced to be their newest soldier. For 4 years he was deployed for every mission that they had, and afterwards his data would be collected and wIped. One day, he was in Sentry Mode when he found a piece of data that was hidden. It reminded him of his parents, and he risked everything to escape. They detonated the bomb and everything went black after that. According to him, the next few years are hazy, but he knows that he was rescued by a man named Ioanthe who was an assassin and he repaired him by removing some of the military grade implants and he repaired his memory. He had never dwelled on this, but he kept on hearing a transmission that nobody else could hear. The code was located in Denmark, and from what he deduced, he had to go there. He thanked Ioanthe and he went on his way to Denmark. He arrived in Denmark and the signal led him to a Library. He sat there trying to figure it out, when he was approached by a guy who had blonde hair and purple eyes. The guy, who he assumed was human, was very kind and something was really familiar about him. The guy, who introduced himself as Nils, said that he had been looking for him as well. His creator was Dr. Sendak, and that he was coming to help him, but the signal was lost for 4 years. He trusted Nils, and they decided to move in together. I.R.U.E.L was relieved and glad that he had someone to connect with and that he was an Android as well. N.I.L.S had an emotion upgrade and he was like his own technological firewall. As they lived together, N.I.L.S taught him about humans, and I.R.A taught his brother essential combat skills.

Hi friend!

Since we’ve done so many profiles together from this world I feel like I can just get right into the nitty gritty.

I feel like some of these profiles were written at the same time, because I have some of the same notes as I have had on others from this world. The background needs to be shorter. Turn each paragraph into one sentence and see if the story still comes out. The pictures you’ve created for these characters are very similar, I’m sure partially due to being made in the same system, but they have the same eye shape, mouth shape, chin shape, and similar hair. In stories we have to create mental images for each character and here where we have characters with different powers or are different races there have to be very distinct features for us to picture with each one. Tell me what really distinctive feature sets all of these people apart.

Early in the profile you say that I.R.U.E.L. and his brother have opposite powers from each other, but then don’t list what they are until much later. Please make sure that your profile is set up to have questions like that answered before they will get asked because otherwise there’s a lot of back and forth, and it will get you in the habit of giving us the information before we need it in the story as well.

I see a number of conflicts within I.R.U.E.L.’s profile that I’m having trouble reconciling. First, the couple who made Piotr’s robot duplicate had ten years to come to terms with their grief and then extrapolated out an adult version of their son. Why didn’t they adopt another child? If they were willing to change the image of the son they miss enough to build a copy of him, why aren’t they willing to say, ‘We can’t have him back, let’s just raise another child”. It’s certainly not implausible, but you really explicitly need to give us a reason why they made him but older to give us a sense.

Another conflict I’m seeing is that I.R.U.E.L.’s greatest flaw is his lack of human emotion, but you describe his fears, his pride, his values, his embarrassment. Emotion is so much more than love or sadness. All of these are emotions. Be very specific in your wording when it comes to his speech and perspective. He doesn’t have fears, he has actions that he chooses not to participate in because of unfavorable outcomes. I know that’s hard to put into a profile, but keep it distinct in the writing.

Because I.R.U.E.L. is so book smart, but was very sheltered, I would suggest you make him have very little common sense. I would perhaps even take out his ability to detect lies. (As a parent, I would not want my child to be able to detect lies.) This gives him some humanity without meaning to, gives him some comedic moments to lighten the load.

The very last thing I will say is that of the characters submitted, almost all have been male or male presenting. Is there a specific reason for this? If not, one suggestion I earnestly make to people who do not often write female characters and feel they won’t be good at it is to write a male character, then change all the pronouns to female. How does that change the character’s story? Does it really change anything, or does it only change how your character is perceived? Can you change people’s reactions to your character without changing who they are? Just some food for thought.

Happy Writing!

-Shields

#backstory help #development help #oc critique #soc critique #submission

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