#meanwhile mercy was amped up and all

[bhaalsdeepbat]

I was discussing some narrative beats I had on my struggle to resist Durge, Ashe and here are some of my favorite highlights

Ashe saved the tieflings in act 1, only to doom them when she killed Isobel at last light inn. the sheer number of lives lost weighs on them heavily.

Ashe had broken out the prisoners at Moonrise, but told them to stay on the water. Wulbren, his two pals, Cal, Lia, and Danis all survived. Unfortunately, Rolan and Bex did not.

Shadowheart was there when Last Light Inn fell. She later chose to spare Nightsong. I think the faces of the shadow-cursed tieflings that she had once saved haunted her when they were finishing up Shar's trials.

Ashe didn't use Slayer form until the Kressa fight. The anger at finding out she was a pet to experiment on made her unable to hold back. Everyone had to go into the Myrkul battle knowing that their beloved Durge was hiding something from them. what else were they hiding???

ashe fucking went down at the myrkul fight, and so did Shady and Minthara. Astarion was the one who finished it up, which made ashe more willing to belive he's right that they need him to ascend bc any power under their belt is useful when facing the gods themselves

#bat plays bg3 #meanwhile mercy was amped up and all #I THINK I MIGHT /BE/ GOD ???? #after they took out myrkul #bc i had my sorc better kitted than my swords bard oops #but shitty gameplay on my end made for crafting an excellent story LMAO #i wanted to play ashe with mercy as their guardian for funsies and then it led to a really intense game

[o-w-quinlan]

Digimon Adventure 2020, episode 10 reaction (and over-analysis)

This week, some absolutely amazing stuff mixed with some pretty bad stuff, and neither of them is what you’d think it’d be.

By the way, this post is pretty long. Just a warning.

The episode starts with an ellipsis from last week’s ending. The Chosen Children are all in a cave, having escaped in the confusion, as Koushiro’s recording of it plays behind them. As silly as the idea of Koushiro starting to record what was happening in the middle of a life-and-death situation is, it actually manages to underline how everyone is feeling about those events perfectly. The moment is then ruined when apparently Koushiro managed to get the information from the fortress before it was destroyed. It makes no sense that he would have had the time to do that, and when Jou makes the completely reasonable question as to how, it just gets ignored.

We go back to Taichi and here’s where the episode shines. As action-focused as the series has been, it’s actually pretty good at showing small moments that characterize the children (and to a lesser degree the Digimon). Taichi’s clenched fist and neutral expression, the use of flashbacks (so much better than last week), Ogremon’s pride influencing and motivating Taichi and Agumon... it’s all great. Yamato, meanwhile, is rather pragmatic (though his distrust of Ogremon’s information seems more paranoid than actually reasonable). The small combo of Mimi-Jou-Sora perfectly sets up both Mimi’s and Jou’s character arcs for the next episodes. The Agumon and Taichi reunion is extremely touching, as is the show making it obvious that Ogremon is dead without explicitely saying it (I’m assuming Toei forbid the writers from that). We get emphasis on Taichi and Agumon thinking and feeling the same, which will be relevant later on. Taichi’s, Yamato’s and Sora’s conversation shows that, while the emotions have now calmed down, every argument they said still holds true. It’s a couple of truly excellent scenes...

And then we go back to Koushiro’s ultra-convenient and unexplained information from the fortress. The map we’re shown makes no sense considering it shows the enemy HQ in the middle of an uninterrupted forest, when we know there’s a lake of miasma and a desert at least in the proximity. To be completely fair, this moment does give some Taichi-Koushiro interaction by making it obvious everything Koushiro did is in the service of supporting Taichi’s position in the argument (why else specifically give Taichi the enemy information?).

Off-screen, they come up with a plan to have Taichi and Agumon serve as bait for MetalTyranomon. This makes no sense. Agumon was the most injured from their most recent fight, why would they let him fight alone? If the entire attack plan requires them to make use of a small window of time in which MetalTyranomon is vulnerable, why not send their acknowledged fastest digimon, Garurumon? Are the kids seriously fine with Taichi and Agumon going on what’s almost certainly a suicide mission? Yes, I know both Sora and Yamato have some dramatic staring moments that imply they are not fine with that, but considering they do nothing, I’m not going to count them. The plan is perfectly fine as something Taichi and Agumon would come up with, but it makes no sense as something the other kids would agree with. If they’re going to do this, then please at least give us a scene with them discussing the plan and agreeing it’s for the best, otherwise it just makes everyone but Taichi (and maybe the Digimon) look terrible.

The introduction to the miasma is great. The characters reacting to how it just reeks of evil, Mimi throwing Jou’s book to make sure it’s actually dangerous and being completely unapologetic (there’s a lot of Mimi-Jou interactions this episode, and in the past few ones, and I love every second of it). The only problem is that, while the show establishes why Ikkakumon can’t cross it, it does not say anything about why Kabuterimon and Birdramon can’t. I’d accept any explanation why it’s a bad idea, but I want to see them actually discuss the obvious solution before discarding it. A single flashback to Gesomon would have been enough.

Then it’s the star of the episode, the Greymon/MetalTyranomon fight... and it has more problems than any other fight in this series. MetalTyrano’s original attack for this series, the electric web, is simply terrible. The fact that it makes sure to not hit the opponent first but just to encase him in some dodgeable weaker beams makes it seem ineffective. The more standard missiles are fine, but after a great sequence where MetalTyrano baits Greymon into attacking him while he’s “vulnerable” only to then hit him from the side and has him completely at his mercy while still ready to shoot missiles, we get... ellipsis. Greymon and Taichi were dead, there was simply no plausible way for them to escape that attack, but they did it off-screen anyway. This is then slightly redeemed by Greymon suceeding in his plan to attack MetalTyrano while he’s switching attacks only to find that it’s completely ineffective. The missile conveniently throws them to the same place their friends are, and upon seeing MetalTyrano has Greymon on the ropes, the other digimon do... nothing. Seriously, why. I understand if Greymon doesn’t want help, but I don’t understand why the others aren’t offering it. Oh, and MetalTyranomon runs extremely fast to get there, which just highlights how static he looked for the previous part of the episode.

After that, we get Taichi and Greymon being completely in sync, thinking the same, with Greymon suddenly seeming a lot more powerful than he did before, and the evolution triggers. Honestly, while it’s certainly not among my favorite evolutions to Perfect in the franchise, I am intrigued. For the majority of previous series, evolutions have been about the Tamer resolving a personal issue, perhaps inspired by their partner. In Adventure 2020, though, evolution is about the depth of the bond between Tamer and Digimon. While I think Ruki and Renamon did this far better in Tamers, I do think it’s in general the best evolution trigger concept and thus am glad they’re using it in this series too.

Anyway, it’s MetalGreymon vs MetalTyranomon, and it’s completely amazing. MetalGreymon looks like a war machine (as he should), and the light effects on the metal are great. He’s far, far more mobile than he’s ever been before, and pulls the exact same “hit with tai” trick MetalTyranomon did on him before. MetalTyrano being amped by the miasma, and MetalGrey showing extraordinary speed to move out of the way before finally killing his enemy, was done perfectly. The fight ends with MetalGreymon devolving to Agumon (curiously, Taichi is engulfed in a sphere of light during this and dropped to the ground), who then wonders if Ogremon was watching the fight. On Agumon’s part, it’s the perfect ending to the issues set-up by the previous episode and by this one.

Oh, and Taichi tanked an explosion from MetalTyranomon. We better get an acknowledgement that kids are more durable in this world soon.

To end the episode, we have an scene where the kids decide to separate after visual aid from yet another convenient Koushiro map. This decision makes no sense, and the show tries to handwave this by having Yamato say it’s for certain that one of the two groups will find the HQ, which it’s not. The most reasonable position for the enemy HQ would be in the middle of the miasma, since no one but them can cross it. There’s no actual reason for them to separate other than “the script says so”. At least it’ll most likely lead to some great interactions between the smaller groups, so I’m fine with this.

I was originally going to make a post summarizing how I feel about this series 10 episodes in, since I thought the first evolution to Perfect was a good place to do so, but this episode feels in general worse than any other one in the series (with the exception of 4, which is the only one I’d call straightforwardly bad) that I don’t want it to poison my general thought on the series. I’ll do that later, next time an opportunity shows itself.

Next week, Sorato shipping, WereGarurumon evolving and Gomamon being best boi:

He’s doing this in the middle of a desert.

#digimon #Digimon Adventure: #Digimon Adventure 2020 #Taichi Yagami #Agumon #MetalGreymon #MetalTyranomon

[the-gedonelune-times]

Proof Of Innocence ch. 4

The final chapter is finally here. I’ve honestly had so much fun writing this small series and I hope you guys have enjoyed it! Thank you guys so much for the support for this, it makes me want to continue writing more small series in the future! 

You can read the previous chapters down below:

Chapter one

Chapter two

Chapter three

“What is it you want to talk about?"

My voice was low and threatening and it ended up sounding like a growl.

"My, my, no need to show such hostility, I'm here to only talk, besides, if I wanted to fight you, you'd already be lying in a pool of your own blood by now."

I watched as he got up from his seat on the rubble and began heading in my direction. I, in turn, made sure to keep a good distance between us in case he were to try anything.

"Alright, so what is it you want to talk about."

"You, to be more precise, do you remember a man named Maximillian?"

"Of course, he's my father, but how do you know him?"

"Ah, he was a friend of mine, I've known him for a couple of years."

"Impossible. My father would never associate with the likes of you."

"Oh? Pray tell, what makes you come to that conclusion?"

"Oh please, as if I have to explain. I mean look at you, there's not a single good bone in your body, I could sense it since the day I first saw you."

"So you think your father was some kind of saint?"

"I never said that. I know my father had gotten himself into bad situations because of his past, but he would never stoop down to your level."

"See." The man inched closer. "That's where you're mistaken, young lady. Your father's past is filled with nothing but darkness. He was part of an organization I worked in and was one of the higher-ups. He only got to that position by carrying out the tasks given to him, do you even know how many people he's murdered?"

"W-What?"

"He's killed countless people and torn apart villages with the snap of his fingers. But you see, he made a mistake when he took on a mission at Graceus. He fell in love and soon he had a family, he let that get the better of him, thus, he became vulnerable. But you know something? I bet in his final seconds of life, he was happy he had a daughter to follow in his footsteps and trail down the path of darkness."

"What the hell are you blathering about?"

As I spoke, I summoned my staff and got into a defensive stance; ready to deliver a blow, should it come down to it.

"You are the only child out of his other six that even have dark magic in your veins, you reek of forbidden magic, face it, you're evil, a child born from a monster. Isn't that why the rest of your family abandoned you? Or perhaps it's the reason for your exile from Graceus?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Oh? Can't handle the truth? Can't handle that one day that darkness will one day take over you and plunge you into nothingness? Fear not though, once it happens, we here at Hawkeye will welcome you into our organization with open arms."

"No, I just can't handle that annoying mouth of yours!"

I was furious as I lunged at him, landing a heavy attack on him which sent him flying into the air, then, in what seemed like slow motion, I conjured up chains which wrapped around his body before yanking; sending him flying into the ground below. Debris from the stone ground went flying, including dust which clouded my vision.

I was on high alert now and I tightly gripped my staff and waited for the dust to settle before making my next move.

"I gotta say, you really are something."

Just as the dust had settled, more came flying up as a large object soared into the air. When I looked up, I noticed that the man, who should have sustained injuries, was now hovering in the air with a pair of jet black wings.

"My attacks..."

"Your attacks were weak, child. Now, gaze before me, Draven and see how a real attack should be!"

I let out a scream as I dove to the ground to avoid getting hit. Draven had sent fatal wind-slice attacks my way. After having nearly dodged them, I watched as they went soaring into the cave wall on the other side, it had split many of the old pillars and stone in half like it was nothing.

"My advice? Take up my offer, or die here."

"I refuse!"

I could feel my arm burning and in the next moment, a flurry of light arrows began raining down on Draven, who of course, brushed them away like they were nothing. 

"I won't take up your damn offer, no matter what happens and I refuse to die here!" 

Besides...I made a promise to someone special to me...

Hey, come back in one piece, okay?

No promises..

This was for not only Viggo's sake, but for the sake of Gedonelune as well. If I didn't put up a fight here, then I knew the tensions between Gedonelune and Graceus would amp up and an impending war could come true!

My heart burned with desire as I sent flurries of attacks one after another. Each one had barely made a scratch on him, or they never even reached him, I was beginning to run out of options and mana,,,

"Now come on, is that all you got!"

Charging down at me, Draven managed to grab me by the neck and send me flying into a nearby pillar. The moment my back came into contact, I let out a cry before sinking to the floor in pain. In the process, my staff had gone flying elsewhere, leaving me pretty vulnerable to whatever attack was going to come next.

"Persephone Onyx."

Draven's voice echoed from above. Even though I couldn't get up, I knew he was towering over me his hand already holding a charged attack which he was probably going to use to finish me off.

"I'm going to give you one last chance. Join us or meet your fate right here in these ruins."

"Stick it up your ass Draven..."

"I see, so that's how this is going to be. Fine then. Farewell."

Just as he was about to unleash his attack, a familiar voice echoed in the ruins

"Hey, assclown. If you want a fight, then come and fight me!"

"Viggo..?"

B-But how?!

"Oh? You must be the misfit that I hear so much about. Shame I haven't really gotten to meet you until now. At least I'll have fun using you as some target practice before obliterating your friend."

Draven's attack, that was once meant for me, was now hurdling towards Viggo who stood there like nothing was going on. He smirked and grabbed out his pipe before covering the area in smoke. It was unknown if he had been hit or not, surely if he had then there would have been a verbal warning of it. 

There was one, but it wasn't from Viggo, it was from Draven who was currently getting pummeled by smoke fists in all different directions. Without being able to see, he was at the mercy of the smoke, which was playing in Viggo's favor. Even when the smoke had died down, Viggo still sent flurries of his own attacks at Draven, but not all were with magic. In fact, Viggo was pulling his weight with his own personal punches, landing one hit after another to the point where he had even sent Draven flying,

When Draven began throwing his own, they were perfectly matched in strength until...

"I've had enough of this!"

With a flap of his wings, Draven managed to send a wind-slice, much like the one he had sent at me, but at Viggo. Unlike me, however, Viggo....couldn't avoid it in time and was hit. Things moved in slow motion, one minute, Viggo was standing there and the next, he too was sent into one of the crumbling marble pillars. The only difference was that I heard a snapping sound, followed by a heart-shattering cry. 

I pushed myself up with what little strength I had and looked over at where Viggo was sent flying. All I saw was Viggo's body surrounded by rubble, while Draven looked on with a satisfied smile. 

For the first time in forever, I found myself on the verge of breaking down, my eyes were burning with tears, my chest hurt and my whole body was shaking, *No...he can't be dead...*.I kept telling myself this over and over while gripping my head and tightly shutting my eyes. Within a few moments of staying like this, I felt my hair being tugged upwards, along with my body where I came face to face with Draven.

"Have you finally given up?"

"No..."

"You've got to be kidding me."

He began to laugh loudly before dropping me back down to the ground, where I landed with a *thud*

"You see Draven..."

 I slowly began to pick myself back up once more; this time I used the remaining pillar as support to help me stand up on my own.

"I'm done with your bullshit..."

For some reason, the tattoo on my arm was beginning to burn brightly, causing my shoulder to throb with a dulled pain. Meanwhile, dark smoke began to dance around my feet until they were shrouded in the darkness itself. I could see only red at this point and as I held my hands, I began to speak an ancient incantation which made Draven's eyes go wide.

My veins were now clearly visible and were covered with thorned tattoo's that ran up my arms completely.

"Draven, my word of advice for you? Run..."

The moment I smiled, black-smoked covered spiked chains came hurtling towards him at high speeds, each one was thorn-like tipped and dug into his skin the moment they wrapped around him. He was in mid-flight when he was caught and was now desperately trying to free himself from the restraints. 

When I saw this, I quickly jumped into action and rushed over to a pile of rubble, jumping off of it and then kicking myself off of the wall right next to it, which sent me into the air backward. With perfect timing, I managed to swing my foot downwards while mid-flip, fiercely kicking him down to the ground below where he let out a groan of pain.

I hovered in the air, right above his body for a few seconds before slowly floating down to the ground, right in front of him. He was coughing and spitting out dust from his mouth. He tried lifting his head and with a swing of my hand, I sent his face back down to the ground below. 

"I'm done messing around Draven."

"So...you going to kill me now, or what?"

I had to stop and think about that question for a moment...I...I had never killed anyone before, how could I even think about killing someone now? Sure, he had tried to kill me, Viggo and quite possibly others and yet...I don't think I could bring myself to kill him.

"I knew it, you're weak!"

As he lunged at me, the chains that bounded him had begun to tear and shred his entrapped wings. I ended up grabbing his arm and twisting it before kneeing him hard in the jaw; which ended up knocking him out cold. I was breathing heavily now as I staggered backward, almost tripping on my own two feet.

I looked down at him and then, with a wave of my hand, more chains appeared and now wrapped around his wrists. I closed my eyes and felt a cool breeze wash over me as I mana drained him just a little bit. Yes, mana bending and draining were forbidden uses of magic, but...I had to do it, I had no other choice...

Once I felt a little bit more energy wash over me, I quickly ran over to the pile of rubble where Viggo had been, picking up my staff that had been previously thrown elsewhere during the fight. When I got to the rubble. I was prepared for the worst, but I was relieved to know that he was alive. He was beaten up pretty badly and was pretty much out cold. But at least he was alive.

"I wish I could do something for you.."

Right as I spoke, I noticed my shoulder was glowing, on it, two new pieces appeared; another rose petal and a thorned vine that wrapped around the incomplete markings. A shimmering light began to rain down from it and land on Viggo and I watched on with tears as he opened his eyes.

"Seph? Is that you?"

"Viggo! You're awake-- and your arm!"

Shock was plastered on my face as I looked down at his arm, it had once been broken horribly, but now...

"Huh? Did something happen to my arm?"

"Yes, wait, do you not remember anything that just happened?"

"I remember breaking out from the detention chambers because I could sense you were in danger. I asked people in town if they had seen you and some elderly man told me where you were after I told him that you were in trouble. When I came down here, I saw you in pretty bad shape and that guy...he was the one I got a glance at before, but I can't remember what happened after that."

"Well...you saved me, Viggo..." I smiled and gently touched his cheek

"Did I? Does that mean I get a kiss?"

"Not a chance, idiot."

"Worth a shot." 

Viggo let out a pained chuckle, it must have been from all the bruises. The magic may have saved his arm, but it didn't heal up the cuts and bruises.

"Oh yeah, I pulled something off that lunatic."

"Huh- wait...is that!?"

Viggo pulled out a small sphere that gave off a great deal of magical energy, probably enough magic to equal that of hundred elite magical knights at the Ministry.

"This must be the thing that was stolen from the MInistry! We have to hurry and take this to them!"

"That won't be necessary. We can go ahead and take that from you right now."

"Huh?"

When I looked back at the new voice, I saw a rather tall man with golden hair coming my way. He was being accompanied by two other ministry members.

Standing up, I faced the three new people and I held out the sphere in my hand.

"After you take us, you have to drop all charges that were put against Viggo and I. Your culprit has already been caught."

"Who said you had charges against you?"

"What...but.."

"I should have mentioned that earlier." Viggo spoke up "When I broke out of the detention chamber, the so-called ministry members that threw us in, were nothing more than fakes. They turned to smoke the minute I attacked them."

"So then that means you...and you" I pointed at Klaus and Vincent "Weren't actually around?"

"No, we and some of the prefects were busy investigating the recent spike in unstable magic, I'm sure you've seen the effects of it, through the terrible weather we've had."

"Yeah," Vincent spoke up this time. "Someone had purposefully tampered with it and we had to go out and find out who. We've all been gone for at least a few days."

"Hang on a second" I put my hands to my head and rubbed gently. "So, then that means, the Zeus, Lucious, and Hiro that I talked to?"

"Must have been fakes created to talk and act like them."

"Why go through so much trouble for all of this?"

"Must be scared of us, Sephie." Viggo laughed

"Well, I'm not sure of everything just yet, but given that the sphere in your hand is not only one of the many peace offering between Graceus and Gedonelune, but also a magic stabilizer for the land's magic. It helps maintain and protect the ancient magic in the land from spilling out."

"So if someone bad were to have used this for evil..."

"Yes, it very well may have destroyed Gedonelune and many other lands."

"Now.." Klaus cleared his throat and opened the palm of his hand. "May I please have it, so I may return it to its rightful place."

"Oh, yeah, sorry." 

I quickly handed the sphere over to Klaus who quickly but it into some magical container. 

"Now, about this culprit that you said you caught?"

"Oh yeah, he's over...there?"

When I looked over, there was no sign of Draven except blood and a few of his feathers from his wings that were torn out from the struggle.

"I swear he was right here!"

"I see. Well, then, you four over there, don't just stand there, start gathering evidence!" 

Klaus began barking orders at a few others that had come down with him, then he sighed and placed a hand to his forehead. 

"I swear, I don't get paid enough for this. Anyways, I should probably go ahead and thank you for helping us retrieve what was stolen. You've done a great service for us, so thank you, Persephone."

"I can't take all the credit, Viggo played a part to. If he hadn't shown up, then I...I might have been killed down here."

"I see. Viggo, thank you for your contribution to this case."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't tell anyone else about this, I'll start looking like a good guy."

I burst out laughing at his comment and afterward, Viggo and I were both escorted back onto Academy grounds and taken into the infirmary for our sustained injuries.

--------------------------------

After about a day, we were discharged and allowed to go about our days like usual, the only difference was that we had been exempted for classes for a few days after everything that had happened.

Now, after what seemed like forever, Viggo and I were out sitting by our usual spot.

"Thought you should know that the Ministry found some kind of pin lying on the ground in the ruins."

"Really?"

"Yeah, they know some more info on the guy, they just don't know his whereabouts right now. Though, considering the condition we left him in, he probably couldn't have gone far."

"I hope not. If he has, then that means more trouble."

"You seem worried."

"Yeah, worried that I'll have to do more work."

"Viggo gave a small snort. "You sound like this Day Class student I know who comes into the detention chamber sometimes."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. Oh, hey Seph. There's something I wanted to ask you back there in the ruins."

"What?"

"Why are you such an idiot?"

"Seriously..."

"Yes, seriously. I get that you were doing this to clear my name and all, but you went to some serious lengths to achieve that."

"Is there something wrong with that? So what? I wanted to prove you were innocent."

"Look...you're really not making this easy for me to say."

"Well, then improve on your wording."

"Alright, you want me to be straightforward and ask then?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Fine, do you like me?"

"Well, yeah of course I do, you're probably one the coolest people here."

"Not like that, you idiot."

"Hey!"

"You're the dense one here, okay. See, I'm asking if you love me."

Oh dear gods, he actually said it. My face became hot and suddenly I was acting like those love-struck fools in the Day Class during the Love Holiday.

"Where is this coming from, exactly?"

"Well, to be honest, I had been wanting to bring this up to you for a little while. Probably around the time, I started liking you."

"Wait, hold on, you like me?"

"Yeah? Got a problem with it."

"Not at all, I like you too-"

Did....did I really just say that out loud? I felt like hiding away in a dark cave at this point and I was becoming embarrassed, so much so that I was beginning to find it hard looking into his eyes. This wasn't like me at all, normally I was cool and collected, why...why was I feeling this way? Were my true feelings for Viggo beginning to show themselves? I had a million thoughts running through my head which all came to a standstill when I felt Viggo's hand wrap around mine.

I gently squeezed his hand back as we sat in silence. I had spent so many years, wanting to feel love again and I...I felt it with Viggo. He made me feel safer than I had ever felt before. But, I'd never tell him that...probably.

"Hey! Persepho- Oho? We got a couple of lovebirds here."

"Shut up, Zeus."

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Listen, we need you in the Headmaster's office, Schuyler wants to see you."

"The headmaster?"

Viggo and I looked at one another before getting up and following Zeus to the Headmaster's office. We didn't know what to expect and quite frankly, I was a little scared considering that I had broken quite a few rules during the recent events. I could feel my heart practically leap into my throat when Zeus knocked on the door and alerted Schuyler of our arrival. I felt even more uneasy when Viggo let go of my hand.

"Come in."

Schuyler's voice came from inside and Zeus opened the door and walked in, with us following close behind him.

"I brought her, just like you asked. But Viggo here refused to stay behind."

"Listen, if she's in trouble then don't make her have all the blame."

"No one is in trouble here. In fact, I wanted you to come and see me so I could give you a few things. I noticed that you have not worn an official Night Class uniform since you've been here. So, I'm here to provide you with one."

"That won't be necessary."

"What?"

"I have one, already/ It needs to be sewn up a little bit but it's still usable. Besides, it means a lot to me because it was given to me by someone special."

I looked over and noticed that Viggo was now looking away, avoiding any and all eye contact with me.

"I see, well then. With that uniform, I expect you to be wearing this at all times."

Schuyler pulled out a box and sat it on the desk; inside was a special Night Class pin.

"Is that..."

"Yes, this means you are an official deputy prefect for the Night Class, due to the recent incident, there was a unanimous vote to have you be a part of the prefect team. I hope to see good things from you Miss Onyx. Do try and stay out of trouble though."

"Way to go Seph, look at you climbing the ranks."

"Now that we've gotten all of this taken care of, you may be all dismissed back to your regular duties."

Schuyler shooed us out of the office and we all left. Zeus had split off from us and went on his own while Viggo and I walked down the hallway together.

"I'm proud of you, I mean hey, who knows, you might be a real prefect soon."

"Don't get your hopes up too much."

I laughed and then smiled when Viggo grabbed my hand again. 

After all the things that had just happened, I was beyond relieved to return to life here at the Academy. Things have changed since then though, I've had to take on more responsibilities, like balancing my academics and my deputy prefect duties. It was going to be a challenge, but hey, challenges are what makes life more exciting, right?

#wizardess heart #wizardess heart oc #persephone onyx #viggo wh

[chisenki]

◜     BIONICSTRIKE     ╱     Genos.

             the   blaring   promiscuity   of   their   bodies   pressed   ever   so   keenly   together   as   if   their   connection   was   ANYTHING   CLOSE   TO   NATURAL ,   sent   genos’   thoughts   spiraling ,   each   one   taking   intermittent   turns   to   stand   at   the   forefront .   the   sight   of   tongue   swiping   intentionally   over   saturated   lips   directly   where   the   cyborgs’   vision   resided   did   not   go   unnoticed .   another   likely   a   maneuver   of   distraction ,   though   he   couldn’t   manage   to   shake   the   dangerously   arbitrary   curiosity   it   provoked .   sonic’s   belligerent   temptation   was   wearing   away   at   his   resistance ,   but   not   enough   to   soften   the   taunt   grip   around   his   throat ,   rutting   the   flat   of   an   iron - faced   palm   firmly   against   his   enemy’s   throat ,   hard   enough   to   temporarily   cut   off   his   air   supply .   everything   that   he   said ,   every   look   from   those   brisk   sterling   optics was   enough   to   mimic   a   sensation   of   pumping   blood    –––––––––––––    or ,   the   closest   thing   to   it   THAT   HE   COULD   REMEMBER .   although   he   certainly   knew   that   it   sure   as   hell   was   doing   something   to   him .      ‘   you   must   be   exceptionally   ignorant   if   you   think   you   can   fool   me   so   easily   with   an   offer   like   that . ’

             he   had   him   at   his   edge ,   the   ninja   had   nowhere   to   go .   of   course   it   was   a   trick ,   ALL   OF   THIS .   genos   was   more   than   aware   of   the   erraticism   of   the   situation .   but   for   some   reason ,   he   couldn’t   stop   himself   from    CONSIDERING   IT .   as   outrageous   as   it   was   that   he   had   even   let   the   idea   cross   his   mind ,   he   trusted   he   had   enough   quick - witted   defense   to   take   the   chance .   he   couldn’t   think   of   an   attack   that   the   villain   could   present   him   with   that   he   couldn’t   counter ,   especially   if   he   was   expecting   it .   so   he   let   himself   indulge   in   the   feeling ,   just   for   a   moment .        ‘   do   you   truly   think   you   deserve   the   satisfaction   of   me   doing   so ?   ’

    READ   MORE     --     CONTINUED.

     genos’ question was subject to his doubt:  was this all truly just for his satisfaction?  considering how responsive the cyborg was to a bit of heavy -- handed flirtation,  the notion seems to be nothing if not misleading.  in fact,  he’s come to terms with two major developments learned throughout the encounter:  one,  this   AUTOMATON   of a hero possessed the capacity to feel attraction for a warm and organic body like his own,  and two,  he seemed to want what that implied just as much as sonic did.  maybe even   MORE.    the exploration of those metal -- jointed hands over his skin speaks a language he knows.  but the fervor with which they move elicits his surprised intake of breath.  a noise that’s helplessly swallowed up as their mouths are crushed together without a   SEMBLANCE   of   MERCY,   like two vehicles colliding on intersected paths.  

     it seems he’s awakened some great temptation in the hero,  a yawning hunger that would consume them both if left unsatiated.  of course,  such   ENTHUSIASM   &   DANGER   was more to his taste than any other,  and now it didn’t take a genius to decipher what their next step in the process should be.  sonic extracts himself from the kiss with a shove to steel -- plated chest,  mouth wet with a commingling of their spit and his blood.  a split in the lip,  licked over thoughtfully,  as the ninja looks the cyborg up and down:  ❛  ––––i see that your   FORWARDNESS   in combat is mirrored in the way that you kiss.  good to know.  it’s certainly the right time for such a discovery,  but i don’t know about the right place.  ❜  he reaches behind for one of the hero’s hands,  disengaging its grip on his backside and allowing his fingers to wrap around the wrist.  smiling without malice for once,  sonic tugs the cyborg forward,  ❛  if you’re willing to sit tight for a moment,  i can lead you to someplace where we can continue this..   TALK.   ❜

     his words and actions contrive no misunderstanding on what is   NEXT   to occur.  with a half -- lidded glance slyly directed to the side,  the ninja guides their party of two to his designated locale:  amping up the acceleration until his walk transitions into a run.  he moderated the pace so that their strides were evenly matched,  as it made use of the cyborg’s maximum speed rather than his own  --  mindful of their differences.  with foliage and street lights blurring into the backdrop,  their travel is brought to a standstill only mere minutes later.  he was lucky enough to possess a hideout in this city,  courtesy of his insistence in shadowing saitama on his outdoor ventures.

     only once they entered beneath the dilapidated archway of the warehouse does the ninja let his fingers slip from the the cyborg’s wrist.  at first his intent is unclear,  with sonic stepping away from his impromptu houseguest to stand in the middle of the room,  his face tilted upwards to examine the cracks and spidery etchings in the ceiling:  ❛  it’s not much.  this place is more utility than   POMP,   as you can see,  but it can't be helped.  ❜  his conversational words are,  of course,  a reference to the futon in the corner that’s seen better days,  his few thrown -- together furnishings that appear to fill up space rather than garnish it.  after a short moment,  he finally clarifies the purpose of this small talk,  crossing the distance between them once more.  ❛  ..luckily,  it’ll serve just   FINE   for what we’re going to do.  ❜  sonic scarcely allows the dust to settle on this statement before his hands promptly wander,  trailing down to revisit a familiar but daring location.  in a single deft maneuver,  the villain undos the hero's belt and throws it aside  --  slotting their mouths together in the meanwhile.  smirking,  he caught the slippery curve of the cyborg’s lower lip between his teeth as he cupped him boldly through his pants.  whether it was the security of their new environment,  hidden away from prying eyes,  or the knowledge that this escapade was with his nemesis,  his actions procured a more   DEMANDING   quality for the occasion.

#◜ ╰ ✶ . › let none escape alive ‹ MAIN. ◞ #◜ ic. ╱ #◜ nsfw. ╱ #bionicstrike #sonic: im no MECHANIC but ill get ur engine 2 Throttle . #ok thats enough out of me #i didnt even MEAN 2 finish this reply on sunday #oh well. my brain pulls thru for the sake of the spicy

[kendrixtermina]

On the subject of White Diamonds’s Court

She clearly does have her own colonies (depicted both on her murals and Garnet’s narration to the off-colors), so she most likely had direct subordinates besides the other Diamonds.

Though I wouldn’t expect to see any other white gems besides her and anyone she takes over - She’s the only one because she’s the source of all others whereas all her creations reflect only part of “her” spectrum. (Hence why they were imperfect in her eyes, but ironically that seems to be what makes them individuals rather than just copies - If she infuses anything with “her pure, unadulterated essence”,  she only gets a puppet and her comment about how she ‘doesn’t like spreading herself so thin’  implies that she can only control so many of those at once. )

Hence, her direct underlings are probably rainbow-colored like CG Pearl and Bismuth. (Or indeed, White herself since it seems that she basically turns into a mood ring when she gets very emotional) - we didn’t see any as not to spoil the reveal of her Pearl being mind controlled.

One wonders how they feel about her fairly hands-off approach to ruling since we are shown what the other Diamond’s underlings thought of them:

Pink seems to have been universally beloved, much like she was with the CGs.  Everyone wants to avenge her and considers her alleged murder a travesty.  She was probably as oblivious about this as she was of Pearl’s jealousy, Greg’s initial fear that he’s only a plaything or the fact that the other Diamonds cared for her despite their spectacular parenting fails. Perhaps she thought her gems would mostly join the rebellion if there was no more Pink Diamond for them to be loyal to, but instead, they became more embittered. Also like CGs, her gems probably thought that she knew what she was doing when she really didn’t.

Yellow is admired by her efficiency and reason. (Some of that is propaganda, but while she can be capricious when angered, she does actually seem to value those things) If you look at Yellow Pearl or pre-redemption Peridot, they seem to accept their low ranks because they still have useful functions and get to be smug either on behalf on those tasks or toward those ranked even lower. As for the upper ranks like Jasper and the Topazes, well, a common thread seems to be that they’re not as tough as they act outwardly, because no one can be, not all the time   - We see that YD very much exerts authority and blows off people who question her, but at the same time, she doesn’t like flattery, doesn’t believe in taking special liberties just because they’re the leaders and has a sense of responsibility and a willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good.

Blue has a reputation for mercy and gentleness with the higher ranked gems such as Holly, Blue Agate but the lower-ranked ones like ‘our’ Ruby only know her murdery ice queen facade - it’s not just Ruby either, both  Aquamarine and Pink imply that she regularly dispenses “creative” punishmentsat times, even though, or perhaps precisely because she doesn’t really get much joy out of revenge.  But also judging by aquamarine, being in her good graces is a sweet deal. Part of why her enforcer have that much leeway might be because she doesn’t enjoy or have much interest in leading apart from a representative, “smile and wave” approach. Her motivations and reasons lie more on the personal scale, with her attachment to her fellow Diamonds. Even when it comes to White, Blue basically just wants her to spend more time together.

So basically Yellow is universally “harsh but fair” whereas Blue is nice if she likes you and vindictive if she doesn't, but their overall level of mercy or lack thereof is the same and you wouldn’t want to catch either of them on a bad day. Also both would probably have run things somewhat differently, and probably better, if White were open to suggestions. Some level of “the fish rots from the head down” is definitely in effect,Meanwhile Pink didn’t actually get to decide much before she ran away and was told that it’s because she’s not good at it, but also, she wasn’t really content with just being a particularly sweet and endearing tyrant or the sort of half-assed condescending concern that the Zoo would have been - she too, could apparently lead just fine (or at least adequately) when left to do it on her own terms with the CGs. Her style would just not have been possible in homeworld society, since it’s based on positive encouragement and consensus, taking a lot of pointers from others. She never really got to decide that much untiil she ran away.  (in that way, at leeast,  she was the exact opposite of White) Even so, she seemed to view it as a burden, ostensibly felt very guilty about all the things that went awry, something that particularly comes through in things she discussed with Greg.  We know she doubted whether she ever really “grew beyond her programming” and sorta envied humans in that respect- when we first saw that Scene in “Greg the Babysitter”, we still thought she was originally Quartz you’d think she was talking about fighting, but she must have meant leading. 

a hearty dose of“madness is trying to do the same thing over and over and expecting a different result” can also be applied here - Yellow keeps on conquering but they go through planets so fast there’s still a resource shortage, Blue piles on vengeance but it just makes her more miserable, and White’s response to anything is to amp up the very controlfreakery that is ruining things in the first place. They want to archieve their ends no matter the means, but their means end up destroyiing the very ends they’re striving for and whatever made these means bearable (mostly each other) - with the end result that their empire is a miserable place to live, their ressource policies are unsustainable even before you consider the massive destruction they wrough in the process. Also, Pink ends up running for the hills, Yellow and Blue end up in a fight, and White finds that they’re too terrified to come near her in her moment of weakness

So that tangent aside, what can we presently deduce about how White handles her direct underlings?  

- We know she rarely inspects her colonies herself and mostly stays on homeworld - and even when she’s there she stays in her ship.

Perhaps her absence gives her higher-ranked gems a lot of leeway to take the glory and adulation to themselves, especially if they consider it a honor to serve directly under her - they might act uppity toward the other courts because they view themselves as closer to white’s perfection.

Or she may have been neglectful causing them to feel somewhat abandoned, - perhaps she kinda ignored any problems or expected that the rules alone would be enough for everything to run smoothly, or she delegated the actual administrating to Yellow and Blue.

On the other hand, it’s possible that she’s got them all so terrified that they fall in line like clockwork, so that she doesn’t need to intervene directly. In that case she probably does the very same “I’m going to destroy everything you care about with a pleasant smile, for your own good, and woe to anyone who objects” thing that she did with Pink - except worse, because Pink was supposedly her favorite.

She’s got a knack for making use of people’s weaknesses and making their  virtues work against them, but at the same time her ideas about that are usually based on her presumptions than genuine understanding, so I’m not sure wether she’d be able to talk-no-jutsu people or rather break-them-by-talking like an evil counterpart to Pink and Steven. I mean, Pink managed the charismatic-benevolent-leader thing despite not being all that good at picking up other people’s actual thoughts and feelings. White has got this pleasant surface level but anyone who spends enough time with her seems to learn about her propensity for rage quickly enough. 

With the information we have so far, each of these could be equally likely - perhaps every one of them could be true for some of the various gems on “her” planets.

Her worlds could have been the worst ones for a gem to live on, but I’d find it interesting to learn if there’s anything that she, in particular, does well, something that could be considered a virtue or at least a saving grace. If there is, she might not know what it is. 

#steven universe #diamond authority #white diamond #pink diamond #blue diamond #yellow diamond

[the-master-cylinder]

Lunch Meat (1987): SUMMARY Cannibals who roam the San Bernardino Mountains in search of victims! PAW & THE BOYS! BENNY, ELWOOD and HARLEY! Psychotic, meat-eating mutilators who get their kicks by ambushing young men and women, hunt them down, and cold-bloodedly. tear their bodies apart!

There’s HARLEY, who get his kicks by chopping off people’s heads with his AXE! There’s ELWOOD, his younger brother, who likes to DRILL HOLES in his victims with his PICKAXE! PAW’S favorite tool is his stainless steel MACHETE! He gets his thrills by tracking his prey down, taking a couple of swipes with the machete to draw BLOOD, and then likes to see them beg for mercy. He’ll move in with a chuckle and CHOP THEM UP into many pieces of BLOOD-DRENCHED MEAT and BONES to be thrown in TRASH BAGS and taken down to the nearest greasy spoon to be sold as lunchmeat!!!! Then there’s BENNY! Deaf and dumb and MANIACAL with an insatiable thirst for human blood and raw flesh!!!! BENNY does his best work with a shovel!!!!

BEHIND THE SCENES/PRODUCTION The film is the culmination of three years work and a virtually lifelong dream of its 39 year-old writer/director Kirk Alex. With a background that includes film school training, Alex had been making his living driving a cab. Eventually the frustrations of that job, and the passion to make movies, overrode the instinct to make a living and he sold his cab to raise the money to start filming LUNCH MEAT.

Alex is understandably reticent about discussing details that might affect the film’s value on the marketplace but it seems likely that it was shot on 16mm with a budget probably below $60,000. The film was made on a 14 day shooting schedule, most of which was haphazardly scattered over an almost three month period. “We’d shoot a couple of days here, a couple of days there,” recalled Alex. “Sometimes we’d stop because we ran out of film and had no money to buy more. Other stoppages were for schedule conflicts for cast or crew. The worst delays were for hassles from the law.”

Cast & Crew

Alex’s cast and crew frequently had to change filming locations due to run-ins with Southern California police or Forest Rangers. “The whole system is set up for big budget productions,” complained Alex. “If you’ve got a movie camera in your hand you’ve got to have a permit to breathe, and everybody is out to make a buck off you. I was supposed to have a police officer and a fire marshal on the set at all times, at $40 an hour. A piece! There’s city, state, and county permits you’ve got to have, insurance and lawyers and paramedics. I could have spent my entire budget without ever exposing a foot of film!”

Instead Alex opted for true outlaw filmmaking. He and his group would shoot in one location until the forces of the law showed up. They would feign ignorance of the rules and regulations and then leave, promising to return with the proper paperwork and cash. In reality they would simply move on to the next suitable location and go through the whole process again.

Surprisingly, few of the film’s problems arose from the cast. “They were all pros,” said Alex. “It was 95° to 100° every day we shot and they spent most of their time running around or falling down in the dirt. Sure, they complained, but they all kept showing up and doing their best.”

Chuck Ellis, who portrays the gargantuan, cannibalistic mute Benny, was the only member of the cast whom Alex knew before shooting. “I always knew Chuck was a fine actor, and his size creates an undeniable screen presence,” said Alex. “I think he did a great job as Benny. He manages to create some sympathy for this pathetic sub-human even while we’re watching him engage in some pretty barbaric acts on screen.”

One staple of low-budget exploitation films that LUNCH MEAT lacks is sex or nudity. “It wasn’t a conscious decision to leave it out,” said Alex. “I just didn’t see any place for it in the script and I wasn’t going to bring the entire film’s pace to a halt just to have some girl take her top off.” The film’s special effects, the backbone of any gore film, also suffered for the lack of time and money. “A lot of good effects sequences were dropped because they were just too time-consuming, or costly,” recalled Alex. “I think Lori Drucker and her effects crew did a real good job on the throat ripping that kicks off the crazies’ attack, and on the miscellaneous body parts. They could have done even more. It’s the classic story: all we needed was time and money.”

Post production of the film was even more protracted than its filming. Over eight months, in increments of a day here, a day there, were spent before the final project was ready to market. Many of the delays were in order to raise additional money to deal with the next phase of the postproduction chores.

Alex bypassed any thoughts of theatrical exhibition and shopped the film around to various video distributors. He had several offers, some of which appeared more lucrative than those of Tapeworm Video, but he felt he could trust its owners because they were struggling dreamers like himself. To date, LUNCH MEAT has sold over 2500 copies for Tapeworm. That’s a pittance in comparison to the hundreds of thousands of copies a blockbuster title might move, but it’s not bad for an unknown film, with a no-name cast. It is, in fact, Tapeworm’s top seller to date.

And hopes are high that things may get better still. The tape’s incredibly graphic cover, offering a wild-eyed Benny gnawing on a severed human arm, was an undeniable eye catcher but has proven too bold for many video stores. A new, tamer cover was eventually offered.

CAST/CREW Directed/Written Kirk Alex

Produced by Kirk Alex Mark Flynn Al Goodrum Robert Oland Pamela Phillips Oland Ashlyn Gere (credited as Kim McKamy) as Roxy Chuck Ellis as Benny Joe Ricciardella as Frank Elroy Wiese as Paw Robert Oland as Harley Mitch Rogers as Elwood Rick Lorentz as Cary Bob Joseph as Eddie Marie Ruzicka as Debbie Patricia Christie as Sue Ann McBride as Waitress

Slaughterhouse (1987): SUMMARY Lester Bacon is an old nut-case farmer living with his simple-minded, obese son Buddy. Both of them lament the fate of the old skilled hog farmer, now giving way to modern factory-type slaughterhouses. The father and son go on a killing spree against people who trespass on their property. In the opening scene, Buddy kills two teenagers, Kevin and Michelle, who are having some time alone in their car on a remote area of Lovers Lane.

The next day, Harold – Lester’s attorney, along with his law partner Tom and the local police chief, Sheriff Borden, visit Lester at his house to offer him $55,000 to buy his property, along with the closed-down slaughterhouse next door. Lester is told that the demolition of the slaughterhouse would create employment opportunities for many people in town, as well as get the county tax assessor off his back. Lester grumbles about Tom’s equipment and bad meat and says that he could do better with his hands, knives and fewer men. The sheriff tells Lester that the assessor’s office is foreclosing his property and he has 30 days to vacate it.

Meanwhile, Liz – Sheriff Borden’s teenage daughter – is with a group of high school friends planning to shoot a “horror video” and suggests that the area around the Bacon Slaughterhouse would be perfect. Her friends – Skip, Annie, and Buzz – wonder the whereabouts of Kevin and Michelle. Back at Lester Bacon’s property, his son Buddy takes Lester to a room and shows him the dead Michelle and Kevin. Lester is a bit unsettled, thinking that they’re neck-deep in trouble, but he tells Buddy that Tom, Harold, and Sheriff Borden deserve such a fate.

Deputy Dave, after being informed by the worried parents of Michelle and Kevin, checks out the docks and then goes to the slaughterhouse. He walks inside and calls for the two teenagers. As Dave finds a dead hanging cat, Buddy appears and kills him by shoving large metal sliding door on Dave’s gun-toting hand, chopping it off.

Lester then calls Harold to tell him that he has accepted his sales offer. Harold goes to the slaughterhouse where both Lester and Buddy kill him. Buddy then puts on the dead Dave’s blood-stained police uniform and goes for a drive in the squad car. Dave’s girlfriend, Sally, sees him driving past and waves, but Buddy chases her and runs her car off the road. She tries to escape on foot, but Buddy catches up to her and slices her neck with a butcher knife. When Tom arrives at the slaughterhouse, Lester lures him to the processing room, where Buddy drops him into a saw machine.

That evening at the Pig Out, a town dance, the power goes out due to a rainstorm, and many people leave. Buzz says it’s the best time for filming at the slaughterhouse. Skip then makes a $20 bet that the girls cannot last one hour at the slaughterhouse. Liz and Annie are dropped off at the place while the boys are sneaking around with masks used in Liz’s video. Elsewhere, Sheriff Borden finds Sally’s car with the damaged windshield and Dave’s patrol car with the door open. The sheriff then goes back to his car and calls for backup.

Back at the slaughterhouse, Liz and Annie realize that the boys are outside trying to scare them. Liz looks for a way to get behind the two guys and scare them instead. The boys split up and Buzz gets inside the building. Skip is at the window, and Annie laughs until Buddy suddenly appears and whacks Skip. Annie screams and runs, but Lester appears and grabs her.

Liz walks to the front door and sees that everyone is gone. At the same time, Buzz walks into a room, hears a noise and gets hit in the face by Buddy. Liz finds a hanging Annie (still alive), as well as the dead bodies of all the other victims. The father-son duo is there and Buddy grabs Liz. Meanwhile, Sheriff Borden learns that Tom and Harold have mysteriously disappeared.

Buddy and Lester hold Liz down on a table, and Lester says that a meat cutter like himself and Buddy have the skills like a surgeon. Lester slices one of Liz’s fingertips to prove to her that it is one of the most sensitive parts of the human body. When Lester turns and hears Sheriff Borden enter through the front door, Liz kicks Lester and runs away. She finds her father and runs to him. Buddy appears and the sheriff tries to shoot him, but he hits the blade of his meat cleaver. Sheriff Borden and Liz run outside into the rain. As Sheriff Borden pauses at his squad car door, Lester appears and stabs him in the back. Liz picks up her father’s gun and shoots Lester. She then helps the wounded sheriff into his car. She also gets the keys to start up the car, just as Lester rises and knocks at the car windows. She turns around, shifts the car into reverse, and runs over Lester, crushing his head and finally killing him. The sheriff tells Liz to drive away and radio for help. Buddy suddenly sits up from the backseat and swings his knife at Liz. She screams, and the film suddenly ends.

BEHIND THE SCENES/PRODUCTION Even before the new slasher movie Slaughterhouse  played in its first commercial theater, it was in the black. Slowly squealing its way around the country, the film was a testament to the new Hollywood, where independent companies outnumber major studios eight to one, and where home video and foreign sales can more than pay for a film’s cost. Slaughterhouse, for example, was sold to 60% of the foreign markets, including Germany, England, and Japan, before its domestic fate had been determined. Embassy’s Charter Entertainment is distributing the video cassette

It helped that the movie was made on a very tight budget; in fact, only fifteen full-time crew mcmbers were employed. As a result, writer director Rick Roessler was faced with the task of making up credits to increase the film’s prestige. The first two weeks of a four-week shot were done without any days off. and at that point, Roessler joked, they had to pick a few people off the floor and take some time off.

The film marks a major launch for American Artists, in which Roessler is one of three partners. The San Diego-based production company was set up four years ago primarily to produce films. The partners proceeded to work on other people’s movies until they could raise enough capital, mostly from private investors, for their own venture.

They even wanted to distribute the movie themselves, but felt they were not adequately prepared for such a challenge. Instead, they gave that job to Castle Hill in New York, which splits the grosses 50/50 with American Artists. “They don’t normally do horror films,” Roessler explained. “It worried me in the beginning. because I wanted to go with a company that knows horror films. New World wanted to buy it out for the ridiculous figure of $400,000.” Castle Hill’s involvement marks a continuing trend: prestigious “art house” distributors who are resorting more and more to handling low budget horror films as well. In their case, they put the name of a subsidiary on it. JGM Enterprises.

“The name of the game is you have to make a living, suggested Roessler. “I know I dug into our bank account heavily to help bankroll this film. I got into the horror genre not only because I like it but because there’s a base audience out there. Being horror fans, the one thing we didn’t want to do was absolute schlock. We didn’t want to do porn. You won’t see any gratuitous sex.”

One thing Roessler did play up was the comedy element. “We enjoy tongue and cheek stuff,” he said. “There must be a measure of comedy to make the film more horrific; otherwise, it would be too dull. Some films have so much blood, like EVIL DEAD, that they become funny.”

Roessler said he used the FRIDAY THE 13th series as an example of what he was trying to avoid. “It started out well, I think. The first one was low budget, and I think a lot of effort went into it. But look what’s happened to the character in the next five. It’s just gone blithering on they haven’t really identified who this guy is. The last one, six, was this huge slugger walking around with huge boots, whacking people for. I guess, no reason.

For Slaughterhouse Roessler developed his own character, Buddy, who in the ads is described as “360 pounds of Cleavermania” (in real life, Joe Barton, who plays him, is 372).

“With Buddy, what we tried to do was establish a character. He’s human he’s not some abstract. There’s hopefully some sentiment, some pathos in this character. Doesn’t say word one through the whole thing, and he’s the so-called star. He snorts like a pig.”

The film works as a sort of revenge picture, with Buddy killing those who provoke him or try to evict him and his father out of their condemned slaughterhouse. Thus, the title provides an ideal double entendre for the movie. The film has played in Detroit, Nashville. Denver. Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Phoenix, with other cities to follow. Roessler is expecting Embassy to be pleased with its release path. “Embassy put money into it because they want it to get out there. The best advertising for home video obviously is theatrical release, and the best theatrical release for home video is the one-week hit ’em and then leave, because not everybody gets to see it. The word gets around, and then they rent the video.”

Poster for Unproduced Sequel

Roessler said raising the money to make the film, over a period of eight months, was the hardest part of getting his project on the screen. “We put on presentations for several investor parties,” he said. “We went door-to-door. We made phone calls.”

CAST/CREW Directed/Written Rick Roessler Produced Ron Matona Joe B. Barton as Buddy Bacon Don Barrett as Lester Bacon William Houck as Sheriff Borden Sherry Leigh (credited as Sherry Bendorf) as Liz Borden Jeff Wright as Deputy Dave Bill Brinsfield as Tom Sanford Lee Robinson as Harold Murdock

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Cinefantastique v19n03 Cinefantastique v18n02-03

DOUBLE FEATURE RETROSPECTIVE – Lunch Meat (1987)/Slaughterhouse (1987) Lunch Meat (1987): SUMMARY Cannibals who roam the San Bernardino Mountains in search of victims! PAW & THE BOYS!

#80sHORROR

[zahk-the-zeeb]

Why I think Mercy is, systematically, the worst support.

Now before you get your knots in a bunch remember that this is just my own opinion, I’m sure there are plenty of people who can play Mercy fairly well. But she is literally the only support I can’t stand playing. First lets talk about her main role, Healing: Mercy has the second highest HPS in the game, seconded only by Ana and that’s not even after using her bio grenade. But Mercy has to put herself in so much danger just to heal people. You literally have to be up someones asshole while they get pumped full of bullets meaning you’re in plain view of the enemy. And who’re normally the first people targeted during team fights? Supports. Ana not only out-heals Mercy, but can do so from a much longer and safer distance with no penalty on range. Zen’s Harmony Orb literally sticks to people like those jumping Genjis and dashing Tracer’s who’re all over the place and behind enemy lines. Lucio, though now with his range limited, can still heal a good portion of health to more than 1 person with his amp it up. Hell, even Symettra can make most one on one fights unfair with her shield gen. But Mercy? Gotta be right behind Roadhog’s fat ass, or an easy hitscan pick going with the Phara. She adds too much risk with not enough reward.

Second, lets talk DPS: Mercy is the only support who cannot heal, and dish out damage. While sure she can whip out her pistol which does a surprising 20 damage per hit, it stops her from doing her main role. The alternative being that she can damage boost a single friendly for 30% damage, but that’s trivial when you consider Zen’s discord orb marks people for 30% more damage as well. So instead of having one single person doing more damage, you can have the whole team, doing more damage. All Ana has to do is literally switch targets and she’s going from hps to dps. And Lucio is literally spouting out healing nonstop- so he can shoot, wall ride, and dance all he wants and no one has any right to complain. Symettra probably does the most out of everyone considering you can just look n the general direction of someone and just watch them die. The point being while everyone else is contributing, Mercy sits behind everyone with her thumb up her ass waiting on a Genji to come kill her. And last, lets talk the Ultimate: Now if you ask literally anyone who’s played Overwatch for a considerable amount of time, they’d all say that Mercy’s rez is one of, if not the best ultimate in the game. But is it really though? Consider this. “It’s you, vs six other people. You have to find a way to get the rez off. Get in there.” Sure she can just hide in a corner at the sound of the very first ult going off, but any mediocre team would dive her first chance while her team is getting bullied by ults. So have fun being yelled at for not getting your rez off when you’re the first person to get killed in a team wipe. meanwhile, you have Zen and Lucio’s ults which are purely for suitability. Dragon Blade? Better drop that beat. Graviton? Share that tranquility. Then there’s Ana, who’s ult pairs well with a majority of damage dealing ultimates like Roadhog, Soldier, Bastion, and Pharah. If you really want a way to get back to contesting the point, you can literally just pick Symettra. Her teleporter is just as, if not better than Mercy’s ult. So instead of reviving your team setting them up for yet another team wipe, it gets you back in the fight with a new flanking route. In the end, play Mercy if you want. I make it sound like I think she’s weak, but I honestly believe she needs to be nerfed. 

#Zeeb talks #Overwatch #Mercy #Support

[penniesforthestorm]

“But us sheep? We won’t never get struck out.”: ‘Justified’ Season 1, Episodes 10-12

The fuse has been lit, and the sparks are starting to fly, as we come to the final stretch of Justified’s premier season. For the finale, “Bulletville”, I’ll be doing a more conventional ‘review’, wrapping up some thoughts on the season as a whole. If you’re just joining us, my notes for the pilot, episodes 2-5, and 6-9 can be found by clicking the links. Read on for more...

Episode Ten: “The Hammer”

-We’re introduced to Boyd’s new church, as he lays out his philosophy to an aspiring acolyte, Bobby Joe: replacing addiction or other types of recidivism with a sense of purpose, which, y’know, isn’t the worst idea.

-Raylan arrives, and can’t resist poking the bear, in a mocking address to Boyd’s ‘congregation’. “...May this food provide them with the nourishment they need, but if it does not, may they find comfort in knowing that the US Marshals Service is offering $50,000 to any individual providing information that will put Boyd back in jail. We can make the check out to cash, or to Jesus.”

-Case of the week: eccentric federal judge Mike “The Hammer” Reardon (Stephen Root) requests Raylan for his personal security detail. Reardon’s penchant for strippers, whiskey, and ‘draconian’ sentencing add up to serious trouble.

-Boyd’s mission: wiping out meth in Harlan County (again, not the worst idea), which happens to be Papa Bo’s primary source of revenue. Cousin Johnny drops by for a revealing conversation--Johnny’s willing to turn on Bo if Boyd has a more successful scheme in mind. Boyd tells him, “Truth always sounds like lies to a sinner.”

-Raylan tracks down ‘Preacher Fandy’, whose church was bombed in the pilot, to see if he’ll testify against Boyd. He’s dropped the Rasta act, and notes that it’s been three months since the bombing.

-Raylan and Reardon have a long chat about regrets-- Reardon describes an early case he feels he was too lenient in, and brings up the subject of Raylan’s Miami adventure, asking, if Bucks had been unarmed, “Would it have changed what you did?”

-Boyd blows up a backwoods meth lab, and, to his dismay, is informed that there was someone inside.

-The Reardon adventure reaches a crisis: Virgil Corum, released after an eight-year stint for possession, corners the judge at his favorite bar. Reardon clumsily fires on him, but Raylan stops him. The judge, indignant, protests, “I thought you guys shoot people all the time! That’s why I picked you!”

-Raylan visits “Fandy”/Otis again, and realizes he’s misread the situation: Otis didn’t identify Boyd because he genuinely didn’t see him. He offers to testify if Raylan will show him a picture of Boyd, but Raylan, wised up in light of his other escapades, tells him, “I’m not that guy.”

Episode Eleven: “Veterans”

-Raylan and the marshals raid Boyd’s camp, and Raylan catches Dewey Crowe, struggling to escape his own tent. The casualty in Boyd’s meth-lab bombing was a CI for the State Police.

-Raylan and Art question Boyd, and Art is infuriated by Boyd’s use of the Bible to justify his own ends, sending him on his way with some hard words about “the hand of righteousness.”

-Nicky, one of the cookers from the lab, comes to Bo and Johnny Crowder asking for protection. Raylan visits Sheriff Mosley in prison, and finds out that Arlo took over Bo’s collections after Bo’s arrest, but couldn’t maintain control.

-Bo visits Boyd, and attempts to bring him to heel with an “offering” of the protection money he’s collected. Boyd doesn’t exactly turn him down, but neither is he willing to follow orders outright.

-Raylan and Art, attempting to track down Arlo, have a chat with Aunt Helen.  She sends them off to the VFW, but, as neither Raylan nor Art are veterans, they can’t enter. Finally, Art calls Deputy Tim, and the three of them try to convince Arlo to give them info on Bo, but Arlo and Raylan’s mutual animosity gets in the way. Outside, a call comes from the police that the two survivors of the lab explosion are no longer, uh, surviving...

-Next day, Arlo meets with Bo. Arlo pleads his case-- the “young punks” didn’t respect him. Bo counters that he placed his trust in Arlo precisely because of his age (as an example, he mentions that Johnny would’ve had ambitions ‘above his station’), and cautions Arlo to come up with the money he lost.

-1st appearance of ‘Lemuel’ and his store of various mechanical wonders, visited by Boyd.

-Raylan encounters Dewey Crowe hitchhiking, and Dewey explains that he was kicked out of Boyd’s ‘flock’ for some... unfortunate personal proclivities, much to Raylan’s derision. Raylan, in a flash of inspiration, ‘deputizes’ Dewey into the Marshal Service, and Dewey instantly explains why Boyd targeted that particular lab- on behalf of his new convert Bobby.

-The church camp is raided again, and Raylan and Boyd have another tete-a-tete. Boyd drops the perturbing detail that Arlo worked closely with Bowman Crowder, and Ava may have known about it.

-Raylan finds Ava, who doesn’t want to hear his plea for her safety. After a confrontation with one of Bo’s goons, a creep named Hessler, Raylan packs Ava into his car and calls Winona, who somewhat bemusedly agrees to host her for the night.

-Arlo and Helen chase off an intruder, blasting away side-by-side. Meanwhile, a contrite Dewey begs to return to Boyd’s flock. Boyd raises his pistol, but decides on mercy instead, telling Dewey to scram. Bobby shows up at the Marshals’ Office, taking the fall for the lab explosion.

Episode Twelve: “Fathers and Sons”

-Arlo shows up, claiming willingness to sing for the marshals, but it’s an open question whether it’ll be the tune they want to hear.

-Bo Crowder meets with Gio, the cartel honcho, in Miami, arranging for a shipment of ephedrine to be delivered by Gio’s assistants, Ernesto and Pilar. In passing, Gio mentions Raylan, hinting that he still wants revenge for Tommy Bucks.

-A pair of strained conversations: Ava at Winona’s, and Arlo at Raylan and Art’s office. Ava is suspicious of Winona’s friendliness toward Raylan; Winona attempts to toss it off. “It’s kinda hard to stay mad at Raylan,” she says. Ava responds, “I wouldn’t know; I’m just getting started.” Arlo refuses to wear a wire to meet with Bo, and he and Raylan goad each other almost to blows.

-Bo, Johnny, Hessler, and a chemist meet with a realtor to rent out space for processing Gio’s ephedrine. During a discussion of the details, Bo sends Johnny away.

-That evening, Ava returns home to find Hessler and his buddies drinking beer in her living room, seemingly on Bo’s orders, and she flees. Winona drops by Raylan’s motel room, and things quickly get intimate. As Winona leaves, we see Ava parked outside. The next morning, Ava visits Aunt Helen, and asks if she can get her hands on a gun.

-Bo and Boyd attend an actual church, and Boyd ‘witnesses’ to the congregation, in a wild, amped-up screed. He proclaims his allegiance to his “one true father”, i.e., The Man Upstairs, grinning pointedly at his earthly patriarch. Outside, Bo gives him a stern serving of ‘Crowder gospel’, boiling down to ‘this joke isn’t funny anymore’.

-Trouble at the VFW: a young soldier about to be redeployed to Afghanistan is threatening to blow the place with a live grenade. Arlo, cool as a cucumber, sits with him and hears his story: He received the epithet “Lucky” after the rest of his unit was killed in Iraq while he was sidelined by an asthma attack. Arlo responds with another parable from the Book of Givens (Old Testament): in Vietnam, his unit was ambushed, and he managed to hide while the rest were dragged off. The story is false, but the lesson is true-- Lucky’s crisis is “why me?”, and Arlo’s answer is “why not you?” Outside, Arlo tells Raylan he’ll wear the wire.

-Ava storms into Johnny’s bar, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, to give Bo a piece of her mind. Johnny attempts to intervene, but she waves him off. Bo tells her he doesn’t want to kill her, but warns her to get out of Kentucky. She tells Bo she’s already shot one Crowder.

-Arlo meets with Bo, wired, but with a trick up his sleeve: he flashes Bo a message that their conversation is being monitored, and hands him an envelope stuffed with newspaper clippings, instead of the $20,000 the marshals gave him as a peace offering. Bo sets up another meeting and mentions that if Arlo ‘sees Raylan’, tell him to get Ava under control. Raylan goes riding off, but Ava has dug herself in.

-Bo’s ephedrine shipment is making its way into town, but gets held up by Boyd, who has a brand-new rocket launcher and seems only too delighted to use it.

So, the table’s all set for the finale. (It seems uniquely apt that my thoughts on said finale will be posted on Good Friday.) See you around....

#tv #recap #long post #justified #did you miss my heart on purpose

[yourgodmoments]

Sometimes Your Place in the World Can Bring You Down

You know what I’m talking about. It happens to all of us when we go through the ‘valleys’ of our lives - when you shake your head in disbelief, despair, fear, frustration, maybe even anger. You find yourself lamenting, ‘Oh God, why me?’ Or worse, ‘Have you left me God?’

And yet, God is exactly who we want to reach out to. He is always watching and always ready to help:

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven… Eccl. 3:1 NKJV

In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him. Eccl. 7:14 CSB

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Is. 41:10 NASB

‘Even to your old age I will be the same, even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you.’ Is. 46:4 NASB

God is not idly sitting on the sidelines. Whatever is happening in your life, if you are a child of God, (in right relationship with Him), there is a purpose behind it, that many times we cannot fathom. (Is. 55:9) Nevertheless, He is always just a prayer away, waiting to come to your aid to get you through your trials.

…they cried out to God in the battle, and He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him. 1 Chr. 5:20 NASB

And yes, sometimes it looks like your prayers are not being answered; but that’s where your faith is being tested and strengthened. While you wait, ask the Author of your faith for that strength:

He gives strength to the weary, and to him who has no might He increases power…those who wait for the LORD [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like the eagle [rising toward the sun]… Is. 40:29 & 31. AMP

“I do believe; help [me overcome] my unbelief.” Mk. 9:24 AMP

The foundation for faith comes from our trust in our all-powerful, truth-telling, ever-delivering God:

“For I am the LORD, I do not change [but remain faithful to My covenant with you]… Mal. 3:6 AMP

Now, we must also consider that some of the valleys in our lives are of our own manufacture - especially when we fall back into the ways of the world. There is always a price to pay:

Disaster pursues sinners… Pr. 13:21 ESV

“With reproofs you chasten a man for iniquity…” Ps. 39:11 NASB

That’s why we want to get those slips handled immediately by going forward in humility to the God whom we have sinned against:

Tremble [with anger or fear], and do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still [reflect on your sin and repent of your rebellion]. Offer righteous sacrifices; Trust confidently in the LORD. Ps. 4:4, 5. AMP

The LORD is near to the heartbroken and He saves those who are crushed in spirit (truly sorry for their sin). Ps. 34:18 AMP

The LORD is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way. Ps. 25:8 CSB

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you. Ps. 86:5 NKJV

And when you are back on track, God starts helping you journey towards your new ‘peak’:

His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. Ps. 30:5 NASB

God is the only one who can deliver you from your trials, be they your fault or not. There is not any other kind of ‘idol’ (e.g. money or addictions) that can. They only leave behind hell to pay.

Our Creator knows what He’s doing. Jehovah God has a good plan for each of His children; and as long as they stick with Him, He will make it come to pass. Furthermore, in a way that only He knows, God will dovetail the elements of your experience that were necessary for you to encounter, in a way for you to gain an ultimate eternal benefit:

…God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son… Rm. 8:28, 29. NASB

God’s grace in Christ is forever moving us through our peaks and valleys, toward our eternal redemption to an eternity that is unimaginable. Meanwhile, we need to keep our eye on that prize, and not on the moments of our life’s discontentment. For help in that process, we can lay our sufferings regarding the parts of them that we seem to have no control over, at the feet of our blessed Savior:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mt. 11s:28 - 30. NASB

In fact, our entire focus should be on Jesus, and then all the aspects of our life will come together. He is the source of our satisfaction (Jn.6:35), He is the only way to the Father (Jn. 14:6), our doorway to heaven and eternity (Jn. 14:2; 8:51.) and the living Word of God that gives us all the answers and bolsters our faith, (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 12:2.)

We were put on this earth to do certain things that only we can do, to bring Him glory by reflecting it from ourselves to others in those deeds, which ultimately have their roots in loving the Godhead, ourselves and all others. (Mt. 22:37 - 39.) We do that by giving of ourselves in spite of what is going on in the world around us.

All of a sudden you will notice, that those valleys in life will not be so deep or protracted as your problems shrink in the light of your servitude. And your life begins to take on the unbridled joy of your eternity, where your place in the world can no longer bring you down - because that place is God’s place…

Goodnight and God bless.

#Focus on Jesus #foundations of faith #God wants to help #only God delivers #purposes of God #when at fault #why me God #world brings you down #your peaks and valleys

[elizabethcariasa]

Timing is among unanswered tax rewrite questions

Donald J. Trump is Tweeting about tax reform.

He's also holding bipartisan dinners at the White House to talk taxes. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin was pleased steak was on the menu.

The White House website has a video explaining how the tax code is broken.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says Congressional Republican's tax reform plan outline will be released in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, pundits have been honing their prognostication skills, attempting to tease out tax possibilities and their potential effects.

But despite all this action, the bottom line is that it's still just a big tax guessing game.

Boggling tax possibilities: My head is full of speculation from all I've been reading about an eventual Trump tax plan.

Will it be large-scale tax reform a la the last such change in 1986 or just tax cuts? I'm leaning toward the latter.

Will Democrats play any real part in the process? Or will the GOP's Big Six negotiators — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady — dictate the final look of a 2017 tax bill? I'm thinking some bipartisanship, but only at the edges.

Will that tax plan show us the money? Or will promised/expected tax cuts be offset by elimination or at least reduction of some popular deductions? This is a tough one.

Despite Mnuchin's continuing vows that any tax plan will be revenue neutral, there are committed forces in Congress and various business sectors (along with their lobbyists) ready to go to the mat for many existing individual and businesses Internal Revenue Code breaks.

If they're successful and some deductions remain, the GOP then faces dissent from budget hawks within its own ranks who are concerned that Trump's touted "greatest tax reduction in the history of our country" would add, by the Tax Policy Center's estimates $3.4 trillion, to the country's deficit.

Timing is everything: Then there's the matter of when any tax changes take might take effect.

Congress could opt to have them apply beginning Jan. 1, 2018, for the coming tax year.

Or lawmakers could make them retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year, meaning folks who would see tax benefits would get them when they file this year's returns next spring. That retroactive option is a politically popular one.

From a tax planning standpoint, however, retroactive tax changes tend to be a royal pain in the ass.

What if you already made tax moves this year, either by choice or necessity of timing, based on the current tax laws? Then they are changed. It's highly unlikely you can go back and undo your moves to reconcile them with a late-in-the-year tax change.

Even if you're holding off on making tax moves, you're facing a literal time limit. What happens if Congress, as it has done so many times in the past, pushes tax action until the very last day of the year? Do you pull the trigger ahead of a law change and hope it all will work out fine?

And if Congress does make late changes, will it provide a grace period going into 2018 to make 2017 moves to comply with new retroactive laws? It's done that in the past on a limited basis, notably back in 2013 for the required minimum distribution direct donation to a qualified charity.

Or will Congress give taxpayers the option to file 2017 returns using the old laws that will have been in place for most of the year by the time any tax action is taken? Not likely, but you never know when it comes to those 535 folks in Washington, D.C.

This, my friends, is the complete opposite of tax simplification, which is often espoused as a major goal of any tax code rewrite.

Tax winners and losers: Yes, any time tax laws are changed, some people win and other lose. And much of that winning and losing is predicated on the timing of the laws. 

When that happens, we all just have to pull up our big boy/girl pants and soldier on regardless of how the law affects us.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the retroactive possibility has caught my eye this time because it could cost me tax-wise. For the first time ever, medical issues this year will mean the hubby and I can claim some of our doctor and hospital costs this year on our Schedule A … if the current itemized tax rules remain.

We've never ailed enough before (ah, aging) to run up sufficient medical expenses to clear the itemized deduction hurdle, which now is 10 percent of adjusted gross income. (For readers who are alarmed by this vague info, thanks for your concern and not to worry. We're fine now.) This year, however, we would.

But a possible increased standard deduction and limits to or loss of itemized options could mean that we once again won't get any tax break for our medical costs.

That definitely would be the case if tax changes do away with the write-offs for real estate taxes and/or state and local income or sales taxes. If we're not able to claim our ridiculously high Austin/Travis County property taxes, our itemized expenses will be less than the standard amount that's been floated, meaning we would claim that instead.

I must admit that one consolation I've been taking from our larger than expected medical costs is that at least we'd be able to write them off on our 2017 return. 

Time will tell: So I'll be watching what happens on Capitol Hill for personal as well as professional tax reasons.

Any action will determine whether, as I've done for decades, pay our property taxes in December so I can deduct the amount this tax year or wait to pay until nearer the levy's next February due date. If I wait, I'll have more to spend during the holidays.

Yes, I realize that the standard deduction would be easier and the bump up of that amount would be good for many filers. But it likely would still be less than our total Schedule A amounts this year if all our expenses — property tax, mortgage interest, state/local sales tax, charitable gifts and now medical costs — are allowed as they are under the current tax code.

Personally, I'm hoping for tax reform that takes effect in 2018. Of course, I don't have a personal lobbyist on retainer in D.C. so I'm at the mercy of Congress and the White House.

That's never a good feeling, and it's especially discomfiting when it comes to taxes.

You also might find these items of interest:

Americans offer a counter-intuitive tax reform plan

Mnuchin's tax promise looks like it was made to be broken

BAT strikes out and other insights from the GOP's latest tax reform guidelines

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[christophergill8]

Timing is among unanswered tax rewrite questions

Donald J. Trump is Tweeting about tax reform.

He's also holding bipartisan dinners at the White House to talk taxes. West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin was pleased steak was on the menu.

The White House website has a video explaining how the tax code is broken.

House Speaker Paul Ryan says Congressional Republican's tax reform plan outline will be released in a couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, pundits have been honing their prognostication skills, attempting to tease out tax possibilities and their potential effects.

But despite all this action, the bottom line is that it's still just a big tax guessing game.

Boggling tax possibilities: My head is full of speculation from all I've been reading about an eventual Trump tax plan.

Will it be large-scale tax reform a la the last such change in 1986 or just tax cuts? I'm leaning toward the latter.

Will Democrats play any real part in the process? Or will the GOP's Big Six negotiators — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady — dictate the final look of a 2017 tax bill? I'm thinking some bipartisanship, but only at the edges.

Will that tax plan show us the money? Or will promised/expected tax cuts be offset by elimination or at least reduction of some popular deductions? This is a tough one.

Despite Mnuchin's continuing vows that any tax plan will be revenue neutral, there are committed forces in Congress and various business sectors (along with their lobbyists) ready to go to the mat for many existing individual and businesses Internal Revenue Code breaks.

If they're successful and some deductions remain, the GOP then faces dissent from budget hawks within its own ranks who are concerned that Trump's touted "greatest tax reduction in the history of our country" would add, by the Tax Policy Center's estimates $3.4 trillion, to the country's deficit.

Timing is everything: Then there's the matter of when any tax changes take might take effect.

Congress could opt to have them apply beginning Jan. 1, 2018, for the coming tax year.

Or lawmakers could make them retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year, meaning folks who would see tax benefits would get them when they file this year's returns next spring. That retroactive option is a politically popular one.

From a tax planning standpoint, however, retroactive tax changes tend to be a royal pain in the ass.

What if you already made tax moves this year, either by choice or necessity of timing, based on the current tax laws? Then they are changed. It's highly unlikely you can go back and undo your moves to reconcile them with a late-in-the-year tax change.

Even if you're holding off on making tax moves, you're facing a literal time limit. What happens if Congress, as it has done so many times in the past, pushes tax action until the very last day of the year? Do you pull the trigger ahead of a law change and hope it all will work out fine?

And if Congress does make late changes, will it provide a grace period going into 2018 to make 2017 moves to comply with new retroactive laws? It's done that in the past on a limited basis, notably back in 2013 for the required minimum distribution direct donation to a qualified charity.

Or will Congress give taxpayers the option to file 2017 returns using the old laws that will have been in place for most of the year by the time any tax action is taken? Not likely, but you never know when it comes to those 535 folks in Washington, D.C.

This, my friends, is the complete opposite of tax simplification, which is often espoused as a major goal of any tax code rewrite.

Tax winners and losers: Yes, any time tax laws are changed, some people win and other lose. And much of that winning and losing is predicated on the timing of the laws. 

When that happens, we all just have to pull up our big boy/girl pants and soldier on regardless of how the law affects us.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the retroactive possibility has caught my eye this time because it could cost me tax-wise. For the first time ever, medical issues this year will mean the hubby and I can claim some of our doctor and hospital costs this year on our Schedule A … if the current itemized tax rules remain.

We've never ailed enough before (ah, aging) to run up sufficient medical expenses to clear the itemized deduction hurdle, which now is 10 percent of adjusted gross income. (For readers who are alarmed by this vague info, thanks for your concern and not to worry. We're fine now.) This year, however, we would.

But a possible increased standard deduction and limits to or loss of itemized options could mean that we once again won't get any tax break for our medical costs.

That definitely would be the case if tax changes do away with the write-offs for real estate taxes and/or state and local income or sales taxes. If we're not able to claim our ridiculously high Austin/Travis County property taxes, our itemized expenses will be less than the standard amount that's been floated, meaning we would claim that instead.

I must admit that one consolation I've been taking from our larger than expected medical costs is that at least we'd be able to write them off on our 2017 return. 

Time will tell: So I'll be watching what happens on Capitol Hill for personal as well as professional tax reasons.

Any action will determine whether, as I've done for decades, pay our property taxes in December so I can deduct the amount this tax year or wait to pay until nearer the levy's next February due date. If I wait, I'll have more to spend during the holidays.

Yes, I realize that the standard deduction would be easier and the bump up of that amount would be good for many filers. But it likely would still be less than our total Schedule A amounts this year if all our expenses — property tax, mortgage interest, state/local sales tax, charitable gifts and now medical costs — are allowed as they are under the current tax code.

Personally, I'm hoping for tax reform that takes effect in 2018. Of course, I don't have a personal lobbyist on retainer in D.C. so I'm at the mercy of Congress and the White House.

That's never a good feeling, and it's especially discomfiting when it comes to taxes.

You also might find these items of interest:

Americans offer a counter-intuitive tax reform plan

Mnuchin's tax promise looks like it was made to be broken

BAT strikes out and other insights from the GOP's latest tax reform guidelines

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  from Tax News By Christopher http://www.dontmesswithtaxes.com/2017/09/timing-is-among-unanswered-tax-rewrite-questions.html

[infactforgetthepark]

[Free eBook] The King's Bed by Margaret Campbell Barnes [Tudor Historical Drama with Romance]

The King's Bed by the late English author Margaret Campbell Barnes, is her vintage standalone historical personal drama novel with strong f/m romantic elements, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 1961 by Macdonald & Co. The novel is set in medieval England, taking place during the transition from the Wars of the Roses under Richard III to the Tudor ascension under the future Henry VII.

The story centres around a young woman of commoner birth, who is swept up in turbulent events of the years going by as she becomes enamoured of a young man who is closely involved with them due to a lingering secret which may prove to endanger their lives as well as chance of happiness. NB: Unless you want to be spoiled for the charater's mysterious secret, which is a pretty significant reveal, avoid reading the customer reviews.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

Free for a limited time @ Amazon (available worldwide)

Description For seventeen-year-old Tansy Marsh, life centres upon her father’s inn, The White Boar, in Leicester.

Richard III sits upon the throne of England, and all seems well.

But the threat of the would-be usurper, Henry Tudor, looms like a gathering storm. And soon the eye of that storm is uncomfortably close to Tansy, disrupting her reassuringly ordinary life.

Once King Richard is defeated, that life becomes even less ordinary.

For Tansy has met Dickon Broome, the man who will change her existence forever.

And while life goes on under the Tudor, Dickon has particular reason to bear a grudge.

Meanwhile in Leicester, Tansy’s beloved father dies, and she is left at the mercy of her self-absorbed, self-interested stepmother.

Until her stepmother also dies, in a most horrible way, and Tansy finds herself terrifyingly close to the centre of that drama.

It soon becomes clear that there is nothing more for Tansy in her childhood home. She travels to London, to Dickon, and to a future that will be marked by some of the most noted events in England’s history.

For Dickon, Broome is not quite all that he seems, and the quality that sets him apart forces him to take some difficult decisions; decisions that affect Tansy as much as himself.

While the couple seems happy, Dickon’s secret has the power to destroy them. Will he allow that to happen, or will he come to terms with some of the nation’s most famous historic events, and live out a quiet and happy life with his beloved Tansy?

Only one man can decide.

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[yourgodmoments]

A Case of Trying to Run from God

Jonah was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel. He was a contemporary of another prophet also located in Israel by the name of Amos, who was preaching about the imminent invasion of the Assyrian army. This was a punishment sent by God because of Israel’s persistent rebellion against Him.

Imagine then, the consternation that Jonah felt when God told him to go to the city of Nineveh, the capitol of the Assyrian empire, to warn them of the dire consequences that would befall them if they did not turn from their evil ways. What great irony.

Jonah decides to disobey God by trying to run away from Him. (How do you do that?) He jumps on a boat heading away from Nineveh. God was not fooled. He whipped up a storm that threatened to destroy the boat and drown the crew. So, Jonah confesses to them that the storm was a consequence of his running from God; and in order to quell it, he must be thrown overboard. The crew was only too happy to oblige.

Immediately, the sea grew calm and the crew became instant converts. Meanwhile, Jonah is swallowed by a fish and spends three days and nights in its stomach. Impossible you say? You would be correct in claiming that there is no fish (or whale) that can swallow a man whole, much less have an inner environment that Jonah could have survived in. However:

Now the LORD had prepared (appointed, destined) a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jon.1:17 AMP

God prepared a fish. He is the Creator of all things; and He can re-create at will. Every word of God is true because He is truth. Jesus Himself attested to the accuracy of the scriptural account of Jonah. (Mt. 12:40)

While inside the fish, Jonah reconsiders and vows to obey God. Subsequently, God made the fish vomit Jonah onto the shores of Assyria, near the city of Nineveh. Jonah enters the city and delivers God’s message:

“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” Jon. 3:4 NKJV

Straight and to the point. And to Jonah’s amazement (and regret), every Assyrian in the city repented, and God responded with mercy.

Jonah was angry because he had hoped that the Assyrians would remain unrepentant and that God would strike them down. Distraught, he asked God to take his life. God responds:

“Is it right for you to be angry?” Jon. 4:4 NKJV

Jonah leaves the city and watches from a distance. God makes a plant grow next to him to provide shade from the sun. However, the next morning God put a worm in the plant and it died - exposing Jonah to the heat of day. Jonah again asks for death.

God asks Jonah if it right to be angry about the plant. Jonah stays entrenched in his bitterness; and then God delivers the zinger:

Then the LORD said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” Jon. 4:10, 11. NASB

Can God make a case for love or what? God loves and values all people - not only those who practice a certain faith, those who live in a particular region, or those who are descended from a distinct gene pool.

He is continually reaching out, trying to get all people to understand the difference that the love of God can make in their lives. But they will never know that difference if they keep on running…

Goodnight and God bless.

#fish swallows Jonah #God loves everyone #God reaches out #Jonah #running from God