#then death is resistance to change / major change / endings & start of something new / personal transformation
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Fate and Phantasms #192
Today on Fate and Phantasms we're building the enchanting Caster of Okeanos, which despite her name doesn't actually show up in Okeanos, but rather the fourth pseudosingularity, Salem. She's also one of the last servants in the game (so far) to have her true name hidden, so pretty soon I can stop pointing out how her character build below the cut has true name spoilers. Specifically, this build also includes spoilers for the Salem pseudosingularity, so read at your own peril.
If you'd rather just check out her character sheet, you can find that over here.
Next up: The equal to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, so just, equal to heaven, I guess.
Circe is a Transmutation Wizard, because she is a witch, and Transmutation is where they stuck polymorph.
Race and Background
Like her protege, Circe is an Elf, but if we want kindasorta falcon wings, that might be tricky. Just kidding, for some reason WotC thought winged elves were a priority, so we got Avariel Elves from an unearthed arcana. This means you only get +2 to a single stat, but we can make that Intelligence thanks to Tasha's for a brain blast. Your subrace gives you 30' of flying speed as long as you don't wear medium or heavy armor (not an issue), as well as the standard elf kit: Darkvision, Fey Ancestry to protect against charms, Trances instead of sleep, and proficiency in Perception thanks to your Keen Senses.
Circe lives on her island alone (if you don't count pigs) so that makes her a Hermit, privy to the secrets of the universe as well as Medicine and replacing the other proficiency (which we'll get back as a class proficiency) with Deception. Tricking men into turning into pigs is kind of a hobby for you.
Ability Scores
Your strongest score should go into Intelligence, that's how you cast spells, and also you're clearly more intelligent than the men who show up on your island. Speaking of, Charisma is next- you're a witch in the middle of a witch hunt that somehow never got caught, and there's also that whole Pig Island thing. Your Dexterity is also pretty good, it's hard enough to cast spells while walking, let alone flying. Also those heels, oh my fucking god how have you not broken an ankle yet. Your Constitution is above average mostly because I'd feel bad putting it any lower. That means your Wisdom is pretty low. You publicly introduce yourself as a witch in the middle of the Salem Witch Trials, and you're pretty flighty in general. Finally, dump Strength. You're a wizard, and you're clearly not that buff.
Class Levels
Circe is a wizard, meaning she starts off with proficiency in Intelligence and Wisdom saves, as well as Arcana and Religion. When you worship the goddess of magic, there isn't much of a difference, tbh.
Speaking of magic, you can cast and prepare Spells using your Intelligence. Your spell slots normally only recharge on long rests, but once per long rest you can get a couple slots back on a short rest thanks to your Arcane Recovery, giving you back slots of a total level equal to half your wizard level rounded up. So when you hit level three, you can get back one 2nd level slot, or two 1st level slots.
The thing about wizard is, they get a lot of spells. Six now, and two each level, plus whatever they can scavenge from other wizards. Since Circe's whole power set is "good at magic", there really isn't a set of spells that fit- any spell you could cast would be applicable. So rather than try to boil it down myself, we're just giving a rough guide here. There's a whole ass list on the character sheet, and we'll bring up the super important ones here, but really there's three qualifications: if a spell fits into one of these categories, Circe would probably have it. 1. Is it useful? The most open-ended, but just fill in spaces left by the other 2 with spells you want. I'm not a goddamn baby sitter, pick spells you like. 2. Can it turn one thing into another? Men to pigs, You into Medea, whatever kykeon is made out of into kykeon, this one's pretty easy to spot. 3. Can it help someone sail a ship? A bit specific, but helping the sailors she doesn't turn into pigs is also Circe's thing. Skill empowerment, weather control, that kind of thing.
With all that out of the way, the big spells you'll probably want at first level are Mage Armor for not dying, Magic Missile for caster balls, and Sleep to knock out the sailors while you go around turning them to pigs. True Polymorph takes an hour per sailor and you need to recharge with a long rest, so this’ll take a while.
At second level, you become a Transmutation Savant, giving you all sorts of bonuses, like how copying transmutation spells into your book is cheaper and faster now. You can also make Minor Alchemy, turning 1 cubic foot of wood, stone, iron, copper, or silver, into another material on that list over the course of 10 minutes. You're not strong enough to shatter wooden chains either, but hopefully someone on your team is. This transformation lasts up to an hour or until you lose concentration, then it turns back to its regular form.
Third level wizards get Cantrip Formulas, letting you swap out one cantrip you know with a cantrip you don't know at the end of a long rest.
You also get second level spells, like Alter Self to turn into Medea (among other benefits), and Gust of Wind to help out with sailing.
Use your first Ability Score Improvement to get a Keen Mind- always knowing which way you're facing and the angle the sun should be at are both really useful on the open sea. It also rounds up your Intelligence for stronger spells, and you can make your DM's life hell by remembering things up to a month after they happened.
Fifth level wizards get third level spells. Feign Death will help fake Mata Hari’s hanging later on, and Bestow Curse is super useful, since it can give a creature disadvantage on one kind of save. Like, say, wisdom saves. I wonder if there's a spell you like that requires a wisdom save coming up?
Sixth level transmutation wizards can create a Transmuter's Stone, a tiny object that gives its holder one of several benefits. When you make the stone, and if you're holding it while casting a transmutation spell, you can choose its beneft from the following: Darkvision, increased speed, proficiency in constitution saves, or resistance to one of acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. You can only make one at a time after 8 hours of work, so don't try to stack them.
Seventh level wizards get fourth level spells, and you could get polymorph now if you really want, but you can also get that spell later for free, so if you're patient, you can get another spell now. If you do go for polymorph, it forces a wisdom save on a creature, and if they fail the save or they're willing, you can turn one creature into a beast with a CR equal to or less than the target's CR or level. All of the creature's stats are replaced by the new creature's, outside of alignment and personality. If it drops to 0 HP in this form, and hour passes, or you drop concentration, they turn back to normal.
You can also cast other fourth level spells, like Control Water for sailing, Fabricate to turn... barley, just looked it up, into kykeon. Or any raw materials into a finished product that is Large or smaller.
At eighth level, you get another ASI that'll let you max out your Intelligence for super strong spells. That, plus your curses, will make your polymorph super hard to resist. When you get it.
Ninth level wizards get fifth level spells, like Control Winds and Skill Empowerment, as well as Scrying.
A tenth level transmuter is a Shapechanger, giving you the polymorph spell for free. You can also cast it on yourself once per short rest for free, but only if you turn into something CR 1 or lower. Sadly Medea isn't a beast or CR 1, but it doesn't hurt to practice.
Also, yeah! You can now turn pretty much anyone into a Pig (CR 0, so there’s no excuse) or if you want to weaponize it, a Giant Boar (CR 2). Just promise to turn them back if they do your bidding. Still only lasts an hour, but they don’t have to know that.
Eleventh level wizards get sixth level spells. There really isn’t anything specifically Circe-like I want at this level, so just grab whatever your heart wants. There will be time for specifics later.
At twelfth level you get another ASI, and since your intelligence is maxed out we can diversify. Grab the War Caster feat for advantage on concentration saves (very good for pigmaking), the ability to cast spells with your hands full (not applicable), and best of all, you can cast spells as opportunity attacks if that spell as an action casting time and targets a creature. Oh hey, guess what spell fits that description?
Thirteenth level casters get seventh level spells! Again, not necessarily anything you need from here, but Plane Shift is always cool. Maybe you can stumble onto the pig dimension or something.
Your last goody from the transmutation specialty is to become a Master Transmuter, burning your transmuter stone in one go for a burst of magical power. Afterwards, you can’t make a new one until you take a long rest. You can use this for a Major Transformation, permanently changing a medium or smaller nonmagical object into another of similar size & mass (you also can’t cheese value out of this) over the course of 10 minutes. Alternatively, you make a Panacea, removing all curses, diseases, and poisons from a single creature, while also healing it back to full health. That’s some good eating. Going even further, you can Restore Life to cast Raise Dead without a spell slot. Death is a pretty hard line in the Nasuverse, but if anyone could do it it’d probably be Circe. Finally, you can Restore Youth to reduce a creature’s age by 3d10 years without extending their lifespan. You’ve clearly used that on yourself a couple times, but I can’t blame you.
Fifteenth level wizards get eighth level spells, and for once there is something I want to get. You might not use Scylla in-game, but hey, giant sea monsters are cool, so use either Summon Greater Demon, Dominate Monster, or Illusory Dragon to get one, depending on your preferred method.
You get yet another ASI, so bump up your Constitution for better concentration and more health- remember, health gets added retroactively, so that’s 16 extra this level, not one.
At seventeenth level you finally get ninth level spells, giving you access to Mass Polymorph for a proper pig banquet. This one is limited to only half the targets’ levels, but a pig is still CR 0, so it shouldn’t be a big issue. However, if you’re feeling really cruel, you can use True Polymorph for a more... permanent solution. If you keep concentration up for a full hour, the change lasts until it is dispelled. You can also turn objects into creatures, or creatures into objects, but none of those are particularly in character.
Eighteenth level wizards get Spell Mastery, giving you a 1st & 2nd level spell that you can cast for absolutely free, no restrictions. You can always change it later, but I highly suggest Magic Missile so you always have some damage on standby, and Alter Self for the versatility of it.
Your penultimate level grants you your ultimate ASI, so bump up your Charisma for an easier time tricking sailors. It doesn’t do much for the build, but at this point it doesn’t need to.
Your final level of the build gives you two Signature Spells, 3rd level spells that you can cast once per short rest without spending a spell slot. Sadly polymorph is a fourth level spell so it isn’t in the running, but Bestow Curse and Tidal Wave are good runners up. I never said you had to be nice to sailors, just help them out occasionally.
Pros and Cons
Pros
Polymorph is one of the easiest ways to utterly shut down an enemy if it hits, at the very least buying you an hour to run away and regroup. It’s also very funny.
The Transmuter’s Stone is a very powerful support tool, protecting you and giving you healing options wizards don’t normally get. You also come loaded with tools like Skill Empowerment, which is just flexible enough to be useful even when you’re not on a ship.
You get concentration free flight, which is incredibly useful for a spellcaster. Being able to completely avoid an enemy’s front line and turn their back line into pigs is very useful.
Cons
The reason your flight being concentration free is such a big deal is because a lot of your spells use concentration. Honestly, your saves aren’t that bad (esp. with war caster) but it still limits your options, especially when your signature move requires concentration.
While your stone is powerful, it has a huge recharge time to contend with, requiring a long rest followed by an extra 8 hours of work, and the entire time between now and then you might as well not have a subclass. It’s a pretty harsh penalty for actually using your class feature.
It takes a while for this build to go from level one to casting polymorph, so if you want a build you can jump right into and feel like the character, this build definitely isn’t what you’re looking for.
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Tarot cards connected to Scorpio - Death card
Major Arcana n. 13. Planet association: Pluto, ruler of Scorpio.
Keywords: deep transformation/ change/ trasntion/ (metaphorical or physical) death/ realease of old attachments/ loss/ decline/ endings (& new beginnings)/ spirits/ black magic.
General message: shed the old skin.
Death card as a person in tarot readings
Someone who is a Scorpio or has Scorpio traits/ SO that is into hard metal, black magic, sometimes Satanism/ fascinated by the occult/ wears gothic, likes black/ needs to change or is resisting an improvement for the best (especially when reversed).
From my personal experience, especially when reversed (but if you don't use reversals, it's the same, most of the time I don't use them): fixated, stubborn, unable to implement changes & improve. Deeply-held opinions. Pessimistic; unwilling to (or cannot escape from) ideas, location, circumstances.
Death as a situation
Nothing is happening/ letting a situation die/ no contact situation (between two people)/ a difficult transition/ it won't be the same/ (need for) detachment/ feeling the loss/ painful ending/ prospects for renewal/ time to connect to spirit.
Death in love readings
It is quite self-explanatory as this card comes out every time a relationship has ended.
When asking about someone else's feelings for you: there are no romantic feelings at the moment, as they are probably going through some major loss or transition in their life. Or, if two people were involved: it feels like an end, or at least a temporary pause or no contact period. For two people in a relationship: they are the biggest change in your life/ it may indicate a change of status within the relationship (taking a major step like getting married or buying a house, always look at the surrounding cards and the context). As an outcome in love: the two people involved will have to choose whether to accept the transformation of their relationship let it go completely.
Death in career readings
Time to change direction, job/ choose a new field of expertise that will make you happier.
In my practice, the card has come out a lot to indicate the need to start anew somewhere else/ it's time to take the plunge/ don't cling to the old, something better awaits if you make that change.
Death card pairings:
- 10 of pentacles + Death: loss of (financial) security, foundation, job/ inheritance after the death of a relative.
- Lovers + Death: end of a love story, death of a loved one/ talking to a spirit (Mercury + Pluto)/ feeling loved by a spirit.
- Fool + Death: careless behaviour leading to an end.
- Magician + Death: having the power to master change./ Death + Magician: accepting the loss and creating something for yourself.
+ Hierophant: a change will create a better structure.
+ 8 of cups: it's definitely time to move on (from a job, a relationship, situation, etc.).
+ 7 of wands: standing up for yourself through the changes and challenges.
***Coming next >>> the Five of cups***
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Hello! Ok, so I have a bit strange question ^^ First of all I'm big fan of your game, and I started to draw tarot deck for SoH. I've found out that the main characters are already assigned to the correct cards. So I was wondering if you maybe also had planned card for other characters like Zori or Gladius? I don't really know much about them, so I thought maybe you would want to choose a card for them ^^ Have a nice day!
Hi there, that’s so exciting to hear!!! 👀💖 As you know, there are the major arcana for the main characters here! To fill out the deck, here are the rest of the cards!
Blade: The Chariot - control, willpower, action, success, determination / (reversed) self-discipline, opposition, lack of direction
Tallys: The High Priestess - intuition, sacred knowledge, divine feminine, the subconscious mind / (reversed) secrets, disconnection, withdrawal, and silence
Trouble: Strength - strength, courage, compassion, persuasion, influence / (reversed) inner strength, self-doubt, low energy, raw emotion
Shery: The Empress - femininity, beauty, nature, nurturing, abundance / (reversed) creative block, dependence on others
Chase: The Moon - illusion, fear, subconscious, intuition, imagination, animal nature / (reversed) release of fear, repressed emotion, inner confusion
Riel: Judgement - judgement, rebirth, inner calling, absolution / (reversed) ignoring the call, self-doubt, inner critic
Halek: The Hanged Man - pause, surrender, letting go, new perspectives / (reversed) delays, resistance, stalling, indecision
Red: The Magician - manifestation, power, resourcefulness, inspired action / (reversed) manipulation, poor planning, untapped talents
Ayla: The World - completion, integration, accomplishment, travel / (reversed) seeking personal closure, shortcuts, delays
Briony: The Star - hope, bright prospects, purpose, renewal, inspiration, trust, faith, contentment, especially with the present / (reversed) abandonment, loss, self-trust, disconnection
Lavinet: The Sun - positivity, fun, warmth, success, vitality / (reversed) inner child, feeling down, overly optimistic
Mimir: The Hierophant - spiritual wisdom, religious beliefs, conformity, traditions, institutions / (reversed) personal beliefs, freedom, challenging the status quo
Croelle: The Devil - shadow self, attachment, addiction, sexuality, restriction / (reversed) releasing limiting thoughts, exploring dark thoughts, detachment
Caine: The Fool - beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit / (reversed) holding back, recklessness, risk-taking
Prihine: The Tower - sudden change, upheaval, chaos, revelation, awakening / (reversed) personal transformation, fear of change, averting disaster
---
The MC: Wheel of Fortune - good luck, karma, life cycles, destiny, a turning point / (reversed) bad luck, resistance to change, breaking cycles
Zori: Death - endings, change, transformation, transition, suddenness, letting go / (reversed) resistance to change, personal transformation, inner purging, reluctance to let go
Chandry: Lovers - love, harmony, relationships, values alignment, choices, consequences, healing, honesty, communication, raw emotion, energy / (reversed) self-love, disharmony, imbalance, misalignment of values, strained relationships, out-of-sync communication, not being on the same page as those around you
Naolin: Temperance - balance, moderation, patience, purpose, stabilization, long-term vision / (reversed) imbalance, excess, self-healing, re-alignment, tension, not being in alignment with long-term vision or higher purpose
Gladius: Justice - justice, fairness, truth, cause and effect, law, being accountable for decisions, being judged for actions / (reversed) unfairness, lack of accountability, dishonesty, over-rigidity, living with your conscience, doing something you know wasn’t morally right
Enik (The Autarch’s First Son): The Emperor - authority, establishment, structure, power, rules / (reversed) domination, excessive control, lack of discipline, inflexibility
Ornos (The Autarch’s Second Son): The Hermit - soul-searching, introspection, being alone, inner guidance, self-knowledge, truth / (reversed) isolation, loneliness, withdrawal, cutting off others
I hope that helps! Feel free to follow up with any other questions! 😊
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abolition is never “off the table”-- and we shouldn’t let anyone try to convince us otherwise.
allowing goals like abolition to get watered down and constantly misrepresented by the propagandized public, private corporations and career politicians leads to all these problems we keep hearing about on the news getting worse.
for example, we learn about instances of police violence, indigenous women going missing, the horrific prison industry, domestic & reproductive violence against women and non-men, systemic anti-blackness, families separated at hellish border facilities, seemingly endless wars and being on the brink of environmental collapse on a daily basis.
it all seems never-ending and overwhelming that no matter what good we do in our personal lives, it isn’t ever enough, because these problems will continue to manifest. somehow, it is always the same problems coming back to haunt us.
those are the consequences when attention and energy for micro problems are given priority, instead of investigating and healing the relationships people have to power, space and resources on the macro scale at the same time.
micro-scale problems are somewhat easy to package as isolated incidents for people who we believe are responsible for handling them, and they often can handle them well enough that the majority of people affected by the issue may feel placated enough to accept the authority as legitimate
these politicians and other micromanagers “solving” the problem is often used as evidence that the authorities are competent at their jobs and that issues can be solved by the system (when it wants to solve them), thus providing evidence of their legitimacy, even when it’s these same individuals and groups that are the direct causes of the problems to begin with.
beware that not being impressed or made passive by the reform logic of authorities and capitalism can be misrepresented as: “oh, you xyz group are never satisfied, you always want to save the world, but this is the real world, you’re too idealistic and your standards are too high!”
this is not an accurate portrayal, and it often isn’t meant to be. it’s meant to distract us, divide us and obscure what the problem is.
very simply, if the direct cause of a problem is not addressed, the problem is not going to be solved.
everything else is a surface-level approach that will allow the root of the problem to continue to endlessly self-reproduce the same harmful structure and power dynamics, but in different forms.
the best way to illustrate this is to picture the structure we live under (capitalism) as a living structure, like a tree. all living structures move, transform, grow and adapt given any and all external and internal forces that affect it, no matter what scale we observe it at -- either microscopically or as part of a larger surrounding ecosystem.
you’ll hear people say that radicalism is “grasping at the root” of a problem -- which is precisely what we must do if we have any hope at addressing any problem(s) that any structure provides us with.
the goal isn’t to eliminate all possibilities of conflict, or to be so bold as to think we can perfectly meet the needs of every single person affected negatively by something. not even capitalism which boasts as being this hyper-efficient, almighty, all-powerful system can do that, even on its best day.
the people who are intimately aware of the intricacies of this system are always found at the center, at the “grassroots” level of where the structure forms its base. without a base, without grounding, without roots, the rest of the structure cannot form, spread out or replenish itself when damaged or “reformed”. so that is where we must start; with the people, communities and land that is primarily affected.
rather than manage these groups by trying to decide what their needs are for them, or what actions must be done to meet their needs, they should be empowered to decide for themselves how to best maneuver and achieve those needs, while providing necessary aid when we can, and expanding the options for possible solutions when we can.
if something affects us negatively, there is a chance it affects others, too, and it follows that it’s in our mutual interest to work together to achieve a future where both our needs are met and that we can live healthy and fulfilling lives, together.
according to the janky ass reform logic of capitalism, this is an unnecessary and dangerous approach, because it does away the authority of the people who just say that they represent us and say that they’ll take responsibility for a problem -- the same people whose jobs hinge on appearing as if they care, with platforms, talking points, photo-ops and co-signs from other politicians and high ranking members of the public to offer “proof”.
they often use the logic that says that we must preserve this system, because it is sacred and perfect, that it would interrupt business, so we can’t empower people to make these decisions, even if it means that some people have to suffer and die because the system is inefficient and does not represent them, or demands that they experience social death.
we should not be impressed by these people. in fact, if they are standing in the way between these grassroots efforts, either by preventing these programs from assembling or actively attacking them politically, then they are enemies. when you become an enemy of the people you claim to represent, you are a tyrant and an opp.
and we do smoke opps.
at every grassroots level, there are groups of people who are very sensitive to the changes that happen at all the other levels of the living structure that oppresses them. from this perspective, they can experience for themselves the effects of the things that happen above the surface, and they experience the dissonance personally when another politician promises to change something, only to eventually fall short or make the problem even worse.
they get news that claims that a problem is (going to be, maybe, eventually) fixed, are present as media moves on to the next sensational story only to experience the problems same thing again, and again.
just because the cameras are turned away, because the tweets stopped getting traction, doesn’t mean that the people and communities have disappeared. and yet, no matter what, this is a cycle that continues.
the only answer, the only consistent thing that has been proven to make a difference, is there being a complete break with the logic of this system. as long as we follow the capitalist logic, the same structure will replicate. as mentioned, the roots will create new stems, leaves, seeds and thorns if left undisturbed. we’ll continue to see new iterations of the same problems as long as the logic, the roots, are left intact.
there’s no hope of creating new structures in the the place of one that’s taking up room at the same space, so the old system must be uprooted.
its this uprooting that some call a “revolution”.
this word might seem scary to a lot of folks for a lot of different reasons. it has way less to do with the chaos and bloodshed that's associated with it in our imaginations.
it has more to do with deeply investigating the roots of a problem and actually addressing them by changing the conditions -- something that capitalism refuses to do unless there is a profit motive, or only if the problem interferes with the flow of capital to private interests. the only way this chaos and violence would occur is if (and some would insist when,) these forces mobilize to preserve the same harmful system we’re attempting to uproot in the interest of private accumulation of profit.
should we just allow these corporations and wealthy individuals stop us from changing the things that affect the quality of our lives? the wealthy capitalists would say “why yes, of course you should!” but obviously they would say that -- and we have been given no reason to believe them.
we should each of us be prepared to deal with this violence in some way. to insist otherwise is naive and not realistic, and actually harmful to the communities that encounter this violence. this may look like armed patrols and free firearms & training for the most vulnerable communities, or creating an alternative directory that people may access instead of calling the police. these matters are up to the communities themselves to envision and implement.
we aren’t suggesting that we seek out violence where it’s reasonable to avoid it, or escalate problems beyond our management of them. this isn’t meant to encourage people to fulfill revenge fantasies for the hell of it, but to be prepared in case such conflicts occur.
the aforementioned unorganized violent activities are, at best, a strategy to cope with and purge the unending stress of life under capitalism or distract the state and similar private forces in combat while other solutions are being explored. we shouldn’t fall for the strategy of turning rioters, saboteurs, arsonists, vandals and looters into enemies of the people, when they are the people...and we shouldn’t dismiss these strategies as being harmful by definition when it is often only insured property that is the target of their actions, not individuals.
we shouldn’t disparage rioters for causing damage to this system, when capitalism has been damaging the world and our communities for as long as it has existed on this planet. both violent and non-violent methods of “grasping at the root” are legitimate, can coexist and inform each other, and are necessary to combat the terror capitalism’s logic has inflicted on us all.
remember that revolutions are only as peaceful as they are allowed to be.
the process of uprooting, of revolutionizing, may indeed be violent in nature when resistance is offered, but that shouldn’t stop us from continuing the process if it is necessary. just because a dangerous system is difficult to uproot doesn’t mean that it’s more reasonable or desirable to leave it alone to establish its roots and adapt.
we must acknowledge that multiple attempts may be necessary before any transformation takes place, possibly over the course of several years, perhaps lifetimes. it might require lots of planning. however, in the interest of conserving time and energy, the most simple and direct methods of applying pressure and healing should be prioritized. we do not want to resemble, in practice or theory, the politicians we hope to depose -- by making promises we don't intend to keep, making plans that never pan out, putting off immediate solutions until we personally benefit at the expense of others.
for example, this means that rather than coming up with overly-complicated, difficult-to-achieve long-term plans of gradually moving a low-income family out of a house infested with mold, they’d be moved immediately into safe housing if such housing is ample and available. this means that, rather than waiting on the state to decide how much food a hungry person needs or should have access to, we supply them with the food if it is abundant and we have it to spare.
if the needs people and communities have are immediate, the solution should also be immediate, whenever possible. the means are the ends.
this is because people need aid now, not in the future, not when the moment is perfect and some sort of irrelevant criteria is met, not when it’s more profitable to do so, but in the present. representatives and authorities have gotten really proficient at promising to solve issues in some far-off future they’re never be around to guarantee, abstracting issues and people so that they’re seen as insignificant to greater issues. how often have you heard: “we would like to do something about xyz, we just don’t have the time (money)”?
when these so-called “representatives” package all of these lies, and the time comes to prove their worth and legitimacy, there is often no reconciliation process that any of them must go through so that they’re held accountable for straight up lying and abusing the responsibility they had to the people. this is so often why our issues aren’t solved -- we started by trusting those that aren’t even affected by the problems we face to have our best interests in mind.
that is why we say enough electoralism -- enough elections -- enough career politicians -- enough bipartisanship -- enough government -- enough hollow campaign promises -- enough “lesser of two evils” -- enough “vote blue no matter who -- enough pitting poor communities against each other -- enough celebrity & corporate “activism” -- enough self-aggrandizing authorities -- enough micromanagers -- enough permanent elected positions
yes to community control -- yes to autonomous communities -- yes to free associations -- yes to reconciliatory organizations -- yes to federations of workers and professionals -- yes to voluntary work -- yes to open borders and travel -- yes to direct democracy and direct engagement with relevant issues -- yes to immediately recallable, voluntarily chosen delegates -- yes to grassroots organizing -- yes to self-defense and community-informed reactions to crime -- yes to direct action, mutual aid and solidarity for mutual survival -- yes to returning land and resources to indigenous and black communities -- yes to yielding space and resources to historically harmed communities on the margins (LGBT+, disabled, refugees & migrants, prisoners, non-human animals) -- yes to liberation for all!!!
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15/22 Death – Embers
In Game
Death is the card of becoming. It signifies an imminent and difficult transition – the conclusion of one phase of life and the beginning of another. Inevitably, something gets lost during the transformation, but something else will rise and take its place.
Location
This mural is found on the side of the tall Embers building in The Glen, where you meet Hanako Arasaka. Do not make the mistake of going inside (when you get the chance later in the story, of course), as it will be your point of no return. The card is not on top of the building but just outside on the side of it.
Zodiac Sign : Scorpio
The Death card is tarot is considered a wonderful card to find in a reading, it represents the concepts of death, birth, and rebirth. Scorpio for the zodiac is the mirror of these symbolic qualities for human experience.
In Tarot
UPRIGHT: Endings, change, transformation, transition
REVERSED: Resistance to change, personal transformation, inner purging
The Death card shows the Messenger of Death – a skeleton dressed in black armour, riding a white horse. The skeleton represents the part of the body which survives long after life has left it; the armour symbolises invincibility and that death will come no matter what. Its dark colour is that of mourning and the mysterious, while the horse is the colour of purity and acts as a symbol of strength and power. Death carries a black flag decorated with a white, five-petal rose, reflecting beauty, purification and immortality and the number five representing change. Together, these symbols reveal that death isn’t just about life ending. Death is about endings and beginnings, birth and rebirth, change and transformation. There is beauty in death, and it is an inherent part of being alive.
A royal figure appears to be dead on the ground, while a young woman, child and bishop plead with the skeletal figure to spare them. But, as we all know, death spares no one.
In the background, a boat floats down the river, akin to the mythological boats escorting the dead to the afterlife. On the horizon, the sun sets between two towers (which also appear in the Moon Tarot card), in a sense dying each night and being reborn every morning.
Upright
The Death card is probably the most feared and misunderstood of all the cards in the Tarot deck. Just mention the card’s name and most people freak out, worried they will suddenly keel over and die as soon as this card appears. Relax! The Death card can be one of the most positive cards in the deck.
After a period of pause and reflection with the Hanged Man, the Death card symbolises the end of a major phase or aspect of your life that you realise is no longer serving you, opening up the possibility of something far more valuable and essential. You must close one door to open another. You need to put the past behind you and part ways, ready to embrace new opportunities and possibilities. It may be difficult to let go of the past, but you will soon see its importance and the promise of renewal and transformation. If you resist these necessary endings, you may experience pain, both emotionally and physically, but if you exercise your imagination and visualise a new possibility, you allow more constructive patterns to emerge.
Similarly, Death shows a time of significant transformation, change and transition. You need to transform yourself and clear away the old to bring in the new. Any change should be welcomed as a positive, cleansing, transformational force in your life. The death and clearing away of limiting factors can open the door to a broader, more satisfying experience of life.
The Death card has elements of a sudden and unexpected change. Death happens to everyone, no matter who you are, how much money you have, where you live, or what colour your skin is; it is the same with a significant change. So, the Death card can be a sign you may feel as though you are caught in the path of sweeping change and cannot escape its effects (especially if accompanied by the Tower or the Hanged Man). Although the upheaval may seem unwanted and painful, this massive change could bring with it a series of unexpected surprises that create new opportunities and advantages for you.
Finally, Death is a sign that you need to learn to let go of unhealthy attachments in your life to pave the way to a fuller, more fulfilled life of deeper meaning and significance. Death teaches you to let go of outworn and outgrown ways of life and to move forward from them. This is a perfect card to break a bad habit or pattern of behaviour. See this as a time to cut out excess and let go of what is unnecessary for your life. Purge the old belongings, memories and baggage that are getting in your way.
Reversed
Upright, Death is a card of transformation and typically refers to needing to start over by letting go of the past. In the reversed position, Death can mean that you are on the verge of meaningful change but are resisting it. You may be reluctant to let go, or you may not know how to make the change you need. You still carry harmful viewpoints from the past that may interfere with a new opportunity. Because of your refusal, life has stagnated, and you feel stuck in limbo.
Death reversed offers you the opportunity to embrace change rather than resist it. See what wonderful possibilities become available to you as you say ‘yes’ to change. As you learn to release the past and surrender to the present, the future becomes even brighter. To support the process, repeat this affirmation: “I embrace change in all forms.” You’ll be surprised at how this subtle shift in energy allows new doors to open in ways you may never have expected.
On a deeper level, the reversed Death card can show that you are going through a massive personal transformation, often in private and out of view from others. You are releasing what no longer serves you so that you can make space for the new to emerge. Draw a follow-up card to understand better what you need to release and purge, or examine the other cards in the reading. You may be removing fear and limiting beliefs; you may be changing your habits; or, you may undergo a physical purging and transformation with plant medicine or other spiritual healing. You may not want to share this with others just yet – wait until your personal transformation has occurred, then share your story as a source of inspiration.
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Thank you so much @cybervesna for the polish traduction from the official guide book and its associations with the characters!
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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Summary: Detective Killian Jones took an indefinite leave of absence from SBPD after his brother was murdered in the Line of Duty. Bitter and broken, he resides in a cottage on the beach when his brother's former partner, David Nolan brings him a case he knows the vengeful detective won’t be able to resist. A case involving Liam's killer.
Dr. Emma Swan makes all of her decisions like she operates on her patients—with care, competence and compassion. But when her colleague, Graham Humbert, is murdered in cold blood by the man who was freed because of a decision she made as a juror, she starts second-guessing herself. To make matters worse, her squeaky clean reputation is being questioned when she becomes a suspect for Graham’s murder.
There is one detective who believes she’s innocent, and he has a plan to protect Emma and find his brother's killer at the same time. When Killian finds himself caught between his duties to the SBPD and his need for vengeance, matters are only complicated by the feelings he develops for the woman he's supposed to protect.
He's impulsive and hot-tempered, and she's methodical and cool under pressure. Despite their differences, can they work together to bring the murderer to justice, or will the murderer get to them first?
A/N: I decided to post this earlier than I had planned. Thanks for all of your responses so far! Some trigger warnings I forgot to add but don't happen until this and future chapters anyway are inappropriate and unwanted infatuation. There will probably be more tw's as we move along.
Many thanks go to @ultraluckycatnd for her wonderful beta-ing skills and @onceuponaprincessworld as always for her encouragement and letting me bounce ideas off of her.
Rated: Explicit due to mature language, character death, violence, murder and smut. The scenes won’t be too graphic, but I’d rather overrate than underrate it.
Catch up: Prologue
Chapter 1
“Hey.”
The sound of Graham’s voice pulls Emma from her thoughts as she stares blankly into the full margarita glass in her hand. “Hey.”
“There aren’t any hard feelings, right?”
She can hear the concern in his thick, Irish accent as he claims the stool next to her and sets his beer tumbler on the bar top.
Swiveling her head to look at him, she knits her brows in confusion. “Why would there be?”
He shrugs. “Because I know how much you wanted the promotion.”
Right. That.
Emma’s been so consumed by the trial she actually forgot why she was here at the bar—to celebrate Graham’s promotion. The hospital board of directors appointed Graham to Chief of Surgery a week ago, and though the news was a major blow to her at first, she’s thrilled for him; she really is. Yes, she’d wanted the position, and ever since the predecessor announced his retirement, she and Graham had been the leading contenders. She’s proven time and time again she’s more than capable of overtaking the extra responsibilities the job entails, but Graham deserves the title as well.
“You're qualified and capable and you deserved it,” Graham says empathetically with an expression meant to convey his reluctance to say what he wants to say. Averting his eyes from hers, he cradles the back of his neck with his palm, his cheeks reddening as he adds, “Probably more qualified than I am.”
Emma tilts her head from side to side and offers a slight smirk. “Not probably. I am,” she teases playfully, making him chuckle. His left hand rests on the bar top between them as she places her hand over his, her smirk transforming into a sincere smile. “I’m happy for you, Graham, I really am. I’m sorry if I seem…” she pauses, debating which adjective best describes her recent behavior before settling on, “distant.” Distant isn’t really the adequate term, but it’s the best word to convey her mood without putting a damper on his.
Graham swivels toward her on his stool to cover her hand with his other one. “That trial really rattled you, didn’t it?”
Emma drags her hand away to bring the margarita glass to her lips, and mumbles, “In more ways than one,” before taking a sip. Not only does she constantly question her decision, but the visions of the defendant’s eyes watching her keep flittering through her mind. He'd made her feel very uncomfortable in the courtroom. Every time she'd look his way, he was staring. And she knew he wasn’t merely staring aimlessly into space or at someone next to her. No, he was staring directly at her. She kept trying to discourage his attention by scowling at him or looking away, but her attempts only seemed to encourage him. Every time she saw that creepy grin on his face, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end; it was like slimy worms were crawling up her skin. She felt like she were in an episode of Fear Factor.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Em. He could actually be innocent,” Graham says with a spirited grin as he playfully nudges her elbow with his. “And if he is, you saved an innocent man’s life.”
Emma smiles faintly at him, appreciating his optimism. “I didn't. The jury saved him.”
“Oh, come on, where’s that confident surgeon I know? I would’ve thought you’d return from the trial gloating about being picked as a forewoman when I said you wouldn’t even be chosen as a juror.”
Emma laughs. “You have a valid point, I should be brandishing my bragging rights at your celebration party instead of sulking at the bar all by my lonesome.” She takes another sip of her drink.
When she moaned and groaned to Graham in the doctors’ lounge about receiving the jury summons, he was quick to point out she wouldn’t be chosen because she’s too opinionated, too analytical and too bossy. Emma just smirked and took his remarks as compliments. “Guess you were wrong.”
He shrugs indifferently. “Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I can’t expect to win all our battles.”
Emma nods in agreement. “What would be the fun in winning all the time?”
Graham winks at her. “Exactly.”
He chugs the rest of his beer down before asking Emma to play darts with him. She groans, but when he takes her hand in his and pulls her from the barstool, she doesn’t argue.
After she beats him at darts, she chats with other colleagues and switches to water after one margarita, since she has to drive home. Robin Locklsey is the owner of the bar, but his wife, Regina, is one of the doctors celebrating with them tonight, so he joins them at the table to socialize and later, plays a couple rounds of pool with Graham and Regina.
Emma is the first among her colleagues to announce she’s ready to leave because she has to work an early shift in the morning. After saying good night to everyone, she is escorted to her car by Graham.
“Thanks for coming tonight,” he says sincerely as they turn to face each other in front of her car.
“Thanks for inviting me.” Emma gnaws on her bottom lip, wondering if he really knows how happy she is for him, and not bitter in any way. Of course, she’d take the promotion in a heartbeat, but she’s glad it went to him and not someone else. “Congratulations, Graham. I‘m really proud of you,” Emma says with a genuine smile. Then she opens her arms, and he follows suit, pulling her into a hug. “If someone other than me had to get the promotion, I’m glad it was you,” she murmurs into his ear, resting her chin on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” he whispers, holding her tight.
The hug is longer than she expects, and as soon as she realizes other colleagues could filter out at any second and think something else is happening between the two doctors who are famously known around the hospital as rival surgeons, Emma pulls away. “Have a good night, Graham.” She’s about to turn around and walk away, but he does something else she doesn’t expect.
He leans in and kisses her cheek. “Goodnight, Emma.”
She offers a faint smile. “Goodbye, Graham.”
She walks away from him, not sure what to think or how else to respond to what just happened. They’ve known each other since they were both residents and never once has he kissed her on the cheek, which is actually kind of strange if she thinks about it. They’ve always been too busy poking fun at one another to engage in long hugs and kisses on the cheek.
Once Emma’s inside her car, she places her hand on her cheek as she watches him head back into the bar. The kiss meant nothing. It was just a cheek kiss. They’re friends. They should be able to exchange cheek kisses without it meaning anything.
Yes, it was just a friendly kiss, Emma surmises as she pulls her hand away from her cheek to start her trusty bug. When the engine roars to life, she pulls away from the curb, breathing unsteadily as she drives home. She knows it was only a friendly kiss, but did he? Could he have feelings for her that went beyond the friendly relationship they had established?
If so, she has to put a stop to it now. She can't get romantically involved with a colleague. She doesn't get romantically involved with anyone, and certainly not with anyone she works with. What they have now is good and she doesn't want that to change.
The entire way home, she wonders if the kiss had meant something more than friendship. It's 10:17 pm when she pulls into her garage and decides to ask him about the kiss tomorrow and tell him they can't be anything more than friends.
~*~
Four hours later…
The smoke rings float through the pleasantly cool, Texas air before slowly evaporating into the blackness. The soothing sound of a trumpet from his favorite Frank Sinatra song plays through the audio speakers as he stares at the photo in the Storybrooke Telegram. It’s a glowing article about Storybrooke General’s new Chief of Surgery and confirmation of what his sweet Tamara told him yesterday. It’s not that he didn’t believe her, but he needed proof so he would know without a shadow of a doubt his efforts will not be wasted. It’s not every day he takes a life for his own personal agenda. And truth be told, he doesn’t trust anyone. Not even the pretty nurse who’s been his second pair of eyes and ears since he met her at the strip club six months ago. Two out of the three days a week Tamara’s not working at the hospital, she’s pole dancing to pay off her college debts.
Tossing the paper aside, he brings the cigar between his lips and gently inhales, savoring the warm cherry-flavored smoke before exhaling slowly, blowing the smoke toward the direction where Storybrooke General stands tall. The excitement dancing inside his belly is almost unbearable.
Not guilty.
Since the moment those two delightful words rang through the courtroom, he’d been contemplating ways to thank the beautiful blonde juror who so passionately argued for his acquittal.
And he’s thought of the perfect way to show his gratitude.
His lips expand into a menacing grin. He grows hard just thinking about her and how flushed she got when he stared at her lustfully in the courtroom. Such an exquisite creature she is. She wore those soft, silk blouses and tight black skirts which showed off her long, sexy legs and made her ass look so nice, you could melt ice cubes on it. She looked good enough to eat.
He groans and palms his erection, but the ringing of his phone interrupts his pleasant thoughts. If only he had enough time to finish himself off while fantasizing about her. But not tonight.
With a frustrated grunt, he removes his hand from his crotch and pauses the music with the remote control before accepting the call from the unknown number. He says nothing into the phone, only waits for the caller to speak.
“He’s pulling out of his driveway now.”
He ends the call and slips the phone into his pocket, doing his best to contain his excitement. He reaches over and extinguishes the butt of his cigar with the photo of the chief surgeon’s face, taking immense pleasure in watching the cigar blacken and burn a hole into the thin paper.
Rising from his chair, he leers lasciviously over the city from the vantage point of his penthouse balcony.
He carries the Storybrooke Telegram inside and tosses it into the fireplace, watching it disintegrate into ash before he leaves his condo with a knife hidden in his ankle holster. He descends several floors in the elevator and leaves the building, sashaying down the sidewalk as he lifts his hood over his head before shoving his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. Walking to Storybrooke General takes all of ten minutes, giving him plenty of time to arrive before the Chief Surgeon pulls into the doctor’s parking lot, according to how long it took him to drive from the man’s house to the hospital yesterday morning after he’d followed the doctor home.
Dressed in all black, he’s able to slink around in the night like a black panther. Unlike his father, he always leaves a crime scene like a ghost—invisible and untraceable. He’d burned off his fingerprints long ago and always leaves the weapon at the scene of the crime. It’s too bad his father wasn’t as smart. He may have been cunning and evil, his heart black as night, but there is a reason he’s rotting in prison while his son enjoys a life of luxury as a contract killer, and yet has never been convicted of a crime. No, he’s nothing like his father. He doesn’t have an evil bone in his body. He doesn’t kill people with malice intent; he performs a service—a job—and he does so with a straight face, his eyes devoid of emotion. He’s had nothing against anyone he’s ever murdered.
Well, until tonight.
Tonight, he will be the one wielding the power, tonight he will be the one deciding someone’s fate.
Because tonight he’s doing it for her.
Dr. Emma Swan.
Tagging some people who have shown interest so far. If you would like to be tagged or untagged, please let me know.
@nikkiemms @teamhook @xhookswenchx @nikkiemms @xsajx @julesep3026 @hookedmom @biefaless @cluttermind @yasbio2015 @kmomof4 @lfh1226-linda @harshini01 @noensnaringnet @xarandomdreamx @onceuponaprincessworld @annastasiarinaldiva @royalswan @brustudyblog @officerrogers @gingerchangeling @melly326 @singersdd @mzbossyboots @unworried-corsair @iamemmaswanjones @authorarsinoe @kingofmyheart14 @nightskylover @jamif @resident-of-storybrooke @iam2307 @winterbaby89 @xhookswenchx @chinawoodfan @mormonkryptonite @ultraluckycatnd @captainswan-shipper88 @killianswanjones @bethdacattfm @andiirivera
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Tarot References
The Major Arcana
0 - The fool
Upright: New beginnings, optimism, trust in life, open minded, innocence, spontaneity
Reversed: Delays, Naivety, foolishness, recklessness, risk-taking
*Keep an eye out for the cards paired with this one. I.e. if it's paired with the lovers, upright, it could mean a new lover.
I - The Magician
Upright: Power, skill, concentration, action, resourcefulness, Will, personal power, intention, Actions, manifestations
Reversed: Misunderstandings, Manipulation, poor planning, latent talents
II - The High Priestess
Upright: Inaction, going within, the subconscious, Hidden knowledge, Secrets, Meditation, spirituality, Higher power
Reversed: Manipulations, Hidden agendas, need to listen to inner voice
III - The Empress
Upright: Fertility, femininity, beauty, nature, abundance, Mother, creativity, nurturing, sensuality, Resources
Reversed: Creative block, dependence on others, Neglect
IV - The Emperor
Upright: Authority, Father-figure, Structure, Solid Foundation, Power, Structure, Stability, Boundaries, Order
Reversed: Domination, Excessive control, Rigidity, Inflexibility, Chaos
V - Hierophant
Upright: Institutions, Tradition, Society and its rules, Education, Lessons, Unity, Responsibility, Knowledge, Teacher, Belief system
Reversed: Hypocrisy, Restriction, Challenging the status quo
VI - Lovers
Upright: Love, Union, Relationships, Values Alignment, Choices, Sexuality, Cooperation
Reversed: Disharmony, Imbalance, Misalignment of values, Separation
VII - Chariot
Upright: Movement, progress, integration, Determination, Control, momentum, competence
Reversed: Defeat, Lack of control and direction, aggression
VIII - Strength
Upright: Strength, Courage, Patience, Control, Compassion, Survival
Reversed: Weakness, self-doubt, lack of self-discipline, Fear
IX - Hermit
Upright: Meditation, solitude, consciousness, Searching, analysis, Guidance, wisdom, perspective
Reversed: Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal
X - Wheel Of Fortune
Upright: Good luck, karma, life cycles, destiny, a turning point, expansion, change, movement, Fate
Reversed: Bad luck, negative external forces, out of control, Stagnation
XI - Justice
Upright: Fairness, equality, balance, Decisions Ethics, law, fairness, accountability
Reversed: Unfairness, lack of accountability, dishonesty, Lies
XII - Hanged Man
Upright: Suspension, restriction, letting go, sacrifice, Release, waiting, surrender
Reversed: Stubbornness, Martyrdom, indecision, delay
XIII - Death
Upright: Endings, beginnings, change, transformation, transition, Regeneration, rebirth
Reversed: Resistance to change, unable to move on, Limbo
XIV - Temperance
Upright: Balance, moderation, patience, purpose, meaning, Experimenting, creating, combining, compromise, Negotiation
Reversed: Imbalance, excess, lack of long-term vision, Impatience
XV - Devil
Upright: Destructive patterns, addiction, giving away your power, Restrictions, Indulgence, Limitations, attachments, commitment
Reversed: Freedom, Detachment, breaking free, power reclaimed
XVI - Tower
Upright: Disaster, upheaval, sudden change, revelation, chaos, destruction, questioning beliefs, Unexpected failure, breakdowns
Reversed: Avoidance of disaster, fear of change, Freedom
XVII - Star
Upright: Hope, calm, a good omen, guidance, Renewal, peace, optimism, boundlessness, spirituality, renewal, inspiration, serenity
Reversed: Darkness, Lack of faith, despair, discouragement
XVIII - Moon
Upright: Mystery, the subconscious, dreams, deep emotions
Reversed: Paranoia, Anxiety, Unusual dreams, Mysteries Unveiled
XIX - Sun
Upright: Success, happiness, all will be well, Growth, Recovery
Reversed: Failure, Insecurity, Stagnation
XX - Judgement
Upright: Rebirth, a new phase, inner calling, The past, second chances
Reversed: Regrets, hasty judgement, self-doubt
XXI - World
Upright: Completion, wholeness, attainment, celebration of life, completion
Reversed: Incomplete, delayed Success, Failed Plans
The swords
Reflects thoughts and state of mind.
Element: Air
King of Swords
Upright: Serious, controlling, rational and mind/intellect-focused, Mental clarity, intellectual power, authority, truth
Reversed: Foolish, Quiet power, inner truth, misuse of power, manipulation
Queen of Swords
Upright: Intelligent, writer, communicative yet cold, Independent, unbiased judgement, clear boundaries, direct communication
Reversed: Ineffective, Overly-emotional, easily influenced, bitchy, cold-hearted
Knight of Swords
Upright: Fierce, determined, aggressively pursues goals, Ambitious, action-oriented, driven to succeed, fast-thinking
Reversed: Boredom, Restless, unfocused, impulsive, burn-out
Page of Swords
Upright: mentally unstable or intellectually immature, acts without thinking, New ideas, curiosity, thirst for knowledge, new ways of communicating
Reversed: Stupidity, Self-expression, all talk and no action, haphazard action, haste
Ace of Swords
Upright: A fresh start, a sudden opportunity or idea, Breakthroughs, new ideas, mental clarity, success
Reversed: Inner clarity, re-thinking an idea, clouded judgement
2 of Swords
Upright: Indecision, Difficult decisions, weighing up options, an impasse, avoidance
Reversed: Conflicts, Indecision, confusion, information overload, stalemate
3 of Swords
Upright: Heartbreak, betrayal, emotional pain, sorrow, grief, hurt
Reversed: Torment, Negative self-talk, releasing pain, optimism, forgiveness
4 of Swords
Upright: Meditation, rest, retreat, contemplation, recuperation
Reversed: Disturbance, Exhaustion, burn-out, deep contemplation, stagnation
5 of Swords
Upright: Mind games, hostility, Conflict, disagreements, competition, defeat, winning at all costs
Reversed: Treachery, Reconciliation, making amends, past resentment
6 of Swords
Upright: Leaving, accepting help, going somewhere better, Transition, change, rite of passage, releasing baggage.
Reversed: Trouble, Personal transition, resistance to change, unfinished business
7 of Swords
Upright: Secret plans, abandoning ship, Betrayal, deception, getting away with something, acting strategically
Reversed: Clumsiness, Imposter syndrome, self-deceit, keeping secrets
8 of Swords
Upright: feeling powerless and stuck, Negative thoughts, self-imposed restriction, imprisonment, victim mentality
Reversed: Escaping, Self-limiting beliefs, inner critic, releasing negative thoughts, open to new perspectives
9 of Swords
Upright: Overactive mind, anxiety, worry, fear, depression, nightmares
Reversed: Martyrdom, Inner turmoil, deep-seated fears, secrets, releasing worry
10 of Swords
Upright: Feeling defeated, self-sabotage, Painful endings, deep wounds, betrayal, loss, crisis
Reversed: Recovery, regeneration, resisting an inevitable end
The Wands
Reflects your spirit, motion and action.
Element: Fire
King of Wands
Upright: Career focused, mature, passionate, Natural-born leader, vision, entrepreneur, honour
Reversed: Impostor, Impulsiveness, haste, ruthless, high expectations
Queen of Wands
Upright: Confidant, focused, has zest for life, Courage, confidence, independence, social butterfly, determination
Reversed: Fatigue, Self-respect, self-confidence, introverted, re-establish sense of self
Knight of Wands
Upright: Energy, passion, inspired action, adventure, impulsiveness
Reversed: Apathy, Passion project, haste, scattered energy, delays, frustration
Page of Wands
Upright: newly inspired, Inspiration, ideas, discovery, limitless potential, free spirit
Reversed: Passive, Newly-formed ideas, redirecting energy, self-limiting beliefs, a spiritual path
Ace of Wands
Upright: New beginnings, creative spark, fertile ideas, Inspiration, growth, potential
Reversed: Unpromising, An emerging idea, lack of direction, distractions, delays
2 of Wands
Upright: Contemplation, assessing one’s life direction, Future planning, progress, decisions, discovery
Reversed: Dispute, Personal goals, inner alignment, fear of unknown, lack of planning
3 of Wands
Upright: Reaping the rewards of your efforts, Progress, expansion, foresight, overseas opportunities
Reversed: Idleness, Playing small, lack of foresight, unexpected delays
4 of Wands
Upright: Celebration, safety, the home, Celebration, joy, harmony, relaxation, homecoming
Reversed: Discord, Personal celebration, inner harmony, conflict with others, transition.
5 of Wands
Upright: Competition, minor struggles or disagreements, Conflict, disagreements, tension, diversity
Reversed: Timidness, Inner conflict, conflict avoidance, tension release
6 of Wands
Upright: Success, accolades and achievement, public recognition, progress, self-confidence
Reversed: Private achievement, personal definition of success, fall from grace, egotism
7 of Wands
Upright: Feeling defensive and on guard, Challenge, competition, protection, perseverance
Reversed: Yielding, Exhaustion, giving up, overwhelmed
8 of Wands
Upright: Movement, fast paced change, action, alignment, air travel
Reversed: Stagnation, Delays, frustration, resisting change, internal alignment
9 of Wands
Upright: Pessimism, gearing up for the worst, Resilience, courage, persistence, test of faith, boundaries
Reversed: Weakness, Inner resources, struggle, overwhelm, defensive, paranoia
10 of Wands
Upright: oppressed, exhaustion, too many responsibilities, Burden, extra responsibility, hard work, completion
Reversed: Impractical, Doing it all, carrying the burden, delegation, release
The Cups
Reflects emotions and relationships.
Element: Water
King of Cups
Upright Repression of deep feelings, Emotionally balanced, compassionate, diplomatic.
Reversed: Selfishness, Self-compassion, inner feelings, moodiness, emotionally manipulative.
Queen of Cups
Upright: Emotionally nurturing, intuitive, sensitive, Compassionate, caring, emotionally stable, intuitive, in flow
Reversed: Ignorance, Inner feelings, self-care, self-love, codependency.
Knight of Cups
Upright: Romantic, adventurous, following one’s heart, Creativity, romance, charm, imagination, beauty.
Reversed: Pessimism, Overactive imagination, unrealistic, jealous, moody.
Page of Cups
Upright: Creative, inspired, learning artistic skill, intuitive messages, curiosity, possibility.
Reversed: Gloomy, New ideas, doubting intuition, creative blocks, emotional immaturity.
Ace of Cups
Upright: emotional fulfillment, joy, Beginnings, Love, new relationships, compassion, creativity.
Reversed: Indifferent, Self-love, intuition, repressed emotions.
2 of Cups
Upright: Partnership, mutual attraction, compatibility, Unified love, partnership, mutual attraction
Reversed: Abandonment, Self-love, break-ups, disharmony, distrust.
3 of Cups
Upright: Celebration, fun with friends, laughter, friendship, creativity, collaborations.
Reversed: Jealousy, Independence, alone time, partying.
4 of Cups
Upright: Boredom, dissatisfaction with what is being offered, Longing, Meditation, contemplation, apathy, reevaluation.
Reversed: Avoidance, Retreat, withdrawal, checking in for alignment.
5 of Cups
Upright: Dwelling on the negative, self-pity, Loss, Regret, failure, disappointment, pessimism.
Reversed: Personal setbacks, self-forgiveness, moving on.
6 of Cups
Upright: Sentimentality, kindness, help, Revisiting the past, childhood memories, innocence, joy.
Reversed: Discouraging, Living in the past, forgiveness, lacking playfulness.
7 of Cups
Upright: indecision, getting lost in fantasy, wishing and dreaming, Opportunities, choices, wishful thinking, illusion.
Reversed: Lethargic, Alignment, personal values, overwhelmed by choices.
8 of Cups
Upright: Abandoning something in search of something better, vision, Disappointment, abandonment, withdrawal, escapism.
Reversed: Sacrifice, Trying one more time, indecision, aimless drifting, walking away.
9 of Cups
Upright: Indulgence, self-satisfaction, Contentment, satisfaction, gratitude, wish come true.
Reversed: Inner happiness, materialism, dissatisfaction, indulgence.
10 of Cups
Emotional bliss, happiness, attainment, Divine love, blissful relationships, harmony, alignment.
Reversed: Disruption, Disconnection, misaligned values, struggling relationships.
The Pentacles
Reflects the material world, body and wealth.
Element: Earth
King of Pentacles
Upright: Enjoys the good life (food, drink and leisure), financially secure, Wealth, business, leadership, security, discipline, abundance.
Reversed: Hoarder, Financially inept, obsessed with wealth and status, stubborn
Queen of Pentacles
Upright: Healthy in body and finances, grounded and calm, Nurturing, practical, providing financially, a working parent.
Reversed: Financial independence, self-care, work-home conflict.
Knight of Pentacles
Upright: Cautious, sensible and slow to progress, Hard work, productivity, routine, conservatism.
Reversed: Inexperienced, Self-discipline, boredom, feeling ‘stuck’, perfectionism.
Page of Pentacles
Upright: Student, commitment to learning, Manifestation, financial opportunity, skill development.
Reversed: Rookie, Lack of progress, procrastination, learn from failure.
Ace of Pentacles
Upright: Financial reward, clarity of life purpose, goals, a new financial or career opportunity, manifestation, abundance.
Reversed: Debt, Lost opportunity, lack of planning and foresight.
2 of Pentacles
Upright: Balance, multitasking, Multiple priorities, time management, prioritization, adaptability.
Reversed: Impractical, Over-committed, disorganization, reprioritization
3 of Pentacles
Upright: Meaningful work, enjoying one’s work, suitable career, Teamwork, collaboration, learning, implementation.
Reversed: Mediocrity, Disharmony, misalignment, working alone.
4 of Pentacles
Upright: Saving money, security, conservatism, scarcity, control.
Reversed: Greed, Overspending, self-protection.
5 of Pentacles
Upright: Minor money troubles, health problems, feeling like an outsider, Financial loss, poverty, lack of mindset, isolation, worry.
Reversed: Helplessness, Recovery from financial loss, spiritual poverty.
6 of Pentacles
Upright: Charity, accepting and giving help, Giving, receiving, sharing wealth, generosity
Reversed: Cruelty, Self-care, unpaid debts, one-sided charity.
7 of Pentacles
Upright: Patience, waiting for your plans to bear fruit, Long-term view, sustainable results, perseverance, investment.
Reversed: Unemployment, Shortsightedness, limited success or reward.
8 of Pentacles
Upright: Hard work, focused efforts, laying the groundwork, Apprenticeship, repetitive tasks, mastery, skill development.
Reversed: Skill-shortage, Self-development, perfectionism, misdirected activity.
9 of Pentacles
Upright: Luxury, rest, financial and material comforts, Abundance, self-sufficiency, financial independence.
Reversed: Dependency, Self-worth, over-investment in work, hustling.
10 of Pentacles
Upright Financial success, strong business relationships, Wealth, family, long-term success, contribution.
Reversed: Restrictions, The dark side of wealth, financial failure or loss.
The Elements My grimoire
#tarot#witchcraft#references#pentacle#pentagram#divination#fortune telling#Kivas Grimoire#king#knight#queen#the hermit#death#goth#vampire#bat#celtic witch#wand#cups#sword#numerology#magic#magick
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“I sacrificed the quality of my life to help people experience something that had been unreachable before then,” Grammy winner says in rare interview
In the late Nineties, the story of popular music became the story of Ms. Lauryn Hill. She first rose to fame as an actress and a member of the Fugees, whose second and final album, 1996’s The Score, remains one of that decade’s biggest albums. Then, at just 22 years old, Hill took a huge leap and decided to go solo. Released in 1998, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill filled clubs, radio stations, and MTV with her smooth voice and biting rhymes. Hill herself became as big as her music, appreciated in the fashion world and sought after by movie executives for roles she would eventually decline.
Miseducation took home five Grammy Awards and led to a huge tour. But by the early 2000s, Ms. Hill left behind the fame and the industry almost entirely. She has never released another studio album; her last full-length release was MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 from 2002, where she performed new songs in an acoustic style to a largely tepid reception.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill lives on. More than 20 years after its release, it is still regarded as one of the best albums ever made, landing at Number 10 on Rolling Stone’s voter-based 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List this past fall. Many of her songs continue to permeate culture, like the single “Ex-Factor,” which has been sampled or interpolated on major hits by Drake and Cardi B. Beyond that, the album’s impact on multiple generations of musicians is unmistakeable. Everyone from Rihanna to St. Vincent has cited Hill as having heavily influenced their own music.
The years that followed Miseducation have been complicated. After the album’s release, some of Hill’s collaborators filed a lawsuit claiming she did not properly credit them for their contributions; that suit was settled out of court three years later on undisclosed terms. In 2012, she was charged with tax fraud, and went on to serve three months in prison. More recently, she has found herself back on the road more frequently, sporadically releasing music but mostly basking in the collective love and power of Miseducation through special performances of the album.
For the latest episode of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast, Ms. Hill granted a rare interview on the making of Miseducation as well as what happened after. Over e-mail, she spoke candidly about protecting her family and the little support she had after her first album cycle ended. Excerpts from the interview can be heard in the podcast episode, available on Amazon Music, along with tales from several of the musicians who were part of those sessions, like “Commissioner Gordon” Williams, Lenesha Randolph, and Vada Nobles. Ms. Hill’s written responses are here in full.
When you began recording Miseducation, you were 22 and already experiencing immense success with the Fugees. What were you hoping to prove with this album?
As far as proving myself goes, I think that’s a larger and more involved story best told at a later time, but I will say that the success of the Fugees absolutely set up The Miseducation to be as big and as well received as it was. When I decided that I wanted to try a solo project I was met with incredible resistance and discouragement from a number of places that should have been supportive, so that had a motivating factor, but it was less about proving myself and more about creating something I wanted to see and hear exist in the world. There were ideas, notions and concepts that I wanted to exist, I set off in a particular direction and kept going. Initially, I intended to work with other producers and artists but found that what I wanted to say and hear may have been too idiosyncratic at the time to just explain it and have someone else try to make it. It had to be made in a more custom manner. The team of people who would ultimately be involved, we all witnessed as it took form. It was unique and exciting.
You’ve said you found yourself especially creative during your pregnancy. How did that experience shape you as a songwriter?
It’s a wild thing to say but I was left alone during my pregnancies for the most part. It was like all of the people with all of their demands had to check themselves when I was pregnant. The resulting peace may have contributed to that sense of feeling more creative. I was pregnant with my first child during the making of The Miseducation and the situation was complicated, so I was motivated to find more stability and safety for myself and for my child, that definitely pushed me to disregard what appeared as limitations. If I struggled to fight for myself, I had someone else to fight for. This also introduced my first son’s father, Rohan Marley, into the picture, who at that time, was a protective presence. If there were people or forces attempting to prevent me from creating, he played a role in helping to keep that at bay.
During those times especially, I always wanted to be a motivator of positive change. It’s in all of my lyrics, that desire to see my community get out of its own way, identify and confront internal and external obstacles, and experience the heights of Love and self-Love that provoke transformation. I sang from that place and chose to share the joy and ecstasy of it, as well as the disappointments, entanglements and life lessons that I had learned at that point. I basically started out as a young sage lol.
When you look back on it now, is Miseducation the album you intended it to be?
I’ve always been pretty critical of myself artistically, so of course there are things I hear that could have been done differently, but the LOVE in the album, the passion, its intention is, to me, undeniable. I think my intention was simply to make something that made my foremothers and forefathers in music and social and political struggle know that someone received what they’d sacrificed to give us, and to let my peers know that we could walk in that truth, proudly and confidently. At that time, I felt like it was a duty or responsibility to do so. I saw the economic and educational gaps in black communities and although I was super young myself, I used that platform to help bridge those gaps and introduce concepts and information that “we” needed even if “we” didn’t know “we” wanted it yet. Of course I’m referring to the proverbial “we.” These things had an enormous value to me and I cherished them from a very young age.
I also think the album stood apart from the types and cliches that were supposed to be acceptable at that time. I challenged the norm and introduced a new standard. I believe The Miseducation did that and I believe I still do this — defy convention when the convention is questionable. I had to move faster and with greater intention though than the dysfunctional norms that were well-established and fully funded then. I was apparently perceived by some as making trouble and being disruptive rather than appreciated for introducing solutions and options to people who hadn’t had them, for exposing beauty where oppression once reigned, and demonstrating how well these different cultural paradigms could work together. The warp speed I had to move at in order to defy the norm put me and my family under a hyper-accelerated, hyper-tense, and unfortunately under-appreciated pace. I sacrificed the quality of my life to help people experience something that had been unreachable before then. When I saw people struggle to appreciate what that took, I had to pull back and make sure I and my family were safe and good. I’m still doing that.
This album permeated culture in a way that few albums have before it existed and made you a massive star. How were you handling the public gaze at the time?
There were definitely things I enjoyed about stardom, but there were definitely things I didn’t enjoy. I think most people appreciate being recognized and appreciated for their work and sacrifice. That, to me, is a given, but living a real life is essential for anyone trying to stay connected to reality and continue making things that truly affect people. This becomes increasingly harder to do in the “space” people try to place “stars” in.
The pedestal, to me, is as much about containment and control as it is adulation. Finding balance, clarity and sobriety can be very hard for some to maintain. For example, being yes’d to death isn’t good, and people fear stardom can only result in this, but if the actual answer is yes, being told no just to not appear a yes-man is silly. Never being told no if the answer is no by people afraid to disappoint will obviously also distort the mirror in which we view ourselves. On the other hand, a person with a vision can be way ahead, so people may say no with conviction and resist what they fear only to find out later that they were absolutely wrong.
The idea of artist as public property, I also always had a problem with that. I agreed to share my art, I’m not agreeing necessarily to share myself. The entitlement that people often feel, like they somehow own you, or own a piece of you, can be incredibly dangerous. I chafe under any kind of control like that and resist expectations that suggest I should somehow dumb-down and be predictable to make people feel comfortable rather than authentically express myself. I also resist unrealistic expectations placed on me by people who would never place those same requirements on themselves. I can be as diplomatic and as patient as I possibly can be. I can’t, however, sell myself short through constant self-deprecation and shrinking.
“The entitlement that people often feel, like they somehow own you, or own a piece of you, can be incredibly dangerous.”
Is there a version of “Lauryn Hill” that you feel people expected of you, and how did that compare to how you saw yourself?
Absolutely, which I touched upon in the answers before this one. Life is life, to be lived, experienced and enjoyed with all of its dynamism and color. If you do something well that people enjoy, often they want the same experience over and over. A real person can be stifled and their growth completely stunted trying to do this without balance. It’s not a fair thing to ask of anyone. We all have to grow, we all have to express ourselves with as much fullness and integrity as we can manage. The celebrity is often treated like a sacrifice, the fatted calf, then boxed in and harshly judged for very normal and natural responses to abnormal circumstances.
I saw someone lambasted once for discussing episodes of anxiety before going on stage, as if anxiety was only a condition of the non-famous. It was absurd, like someone with a record out can’t get a common cold. Someone in love with the art doesn’t not experience fear or anxiety, they just do their best to transcend it or work beyond it so that the art or the passion can be made manifest. Some days are better than others. For some people it gets easier, for some it doesn’t. The unfairness, the harshness was excessive to me. I didn’t like how I was being treated at a certain point. I just wasn’t being treated well and definitely not in accordance with someone who’d contributed what I had. I had a ton of jealousy and competitiveness to contend with. That can exhaust or frustrate your efforts to make anything besides primal scream music, 😊.
Provoking that kind of aggravation was probably intentional. You have to find reasons to still do it, when you’re exposed to the ugly. People often think it’s ok to project whatever they want to on someone they perceive as having “it all” or “having so/too much.” Hero worship can be an excuse for not taking care of your own sh#t. The flip side of that adulation can turn severely ugly, aggressive, and hostile if people make another person responsible for their sense of self-worth. You can either take that abuse or say no to it. After subjecting myself to it for years, I started to say no, and then no turned into hell no, then hell no turned into f#ck no…you get my point. 😊
If you could talk to yourself at 22 now, what would you say?
I’d share the things I do now with my 22-year-old self. If I had known what I know now, things would probably have unfolded differently. I would have continued to invest in people but I would have made sure I had people with the love, strength, and integrity around me to really keep their eye on the prize and my well-being. The world is full of seduction and if they can’t seduce you, they go after the people you love or depend on in some way. I would have with greater understanding tried to do more to insulate myself and my loved ones from that kind of attack.
youtube
Looking back on that period of your life, do you have any regrets?
I have some periods of woe, some periods of sorrow and great pain, yes, but regret is tough because I ended up with a clarity I might not have been able to achieve any other way. I would have done a few things differently though if I could go back. I would have done my best to shield myself so that I could better shield my children. I would have rejected the manipulation, unfair force and pressure put on me much earlier. I would have benefitted from having more awareness about the dangers of fame. I would have been more communicative with everyone truly involved with The Miseducation and fought hard for the importance of candid expression. I would have demanded what I needed and removed people antagonistic to that sooner than I did.
You have released music since Miseducation and have continued to play live. Do you ever foresee releasing another full-length studio album?
The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER. Did I say ever? Ever! With The Miseducation, there was no precedent. I was, for the most part, free to explore, experiment and express. After The Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations, and saboteurs EVERYWHERE. People had included me in their own narratives of THEIR successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy.
Artist suppression is definitely a thing. I won’t go too much into it here, but where there should have been overwhelming support, there wasn’t any. I began touring because I needed the creative outlet and to support myself and my family. People were more interested in breaking me or using me to battery-power whatever they had going on than to support my creativity. I create at the speed and flow of my inspiration, which doesn’t always work in a traditional system. I have always had to custom build what I’ve needed in order to get things done. The lack of respect and willingness to understand what that is, or what I need to be productive and healthy, doesn’t really sit well with me. When no one takes the time to understand, but only takes the time to count the money the fruit of this process produces, things can easily turn bad. Mistreatment, abuse, and neglect happen. I wrote an album about systemic racism and how it represses and stunts growth and harms (all of my albums have probably addressed systemic racism to some degree), before this was something this generation openly talked about. I was called crazy. Now…over a decade later, we hear this as part of the mainstream chorus. Ok, so chalk some of it up to leadership and how that works — I was clearly ahead, but you also have to acknowledge the blatant denial that went down with that. The public abuse and ostracizing while suppressing and copying what I had done, (I protested) with still no real acknowledgement that all of that even happened, is a lot.
“I wrote an album about systemic racism… before this was something this generation openly talked about. I was called crazy.”
I continue to tour and share with audiences all over the world, but I also full-time work on the trauma, stifling, and stunting that came with all of that and how my family and I were affected. In many ways, we’re living now, making up for years where we couldn’t be as free as we should have been able to. I had to break through a ton of unjust resistance, greed, fear and just plain human ugliness. Little else can rival freedom for me. If being a superstar means living a repressed life where people will only work with you or invest in your work if they can manipulate and control you, then I’m not sure how important music gets made without some tragic set of events following. I don’t subscribe to that.
Lastly, I appreciate the people who were moved by this body of work, which really represented a lifetime — up to that point — of love, experience, wisdom, family and community investment in me, the summation of my experience from relationships, my dreams, inspirations, aspirations and God’s ever-present grace and Love in my life through the lens of my 20-something but wise-sage existence, lol. I dreamed big, I didn’t think of limits, I really only thought of the creative possibilities and addressing the needs as I saw them at that time. I also had the support of a community of talented artists, thinkers, and doers, friends and family around me. Their primary efforts (THEN) seemed to be to help clear a path and to help protect. However, when you effectively create something powerful enough to move the bulls#t out of the way, all kinds of forces and energies may not like that. They may seek to corrupt and discourage, to disrupt and distract, to divide, and sabotage…but we bore witness to the fact that this happened — a young, black woman through hip-hop culture, a legacy of soul, Spirit and an appreciation for education and educating others communicated love and timeless and necessary messages to the world.
The music business can be an industry of entanglements, where a small number of people are expected to be responsible for a very large number of people. It’s hard to find fairness in a situation like that. Now, I look for as much equity and fairness as possible. I appreciate being loved for my contributions to music, but it’s important to be loved for who you are as a person just as much, and that can be a delicate but extremely important balance to achieve. Experiencing that is important to me.
#black women#fame#hip-hop#lauryn hill#ms. lauryn hill#music#music industry#r&b#robert glasper#rollingstone#soul#the fugees#the miseducation of lauryn hill
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Masterpost
We’ve come to the end of the SorMik Big Bang 2019! Before we move on to the master post for 2019, we would like to express our sincerest thanks to all of you. It has been a wild ride and us mods couldn’t thank our participants enough for being such lovely people to work with. There’ll also be a feedback form the participants can fill in! The link will be distributed through email and shared in our discord server. We would like to know how you think about us and how you would like us to improve through our feedback form!
If you missed your chance this year, don’t worry, we’ll be back again in 2020! Do stay tuned for some exciting information on where this event will be going next year!
Without further ado, here’s the master post for all entries of SorMik Big Bang 2019!
Masterpost
(Announcement: Not all artists/writers have posted their works yet, so this masterpost will be updated gradually as they post until everyone has posted.)
As Soft as Feathers by Kagaminekupcake | Art by Melly Mel (still yet to be posted) & KimmySnacks
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: Two kingdoms lay near one another, and with the queens sharing a friendship, they thought it only natural to continue the friendly relations through their successors. Prince Sorey and Prince Mikleo grew up, therefore, spending their summers together and sharing memories over the pages of dusty novels. However, upon Sorey’s near coronation, Selene informs Mikleo that she plans to betroth him to a princess of another land. Mikleo argues heatedly with her before storming out of the castle, but he was never seen afterwards. All Sorey could find in the rain was his circlet- a prized possession he knew Mikleo would never leave behind. Maybe the swan he discovers in the forest in the following days can give him a clue as to where Mikleo has gone…
Fanfic still yet to be posted by Dola625 | Art by mallowkey
Ranting: General Audiences
Summary: Luvdisc love fortune has set its sight upon a pair of childhood friends who need just an extra push with tons of water, a sunset and of course Mikleo and newly smitten Luvdisc.
La Fragilité Des Grues en Papier by Naminette | Art by Kinsdura
Ranting: Mature
Summary: Was it possible that his mother's tales were true? A sacred mountain where the Kamis' sanctuary lay. Away from the human world they lived in. Wings adorn their back, divine beings that were one with nature. This is were Mikleo place was, where he would be safe and happy.
Until years after a plague broke into the village in the valley and a young human had no choice left but to seek the gods' help without knowing how it would change Mikleo's world.
Everything you left behind by Strikedawn | Art by Retto
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: After his uncle's death, Mikleo is forced to run away from his office for the weekend and tend to Camlann, Michael's old manor and his own childhood home. The house has seen better times-- Mikleo definitely won't be able to sell it like this.
(Does he even want to?)
But his uncle's metaphorical ghost isn't the only thing within those walls. There is Lailah and Zaveid, who have made of Camlann their house as much as Michael did. There is Sorey, with his lovely smile, his pure intentions, and his love for the decrepit house. They are everywhere in the house, making it theirs, making Mikleo feel... things. Mikleo definitely won't be able to sell the house like this.
(But then again--does he even want to?)
Demons, Mysteries, and Feathery Celestialness by Sage | Art by Oliver Niko & Vonderer
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: Sorey is a cop. When his current case turns out to involve elements both demonic and angelic, he suddenly finds himself both in over his head and with a new partner. Neither he nor the angel Mikleo are particularly happy to be saddled with each other. Can they work through their differences to solve the case?
Moon Phases by Melly Mel | Art by Raine
Ranting: General Audiences
Summary: "The Sun has long fallen in love with the Moon and has done everything in his reach to conquer its heart, but the timid and stubborn Moon has always rejected it, afraid of these feelings. Time will teach that one cannot simply ignore such a strong and true love for so much time."
A story that tells how Sorey, the sun prince, falls ill for love after so many years trying to conquer the love of Mikleo, the moon prince, who’s not willing to believe him and misunderstand everything.
Fountain of Youth, the Elixir of Eternal Life by MegumitheGreat | Art by ZYO
Ranting: Explicit
Summary: At Lailah's request, Sorey and Mikleo take a break from their adventure and go through Pendago Shrinechurch's library. Coming across a legend titled "Shelanoir's Forest", they find themselves trapped within its pages and living the roles of the characters inside.
Resonance and Resistance by Eachainn | Art by Illium
Ranting: Mature
Summary: After eight years apart, Mikleo is more than ready to pick of the threads of the hopes and dreams that they had left drop when Sorey had left for Pendrago. But things are rarely that easy, especially when the Shepherds are involved. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a Shepherd in possession of a good resonance must be in want of a seraph.
A Sormik Regency Era AU
Chasing Dreams by RoyalDelirium | Art by Mewnia
Ranting: General Audiences
Summary: And this is where their tale begins, they did not really know what would await them out there, but they had dreams to chase and questions to answer. As long as they were together nothing could escape their grasp.
The Best Tour by Spectrum-sanctuary | Art by ArdentKnight & Unko (still yet to be posted)
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: In the archaic city of Ladylake where there are more canals than brick pathways, boats called gondolas are the major mode of transportation and location of work. The most renowned of these occupations are those who guide tourists around the romantic and historic marvels of the city while rowing the gondolas, the gondoliers.
Seventeen-year-old Mikleo is among them, renowned for not only being young but also graceful and skilled with the oar. When he meets the newly-arrived student Sorey in the city, his usual life among the waves and ruins transforms into a tale of adventure and excitement... and perhaps even love.
The Gang Crashes a Party While in Drag by Pengiesama | Art by Nami & Minstrels
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: Sorey and the crew investigate reports of a black market trafficking ring, and zero in on a particularly nasty noble at the center of it all. Luckily, said noble is opening his chateau to host a masquerade – the perfect opportunity to get close. Unluckily, the Shepherd’s fame has spread wide, and Sorey needs a disguise to make sure he’s incognito.
This is achieved by the obvious solution, and that's to disguise him in a dress and pass him off as Rose's sister. What could possibly go wrong?
Sir Sorey and the River Dragon by Treya-barton | Art by Kishi
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: Sir Sorey is a curious, gentle knight from the kingdom of Ladylake ruled by a fair and beautiful Queen. One day she is approached by a village with news that they are being plagued by a dragon that is blocking their access to a river they use for trade. Sir Sorey is sent on a quest to investigate this dragon in order to resolve the villager's dilemma.
The Benefits of Being Impulsive by FortunesRevolver | Art by Aimi
Ranting: General Audiences
Summary: It had all started out of sheer spite -- Sorey’s own bizarre desperate need to prove to his grandfather that he wasn’t that impulsive. Really, if he really wanted impulsive, Sorey could be impulsive. Or, maybe, somewhere deep down, he’d just wanted to talk to the really, really pretty boy sitting by the pool with stunningly white hair who just happened to be holding a copy of his favorite book series ever.
Art by MegumitheGreat (Their writer wasn’t able to get to finish due to personal reasons, but still asked MegumitheGreat to post their art anyway because it’s so cool!)
Trust, Betrayal and Beyond by Sabi | Art by Mikleohno
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: A long time ago, the country was separated into two factions: the Lotus faction and the Lily faction. Both factions had opposing ideals, which resulted in a war that lasted for decades. The war finally ended when the Lotus faction killed the Lily faction’s leader, thus bringing peace back to the land. Our story takes place a century later, focusing on Mikleo, the prince of the kingdom, who is doing everything he can to repair this country, as well as his new servant, Sorey, whose background is shrouded in mystery.
Eyes on the Horizon by Oliver Niko | Art by Siciel
Ranting: Mature
Summary: Mikleo is a nobleman kept captive for the magic he possesses. Sorey is a pirate, his crew determined to grant freedom to those with said magical capabilities.
The two are brought together not by this alone, but also by their similarities; the goal to do whatever it takes to protect Rolance's people from its corrupt emperor, and find the truth behind their missing mothers along the way.
The Color of Twilight by Luneath | Art by Succu (still yet to be posted)
Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences
Summary: “Ever since that day, Sorey has been looking for something. Desperately, yearningly, painfully. It's like chasing after a dream that’s hiding underneath his eyelids, almost there but not really. Just within reach, but could never be grasped fully. It’s like running after a figure — a blurred one, tinted blue, who owns half of his soul; his heart and his life.
But he can’t remember. He knows, but never for sure. He just feels his heartstrings being tugged, but never to where or by whom. The more he tries to make sense of everything, the more he realizes it would hurt more to never find whatever’s — whoever’s gone.
The only thing that gives him hope is the writing on his palm, tattooed in elusive curves that makes him feel warm and safe and nostalgic and a little like breaking. What’s written there, the meaning and the purpose — he doesn’t understand it at first. Not until some time. But even then, he swears he’s going to find whatever it is. And when he does, he’s never letting it go ever again."
[A Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name) AU featuring time travel, fluffy angst, switching bodies and switching lives, plus true loves and true names.]
Fanfic still yet to be posted by Miranda | Art by Okke (still yet to be posted) & Narain Yuna
Ranting: Explicit
Summary: Clergyman!Sorey x Non-Believer!
Mikleo The heavy wooden doors opened and closed with an echo throughout the chapel, all but empty save for the decorative lanterns with the names of the twelve apostles lining the pillars leading up to the alter, the hand-carved plaques in the right-wing hallway depicting the Stations of the Cross of the same number donated by the generous family, and the overwhelming but whole-fully welcomed presence of Him which he felt.
Sorey loved getting to do this-- well, he loved pretty much every aspect of his stay here as part of his training, but this was probably one of his top favorites: waking up to the early morning sun and say his morning prayers, picking some berries from his little garden as part of his breakfast before freshening up, and coming down to the church before Gramps arrived to start the day. He wasn't sure what made him want to say another morning prayer in the chapel when there was no need whatsoever. Perhaps it was simply just seminary habits or wanting the chapel to feel less... big? Lonely?
Or dusty?
He chuckled at the thought and shaking his head, and joyfully continued to walk towards the alter. Thinking back to his childhood, it use to be a dark green stone like the rest of the flooring. In it's place now was a white marble with gray veins scattering sparingly here and there. Gramps wasn't sure who thought it was a good idea, and Sorey didn't really pay it much attention.
As he approached the alter and began to kneel, pulling out his mini prayer booklet from his pocket, the front double doors opened and closed yet again. Hm, strange, Sorey thought for a moment. Normally Gramps doesn't come in this early since traffic from...
When he turned around to greet the wise old man who practically raised him from birth, Sorey was taken aback to see a young man with long dyed hair, faded black skinny jeans, and a somewhat revealing white and blue sweater with a v-neck that fell to show the side of his collar bone. Wait, was it dirty...?
It could've been the way he seemed to hold himself together-- just barely and could hardly seem like he wasn't shaking. It could've been the way his eyes, a deep blue from this distance, almost pleaded for mercy and safety. It could've just as easily been the way the light hit his unblemished face, his aquamarine tresses...
Sorey knew, deep down, that he would never forget this moment. Someone or something must have whispered something to his heart or to his soul that day, to never let this memory go.
Fanfic still yet to be posted by Mogseltof | Art by Lynxlantern & Ammerynth (still yet to be posted)
Ranting: Mature
Summary: Since he was young, Sorey’s been friends with the curious, withdrawn sailor everyone in his seaside town avoids. Now he’s an adult, struggling to find material for his research, but his withdrawn friend has recently been made captain of his ship, and Sorey is offered the opportunity he’s been looking for -- the chance to get out of his town and see the places he’s actually researching. But Sorey has another reason to want to be out on the sea; they say there are mermaids in the waves, and Sorey has to know if his memories ring true, or if he imagined the boy in the river so many years ago. However, the voices of the dead sing loudly from the deep, and the captain is hiding something that may get them all in trouble.
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The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 6, Part 1 of 2
(spoilers for everything MDZS/Untamed and a little for Princess Weiyoung)
[covers MDZS chapter 18 and a bit of chaps 56 and 66]
WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰
(a 🐰 is earned every time there is a WangXian scene or even when they’re just thinking of each other…there’s so much Wangxian-ness in this episode, one post couldn’t contain all of it)
Team CQL went rogue for the two major events featured in this episode—the Cloud Recesses drinking incident and the WangXian bathing scene—and really, bless them and their ancestors for that decision. Not only did the changes provide Wei Ying and Lan Zhan with additional bonding time, but they actually had significant bearing on future events.
Originally in the novel, Lan Zhan didn’t actually partake in the drinking incident that got Wei Ying punished: some nameless disciples, Nie Huaisang and Jiang Cheng were the ones who actually took part in those activities. Lan Zhan only found their drunk asses the next morning and dragged Wei Ying off for disciplinary action (although, from the way the scene was described in the book, it actually seemed like he was more angry at Wei Ying for looking at porn, lol). However, for the live action, that entire scenario was transformed into Lan Zhan actually getting drunk for the first time, albeit against his will. Of course it would have been better if he willingly joined in, but at that point in time, that would have been illogical, not to mention completely out of character for him, so even though Wei Ying sort of did Lan Zhan wrong, there was probably no other way he could have gotten him to share a drink with him otherwise.
I am especially grateful for this change because that is the moment when my eyes were finally open to Wang Yibo’s talents as an actor and I started to really appreciate his performance. Prior to this episode, I was actually wondering if he was playing stoicism so well because that’s really all he was capable of doing, but then, when he dropped that rigid façade and gave us a charmingly adorable drunk Lan Zhan, I realized that everything that came before were indeed acting choices, that he was definitely able to do more than that. Not to mention, he also had pretty good comedic timing. I started to look at him in an entirely new light after watching this episode, and the rest is, as they say, history.
Upon revisiting this episode last night, I finally realized something that I never thought of before, and I feel actually pretty stupid for not even making the connection until now. During the Koi tower scenes in the present, when Wei Ying as the paperman was eavesdropping on Jin Guangyao and his wife’s conversation, I couldn’t figure out how JGY was able to put Qin Su under his control the way he did, but in watching this episode again, it finally came to me: he probably used a modified version of the charm that Wei Ying used on Lan Zhan in here. After all, JGY was one of the many people who raided the Burial Mounds and took over the Yiling Patriarch’s possessions after his death, so it would make sense for him to discover this particular memento as well. When I first watched this episode, I was mainly just impressed by how powerful the charm is that it would be able to put someone like Lan Zhan under its spell, considering he’s not just some lay person, but rather someone who already had a pretty high level of cultivation by then. I simply saw it as yet another indicator of just how talented and powerful Wei Ying was even at that young age. But now, thinking that Team CQL may have laid the groundwork for something that was going to happen so much later just makes me so much more impressed with their planning.
Of course I could simply be overthinking this whole thing and JGY’s magical powers could just be his own magical powers, or something common to the cultivation world that my dumb brain just overlooked, but for those few seconds when I thought I came upon a fascinating connection, I was quite proud of myself, so allow me to coast on that sense of euphoria just a little while more.
Bonding and other cuteness
Of course I loved every single moment of the Drunk!Lan Zhan sequence, starting with that tiny little flirtatious gesture by Wei Ying. Seriously, how CUTE is that?? Makes me smile every time I see it, and I’ve rewound that little moment numerous times. How anyone can be resistant to Wei Wuxian’s charms I can never understand, but clearly Lan Zhan was still holding out on him. I’m glad that Team CQL chose this incident to reveal the nature of the Gusu Lan head ribbon since it directly led to Wei Ying’s bonding moment with Lan Zhan. Even though the other man was still generally cold to him, it was really sweet that Wei Ying still felt comfortable enough to share the precious memory of his parents with him.
It’s a real shame that Lan Zhan didn’t remember any of it the next day, but I did take comfort in the fact that he still knelt by Wei Ying like a united front to receive Uncle Lan’s wrath and punishment. I’m sure most of that was motivated by his own pride and sense of righteousness, but I still found it touching, especially with how much Wei Ying was defending Lan Zhan so that he would be spared the disciplinary action. Wei Ying was much less protective in the novel during that scene–he was mostly indignant–even though he was still the one to blame for Lan Zhan’s involvement in the whole incident by basically tricking him into breaking curfew. I love that even though Team CQL changed the drinking incident, they still managed to maintain the spirit of its novel counterpart, much like they did with the Phoenix Mountain Hunt.
And then of course there was this:
Which was obviously a treat for our imaginations to get our creative juices flowing so that we can imagine on our own what might have taken place during the night that led to Wei Wuxian waking up in his half-dressed state. For this gift, I am eternally grateful to the production team.
Jiang Cheng Has Fun For Once
I was actually surprised that Jiang Cheng would join in on the drinking party because up until then he had spent most of his time basically disapproving everything Wei Ying did while also seemingly in a constant state of worry that he would embarrass their sect. Imbibing alcohol was clearly a violation of Gusu Lan rules so it’s kind of amazing that Jiang Cheng willingly join in on such an act of rebellion. Nie Huaisang, on other hand, I totally expected to be a part of the shenanigans…I would’ve expected nothing less from him…but Jiang Cheng was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed seeing him let loose like that, especially since we got to find out what he looked for in a mate.
The sad thing is Wen Qing actually fit all of his requirements for a wife, except for that family one, which i in the end, proved to be the most important one after all since it became the deal-breaker, dooming their relationship before it even got a chance to get started.
Another rather sad aspect of seeing Jiang Cheng so at ease and acting like a total goofball is that this really would be the only time we would ever see him this way. His time at Cloud Recesses was probably the most enjoyable and carefree for him. I doubt he was ever able to enjoy himself the same way again. It actually makes me wonder if he EVER was able to have fun, period, during the last 16 years. Just thinking about what he’s gone through makes me wish I could give him a great big hug.
Reason #10 for Why I love Big Bro Lan Xichen
His amused reaction to hearing about Wei Ying’s transgression:
…which was immediately followed by his “oh shit” response to hearing his little bro was also involved.
Big Bro Xichen is just too adorable, AND HE DESERVES ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD DAMMIT.
Uncle Lan is One Mean Mofo
Seriously, what’s with Lan Qiren’s obsession with the number 300? I really need to know if there’s some significance to that number since it’s featured in BOTH of the major disciplinary incidents in the show that were carried out by Uncle Lan. For this first outing, those rulers looked downright brutal; it’s a utter miracle that Wei Ying and Lan Zhan were even able to survive being beat 300 times with that medieval torture device. At the very least their spines should’ve been broken, paralyzing them for the rest of their lives. In the novel they were only caned 100 times, which is still a lot but it’s still a somewhat grounded enough number that I could believe they would be able to heal from their injuries. But 300? They should be maimed. I’ve noticed that with chinese dramas though: they tend to be excessive when it comes to inflicting punishment. I actually stopped watching a show once because the main character was being beaten repeatedly in the stomach (Princess Weiyoung) while being held prisoner. That particular character should not have survived that beating…at the very least he would’ve needed his nutrients to be delivered by IV for the rest of his life (even though IVs didn’t exist yet) because there was no way his stomach was ever going to work again after that. I was almost offended by how ignorant the screenwriters were about basic anatomical and biological functions so I decided to just stop watching (well, the fact that I wasn’t that into the show anyway probably contributed to my decision as well) Of course the 300 floggings weren’t enough to discourage me from continuing forward with The Untamed, but it did throw me out of the show for a good moment because I couldn’t get over how ridiculous that number was. Uncle Lan really has a sadistic streak in him
Not to mention, he was also surprisingly tactless. He had just learned about Wei Wuxian’s mom from big bro Xichen and I couldn’t believe that he would just throw that info at the Wei Ying in such a careless way, only to shut him down when the poor guy desperately asked for more details about his mom. Uncle Lan had to know enough about Wei Ying’s background to understand how sensitive he would be in regards to his deceased parents, so I was actually taken aback by how heartless Uncle Lan was being during that scene, so much so that for a while after, I really wasn’t feeling much love towards him. Although, now that I think about it, love is probably a misnomer any way since I doubt I would ever love Uncle Lan nor can I even say I ever actually liked him–he’s too much of a fuddy-duddy for my tastes. It’s more like I just accept his existence, appreciate his importance to the Lan brothers, and I find his disapproval of Wei Ying kind of amusing. But in that moment, I definitely did straight out dislike him for being such a cold SOB, especially towards Wei Wuxian.
To be continued in Part 2…(posted)
#The Untamed#陈情令#spoilers#WangXian#Untamed Rewatch#Mo Dao Zu Shi#CQL#MDZS#魔道祖师#Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation#Founder of Diabolism#Wei Ying Wei Wuxian#Lan Zhan Lan Wangji#Jiang Cheng#ChengQing#Lan Xichen#Lan Qiren#Nie Huaisang#Jin GuangYao#Qin Su
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Okay, but all silliness aside: I owe a ridiculous amount to Critical Role. Or, more specifically, to having found CR when I did. I came in around the beginning of the second campaign, and I had no idea what this thing was. I didn’t know a damn thing about D&D. I didn’t watch gamers stream. I think I’d been on Twitch a handful of times to watch Jim Lee draw, and that was...it.
I came into Critical Role having seen a handful of gifs on my dash from people whose opinions I trust, and I realized Ashley Johnson was involved. That was my full base of knowledge: Ashley “hey, I know her from Recess/Growing Pains, I like her” Johnson was the whole deal. And that could have been a breaking point early on, because the first thirty episodes of Campaign 1 are a little rough if you don’t know what you’re getting into. The audio is questionable in places, it can be hard to track what’s going on, there’s the whole...obvious cast issue. And if you came in knowing only Ashley, you didn’t even get that lifeline the whole way through.
But here’s the thing: this was 2017? I had just gotten married, and while I married the love of my life, who I had been engaged to--we originally had a slapdash courthouse wedding the day after the election, because it was the only safety net we could grab hold of. At least it would be a legal marriage, in case something really cataclysmic happened before our actual wedding date. I was obsessively refreshing six different news sites every hour while at work, and falling down the darkest political rabbit holes on Twitter every night. I was have terror dreams of nuclear fallout and panic attacks over climate change...and, on top of all the fear and the anger broiling in me, my dysphoria was getting worse by the day. My anxiety. My depression. I was sinking. Fast. So I did the only thing I know how to do when things get truly bad inside my head.
I hid inside stories.
Namely, I hid inside Critical Role. The new campaign wasn’t quite on its feet yet, so I went back and started with Vox Machina. I went into these 3-5 hour episodes, letting them play in the background at work, letting these people I did not know or even really get yet into my head. And, at first, it was just the fascination of the concept. A long-form narrative built by upwards of 8 people, all sitting around a table, just...improvising. Not an inch of that is the way I tell stories, so it was brilliant and baffling, and curiosity had me straight out the gate.
And, if it had just been the concept, that still might not have been enough to hold my attention. If it had just been the idea of it, it might not have been loud enough to drown out the voices in my head telling me the whole ship was going down, that there was no hope, that there was no point in even getting up in the morning to face more bullshit.
But...it was Matt Mercer. Matt, with such an incredible array of characters and maps living inside his head, who could so easily have been That Guy--the English Major Asshole who knew he was smarter than everyone in the room and played it up--and instead chooses to be so kind. So utterly engrossed in the desire to give everyone a seat at the table, to let everybody into the narrative he’s weaving. It takes a certain kind of person to not only write the sort of stories he invents for CR, but to be open enough to lean back and let other people take the wheel every night, and to roll with whatever comes his way.
And it was Travis Willingham. This huge dude who had to sit at the edge of the table because he was all muscle and thumping energy, who I kept expecting to be tight-lipped and brewing with that toxic masculinity judgment straight dudes are taught to value--and, instead of even a modicum of that, he was so excited. So invested in these characters and this game, in these friends, in playing the wisest dumbass ever to cross a screen. Travis, who hugs his male friends, and doesn’t pull the no-homo card, and stans his wife with such delight, there is no way you can watch even half an episode without falling in love with their love.
And it was Liam O’Brien, who could have played the arrogant Cool Dude, and instead leaned so hard into having fun with his place at the table. Into deep-cut jokes, and his love for his friends, and such an affinity for Laura that I genuinely believed they were siblings. Liam, who wears his soft heart on his sleeve, and understands that sometimes the best way through tragedy is to weave it into a story, to let that be a kind of therapy among friends.
And it was Taliesin Jaffe. Tal, who is just gonna be him, and not even fuck you if you don’t like it--he doesn’t even seem to notice. Tal, who is physical with his friends, and who laughs with his whole body, and who has the quickest one-liners in the world one minute and “life needs things to live” the next, and who just is such a joy to watch as he immerses himself at the table. He’s gonna have his hair, and he’s gonna wear mismatched socks, and he’s gonna paint those nails, and love his people, and inspire everyone around him to do the same.
And it was Sam Riegel, who--I’ll be honest--I didn’t get for a while. He was hilarious, and he was a quick-draw, and I loved his songs, but I didn’t understand how much he cared, how truly in it he was. Sam has said he’d do anything to make these people laugh, and I don’t think everyone realizes just how valuable it is to have someone who understands the need of a good laugh in a bad situation. Sam lights up the table in the strangest, silliest ways--but he also brings some of the most vital human moments to the story.
And it was Laura Bailey, who was just so...warm, it bleeds straight through the screen and envelopes me every time I watch her play. Vex is cool as shit on the surface, but Laura is so full of affection, so quick-witted, so hugely into this game that she transforms herself utterly when she plays. Laura comes to the table to play with everything she’s got, and she’s so honest when she does it. Impeccable voice work one minute, flirtatious wink the next, and then she’s dying laughing at a dick joke. It’s so open, it’s impossible not to love.
And it was Marisha Ray. Marisha, who took so much shit, and came out the other side standing taller than ever. Marisha, who commits wholeheartedly in voice, in affectation, in climbing up on her chair or lunging backward out of it. From day one, I was rooting for Marisha--I was inspired by Keyleth getting to grow up onscreen, as I’ve been invested in Beau slowly cracking open and letting herself shine out from the spaces she’s spent so much time shoring up. She loves these characters like true friends, and she loves her people, and she loves her husband, and she loves this craft to such a degree, I want to quit my job and come work for her instead. There’s such a strength and a dignity to her that I find myself needing to be stronger, too.
And, of course, it was Ashley Johnson--deceptively sweet, intensely funny, so much tougher than she looks, and when she turns up in a game, the affection could fill a stadium. Ashley being in town or on Skype for a game is like coming into a party and finding a friend you hadn’t gotten to hang out with in six months waiting for you. Everything just feels brighter with her in the game.
And it is a game, and it is a story, but the family these people have built--people I’ll likely never meet, people who live on the opposite side of the country--is somehow big enough to let complete strangers bask in its reflected glow. I built a habit of listening to CR at work...and then talking about it to my wife, with all the hyper-fixation glee I can’t help when I fall in love with something...and then I was putting it on at home so she could fall in love, too. I was putting on Talks or Between the Sheets while I ran on the treadmill, or when I needed to focus on a project. I put on episodes I’d already seen when I was sad, or when I was lonely, or when I just needed something to fill the silence and keep the darkness in my head behind a wall. For two years, I’ve gone back to these people again and again. To the silly videos. To the serious conversations. To the Twitter feeds and the fanart people can’t resist making to commemorate these characters who feel so tangible.
Matt always ends the stream with a claim of love, and with most shows, with most streamers, with most people, that just feels like words. With these guys, with the way they open up and share this lightning in a bottle family and story they have created with the rest of us, it feels honest. It feels like these are long-lost friends who may never be in the same room, but are always there when I am drowning because the world is a nightmare, because work is kicking my ass, because this gushing essay is the most I’ve written in months. They are so good. They are human, and fallible, and invested in telling stories that get dark and ugly one minute, and devolve into hysteria the next, because that’s what life looks like. Even life with gods and magic and talking swords and goldfish deaths.
Critical Role keeps me throwing my shoulders back, keeps me laughing, keeps me insisting on showing the people in my life how much they mean to me. Critical Role keeps me on the board when the demons in my head have me thinking it’d be easier to throw the game. It’s a show, and it’s silly, but it’s given me such a safe, warm place to curl up in some of the bleakest times of my life, and I love them so much for being willing to share some of that light with the rest of the world. They’ve given me a place on the internet that truly does feel like home.
#critical role#long post#critter#there are a lot of stories and storytellers i love with all my heart#but there are so few that make me feel the things the CR cast and crew and narratives do#and i am so grateful for every minute of it they are willing to give#anyway i've been wanting to write something like this since i finished the VM campaign the first time around
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Compile Heart has opened the official website for Death end re;Quest 2, providing first official information regarding the story, keywords, characters, and battle system, as well as the opening movie.
Get the details below.
■ World
Story
Hack it, even if it’s the despair of death.
Mai the “Papa Killer” heads to the cursed city Liz Shoala, where her only hope and younger sister Sanae lives.
Mai decides to live in a shady women’s dormitory called “Wardsworth” to find her sister Sanae. But not only could she not find her, Sanae is being treated as if she never existed.
Using the power of Arata Mizunashi’s PC and her hacking skills, as well as a single USB stick in her pocket, she starts exploring the cursed city.
This was only the beginning of a new “Rondo of Despair”….
Arata Mizunashi, the missing programming genius. The death of over 20 young girls. And everything “is being watched by Barbos.”
Keywords
—Liz Shoara
Liz Shoara is a city located in the mountains and where the story takes place. While it was once a beautiful lakeside city, the emergence of a religious cult has rapidly decreased the population. While it is still a beautiful town at first glance, most of its homes have been abandoned and currently only about 50 families live there.
The town prohibits going out at night. This is because when night falls, the town transforms to take on an ominous, sinister, and grotesque appearance that strikes fear and agony into its visitors. Those who lose their way in this town can do nothing other than flee…
—Wardsworth
At the heart of Liz Shoara is a church, and in the church is a girls’ dormitory called “Wardsworth,” where Mai and many other girls are living. However, a mysterious incident occurs where the girls boarding there disappear one by one. A mysterious phenomenon eventually occurs, and Mai and company get wrapped up in a conspiracy that unfolds inside the city.
—El Strain (Religion)
The religion of El Strain, the faith that people follow in Liz Shoara, is not an obtrusive one, and seems to bring about relief even in times of adversity and hardship. It is also tolerant when it comes to positions in the church, and has no particular gender and marriage restrictions to take up a position.
—Dark Shadows
In addition to monsters, there are strange figures known as “Dark Shadows” in Liz Shoara. Dark Shadows are considered to be a kind of curse that occur when night falls, said to be either the malice of cursed humans or “something not of this world.” These unidentified Dark Shadows that roam the town will persistently pursue Mai and company when spotted. What will happen to Mai and company if they get caught by a Dark Shadow?
■ Characters
Mai Touyama (voiced by Chiwa Saito)
A girl living at the girls’ dormitory in Liz Shoara. Her father went mad and pulled a knife on her, and died in an accident that resulted from Mai’s resistance. Mai, chained to that room and left behind alone, nearly died of starvation, but a city official saved her life and gave her shelter. An investigation confirmed the disappearance of her mother Phyllis, and the orphaned Mai was taken over to the girls’ dormitory. She gives off a quiet and gloomy vibe. Because of the abuse she suffered by her parents as a child, she has put up a wall in her heart. And while she has an extremely high IQ, her knowledge and expressions of emotions lack uniformity as she is mostly uneducated, and she sometimes takes unusual action as a result.
Rotten Dollhart (voiced by Madoka Asahina)
A girl living at the girls’ dormitory in Liz Shoara. Her nickname is Rot. A noble girl with a cheerful and kind personality, she is looked up to by all the other girls at the dormitory. She is caring and full of curiosity, and will poke her head at any mystery she comes across. Her personality is extreme and she is somewhat detached from the real world, sometimes showing a natural airheadedness. She is the type of character who will let anyone into her heart, so she repeatedly attacks and hounds newcomer Mai with all of her might. Soon enough, Mai begins to open up her heart to her and they eventually become close friends.
Liliana Pinnata (voiced by Manaka Iwami)
A girl living at the girls’ dormitory in Liz Shoara. Her father was possessed by a demon and committed suicide, leading her mother to go crazy and abuse her. From the way her father died, she believes “demons are at fault for the way my family turned out,” and in discussing her outlook for the future, tells Mai and the others that, “In the time to come, I will exorcise demons. I would like to join the church and seek the path.” She uses polite language unexpected of someone with her young appearance, speaking as a young lady with a mature and respectful tone. Although she seems to have a wealth of knowledge, she was separated from her parents at a time when she needed plenty of parental love, so she is subconsciously seeking a mother figure.
Shina Ninomya (voiced by Hisako Tojo)
A game designer that once worked for a company called Enigma. After that, she and genius engineer Arata Mizunashi completed the “Alice” game engine and “World’s Odyssey” game. Her memories from the previous game have been explained to her by Arata, and she understands the structure of the world to some extent. Several years after the completion of “World’s Odyssey,” Arata suddenly disappears, and she pursues his whereabouts.
■ System
Battle
—Turn-Based Battles
This game uses a turn-based command battle system. There will be three members in battle, and the order of turns is determined by the speed of each character. At the start of each character’s turn, they are able to move about freely on the field and determine from which direction to attack, so you can choose to perform combos with other characters, or attack from outside the enemy’s range.
—Triact System
The Triact system allows players to take three actions in one turn. Actions include the “Attack,” “Item,” or “Guard” under the “Skill” menu. For example, by choosing “Attack, Guard, Item”, you may attack, guard, and use an item. Through this system, players can enjoy speedy battles with more strategy packed into a single turn.
—Super Knockback
The “Knockback” system from the previous game, which could be used to send enemies flying to deal additional damage, returns as the enhanced “Super Knockback.” By attacking with a skill that has this effect, enemies will fly even further. Determine your attack direction and attack an enemy with a skill that has the Super Knockback effect, and you could blast the enemy into other enemies to deal major damage to several enemies at once.
—Glitch Mode
“Glitch Mode” is an enhancement system provides cheat-class abilities. Each time a Mai and company touch a curse or is attacked, their corruption level increases. If corruption exceeds a certain threshold, characters will transform into “Glitch Mode.” It is easier to activate Glitch Mode this time around compared to the original game, making battles more and more exhilarating. The character’s appearance will change when Glitch Mode is activated.
■ Artwork and Screenshots
■ Information
Product Information
-Title: Death end re;Quest 2
-Platform: PlayStation 4
-Genre: RPG
-Release Date: February 13, 2020
-Price:
Standard Edition: 7,600 yen + tax
Limited Edition: 10,200 yen + tax
Digital Edition: 7,200 yen + tax
-CERO Rating: Pending
Staff
Character Design: Kei Nanameda (Mary Skelter: Nightmares, Trillion: God of Destruction, Mugen Souls series)
Scenario: Makoto Kedouin (Corpse Party)
Theme Song: “Bug Fixer” by Gesshoku Kaigi
Sound: Yuki Sugiura (Trillion: God of Destruction, Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds, Diabolik Lovers)
Concept Art: Yo Shimizu (Arc of Alchemist)
Watch the opening movie below. View the screenshots at the gallery.
youtube
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Do you know of any good resources on how and why Reagan won? He seemed to have a lot of resistance from the Republican old guard and all four of my grandparents absolutely despised him. But he somehow won with what sounded like was a very unpopular platform, and I don't understand exactly what happened.
I mean most electoral histories will have you covered, are you looking from a cultural perspective or an electoral perspective, or just a general overview of the 1980 election? Personally I recommend the book “Backlash” on the larger reactionary movement of the 80s which is in no way relevant today...
But in short there are many reasons why Reagan won, many of them depressing familiar today
1) Ronald Reagan was an actor and was a really charismatic speaker, specifically he was very good at seeming friendly, approachable and non condescending. It was extremely easy to understand Reagan’s message if you weren’t paying attention and he didn’t seem like some sort of elite who understood policies or knew where Cambodia was on a map, because he didn’t either. With the possible exceptions of JFK, and OBama, Reagan is likely the most charismatic president in the last century and that makes a big difference in the election
2) Jimmy Carter was a bit of a mess. I love Carter and I think he is one of the most moral people to ever be president (judging on a scale) but...his administration was extremely chaotic, inept, and really bad at messaging.
3) Reagan cheated. At his most famous debate with Carter, it turns out Reagan’s team had actaully managed to get Carter’s debate plans before hand, so Reagan knew exactly what Carter was going to say which is why Reagan seemed so invincible in the debate
4) The Economy. Due to a wide variety of reasons including but not limited too the fallout of the Vietnam War, the OPEC oil crisis, the natural eb and flow of the market, and the failure of Kenysian economics meant that when the 1980 election was happening, America was in a pretty bad economic place. Unemployment was high, inflation was spiraling and for many white people it was the first time they had ever experienced an economic downturn
This wasn’t really Carter’s fault, just like the economic boom in the 80s wasn’t really Reagan’s fault (though the initial crash certainly was) but that is how it was perceived.
5) The Failure of Kenysian Economics. Now when I say “failure” i don’t actually mean “this is a bad system” Kenysan economics got us out of the Great Depression after all and lead to the largest economic boom in US history. However they aren’t the end all, especially when politicians running things don’t really understand what they are doing. So while they aren’t nearly as awful as the Free market economics that would follow, people were becoming disillusioned with the prior economic model
6) Vietnam. Oh dear god Vietnam. Reagan would be the first president who didn’t preside over Vietnam in any way, which meant he wasn’t tainted by the total fuck up that was that war. America was still reeling from losing our first major war to a small nation that nobody had heard off before they started to kick our ass, and the battle over Vietnam has basically torn the country apart. A huge amount of people felt pissed and humiliated over the defeat, and rather than question why we went to war or the morality of our tactics, blamed protesters and leftists for not supporting the war enough, a stabbed in the back myth if you will. Also Vietnam was a Democrat fuck up, Republicans weren’t in power when it started under JFK and LBG, who collectively created the horrific circumstances of the war. The republicans who oversaw it were the comparatively (to Reagan) more ‘moderates” of Nixon and Ford. So American both felt humiliated and weak from looking a major war to a people we saw as inferior and was blaming everything associated with the left for it. Reagan’s “Make America Great Again” message was extremely attractive to a lot of people, and since he didn’t have anything to do with the war, you couldn’t blame him for its failure.
7) The Soviet Union. The presence of the USSR hung over every US election since Woodrow Wilson, but after Vietnam a lot of Americans felt like the USSR was winning. This was ironically utterly untrue as the Soviet Union would collapse only 11 years later, but the perception in America was that the US had been defeated by COMMUNISM and needed to get our groove back for round II. And Reagan was by far the most aggressively confrontational anti Communist president we have had since FDR, so much so that he accidentally almost triggered a nuclear war and destroyed all of civilizations...whoops. But that is what American wanted back then
8) The rise of the religious right. For most of the 20th century, while religion was certainly a thing which effected politics, the US political landscape was largely secular, religion being evoked more than it made its own demands. But due to rise of the Counter Culture movement, religious folks sort of went into panic mode and suddenly conservative fundamentalist Christianity was one the rise. And Reagan embraced them 100%, leading to the fundementalist cancer that lives with us to this day
9) The death of the Counterculture. At the exact same time as the Religious Right came into power, the group it was opposing had largely collapsed. I mentioned this before when talking about the civil Rights movement, but once overt legal segregation had been outlawed, what was left were the far more serious, complicated and unclear problems, which lead to a lot of hippies burning out, falling into infighting, declaring victory and going home, or turning to more radical and largely ineffectual approaches. And since so much of the counter culture was linked to to its fashion and aethetic, as the Hippie style/music/clothing/demeanor became lame and uncool, the causes behind them were seen as uncool as well. Also the most dedicated leftists quickly turned to auto cannibalism and spent more time fighting each other rather than focusing on their enemy a dynamic which the left can always be counted on (cough what happened to Counterpoints cough)
10) The larger cultural backlash. America as a whole was feeling threaten by the left, and by extention the progressive made for women, racial minorities, and sexual minorities, and was pushing back against them. The 60s and 70s was a moment of sudden shocking change which took the old guard by surprise and they didn’t know what to do, but once the left had burned themselves out a bit, the Right was able to reorganize, refocus their efforts, and remake their arguments to reassert the oppressive systems they so valued. And for a lot of Americans who were passively bigoted, the incredibly fast pace of change got them scared and they sought comfort in the return of the familiar. Again Reagan wasn’t just an actor, he was a cowboy actor from shitty kitch family films. And as we’ve seen before in terms of Whitelash or Male Fragility, fear of losing privilege can get people to vote against their own interest (cough union workers cough)
11) America was facing a big choice. After WWII, we were basically the only major nation with a good economy, which we were able to turn into a great economy, and had an over 20 year post war high. But other nations started to compete with us (most notably Japan) and our status as the singular nation started to be threatened by the EU, India, China, Latin America, and our own changing history. For the first time, Americans started to realize that maybe, not right away, but eventually, we would just be one nation among many again, rather than the only superpower. Simultaneous, the threat of Climate change first started to be noticed, and Americans started to realize that maybe we should tone down the materialism, the consumerism, and the reliance on fossile fuels. Carter infamously wore sweaters in the white house to save on gas and put solar panels on the roof, which was seen by many Americans (idiots) as weakness.
Basically we had a choice, we could either
A) Prepare our nation for the transformation period we were going for, and slowly start to move off oil as our economy changed and we had to make adjustments for it
or
B) FUCK THAT. THIS IS AMERICA AND WE DON”T COMPROMISE FOR ANYTHING. YOU KNOW WHAT...LETS BE EVEN MORE RECKLESS
Americans were asked to choose between accepting an uncomfortable reality or embracing a comforting delusion.
12) The Iran Hostage crisis. This made Carter look weak internationally and everybody knows that America looking weak is worth destroying our own internal economy.
13) The Democrats were in the middle of a civil war. The Civil Rights movement and the Great Society had torn the democrats apart which means Carter was never really able to get his own party to obey him like the Republicans did. WHats worse is that the aftereffect of the Vietnam War had basically crippled LBJ’s Great Society Program, meaning the Democrats were really chaotic
14) Finally, it is important to remember, the Democrats had held power from 1932 all the way to 1980s, the US was kind of a single party state for most of the century, and a lot of people were pretty sick of them. Corruption, incompetence and hypocrisy are around in every party and the democratic congress in particular was widely hated, so the Republicans felt like this new exciting thing, something which could maybe bring a new era in America. “Its morning in America”
And of course, Reagan was in many ways what white America wants, a giant self congratulatory message that lets us avoid dealing with real issues....
#Ask EvilElitest2#Ronald Reagan#American Politics#1980 Election#Jimmy Carter#Vietnam War#Counter Culture#HIppies#Backlash#Republicans#Democrats#The Great Society#OPEC#enviromentalism
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Death
A cheery woman’s voice chimes from above. "Game over! Please restart and try again." The old woman holds a baby in her arms and makes to pass it to you. Will you take it?
Which Tarot Card Are You?
Quiz
Meanings under cut
Upright
After a period of pause and reflection with the Hanged Man, the Death card symbolises the end of a major phase or aspect of your life that you realise is no longer serving you, opening up the possibility of something far more valuable and essential. You must close one door to open another. You need to put the past behind you and part ways, ready to embrace new opportunities and possibilities. It may be difficult to let go of the past, but you will soon see its importance and the promise of renewal and transformation. If you resist these necessary endings, you may experience pain, both emotionally and physically, but if you exercise your imagination and visualise a new possibility, you allow more constructive patterns to emerge.
Similarly, Death shows a time of significant transformation, change and transition. You need to transform yourself and clear away the old to bring in the new. Any change should be welcomed as a positive, cleansing, transformational force in your life. The death and clearing away of limiting factors can open the door to a broader, more satisfying experience of life.
The Death card has elements of a sudden and unexpected change. Death happens to everyone, no matter who you are, how much money you have, where you live, or what colour your skin is; it is the same with a significant change. So, the Death card can be a sign you may feel as though you are caught in the path of sweeping change and cannot escape its effects (especially if accompanied by the Tower or the Hanged Man). Although the upheaval may seem unwanted and painful, this massive change could bring with it a series of unexpected surprises that create new opportunities and advantages for you.
Finally, Death is a sign that you need to learn to let go of unhealthy attachments in your life to pave the way to a fuller, more fulfilled life of deeper meaning and significance. Death teaches you to let go of outworn and outgrown ways of life and to move forward from them. This is a perfect card to break a bad habit or pattern of behaviour. See this as a time to cut out excess and let go of what is unnecessary for your life. Purge the old belongings, memories and baggage that are getting in your way.
Reversed
Upright, Death is a card of transformation and typically refers to needing to start over by letting go of the past. In the reversed position, Death can mean that you are on the verge of meaningful change but are resisting it. You may be reluctant to let go, or you may not know how to make the change you need. You still carry harmful viewpoints from the past that may interfere with a new opportunity. Because of your refusal, life has stagnated, and you feel stuck in limbo.
Death reversed offers you the opportunity to embrace change rather than resist it. See what wonderful possibilities become available to you as you say ‘yes’ to change. As you learn to release the past and surrender to the present, the future becomes even brighter. To support the process, repeat this affirmation: “I embrace change in all forms.” You’ll be surprised at how this subtle shift in energy allows new doors to open in ways you may never have expected.
On a deeper level, the reversed Death card can show that you are going through a massive personal transformation, often in private and out of view from others. You are releasing what no longer serves you so that you can make space for the new to emerge. Draw a follow-up card to understand better what you need to release and purge, or examine the other cards in the reading. You may be removing fear and limiting beliefs; you may be changing your habits; or, you may undergo a physical purging and transformation with plant medicine or other spiritual healing. You may not want to share this with others just yet – wait until your personal transformation has occurred, then share your story as a source of inspiration.
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Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 3 – Character Arc Events)
Hello yet again! Ready for the next part of Willow's introduction? I'm telling you, when I first started working on this, I did NOT intend on Willow's entry surpassing 30pgs single spaced within a Word document, nor did I expect it to take a week to write up and edit! Thankfully, the epic document was easy enough to break down into 6 parts for slightly easier consumption. I wonder if my other characters will be as detailed....
Anyway, how about a quick recap before I keep going? This is part of a multi-post series I started here on Tumblr about a month ago. A means to introduce you guys to my main OCs.
In Part 1 of this series, I talked about why I'm doing it in the first place, as well as explain the real-world influences that helped me create my two story worlds of Gyateara and Glitches.
Part 2 of the series talked about the inspiration that birthed each of my four main Gyateara characters.
Part 3a did the same, but for my four main teenage Glitches characters.
Part 3b then talked about the Glitches main supportive cast of six adult characters; each one originating as a canonical X-Men character.
Earlier today, I moved on to Part 4 of this series: the official introduction of my characters, one by one. I started off with my most present character: Willow Driver. In Meet Willow: Part 1, I shared Willow's background, gave an overview of her personally, and talked about her powers. There were also some lovely pictures to showcase what she looks like.
In Meet Willow: Part 2, I discussed her main relationships.
Part 4 will showcase the other artwork I created for Willow, as well as two cards @chibisunnie created for me that feature Willow.
Then, in Part 5, Willow is showcased narratively with a series of scene samples and shorts.
Finally, Willow’s introduction is concluded in Part 6 with a couple videos of wrestling intros we created for Hubby's WWE13 video game. It will be a fun closing post for this mini-series about Willow.
Now, getting back to this post (Part 3), I'm going to discuss Willow's main story arc events, as seen thus far in the X-Future play-by-post game she originated in. In truth, I haven't played Willow since 2017, so I had forgotten just how eventful her X-Future life truly was! At the end of this recap of her life, I'll also talk about how any of these events will relate to my intended opening character arc for Willow in Glitches.
So, hopefully you have a snack and a drink, because this ended up being 10gs long in my word document. It may take a minute or two to read. Once you're ready, go ahead and check below the break to see what Willow has been up to in X-Future, and how it will transfer to Glitches.
X-Future:
Most of the early events I had already talked briefly about in Part 2 of Willow's introduction, as I discussed her main relationships.
She was at Colossus Academy from the ages of 13 through 15, but when Colossus and Jubilee were killed on mission, and the Academy was shut down, Willow transferred to the Xavier Institute along with her close friend Marge, her surrogate younger brother Hedge, and her pseudo-girlfriend Penumbra. They were a tight clique, but she quickly grew attracted to Chayse, formed a rocky friendship with Lia, and found a playful flirt-buddy in Devon.
She was pushed hard by the faculty at the Xavier Institute, and held to a higher standard than she was used to. This forced her to shape up, mature a little, and stop pranking/bullying others as much. She became closer to Devon, and focused using her powers to mostly prank and tease him and William.
Devon couldn't really hide his attraction to Willow, despite her teasing, and she soaked up as much of the attention as possible. She also tried to ignore her feelings for Chayse, who was dating Lia at the time. Instead she leaned more towards her feelings for Devon, much to Penumbra's dismay.
Willow noticed William's straight-laced and overly conservative personally, and put it on herself to get him to loosen up and act like the 17yo he was. She falsely believed he had a crush on her, so she routinely teased him with sensual images. She thought he was riled up because he, a nearly-18-year-old, was trying to resist his attraction to her, a 15-year-old. She didn't realize he actually got so worked up because she was genuinely annoying him.
One day there was an accident. William was practicing unsupervised as he pushed his powers to their limit. He ended up passing out when he teleported too high into the atmosphere, and plummeted to his death. Willow and Lia joined forces to lead a vigil and build a statue dedicated to William's memory. Willow then realized she thought of William as a brother, as she remembered her own estranged brother. She regretted her treatment of William, and toned down her sensual illusions to tease people. She didn't give them up completely, but she certainly used them more as a means of flirting with those who positively responded to them, as opposed to using them to tease and prank as she had done with William.
Life evened out for a few months, getting back to some sort of normalcy within the school. Then came the day that Devon went to Willow to confide in her. He was on a mission to recruit a new kid for the school, and he had run into The Brotherhood. The leader of the organization, Pyro, told Devon, who was abandoned at a church orphanage while only 4months old, that The Brotherhood could help him figure out who his parents are. Devon had turned down the offer, knowing the Brotherhood to be a terrorist group trying to rule over humanity, as opposed to the X-Men's goal of cohabitation. Devon couldn't get the offer out of his head, though. Trying to help Devon clear his mind, Willow suggested he try out his first Danger Room session. Cyclops offered to run the session, and went to the control room; leaving Devon alone in the DR. Willow moved to an observation deck, assuming watching Devon's first DR run would be hilarious.
Instead, it became something that would haunt Willow for the next couple of years. Devon was put through a generic rescue mission training, in which he had to recover Penumbra. Upon freeing her, Devon was promptly knocked out in a surprise attack. Willow was horrified as she watched the Danger Room transform to look like the school’s infirmary, making Devon believe he was outside the simulator when he awoke. Devon was then told of a mission he needed to go on, and Willow desperately tried to signal to him that nothing he was seeing was real.
While on this “mission,” Devon was paired up with Willow's friend Marjory (Marge). They were separated from the team and confronted by Pyro, who again offered Devon information about his past. All he had to do was “get rid of” Marjory. Devon wrestled his teammate, put her into a sleeper hold, and knocked her out. He discretely checked that he didn't kill her, and then swiped her phone, hoping to use it to contact the X-Men with a location once Pyro brought him to Brotherhood HQ. The simulation didn't last long enough for Devon to execute his plan, however. Cyclops shut the simulation down, declaring Devon a failure of his loyalty test, and instantly put Devon on probation; resulting in him getting limited access to X-Men records and withholding information on who Devon's parents are.
Willow was beyond pissed at the deception, not fully grasping the irony of her anger. She viewed Cyclops a villain for his manipulation, and stormed off to cool down. She intended to check in on Devon later that night, but she never got the chance. Devon had decided he would prove Cyclops wrong by following through with is Danger Room plan, but in real life. He'd infiltrate the Brotherhood, find out about his parents, and then lead the X-Men to the Brotherhood stronghold to take the organization down. He wrote a letter of apology and gratitude to Headmistress Kitty Pryde-LeBeau for giving him the opportunity of joining the school. He wrote another letter of apology to Marjory, in case she truly was in the DR with him instead of a simulation. He wanted her to know that he never meant to hurt her. Finally, he wrote a farewell letter to Willow explaining why he had to leave, and his plan for coming back. As proof that he intended to return, he left Willow his prized possession: his customized lighter. His only means of creating fire that he could then manipulate with his powers.
Before anyone realized Devon had gone, and/or found his letters, the school was attacked by a large energy blast. The energy blast created a major explosion that collapsed the school. Chayse and Gambit were able to read the energy change around the school soon enough to give almost everyone enough warning to get to the safety bunkers below ground. There were still some casualties, though, and Willow feared that Devon was among them. The faculty wouldn't let the students leave the bunkers as they did headcounts and looked for the missing. Drifting to the Astral Plane, Willow watched the clean-up and rescue crew pulling bodies from the rubble. She was relieved that none of them were Devon, but devastated to discover young Hedge's body among the deceased. She swore vengeance on whomever attacked the school.
A few hours later, security film revealed that Devon had run from the school campus an hour before the attack, although the actual attack wasn't caught on cameras; they were all damaged by the energy surge.
Most at the school suspected that Devon was somehow involved; signaling to The Brotherhood for the attack. The fact that the faculty knew Devon was the son of two Brotherhood members, and that he had been in and out of juvenile detention centers for the past five years didn't help matters.
Willow decided that Devon was a traitor, and his was the face she'd picture whenever she thought of revenge for Hedge. She spent the next two years hating her former best friend and crush; picturing ways to torture and punish him for Hedge's death. She also hated Cyclops for his deception, although she understood why he did it. The whole experience showed her, from an outside perspective, what her own powers do to people, and her use of them to pull pranks dropped significantly.
Around the same time as the attack on the school, Chayse's best friend Nix was abducted from the school's infirmary. Chayse had a lead on where Nix could be, and desperately wanted to follow it. Cyclops was chosen as an escort, and Willow his teammate. Lia wanted to go as well, but her earth/magma manipulation powers were too valuable for the fortification of the school's foundation and bunkers, so she was ordered to stay behind to help with reconstruction. Nix's girlfriend Annika also stayed behind, working with her mother Rachel Grey to try to find any other hints on Nix's abduction.
Willow and Chayse spent most of that summer running around Europe, following faint traces of clues to Nix's location. On a mountain range in Bulgaria, their search came to an abrupt end when they came across an experimental facility. While searching through the building, Chayse believed he heard Nix call out to him, but there was an explosion shortly after. Chayse had to decide between Nix and Willow, and decided to phase Willow to safety. Having pushed his powers to an extreme he never tried before in order to save Willow, Chayse collapsed from the strain. The explosion had also separated them from Cyclops, so Willow was left alone to fend for both of them for three days before they were rescued. When the trio went back into the building to see if there were any possible survivors, the facility was in complete ruins, and charred remains rested where Chayse thought he heard Nix call to him. The DNA sample they took revealed that it was indeed Nix. Their search was complete, and Chayse had failed. Annika wouldn't believe them, though, claiming she still felt the psychic link she had with Nix. When everyone tried to tell her she was in denial and grieving, Annika left to prove that Nix was still alive.
Willow helped Chayse grieve over the next few weeks. Between that moment of vulnerability and the months of being each other's companions, the two became incredibly close. They both felt sparks, but both assumed it was simply a product of traumatic events – Willow's near-death and having to nurse Chayse, and Chayse's grief over Nix – and assumed the feelings would fade again. Chayse remained faithful to Lia, and Willow became even more flirtatious with just about every other student at the school.
The next year went fairly smoothly, mostly focused on rebuilding the school, grieving the students they lost, and continuing their trainings so they would be strong enough to take down The Brotherhood. During this time, Willow became Lia's new roommate to replace Annika. This allowed the two of them to get fairly close, and soon enough Willow, Lia, and Chayse became the big power-trio on campus: The Three Musketeers.
Then, while protecting a new recruit coming to the Xavier Institute, Chayse was attacked by a new Brotherhood member. He managed to defeat the Brotherhood, and get the recruit back to the safety of the school, however, he was badly injured: two spiral electrical burns to his chest. While Chayse was in the infirmary, Willow realized how much she truly cared for him. Not wanting to break up a happy couple, she decided to keep her distance while Lia stood watch over her boyfriend.
Chayse was hurt that Willow didn't visit while he was injured, and confronted her about it. Eventually, Willow admitted to her feelings, and how she had them nearly the whole time she had known him. Chayse confessed his feelings as well; they never truly waned after their mission to rescue Nix. Willow refused to be the reason he broke up with Lia, though, and told him they needed to stop hanging out. Chayse admitted that he and Lia were drifting lately (a fact Lia ended up not realizing), and that he couldn't ignore his feelings for Willow any longer. They agreed that Chayse had to break things off with Lia, and that they'd allow her time to grieve the relationship before Willow would start dating Chayse. She didn't want to rub her relationship in her roommate's face while Lia was still healing.
While on the subject of healing, Willow then checked on Chayse's chest, and was confronted with two healing spirals that would be scarred there. Chayse told Willow of the attack, and described the assailant: a man about 19 with the same silver-white hair and aquamarine eyes Willow had, and went by the code name Screwdriver. Willow was dumbfounded to discover that her brother had powers, had teamed up with The Brotherhood, and had attached Chayse. She didn't want to believe any of it. Picking up on how overwhelmed Willow was, Chayse left her to process everything.
The next day, Chayse went to break things off with Lia. She was so devastated by the news that she lost control of her powers, nearly burning Willow with a fire blast, and forcing Chayse to strain to use his powers to help her regain control. Chayse wasn't healed from his brush with Screwdriver, and fainted under the effort. Willow stayed by Chayse's side as Lia rushed to get help. The two of them had a fight in the infirmary waiting room as Chayse was taken care of. The fight ended with Lia running out of the building to hide by the river that ran along the border of the school's estate (more about this in Lia's intro in 2 weeks).
Chayse recovered fairly quickly, and he and Willow walked on eggshells for the next couple of weeks while Lia recovered from her heartbreak. As Prom neared, Chayse asked Willow to be his date. Trying to extend an olive branch, Willow asked Lia and a couple of other girls on their floor if they all wanted to go dress shopping and get ready together. Lia, now infatuated with two newer recruits Lincoln and Ripley, agreed to the group Prom-prep party. Willow and Lia still had a rocky relationship, and Lia still hated to see Willow and Chayse together, but they were at least civil and attempted to be friends.
At the prom after-party, hosted by one of the students - a former Irish pop idol - the Brotherhood attacked. They were again after the recruit Chayse had saved from Screwdriver. Shawn had already killed the mutant Dazzler, who was there to perform at the after-party, and then he set his sights on Chayse. He quickly picked up that Willow cared deeply for Chayse, and so Shawn focused on killing his sister's boyfriend in front of her. Willow, being protected and carried away by a fellow student, slipped into the Astral Plane in order to try to create illusions to distract the Brotherhood long enough for the students to escape, as well as have enough power to mentally attack Shawn to slow him down and protect Chayse.
In the end, Chayse was able to take down Shawn on his own, but Screwdriver was whisked away from the battle by his teammates before Chayse could properly capture him for transport to the X-Men. Meanwhile, Willow's illusions made it look like the Brotherhood's target was killed in the crossfire, rendering their mission complete. Just as the students were going to call themselves the victor, Chayse noticed the same energy signature he felt just before the school collapsed two years prior. He alerted Willow via telepathy, and she relayed the information to the other students. They ran for cover as she used her telekinesis to hold the building together long enough for everyone to escape. The strain of using her powers so much that night, and lingering on the Astral Plane for so long, left her unconscious the next day.
Shortly after recovering, Willow's world was rocked by a new arrival at the school. A man with silver hair in his early 20s. A man who had come from the future, and one who looked an awful lot like an aged up Chayse. Soon enough, it was revealed that this man – Sebastian – was Chayse and Willow's son. He was from an apocalyptic future where an organization called Challengers of Heaven took over the whole planet. Sebastian and is fiance Brianne - who was originally from the present, but was thrown into the future via a wormhole - came to the present to try to stop the Challengers, who had also sent warriors to the past.
Sebastian was excited to spend time with Chayse, who had died when Sebastian was about five. Meanwhile, Willow was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was going to have a kid with Chayse, and that she would be known as one of the Great Protectors; the last of a resistance against the Challengers.
As Willow continued to recover from the prom after-party, and tried to cope with finding out about Sebastian, Lia was in charge of an escort mission. During the prom after-party, Lia managed to capture the Brotherhood member Trish. Lia was the only one who couldn't be burnt by Trish's pyrokinesis, so she, and a few other students that had signed up as X-Men junior recruits, were assigned as prison escorts for Trish's transfer to S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. The mission went horribly wrong. A relatively new student, who went by the code name Psyke, had betrayed everyone to The Brotherhood. The terrorist organization managed to kill most of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents, and Psyke killed a student who believed himself Psyke's best friend. The Brotherhood also managed to rescue Trish from the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. The only victory the X-Men had on that mission was three Brotherhood members defecting. Lia had run into Devon while he was there to rescue Trish, and he instantly switched sides to help Lia and the X-Men. His pseudo-girlfriend Nyssa followed suit, as did Devon's best friend Zeke. The former Brotherhood trio even rescued Lia from a new villainess who called herself Agony; a mutant who has the ability to transfer the pain and physical damage she received to whichever target she picked. So any time Devon would punch Agony, Nyssa would feel the connection as if Devon had punched her instead. That sort of thing. She has far more powers than just that, but those will relate more to Lia's intro, so I’ll talk about them then....
Upon arriving back to the Xavier Institute, Lia vouched for Devon, Nyssa, and Zeke, and asked for them to be accepted into the school. The trio was vetted by the local telepaths, and were put on probationary student status. Willow was NOT a fan, however, and instantly attacked Devon the second she saw him. Chayse had to peel her off of Devon to stop her from knocking him out, especially since Devon was just accepting her hatred and punishment, and likely would have allowed her to beat him unconscious.
There were a lot of arguments between Willow and Devon as he tried to find his place within the Xavier Institute again. The main conflict between them became the premise of the collaborative story “Please, Let Me Explain” that Devon's creator Ronoxym and I started working on YEARS ago. (We need to get back to that story...).
Shortly after Devon's return, Chayse and Willow had their own encounter with Agony. They were off to recruit a mutant, but their mission went south the second they landed at their destination. They quickly realized they were sent to the same portion of Bulgaria where they lost Nix. The very mountain range the facility was on rose above the valley they landed in. Chayse, already suffering from PTSD, instantly dropped to the ground and became catatonic. Telepath and team leader Emma Frost almost instantly realized that the PTSD flashbacks must have left him vulnerable, and he was attacked by a powerful telepath. Chayse was stuck in some sort of mental trap, and Willow needed to enter his mind to rescue him while Emma looked for the attacking telepath. It was tricky, since Willow never astral projected herself into someone else's mind before, but after a couple of tries, she succeeded. While in Chayse's mind, she saw him tortured by Nix; screaming about how little Chayse must have cared for anyone if he let Nix die and abandoned Lia for Willow. Willow quickly stepped in to try to protect Chayse and reassure him he had done nothing wrong. When Nix retaliated against Willow, Chayse came to his senses and rescued her. That was when it was revealed that Nix was actually Agony, astral projected into Chayse's mind, just like Willow, but cloaked in the image of Nix. After a quick battle, wherein Agony failed her attempts to mentally attack Willow, the duo incapacitated Agony, and Emma created a means for the three of them to escape the mental trap Agony set for Chayse.
Once back to the real world, Agony physically attacked; attempting a sneak attack to stab Willow through the shoulder blades. Chayse stopped Agony, and knocked her away. Willow then attacked Agony, knocking her to the ground, only to watch Chayse fall to the ground as well. Any injury inflicted on Agony would also happen to Chayse. To further prove her point, Agony stabbed a barbed spike through her own palm, and Chayse's hand went limp and began to bleed. Willow and Agony tussled a bit more, before Willow accidentally stabbed one of the barbed spikes into Agony's side in a take-down tackle. Thankfully, Chayse phased at the last second, transferring the pain of the stab, but the injury couldn't be transferred since he didn't have a solid form at the time. With Willow distracted in making sure Chayse was alright, Agony slipped away, vowing to not underestimate Willow next time.
After patching Chayse up, he, Willow, and Emma made their way to a Bulgarian prison where their recruit was being held. After a tense prisoner exchange, they got the new recruit Nodya to safety and flew back to the Xavier Institute.
To try to help Willow relax after so many emotional and physical shocks, Chayse took her to Japan for her 18th birthday; spending two weeks on the other side of the world. The trip didn't go exactly as planned, though, since they experienced some fairly open mutant discrimination and hatred. Chayse was even attacked while trying to defend Willow against an anti-mutant threat. Chayse managed to win the fight, barely, and they spent the next three days holed away in his mother's summer home in Japan (where she was trained by Wolverine, once upon a time) while Chayse recovered. The majority of the trip was lovely, though, and Willow appreciated both the distraction and the time away with her boyfriend (and future baby-daddy).
Returning to the school refreshed, and seeing how much effort Devon truly put in trying to make amends with the school, Willow's hatred for him faded. He didn't really do anything terribly unforgivable, and he had suffered just as hard over the past two years: thinking he had abandoned his friends to die. The Brotherhood wasn't actually at fault for the attack, and so Devon had also spent two years looking for revenge for the death of his found family. Devon and Willow never got back to the same level of closeness they had before he had left, but they slowly became friends again.
Then, a few weeks before the summer break ended, Nyssa started receiving letters from her estranged family. She had been disowned simply for being a mutant, but her parents realized how much they missed and loved their daughter. They asked for forgiveness, and begged for a chance to make amends. Nyssa mostly ignored her parents' pleas, but then she received a letter from Trish stating that she was with Nyssa's parents, and vaguely threatened their lives. Nyssa couldn't leave her parents to that murderer, and so she decided to go stop Trish. Devon insisted he'd come as well, since Trish was clearly after him that whole time anyway. They asked the X-Men for help, but there was a delay (for some reason that I can't recall... lack of intel?). Nyssa and Devon couldn't wait for the X-Men to be ready to go in for the rescue, so they went on their own. After a long battle with Trish (another story I've written but still need to polish before publishing online), Nyssa and Devon were killed. Turned out Nyssa's parents were already long dead, and all the letters about making amends were written by Agony, who had partnered up with Trish for this bit of sport.
Willow grieved the loss of her friend, unbelieving that he was truly gone this time. (In truth, Devon was revived, has amnesia, his mutation gave him a new default face, and Devon now lives in a mutant safe-house as he tries to remember who he is; no one knows any of this though.)
As the summer came to a close, and everyone once again grieved the loss of student lives (real safe place, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters.... >_> ), Willow was rocked by another development. She had gone to Chayse's room one day, to discover him missing and the room ransacked. There was a note that Chayse had received, which told him to go back to the destroyed building the prom after-party was held in. The note's author, who turned out to be Agony, offered up information about what had happened to Nix all those years ago if Chayse agreed to meet.
Willow gathered up Lia and Zeke to try to help track Chayse down. They managed to get to the destroyed building shortly after Chayse. Agony originally mocked Chayse, but when he attacked her, she was rescued by a man made of ice and dressed in a monastery robe. The man called himself Boreas, and he could control winter weather – creating a frozen tundra on the building's lawn despite it being early September in New York state. Chayse instantly recognized Boreas as Nix; his DNA somehow altered to remove his telekinetic powers, but his ice manipulation powers enhanced to Omega level. Another body had its DNA manipulated to match Nix's, and that was the body Chayse had recovered from the facility two years prior. Willow raced to Chayse's side to help him as Boreas cried out for vengeance for being abandoned, and attempted to kill Chayse. Pissed that Chayse had backup, Boreas used a massive arctic wind to knock everyone away from them. He then created a maze of magical ice; the same thing he had used to help Trish escape S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
Chayse was alone with Boreas, and knew his only option was to fight his former best friend. He hoped that once he incapacitated Boreas he could bring the man to the Institute, and have Nix be restored. Willow, Lia, and Zeke were all separated from Chayse in the maze – and Zeke separated from the girls. They rushed to try to get back to him, but Agony managed to corner Willow and Lia, cutting off their advancement to Chayse. Avoiding a two-on-one fight, Agony welcomed into battle Boreas' main ally, his partner Judgment. She was a woman in her early 20s, dressed in battle armor, and resembling a warrior angel as flame wings erupted from her back. Judgment declared Lia her opponent, and Agony happily detained Willow. Before anyone could react, Agony used yet another power no one know about, and encased Willow in an orb that forced her onto the Astral Plane.
Willow and Agony battled, and Willow managed to get the upper hand at one point, threatening to stab Agony. Unfazed, Agony simply stepped into the knife, spraying blue blood all over Willow. The blood then paralyzed her, trapping her stiff on the “ground” of their battle field. Once fully incapacitated, the blue blood spilled off of Willow, and formed into a blade within Agony's hand, leaving Willow vulnerable to Agony's killing blow. At the last second, the three copies Willow made of herself earlier in the battle lunged towards Agony, stopping the attack. Agony was startled that the copies moved of their own accord and independent of each other, the doppelgangers Agony created earlier in the fight could only mirror her movements. It was then that Willow discovered that the illusions she made on the Astral Plane were actually psy-weapons, which meant Agony disbelieving the illusions didn't dispel them. As the three Willow copies wrestled Agony, the dagger fell from her hand and shattered. Terrified by the sight of the blade breaking, Agony quickly retreated, and wished Willow luck in escaping the Plane Agony had put them in.
As Agony vanished within a blue orb, the landscape changed to a faded image of their battleground; gray and barren. The only thing Willow could see was a large blue crystal in the distance. The paralysis gone, she ran towards the crystal, and spotted the silhouette of a woman sleeping inside it. Finally, Willow got close enough to discern who the woman was: Willow herself. Upon that realization, Willow was brought back to the physical plane, the ice walls of Boreas' maze still up, the growls of battle around her, and her physical body locked comatose within a blue crystal right where she was when Agony forced her onto the Astral Plane.
Willow was still astral projected, as if she were a ghost on the physical plane. However, she was locked; not on the Astral Plane, and not truly on the physical one. She couldn't interact with anything, and couldn't communicate with anyone, despite how hard she tried. As if she were watching a TV show she couldn't control, Willow was forced to watch Lia finish her battle with Judgment, who had turned out to be Lia's friend and former roommate Annika; Nix's girlfriend who had volunteered to join the same villainous group as him, simply to stay by Nix's side.
In a cruel play, Judgment pretended to be Annika again; confused as to what had happened. As Lia ran to comfort her friend, Judgment held her close, and then used telekinetic powers to throw six adamantium spikes at Lia. Even in Lia's obsidian form, adamantium was the toughest substance on the planet, and they could rip right through her. Lia, in survival mode, dodged out of Judgment's death grip. She still was struck in the face, legs, and arms. Two spikes even ripped straight through Lia's shoulders like bullets. Already bleeding out pretty badly and in pain, Lia then noticed that in dodging the spikes, she condemned Judgment to be struck by them instead; all six impaled in the woman's torso. Willow was helpless to stop any of it.
Judgment collapsed into Lia's arms. She teased that Lia was capable of killing someone after all, and then passed out. Lia screamed for help, and the ice walls fell. It wasn't clear if Judgment had died in Lia's arms, but shortly after, her body vanished within a blue orb, just like Agony had done to escape the Astral Plane. Boreas escaped the same way as well. Chayse then rushed to Lia's side, with some assistance from Zeke. Once Chayse was certain that Zeke could care for Lia, he ran to the crystal that had encased Willow. He tried to phase her out of it, but the crystal reacted with violent electrical shocks, badly burning Chayse's hand. Zeke got to one of the motorcycles they had used to get to the ruined building, and sent a distress signal while Chayse tended to Lia's wounds.
Willow tried to call out to them, but her telepathy didn't seem to work. She tried to run for some help, but she was tethered to her physical form, incapable of going more than 20ft (6m) from her body. She screamed again for help, and Zeke responded to her; surprising her since she didn't realize he was a telepath. Chayse causing the electrical reaction from the crystal managed to create a microscopic crack that allowed Willow's telepathy to leak out slightly; catching the attention of other telepaths within that same 20ft radius she was locked within.
At the Institute, Chayse and Lia's wounds were taken care of. Chayse was released later that day, and Lia a few days later. Willow, on the other hand, was stuck with her body; trapped inside the private room in the infirmary for a week. Finally, when no one else could figure out how to get Willow out of her crystal, they called in the Sorcerer Supreme: Pixie. She was shocked at the massively advanced spell – one that she had only heard rumors of previously – and tried a few spells of her own. She was able to dispel the crystal, and trap it for further examination to see what kind of sorcery they were fighting against. Finally free of the crystal and the infirmary room, Willow went off to freshen up, have a few arguments with Chayse and Lia over how they overburden themselves as if they were the world's lone protectors, and then Willow blew off some steam at a new parkour training park Deadpool had built. She ran into a couple of new recruits, worked out on the parkour course for a little bit, and then headed back to the school in hopes of getting back to whatever her normal was.
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Like I said at the beginning, Willow has gone through way more than I remembered. And it's the points that I remembered that will make it to Glitches. Mostly because they were the most impactful on both Willow as a character and me, as a “reader.”
First and foremost, I don't want to get into the complexity of time travel in Glitches with everything else I'm trying to balance. So Sebastian and Brianne won't be making their way to Glitches. However, they MAY make their way into their own side-story at some point, but that's probably a couple decades into the future, especially at the rate I'm going....
Things with Nix and Annika are a bit too complicated as well, plus Nix/Boreas and Annika were created by other players (although, Husband came up with the Judgment persona for Annika after Nix's player came up with Boreas). Nix and another character – Lucas Kinney – will most likely become an amalgamation; one of the glitch children Matteo rescues when he tries to break his sister out of the experimentation facility. I can go more into this when I introduce Matteo.
Similarly, I don't know if I'll have the William plot exactly. Again, mostly because I don't own William, so I'd have to create a replacement character, and I'll most likely have to discover a new reason for Willow's grief over him, her realization of that brotherly connection she destroyed, and her adjusting how she uses her powers; assuming I have her still be a callous prankster at first.
While the Japan trip is sweet, we never actually role played it, so I don't see the over-all impact on Willow's arc, so that's also gone.
So, what bits are staying? For me, these are the key parts of Willow's development:
Willow's dual attraction to Chayse and Devon.
Willow becoming best friends with Devon, only to feel betrayed when he runs away to find out more info about his past.
I'm still trying to decide if the school will again be attacked by a third party so that Willow ends up hating Devon, blaming him for the attack, and vowing vengeance for Hedge's death.
Since Devon's DR run, his running away, the school being attacked, Willow's self-hatred for “pushing Devon” to betray them, as well as her hatred towards Devon, and then their subsequent reunion makes up soooooo much of Willow's arc in-game, I feel it NEEDS to be in Glitches in some shape or form.
The real trick is either convincing Ronoxym to allow me to write Devon/co-author Glitches with me, or I’ll have to create my own Devon from scratch...
Willow discovering her brother Shawn not only has powers, but has also joined The Brotherhood (Called The Virus in Glitches) and wants to kill her and their parents.
Seeing the interaction between Shawn and Devon would be interesting
Shawn will just be “turned evil” by his childhood; no additive of being a psychopath needed (I'll leave that to Trish).
Shawn will still be discovered via his attack on a new recruit for the school. I'm debating if I want it to still be Chayse, and Willow finds out after-the-fact, or if she is there for the first interaction...
While not necessarily a prom after-party, I do want an off-campus gathering to be attached by The Virus in order to capture one of the students. That way Lia can show off her badassery with her one-on-one with Trish, and Willow can still prove her usefulness by using illusions to throw off the attackers into thinking their target is dead. Also, that was her greatest showcase of her telekenetic powers, and it also showcased the downsides to Willow having to be on the Astral Plane in order to fully utilize her powers.
Willow's interactions with Agony; a means for her to push her mental powers, and a foil as Agony has similar powers of manipulation/illusion.
Hubby originally headcannoned that Agony was actually Jacob's first child before meeting Meryl and having Shawn and Willow. Which is why Agony and Willow have similar power sets. It seems a bit weird, however, that Shawn's powers wouldn't match those of his sisters, nor did it seem logical that both of Willow's siblings were murderous psychopaths that loved to torture and torment, but Willow wasn't like that after seeing how much her powers truly hurt others. So, I'm still debating if I want to make Hubby's headcannon official.
Willow being trapped within the crystal after a battle with Agony. It would be interesting to have the time to fully explore that experience, and the grief her friends suffered while trying to break her out of it.
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You good? Everyone caught up? You can take your pee-break now.
Makes sense that this kept me so long to write up and edit down, no? Anyway, thank you guys SOOOOO MUCH for again indulging me and sitting through all of that! You all amaze me!
Next up: Part 4 - Images. Who’s ready to see all the different versions of Willow I’ve collected throughout the years?
#writing#LycoRogue writing#OCs#Meet My OCs#Meet Willow#long post#Glitches#Willow Driver#Willow#Willow's backstory#Willow history#X-Future plot#X-Future vs Glitches#series post#7 out of ?#updates every other Sunday#LycoRogue original
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Reversed Quartet
This was partially made for and very much so inspired by queenofhearts7378. Please check them out, they and thier Secret Quartet side blog are amazing!
Chapter 1. Heroines in New York?
“Ugh!” A teenage girl with bright violet eyes, pitch black hair and a fair complexion groaned into her phone, on which was a three way call to her best friends.
“It-It’s not that bad Sam.” Danny Fenton, son of local town (formerly thought to be mad) scientists and known as the boy with his head in the stars around the small town, tried to placate his irate friend.
“Not that bad?!” The girl shot back, springing back up from the bed she’d just laid down on.
“Danny, I’ll be going to New-freaking-York. Just so that my mother can go see the newest fashions revealed. And I’ll be gone for a week! What if something major happens?” She frantically questioned him. Should someone have been listening in, they may have thought she was referring to the Ghost Attacks the small town of Amity Park suffered from nigh daily. However, you would have then been very confused, considering any ordinarily rational person would want to be as far away from those attacks as possible. Yet, Samantha Manson, who’d tell you yes, is usually quite rational, wasn’t a particularly ordinary person. This is thanks to an accident involving the Fenton’s portal into the Ghost Realm a little less than a year ago; the purple eyed girl was, quite literally, only half alive.
Or, more accurately, a Halfa. Half ghost, half human. Her ghostly self was known as Sam Wraith*, Amity’s own superheroine against the other ghosts that came through the Fenton’s portal in order to start and stir up trouble. Sam has made it her job to make sure Amity Park was safe from the more ill-intended ghosts, while calming and even befriending those who were merely sprites born of being wronged in their own life or afterlife.
Thanks to her mother’s plans of going to New York, and dragging her husband and daughter with her though, Sam would not be able to do her job for an entire week, more than long enough for the town to be destroyed. The other voice on the phone call snapped Sam from her thoughts with a scoff.
“Well geez, thanks for the faith, Sam.” Tucker Foley shot back, the Techno Goth of the Trio, who knew how to solve most of the team’s problems either by technology or the dark mythology he so enjoyed. Sam rolled her eyes as she let out a puff of exasperation.
“It’s not like I don’t trust you guys, I just don’t trust karma, fate, chance and all those other universal forces to not send the biggest baddie here the minute after I’m out of state.” She refuted. She heard Danny giggle softly over the phone and resisted the urge to clutch at her heart at the sound, despite neither boy nor anyone else being able to see her. ‘Stupid crush!’ She cursed as Danny began to speak up again.
“Sam, we can deal with a little bit of trouble. If it gets that bad than we have Jazz, Marth*, my parents and even Valerie helping out. The town will survive, promise. Besides, even superheroines deserve a week off every once in a while. And yeah, I know that a fashion week isn’t really your scene, but it’s New York. There has to be plenty of things to do. Not to mention all the different cultures.” Sam bit back a groan and gritted her teeth. He was tempting and daring her now.
Yet, Danny has always been able to do that, he knew just what to say, always. Whether her and Tucker were fighting about Veggies VS Meat, or she was riled up because of Skulker’s bragging of his ‘accomplishments’ in hunting down others. It was probably bad he had so much power with just a few words, but he never abused it against anyone. That was just part of who he was. As always, Sam let out a sigh.
“Yeah… okay…” Sam relented, “but only because Marth is around.” Danny and Tucker laughed.
“Of course.” She could hear Tucker’s smirk over the phone and solidly decided she’d pinch his ear next time she saw her goth friend.
“Well, I’ve got the last bit of Lancer’s essay to power through, so I need to let you lovebirds go.” Tucker told them.
“WE’RE NOT LOVEBIRDS!” Came the automatic angry yell from Sam and the embarrassed one from Danny. Tucker just laughed as he hung up as he said goodnight, leaving his two friends alone on the line.
“I have to go too, Jazz and I need to make sure all the ghost gear is turned off so none of it finds Marth in the night or morning.” Danny told her, the shyness he never quite could be rid of evident in his voice, and Sam smiled.
“Okay, night Danny. And, thanks again.” She told him.
“You all are always welcome here Sam, goodnight.” Danny responded as he hung up. Sam sighed again as she stared at her ceiling. She shook her head as she got changed into her PJs and headed off to sleep.
‘Who knows. Maybe a week off could do me some good.’ Sam thought before the halfa drifted off to sleep.
*I choose Wraith to be Sam’s transformed last name because of the switched from M to W is easier to correlate and similar to the F to P of Fenton to Phantom.
*Marth is this AU’s version of Danielle (Trust me, I’m sobbing that’s she’s gone too). His full name is Samarth Manson/Wraith, but he prefers going by Marth to make himself feel more different from his ‘original.’ And, unlike Danielle who could definitely be just Danny’s clone and a girl because of XY genes for male and XX genes for female, Marth got his Y gene from Danny, which is why he stays at Danny’s house instead of with Sam when visiting Amity. That and the fact that he’d have two people looking out for him and if he is sighted or his signature found it can be more easily played off by being in a ghost hot spot. And, yes, Vlad is around in this AU, and his goals still include the death of Jack and Maddie for his wife, as well as Danny as his son because of the boy’s intelligence and skills with ghost weapons. He wants Sam as his protege, the one to which he will teach all of his skills to. However, Danny and Sam both vehemently refused. So it’s actually a bit ambiguous if Marth got Danny’s DNA in him on purpose or accident.
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“Marinette! Are you ready?” Sabine Cheng called out to her daughter, her and her husband’s suitcases besides her.
“Almost, Maman!” Her daughter called back. Said girl already had her suitcase packed, and was now looking for her portable charger that she knew was somewhere for the plane ride.
“Ugh! Plagg, could you please help me?” The blue eyed girl begged the small black kwami that floated above her desk, currently eating his apple and camembert cake.
“I could, but… I could also keep eating this.” The black cat countered,cackling as he took another bite of his cheesy cake. Marinette sighed and shook her head, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face. As troublesome as her kwami could be, she couldn’t help but love the mischievous cat-like being.
You see, most people would peg Marinette as a normal girl, with a normal life. Marinette herself would be the first to say as much. But, she had a secret. She was one of Paris’ two main heroes, Chat Noir! With her Kwami Plagg’s help, she was able to transform into the superheroine with the power of destruction at her fingertips with only a word needed to give the command. Her partner, the ever handsome Ladybug, and her had saved the city more times than one could count on both hands from Hawkmoth and his Akumatized victims.
Right now, however, Marinette was going to visit her mother’s cousins along with her parents, the Longs. The Longs lived all the way in New York City, New York, America. Which brought Marinette to her current problem. The aspiring fashion designer could’ve sworn she placed her portable charger on her desk just last night, but it was now misplaced. Which seemed just her luck.
Speaking of… her phone began to ring, and a quick check revealed it to be one of her best friends, Adrien Agreste. Adrien was usually extraordinarily busy, being a model for his father’s fashion line, taking fencing, piano and Chinese lessons, on top of school and basketball. However, all of this had not stopped the green eyed blonde and the clumsy dark haired girl from becoming equally extraordinarily fast friends, almost to the same level as her and her nearly life long friend Alya Césaire. Marinette put the phone to her ear and smiled as she continued to search for her charger.
“Hey Adrien!” She answered happily.
“Morning, Bluebell!” He responded, calling her the same nickname he’d had for her since the sweet valentine he’d shyly given her. “How’re you doing today?” The blonde asked her. Marinette gave a half-hearted groan as she began to check the floor by her closest.
“Well, we need to leave in half an hour, I still haven’t eaten breakfast and the infamous Marinette luck has struck again, this time against my charger.” She jokingly complained. Adrien laughed and Mari had to smile at the noise, he didn’t laugh enough. And honestly, no one could deny the sound was practically sunshine. ‘Just like a certain spot of pure sunshine.’ She thought dreamily before shaking out of her fantasies and back into the present.
“Where have you checked so far?” Adrien asked her. Marinette hummed as she thought.
“Computer desk, where I thought I left it, floor around said desk, corners, fashion desk and floor around there, and now closet.” She listed.
“How about under your bed?” He suggested. Marinette blinked and shrugged.
“Okay, but I don’t see how it’d end u-what the heck?!” She exclaimed as she put her hand under her bed and almost immediately found her charger. Adrien laughed again and Marinette shook her head.
“Adrien Agreste, the everworking lucky charm.” She giggled.
“Aww, you flatter me Bluebell.” Adrien flirted back jokingly.
“So, what were you up to beforehand?” Marinette wondered as she placed the charger (after checking to make sure it was charged) into her travel bag, along with her drawing pad.
“Three guesses.” He responded dryly.
“Model shoot?”
“And she gets it in one!” Marinette laughed at her friend’s dramatic announcer voice.
“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the shoots, but sometimes I wish I could just sleep in for a little bit. Once I’m up, I’m up until night.” He told her.
“Yeah, I’ve seen and marveled at that.” Marinette replied.
“Marinette? You ready to go?” Sabine’s voice called again.
“Oui maman!” Marinette called down as she grabbed her suitcase and bag.
“You’re going to visit your cousins, right?” Adrien questioned.
“Yep. Oh, hold on a second, Alya is calling. I’ll just make a four way call between us and our favorite couple.” She giggled as Adrien chuckled. Marinette saw it was now time for her family to leave, lest they be late to the airport. As the phone was still ringing Marinette spoke to her Kwami.
“Come on Plagg! We’re going to be late!” The black cat sighed before zipping to Marinette’s inner jacket pocket that she made for him, making a pleasantly surprised purr at finding it newly lined, and with some of the decorative yarn hanging from the edges. Marinette giggled at the vibrations against her heart, and began to make her way down the stairs as Adrien and Alya answered again, Nino joining the call a few seconds later.
“Hey girl! Hey Nino, Adrien!” Alya’s voice called out.
“Sup Alya, dude and dudette!” Nino greeted.
“Hi you guys.” Adrien responded.
“Morning Alya, Nino. And I was already talking to you, Agreste.” The four laughed, calling each other by last names had long since been a running joke. “My parents and I are about to be heading out to catch our flight.” Marinette told them.
“Well, you seem to be going to New York at a wonderful time for you, Mari.” Marinette could practically hear her friend’s smirk over the phone.
“And why is that?” She questioned her friend suspiciously.
“Yeah, I’m confused too.” Nino told his girlfriend.
“Oh! I remember now. My dad had gotten an invite but he turned it down in order to prepare for Paris’ next month.” Adrien added. Marinette raised an eyebrow and waved at her parents, accepting a cream cheese and berry danish from her father with a smile and mouthed “thank you.”
“Well don’t keep us in the dark, dude! Spill!” Nino implored. Marinette hummed her agreement with her friend through her mouthful of danish. Adrien and Alya laughed and Adrien said Alya could tell.
“You’ll be arriving at the same time New York’s fashion week starts girl!” Alya told her. Marinette was very glad she had just finished swallowing because her mouth had flew open and, if not for her willpower to avoid awakening her napping Kwami, she would’ve bounced in place.
“You’re kidding?!” Marinette nearly squealed, using her napkin to set her danish down. Her parents gave her questioning looks and she mouthed “NY Fashion Week!” with a large grin. Sabine gave a start and a giggle as she checked her phone, seeing that her cousin Susan had just texted a certain question. Tom gave his own deep laugh as he rubbed his enthusiastic daughter’s head.
“I can’t believe I’m actually going to be in New York during it’s fashion week! Maman, Papa, I know we’re going to see family but can we please, please pretty please just take a little peak?” Marinette begged her parents. Sabine giggled as she showed her daughter her phone, which showed her Aunt Susan asking
Susan: Hey Sabine, your daughter wants to be a fashion designer, right? Would she be interested in helping me out with some catering things for NY’s fashion week? It comes with free tickets.
Marinette couldn’t control it now, and did bounce in place, rushing to give her mother a hug and rambling to explain to her friends. It seemed as though her trip to America wouldn’t be able to get any better!
* Okay so… Adrien likes Marinette as way more than “just a friend” (I’m calling you out Agreste!!!), and I put this in through the nickname of Bluebell, the same way canon Chat calls canon Ladybug My Lady. AU Ladybug (Since male Ladybugs are still called Ladybugs, and with his general reaction to the stereotypically feminine things, I feel like Adrien wouldn’t really mind being called Ladybug. Plus it still allows for a lot of puns.) will playfully call AU Chat Purrincess (because this is still Adrien being a superhero. Just because he’s not Chat Noir doesn’t mean he won’t crack puns every five seconds.) and Chaton, but he likes his partner in a one hundred percent ‘platonic’ way. Or, at least as platonically as Canon!Mari likes Canon!Chat. This Marinette, on the other hand, likes her hero partner a lot, even if he does crack silly puns all the time at her expense as well as his own. And she’s completely oblivious to Adrien’s feelings for her, and will always deny Alya’s claims that the blonde does like her romantically despite his flirting that she always takes as joking. So… the Love Square. It’s still here. Yay! And! Mari likes to pamper her Kwami when he behaves himself. Plagg is anything but complaining when he finds all the little surprises Mari will leave for him, such as small balls of yarn, small knitted blanket piles, camembert treats and cubes, and little softly lined pocket in her purse and jacket so that he can be close by but take all the catnaps he wants.
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Theresa Fowler groaned as she popped her back. The flight from her hometown of Norrisville, Oklahoma to New York City, New York, was a tiring one.
“You alright, kiddo?” Her dad questioned her. Theresa smiled back.
“I’m okay dad. My back just hurts from those chairs. They were totally wonk.” She told him. He chuckled and shook his head.
“I will never get your generation’s slang, ‘resa.” He told her. Theresa just grinned back as she blew violet and indigo strands out of her eyes.
“Alright, your mom should be picking us up soon. Why don’t you use the ladies’ room while I call her and get us some food to go. I’ll send you a picture of the menu. After that, we can go to baggage.” He told her.
“Alright, thanks daddy. See you in a bit.” Theresa then jogged off to find the bathroom, the red glow coming from her bag brightening, causing Theresa to almost curse. Grabbing her cell, she put it up to her ear as she talked to the centuries old book.
“Okay, yes I know, just another minute. I’m trying to find the bathroom Nomi, would you calm down?” She told it. The glow died down and she rolled her eyes.
‘So dramatic!’ She thought. Finally, she found the bathroom. And by some miracle, a stall was empty. After putting a paper down so she could sit (do you know how dirty airport bathrooms are???)
“Okay, what’ve you got for me Nomicon?” She questioned as she shloomped into Nomicom’s lesson world.
Shadowy figures filled her view. One was very familiar, being herself. Well, herself in costume, at least. The Norrisville Ninja’s figure was with two other feminine ones, and one that was a frickin DRAGON, so that was cool. One of the female figures didn't have legs, rather a wispy sort of tail. The other was just a cat girl as far as Theresa could tell. A catgirl with a staff, but still, catgirl. The neon words then filled her view, as the four figure faced off against another figure, this one with a much meaner aura.
“Four heroes, with Power from times ancient, shall face a darkness reawakened. A bond between the Shadow Walker, Fire Breather, Nature Specter, and Sable Destroyer alone can withstand the restless Myth.” Theresa read. She blinked furiously as she looked at the five figures, trying to make out the Nomicon’s strange prophecy.
“Nomi, wha-” She felt herself starting to be tossed out and bit back a curse.
“Oh come on! At least explain it better than that! Nomi!” She yelled before being thrown back into the real world.
Theresa sighed, disgruntled. Sure, she loved being a heroine and all, but why did prophecies have to be so convoluted?
*Yep. Rather than Randy, the Messenger choose Theresa in this AU. I’m not actually sure if the Ninja has ever been female, as the only past ones we see were male, but it has now happened.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Rose sighed as she stared at her ceiling. This Saturday was so far kind of boring. Sun said that there didn’t seem to be any trouble so far, and that Rose should take today to catch up on her homework. Her sister had even agreed, saying she could take care of any problem that came up in the community. Rose was grateful for that, but it was seven o’clock when that happened (curse her internal alarm!), and it was now two p.m.. Safe to say, Rose Penson was very bored. Trixie was visiting a hospital that was allowing high schoolers a chance to see how some surgical procedures were done, and Spud was… well he hadn’t picked up his phone so she assumed he was busy. Which only left…
“Hey Rose.” A very familiar voice greeted softly from her window. Rose’s face lit up as she saw her boyfriend sitting on her open window sill.
“Jake!” She grinned, bouncing off her bed to hug the green haired boy. Jake chuckled as Rose pulled him into her room, as Jake would often come in this way. After all, if anyone from the Huntsclan saw him just walk through the door, Rose and Raquel’s parents and identities would be in quite a bit of danger.
“Sorry I haven’t been able to come in a while.” Jake grinned sheepishly. Rose shook her head as she pecked him on the cheek.
“It’s fine, I understand. I’m just glad you were able to come over. I was kinda bored.” The blonde giggled.
“Aww, my dragoness was left all by herself? How cruel.” Jake teased. Rose laughed again.
“Dork.” She told him. Jake dramatically put a hand over his heart.
“Oh! How the lady wounds me!” He whisper-exclaimed as he fell onto his girlfriend’s bed. Rose couldn’t help laughing again, and Jake mentally clapped himself on the back. He knew it was cheesy, but man, did he love that sound. Rose sat down next to him, and ran her hands through his surprising soft hair.
“No gel? I thought your hair looked a bit deflated.” She whispered. Jake took her other hand and kissed the back of it.
“Just finished attempting to train 88 and 89 again. It was either hair gel, or you. I think I made the right choice.” Rose hummed, unable to keep her own smile off her face.
“I think so too…” she kissed the top of Jake’s forehead, and the couple just smiled at each other. Both inwardly sighed, content to just relax with the other close by. Jake and Rose may have had more rough patches than most couples, because of what they were. The fire that rested in Rose’s lungs, and the magic in her veins, being the first of her kind to be born with such in America, her role was clear. Being the American Dragon was her fate.
The mark that the swirled around Jake’s hand, visible only when he didn’t gloves or hide it with powder, pronounced that he was to be a slayer of dragons. To kill even the one he knew he loved. Even though Jake had refused, sometimes, he wondered just what Fate and Destiny had in store for them. He just hoped they would be on their side.
It was moments like this, that he remembered why he wanted that so badly. To go against everything he was taught and raised to believe. When he could see the flaxen haired, blue eyed beauty above him. Even when she had turned into a dragon, with sky colored eyes and slit pupils, with glinting scales and hair spun of gold, he couldn’t help but to be awed by her. Likewise, Rose adored him, this was her hunter. With hair dyed green by gel, and eyes so dark a brown they looked like two black holes that would just suck her in. She didn’t care that she was taller than him, it just made it easier to tease him and kiss his forehead and cheeks. They were each other’s first love, after all. And with how much they had been through, they believed that, just maybe, they were in love.
The sound of a phone ringing cut off their moment, and Jake groaned when he saw the number.
“Hello?” He questioned as he picked it up, gesturing for Rose to keep quiet.
“Yes. … No. … Yes sir. … I’ll be there shortly.” He said emotionlessly, hanging up his cell. Rose looked at her boyfriend, who had assumed a rigid upright position since he answered the phone. She watched him deflate and she put her hand gently on his shoulder.
“Do you have to go?” She asked him. He gave a half smile half frown.
“Sorry lovely, but we can’t have them getting suspicious. I much prefer your head where it is to be frank.” He stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead. She walked him to the still open window, and as he climbed out, she grabbed the front of his shirt, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.
“Come back soon, Hunter Boy.” He grinned.
“As you wish, Dragon Girl.” And he was off. Rose sighed before shaking her head. Geez, sometimes she really did feel like a silly, love struck teenager. Of course, at least her boyfriend was no better. She walked over to her laptop and pulled up a site of what was going on this week.
“Huh. There’s a fair in downtown Manhattan? Sounds interesting enough.” The blonde shrugged. A knock on her door, which Rose answered with a “come in!”
“Hey Rosie, do you have any plans for today?” Her mother poked her head into her elder daughter’s room. Rose has just closed her laptop and was heading to her closet to pick out a hoodie to ward off the spring chill, even if her inner fire usually worked plenty enough to provide her with enough heat.
“There’s a fair going on in Downtown Manhattan. Figured I’d let ‘quel, Trix and Spud know than start heading down there myself.” Rose told her. Amaryllis Penson hummed.
“Well, tomorrow is the beginning of New York’s fashion week. I know you’re not super into the latest fashions, but I figured some mother-daughter bonding wouldn’t hurt.” The elder blonde offered. Rose narrowed her eyes, a small smile playing on her face.
“Raquel said no already, didn’t she?” She folded her arms as her mother groaned.
“Really sweetie? Just have to call me out like that?” Rose laughed as she nodded.
“Yeah mom, I don’t have any plans for tomorrow anyway. It sounds fun.” Rose told her. Amaryllis grinned as she hugged her elder daughter.
“Oh, here. For the fair. You know they’re really expensive, and working at Mr.Long’s* shop only gets you so much.” Amaryllis said as she pressed five twenties in her daughter’s hand.
“That’s for your sister too by the way.” She told Rose. After putting the money in her wallet, and her wallet in her handbag, she gave her mother a quick “thanks” and a hug before rushing down the stairs with her helmet and grabbing her skateboard.
“Later mom!” She called.
So far, today seemed like it’d be a pretty good day.
*so the Longs (and by extension, the Changs) still have Dragon Blood, but they haven’t had the actual transformation in many generations. Lao Shi decided that unless his grandchildren were dragons, the secret wouldn’t be passed on, hence why he still knows of the magical world and has Fu Dog, but isn’t the Chinese Dragon. He just accidentally found out Rose is the American Dragon, and offered her a cover job. She does help out in the store and work there, and Jake has been over a few times and met the man. Lao Shi thinks that his employee’s boyfriend looks an awful lot like what his grandson could’ve, but doesn’t act on any suspicions incase they’re wrong, and he would only cause more harm to his daughter.
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