#she put her name on the deeds to all my assets | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rebelmeg · 8 months

Text

Fic Stats Tag Game

I was tagged by the ever-delightful @polizwrites!

Rules: Give us the links to your fics with the most hits, most kudos, most comments, most bookmarks, most words, and least words.

(I did have the same two fics pop up for most of these, since they're my longest fics, so I went down the list until I got to a new fic.)

Most Hits: Through A Child's Eyes, It's Different, with FANTASTIC ART by @hereandnowwearealive! Summary:

The Accords debacle is long over, and the ex-Avengers have come home. Things are not going well, particularly when Tony gets kidnapped by the villain-of-the-week and ends up in the middle of a freak lab accident. Seeing things through the eyes of a child sounds kind of poetic, and in some cases, it is. But for the rogue Avengers, it's a shocking and harsh look at their past deeds, as well as a closer look at who Tony Stark really is when he doesn't have all his self-made masks up to protect him. With Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy there to keep him safe and love him, Tony navigates the weirdness his life has become, while Dr. Strange, Thor, and Dr. Foster work to figure out what happened to Tony and if the deaging can be reversed.

Most kudos: How To Save A Life (It Just Might Be Yours) Summary:

The Winter Soldier is sent on a mission, to take out the head of Stark Industries. There isn't supposed to be anyone else there, but the Asset is used to adapting in order to accomplish his mission... until he lays eyes on the baby in the backseat of the car. On the run with a baby in tow, the Asset's conditioning breaks down, his humanity returns, and it's hard to tell who saves whose life as the years go by and James raises Tony as his own son.

(And because the remix sequel was pretty nifty too... Save Another Life (It Will Be Worth It) )

Most comments: Grumpy Coffee Kitten, with some lovely graphics by @huntress79! Summary:

When Clint Barton, the owner of Bean There, Brew That, takes off on an extended vacation, he leaves his coffee shop in the hands of his trusted sidekick, Darcy Lewis. Darcy is not prepared for this, but that's not going to stop her from keeping the shop going, keeping her sassy baristas in line, and maybe getting a tiny bit smitten with the new regular that started showing up, looking like a sleepy assassin and cooing at his coffee. Bucky Barnes is a former soldier trying to deal with the effects of PTSD, at the encouragement of his best friend and not-actually-a-therapist Sam Wilson. It might have been sort of an accident the first time he steps into Bean There, Brew That, but it's a first step in a really good direction. He likes the coffee shop, he likes the people that run it, and he definitely likes the sugar-soaked monstrosities that they make for him on a daily basis. What could possibly go wrong with putting a recovering veteran in the hands of a bunch of sarcastic baristas with access to legally addictive stimulants? The answer is... not much, actually.

Most bookmarks: The History We Have Summary:

Hydra sends an infiltration team to kidnap the child of Howard Stark, in order to ransom the supersolider serum prototype from him. That the boy is not only willing to go with them, but places himself directly in the care of the Winter Soldier, is unexpected.

Most words: The Name You Gave Me, a collab fic with my dear J, @fightingforcreativity! Summary:

If you asked the Asset, he'd say it started with being given a name, something of his own. For the first time he had something for himself, and he became greedy. So she became his as well. If you asked the little Widow, she'd say, “It started with a brother. He was my brother and I wanted another.” If you asked Howard Stark, he'd say, “It started with the Serum, and it ended with a Serum.” But if you asked the youngest of them all, he'd answer, “It started like everything, an action was the catalyst for a chain reaction. I was just lucky to have a brother and a sister, a real father and another mother, through it all.” The moral of the story is that a true family always finds each other.

Least words: 'Til the End of the Line, with 200 words (unless we are counting drabbles, all of which are exactly 100 words) Summary:

The simple origin of a powerful promise.

No pressure tagging: @bill-longbow, @psychiccatpanda, @27dragons, @newnewyorker93, @deehellcat, and anyone else who would like to play too!

#tag game #rebelmeg's fanfic #fic stats #about me #god bless ao3

2 notes · View notes

carrera-ffxiv · 1 year

Text

Reconciliation Pt. 1

*Clink…clack…clink…clack...clink…*

Hadriel leaned on the desk, consumed by thoughts while absentmindedly playing with his lighter, flicking it open and closed.

*Clack*

An older man approached with some folders, placing them on the desk for him to review, “Sorry for the wait, ser.” In reality, it hadn’t been long and the only cue he had to bring the information was that he happened to by sheer chance notice Hadriel going into his office. Still, this was what Hadriel had expected.

“Good work, Gunther.” he mused through the files. “Is it what we assumed?”

He poured Hadriel a drink from a decanter nearby, “Yes, ser.” he responded as the other sifted through dossiers and various notes.

“Oh. These geniuses.” he breathed out, venomous sarcasm seething through.

“Yes, they are strangely avoiding pseudonyms and using their actual names. I thought it odd, but read on if you would.” he went about with practiced and professional movement, focused on form and etiquette.

The clinking of the lighter began again.

“You seem displeased, ser.”

“Hmn. I thought my face rather indifferent.”

“More the way you’re fidgeting with your lighter, ser.”

“It’s just a few…agitations and lingering thoughts.” Hadriel tapped on the letter on the table, the initial one addressed to him apprising him of the situation. “Everything was suspicious from the get-go.” He downed the glass of whiskey in one motion.

“Here I thought all was well and in quick motion to be solved, ser. Madam Wolff had that young fellow interviewing all the staff. I’ve reached out to the people you’ve instructed as well.”

“I have a good idea of where this is all stemming from, and leading.” He showed Gunther a picture from the stack. “Ammunition isn’t hard to come by and not our most valuable asset by far. There’s more effective ways to sabotage our airships or walk away with some money. This was a little message and they left messy chunks of breadcrumbs for us to follow. It seems they’ve snagged my assistant as well, all just to get our attention.”

“Ah I believe Mr. Belgrave was thinking along the same lines of how obvious this all was; I believe he is ahead on the trail, though I daresay he is familiar with the road and not the destination. Figuratively speaking.”

“We’ll end up on different paths anyway. What happens to the organization they hired doesn’t matter to me, if he hunts them down, all the better. Two birds with one stone, and all that. Or is it two birds with two stones if we’re both hunting different birds? Hm, I wonder how Nijah would feel if I handled this without getting her involved.”

“A matter of trust, ser?”

“Not really. I just don’t want her to deal with these people again. Consider it a professional courtesy. Mn, anyway, is the doctor in?”

“Why, I do believe she’s just come in to start the day not long ago. If you’ll allow me a moment to verif-”

“No need, I’ll go. Thank you for the assistance.” he finished tucking his lighter and a couple documents into his blazer before adjusting his gloves and tie.

“It is my pleasure, ser. As always, please let us know if you need anything.”

It was certainly agitating. Being bothered by mid-tier thieves and kidnappers was one thing, the fact that they had enough intel to do so was another. Coupled with the fact that they barely bothered to keep their identities muddled only meant that they were instructed to be found. Threads, both literal and figurative, leading in a specific direction for them to follow. And just in case they couldn’t put two and two together, they sold the items which were inventoried by lot number on a public market to leave another trail.

“Oh, one last thing before you leave ser, there was an incident in the markets. One of the vendors whom the goods were sold to were, well, retired.”

Hadriel’s brow twitched as he glanced back with his exposed eye. “One of ours?”

“The vendor was not one of our contacts but the man who did the deed was Mr. Blythe.”

“Mn. Unfortunate. Luckily we don’t need the merchant as a lead but, they probably didn’t know much anyway. Let’s arrange a third party to send them some consolation in the form of gil and help encourage them to move on from the unfortunate loss. Keep the linkpearl on just in case the other contacts stumble across anything else.”

Hadriel made his way out while Gunther bowed respectfully; the urge to smoke crawled up his chest and into his throat, triggering his agitation further as it clouded his mind. He took a few deep breaths to try to focus as he knocked on the entrance to the clinic.

“Is the doctor in?” he asked with a crooked smirk as a short blonde looked up to him wearing something resembling a white lab coat, both hands on a cup of coffee that was probably a bit too large for her.

“Well look what the cat dragged in! About time, you’re late for your appointment.” She beamed a smile at him.

“Sorry about that. Had some business to deal with, do you have what I asked for.”

“Straight to the point, huh? At least come in and sit down. Did you want some coffee?”

Taking the seat across from her desk he reached into pockets for something, “Sure.”

Dawn went to pouring another cup after setting hers down. It was a normal sized cup this time.

“Thanks.” she handed him the cup and the scent of whiskey permeated from the flask when he poured. She simply frowned, “You should really stop.”

“One thing at a time doc. Count yourself lucky I’m not smoking in your clinic.”

She poked her head out the clinic and looked around carefully before turning back to him, “You know, it’s not too late. You might be able to make something of a recovery if you stop now.”

“Might be. I’m working on it. Enough about me, how’re you doing?”

“Deflecting like usual?” a melancholic sigh escaped her.

“Is Nijah around?”

She shook her head in response.

Hadriel continued, “Undoubtedly out and about orchestrating things. Wonder if she hates me for the job yet.” he mused and chuckled.

“Well even if she does, I appreciate it. I get to see her home on most days. That’s more than I could ever ask for.” she paused for a minute and sipped at her coffee, “So…”

“So?”

“There’s been a lot of hustle and bustle, interviews with the staff and rumors of missing stuff in the company. Nijah seems busier lately. You have anything to do with it?”

“A little bit, not much, I promise. I wouldn’t keep your dear Nijah away from you lest I’d merit your ire.”

She pursed her lips a moment before pulling out a container with some pills, “You’re not wrong.” she wanted to give him a smile but couldn’t bring it out, “This should last you a little while. Slow down the effects.”

“Don’t worry about me, Dawn. I’ve had time to look back on things and while I might’ve been cavalier about my health before I intend on sticking around for a while longer yet. Want to watch little Rihn grow up. And don’t want to leave Mira alone. Got something to live for, for the first time in a long time. Just took me longer than most to figure that out.”

“Good! That’s the stuff I like to hear.” She moved to sit on the desk by his chair before handing him the pills, “Ever since I was able to integrate her soul and memories, things have gotten better for me. My eyes have healed properly and I can use them the way I was supposed to. One of them was hers after all.” She took off her necklace and handed it to him, an empty crystal pendant void of aether hung off of it. The crystal of a dark knight. “And since then I’ve thought of you as a companion, since you were. At least in her memories after all.”

“I thought we were already friends, Dawn. So you’ve absorbed all the aether that was within it then…Well, I guess it turned out better than I thought it would’ve those many moons ago. Or has it been years? Don’t think me a bastard for all the things you now know?” She slowly shook her head at him in response before he continued. “Are you going to be fine without it?”

“I’ll make do. Make the time I have count and not waste my life trying to fix things I shouldn’t. But back to you, you need to take care of yourself, please.” she laid a hand on his shoulder and gave a slight squeeze in an attempt to convey her empathy. He placed his hand over hers and returned the gesture.“I will. Hate to just pick up meds and run, but I’m running on a schedule today.”

She brought a hand to her chest, and cradled it with the other. “Wait, there was one thing I wanted to mention. I think Halia might be in trouble.”

He kept his composure but the subject piqued his interest- not of what she said; that was something he was keenly aware of, but rather, the fact that she knew. “Did someone say something to you about it?” he asked nonchalantly.

She shook her head, “No, I haven’t seen her around lately, but that’s not why. In here.” she squeezed her hands against her chest, “I just felt it. That thing that was inside me, I got the same feeling as when it was still there- before she saved me from it, and…took it in herself.”

Again, nothing he didn’t already know, but the fact that she could sense something was amiss was of interest to him. He would table the thoughts for now since he had meetings to attend.

“I know, I’ll do something about it. I really do have to go. Take care of yourself too, and we’ll talk more about that feeling when I get back.”

Outside the estate he looked down at one of the parchments he had tucked away: an invitation to Radz-at-Han with a familiar organization sigil on it. He couldn’t ignore it this time, not after all his friend went through to get his attention.

11 notes · View notes

nityarawal · 1 year

Text

12-13-22

On Behalf Of Dan Ellis

Of 61283 Chalet Drive

Mountain Center, CA 92561

Urgent notice to "Stop Probate Sale!"

Dear Judge-

I've been renting from Ellis's since October, 2022.

They confessed home went into Probate recently and they missed court because they were only given 3 days notice- and didn't see mail in time- as Dan doesn't have a car and lives on a rural dirt road 30+ minutes from any cities! He only checks his PO box weekly and courts know this and discriminate against civilians in countryside! He should've had over 30 days to address this & we feel sisters atty is playing low. Atty claims to have called family but Alienated Dan & son Danny whom are the rightful owners on Chalet!

Dan caretook both his parents and brother in this house, free of charge, with hospice to death, for decades, and built Ellis home in '78 with family as eldest male heir!

He's been paying mortgage at Penny Bank for over 5 years and bank says they're fine with him assuming his father's Army vet loan. (Hemet bank can verify with receipts.)

Dan Ellis's father deeded his home verbally for services rendered, as Caretaker; and siblings /community have many witnesses- from bank to neighbors that will testify!

There is over 100k owed on the house and the vacant lots surrounding here sell for between 5k-20k.

You could get a "Ma" pre-fab new home from Hemet for less yhan 100k out door and well set up for less than this!

The Property is upside down financially and no equity in it for greedy siblings to resell, yet Dan wants, and needs his home now for retirement years.

This, "alligator," lot has no water!

We desperately need a well installed. Local city water is $350/mo and polluted.

Dan says his sister Donna and brother Jimmy continually harass him here- Jimmy was caught stealing a truckload of Dan's belongings and sister stalked gate for 3 days! Plus she broke in & raided his dad's safe with local kid and no other witnesses after death!

As realtors, we feel this is inappropriate mis-use of courts to Uphold Probate frauds in real estate abuse!

Dan Ellis's father verbally Deeded the Chalet family home to his eldest son to father & grandson Danny Jr at this residence!

They had a date to notarise it when Mr. Ellis died. We can simply do so now Postmortem with witnesses.

Dan foregoed his rights to rest of his will, because he said he didn't want or need anything else; because he was grateful the home was already gifted to him prior to father's death.

It's not a Probate issue currently- title just needs to be put in Dan's name now and corrected clearly thru escrow if neccessary!

Dan and community are confused by ongoing Probate fraud in real estate system slumming mountain folks.

We've never found an attorney willing to behave ethically, honor fidicuary duty to civilians, in 20+ years of California Real Estate Law, so we ask you to please stop Probate process.

Dan Ellis has a responsible plan for his family home with his grown son and neighbors.

He's renting to me and soon they want to offer camping next door with on- line Nature retreats.

I intend to get assets and help Dan get a water well too and buy next door and partner on this.

We propose Dan's brother and sister are fined $20,000 each to be awarded to Dan to cover restoration of home- they dismantled and left drywall/floors exposed- in no shape to use commercially!

I was desperate for a house after dealing with incessant violence from Brokers and courts too or I wouldnt have moved from Encinitas family or Idyllwild community!

Damages will also cover Dan's well for harassment, in leu of restraining orders- which is what I originally proposed to him.

We live here in peace with dogs and I hope to move my children here one day and build a new home.

I don't like sound of Dan's sister- a reputed addict with a felon/serial divorce record- trolling us, comitting fraud in Courts posing as a trustee- which is illegal as a "felon!"

All to steal her brothers rightful inheritance and home & bully him homeless- in spite and hatred!

If they continue in this vain- we will have no choice- but to restrain them.

This is a severe warning issued in writing by court of law and real estate board of National Association of realtors rep.

If they are sentimentality attached to heritage of Ellis home- then they should contribute to historical preservation of it. Home needs to be restored to original condition- before they gutted it- it is in disrepair - in no condition to market for a sale!

Land here is considered, "alligator," by investors, with no water in 3rd world Riverside in murder capital!

We have a 40% houseless crisis here in Riverside, California too.

Thank God Dan & his son with gf Mary (another realtor witness on this case) took my application, after over a 1000 Agents and landlords preferred vacation rental rates & blackballed me on bribes!)

This sort of real estate abuse congesting our courts with fraud needs to stop.

Jimmy, I am told, has a beautiful mansion with his girlfriend in Sedona, AZ.

Donna reputed to be on 4th husband, capitalised on all in divorce courts as sneaky "good samaritan" on bribes, landed estate in NM with latest husband.

Blessed.

Please have jealous siblings leave Dan & Danny, alone to reside in rightful deeded home in peace.

This is their "Ellis inheritance" from family & it is gluttinony to harass him out of his house in court.

Danny needs a stable home with his father and girlfriend right now. (They are trying for a baby, and this meddlesome stress from civil wars messes with Fertility!)

We feel Dan Ellis's siblings are disturbing peace with wrongful orders, arrests via drones trespassing, out of state, and are a menace and a nuisance to CA society locally.

As DA, might want to go ahead with ROs under circumstances, to protect us and children in our families!

We live in a rural area with limited reception.

Dan is housebound and court is challenging to get rides to.

Could we schedule video court to resolve this and settle ASAP- issue emergency STOP on Probate unwarranted harassment?

Dan would like to resume payments on his military mortgage on home, live here in peace,

Please confirm war is over from sibling rivalry!

Thankyou!

Nitya Huntley Rawal

Encinitasbeachhome.com realtor since 2000

Published Journalist/Editor 30+ years & Civil Activist: nityalakshmi108 @twitter

#Mothers4NaturalLaw #MothersDefense #Nitya4Eternity #LivingFree #Nitya4Nature

0 notes

cabanaslawfirmfl · 2 years

Text

Q: Can my wife sell property that we bought together? A: It is important to know how your deed is titled as a starting point. It is also important that you clearly specify when you purchased the house. If you purchased it prior to the marriage, and her name is the only name on the deed, she will have the ability to sell it prior to you filing for divorce. However, whether she will be successful will also depend upon whether she deals with ethical professionals who confirm whether she is married, as you would still have a constitutional "homestead" interest that should be waived in writing. If it was purchased after the marriage, and titled solely to her but states she is a married woman, she will most likely not succeed in selling unless she uses high unethical professionals. You should urgently have a letter sent to the person she is seeing to put them on notice that you will be suing for fraudulent transfer. Learn how to Protect your Children, Save your Assets, and Never Settle for less than you deserve during your Divorce. If you want all the information you need to protect yourself, CLICK HERE! http://divorce-kit-for-men.cabanaslawfirm.com/divorce-kit-for-men Are you worried that your toxic relationship is affecting your career or business? For more information, you may meet with us at our Weston office or if you prefer to do a phone inquiry, you may reach us at 954-231-1312

#DivorceandMediationLawFirm #Miamiproperty #AssetProtection #highnetworth

0 notes

starshipsofstarlord · 3 years

Text

A Stark Contrast | Bucky Barnes

Summary; living in the shadow of Tony, your brother, always was the way, and you accepted it. That was until he expected you to sign the accords, that was one thing that you couldn’t do.

Warnings; Angst, mentions of death, mentions of being controlled, funeral, mourning, anger

The form, bound in a weighty book laid on the table, making the room fill with utmost tension. Tony was hellbent on signing the thing, and handing away any freedom that all of you had.

No matter how long you had supported him, this was not one subject that you could agree with him on. Whilst you understood his perspective, it would only end up with you in a hamster wheel, running around and following the orders of executives.

They wanted less destruction. To put boundaries around their country’s heroes, and limit them to the lengths they could go to in order to save lives.

That was also wrong, the entire ordeal had you bent backwards with a conflict of interests. On one hand, it would be ordinary to sign for such a cause, whether you trusted their backgrounds or not, simply because your elder sibling had.

There was nobody that you trusted more than Tony, he had half raised you after your parents were killed, you felt indebted to him. But being an avenger, on a team where your personal opinion had been valued, it opened your eyes to a whole range of possibilities.

Whilst you were loyal to Tony, you had also became in tune with your own gut. It grumbled at the prospect of giving in to a contract, which decided what you were permitted to do. It was like a child’s parent permission slip, but on a much grander scale.

“People died!” He reminded the lot of you again, which inclined you to look down. There was blood on all of your hands, and he was making it as red as it could possibly be seen. “At least y/n agrees with me.” He reprimanded Steve, whom was still far on the fence regarding the entire ordeal.

Once he said that, all eyes had shifted towards you. Nat had already basically given in to your brother’s convictions, and Steve suspected that you would do the same. You were always one step behind Tony, you were far too loyal to your sibling for your own good.

“I have yet to make up my mind.” You spoke, standing, no longer wishing to be in the room where there was far too much tension. How you wished Banner and Thor were here, they would make an equal divide. The God of Thunder would not scribble his signature upon the paper, you thought to yourself, if he knew their reasons and affects.

However, your words were taken as an assumption that you would join your sibling in providing a peaceful surrender. It is what he and the public would assume of you, and to be truthful, you were tired of sticking to the stereotypes that were made of you.

“I’m surprised that you came.” Steve spoke, as you opened the boot of your car, and revealed the shield that he was so often adorned with, as well as Sam’s wings. He, like most others, had suspected that you would join your brother in his guilt ridden cause, however, thinking for yourself gave you a sense of freedom.

“Don’t be so quick to prevail into what everyone else thinks of me.” You smirked at the captain, your eyes drifting over to the other super soldier, whom had temporarily been imprisoned by the government.

But he had escaped, and if luck was not often a Stark trait, Tony would have died. You had watched from the cameras, but you could boil no bad blood in between the pair of you, Barnes was not in his right mind. He was controlled, and put into a incomprehensible mode of himself. That was, unless, he had managed to kill Tony.

Then you would have changed your own deciding mind, and stuck to what the eldest Stark believed in. “I won’t, ever again.” Sam smiled, picking up redwing from the composed pile, and kissing the machine.

“Bucky.” You reiterated his name, the one that he had chosen to correct the unknown and deceiving man on. The nod you earnt was brief, but it gave you a sense of hope that whirled in your middle.

It was clear that he was an attractive man, and alike his righteous friend, he was frozen through time to be in this current moment. As Sam and Steve began to get their things together, you walked over to the historical stranger, a smile upon your face. “I’m y/n Stark, I don’t believe we have had the fortune of meeting before.”

“You sure do speak like a Stark.” He softly spoke, a matching smile on his brawn face. “And you seem to have other things in common, like that necklace.” At his words, you looked down at it, a hint of anguish within your gaze.

“It belonged to my mother.” It was nice to reminisce about her for a moment, you knew that she would have made her own decisions too. In some retrospect, you were following in her footsteps.

A feeling grew in the back of Bucky’s throat, but he said nothing. If he were to spill, or reveal his dark secret, it would mean nothing more than the loss of a powerful asset, they could not afford that right now.

“Do you ever think about what would have happened if you got to return home?” It had been a stressful day, fighting your friends, and your last living family member. Bucky turned at your words, you had saved him from being killed, he felt indebted.

“Probably do what every other soldier did; find a woman to marry and have kids. But that’s far out of the picture in this modern age.” Steve was flying the aircraft as you and Bucky spoke in the back. It gave the two of you a moment alone, and you were truly knowing as though you knew the soldier.

He was a good man, misinterpreted by the deeds that he was controlled to do. No one chose to have pity on Barnes, they instead viewed him as a country danger, and wanted to lock him up in a cage, which was how he had come so far in the first place.

“I wouldn’t say that.” For a moment, you looked into his deep blue eyes, feeling as though he were freezing you with them. He didn’t want to look away, but you were inclined to, for you could feel the contrasts of hot and cold heat working its way up your neck, and onto your face. “There’s definitely a woman that would want all that and more with you.”

If things were simpler, you would be convinced that you could share such an intimate bond with him, but alas, everything had to be complicated. And if things could work out, they surely couldn’t last.

“We’re here.” Steve informed the both of you, as he slid out of his front seat, and you prepared to finish this for once and for all.

“How could you?!” You couldn’t defend him as Tony blasted him away, Bucky had played you, and done so well. He and Steve knew of the blood on his hands, and yet they hadn’t thought once to inform you of the one true treachery regrading you.

Bucky had killed your mother, from the intake of information alone, you felt sick. Physically sick. But you choked it down, and as Steve unsurely came towards you, you ran at him, angered by his lies.

From the start, the patriot of America, someone you had considered a friend had deceived you. You had helped him, stood with him, fought your friends for him, and not to mention Tony, and he had known all along.

“Y/n-”

“Save your apologies Rogers.” You stared him down, as he had Bucky held up by one arm, seeing as Barnes had lost one of his own again. “And you, you’re right, there’s no perfect picture, you’re nothing but a monster.”

“Listen.” Steve commanded, but you couldn’t. He was no longer considered your captain, he was a sick liar who had helped to break you. This was the last time that you made your own decisions. Tony was always right.

“You don’t deserve that shield, my father made that. It’s government property-” swiftly he dropped said item, an exhausted and tiresome expression upon Steve’s helmet wearing face.

As soon as they trudged by, you instantly went to Tony, checking his wounds. “You were right brother, I should have listened to you.”

“Your dad loved cheeseburgers too.” You laughed lightly to Morgan, blinking back the tears. It was Tony’s funeral, there were so many people here, even Fury, but there was someone else, who was walking towards you. “Why don’t you go and ask Happy, I have some business that I have to tend to quickly.”

“Okay auntie y/n.” She ran off. She was so innocent, she didn’t deserve to be going to her father’s funeral at five years old, it was truly cruel. But that was just the way the world worked, and Tony was a hero.

“Hi.” Bucky spoke, adorned in all black, same as you. It had been a long time since you had seen him, not since he was being carried away by Steve. You hadn’t fought in Wakanda, instead you had ended up on Titan with your brother, and you would have surely died without him.

“Hey Barnes.” You greeted him with a forced smile, but nevertheless allowed him to step closer.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” He said, the guilt still burning behind his eyes. It seemed that his time in Wakanda had changed him, for the better.

“Which one?” You quipped back, instantaneously.

“All of them.” He gulped, he was going to give you one truth before you found out after. It was his attempt at redemption, and a sorrowful one at that. “Steve’s returning the stones later.”

“I know.” You responded, the captain had already informed you about that part of his plan.

“And he’s not coming back.”

“Anthony Howard and Steven Nathan Barnes, the two of you better get back here this instant!” Your voice hollered through the house, as well as the duo’s endless giggles.

The front door opened, no other than Bucky walking through. He was quick to recognise the flash of motherly anger upon your face, and quickly dropped his serene smile.

“What have they done?” Bucky asked, watching as you crossed your arms in an unimpressed manner.

“Why don’t you ask your sons?” Your husband sighed, but despite that, he was a happy man. He had returned from a war, and found a lovely wife, of which he had two troublesome boys with. For the first time in a long time, y/n Stark and Bucky Barnes were happy.

503 notes · View notes

askaceattorney · 3 years

Text

Manfred Von Karma Character Essay

Dear Dakadondon,

I’m going to give it a go on a character essay on my favorite villain, Manfred Von Karma. I haven’t been able to find any on him and I feel like he’s often overlooked as the nothing-but-evil villain when there is so much more to him than meets the eye.

When we are first introduced to Manfred Von Karma, he both is the final boss of the game and a foil for both Phoenix Wright and his rival, Miles Edgeworth. He represents the karma brought down upon Miles Edgeworth’s shoulders by his actions in the first game, thus his name “karma” or “ Karuma,” which means “karma” in Japanese. This works in the same way with Franziska Von Karma representing Phoenix Wright’s karma in AA2. Since we are focusing on Manfred Von Karma, he will be our main focus.

We are introduced to Manfred Von Karma as Miles Edgeworth’s mentor, but it is in AA2 we find out he is much more than a mentor. He was also a father figure of sorts to Miles Edgeworth. This relationship is often overlooked, even by the game itself. We are told by Franziska Von Karma how Miles Edgeworth was like her little brother, but nowhere in the game does it ever mention or demonstrate how Miles Edgeworth would be the son of Manfred Von Karma. Even the anime never truly focuses on that portion. As a result, we, as the players, are like Godot in how we miss the obvious red on white part of the case, and instead focus on the mentor and student relationship. Like anyone, why would we believe someone as twisted and vindictive as Manfred Von Karma would consider Miles Edgeworth as a son? Yet, this same man considered him the student under Von Karma? If Sebastian Debeste’s relationship with his father could be father/son and mentor/student, why wouldn’t the same also apply to Manfred Von Karma and Miles Edgeworth?

To understand this father/son relationship Miles Edgeworth shares with Manfred Von Karma, we first need to understand why it is overlooked or taken out throughout the game. After losing his father, Miles Edgeworth practically lost everything. If we are to assume his father was the only family he ever had in his life, then this would mean he became an orphan. He was alone without anyone to care for or love him. All of a sudden, this Prosecutor, who had gone up against his father in court, takes him in under his wing. He gives Miles Edgeworth food, a home, a little sister, a family, education and training to become a Prosecutor. Before, Miles Edgeworth only had his father, now under the Von Karmas, he has a family. Manfred Von Karma gave Miles Edgeworth much more than his biological father ever did, when we take into account the mentioned family of Manfred Von Karma than just Franziska: a niece, a possible extra sibling(s) and a mother.

In the head of Miles Edgeworth, he is not deserving of this. He mentally believes he is responsible for the murder of his own father. He isn’t deserving of a family, a home or any of these things. This is a similar mentality he will eventually have with Phoenix later on after Turnabout Goodbyes. In turn, we have Manfred Von Karma, who is simply using Miles and his genius to have as his own. He knows of his crime of having murdered this boy’s father and yet is willing to provide this boy with a better life. It feels off for Manfred Von Karma, if we were to assume he’s your typical devilish bad guy with no moral compass. Though, if we were to take AAI2 into account in how he praises his wife’s cooking, despite being an amateur, and was willing to defend Delicia Scone’s innocence for no other reason other than, “she is innocent,” we can assume he does have some form of moral compass. At the very least, he is capable of love for those he considers family and will protect those he considers innocent. If we are to assume that he does love his family, or at least is capable of such, we can assume that there was a tiny bit of compassion he had in taking in Miles Edgeworth. Even if we were to reason that Manfred Von Karma was simply using Miles Edgeworth to cover up his own crime, no one can deny that Manfred Von Karma could’ve made him into a Cinderella or killed him under his care.

Of course, many would disagree this man would have a heart, if only because the game seems to imply that Manfred Von Karma took in Miles Edgeworth to beat the dead horse that was Gregory Edgeworth. Except, that would imply that Manfred Von Karma believes in spirits and was so passionate that he was willing to raise a child with severe trauma, nightmares and phobias. To put it simply, raising Miles Edgeworth, for Manfred Von Karma, would have been a nightmare in itself. Not only because he’d be having sleepless nights from a child, then teenager being up in the middle of the night because of nightmares, but also having to calm him down every time an earthquake hit, perhaps having to deal with Miles Edgeworth’s fear of elevators and there are the effects of DL-6 that took a toll on Miles Edgeworth. Anyone who knows anyone that deals with severe trauma will tell you that each day, minute and second that person is still living is a miracle. This is something Manfred Von Karma would be having to face every morning and night. For Miles Edgeworth, he believes he killed his own father and is not deserving of anything. Perhaps being a Prosecutor is his way of punishing himself, but it is also a goal he strives for that was placed upon him by Manfred Von Karma himself. You could say that Manfred Von Karma gave Miles Edgeworth a reason to live.

Knowing this, it makes sense why Manfred Von Karma framed Miles Edgeworth for the murder of Robert Hammond. This wasn’t about him ruining Miles Edgeworth’s life or revenge against Gregory Edgeworth. This was Manfred Von Karma running away from his problems, from his own guilt. We see in Turnabout Reminiscence how quickly Manfred Von Karma was willing to leave an investigation unfinished the moment he loses control. If you were to fail that game, before Manfred Von Karma demands Miles Edgeworth and young Franziska to no longer proceed in the investigation, he will stop the investigation right away or Franziska will win. It’s only after he demands there to be no more investigation that he no longer stops the investigation, but instead it is Calisto Yew or Tyrell Badd, who at one point sends his security to kick Miles Edgeworth and Franziska out. This means that the reason Manfred Von Karma wanted Miles Edgeworth to stop the investigation was because he no longer had control over the outcome. This makes sense for his character, who also left IS-7 after the events of DL-6. He’s the kind of man to run away from his troubles. If Miles Edgeworth’s trauma was trouble for Manfred Von Karma that he can’t ever get rid of, he will proceed to get rid of Miles Edgeworth instead.

The problem with Manfred Von Karma framing Miles Edgeworth for murder is that this adds another problem. Miles Edgeworth is now the supposed son of Manfred Von Karma. Keep in mind this is a man who obsesses over perfection. To frame his own son for murder goes against being the perfect father. Aside from his own personal problems, Manfred Von Karma has no reason to get rid of Miles Edgeworth. Miles Edgeworth, while did suffer a few losses, is a valuable asset to Manfred Von Karma. He is Manfred Von Karma’s proud disciple and, if we were to assume he only has daughters, the only son he’s got. He is willing to throw away Miles Edgeworth, for what? Because of his own personal problems? Because he knows all of Miles Edgeworth’s troubles are caused by him? Because the only way to fix Miles Edgeworth is to admit that he was and is a terrible murderer and a criminal?

Much like how Manfred Von Karma represented the karma built upon all the deeds Miles Edgeworth had done, the same can also be said in reverse. For Manfred Von Karma, Miles Edgeworth is the result of his own karma. That karma will never go away and, so long as Miles Edgeworth continues to live in the Prosecutor’s circle, the karma of Manfred Von Karma will haunt him for the rest of his life, unless he decides to find closure. Whether that closure be through death or reconnecting with Miles Edgeworth, unless it is met, Manfred Von Karma will always be troubled by the karma he’s placed upon himself.

To describe Manfred Von Karma is someone that is obsessed with being perfect in every way to a fault. He has family, friends, people he loves and cares about, but is also a coward to face whatever troubles come his way. He is the opposite of Phoenix Wright, who is willing to face what he’s faulted and try to make things right. Manfred Von Karma represents a side to humanity none of us want to admit. We are very narcissistic and strive to be better than everyone else. Then, the moment we run into trouble where our true colors are shown, we tend to hide or run away like Manfred Von Karma.

When you consider the events of IS-7, it’s clear Manfred Von Karma made many mistakes in how he approached the case. He refused help from his detective, he continually tried to fight against the Defense that he was right, he used threatening tactics to force the Defendant to confess to a crime he didn’t commit, he overlooked other crimes that happened such as the two missing boys, and he changed the case file to the Defendant being the culprit - even though he accused him of being an accomplice to the crime. While he didn’t forge the Autopsy Report, he placed the blame of the penalty he received from his boss on the Defense, who didn’t do anything wrong. To add insult to injury, he orphaned and traumatized a child that now is under his care. Manfred Von Karma continually ran away from his issues, the vile acts that he has done. As a result, he refuses to acknowledge Miles Edgeworth as his son. If he can’t acknowledge it, why should the game?

Manfred Von Karma is one of the most morally gray characters in the AA game. He represents the worst of all humanity. He’s definitely not one to sympathize with, but not because we can’t, but because we don’t want to. I consider the best villains as those you could become at any point in time. Someone like Kristoph Gavin or Dahlia Hawthorne would be much harder to see in ourselves, since their circumstances came from other bad circumstances. Manfred Von Karma, I can see in anyone no matter the circumstances or life they live. So long as you believe yourself to be better than anyone else, you will always become another Manfred Von Karma.

Ironically enough, I do see a redemption arc in Manfred Von Karma, if he was to ever live after Turnabout Goodbyes. The reason is because, believe it or not, I did have issues with Narcissism about ten or so years ago. Of course, I wasn’t as bad as Manfred Von Karma, but I can also relate to him. As such, I also know that it only takes seeing yourself as better than everyone else to void yourself of all empathy or compassion for others. This also includes thinking your opinions are correct or others’ opinions are problematic. All it takes for a redemption arc is realizing where you’re wrong, apologizing, and making things right. Of course, you can’t erase your history, but you can make a better future, especially for those you have hurt. Luckily, we have Franziska Von Karma and Miles Edgeworth to demonstrate what Manfred Von Karma could’ve been.

- Mod Edgeworth

#dakdondondon #Mod Post #Mod Edgeworth #Character Essay #Manfred Von Karma

66 notes · View notes

fiendish-insanity-in-the-written · 2 years

Text

CLOSED STARTER : ANDREW

@inprometheanfire

SOME ARE NOT BORN WICKED...but the garden they are blooming in...force them to develop thorns and fill their petals with poison to break through weeds and ivy trying to stifle them. Clare was never the one liking the ‘lack of air’...when she had the skill to clear everything that was trying to smother her from her path. Bitter woman was clever enough to mold this talent into a specialty many now feared and offered spoils collected through blood and darkness, just to make sure her gun is not pointed towards them.

Red curls were falling over her shoulders as she pulled the headband off of them, dragging it over her wrist just in case she might need it later. But that headband was never decorating her ruby colored hear for style purposes, no... it was so the already blood like hair is not stained with other crimson. The currency with which she was dealing with, the real “America-express” card that was printing money. More blood, more prosperity...and more intimidating reputation.

In the world many closed their eyes to, rolled in their beds at night praying the three locks on their doors and security system will protect them from the reality dwelling among the streets of their city, was the only choice Clare saw for herself. It sat well on her as silky robes on tender skin, merging with her own soul and helping her achieve what she craved the most. Superiority among all, driving fear in bones of people purely my mentioning her name, making everyone stay away from her and her intimate struggles because they know just how deadly the beast’s teeth are. And she wanted to become the monster with the sharpest teeth around.

However, no matter how good she was in what she did, these hallways always echoed with murmur of despise and doubt. Golden east palace, one of the most prestige and ravishing building in the heart of New York, was also the headquarters of Volkov family, one of the most influential mafia organizations in the area. They’ve put down their roots in almost every part of illegal business they could. Drugs, cartels, prostitution,organ market, human trafficking...everything was stained with their presence.Even some high ranked politicians feared that name, trying to make a proposal for a deal that would satisfy both parties, but Volkovs refused to be entangled with politics, purely because they did not want to answer to anyone, so, killing the obstacles off was the most ‘reasonable’ way to deal with the disturbances in their business. J

ust like today.Clare stopped in her tracks when she reached the golden doors of Nikolai Volkov’s office, being ‘greeted’ with a tall man, having at least 150 kg around his bone structure, and an unwelcoming look residing in his pale irises. Emerald eyes of the woman stared at him with no fear, ordering him to let her pass with her mere glare.

“Move.”

Her tone sharp and low, almost like a deadly breeze announcing your final moments of life. Eyebrows of the man knotted, lips in a thin like and stand obviously radiating with resentment.She was never one of them...no matter how her actions only benefited the family, no matter how valuable of an asset she was, no matter the amount of loyalty her deeds ensured....she was just a chess figurine that one day will fall as everything else does on this playing board of fate. That was the belief of everyone, except...

“уйти от двери.“ ( Move from the door.)

Nikolai Volkov. His raspy and deep voice came from within the ‘golden gate’, as the big man clearly felt a sudden rush of discomfort and true fear. His wall of flesh was removed from the entrance at once, letting the red haired woman pass through. Killer gaze was not unglued from the one giving her trouble, not for a second, like she was making him a promise without words, that one day...he will wish he had moved sooner.

“Hydra... Мне кажется, или я чувствую, что над этими плечами парят еще более злобные головы?” (Hydra... Is it just me, or I sense more vicious heads hovering above those shoulders?)

Smoke from his cigarette shaped every word she understood without any difficulty. Silver fox of a man sat in his leather chair, grinning to the newcomer. His eyes shone with curiosity, hunger for information about the job he gave her. Clare was a quick learner, always feeling more comfortable when her brain is as sharp as a knife and was able to translate any situation and language, making sure nothing goes behind her back. So, Russian language that was heavily used among these walls was a necessity. She knew what he meant, once again calmly allowing him to call her by the nickname he himself had baptized her with, it was always the similar question when she had returned from a mission.

Job. ‘Trip’. Obligation....whatever they called it. Hydra. The mythological Greek creature with three heads that devoured everything on its path, and was impossible to kill, because every time some wanna be hero chopped one of its heads off, two new ones emerged from the damaged body part. Nikolai Volkov found his perfect comparison for his valuable asset, seeing Clare’s tattoos of snakes, ink hugging and climbing around her thigh, and the bloodthirsty nature of the young woman. Eyes filled with rage and craving to become the death itself. Clare...accepted the nickname, and it spread like a disease among the private circles of hitmen and mafia organizations.

“Minister Donthell will not be sending any more proposals, sir.”

Answer came in English, but without disrespect. She chose that variant because she could almost sniff out another person near. One that would bask in satisfaction of hearing her speak Russian, and making sure he tells her that her desperate tries of fitting in will never work.

“твоя собака как вернулась.” (Your dog has returned.)

Ivan Volkov, one of three children of Nikolai, emerged from the dark corner of the room, bony fingers twisting his thin mustache. Clare did not even flinch when she heard him, or sensed his presence behind her.

“You sure you did not leave any...pair of eyes behind? Hmm? Bloodstains...?”

Ivan’s digits almost pressed against her forearm, where her leather jacked was smeared with caked blood of the Minister. But before he could reach, a sharp object appeared on the spot where her arm was just a second ago. Her thin black blade just under his palm, ready to pierce it through without hesitation. Eyes did not move from Nikolai when she did this, and he could not help but to grin on her quickness.

“ты принадлежишь нам, чертова сука, не заставляй меня затягивать эту цепь на твоей шее.“ (You belong to us you damn bitch, don't make me tighten that chain around your neck.)

“Берегись, Иван, потому что собака может просто задушить тебя этой цепью.” (Watch out Ivan, because the dog just might strangle you with that chain.)

In prefect Russian, Clare answered, still not giving him the pleasure of returning his hateful glare. Infuriated by her words and disrespect, Ivan raised his hand in attempt to strike her, but before he could, a voice filled with wrath that sounded like thunder ripping through grey clouds, echoed the room.

“ENOUGH! You shall keep your mouth shut in my presence boy.”

Nikolai almost growled, slamming his palm on the pricey mahogany table. The only one Ivan feared showed his authority, and the man was smaller than a bean in a second. Balling his fists, he turned and stepped closer to his fathers seat, resenting the redhead with all his being.

“There is a problematic I want you to deal with next Hydra.”

As Nikolai spoke, Clare’s gaze wondered around his face. The surface of the memory lane was stirred, making her recall just how this life has started. With this man, giving her the chance to unleash her inner demons on the world...and make a living of it on the side. The treasures this job paid had nothing to do with her choice of living this kind of life. It was a mere privilege that came with the territory, nothing more. The real reasons why she chose this path of iron smell of blood, bathing in other’s misery and feasting on people’s despair...were buried deep underneath her flesh.

“One of our brothels on the west side reported that another distributor has tried the move their product on our turf. Angelo and his goons caught the fool but the bags of heroin he had on him were not marked...and a few broken bones are still not doing the tick of getting him to talk. So, I want you to track down the ones that would mean enough to him, to make him talk. Do you understand?”

There was no translation needed, no extra details or explanations to make Clare understand perfectly what that meant. If he had family...he will not have it no more. Price of being in this business was high, even more so if you choose not to snitch either from loyalty or fear that your own bosses will kill you or your family. The only thing you are left with is hope that the other side will not catch you or find out who your close ones were....Unfortunately for the guy in question...Volkov family had Clare. And Clare...never failed in her task.

“Perfectly.”

Voice strapped from any kind of emotions filled the air, before she turned, leaving the office. However, before her heavy boot stepped out of the door, her boss gave another request...one that did not sit as well as the first bloody one.

”And after you are done..meet me at the Vonderblt’s residence in the evening. Clean nice. There is a dinner I want you to be apart off.”

#inprometheanfire #Clare Archer

4 notes · View notes

missmaxime · 3 years

Text

Thoughts on the Death flashbacks: Having rewatched the episode again I really do feel like these flashbacks are a lead-in to the end of Beth and Dean’s relationship. I think it’s important to note when the three flashbacks are placed in the episode: right before and or after we focus solely on Beth, like she is reminiscing these three moments in time with him. Times she has fond memories of for good reasons, but at the same time show us the cracks in their relationship that we still see now. What are these pivotal moments? - Beth meets Dean for the first time - Dean asks Beth to prom - Dean meets Beth in the hospital on Prom Night #1 Lead-in to this flashback is the moment just seconds before Beth meets Dean while he’s in jail. Everything between them is at an absolute low, there’s even physically a wall between them. I’m not surprised they counter their burned out relationship by the exact moment it once ignited. Beth tries to remind herself in this episode about the good moments, but I think it’s also very telling those are moment from the first months of when they met – and not, say, when they got their first apartment, or had their first baby, or got married. In the flashback Dean strikes up conversation with Beth while his buddies start a food fight at the diner (Dairy Queen) she works at – perhaps even with an ulterior motive of distracting her while they wreak havoc. He does so by asking for a refill for something ridiculous, because if you’re not Ikea who gives refills for ice cream? But he’s got her attention. And if that attention was genuinely geared towards wooing her he could even have gone the corny way of complimenting her eyes, or her bright smile – but he chooses to focus on the fact that she’s a cheerleader.

This gets interrupted by his friends getting into the food fight, and Beth calls out for him to say something to his friends. In answer he joins into the fight and runs off with said friends, leaving Beth to clean the mess. A little later he returns (and with this, he also doesn’t lose face with his friends) to charm her with an apology and helping her out to clean the mess him and his friends made. Which, as we know, has been a recurring theme between them way into the future. (Not to fangirl out to much about this, but I’m living for the fact that Dean calls her Elizabeth at first, but when she correct him to Beth he goes with that. While Rio called her Elizabeth from the start, and she never corrected him on that.) It’s not hard to see why Beth falls for Dean here, even if we can see the patterns because we know the Beth and Dean from decades later. He’s handsome, witty, popular, the quarterback – and he’s interested in her. Sees her. While he’s the one who made the mess, he cleans it up, telling her that ‘he’s got it’. Something he can do now with spilled food, but we know he can’t when messes become grown-up messes. After the flashback we’re back in the jail, looking at Beth’s reflection in the glass as she stares at herself before Dean takes place in front of her. He’s understandably hurt and upset her actions got him there (and even more because she admits Rio was a part of the scheme all along). Even her voicing a desperate ‘I love you’ doesn’t make him stay, he’s done with her. She says she’ll ‘Fix it’ like Dean promised her in the flashback, but he’s not having it. In the final shot we zoom out, framing Beth with darkness – counter to the flashback where we zoom in on her smiling face. #2 Leading up to the second flashback Phoebe questions Dean, and tries to bribe him with some packs of ramen to tempt him into selling out Beth. She talks about the cheerleader she used to be friends with in high school, and how she got tossed aside when the girl didn’t have any use for her anymore when her Fake ID got taken away. Phoebe talks about how the girl is like Beth, using people and tossing them aside when they’re tired of them – Dean knows very well that’s not Beth at all, not in the context of him at least. In the flashback Dean comes to Beth’s house, where we learn he’s been leaving her a lot of messages. This is 1991 so we’re on analog phone time, not giving Beth an opportunity to see some caller ID, so if she doesn’t want to talk to Dean I don’t feel like it’s weird that Annie answered the phone to hear who’s calling. Annie’s obviously not a fan of him, but we don’t know whether that is because they’ve had some sort of fight or whether she doesn’t like the idea of Beth having a boyfriend altogether. I think this flashback really shows how both Dean and Beth are people who are very image-focused people, albeit for different reasons. Dean arrives in a flashy red sportscar to enhance his popular quarterback persona, Beth chooses to have the conversation outside to shield the outside world from the dire situation on the inside. Again Dean focuses on how Beth is not there for him. He called her five times, but doesn’t ask if she has something going on, or if she’s studying hard for a test, or if any of her friends are in trouble. He states that ‘she hasn’t been to any of the games’ – HIS games, not even shifting it to ‘I didn’t see you with your squad’. It’s all about him. His ‘I thought we were cool?’ entices her to come up with an excuse, doubling down with a ‘I don’t want to be a dick’, even if he clearly already is. Annie steps out of the house, visibly sporting yet another injury (she had her arm in a cast in the 2x08 flashback) and asks Beth about their mom’s meds. Two things Dean could just ask about, even if it’s just a flippant ‘oh, is your mom sick?’ or ‘did that monster hurt herself?’ because both could be explanations on why Beth hasn’t called him back. Yet he ignores all this and goes back to making her feel bad by putting the blame on him, casually working in the ‘oh I was going to ask you to prom?’ in a way like don’t bother if you’re not interested. It’s so unromantic the way he drops this, yet Beth latches on immediately because it’s a chance to do some normal teen stuff for a change and who can blame her if her days are spend taking care of her mom, raising her sister, going to school in the day and working a job in the evening. It’s a tactic Dean keeps using on her as an adult. Scene that comes to mind is that Dean already packed his bag, admits that he cheated on Beth with Gayle, and she’s like - fine, maybe don’t leave. Back in the jail Beth waits for him, but Dean has left a clear message that he doesn’t want to see her. #3 First we watch the girls wait for Eric to get arrested, but we all know how disastrous that ends. Her plan to frame Dean’s friend for her wrongdoings falls through, she failed him. Which piles onto the guilt that Dean’s in jail in the first place. It’s then she searches her brain for a moment when he was there for her, when she truly started feeling that he was going to be her rock. Beth’s waiting in the hospital, she’s not panicked or worried, rather annoyed and tired like this is yet the millionth time she’s here because her mother needed her stomach pumped. We still don’t know for sure what’s going on with the mom, but from 2x08 we know she spends lots of time laying in bed and needs meds, the stomach pumping indicates overuse of a drug (most common alcohol) – I’m leaning to depression combined with substance abuse – but we don’t know for sure. We also learn that the dad is not in the picture, or no one to rely on in the very least. It’s just Beth and Annie. Dean bribed Annie to tell him where Beth is – it’s prom night and he came to pick her up to go to the dance. Now there’s more than one way to read this scene. The first way is that Dean is genuinely concerned about this whole ordeal and he wants to be there for Beth, which is definitely the way young Beth must read into this. Another part of me thinks there’s some self-interest from Dean mixed in as well. If he didn’t go to Beth, he’d go to the prom, dateless – embarrassing for our quarterback star. But helping out your girlfriend with her sick mom is a great excuse to avoid that situation. We know how upset Dean got about being wifeless at the Spa Competition, Beth’s an asset to his image, her not being there breaks his image down. And I’m not saying he’s not interested in her, but from all the conversations we’ve seen them have in the flashbacks none of it really revolves around how Beth is doing. From the start their relationship has been around transactions. Image, deeds, quid pro quo. Even if you can read the ‘do you want anything from the vending machine?’ and the ‘your sister took all my money’ as something fun, it’s yet another reminder that he paid for her time. That she owes him, even if she really appreciates him being there for her. Back to Beth in the car with Eric and the girls, where our girl looks more than unhappy. Like Dean paid Annie to see her, she’s paying Eric to see Dean. Granted the stakes are immensely higher, but the juvenile situation carries on into the presence. While Eric comes up with even more terrible plans Beth’s getting increasingly emotional – which still could be interpreted many ways but I think she realizes that the normal from back then, the happiness Dean provided to her, it’s never coming back – plans executed correctly or not. Dean might still be that guy, but she’s not that girl anymore. Eric talks about how he’s invisible, and how that changed when Dean became his colleague. How beforehand no one saw him as him, but Dean made him feel like he was part of the work crew, called him by his name – it made him feel seen, made him feel like a real person. And that’s of course exactly what young Beth was feeling – she didn’t feel like a real person because no one saw her as Beth the teenage girl. She’s a caretaker for her mom, a mother figure to Annie – a cheerleader to Dean. But in the memory she can recognize that he made her feel like a real person. Eric proposes that ‘They don’t make ‘em like Dean Boland anymore’. And they don’t for him. But Beth also knows that the feeling wears off, that at some point Dean Boland won’t like you anymore when you don’t play the part he signed on for. Eric’s giving up everything to be a loyal friend, like Beth has for over two decades to be his loyal wife. And while she’s technically still his wife, she’s not loyal like she used to be – not financially, physically or emotionally. She doesn’t need Dean anymore to make her feel like a real person. She’s her own real person. --- Beth comes home to Fitzpatrick lounging in her kitchen like he belongs there, helping himself to a cup of tea. Our girl is already on edge what with the father of her kids possibly spending years behind bars, her plans miserably failing, and now this douche want even more of her time. She’s done playing a part to get what she needs, so she goes right to the point. Fitz touches on that she wants more out of her life, which is true. Unfortunately for him Beth has come to the point that no man – not like Dean did in the flashbacks – will do that for her anymore. She’s the one steering the ship, not some guy anymore. But while all these flashbacks Beth is experiencing might put some things in a different light to her, it doesn’t scrub away what Dean made her feel. Because he is the father of her kids, they are what will forever link them together, the connection they both care about deeply regardless of whatever troubled feelings they have towards each other. She might not be a true wife to him anymore, but they are parents to the same children. Her dad wasn’t there for her, but there’s no reason why Dean can’t be there for his kids. ---- So all in all I actually really liked seeing the flashbacks, especially because we experience them through Beth, and how they parallel with the now. In the final scene we see Phoebe looking at the perfect Boland family picture, the perfect image that they both crafted together. But hidden on the backside are the lies and the deceit, yet also Beth telling Dean how to take care of said family. Because she knows she can’t trust him to take care of it, unlike when they were teens and when she’d like to believe he could. Their real personas are on the table, and they don’t like each other anymore, can’t trust each other anymore. To me the final scenes read like the only thing they can still be: parents. I have no doubt they both love their kids, and those four humans will always bind them together, regardless of their relationship status. Beth is giving Dean the only genuine thing she can: her trust as a mutual parent, and the opportunity to enjoy the love of their kids. But it’s laced with melancholy, this is what’s left in the ruins, these four good things. Everything else is gone, and I think they both realize this.

#gg spoilers #4x03 #nbc good girls #meta #analysis #am i avoiding work #maybe?#beth x dean #also please end this torture #they both deserve better #or different in the very least #the fire has burned out

31 notes · View notes

mellometal · 3 years

Text

Do we have ANOTHER Dhar Mann video to rip apart today? Yes, we do.

This one is a real specimen...a real treat, if you will. I'm gonna have a field day with this. Today, we'll be talking about how to actually treat disabled people! Specifically physically disabled people! This is something I have a bit of a specialty in, since I do work with disabled people for a living.

This is a VERY recent video, by the way. When I watched this, it made my blood boil seeing how this disabled woman was being treated. Reading some of the comments people were making took everything in me to not scream at them through my phone. Why? I had the shadow of a doubt that they were probably very young and have never been around disabled people before...even though they very well probably have, but didn't realize it.

Before I begin, there's A LOT of ableism that I'm going to talk about. If that triggers you or makes you uncomfortable in any way, feel free to scroll past this and consume content that sparks joy.

To sum up the video, a disabled woman was getting out of her truck in the parking lot, intending to do some grocery shopping. An able-bodied woman (Karen) comes up to this woman to ask her a whole bunch of questions, try to help her unload things out of her truck (when she didn't need any help in the first place), and "tried to relate" by saying that she was in a wheelchair for two weeks in high school. Please don't do that.

Karen touched this woman's wheelchair without her consent and attempted to push her when she never asked for any help.

NEVER touch a disabled person, their wheelchair, walker, motor scooter, cane, etc. (medical equipment, essentially), without their consent. Unless the disabled person cannot move around on their own, they give you their consent, you're their caretaker, family members, or a professional who works with disabled people, don't touch them or their equipment. Even then, it never hurts to ask them first, especially if you're a new caretaker or a new professional in their home and they don't know you very well. If they tell you "no" and/or the person/people with them say "no", it means "no" and you need to leave them alone. If they tell you that they don't need your help, to leave them alone, or anything else along those lines, those phrases also mean "no". If they say they need help or they ask for help, of course, help them.

(ETA: Wheelchairs, walkers, motor scooters, canes, etc., are part of the physically disabled person. These things are how they move around. I meant this in the, "Don't touch THEM." kind of sense. Just thought I'd clarify real quick.)

Karen then pulled out her phone to take a picture with the disabled woman, despite her saying she didn't want to have pictures being taken of her. Karen POSTED IT ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA. The disabled woman says to Karen to leave her alone, stop worrying about her, and that she doesn't need any help.

In the store, the disabled woman is just getting some groceries...like anyone else would. She gets her reaching tool out to grab an item off the top shelf behind Karen, who makes a tasteless joke about how she should give her a speeding ticket. The disabled woman makes a remark that her legs may not work, but her eyes do. She grabs a bottle of blue cheese dressing off the top shelf with her reaching tool, which Karen grabs for her without asking.

Karen crouches down to talk to the disabled woman, which makes the woman understandably uncomfortable. The woman tries to put her groceries on the counter to pay for them, which Karen butts in YET AGAIN. The woman is obviously fed up at this point, rightfully so. Karen then offers to pay for this woman's groceries, which wasn't necessary whatsoever. Why? Because she "felt bad" for her and has the assumption that disabled people "don't have a lot of money". She also asked the disabled woman what happened for her to be in a wheelchair, which is something that I've only heard of CHILDREN asking. (That's none of your business, by the way. It's up to that person to tell you.)

Listen, disabled people don't need to be pitied. They're disabled. It is what it is. Being disabled isn't a disease, so please stop treating it like it is. As far as disabled people not having a lot of money, that's not exactly true for every aspect of life. They're not allowed to have any more than $2,000 in assets each month along with their benefits. They do have money, and the amount all depends on the person. You cannot just bunch up all disabled people's income as the same. Some disabled people don't have SSI. If they get married, their income gets even lower or they lose benefits completely, which is extremely fucked up and makes them more vulnerable to being exploited, abused, and controlled. Marriage equality STILL doesn't exist because disabled people are STILL not being treated as equals in marriages. Some places only pay disabled employees like $3.34 an hour or something crazy like that (that's how much Goodwill pays disabled employees, by the way). The working conditions for disabled people NEED to change. Give them a livable wage. You CANNOT live off of $3.34 an hour. Make companies give necessary, legal accommodations to disabled people. They have a right to their assets and to keep them, regardless of whether they get married or not. Why would you reduce that or take that away from them? Do you even know what their benefits go towards? THEM BEING ABLE TO LIVE, IN LAYMAN'S TERMS. All in all, help make the world a better place for disabled people. (Edited for new information.)

She pulls out her phone AGAIN to take pictures with the disabled woman, who puts her hand up to the phone and says she doesn't want to have pictures being taken of her. Karen then says that she's "just trying to spread awareness"....disabled people aren't a disease. They're not a danger to you. All disabled people ask for is to be accepted, treated like everyone else, and to have accommodations readily available for them. People are already aware of the existence of disabled people.

The disabled woman is clearly very fed up and wants to get back to her truck and go to wherever she needs to be, Karen goes out to confront her "for being rude", and the disabled woman confronts Karen for being extremely rude to her and stomping all over her boundaries. This woman was VERY polite too. Actually, WAY too polite. A lot of people in the comments section seemed to misunderstand her justified anger and wrote it off as her being a bitch. If you were a disabled person who's completely independent, you had some stranger randomly come up to you to ask twenty questions, they were constantly harassing you, touching you without your consent, shoving their phone or camera in your face to take pictures of you even when you told them you weren't okay with that, belittled you, and boiled you down to your disability, YOU'D BE PISSED TOO.

This woman tells Karen to not assume that disabled people all are completely helpless and can't do anything for themselves, that she's more than her disability, and to respect people. Karen apologizes (finally) and briefly explains that she thought she was trying to do a good deed. The woman says that she knows people have good intentions, but they again, shouldn't assume that all disabled people need their help. Especially when they don't ask for it. Plot twist: she owns her own company and is rich! (There are/have been rich disabled people; however, I can only name a few off the top of my head.)

Only then does Karen FINALLY decide to delete the picture she posted of this woman that she took without her consent. And it ends there.

(Context: The disabled woman told Karen that she didn't need her to push her....and yet Karen tries to anyway.)

This isn't okay. Karen should have left this woman alone after she told Karen to do so.

Taking pictures of people, despite them telling you that they don't want to take pictures, and posting them on social media without their consent for clout! What's that called again? Hmmmm....I know! EXPLOITATION! And being an extremely disrespectful sack of shit.

Again....if they say "no" or anything else along those lines, IT MEANS NO.

Onto my response. Again, like usual, it's a long response.

This is pretty much what I've said earlier...but like, seriously. If you want to help disabled people, THAT'S GREAT! You can try getting a job at a place that helps disabled people! You can volunteer!

Just....don't be like Karen in this video. Enough said. I don't think I need to elaborate further on that.

#mello speaks #dhar mann #dhar mann talk #dhar mann is a piece of human garbage #please stop supporting dhar mann #tw ableism #dhar mann will live to regret his decision to make these fucked up cringe videos #dhar mann will live to regret his decision uwu #tw dhar mann

7 notes · View notes

ikuzeminna · 4 years

Text

Why I love Gundam Wing and hate Frozen Teardrop

With Frozen Teardrop being the first new thing released in the Gundam Wing universe in ages, I feel I should make my stance on it clear, seeing as I’ve read (and by now thankfully forgotten) a large chunk of it.

So, what do I like about Gundam Wing? I can say without lying, almost everything. I like the story, the characters, the themes, the designs and the music. I like its humor, its subtlety, the fact that everyone plays a role and that there's no definite bad guy (nor good one for that matter). I like its dynamics and how you can view it any way you want, e.g. the Gundam pilots being heroes or plain murderers. And I like that you can and even must dig to understand things. The whole composition really works for me.

And what's best is that this entire composition makes Gundam Wing more; it makes it unique. I grew up with classics like Dragonball and Sailor Moon, the forefathers of the 'Idiot Hero' archetype for both males and females. Even to this day you see series featuring these types of main characters. Classic scenario of a naive yet pure kid growing up to become the savior of the world. We've all seen that.

It's why Gundam Wing is so special to me. It has a completely atypical setup and there's absolutely no stereotype I can apply to any character, no matter what TV Tropes may say. Heero is hardly your typical hero, is he? Heck, Heero is hardly a typical anything. What's more, Gundam Wing doesn't follow the 'growing stronger' plotline that, for example, the original MS Gundam or Seed series used. No, Gundam Wing starts out with fully trained soldiers who can kick your butt from episode 1 and will kill you without qualms if the situation requires it. (That's not to say that the characters don't grow, it's the physical growth and capabilities I'm talking about.) What's truly surprising about that is the age of the characters. This is another important point. Gundam Wing and realism. Many times I hear that GW is realistic. I'm sorry but no. Teens fighting against armies isn't realistic. Teens leading said armies isn't either. Neither is bending steel bars, nor surviving jumping off cliffs or blowing up your suit, nor successfully back-flipping from a motorbike onto a clothesline, nor becoming the Queen of the World as a teen, nor stealing a MS carrier plus suit at the age of ten, nor walking around with bazookas at the age of ten nor what have you. It's safe to say that Gundam Wing lacks any sense of realism. But it does not lack logic.

Realism never was Gundam Wing's aim to begin with. The way I see it, it's not just the plot or circumstances that prove this, but also the "inhumanity" of the characters. Would a real person with a similar background as Heero, Duo or Trowa really exhibit such selflessness or noble-mindedness as them and risk his life for strangers by fighting a war that could end in their death? I don't think so. Would anyone as sheltered as Relena give up her lifestyle, have the guts to go against the world's armed rulers with just words and put her life on the line for the sake of others? Hard to believe.

And that's it. One of the things that contributes to Gundam Wing's uniquity and is therefore a, if not the, defining trait of the series, is that it doesn't tell the story about angst-riddled terrorists and princesses, but a tale of heroes. The characters are ridiculously noble, strong, selfless, courageous, determined, make the impossible possible and still retain a certain purity, despite having gone through hell and back. It's what makes them so awesome. It's what makes the series so awesome. Duo isn't badass because he fights in the war. He's badass because he fights "so that no one else will have to" and when you see what he went through, you can only say "wow". Lady Une killed Relena's father and when Relena is given the opportunity to take revenge, she declines, saying there's been enough bloodshed. That's role model material there. Something that is sorely lacking in a lot of shows nowadays. And something that a lot of people seem to miss the point of (I'm referring to those that call the pilots wussies for not killing in EW).

All of this is the reason I hate Frozen Teardrop with a passion. Forget the nonsensical, recycled plot or the billion clones of everyone or the terrible mobile suit names like Snow White or Merciless Fairies. Forget Treize getting French’d by his mom or the Zero System being a digital cat or Relena’s grandfather being a disgusting ephebophile. That stuff is messed up and random and dumb and I have no idea what was wrong with the author at the time to write this.

It’s also that he completely destroys the essence of the original series, making every single characters whine about some drama and the never ending “woe is me” monologue I had to wade through every chapter.

Let’s take Duo, for example. He woke up one morning and decided to become an irresponsible, gold-digging bastard. To get Hilde’s money, he agreed to her terms to cut his braid off and get a “proper” name, just to buy himself a motorbike with their joined assets. Then he inherited a church plus orphanage, which Hilde got stuck with, too, being his wife, and when she asked him how to fund the orphanage, Sumizawa wants me to believe that Duo freaking Maxwell was just “Eh, whatever, leave them to it. I’m out” before taking off? Excuse me, what???

I’ve had discussions with people about this and there were statements that maybe more people just need to learn how actual manic depressives and people with PTSD act in relation to Duo's development in Frozen Teardrop. I've noticed a tendency for people to want to apply realism to Gundam Wing, especially in fanfics, but as I said before, Gundam Wing and realism don't have anything to do with each other. So why should I apply it?

What I expect from anything featuring Gundam Wing's characters is the same "heroic" behavior that was displayed in the series. Sure, the pilots each had a mental burden to carry but it wasn't what defined them. For example, Trowa's insecurity about not having a name or yearning for a home never became the main focus unlike his endless selflessness. And Heero's bitterness about the colonies' betrayal was well hidden under his joining the Treize faction to be able to keep retaliating against OZ. A noble deed to fight on but was it really necessary for him to go for the missions with the lowest chance of survival?

As I said, Gundam Wing is unique because it is atypical. That encompasses pretty much everything; you have bloody murderers in the role of the 'heroes', noble, honorable 'bad guys' who value life and the ever flashy Gundams that can't even begin to compare to non-flashy Relena's influence and importance to the plot. So why on earth should I go along with Duo and Wufei bickering like kids, like characters from five million other series do? I want my uniquity. I'm not saying that it isn't a possible outcome for Duo and Wufei to become bitter and bicker and argue and not be able to stand each other when they become adults. But considering those two could get along splendidly, it's a letdown. Duo and Wufei are very much alike; they both lost people important to them twice, they both fight partly out of revenge and their loss has had the biggest impact on shaping them into what they are in the series, unlike the other pilots. Heck, they both wear their respective culture's colors for mourning. Despite that, their personalities (or ways of dealing) are exact opposites. It's enough to make for a more interesting relationship dynamic between them than what was done in Frozen Teardrop and a lot of Gundam Wing fanfics.

Heero's regression is the same. He was frozen because J said something to the extent of "a guy like him would be needed in the future". How J is even alive is another point of unnecessary addition. But what would a guy like Heero be needed for? Killing, apparently.

Way to ignore the ending of Endless Waltz.

I guess it's partly my wish for Heero and everyone else to live a well-deserved 'happily ever after' which makes me have such a knee jerk reaction to all the drama. That and the fact that there was nowhere near as much drama in Gundam Wing. Nor sap, nor stereotyping, nor "realism". >_>

This grated on my nerves, which was why I dropped Frozen Teardrop like a hot potato and haven’t bothered since. This novel does not only fail on a general level with all the random, messed up crap and terrible pacing, it also fails to satisfy the Gundam Wing fan in me because Sumizawa, the very head writer of the show, also ignored major character traits on top of everything else. Why would Catherine, who stated that she hates war and did everything she could to keep Trowa from fighting, train his clone to become a soldier? Why would Duo become that deadbeat I described above?

Being the sole writer of Frozen Teardrop meant he could take as many creative liberties as he wanted. But in the end, he took too many, which in turn resulted in so many inconsistencies with the series that Frozen Teardrop now takes place in an alternate universe, in which not the series but the manga Glory of Losers takes place. Which is the sole reason I’m not bothered by Frozen Teardrop’s existence anymore.

There were some good passages in the novel, it wasn’t all bad. The battles with the new characters were exciting at times, I’ll be honest, but even those couldn’t be called genuinely good because of the carbon copies deal. There is always some blemish. Like Heero’s proposal to Relena. I’ve seen fans of the pairing rejoice at the scene. Alas, I’m not one of them because frankly, the characters in the novel hardly resemble the original ones. So I don’t care.

As the head writer of the show I had expected him to treat the source material with more care and not run it over with retcons and meaningless additions. Best example being everything surrounding Odin. The world could've definitely done without him being Heero's father. Or freaking Trant being related to him.

But again, alternate universe so who cares.

#gundam wing #frozen teardrop #rant #meta #I don't like it #at all

55 notes · View notes

janearts · 4 years

Photo

This is my favourite AU so you’ve come to the right place. >8))))) I’ve put detailed answers underneath a read-more.

How are they?/What are those mages up to?

The number of Kinloch Hold’s refugees have thinned by the time they reach Haven’s gates. There are those who stayed at Kinloch rather than brave the roads; there are those who defected to either side along the road; and there are those who perished en route. By the time the former Knight-Commander and the former First Enchanter reach Haven, they are not only without institutional support, they are also “short-staffed”.

Cullen and Bree arrive at Haven determined not to be a burden, but an asset: Templars to fill out Inquisition ranks, Mages to assist with healing, Tranquil to assist with enchanting. That said, there are mage children to be cared for, their own injured, and their own elderly who need attention and care alongside Haven’s other refugees. Lacking the usual personnel (i.e., an entire working Circle), Bree argues that the Knight-Commander ought to reach out to the families of the children to see if there are any parents who desire to reunite with their children. Cullen argues that the Mage-Templar War has caused too much chaos for the location of potentially dispersed parents let alone the the safe delivery of any child.

At Haven:

The Knight-Commander renounces his title and proclaims that he and his are Templars no longer to keep in tune with Canon!Cullen. He additionally suspends Harrowings, albeit against his own desires. (I want some of that wariness and distrust of Canon!Cullen to still be present for Knight-Commander!Cullen. Instead of a steep, sharp about-face anti-mage attitude as a result of trauma, I want a slow entrenching of opinion as a result of the usual Templar experience--failed Harrowings, hunting apostates, discoveries of blood magic use, etc.)

Bree adapts to Haven faster than Cullen does. She starts experimenting with non-mage clothes as her canon-self does and is comfortable socialising outside the Circle.

Cullen adapts quicker in word than in deed and feels out of place. More than that, he feels directionless. He gamely attempts the heavy Inquisition armour, but quickly sheds it in favour of the armour he has worn for the majority of his life.

Prior to Morowa eventually allying with the rebel mages, I was toying with the idea of a possible War Table mission. The scenario is thus:

Cullen feels he is duty-bound to seek out the Templars and serve in the Order to the best of his ability. He and some fellow loyalist Templars go out to join the Lord Seeker, unaware of what lies in wait. While Morowa attends the rebel mages in person, the Inquisition forces (chosen either through diplomacy, subterfuge, or brute force) accompanied by some volunteer Kinloch tag-alongs (mages eagerly looking forward to kick some Templar ass, former Templars who miss their buddies, etc.) go to Therinfal Redoubt, which in turn leads to a jailbreak quest. If I can save Jowan in this AU, I can save Barris too, dammit!

Post-Morowa allying with the rebel mages, I was thinking about:

Some of Bree’s policies as First Enchanter--e.g., attempting to engender pride in their Circle--have totally backfired with the new presence of other mages from other Circles.

Some of her current policies as Former First Enchanter have also backfired. In an attempt to acclimate her mages to “real world” life, she deliberately assigned them “non-magey” apprenticeships to the cooks, blacksmiths, farriers, masons, carpenters (*cough*Blackwall*cough*), etc. of the Inquisition. It was absolutely abysmal for everyone involved.

Cullen going cold turkey with lyrium and guiding his former Templars through the process as well if they so desire.

Who is watching their Mabari puppies?

As far as the mabari from this post are concerned, my immediate thoughts were that Cullen would be inclined to think of these dogs as a tactical advantage for his Templars in the execution of their duties, namely in the hunting of apostates. I want Knight-Commander!Cullen in this AU to be stuck in the same old Templar thought patterns that Canon!Cullen is in DA:I. (Like, for example, when Canon!Cullen insists there be a Templar present in the room when the Avvar “abomination” meets with Inquisition scholars.)

I also headcanon that Cullen would not be accustomed to looking upon mabari as pets (i.e., a creature kept for love and amusement alone) as we might because we know that Fereldans keep dogs primarily for what they are able to do, particularly with regards to Ferelden’s war hounds. (Obligatory Doggy Disclaimer: that’s not, of course, to say that they are therefore unloved. It merely seems to me that modern, Western attitudes towards dog-ownership might not be 1:1 with Fereldan attitudes towards dog-ownership. I could absolutely be wrong in this interpretation!)

In addition to all this, I maintain DA:I’s canon that Cullen only has a mabari pair with him during Trespasser. What I’m taking so, SO long to say is that I’m setting a scene in which a man who is accustomed to looking at these dogs as the mighty war hounds of his nation, now finds that these very same dogs are bonding with mages left and right (young! old! Marcher!! Orlesian!!!) and are, for the lack of a better, more contemporary word, becoming the equivalent of therapy dogs. That man can sit and stew until Trespasser to finally bond with a mabari who he can train in tactics to his heart’s content.

ANYHOO THIS JUST GOES TO SHOW BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH (or in this case, ask) FOR. >8V

#DA AU #First Enchanter AU #Bree #Bree Amell #Cullen #Cullen Rutherford #this is SO SO SO long and i am SORRY #but you think YOU think about this au a lot??

257 notes · View notes

disillusioned41 · 3 years

Link

Not waiting before such thinking takes firmer hold or begins to be put into action, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is speaking out forcefully against radical centrist pundits, so-called "Never-Trump Republicans," and corporate-friendly Democratic operatives trying to advance a post-election narrative that the Democratic Party's growing progressive base is a faction to be sidelined as opposed to one that should be embraced.

"I need my colleagues to understand that we are not the enemy. And that their base is not the enemy. That the Movement for Black Lives is not the enemy, that Medicare for All is not the enemy."—Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

As much of the nation—and the world—celebrated Joe Biden's historic defeat of President Donald Trump on Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez gave an interview to the New York Times in which she repudiated those in recent days who have tried to cast a new wave of progressive lawmakers—backed by an army of like-minded supporters and organizers—as somehow dangerous to the party.

Epitomized by a comment that made the rounds on social media Saturday by former Ohio governor John Kasich, a lifelong Republican, the thinking goes that progressives policy solutions (which, in fact, turn out to be highly popular with voters across the political spectrum)—such as Medicare for All, forgiving student loan debt, expanding Social Security, a massive federal increase to the minimum wage, a green energy transition and jobs program, demanding racial justice, and working to end mass incarceration—are toxic politically to Democrats.

"The Democrats have to make it clear to the far-left that they almost cost him this election," said Kasich, who endorsed Biden earlier this year and was given a speaking role at the party's convention this summer, during a CNN interview Saturday. The comments quickly drew ire among progressives, who have condemned the very idea that figures like Kasich should have any say whatsoever in the party's future projection.

"Yesterday," tweeted People for Bernie on Sunday morning in response to the comments, "we officially entered a new era of not listening to anything John Kasich says. The era will continue until further notice."

And Ocasio-Cortez was among those who rebuked the remarks online as she defended her fellow Squad member, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), from the insinuation that progressive House victories in key districts didn't play a large role—as observers have pointed out—in helping deliver the White House for Biden.

"John Kasich, who did not deliver Ohio to Dems, is saying folks like Omar, who did deliver Minnesota, are the problem," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in direct response to his comments. "Please don't take these people seriously and go back to celebrating and building power."

Common Dreams reported Thursday how Omar in Minnesota—just like Rep. Rashida Tlaib in her Detroit, Michigan district—were "major factors" in helping Biden pull away from Trump in those key battleground states.

In her interview with the Times, published late Saturday night, the New York Democrat—who won her reelection with nearly 70% of the vote in her district—elaborated on that dynamic.

"If the party believes after 94 percent of Detroit went to Biden, after Black organizers just doubled and tripled turnout down in Georgia, after so many people organized Philadelphia, the signal from the Democratic Party is the John Kasichs won us this election?" said AOC. "I mean, I can't even describe how dangerous that is."

On Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez joined CNN's Jake Tapper to discuss the issues she raised in the Times interview and also emphasized the need for Democrats, as a party, to come together in unity:

Progressives like Mike Casca, former communications director for Bernie Sanders' 2020 campaign, applauded Ocasio-Cortez for both her critique and outspokenness.

"What I love most about this interview, and AOC," commented journalist Alice Speri on Saturday morning, "is that she says what she thinks, pulls no punches, and puts her name to it. Just imagine if journalists stopped allowing politicians to stay anonymous for no reason other than their lack of courage."

Tana Ganeva, a criminal justice reporter, said: "AOC is so fucking smart. I can't believe there was actually an effort to deem her 'not smart.' This is the smartest analysis I've read in months."

In the interview—in which she acknowledged that internally within the party "it's been extremely hostile to anything that even smells progressive" since she arrived in 2018—Ocasio-Cortez expressed frustration that the more left-leaning members of the caucus are now under attack for losses suffered by its more centrist members.

What the election results have shown thus far, she said, is "that progressive policies do not hurt candidates. Every single candidate that co-sponsored Medicare for All in a swing district kept their seat. We also know that co-sponsoring the Green New Deal was not a sinker."

Instead of blaming for progressives—something that ousted Florida Democrat, Rep. Donna Shalala, did on a caucus conference call after her defeat last week—Ocasio-Cortez said the party needs to have a much more serious look at what led to those failures.

As she told the Times: "If I lost my election, and I went out and I said: "This is moderates' fault. This is because you didn't let us have a floor vote on Medicare for all. And they opened the hood on my campaign, and they found that I only spent $5,000 on TV ads the week before the election? They would laugh. And that's what they look like right now trying to blame the Movement for Black Lives for their loss."

Ocasio-Cortez said the party must begin to examine some of its entrenched belief systems—as well as internal power structures—so it can have a more honest assessment of where shortcomings exist and how to better prepare for the future:

There's a lot of magical thinking in Washington, that this is just about special people that kind of come down from on high. Year after year, we decline the idea that they did work and ran sophisticated operations in favor of the idea that they are magical, special people. I need people to take these goggles off and realize how we can do things better. If you are the D.C.C.C., and you're hemorrhaging incumbent candidates to progressive insurgents, you would think that you may want to use some of those firms. But instead, we banned them.

So the D.C.C.C. banned every single firm that is the best in the country at digital organizing.

The leadership and elements of the party—frankly, people in some of the most important decision-making positions in the party—are becoming so blinded to this anti-activist sentiment that they are blinding themselves to the very assets that they offer.

Ocasio-Cortez further explained that while she and others have tried to get other members to modernize their campaign operations, those offers have persistently been rebuffed.

"I've been begging the party to let me help them for two years," she said. "That's also the damn thing of it. I've been trying to help. Before the election, I offered to help every single swing district Democrat with their operation. And every single one of them, but five, refused my help. And all five of the vulnerable or swing district people that I helped secured victory or are on a path to secure victory. And every single one that rejected my help is losing. And now they’re blaming us for their loss."

"So I need my colleagues to understand that we are not the enemy," she continued. "And that their base is not the enemy. That the Movement for Black Lives is not the enemy, that Medicare for All is not the enemy. This isn't even just about winning an argument. It's that if they keep going after the wrong thing, I mean, they're just setting up their own obsolescence."

And what if the Biden administration takes the lead of people like Kasich—of whom there is much chatter that he could serve in the next cabinet—and proves itself hostile to its progressive base?

"Well, I'd be bummed, because we’re going to lose. And that's just what it is," responded Ocasio-Cortez, who elsewhere said it is her simple belief that "people really want the Democratic Party to fight for them" and that it's the party's responsibility to show that not in words, but in deed.

"It's really hard for us to turn out nonvoters when they feel like nothing changes for them," she warned. "When they feel like people don't see them, or even acknowledge their turnout."

#Common Dreams #us politics #2020 election #centrism #aocroptop

25 notes · View notes

davecall93 · 4 years

Text

Teddy (2)

“They still fit. But they’re tight…”

Coach growled. “What are you doing wrong?” He wrapped his arms around Teddy, cupped his emergent gut and shook it. “Scrawny.”

“I just do as I’m told.”

“Turn around.”

Teddy turned around. Coach crouched down and put his face at level with the button of Teddy’s shorts that still held against the strain of Teddy’s growing waistline. “Why won’t you pop off you little motherfucker? You’re so close.”

It was noon. Coach had played some tennis that morning. When he returned, Teddy asked him jokingly when he would be allowed to go out again. He had not left Coach’s since the first night, while Coach lived his usual life. It had been two weeks.

“When I have to buy you new clothes.”

“Isn’t that now?”

“Let’s see.” Coach went to the laundry room and came back with the shorts and shirt Teddy had been wearing that first day.

“Looks like today is not your day of deliverance, fatty. No pop, no leave. My work here is not done.”

Teddy grinned. “Guess I’ll just have to stay emprisoned.” He then remembered that actually the question was somewhat important. “You know, Coach, I have an apartment I have to move out of at the end of next month.”

“What’s the complex?”

“Fairwood.”

“Oh.” Coach shrugged. "My family owns it.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“So I can just get my security deposit back without a walk through?”

“One phone call to my mother, and I could get you on the deed.”

“Really?”

“No, we keep the assets in house. And she would be depressed to see her favorite child had settled with someone so beneath him.”

Coach sat on the bed. “Now what the fuck are we going to do about that button?”

Teddy stood silent as Coach looked at him. He waited for Coach to realize that he should probably just prepare him a meal and…

“You know, fatty, I am going to take you out. You do need some fresh air. We’re gonna burst that button off and you’re gonna get some scenery. Get dressed.”

***

Coach drove Teddy to an old restaurant in the gay neighborhood of the city half an hour outside the college town. Teddy noticed that his shorts were more uncomfortable and tried to say so to Coach.

“Don’t placate me. You’re gonna eat like you were rescued from a stranded wagon party. Have you been to Follies?”

“No. I had friends who used to make trips to drag night."

“I used to go when I would come home from college and get blow jobs in the bathroom from the little twinks hanging around.”

“Serious?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, fatty. I wouldn’t ask a teddy bear to do a twink’s job. I don’t think I could fit both of us into a bathroom stall. I.” Coach turned his head and winked at Teddy in the driver’s seat. When he turned his head back, he put his hand on Teddy’s thigh.

Follie’s was a sprawling restaurant, with a dining room, bar, stage and patio. It was busy with the brunch crowd, and Teddy watched as Coach flirted aggressively with the host, who was looked like a bookish twink.

“It’ll take an hour to be seated but they said I can get you drunk at the bar.”

“Did they say that?”

“I think they said I can do whatever I want with you. Come along.”

The bartender, a rough-hewn man with a smoker’s cough, welcomed Coach. “Ah! Look everyone it’s Hewie! Where have you been the last two weeks?”

Coach smiled and nodded to Teddy. “This one’s been keeping me out of trouble. Teddy this is Cal. He’s a fixture here.” Cal warmly shook Teddy’s hand.

“What can I get you boys?”

“I’m driving, Cal, so just an iced tea for me. Teddy here will have a tequila sunrise.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Cal had moved down to the other end of the bar, Coach said, “I should be putting some white russians in you but I don’t want you getting sick. I just want to make sure you’re hungry enough that I’m not wasting any money taking you out.”

“No worries. I know you’re on a budget…Hewie”

Coach’s face turned hard and Teddy knew that meant if they were at home he would get punished for being fresh.

“The name is Hubert, and it’s a good name for someone with my looks and jawline.” Like Teddy is for someone with your waistline.”

***

Coach ordered two burgers with fries and a large salad to split, “since no one wants just a side of salad.” He got Teddy a milkshake and avocado and bacon on his burger. The waiter thanked them and walked away from the table

“No nachos?” joked Teddy.

Without a second’s hesitation, Coach got up from the table and darted to the waiter catching him on his way to key it in. Teddy noticed that his mannerism were flirtatious, putting his hand on the waiter’s arm and smiling thankfully as he made his request.

Coach returned to the table. “Your order Is in. Carne asada nachos with extra meat.”

“Jesus Christ. I hope you’re planning on eating some of those.”

“I love a good nacho. One or two. Maybe three.”

“Are you gonna eat that burger?”

“Half of it. They’re excellent. Very large though.”

“And your fries?”

“Also very good. I can’t resist having a small handful when I’m here.”

“And what happens with the rest of it?”

“You know how I hate waste, darling Teddy.” Coach smiled at him. “And I want to give you this chance to win your button’s freedom.” Teddy felt Coach’s foot, removed from its flip flop, lift and poke him in the stomach under the table. “I mean yours.”

When the food came, Coach ate mostly salad and some bites of his burger, frequently distracted Teddy. The food was delicious, and Teddy could not help but put on a little show for Coach, picking up multiple fries at once, dipping them in his shake and shoving them in his mouth. When he thought no one was looking, he picked up some nacho in his left hand and his burger in the right. Deliberately, he stuffed the nachos in his mouth and then the burger.

Coach did not take his eyes off of him.

A few minutes later, Teddy began to slow down. “I don’t know, Coach…” he said leaning back.

Coach filled his water glass with the carafe left at the table. He handed it to Teddy. “Go for it.”

Teddy took a breath, lifted the glass, and gulped. When he put it down, he stifled a groan and took some short breaths.

“Coach…I think I’m free.”

After Coach settled the check and gathered the to go boxes of what was left, Teddy, breathing shallowly, got out of the booth. The button from his shorts had popped off, and when Coach saw he gave Teddy the boxes to hide it and steered him to the car.

At home, as Teddy laid naked on the bed digesting, Coach exploded all over him. He had been blue-balling since Teddy had said, “I don’t know, Coach…”

As he wiped Teddy off, all he could do was repeat again and again, “Good, good boy…"

#gainer stories #gainerfiction #male weight gain

63 notes · View notes

fiendish-insanity-in-the-written · 2 years

Text

Closed Starter

@blaze13full

Some are not born wicked...but the garden they are blooming in...force them to develop thorns and fill their petals with poison to break through weeds and ivy trying to stifle them.

Clare was never the one liking the ‘lack of air’...when she had the skill to clear everything that was trying to smother her from her path. Bitter woman was clever enough to mold this talent into a specialty many now feared and offered spoils collected through blood and darkness, just to make sure her gun is not pointed towards them.

More blood, more prosperity...and more intimidating reputation.

However, no matter how good she was in what she did, these hallways always echoed with murmur of despise and doubt. Golden east palace, one of the most prestige and ravishing building in the heart of New York, was also the headquarters of Volkov family, one of the most influential mafia organizations in the area. They’ve put down their roots in almost every part of illegal business they could. Drugs, cartels, prostitution,organ market, human trafficking...everything was stained with their presence. Even some high ranked politicians feared that name, trying to make a proposal for a deal that would satisfy both parties, but Volkovs refused to be entangled with politics, purely because they did not want to answer to anyone, so, killing the obstacles off was the most ‘reasonable’ way to deal with the disturbances in their business.

Just like today.

Clare stopped in her tracks when she reached the golden doors of Nikolai Volkov’s office, being ‘greeted’ with a tall man, having at least 150 kg around his bone structure, and an unwelcoming look residing in his pale irises. Emerald eyes of the woman stared at him with no fear, ordering him to let her pass with her mere glare.

“Move.”

Her tone sharp and low, almost like a deadly breeze announcing your final moments of life. Eyebrows of the man knotted, lips in a thin like and stand obviously radiating with resentment.

She was never one of them...no matter how her actions only benefited the family, no matter how valuable of an asset she was, no matter the amount of loyalty her deeds ensured....she was just a chess figurine that one day will fall as everything else does on this playing board of fate. That was the belief of everyone, except...

“уйти от двери.“ ( Move from the door.)

Clare was a quick learner, always feeling more comfortable when her brain is as sharp as a knife and was able to translate any situation and language, making sure nothing goes behind her back. So, Russian language that was heavily used among these walls was a necessity.

She knew what he meant, once again calmly allowing him to call her by the nickname he himself had baptized her with, it was always the similar question when she had returned from a mission. Job. ‘Trip’. Obligation....whatever they called it.

Hydra. The mythological Greek creature with three heads that devoured everything on its path, and was impossible to kill, because every time some wanna be hero chopped one of its heads off, two new ones emerged from the damaged body part. Nikolai Volkov found his perfect comparison for his valuable asset, seeing Clare’s tattoos of snakes, ink hugging and climbing around her thigh, and the bloodthirsty nature of the young woman. Eyes filled with rage and craving to become the death itself. Clare...accepted the nickname, and it spread like a disease among the private circles of hitmen and mafia organizations.

“Minister Donthell will not be sending any more proposals, sir.”

“твоя собака как вернулась.” (Your dog has returned.)

“You sure you did not leave any...pair of eyes behind? Hmm? Bloodstains...?”

“ENOUGH! You shall keep your mouth shut in my presence boy.”

“There is a problematic I want you to deal with next Hydra.”

“Perfectly.”

Voice strapped from any kind of emotions filled the air, before she turned, leaving the office.

6 notes · View notes