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crazyexdirkfriend · 11 months

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Hiiii

I was wondering if you had any advice on writing fics? I find myself struggling with structure/timeline(?) the most

Hi! Thanks for asking! Hmm I'm not sure what tips I have for you exactly, but I'll try and explain my process.

I have two approaches myself when I write fic:

I plan meticulously. I know exactly every scene and every chapter that will be in the fic. I do an outline, I explain it, and then I write it-- sometimes in order, generally depending on what bit I want to write when to keep myself motivated. Examples of this approach: Can Town Communication Manual, Okay Cupid!, calvariæ

I come up with a concept, theme, plot premise. And then I write whatever I want, whenever I want to, and when I have a solid chunk written I start figuring out how that's all supposed to flow together and tidy it up, write the intermittent parts etc. Examples of this approach: we were something, perpetuity, eschewal

Two alternatives to those: Now and then I write a fic in one sitting, such as lunar calendar, let it linger, or vote now on your phones. And now and then something theoretically has a chapter plan or structure but I go so loosey goosey off script that it ends up not mattering at all, such as shag emotionally devastate etc. or two short hours etc.

I will admit, most of my approaches use 2. BUT. I can use 2. because I spent about 4-5 years writing only using approach 1 and can generally eyeball what something is supposed to look like. Am I always right? No. But generally I think my pacing works for what I want it for.

BUT you want advice, not me being like eh? I throw darts at a board and sometimes they stick?

Okay! So here are my guides.

One, look at a three act structure. I ganked this one from the internet.

This is how a typical movie or book or, yes, fanfiction is set up. How this works is v easy to explain for multichapters or longfics with numbers in my opinion. Take a ten chapter standard long fic.

Chapters 1-2 should introduce your characters and premise, and involve your inciting incident- ie, what idea is dropped into the narrative that is going to make the rest of this plot roll out.

Chapters 3-4 should get your ball rolling. The plot should be happening, characters should be introduced, your quest should be underway.

Chapter 5 (and maybe one before or after) is where stakes should be getting high, the action is rising, the tension is occuring. Things are starting to get into action.

Chapter 6 or 7 should have a new plot point or a twist in the tale. Something goes very wrong or very right. A battle results in a huge victory and our hero is cocky. Or they lose a football game and it's a huge blow. Some wedge comes between our favourite ship- and they're going to need to confront it. This is often where a couple hook up for the first time in romances- that can be done well, it's often cliche, but hey fanfiction in general is. Here you can also have the calm before the storm too- things can be going wrong, but they can also be going well! Too well.

Chapter 8 is your conflict climax, the culmination of what you've been building up to. This is often where your ship will realise they have a seemingly irreconcilable difference, or they'll have a dispute that leads to a breakdown. An earlier betrayal can be revealed! In non romances, your hero can realise they've been fighting for a lie, they can be taken off the football team for something, their friends can abandon them. You know this part in a movie- it's where the music builds and you start to feel sick with stress. Or at least I do.

Chapter 9 is your resolution, your falling action. If you're going to fix things, this is where you do it. This is your resolution climax-- if your protagonist is going to, hm, chase their love interest through an airport to propose or confess their undying love or apologise for all their misdeeds, this is where they do it.

Chapter 10 is your quiet end, your new beginning: your epilogue if you will. Or, since this is fanfiction, this is often where you stick the sex scene but I often find that can be tonally jarring. Up to you!

Now you may be thinking: JEEZ that's awfully rigid. Well that's for math structure nerds like me who need to get their pacing down. That is to be taken not as gospel, but as a very basic "yes this is proven to work, if needs be" structure guide. It's the structure you'll find in classic films such as Legally Blonde 2001 or Music and Lyrics 2007 (warning: music and lyrics is not a classic film). But structures ARE made to be played with and broken. But to do that you need to understand the basic structure first, and then play with it. If you don't, you'll end up with like 7 climaxes like Outbreak 1995

One shots often don't have this kind of structure. There is no conflict in perpetuity for example. There's no real resolution in shag emotionally devastate etc. That's fine! I am a big big big BIG believer that writing form is a specific skill: not every novel writer can write poetry, not every poet can write plays etc. And fanfiction allows writers to use prose in a way that doesn't work in stand-alone fiction.

Which brings us to point two: meat and candy

Ganking this from Hussie himself because it does genuinely mean something. If we take meat to be plot, form, action, and candy to mean character, relationships, dialogue, then we know that any good story has BOTH. Fanfiction can sometimes get away with being all candy (fluff fic, aus, etc) and movies often get away with being all meat (can you remember the characters in various action films?). But generally speaking? You need that balance. Without candy, I don't care about your characters enough to give a shit if one of them dies in the meat. Without meat, there are no stakes, no tension, just some characters having meaningless banter that goes nowhere.

So with structure, you need both. You need a plot that's engaging and you need enough tension, twists, stakes in that to keep readers interested. But you also need to pad that out with periods of rest for your characters to speak to each other, show us things about themselves, and show their every day lives. We'll care more when we see what's being snatched away from them.

Ideally, you interweave this. Casual conversations will drop little tidbits in that foreshadow something that will happen later in the plot. Action sequences will have little interactions that tell us something about character relationships ie. one character protecting another.

Third point, read more of what you want to write. Look, ideally we'd all broaden our horizons and watch and read loads of things from different forms and genres and we'd all be great at media literacy. But let's face it: maybe you should watch Citizen Kane, but it's probably not going to help you write your fanfiction. What WILL? Reading fanfiction.

But also. You want to write experimental prose fic? Great! Read poetry. Read experimental prose flash fiction. Watch short films at your local LGBT film festival that absolutely bewilder you. You want to write long form ship fic? Great! Read romance chick lit. Watch rom coms. How are these structured? What styles do they use? How do they show love or growing affection? Then GANK IT. I'm stealing the entire "she can't order a sandwich" bit from When Harry Met Sally as we speak.

This also works for my math friends. You love a particular long fic? Want to structure yours that well? Gank it. Copy and past a chapter and see how long it is and aim fo that word count. That fic has 3 scenes per chapter? Aim for 2-4 yourself. 6? Aim for 5-7. How many chapters does it take for the oh oh moment to occur? How many times does the main couple speak per chapter? When does their inciting incident occur? Gank. It. You can't steal a chapter structure so reference it all you want.

And all of that is to say: if you struggle with structure, you need an outline. Check the fic you want to be most like and reference how long it is, how many chapters etc. Then make a bullet point list of each chapter, then fit your plot into it. Then expand it. Expand it some more. Put every detail you need to remember into this outline. Mine are generally 1/8th of the piece's total length. Then sit on it for a week and come back to it. Make sure you're following some act template, or your approximation of it for what you're writing. Make sure each chapter has plot progression and character introspection, meat and candy.

Bonus Round!!! Some random tips

If you struggle with description (LIKE ME) write dialogue first. It's just like rping with yourself and it can help keep your character voices solid.

Try to start and end chapters on engaging notes. One liners, cliff hangers, something to keep people waiting without pissing them off. True cliffhangers (near deaths, accidents etc) are often cliche, but can be done well. But leave a reader something to chew on, something to comment on, something to hypothesise about. Or even just a line you think fucks.

Can't think of a structure? Write now, figure it out later. One shots often don't need a strict structure, like I said-- sometimes you have the luxury of writing off pure vibes if your themes and characterisation are solid.

Refer back to canon. Call back to canon in text if you have to. But it's always good to have notes for what you're trying to do thematically-- would facets of your character's character interfere with your pacing? ie. yeah okay maybe the couple sleeps together at the chapter 7 point in fanfiction a lot, but if you're writing a character who would never do that, or a character who would have done that 5 chapters ago, then consider if that takes precedence over structure or if there's a reason for this point.

Having a solid chapter plan allows for foreshadowing, even for minor things in dialogue. And this is so so so so so so so fun please don't deprive yourself of this. I am literally kicking my legs writing Okay Cupid! right now. I think there are like 7 incidents of foreshadowing in chapter one alone. I love when a plan comes together.

If you want more writing/storycraft tips and theories: Save the Cat- Blake Snyder (Scriptwriting based) The general go to book for film structure, definitely solved major holes in my script-writing Into the Woods- John Yorke (Storycraft) A classic On Writing- Stephen King (Novel) Worth a read, solved a big character quandary for my personal work

Also I follow a number of writing tumblr blogs that frequently put tips on my dash: you might find these useful too, so I recommend having a scour!

x x x x x Research semiotic theory, such as Barthes (Death of the Author, Mythologies) or Chandler (Semiotics: The Basics). Also look at intertextuality and cross-border, cross-media analysis (Such as Henry Jenkins). This is if you're feeling adventurous and want to look at thematic structure in Homestuck and apply this to your work. You can write very good fic without ever considering this, so this is an if you're interested not a you must.

Anyway that was obscenely long because I do NOT know how to structure a neat ask response, but I hope this is all of some use to you! Good luck with your fic writing, and if you've any more questions shoot them my way!

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silkendandelion · 6 months

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For my Mirage readers…

Because the last chapter is underway, I’m also working on a bonus fic that will have scenes that were cut from the final version, as well as trying to decide if this chapter will be posted in one long thing, or split into a final chapter and epilogue (if it’s split, it will still be one upload, same day).

For now, from Chapter 12, the informative pamphlet that Tashigi was reading, as a treat

~*~

Safety Protocol for A. Bananawani

¡Attencíon! This publication does not condone deliberate disturbance or provocation of dangerous megafauna. The outline below is meant to be read as precautionary research regarding wilderness exploration and may only be used in an emergency situation.

1. The Bananawani are notorious ambush predators, and can submerge their entire bodies besides their forward-facing eyes, nostrils, and their telltale ‘banana’. If you are on the shore or in shallow waters and you see a banana surging towards you—I am afraid it is too late to refer to this guide.

2. Safe sailing requires preparation! Bananawani dislike sour scents such as citrus fruits and pickles. Do not attempt to use hunting musk or excrement to deter them! Because unfortunately, everything organic smells like prey. If you have done so and have inhabited their territory for more than approximately 1 hour, refer to step 1.

3. As with all predators, you are more likely to survive an encounter if you happen upon one that has eaten recently. They are more docile on full stomachs.

4. Surprisingly, the Bananawani are selective omnivores, and while meat makes up the majority of their diet, they require supplemental vitamins from fallen fruit and vegetables. Tip—they are after the roughage. A Bananawani cannot turn away a crunchy coconut to clean their teeth and bring necessary fiber to their diet.

5. Should you ever get close enough to need to defend yourself, you may reflexively try to injure their snout like you would a shark or gar—this is incorrect! Bananawani have extremely sensitive muzzles but tough noses, and doing so will only anger them. Hitting them on the sides of their snouts or lips, as well as inside their nostrils will create the desired effect. If you have access to their teeth, disregard the sensitivity of their gums, refer to step 1.

Do not go anywhere without coconuts, and safe sailing!

- R. Faustina

#ao3 fanfic #oc fanfiction #writing #one piece #fanfiction #male reader #sir crocodile x reader #sir crocodile #sir crocodile x oc #mirage in the desert #if you read my story mirage #silkenspeaks #x reader #x oc

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sbknews · 1 year

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Awesome Ortola takes back-to-back glory in an instant classic at Jerez

The Angeluss MTA Team rider doubles down, outfoxing Alonso and Masia on a blockbuster final lap. Ivan Ortola (Angeluss MTA Team) has done it again! After taking a maiden win at the Americas GP, the Spaniard doubled down on home turf with another impressive charge to win the Gran Premio MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn de España. It went to the wire in another Moto3™ classic at Jerez, with Ortola followed home by some close company from rookie David Alonso (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar), the first Colombian to take a podium in Grand Prix racing, and veteran home hero Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing). Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took the holeshot off the line and fended off attacks from an eager-starting Ortola, but Championship leader Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Ryusei Yamanaka (Gaviota GASGAS Aspar) soon joined the fight. The front two of Holgado and Ortola began to break away at the front, however, with Öncü next up before Masia made his way past in style at Turn 11 to get on the chase. Yamanaka joined him and the two reeled in the leaders before heartbreak for the Japanese rider as he suffered a technical issue, forced to drop back. It then became a six-bike battle for victory as Xavier Artigas (CFMOTO Racing PruestelGP) joined the fray, followed by Alonso and fellow rookie Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) into the mix. By six to go, Masia decided it was his turn to lead his home Grand Prix, taking over from Holgado at the front. The second group, by now including Öncü as well as Ayumu Sasaki (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) and Tatsuki Suzuki (Leopard Racing), was on the scene, creating a nine-rider battle for Spanish Grand Prix victory. The race was on! The order continued to change from corner to corner, but it was Masia leading over the line as the last lap got underway with Alonso in 2nd, Ortola 3rd, Sasaki 4th, and Holgado 5th. But in the course of two corners, Masia dropped from the lead to 4th place as the group barrelled into the final sector. Into the stunning final Jorge Lorenzo corner, Ortola was back in front after a stunning move for the front, and he held off the shuffle behind as he gassed it to the line for a second win in two. Alonso brought home his first Grand Prix podium in only his sixth race, with Masia able to snap back at Sasaki to take the final podium spot. Still, after incredible speed but some high profile crashes so far in 2023, fourth is some precious points. Rueda rounded out the top 5 after an impressive display on home soi, with Holgado dropping down to 6th place on the final lap. Still, he retains the points lead. Suzuki takes eighth after fading slightly late on, but the Japanese rider is also still recovering from his crash last time out. Polesitter Öncü, after getting a Long Lap penalty in the last couple of laps for exceeding track limits, didn't do it in time and therefore got a 3-second penalty, classified ninth. Diogo Moreira (MT Helmets - MSI) completed the top ten after a tougher weekend for the Brazilian, just ahead of Romano Fenati (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Scott Ogden (VisionTrack Racing Team). Get ready for #GP1000 at Le Mans in two weeks!

Moto3 Top 4 - Race Result - Spanish GP 1. Ivan ORTOLÁ - SPA - Angeluss MTA Team - 33'57.5060 2. David ALONSO - COL - Autosolar GASGAS Aspar M3 - +0.034 3. Jaume MASIA - SPA - Leopard Racing - +0.215 4. Ayumu SASAKI - JPN - Liqui Moly Husqvarna - +0.422 12. Scott OGDEN - GBR - VisionTrack Racing Team - +4.722 24. Joshua WHATLEY - GBR - VisionTrack Racing Team - +35.734 Moto3 Top 4 - Championship Points after - Spanish GP 1. Daniel HOLGADO - SPA - Red Bull KTM Tech3 - 59pts 2. Diogo MOREIRA - BRA - MT Helmets - MSI - 55pts 3. Ivan ORTOLÁ - SPA - Angeluss MTA Team - 50pts 4. Jaume MASIA - SPA - Leopard Racing - 47pts 15. Scott OGDEN - GBR - VisionTrack Racing Team - 17pts 26. Joshua WHATLEY - GBR - VisionTrack Racing Team - 1pts For more Moto3 info checkout our dedicated Moto3 News page Or visit the official MotoGP website motogp.com Read the full article

#Dunlop #Jerez #Moto3 #Moto32023 #SpanishGP #Tissot

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oliverpdaniel · 1 year

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Advent of Code 2022: Days 1-5

Welcome back, party people, to Days 19-25 of the 2021 Advent of Code! Hmm, wait, no... Those are just items that have been sitting and going stale in my to-do list since last year, since I still can't figure out how to visualize rotating beacons or prioritize movements in a hallway. Grr. I've been doing lots of AoC problems in anticipation to keep my skills sharp, so hopefully I'll be approaching the 400-star club sooner rather than later™.

In seriousness, I could not be more amped to get this year's batch of puzzles underway. I am joined on my leaderboard this year not only by my roommate of yore, but a new friend, whom I've taken under my wing to help introduce them to the god-awful world of software development. I'm wishing her all the best in this year's challenge, and I can't wait for your Icarian hubris to melt like waxen wings after Day 10 or so.

These first few days proved more than trivial to solve. I have a new-and-improved workflow with VSCode, which means that I should be able to write about each solution immediately after getting that all-important gold star. Let's get right into it!

Day 1

Don't talk to me unless you're top 1000 on at least one day of AoC. I'd probably be even higher-ranked than #511 if I hadn't made a dumb slicing mistake. Looking forward to another exciting year of challenges, this time with friends!

Day 2

Well, that was absolutely embarrassing. I think this officially marks the end of my staying up to work on puzzles: as satisfying as it was getting another top-1000 finish for the first part (which should have been even faster, tbh), it took me entirely too long to finish the second part, because I kept rushing to submit rather than taking the two seconds to think things through. As I tried to solve while also preparing a pot of pasta and maintaining a phone conversation, I am somewhat reminded of this classic scene, although I really shouldn't be. Anyhow, morning solves it is from now on, even if I'm up at midnight.

UPDATE: While groggily making coffee in the morning, my roommate pointed out that, ALL THESE YEARS, I never realized that modulo worked with negative arguments as well, completing the symmetry of the circular list. ARRRRRRGH. Well, glad to know AoC has already proven educational.

Day 3

Despite telling myself that I was going to start going to bed before midnight and thus doing challenges in the morning, I did find myself awake at 12:10, though I hadn't even noticed the date change. Oh well, works for me. This challenge went much more according to plan: I quickly recognized what needed to be done, and my solution for both days worked first-try. Looks like sets and modular indices will be flavours of the month. (Hopefully not too many cellular automata or convolutions...)

Day 4

I was just barely awake at midnight, but I opened the puzzle and decided to go to bed anyway, which I think was very brave of me. The solution to part 1, which I more or less dreamed up, worked as expected: Python's chained comparator operations (a <= c <= d <= a) really are quite delightful. However, I had a little more trouble than expected figuring for any sort of overlap, so rather than have another day 2 situation, I took advantage of the megabytes of memory God gave me by porting both ranges to sets and checking for nonempty intersections. Once I had the right answer, I decided to amend my solution to include the "correct" way of doing it: there are planar intersection problems every year.

Day 5

Stacks! Honestly, the toughest conceptual part of this puzzle was parsing all the input. I wrote a bash command to create all the template files I need for the day -- test input, puzzle input, and solution script -- the latter of which includes a line to read in one of those files, break it into lines, and strip off trailing whitespace. That last step proved to be problematic today, as if a particular line of input, say, didn't contain any boxes in the first few columns, then I wouldn't have any way of knowing. Luckily, all the ~~procrastination~~ practice I did with previous years' puzzles mean that my cursed cursor-fu is top-tier, and I was able to bash out a line (first-try!) that automatically broke down each line into the correct tokens. Also different from most puzzle inputs, the file was broken down into three sections -- the stacks themselves, column names, and instructions. You could argue the second section isn't inherently useful (especially since I don't program in a language with static array lengths), but I did end up employing it just to make my life a little easier.

This puzzle is also the first time in a while I've meaningfully used a del statement in Python, since I was a newbie way back when. In this case, I used it in Part 2 to quickly lop off the last n values when I remove them from one stack and extend them onto another. I considered doing something similar for Part 1 in hopes of a minor speed-boost, but everything ran in, like, a millisecond anyway, so I didn't see much point.

One more thing...

As crypto culture (finally) crashes and burns around us, a new and ugly era rears its head: idiots thinking that "prompting" (i.e., writing inputs specific enough for GPT3 or similar to produce desired outcomes) is the future of programming/art/whatever, and is just as meaningful of a skill. Yes, sweetie, it's very impressive that a gigantic AI system was able to solve your AoC puzzle in 10 seconds after having consumed terabytes worth of other people's code, and yes, you pushed the button to make it go! And now your name is permanently on top of the leaderboard, because you think that you deserve all the credit for those solutions! Your family must be so proud of their little genius.

Yes, things like the AoC leaderboard aren't important in the grand scheme of things, and yes, it ultimately doesn't matter if it gets polluted with GPT solvers, because the rest of us still had fun and learned things working on the puzzles ourselves. But, if you truly believe that the ends justify the means (i.e., second-hand plagiarism on a supermassive scale), and the rest of us should just have to deal with the fact that you don't understand the concept of fair competition and should -- I don't know -- have to start a separate leaderboard with a human-verification system... you're not the future, you're the obstacle the rest of us have to get around to continue being a humanocentric society. I have no doubt that conversational AI systems like GPT are going to be here to stay, and the rest of the tech world is going to have to enter crunchtime to more effectively protect things like people's art from getting hoovered up by completely unattended systems. But hey, as long as you make a buck, I'm the idiot for not doing it first, right?

Anyway, all this to say, if you think it's cool that GPT-3 can solve programming puzzles just by reading a prompt, fantastic. I think it's awesome, and the possibilities are very exciting! Just wait fifteen goddamn minutes before submitting your solution. It's not cute, and as much as there aren't any rules to AoC, it's very clearly being done for the purpose of getting your username at the top of the leaderboard, not for 'raising awareness' or showcasing the power of AI everyone already knows is ridiculously powerful. It's for you and your ego.

Rant over; let's save Christmas.

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lacrimaomnis · 3 years

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BRF Reading, 5/10/2021

The cards were drawn yesterday (4/10) my time, around 11pm.

This will be the last question I ask about this Politico debacle and after that, I won't be asking any questions about this alleged Operation London Bridge leak again as the news seems to have died barring any official inquiry. This reading is under the cut as I pulled more cards than usual.

As written, this is merely a speculation and therefore must be taken with a grain of salt. This speculation is not true until proven otherwise.

My question is, what kind of documents regarding the leak did Politico have on its hands?

Cards drawn: Ace of Swords, Queen of Wands, Queen of Pentacles, The Tower, Ten of Swords

Underlying energy: Five of Wands, Eight of Wands, The Hierophant

Remarks/Comments: The dominating suit of this spread is the Wands (four out of eight cards) and Swords (two out of eight cards). Wands are the suit of creativity and passion; it is volatile and highly temperamental due to its association with the fire signs. Swords, on the other hand, is the suit of rational thoughts, the cold and clear power of the mind, associated with the air signs, so it is very interesting to see two opposing suits appear in one spread.

Summary: Politico has on their hands the documents that were given as a way to exact revenge and to chase prosperity. There are tensions surrounding these documents, and there is a need for us to look deeper beyond the surface, as it might not be what it seems to be. There will be a major change as things unfold, and these documents may be the reason for someone's downfall or trigger an end of something.

First card: Ace of Swords. Aces tend to be about new beginnings, but Ace of Swords tend to be not about that. This card speaks about clarity of vision, deceit, and self-illusion; emphasising the need to approach things with a clear mind and focused intent. This card speaks about the need to look for hard evidence and data, the need to put your emotions to one side and let the facts do the talking, and the need to look at things critically because not everything is as they seem. This card seems to suggest to me that yes, while Politico did have the documents on Operation London Bridge, there is also something else; the need to look deeper than the surface is there.

Second card: Queen of Wands. She is a strong figure associated with an Aries person. She is charismatic, mysterious, energetic, and warm; a charismatic queen with independence and confidence that is infectious and heart-warming. She is highly busy, a powerful ally, and a strong leader. However, she can be tyrannical and deceptive, manipulative and domineering, vengeful and resentful. She seems to tell me that the documents Politico acquired were given as a means to exact revenge by someone spiteful and resentful towards the BRF, that the documents were weaponised to hurt the BRF.

This falls in line with my first spread saying that the purpose of the leak was to inflict heartbreak and pain upon the BRF. Here the Queen of Wands tells me of someone vengeful that wants to inflict pain in the worst way possible -- Queen of Wands is a very strong character and what she wants, she gets.

Third card: Queen of Pentacles. She is the most motherly of all Queens, embodying the ultimate motherly archetype. She is nurturing, fertile, wealthy, successful, she embodies happiness, prosperity, and fertility. She is practical, motherly, and secure. As a court card, she stands for a Capricorn person.

Each Queen in my deck is depicted with an animal companion. The Queen of Wands is depicted to be accompanied by a black cat, while the Queen of Pentacles is depicted to be accompanied by a rabbit. Outside of a home situation where they cohabit and are raised together, cats are rabbits' natural predators. Coming after the Queen of Wands, she tells me like the black cat that appears to chase after the rabbit the Queen of Pentacle holds in her arms, the attitude taken and represented by the Queen of Wands was a way to chase after prosperity, as the rabbit symbolises prosperity.

Fourth card: The Tower. One of the two major arcana cards in this reading, The Tower heralds a change that cannot be denied or delayed, an upheaval that turns your world upside down, and a revelation that may shake you to your core. It speaks about liberation, catastrophe, drama, and pride. In my deck, this card is illustrated as a tall tower being struck by lightning as people leap or fall off the tower. This card is ruled by Mars and in my deck is associated with the sign Aries.

The lightning symbolises a sudden flash of truth, a revelation that changes the way we think and how we see the world. This card seems to suggest that the kind of documents regarding Operation London Bridge Politico have will create upheaval that will disrupt many lives -- in what form, I do not know -- but since this is a major arcana card, it is expected that we can see this upheaval publicly.

Fifth card: Ten of Swords. This is a card of ending, of betrayal, hurt, loss, economic hardship, pain, and disappointment. This card heralds an ending: of the cycle, an end of relationship or business or partnership, or even the end of a way of being. This card is depicted as a lone deer stabbed with swords, emphasising the need to go through the difficulties alone because sometimes we do need to go through our darkest times alone.

Coming after The Tower, this card seems to suggest that whatever the upheaval turns to be, it will result in exposing a betrayal and an end to something. If any inquiry is launched into investigating the documents, it will perhaps result in an end for the source and perhaps for Politico as a whole. As this card belongs to the suit of Swords, this seems to tell that the end will not be pleasant -- it will be harsh, painful, and unexpected.

Underlying energy 1: Five of Wands. This is the card of tension, conflict, and bickering. Sometimes this is the card where there is a fight for the sake of fighting, with no clear reason or cause. This card also speaks about people who cause unnecessary tension or even sabotage you, and the way to resolve the conflict is to look at things clinically and logically. This card is illustrated as two dogs fighting each other with a bird hovering over them, as the dogs wanted to eat the bird. This card seems to tell me that there is tension surrounding these documents, something similar to a do they don't they situation.

Just like how the bird can easily fly away, leaving the dogs fighting for something that is no longer there and they will realise sooner or later that the bird they want to eat is no longer there, this card also seems to tell me that while everything seems to make no sense and jumbled and there are theories abound, give it time to settle. There are certainly works being done behind the scene, and when it is time, we will know.

Underlying energy 2: Eight of Wands. This is a card of movement, speed, travel, haste, and progress. This is a very speedy card, indicating an urgency to move. This card appears when the time is right to take action, or when we have moved too quickly that there is a need to delay the action and think about our action thoroughly.

Coming after the Five of Wands, this card comes across in two ways. First, it is an advice to us all to tone down all the speculations and theorising about the supposed leak until further notice. Second, this card seems to suggest that things are moving quickly -- for example, if the palace is investigating this leak, then they have their investigations well underway.

Underlying energy 3: The Hierophant. The second of two major arcana cards in this reading, this is the card of institution, learning, organisations, community, conventionality, and traditions. Ruled by Taurus, this card represents the need to conform to the rules and fixed ideas. This card represents both the Queen, a Taurus, and the BRF as a whole. This leak is seen as a breach of rules and trust, particularly to the Queen, and the BRF wants this to be resolved as soon as possible, indicated by the Eight of Wands. This card also affirms that the documents Politico have on their hands indeed are about the Queen and are related to Operation London Bridge.

Bracketing cards (the first and the last card of the spread): My spread starts with Ace of Swords and ends with Ten of Swords. In tarot numerology, Ace is considered number one and Ten, well, 10. 1 and 10 are considered the strongest numbers available on pip cards, as they herald a beginning and an end. This seems to further elaborate on the energy the spread is giving me: the documents will result in an end for someone or something. The initial drive was there, it was strong, but in the end, it fizzles out and ends things for someone or some people. There is a sense of impending things, an end that cannot be delayed or denied because it will happen anyway.

Conclusion: Although subtly and not stated outright, my cards think the documents Politico has may have some new details that will perhaps result in an official inquiry because I see the same message over and over again in all of my three spreads. Unless I grossly misinterpreted the message my cards give, I think we will hear news about an official inquiry being launched into this leak case. Then again, as the Eight of Wands strongly advises in this spread: we may need to delay theorising and throwing suspicions here and there before there are official announcements from the Palace or a press release for this case, like the unnamed source quoted by DM mentioned if it turns out that an official inquiry will be opened.

#reading: brf #g reads

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im-no-jedi · 2 years

Text

My Life With The Bad Batch

aka a journey into my self insert nonsense✨

notes: I created a few new planets for this story. I’m also not 100% versed in SW terminology, so forgive me if some things are labeled incorrectly! each chapter will be rated accordingly, as opposed to the overall fic. lastly, there will be romance at some point in the story (maybe even in this chapter potentially???👀). hope you enjoy! 💙

Chapter 4, 5400+ words, rated G (for EXTREME pining and cheesiness 😋)

previous chapters: Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

next chapter

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The streets of Volruna were considerably active with people of all sizes and species. Stalls selling various items lined both sides of the streets, their vendors loudly attempting to get the denizens to visit them. Colorful streamers and banners decorated every building from top to bottom. It was obvious the city’s festivities were well underway. Despite all the noise however, the only thing Hannah could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat drumming in her ears. Between being in a highly stimulating new environment and knowing she’d be spending the rest of the day alone with the man she’d quickly become attracted to was almost too much for her to bear. Regardless, she told herself to try and keep it together so as not to cause a scene or potentially ruin the experience. She kept replaying Omega’s words in her head, reminding herself that she should enjoy this time and try to have some fun, for both Hunter’s sake and her own.

If only she were better with words. Or speaking in general. Nothing was coming out of her mouth yet, but she already knew she would inevitably say something stupid.

Eventually though, the silence between them was broken by Hunter. “Hey.”

Hannah nearly jumped out of her skin at being addressed. “Y-Yeah?”

“Stick close, ok? This place is pretty busy. Don’t wanna get separated.”

Hannah’s only response was a nod. She inched closer to Hunter as they walked, not wanting to get too close for fear of bumping into him. She’d done that enough for one lifetime already.

Navigating the busy streets was proving to be more difficult than Hannah thought though. There seemed to be more people on this single street than the entirety of her old home town on Astreon. Several times, she had to weave her way through the crowds, barely touching someone else’s shoulder or arm along the way. Someone almost stepped on her foot once. It was quite overwhelming for her.

“Lemme know if you spot what we need,” Hunter said. “I’m not even sure what we’re lookin’ for.”

“Honestly?” Hannah responded, ducking out of the way of a long, colorful banner. “I’m not even sure I’ll be able to find it in all this chaos.”

“I thought you said this place was your ‘vibe’,” Hunter teased.

Hannah blinked and huffed at him. “Place? Yes. People? No thank you.”

“Not much of a party person, huh?” Hunter sideways stepped between Hannah and another person who nearly bumped into him.

“Not really.” Some kids nearly ran into Hannah, causing her to briefly stop in her tracks. “It’s nice when they’re more controlled, but this...” Confetti suddenly came flying out of an overhead window, coating both of them in colorful squares of paper. “This is out of control.”

“Agreed.” Hunter took a moment to shake the confetti off his shoulders and hair. “Although, is it really a party if it’s controlled?”

Hannah’s lip quirked, and she snickered, playfully throwing some of the confetti on her shoulders onto Hunter. “Didn’t take you for a party expert, Mister Vigilance.”

“I’m not.” A piece of Hannah’s confetti landed on Hunter’s nose, which he promptly huffed away. Giggles erupted from Hannah. Hunter just sighed in response.

The two continued winding their way down the street, avoiding as much of the chaos as they could. Ironically enough, Hannah was feeling a bit more at ease now, having seen that Hunter was just as uncomfortable there as she was. It was nice knowing they had something they could relate to. He was continuing to surprise her, much to her delight.

“Do ya think you could describe what the cable looks like?” Hunter asked. “I might be able to track it down then.”

“Track it down?” Hannah scratched her head in confusion. She had learned from Omega that each of the boys, minus Echo, had enhanced abilities of some sort. Wrecker had super strength, Tech was super smart, and Hunter had super... hunting skills. “We’re... not looking for an animal, Hunter.” Ah, there it was, the inevitable stupid comment.

“I... know?” Hunter cocked an eyebrow at her. “I don’t just track animals, you know. I can sense all kinds of things.”

“Oh yeah?” Hannah leaned in closer to Hunter and squinted. “Can you sense what I’m thinking right now?”

An even more confused look spread on Hunter’s face. “What... no... that’s not...” He sighed and shook his head.

“Dude, relax, I’m just messing with you,” Hannah said with a snicker. Her attempt at a joke had failed once again, but that wasn’t gonna stop her from continuing to try. “Or am I?” She waggled her eyebrows for emphasis.

Hunter wasn’t even sure how to respond for a moment. He didn’t doubt that she was messing with him, nor did he truly believe she was just being flippant about their situation. Her behavior was reminiscent of Wrecker’s playfulness and Omega’s innocence, coupled with Echo’s sass and Tech’s bluntness. It was no wonder she fit in with the group so well. Something about her was different though. The way she interacted with Hunter specifically... he found it... cute? Endearing? Enjoyable? He wasn’t even sure how to put it into words. It was different though. Different in a good way.

Shaking off his thoughts, Hunter cleared his throat and looked away from Hannah, hiding the slight blush that had crept onto his cheeks. “My senses are extremely heightened. I can sense things that most people can’t even see.” He turned back to Hannah again. “Not including thoughts...”

“Well, like what then?” Hannah asked, genuinely curious.

Hunter gestured ahead of them. “Like how there’s a fruit cart three stalls down on the next street over.”

Hannah rapid blinked in shock. Sure enough, as they passed the intersection, a cart filled to the brim with fruit was stationed on one of the other streets, with three other stalls between them and the cart. Hannah had to do a double take. She turned to Hunter with her jaw practically on the floor. “What?! How?! That’s insane!”

“There’s also some kids probably about to run out of that building over there,” Hunter said, pointing towards one of the buildings ahead of them. “Their mom doesn’t sound too happy with them either.”

A few seconds later, the door of the building Hunter pointed out swung open, and four kids came pouring out of it, with a woman behind them shouting things in an exacerbated tone. Hannah’s jaw was once again on the floor. “Dude! How??”

“I told you, it’s my heightened senses.” A ball suddenly came whizzing past Hannah’s head, which Hunter caught without even looking at it. He tossed the ball back towards the kids who had thrown it, shouting, “Better work on that aim, guys!”

Hannah was literally rubbing her head to try and comprehend what she’d just witnessed. “You— I— I'm just—” She exhaled loudly and shook her head. “Literally how are you not going insane 24/7? I... there’s no way I could handle all that stimulation. I can barely handle all of this with my normal senses!”

Hunter shrugged. “I’m used to it, I guess. I’ve always been like this, so I don’t know what ‘normal’ is like.” He felt Hannah place a hand on his shoulder sympathetically.

“I am so sorry... I will never take your silence for granted again. If anything, I’ll try to be more quiet from now on, for your sake.”

A smirk spread across Hunter’s face, and he chuckled. “Normally, I’d appreciate that, but... well, some sounds are more pleasant than others, let’s just say that.”

Once again, Hannah rapid blinked out of shock. Was she going crazy, or did Hunter just straight up admit he liked hearing her voice? For the millionth time that day, Hannah’s cheeks began to turn red, and she playfully smacked Hunter’s shoulder, a habit she did whenever she was embarrassed.

From that point forward, the air between the two was much more lighthearted and playful, much to Hannah’s delight. Hunter maintained his position as the one keeping them on track, but wasn’t averse to conversation or even stopping to look at a few of the stalls. He knew what Echo would say if he were there. “You’ve gone soft, Hunter.” And yes, perhaps he had. Perhaps he had learned from his experiences with Omega, his curious little sister who loved experiencing new things. Perhaps it was the environment with all of the happy, partying people without a care in the world. Or perhaps it was simply related to that funny feeling he got deep within his chest whenever Hannah laughed or gave him a warm smile.

If all of that had caused him to have “gone soft”, then by golly, he was going to be soft. It was worth it.

“Ooh!” Hannah suddenly hopped over to a stall serving various fried foods. She was eying one of the treats eagerly. “Oh, I’ve always wanted to try these... nobody ever made them on Astreon though.”

Hunter looked over the treats Hannah was eying. They seemed to be some sort of fried dough shaped like a rod and coated in sugar and spices. He imagined Wrecker going crazy for something like that and shook his head. But if Hannah really wanted some... “We’ll take two,” he said to the person running the stall.

Hannah audibly gasped. “Oh Hunter, you don’t--”

Hunter threw up a hand to stop her. “Not a problem. Besides,” he handed some money over in exchange for the two treats. “I’ve... never tried these either.”

Hannah’s face was beaming. As Hunter handed her one of the treats, she said, “Well then, I guess we’ll have to try them together.”

Without even intentionally trying, both of them took a bite at the same time. Several audible delighted noises erupted from Hannah, while Hunter enjoyed his in blissful silence.

“Oh man, these are so good,” Hannah said, covering her mouth so no food would fly out.

“Yup, these were definitely worth getting,” Hunter added, taking another bite.

“Oh my gosh, you know what these would go great with?” Hannah asked after taking a few more bites. “Caf.”

Hunter chuckled. “I was actually thinkin’ the same thing.”

The two looked at each other, relishing in their shared thought. For the first time, Hannah was seeing the fond smile Hunter had been giving her all day without her noticing. His already warm, brown eyes were looking back at her even warmer now. Hannah’s heart swelled beyond comprehension. Now she knew her feelings for him were genuine.

A giggle suddenly erupted out of Hannah, causing Hunter to quirk an eyebrow at her. “What’s so funny?” he asked.

Hannah simply responded by gesturing to the side of her mouth. In his confused state, Hunter copied her and discovered that the side of his mouth was covered in sugar. He groaned as he wiped the sugar off and shook his head at Hannah, who was still giggling at him.

“Hey,” Hannah said, after she’d gotten all her giggles out. “Thank you.”

“Like I said,” Hunter replied. “It’s no problem.”

“I’m not just talking about the treats.” Hannah kept her gaze to the ground as she spoke. “It’s... it’s everything. You guys have done so much for me, even though we barely know each other... I can’t even fully express how much that means to me. And you...” She swallowed the lump in her throat and clutched the half-eaten treat to her chest. “You saved my life yesterday.” She was silent for a moment, then looked at Hunter with a grateful expression. “I don’t know what else to say... just... thank you.”

Hunter’s fond smile returned. “You’re welcome. Also...” He thought for a moment before continuing. “I hope you don’t think you’re a burden to us.”

Hannah chuckled sarcastically. “Oh, who, me? Miss helpless and homeless? Not at all!” Hunter gave her a more serious look, and she sighed. “I know you guys keep saying I’m ‘not a problem’, but... I don’t know, I guess I just don’t see it.”

“Can I be honest with you?”

Hannah blinked, shocked that he would even ask such a thing. She nodded, saying, “Of course.”

“I didn’t go with you today just for the cable. I wanted to spend some time gettin' to know you.”

Almost immediately, Hannah felt her face go into a full blush again. “W-what?”

“Don’t take it the wrong way,” Hunter reassured her. “It was because of... well, ‘mistrust’ isn’t the right word. It’s the same reason I’ve been keepin’ an eye on you. I wanted to see what kind of person you were. If you really were as ‘helpless’ as you claim.” He took a moment to gauge her reaction. She seemed to be too flabbergasted to speak yet. “Jury’s still out on that, but you’ve definitely surprised me, I’ll say that.”

Hannah’s head was spinning with emotions as she tried to process everything Hunter just said. She shook herself out of it though, not wanting to look like a complete weirdo. So instead, she decided to be weird on purpose. “So... I guess you could say... you’ve been ‘sensing’ me?”

Hunter’s face contorted into a grimace. Then suddenly, a loud snorting noise erupted from him, and he threw his head back, laughing hardily.

She had done it. Hannah had gotten him to laugh. She felt like her heart was going to burst out of pure joy.

“That,” Hunter started, shaking his head. “That was horrible.”

“Oh trust me, I could do much worse,” Hannah replied, with a laugh of her own.

As they continued to walk together, still munching on their fried dough treats, they came across a crowd of people gathered around some sort of stage. Hunter thought they should avoid the crowd, seeing as they obviously wouldn’t be able to find what they were looking for there. But Hannah was too curious and wanted to see what was going on. She began to walk off towards the crowd, but realized that Hunter wasn’t following her. So, thinking about what Omega might do in that situation, she grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him over with her, much to his displeasure.

Getting closer to the stage, they realized the whole thing had been set up with some sort of game or competition. Rows of long dead droids were affixed to bars that would randomly pop-up as whoever was playing the game would try to shoot them down. Two people, a male Togruta and a female Nautolan, seemed to be running the whole thing, with the Togruta mostly being the one addressing the crowd.

“Oh, tough luck!” The Togruta exclaimed. “A nice effort by our contestant here. Everyone give him a round of applause!” Some people in the crowd began to clap as a very disgruntled Gotal walked off the stage. “Don’t take it too hard, friend; there’s always another chance to try again tomorrow!”

A few people in the crowd began whispering to each other, which Hunter was able to pick up on without issue. “Not worth the chance,” one of them said. “I haven’t seen anybody win this thing all day.” Another scoffed, adding, “This thing’s definitely rigged. Nobody can get more than two shots in, ever!”

The Togruta addressed the crowd again, as the Nautolan began setting up the droids in the background. “Will no one else attempt to rid this festival of these dastardly droids? Only three shots needed to win a prize!” He gestured over to a nearby stall, filled to the brim with what appeared to be plush Loth Cats of various colors. Hannah’s eyes immediately began to sparkle, and Hunter knew it was all over.

“Dude!” Hannah exclaimed, nudging Hunter’s arm. “You could totally win something like this.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Hunter replied, remembering what he had just overheard.

“Oh come on! Too humble to flex a bit?” She made finger guns and “pew pew!” noises, which only made Hunter groan and roll his eyes.

The Togruta huffed in obviously playful aggravation. “Come now, people! Doesn’t anyone want to be our hero and save the day for us?”

That was all Hannah needed to hear. She looked at Hunter and without hesitation, grabbed his arm and swung it upwards, holding it up excitedly. His arm was only up for a moment before he wrestled it out of Hannah’s grasp, but it was too late. “Aha! You, sir! The man with the impressive face tattoo!” The Togruta gestured towards Hunter, now drawing the attention of the entire crowd onto him. Hunter wished he had the ability to shrink or go invisible.

“Come along, don’t be shy!” The Togruta began beckoning Hunter to come to him. Suddenly, Hunter felt himself pushed forward by several people, Hannah included. He began questioning his life choices as he stepped up onto the stage, trying to not look at the crowd.

The Nautolan approached him, asking, “What’s your name, handsome?” Hunter didn’t answer, he just kept his arms crossed and scowled. “Ooo, he’s a grumpy one, Dejo,” she said to the Togruta.

The Togruta, now identified as Dejo, responded with a laugh, saying, “No worries, Niba; he’s probably just nervous, is all.”

“Not really,” Hunter bluntly responded.

“Oho!” Dejo chortled. “Feisty! I’m sure this will be fun to watch then.” He turned to the crowd again, throwing his hands out dramatically. “Let’s cheer on our contestant, everybody!” Several people in the crowd began to cheer, including Hannah, who had worked her way closer to the stage. Hunter still hated the attention, but decided to focus on Hannah. She was eagerly giving him two thumbs up and grinning. It was silly, but he was doing this for her sake now.

Niba, the Nautolan, handed Hunter the blaster he would use for the game. It reminded him of the training blasters he and his brothers had used on Kamino. He felt Dejo put a hand on his shoulder and direct him towards where the droids would pop up. “Remember, you need to shoot down at least three droids to win a prize! Good luck!” Dejo leaned in closer to Hunter’s ear, saying in a volume only Hunter could hear, “You’re gonna need it...” before snickering and stepping away smugly. Now Hunter knew this was a scam. There was nothing he could do about it now though. Nothing except win.

Niba shushed the crowd as Dejo prepared to start the game. Everything went silent. Hunter centered himself and focused. He could feel the mechanics of whatever device controlled the droids humming and vibrating beneath his feet. Using his heightened senses, he predicted which droid was going to pop up first and aimed his blaster accordingly. And then...

PEW!

Several people in the crowd gasped. Hunter’s shot had missed completely. It wasn’t even close.

“What?” Hunter exclaimed. “How?”

“Ooo, tough luck!” Dejo taunted. “Keep trying, hot shot!”

The Togruta’s words angered Hunter, but he didn’t let that distract him. He knew he could’ve made that shot. He should’ve made that shot. Another droid was about to pop up, and Hunter aimed accordingly. But again, his shot was way off the mark. He growled aggravatedly and turned towards Dejo. “Hold on a second.”

“Is there a problem?” Dejo asked, pausing the game. He looked at Hunter with obviously fake obliviousness.

Hunter wanted desperately to reem this guy out in front of all these people. But then he glanced at Hannah. A genuine look of concern was on her face. The last thing he wanted was to potentially get her in trouble. Again. Plus... he had already figured out what the scam was and how he could work around it. “Can I... start over?” he asked Dejo.

Dejo looked at him in genuine confusion. “I’m not sure why, but...”

Niba butted in, saying, “Oh, just give him another chance, Dejo! You’re making him look bad in front of his lady friend.” She gestured to Hannah with a smirk.

Dejo sighed and put on a fake smile to address the crowd. “What do you say, folks? Should we give him another chance?”

Several cheers were heard, with Hannah easily being the loudest.

“Well, there you go.” Dejo reset the game begrudgingly. “Have at it, grumpy pants.”

Hunter didn’t even respond. He knew what was about to happen would speak for itself.

Niba shushed the crowd again. Hunter took his position as Dejo got ready to start the game up again. Once again, Hunter could feel the vibrations of the mechanism under the stage. Only this time, he knew what to expect. Whatever movement he felt was somehow complete opposite of where the droids would actually pop up. So, with that in mind...

PEW!

The crowd gasped again. But this time, it was followed by cheers. Hunter had shot the first droid square in the face. Another droid popped up and was subsequently blasted in the face. Then another, and another, and another. Fifteen droids in total popped up before the game ended. And Hunter shot every single one of them without missing.

The crowd erupted into cheers and hollering as Hunter smugly turned back towards a dumbfounded Dejo. Niba ran up to him, practically swooning. “Oh wow, you’re so amazing, Mr Grumpy Pants! Where did you learn to shoot like that?”

Hunter twirled the blaster around in his hand a bit and handed it back to the still dumbfounded Dejo before turning to Niba. “Tipoca City.” He could feel Dejo staring him down, but paid him no mind as he walked away.

As Hunter stepped off the stage, he was immediately met by Hannah, who grabbed him by the arms and started shaking him excitedly. “That was the coolest thing ever, oh my gosh! You’re the coolest thing ever! I knew you could do it! I told you!”

Hunter chuckled as he was shaken around. “Guess I’m never doubting you again.”

They both heard someone clear their throat and looked to see Niba standing behind Hunter. “Aren’t you forgetting something, hot shot?” She was holding out one of the Loth Cat plushies towards him. Hannah gasped happily and whispered something into Hunter’s ear, causing him to smirk.

“Uhh, actually, can we have one of the blue ones instead?” he asked Niba.

The Nautolan giggled and replied, “Oh sure, anything for you, handsome.” She hopped back to the stall containing the plush toys and came back with a blue colored one, along with the one she’d originally brought. “You know what, take both of them, you deserve it.” She gave Hunter a wink and handed the toys over. Hannah happily took both of the plushies, thanking Niba profusely.

Before they could leave, Niba caught Hannah by the arm and whispered, “Don’t let that one get away from ya, he’s a real keeper,” before sending Hannah off with a wink. Hannah just chuckled awkwardly and waved goodbye, snuggling her new Loth Cat plushies as her and Hunter walked away. They could both hear Dejo exclaiming to the crowd about how “the show was over” and how they were “shutting down for the day”. Hunter said nothing about it, but he was secretly proud of himself.

“I wonder what I should name him?” Hannah said as she looked over the blue Loth Cat plush.

“What about the other one?” Hunter asked, gesturing to the second plush, who had more white fur than the other.

“Oh, I’m not keeping this one,” Hannah replied. “He’s for Omega.”

Hunter smiled, imagining how excited Omega would be once she saw the toy. “I’m sure she’ll love it.” He watched as Hannah opened her already stuffed bag and without issue was able to fit both of the plushies inside. “How the heck do ya still have room in that thing?”

“Like Omega said,” Hannah smugly replied with a chuckle. “It’s a magic bag.”

Hunter returned the chuckle. “You’re just full of surprises, huh?”

“Me? You’re one to talk!” She playfully punched Hunter in the arm. “I mean, I knew you could win that game no problem, but... it was still really cool to see.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time I was shoved into a barrage of clankers.”

Hannah laughed and scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “Yeah, sorry for forcing you into that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I wanted to do it. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t.”

“Really?” Hannah blinked in shock. “You... wanted to do it?”

Hunter cocked an eyebrow at her. “Is it that surprising?”

“I mean... you’re the one who was so against doing fun stuff today. Also, they literally kept calling you Mr Grumpy Pants.”

Hunter snickered. “I’ve been called worse. And well...” He thought for a moment on how to respond. He had a pretty good idea about why he wanted to do it, but didn’t know how to articulate it properly. “I guess I just thought it was worth doing. Because of... circumstance.” That wasn’t at all what he wanted to say, but it was too late now. He turned his face away out of embarrassment.

“You really are an enigma, my dude,” Hannah responded, squinting at him. Then she playfully nudged his arm again, saying, “Lucky for you, I like weird things.”

He wasn’t sure if she was just teasing him or not, but Hunter still took her jab as a compliment and gave Hannah a soft smile.

A few moments later, Hannah suddenly gasped and stopped Hunter in his tracks. “Oh, look!” she said, pointing ahead of them. Several eclectic storefronts stood along the street they were walking on, but the one Hannah was pointing to was particularly interesting. Various gadgets and metallic wires decorated the front of the building in a haphazard display that made it look both messy and artistic. It sort of reminded Hunter of Tech’s old workstation on Kamino, and he thought his brother would get a kick out of seeing a place like this.

“I bet you anything we’ll be able to find that cable in this place,” Hannah said, hopping up to the front of the store. Hunter was right behind her, looking around at the display of storefront oddities curiously.

“You think so?” he asked.

“Only one way to find out!” Hannah grabbed Hunter by the arm and yanked him inside. His head bunked against one of the hanging gadgets on the way in, which Hannah seemingly didn’t even notice.

The inside of the store was just as peculiar as the outside. It was hard to tell whether all of the strange gadgets and tools that littered the floor had been placed with a purpose or simply tossed aside and left there. Cables and wires of various sizes and colors were hung across the ceiling almost like drapes, with more gadgets and tools hanging off of them. It was like stepping into a metallic jungle, and Hannah was fascinated by all of it. Hunter was once again reminded of his tech savvy brother and made a mental note to bring him back here if they ever got the chance.

After wandering around for a bit, something caught Hannah’s attention. She went to go inspect it and started pulling it out of a decent sized pile of wires and cables arranged on the floor. Hunter noticed her struggling a bit and went over to go help, but was nearly whacked in the face as Hannah finally managed to pull the thing free. “Aha!!” she exclaimed triumphantly. A black cable about six feet long was in her hands.

“Is... that it?” Hunter asked, looking over the very plain looking cable.

“I think so!” Hannah replied, giving the cable a good look over. “It looks pretty much exactly the same as the other one.”

“And you’re still sure this will fix the ship?”

Hannah thought for a moment. “I mean... I think it’s worth a try. Otherwise, we did all this for nothing.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Hunter said, taking the cable out of Hannah’s hands. “We still have the Loth Cats, don’t we?” The smirk that ran across his face nearly brought Hannah to her knees, and she stood there unmoving as Hunter walked away with the cable. In that moment, she realized bringing that cable back to the ship meant they would be leaving soon. Secretly, she almost hoped the cable wouldn’t work if only so she could spend more time with Hunter and the others.

In the back of the store sat a messy counter, littered with gadgets and tools just like the rest of the store, with a single Ugnaut seated behind it. Hunter walked up to the counter with the cable, which caught the Ugnaut’s attention.

“How much for this thing?” Hunter asked, holding out the cable.

The Ugnaut stood up on his seat and took a good look at the cable for a moment before responding. “Hmm, that one’ll run you about one-fifty.”

Hunter’s eyes almost bugged out of his head. “One-fifty? For this thing??”

“Yup!” The Ugnaut replied, completely unphased by Hunter’s reaction. “Afraid that’s my last one, so the price is gonna be a bit higher unfortunately. And frankly, you’re not gonna get much of a better price anywhere else. Prices go up during festival time, that’s just how it is!”

Well at least he was being honest. Still, that was way more money than Hunter even had on him at the moment. He began trying to bargain with the Ugnaut, but the little guy stubbornly wouldn’t budge.

Hannah was close enough that she could hear all of this. It was hard hearing Hunter get so frustrated like that. As much as she still selfishly wanted to spend more time with her new friends, ultimately the right thing to do was to help them get back to where they needed to go. She rummaged through her bag for a bit, pulling out what few credits she had and walked over to the counter. “Excuse me, but will one-thirty suffice?” she said, coming up next to Hunter.

The Ugnaut pondered this for a moment as Hunter turned to Hannah, whispering, “I don’t have that much right now.”

“You do now,” Hannah replied, holding out the credits she had in her hand. Hunter looked at the credits and shook his head, saying “nah, come on, you don’t have to do that.”

“Honestly, I owe you way more than this for what you guys have done for me. It’s the least I can do.”

“Hannah...”

She wasn’t going to argue with him. Hannah turned back to the Ugnaut again. “Please, we really need this thing, sir. It’s really important.” She gave the Ugnaut the most desperate look she could muster.

The Ugnaut continued to ponder in silence for a moment. “Mmm, you know what, you caught me in a good mood today. One-thirty it is.”

Hannah thanked the Ugnaut profusely and handed over her credits, prompting Hunter to do the same. As much as he still didn’t like the idea of her giving up her own money for this, Hunter was still grateful for her help. She had been nothing but a boon to him and his family ever since bringing her on board their ship, and it saddened him to think they might have to part ways at some point. But that was a thought for another time.

“You seriously didn’t have to do that,” Hunter said as the two of them left the shop.

“Like I said,” Hannah replied. “It was the least I could do. And besides,” she chuckled slightly to herself. “I wanted to do it.”

Hunter smiled and returned the chuckle. “Well, I guess we’re on the same page then. Now uhh,” he held out the cable in his hands. “The real question is, does your magic bag have enough room for this thing?”

“I don’t think so,” Hannah responded with a laugh. “Oh, but I have an idea!” She yanked the cable out of Hunter’s hands, forced his arms up, and began wrapping the cable around his waist like a belt. “There we go! What a fashion statement!”

Hunter didn’t even want to know how ridiculous he looked. Had he really gotten to that point? Was he really about to make himself look like a fool just to amuse the woman he was beginning to care about more than even himself?

Yes. Yes, he was.

“Well, I’m sure Omega will get a kick out of this later,” Hunter dryly stated, sending Hannah into a fit of laughter.

#the bad batch #star wars the bad batch #here we gooooooooooooo #it is pining o clock and I brought the cheese to celebrate #it's all downhill from here y'all hahaha #there's a ref from one of my favorite movies in here somewhere #kudos if you can find it hehe #and yes I am one of those people who headcanons ALL of Hunter's senses at level 11 #this man has constant sensory overload and I will not hear otherwise✨#star warz #my storiez

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manggaetteokkie · 4 years

Text

Why 2HA adaptation might not be as bad as we think...

Okay so BL novel “The Husky and His White Cat Shizun” (chinese title: “二哈和他的白猫师尊”) aka 2HA is getting a live adaption which will be called “Immortality” (“皓衣行”). I know that usually, fans of original works are less than excited about this kinds of news and with good reasons. The issue is that those who buy the IP rights to a novel simply see its popularity and think that they can profit off of it without actually trying to understand the reason behind its popularity. Too often, BL fans see themselves forced to endure any of the following: 1) sex change of one of the male leads, 2) creation of a random female love interest, 3) turning a happy end into a bad end, 4) adding a bunch of scenes unrelated to our main pair that ends up dragging the series, 5) turning romance into brotherly affection... the list goes on and on. Sometimes, companies think that as long as they film any two guys together and sell a bit of physical touching here and there, fans will jump on it like rabid dogs which... is kinda stupid because, y’know, we have eyes (and standards) too.

So obviously, with the unprecedented popularity that came with the release of The Untamed, even more producers are starting to see the potential of danmei (BL) novels and with it came an onslaught of IP rights being bought and adapted. The list is pretty extensive, with some big names that I’m sure anyone who’s even slightly in the Chinese BL novel community has heard of before. Of course, included in that list, with the casting for the leads done and filming underway, is 2HA.

Quick overview of the story for those of you that don’t know: the story is set in the POV of the “gong” (top), a character named Mo Ran (also known as Mo Weiyu) who is the disciple of Chu Wanning, the “shou” (bottom) of our story. In his original life, Mo Ran had become the Emperor of the cultivation world through slaughter and tyranny, with the only one ever coming close to stopping him being his shizun, Chu Wanning, who eventually lost his life trying to stop him. After achieving the top by committing pretty much all crimes and sins known to men, weary and tired, Mo Ran decides to take his own life and ends it all. Unexpectedly, instead of dying and going to Hell, he transmigrated to the first year he became a disciple. As a thirty-something man in the body of a teen, he decides to do things right this time around and save the one he couldn’t save the first time around. As he goes through life a second time, truth after truths reveal themselves, with the biggest surprise being that the Shizun he hated so much in his previous life, and who Mo Ran thought hated/scorned him, actually turned out to be protecting him the entire time.

Mo Ran, in his past life, was powerful, cruel, merciless and arrogant. There was nothing he could not obtain and he knew it. He was cynical, had a very jaded view of the world and was kind of unstable (lots of mood swings and temper tantrums). After his rebirth, he still maintained some of the arrogance and cynicism, but is more mischievous, confident and cheeky. He is very much like a husky, looks kind of scary and big, but can be extremely loyal to the ones he recognizes and can be a bit dumb sometimes. Chu Wanning on the other hand, is an unflappable person with a frost-like exterior, but a heart of gold. Basically, he cares a lot but it’s easier for him to look like he doesn’t than to voice his feelings. He gets embarrassed easily and covers his embarrassment using anger. He is extremely strong, likes peace and quiet, and always abides by the rules.

Their relationship is kind of complicated. Initially, Mo Ran was in love with a fellow disciple called Shi Mei (despite the word meaning junior female disciple in Chinese, it’s actually the name of a male character). In the original timeline, Shi Mei died and that was the start of Mo Ran’s decline. After his rebirth, Mo Ran decides that he will do everything in his power to prevent Shi Mei from dying again. Don’t be mistaken though, Shi Mei is NOT the male lead. You’ll see as you read more that despite being in love with Shi Mei, Mo Ran is pretty obsessed with Chu Wanning because their relationship was kind of... complicated in the original timeline.

This is pretty much the premise for the story, but do be warned that it goes much deeper and darker than what you might expect (it’s rated R-18 for a reason). So why exactly am I writing all of this? To put it simply, I just kind of want to hype up the series and its adaptation a little, or at least, pique enough interest to give the live action adaptation a chance. Not gonna lie, when I heard 2HA was getting adapted, I was pretty skeptical because how. Mo Ran and Chu Wanning had a pretty physical relationship in the pre-rebirth timeline and that’s partially where the obsession that Mo Ran feels towards Chu Wanning stems from. There’s just basically a lot of unresolved sexual tension between them throughout the novel that I simply couldn’t see getting adapted. However, after thinking about it and reevaluating things from a low-expectations-standpoint, I think it might actually be possible to film something close enough to the original work. Here are some of the factors that influenced my opinion:

First, the series is set to air for 50 episodes (just like The Untamed). Why is the number of episodes important? Because it will determine how closely the adaptation will follow the original story and how much random stuff they can fit into it. Let’s take a step back and evaluate: 2HA’s novel has 311 chapters + extras while MDZS has 113 + extras. Obviously, people might have an issue with the number of episodes (”How are you going to air the same amount of episodes for a series that’s thrice as long??”) but I think it’s a good amount. Why? Because it pretty much guarantees a solid pacing that’ll keep the story moving forward without stagnating. I don’t think there is too much to worry in terms of too much source material being cut because quite a few chapters are R-18/romantic lining scenes that would not have gotten adapted anyways. Once those get deleted, I think 50 episodes is an acceptable amount.

Second, the entire production seems to be solid. The rights were actually bought by Tencent who, if you forgot, was also responsible for The Untamed. With prior success, I believe that they now have a pretty solid idea of how things should be run. Also, the CGI and world-design team is the same one as for Ashes of Love, which has me pretty stoked because while CG in chinese dramas has always been a hit or miss, Ashes of Love is definitely amongst some of the best I’ve seen (see below for examples). (P.S. there are also rumours that Lin Hai, the one responsible for The Untamed’s OST, might be working on 2HA but this is mere speculation at this point.) Overall, 2HA is looking to be like the most high-profile and expensive BL adaption yet.

Third and finally, the casting.

Holy.

Okay.

This is what has me the most hyped.

Let’s start with Shi Mei, who will be portrayed by actress Chen Yao (or Sebrina Chen).

I know I’ve said that despite the name, Shi Mei is a male. As it turns out, likely for censorship reasons, “Immortality” could not escape from the clutches of the dreaded sex change so they went ahead and turned him into a girl. While not ideal, in my opinion, it actually works out pretty nicely here. In this case, it means that Mo Ran is in love with a female character which would further draw censorship’s attention away from the fact that Mo Ran really has a thing for his beautiful shizun. While it would have been perfect if everything could go according to source material, the fact that it’s Shi Mei that went through a sex change actually works pretty favourably in the grand scheme of things. Not to mention the actress set to play Shi Mei has some good experience acting similar roles so overall, I say that I trust her.

Next, we have Chu Wanning who will be played by Luo Yunxi (or Leo Luo).

For this character, I have no worries whatsoever. If you’re unfamiliar with this actor, I highly recommend you give Ashes of Love a try. He played the 2nd lead and ugh. He’s so good at playing beautiful and elegant characters that are forced to undergo a ton of suffering and pain. Luo Yunxi used to be a professional ballet dancer so he moves with grace and his fight scenes are amazing to watch. Also, he has great control over his facial expressions. He’s able to act out characters that suffer a lot without making them seem weak or powerless. Even the way he cries can be considered both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Finally, we have Mo Ran who will be portrayed by Chen Feiyu (or Arthur Chen).

Mo Ran is an extremely complex character. From pre-rebirth’s insanity and arrogance, to post-rebirth’s hope and reservation, to post-revelation’s love and devotion, the actor’s going to have a lot on his plate. Originally, when I first googled him, I thought that while he’d manage to pull off post-rebirth teen!Mo Ran fairly well given how clean and refreshing his face looks, he’d have a harder time pulling off pre-rebirth’s arrogance, craziness and general “hardness”. However, after seeing some costume designs and makeup edits, I think that the boy might just pull it off. Also, while the actor is nowhere near as solid as Luo Yunxi is, it seems that he’s willing to put in extra time and effort (as seen by his Weibo post about how he’d been studying the source material) to make up for it. I think that with enough dedication, he might just be able to pull it off.

(Psssst! By the way, keeping this strictly between you and me, another reason why I’m such a fan of this pair is because of the height difference. I mean just look at this?? Their height difference is pretty much bang on with the novel height difference after Mo Ran grew past Chu Wanning’s height. Not to mention, don’t tell me you see this and don’t automatically picture a the big dorky puppy following his reserved and cool master around?)

So yeah, all of this just to say that it might be okay to kind of have some expectations for 2HA. I really want to keep my own expectations down as low as possible given the amount of times we’ve been burned but I want to remain hopeful that, with the success of The Untamed, it can pave the way for better and more faithful danmei adaptations, with 2HA being one of them.

#the husky and his white cat shizun #二哈和他的白猫师尊 #2ha #immortality #皓衣行 #haoyixing #luo yunxi #chen feiyu #chen yao #leo luo #arthur chen #sebrina chen #chu wanning #mo ran #mo weiyu #long post #talking with zb

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osakaso5 · 4 years

Text

IDOLiSH7 5th Anniversary Special Story: Opening Doors...

Chapter 1: A Gathering Of Idols

Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

Audience: ...Are they coming yet..?

Audience: They'll be here soon!

Audience: I'm getting butterflies..!

Audience: Ah..! The music and lighting changed!

Audience: Look! Over there..!

Audience: ...Kyaaa...

Riku Nanase: Sorry to keep you all waiting!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Iori Izumi: Good evening.

Yamato Nikaido: Good evening!

Mitsuki Izumi: We wanted to see you guys so badly!

Tamaki Yotsuba: How about you? Did you guys wanna see us?

Audience: We did!

Sogo Osaka: Haha... Thank you. We're happy to hear that.

Nagi Rokuya: Hi, girls! Let us have a most lovely night together!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Riku Nanase: Okay, here we go!

IDOLiSH7: IDOLiSH7 is here!!!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

- - - -

Tenn Kujo: I can't hear you. Yell louder!

Tenn Kujo: Let's get our hearts racing!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Audience: Tenn-kun..!

Gaku Yaotome: Are you guys ready to go wild!?

Gaku Yaotome: Let's make his one special night of many!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Audience: Gaku-san..!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Forget all about tomorrow, and dance with us..!

Audience: Ryunosuke-san..!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Let's make this night even hotter!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Audience: TRIGGER..!

Tenn Kujo: BANG!

- - - -

Re:vale: Good evening, everyone!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Momo: I'm Momo!

Yuki: And I'm Yuki.

Momo: Together, we are..!

Yuki: Re:vale.

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Momo: Man, it's been hot lately!

Yuki: Sure has.

Momo: In case this weather continues, Momorin's a pretty good way to stay hydrated. It's bubbly and delicious.

Yuki: You sure love your Momorin.

Momo: I do.

Yuki: What about me?

Momo: I love you even more!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Yuki: Hehe... I really enjoy our work as Re:vale.

Momo: Why?

Yuki: Because I'm sure the younger idols are all running around dancing right now.

Momo: That's the main job of an idol!

Yuki: But all I have to do is sit in an air conditioned studio and listen to you say you love me for the crowd to go wild.

Momo: It sure is nice! I love our fans as much as I love you, Yuki!

Audience: Kyaaaaa...

Yuki: Hehe... You said it again.

Momo: This is all thanks to you guys! We really appreciate it!

Audience: Kyaaaaa...

Momo: Keep making sure that we get to stay inside a nice and cool studio!

Yuki: Momo will keep saying he loves us, too.

Audience: Ahahahaha!

Momo: Sure. Though I wish you'd say it more too, Yuki.

Yuki: No, I'm good...

Audience: Kyaaaaa...

Yuki: Don't get them worked up so suddenly. You know I suck at ad libs like this.

Momo: Huh!? Don't be so shy! Say it like an idol would!

Yuki: Say what?

Momo: "I love you", for starters!

- - - -

Haruka Isumi: I love you guys!

Audience: Kyaaaaa...

Audience: ŹOOĻ..!

Haruka Isumi: Oh man, this is so awesome! You guys rule! Say it again!

Audience: ŹOOĻ..!

Toma Inumaru: That's right, we're here!

Toma Inumaru: Here to make a new music scene with you guys!

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!

Torao Mido: You've been waiting for us, right?

Minami Natsume: We've been waiting for all of you, as well. So...

Minami Natsume: Let us become one with you tonight.

Audience: Kyaaaaa..!!!

- - - -

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Four idol groups are dazzling the world right now!

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Re:vale, TRIGGER, ŹOOĻ, and...

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Takanashi Productions' very own IDOLiSH7!

Tsumugi's Thoughts: A secret project that will put all of these popular groups together is already underway!

Tsumugi's Thoughts: Its name is...

- - - -

Riku Nanase: We'll be the 5th anniversary guests in that popular gourmet cooking show, "Shining Rainbow Kitchen"!?

Tsumugi Takanashi: Yes! They said they'd love to have you!

Iori Izumi: That show is famous for making its guests do everything from planning the menu to getting the ingredients.

Mitsuki Izumi: It's popular as both a cooking and a variety show, so some of the recipes they use have become mainstream home cooking!

Yamato Nikaido: Wow, like which ones?

Mitsuki Izumi: The Niagara Falls bowl.

Yamato Nikaido: Aah! That one! I didn't know it came from this show! It's a standard item in lots of eateries by now.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Nia bowls are so good! I order it every time a place has it.

Nagi Rokuya: YES! The way it replicates a waterfall is truly amazing!

Iori Izumi: And it's not the only menu item from Rainbow Kitchen that's become a restaurant staple. There's the "Oly bowl", and the "skin bowl"...

Yamato Nikaido: Ah, I like the Oly bowl. In all honesty, I prefer it over the Nia bowl.

Riku Nanase: I've had a skin bowl before! It didn't have as much meat as I thought, but it was really yummy!

Sogo Osaka: I hope we'll be able to come up with a menu item that'll go down in history, too.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Like what?

Sogo Osaka: Huh? I can't come up with one on the fly.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Just gimme an example.

Sogo Osaka: ........

Sogo Osaka: Something like the "Grand Canyon bowl", maybe?

Iori Izumi: Based on the name alone, I'm guessing you want to surpass the Nia bowl.

Banri Ogami: Your theme has already been decided for you, so I'm not sure you can make a Grand Canyon bowl.

Riku Nanase: Really?

Nagi Rokuya: Manager, what shall our theme be?

Tsumugi Takanashi: The theme for your menu will be...

Tsumugi Takanashi: Idols!

IDOLiSH7: Idols...

Yamato Nikaido: ...So an idol bowl?

Mitsuki Izumi: Nah, I think "idol plate" sounds better.

Iori Izumi: An idol-themed menu item... That sounds difficult...

Banri Ogami: Don't worry! The seven of you won't be the only ones taking this challenge.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Shining Rainbow Kitchen will be celebrating its 5th anniversary with a cast of 16 popular idols, all in all!

Riku Nanase: 16! Does that mean..?

Tsumugi Takanashi: Yes!

Tsumugi Takanashi: TRIGGER, Re:vale, and ŹOOĻ will be joining you in the studio!

- - - -

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: We'll be on Shining Rainbow Kitchen with IDOLiSH7 and the others! I can't wait!

Gaku Yaotome: You're a great cook, after all. The dish you made last time is still really popular, Ryu.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Ah, you mean the Olympus bowl?

Gaku Yaotome: Yeah, that one.

Tenn Kujo: The Oly bowl is so good. It turned out great when you made it for us the other day, too.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: I used more summer appropriate ingredients for that one. So it was more of a special summer edition Oly bowl!

Gaku Yaotome: No wonder it tasted so refreshing.

Tenn Kujo: Rainbow Kitchen is celebrating its 5th anniversary, huh.

Tenn Kujo: It's nice that they've invited us to commemorate such an important day with them.

Gaku Yaotome: True. Five years... That's a pretty long time.

Gaku Yaotome: That's probably more meetings, farewells, troubles, and celebrations than we can even imagine.

Gaku Yaotome: And that's how they got to be one of Japan's top shows. Let's send those five years off with a bang.

Tenn Kujo: Right.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Yeah, of course!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: I'm exited just to be making an idol-themed dish with everyone, though.

Tenn Kujo: I'm sure we'll all bring different ideas about what it means to be an idol to the table.

Gaku Yaotome: What it means to be an idol, huh. ...Hey, Tenn, Ryu.

Tenn Kujo: What?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: What is it, Gaku?

Gaku Yaotome: What seasoning do you think I'd be?

Tenn Kujo: Seasoning... And here I thought you were going to ask something serious...

Tenn Kujo: Noodle soup base?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: No, Gaku's not that sweet. I think he's more like wasabi salt.

Tenn Kujo: Don't you think wasabi salt's too vague?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Hmm, I guess you're right. Wasabi salt isn't really wasabi or salt... It's a little hard to interpret.

Tenn Kujo: Maybe... I don't think it's that mysterious, though.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: How about ponzu sauce?

Tenn Kujo: With or without sudachi?

Gaku Yaotome: You guys are so all over the place. I thought you'd have an answer right away.

Tenn Kujo: Seasonings are tough to figure out.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: What do you think you'd be?

Gaku Yaotome: ........

Gaku Yaotome: Katsuobushi?

Tenn Kujo: Really?

Gaku Yaotome: The name's got a samurai vibe. Like bushido.

Tenn Kujo: Shouldn't you be picking based on flavor, and not what it sounds like?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: I'll put katsuobushi into your Oly bowl the next time I make some, then.

Gaku Yaotome: Sure. That'll be the special Gaku Yaotome edition.

Tenn Kujo: So, what flavor do you think would be essential to idols?

Gaku & Ryunosuke: Idol flavor...

TRIGGER: ........

TRIGGER: That's a tough one...

- - - -

Yuki: Here you go, Momo. Sorry for the wait.

Momo: Wow! It's been ages since I had a Nia bowl! Looks delish!

Yuki: The Nia bowl's become like a national treasure ever since we made it on Shining Rainbow Kitchen.

Yuki: Even though it was originally one of the many struggle meals we had when we lived together.

Momo: That's because you're such an amazing cook! And to me, it tastes like the days of our youth~! Bon appétit!

Yuki: Dig in.

Momo: Yup, tasty as ever~! The waterfall's so full of flavor!

Yuki: The the first Nia I've made in a while, so I worked harder on it than usual.

Momo: Your love is the spice of the century, Yuki~!

Yuki: Give me some fanservice, then.

Momo: Smooch! A flying kiss for you!

Yuki: Ahaha. That brings me back. I feel five years younger.

Momo: Speaking of which, Rainbow Kitchen's invited us to their 5th anniversary show!

Yuki: Oh, the show that popularized the Nia bowl. I can't believe it's been airing for 5 years already...

Yuki: They've done well to stay afloat in this restless world.

Momo: They have! And so have we!

Yuki: True.

Momo: We'll be making an idol- themed dish with other groups.

Yuki: Hmm. So we're not only making idol food, but eating it with idols as well?

Momo: Yep. Let's create another memorable flavor!

Yuki: But will it surpass the Nia bowl?

Momo: I'm sure it will! Like I just said, love is the greatest spice of them all!

Yuki: I see.

Momo: Gimme some fanservice this time!

Yuki: Smooch.

Momo: You're such a dreamboat, Yuki..!

- - - -

Haruka Isumi: An idol-themed dish?

Minami Natsume: Yes. It seems Shining Rainbow Kitchen will be celebrating its 5th anniversary soon.

Minami Natsume: They've asked us to help come up with a memorable new menu for them.

Torao Mido: But what makes a meal memorable isn't what you're eating, it's who you're eating with, right?

Toma Inumaru: Oh, well said. Remember when we went out to eat that one time, Tora?

Torao Mido: You mean that buffet that would let you deep fry just about anything.

Haruka Isumi: You guys went there!? I wish I could've gone, too!

Torao Mido: Deep frying is better when you leave it to the professionals.

Toma Inumaru: Nah, it's better when you get to fry whatever you want on your own! Don't you think so too, Mina?

Minami Natsume: I'll go with both.

Toma & Torao: Both?

Minami Natsume: I'd like to hire the two of you to fry all sorts of delicious foods for me.

Toma Inumaru: Now that's an interesting idea...

Torao Mido: We were the ones doing the eating, but now all we get to do is feed you?

Minami Natsume: Hee hee, that's why you shouldn't get too careless.

Haruka Isumi: What are you guys even talking about..? By the way, Minami, didn't you say you went on this show once?

Minami Natsume: Yes, though I was still in middle school at the time. I did well enough to win the grand prix that year.

Torao Mido: Huh. So, what did you make?

Minami Natsume: The Good Luck Snake Skin bowl.

Haruka Isumi: "The Good Luck Snake Skin bowl"..?

Minami Natsume: The "skin bowl" for short.

Toma Inumaru: I have no idea what that would even look like...

Minami Natsume: Hmm. I suppose not. It's...

Minami Natsume: Sort of crispy?

Torao Mido: Great, now I can't stop thinking about the mouthfeel of dried up snake skin...

Haruka Isumi: What did you use to make it taste like snake skin?

Minami Natsume: A food you like, Isumi-san. Perhaps it was made using snake skins.

Haruka Isumi: What food..? ...Wait, don't answer... I don't wanna know...

Minami Natsume: It's something crispy and delicious.

Haruka Isumi: Ugh... An idol-themed dish...

Haruka Isumi: Are we really gonna get through this?

- - - -

Tsumugi's Thoughts : Several days later...

Tsumugi's Thoughts : The 16 idols had a meeting to plan their menu together.

To be continued...

#idolish7 #anniversary story 2020 #translation #i7 #trigger #re:vale #zool #other translations

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wtffundiefamilies · 3 years

Text

Law student nuggestsofchicken (heh) has been summarizing Josh’s bond hearing. I’ll be pasting that here, but you’re better off finding them on reddit yourself. I’m finding their commentary really useful because I have no real idea how any of this shit works or is supposed to work. Trying to keep their emphasis as true as possible, but might miss some stuff.

Prosecution’s first witness direct: Special Agent Gerald Faulkner Special agent with homeland security investigations (HSI)

Been with them since April of 2009

Since 2010 been working federal child exploitation cases

Works with ICAC task force which is Internet Child Against Children.

Worked over 1000 child exploitation cases

Vast majority involved online pornography

In May of 2019, there was an investigation of a bittorrent program that noted activity in the upper northwest area of AR involving distribution of known CP images

Explanation of peer-to-peer file sharing networks. Known by law enforcement as commonly used to distribute CP

Bittorrent is a version of peer-to-peer sharing

On May 14 and 15, detective was able to download two files

-EDITED AND REMOVED- Faulkner describes graphically what the CSA depicts. If you're really curious some news outlets have reported on it. But our members predominately felt that it was not worth reading.

Police used ISP and the geographic location of the IP address to locate the activity and it got directed to the DHS task force to address it.

Police issued a warrant to the ISP to obtain the name and account of the user.

In October 2019, the ISP revealed the account in question was owned by Joshua James Duggar with an address in Springdale.

Apparently the mapping system was out of date, and the proper address was Wholesale Motor Cars for the account associated with the activity.

DHS obtained federal search warrant to search the car lot.

Warrant was executed on November 8, 2019 at 3:15pm.

Car lot is adjacent to Highway 12, between Springdale and Siloam Springs. At the time of the search warrant there were approximately 30 cars and and RV on the lot. Two buildings, a shed undergoing remodel and a metal building the size of a toll booth which they found out was the main office.

When officers arrived on the scene they encountered Pest and two individuals.

Police approached with a soft approach, no weapons drawn, explained that an investigation was underway with suspected contraband electronically. This was not an arrest warrant, so the three people there were free to leave.

Police did not tell them case-specific facts because it could spoil statements that could be made.

None of the vehicles, none of the uniforms worn indicated that it was a child exploitation case.

Josh produced cell phone and said he wanted to call his attorney. Police said the phone was under investigation and then seized the phone to prevent any spoliation of evidence.

Josh remained on scene during the investigations. He was not guarded by law enforcement during the search.

Police seized a desktop computer, a macbook laptop inside an RV, and Josh’s iPhone.

Government’s Exhibit 1 is the photograph of the Wholesale Motor Cars main office.

Government’s Exhibit 2 is a photograph of the desktop computer. Wallpaper has a photo of Josh, Anna, and their kids but the kids have been redacted.

After securing the scene, they asked Josh if he’d be willing to discuss the issues. He agreed to speak with them.

Conversation happened inside a government vehicle. Duggar was passenger side, other officer was in the rear seat, Faulkner was in driver’s seat.

Other officer received verbal consent from Duggar to record the interview.

Duggar spontaneously asked, “What is this about? Has anyone been downloading child pornography?”

At that point, no one had told Duggar that child pornography was an issue in this case.

Officers Mirandized Duggar his rights.

Duggar said he owned and operated the car lot since June 2018, that he owned the desktop computer they found, as well as the Macbook and the cell phone they seized.

Duggar said he owned his phone but other family members could have access to it.

Duggar declined to provide the password to the desktop or the phone to law enforcement.

Duggar said that he owned the Macbook but that other family members had access to it.

He said, in response to a question from law enforcement, that he was familiar with peer-to-peer file sharing networks but did not which to comment further. He said that his devices might have been associated with peer-to-peer file sharing.

He noted that TOR might have been accessed by the desktop

TOR is a browser used to access the dark web, which is a known source of CP.

At this point law enforcement did not have reason to believe TOR/dark web was an issue in this case.

When asked if he was familiar with bittorrent Duggar declined to answer that question.

At this point, law enforcement explained that the investigation involved someone had been using bittorrent or peer-to-peer networks from that car lot to access CP involving children between the ages of 5-10

When asked whether he had any reason to suspect or had seen anyone using his computer accessing CP Duggar said “I’d rather not answer that question.”

Officers found bittorrent and TOR on the desktop.

Officers found fucking Covenant Eyes on the computer.

Information from Covenant Eyes indicated the program was registered to Josh and Anna Duggar.

On May 13, 2019 a linux-partition had been installed on the computer.

A linux partition can divide the harddrive of the computer into two isolated sections that work independently.

The linux partition was password protected and the last four characters of the password were -REDACTED- but had been used for a variety of his accounts over years.

Linux partition side did not have Covenant Eyes installed on it, so activity would not have been detected by the account.

On the Macbook there was bittorrent as well as Covenant Eyes.

Duggar had backed up his iPhone to that Macbook which allowed law enforcement to obtain texts, photos, etc. from the Macbook

Law enforcement found iChat messages from May 13-16, 2016 on the computer.

Government’s Exhibit 3 is a forensic examination summary of May 13 and May 14 extracted from Duggar’s electronic devices.

D objects to moving Exhibit 3 into evidence because of lack of foundation, and argues that it was prepared for litigation purposes but the witness was not the expert who created it.

P provides some more foundation for the Exhibit and judge admits it.

Exhibit is displayed. Basically summarizes the sus computer activity in May 2019. Linux partition was created and on the same day Tor Browser was installed on that side of the partition.

On May 14, at 4:49pm, Pest sends text that says “Got stuck here and still not free yet. Im gonna aim for tomorrow just after lunch.”

On May 14, at 4:58pm Tor browser was used to access porn sites associated with rape and files associated with CP. Video was downloaded

At 5:38pm, user accessed bittorrent. Two videos were downloaded. (Little Rock Officer was notified)

At 5:41pm, user accessed TOR directory site and website associated with bittorrent.

On May 15, 2019 at 11:35am computer user downloads 3 torrent files associated with CP.

Throughout the course of the day on May 15, Josh Duggar sends texts to 22 members of the Duggar family asking them to pray for a motorcyclist who got in an accident by Wholesale Motors. Computer also gets used to write reviews online under the name “Joshua.”

There’s also geolocations of photos taken at the car lot by Josh’s phone, but that piece of evidence doesn’t get admitted because D objects to lack of foundation regarding the reliability of geolocation data

TW: At 5:25 user of desktop downloads a file called “DD” that is known in the ICAC circle. Faulkner says that this series ranks in the top 5 of the worst CP he’s had to examine.

Josh’s screen goes black, AUSA wants to double check that he’s still present, he turns his screen back on.

At 6:56 user of desktop downloads a zip that contains 65 images of CP.

On May 16, user of desktop downloads file called “Pedomom”

The zip had been opened and the CP images had been viewed by the desktop.

Approximately 200 images of CP were located on the desktop in unallocated space, which means someone tried to delete them.

Friends and family at the time testified that Josh had a pornography addiction.

CX: Special Agent Faulkner

(I’m not gonna include information that was repeated on direct. Just getting the points that D seems to think is damning)

Faulkner was training another agent at the time of this investigation

The Detective in Little Rock was able to detect an IP address, but not one particular device.

Individual devices can be recognized by a MAG(?) address, which did not happen here

Little Rock detective did not have an Network Investigative Technique warrant

P objects on this, noting that it’s a detention hearing. Judge agrees but allows D to develop its point

D asks whether Faulkner’s first time reviewing the images at issue was in October 2019. Faulkner says it was probably June 2019.

D brings up the search warrant affidavit which suggests that Faulkner first reviewed the images in October.

D kind of tries to impeach Faulkner with the affidavit but the affidavit statement doesn’t really say that the first time he reviewed the images was in October, just that he did review them in October.

Law enforcement thinks Josh was the only one working at the car lot on May 13, 14, 15, 2019

D tries to distinguish Josh’s personal electronic (the mac and the iPhone) as being Apple while the desktop was a PC.

I know I’m kind of batting down the points D is trying to make but as someone who’s done trial work I think it’s worth saying that Justin Gelfand is really solid. Very conversational and likeable and really seems to know the case.

Re-Direct of Faulkner by P:

While Josh technically turned himself in, he had received word from his attorney who had received word from DHS that there was going to be a warrant executed and that DHS agents followed him as Anna drove him to turn himself in, as they didn’t want Duggar arrested in an area where children were

Question from the judge:

Covenant Eyes was installed on both the Macbook and the desktop.

Judge asked when Covenant Eyes was installed, but Faulkner didn’t know

Any reports from Covenant Eyes would’ve been sent to Anna. But the Covenant Eyes report wouldn’t pick up on the CP because it wasn’t installed on the linux partition side.

Prosecution’s second witness direct: Diem Nguyen - Probation officer

Probation officer for 17 years

Factors considered in determining whether someone should be released: Natures and circumstances of the case, defendant’s criminal history, place of employment, resident situation

Presumption cases are cases where an individual is presumed to be detained and the burden is on the defendant to demonstrate that they should be released

A third party custodian is someone who vouches for the defendant in federal court while their case is pending

They are basically in charge of the defendant if the defendant is released from custody and ensures that they follow all conditions placed by the court.

Mr. LaCount Reaver and Ms. Maria Reaver are the proposed third parties in this case. Mr. Reaver works outside of the home in a full-time capacity at the VA. Mr. Reaver is a pastor and volunteers with jail ministries Ms. Reaver is a full time homemaker. Ms. Reaver was concerned regarding being left alone with Duggar as she was a female and he was a male. (note: Ms. Nguyen is not a good witness. Doesn’t seem like she knows where the prosecution is trying to take this and isn’t really answering the questions) Minors would be coming into the Reaver’s residence for piano lessons where Duggar would be Ms. Reaver is close friends with Josh’s parents and they attended the same church at one point. She feels that she and her husband should help his parents and Josh. Ms. Reaver said she’s a lot closer to Josh’s parents than to Josh himself Josh’s parents reached out to the Reavers for their assistance Ms. Reaver said she was familiar with the charges in question but she did not know the details of them. Both Mr. and Ms. Reaver had concealed carry licenses and had 3 rifles and 6 pistols at their resident. Nguyen asked if they had a gun safe to keep access away from Josh and Ms. Reaver said they would lock up the guns in a master bedroom closet. Ms. Reaver did not have a plan for what to do with the minors coming to the house but said that they would always be accompanied by another adult Duggar would be staying at a side bedroom that locks from the inside so Duggar couldn’t lock it himself, but he could exit the bedroom from an exterior door Nguyen thinks the Reavers “could” be suitable third-party custodians, however the minors coming to the home as well as the firearms causes the probation office some concern. There is internet at the residence but it is password protected. During the interview with Josh, Nguyen asked whether he was suffering from any addictions. He said no. Nguyen found a statement from Josh in 2015 where he admitted to a pornography addiction, but did not ask him about it. AUSA asks about molestation from Josh when he was younger. D objects claiming these records are sealed and leaked from tabloids, and deals with his conduct as a child. Judge overrules. Judge explains that she is concerned about the safety of the community. If the previous molestation issues had been handled in juvenile court it would’ve been sealed. But Duggar and his family have chosen to be public about these activities and admissions and they’re not too far in the past to still be relevant. Minors were 11, 10, 9, and 5 at the time of the incident, and Josh was 14. Nguyen recommends that Josh be detained and the presumption apply. Even if Reavers were suitable third-party custodians it wouldn’t mitigate the risk to the community.

CX: Probation Officer Nguyen

Reavers have no criminal history

No minors reside at the Reaver home

Reavers said they would do whatever they needed to do to be Josh’s third-party custodians

“If the firearms were removed from the home and if the piano lessons cease, would that be a suitable third party residence?” “Quite possibly.” -Justin Gelfand looks forlorn-

In the 17 months Josh has been aware of the investigation, Josh has not left the country.

Re-direct of Probation Officer Nguyen:

Re-iterates the sexual abuse of minors from years ago

Re-cross of Probation Officer Nguyen:

*missed this because I was taking my dog out to pee* But the bit I caught sounds like they were emphasizing that the probation office had the authority to detain Josh if he violates any of the release conditions.

-prosecution rests its case-

Defense First Witness Maria Reaver:

She’s Asian. Did not expect that

“Are you aware of the charges brought against Mr. Duggar?” “Some”

Aware of the two charges here

No criminal history

Has a place where Josh can live in her house

Lives in Washington County

Has a mother-in-law kind of suite in her home that Josh should live in

Would be willing to abide by any conditions given by court

Would report any broken conditions to the court

(Defense attorney Travis Story is….not as good as Gelfand. Lots of stumbling and unclear wording. The reason my summary of this testimony is so choppy is because that’s how it’s being presented. Reaver giving pretty much just one word answers)

Adult daughter teaches piano at the Reaver home

A few minors come over for piano lessons

Location of piano lessons could be moved to a different place

Has a place to move the fire arms if need be

Mr. Reaver leaves for work at 6:30am and gets home at 4pm

Ms. Reaver and her daughter would be alone at home with Josh. The daughter would come and go throughout the day, possibly leaving Ms. Reaver home alone with Josh.

Ms. Reaver would be OK being alone with Josh.

Wants to be the third party custodian to help the family and “minister” to them

Story just says “That’s admirable.” and i laughed bro you’re not the one testifying here??

Ms. Reaver is willing to serve as third party custodian regardless of whatever rules the court chooses to impose.

CX of Maria Reaver:

Reavers have neighbors, but each of them have about 5-10 acres of land so they’re pretty spread out.

Known the Duggar family for 5-6 years. From time-to-time would interact with Josh.

They’ve been inside the Duggar home. And been to a couple of weddings.

Never had a one-on-one conversation with Josh.

Never been alone with Josh.

Attended church them in 2015 when the sexual abuse allegations first came out, but wasn’t fully aware of them. Is aware of them now.

AUSA asks “Can you tell me what you know about the allegations?” Reaver pauses, is silent, and then says “Give me a minute.” Story objects, judge overrules.

“I don’t fully know everything but from my understanding there was some, uh, when he was younger, I’m not sure how old, maybe a teenager, that there was inappropriate touching of some of the minors.”

Was not aware that one of the minors was 5-years-old

“Does knowing that there was a 5 year old involved change your decision to serve as a third-party custodian?” “I’m looking at is as we are here to be as help, to the family, to Josh and Anna. To minister to them.”

Jim Bob called her husband and asked them to be the third party custodian because her husband and Jim Bob are good friends.

“Did you feel any pressure or obligation to serve as the third-party custodian?” “My husband has made the decision and I’m here to support that decision.”

More talk about ministry and serving others

If the conditions were violated she would alert the court before notifying her husband

Would not leave her adult daughter alone with Josh

“We don’t have internet-internet, our internet is in our phone, it’s like a hotspot. There’s no wifi. We don’t have cable. There is no hard wiring.” (side note: wtf?? It’s 2021)

Phones are password protected

Understands that if Josh is released to her home he could be there for 6 months.

Redirect of Maria Reaver:

Re iterates that she would alert the court directly if the conditions were violated

Questions from the judge:

First call if the conditions were violated would be to the US probation office (“Not your husband, not Jim Bob Duggar, not elders in the church”)

Daughter has been spoken to regarding relocation of the piano lessons

“This case has gotten a lot of publicity. And the last thing Mr. Duggar needs is an incident with a firearm.” Reaver says she’d remove firearm

Defense second witness: LaCount Reaver

Has firearms in the house, but would be willing to relocate them outside the house

Willing to serve as third-party custodian along with his wife

????THAT’S IT?? Literally 3 questions

CX:

Was aware of Duggars’ charges specifically

Was not aware of all the details, such as that toddlers were involved

But does not change his opinion of being the third party custodian

Jim Bob Duggar was the one who reached out to them first

JB asked if it was something he could think about, pray about, being a part of

JB referenced Reaver’s involvement with prison ministry as making him a potentially good third-party custodian

Has known the Duggars for 6-8 years

Knew them in 2015

Didn’t know the exact details but was familiar with “some charges” related to him

Knew that the minors resided in the house where Josh resided

Was not part of the church in 2005.

No hesitation about leaving his daughter or wife alone with Josh

No implication that he would get anything in return for housing Josh

He’s a volunteer chaplain at Washington County jail but that’s been halted because of COVID-19

Not necessarily interested in offering counseling for Josh

Willing to call US Probation directly if Josh violates conditions

Has “phone internet” and “uses that for the computer.”

Says he’s a “3 or 4” on a scale of 1-10 of tech savviness

Phone is locked with a pin

Did not know Josh is tech savvy

Last time he spoke with Josh one-on-one was more than a year ago

Not sure if his wife has ever had a one-on-one conversation with Josh

“Is it common practice in your marriage that when your wife interacts with men that there should be a chaperone there?” “I think that would be best.”

Says that his wife should be around Josh with another person, not necessarily a male, could be a daughter

Is a family, they discuss things, they both prayed and decided to do it

“When a family is in need and they ask you for help, I think that’s something anyone would do”

Questions from the judge:

Willing to remove firearms if Josh is released to his custody

Will under no circumstances reveal his password to his phone or computers to Josh

“If you or your wife or your daughter observe or learn about a violation by Mr. Duggar I need to hear you say that your first call will be the US probation officer who’s supervising this case?” He says yes.

Judge: “The time for prayer, and conversations with Jim Bob, and with the elders of the church, that will happen after calling the probation office.”

Defense closes case. Closing arguments now.

Judge asked both sides to keep closing arguments to ~5 minutes since it was getting late.

Prosecution closing:

Nature and circumstances of charges:

Josh intentionally used Bit Torrent to receive CP.

Intentionally used linux partitions to hide what he was doing

Covenant Eyes does not pick up on what’s going on behind the partition

Josh took steps to conceal his activity by doing it on his work computer and avoid the recognition of Covenant Eyes.

-description of how horrific the CP found on Josh’s computer was-

Emphasized that the partition was password protected using a password linked with Josh’s other accounts which indicates that Josh, and not another employee, was behind the partition

Timeline in Exhibits 3 and 4 demonstrate that Josh was the one using the computer in May to download CP and throughout the day texting his family and using the computer for other uses

Discussion of Josh committing sexual abuse when he was a teenager.

Josh’s lack of movement in the past 17 months does not necessarily mean he wont be a flight risk now that circumstances are different

Nature and seriousness of the danger to the community:

We know the extent and the steps Josh will take to hide his actions. We know the kind of material depicted in the CSA that Josh had. We know he has a sexual attraction to children.

Not sure if the Reavers, Ms. Reaver in particular, understand the task that she would have to take on as third-party custodians.

Ms. Reaver doesn’t generally wanna be alone with a male. They have guns. They have minors at their place for piano lessons. Doesn’t make sense that they’d want turn their entire life around to do a favor for a family friend.

We know Josh has a history of “hands on” abuse, we’ve seen how sneaky he can be, AUSA asks that he be detained.

Defense closing:

Josh is presumed innocent of what he’s accused of. A detention hearing is not the place to try this case.

Two prongs under Bail Reform Act: 1) Flight risk

DHS executed search warrant in November 2019, 17 months ago, but Josh has not fled since then. Voluntarily surrendered without issue.

Not a danger to the community. If law enforcement thought that he was a danger they could’ve detained him back in 2019, but they didn’t.

Probation officer Nguyen testified he has been fully compliant since he’s been arrested.

Judge asked the Reavers point blank if they were willing to report to the probation office first, and they said yes.

Law unambiguously points against detention, and the facts point against detention.

Court taking brief recess to collect thoughts and look through evidence. Asks Josh if he’s doing OK, or where he is in the detention center. He says “Sitting on a metal stool, Your Honor.”

Judge's thoughts:

Nature of circumstances of charges against Josh: Presumed innocent. But count 1 carries a mandatory minimum 5 year sentence. Count 2 could carry sentence of 20 years based on the evidence admitted at trial. Court views these charges as very serious. Court is concerned about the evidence describing those charges. It is concerning that that DD file is "some of the worst sexual abuse child pornography that he has seen in over a thousand cases." That concerns the courts.

The number of images concerns the court. The prepubescent age of the victims concerns the court. The sophistication of the person who downloaded the images concerns the court. It is not the average defendant who can access the Dark Web, who can use partition devices, and who can bypass significant surveillance programs.

Children are involuntary victims of pornography and sexual abuse. They're subject often to human trafficking and other circumstances we don't have time to address. The demand and download of child pornography fields the market for the production of this material. The forensic evidence suggests that a significant amount of effort was made to download a significant amount of child sexual material. The weight of the evidence is not insubstantial. That also weighs against Josh.

History and characteristics of Josh: Josh has a long history in Northwest Arkansas, he's married, has children. He has no drug or alcohol history. It seems that Josh has been involved in various businesses in Arkansas. Josh turned himself in and does not appear to have a history of other crimes. Josh did not seem to obstruct any investigation.

The court does not need to treat Josh differently than anyone else similarly situated. However, Josh's family has chosen to make their family life public. Although Josh has never been convicted of any crime, he has admitted to in the past touching children, which concerns the court. That was a public admission, and everyone at this hearing knows it. This concerns the court. What's particularly concerning is the age of Josh's sisters and the age of the children involved with the charges against him.

The court is mindful, however, that this conduct happened a long time ago. And it happened when Josh was a child. That fact, and that fact alone, are in Josh's favor. It is concerning to court that Josh has committed that he has an issue with pornography; that is different than child pornography. But what the court has heard is that prior to images being downloaded to Josh's computer, Covenant Eyes was installed which is a program that acts as a deterrent. The court has also heard testimony that Josh's wife may have been his accountability partner on that. The court is not making a determination on that, but it concerns the court.

The court is concerned that the ages of the children involved are very similar to the age of Josh's children and the ages of his nieces and his nephews. The court keeps coming back to the age of the children Josh interacts with on a daily basis and is concerned.

Seriousness of the danger Josh poses to the community: The court does not know. Josh has not been convicted of being a danger to anyone. There is no criminal history that suggests Josh has displayed a pattern of violence to anyone. But Josh's children, his sibling's children, and his minor brothers and sisters are all part of the community that need to be protected from him.

This is a very close call. The U.S. Attorney has not met its burden.

Josh Duggar will be released on very strict conditions:

- Cannot be returned to his guest house or TTH

- Court is not interested in second chances. Don't fuck up with the Reavers. (paragraphsed)

- Tomorrow Josh will be released to the Reavers with close GPS monitoring. Restricted to this residence except for working, education, church, medical services, meeting with lawyers, court ordered obligation, or other activities approved IN ADVANCE by the probation office.

- May not possess or view pornography or erotica of any kind

- Court does not think it has the technology to limit Josh's use. Josh cannot have computers, phones, smart TVs, gaming systems, etc. He may not ask for the passwords from the Reavers or her daughter.

- Josh can get a jitterbug phone to contact counsel as long as it's approved by a probation officer.

- Josh cannot leave the Western District of Arkansas.

- Josh can have unlimited contact with his children as long as their mother is present. Josh cannot have contact with any other minor children including siblings, family members, piano students, etc.

- Not a requirement but a recommendation: Plan activities based on who he might run into. Avoid birthday parties, etc.

- No substances, drugs or alcohol

- Cannot actually or constructively possess a firearm

- Must surrender passport and not obtain a new passport

- May not violate any state or local law

- Must provide a DNA sample

- Must appear in court as requested

- Tomorrow must sign an appearance bond

#Josh Duggar #2021 #duggar family #reddit #sin in the camp #team legitimate rape

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speciesofleastconcern · 3 years

Text

What would happen if the southern United States declared their secession from the union and created a Confederacy 2.0 in 2021 and they declared that Donald Trump was their president?

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE THIRTY HOURS’ WAR (slightly updated)

9:27 AM: Governor Greg Abbott announces a surprise press conference to be held at noon. The Texas State Capitol is a whirlwind of activity, but no one will explain. Journalists stationed in the capitol buildings of several other Southern states notice a sudden fever of activity, but again, no word on what is taking place.

12:07 PM: Abbott enters the press room, faces the cameras, and delivers a speech televised around the world—a speech that makes the assembled journalists gasp.

“I have been in private communication with the governors of several other Southern states for the past few weeks, and we have an announcement of great consequence. I may announce that we are of one accord, united in our purpose, not without sorrow, and yet filled with pride and determination at the step we are undertaking this day. We are a free people, we Texans, and we wish only to live according to our traditional laws and the laws of a just and righteous God. For too long have we put up with abuse and threats from the Federal government in Washington, that hotbed of liberal elites and so-called “experts” who believe that they know better than we know what freedom truly consists of. It has gone on for too long, and we shall not continue any further. President Trump fought for our rights; the lies of the liberal media brought him down; but when one man lets the stainless banner fall, other hands must take it up, as we have done this day.

“The Lone Star State is the first star in the heavens of a new constellation of freedom and liberty—the first of the New Confederated States of America. We hereby announce the severing of all ties to the Washington government, and ask only to be allowed to depart in peace to seek our own liberty and prosperity.

“We are the first, but not alone. Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida have joined with me in forming a new nation, conceived in liberty with God as our vindicator, with each State acting in its sovereign and independent character. The governors of Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, and South Carolina are considering our proposal now, but a great groundswell of support is coming from the citizens of these states. We trust that they will soon join us.

“We hereby announce that all Federal property within the boundaries of our state, including all national parks and forests, Indian reservations, and military bases, is forfeit to our state government. Orders have gone out to the Texas State Guard and State Police to secure these properties, and they are backed by thousands of citizen militia forces who have mobilized have taken up arms to secure what is rightfully ours. For freedom and justice for ourselves and our descendants, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, we pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

12:17 PM: The President of the United States is whisked from a routine meeting with the Department of Agriculture to an emergency meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

12:31 PM: Emergency orders are issued to cancel all civilian flights to the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi. All inbound flights are ordered to divert immediately, leading to crowded and difficult scenes at airports such as Wichita, Albuquerque, Denver, St. Louis, and Cleveland.

1:47 PM: Chaos reigns on Interstates 10 and 40 and smaller highways, as thousands of Texas motorists flee for the New Mexico border, only to be stopped by armored New Mexico National Guard units, reinforced by heavily armed troops from Fort Bliss. Motorists fleeing eastward are stopped by the Louisiana National Guard, backed up with troops from Fort Polk. Motorists heading north towards Kansas or east through Arkansas also report blockades.

3:12 PM: There are reports of rioting in Austin and Houston, as columns of unregulated militia march or ride through urban neighborhoods where protests are expected. No one knows or will admit who shot first, but neighborhoods are soon ablaze, and fire trucks that attempt to reach the fires report being shot at. In other cities and towns, a watchful, tense quiet prevails as everyone awaits the next announcement. Footage of the riots and attacks is widely disseminated on social media.

4:29 PM: A column of militia in assorted vehicles approaches Fort Hood to demand its surrender. Seeing the main gates deserted, the lead vehicle drives onto the fort, and the driver, 47-year-old Braxton Beauregard, hoists the Lone Star Confederate flag over the guardhouse.

4:29:17 PM: The guardhouse, the flag, and the first ten vehicles of the convoy are simultaneously obliterated by Hellfire missiles. The remaining vehicles beat a hasty retreat to Killeen, although not before seven more vehicles are wiped out. That evening at the local Whataburger, one of the traumatized survivors is heard to mumble, “well, shit, this may be tougher than we thought.”

5:25 PM: The President emerges from his meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and gives a brief address to the nation. It’s short on details. He says only that he has been fully briefed on the situation and is deeply troubled, but is considering his legal options, and will provide a full reply to Governor Abbott’s announcement tomorrow morning. He pleads for calm and prays for peace and unity. The country remains on edge.

1:37 AM: Fort Hood’s gates open.

2:12 AM: A lone C-17 Globemaster III makes a pass over Austin, Texas, at 30,000 feet. Similar aircraft pass over Little Rock, Arkansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Jackson, Mississippi. Their flight paths are later traced to Fort Benning.

6:48 AM: Journalists based in Austin report seeing a huge column of tanks and trucks moving into the city on Interstate 35, as helicopters fly cover.

7:24 AM: Tanks have surrounded the Texas State Capitol. The skies are torn by noise as F-15s and F-18Es fly combat air patrols over the city; they hold their fire for now. Heavily armored infantry patrols deploy onto the streets, although they, too, hold their fire and simply observe.

7:37 AM: A unit of unorganized militia patrolling the streets of Austin encounters soldiers from III Corps Special Troops Battalion on the corner of 14th and Guadalupe Street. One of the militiamen raises his AR-15 and fires at the troops, slightly wounding one soldier.

7:37:15 AM: Six militia members are killed or wounded in the ensuing firefight. Survivors are spotted fleeing towards the 7–11 convenience store on 15th Street, where it seems their commander has set up his base.

7:42:37 AM: The 7–11 convenience store on 15th Street is struck by multiple Hellfire missiles. Scenes like this play out all day throughout the capital city, with minor variations. By noon, few militia are willing to advertise their presence; discarded weapons and body armor can be found on the streets as erstwhile militiamen try to blend back into the general population.

8:31 AM: A group of Army Rangers exit the Texas Governor’s Mansion, escorting a handcuffed Governor Greg Abbott to a waiting flight of HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters that have materialized on the lawn.

9:17 AM: Several other Texas state officials are removed from the State Capitol or other government buildings by Rangers and escorted to waiting helicopters. Similar scenes are playing out in Oklahoma City and Little Rock and Jackson.

9:19 AM: An emergency press conference is held in Houston. The Hon. Sherry Radack, Chief Justice for the 1st District Court of Appeals in Houston, announces that under the line of succession as spelled out in the Texas state constitution, it appears that she is now the governor. Choking back tears, she announces the immediate cessation of hostilities, pleads for citizens to put down their weapons, orders the surrender of all State Guard forces, and expresses eagerness to remain a part of the United States.

11:10 AM: The governors of Louisiana, Missouri, and Tennessee deny any knowledge of Texas's plan, announce that their states will not be joining Texas, and pledge their states’ loyalty to the Federal government. At about the same time, the governor of Florida announces that his state’s inclusion in the list of seceding states was entirely the fault of unnamed “liberal agitators,” that he never agreed to leave the Union, and that despite all their differences of opinion he has pledged his state’s loyalty to the Federal government. Rumors that Navy SEALS were aiming at him from concealed firing positions as he was making this profession of loyalty were never substantiated.

12:37 PM: The President appears again on TV, thanking the loyal units of the US military, who have executed “a textbook counterinsurgency mission with minimal loss of life and destruction of property.” He assures the people that order will be restored and life will return to normal as soon as possible, and states that steps are already underway to restore the state governments. He promises to bring the rebels who actually took up arms to justice, while proposing that Congress immediately establish a bipartisan Truth and Reconciliation Commission to reintegrate the rebel states into the US as smoothly as possible. (He does not say this, but commentators note that with the sudden disappearance of Congressional delegations from the rebel states, he should have the votes to get what he wants.) He ends his speech by pleading once again for peace, adding that “I understand the despair and anger and paranoia that many Americans feel—but this is not the way to express those. Let us come together as one nation, one people, united by our devotion to the principles of democracy and liberty, from sea to shining sea. God bless America!” (Fun fanfic from quora)

#alternate history #mess with texas

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ruanbaijie · 4 years

Note

what is 2ha about? do you have a link to the tl???

hello!! oh my god I don’t even know where to begin （๑✧∀✧๑）

2ha is short for 二哈和他的白猫师尊, lit “the husky and his white cat shizun”, a bl novel by 肉包不吃肉 “meatbun doesn’t eat meat”. commonly known as 2ha because 二 is Chinese for the number 2 and 哈 is pronounced as ha.

the name of the novel sounds really fun and fluffy and innocent... but it really... is not (ﾟДﾟ;)

the main pairing is between a master (Chu Wan Ning) and his disciple (Mo Ran / Mo Wei Yu), and the novel starts off with Mo Ran the tyrannical emperor (30+ yo) taking his own life and then waking up some 15-17 years past, when he was still an innocent (ish) youth and still under the tutelage of Chu Wan Ning and basically before he did all the Bad Things. he takes this as an opportunity to try to change what he knows comes next... but of course PlotTM happens and he finds out that the events of his past life and rebirth were not what he had always thought them to be (*cough* cryptic)

@baoshan-sanren has done another two summaries of 2ha [here and here] which are much more detailed (with minor spoilers)!

the entire novel is quite plot heavy and there are a total of 311 chapters split into 3 books, with a bunch of extras. they’re currently being translated by rynn here which are really good because what’s helpful is that before each chapter/ section, rynn will put in warnings for any triggers that will pop up... and there are a lot of triggers in this novel:

rape, underage sex, explicit sex, gore, corporal punishment, unhealthy relationships, questionable principles, among other immoralities

- from rynn’s carrd

rynn’s currently at chapters ~120-130+ (I don’t keep track), so most people who can’t wait end up going over to read the machine translations here. I’ve not taken a look at these before, but I’ve heard of a mixture of reviews from “I can’t understand it at all” to “it’s quite readable actually” so at your own risk

BUT all these warnings aside, I would really recommend giving this a go because

1. the plot: it’s a long novel compared to mdzs and even tgcf, but really really well crafted. even in the earlier chapters, meatbun already drops hints as to what will unfold later in the novel. ALSO there are a lot of plot twists and I don’t recommend searching characters ahead because I made the mistake of curiously searching them up on baidu MULTIPLE TIMES and *cough* spoiled a few of these for myself (╯ಠ‿ಠ)╯︵┻━┻

2. the characters: most of them are really well developed and fleshed out and even the side characters have their own backstories. this is one of the cases where it’s difficult to hate the big bad (for me at least, I think there are people who hate them to the core, to each their own I guess) because their motivations are just that convincing

3. THE KNIVES: mdzs was pain but this... this was a whole new level. and for someone who really loves angst and pain (*cough* me), this novel will be RAW.

4. the live adaptation that’s slated to be released in 2021: a dedicated fan had made a fan video (which I can’t find anymore ;_;) compiling scenes starring Luo Yun Xi (in Ashes of Love) and Chen Fei Yu (in Ever Night (? I think)). it started out as a fan cast but it caught the attention fo the 2ha live action drama producer... who really ended up casting Luo Yun Xi and Chen Fei Yu as Chu Wan Ning and Mo Ran respectively.

filming for the live adaptation is currently underway and if the bts leaks are revealing anything, it’s that they are *perfect* for their roles (right down to the height difference) ﾟ.+(〃ﾉωﾉ)ﾟ.+°

this answer turned out... longer than expected. but hope it helped it some way!! ^^ I am shitting my pants waiting for the live action to be out because I want to cry and also at the same time watch how people react to the plot twists because the ploT IS SO DAMN GOOD (and also very painful)

#come let me drag more people into 2ha hell #credits to @laruines for dragging me into another black hole as always #*replies #2ha #hyx #chen feiyu #luo yunxi

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giftofshewbread · 3 years

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According to the Bible (Prophecy Update)

By Daymond Duck Published on: June 27, 2021

One, according to the Bible, there will be a one-world religion headed up by someone called the False Prophet during the Tribulation Period.

In Feb. 2019, Pope Francis and a Muslim Sheikh, Ahmed al-Tayeb, signed an agreement called the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace.

The purpose of this document is to merge the religions to create world peace.

Francis and the Imam established a Higher Committee of Human Fraternity to bring together people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and nationalities.

The committee met twice in Sept. 2019.

They announced plans to build a complex called the “Abrahamic Family House” in Abu Dhabi.

Plans called for the “Abrahamic Family House” to have a church, a mosque and a synagogue (separate places for Christians, Muslims and Jews to worship) and a fourth place for people of all religions to come together as one body.

Francis and the Imam would promote peace, coexistence, and brotherhood among all religions.

On June 15, 2021, it was reported that construction on the Abrahamic Family House is well underway.

The foundations of the church, mosque and synagogue have been laid, construction is about one-fifth done, and the buildings are projected to open in 2022.

The mosque will be called the Imam Al Tayeb Mosque; the church will be called St Francis Church, and the synagogue will be called the Moses ben Maimon Synagogue (after a famous 12th-century Jewish scholar).

The UAE views itself as a tolerant nation and boasts that it allows dozens of religions to worship there.

A UAE official said Christians, Jews and Muslims make up more than half the world’s population.

The article also said the first Hindu Temple is scheduled to open in the UAE in 2023.

At least a few Bible prophecy teachers believe Pope Francis and the Imam Al Tayeb are trying to establish Chrislam (the merging of Christianity, Judaism and Islam; the three faiths that trace their beginning to Abraham) as the one-world religion.

Two, according to the Bible, the Tribulation Period will begin when the Antichrist confirms a covenant for peace in the Middle East.

On June 12, 2021, it was reported that the Biden administration is supporting the Abraham Accords negotiated by the Trump administration and is eager to expand them.

However, Biden’s state department is recommending that these agreements be called normalization agreements instead of the Abraham Accords.

The change in administrations has not stopped the quest for a covenant of peace in the Middle East.

Three, according to the Bible, Jerusalem will be a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone for the world at the end of the age.

In 1967, 80,000 or more troops from several Arab nations moved 1,000 or more tanks and heavy weapons close to Israel’s borders in preparation for an attack.

On June 5, 1967, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike, defeated the Arab nations, captured East Jerusalem, and reunited the city.

Jews call the reunification of Jerusalem “Jerusalem Day.”

They celebrate “Jerusalem Day” and their sovereignty over the city by singing, dancing, and waving the Israeli flag in a parade through the center of the city.

Under the direction of Iran, the terrorist group Hamas located in Gaza called the celebration offensive and threatened violence if the Jews did not cancel it.

Jerusalem Day fell on May 10, 2021; the Jews did not cancel the parade, but it was interrupted by sirens at the Wailing Wall because Hamas was firing rockets at Jerusalem (during the recent May 11-day war).

The May 11-day war ended; the parade was rescheduled for June 15, 2021; Hamas threatened violence again; the Jews still did not cancel it, but they revised the route to keep the parade just outside the city.

This time Hamas responded by launching incendiary balloons (balloons carrying fire bombs) into Israel that started several mostly small fires.

On June 17, 2021, Israel retaliated by bombing 10 Hamas targets in the Gaza strip.

This controversy over Jerusalem clearly fits in with Bible prophecy.

A very interesting comment came from Yair Golan, a member of the new Prime Min. Naftali Bennett’s coalition: “This is not just a parade of flags; there will be other nationalist initiatives, the purpose of which is to bring about the War of Gog and Magog.”

Many Bible prophecy teachers believe the Battle of Gog and Magog is close, and the Bible says it will take place in the latter years and latter days.

It must happen.

On June 20, 2021, following more riots and violence by Hamas, Israeli Prime Min. Bennett sent a warning to Hamas that our patience “has run out,” we will not tolerate “any more violence” from you of any kind.

Some Israeli officials said the violence must stop or Israel will resume the May 11-day war.

Four, according to the Bible, the Jews will return to the Promised Land in two great waves at the end of the age: the first great wave will be unbelieving Jews before the Tribulation Period, and the second great wave will be believing Jews at the end of the Tribulation Period.

On June 17, 2021, it was reported that 6% of the global Jewish population lived in Israel in 1948, but more than 40% of the global Jewish population lives in Israel today.

Covid, lockdowns, closed airports, closed borders, war, etc., slowed the return in recent months, but these things could not stop it, and the number of applications from young adult Jews (age 18-35) wanting to relocate to Israel has surged (up more than 40%).

The global pandemic, grounded airplanes, thousands of rockets fired at Israel, Muslim threats, etc., have not stopped God’s Word from being fulfilled.

Five, according to the Bible, knowledge will greatly increase at the time of the end.

It was recently reported that IBM said knowledge will soon double every 12 hours because of quantum computing.

Britt Gillette, founder of the “End Times Bible Prophecy” website and author of several books, recently noted that Google plans to build a million-qubit quantum computer by 2029. IBM and the UK have agreed to invest 300 million dollars on a quantum computing project, and many other corporations around the world are investing in quantum computing applications.

Quantum computing will accelerate knowledge, weapons development, tracking everything, make it possible for one nation to control everyone on earth, and more.

It seems obvious that the prophesied increase of knowledge at the time of the end is taking place (Dan. 12:4).

Six, according to the Bible, the God that created this world and all humans has warned the nations that He will cut them into pieces and drag them into the Battle of Armageddon for coming against Jerusalem, scattering the Jews, and dividing the land of Israel at the time of the end (during the Tribulation Period; Zech. 12:1-3; Joel 3:2).

History is not there yet, but God appears to be warning world leaders to leave Israel and Jerusalem alone.

In his June 18, 2021 issue of “Koenig’s Eye View from the White House,” William Koenig inferred that Trump, Netanyahu and the world seemed to be moving along in a normal fashion until they signed the “Peace to Prosperity Plan” at the White House on Jan. 28, 2020.

Immediately after the signing of that document, leaders of Germany, France, the UK, the EU, the Arab League, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed their support for the Two-State Solution, UN resolution 242 and 338, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that will divide the land of Israel, etc.

Then, on Sept. 15, 2021, Trump and Netanyahu signed the Abraham Accords, which will also divide the land of Israel.

Koenig noted that Covid-19 came on the scene as a global pandemic and caused worldwide problems, Trump was removed from office, and Netanyahu is now out of office.

If the world keeps ignoring God’s warnings (and it will), the Church will be Raptured, and world leaders will be in the Tribulation Period.

Seven, according to the Bible: Russia, Iran, Turkey, and others will attack Israel at the Battle of Gog and Magog in the latter days and latter years (Ezek. 38:1-8, 16).

Iran is enriching uranium for use in nuclear missiles, and some speculate that the Battle of Gog and Magog might be triggered by Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities first.

On June 18, 2021, Iran elected a new President named Ebrahim Raisi.

Russia and Turkey quickly congratulated Raisi on his victory.

He will take office in August 2021.

On June 18, 2021, Israel’s Foreign Minister Lapid said Raisi is known as the Butcher of Tehran because he is responsible for killing thousands of Iranians.

Israel expects Raisi to build up Iran’s uranium stockpile, and an unnamed Israeli source said, “There will be no choice but to go back and prepare attack plans for Iran’s nuclear program.”

Think about it; Iran started the recent May 11-day war with Israel, Iran is seeking nuclear missiles, and the Butcher of Tehran is the soon to be Pres. of Iran.

Other than the latter days and latter years, only God knows when this war will take place, but it appears to be close.

Incidentally, Paul said, “in the last days, perilous times shall come” (II Tim. 3:1), and on June 18, 2021, it was reported that US Sec. of State Blinken told Congress, “The situation (in Iran) is becoming increasingly perilous.”

Also, concerning the election of Raisi, a US State Department spokesperson said, “Iranians were denied their right to choose their own leaders in a free and fair electoral process.”

Millions think that is what happened in the US.

Eight, according to the Bible, the nations that burden themselves with Jerusalem at the end of the age will face the judgment of God (Zech. 12:3).

On Dec. 6, 2017, Pres. Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and ordered the US embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem (opened on May 14, 2018).

He followed that with an order to close the US Consulate in East Jerusalem that served the Palestinians (Mar. 4, 2019).

On June 22, 2021, it was reported that Pres. Biden wants to reopen the US Consulate in East Jerusalem, and that would reverse Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.

Biden needs Prime Min. Bennett’s approval to open a Consulate in Jerusalem, and the report said he opposes it but is likely to approve it to avoid embarrassing Biden.

If Bennett lets Biden do this, the US and Israel could both be in trouble with God (Gen. 12:3, Joel 3:2; Zech. 12:3).

Nine, concerning the ability to track everyone: on June 21, 2021, it was reported that some people that have been vaccinated for Covid are being tracked in real time by 5G Cell phone towers.

Data on their location, vital signs, etc., is being uploaded to computers and stored in massive databases.

This writer cannot prove the accuracy of this report, but if it is true, people are likely unknowingly agreeing to be tracked when they agree to be vaccinated.

I have little knowledge of things like this, but it seems to me that they have nanochips in their body that act somewhat like a computer operating system.

Some say this internal operating system is not the Mark of the Beast, but it is a step in that direction, and future vaccinations will take them there.

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Savior; then tell someone that you have done this.

#news #music #art #summer #money #weather #pope #bennett #butcher #iran #data #5g #quantum #jerusalem #heart #emoji #meme

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esperata · 4 years

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Nearing the end of my current project and I wanted to talk out some of the other things I want to work on. Get a feel for what I’d prefer to do next or which priorities I need to set.

1. Now we’re nearly at September I am conscious of Nanowrimo approaching. I know what project I’m going to work on for this but do need to get some prep done. Which means some reading some comics and taking notes. Various scenes are very clear in my head so if nothing else gets done, I will at least be able to write those, although I don’t like writing out of sequence.

2. A small project idea cropped up recently for a one shot. Nothing elaborate but it should be a fun little thing to write. Animated series, Penguin, Riddler, Arkham and showers. I’ll do this for light relief most likely.

3. Having watched Batman Ninja, I now want to write that version of riddlebird. Since Riddler doesn’t appear on screen I’m getting an artist to create his look. Ideas are coming together for a plot and I have quite a lot of leeway in this. For a start neither character is fleshed out and there’s a two year time gap to work with.

4. My tantric sex piece for the 2004 cartoon riddlebird is still ongoing. Due to the length I’m thinking I might end up splitting it into chapters but for now I’m writing it continuously. I’d really like some free afternoons to devote to this one.

5. The other project already well underway is a meet-cute for a younger version of the Burton-Schumacher riddlebird. I think I’ll focus on this next since I have a good idea of the layout, including chapter breaks, so can divvy up the daily targets accordingly.

6. A few other projects are started but lost impetus. The lego riddlebird has the most cohesion so I won’t abandon it. Ditto the 1960s piece although I have no clear direction right now. I’m dithering over two works that deal with Ed’s health since I don’t feel that confident with the details right now (one is btas post “What is Reality?” and the other draws on his Arkham treatment in the comics)

7. I will want to write something for Telltale riddlebird eventually but I have to finish playing it first. Various other ideas knocking around include; Burton-Schumacher drag artists, 2004 cartoon discothèque, continuations to some of my prior works such as Pax Penguina or Arkham correspondence, and writing gossip columns set in the Gotham show.

8. Lastly, I’m idly thinking of whether I should take prompts for one-shots to go in a ‘Random Rogues Relaxation’ series. On the one hand, I don’t want to add too much pressure but on the other it might give me a break from big focused projects and get me back in the quick and easy writing habit. Would people be interested in this?

#writing #i feel i'm forgetting stuff #riddlebird

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toodivineforhumanmind · 4 years

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chapter 1 - this will sound dumb

chapter 2 - we need rules

chapter 3 - we’re in this mess together

chapter 4 - just don’t do anything i wouldn’t

The sky was changing colours outside Eleonora’s bedroom window, yet she felt like she couldn’t move. She could see the sun slowly setting in the horizon, laying its last rays of light on the wall of her room, she could see the day wasting away while Eleonora laid there, unmoving, pondering whether she’d ever be able to get up. She glanced at her phone on the nightstand, noticing that the party she and Edoardo were supposed to attend was well underway - which meant that Edoardo would be picking her up any moment now. Fuck. The week of pretending had been exhausting, and the thought of it continuing even on their free time made Eleonora almost nauseous.

After a few more minutes of complete procrastination Eleonora got up, running a hand through her brown hair. She sat on the edge of her bed, eyeing herself in the mirror standing on her desk: a pair of tired, green eyes stared back at her. There wasn’t much time, but Eleonora knew that she had to put a bit of effort into her appearance if she were to blend in at the party - after all, she doubted that many girls attended Chicco Rodi’s parties looking like they had just rolled out of bed. Or maybe they did. Hell if Eleonora knew.

“It’ll be fun,” Eleonora hummed to herself reassuringly while applying red lipstick onto her lips, trying to get back some color onto her pale face. The red had a pretty nice effect on her overall look, and for a moment Eleonora believed her own words. Maybe she’d have fun. Eva was there, after all.

That’s when the doorbell rang, and Eleonora could feel herself going stiff. Was Edoardo at her door? Why wasn’t he waiting for her downstairs like he had done every other day this week? Fuck. “Filo! Don’t open the door, it’s for me!”

Eleonora hurried to her bedroom door, but she already knew she was too late. As she peeked into the hallway, Filo opened the door of their apartment, revealing Edoardo standing there with his hands in his jacket pockets, a polite smile painted onto his lips. He looked surprisingly sweet standing there, his smile wavering only a mere second as his eyes set on Filo, who he clearly had never seen before.

“Well hello,” Filo said, eyeing the boy from head to toe. “Who are you then?”

Edoardo looked at Eleonora over Filo’s shoulders, his smile growing wider. “Uh, Edoardo. Edoardo Incanti. I’m here to take Eleonora to a party.”

Filo opened his mouth theatrically, turning from Edoardo to her sister. “Eleonora, this handsome young man here claims that he’s here to take you to a party. But that just cannot be right, because there is no way that my little sister could possibly be attending a party!”

Eleonora rolled her eyes as she slipped into the hallway, grabbing her jacket on the way to the door. Edoardo’s eyes followed her movements with amusement, and so did Filo’s: only his eyes were jumping from Edoardo to Eleonora, clearly trying to read the situation between the two of them. Filo stepped aside without saying a word when Eleonora put on her shoes and made her way to the door, his expression still curiously confused as Edoardo’s hand gently brushed the small of Eleonora’s back. It was gesture that had grown on him like a habit, but it still made Eleonora shiver nevertheless.

“Well, we’re leaving now,” Eleonora said, glancing at Edoardo. He was holding back laughter.

Filo raised his eyebrows. “I feel like I should be a better big brother and threaten this guy or something.”

“But you won’t.”

The blonde boy shrugged, crossing his arms as he took one more glance of the pair. “Nope, I won’t. Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t. Which is not much, but you get the point.”

Eleonora chuckled at Filo’s words as she closed the door behind her and Edoardo, seeing that he was still stifling his laughter as they made their way to his car. They stayed in silence until the car was already moving, but Eleonora knew that Edoardo was just dying to say something.

She crossed her arms like a child placing her feet on the dashboard. There was always something comforting about their joint car rides through Rome, whether they were at the crack of dawn or at night. For a moment she felt almost blue at the thought of these rides ending - there was something eerily calming about them. Eleonora loved the feeling of sitting there, Edoardo’s playlist quietly playing in the background, while she looked at the eternal city coming alive around them. Night had fallen over Rome, but that was the moment it was at its most beautiful.

“Is it a long drive?” Eleonora asked after a few minutes, tearing her gaze from the city lights.

Edoardo shook his head, pointing to a house on a hill that they were quickly approaching. “See that? That’s Chicco’s house.”

It was an enormous house, and by the time they pulled up on the driveway that was already filled with cars, Eleonora’s head was spinning. It felt absurd that people lived in houses like these, nearly in the heart of Rome. The house looked surprisingly inviting, the lights emitting from the windows painting the driveway golden. A steady beat making the whole house shake, and suddenly Eleonora felt almost excited to be there. Edoardo opened the car door for her like he always did, offering his hand to Eleonora as he did so. Eleonora grabbed it, jumping down from the car. Edoardo pulled her slightly closer as her feet touched the ground, then let go of her with lingering fingers.

It was like their own, daily dance - Edoardo would take his hand, and for a brief moment he’d keep her there, close to him, always clumsily masking it as nothing. He always let go of her soon, but sometimes he lingered a second or two more. It had become their little routine, their little habit, something Eleonora was so used to after a week of pretending.

Edoardo stopped to take a look of Eleonora, his eyes glossing over her red lips and her green eyes in the twilight. As he did so, Eleonora pulled an elastic band from her wrist and tied her hair up on a bun, preferring to keep her hair out of her face - after all, she had barely had enough time to brush it before the whole Filo-Edoardo scene had unfolded right on her doorstep.

Edoardo’s hand reached out to her, touching her hair. “No, don’t. You look good with your hair down.”

Eleonora frowned, her fingers hesitating. “What?”

“You look good with your hair down,” Edoardo repeated, pulling the elastic band from the girl’s hair gently, careful not to hurt the her. Eleonora’s hair fell back onto her shoulders, making Edoardo smile approvingly. “Like that. You look good.”

It seemed like they both froze there, staring at each other in the dark. Edoardo looked handsome, the golden specks of light dancing on his features, shining a little light on his eyes, on his cheeks, and eventually on his lips, that were now curved into a smile. His gaze on Eleonora was relentless, yet it didn’t invasive in the least - it was almost a familiar feeling, the feeling of Edoardo’s eyes on her. She was used to it by now, just now like this. Not in private, not when there was no one to witness them. There was tension.

“Is that Edoardo fucking Incanti I’m seeing on my damn driveway?!” Chicco Rodi’s intoxicated voice pierced the air followed by laughter, and both Eleonora and Edoardo jumped, and the boy gave her a strange, intense look before grabbing her hand.

Edoardo’s entire being shifted, a familiar cocky smile climbing up on his lips. “Wish it wasn’t, Rodi. You think I don’t have better things to do on my Friday nights?”

Edoardo’s hand let go of Eleonora’s but his arm wrapped around her and pulled her to his side instead. There was something effortlessly chill about the way he held there, like there had not been a day that Eleonora not had been there, nudged to his side. Chicco met them halfway as they made their to the house, and Eleonora noticed a half-empty bottle of scotch in his right hand.

“Well, you think I want your bum ass in my house drinking my booze and eating my food?” Chicco fired back with a smile that was scarily similar to Edoardo’s.

Edoardo grinned, and Eleonora could feel his body vibrating with laughter again. “Well, you see, this one just couldn’t stay away,” he explained, pointing to Eleonora on his side.

Chicco’s eyes immediately shot to stare at Eleonora, his eyes far more than just curious - no, he looked like he had been dying to meet the new girlfriend of Edoardo, the girl who had popped out of nowhere from a different school and then had snagged the most popular guy in their school. Chicco tilted his head, and his expression melted into a smile that was surprisingly warm. “Oh, Eleonora, I just knew there was a reason that I liked you.”

“Of course,” Chicco continued, gesturing with his hands for the pair to follow him as he made his way back to the house, “There’s not much competition. I mean, those girls before you, Eleonora… Sheesh. Elena was a grade A bitch - wait, no. She still is a grade A bitch.”

“Is she here?” Asked Edoardo.

Chicco gave him a look that was half-apologetic, and Eleonora felt shivers. Elena was here? THE Elena? Eleonora shot Edoardo worried look, but the boy responded by squeezing her to his side tightly for a brief second as they made their way down a long, extravagant hallway towards the booming music and the sounds of people screaming and singing.

“It’s a beautiful house,” Eleonora said to Chicco, who smiled at her drunkenly.

“Thank you, Eleonora! My parents have five.”

Eleonora had been to parties before, but the get-togethers of her middle school years at her former school were nothing compared to this; there were so many people all across the house, scattered on the yard dancing. Nearly all the faces were foreign to Eleonora, except the few she actually recognized from her new school, one of them being Elena, Edoardo’s ex-girlfriend. She was standing near the doorway with a friend, but her eyes were shooting daggers at Eleonora and Edoardo.

“If looks could kill, this would be a crime scene,” Edoardo whispered in a sing-songy voice, and Eleonora couldn’t help herself from laughing. And when she did, Edoardo’s eyes softened for a quarter of a second - it was a certain twinkle of emotion that was so quickly gone, Eleonora could’ve sworn that it was never there at all. Her thoughts were quickly redirected as Edoardo navigated her through the party, introducing her to his friends, his arm firm around her waist as he did so. The boy’s friends were all very welcoming, but Eleonora could see the undeniable curiosity that was shining through all of their smiles.

“Eleonora!” Eva’s voice echoed through the room, and both Edoardo and Eleonora turned towards the sound. Eva was rushing through the crowd to get to her friend, her lips curved up to a smile so bright her eyes were twinkling. “You’re here! I was scared you were bailing!”

Eleonora smiled and threw a look at Edoardo. “Oh no, Edo was just taking forever getting ready.”

Edoardo could feel himself zoning out as the girls kept conversing, partly to give the two of them the chance to catch up - after all, he had never really talked to Eva and it did seem strange to talk to her like a close friend even if he was dating her good friend. He could see Eva was already tipsy by the look of her smile and the way she kept moving to the beat of the music in the background, like her body was telling her to dance. She seemed sweet. And apparently Edoardo wasn’t the only one thought so, as he could see Fede’s gaze playing on Eva from the other side of the room, his head tilted slightly to the right.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Fede would not be good for her.

“Hey, I’m going to the bathroom,” Edoardo said to Eleonora, pressing a brief kiss into her hair, then letting go of her. The girls continued their conversation as Edoardo made his way down the hallway and into one of the many bathrooms that Chicco’s house had. Seriously, it was ridiculous. There were at least six bathrooms in the fucking house, and Chicco basically lived alone as his parents were too busy travelling to actually check up on their youngest son anymore.

Edoardo was about to pull the door of the bathroom shut when someone slid their foot in to stop him from doing so; it was Elena, who used Edoardo’s confusion as a chance to slip inside the bathroom. Edoardo took a step back from his ex-girlfriend, and he heard the girl lock the door of the bathroom behind his back.

“Hi,” Elena said, her voice just as soft as Edoardo remembered. It was strange seeing her here, like this, when she looked just as beautiful as Edoardo remembered. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been with her alone.

“Hey.”

“You haven’t been returning my texts,” Elena accused, slowly approaching Edoardo until they were close enough to touch.

They didn’t, though, and Edoardo crossed his arms across his chest like he was trying to protect himself. “Didn’t have anything to say to you.”

“Oh really? You think I’m gonna buy that? You’ve been acting so weird lately, Edo. First were break up, and suddenly you’ve got some cheap little rebound girl? What the fuck?”

Edoardo could feel himself flinching at Elena’s harsh words of Eleonora, even if he knew that they were merely fuelled by drunken anger. Still, Edoardo felt something he wasn’t expecting: anger. “Don’t talk about her like that, Elena.”

“Why not? What is there about her that I don’t see?” Elena challenged, taking a step closer. “You think she’s prettier than me, Edoardo?”

She sounded like a wounded little girl, even if she tried to mask it under a tone so sharp Edoardo could swear could cut like a knife. “You know that I’ve always thought that you’re beautiful, Elena.”

Elena shook her head, taking a sip of her wine glass. She turned her gaze away from Edoardo, and an awkward silence set between the two of them. It felt awful being there, knowing that there was so much history between them yet knowing that it all was ruined. But for the first time Edoardo could look at Elena and not feel this great sorrow of losing her. He was staring at her now, close enough to see hear her breathing, and he felt almost nothing for her.

“Elena, I’ve gotta go.” And with that Edoardo slipped away from her, slipping out of the bathroom and leaving Elena there alone, relieved that he had survived his first face-on confrontation with her ex-girlfriend. There was no violence, no yelling, no bodies - a success, even if Edoardo did so himself. He joined the stream of people, trying to catch a glimpse of Eva’s long red hair or Eleonora’s brown curls. After about 15 minutes of searching, the boy found the pair in the corner of the room, sharing a bottle of beer on the couch. Fede and and Matteo were with them, and Edoado could feel a sting of jealousy in his chest when he saw Matteo leaning in closer to Eleonora as they talked.

“Hey.” Edoardo interrupted sharply. “Wanna get out of here? Get some food or something?”

Eleonora shrugged, downing the rest of the beer. She turned to Eva and whispered something into the girl’s ear, and they exchanged brief cheek kisses before Eleonora got up on her feet. “Let’s go.”

Edoardo offered his hand out to Eleonora, and she grabbed it. And this time she didn’t hesitate.

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