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heliads · 4 years

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The Watching Hawk Chapter 1: Case File

Bucky Barnes is constantly haunted by his past, but the memories of his days as a Winter Soldier will come into a new light in the form of the Watching Hawk, his old HYDRA partner. Will he be able to trust her, and will she be able to move on from his mistakes?

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The hum of the air conditioning is a distant sound as Bucky Barnes stares down at the closed case file in front of him. “You know, you don’t have to take this one on.” His best friend of several decades, Steve Rogers, leans against a wall in front of him. His voice is drenched in concern, like Bucky is a delicate man who could be set off by anything. “I know your relations with HYDRA,” Steve continues, “And if you think this will be a bad idea, it’s fine to stand down.” Bucky looks up at Steve again, then at Natasha and Sam, standing next to him. “I’ll be fine.”

Steve looks at him one more time, a searching look. Some days Bucky swears the Super Soldier Serum that made Steve Captain America must also have given him the ability to read minds. It wouldn’t surprise him if Steve’s been peering inside his head every time he sees Bucky. Steve nods slowly and continues on. “Alright. We don’t have a lot of information on the target, so we wanted to see if you knew anything. You know, from your days as a Winter Soldier.”

That piques Bucky’s curiosity, and so he finally flips open the manilla file folder in front of him. The only thing in the folder is a single, blurry image, but the sight of a woman framed by great arched metal wings in the photo is enough to elicit a sharp gasp from him. “I’m in. I’ll take the mission.”

Instantly, Steve leans forward. “You know her?” Bucky’s laugh is as harsh as a winter night. “Know her? I’m the reason HYDRA has her in the first place.” Bucky clears his throat, as snippets of memories long gone flash by him. He doesn’t remember much about what happened while he was under HYDRA’s influence- the mind control and rigorous programming was enough to erase anything and everything from him. Over the months after Bucky left, bits and pieces have started coming back to him, including the identity of this young woman.

“It was a warm summer afternoon. She was just coming home from work. She didn’t have the metal wings by then, they were still the natural feathers. She kept them hidden under her jacket so no one could tell she was an inhuman. She said hello to a neighbourhood kid, smiled at a passerby on a bike while she was getting the mail, and went into her house. When she saw the HYDRA agents waiting for her in the living room, she was able to defend herself using her wings and her fighting abilities. She took out all the soldiers, so they sent in me.”

Bucky pauses then, as he waits for the pieces of the memory to fall back into place. He hasn’t thought about that day in a long time, and he’s not sure if he really wants to. “She was strong, even without the wings, but in the end, I was able to knock her unconscious and take her in. They made her a Winter Soldier. We were often stationed together on operations.”

Natasha looks at him, her face unreadable as always. If he was supposed to be the ultimate soldier, Bucky supposes she would be the ultimate spy. Even after years of training, he can barely get anything out of her.

“When was the last time you had contact with this woman? Is there anything else you can tell us- a name, a weakness?” Bucky frowns up at the sound of Natasha’s voice. “I haven’t seen her since I was still with HYDRA.” He’s not entirely sure when that was- times and dates all melt together into a pool of distant memories when he was under mind control. “What exactly is this mission, and why does it involve her?”

Steve taps at a screen in front of him. It changes to display an image of a well-dressed politician, making his way up marble steps in Capitol Hill. “This is Dominic Cole. He’s a pretty solid politician, as far as politicians go. Unfortunately, he’s got the interest of HYDRA, because he’s about to present a new policy in a week that will allow the government to look into shady business dealings that could expose HYDRA operatives. There’s a pretty good chance it’ll get approved once he presents it, so HYDRA’s sending in a team to take him out. I think this woman, whoever she is, will be on that team.”

Bucky nods slowly. “The Watching Hawk.” Sam looks at him through furrowed brows. “What does that mean?” Bucky places his hands flat on the table in front of him, the photo still staring at him from in between his palms. “That was her codename. The Watching Hawk.”

Bucky tilts his head to the side as he studies the woman in the photograph. He’s not sure how long it’s been since he last saw her- could be months, could be decades. He has no way of knowing, but she still looks the exact same.

“We were usually partners. They would send in both of us on the more dangerous field ops, the ones where there was basically a guarantee that no normal soldier would come back alive. She was different from me, though- I was under full mind control, and my memory was wiped periodically. They were worried that another brainwashed soldier could join up with the first and revolt against them, so they gave the Hawk her memory. She had free will, and could do whatever she wanted and say as she pleased, as long as it met with the HYDRA expectations. I think there were still some residual mind blocks, guaranteeing she couldn’t leave the premises unless ordered to, and she couldn’t hurt any of the HYDRA soldiers, but she could still think and do whatever she wanted. You’ll have to take that into account when you find her. Other than that, there’s nothing I can remember that you wouldn’t already know from when you tracked me down.”

Steve lets this information sink in, then looks back down at the photo from the case file. “Well, we won’t be able to have one great ‘Remember who you are’ moment like last time, but we should be able to take her down. Natasha, Sam, and I have experience with finding Winter Soldiers, and you know how they think. I think we’ve got as many cards to play as we can.”

Sam interjects. “Also, I’ve got wings too.” At Bucky’s raised eyebrows, he spreads his hands wide. “Look, if she can fly, it’s probably a good idea to have someone on your team who can fly after them, right? I feel like none of you really took that into account.” Steve does his best to smother a smile. “He’s right. We’ve all got our parts to play.” With that, he goes over the plan in more detail, leaving Bucky to question whether or not this will actually work.

Before he knows it, Bucky is watching a digital readout in a surveillance van parked near the Capitol. Dominic Cole, the man they’re supposed to be protecting, is making his way to work. The team decided to let Cole walk to work, seemingly without a guard, in the hopes of drawing out an attack. Steve’s got a theory that if HYDRA’s plan to take out Cole comes to light, they’ll call it off, but Bucky’s not sure if that will work or not. Regardless, here comes Cole, and just like clockwork, here comes a black van barrelling towards him.

When soldiers dressed in black start racing towards Cole, Natasha springs out of hiding and starts to take them down. Bucky, Sam, and Steve join her, making sure Cole gets to safety before focusing their attention back on the HYDRA soldiers. They’re actually doing a pretty good job of causing a commotion and keeping them at bay, so Bucky supposes he’s not surprised when he sees a winged silhouette walking towards them from the smoky background of the city.

Bucky ducks around the black van, firing at the soldiers as he goes, making sure he’s headed towards the figure. He’s about a few yards away when she finally sees him, and her silvery wings arch up around her. “Well, if it isn’t Sergeant Barnes. I see you have your memory back.” A gun is in her hands before he can even blink, and it’s all Bucky can do to throw himself behind a nearby car to avoid the gunshots. “Less than you’d think.” He comes back from around the car, grabbing a long knife from his side and plunging it towards her unprotected arm as fast as he can. She blocks it, of course, and the two former allies find themselves locked in hand-to-hand combat.

“You can come with me, you know. Leave all of this behind.” The Hawk laughs, loud and incredulously. There’s a note of manic rage that Bucky swears wasn’t there before. “Now that you finally have your tongue, you use it to joke with me? We both know there’s no chance of that.” The fighting halts for a second, both opponents circling each other warily. “We used to talk about leaving, didn’t we? I may not remember much, but I do know that.” The Hawk charges him once more. “You’re so bold now that you’re out of their reach. Do you really think there’s any possibility that I’d go with you?”

One of the HYDRA soldiers has a pouch full of small explosives, and they’re hurling them at the two fighters. Bucky is forced to duck for cover while still fending off the Hawk’s attacks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. All I know is that you once fought by my side, and once dreamed of a world where we could live without HYDRA.” The Hawk scoffs. “They were only dreams, Barnes. You know what you did.”

One explosive lands right by their feet, and the resulting explosion launches them both a few feet back. Bucky scrambles to his feet, noticing that the Hawk is holding her fingers to a scratch running across her arm. Her face is streaked with soot, as he imagines his face is as well. At seeing her like this, dirty and slightly vulnerable, Bucky is thrown back into memories long gone.

“Y/N.” The name rises to his lips, bidden by a time circled by darkness. He had called her that, once, when they were both captive by HYDRA. When she had trusted him, as much as you could trust anyone. When they had fought side by side, and sat even closer on the flights back from the operations to the HYDRA base.

For a second, Bucky swears he saw a glimmer of emotion flash across Y/N’s eyes, as if she too sees what he sees- two soldiers who swore to protect each other from everything, even when they had no more control over what happened to them than an infant.

But just like that, it’s gone, and a snarl of anger rips its way onto Y/N’s face instead.

“I will never forgive you for what you did.”

Before he knows it, the Hawk is gone, leaving Bucky behind in a haze of smoke and shouts of fighting soldiers.

He remembers her name, and he remembers her touch, but the only thing Bucky cannot remember is what he did to cause her such pain.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagines #winter soldier #winter soldier imagine #winter soldier x reader #winter soldier imagines #bucky imagine #bucky x reader #bucky series #avengers #avengers imagines #avengers x reader

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howtowhumpyourhiccup · 3 years

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Winter Whumperland Day 1: Appearances

Summary: Written for Winter Whumperland Day 1. Set in a modern AU. Viggo Grimborn is holding a party with current and future business partners and they tell him how lucky he is to have Hiccup. Hiccup doesn't feel lucky.

Rating: Teen and Up

Characters: Hiccup, Viggo

Pairing: Vigcup, past-Hiccstrid

Words: 2 901

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Prompt: “Used as a decoration

Whumpee: Hiccup

Author’s Notes: The prompt is not as literal as you would think.

So all of these prompts are basically going to take place in the same universe, in the same story. It's more of a telling of what happens in the final 14-ish days at the end of a long struggle.

Constructive criticism is appreciated!

Enjoy!

@amonthofwhump

Ao3

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"I can't believe how lucky you are, Grimborn!" That's what a man Hiccup doesn't care to know the name of tells Viggo as he's bringing drinks around to the guests.

There are seven of them in total, business partners of the Grimborn Empire, a large export and import company, that Viggo is the CEO of.

It's the 12th of December and with the holidays fast approaching, it seemed right to throw a party at the house of the man himself. Not for any particular special occasion, this just seemed like the right opportunity for one.

After all, Viggo needs to keep his partners close, make sure the trust is still there. If anybody feels like siding with a rival company, he needs to know.

The place has been decorated, though quite soberly. There isn't even a tree in the home, the Grimborns aren't so fond of celebrating the holidays.

Not that any of them are staring at the decor.

"Thank you!" The tray isn't empty yet and Hiccup gets another 'thank you' and a look with a smile that is a little too friendly.

He just moves on to the next.

Hiccup isn't allowed to ask many questions. They could be dealing in something shady right in front of him and that would almost certainly make him at least a little bit accountable in some way. But he's not allowed to ask.

The one answer he did get is that two of these seven are potential new partners. So it's important for Viggo to reel them in and having him there is supposed to help somehow. Hiccup didn't understand how until the guests arrived.

They're all straight, or so they say, and married, but he can still feel their gazes on him.

And yet, none of them recognize him.

He's merely a decoration meant to bring drinks, snacks, and look pretty while doing it. That's all he is, something for Viggo to show off.

"Thank you very much, dear." One of them takes the drink Hiccup offers to him and both of the older man's hands linger on his. It sends unpleasant chills down his spine, as does the look in his eyes.

The persistent touch reminds him of Viggo and Viggo reminds him that everyone present is probably just as bad as him.

But he can't make a fuss, can't upset the guests, so he just smiles politely and pulls his hand free. He fights the urge to wipe his hand off on the dress pants here in front of them.

Instead, he's quick to move on, but Hiccup is pretty certain he can feel his 'significant other's' disapproving glare on his back.

Viggo wants him here to be eye candy, a "look what I have, surely you can trust what I promise", but disapproves of them touching him? Well, what did he expect?

"Viggo, wherever did you find him? I might go out and look for one myself!" A married man cheerily says. Funnily enough, when he'd just arrived, Viggo asked him about his sickly wife. You know, making conversation to appear like he has a heart.

"I don't think any of us are that lucky." Another chimes in and there's a short chuckling in agreement.

Every single time Hiccup has to hear someone tell Viggo how lucky he is, he feels he's getting closer and closer to throwing up.

Viggo isn't lucky.

Sure, they met each other by chance, but they didn't see each other and sparks just happened to fly. His being here, he and his brother made that happen and by inexcusable means, too.

Or maybe he is. Because Hiccup knows Toothless was there. He saw Ryker hit him straight on and that a dragon, a Night Fury of all things, couldn't keep him from taking Hiccup away can only mean something kept him. Hiccup hates to think of what could've possibly happened.

Oh, how much that dragon must hate himself now.

"And how old did you say you were?"

Platter empty and now standing by like a servant, Hiccup briefly faces another man before looking away. He finds Viggo in the back as he glares at him from over his glass. He gazes back, swallows the limp in his throat, and smiles some more.

"24. I'm 24 years old." A lie, he's 19. Viggo and he 'agreed' to lie about his age so no one will question their relationship. If you can even call it that.

Not that these particular people would care. He may have never delved into Viggo's world, but he recognizes at least two of these men from magazines he's read.

It was when Astrid managed to convince him to tag along to a hair salon appointment. Heather had to cancel their plans to go together last minute because of Dagur-related reasons and she didn't want to go alone as it was meant to be a girl's day out with just the two of them.

She was his girlfriend, he was her boyfriend. So of course, he'd tag along just for her.

There were some magazines lying on a table for waiting customers and he'd read some scandalous articles about these two. They were both featured in the same on, as a matter of fact. Another sex scandal, but that's not so surprising with people like them. People who are rich enough that they think they can do anything.

They wouldn't care if Hiccup were 19, 18, or maybe even younger than was legal. The lie is purely for appearances only and because people would be less likely to talk about Viggo's 20 something-year-old conquest as opposed to his just barely legal one. One is not as interesting as the other.

But oh no, these two remind him of the article, the article reminds him of why he was reading it, and now he's thinking of Astrid. He can almost hear her belly-laughing in his ear. She never did care about how loud her laughs could be sometimes.

Having no drinks to serve anyway, Hiccup walks away quickly without excusing himself. He can feel his eyes burn with tears as he thinks of her.

He misses her so, so much. He wishes he could have a phone or get onto Viggo's computer or something. If only to check her social media and see how she's been doing, how all of his friends are doing. Without a doubt, they're missing him as much as he does them.

But no, the only phones in this big house are Viggo's and Ryker's and he has yet dared to try guessing the password. He assumes it won't quite be as simple as the name of his first house pet followed by numbers one through four.

Besides, he's keeping the computer for something else.

And now he's thinking of Toothless again.

Finally escaping into the kitchen, he just barely slams the tray down onto the counter in his hurry.

Toothless, Gods, that dragon. The flights they used to take around his mother's dragon sanctuary, the nights they would spend together under the stars or in his room, the playfights, the purring whenever he scratches him just right, just... everything. He misses his Bud so much.

It's hard for him to breathe then and the tears almost come.

'No, stop! This is only going to make him angry.' Unsurprisingly enough, that thought doesn't help at all.

"Are you okay in there?" One of the guests asks, mistaking the sound of the tray's impact with the counter for Hiccup tripping.

"I'm-I'm fine." He swallows the sadness as best as he can, pushes the ensuing thoughts of his father and his friends that are springing back up away as he answers.

The conversation carries on without another shallow thought spent on Hiccup and he's fine with that. If he can just be left alone with his thoughts and emotions for just a few minutes.

But someone enters the kitchen and Hiccup can tell who by the footsteps. Dread seeps into his stomach just as he's grabbed by his upper arm. The grip is tight enough to bruise.

"You're drawing too much attention." It's Viggo and he's hissing into his ear, pissed off with his presumed boy toy 'flirting' with his party guests.

They're so close, the older man's body pressed against his, and Hiccup can smell his suffocating cologne. He's towering over him, too, still taller than Hiccup, who isn't exactly short either.

"You think I want to be drawing attention? I don't trust your "friends", why would I want to be noticed by them?" Hiccup's hiss is louder in volume, but their guests don't seem to notice the apparent hostility between them.

They are much too busy with their talks and their jokes. And even if they did notice, Hiccup can tell from the way some of them talk about their wives that they wouldn't care.

It's sickening, so much he wishes to unhear.

At his response, the grip on his arm grows tighter and he wonders if those fingertips will remain like other times he's been grabbed like this. The clothes are fancy and they cover enough to hide the many other blue marks on his body.

"Just tell me what you want me to do." Those words leave him with a lot more ease than they used to before. Somehow Hiccup finds it in himself to calm enough to answer in a reasonable tone, unlike the hissing he used prior.

He can feel his pulse painfully make its way through his arm. That's how tight the grip is. Viggo is not a weak man, unfortunately.

Just so long as he doesn't trigger him any more than he already has, then he should be safe from more trouble. Submitting instead of sassing further is working, the hold relinquishes just a tad bit.

"Go to the bedroom and stay there until I tell you otherwise." Hiccup is told and he dares a glance at Viggo.

These people are meant to be staying for a good few hours, is he really expected to stay in one room for that long? He's already way past stir-crazy.

Upon not receiving an answer quickly enough, the hold tightens.

"Okay, I'm going!" So he gives in, as he always does, and Viggo lets go.

"Are you two love birds staying in the kitchen all evening or will you come to join us?" Someone calls out and Viggo returns to the crowd with a more charming demeanor then he tends to put on in their day to day life.

"We had something we needed to discuss." He tells them, not a hint of his previous anger there.

"Discuss things such as ...? Marriage perhaps? I know I would be putting a ring on that finger if I could!"

'No, don't give him any ideas.' Hiccup finds himself thinking, looking over. Hopefully, his wide-eyed look isn't too obvious.

Viggo smiles at the idea, but says nothing.

"I'm afraid I'll have to apologize on behalf of my partner. He's not sleeping well as of late and he's tired." Hiccup takes this as his cue to leave and he does while Viggo apologizes in his stead.

"Oh, I think I know why he's so tired lately." That's the comment he closes the door on. That and laughter.

In this company, it seems like the nicer and more expensive a person is dressed, the more vulgar they can be. Who says something like that about someone they barely know?

But the door is closed and that effectively cuts off most of the noise coming from the living room.

He does feel tired. What Viggo told them wasn't a lie, for once, as he has been sleeping badly ever since he got here.

Honestly, how can he get a good night's sleep when it's his captor that he's sleeping next to? The man who has no qualms about laying his hands on him, abusing him in whichever way he sees fit to make him obedient.

There's a part of him that hates himself for listening in the kitchen, though Hiccup knows that what he's doing, remaining calm, doing what he wants, is a way to get through this bad situation and bide his time until he's found.

Because someone has to be looking for him. His dad, his mom, his unofficial dad, maybe his friends? Someone has to be looking for him, he knows he would be looking for them if the roles were reversed.

Chest and throat both burning horrendously with emotion, he saunters his way towards and into the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, his hand hovers over the key as he wants to lock it, feeling unsafe with the guests still around.

He'll get in trouble for it, for locking the door, but does he want someone to be able to come in and catch him both off guard and vulnerable?

After weighing his options, he opts to lock the door. Viggo can punish him for it later. Right now, what measly remaining sense of safety matters more to him.

He settles on the edge of the bed, staring into the near-complete darkness with only the early moonlight to hold him company.

The thoughts and feelings he tried to repress during the party he can now let loose. And it hurts. It hurts so, so bad. So much worse than the throbbing on his arm or any of the injuries he's sustained since coming here. At the same time, he doesn't want to stop thinking of his loved ones either.

The last time he saw his father, it was during a televised press conference that had to be cut short because Stoick Haddock started swearing on live television and stating that the person, or persons, responsibly for the disappearance of his son would be lucky to never run into him.

Maybe that's the front on which Viggo is lucky.

Because Hiccup was kidnapped. There is no nice way of saying it.

His dad once told him that they came from Vikings. Perhaps, what Stoick showed in that press conference was the Viking blood in him coming to the forefront. Hiccup wishes he had that in him.

Huffing in amusement, Hiccup slides down from the bed and ends up on the floor, elbows on his knees.

Ryker made him watch the press conference, much against his younger brother's wishes. He'd hoped to show Hiccup his broken father only to be met with that. Instead of causing him despair, he'd unintentionally lifted his spirits.

He'd made sure to tell Viggo to "thank Ryker for the moral support", even if Ryker wasn't entirely happy with that. They like to play with him, well, Hiccup can do that, too. Sometimes. When he can get away with it.

But now is not the time to think about those horrible brothers, he should be taking this moment of peace to think about the people who actually matter, his friends and family.

Right now, he wonders if they're thinking of him, too. Of course, he doesn't want them to worry or to hurt, but it feels comforting to be thought of or to be missed. So perhaps, he likes to be a little selfish sometimes.

Getting up from the floor, Hiccup wants to get out of these uncomfortable clothes Viggo insisted he wears for the party, another reason why his claim that Hiccupwas drawing attention was ridiculous.

Turning the light of the bathroom on, he faces the mirror and sees someone he barely recognizes.

Hair neatly sleeked back, expensive and stylish clothes that consist of the vibrant color scheme of black, white, and grey, and an expensive golden watch on his wrist that is only there to further drive home the "happy, lucky couple" façade.

This isn't him. That's not his messy head of hair, not his plaids, and that watch doesn't belong on his wrist. There's a tracking device in it, too, Hiccup saw it after he took the thing apart because he had his suspicions.

But that doesn't matter for the moment because he can't stop glaring at his reflection and he wishes that stranger didn't have the guts to glare right back at him.

His hands move on their own, wanting to roughen up his hair and get rid of the hair gel flattening it down. Who knew a brand strong enough to tame his locks exists?

But they don't do it. They hover, but they don't touch a single strand.

Because his dearly beloved Viggo already feels like he picked a fight with him by just being in the presence of men who were already bound to see him as eye candy to ogle at. To make matters worse, he locked the door of the room he's in and he doesn't have permission to lock doors. He was just about to change he doesn't have permission for that either.

If that man finds Hiccup in a state he does not want him in after all of that, even if it's just his hair, then Hiccup is just asking for it.

So his hands lower again, instead helping him lean on the marble counter of the sink, and Hiccup stares at his reflection in defeat. The cracks in him are bleeding again, they've been doing that more and more often. His resolve is breaking and at least the stranger in the mirror rightfully reflects that, too.

He's nothing but pretty decoration.

#amow winter whumperland #12wwday.1 #deck the halls #used as a decoration #httyd movies #rtte #race to the edge #modern au #hiccup haddock #viggo grimborn #vigcup #one-sided vigcup #tw: abuse #tw: abuse mention #hiccup whump #my fanfics #appearances #tw: non con elements #referenced noncon

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historystrainwrecks · 3 years

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John D. Rockefeller’s Favorite Cheese

The richest man in the world was on the run.

President Theodore Roosevelt’s Justice Department was planning to file an antitrust suit against Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company in 1906, and the states wanted to get into the action before the Attorney General did. Multiple lawsuits were filed against the directors of the company that controlled over ninety percent of oil production in the United States and had, by prevailing accounts, used unfair practices to gain its monopoly in the market.

John D. Rockefeller, a Cleveland produce merchant during the Civil War, had diversified into the nascent oil business in 1870, taking huge risks in a new industry that no one believed would endure. He took advantage of this lack of confidence, buying up failing refineries. In one six-week period between February and March of 1872, he bought 22 of the 26 refineries in the city in what was later called “The Cleveland Massacre.” In his telling of the story, Rockefeller paid a fair price for refineries that were failing, poorly run, or had inferior equipment. He could have simply waited for them to go under and then picked up the pieces, but he believed he was doing a good thing by buying them out. Some of the later gripes about his tactics derived from the refiners he bought out for cash (most refusing shares of Standard Oil stock instead) who later saw him build a massive fortune from the bones of their endeavors. A lot of them were peeved they hadn’t taken the stock, which paid out over half a billion dollars in dividends between 1882 and 1906.

Ida Tarbell, one of America’s first and best-known investigative journalists called “muckrakers,” grew up in the oil fields of Pennsylvania during the early years of the oil boom. She saw what the oil business was like from the side of the original drillers and producers—fluctuating prices, deadly accidents, and the gradual squeezing out of small producers and refiners by Standard Oil. Her father’s refinery was put out of business by Rockefeller, she believed, because of the company’s unfair business practices, which included favorable transport rates achieved through secret collusion with the railroads.

In 1904, Tarbell wrote the bestselling “The History of the Standard Oil Company,” which laid bare the worst of Standard Oil’s monopolistic practices. She found evidence of strong-arm tactics, price manipulation that drove the sale price of oil below the costs of production, and collusion with the railroads that gave Standard a significant competitive advantage. And this was not merely history; at the time of her investigation, she was able to procure documents from Standard’s headquarters at 26 Broadway in New York that showed the company was still up to its usual monopolistic shenanigans.

John D. Rockefeller was portrayed as the evil mastermind behind the “Octopus,” as Standard Oil was derisively known, even though he had been retired from the business since 1895. Management of the company had been left in the hands of his mercurial and combative successor John D. Archbold, but Rockefeller remained its largest shareholder. His income from dividends in 1902 alone was $58 million. This massive fortune already made him a target, but once Standard Oil’s shady practices became known, Rockefeller became the poster child for everything that was wrong with big business in America.

President Roosevelt, having established a reputation as a trust-buster, could not ignore Standard Oil after Tarbell’s expose. He did believe that large and efficient companies were essentially good for the country, creating jobs and lowering the cost of items that most Americans had to buy or use on a regular basis like kerosene and oil byproducts, meat, sugar, and railway transportation. But Roosevelt owed a large part of his political success to mastering the press and its capacity to influence public opinion. Once Tarbell’s scathing indictment of the Octopus came out and outraged the country, the President was hoist with his own petard. The Standard Oil antitrust suit offered a shot at both the world’s largest oil monopoly and the unfair practices of American railroads.

He could not let this one get away.

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Once the floodgates of lawsuits against Standard Oil opened, the focus landed on the company’s origins and rise to power, which meant the testimony of the company’s founder was essential. And of course, having the richest man in the world dragged into your courtroom was a pretty big deal.

Process servers with court orders and subpoenas (along with legions of reporters) went on the hunt for Rockefeller, whose testimony was sought in cases in Missouri, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and others. He went on the lam, moving furtively between his estates, living the life of a fugitive. Rumors spread that he was hiding on a yacht off the coast of Puerto Rico, or at his business partner Henry Flagler’s estate in Key West. Rockefeller asked his wife not to call him on the telephone, believing the line was tapped. He didn’t put return addresses on his letters. He hired detectives to guard his estates and turn away process servers. He told Standard Oil headquarters to send his correspondence in plain white envelopes, so that no one would get any sense that he was involved in the operations of the company (which he wasn’t).

Rockefeller went by boat from Tarrytown, New York to a fortress he had set up in Lakewood, New Jersey, complete with guards, floodlights, and thorough inspections of all incoming vehicles. Newspapers reported that Rockefeller was unable to visit his first grandson, born in 1906, because the process servers would get him. The New York World put out a headline, “Grandson Born to John D. Rockefeller and He, Mewed Up in His Lakewood Fort, Could Only Rejoice by Phone.” Rockefeller cut his correspondence by seventy percent and asked relatives to keep his location a secret: “Confidentially,” he told his brother-in-law, “I prefer not to have it known where I am. It often saves me much annoyance.”

Rockefeller was fond of understatement.

Long retired from the company, he dictated a letter in 1906 resigning as president of Standard Oil and asking the board of directors to approve it quickly. With the directors facing their own subpoenas, they stalled. John Archbold and Henry Rogers, who were running Standard Oil, “told him he had to keep the title of president.” They said, “these cases against us were pending in the courts; and we told him that if any of us had to go to jail, he would have to go with us!”Despite all these many precautions, John D. Rockefeller was ultimately undone by cheese.

A modest and plain Baptist for most of his life, Rockefeller studiously avoided vice and ostentation. He made his children (and his business partners) pledge to abstain from alcohol (on one memorable occasion asking his daughter Edith to promise to never serve alcohol in her house on the day before her wedding) and metered out small allowances to them in exchange for household chores. He and his wife lived plainly, often using the furniture that was left behind in the houses they bought instead of buying new. His wife Cettie was horrified when she learned one of her daughters wanted to buy silk underwear. John, beset with digestive ailments, ate plain and simple food.

Cheese was both his luxury and his weakness. To teach his children restraint when they were young, Rockefeller restricted them to one piece of cheese each day. His daughter Alta one day tattled on her sister Edith for having two pieces of cheese. “Rockefeller professed shock at this indulgence,” and for the rest of the day, whenever the offender was within earshot, he would say, “Edith was greedy” and “Edith was selfish.”

Rockefeller’s chickens came home to roost, as it were, while he was on the run from various state governments. He had his favorite cheese shipped to him daily. While holed up in his Pocantico estate in New York, the New York Central railroad delivered his cheese to the station, where hack drivers would take it the rest of the way. One of these drivers, Henry Cooge, told the press (with ominous gravity) that “suspicious cheeses were again entering Pocantico.” This was irrefutable evidence of Rockefeller’s current whereabouts. “Them cheeses,” Cooge said. “I would recognize anywhere, no matter whether it is day or night…Rockefeller, in my opinion, is somewhere on his estate.”

Rockefeller and his family had to leave the country, sailing for France in the spring of 1906. His name was discreetly left off the ship’s passenger list, and the rest of the family traveled under assumed names.

The heat was on back in the States. A court in Ohio brought an antitrust action against Standard Oil and issued a warrant for Rockefeller’s arrest. John Archbold sent a message that Rockefeller should extend his European vacation: “There seems to be a perfect wave of attacks all along the line.” A sheriff vowed to meet Rockefeller’s ship when it came back and arrest him right there on the dock.

Standard Oil had never taken lawsuits like this seriously, and there had been many over the years. It was able to fend them off with high-priced lawyers (and the fact that most of its rapacious practices weren’t illegal until the 1890’s). The company and Rockefeller remained silent in the face of public criticism, which was a tactical error; it made the company and its founder out to be as privileged and arrogant as everyone said they were. And as guilty.

In the new age of muckraking journalism and widespread attacks on the super-rich, this approach wasn’t going to work anymore. Standard Oil’s legal team arranged for Rockefeller’s voluntary testimony, and he was able to safely return to America.

Rockefeller was served and did testify in court in 1907, and the government’s case against the company was filed in 1909. In May, 1911, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil was “an unreasonable monopoly under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.” The company was broken up into 34 independent companies with different boards of directors.

Rockefeller ended up owning a quarter of the shares in all the smaller companies. With the advent of gasoline-powered automobiles, the value of those stocks “mostly doubled.” His fortune reached as high as 900 million dollars.

John D. Rockefeller, now even richer after the breakup of Standard Oil, was finally able to move freely about the land.

And wherever he went, his favorite cheese followed.

#history #rockefeller #teddy roosevelt #standard oil #cheese

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gayregis · 4 years

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Hi good morning can we talk about twn ciri for a sec? There is something about the way she’s portrayed by the actress that just drives me CRAZY and I don’t know quite how to put my finger on it. I think she’s just so reserved and serious and haughty, whereas in the books she’s really playful and lively and exaggerated and just?? Has emotions?? And also I was spoiled by Peter Kenny’s fantastic accent for ciri and can’t think of her any other way. ANYWAY WHAT R UR THOUGHTS CUZ IM SURE THEY’RE GOOD

ohohoh yes. just as a prefacee and for context, freya allan (ciri’s actress) is 18 years old, and i am 19 years old, so to say i didn’t like her acting in twn isn’t me bullying or being harsh on a minor. in addition, i also don’t think her acting was bad. i think her acting was great, but it was just out of character for ciri, at least the ciri we know from the books... i do not think the directors treated ciri with enough weight as she needed to have in the narrative. like with yennefer, they gave her way more screen time and much less significance in the overall story, because the moments that they gave them to be on screen were just pure filler with no effect on the character development, relationship development, setting, themes... the audience never learned anything useful when they were on screen, besides lore about aretuza and cintra that would immediately escape their minds after the episode was done.

i know for a fact that this “out of character” acting for ciri (her being “so reserved and serious and haughty”) was a result of the directors and people running the show, and NOT freya herself as an actress. like with joey batey and anya chalotra i think, they got the short stick in this deal. they’re actors, so their profession is to act, but they don’t always get to decide HOW they’re supposed to act and portray these beloved characters. that’s what the director is for, right? to direct how scenes play out, to make sure the characters are in-character. and the writers are the ones that write the actors’ lines and the scenes they exist in, so “then it’s just like any other place,” or “who’s yennefer,” and other ridiculous garbage throwaway lines were the writers’ fault and not the actors. i just think it’s important to establish that even though yes, freya is an older teenager/young adult, she’s not responsible for a lot of decisions involving ciri and the character. plus since she is 18 and just got done being 17, i feel like this is the first time she’s actually been able to legally make her own decisions.

plus in this topic, because i’ve never mentioned it anywhere before, i’d like to bring light to how it’s super shady of netflix to decide to hire an actress for ciri who is BARELY an adult actor, because child actors (as opposed to adult ones) are restricted by many different laws concerning how many hours they can work, etc. the fact that freya is 18 means that they can give her more work and disregard any regulations that may have applied to a child actor, and i think i literally read this from lauren hissrich in an interview, that “older actors are easier to work with than child actors” or something like this, that it’s difficult to shoot with child actors due to the immense restrictions. so although they phrased the casting choice for freya allan more in the sense of “well, we were GOING to cast someone younger, but freya was just so fantastic in auditions that we NEEDED her in this production” is suspicious to me, i think they did it so they wouldn’t have to deal with the headache of laws surrounding child actors (note that i do NOT doubt that freya is a great actress, i liked her acting, i mean look at the scenes she is in! she is actually acting, unlike henry cavill).

speaking of henry cavill, anyone want to mention his 19 year old girlfriend or his “opinions” on the #MeToo movement? no? my more conspiratorial theory is that they might have just wanted to get a barely legal actress for ciri because if cavill were to “do anything”... ahem... it would be less complicated for all of the legality than if he “did anything” to a child. i’m not calling cavill a r*pist but he has made his views on women explicitly clear, and a LOT falls under the umbrella of sexual assault and harassment. innappropriate comments, etc... i don’t trust him to respect women just as much as i don’t trust him to act.

that was a big preface that pretty much went nowhere, apologies... but i think it’s significant to look at the context around the actor or actress when they’re likely being a tad exploited on set. but yes, ciri does come off as super out of character to me in the majority of scenes she is in. it’s because her character was set up to be a white feminist fantasy of being declared innocent from the sins of her family because she feels bad about it, with her “being so privileged and then she finds out her grandmamma committed mass genocide and she has to realize that her royal ways!” instead of anything related to what we see in the books, of a vulnerable child losing that childhood and trying to cling to some sense of normalcy and family. they set her up as “a princess” and not “a child.”

in the books, she’s just a child, and then geralt learns she’s a princess and teases her that she doesn’t look much like one, being lost in a forest with a snotty nose... she’s not introduced in a royal court surrounded by noble guests. i doubt that books ciri spent all of her time in court, either... according to the lore, she wouldn’t even be able to sit down and she would have to stand in calanthe’s presence (season of storms, the princes must stand in the royal court alongside their father while coral gets to sit because she is a sorceress... of course, this is cidaris and not cintra, but it still stands). she is a princess, but she has difficulty acting like one... it’s something i’d rather erase from my mind because it’s one of those “problematic points of canon that only exist because they live in a medieval society,” but it’s made clear that calanthe gave ciri the belt for misbehaving, multiple times. ciri is obviously interested in more childlike pursuits and acts outside of her station a lot. after all, she is the reason that their entourage got pulled into brokilon in the sword of destiny, because ciri fucking ran away since she didn’t want to be brought to and married off to prince kirsten of verden.

again on ciri’s age, she was 8 or 9 when we first meet her in the books, and 14 when we meet her in the netflix series. that’s a vast amount of difference in age, not only by years, but by development and experience. an 8 year old is a 3rd grader, a 14 year old is a high school freshman. i think that makes a lot of difference in not only how much agency a character is treated with, but how an audience views them. i mean, 14 is a good age for a YA novel protagonist - think harry potter or percy jackson. ciri in the netflix adaptation was set up more as someone relatable (to those younger watching) as she’s like the hero of her own story! she escapes from her evil evil evil pursuers and has this great power she doesn’t yet understand! whereas books ciri is meant more for an audience to feel like geralt toward - protective, parental, you find a child in the middle of the woods, and you’re thinking, “what’s with this... sassy lost child?”

sapkowski is also the master of a good character reveal. i think ciri, cahir, regis, even characters like vilgefortz, have these GREAT reveals as to who they were all along! surprise, surprise, there is no black knight of cintra, it’s just a young man paralyzed with fear and pain! surprise, surprise, the guy that knew a lot about vampires and lived near a cemetery and dresses in all black is a vampire (ok, this reveal is weaker... but you’ve got to admit, the actual reveal scene... alright).

ciri had a GREAT character reveal in the books. since we see everything from geralt’s perspective, she’s just some child, she’s just some brat geralt finds in the wilderness, he doesn’t have ANY reason to feel any sort of way to her, and he practically adopts her and she feels safe with him. he recognizes her vulnerability as a child and does anything to protect her and guide her. this is what is meant by “something more,” their relationship from the beginning was something more than strictly destiny. destiny may have led them together, but it did not make them become family, they did that themselves. and later when geralt learns that ciri is the princess of cintra, the child surprise promised to him, does he even consider destiny as part of the equation. and this is actually what drives them apart, because geralt believes that he will and refuses to ruin her life by introducing her to the blade, and thus, death. because it’s not incredibly special that ciri is a child surprise, i wouldn’t say it’s horribly common, but it’s not like she’s the only one. and she’s definitely not the only child to be taken/taken in and raised by witchers. and geralt knows what being raised as a witcher is like, and he refuses to do that to her, because he actually loves this child as his daughter. and this is where the conflict stems from, because geralt spit in destiny’s face and said, fuck you, i’m not going to hurt this child. and destiny said, i’m going to hurt her anyways.

in the netflix series? the first time we see ciri... is in cintra! the surprise is RUINED!! child surprise, more like child already-revealed. the audience has no reason to watch anymore, because we already know who she is and what happens to her. they literally kill calanthe and eist off in the first episode, and then expect the audience to CARE about them during episode 4 when they adapted a question of price. in the books, dandelion telling geralt the accounts of the massacre of cintra was a heavy scene, it was a tragic scene, and you knew somehow that it was geralt’s fault because of how he had refuted destiny, you had the lore on your side if you had been reading the stories beforehand, you understood why this was happening and what has happened to ciri.

also side note, i sincerely think the massacre of cintra is better coming from geralt’s best friend, someone he’s known for years and trusts immensely, also a poet so his account is horrifyingly immaculate and it really hits that mark of chilling, rather than geralt just... idk being there? i didn’t watch this far but he showed up to cintra and calanthe threw him in jail? this makes no sense, why would she... anyways. but yes, dandelion is a character that serves to be there for geralt, so it makes sense for him to tell geralt about cintra because then geralt can respond and thus demonstrate to the readers/audience all of the emotions about it that he is feeling.

but yeah so to summarize, my thoughts are that ciri really comes off as a weaker character in the netflix series than in the books because:

they treated her as older and introduced her as the lion cub of cintra and not as just some child found in the woods, taking BOTH the “child” and “surprise” out of “child surprise”

they removed geralt’s paternal relationship to her and why exactly he is significant in her story, and hyped up the “destiny” thing instead, which came off as completely meaningless, not to mention annoying to hear repeated when there has been no significance developed behind the word. i mean, they cut out both brokilon and something more (i will NOT accept that scene as the ending scene of something more. that wasn’t a hug fit to pick your kid up from afterschool, much less a hug that you run towards your kid with when you thought they perished and you were responsible for it, when you risked your life just to maybe be able to see them again. there was also no dialogue, no “geralt, you’ve found me! after all this time! i knew it! i’m your destiny! say it, i’m your destiny? am i your destiny?” “you’re much more than that, ciri. much more.” so that sucked).

they chose an older actress for ciri, likely to evade having to respect their actors by working within the confines of child labor laws, but not only this, they treated her older in the narrative and made the viewer empathize with her instead of with geralt, the parent... ciri only is supposed to become a “relatable” character when she reaches 13 or 14, in blood of elves and in time of contempt.

they reduced the significance of how deep her trauma was from the massacre of cintra (she makes one offhand comment about how cahir had a bird on his head... that’s not gonna cut it for me. she’s so far experienced a total of zero nightmares about the black knight of cintra).

they gave her a bunch of filler scenes that had absolutely no impact on the broad story or her character development or relationships with other characters (doppler plot). they also made her arc surround unlearning being a princess and finding what epic powers she might have, and nothing comes from both of these points. she doesn’t develop any character because of these points, they’re just there for more filler.

a tad unrelated but: they made yennefer’s wanting a child more of an obsession than a goal the character just happens to have, and have sexualized her character immensely, moreso than in the books... plus the fact that they made her super appealing to the audience and to every other character including geralt from the start (she’s not someone who is icy at first, then warms up), makes me feel like we are never going to get ciri and yennefer at ellander. ever. i just can’t imagine it with this ciri and this yennefer from the netflix series.

#ask #ciri #the witcher netflix #the witcher #zireaells #geralt

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driftlikesleep · 3 years

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job isn’t easily upset and he isn’t one to raise his voice or be disrespectful towards anyone unless he feels like he has to, but he can be tender about certain issues, depending on how they’re presented, i suppose.

he doesn’t much care for it when people romanticize his drifting. sure, he does it often enough, himself; enjoys the fact it gives him something of a “cool” air, has plenty of curious/thrilling stories to share because he knows people like to hear them, and fancies himself a modern-day troubadour; but it isn’t all fun and games and he doesn’t like feeling like someone’s discounting the fact that the road is hard more often than not, that it can lead to some shady places and people sometimes, and that he’s been living hand-to-mouth his entire adult life and then some.

his first few years traveling were particularly rough, between grieving his mother, having to abandon his remaining family, just how young he was when he first hit the road and his somewhat-isolated, simple upbringing (the ranch took up most of the family’s time and job has never left his hometown before he began drifting, save for rare visits to his father, which he can count on just one hand). sadly, he’s had to learn how to watch out for himself the hard way. the latter aren’t stories he shares often, if at all - doesn’t want to bring people down and definitely not interested in being pitied. i guess he just wishes that people didn’t automatically assume that because he’s living this way and has learned to be happy with what he has, that this is the kind of life he actually wants for himself, or that he’s just living it up going wherever and doing whatever he wants.

he also pretty much hates it when people treat him as less-than; on account of his drifting, his lack of education or his gentle, patient nature. on the one hand, he’s worked (is always working) very hard on being proud of the person he’s become, of all the things he can do, his creativity and resourcefulness... but on the other, a distant part of him understands exactly what they’re getting at and wholly agrees with the notion that being a 30-year-old drifter without a penny to his name or any “meaningful” accomplishments makes him into something of a loser. this is probably the reason why he can get defensive on this rather easily: because he wants so badly to believe that he’s enough, that what he has is enough - and at the same time wishes and regrets that he’s never become something more.

when she was his age, his mother was already married, living and working full-time on his stepfather’s ranch. and had already had both him and his sister, with their third sibling on the way. when he was younger, he’d always pictured his future life as being much like hers; settled down somewhere quiet in colorado with his own loving family to care for and meaningful work he could take pride in (honestly, he always thought he’d inherit frank’s ranch at some point).

though he isn’t one to hold grudges, expressing notions of this nature will likely make it harder for him to trust the person sounding them. more often than not, though, he’ll at least try to keep things to himself. anger and frustration aren’t “productive emotions” and he’d rather focus his energy on things that make him happy or keep a roof over his head - it has always been the easiest way for him to resolve these issues and put his mind to rest. but this doesn’t go to stay that he’s as easy to forget as he is to forgive, and repressing these feelings hasn’t boded too well for him thus far. remarks on any and all of these subjects will stick with him and he’ll often reflect on them many times later, on his lonesome, and get hit with a heavy wave of melancholy.

#( ooc )#( nature boy )#been thinking bout a lot of stuff lately....#this rarely comes up in rp what with job's natural cheerfulness and his tendency to keep his grievances to himself #but there you have it

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kendrixtermina · 4 years

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One thing that felt uncomfortable to go along with in the CF route for me was when Edelgard lies about what happened at Arianrhod to her closest allies (Black Eagle Strike Force) and blames it on the church. Can you give some insight as to why she does this? Especially when Edelgard criticizes the church for lying to the people of Fodlan, but isn’t she doing it here?

That’s certainly a moment that is genuinely ambiguous / a valid point of criticism and something I’d laud a whistleblower for exposing if it were a RL politician, but also the sort of realpolitik / appearance management that has taken place in most RL wars.

Once you’re the leader of anything, allowing panic, division, etc. at bad moments comes with its costs. Of course this is hardly a carte blanche (see: Beating down legit protesters for superficial “order”), but neither is it a factor that can be ignored completely.

At the point of the Arianrhod attack Edelgard was one month away from seizing control of the landmass and ending the large-scale fighting, having one enemy taken out (the Church) and being able to turn all her resources on the other (the Agarthans)

The agarthans at this point know they’re losing control of Edelgard and they’re not stupid enough to have any illusions about her loyalty. So they fire a warning shot to demonstrate their superior weaponry. Arundel makes a thinly veiled threat to fire it on Enbarr.

Of course at this point he basically gave away his location and allowed Edelgard & Hubert to come up with countermeasures, but they don’t want him to know that yet, their strategy involves that they keep being underestimated, let the Agarthans keep thinking that the “beasts” have no counter for the nukes pointed at their heads.

But they still destroyed half a fortress killing the ppl inside. If she reveals that she’s got a rogue faction infiltrating her ranks that’s firing frightening superweapons nilly willy, there will be chaos outrage and disunity right before the final battle. If she doesn’t make a statement at all and declares it a mystery, no one will believe it and her own faction will get the blame throughout the country. So what does she do? Pin it on the enemy she is currently fighting anyways. The purpose here is not to reveal the Agarthan situation too early so they can focus on the church for now.

It’s unclear if this was ever revealed to the public (probably not, I don’t think she’d cause a stir on principle alone) but the ending cards make it quite clear that the Strike Force was let in on the Agarthan situation later and helped her mop them up.

Yeah, it’s defamation, an indisputable textbook government cover up and maybe even technically a kind of propaganda, but her casus belli existed before it’s not like she’s basing it on the lie, and in most wars throughout history the factions have hidden or made a spin of failures & mishaps and made the enemy look bad.

There are certainly many historical examples of such actions creating problems, such as fueling lingering resentments or creating general mistrust that can led to real information not being believed etc. so it’s by no means a safe action that is no big deal and I can see how it could be a legit dealbreaker for some, you certainly weren’t supposed to be 100% comfortable with it, or anything on the CF route, everyone involves is well aware that they’re doing ugly, costly things because (or so they see it) the alternatives are all worse. In that sense it’s the most self-aware one. It’s about actually looking at the bottom line of consequences, not what makes you feel like a hero.

At the same time, doing things like that that squander her moral credibility genuinely IS a flaw in Edelgard’s leadership style - it’s probably why more ppl didn’t believe her manifesto, “she already lied to us cooperating with these shady guys”, making it look like a ‘he said she said’ situation to the wider public that can’t go & confirm the evidence for themselves. This is why Claude thinks he has a better shot at winning& implementing reforms in VW (”too shady for the ppl to get behind”) - just like Dimitri has no plans and Claude’s secrecy creating mistrust even when his secret plan is utterly benevolent. Doesn’t matter how altruistic you are if you look suspicious it will have consequences I mean that’s how she loses on the other rouses, everyone ganks up on her cause she antagonized them all with suspicious actions. I’m not saying she’s any more perfect than the other 2.

but putting that on the same scale as what Rhea did is comparing a candle to the sun.

And maybe the Kantians in the audience will disagree with me but it can be a bit unhelpful to classify different actions of vastly different consequence and magnitude as “Lies”. There is a common principle (telling things that aren’t exactly true) but different magnitude. Clearly “The Confederacy was all great and glorious” and “I totally didn’t eat my little sister’s share of toffees” aren’t on the same level of immorality.

Neither is below the “everythings fine and dandy” line but one is a lie about one incident for one clear purpose, and the other is creating a whole fake world view for the express purpose of control, maintaining harmful systems, suppressing any advancement of science & technology... for 1000 years.

Scale, purpose and consequences are totally different. The arianrhod coverup coming to light would spark controversy & discussion on wether she should have done it under those circumstances; Some might change their opinion about her but overall everyone already knew that she’s not above dirty methods. If you told the average citizen of Fodland about all of Rhea’s lies, everything they know would be wrong. They would go from Adoring & worshipping her to being very confused about what’s true.

It’s the difference between your average modern-day politician doing backroom deals with diverse industry lobbies to accomplish their other goals, and a place like Saudi Arabia.

To get perspective here, let’s look at another example: Claude’s deceptions.

He, too, ultimately wants what’s best for everyone and a lot of the time he decides to fool people to avoid fighting them, I don’t mean to bash him at all, but let’s look at his actions in and of themselves:

Look at the sequence where he, Hilda & Byleth rope the church into helping them - that’s even more outright with the slimy politician tactics: He tries to downplay alliance involvement though he is totally in control, he says that “getting the church on our side will make fighting the empire look like a moral cause” implying that he doesn’t think it is one but wants to portray it as one to get ppl’s support, we’re told he made lots of promises to the merchants to get them on his side (so like that’s literal lobbyists), he installs Byleth as a figurehead, he tells the church ppl he wants to help them get back their old power when he really wants it to diminish and to drastically reorder the society.

He tells everyone he’ll help them save Rhea but while he still has basic human empathy for her & what happened to her he makes it clear he doesn’t want her to go back to being archbishop... at all. He even does this with Byleth: “Yeah, sure, teach we’re totally gonna save her” though in their case he tries to hint that she’s not to be trusted for their own good. Despite his dishonesty, he’s actually a very good friend to them imho. (#broTP)

In the end the power struggle between Claude and Edelgard isn’t personal nor a righteous struggle - he’s just taking advantage of the chaos she caused and he needs the seat of power to reach his own goal. He thinks he can do it better and she’s in the way (and to be fair, she thinks the same about him)

It’s your classic slimy politician: “he’s pretending to be for family values etc thing but really he wants power & is in cahoots with economic interests and he won’t do what he promised” etc. ... except with the plot twist that he’s deeply good and not actually all that ruthless. In a sense he’s as much a total subverted trope as Edelgard.

So doesn’t he have the right to criticise Rhea either? Or do you see how, while not per perfect, he’s miles better and not remotely the same?

Edelgard isn’t 100% truthful, but by and large, she made her intentions very clear with the pamphlets and stuff (even if it meant antagonizing ppl who were against that) and all her soldiers generally know what they’re fighting for and are going to get out of it if they support her, or what the consequences will be if they fail, even if she kept some of the “how” to herself.

Which isn’t to say that Claude ever makes ppl act against their interests even if it’s sometimes what he sees as their interests.

Under Rhea’s rule no one knew what the government’s doing, why it’s doing it, or to some degree, even that she IS the government... for 1000 years. There’s some cult of personality going on. She probably genuinely believes that it does benefit the sheeple to be “guided” by her, but she hasn’t even told Seteth about all she’s doing, she’s pretty much accountable to no one.

In terms of honesty, we could probably rank the lords like this:

Dimitri (a few omissions at worst)

Seteth (lies mostly out of self-preservation)

Edelgard (some convenient secrecy here & there)

Yuri (about the same as El but I’d put him slightly higher for the fake betrayal)

Claude (no one rly knows what he’s up to, but he gets ppl what he promised them and doesn’t outright betray them)

(very)

(big)

(gap)

Rhea (fake history, isolationist bubble, abuse of power left & right, manipulation, will smile in your face while planning to make you a meat puppet for her mom)

#fe3h #fire emblem: three houses #fire emblem three houses #three houses #edelgard von hresvelg #edelgard

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verai-marcel · 4 years

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Corrections - Outline

I got a ton of backstory for the Corrections/Prisoner AU storyline.

Find the entire series in order here on AO3.

Spoilers below!

Fresh out of high school in Texas, Arthur was a small time thief, while working maintenance at a local farm, doing minor construction work and equipment repairs. After a year of that, he drifted from town to town, doing odd jobs, making ends meet somehow, though some times were leaner than others. A man named Dutch found him in Las Vegas one day, and gave him a job at a BDSM club called Free & Brave, said that he’d be a good fit there.

That’s where he meets the gang.

Dutch = Owner, Dom

Hosea = General manager

Susan = Operations manager, Domina (part time)

Tilly = Planning manager, Domina (part time)

Pearson = Head Cook

After Arthur joins, a few others join the gang:

Abigail = First Aid, Server, Domina (part time)

John = Bouncer, Switch

Charles = Bouncer, Cook

Javier = Musician, Switch

Karen = Hostess, Domina (once Susan retires from doing it)

Mary Beth = Dungeon Mistress, Educator

Sean = Host, Server, Educator

Strauss = Rentals/Reservations, Inventory, Accountant

Swanson = Marketing, Social Media

Uncle = Cleaner, mostly a gofer

BIll = Bouncer

Lenny = Server, Switch (in training)

Micah = Bouncer

Sadie = Assistant Manager/Domina (highly ranked, she had reservations for months)

During Arthur’s 10 years working at the club, he finds love with two women who used to frequent the clubs, but for both of them, it was just a phase, whereas Arthur truly is a Dominant (though he never does it in the club; he just learned about it from his coworkers). Eliza just got bored with him after a while and left; Mary tried to get him to stop, and just eventually left him too when he told her it was who he was.

Also, since Arthur joined pretty early, he becomes Security manager, and is in charge of making sure security is ship tight. Meaning…. He has managerial experience.

The club runs pretty well for a while, with the gang forming a strong family bond running the place. But after a while, profits seem to be disappearing, even though they seem to be as popular as ever. Arthur & Charles find out that Strauss has been funnelling money to a separate account somewhere, when they overhear Micah talking on the phone. Micah’s been trying to get evidence that this was a front for the Van der Linde family, a mafia organization in the next city over. Arthur & Charles, realizing that all the shady characters that they’ve been ordered to let into the club recently by Hosea were probably mafia members, start getting some of the others to find another job; only Lenny, Mary Beth, Tilly, John, & Abigail listen. They can’t convince the others, and Bill & Javier kind of turn on them, so they finally bail, and together, they move one state over.

Charles & Arthur are roommates for a while, until Arthur goes and tries to steal back his tools from a house owner who just kept them after Charles & Arthur finished building a wall for him, and gets caught, goes to jail, blah blah, you know the rest. Because Arthur got transferred to a larger facility half a state over, Charles moves with him, finding work quickly in the nearest small city and waits for Arthur to get out; this place is cheaper so he can afford his own place, and knows Arthur can too. Arthur lives in apartment #305; Charles lives in #403.

Meanwhile, since Javier stuck around, turning a blind eye, he eventually saw Strauss being hauled out by the feds, and everyone else was being questioned by the police and the FBI. Most people didn’t know about the ties to the Van der Linde syndicate, so they were let go. Hosea, Dutch, and Susan were all held in custody. Javier, feeling like an idiot for blindly trusting in Dutch, disillusioned, works in a restaurant for a couple of years while being forced to stay in town because of the investigation.

Remembering the fond times with Arthur and Charles, he messages Lenny & John, finally getting a message from John about where they left. John wouldn’t have told him anything, except that Javier had written that he wanted to apologize to Arthur & Charles, so he relented and told him where they were.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Timeline

Year -10 = Arthur joins club

Year -8 = Javier joins club

Year -5 = Charles joins club

Year 0 - Club breaks down

Year 1, Month 1 - Arthur gets arrested

Year 1, Month 2 - Arthur & PG!Reader get together (Part 1)

Year 1, Month 7 - Arthur is released from prison

Year 1, Month 8 - (Part 2)

Year 1, Month 9 - (Part 3)

Year 1, Month 10 - (Part 4)

Year 1, Month 11 - Charles & Vet!Reader get together (Part 5)

Year 1, Month 12 - (Parts 6-10)

Year 2, Month 1 - (Part 11-12)

Year 2, Month 2 - Javier comes into town, reunites with Barista!Reader (Part 13), Arthur proposes to Prison Guard!Reader (Part 14)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Readers - Back Story

Vet - She had a really shitty ex who forced himself on her once, then she ditched him for good. When he shows up again, to try to get her to come back to him, Prison Guard friend shows up and defends her.

Prison Guard - Back when she was a little kid, she had been tied up and left in a closet as a prank; it made her a bit wary of being tied up. She can fight, she can scrap, she lifts weights, is basically a badass. But the moment she’s completely tied up, she does panic a bit.

Barista - She used to work at a grocery store in the same city as the club, was addicted to it, to the point where she started to stay out too late and be a wreck at her job; she eventually loses her job due to making too many mistakes, and decides she needs to start her life over and get away from the addiction. She has an issue with chasing a certain kind of pleasure, and no lover has ever made her feel like Javier does, which is a problem for her, because it wasn’t real… yet. She wants to be a writer, but ends up wasting time and never truly gets any writing done (mood)

#corrections #Prisoner AU #fanfic outlines #fanfic spoilers #behind the scenes

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keepyourpantsongohan · 4 years

Text

Ayesha Liveblogs Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card S1

Not to be someone born in the 90s but wow this is a change from the more simple animation style new anime truly likes things shiny, intensely bright and round lmao

Ah I guess the prologue is just a reanimation of the original anime finale? That’s fair it helps you reintegrate if it had been nineteen years for you

“That way, you’ll realize who you consider to be your Number One” Eriol’s advice has gotten less cryptic since he stopped lying

“The person I love the most... is you” Lmao didn’t Syaoran ALREADY do this confession in the final battle this is like in Naruto the Last where Naruto just forgot that Hinata had already said she loved him

Fdshkfjhkjdfhksjhfkjh wow Yukito appearing with a flower background and shine effect and softened face is this a style choice or is this just Toya Vision™

I think Toya’s voice IS different rest in pieces I still respect u bro

“How do I feel about Syaoran” [Pan across Syaoran in floral background] It is a style choice how very shojo manga of you

I’m really very confused by the references to Tokyo Tower bc I’m pretty sure they were battling at Tsukimine Shrine did I miss something??

No I just checked it was definitely at the shrine in the anime did THEY not check or were they like ‘hmmm not enough drama only Tokyo Tower for our battle backdrops pls’

This is the third or fourth flower backdrop in the first ten minutes jkhkdjhg the floral effect artists said ‘I WILL BE SILENT NO LONGER’:

I DO NOT understand the chronology of this the bear exchange was the last scene in the anime is this before or after the finale???? If it’s after then why is Syaoran still in town

Rjhkjhgkj is the entire point of redoing this episode so Sakura could also give Syaoran a bear

“Toya was too embarrassed, so he had me bring it over and went back to his room” Lmao @ Toya sending his boyfriend to be nice to his sister in his place

If this show does not stop the floral cutaways I will not be able to take it seriously it is Ouran High School Host Club levels of intensity jdshfkjshdfkjhsdk

“Will you wait for me?” “Yes! I’ll wait! I’ll be waiting!” I think they threw out all continuity just so they could establish that these feelings were for sure mutual for the setup of the sequel series

That, or the original series so heavily discarded manga continuity that they are trying to walk it back to something more accurate without any real explanation

Rffkghkfghkdfhgkj if they’re referencing the original anime bear scene what was the point of that stupid prologue SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH

“My name is Mike. I’m from Portland” LOL references to Americans in anime are always so funny

“Now I can stay in Tomoeda forever” did u bring ur mom and sisters orrr

Gosh I’m actually quite thrown by how quickly this romance escalated it took them 57 episodes to just use each other’s first names and now it’s taken them one (1) episode to Commit 4Ever At Age 13

HAHAHA do they have smart phones now? Always on the cutting edge

“I Am a Stuffed Animal” some of the quirky captions ARE worth it

“Make sure you tell him... even the smallest things” Yue has become more of a romantic since he got closure and a part-time boyfriend

“I never knew! Thanks for telling me!” “Never change, Li-kun” kjhgkjhdkj STILL MY GULLIBLE BOY some things don’t ever change

Is that a dragon?? They are really expanding this magical universe

It bears repeating the polar opposite levels of pacing from the two shows it’s only episode one and they’ve already established so many new rules and powers

I don’t blame them for it though bc they have to put forward some kind of plot progression

There were so many visual effects in that scene I couldn’t even tell what was happening lmao it’s like reading manga battles

“But why are these things happening in Tomoeda again?” I mean not to point fingers but Syaoran’s arrival is fairly recent

“Did Wei-san come back with you” “No, just me. But he said he’d come to check on me in a while” HE’S 13?? CHILD. WELFARE. LAWS!!!!

“I wish that I could’ve used it as a reference” “For what?” “To make something that would look wonderful on you” LMAO now that Syaoran and Sakura are a thing He is Included in the outfits

“’Great to have you’ so you can do what?” don’t bully ur sister Toya, u r both happy with your respective relationships now

WHAT ARE THE STAKES OF KERO PRETENDING TO BE A PLUSHIE TOYA IS LITERALLY DATING THE MOON

I understood “Gale” but what exactly is a “Siege” card this feels a little abstract

“We managed to keep him in the dark” did u tho? Again. Moon boyfriend

“So it happened in her room” Did u put a protection spell on that bear or something Syaoran

I genuinely do not tire of Syaoran and Sakura’s shared gullibility this couple is morosexual solidarity

How convenient that Sakura’s new key just announces whenever there’s a new clear card to collect lmao

I meant what I said about Toya’s love language being touching Yukito somewhere above the shoulders

“You’ll find out when the time comes” Dfddjhfjkdhf Toya what are you going to DO

Two cards in one episode is quite a bit for ep 3 I guess they’re trying to give her some more fighting options lol

Is the implication of the way Sakura just happens to be coming across magical phenomenon that Clow Reed didn’t make his cards but just harnessed magic that existed in nature

For no reason other than my own suspicion I think that something funky is going on with Syaoran’s powers

“That person was almost the same height as me” I mean so was Eriol

“Sakura and the Lovely Transfer Student” we know by now transfer students mean that shit’s about to get real

“And then you slept with your belly uncovered” “I did not!” Toya’s gentle bullying to distract Sakura is always weirdly sweet

“Your brother is so funny Sakura” CHIHARU’S RIGHT STAN TOYA

SHINOMOTO ARE YOU SHITTING ME JHDFGHDGDFDD WHY DOES IT RHYME

“I hope we can be friends” if I know anything about this show this means she’s going to do something very shady immediately

I wonder if this will be the season that Tomoyo’s filming of everything Sakura does finally becomes plot relevant

I do think it’s weird that Sakura trusted a new key without questioning it

“I’m changing back” LOL @ YUE TRANSFORMING INTO YUKITO JUST TO AVOID PEOPLE I’M STARTING TO REALLY LIKE HIM

DGSJGSJDGDJGSFFSJDHJS YUKITO APOLOGIZING FOR YUE LEAVING RUDELY THAT’S MY POLITE AND HANDSOME MAN WHO HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG IN HIS LIFE

I KNEW Syaoran was being suspicious!!! Talking about Sakura with Eriol in secret phone calls

“I came here to be ready for that time, when it comes” current theory is that Syaoran has NO powers and that’s why he is not running out of his classroom for teenage battles with the Forces of Nature

“How much has Yukito-san been eating?” “Not as much as he did when you were in elementary school, but he still eats a lot for his size” This must be a strange conversation for their dad to listen to but I like how this is code for Does Yukito Have Magical Chakra Exhaustion

“Um, I just... Phone call” said Sakura, as she was forcibly moonwalked away right in front of her friends’ eyes

LOL is Tomoyo being unable to film Sakura going to be a recurring joke

“Don’t worry about it” “I have to, when it’s about you” Syaoran really going Full Boyfriend Mode huh

I’ve never questioned it in until precisely this moment but who pays Kero’s phone bill?? Is it Tomoyo? Who is the account holder for this stuffed animal did she establish Kero as a legal person

“Momo-chan, let’s be friends okay?” I feel like this has to be immediate foreshadowing for Momo being alive

[Cucumber cut incorrectly] “Gotta show Yuki” hjkfhksjdhfkjhd rude of Toya but the caption kills me

Ddjkhfkjdhfjkdhfkjh the pure juxtaposition of this energy:

Tomoyo: They have other things to do

Chiharu, thinking that it’s a romance thing: [Winks]

Syaoran and Sakura: [In the shadows while threatening music plays]

“I didn’t feel... anything” oh NO why r their magic senses NOT tingling

I feel like I have been had, they had an episode called the “Song of the Moon” and Yukito didn’t even show up?? Rude

SCREAM this magical FaceTime call is much funnier than I could’ve imagined

“Yukito is in a recitation club, which he takes very seriously” GDGJFGJGJHGDG Yue very respectful of not occupying Yukito’s time with magical shenanigans LMAO

“And we’ll make them the cutest oxygen masks you’ve ever seen” Tomoyo, like the background effects artists in this anime, will not be stopped

Well colour me inaccurate I guess Syaoran can use his powers and he can do a fancy new sword thing

I like this flying scarf it’s the first of the new cards with a personality

Poor Syaoran always so serious to being a Teenage Wizard is hard

Wow I bet there’s NOTHING weird about the fact Akiho lives in Eriol’s house it’s just pure happenstance (said no one)

“Could we um, go out together?” I think this is the first time someone has explicitly scheduled a date in all 80+ episodes

I really do enjoy Toya’s never-ending list of temp jobs lmao

“Still going on, huh?” Toya’s older brother senses are unparalleled

LMAO IS THIS A 15 YEAR OLD BUTLER

Ghgjhfjfjhfjh what is the scale for these heights why is Kaito twice the height of these 13-year-olds

Unsubtle shot of this man’s pocket watch echoing Sakura’s dream

I’ve never seen a more Rich Person Reaction than Akiho getting upset that Katio, a service worker, stated that taking care of her was his job hfkjdhfkjh

“I came to Japan because there was a book I wanted”

1. VERY Rich Person thing to say

2. Wow I wonder which of you has a MAGICAL BOOK that’s been doing weird things lately

“What language is it” “I don’t know, but I’ve learned to read it” me when I hear people speak South Asian languages LMAO

Why does everyone keep referencing the Time That’s Coming? Toya, Syaoran, Eriol... they’ve all caught Mizuki’s affliction of vague and unhelpful prophecies

*One more go to jail Mizuki for the road

I hope that these stupid FaceTime calls with Yue are in EVERY episode from now on

Does the fact that he’s listed as Yue-san in Sakura’s phone mean that there’s a phone for each personality omg

OMG I just realized the ep title (Sakura’s Thrilling Aquarium Visit) must be a throwback to “Sakura’s Heart-Racing First Date” which was not a date but took place at an aquarium. Cute!!

GJHGSHJGFSGH Yue is me whenever people talk about video games:

Kero: Hey, Yue, play an online game with me

Yue: [Hangs up immediately]

“I made you wait” “Nah, I got here too early. It’s still twelve minutes before our meeting time.” I think she and Yukito had this exact exchange in that early ep

“She doesn’t have magical powers, but she’s oddly perceptive” I hope that Meilin’s one and only magical power is precognition lmao

Omg every time someone in this show speaks English I am so thrown

“I wasn’t sure how I should look at him” awww Syaoran trying to re-establish himself in the family

I guess this aquarium HAS changed in that it developed a security system for when the tank breaks [youknowwhathatisgrowth.gif]

LOL I guess it’s convenient to have an invisibility cloak when ur breaking and entering I was wondering how they were going to deal with their criminal behaviour in the age of cameras

Ep 10. Sakura’s Unbelievable Juvenile Detention Centre

Weel weel weel looks like Sakura isn’t the only one with new powers nice ice Syaoran!! I missed their tag team fights

OH MY GOD IF THIS PHOTO ALBUM ACCEPTS THE CONTINUITY OF THE SECOND MOVIE THEN SAKURA AND SYAORAN HAVE ALREADY! DONE! THEIR! CONFESSIONS! WOULD YOU PICK A LANE

“You want the person you like to eat good food” Besides the fact Kaito is twice your height and therefore probably an adult... u should not make advances on people u employ - this is all very bad-vibes-no-jutsu

I am shocked that it took this long for Sakura to notice that her new cards paralleled the old cards

Syaoran is staring at Kaito like he murdered his spouse in a previous life

“So he has Moon magic too?” UHHHH WAS SYAORAN’S MAGIC ALWAYS MOON-BASED I FEEL LIKE THAT’S NOT CLEAR

Also very unclear why Eriol keeps leaving her on read if he’s talking to Syaoran what

I love how Kero has independent friendships and communications with both Yukito and Tomoyo lmao

How many times has Penguin Park been destroyed by now

“Perhaps your dream is gradually progressing” Progressing into what exactly the Battle of the Nice Thirteen-Year-Olds

Why is it that magic in this universe comes with above-average athletic ability LOL

Once again, without a body/personification, these cards seem harsh

Kaito seems like too much of a red herring a la Mizuki so I’m going to assume the other presence we see is someone we either haven’t met yet or smth really fucked up with the rest of the main cast

I’d lose my mind if it was Toya but I genuinely hope not he’s too nice

I honestly missed Meilin ever since she chilled out a bit she’s very fun

“The emoji in her message definitely looked thrilled” [Bob Dylan voice] For the times they are a-changin’.....

“I don’t know when it’ll happen, but when it does you’ll know” Toya.......

Toya’s absolutely nonplussed reaction to his Moon Boyfriend never ceases to amaze

Yukito: [Sighs and floats into the air to wrap in a wing cocoon]

Toya: [Sitting and staring unfazed]

Also am I crazy or was that transformation on purpose bc it really had the energy of ‘Fine if you won’t talk to me maybe you’ll talk to Rude Magical Me!!’

“Did I change again?” GUESS NOT LMAO

Also it’s fun how as different as Yukito and Yue are, their shared brain cell says ‘TOYA COMMUNICATE WITH MEE’

“But ever since Syaoran came back, he’s had something important on his mind” People don’t give Sakura enough credit for her emotional intelligence

Can we take a minute to appreciate Sakura’s outfit fashion ICON

What is this Furry card that makes u dress up in ears and a tail lmao

“I’ll treasure [these cookies]” “I’d rather you ate them” LOL

My Furry card prediction gets more and more accurate with each passing second (even a broken clock’s right twice a day)

Uhhhhh Syaoran what did u sell to the moon devil to be able to cut through the space-time continuum

Sakura: NO THAT’S MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SYAORAN

SCREAM this family and their circle of hair cutting (also if Yukito cuts Toya’s hair, does Toya cut Yukito’s? Or does it not grow bc magic jfhkfh)

“I’m pretty sure that was middle school English” Sakura hearing English is me hearing French LMAO

“Sucks, doesn’t he?” MEILIN PLS

Djhfjkdhkjfhjk Tomoyo’s immediate rage at being the centre of attention

SAKURA DOING MAGIC RIGHT IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE OMG

“Surround the entire mansion” Very subtle Sakura I’m sure no one in your whole town will notice

“I hear her father specializes in archaeology, so he might have some interesting books” “Have I mentioned Sakura-san’s father to you before?” [Dramatic cut in music] WELL

Oh my GOD did Kaito just turn back time bc he regretted what he said immediately? Honestly a mood

Also: BITCH

“You’re so alike, and not just because of your names” I have to say I’ve been thinking since her first appearance that Akiho looks like Nadeshiko so if they’re not related I will be surprised

“Sometimes watching good people makes me feel sad” well damn Meilin

I’m going to guess this Teenage Robot is the equivalent of the fight card that Meilin fought upon her introduction

Aw HELL YEAH SAKURA AND MEILIN TAG TEAM FIGHT WOOOO

“Aren’t you and Syaoran doing too much for those you care about, and forgetting to care about yourselves?” WELL DAMN MEILIN U R THE NEW TEENAGE SUPERHERO THERAPIST

“Can I call you ‘Sakura’ from now on, too?” AHHH THESE KIDS

LMAO AMAZING IT TOOK 13 STRAIGHT EPISODES FOR MOMO TO EVEN TWITCH

“We are indeed progressing... toward that time” I feel THREATENED

Once again I cannot stress strongly enough how much I love physical comedy

Sakura: They don’t seem to be causing any harm

The dessert rolls:

GOD the roll cakes eating each other to form one giant monster Babushka doll roll cake jhfjkdhgkdjhgkj incredible

EXCUSE ME MA’AM WHY WAS THERE A DEMON GIRL IN THE REFLECTION OF THIS SHATTERED CARD

“Please laugh again” Akiho is v nice I really hope Kaito isn’t mean

“Once a magical contract is formed, it can’t be broken, unless something really serious happens” [Quirrel voice] Can anyone tell me what foreshadowing is?

“What do you feel” “I think it’s a card” Very observant Sakura I think they gathered that

When Sakura gets all four of the base elements is Momo going to turn into a 200 pound giant rabbit

I like that every time Toya is concerned about Sakura, Yue appears suddenly to discuss the matter seriously with him [Gay and Wondorous Life of Caleb Gallo voice] He’s in this relationship!!

“When you’re angry or upset, it shows on your face, even if you don’t say it” Yue IS in this relationship woooow

“When humans realize they’re talking to a fox, they won’t sell you mittens. In fact, they’ll catch you and put you in a cage.” UH who is the fox in this metaphor not Sakura I hope???

Years later Syaoran is still winded if Sakura makes too much eye contact khgkghkjg

The fact that Yukito reads at a children’s hospital... truly one of The Nicest Not-Humans On Earth

Well with each passing episode we have less and less reasons to trust these cards and Kaito the Young Magical Butler

Ever since Kaito reversed time, I cannot shake the persistent thought that Akiho IS Nadeshiko. That’d be weird but u know... I’ve seen this show do weirder

“Your sweets look better” “No, yours!” Grandpa witnessing this date

“Also if Sakura-chan goes to college or wants to do something else, he wants to help” TOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

“Any further, and you won’t be able to return” NADESHIKO BE MORE SPECIFIC

“It was my robe” Wait what ur family is a magical society or smth and somehow u don’t know Akiho??? How in the whomst

Everyone in this anime is like, ‘Haha Yue looks mad’ as if Yue does not look mad every second that he’s alive

KHKJHKFJHKJFHJ GRANDPA MASAKI REALLY GONNA GIVE SAKURA A HOUSE AND TOYA NOTHING LMAO WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE THE LEAST FAVOURITE GREAT-GRANDCHILD LOL

“Nadeshiko would talk to things that weren’t there, and try to reach an understanding with things that couldn’t talk” 91 EPISODES LATER AND MR. KINOMOTO FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGES MAGIC?? OKAY

AND HE KNEW BOTH SAKURA AND TOYA HAVE HAD MAGICAL PROBLEMS FOR 3 YEARS!!! MR. KINOMOTO WHAT KIND OF HANDS-OFF PARENTING

“I want me to tell me [about your pain] too” wow this is the CALL-OUT EPISODE

“The house they live in was once torn down and replaced with an amusement park” were the continuity errors of accepting the second movie... A PLOT POINT?!?!?!

DAMN U KAITO I REALLY WANTED THINGS TO BE OKAY FOR AKIHO

“But I’ve got a great poker face” “Yes you do. But Yue does not” JKHDKJGHKJSHGKJHDKJGHSDJGHKJH BY DIALOGUE ALONE IT’S LIKE WHENEVER ANYONE SEES YUE’S FACE TWITCH IT MEANS HE’S HAVING AN EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN

Yue: Evil magic looming overhead is bad for your wifi signal actually

“I will obtain these new cards. So I can use the relic I took from the association to activate that magic spell” Kaito really laying out his motivations out loud in a library. Insensible. Vague and probably misleading. 1/10 villainous monologue

Sakura’s powers are WILD she can duplicate the strength of her magic

“Power that’s too strong will bring unhappiness to its owner” SYAORAN :((

I feel like the only way this can end is Toya giving Sakura magical noogie so she doesn’t have to carry all of her powers like the reverse of what he did for Yue-kito

THERE IS TOO LITTLE TIME LEFT IN THIS SHOW FOR ALL THE ANSWERS I NEED THERE’S ONLY 20 MINUTES AHHHH

THERE ARE 12 MINUTES LEFT AND STILL NO ANSWERS!!! WHAT HAPPENSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

I GOT ABSOLUTELY NO ANSWERS OH MY GOD?!?!?!?!

#ayesha talks anime #ayesha liveblog ccs #liveblogging #long post

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wingsofkpop · 5 years

Text

Finding SKZ - 4: HH00

pairing(s): Hybrid!Bang Chan x Reader, Hybrid!SKZ x Reader

genre: Hybrid!AU, Dystopian!AU, heavy Angst, pinch of Fluff, eventual Smut

warning(s): Mature language, violence, blood and gore, possible triggering topics

word count: 6,4k

synopsis: After rescuing an abandoned hybrid from his fate of death, he has one other favor to ask of you. Not only do you have to find his eight other hybrid brothers, but you have to keep them safe from the deadly dangers of your city: Miroh

chapter directory

The cold air dissipates as you enter through the doors of your apartment building. You release a sigh at the change of temperature, adjusting the strap of your bag to lay more comfortably on your shoulder. Not really in the mood to strike up a conversation, you quickly dart past the evening security guard talking to one of your neighbors on your floor. Unfortunately, just as you were about to reach the elevator button, your name is called:

“Oh, (Y/N)!”

You curse under your breath, muster as best of a smile as you can and turn to face the elderly woman. A bright grin was across her wrinkled face, and for a second, her expression reminded you of a recent horror movie you saw. You can’t remember the name, but it did have some sort of demonic old lady that went around trying to eat her grandkids.

You hum, trying to distract yourself from the image in your head, “Hi, Ms. Friel. I was just-”

“-Sweetheart, how many times have I told you to just call me Paula?” Ms. Friel chuckles and shakes her head, “Ms. Friel was my mother. Bless her soul.”

Awkward.

“Right, sorry.” You take a quick peek at the clock mounted above the security guard’s desk. With a weak smile, you continue, “As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I-”

“-I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, dear. This won’t take long.”

You really wish you had it in you to deny her request, but you couldn’t. Curse your mother for raising you to respect the elderly.

You nod, “Of course. What is it?”

“Well, I just wanted to ask you if someone else has been staying in your apartment recently.” The older woman tilts her head to the side. Her icy stare pierces straight through you, almost as if she can see the dark secrets you’re keeping to yourself. “I’ve been hearing noises. Even when you’re away.”

You were afraid of this. Ms. Friel has always been all up in your business ever since the day you moved in. When you were still together, you had given your ex-boyfriend a key so he wouldn’t have to wait outside your apartment whenever your classes ran late. The first time he used it, Ms. Friel called the cops on him, when you specifically told her your boyfriend was allowed in your apartment. She claimed she thought he was a thief and was just looking out for you. You know she was actually looking out for herself though.

All the more reason not to tell her you’re currently housing three hybrids. With more coming.

You shrug, “It’s just my friend. His dorm is getting renovated so he’ll be staying with me until it’s done.”

Ms. Friel hums, “Oh, I see. Does he ever leave the apartment? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him leave.”

“You’ve probably just missed him the last few times,” You laugh awkwardly, nearly leaping in delight as the elevator doors open with a ding. A few others file out while you push your way in and feverishly press the button for your floor. You throw your neighbor one last smile, “Sorry, I have some work I really need to finish. It was good to see you.”

Thankfully, the doors close before she can reply and you’re free to sink back against the metal wall with a sigh of relief. You lift a hand to brush back your hair while simultaneously thanking the gods for saving you from that situation. The last thing you need is your neighbor to go snooping around your apartment and find something she’s not supposed to. You should still warn the boys though.

When the doors swoosh open again, you waste no time in making a mad dash for your apartment. Usually, the days where you have both class and work are bearable. But today just sucked. Your professor was in the worst mood so now you not only have your final next week, but you have to turn in a research project on a topic you barely know anything about. On top of that, two of your coworkers are sick, or “sick”, and your boss needs you to work a double shift both Saturday and Sunday which your workload really cannot afford right now.

Chan and you were also supposed to go hunting for Felix, who you may have a possible lead on. It’s not for sure though. It really surprising how many hybrids in Miroh are called Lee Felix.

As soon as you push open your apartment door, the aroma of something cooking has your mouth watering. You never got the chance to eat anything other than a granola bar this morning and a bag of pretzels during your lunch break, so you were pretty hungry. Whatever Chan was making really wasn’t helping the your stomach’s anger.

After taking off your coat and shoes, you wander into the living room where you find Woojin sat watching some movie on Netflix. He turns at your presence and a warm smile lifts to his lips, “Hi, (Y/N). I’m glad you’re home.”

At his kind words, the hardships of your day seem to melt away. You return his with a genuine smile of your own and answer, “Thank you, Woojin. Trust me, I am too.”

“Hard day?”

“A little. But it’s over now.” You allow your body to sink into the sofa with a sigh and lay your head on Woojin’s lap. The hybrid chuckles, his ears bouncing with his laughter, as he places a gentle hand on the top of your head. Your eyes flutter shut at the soothing touch. Exhaustion finally beginning to take its toll on you and you were truly tempted to surrender to it, but a familiar voice has your eyelids parting again:

“We missed you, you know.” Chan stands in the kitchen door with a soft smile across his face. Four mugs, likely filled with his special ramen recipe, were balanced on his muscular arms. The smell has your tummy rumbling again which the hybrid caught. He rushes over to where you’re laid down and offers one of the cups, “Here. I can tell you haven’t eaten all day.”

Your eyebrows furrow, “How do you-?”

“-Because I know you.”

An foreign silence arises in the space between you and the wolf hybrid. Shocked, you dumbly take the food and mutter a quick thanks, hoping he doesn’t notice the slight blush spreading across your cheeks. You sit up and begin to delve into the soup, the liquid slipping down your throat and settling in your aching stomach like a dream. Woojin also starts to eat while Chan calls for Seungmin, who emerges from the bedroom with your laptop in his hands along with a bright grin across his face.

“I think I found Hyunjin.” Your spoon clatters against the mug as you drop your utensil out of surprise. The older hybrids were no better with Chan staring wide-eyed at the youngster and Woojin trying not to choke on his mouthful of noodles. Chan shakes his head, “W-What do you mean?”

Seungmin rolls his eyes, “What do you think I mean? I found Hyunjin.”

“Like actually?” You ask, forgetting all about your appetite and setting the ramen aside. “What did you find?”

The three of you watch as Seungmin settles himself on the chair beside the couch and places the laptop on the coffee table in front of you and Woojin. He fiddles with the mouse pad, giving Chan the time to take the seat next to you, and turns the screen to face your direction.

The page was pulled up to an Instagram about some sort of hybrid entertainment program. There was only so much you could see, but you could tell this “show” was pretty popular. There were over one thousand followers following whatever this was. Then again, you didn’t like how shady some of the posts seemed.

Woojin speaks first, “I don’t understand. What is this? Why would these people have Hyunjin?”

You turn to Seungmin to receive an answer, only to find that his face had grown much more paler. Panic moves in the depths of your gut, and just when you were about to inquire about his silence, Chan beats you to it:

“I’ve seen this before. It’s a hybrid fighting ring.” Your panic shifts in nausea as you turn to peer at the hybrid with an incredulous look. He meets your gaze and nods toward the laptop, “Look at one of the videos.”

Balanced on the edge between curiosity and confusion, you do as Chan suggests and slide onto the floor to pull up the most recent video posted on the account. Almost immediately, shouts and cheers spills through the speakers of the computer and you almost debated turning down the volume. But your focus is snatched by the situation taking place in the video.

Horrified, you watch what seems to be a pitbull hybrid lunge for a bloody cat hybrid. He knocks him to the ground with a powerful leap and proceeds to lay punch after punch on his already marred face. The feline collapses to the ground, his face already beginning to swell after the violent attack. Victorious, the pitbull climbs to his feet and flashes the crowd a bloody smile and winning pose. The video tries to play again, but you’re quick to stop it again. Once was enough, maybe too much.

“Wow.” Woojin’s whisper awakens you from your trance, and you turn to see him with a faraway look on his face. Chan reaches over to place a gentle pat on the older hybrid’s shoulder before leaning over to put a comforting arm around his shoulder. Woojin shakes his head, “After the circus, I didn’t think it could get any worse…”

You try to overlook the stone forming in the back of your throat and instead turn to Seungmin, “So what about Hyunjin?”

Seungmin gulps, “W-well, he’s considered the “runt” of the ring…”

“What does that mean?”

“It means they use him for easy wins.” Chan sighs, still in the process of comforting his blank-faced brother. He glances at you with sad eyes and continues, “Basically a person who’s looking to make quick cash from a fight will put their hybrid against him, the weakest fighter, and is destined to win.”

“But that’s horrible,” You scoff, suddenly disgusted at the realization of why this Instagram is so popular. “This whole thing is horrible.”

“Humans are horrible.” Seungmin pipes up, but quickly waves a dismissive hand toward you, “All except you, noona, of course.”

Chan sends you a weak smile, “It’s like you said, (Y/N). Miroh is dangerous for hybrids. Always has been.”

And it always will be. “We should come up with a plan and get Hyunjin out of there as fast as possible, who knows what he’s been through at this point…” You trail off, gazing at the laptop screen with a sullen expression. First Chan, then Seungmin, then Woojin… How much worse could this get?

Seungmin chuckles, “Way ahead of you, noona.”

The beagle hybrid steals the device again to feverishly search for something else. After a couple seconds, he turns it back around and points to the screen, “They have a fight scheduled for this Friday at midnight. All we have to do is show up.”

Briefly skimming through the information, you shake your head, “Maybe, but we still need to figure out how we’re going to get Hyunjin out. Then again, our plan last time didn’t really go as planned.”

Ouch. Through the corner of your eye, you can see the guilt spread across Chan’s place. You felt ashamed for saying it, but even so, you’re not really wrong. This time, you need to be careful and have some sort of order of operations.

Hyunjin’s life depends on it.

~~*~~**~~*~~

“How much, again?”

“$50.” At the taxi driver’s answer, you pull out two twenties and a ten from your wallet and hand them over. Your driver accepts the money, types something onto his credit machine that prints out a receipt and hands it back to you. With a final goodbye, you join the two other hybrids outside the car.

Chan looks up from your phone, “Everything okay?”

You nod, “Yeah. All good.”

“Good.” The hybrid turns back to the device and speaks into it, “Seungmin, that’s your queue. Show us the way.”

After a lot of arguing, Woojin and Chan found it best that Seungmin remain back in your apartment for this mission. The beagle was less than happy with the decision and even went as far as trying to convince you to change his brothers’ minds, but Chan wouldn’t budge on this one. Though, after what happened last time, you really can’t blame him. Anything could happen. Anything dangerous, that is.

“Right,” Seungmin’s voice is a bit shaky over the line, meaning that your phone probably wasn’t getting the best signal. “You guys are gonna head straight down this street and make a left into an alleyway just before you pass the barber shop.”

“Thanks, Min. We’ll keep you on the line as long as we can. (Y/N)’s phone may lose signal.”

A sigh emerges over the call, “Don’t worry about me. Just find Hyunjin and bring him home.”

Woojin replies, “We will, no doubt. We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Sure, hyung. Be careful.”

And with that, Chan, Woojin and you make your way down the dim, barren street. The place where you’re hoping to find Hyunjin is quite literally, the worst part of Miroh you’ve ever stepped foot in. Rundown buildings on streets with very few lamps. Lewd and inappropriate graffiti plastered on every available surface. Shops with boarded up windows and indestructible, metal doors. Everything screams shady.

These parts of town are what people usually call “The Forgotten.” Basically, after WWIII, when these parts of the city were destroyed in bomb raids and warfare, the new government never invested any money into fixing them back up. Only unemployed, homeless and other unlucky individuals end up living in these parts. A lot of hybrids make their way here too from what you’ve seen in the news.

The three of you reach the alleyway in one piece where you spot the door you’re supposed to enter through. Unfortunately, your phone call with Seungmin doesn’t last the trip. With a sigh, Chan offers your device back which you accept and stuff into the pocket of your jeans. He nods and murmurs, “You guys remember the plan?”

“Yeah.” You hum and before you can bite your tongue, you reply, “Do you?”

Chan’s eyes glitter within the darkness, boring into your own with some sort of emotion you couldn’t read. It stays like that for a moment, just the two of you staring at each other before he ends the moment with a stiff nod, “Yes. I do.”

“Great. Let’s do this.” Woojin pushes past the both of you to take up the lead. You and Chan have to sprint to keep up with his quick pace, halting just when you reach the door. After making sure each of you were ready, the bear hybrid reaches forward and pushes open the obstacle. Instantly, your nostrils are hit with the scent of hard liquor and cigarette smoke. Scrunching your nose, you follow Woojin through the doorway, peering behind your shoulder to make sure Chan was on your tail. He was.

You piece together you guys had entered an abandoned car shop, judging by the vast open space and totaled vehicles. It was pitch black all except for some lights in the center where you could already catch a glimpse of some sort of iron cage. Dozens of people surrounded the structure, sipping from red cups and inhaling from cigars. Looks like the excitement hasn’t started just yet.

“Come to see the fight?”

You nearly jump at the new voice and barely stop yourself from colliding into Woojin. You step beside the male and discover the source of the question. It was some middle-aged man, maybe forty, with barely any hair atop his scalp and tobacco stains all across his teeth. His eyes were beady almost like a rat’s, and a shiver crawled down your spine when he rakes them down your body.

“Yeah. It’s our first time.” Woojin hums, nodding toward the makeshift arena. “Hasn’t started yet?”

“Nope. Have to give them some time to get the little freaks ready beforehand.” From the corner of your eye, you see the bear visibly tense. “And welcome. Allow me to buy y’all some drinks on the house. I’m thinking tequila for the pretty lady-”

“-And I’m thinking you can fuck off.” The sudden growl is followed by an arm around your waist. You peer up to see Chan sneering toward the man, his eyes narrowed with disgust, “Look at her like that again and I’ll throw you in the ring myself.”

The pervert takes the message loud and clear and quite literally makes a mad dash for the closest group. You shake your head, “Chan, that really wasn’t the smartest idea.”

He drops his limb from your body, his expression once again calm, and shakes his own head, “I wasn’t going to let him look and talk to you like you’re some piece of meat. You can’t smell his perverse intentions like I can.”

Instead of arguing further, you choose to let the moment go and make your way in the direction of the cage. The two hybrids follow closely behind you, and if it was the right time, you would have made a joke about having your own personal bodyguards. But to be honest, you were very grateful for it. Especially for what Chan did.

You just try not to think about the butterflies fluttering in your gut.

“Keep an eye out for the owner. She has to be around here somewhere.” Chan reminds both you and Woojin as you station yourself on the far-end of the ring where fewer people were. You nod and set out to do just that, scanning groups for any sign of a familiar face. You’re unable to find the woman you saw in pictures who is the supposed owner of the fight center, also fighters like Hyunjin. Yet, there’s still no luck when a bell sounds and a person enters the cage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for joining us today. We are well aware in how eager you are to get started.” The suggestive tone of the announcer's voice has your blood boiling and fists clenching at your sides. These people come here to get enjoyment out of watching hybrids beat the living shit out of each other. How sick has the world actually become? “As always, our night will consist of three rounds. The winner of the first round will go on to the next, and so on. Are you ready to have some fun?”

A round of cheers erupts throughout the garage and echoes in your ears like a haunted siren. The announcer throws his hands up and shouts, “Amazing! Let’s meet our first pairing of the night:

“Our newcomer is a doberman pinscher with claws and teeth like knives, weighing over two-hundred and twenty pounds! Welcome, the Destroyer!” You flinch as a burly hybrid darts around the arena to snap his teeth at you and everyone else through the metal chains. The people roar wild at his show, feet stamping and hands applauding in delight. Out of instinct, you move closer to Chan beside you who’s leaning onto the cage with one hand weaved through the chains. His eye catches yours.

This is not going to go well.

“And for his opponent, we have everyone’s favorite puny dalmatian hybrid weighing in just under one-hundred and thirty pounds! Everyone give it up for the Runt!” Though the volume isn’t as hefty, some still cheer as Hyunjin makes his way into the ring. Your stomach turns at how small he is compared to the Destroyer, his skinny figure nothing against the doberman’s muscles. His short, spotted ears were drawn backwards indicating his fear. Then again, you could tell how scared he was just by the look on his face.

Behind you, you hear Chan inhale a heavy gust of air. Without thinking, you reach and take his hand into your own, hoping to calm his obvious tension. His voice is pained when he murmurs, “They cropped his ears.”

“Guys, over there.” Woojin’s comment awakens the both of you from your reverie, and you’re quick to snatch your hand away from Chan’s. You follow where the bear is pointing, finding the woman you had been looking for earlier just across the ring. You move to head toward her when you’re stopped by Chan.

He gives you a pointed look before shaking his head, “After the fight, remember?”

“But Hyunjin-”

“-It has to be after, (Y/N). We have to watch him fight.”

He means watch him lose.

Even so, knowing the intensity of the situation, you relent and return your gaze to the ring. The announcer was rambling about rules and other things you barely cared about. You were more focused on the trembling dalmatian hybrid and how there was no good end to any of this. You could hope all you want, Hyunjin’s not leaving here unscathed.

“Three… Two…” With each number, the announcer steps back further and further away from the hybrids. Your anxiety grows at the clear line of charge the doberman has toward Hyunjin. One knock and he’s down.

“One!” At the screech of a bell, the Destroyer takes off toward Hyunjin. Horrified, you watch the dalmatian hybrid barely duck away in time for the other to zoom past. He dashes to the other side of the arena while his stronger opponent gathers his bearings. Hyunjin was safe for maybe a minute before the doberman is off again. Blood lust written all across his face.

Hyunjin isn’t as lucky this time. He manages to dodge a punch, but the other hybrid is smart and drags his other hand up to scratch at his arm. The gash immediately starts to bleed, blood spills down Hyunjin’s flesh and taints the ground red. Cradling his wounded limb, Hyunjin fails to see his opponent throw another punch and takes a hit right in the nose.

He falls back onto the ground with a sickening thud and a sharp cry. Your heart aches at his desperate attempt to flee in trying to back away from the approaching hybrid. The doberman only grabs his ankle and yanks him toward him. He picks the dalmatian up by his throat and tosses him against the caged boundary, only to trap him there. Unable to watch, you hide your face in Woojin’s shoulder, and shudder with every crack of skin against skin and bone against bone that reaches your ears.

You don’t look back until the announcer calls victory for the Destroyer. Tears brim at your eyelids at the sight of Hyunjin’s limp body against the cage, his face swollen and caked with blood. A couple younger boys emerge from the shadows to drag him out of the ring while the announcer announces the next opponent.

“C’mon, now’s our chance.” You almost forgot about your previous objective until Chan grabs your wrist and starts to drag you through the crowds, Woojin close behind. You reach the woman just in time for the bell to ring and the second round to start.

Her steel eyes gaze across the three of you with disinterest, lips pursing at the rather violent crack of bones that ensues. With a sigh, she hums, “Can I help you?”

“How much for the dalmatian hybrid?” In your previous plan, you weren’t supposed to be so blunt, but after seeing Hyunjin in such a manner, you couldn’t help it. The hybrid has had to endure this time and time again for god knows how long. You’d be damned if he stands it any longer.

The woman rolls her eyes, “He’s not for sale. If you want a dalmatian hybrid, just go to the fucking pet store.”

“We don’t want any dalmatian hybrid.” Woojin backs you up, crossing his arms over his chest. “We want him.”

“Well isn’t that too fucking bad, cause it ain’t happening. I suggest you quit wasting my time before I have my guys kick your asses out.”

Before she can walk away, you stop her with a hand on her arm, “Wait, please. Just hear us out-”

“-Sweetheart, I paid good money for that bastard only to find out he was a runt. He brings in easy pay, so like I said before, no deal.” Defeated, you allow the owner to escape your grip and recede into the cheering crowds. With her departure, the hopeful piece of your soul crumbles to dust. So much for the plan.

You sigh and run a hand through your hair. Angling your head, you peer at both hybrids. Woojin’s expression was contorted into disappointment and frustration while Chan was staring at the ruckus going on inside the arena. You didn’t like the intensity of his gaze. Something about it made your skin crawl.

The bear hybrid scoffs, “Great. What are we supposed to do now?”

“I don’t know.” You shake your head, “We have to find another way I guess. Maybe come back-”

“-No.” Chan’s sudden voice interrupts your own. Wide-eyed, you turn to the wolf hybrid only to find his eyes still on the cage. It seemed as if the Destroyer won the second round too, although he was a lot more bloody and marred than he was with Hyunjin. Chan sighs, the sound long and heavy, and meets your gaze, “I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”

“What do you mean?” Your eyes narrow, studying the way Chan shrinks beneath your stare. “Why am I not going to like it?”

“What if we could win Hyunjin somehow? Like as a prize?”

At first, confusion overtakes your mind at Chan’s strange words. You open your mouth to inquire further, but then your eyes transfer to the ring again. The realization hits you like a firm kick to the chest, and for a moment, you thought your heart had stopped. Feverishly, you shake your head, “Absolutely fucking not. It’s not happening.”

“(Y/N), please. Just consider-”

“-Consider what?” Winded and crazed, you throw your hands up and continue, “I am not throwing you in a fucking cage so you can get your ass beat. We find another way-”

“-And what if there is no other way!?” Chan cries, stepping closer to put his hands on your shoulders. “(Y/N), this might be the only chance we have at ever getting Hyunjin back…”

You wince as his words travel straight into the depths of your heart. Unable to meet his gaze, you look instead toward the Destroyer who’s hastily licking at a wound on his wrist. Your eyes linger over his sharp claws, bulging muscles and the fangs poking through his lips. When you speak, you will yourself to remain strong, but you can’t help the crack in your voice, “I can’t let you do this… He could kill you, Chan, you could fucking die... “

The hybrid cups your cheeks with both hands and forces your eyes to connect. With a weak smile, he chuckles, “I’m not dying on you anytime soon, (Y/N). That would be the worst decision on my part.”

You can’t reply,

“Listen to me,” He swipes his thumb over your cheekbone. His whisper is faint, loud enough for only your ears to listen in, “I know I can win this. I can get Hyunjin back. I just need you to trust me.”

Everything inside of your head was telling you to say no, to laugh in Chan’s face and call him an idiot for ever attempting. But the softer part of yourself was telling you the opposite. Beneath his brown-eyed gaze, you felt helpless, trapped in a war between your head and heart. Memories flash through your mind like sparks of fireworks: You see Woojin’s scarred palm in your rearview mirror. You see blood pooling on the floor like an ocean of waste. You see the stupid leash around Seungmin’s neck. Most importantly, you see Chan sat defenseless in that dark alleyway.

Before you can change your mind, you nod your head, “You better win.”

Chan smiles, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss on your forehead. He hums, “I will. For Hyunjin and for you.”

~~*~~**~~*~~

Surprisingly, Hyunjin’s owner actually agreed to your offer. If Chan wins against the Destroyer, she’ll hand the dalmatian hybrid over with no other questions. You didn’t like the spark of excitement that entered her eyes when you told her Chan was also a wolf hybrid. Or how she asked if Chan has ever been “aggressive” with you before. That didn’t sit well in your stomach.

“You okay?” You turn your gaze away from the cage at Woojin’s concern. He tilts his head, and if he hadn’t had his beanie on, his ears would be twitching too, “You look like you’re gonna be sick.”

“If anything goes wrong, then I probably will be.”

Woojin shakes his head, “(Y/N)-ah, Channie is going to win. There’s no doubt about it.”

While Woojin’s persistence somewhat eases the nausea stirring inside your stomach, it doesn’t make it falter entirely. It’s not like you didn’t have faith in him, because you certainly did, he’s strong, clever and agile. But you just can’t stand the guilt that if something bad happens, Chan’s life is on your conscience. You took him in that night so you’re responsible for anything bad that happens to him.

That’s all this feeling was… right?

“Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have yet another surprise show for you all tonight.” Sinking your teeth into your bottom lip, you watch the announcer as he walks around the ring. You try to ignore the sight of the Destroyer, seething with brutality and hunger. “An unexpected challenger has decided to test their luck against the Destroyer. We’ll see who comes out on top tonight.”

You debated covering your ears to avoid the loud applause, but force your hands to remain clasped into your lap. The announcer waits for the crowd to die down before continuing, “Our next opponent for the night is none other than a wolf hybrid, folks, weighing over one hundred and sixty pounds. Everyone, put your hands together for Bang Chan!”

Your heart picks up as Chan languidly steps into the ring. He was shirtless, the planes of his muscles apparent in the stage light. The combination of his tanned skin and blonde hair made him seem like a beacon - your beacon - of hope. He surveys the crowd outside the metal cage, stopping when his eyes connect with yours. He sends you one of his soft smiles and a wink. And you can’t help the upturn of your own lips.

You mouth for him to be careful. He nods, looks at you one last time then turns to his opponent.

The announcer shouts, “Count with me, folks! Three… two…

“One!” The bell shrieks like a banshee, the sound cutting into your ear drums. With your heart racing, you watch Chan and the Destroyer begin to circle one another. The doberman obviously knew this round wasn’t going to be as easy as his last few. You didn’t know if that knowledge gave you hope or fear.

All of a sudden, the doberman charges straight at Chan. You hold your breath as your companion dodges his attack and also trips him in the process. The other hybrid goes flying against the chainlink barrier face first, his body colliding with a rough clank. Your relief doesn’t last because he’s on his feet in less than three seconds.

Chan goes for him this time around, effectively picking him up and throwing him back against the cage. He lands a right and left hook on his face before delivering a couple hits to his stomach. The Destroyer groans in pain, clutching his torso. The wolf backs off and allows his opponent to catch his breath. He takes the time to look in your direction and send you another smile.

You almost do the same until movement out of the corner of your eye catches your attention. You gasp and scream, “Chan, behind you!”

It’s too late, the Destroyer takes the wolf by surprise and collides into his back. Chan attempts to regain control, but the doberman had his arms pinned to his sides, his knee driving blow after blow into his waist. Each strike sends an ache to your own chest. You weren’t the only one though, Woojin was anxiously chewing at his own lips too.

Chan manages to free himself and shove his opponent away. His stance was a lot shaky, but he deals a right hook with no trouble at all. The doberman stumbles, giving Chan just the right moment to charge himself.

Forcefully, Chan knocks both the other hybrid and himself to the ground. The two tustle for power over one another, rolling across the floor of the ring. To your disappointment (and sanity), the Destroyer gains the upper-hand, straddles the wolf and delivers one strike to the face after another. Similar to his final takedown of Hyunjin.

Screaming rings in your ears, and it took you a moment to realize it was your own. You were screaming for Chan - for your hybrid. You had never been so panicked in your life, the night at the circus never compared to this. Chan. His name was all that left your lips:

“Chan!”

Your calls somehow give Chan the strength he needs to turn the tables and flip the other hybrid so he was beneath him instead. He knocks out the doberman with not one, or two, but many, many punches. The fast pace in which his arm moved back and forth made you dizzy. You felt like you could faint, but it probably wasn’t for that reason.

The next few moments move by in a blur. The announcer pronounces Chan the winner of the night and the owner returns with an unsteady Hyunjin leaning on her shoulders. The younger hybrid quite literally launches himself into Woojin’s arms, sobs and cries and thank yous falling from his lips. You barely have time to relish the heartfelt reunion before Chan returns, frantic and wide-eyed.

“We have to go now.”

“What do you mean? Hyunjin-”

“The cops are here, (Y/N)!” Your excuse falls short on your tongue at Chan’s response. Your relief from before is stripped away like an adult takes candy from a child, and you almost forgot to breathe. “We have to go. Right now.”

Chan, with a firm grip on your wrist, leads you through the bustling and panicking crowds and into darkness. Woojin is not far behind with Hyunjin on his back. His pace grows quicker at the booming voices that echo through the garage, indicating that anyone who attempts to escape will be shot. Your heart beat picks up.

“Shit,” Chan hisses when the four of you reach the back wall of the building. You’d expect they have some sort of backdoor in places like these, but apparently not. Instead there was a single, broken window a couple feet above your heads. “Shit. We’re so fucked.”

“Not necessarily. Just climb up. Let me go first.” Woojin offers. Chan nods, waits for Woojin to transfer Hyunjin onto your shoulders and lifts his brother up to the escape. Woojin fits through easily, and after a few seconds calls for Chan to send Hyunjin.

You hand the dalmatian over. Through the corner of your eye, you notice the beam of flashlights flitting throughout the garage and whisper, “We need to hurry up. They’re starting to search the place.”

Chan doesn’t reply, but heaves Hyunjin up a lot faster than he did with Woojin. He falters though, obviously hurt from his fight earlier. You rush to help him and manage to get the younger hybrid out the window. Even so, the lights are a lot closer. You won’t have enough time for the both of you to fit through. Just one.

“Here. You go.”

Chan shakes his head, “Absolutely not. You first.”

“There’s no time for arguing. I’ll be right behind you.” The lie is bitter when it leaves your lips, but you know you have no other choice. Chan, knowing your time crisis, takes the bait and allows you to help him up to the window. Once you’re sure he’s able to get out of his own from there, you rip your hands away and murmur, “I’m sorry.”

If Chan called for you, you didn’t know because you were already taking off further into the darkness. You follow the back wall as much as you can, finding yourself among various totaled car and truck. Nonetheless, you could still see the lights slowly closing in. It was only a matter of time before the police find you and you’d be fucked.

But at least the boys are safe.

Just one you were about to give up hope, an arm suddenly yanks at your leg and tugs you beneath one of the cars. You try to scream, but a palm stops any noise from leaving your lips. The stranger hums a warning just as dozens of feet passed by where you’re hidden. You hold your breath, convinced they’d be able to hear the pounding of your heart and you’d be caught anyway. But somehow, there is a god.

The police fall away and all that’s left is you and your unknown savior. Only when they’re sure your captors wouldn’t return does the stranger remove their hand. You silently cough and scoot away from the figure, harshly whispering, “Who the hell are you? Why did you-?”

“-We’ll talk later. Right now, we have to get out of here.”

You can tell its a male from his deep voice. Just as he’s about to slide from your hiding spot, you grab his arm and yank him back, “No. Tell me who you are first.”

The stranger sighs and gives you a pointed look through the darkness, “I think you’ve been looking for me actually:

“The name’s Minho. Lee Minho.”

#stray kids x reader #stray kids fanfic #stray kids au #bang chan x reader #bang chan au #stray kids #bang chan #woojin #lee know #changbin #hyunjin #han #felix #seungmin #i.n.#kpop fanfic #kpop au

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echo-inthevoid · 4 years

Text

Season 2 q&a and overall reaction

Jonny stealing everyone's names XD

Is martin going to be ok!? I also need to know!

He said no;-;

ok ya, no one's gonna be ok.

Ya, he must do sooo much research.

Ya, except for "fatigue" lol.

Eyyy the mechanisms!!

What's the red string brigade? Ok, I guess a group of fans theorizing about stuff.

Oh ok so someone else did martins poetry. Ooh, there's more martin poetry out there! *grabby hands*

Ok ya, Alex clarifying that Jon isn't stupid he just makes poor decisions. Probably if he'd paused and thought about it (like I did lol, I had to go do some stuff in the middle of that ep and thought about it a whole bunch lol) instead of immediately going out and buying an axe and further isolating himself and panicking immediately he probably would have figured it out. This is why it's bad to panic in a crisis guys.

Eyyy! Jonny's parents voiced Gertrude and Leitner! That's so cool.

XD Jonny grumbling about having to work with his parents.

Hmm, I hadn't really thought of Gertrude being like a mother figure in the story? She just seems very cut-throat I guess from what Leitner said. Idk so far I've been very suspicious of her. Especially since that one statement where her photo burned a whole bunch of people or something. She just seems very shady...

Alex chortling over Jonny's pain. XD

Side note, Every time there's a q&a I just can't stop noticing Jonny's voice going in and out of archivist range? Like most of the time I'm just listening along and then he'll say a sentence a bit grumblier and my brains immediately like "ARCHIVIST! That's THE ARCHIVIST!!"

Martin would be the last one alive in Friday the 13th! It's official!

(Is it bad that this gives me hope)

Jon likes Nonfiction, documentaries, and probably collects something just a little bit weird. *writes down for use in potential fics*

also while im at it I remember jon saying he dislikes coffee at one point, and so many people have him liking coffee in their fics! This has been your daily reminder of that fact because ever since then it keeps bugging me lol. (But also do whatever u want.)

Alex's spluttering sounds so much like Martin.

Yes!! I want to hear jon sing!! Yes! Musical Episode When!!?

Ah yes yes yes! All the characters are so unique!!? How does he do it!!

Ya, it being in audio format sometimes makes it hard to understand what's happening in the live-action bits. (Live-action is the wrong word but u know what I mean.)

Oh ok ya, how he mentioned he got a pipe was quite clever I didn't realize that that's why he mentioned it at all.

Ooh, there's a manga where there's something similar to Michael? I'll have to look that up later...

XD Alex and Jonny arguing about apples.

Ok, so all the statements we're hearing ARE for reals. I kinda assumed but good to have it confirmed.

They used to hang out together!!? Work function curry nights!! ;-;

Ya Ya! Who made the leitners!?

"You are assuming a book needs to be written" ...ok then. (but it has to have been created somehow??? Did they just spring fully formed from the powers? why? And why take the form of books?)

Alex's mischievous laugh about whether jon has friends *trembles in fear*

Yes!! Micheal is so good! I'm so happy they love him too! Yesyes! His laugh!

Ah Yes!! Mary kaey was so creepy!

XD yes yes yes fatigue was written on zero sleep, I knew it!

Akskdjdkd I love them so much. Also, I've looked up Michaels voice actor luke booys and he does some other horrory type sketches n stuff and I kiiinda want to do a little animatic with some of those but it's Michael like annoying some poor soul lost in his halls... I think that'd be fun. I wonder if anyone's done that yet? If so someone send me the links I neeeed iiitt :3

Season 2 summary:

Uuuuu ya so this season was really good. I kinda listened to it in bursts of about ten episodes every couple weeks and then have been saving up the reactions to post later so these are usually going up about a week or so after I actually listened to the episode just FYI.

I also do have a lot of spoilers cause I can't keep myself away from fanfic and people don't always tag for spoilers and I kiiinda wana know what's coming beforehand anyway? Idk it's hard man I get very stressed about what might happen and then also listening to too much at a time is too spooky for my poor little heart so I gotta read the less spooky fanfic to fulfill the hyperfixation you see. (If anyone has fanfic with spoilers only up to season 2 that'd be great btw)

Anyway, I try not to take spoiler type stuff into account unless I'm just so sure of it I can't really not acknowledge that I know about it.

Also, can I just talk about Michael for a minute?? Cause he's such a unique character? And I guess maybe there are other characters like him but I haven't ever seen one -tho to be fair tma is only like the third horror thing I've ever really got into (the other two are the SCP Foundation in its various forms and Little Nightmares. Hence why I keep making reference to SCP it's really the only thing I know similar to this.) But he's such a cool concept!!? Like someTHING that still has a personality? He's so not human? Like I get what he says but also I don't really? Idk im pretty sure he's an avatar right? Right?? Idk if that means he was a person at some point? But all this to say that he is probably the most inhuman character I've come across so far and I'm trying to figure out what it is about him that's so "other" to me? Like... I don't really know what Micheal's deal is? he seems to want to be sort of a neutral mischief-maker but also it seems like he keeps getting invested. But also I just love the way he talks about himself. Like he's a monster that has a personality and is fully intelligent but isn't just evil but isn't neutral either and certainly isn't benevolent. Like he's so complex and just,,,, the idea of a "thing" that's got a personality?? I love it? Kind of like dryads or spirits of things? Like the idea that after a long time things gain personality just by existing? Not that that's what Michael is necessarily? but that same sort of concept applies to him I think. Like the way he IS the maze and wants to help but wants to just watch but wants to kill them all. He's just so interestinggggggg. (And another vision of what jon could become?)

also "es Mentiras" is a beautiful name 💕

So are him and not-Sasha avatars? Not-Sasha also seems completely inhuman and I was under the impression that avatars were (or used to be) human? Or are they like personifications of their power? Do all the powers have personifications of themselves. not-Sasha seems even less human than Michael? Like she seems to just really genuinely enjoy causing fear? Tho I guess we didn't really get to hear a lot of her. She just seemed kinda gleefully angry most of the time we heard from her. Was she... Human once!???

Anyway. Also, can I just talk about leitners line about jon belonging to the eye!!? Just..*chefs kiss* hnnnngg I need more jon grappling with that. I just need more everyone dealing with the fallout post all of the finallies ok? I still need more of jon angsting over his worms scars and stuff and now I also need jon freaking out about belonging to a fear god power thing.

Also Martin! Is Martin ok? He sure did a lot of yelling which he doesn't usually? Look I love him and he actually thinks before he acts (unlike SOME people *looks at jon*) and he writes poetry and it is pretty good poetry ok!! And he cares about everyone and just wants a happy ending and aaaaa😭

Petition to get some statements from Martin's pov tho? I mean that's not gonna happen cause Jon's the archivist but I want more martin pov!! Maybe we can get some of his poem tapes??? Pls?????

I feel so bad for Tim. It sounds like he's kinda fallen into despair.

Also Elias!!? Is showing his spooky side!!? He can control cameras and beat a man to death with a pipe!!? This is his "place of powerr"!!? I am afeared!!? At least jon knows he shouldn't trust him now. Oh jeez, I wonder if jon will listen back to the tape and know what happened. Thhhatsss rough. Oh dear, I hope he doesn't feel guilty cause Leitner did keep trying to hurry him and now everyone thinks it was him. Even martin thinks he did it? Wich like I kinda want to hear more of his thoughts on that? How much does he believe that jon did it? Tim certainly seems pretty certain but he's a bit biased and cynical right now so.

And they were in the maze for DAYS?

Now I need martin recovering from being stuck with Tim in Michaels maze for days being angry and worried and hungry etc... Dksjdksa knowing jon could be dying RIGHT NOW and there's nothing he can do. Please someone give me the fic links if this exists!! I've already written like 5 drabbles based entirely on spoilers/other fics (which I'll probably post (w/ links to their inspirations) once I'm caught up and can make sure I'm not just completely demolishing cannon lol.

Leitner didn't even scream or yell or anything when he was murdered. Literally the chillest dude ever. F

Overall super great, Elias is terrifying, let's dive into the next season!!! I've got 2 seasons to finish in like, less than 2 or so weeks(?) if I wana be caught up by season 5 hhhh,,,

Better get started I guess.

#tma #tma lb #tma liveblog #liveblogging #tma season 2 #season 2 #season 2 q&a #season 2 finale #the magnus archives

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makeste · 5 years

Text

some Monday morning follow-up thoughts on BnHA 245

mystery of the 4+ hour translation time: solved lmao.

you know, for all that I’ve complained about various Viz translation issues over the years, I have to give credit where it’s due. this really wasn’t necessary in order to understand the chapter, but he went and did it anyway. that’s some dedication to your craft. and apparently Horikoshi actually went and wrote way more of this book than he strictly needed to as well, because of course he did.

also, in Viz’s version, Hawks’s “secret message” is so overt that there was like zero chance of Endeavor not putting two and two together. “that’s my SECOND!!! recommendation, in so many WORDS!!!!! MAKE SURE YOU READ WHAT I HIGHLIGHTED WELL ANYWAYS BYE.” for all I know the original Japanese may have been much more subtle, but this is nonetheless my new favorite translation on account of its implication that Hawks really didn’t have any faith in Endeavor’s intellectual capabilities at all lmao.

other follow-up thoughts on 245! well really just two thoughts, but one of them is a list of things and the other is a long tangent!

so, (1) the following is an incomplete list of events which are coming up in canon roughly at or around the four-months-from-now time period, which in canon will be the end of April:

the start of the new school year, and Shinsou’s transfer to the hero course

the next U.A. sports festival

Bakugou’s seventeenth birthday (420 blaze it)

Golden Week (starts April 29th)

possibly the next Hero Billboard Chart event. the previous one was at the end of November, and it’s stated that the rankings are updated twice a year. normally one would then assume the previous rankings came out at the end of May, i.e. six months earlier, but it was implied that the event in ch 184 was delayed due to the events at Kamino, so it’s possible that the Spring rankings actually came out earlier

and last but not least,

[Marge Simpson noises] [worried glances toward Horikoshi's frustrating poker face] ...

and (2) where does Endeavor go from here?? what’s his next move? he now knows (a) that the League of Villains has taken over the Liberation Army and now numbers 100,000 strong, and (b) that they have something big planned that’s going down in four months. but he also knows that Hawks went to great lengths to tell him all of this secretly. “there was something he couldn’t say outright.”

he knows there is some shady shit going down, for sure. the media’s version of the Deika City incident isn’t telling the full story. Hawks is out here shilling Re-Destro’s book and praising the Liberation ideology despite knowing they’re secretly a front for the League of Villains. but clearly the most glaring signal of all, the hint that even Endeavor should be sharp enough to catch despite being a few Bradys short of a bunch, is the fact that for whatever reason, Hawks wasn’t able to just tell Endeavor all of this outright. not even in private. that is big. what that should tell Endeavor, if he has any detective instincts at all, is that Hawks has been compromised in some way. it’s not just that he doesn’t trust anyone. it’s that he can’t communicate at all without risking something.

and once he puts all that together, it’s not that much of a stretch from there to puzzle out that maybe, just maybe, there might be some secret agent stuff going on. because where else could Hawks have gotten this information? and maybe, if he decides to put his conspiracy goggles on, he might even get to thinking about the incredibly suspicious timing of that High End Noumu attack back in November. anyways, the important thing is that he has enough information now to make the correct leap here. and assuming that BnHA continues its trend of letting characters actually be smart about this sort of thing, I’m going to assume that he will do just that as soon as the next chapter.

so then, the question is, what does he do with that knowledge? your little bird buddy is working undercover and spying on the League of Liberators and is probably in terrible danger! well, then! that’s not ideal!! so he has a few options here, I think. one is that he can check with the HPSC whether they have anyone working undercover. buuuuut, that’s risky though. because the thing is, he doesn’t know for sure whether he can trust them. so even though they actually are clean as far as we know, I'm not sure Endeavor will go this route, because he doesn’t know that, and the last thing he wants is to accidentally get Hawks exposed and killed.

option two is that he can keep it on the dl but tell a few other heroes, ones he actually trusts. this in practice would probably be a pretty short list, though. the other U.A. alumni, possibly, if he makes the judgement call that they can be trusted since they’ve all fought against the League before. or if not, then he can at least tell All Might. I do think him going to All Might for advice is a very strong possibility regardless of whatever else he decides, because he’s clearly in over his head here, and he needs to tell someone.

and the third option is that he keeps it even more on the dl, and decides to put his agency to work quietly investigating the leads that Hawks has given him, starting with the Deika incident. this should hopefully lead to him figuring out the connection between Detnerat and the villains, and they might even manage to learn the actual details of what really happened if they can manage to talk to someone from Deika who wasn’t on the Liberation Army’s side. back in chapter 224, Hanabata said that 90% of the population were secretly MLA soldiers. but that still leaves 10% who weren’t, so there’s a chance that some of them might have a very different tale to tell if Endeavor can manage to track them down.

anyways, my guess is that in the course of their investigating, someone on Endeavor's team, which could be anyone but will absolutely be Deku, will stumble across something big which will subsequently land our heroes in Big Trouble, and provide a focus for the rest of this arc. and while I almost feel like it’s jinxing it to hazard a guess, I will say that the traitor plot could very well finally play a big role here, particularly if the Terrible Trio gets involved in this whole thing, which, again, they 100% will. needless to say, I hope the kids are as tight-lipped about what’s going on in their internships as they were during the Basement arc, or else we might really be in for some trouble.

and the other possibility is that the traitor doesn’t come up again in this arc (lol see how I covered my bases there. "the traitor will definitely play a role in this arc, unless of course they don't"), and we wind up focusing on the Noumu instead. either way, hopefully Hawks will focus on unraveling more of the League’s plan, because it would really come in handy to know just what kind of “power” Tomura is going to be acquiring in four months’ time. is it Noumu-related? are they planning a prison break? or is it something else entirely? there are just too many possibilities right now, which yet again serves as a reminder of just how many cards the villains currently hold up their sleeves. the heroes really need to get their hands on a few cards of their own. godspeed.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha 245 #endeavor #hawks #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #long post #sorry I was gonna put some of this under a cut but it never seems to work on mobile for some reason #I feel like the next chapter is gonna be a crucial one for laying the brickwork for the rest of this arc #right now so much of it is still up in the air #which is both exciting and exasperating #I just want to know everything that's going to happen right this second #is that so much to ask #lol

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alifeenhanced · 4 years

Text

The Journey Begins . . .

So what is this journey all about?

I am Terry Jenkins, a father of 4 grown-up children, now living with my partner and her teenage son, in the north-east of England.

I am a full-time carer for my partner, Andie, and at the time of starting this journey (September 2020), living off government benefits.

I am on benefits because I have to care for Andie throughout the day, which means I don’t have the time to have a job.

Having previously run a myriad of self-employed ventures and having 25 years of experience in the IT industry (plus I have also lectured in IT for a brief period in the not-so-distant past), being on benefits doesn’t come easy to me.

The Journey Begins

So having cared for Andie for a couple of years now, I feel the time is right for me to venture back into the world of self-employment and see if I can ease the government of the burden of looking after us.

Now, some days, time isn’t always easy to find if Andie is having a rough time of it. Her condition means I get to do most of the stuff around the house, which limits my available time.

Nevertheless, I do have time across the day and find myself on the computer a lot (old habits die hard), especially in the afternoons and evenings.

So I got to thinking that maybe I could start earning some cash, as I do detest being on benefits. I don’t have any problem with people who are on benefits, but I have worked all my life and am not one for just sitting around and relaxing. If you see me on the beach, I’m the one typing on the laptop!

Mapping Out The Journey

So, coming off benefits – how do I do it?

Well, it was obvious that I couldn’t do anything that took me out of the house and the ad hoc nature of my caring duties meant I couldn’t really have clients if I wanted to offer them the service I would expect. So my only option was to build a business making money online.

In some ways this decision was obvious. When I gave up my bricks and mortar business back in 2014 I spent a lot of time doing self-development training and studying internet marketing, affiliate marketing, and even a touch of network marketing.

Even during my first 2 years of caring for Andie, I still watched the odd training course or YouTube video to keep up with the latest trends online.

In those 6 years after giving up my Post Office and shop, I had come a long way in my personal development and I knew a bit about making money online.

The Journey Of A Wise Man?

Now I’m no fool, I know the majority of people do not make a go of making money online. If you don’t believe me, look up the figures. It’s a very small percentage of people who build a good income online.

But my goals aren’t massive. I am not looking to buy an 8-bed mansion and drive a Ferrari. For one thing, it’s not really my style. Nevertheless, I did want to replace the income we are getting on benefits, plus a little more to make life more comfortable (for Andie more than myself).

So I set myself 2 goals. One for 90 days and one for 12 months.

You see, I am 60 in October 2021, so I have roughly 13 months before I start to get the pensions I built up when I was younger.

So my first goal was to ensure the business was self-sufficient by the end of 2020. The second goal was to be earning around £2700 per month (around $3000) by October 2021.

Allowing 1 month (September 2020) to get everything in place to run the business, meant these targets nicely fitted the 90-day and 12-month time slots.

How Much Is A Ticket?

As for the start-up budget, being on benefits for so long doesn’t leave a lot of elbow room, but using other knowledge I had (more on this later), I managed to have a little tax-free start-up money to invest in the business.

This start-up budget would pay for training courses and other packages (hosting, domain names, autoresponders, etc) to ensure I had the knowledge and digital assets I needed to succeed.

So how does this journey touch your life I hear you say? Well, my aim is to journal my journey as I go, sharing my experiences and my financial statements.

I also want to help others who want to tackle the same journey by providing training and information along the way.

I also want to provide honest reviews of training and other products in the Internet Marketing arena. There are a plethora of reviews out there for these products, which get released daily. These reviews all have one thing in mind, to get you to buy using their affiliate link, so they can make money from your purchase.

Now don’t get me wrong, I will be doing affiliate marketing, but I will only recommend products I intend on buying and using myself or products I would purchase if I didn’t already have something to do the job.

I am fully expectant that most of my reviews will say ‘don’t buy’.

Looking In The Rear-View Mirror

I have recently been going through the myriad of training and online tools I purchased since 2014 (Google ‘Shiny Object Syndrome’), mainly because a lot of them were registered against an email I no longer use. The domain is coming up for re-registration and I don’t want to pay for it anymore, so I wanted to change the registered email address.

I was absolutely shocked by how many of these products no longer exist!

Many of the domain names they were registered against are now available to purchase again.

In Internet Marketing, a lifetime account means absolutely nothing. I was appalled by how many of these purchases were a total waste of money and I was thankful I hadn’t built a business reliant on using any of them.

I was also shocked that some ‘Lifetime Membership’ offers I had bought still existed, but they had changed the domain name (from .net to .com in some instances) and if you wanted the latest access you needed to repurchase another lifetime account – go figure.

These weren’t inexpensive purchases either. We are taking multiple hundreds of dollars for the original purchase and a similar figure to purchase another ‘lifetime’ access. This second purchase would give you what you laughingly assumed you had purchased the first time around.

Plus, I was shocked by the ‘Internet Gurus’ who had undertaken this shady practice.

These were people I had previously trusted and looked up to!

Anyway, I am starting to rant now and that is never a good thing (hide the sharp knives).

Fortunately, I did discover a decent amount of good quality tools and training I can use in my new venture. Plus, I have good experience of whom to trust and whom not to trust with my money.

A Journey Alone?

So my question to you is, ‘Do you want to follow in my footsteps?’

You can just follow from afar by dropping in occasionally (although this may make you feel like a peeping tom – joking), or you can sign up to get on my email list and receive updates on my progress.

Or, if you are feeling particularly brave, you can go one step further and join my journey. My intention is to have some pretty affordable membership websites available to teach you the steps I am taking and inform you of the products I am purchasing and how I intend to use them.

I Am Up For It, Are You?

If so, get on the mailing list and I will keep you informed of my journey step by step.

If this is a parting of ways, I thank you for reading this far and I wish you success on your chosen path.

If you are up for a wild journey, then you are more than welcome my friend. I look forward to guiding and teaching you more over the coming months.

To your continued success,

Terry Jenkins

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dogbearinggifts · 5 years

Note

Since Vanya was always kept out of everything and people were made to believe that Reginald only adopted six children, how easily could people have believed the contents of Vanya's book? Do you think the popularity or people's general opinion of Reginald and the siblings were significantly affected by it? If so, how dramatic do you think was the change in the public's perception? What do people possibly think about Reginald and the siblings now? Thank you very much!

Since Vanya was always kept out of everything and people were made to believe that Reginald only adopted six children, how easily could people have believed the contents of Vanya's book?

You know, I’ve thought on the flashbacks a bit more after reading this ask, and I’ve realized that Reginald doesn’t deny her existence so much as he fails or refuses to acknowledge it. He snubs her by omission in the bank flashback, but he makes no effort to keep her out of sight while they’re standing on that rooftop. He forbids her to join the family photo, but he doesn’t lock her away while it’s taken so the photographer can’t see her. And when all of the kids were infants, we see seven nannies pushing seven carriages—so the existence of seven Hargreeves children would still be within living memory. I think it’s highly likely that at some point after they began superhero work, this discrepancy was brought up. Maybe the tween magazine correspondent who wrote that “Getting Real with The Umbrella Academy” piece we see framed on Reginald’s wall asked them “Say, don’t you have another sister? Whatever happened to her?” to which they responded that she didn’t have any powers. Since the world was enamored with the young superheroes and what they did, I think this correspondent would’ve had little interest in asking further questions about this mysterious seventh sibling. Prior to the publication of Vanya’s book, I think there would have been interviews and other documentation confirming the existence of a seventh Hargreeves child, but the press probably didn’t take much interest in this fact until her book was released.

Do you think the popularity or people's general opinion of Reginald and the siblings were significantly affected by it? If so, how dramatic do you think was the change in the public's perception?

I think that would differ, by and large, from reader to reader. The best real-world example I can think of is the movie The Social Network, about Zuckerberg and all the drama surrounding the creation of Facebook. Some people who saw that movie took it as a fairly accurate account of the shady rise of Facebook and Zuckerberg; others took it with a grain of salt; some believed it was mostly embellished; some conceded that it was true to the spirit if not to all the facts; the real people whose lives it dramatized were angry over how they were portrayed; and some people just didn’t think it was an enjoyable movie to watch. (I’m in the last group. The How It Should Have Ended version was a much better movie.)

When it comes to Vanya’s book, I think public opinion would’ve been similarly divided. Some would’ve believed everything Vanya wrote, while others would’ve found parts (or most) of it unbelievable. I think there would’ve been some readers who were big fans of Vanya’s siblings and dismissed her book as a morally dubious ploy to profit off their fame; but I think there also would’ve been other readers who had always had their suspicions about the eccentric billionaire who bought seven kids and trained them to kill. Some readers might not have believed her claims of constant bullying from her siblings, but they might have believed the parts about the child abuse. We know her book was a bestseller for a time, but I don’t think there was any general public consensus on what to think of the contents.

If allegations of child abuse were ever brought to Reginald, I think he would’ve laughed them off, or pointed out that many of his children had gone on to great success and independence. Some would have taken this as an admission of guilt; some would have taken it as a sign that Vanya exaggerated her claims. Allison probably would have been interviewed about the more explosive things Vanya wrote about her family, but her publicist probably would have instructed her to keep her responses as diplomatic as possible. I don’t think she would have refused to comment at all—she would have wanted to refute some of Vanya’s most damaging claims—but rather than a categorical denial, she might have said something like, “There are two sides to every story—and in this case, there are seven. Vanya told her side, and I’d like to be given a chance to tell mine, when I’m ready.” Rumors would have flown every which way, but a response like that probably would have convinced her fans, at least, that Vanya had exaggerated some of her claims.

I think the most significant impact her book had was in sparking a debate. I think it would have raised questions in those who maybe hadn’t asked any before, and emboldened those who had already been questioning the wisdom of sending six young teenagers out to fight dangerous adult criminals. And those who were true believers in the Academy—maybe those who’d had a loved one saved by those kids, or who thought the basic idea of superheroes was good—probably would have dug in their heels and pointed to the angry reactions of her siblings as proof she exaggerated most, if not all, of her claims. I do think that, by and large, the public sympathized with what the kids had gone through in their childhoods, and I think they were probably horrified that no one ever said anything. Vanya probably hoped public sympathy would rest with her and her alone, but it likely extended to all her siblings and made Reginald the main object of disgust. Rather than focusing on Vanya’s exclusion from family life, as she intended, I’d be willing to bet a fair percentage of readers zeroed in on the claims of abuse and experimentation—in part because readers would have been more familiar with her siblings, and in part because “Dad would lead one of my siblings to the basement/lab/wherever the hell he conducted those experiments and they’d emerge hours later, completely broken” elicits a more visceral reaction than “I watched their missions from a distance, wishing I could be a part of it.”

What do people possibly think about Reginald and the siblings now?

Allison’s career apparently didn’t suffer too much after the book was published, but I’m sure there were at least some questions raised as to how she got to be where she was. Her public image probably took a hit, even if her bank account did not, because—well, it’s Hollywood. If producers think star power will help them sell tickets, they’ll keep casting that star regardless of whatever scandal is brewing. There are exceptions, of course, but by and large Hollywood is pretty amoral. The public might trust her less, and after the Rumor scandal it seems a good number of people saw her as the villain of Patrick and Claire’s story, but if Sgt. Cheddar’s reaction upon seeing her is any indication, people still enjoy her movies and have few qualms about seeing them.

I think that the initial reaction was sympathy for the siblings. The public would have read about all the horrible things Reginald put those kids through, and I think people would have pitied them. But over time, as more and more people read and discussed her book, and as more and more gossip rags published listicles of “The Most Messed-Up Things In Vanya Hargreeves’ Autobiography,” I think people would have paid more attention to the awful things she wrote about them. The negative press probably would have started with the tabloids, since they’re always out for a bit of good gossip and a tell-all book about the Umbrella Academy would have been red meat for them; but I think it also would have spread to book clubs, to groups of friends, and so on. We see that over time, interest in her book waned (her readings go from packed houses to one or two people over the course of the montage) because she’d spilled everything she had and left no room for a sequel. As interest waned, I think discussion would have tapered off, and whatever opinion people had formed of the Academy and Vanya’s view of it would have been what they held onto.

But I think the most devastating effects of her book were seen on a smaller scale. Patrick might have decided to watch Allison more closely after reading about her power abuse, leading to him seeing her Rumor Claire and subsequently to scandal and divorce. Eudora might have read about Diego taunting Vanya and started to see his jabs toward her in a more sinister light, leading in part to their bitter breakup. Luther probably felt as if he were at risk, if Vanya went into detail on his powers and weaknesses—not to mention the depression he likely fell into after reading that Vanya unequivocally blamed him for Ben’s death. After seeing his addiction, powers, and rotten childhood put on display for the entire world, Klaus might have ramped up his drug use to cope with the devastating impact that had on his mental health. Ben probably ranted for hours, if not days, at seeing his death discussed so publicly. And as Five read and reread that book over the years, it probably eroded his trust in the family he tried so hard to get back to—because if Vanya would make their private suffering so public, what else would his siblings do?

#the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #tua #vanya hargreeves #extra ordinary #reginald hargreeves #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #anon #answered

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thesaltyoceanwaves · 5 years

Text

Account of Resistance Fighter Saltybug - Hive Mind Bad Ending Metafic

A/N: Please be aware that this is a fictionalized account of my RP experiences during Hive Mind. If it sounds too harsh or serious... well, that’s just my character. It’s not real, and I don’t mean to offend anyone. I know some people got upset or didn’t care for the content during the whole thing, but again, I mean no harm. It’s just a bit of fun.

One of the bunker doors swings open. The contents inside are empty. All of the resistance’s rooms seem sparse, you realize. But this one has been occupied up until not too long ago.

Still curious, you step inside.

There’s a book sitting on a desk. The cover is a plain brown. You skim through the pages and see someone’s handwriting.

It appears to be a diary.

Do you wish to continue reading?

March 26

Something... strange is happening around here.

All sorts of people have been contacting @nobodyfamousposts about joining the Hive. What was once a story has now become reality. And all sorts of people have been inducted into this cult.

Yeah, I don’t like this.

I don’t think I have much to worry about though. It’s not as if people are going to be directly targeting me. If I say nothing, I’d probably be nothing more than a ghost. Wouldn’t even register as a blip on the Hive’s radar.

...

...Maybe I should look for a bunker or something, just in case. Somewhere extreme and with uninviting weather.

March 27

I’ve managed to find some locations with pretty extreme weather conditions. Places like [redacted]. I also considered somewhere up in [redacted] but I hate the cold. Winter just ended and I just started pulling out my spring/summer clothes! I don’t want to have to take it all out again! Ugh, this is so inconvenient, but whatever. I’m still not a target and I could probably get away safely.

Still, I have a good variety of locations that the Hive will never touch. I hope. At the very least, it’d be a pain for them to reach. I don’t mind trekking through treacherous locations - I like the challenge!

It also seems some people are resisting the Hive.

Hm...

March 28

I had a change of heart.

At first, I was simply going to sit back and comment on the events unfolding around me, all from the safety of [redacted].

But upon hearing that @gale-of-the-nomads (or as I prefer to call him, Cult Penguin), cornered and captured Nemo, I decided then and there that I could no longer run away. Even when they were left alone, I decided to stand by my decision and declared boldly that the Resistance would win. My declaration did not go unnoticed by fellow resistance member @livanarose.

Something got me thinking though that the key to winning has to do with finding Adrien and subjecting him to bird feathers. We can’t just overwhelm the entire Hive with them, I guess, but can you really trust the word of a cult member?

It seems that the Hive lacks any sense of humor. Imagine living such a humorless, unimaginative life with all your privacy constantly invaded, 24/7.

Thank you, next!

March 29

@lenoreofraven has gone too far. Not only has their cult sullied the good name of pastries, but now puppies too!

INCONCEIVABLE!

Such a crime, will not go unpunished! Thankfully, my bold declaration and love for MCU movies seems to have gained me another ally in @apex-primus. I’m glad to have another comrade in arms!

Around day’s end, I ended up making a playlist to rally the troops. There is so much Hive propaganda, that it seems the voice of the Resistance is lost. Mostly, we respond to their lies. So I figured, it’s time to change that. And what’s a better way to get people pumped than listening to a lot of music that mostly makes you feel awesome or you should go pump iron at the gym? Some commentary on the tracks I included:

--> The other day, @jacquesthepigeon proved how effective trolling the Hive can be. What’s a better way to show appreciation than include the Jonas Brothers?

--> Along an anonymous “Owl”, Cult Penguin and Raven have formed a bird squad. "Swan Song” is my (my because I refuse to speak for the Resistance as a whole. We are individuals) response to that. A swan song usually refers to someone’s last performance before retirement. See the irony?

--> “Libera Me from Hell” - opera = the Hive, rap = the Resistance. Also, “Row, row fight the power!” is such an amazing thing to chant.

--> Soundtrack music from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Personally speaking, the movie has so many wonderful memories from what I first saw it. But one of the quotes I remember the best is: “The price of freedom is high. Always has been. It’s a price I’m willing to pay. And if I’m the only one, so be it. But I’m willing to bet I’m not.”

I don’t think everything on here represents everyone in the Resistance, so I’m open to people sending in suggestions. To have different genres, different bands and artists, different time periods on there would be great.

For now, though, it’s a start.

After that, I once again attempted to debunk more Hive propaganda. Raven has the audacity to speak of “peace”.

Um, newsflash? Brainwashing isn’t peace.

And if anyone actually thinks that the Hive will just stop after taking Marinette, they’re incredibly naive. Anyone that doesn’t follow the order of the Hive is seen as weird or a threat. Anyone who is scared is just to told that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Even if it was for a silly reason, I would never tell anyone how and when to feel afraid. They feel that way for a reason. They’re entitled to that. How they deal with that is what’s important.

And sure, we may be more violent than them, but there’s a reason for that.

Despite all this, livana suggested that we go along with a peace treaty, at least for now. I still think the situation is shady, and she agrees. Apex isn’t convinced either, but I suppose we’ll just play nice for now. We’re sitting tight for news on Monday, but of course, keeping our guards up.

March 30

Already, I’ve gotten some requests for the playlist! I mean, I’m pretty sure they’re all from the same person, but requests are still requests! And Apex’s comment really struck a chord with me. Damn, I’m such an emotional dork when it comes to that movie. Nobody also really seemed to like it too!

I’m still not so secretly taking joy in watching people rip into the Hive. Trying to induct more people into your cult? Ha! Have a face full of pillow instead!

March 31

The Hive has captured and brainwashed Marinette.

Fuck.

...

This is why we can never have peace with the Hive. Allow them whatever they want, and they will consume you whole. I have no doubts that their greed will grow and they will pursue everyone left to add to their little cult.

And the day seemed so promising when I saw another brave soul stepped up to the plate to tackle Hive propaganda. Thank you, @nerd-in-the-basement. Hopefully, you’re safe.

Our best option for now is to retreat to the backup bunkers.

Right now, the only solace I have is that somewhere out there, in the great wide universe, there is a timeline in which we have overcome the Hive. In another world, they are no longer a threat to humanity and individuality.

I can’t give up on making this timeline better though. There has to be a solution to overthrowing the Hive. We just need time to figure out what it is. Finding Adrien is key. Also, bird feathers. Lots of bird feathers.

For now, we play defense.

For now, we live in shadow.

...

To the Hive:

You might have Marinette, but you will never destroy our hope.

So continue to spread your lies. Continue to try and force people into your cult. Eventually, you will regret everything you’ve done.

I dare you to try and find me.

Because if you thought I was violent or scary before, you won’t like me now.

I’ll show you no mercy.

To fellow Resistance fighters that may stumble upon this:

I leave this account here for your sake. All the important information is blotted out, but I think you’ll know where to go. What to do.

It’s okay to be upset.

But do not despair.

There is still hope.

The Hive will not overtake us. They will not have our freedom, our individuality, our lives. Because they only know what it means to exist, not live. And we’ll make sure they know that.

If you wish to seek me out, I will be waiting for you in one of our locations. We can even train together to prepare for the inevitable.

Viva la Resistance! May it guide your path!

...

That was the latest entry. It seems you’ve reached the end of the diary.

You’re left pondering a question:

Should you seek out xxxsaltybugxxx?

#miraculous ladybug #ml au #ml creepy #hive #hive mind #hive mind au #fight the hive #viva la resistance!#metafic #hive mind bad end

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