#I’m extremely protective of them; so I want to know how bystanders and the system failed other kids so I don’t make the same mistakes

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

If watching true crime has taught me anything; it’s that the criminal justice system very often does jack shit about obvious cases of child abuse, and only takes it seriously after the parents kill the child.

#It’s disgusting how literally dozens of people all living in the same apartment complex can all make the same reports #about the same apartment for the same reason (extremely loud sounds of child abuse) #and neighbors can even make RECORDINGS OF THE CHILD’S AGONIZED SCREAMING to give to the cops #only for the bastards to take one sweeping glance at the apartment and go “welp… looks fine to me!” #death tw #child abuse tw #For the record: I’m specifically interested in crimes against children because I work with kids #When I am at work; I view them as my own babies #I’m extremely protective of them; so I want to know how bystanders and the system failed other kids so I don’t make the same mistakes #I want to know what abuse looks like from every angle conceivable to mankind #I want to be prepared to Handle Shit if I have to. #Which is why I’m constantly vigilant not only about the kids in the playground; but also the area outside the playground #Every few minutes I do a visual sweep of the area outside the fence to make sure no one’s there #If I see someone; I watch them like a hawk and make it clear with my body language that I am watching them just as much as the kids #even if they’re not that close to the fence

[the-piece-of-spadille]

May I ask for 30(croc), 34(reader) and 84(croc) from the follower milestone prompt list with sir crocodile pretty please. Maybe some angst that ends in fluff? Thank you luv and congratulations on the milestone you earned it! Have a great day!

Hey luv! I was hoping someone would request crocodile and when I saw your name I got super excited. I have such a weakness for him. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, love reading Star in the Sand btw.

Life after crocodile had been extremely hard to say the least. The once beautiful, lavish lifestyle you shared together came crumbling down than faster than you could have ever imagined. It was a living nightmare, to have him, the man you gave your whole heart to, the man who promised to never hurt you, toss you out of his life like you never meant anything at all. He was a cold-hearted man for what he did, but the way he couldn’t look you in your eyes while he told you never left your mind.

Sometimes you wished he’d gave you the same treatment he’d give his subordinates when he was through with them. That way you didn’t have to deal with the crumbling world around you. The only thing you were thankful for was that Crocodile always kept you out of the public eye. Funny how it’s what allowed you to leave Alabasta without too much trouble. You couldn’t imagine the what life would have been like if his enemies knew about your existence.  

Still life had been difficult, trying to find a new place to start over, to get further away from him. There was nothing left you could sell or trade with that wasn’t the clothes on your back. There was no money to buy necessities, so you stole and snuck your way onto ships when people began to figure out what happened. Still, no matter how bad things got, you could never bring yourself to sell or throw away his ring.

It was much too big to fit on your dainty fingers, so you kept it on a chain around your neck, tucked into your shirt so prying eyes could never see. It still hangs close to your heart. It brought you comfort when you needed it most. When you were hidden away on ships and thought you were seconds away from getting caught, you clutched the ring to your chest, or when you couldn’t sleep at night you’d find yourself absentmindedly playing with it, like you often did with his hand.

Nevertheless, you managed to find an island you could lay low at for a while. Finding a job wasn’t easy but you were desperate for work and got a job waitressing at some crappy bar. Just when things started to look up, a customer left a newspaper on the table you were cleaning. It was an old paper, from over a month ago.

It reported that the former warlord had escaped imprisonment from Impel Down. That he was dangerous and to take precautions and to report his location immediately to the authorities if spotted. This discovery left you feeling conflicted. At first you were angry, angry that he had escaped prison and is now free. Then you continued to read and learn about the war. There was a picture, it showed Crocodile. He had a few injuries, though they were minor, you couldn’t help the pang in brought. After everything you still felt something for him. That angry feeling starts to return again.

Throwing away the paper, you busy yourself cleaning tables and serving drinks when the door opens. Immediately the feeling of panic floods your system. Somehow you know exactly who’s at the door. Refusing to turn around as if not looking at him will somehow make him disappear, but it’s pointless when he sits a table and waits. You try ignoring him, but your boss pulls you aside by your arm and gives you a threat about firing you if you don’t take that table.

Biting your tongue, you walk over to Crocodile with what little courage you have. “What can I get you Sir” you ask in your best uninterested voice. Looking anywhere but his eyes, you notice the different bandages littered over him. “A few minutes of your time.”

“Not happening.” Tapping your foot impatiently, “You can order something or leave. I know your taste in liquor, you won’t find anything you like here, so I recommend leaving.” Turning around, you begin to walk away when he calls your name.

“Letting you go was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” That tone of voice was something you’d never heard from him before. You couldn’t stop yourself from looking at him. Crocodile was exhausted. He was covered in dirt and grime, and the coat he adored so much was ripped in places, but most of all the look in his eyes told you everything.  

“No, no you don’t get to do this-.” He stands, still towering over anyone in the room. Immediately everyone looks over, waiting to see how this plays out. Crocodile pays them no mind.

“What I built was crumbling down around us. I did whatever I had to, to make sure you got out. To protect you.” A single tear starts to make its way down your check before you could wipe it away. Perhaps this wasn’t the best place to hash out feelings. Crocodile timidly reached out with his hand and when he felt no resistance, guided you out of the bar.

He walked you down to a space away from any bystanders and gave you time to collect yourself. “I wanted you to be able to move on, find someone better and start over. Someone that could give you everything you deserve.”

A laugh was the only response he received. The darkness casted a shadow over his features making it hard to read his expression. “Did you”  he clears his throat, “find someone.”

“Do I look like I’ve moved on.” Motioning to your surroundings. Kicking a pebble down the street. You pull out the necklace from the inside of your shirt. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to” your voice wavering. Crocodile reaches his hand out to wipe away your tears. “I trusted you. I gave you everything I had.”

Bringing you into his chest, he strokes your hair as you let out your emotions. Clutching onto his coat. ”I know you did. I’m sorry I hurt you, but please.” He swallows. “Know that my intentions were to truly protect you. There’s no way of knowing what the government would have done to you.” Leaning down, he places a kiss to your hair.

“I know it’s a long road ahead of us before you’ll trust me… If you’ll ever trust me again.” Holding you tighter against him, “I never stopped loving you.”

#sir crocodile x reader #crocodile x reader #crocodile one piece #one piece crocodile #One Piece headcanons #One Piece Fanfiction #one piece x reader

[recurring-polynya]

What are your thoughts on Bazz-B? He and Renji seemed to have developed a good rapport and I feel that they would’ve been good frenemies had be survived. I can imagine them exchanging fashion tips which would have interesting results!

I imagine that in another universe, they could have been friends, but I feel like the fact that Bazz grievously injured/ambiguously killed one of Renji’s best friends would put a big damper on that.

I really, really, really do not like the Sternritters. I don’t even like them as villains. Out of them, Bazz is probably the least objectionable, but I still don’t like him.

Here are a few thoughts on why, but I’m gonna put them under a cut, because that’s my policy when I say critical things about characters. If you like the Sternritters, I’m glad for you and please feel free to skip the rest of this post!

One of the major themes of Bleach has always been about moral ambiguity, that people are rarely pure heroes or villains. In the earliest episodes, Rukia warns Ichigo to kill Hollows from behind, to never try to glimpse the person they once were, advice that Ichigo roundly rejects as he’s constant turns enemies into friends/allies. This works really well at the beginning of the series and... less well each time we got through this.

My understanding is that Kubo’s original plan for Bleach ended after the Soul Society Arc, and that makes sense to me, because it seems so well plotted out to me, and then the subsequent arcs just seems to try to be recapturing the magic. The thing that is coolest to me about this arc is that the shinigami characters have real depth, and that our initial impressions of them are insufficient. The Gotei is going through an existential crisis, where an injustice (Rukia’s execution) is being prosecuted, and in addition, Aizen has laid a groundwork of mistrust and misinformation. You have characters like Renji, Kira, and Hinamori, who are torn between their orders and deep personal feelings. You have bystanders like Hisagi and Komamura, who don’t really have skin in the game, but feel a sense of unease about the way things are going. You have characters who seem sympathetic-- when Aizen comforts Hinamori that Renji won’t be fired, and the fact that Tousen seems to be someone who would be on the side of justice if only he had the full story, that turn out to be disingenuous. Then you have characters like Kenpachi, who, at least in the second half of the arc, is on Ichigo’s side, but not really for any noble reason, just because he likes Ichigo and also he wants an excuse to fight other captains. There’s Kurotsuchi, who is nominally on the side of the good guys, but is not, in fact, a good person. By the end of the arc, I feel like Kubo has done a really good job of presenting a diverse group of people who live in a flawed system and who were played by someone who took advantage of that. I have no objection at all to the idea that Ichigo considers many of the shinigami his friends afterward, including a very strong friendship with Renji, who is presented as a villain initially.

The Arrancar arc, is more of a mixed bag for me. I still think it mostly works. Arrancar are not humans. They follow Aizen, but in some ways, they are also his victims-- post-Arc, I don’t find myself begrudging any of the surviving Espada for having gone along with him. They are Hollows, and they come from a life of violence and anger and brutality. They have risen above that, which means different things to the various Espada. Harribel, Starkk and Nel are all sympathetic, even tragic characters. Nnoitra and Szyalapollo are monstrous, but in the way that terrible humans are monstrous. Grimmjow is an interesting character, because he falls somewhere in the middle.

I read a fair amount of GrimmIchi fic, because a) it often features Renruki as a side ship and b) there are a lot of really, really talented GrimmIchi writers, but I do not love the ship for it’s own sake, and it’s mainly for one reason: Grimmjow purposely hurt Ichigo’s friends in front of him, and I do not think that’s a thing Ichigo would take lightly. Now, one of the things that make GrimmIchi writers so good is that they are often willing to do the heavy lifting of examining Grimmjow’s brutality, and way Ichigo views the Hollow within himself (for some people, this is even one of the attractions of the pairing). We get a lot of canon scenes with Grimmjow in various situations-- when he backtalks Aizen, when he “rescues” Orihime from Loly and Menoly, when he tries to get her to heal Ichigo just so he can fight him again, when we see him willing to fight his fellow Espada. He’s a meaty character and there’s a lot to dig into. I would still, someday, like to see Ichigo say, “Hey Grimmjow, y’know, you badly hurt my friend Rukia and it messed me up a bunch and I am having trouble getting over it,” and for Grimmjow to have to deal with that. (Polynya, you say, didn’t Rukia kill one of Grimmjow’s Fraccion like 5 minutes earlier? Yes, she did, and whether Grimmjow would respond with “yeah, well, Rukia killed my friend and it hurt my feelings too!” vs. “yeah, well, Rukia killed my friend and you don’t see me crying about it!” are both really interesting ways you could take this)

ANYWAY, getting back to the Quincy. From our earliest introduction to Uryuu in the series, we know that Quincy ought to have a legitimate beef with Soul Society. For starters, there is their underlying philosophical difference: Quincy don’t think that the shinigami do enough to protect the Living World, and they have taken matters into their own hands. They want to see Hollows annihilated, rather than purified. Then, on top of that, the shinigami eradicated their people, and treated them like lab rats. You could spin a lot of gold out of this, but instead, we got the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.

The Quincy are, basically humans with powers, and yet they are extremely bloodthirsty and cruel. We see Bambietta killing people to blow off steam, they take glee in killing lesser opponents (both Hollow and shinigami), As Nodt tortures Byakuya rather than just killing him cleanly, Giselle takes over Bambietta’s body in a horrifying way. Yhwach chastises Yamamoto for having “gone soft”, and says “you used to be cooler when you were a murderer.” The Vandenreich isn’t about justice or improving the system, it’s just about revenge and power and proving racial superiority. Are y’all ready for the hottest take I have ever had? Here it is: The Bount Arc, which is bad and should feel bad, provided a more well-characterized and relatable set of villains than the Thousand Year Blood War Arc.

I mentioned earlier that out of all the Sternritter, Bazz is the best of a bad lot. He gets some good flashbacks and his story evokes both Renji and Rukia’s childhood relationship as well as Gin and Rangiku’s. He's shown hating Yhwach in his youth, but then it’s never really followed up on. Nothing about this works to make me like Bazz, though, it just makes me feel like Yhwach is terrible, a person who ruins lives in both big and small ways.

I honestly hate the scenes where Bazz and Renji banter. Up until this point of the story arc, we have been slammed over and over with how much worse the Quincy are than previous villains. They cause massive destruction, they maim and kill beloved characters. Then, halfway through the arc, Kubo suddenly tries to start walking this back. Byakuya and Kenpachi were supposed to never fight again, but, uhhhh, Byakuya got healed in the Royal Realm and Kenpachi... got better? Look, we fixed Kira! Mayuri brings everyone back as zombies, that’s cool? Let’s have some banter, ha ha, the Quincy are fun! I don’t want to blame Kubo on this because he wasn’t feeling well and also, all of this smacks of editorial pressure, but it doesn’t sit well with me. It seems out of character to me for Renji to joke with someone who has hurt his friends and destroyed his home, and I sometimes justify it in my mind by saying that Renji probably doesn’t know that Bazz was the one who hurt Kira, but in some ways that makes things worse.

To be honest, a much better way to humanize the Quincy would have been to do so through Uryuu. One of the huge flaws of this arc is that there is so little focus on him, the character who ought to tie all this together. Uryuu has been harping for years that shinigami are his enemy and that he’s proud of his heritage. This is literally exactly what he has always says he wanted, and the fact that I, the reader, never believed for a microsecond that his loyalties were divided speaks to how awful the Quincy must be. How did Yhwach first approach Uryuu? It would have been cool to be introduced to the Vandenreich via the narrative device of Uryuu’s introduction. Was anyone nice to him? Do the Quincy have any redeeming value? What if there had been a scene where Bazz-B is goofing around, maybe training with someone, and Uryuu says to himself, “He reminds me of Renji and I hate all of the feelings that are currently in my body”? That would make a cool fanfic, actually, and anyone who wants can have that idea because I will never, ever write fanfic about the Sternritter.

Finally, on a note about fashion, the Sternritter uniforms (along with all their other symbolism) skirts way too close to “Nazi” for my tastes, and one more thing I hate about them is that they have retroactively ruined Uryuu’s aesthetic for me.

#tybwa #sorry i am sure this is not the answer you wanted

[hedwigstalons]

The Tracy Prize - part 17

Here are the earlier parts for those that want to go back to the beginning: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16

xoxoxox

Intense blue eyes pinned Claire to her seat.  

 “Let me get this straight.  You defied the orders of armed terrorists, risked capture or worse with your stunt to lock them up, then took out a wall with an explosion you rigged from stuff you just found lying around.  You put yourself and Brains in unnecessary danger.  Do you realise how unbelievably stupid and reckless that was?”

 Claire dropped her eyes, unable meet the Commander’s gaze any longer.  When it was put bluntly like that it did sound completely stupid.  It was her first experience of an International Rescue debrief session and she was finding herself uncomfortably in the spotlight.

“Give her a break.  It was a successful mission.  The GDF have got the terrorists in custody and no one got hurt.”

 Scott rounded on Gordon.

 “No one got hurt?  She shot Virgil!  She could have shot you!  Sixteen hours it took for him to come round.”

 “At least is was only a tranquilizer dart.  You saw the weapons those guys were carrying.  It could have been a lot worse.”

 And that was the crux of the matter.  It could have been a lot worse.  Scott was one tense ball of worry from all the ‘might have beens’ and the stress was radiating off him.  The stress only increasing as each new piece of information was revealed.

 Gordon had seen this before.  He knew Scott blamed himself for sending him and Virgil into the unknown.  Knew how much Scott would have hated being an outsider to the situation, stuck waiting for the GDF to arrive with nothing but ominous radio silence and his own thoughts for company.  Scott was used to being in the centre of the action.  Used to being in control.  He was not a natural bystander.

 But on this mission he had been a bystander.  He hadn’t been the one forced to make split second decisions while fearing for his life.  He also hadn’t seen the moment of horrified realisation that crossed Claire’s face as she released the dart, too late to stop its inevitable trajectory.  Only Gordon had been witness to her anguish and pain and he knew Claire was punishing herself enough without Scott using the debrief to add to her guilt.

 “Stay out of this Gordon.”

 Gordon stood his ground.  

 Normally Virgil was the peacemaker.  The one to tell Scott when he had overstepped the mark.  Defender of little brothers when the worry morphed too far into chastisement.  But Virgil was still too groggy to take an active part in proceedings.  He was present at the debrief but the chestnut brown eyes were unfocussed; an after-effect of the anaesthetic.   Despite his bulk Virgil tended to have a bit of an extreme reaction to pharmaceuticals and Brains’ impromptu tranquilizer gun had packed a powerful punch.

 “C’mon Scott.  You’ve had our reports.  Going over it again won’t change what happened.  Everyone came home safely, just remember that.”

 Scott visibly deflated.  

 Seizing upon this as a sign of silent dismissal, the room emptied.

 xoxoxox

 After being dragged over the coals Claire didn’t feel able to face Brains or anyone else for that matter.  Instead of returning to her usual bench in the labs she headed out towards the beach in the hope that fresh air and solitude would give her space to think.  She certainly didn’t feel up to carrying on with her research yet.

 She perched herself on a rock and gazed out over the vast ocean.  With no one else around she felt she could finally let down some of the barriers she had been maintaining.  Emotional shields to cut herself off during that tense time period where everyone had been worried about Virgil, waiting for him to regain consciousness, and then during the debrief.  The gentle sound of waves on the shore and breeze through the trees soothed her.  

 “Is this rock taken?”

 She jumped and the invisible armour instantly slotted back in to place.  She had been so lost in her own thoughts she hadn’t heard Virgil approaching.

 “I thought Scott didn’t want you going anywhere alone yet?”

 “I’m not alone, you’re here.”  He took a seat on the rock beside her.  “Unless you’re going to run away and find a new hiding place.”

 “I’m not hiding.”

 Warm brown eyes stared into her soul.  Eyes that were a lot more focussed now.  The last remnants of anaesthetic were finally leaving his system.  She could tell he didn’t believe her.  Her armour trembled.

 “I’m…I’m sorry I shot you.”  It didn’t feel enough but it needed to be said.

 “It’s ok, I’m fine.  No harm done. At least we know who to send if we get called out to a rampaging rhinoceros.”

 “How can you joke about this?”

 “Who says I’m joking.  Seriously, even Kayo was impressed, and not just with the shooting.  What you and Brains pulled off out there was amazing.”

 “No, it was stupid and dangerous.  You heard what Scott said.”

 “Scott’s an idiot.  We do stupid and dangerous things every time we get called out and Scott is one of the worst culprits.  He only bawled you out because he was worried.  I’ll talk to him.”

 “You don’t need to protect me.  I can look after myself.”

 “I know you can look after yourself but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything alone. I bet you haven’t even talked to anyone about what you really went through at the exhibition.”

 “You were at the debrief.”

 “I don’t mean the debrief.  For goodness sake Claire you were threatened by armed terrorists, things like that leave a mark on you.  All of us here have been in situations that have scared us.  Feeling scared is ok.  It’s part of being human.  During a mission you learn to tuck it away but at some point you have to deal with it otherwise that mission will haunt you forever.  If you don’t want to talk to me then talk to Scott, or John, or even Gordon; all of them will understand.  But please, talk to someone.”

 Claire’s armour shattered into a thousand pieces.  

 As the first sobs shook her body Virgil pulled her close into the hug she so desperately needed.  He stroked her back as she let the fear and stress drain away.  Tears soaked into flannel.  Strong arms encircled her in a cocoon of safety, their warm embrace giving a feeling of security as all her vulnerabilities were laid bare.  

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #virgil tracy #john tracy #gordon tracy #alan tracy #kayo #brains

[wolf-555-writer]

Still Breathing Part 5

Hope you enjoy this part :)

Special thanks to @kaddistar who helped filling in the gaps and made the story complete with her awesome ideas ;). Thank you so much! :D

Read part 1; part 2; part 3; part 4

Alex Danvers x Reader

Word Count: 2,018

Strolling on the pavement, lit up by street lights, it finally stopped raining. Roads still covered in rain from the downfall as you step in a puddle of water. Blaming yourself for making that stupid, unnecessary joke about a sensitive topic named the DEO.  

“I mean... why? Why did I do that? Who knows what could have happened otherwise tonight... ”

On your way home, walking because it's not that far away, you feel like you're being followed. Looking cautiously over your left shoulder, you identify two shady guys. Sternly eyeing you from a distance. And both carrying weapons? One is wearing brass knuckles while the other has a club attached to his belt. You scoff. These two? Yeah, you can fight them with ease. No problem. 

As you turn your head around again, a couple of other guys are standing in front of you. Waiting and blocking the way. One holds a baseball bat, the other is unarmed and in the middle someone with a beat up, swollen face, also gripping a wooden bat tight. You slightly recognize him, but it costs a lot of effort. It's the DEO Agent you viciously beat up earlier today at DEO headquarters. Trying to protect Alex as it, um- escalated a little. 

“This time I’ll take you down! I will break you”, he howls at you, aggressively signing the bat while you keep your distance.

So… five guys, almost all armed. Can you take them all by yourself? Being slightly injured and unarmed? 

“How about no…”. You don't hesitate and sprint away as fast as you can. Crossing the dangerous street and dodging the moving cars, only concentrated on escaping. The five men initiate their manhunt for you and accelerate fast. A few seconds later you catch the sound of screeching tires and a car honking loudly. Apparently one of them got hit by a grey sedan. Knocked out cold, motionless on the hood of that vehicle. One down, four to go. 

Swiftly evading other pedestrians that you encounter in your flight as you ended up on the pavement at the other side of the road. Going back to where you came from, hoping you will reach Alex’s apartment in time. You perceived your bulky chasers had crashed into some people, hearing them cursing and shouting furiously. Guess they're not that light-footed as you. You have to admit, you're scared. No envision of how this will end. 

“Pick up, pick up!”, hollering at the phone as you had quickly pressed speed dial. You had to call her. To inform her of what’s going on right now. Desperately in need of her help since you’re on the run, attempting to get away from these crooked men. But she’s not picking up, still hearing the phone ring. You cry out again.

“Come on Alex… Just pick up the damn phone!”. She’s sure as hell mad at you, you know that. Is that the reason she’s not answering? You give up. But, no- wait, you can’t. You can’t give up. Not now. You try her again. Still nothing as the call switches to voicemail. You grunt in anger, but decide to leave a message. It’s at least something... Heavily panting as you’ve kept on running, you speak:

“Hey Alex… I’ll make it quick. Um- I’m kind of on the run... as some men want to, eh, attack m-

The call is disrupted. You make an unpleasant landing on your right shoulder and your head smashes onto the concrete. Watching your phone crack on impact because it slipped out of your hand.

“Fuck...”, you growl. One of them catched up, faster than the others, and had thrown you on the wet, dirty pavement since he ambushed you from behind. You slowed them down right?! You should have never made that useless call. Only a block away from Alex. You were almost there...

The others have also reached you while you’re still struck down. Disoriented due to your crash on the sidewalk. They start beating you up pretty bad, for sure using their weapons. Luckily you inflicted some damage, disabling one. You kicked him right between the legs. The perfect spot. Now he’s on the ground next to you, in what seems to be in insufferable pain. Good. However, there are three left, who as of now have you surrounded. It’s too late to escape. You’re trapped, seeing the baseball bat approaching fast. 

It broke a couple of your ribs. Now having difficulty breathing as you’re gasping for oxygen. Hearing the awful, disturbing sound everytime the blunt object smashes you. Curling up from the pain, bringing your knees to your chest. But one still managed to brutally kick you in the stomach with his solid boot. Only makes breathing even harder... The metal brass injuring your face while you desperately try to keep your guard up. The taste of blood dominating in your mouth and feeling excruciating pain in your whole, damn body. Not able to sense where the pain is as it’s everywhere. You can see bystanders watching, too afraid to interfere. However some are on their phone, hopefully calling 911. 

“Why aren’t they doing something?! Help me! Help...”. You try to scream, get these words out, being in a serious miserable state right now. Except no sound is generated. Not that it mattered though, judging by the look on their faces and lack of action from the people observing you. You slowly lose consciousness, unable to keep your heavy eyes open. Pain getting worse and worse by the second. Still breathing and trying to think of happy thoughts...

///

[Flashback]

Heavily panting and sweat pouring out ‘cause you’re running up a great amount of stairs. In pursuit, chasing an alien with fire powers. Alex is in front of you, leading the team of Agents, including you, while you’re all fully packed and geared up. The old staircase is barely lit. So you use the flashlight mounted on your rifle to provide the little light needed to find the correct pathway. You’re almost out of breath as you eventually enter the rooftop of the building through a rusty door. Having passed all eighteen floors... This absolutely qualifies as a killer workout. Feeling sweaty and extremely heated in the uniform you're wearing with a heart rate somewhere around 170 bpm. The bright sunlight blinds you for a short period. Using your arm to cover your eyes, considering you need some time to adjust due to the transitioning from darkness into the light.  

“Stop! Don't move, you're under arrest!”, Alex yells while you see another team of DEO Agents rappelling down from a transport helicopter to provide the needed backup. Except the alien doesn’t obey at all. Was to be expected... Alex reacts, firing her gun, as the alien also fires- um... fire?

“Look out!”, shouting while you quickly sprint towards Alex, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her away as she was almost burnt to a crisp. Sensing the heat radiating from the flames closeby, you both land on the gravelly rooftop. Noticing a curtain of fire had appeared, separating Alex and you from the rest of the DEO team who were still behind. Supergirl is not available at the moment since she and Director J'onzz are busy with another important case. But that’s okay, as of course, you have the situation completely under control... *cough*  

“Great...”, you exclaim as you watch the alien rapidly turning around and flee while jumping to another building nearby. Alex had already freed herself from your tight grip, because your arms were still wrapped around her, and picked herself up from the ground. She doesn’t hesitate. Focused on the fugitive, she sprints towards the building’s edge and leaps. Landing majestically on the other building’s rooftop. Seeing her, you stand up and follow. But abruptly stop at the edge. 

“How the hell do I do this? Don’t look down. Don’t look down...”. You want to continue, assist Alex in the arrest and have her back, but waver. Obviously you had peaked over the edge, following all those eighteen storeys down. Now staring into the depth. Lastly gaze focused on the distant harsh asphalt beneath, located between the two tall buildings. Suddenly gasping for air, unaware you stopped breathing for numerous seconds.      

“How does she do this so easily?”. Apparently Alex doesn’t have any form of fear. “It’s now or never”, you speak to yourself, trying to provide the immensely, well-needed courage. You take some steps back, accelerate, and jump, as powerful as you can. Heartbeat hammering in your chest. Landing on the other building while rolling over your shoulder. You experience a rush of adrenaline bursting through your veins. Seeing them in the distance, you start to race towards the alien and Alex with all the energy left. They clearly have a head-start. Hearing the helicopter blades whirring, you look over your shoulder and see the other DEO team up in the air, tracking you. Petrified every time you jump from rooftop to rooftop, but you do it anyway, not being able to forgive yourself if something happened to Alex. You hop several buildings until there is no way out anymore. Still behind, you notice the alien is now aiming for the black DEO helicopter. Most certainly wants to shoot it down. You have to act right now, or it will crash and explode, costing all the Agents inside their lives.

Slightly panicking now that you feel the pressure of executing this flawlessly. There is no room for error. You look around, focussing, searching if there is something you can throw its way. It doesn’t matter what, as long as it can be used to distract the alien long enough. Turning your head while still running, your eyes lock with a metal object. Probably from an air-ventilation system. Grabbing it while in pursuit, you aim, calculating the perfect speed and trajectory.

“Alex! Duck down!” you scream with your last breath while powerfully swinging your dominant arm. Releasing the metal fragment. Brilliantly spinning through the air towards the runaway.

The alien already had their arms locked on the DEO chopper. Ready to blast flames to set it on fire. Suddenly it gets startled by the piece of metal striking their head painfully as Alex loyally followed your instruction. Slowing your pace down, being completely exhausted and now really out of breath, you see Alex. She has the situation perfectly under control. After she ducked down to evade the flying element, she swiftly jumped on the fugitive. Who as of now is a prisoner since Alex has pinned them down to the ground, easily cuffing the suspect. If you didn’t throw that object, the events could have played out an entirely different way…

Arriving at DEO headquarters, exhausted from the chase and definitely transmitting an awful, stinky scent, you enter the main floor. Stepping inside, you hear a loud clapping sound. Quickly looking up, you notice DEO Agents applauding, including J’onn and Kara who had returned from their mission. Alex walks up to you, probably due to your peculiar expression. 

“W-why are they clapping?”, stuttering as you stare at them in confusion.

“You’re the hero of the day (Y/N)!”, she brightly answers, while you’re still perplexed. 

“But… I-I just did my job. And you were the one that actually captured the fugitive”.

“Yeah… They’re also praising me you know. This is not all for you ”, Alex sarcastically returns, wide grin on her face. “You prevented what could have been a disaster. So you deserve this (Y/N)”, while she placed her hand on your shoulder.

“Come on”, Alex gently moved her hand to your arm and pulls you towards the group of Agents. You don't like to be in the center of attention which your face is currently displaying, skin coloured vibrant red. You just did your job, right? But you obviously can’t complain. This feeling of complete joy and happiness, overflowing your entire body. It feels right. You embrace it. Every second of it. Deeply breathing in this moment of total appreciation as you feel completely wanted, right here, right now.

Continue with part 6

#alex danvers #alex danvers x reader #alex danvers imagine #alex x reader #alex danvers x you #supergirl #supergirl imagine #kara danvers #j'onn j'onzz #hank henshaw #winn schott #wlw fiction #wlw imagine #fanfiction #alex danvers fic

[unidentifiedflamingbastard]

Eldritch Energy System Basics

Disclaimer: This is all UPG based on what I have encountered and studied thus far. There are many strains of eldritch energy and each person/entity’s system is unique. These are basically my notes to help me better understand my system/energy and possibly aid others who happen to have an eldritch system.

What is Eldritch Energy: To state the absolute obvious, eldritch energy is energy from an eldritch source. From what I have seen/heard most eldritch sources tend to be eldritch deities or other very powerful, old entities. There are many different strains of eldritch energy and each strain has its strengths and weakness, as well as different ways of manifesting. In spite of all this variety, eldritch energy seems to have traits and behaviors that are retained across the strains. Eldritch energy is aggressive, hungry, infectious, adaptable, and highly sentient. Due to this sentience, it will respond to a wide array of stimuli and must be handed carefully.

Sentience: While Eldritch energy is highly sentient it is not sapient. To clarify, sentience just means an organism is aware of its environment and is conscious/responsive to stimuli. Sapience however, is the ability to have self-awareness and higher reasoning. For example, you are both sentient and sapient (at least that’s what I am assuming since you are reading this) and an owl is just sentient*. Sentience is how and why eldritch energy responds to ‘things’ and is one of the reasons it is so dangerous. It knows when it is being handled, when it is being restricted, how to hide, hunt, and ambush. On the flip side, it also makes it very useful and even better, trainable.

The Eldritch Energy System:  How it Functions: Needless to say, those who are eldritch aligned have eldritch energy in their system. Before I go into basic ideas on how to make use of this energy there are a few things I want to go over. Once again, eldritch energy is sentient which makes it a little bit different to work with then other energies. Instead of ‘passively’ working and molding your energy, you are working with something that is alive, and to a certain extent has a will of its own. But at the same time, it’s a part of you. The best way I’ve found to try and make sense of this is: think of the millions of billions of cells in your body all working together to keep you alive. While they are all separate living cells, they communicate with one another and combined become something greater (for example all the cells that make up your heart beat in unison and this then pumps blood throughout your body). Now think of the eldritch energy in your system as separate cells that are greater than the sum of their parts. Except instead of being cells that have basic innate instructions to follow, they can all think for themselves to a degree. In short, an eldritch energy system is a combination of a hivemind and a cluster of stem cells. I say stem cells because eldritch energy, unlike your heart cells, is capable of adapting and molding itself into whatever form it needs to survive and serve the hive. Oh, and if it’s not already clear, your energy system is the hive. You, unlike your energy, are sapient and if we are sticking with the hive analogy, the queen. You give the orders, but your energy needs to be conditioned and taught what the rules are, if not your system will stick to its ‘default instructions.’ These default instructions are typically: feed, infect, protect the hive, and other basic survival actions. Certain strains may have extra default instructions such as: explore, investigate, dominate, create, and so on. These extra actions vary strain to strain. Another trait to note about eldritch energy is it also has something similar to microbial intelligence, in that the more of it there is, the smarter it gets. In fact, if you get enough eldritch energy together it can become a shoggoth which is an independent sapient entity. Shoggoths however, are a topic that requires a complete post of their own. 

Mutations: I can’t talk about eldritch energy without mentioning mutations. Mutations are alterations made by eldritch energy to better serve the hive, or they can be a side effect of infection in a non-eldritch system. In fact, in an infected system the mutations are unstable, volatile, and can be extremely damaging. However, in an eldritch system, mutations can be fluid, controlled, and very helpful. In many cases mutations can happen unconsciously when a system is responding to a powerful stimulus, such as strong emotions or immediate danger. The manifestation of mutations can vary strain to strain but extra body parts and tentacles seem to be fairly common. Mutation can be controlled to an extent by training one’s energy but in some cases, it does appear to be a knee jerk response. Please note that mutations effect the energy body and the astral body. I feel silly for having to say this but, you are not going to physically grow tentacles, sorry to disappoint folks.

Personal Safety Concerns: I’ve been mentioning different strains quite a bit, and how each person has a unique strain. It is important to note that just because one is eldritch aligned, that does not make you immune to all eldritch energy. Nor does it mean all eldritch entities will be friendly towards you, in fact some may see you as competition. (IMPORTANT: Please be aware that being eldritch doesn’t automatically make you hunky dory with eldritch deities. That’s just asking for a bad time.) Why is this the case though? Think of your strain as a strain of bacteria, while it may be fine for you and possibly non-harmful or even cooperative with other strains of similar bacteria, other related strains may see it as an intruder, competition for resources, or may just not like it. You CAN be infected with another strain of eldritch energy and it WILL act like a parasite as if it were in a non-eldritch system. Be aware of how your energy reacts with different strains, some can play nice, others will go full battle royale. 

Eldritch Energy Uses: Eldritch energy has many different uses and is capable of many different things. How much you get out of it, and how well it does it depends on two major factors: 1. How well did you train your energy to do a certain task 2. PRACTICE! It is also important to remember you control your energy, but its smart and willful, and it will need training or it can ignore you (speaking from experience here). First and foremost, you can do all the basic energy work that you could do regardless of energy alignment. I’m talking basic beginner energy work here; energy balls, warding, centering, charging things, so on and so forth. Be careful with charging things though, if you pump eldritch energy into something it’s going to consume all the energy that was in it in the first place and replace it with itself. Eldritch energy is also really good for cleansing, as it can break down, consume, and convert most forms of energy practically sterilizing the area. It can then bring this energy back to the hive (you). Another thing eldritch energy excels at is offensive uses regardless of the strain, and there are many different methods of using this energy to do harm. The most basic form of attack via eldritch energy is infection. The more aggressive and hungry your strain of energy is, the more effective this basic attack will be. Simply put, you let a chunk of your energy infest someone else’s energy body. Once in their energy body it will act like a parasite, it will consume their energy and spread throughout their system. It can cause major blocks and if left to grow unchecked cause permanent damage. I’d dare say being infected with a trained strain is more dangerous than being infected with a wild strain of eldritch energy. It’s not just there to feed, the intent is far more malicious. I’m going to throw this in here, don’t just do this willy nilly guys, it’s an awful thing to inflict on someone. Which also brings up an important safety note: YOU CAN ACCIDENTALLY INFECT SOMEONE!! Be aware of where you are leaving your energy, and make sure you do not leave it on or in other people. You may not be trying to hurt them but you CAN do this on accident. DON’T EAT YOUR FRIENDS OR INNOCENT BYSTANDERS! Be aware of your energy guys, it’s highly infectious and often doesn’t play nice with others. Finally, you can cleanse others with eldritch energy. It can consume most parasites and clean out a lot of gunk. Be warned though due to its infectious nature you should only do this if you are extremely skilled, have your energy very well trained, and for fucks sake don’t do this to someone who is unaware. Make sure that who ever you are cleaning knows you are doing it and knows the risks. They should also know how to identify eldritch infection and have an idea on how to remove it. I’m not kidding guys, DON’T DO THIS UNLESS YOU ARE IN COMPLETE CONTROL AND ARE VERY SKILLED. Your pride is NOT more important than the safety of other people, know your limits.

Working With Other Spirits/Entities: The final thing I want to note about having an eldritch energy system is, it will affect your spirit work. Due to the highly infectious nature of eldritch energy many spirits and entities respond with fear and/or disgust. For example: when my strain was awakened I had quite the problem with local fae at my work. While they don’t cause any problems now, it took awhile before they accepted that I wasn’t going to spread like the plague through the forest. I still have problems with elves while I am in astral, with the most common response being utter disgust ranging to downright hostility. Even the house brownie rarely talks to me, but to be far I think one of my shoggoths tried to eat him once so I can’t really hold that against him. Even some of the demons I know and work with still get uneasy or grossed out when I lose my temper and begin to mutate. Which is also understandable. If you are eldritch aligned you can expect to do a lot of explaining depending on what spirits or entities you are trying to work with or when astraling somewhere new. Again, being in control of your energy makes this a lot easier on you, and safer for literally everyone else.  

Foot Note(s): * There are many debates and studies out there on what animals are and aren’t sapient, but that is not what this post is about. Also, if you have ever worked with an owl you’d find this to be a pretty accurate statement. I love them, but gods they do not have a lot going on upstairs. 80% eyeball 

#energy work #eldritch energy #spirit work #this got so long #seriously tho do yourself a favor #go look at the anatomy of a owl's head #so much eye ball #one last time: don't be gross guys train your system and don't taste random ppl #it's rude #and gross

[fear-god-shun-evil]

Relying on God to Survive a Brutal Wasp Attack

The Bible says, “He that believes on Him shall not be confounded” (1 Peter 2:6). Through my own personal experience I’ve realized how very true these words are.

Epigraph

It was November 2017, early winter—the best time to scavenge for medicinal herbs and make a bit of money. One day after breakfast I went into the hills with my tools to look for cangzhu, a kind of herb used in Chinese medicine. I walked along keeping an eye out for the plant, and got to the hilltop around midday. There I saw several cangzhu seedlings just a few feet away and hurried over to harvest them. But just then as I was getting ready to dig them out, all I remember was hearing a buzzing sound coming toward me and then I had a really strange sensation. Turning my head, I saw a swarm of wasps surrounding me. I tensed up and thought, “These wasps are really poisonous. I’ve heard some people have even died from their stings. With so many of them after me, I don’t stand a chance!” Terrified, I panicked and ran back down the hill, all the while praying to God, “Oh God! I’m really afraid of being stung by those wasps. Please guide and help me.” I was breaking off branches, swatting at the wasps as I ran along, but there were a lot of fallen leaves at that time of year, leaving the branches totally bare. I just couldn’t swat the wasps off—they kept on coming after me, stinging me. Aside from my head, covered with a hat, and the other parts of my body covered with clothing, my neck and shoulders had wasps all over them. I was incredibly anxious and never stopped hitting them, but they were also climbing on my hands and stinging me a lot there, too. I was so afraid, thinking, “Why won’t these wasps stop chasing me? Am I going to get out of this alive?” As these thoughts ran through my mind I sprinted down the hill, still closely pursued by the wasps. About halfway down I had finally lost most of them, but I had been stung countless times on my neck and the back of my head. It hurt, it stung, and it felt incredibly hot—I was in agony. Those wasps are really poisonous and their toxins got into my system rapidly. My head felt heavy, my feet felt light, and bit by bit, my entire body lost strength. I lost control of my bodily fluids from both ends, I could hardly breathe, and felt like I was about to suffocate. My vision was also becoming blurry and I was losing control of my limbs; I was slowly losing feeling all over my body. After a few minutes I couldn’t see a thing. At that moment I felt an indescribable sort of fear, helplessness, and pain. I thought, “There’s absolutely no one in these hills. No one will know if I die up here. What can I do?” At the very moment I was about to lose consciousness, I urgently called out to God, “Oh God, save me! Save me!” I then collapsed on the ground and lost all awareness.

After some time, I don’t know how long, I slowly came to and to my surprise, saw a dim light. I also had a bit of feeling in my arms and legs. I realized without a doubt that this was God’s great power, and that it was God watching over me and protecting me. I prayed to Him, “Oh God! I beg You to give me faith and strength so that I can make it out of these hills.” I felt a surge of strength rise up in me after my prayer, so I tried pushing forward for about a meter. When I tried to go beyond that, I suddenly felt dizzy again and was entirely lacking strength. That feeling of the wasp venom working in me was incredibly painful, and I struggled to take each and every breath. There was no question of uttering a single word. I tried to say something in the hope that someone might hear me and come to my aid, but I couldn’t get any sound out. Feelings of terror and helplessness welled up in me again, and all I was able to do was call out to God, “God! I’m really suffering now and I feel like I’m about to stop breathing. I’m so scared of dying on this hill. God, may You enlighten and guide me….” These words from God occurred to me just then: “God created this world, He created this mankind, and moreover He was the architect of ancient Greek culture and human civilization. Only God consoles this mankind, and only God cares for this mankind night and day” (“God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind”). The enlightenment and guidance from God’s words came at the perfect time, giving me something for my heart to rely on. It’s so true—all things in heaven and on earth were created by God and are ruled by Him. He is the source of all life, so how could our life and death not be in His hands? God allowed those wasps to sting me that day, and when faced with that life-and-death situation, all I could do was rely on God, look to Him, seek His guidance, and submit to His rule and arrangements. After that occurred to me I slowly calmed down and no longer felt quite so afraid.

After a little time passed I felt that I was able to move my hands and feet, so I slowly started crawling forward while silently praying to God over and over. After I’d gone about 30 meters, the venom got to me again; I was vomiting nonstop and my heart felt like it was about to burst. I lay down on the ground, unable to move. My head was lolling—I was at death’s door. At that point I couldn’t help but feel some internal weakness. I thought, “So it seems I really am going to die on this desolate hill today.” Then I suddenly realized that my weakness and negativity was entire Satan’s disruption. Just as God’s words say: “If man has timid and fearful thoughts, they are being fooled by Satan. It fears that we will cross the bridge of faith to enter into God. Satan devises every way possible to send us its thoughts, we should always pray that the light of God will shine on us, and we must always rely on God to purify us from Satan’s poison. We shall always be practicing in our spirits to come close to God. We shall let God have dominion over our whole being” (“Chapter 6” of Utterances of Christ in the Beginning). Satan was giving me those thoughts so that I’d be mired in negativity and lose faith in God, then just passively wait for death. I couldn’t fall for Satan’s tricks. I had to pray to God and lean on Him; I couldn’t distance myself from Him, but allow Him to rule within my heart. I once again called out to God, “God! It feels like a thousand arrows are piercing my heart and I feel like I can’t hold on much longer. Oh God, I beg You to guide me, and no matter if I live or die, I am willing to submit to Your arrangements.” After praying these words from God occurred to me: “If you have but one breath, God will not let you die” (“Chapter 6” of Utterances of Christ in the Beginning). God’s words are so full of authority and power, they really bolstered me with faith and strength, giving me hope to continue on living. It is God who rules over man’s life and death, and He has already determined the time of our birth and of our death. Some people are really strong and robust, but for whatever reason something unexpected happens and they’re yanked from the land of the living. Some are weak and feeble but live really long lives. There’s no doubt about it! I thought again of how Job was tempted by Satan in the Bible. He got terrible sores from head to toe and he was in extreme physical pain, but without God’s permission, Satan didn’t dare endanger Job’s life. I then realized with even more clarity that people’s lives are in God’s hands, and no person, event, or thing can surpass God’s authority. I thought of how after I was stung, even though I had lost consciousness because of the venom, I had still miraculously come to again. As the venom went deep into my system I was vomiting nonstop and I was completely lacking strength, but I had been able to slowly drag myself forward. Wasn’t that all God’s great power? When I felt negative and weak and didn’t have faith in God, He enlightened me and guided me with His words, giving me faith and strength as well as the hope to go on living. Didn’t I personally experience all of those things? I must have faith in God; I should rely on and look to Him more, and submit to His arrangements. So, I made a prayer of submission to God: “Oh God! My body is weak and the pain is unbearable, but I know that life and death are up to You. I am leaving my life in Your hands. I believe that without Your permission, no matter how badly I may be stung by wasps I will not die, and if that if I do die, that is Your righteousness and Your wonderful will is within it. I only wish to submit to Your arrangements. May You lead me, guide me so that I may do Your will.” After this prayer, I slowly became able to raise my head and I was able to scoot myself forward. I tried to crawl ahead and surprisingly, was slowly able to stand up. How wondrous! I thanked God over and over, “God, this truly is Your wondrous doing!” I staggered forward ten-odd meters, and when I could go no farther I stopped and silently prayed to God. I then felt I had a bit of strength and once again got up to stumble along. I went on this way praying and praying to God, and with His guidance I finally got out of the hills and came to a home by the side of the road. When the woman there saw my haggard, pained look she rushed to get me a cup of water, but I couldn’t get a single drop in. Just then one of her neighbors was passing by, on his way home from a day of work in the fields and saw the state I was in. He hurriedly got me in a rickshaw and took me to the village hospital.

When I got to the hospital, the doctor saw how serious my condition was and didn’t even want to admit me. Seeing this, one bystander called the county hospital, another helped find a car for me, and still another got in touch with my family. One after another, everyone lent a hand to get me to the county hospital for emergency treatment. All this time I never stopped praying to God and relying on Him; I knew that all of those complete strangers stepping in to help me out had been arranged by God, that it was God providing me with a way out. I gave thanks to God in my heart! Because one of the local people had called the hospital ahead of time, when I arrived a doctor was ready with an anti-venom IV for me, then carried out all sorts of exams and asked me about exactly what happened and when. While rubbing ointment all over the places I had been stung, the doctor told me that my condition was really serious and that if I had come just ten minutes later, it would have been a lost cause. I was then transferred to the ICU.

The doctor told my daughter, “We once had a young man here who had been stung by wasps 38 times, but we couldn’t save him. He died. There was another elderly man who was stung more than 30 times, and he died too even though he got to the hospital and was treated really soon after. The exams performed on your mom show that the toxins didn’t get into her liver or kidneys, but her wounds are more serious than those other patients’ were. She was stung 46 times and is really in a precarious condition. I hope you’re able to prepare yourselves, just in case.”

The doctor gave me follow-up exams that evening to see if I still had signs of possible survival. I was alert and could feel that the places I’d been stung were all swollen up, but I was in so much pain all over my body that I couldn’t move. I felt very calm knowing that whether I lived or died was in God’s hands, that it was His rule and arrangement. I continued silently praying to God and handed my life over to Him.

The next morning, the doctor transferred me from the ICU to the observation room. Seeing me lying there in the hospital bed, my daughter couldn’t help but cry out, weeping bitterly. The doctor comforted her, saying, “Your mom is recovering pretty well. She’ll get better after some time. This is the first miracle I’ve encountered in over 20 years of practicing medicine!” Hearing this, I was very moved and knew that it was entirely God’s miraculous doing. If it weren’t for God’s salvation I would have already died out in the wilderness—there’s no way I would have made it that far. Soon after, my sister and her husband came to see me too, and when she saw I wasn’t able to move and wasn’t eating, she asked me, “You were stung so badly. How on earth did you get out of those hills?” I said, “It was all God’s love and care.” Overhearing that, the others in the same ward all exclaimed that I was extremely lucky. But I knew in my heart that it wasn’t that; it was God’s care and protection, and it was God saving me as I was at the precipice of death. I thought of a man from my area that had been stung by wasps—his wounds weren’t as bad as mine, and he was treated in the hospital for a week. But he still died in the end. Although I was stung 46 times I had the good fortune to go on living—it truly was God’s miraculous doing. Pondering God’s love and salvation for me, my heart swelled with gratitude to Him.

I was discharged after six days. Twenty days later the doctor checked up on my condition again and said that I had recovered very well, and that I really was a special case, the first miracle he had ever witnessed. Hearing him say this, I silently offered up my thanks and praise to God. I knew very clearly that the only thing special about me was that I had leaned on God, and God had saved me at the juncture between life and death. What God did created this miracle of life. Through this incredible experience, I learned a profound lesson about God’s love; I felt His authority and mightiness. Even though I was preoccupied with money, and money had taken over my heart to the point that I almost lost my very life to wasp stings while trying to dig up wild herbs, God cared for and protected me all along. When I genuinely prayed to God and relied on Him, He used His words to enlighten and guide me, giving me the courage and faith to go on living. He got all sorts of other people to help me, allowing me to come out from that danger, one step at a time. Throughout this course of events, I not only came to grasp God’s unique authority and power, but I also saw His benevolent essence. I gained some understanding of God. Looking death in the face, I truly experienced that money, name, and status cannot save people and they particularly cannot bring us life. In a crisis, God is man’s only pillar, our only salvation. As long as we truly lean on God we will be able to see Him work. Just as God’s words say: “Be quiet within Me, for I am your God, your only Redeemer. You must quiet your hearts at all times, live within Me; I am your rock, your backer. Have no other mind, but wholeheartedly lean on Me and I will certainly appear to you—I am your God!” (“Chapter 26” of Utterances of Christ in the Beginning). I give thanks for God’s salvation for me, and from now on I am willing to rely on God and look to God more in my experiences. I will seek the truth and repay God’s love!

#Testimonies #Testimonies to God’s Grace

[hyacinthetic]

You've interested me with potential Reitotsu from your "swimming, swimming, swimming" meta. Please expand on this. More detail about preventing territorial blowout, how would Totsuka achieve this? Seri and Kusanagi haven't done it.

i’m going to answer you a bit backwards – first by talkingbriefly about how awashima and kusanagi were bad fits for bringing peace,second by discussing why totsuka would bother, third by addressing reitotsu andwhy it interested me in 2015 but i don’t see it working out too hot.

as a preface: let’s be clear that the full context of my original sentence was “totsuka tries to overcome all his fears of a s4 v. homra territorial blowout” (emphasis added). for various reasons,* his odds of succeeding were always going to be shit. but i do believe that (i) it’s within his wheelhouse to have tried something; and (ii) he’s better-positioned for it than awashima + kusanagi combined. let’s take those points backwards.

( * it’s mikorei. when in doubt, i am always talking about mikorei. )

RE: WHY AWASHIMA AND KUSANAGI FAILED TO RESTRAIN THEIR KINGS

this point makes sense largely if you consider totsuka’s service to his king v. kusanagi / awashima’s services. our most extreme example comes in s1, when mikoto goes hurtling headlong to his death and his childhood best friend—the one who knew him best before he ascended—stands by and tells the empty night, “you were the best king we could have asked for”, knowing perfectly well that suoh mikoto never wanted to be king. similarly, awashima never brings up her concerns with munakata directly in s2: she only confronts him after he comes back and he’s made his own choice. both fall into supporting roles; they don’t tell the kings who to be, they only work to ensure that the kings meet their own goals.

totsuka, by contrast, is a kingmaker in a very real sense. the post you mention quotes snippets such as totsuka’s enthusiastic cry to “make this a great kingdom!” and to convince mikoto that he’s a protector. kings do not default to violence and territoriality  – see ichigen miwa, who lived alone in the mountains and picked up an apprentice almost by happenstance. totsuka tells mikoto what being king means, and mikoto takes his cues to lead. munakata and mikoto may have philosophies at odds with one another, but totsuka’s the reason their conflict’s ongoing. so if you were going to change mikoto’s path without developing any of his canon relationships, totsuka would be the go-to option. he’s done it before, and it’s not out of bounds to think that mikoto’d be willing to change again at totsuka’s word.

RE: TOTSUKA’S MOTIVATIONS FOR STEPPING INTO THE FIGHT

assuming that totsuka has the capacity to change things, the question becomes motivation. we know that totsuka enjoys playing the weakling who acts only by influencing others (see: that time he took homra out to an amusement park to force mikoto’s hand in scattering a bunch of thugs following anna), and that others consider this his role in homra. (“We’re a breed of team where power is like our meanin’ for existence. And on top of that, we’ve got a bunch of guys together who let the blood rush to their heads. Someone who, within that, won’t let them drown in their power… who’ll keep everyone together using a method that isn’t forceful, is needed.”) so what would drive him to push suoh mikoto, the man he’s only ever wanted to follow?

the end of my “swimming, swimming, swimming” post was a throwaway joke, but not out of line with how i’d answer the question seriously: totsuka acts according to his own interests. he started following mikoto in middle school, not for any serious purpose, but because he thought that mikoto had a kingly air and he wanted in on that. so if he thought that munakata was (physically) interesting and he saw an advantage in ingratiation, it doesn’t seem to be a stretch to suggest that totsuka might try to involve himself with munakata to bring peace to the homra-s4 conflict from the other side.

i’m going through totsuka’s motivations in some depth because i can’t, in the end, answer your question positively: i don’t believe he’d win the day re: bringing peace. totsuka’s advantage with mikoto is that mikoto accepts other people for who they are (provided they aren’t actively hurting others), and uses his own strength to protect them. totsuka held onto peace for as long as he did by making sure that mikoto had people to protect. this is not a tactic he could use with munakata, whose core philosophy is that humans need structure and a just system. his power comes from working within the system to bring justice. if there’s one thing we know about totsuka, it’s that the system doesn’t suit him much. he can’t even stand the consistency of keeping just one hobby. and i don’t buy that totsuka would charge in where he didn’t think he had good odds for success.

RE: REITOTSU AT LARGE, or a study in fucking around with paragraphs that have no topic sentences; don’t do this at home, kids.

i’d argue there’s some leeway for at least a superficial friendship based on both their interests and the the way they deal with the relationships between ‘being king’ and ‘being human’. you don’t need canon to tell you that totsuka definitely has at least five 3-D puzzles and three books on japanese tea ceremonies propping up a table somewhere. further, unlike mikoto, munakata seems to feel the gap between humans and kings as an actual loss. (see: various remarks throughout canon in which he tries to assert a connection with people who don’t want him that close.) they have a common philosophy: a king shouldn’t need to be lonely. i’ve addressed above why totsuka would be interested in munakata; it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think that munakata wouldn’t respond to that interest to some degree, particularly in light of totsuka’s connection to the main thorn in his side.

ultimately, however, what brought totsuka to munakata’s door would likely drive them apart, too: mikoto may be a brute, but totsuka’s the one who motivates him to stay in power. let’s take a moment to remember that munakata’s main issue with mikoto isn’t that he’s an asshole – it’s that he chooses to act outside the law, and a large part of that choice derives from totsuka’s encouragement. to give them any kind of serious relationship, you’d need to address the conflict. which is difficult, because the nature of any system is that it presumes a set of baseline truths about a population. homra’s there for the people who fall through the cracks, either because the law doesn’t apply to their problems (see: yata “my mum’s new family doesn’t need me and i’m dumb, who am i even and what am i good for” misaki) or because they’re in a position where they can’t go to the law. they solve things with violence both as a deterrent and because it’s the way mikoto needs to blow off steam. you and i understand this, but munakata likely wouldn’t: at the r:b timepoint, the system is everything to him.

but let’s step back for a moment. there are three core principles to the munakata-suoh conflict: (i) suoh lives outside of the system and munakata within it; (ii) suoh and munakata have people to protect; (iii) suoh and munakata are the slate’s chosen kings. 

as such, totsuka’s options for defusing the homra-s4 conflict are three: (i) bring suoh into the system and make sure he lives by it; (ii) remove suoh’s people to protect; (iii) get suoh to step down.

(i) and (ii) are instantly out of the question – (i) was contrary to suoh’s character even before he became a king;** (ii) would never be true for as long as totsuka was alive, and losing it (per s1) could drive mikoto to burn out instantly. that leaves us with (iii) – which is difficult but not impossible. totsuka’s understanding of mikoto as ‘king’ began long before the slate chose him, and arguably has very little to do with mikoto’s slate-granted powers. what totsuka wants, at his core, is for mikoto to be king and to have human bonds with others. neither of these require that he keep powers that are killing him. munakata’s in an especially good position to convince him of that.

if i were going to do reitotsu in any kind of canon setting, i’d start there.

(** i mean, there’s a workable au in which the japanese parliament sees the rising tide of strain incidents and strikes back against the gold king’s ‘shadow government’ by passing a set of laws that require strain registration and restrict travel for registered strains/clansmen. in the ensuing power struggle, shizume degenerates into territories divided between the rule of separate kings. munakata wouldn’t like it, and frankly totsuka would have to grow the fuck up before he could cope with such an au, but at least then munakata’d have to recognise mikoto as a king with specific grounds for rights. while the catalyst for s4 and homra’s constant battles comes down to totsuka + principles, their actual conflict derives from the fact that homra, in theory, falls under s4’s governance. give them a system in which they maintain separate spheres of power and negotiating peace gets a lot easier.)

IN SUM

i realise the above is very negative. this isn’t to say that i don’t find the relationship interesting in its own way. the canon theme is that nobody ever calls totsuka out on his shit – mikoto periodically sees through it (see: again, their scene at the amusement park) but really doesn’t challenge him. kusanagi’s in a similar position to see through the facades, but arguably has too much to lose by trying to change his dynamic with mikoto and homra. (remember – kusanagi thinks it’s important for homra to have a weakling + a restraint, something that only works if he lets totsuka play his games.) munakata’s as close as we get to a bystander who’s nevertheless involved enough to tell totsuka exactly how much damage he’s doing by using someone else to play kings – and more than that, how little totsuka’s doing for himself by perpetuating a system where his only role is supposedly ‘support’ when he’s capable of so much more.

as for munakata’s interest in totsuka – well. totsuka’s one of the few characters we see who’s fearless with his king. supplemental materials make munakata’s quest for just such a person fairly clear.

#hot k problems #totsuka tatara #munakata reishi #metaaaaaaaaaaa!1111

[theconservativebrief]

When he was arguing for the ratification of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton wrote that the judiciary “will always be the least dangerous branch to the political rights of the Constitution,” in part because he believed the federal courts would stand above the political fray and act as a bulwark against tyranny from all directions.

But it’s hard to defend the Supreme Court on these grounds today.

As my colleague Matthew Yglesias noted last week, the Court is now a blunt political instrument, used repeatedly to undermine outcomes of democratic governance — often on behalf of corporate interests. And the recent disaster that was the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation has further delegitimized the Court in the public’s mind.

So it’s perfectly reasonable to ask if we should abolish the Supreme Court, or at the very least strip the Court of its ability to overturn laws that it rules unconstitutional. If the Court is no longer a neutral arbiter of the law, if it’s gradually shape-shifting into a partisan weapon, then maybe it’s time to rethink its role in our constitutional system.

I reached out to Mark Tushnet, a law professor at Harvard University, to talk about the case for abolishing the Supreme Court. I asked him if the Court is still fulfilling its constitutional role, if it’s unusual for a liberal democracy to place so much power in a single court, and if he thinks Democrats should consider packing the courts or imposing term limits on justices.

A lightly edited transcript of our conversation follows.

Sean Illing

What would you say is the basic mission of the Supreme Court in our constitutional system?

Mark Tushnet

The Supreme Court’s role is to tell the people and the political branches what the limits of their power are. Sometimes that means rejecting conservative policies, and sometimes that means rejecting liberal policies. But the general role, as it’s come to be understood, is to police the boundaries of our political system.

Sean Illing

Do you think the Court competently fulfills this role today?

Mark Tushnet

Whether the Court is competently pursuing it depends on a couple of things. One is your assessment of the legal quality of the work they do. And another is, of course, your assessment of the merits of the limits that they are placing on political choice.

As to the latter, it’s just going to depend on your politics. For a while, liberals liked what the Court was doing, and then they didn’t. For a while, conservatives didn’t like what the Court was doing, and now they do.

Sean Illing

And what of the “legal quality” of the work they’re doing?

Mark Tushnet

I think the honest answer there is that, in the modern era, the quality has ranged from minimally competent legal analysis to extremely bad decisions that are announced without a clear or compelling explanation.

Sean Illing

I’m tempted to ask for examples of bad decisions, but let’s focus on the case for abolishing the Supreme Court, or at the very least for abolishing judicial review, which is the Court’s ability to decide whether a law by the government is constitutional.

Mark Tushnet

There are two components of the case for getting rid of judicial review. One is that, as a matter of basic democratic principle, the people ought to be able to consider policies and then vote on them without having the courts step in and say “no.” So from a democratic point of view, it’s hard to justify allowing the courts to single-handedly overrule popular will whenever they choose.

The second component is that judicial review may actually impair the public’s ability to engage in serious thinking about what the Constitution means, and what we want to do in light of what we think our Constitution says. In a way, the Supreme Court simply takes on this conversation for itself, and leaves the citizenry as bystanders.

Sean Illing

Does the Court’s power of judicial review come directly from the Constitution?

Mark Tushnet

I should start by saying I’m not a textualist or an originalist, which is to say I don’t think the meaning of the Constitution is stable or fixed from the time it was enacted. However, I think it was widely understood when the framers created a court in a system with a constitution that that court would have the power to invalidate legislation it deemed unlawful. That’s not written into the US Constitution, but it was clearly a background assumption at the time and has been ever since.

Sean Illing

How unusual is it for a liberal democratic system like ours to allow judges to overturn laws outright?

Mark Tushnet

In the modern era, since the middle of the 20th century or so, this has become a pretty common role for courts worldwide. There are important variations in the way countries do it, however. And, in particular, since the late 20th century, constitutional designers and implementers have switched from a US style, where the court has the last word and there is nothing you can do about it, to a system that allows for what legal scholars call a more “dialogic” process — which basically means there’s an interactive process between the court and the legislature.

Sean Illing

And how does that kind of system work?

Mark Tushnet

The idea is that the legislature passes a law, the court says it’s unconstitutional for this or that reason, and then the legislature has an opportunity to respond to the court. In some cases, the legislature will just say, “We understand your reasons, but we disagree with them, and we’re going to go forward with the policy anyway.”

Sean Illing

Do you think we’d be better off if we abolished the Supreme Court in its current manifestation and moved to a more balanced system like the one you just described?

Mark Tushnet

Yeah, I do. I’m a big fan of the dialogic approach. And it’s worth noting that even very conservative legal scholars like Robert Bork have proposed this sort of system, which suggests this is something people across the ideological spectrum could get behind. And I’ve felt this way for my entire career, regardless of the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court.

Sean Illing

We have this idea of the Supreme Court as a bulwark against majority tyranny and minority oppression, but that’s not the reality. There have been glaring exceptions, especially in the 1950s and ’60s, but in general the Court has continually defended the powerful against the weak — from slaveholders to segregationists to corporations. Why should the individual citizen feel invested in the Court at this point?

Mark Tushnet

If you look at the overall course of US Supreme Court history, the description that you’ve offered is basically correct. But there are exceptions, as there always are, to that kind of generalization. One is the relatively brief Warren Court era, which still occupies the imagination of many people who think about the Constitution.

We’ve had the Brown v. Board of Education decision and Roe v. Wade, and then, more recently, the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage — and all of these decisions were empowering for different segments of the population.

The big question is whether the gains from those kinds of protections of minority interests are substantial enough to outweigh the Court’s interference with legislation on behalf of the most powerful elements of our society. If you’re focused on many recent decisions, like Citizens United, the Court certainly seems to be favoring corporate power, but the picture is less clear when you step back and evaluate it over a much longer period of time.

Sean Illing

You alluded to this a minute ago, but I want to push you a bit more on it. Democracy implies, at the very least, that citizens are allowed to choose the policies that govern their lives, either directly or indirectly. But the Court’s primary function seems to be to undermine majority will when it deems it necessary. Perhaps this is wise and prudent, but do you think it’s a sustainable contradiction?

Mark Tushnet

If you think people vote for policies without paying any attention to the Constitution, then you might want someone watching closely and stepping in to intervene at exceptional moments, and the courts are where you want that to happen. My own view is that it’s fine if you have some opportunity to respond afterward, which is why I prefer a dialogic system.

But it’s also the case that in many of the most contentious issues, the people have reasoned constitutional judgments, and the Court just comes in and says the people are in error. But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes it’s a legitimate disagreement between the voters and the Court, and then it comes down to a political judgment. This is when the role of courts becomes very problematic.

Sean Illing

Do you support imposing term limits on justices?

Mark Tushnet

I’ve signed a proposal for 18-year term limits. I think over time that might have some effect. It won’t immediately have much effect because in some ways the damage has already been done, but it would make the process more regular and predictable, and norms of reciprocity might develop, which we desperately need.

Sean Illing

Is there some other way forward, perhaps turning the Supreme Court into a body of top legal thinkers in the country, and instead of having a fixed number of justices review each case, we have a specified number of randomly chosen justices selected for each case?

Mark Tushnet

Well, Sweden does something like that — and Sweden is not a terrible place to live. You probably could design something that would work effectively. Again, the details would matter, and reconciling that with the existing Constitution would be very tricky, but sure, it’s conceivable. I think there is some enthusiasm among Democrats about alternative constitutional designs, but they can’t do anything about it now. But if they win in 2018 and 2020 or beyond, who knows?

Sean Illing

The Constitution doesn’t specify how many people should sit on the Supreme Court, and there is some momentum on the left for what’s called a court-packing strategy, which basically involves adding several ideologically sympathetic justices in order to create a more favorable Court.

Do you think this is a good idea?

Mark Tushnet

There has been a lot of discussion about this among law professors, and ultimately it comes down to a political judgment. Maybe it’s wise, maybe it isn’t — politics is not my area of expertise. But because it might turn out to be politically wise, it’s worth developing arguments for court-packing and explaining why the norms around tinkering with the Court’s composition might be worth breaking.

I think this is the role of constitutional scholars — to lay out all these arguments so that people understand the history and the stakes. But ultimately the decision to do it or not will have to be made by politicians, not law professors. And there is no way to know beforehand what the implications will be down the road.

Original Source -> The case for abolishing the Supreme Court

via The Conservative Brief

#IFTTT #The Conservative Brief

[takespaceblog]

Hello again.

It’s been awhile since I wrote. When they said a one year MBA would be a lot of work, they weren’t lying. This term is  particularly math heavy (or maths as they say here) which is a particular challenge for a theater major like me. Currently, we’re taking economics, accounting, corporate finance, and management science which is a combination of statistics and business modeling. On top of that we have a few non-math classes and a group project where we are working with an actual client. My client is a gaming company that wants to use their tech skills in another industry so my group is tasked with finding a viable market. Last week we were given time off to work on careers which meant taking workshops on interviewing skills, defining our personal brand, and creating the perfect resume.

On top of the regular school things I jetted off to Italy to be a bridesmaid in my dear friend’s wedding and to Florida to be maid-of-honor in my aunt’s wedding. On a serious note my grandparents lost their house in the terrible Santa Rosa fire that destroyed 1500 homes and killed 21 people. We’re incredibly lucky their neighbor called them in the middle of the night and told them to evacuate. Most people who died were older couples trying to escape. While their loss is tremendous, they’re very lucky to have great insurance, family in the area, and nothing tying them to the region. Their devastated and struggling but as a retired couple with savings they can start over anywhere. Many of the residents who lost their homes were in the poorest section of town and can’t afford to leave their jobs. To make it worse, Santa Rosa is now facing an extreme housing shortage and many are still homeless.  With Giving Tuesday approaching, consider donating.

Needless to say, a lot has been on my mind but it’s time to write because as everyone knows Hollywood has also imploded over the last few weeks.

I listened to Louis CK walking to open mics. He gave me confidence to go on stage. I donated to the Kevin Spacey Foundation because I dreamed of working with artists of his caliber when I was younger. I wanted to run a theatre like his one day. I paid hundreds of dollars to see both of them perform live. They encouraged me to write, to act, to produce my own work. I am the artist I am today because of these men.

While I’m only a minor player in an overcrowded industry, I’m compelled to write because my voice—that of the non-famous working artist—has been largely ignored. Yes, I’m upset my role models are douche bags,  but I’m writing because they made my own work environment unsafe.

Don’t assume this a famous people problem. Just as there have been decades of abuse coming out of Hollywood, the same is true for every obscure artistic enclave around the US. For every Harvey Weinstein there are dozens more nameless wannabe producers and directors who saw or heard how he acted and thought it was part of the job. For every Louis CK and Kevin Spacey, there are all those minor comics and leading men of tiny theatre companies that behave just as their role models do because it’s part of “the business.” And for every Lupita Nyang’o and Anthony Rapp their are thousands of actors and assistants who do this work for no money, for no fame, for the simple love of the craft but are still subject to the same harassment and abuse.

I know because I am one of these people. My friends and colleagues are these people. A  producer once told that I would never work again if I complained about his behavior. Our interaction ended with a restraining order, but I won’t share any more details because I’m still afraid he’ll read this. Google sexual harassment in theatre and stories of widespread, systemic harassment pop up every year and in many countries. Here’s one from 2016, a small company in Chicago reporting years of abuse. Another from Rochester, MN also in 2016. And a comedy club in Chapel Hill, NC from July. Check out Ireland, Australia, and Bangladesh. We’re all nobodies but the men in “power” still think they’re allowed to act like those around them are toys. They learned from the best and they too have been doing it for a long time.  

So why don’t we speak up? Why don’t we say no? It’s not like we’d lose a major movie deal, you may think. Unlike movie stars, we have nothing to lose.  

But who is there to complain to?

There’s no studio. Most projects are non-union so we have no protection; never mind the usual reasons victims stay silent—men are often bigger and stronger, agreeing is often the safest solution. And just as in Hollywood,  bystanders turned a blind-eye because it’s easier to replace an actor or an assistant than an artistic director or producer. When I tried to warn other actresses not to work with my assailant, it quickly got back to him and the harassment got worse.  If anything this behavior is even more widespread amongst no-name projects and companies because there is no threat from the media and legal action is extremely expense (I know, first hand). For every young woman or man that complains, there are dozens more to replace them.

I am glad the industry is finally taking notice but I don’t feel solace. Change will take a long time and it’s going to take more than a few celebrities speaking up or siding with the assistants they once ignored. Society is complicit. We still elected our current president despite more than twenty sexual harassment allegations. No one is asking him to resign. Roy Moore will probably still win. I never moved to LA or New York in attempts to avoid the seedy parts of the entertainment industry; little did I know at twenty-one that it’s not just Hollywood or even entertainment, it’s society that lets men in power take advantage of the rest of us. Hollywood is an easy target because the perpetrators are in the spotlight, but we’re all to blame.

I’m mad I lost my heroes. I’m mad they created amazing art I can no longer enjoy. I’m pissed I don’t love my craft as much as I did. I’m devastated because they created an environment that makes me look over my shoulder every time I see a tall white man with curly brown hair. But mostly I’m disappointed I live in world that let it get this far in the first place.

#harvey weinstein #kevin spacey #louis ck #actorslife