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aspenforest732 · 4 months

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Mortem ad Wrens Chapter 14: To Break the Chains

Summary:

tw: calorie tracking, ed behaviors, food insecurity, intrusive thoughts, body flashback Internship starts

Notes:

DISCLAIMER: I’m not a nutritionist and am just trying to not throw complete nonsense in here. Please don’t take any of the nutrition plan stuff as advice, especially since I’m trying to adjust things to loosely make sense with Akira’s quirk. 'text' JSL text thoughts

“Amajiki!” Fat Gum called out, grinning widely as he made his way to the pair. “Good to see you again, and you must be Akira Mori. Let’s get you settled and then we can grab lunch!”

Akira grinned, bowing at the introduction. ‘I look forward to working with you, Fat Gum. Thank you for the opportunity.’

“No need to be so formal with us, Mori. You have quite the quirk, and I have some preliminary ideas to help with your drawback. Our patrol will start at six, so we’ll be showing you the ropes of paperwork.”

As Fat Gum talked about Esuha City and his community programs, Akira felt eyes on them. Without missing a beat, they started looking around more at the shops and sights Fat Gum described while flashing a quick ‘watching us’ to Amajiki. As the trio were stopped by a sweet bun shop owner for samples, Akira casually positioned themselves to look back on the street and spotted Mouse, one of Fat Gum’s sidekicks, in the crowd. They took an offered sweet bun, biting in before signing ‘clear.’

Fat Gum chuckled, “You’ve got good instincts, kid.” He signaled Mouse to move on, who to Akira’s pleasure looked surprised. “You want to be an underground hero, right?”

Akira nodded, ‘It’ll give the cover and flexibility I need to operate. I did briefly consider Twilight, but I need to avoid the media.’

“I’ll keep that in mind as we work on a nutrition plan for your quirk. We’ll be logging what you eat so we have a baseline to work with.”

‘I have been keeping track of that in a notebook since I started at UA,’ Akira signed and fished it out of their pack at Fat Gum’s excitement. ‘The first page has a breakdown of my current nutrition plan, and the rest is a daily log of calories, quirk use, and weight at the beginning and end of each day.’ Knowing how valuable his input could be, Akira had already adjusted the plan to what they actually ate for lunch and dinner instead of what the school knew.

Fat Gum spent the rest of their walk flipping through the notebook, grin falling slightly over some of the pages. “This is great, kid, but I take it you like jelly pouches?” he asked, grin a little more forced.

Akira ducked their head, ears flushing. ‘Eraser insisted on keeping my backup stash stocked with them. I was using pocky sticks before.’

Amajiki peeked up in surprise before tucking back into himself. Fat Gum laughed, “I’ve heard stories about that man and his jelly pouches. I’m glad you caught his eye; I see he also let you put him down as an emergency contact. Any relation?”

Akira shook their head as they slipped into the agency with the pair, ‘I didn’t make a good first impression, and by the end of the first day, Eraser just started helping me outside schoolwork for some reason. He offered to be my second contact since it was required for the internship.’

Akira’s head was on a swivel as Fat Gum gave them a tour of the agency. They met a few of his sidekicks, confirming their observations of brutes and changers comprising most of the hero’s agency. Akira also recognized a few former vigilantes who now lived at the agency full-time while working towards their license. Some were kids but others were in their late teens or early twenties.

After setting their duffle in their room, Akira sat on the bed, letting themself soak in the comforts while they could. I could get used to this, Akira thought bittersweetly. Come on, just let yourself enjoy while you can. You can have three years of this if you don’t ruin it.

Akira pulled their hair into a messy bun and made a couple adjustments to their braces, testing the give since the support company’s execution of Hatsume’s designs had only arrived the previous day. Akira put on their hero costume and restocked their snack pouches, including a protein drink in case patrol was particularly busy. Finally, they clipped their retractable forearm crutches into their utility belt. The aids would put less stress on their shoulders and enable them to lessen the pressure on both legs instead of just their worse one.

Before heading out, Akira texted the Mad Banquet chat that they made it to the agency. Other than Tokoyami, the others had long since arrived, train rides much shorter than their own. Tucking their phone away, Akira made their way to the cafeteria, drawing a few odd looks from the brightly colored heroes at their monochrome palette, yellow contacts providing the only splash of color.

They started heading to the self-serve feast laid out over a few counters and dispensers when Fat Gum waved them over to a table. “Based on your notes, we need to double your current base intake.” Akira startled, eyebrows shooting up. “Your quirk’s drawback isn’t as separate as your paperwork implied. My quirk has the physical limit of the fat stored in my body; my muscles alone won’t absorb hits. Your quirk doesn’t recognize the difference between fat and muscle, which is what causes the atrophy. Your idea of having a buffer is more accurate than you think. Your quirk should never have the choice between muscle and fat because which it chooses is variable.”

‘I can’t develop muscle? I need the strength and flexibility,’ Akira signed desperately.

“You can still work on muscle development,” Fat Gum clarified gently. “But we’re not talking about being a couple kilos over the average. To reliably use your quirk without the risk of starvation, you should be 45-50% body fat. It’ll take time, but your current eating structure of two main meals with snacks throughout the day is a good framework to start with.”

Fat Gum ran through the changes they’d be making and pushed over a written-out plan. Akira tried to focus, but they were reeling with how they’d maintain the plan once they were paying for it. The recipes Fat Gum gave them all required a kitchen to varying degrees, but their security deposit fund would be gone in the first week of this plan. Akira followed the hero to the feast, nodding as he pointed out everything he put on the nutrition plan and encouraged them to try what they could while here so they knew the options. Before starting to eat, Akira quickly jot down their meal and the sweet bun they had earlier, trying to ignore the twist in their gut at the amount of food.

“Are you alright?” Akira turned at Amajiki’s soft, concerned voice. Their eyes flitted to Fat Gum, who was talking with one of his ex-vigilantes off to the side.

‘Just trying to figure out how to make this work,’ Akira distractedly signed. They offered a small smile to the introverted teen, ‘I was hoping he’d be able to take a look at the plan, just wasn’t expecting… this.’

Nodding after a moment, Amajiki looked back to his own plate with a more normal amount of food but far more variety. After a few minutes of trying to do the math in their head, Akira flipped to the back of their nutrition notebook and started running numbers on their new budget range for each week while eating with their off hand. With the internship’s stipend, they would still be a few thousand yen short of a low-income security deposit by the end of next week even if they didn’t implement Fat Gum’s changes that week and ran deliveries for an extra two hours each night. Besides, with finals rapidly approaching, only getting two hours of sleep would spell disaster for their grades.

As Fat Gum walked back over, Akira closed and secured the notebook in its holster. The hero tried to start up conversation with Amajiki, but he seemed as anxious as Akira, mumbling and stuttering as the man energetically guided the conversation.

U̸̳̥͇̺̙͒͋͌͗̎͐͌n̴̩̯̜͔̮͍̗̲̤͓̏̃̇͜͝ͅw̷̢̭͎̦͎̼̤̯̫͍̘̔̽͊́̌̇̊͜ơ̸̢̛̲̞̯̰̭̻͚̮͈̾͋͗̏́̽͘͝r̴̢̡̘̱̙̼̗̮͙͓̬̫̀́t̶̛̛͈͕͕͇̝̫́̐̿̏̊͂̑̔̒͘̚͝͝h̵̢̧̜̠̟͕̼̣̀͐̿̅̊̅̾̀̇́̋ỹ̶͕̥̙̇̎͐̉̊̍͂̍ (Unworthy)

Damnit, not here. Akira subtly dropped their left hand into their lap to focus on the texture of their tassels and on eating as Fat Gum and Amajiki’s conversation faded into the background.

Y̶̛͉͑͊͋͐̒̿͝͝o̶̢̧͕͕̖̟̲̣̭͕̙̠͕̗͛u̶̼̱̙̣̗̜̙̅͛͌͒ ̸̢͍̰͉̖͔̤̤̣͚̾͑̔̈̆͑̀́̇͝͠͠r̵̨̧̡̟̹͙̙͔͓͉͉̬͕̋͠u̷͔̜͖̗̇͌͂͑̄̂i̸͇̮̯͙̞̣̇̍̋̐̐̇͐͆͂̎̓̚n̷̯̱̪̫̬̼̳̪̜͕̯̳̱̖̑ ̴̧̠̩̬̲̙̭̗̤̭̟̻̉̅̆͆͒̍̉̈́̊̓̓̎̕e̵̛̤͉̳̯̘̮͎̲͚̮̓̓̈́̂̌͐́͆̃̅̕͘͜v̵̯̱͉̱̩̻̤̟̰̈́̉̓͊̑̾͒̿̊͛͋̉͜͝ḛ̴̛̖͉̮̘̠͉̣̈̄̓̃̽͒r̴̙̱̥̙̗̈́͗́̽̋̓̋̿͐̄̒͝ÿ̷͇͈͍̥̟̥́̅͘t̷̡̢̗̣͕͖̲̖̙͕͉́̉͆̅͂̎̌̽̋͒̆̒ͅh̴̢̧͎̻͓͈̬̜̩̼͋͘͜į̷͓̻̩̖̺͙̯͙̍͝n̵̨̻̫̺͎̥͎̭̥͔̗̰̓͛́̈͂̇͠g̸̝̩̰͎̣͛̎͋̀̅ͅ ̵̡̖̟̤͖͇̝͕̯͇̭̈́͐̒̇y̷͈̲͙̣̭̺͐͒́ō̷̬̈̈͒̓̊̂͑̄̓̈̄ư̴̧̛̦͉͍͎̬̖̯̰͇̗̰͎̦̓̈̿͐͋̓̂̈́̈́̔͠͝ ̴̼̝̩̦͉̱̹̝̯̘͔̌̐̒̚͝͠t̸̡̧͕̳̺͎̑͊͌̄̔̎͗̆ǫ̵̡̝̰̙̙͕̘̦͂͋u̷̲̲̙̲̽c̷̙̙̞͎͕̖̽͌͒̀̿́̇͛̕͜h̸̼̞͕͇̱̦̅͗͐ (You ruin everything you touch)

Akira shivered, remembering the burns that often accompanied those words.

Y̴̤̎̃̿̇̋́̈́̂̑̎̿͘̕͝o̶̢͖̿̄͌̅̈͌̾̐͌̓̐̃̃͝͝ṵ̴̫̝̞̥̥͇͝’̴̡̧̙̰̲͈̘̙͈̳̳̬̮͈͇̒̐͌͋̑͝͠l̵̡̰̩̞͓̩̝͎͎̜͈̟̝̜̝͂̂͒̅͗̔͝l̴͈̬̃͌͊̄̊́̎͘̕̕ ̴͈̙̣̬͔̭̜̥͙̇̋̉̚͜͜͜ŗ̷̘͔̝̩͙̬̥̳̈́̑̄̓̅́̂̒̒̒͝ͅù̸̡̡̧̧̺̝̼͈̣̩̩̰̟̯́͒̄̕͜i̴̢̡̢̬͓͉̱͚̫̮̝̖̗͉͛̈̿̚ń̸̖̭̝̳͔̗̺̹̼̭̳̐̀͒̃̍̈́̈́̚͠ ̶̭̺̎̐͌̌͛̀̚͠t̸̡̧̘̜̝̬͚̘̻͚̬͉̻̂̾͆͝h̵̗̍̈́î̶̹͗̇̈́̏͋̏̚͘ṣ̷̰͉̖̥̲̻́̂̑̾́̎̈͜͝,̸̛̦͖͎̫̯͎͓͇̝̫̜̹͛͑͒̈̀́͗͌̚̕ ̴̢̤͍͉͇͎̮̥̝͇̠̘̇̇̈̈́͋͗̀͒̀̅̔͘t̶̘͙͚̪̭̮̑̅̔̈̉́͊̚̚͠ǫ̵͚̹͌͋̀o̷̧̹̜͕͙͎̮̮̤̘̦̾̀͜ͅ (You’ll ruin this, too)

“…quirk analysis and encoded it.” Akira looked up as they forced themself to swallow the last of their heaping plate.

“We’ll have time before patrol to start going over it and look at improving the encryption since you already have a good system for food tracking and the initial nutrition plan adjustments are done.”

Akira nodded, ‘I use the same system for practicing analysis of others, so improving it is a good idea. It only took Sun Eater fifteen minutes to decode it on the train.’

Fat Gum grinned and ruffled Amajiki’s hair despite the boy’s disgruntled look. Akira smiled as they noticed him slightly lean into the touch despite himself. “I knew you’d get it once you got out of your head!” Fat Gum praised and asked more about the process as Amajiki shrunk into his seat.

‘I think that was a compliment,’ Akira signed, briefly catching Amajiki’s downturned gaze before continuing, ‘I start with a Caesar cipher then use a Polybius square.’

“Wonderful! A two-part cipher like that would slow down would-be readers. Are you using a static or variable key? Well, the easiest way to add another layer of difficulty would be to make the Polybius key variable. It could be based on a book you like, a website or newspaper, or even a radio show. If you haven’t done so already, you’d need to start dating the pages. I’d recommend using a written material to save time looking for your daily key.”

The trio made their way to Fat Gum’s office, and Akira felt themself relax marginally at the massive window opposite the door. “When it’s just me, I do paperwork in the main area, but I thought you might enjoy the quiet more, like Tamaki.” Akira startled at the use of his first name. “While we’re patrolling, call me Fat Gum and Tamaki Suneater. When we’re off duty, I ask everyone to call me Toyomitsu or Taishiro if they’re comfortable, and my call sign is Sunny D.”

Akira nodded, ‘My call sign is Reaper if we need to communicate nonverbally off duty.’

Fat Gum pulled out a stack of forms, a few liability wavers at the top of empty reports. “Once you sign these, we can start going over what reports will look like. Tamaki and I usually don’t have to worry about property damage, but it’s good to know what that looks like in case it does occur. Even if the villain was the one causing damage, it’s important to file the report so there’s a record of what happened.”

Akira paid rapt attention as Fat Gum went over the various types of reports they might need, appreciating the extra time he took explaining ones that applied more to underground work. They were left with two hours before patrol, which they took to decide on a forum that followed Wren fights with the day of the month determining which post – sorted by recent – to pull the first five letters from. They also changed the plain text to classical Latin to add a layer of not quite encryption but difficulty… and maybe a clue for Asami to realize they were alive.

As they wrote the plain text to the side to restart encryption, Fat Gum – right, Taishiro and Amajiki read through the notes. Once Akira was primed with their keywords and square – a temporary aid to get used to the new method – Taishiro asked, “From what we’ve read so far and your talk on the train, you recently had an awakening or mutation, right?”

Akira hesitated, ‘Maybe? As you can tell from the beginning, I didn’t have enough buffer to experiment much when my quirk first manifested, so it’s possible the movement aspect of my clones didn’t have enough energy available to be noticeable.’

“The journal only dates back two years. Did you not keep track when it first manifested?” Fat Gum asked gently, curiosity shining in his eyes.

‘My quirk forcibly manifested when I was 13. With Stranger such an unknown variable in quirks, it’s possible that component was my biological quirk with an activation that would be difficult for me to encounter. The trigger fit secondary Master just as well and I have family history of it, so I originally used that classification.’

As they started re-encrypting their notebook, Akira noticed the room was completely silent and, out of the corner of their eye, they saw a paper drift back to the desk. Akira glanced up in confusion and flinched into themself at the rage in Taishiro’s eyes and horror in Amajiki’s.

“Who?” Taishiro ground out. Akira briefly glanced up, confused. “Who tortured you?”

‘Oh,’ Akira signed. ‘My family. Abuse seems to be 2 for 5 with the other kids of heroes I’ve met. Although, I don’t know if Blank counts since he was abused up until he got placed with heroes. 50/50 if he doesn’t.’

Amajiki looked sick and Taishiro’s expression softened, although his voice remained hard. “I’m going to need the name of your family and the other kid’s family, then. Preventing abuse, especially Forced Quirk Manifestation, is one of the main reasons I foster a sense of community. The kids feel safe enough to expose the underbelly groups that do it.”

Still confused, Akira flinched at the quiet fury in his voice. ‘That’s just more proof that it’s common. The other kid is Shoto Todoroki; I can guarantee his father is abusive, but I lack proof without the children’s testimonies, and their quirks point to the only potential forced manifestation being Natsuo given his weak Brute quirk. With time, Shoto could be given justice or break free, but the Commission is involved in the cover-up as usual. My family is too large and connected to reach.’

“That’s why you need to avoid the media… Just because it’s common doesn’t make it right,” Amajiki murmured.

‘I know, it’s just confusing when people are surprised by it.’

“Since they haven’t found you yet, I take it your last name isn’t Mori. So what is their name?” Taishiro pressed.

‘Like I said, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing you can do to them, and if you refuse to work with them, that will just put more potential focus on me. I have a plan, but it’s going to take years.’ Akira huffed as they thought if I even survive that long.

“Will you at least tell me if any members of my agency are part of your family?”

Akira chuckled humorlessly, ‘Being a limelight is a requirement in the family, so none of them would dream of working under a Twilight hero.’

Something clicked in Taishiro’s eyes, and Akira straightened warily from their writing position. ‘Don’t-’

“The Wrens.”

Shit.

Notes:

Akira’s notes are in English so I could use ciphers I’m familiar with (cryptography was one of my hyperfixations) I was trying to find a call sign for Fat Gum that wouldn’t be weird when I got to Sunshine Dad, which turned into Sunny D. The D does still stand for Dad, but people are usually more comfortable shortening it to the brand name at least when they’re first taken in. Also sorry I didn't upload this yesterday; wasn't feeling well and didn't write anything for Libertias aut Mortis either 😅

Akira: panicking Amajiki: what is wrong with this child Fat Gum: I’ve got another kid! Akira: casually mentions trauma Amajiki.exe has stopped working Fat Gum: who do I need to kill

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fruity-bitxh · 1 year

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#food #food wars #ed but not sheeran #ed community come thru

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anothertryingtobeanagirlie · 11 months

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Pov: Me chugging down 2L of water after eating one "bad" thing hoping to "wash it down"

#4norexi4 #an0r3c1a #bul1mic #ed not sherran #b1ng3 #4norexic #food wars

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twisted-tales-told · 8 months

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#I tried really hard today and things still did not go super well #I’m really struggling with my eating right now and it’s so frustrating #because I was doing so well #and such a small thing set me off #but I guess it was all building up for awhile #I pushed myself too hard #and like I don’t have anyone to truly say these things to because I wouldn’t wish my thoughts on my worst enemy right now #I would wish them on my therapist but unfortunately she decided 2 have a child #that is a joke I’m very happy for her #but Damn why couldn’t i have had this trigger before the baby situation #cw ed #and another thing why does all food taste like absolute shit when u have ARFID #like I swear to god even a few weeks ago I liked blueberries #but now they disgust me??#like literally all food is just disgusting to me #except for whole grain cheerios???#and u can’t just eat that all day there’s no nutrition and then my health anxiety gets so bad #there is a constant war in my head around food and it’s so loud right. ow

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mellow334 · 1 year

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is there a limit to how many things you can tag

i dont think there is i just got bored and stoped

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lofilade · 1 year

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Not me getting compared to fucking Jabba the Hutt, damn that shit hurts.

New meanspo idea instead of whale its gonna be “really, your eating again? You really wanna live up to being called Jabba the Hutt”

#not pr0 just for myself #pr0 a4a #pr0 ana diary #m3ansp0 #tw ana diary #tw ana thoughts #lofilade #meanspø #ana trigger #i need to lose so much weight #anad1et #anasecret #dailystats #need to lose more weight #th1n$pochallenge #ed disorder #low cal food #star wars

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untexting · 4 months

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We Are No Strangers to Human Suffering, but We’ve Seen Nothing Like the Siege of Gaza

Dec. 11, 2023 | Source: New York Times Op-ed

By Michelle Nunn (CARE USA), Tjada D’Oyen McKenna (Mercy Corps), Jan Egeland (Norwegian Refugee Council), Abby Maxman (Oxfam America), Jeremy Konyndyk (Refugees International), and Janti Soeripto (Save the Children U.S.)

We are no strangers to human suffering — to conflict, to natural disasters, to some of the world’s largest and gravest catastrophes. We were there when fighting erupted in Khartoum, Sudan. As bombs rained down on Ukraine. When earthquakes leveled southern Turkey and northern Syria. As the Horn of Africa faced its worst drought in years. The list goes on.

But as the leaders of some of the world’s largest global humanitarian organizations, we have seen nothing like the siege of Gaza. In the more than two months since the horrifying attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and resulted in some 240 abductions, about 18,000 Gazans — including more than 7,500 children — have been killed, according to the Gazan health ministry. More children have been reported killed in this conflict than in all major global conflicts combined last year.

The atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 were unconscionable and depraved, and the taking and holding of hostages is abhorrent. The calls for their release are urgent and justified. But the right to self-defense does not and cannot require unleashing this humanitarian nightmare on millions of civilians. It is not a path to accountability, healing or peace. In no other war we can think of in this century have civilians been so trapped, without any avenue or option to escape to save themselves and their children.

Most of our organizations have been operating in Gaza for decades. But we can do nothing remotely adequate to address the level of suffering there without an immediate and complete cease-fire and an end to the siege. The aerial bombardments have rendered our jobs impossible. The withholding of water, fuel, food and other basic goods has created an enormous scale of need that aid alone cannot offset.

Global leaders — and especially the United States government — must understand that we cannot save lives under these conditions. A significant change in approach from the U.S. government is needed today to pull Gaza back from this abyss.

For a start, the Biden administration must stop its diplomatic interference at the United Nations, blocking calls for a cease-fire.

Since the pause in fighting ended, we are again witnessing an exceptionally high level of bombardment, and at increasing ferocity. The few areas left in Gaza that are untouched by bombardment are shrinking by the hour, forcing more and more civilians to seek safety that does not exist. Over 80 percent of 2.3 million Gazans are now displaced. The newest Israeli offensive is now forcing them to cluster on a tiny sliver of land.

The bombardment is not the only thing brutally cutting lives short. The siege of — and blockades surrounding — Gaza have led to a critical food scarcity, cutoffs of medical supplies and electricity, and a lack of clean water. There is barely any medical care to be found in the enclave and few medications. Surgeons are working by the light of their mobile phones, without anesthetics. They are using dishcloths as bandages. The risk of waves of waterborne and infectious disease will only grow in the increasingly overcrowded living conditions of the displaced.

One of our colleagues in Gaza recently described their struggle to feed an orphaned infant who had been rescued from the rubble of an airstrike. The baby had not eaten for days after her mother’s death. Colleagues could only scrounge up powdered milk — not formula, not breast milk, and not a nutritionally suitable infant food — to help stave off her starvation.

Before the war, hundreds of truckloads of aid were needed each day to support Gazans’ daily existence. Only a trickle of that required aid has made it into Gaza in the two months since the war began. But even if more were allowed in, our work in Gaza is dependent on ensuring our teams can move safely to set up warehouses, shelters, health clinics, schools, and water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure.

Today our staff members are not safe. They tell us they’re making the daily choice of staying with their families in one place so that they can die together or go out to seek water and food.

Among leaders in Washington, there is constant talk about preparing for the “day after.” But if this relentless bombardment and siege continue, there will be no “day after” for Gaza. It will be too late. Hundreds of thousands of lives hang in the balance today.

So far, American diplomacy in this war has not delivered on the goals President Biden has conveyed: protection of innocent civilians, adherence to humanitarian law, more aid delivery. To stop Gaza’s apocalyptic free fall, the Biden administration must take tangible measures, as it does in other conflicts, to up the ante with all parties to the conflict and bordering countries.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken once said of the war in Ukraine that the targeting of heat, water and electricity was a “brutalization of Ukraine’s people” and “barbaric.” The Biden administration should acknowledge that the same holds true in Gaza. While it has announced measures to deter violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, Mr. Blinken and his colleagues should apply similar pressure to stop violence against civilians in Gaza, too.

The harrowing events unfolding before us are shaping a global narrative that, if unchanged, will reveal a legacy of indifference in the face of unspeakable suffering, bias in the application of the laws of conflict and impunity for actors that violate international humanitarian law.

The U.S. government must act now — and fight for humanity.

Ms. Nunn is the president and chief executive of CARE USA. Ms. McKenna is the chief executive of Mercy Corps. Mr. Egeland is the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. Ms. Maxman is the president and chief executive of Oxfam America. Mr. Konyndyk is the president of Refugees International. Ms. Soeripto is the president and chief executive of Save the Children U.S.

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mehidktbh · 1 year

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I've Got My Eye On You

Pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x Fem!Reader

Summary: After one incident of fainting while training. Your Lieutenant takes the role of keeping you fed and hydrated.

Warning: Swearing, war/military stuff, ED-related symptoms (??), fainting and passing out, guns, Ghost flirts with you... which includes pet names 👀 and training (punching/fighting)

A/N: Finally got my mac book working and fixed after waiting a whole 5 months, istg it's always Apple...

Taglist: @fatedeniedhope

You stand there watching the brutal nasty fight happen in front of your eyes, watching as two men go up against each other. The grunting can be heard amongst the cheering of other soldiers. Studying their tactics and every move as they attempt to knock the other person down, hands flying with forceful punches and hard kicks as one man finally gets pinned. Someone shouting next to you as he tries to motivate the fallen soldier to get up, his voice falls deaf to his ears as he taps out.

"Alright!" The two men head back to the line of soldiers who stand up proud and tall, listening to the yelling drill Sargent. "I want Y/N and Jet up front!" You snap out of your thoughts when someone pats your back, indicating for you to step up. Your vision is unsettled and you can feel the whole world spinning, you take your stand, knuckles clenched and legs tensed.

Staring directly at the man in front as he holds the same starting position. Through the split second, you hear the whistle blow as he begins to circle you slowly, his mind set on only beating you as he starts to wonder why you stand so weak. You continue to stumble around, trying to copy his feet as they overlap each other moving around you.

Your ears block out the yelling and the screams which your team urges you on. It all becomes too much when your drill Sargent spits his voice at you, forcing you to get in there more. But it falls deaf to your ears, the underwhelming pressure and heat are all too much, you watch in confusion as the guy across you looks at you with concern. But there's nothing to say as you stumble over, tripping over your godman leg before you plough straight into the ground. There's not much to see or hear as the sun is blocked from your eyes, you're met with the blurry vision of Price as he mouths something off to the drill Sargent.

But that was months ago and now you feel stupid for letting yourself get that low. There's that worry that hangs over the rest of your task force as they still ask you questions about that day. But never your Lieutenant as he instead worries in his own (special) way...

♡ ♡ ♡

There's a little knock on your door, harsh but not too hard you jump out of your skin, soft enough to know it's your Lieutenant. "Come in," You say not looking up from your desk as you continue to work, the endless paperwork won't do itself. "How are you doing...?" He seems a bit awkward when asking that question like he normally doesn't ask people how they're doing.

"I'm alright, need something?" You question turning around in your seat to find him sitting next to you on your cot, surprised at how he moved so fast. "I know you haven't eaten so I brought something." He roughly said, your eyes glistening with the urge to instantly rip open the grey plastic bag. You can nearly see a box of some sort sitting perfectly there, a neat knot tied together on top to keep the surprise inside.

You drop the pen and your mind from doing the paperwork, turning away from the pile of mess and instead facing Ghost as he begins to open the plastic bag. "You didn't have to." You say shyly, seeming appreciative as he shakes his head in return, "No. You need to eat, Y/N." You don't say anything and instead, just nod your head in appreciation and also agreeing with him in some way. Stalking his movements as he carefully takes the food out of the bag. His eyes catch your hungry craved eyes, a smirk hidden behind his mask.

♡ ♡ ♡

Looking down at the cards you sigh again, "Got nothing." "Ha! Ace and ten," Soap said cheerfully after beating you for the tenth time tonight. But you would never say that you were never in the game from the start, despite Soap explaining the game you had no fucking idea how to play.

"Give it'ere." Price said, catching the cards as Soap threw the pack to him, his hands instantly got to shuffling the deck. Gaz sat next to you on the floor as Price sat in front of him, Soap sitting in front of you. A perfect circular Arrangement with everyone's attention on Price as he shuffled the cards in the same movement and technique as he's been doing for years.

Through your eyes averted to Ghost in the corner of the room, his body leaning on the wall as he guards the window, his eyes scanning the premier. So you decide to walk over, let your Lieutenant take a break and play some cards. After such a rough day with Gaz nearly getting shot in his shpulder the team decided to camp out fpor the night.

Letting all the adrenaline you guys felt before melting into the floor and walls of this small dingy 'safe house'. "I got it, sir." Ghost looks over at you, your smile is reassuring but after a day like today, he seemed like the only one who still wasn't relaxed. He nods after a second of staring at you, picking his gun up from leaning on the wall but he stops right before his elbow touches yours.

"Had any water today?" You hum quietly, not looking back before you take over his leaning position on the wall but he still stood there. After a bunch of shuffling in which you thought was Price with his cards a cold water bottle touched your arm. Ghost stood there arm reached out as he nudged you on, signalling for you to take the bottle.

"I'm alright-" "Take it." Your eyes flicked between the bottle and his piercing eyes, fuck you could feel how much he was persuading you. "That's an order, Y/N." You sigh, rolling your eyes slightly as you take the bottle from his hand, he continues to watch you gulp the cold refreshing liquid down. His hand pushing up in a motion as he signalled for you to continue drinking when your lips were about to leave.

But after a while, he was satisfied, nodding his head when you could finally pull away. You were about to hum back thanks before he spoke slowly, the last word came out deathly quietly as you couldn't understand what he had just said.

"Good, girl..."

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dean-winchesters-clit · 8 months

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Another theory post about OFMD S2 because it's all I think about anymore

I had a theory forming about the pearl necklace Ed is wearing that I wanted to share with y'all. I was originally speculating about where Ed got the necklace, thinking that maybe he stole it off one of the wedding guests or even the bride because you can see a lot of the women wearing pearl jewelry in these shots.

But the only pearl necklace we see is much larger than the ones Ed is wearing, and I did some digging and found out that pearl necklaces mostly went out of style in Europe due to a war and the church getting all uppity about people being excessive, so it would be unlikely that any of the other women would be wearing pearl necklaces, especially when the earrings and hairpins made with pearls were usually larger and more uniform than the ones we see on Ed's necklace.

So, where did the necklace come from? I think it makes perfect sense that Stede gave it to Ed because of course he did, but when? It's hard to see Ed's neck in any of the shots of him raiding the wedding ship or in the captain's cabin aboard the Revenge, but I think it's safe to say that he doesn't have it at that point in time.

The first time we see it clearly in the trailer is when he's in the forest, confronting the mysterious figure (who I have a theory about, but that's for another time).

So, Ed gets the pearl necklace some time between raiding a bunch of ships as Blackbeard and getting stranded on an island. What could possibly happen in the interim that could cause him to acquire a pearl necklace from Stede?

Well, we all know Mysterious Merchant Susan is definitely the Chinese Pirate Queen Shi Yang/Zheng Yi Sao/Ching Shih or some approximation of her (since the real Zheng Yi Sao was born in 1775). We also know that she's masquerading as a merchant for some reason. What if the scene of Stede and Oluwande at the market happens before Stede sends his message in a bottle to Ed?

What if, when talking about Blackbeard and Ed, Susan convinces Stede to buy a string of these?

Chinese freshwater pearls. They're smaller and less uniform than the pearls we associate with classic European pearl jewelry. And they match up in style and size pretty well to the pearls on Ed's necklace.

What if Stede buys these pearls from Susan and places them in the bottle along with his message to Ed? Then, when Ed gets stranded on the island, he finds the bottle on the beach and the pearls inside. That's why he goes from no pearls on the Revenge to pearl necklace on the deserted island.

Just some food for thought!

Edit

So, @naranjapetrificada pointed something out that kinda sinks this theory, but I do really like where this new info leads us.

Ed is wearing the pearl necklace before being stranded on the island. You can see it in the "fuck you, Stede Bonnet" frame, but it's easy to miss.

There she is, when Ed is very clearly on the deck of the Revenge.

So, this does burn my theory to the ground, but that's okay!! That's the fun of theory crafting! Someone noticed something I didn't and flipped the whole script!

I love the implications that the necklace is something Ed chooses for himself, rather than something he is gifted. He still likes fine things and wants to feel pretty and finds something that makes him feel that way. Babygirl is having a rough time and deserves some happiness, dammit!!

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captainkirkk · 3 months

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✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Marvel

Dumb, Dumber and Dumbass by tempestaurora

As Coach Wilson peered out the window in the living room, May said, very quietly, “You didn’t realise your brother worked at Peter’s school?”

“We all make mistakes!” Sam hissed.

Then Coach Wilson was leaning back and a figure in a hoodie and jeans stepped through the window and into the living room, and Peter’s heart sank into his stomach like a rock. Sam’s brother was, true to story, scarred from head to toe. He could see the puckered skin on his hands, the burns across his bald head. But that wasn’t the shocking part—the shocking part was that he’d already seen it before: he’d seen it when a certain vigilante’s suit had been destroyed three nights before, and Peter had walked with him back to his backpack to loan him some clothes.

“This is Wade,” Sam introduced.

Sam Wilson had two brothers: one was Peter’s gym teacher, and the other was fucking Deadpool.

OR: A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Family Dinner, during which Peter and May meet Sam's family. Meanwhile, Tony sends constant text updates about his search for whoever graffiti-ed Avengers Tower.

Death Before Inaction by hppjmxrgosg

"Fuck off, Nicky.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Hasn’t anyone ever told you spider-napping is illegal?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You can’t hold me here, I know my spider-rights.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “God, you guys are so old. What are you? Like 27?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Scale of 1 to 10, how upset would you be if I told you I banged your mom?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or, I got my grubby little hands on the spider-man time line and fucked around a little bit. Not much (everything) changes.

DC / Star Wars (Crossover)

Obi-Wan in Gotham by hoebiwan (+ podfic)

Obi-Wan falls through a hole in the universe and ends up in the Batcave.

Clone Wars

the war has just begun by unintentionalgenius

The first problem was that the Supreme Commander didn’t give them enough warning about what they were stumbling into, when they were ordered out into it. Someone above General Kenobi’s head sent the men planetside in standard-issue gear, without thermal clothing or heat packs or sleeping kit or enough food for more than a single day. They had no extra ammo, no tents, no heavy artillery. They had barely any warning.

The second problem was that Supreme Command underestimated the strength of the enemy; it was supposed to be an easy enough job, holding the planet long enough to route the Seppies and then right back to the ship, leaving a contingent of troopers stationed there to retain what they’d won.

The third problem - the real problem - came when they let themselves become surrounded and the Separatists cut their supply line. Cody’s partially at fault for that one; a better Commander would’ve seen it coming. A better Commander would’ve had more backup plans, been prepared for more contingencies.

Being cut off from re-supply would’ve been a problem before the snow started.

Then the snow started.

I've never made it with moderation by Trixree (+ podfic)

He’d known how some of the men are with younglings—known from Waxer and Boil how sharply those attachments can form with little ones. Hell, the men were raised to be protective, so much so that Obi-Wan has often wondered if their protective drive was not written into their very atoms, some intrinsic part of their DNA.

It wasn’t something Obi-Wan had ever questioned. He’d thought he had understood the scope of it. In reality, he hadn’t understood a thing.

Not until Kamino.

Or: Not all that dive from cliffs make a running head start. Sometimes, the Fall is only a natural progression.

Standards of Professionality by Trixree

"Are we going to pretend I didn’t just find you fucking your General, vod?” Rex hisses over private-comm.

Cody doesn’t even turn his head to look at him. Rex can hear the smile in Cody’s voice when he replies, “No, because I am not fucking my General, Rex’ika. I am fucking Obi-Wan. We are professionals.”

5 times Cody and Obi-Wan struggled to maintain plausible deniability regarding their affections for one another + 1 time they decidedly Did Not.

The Hunger Games

Lover & Loner by amateurwordbender

Haymitch once told him that he’s a survivor. It hadn’t been a compliment; he’d slurred out the words in pity after finding Finnick shaking apart from a panic attack.

Jo’s a survivor, too.

(Finnick and Johanna, from the moment they meet to the bitter end)

Original Works

for the want of a jewel by FormlessVoidbeast

With his country fallen to the unstoppable tide of the Dread Warlord, a terrified king sends a peace offering of his own flesh and blood in the hopes of buying leniency.

When Prince Damian of Miska is accepted as the symbol of his country's surrender and immediately wedded to the Warlord, he expects his fate to be both painful and humiliating, and his death inevitable. To his confusion, the Warlord and his terrible Warlock seem to have no interest in abusing that which they have claimed as their own. As Damian finds his feet and gains friends in a new land, he begins to question everything he once thought was true.

But some jewels were never meant to be sold, and the consequences of Damian's sacrifice are more far-reaching than anyone expected.

#i have also been in the trenches of hunger games fic over the past week #i've been in dark fandoms before and read a lot of heavy content #but hoo boy the hunger games fandom is BLEAK #my posts #weekly fic round up #fic recs #marvel recs #sw recs #original works recs #misc recs #hunger games recs

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blackwoolncrown · 1 year

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Reading list for Afro-Herbalism:

A Healing Grove: African Tree Remedies and Rituals for the Body and Spirit by Stephanie Rose Bird

Affrilachia: Poems by Frank X Walker

African American Medicine in Washington, D.C.: Healing the Capital During the Civil War Era by Heather Butts

African American Midwifery in the South: Dialogues of Birth, Race, and Memory by Gertrude Jacinta Fraser

African American Slave Medicine: Herbal and Non-Herbal Treatments by Herbert Covey

African Ethnobotany in the Americas edited by Robert Voeks and John Rashford

Africanisms in the Gullah Dialect by Lorenzo Dow Turner

Africans and Native Americans: The Language of Race and the Evolution of Red-Black Peoples by Jack Forbes

African Medicine: A Complete Guide to Yoruba Healing Science and African Herbal Remedies by Dr. Tariq M. Sawandi, PhD

Afro-Vegan: Farm-Fresh, African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed by Bryant Terry

Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston

Big Mama’s Back in the Kitchen by Charlene Johnson

Big Mama’s Old Black Pot by Ethel Dixon

Black Belief: Folk Beliefs of Blacks in America and West Africa by Henry H. Mitchell

Black Diamonds, Vol. 1 No. 1 and Vol. 1 Nos. 2–3 edited by Edward J. Cabbell

Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors by Carolyn Finney

Black Food Geographies: Race, Self-Reliance, and Food Access in Washington, D.C. by Ashanté M. Reese

Black Indian Slave Narratives edited by Patrick Minges

Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition by Yvonne P. Chireau

Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry edited by Camille T. Dungy

Blacks in Appalachia edited by William Turner and Edward J. Cabbell

Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion by Taymer Mason

Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last Africans Brought to America by Sylviane Diouf

Faith, Health, and Healing in African American Life by Emilie Townes and Stephanie Y. Mitchem

Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman

Folk Wisdom and Mother Wit: John Lee – An African American Herbal Healer by John Lee and Arvilla Payne-Jackson

Four Seasons of Mojo: An Herbal Guide to Natural Living by Stephanie Rose Bird

Freedom Farmers: Agricultural Resistance and the Black Freedom Movement by Monica White

Fruits of the Harvest: Recipes to Celebrate Kwanzaa and Other Holidays by Eric Copage

George Washington Carver by Tonya Bolden

George Washington Carver: In His Own Words edited by Gary Kremer

God, Dr. Buzzard, and the Bolito Man: A Saltwater Geechee Talks About Life on Sapelo Island, Georgia by Cornelia Bailey

Gone Home: Race and Roots through Appalachia by Karida Brown

Ethno-Botany of the Black Americans by William Ed Grime

Gullah Cuisine: By Land and by Sea by Charlotte Jenkins and William Baldwin

Gullah Culture in America by Emory Shaw Campbell and Wilbur Cross

Gullah/Geechee: Africa’s Seeds in the Winds of the Diaspora-St. Helena’s Serenity by Queen Quet Marquetta Goodwine

High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America by Jessica Harris and Maya Angelou

Homecoming: The Story of African-American Farmers by Charlene Gilbert

Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies by Faith Mitchell

Jambalaya: The Natural Woman’s Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals by Luisah Teish

Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care by Dayna Bowen Matthew

Leaves of Green: A Handbook of Herbal Remedies by Maude E. Scott

Like a Weaving: References and Resources on Black Appalachians by Edward J. Cabbell

Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife by Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Janet Holmes

Making Gullah: A History of Sapelo Islanders, Race, and the American Imagination by Melissa Cooper

Mandy’s Favorite Louisiana Recipes by Natalie V. Scott

Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present by Harriet Washington

Mojo Workin’: The Old African American Hoodoo System by Katrina Hazzard-Donald

Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife’s Story by Onnie Lee Logan as told to Katherine Clark

My Bag Was Always Packed: The Life and Times of a Virginia Midwife by Claudine Curry Smith and Mildred Hopkins Baker Roberson

My Face Is Black Is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave Reparations by Mary Frances Berry

My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem

On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles

Papa Jim’s Herbal Magic Workbook by Papa Jim

Places for the Spirit: Traditional African American Gardens by Vaughn Sills (Photographer), Hilton Als (Foreword), Lowry Pei (Introduction)

Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy

Rooted in the Earth: Reclaiming the African American Environmental Heritage by Diane Glave

Rufus Estes’ Good Things to Eat: The First Cookbook by an African-American Chef by Rufus Estes

Secret Doctors: Ethnomedicine of African Americans by Wonda Fontenot

Sex, Sickness, and Slavery: Illness in the Antebellum South by Marli Weiner with Mayzie Hough

Slavery’s Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons by Sylviane Diouf

Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, One Plate at a Time by Adrian Miller

Spirituality and the Black Helping Tradition in Social Work by Elmer P. Martin Jr. and Joanne Mitchell Martin

Sticks, Stones, Roots & Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo & Conjuring with Herbs by Stephanie Rose Bird

The African-American Heritage Cookbook: Traditional Recipes and Fond Remembrances from Alabama’s Renowned Tuskegee Institute by Carolyn Quick Tillery

The Black Family Reunion Cookbook (Recipes and Food Memories from the National Council of Negro Women) edited by Libby Clark

The Conjure Woman and Other Conjure Tales by Charles Chesnutt

The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham

The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin

The President’s Kitchen Cabinet: The Story of the African Americans Who Have Fed Our First Families, from the Washingtons to the Obamas by Adrian Miller

The Taste of Country Cooking: The 30th Anniversary Edition of a Great Classic Southern Cookbook by Edna Lewis

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study: An Insiders’ Account of the Shocking Medical Experiment Conducted by Government Doctors Against African American Men by Fred D. Gray

Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape by Lauret E. Savoy

Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry

Vibration Cooking: Or, The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor

Voodoo and Hoodoo: The Craft as Revealed by Traditional Practitioners by Jim Haskins

When Roots Die: Endangered Traditions on the Sea Islands by Patricia Jones-Jackson

Working Conjure: A Guide to Hoodoo Folk Magic by Hoodoo Sen Moise

Working the Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing by Michelle Lee

Wurkn Dem Rootz: Ancestral Hoodoo by Medicine Man

Zora Neale Hurston: Folklore, Memoirs, and Other Writings: Mules and Men, Tell My Horse, Dust Tracks on a Road, Selected Articles by Zora Neale Hurston

The Ways of Herbalism in the African World with Olatokunboh Obasi MSc, RH (webinar via The American Herbalists Guild)

#herbalism #african american #rootwork #african #native american #hoodoo #voodoo

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aspenforest732 · 5 months

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Mortem ad Wrens Chapter 10: Whispering Voices Strike a Spark

tw: bullying, child abuse, ableism, flashback, body memories, abuse victim signs, ED behavior, body policing, food rationing, light verbal abuse

'text' JSL Text thoughts

---

Akira groaned as they saw the matchups. No fucking way am I losing to Yaoyorozu. I’ll just have to throw the quarter-final.

Shinso charged into the center, clearly counting on Midoriya not having full control of his quirk. Akira watched with pride as he tried to goad Midoriya into responding but never quite pulled out their trump card.

“Who do you think will win?” Ashido asked excitedly from the row above.

‘Midoriya, 100%,’ Akira signed with Koda interpreting.

Ashido scowled, “Aw, you’re no fun. Why not root for your friend?”

Mad Banquet chuckled, and Tokoyami said, “We are. Future underground heroes don’t want to advance too far into the brackets, though. The public being overly familiar with our quirks will only be a detriment.”

Akira nodded, adding ‘Getting to the brackets is to show we have physical prowess outside our quirks. Animal Whisper and I will be the only ones in our group who want to get past the first round.’ At Tokoyami and Koda’s confused looks, Akira darkened. ‘It’s Rich Miss. I’m not losing to that prick.’

Midoriya bodily tossed Shinso off the platform, the strange red lines glowing under his skin but not leaving any immediately apparent broken bones. Huh, hopefully he’s starting to get a grip on it.

Shoto’s complete over display of power left Akira confused as the crowd wasn’t sure whether to cheer or be disappointed at the quick victory. Shoto was the definition of calm and collected in fights, and Sero wasn’t the type to provoke him.

Akira winced as Kaminari stepped onto the stage, electricity already arcing around him in excitement. Koda’s rocky skin would act as protection against Kaminari’s attacks, but a highly concentrated shock might get through. As the pair traded blows back and forth, Kaminari tried to focus his energy but most of it still spread out too much to be effective against such a grounded opponent. Akira noticed Midoriya excitedly writing in his notebook as he mumbled about Kaminari’s new level of control and potential as a human taser. Koda ended the match by continually pushing the smaller kid back, eventually forcing him to use their million-volt technique, which momentarily stunned Koda but ultimately let him walk Kaminari off the stage.

Akira reveled at Hatsume’s presentation, thoroughly enjoying both Ida’s growing frustration and the girl’s ideas. Those boots would help with jump distance over rooftops. I probably wouldn’t have to warp or use my capture weapon to get to higher buildings with those. They could probably even include more support for overusing my quirk with how flexible her uses seem. Akira made a note in their own notebook to visit Hatsume in her classroom to see about costume and mobility improvements.

Mina easily beat Aoyama, dodging his rays with figure skating-like maneuvers, although Akira winced at his damaged support belt. ‘Hopefully there’s someone available to fix that for him, I’ve never seen him without it.’

With that, Akira headed for the tunnels, hanging an eager smile on their face that didn’t quite reach their eyes as they stepped out with their name. Yaoyorozu met their smile with a condescending one, stance relaxed even as the match started. Darting forward, Akira punched her in the stomach, letting her hastily formed shield drop into a clone as they warped behind and roundhouse kicked the girl’s head, sending her stumbling forwards.

As Yaoyorozu whipped around, Akira danced back, watching for the sparkles of Creation. They grabbed her wrist and pulled as they warped, legs now wrapped around Yaoyorozu’s neck as they both hit the ground, Akira spinning to land on her back and pin her arms. In moments, Yaoyorozu yielded, and Akira backed off, not offering a hand but bowing shallowly as they left the arena.

Instead of going to the stands, Akira grabbed a couple protein bars and made their way to the other side’s break room and knocked.

Cracking the door, Ashido brightened, “Oh! Come in, did you want to talk about something or just chill? I’ve got some protein bars if you want.”

Akira smiled but shook their head, holding up their own. They wrote in their notebook, “I came to talk about our match. I’m not going to try for the semifinals because I don’t want the exposure.”

Ashido pouted as she sipped boba tea. “Why advance from the first round, then?”

Akira scowled. “Because Yaoyorozu is an ableist prick, and I wasn’t about to give her more ammo. I came to ask if there’s a specific style or unusual way to use your acid that you want to showcase. The class powerhouses will probably take the podium, but we can still put on a good show.”

Ashido grinned and started outlining her ideas, Akira asking a few questions but otherwise letting her drive the meeting. Akira kept an eye on Tokoyami’s match with Kirishima, but they’d already worked out showcasing the former’s abilities in case any of their training group got matched up.

As they sipped on a protein drink in the stands, Akira watched Uraraka and Bakugo’s fight in awe. Respect and alertness sparked in Bakugo’s eyes as shapes kept floating a little too long in the cloud. What is she pulling? Akira wondered as Bakugo kept her at a distance, tearing apart the stage as the cameras tried to keep focus on the shadows within the cloud of dust. With so little to see on stage, Akira started following the floating debris up, grinning as they noticed the field Uraraka was setting up. Glancing at Tokoyami, they nudged him and gestured up, happy to see a similar shocked expression.

Even as the crowd booed and Aizawa rebuked them, Bakugo grew more nervous, the tension in his shoulders increasing with every blast. Uraraka finally stopped her assault, trembling slightly as she stood upright and thanked Bakugo for keeping his guard up. Akira grinned as Uraraka let the meteor shower rain down with “I’m going to win!”

While most of the cameras were focused on the meteor shower or Uraraka running up, Akira watched as Bakugo started to brace his arm. No… he’s never made an explosion that big without his gauntlets, right? Akira stared in wonder as the force of the blast rippled out, obliterating most of the debris above Bakugo, showering the field and roof with the rest, and catapulting Uraraka back to the edge of the stage. The crowds were blown into their seats from the air pressure, and a hush fell over the crowd as the smoke cleared on the two opponents.

Both were clearly exhausted by the efforts, but Bakugo grinned as Uraraka started gearing up for another attack, both charging only for the girl to collapse after a few steps. Bakugo immediately pulled up, concern flickering over his face even as she crawled forward and he dropped into a hesitant stance. Her body fully gave out a meter away though, and as Midnight checked on her, Bakugo was declared the victor. Tsu and Ida slipped out of the stands to check on her as med bots wheeled Uraraka away.

Midoriya’s fight with Shoto went shockingly horrible with the power Akira knew him to be capable of. It almost seemed like instead of trying to win, he was trying to get Shoto to do something. Remembering the overheard conversation earlier, Akira blanched and glared at Midoriya.

“I don’t understand the strategy here,” Tokoyami muttered.

‘It’s not a strategy,’ Akira signed derisively. ‘He’s trying to force Peppermint to use his left side. That kid’s been through a lot, Broccoli shouldn’t be toying with him like this. Especially with how many times he’s breaking bones again. He’s going to regret that next time the weather sours.’

The match continued for a few long minutes, waves of ice barely missing some of the crowd until the two were not even a meter from each other and a blast of heat surged through the stands. Squinting, Akira could barely see with the raging inferno that must be coming from Shoto. Moments later, Endeavor loudly started congratulating his son on stopping his rebellious phase, and Akira wanted nothing more in the moment than to strangle the man. Tokoyami put a hand on their arm, Dark Shadow offering support from the shadow of his sleeve as Akira nodded stiffly at the gesture.

As the two geared up, Shoto activating both sides and Midoriya surging forward, Akira barely made out structures sprouting between the two before they exploded outward, showering the stands with debris and blowing everyone back as a large plume of smoke erupted from the stadium and obscured the opponents before revealing Midoriya slumped against the far wall. The crowd erupted in cheers as he was carried off by the med bots and Uraraka quickly left the stands. The rest of Midoriya’s clique soon followed as there was a break to reset the stage.

‘I’m going to talk to Shoto,’ Akira signed distractedly. The rest of Mad Banquet nodded, opting to stay and wait for the next match. After a moment, though, Akira slowed as a soft pair of footsteps caught up to them. ‘Do you need something?’

Shinso frowned, ‘He’s the one you were talking about, right? I want to go with you.’

Akira paused, turning to face him. ‘I don’t have proof right now, and I don’t know if he’ll even want to talk with me. I’m not going to stop you, but he might feel cornered with two approaching him.’

Shinso just shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets after signing, ‘If nothing else, I can interpret for you.’

As they rounded on the break room, Akira almost ran into a chest of flames, jumping back at the heat. They squinted, barely concealing their hatred as they signed, ‘What are you doing back here? This is for students and faculty only.’

“Hmph I was just speaking with Shoto, not that it’s any of your business,” he sneered, towering over them. “Now, out of my way.”

“You’re really not supposed to be back here,” Shinso drawled, expression a touch more neutral. “You should leave before you get kicked out.” Akira pulled their phone just far enough out of their pocket to make sure they selected the right contact before pinging their location.

Endeavor’s flames flared as he stepped towards Shinso, “Insolent boy, I am the number two hero and will go where I please.”

Shinso’s eyes briefly flashed with fear as Akira swiftly put themself between the two, biting back memories of fire raging across their skin. ‘Like we said, you’re not supposed to be here. Please leave. Eraser will be making his rounds soon, and he wouldn’t like you back here.’

Endeavor scoffed but pushed past after leveling them with another glare. A tense moment later, Akira sunk to the floor, back against the wall as they canceled the alert. From down the hall, they distantly heard Aizawa’s voice with a rarely heard anger instead of the usual frustration or monotone he used with the class.

“Do you have the ball Inui gave you?” Shinso signed as he asked. Akira shook their head, gesturing to the lack of storage in their uniform. “Can I do anything to help?” he continued softly.

Akira just shook their head, gesturing to the floor and focusing on their breath and senses as their heart tried to hammer out of their chest. After a moment of thrumming their fingers while their arms itched, Akira hesitantly held out their hands, which Shinso immediately took, gently rubbing circles. As they started to calm down, Akira tensed at another set of footsteps approaching, only to relax as they recognized their teacher’s “I want you to hear me coming” gait.

Taking a deep breath, they stood and offered a hand to Shinso as a mask of neutrality settled on their face. Shinso gave them a worried, searching look before accepting the hand as Aizawa walked around the corner.

“Are you two alright? I saw your ping,” Aizawa said gruffly. Shinso looked confused, about to pull out his phone when Akira showed him theirs.

‘Sorry, Endeavor was being difficult, and we knew he wasn’t supposed to be here.’

Shinso snorted awkwardly, “That’s one way to put it. He tried to threaten us when we pointed out he shouldn’t be back here.” Shinso added with a bit more venom, “And he already spoke with Shoto.”

Aizawa looked over them again for injuries before raising an eyebrow. “I’ll make sure that’s noted. Why is him speaking with his son more of a problem?”

Shinso looked to Akira, who just crossed their arms. He may have followed through faster than they would’ve thought, but Akira wasn’t about to trust Aizawa with this. At least not yet.

Eyes narrowing at the silent refusal, Aizawa sighed, “The next round is about to start. You two head back to the stands, and I’ll check on Todoroki.”

Koda’s fight with Ida lasted longer than any of Mad Banquet was expecting, Koda’s improving hand-to-hand and use of birds as distractions earning him the precious seconds he needed to dodge. Ultimately, Ida still beat him with Recipro Burst, but from the crowd’s murmurs, Koda would definitely be getting a couple offers. Akira grinned and gave him a thumbs up as they passed in the hall.

As Akira and Mina walked up to the stage, Akira attuned to the song Mina was humming, matching their steps to hers as they found their rhythm. When the match started, Mina opened with an arching slide to her right as Akira matched their steps to the staccato rhythm they’d talked about. Just as Mina aimed an acid ball, Akira warped from an acid patch to behind her, going to punch her shoulder only to get met with an acid-covered fist.

Dancing back, Akira matched her steps again, this time charging forward first, weaving around the puddles Mina had been dropping until the last second. They warped from one to the far side of the field, Mina rapidly firing off a spread of smaller acid balls as Akira warped between puddles and let each clone dispel before warping again. As they closed in on Mina, Akira shifted to the left, and with a nod, Mina let acid pour into her hands before tackling Akira as they warped, hurling the acid ball in the opposite direction. It connected with Akira’s side as they spun to face Mina, knocking them off the stage. The two shook hands, Akira flicking some acid onto the girl as the two laughed and separated.

“Hey, Reaper!” Bakugo stalked up to them, face stormy. “The hell was that? You just threw the match!”

Akira cocked their head. ‘I told you during training. My goal was never to reach the finals; hell, I wouldn’t have gone past the first round if I hadn’t been paired with Rich Miss. Pink Queen and I just coordinated so she could show off an unusual style she’s been working on. It wouldn’t have been effective in the first two rounds, and you obviously aren’t a good matchup for her, so I was happy to help.’

“Well, next sparring session I want a match.” Akira’s eyebrows shot up. “You could’ve easily pulled the same shit you did with that prick and won, so I expect you to go all out.”

After a moment, Akira nodded. Bakugo was more perceptive than they originally though he was, but the loud blonde had been surprising them since he first asked Akira to get lunch with his group. He did seem to be mellowing out marginally… ‘Hey,’ Akira signed, tapping on the blonde’s shoulder as he turned. ‘Don’t let that get to your head, okay? I don’t want to know what they’ll do if you try to refuse the podium.’

Grabbing their pack from the break room, Akira chugged the last of their protein drinks and grabbed a jelly pouch. They weren’t in trouble yet, but it took a bit for the adrenaline to die off and their quirk to slow down. As the semifinals wrapped up with Bakugo and Shoto taking the top two spots, as expected, Akira’s thoughts drifted back to Aizawa. What is his baseline? It doesn’t seem like he considers the weight I have now as a buffer even though it’s above starvation mode.

Akira glared at Midoriya as he tried to egg on Shoto, who was clearly still conflicted. As Bakugo made an impressive spiral of smoke in the air, Akira gasped at Shoto’s left side briefly lighting up before winking out. Oh, kid… Akira winced as Shoto was tossed like a ragdoll by the blast, his glazed-over and unseeing eyes having little to do with the blast.

Kirishima and Kaminari stood up with Shinso and Akira, acknowledging each other with a nod before quickly making their way to Recovery Girl. As they reached the nurse’s secondary office, Akira noticed Inui coming out with an angry and confused Bakugo. Kirishima and Kaminari hesitantly peeled off to wait for them.

Inside, Shoto was awake but unseeing. ‘I think I know what’s going on, can I assist?’

Recovery Girl nodded, quietly telling the pair to be gentle.

‘Hey Peppermint, can you hear Blank?’ Akira asked, Shinso interpreting.

A slight nod.

‘That’s great. Do you know where you are?’

‘Nurse.’ After a moment, he grimaced, seeming unsure. ‘House.’

Akira and Shinso blinked at each other, neither aware he’d been learning. ‘You are at Nurse’s office. He’s nowhere near you right now, you’re safe. Right now, it’s just you, me, Blank, and Nurse in her office. You’re on one of the medical beds, and it smells like disinfectant in here. Can you describe what the bed feels like?’

Shoto slowly started to look more aware as he fingerspelled. ‘Coarse, firm, narrow, cold.’

‘You’re cold?’ Recovery Girl brought a few more blankets as Shinso interpreted. ‘Nurse brought some blankets. Would you like them? They look a bit softer than what’s currently on the bed.’

They spent the next fifteen minutes coaxing him out of the flashback. At some point, Inui stepped in, and they had to reassure Shoto over again that the heavy footfalls weren’t his father. He still seemed a little dazed but nodded when Inui asked if Shoto would be able to attend the presentation ceremony.

When only Bakugo and Mina were next to the podium to be raised, Akira turned to Cementoss. ‘Is Engine Calf alright? I didn’t see him at Nurse’s office.’

“He had a family emergency, unfortunately.”

Bakugo was still seething but seemed significantly calmer then when he’d stormed out of Recovery Girl’s office with Inui. I wonder if he also continued therapy. That would also explain some of his mellowing out, although I’d imagine Kirishima and Kaminari helped, too.

Shinso and Akira stuck by Shoto’s side, Tokoyami and Koda giving them some distance after reassurances they were there for support. The latter two and Aizawa ran interference when Endeavor tried to approach Shoto on the way to the bus while Shinso and Akira kept the kid’s focus on getting back. By the time they reached U.A., Shoto was back to his reserved, quiet self instead of the haunted look he’d been sporting.

‘Thank you,’ he signed hesitantly as they started to unload.

Akira smiled sadly back. ‘Let us know if you want help getting you and whoever else away. I know some people, and I know Blank’s on board, too.’

Back in the classroom, Aizawa announced they’d have the next two days of school off after which they’d be given their internship offers. Akira hung back, waiting for the others to disperse and Shinso to give them space as they approached Aizawa.

“Can I help you with something, Mori?”

Akira took a breath, fiddling with their backpack straps before signing, ‘I’m down to the last jelly pouch after the festival, and you said to tell you when I was out.’ Aizawa raised an eyebrow, and Akira quickly backtracked. ‘Sorry, I assumed it was you. Never mind, it’s fine.’

“Kid-”

‘Really, I should probably get going,’ Akira spun on their heel to leave.

“Mori, it was me. Next time, I expect you to tell me sooner, so you never run on empty.” Aizawa motioned for them to follow him as they made their way to the teacher’s lounge. Striding past a few teachers Akira recognized and a blonde man with All Might-like hair strands, Aizawa brought them to a box marked with his name and opened it to reveal several rows of jelly pouches organized by flavor. “Take as many as you want; Nezu keeps it well-stocked.”

Midnight gasped from behind them. “Shouta? Sharing his jelly pouches? Who are you and what have you done with that grouch?”

Akira winced, retracting a hand from reaching towards the mango flavor. Aizawa fixed her with a glare while putting several in Akira’s hands. “Mind your own business, Nemuri.” He turned to Akira, signing, ‘She’s just teasing, don’t mind her.’

After a moment, Akira continued, grabbing ten pouches. “Is that it, kid?” Aizawa asked, raising an eyebrow. He sighed at their nod, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The point is for you to eat these as needed, not to ration them out. Here,” Aizawa started grabbing handfuls of the flavors they’d selected and handing them to Akira, who was forced to put them in their backpack or let them keep piling in their arms. “If you run out of a flavor you’re in the mood for or are down to five pouches, tell me or any nearby teacher if I’m unavailable.”

Akira hesitantly nodded, signing a quick thanks. As they left the teacher’s lounge, Shinso met back up with them. ‘I just need to grab my duffle bag, you don’t have to wait for me,’ Akira signed as they started down the hallway to the locker rooms.

Aizawa frowned, “Why do you need your duffle? Your things are safe here.”

Akira briefly froze before forcing themself to relax. ‘I left some things in it that I’ll need over the next couple days.’

Aizawa narrowed his eyes but allowed Shinso to pull him along to the gate. That bullet dodged, Akira quickly gathered their things, double-checking that nothing was missing before starting the long walk to the train station.

---

last chapter and this one’s title are actually lyrics to We Are Determined from Amazing Grace the Musical. I swear when I was writing the chapters from here on out I thought the lyrics fit. They do not most of the time, but I can't be bothered to find better chapter titles.

Flashbacks are rough, and they’re not always the full-sensory flashbacks like you see in media. In this one, I pictured Shoto having a primarily touch- and sight-based flashback, so while things weren’t lining up, he was having trouble convincing himself that he wasn’t back in that moment.

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ed-wwarren · 1 year

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Warsaw, Poland.

That’s where the good old U.S. Army was sending Captain Edward Warren. The war was turning south for the allies so it was all hands on deck in Europe. He was more than happy to leave and do his duty. He had nothing keeping him in America anyway. His mother died, his father was God knows where probably drunk or dead. He didn’t have any brothers or sisters and he didn’t have children. He just had a wife.

Ed had been nervous to tell his wife, Natalie, that they had to pick up and move but she seemed almost…excited at the thought. He found that odd but he didn’t argue because she was taking it well and they weren’t fighting over it like they had been fighting over everything in their marriage over the past year. They had been married for twelve years and he didn’t know at what point they had stopped loving each other, at what point they had turned from husband and wife to roommates, but he was always waking on eggshells around her and almost wanted to leave her in America but he couldn’t just do that to her. She was still his wife and he had a responsibility to her. He didn’t know when this war would be over or when he would get sent back to the states so she was coming with him.

Once they had settled into their home in Warsaw, they were given a tour by a few of the enlisted soldiers. As they drove through the streets, Ed felt his heart breaking. He saw so many shops and businesses closed, hateful things spray painted on the broken windows. He was happy to see there were nice parts of the city as well but he hated to see German soldiers sitting at the cafes. He just knew they were taking advantage of the poor people of Warsaw. They probably never paid for their food or things they needed and they probably took advantage of the women. He hated to think what they were grooming the kids to believe. He had seen glimpses of the propaganda the Nazi’s were playing about Jews being dirty and evil and filled with hatred, wanting the world to burn, and could hope and pray that no one really believed it.

“Oh, Ed, look!” Natalie had said, gently squeezing his arm to get him to look out of the same window she was. “Look at that cute little shop! I want to go in and buy some dresses! Pull over!” She demanded the soldier driving the car.

All of the men looked at Ed, unsure of what to do. This was an alright part of town but there were still Germans around every corner. Ed saw the excitement in his wife’s eyes for the first time in a long time and slowly sighed, nodding his head to the soldiers. “It’s alright. Pull over please.”

Once the car was stopped and her door was opened for her, Natalie hopped out of the car and walked to the shop like she wasn’t in a war torn country. Ed got out of the car and looked around before he noticed his wife was almost out of sight. “Natalie, wait,” He called, hurrying after her.

“Oh, Ed what are you worried for?” She asked with a chuckle, twirling in the street to look at him. “We are surrounded by your soldiers. We’re fine. I want to shop!” She pouted.

Ed pinched the bridge of his nose and gave her a look. “Have you not noticed all of the Germans that are also all around? Because there are a lot of them. There is a war going on here. Please remember that.”

Natalie rolled her eyes and sighed. “How about you go over to that little cafe across the street and I’ll shop. You need to have a drink and relax. You’ve been so tense since you got ordered to come here. Anyway, I won’t be too long,” She said before she kissed Ed’s cheek and walked into the shop without a second glance behind her.

Ed opened his mouth to argue with her but by the time the words were on his tongue, she was through the doors. He closed his eyes for a moment before he sighed. He looked at one of his men who was staring at him in worry. “Stay in front of this door. Don’t let her go anywhere else, okay? I don’t know why she thinks this city is so safe.”

The man looked nervous at having to possibly tell the Captain’s wife she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere but nodded his head anyway and stood in front of the shop door.

“I think I am going to go across the street for a drink. She stresses me out,” Ed said with a small and very tired smile. He had been so stressed out lately with this move and his marital problems that he needed to take a moment to stop spinning.

Ed walked over to the cafe across the street but unlike his wife, he walked slowly and cautiously, looking around. When he walked past a table full of Germans, he noticed the way they eyed up his uniform and started to talk in German.

That was good.

Ed sighed again and walked into the cafe, sitting at the counter. He felt…uneasy even with his men around him. They were outnumbered here no matter where they went. This was Europe not America and he couldn’t let his guard down no matter what.

Maybe he should just drink a tea….

@giftedclairvoyance

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