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no-reply95 · 3 years

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Jealous Guys

Something I’ve been thinking about for a while now is the different ways jealousy manifested for John and Paul over the course of their friendship.

I’m going to look at John and Paul in turn and have a look at some of the key ways jealousy appeared, before, during and after the Beatles period. This will be a looooong post so if you want to go on deep dive keep reading below.

John

Jealousy was something that John acknowledged as a big part of his personality, as far as I’m aware, he only acknowledged his jealousy publicly in terms of his relationship with Yoko but I believe jealousy was a feature of all of John’s major relationships. John’s first real partnership was with Pete Shotton, his childhood best friend, and Pete has outlined how John’s jealousy and possessiveness was a feature in their friendship with them falling out when Pete first started showing interest in girls and with John acting out when Pete started to spend more time with other friends, instead of him, here Pete recounts John’s reflection on this period of their friendship:

“Years later John confessed to having felt acutely jealous throughout that interlude: “I was scared shitless I’d lost you after our fight in science class, when you starting playing with David Jones. I really thought I’d gone too far with you that time.“

Pete Shotton, John Lennon: In My Life , 1983

Pete’s recollections establish a pattern in John’s life of acting out due to a fear of abandonment and losing those who are closest to him so it’s not surprising that once John had formed a strong bond with Paul that would stir similar fears in him.

Below I’ve categorised the groups of people that were the focus of John’s jealousy and have picked one person from each group as an example:

Family - Jim McCartney

Paul’s family was and continues to be a big part of his life. From the outset of their friendship, John was made aware of how important Jim was to Paul and vice versa. John and Paul had to skip school to hang out together because Jim wouldn’t have John in their house initially and John confessed his resentment of Jim’s influence over Paul’s life. It appears that after some time John grew tired of having to contend with Jim for the position of the most important person in Paul’s life, and this culminated in John giving Paul a pseudo ultimatum as John discussed in 1971:

“But Paul would always give in to his dad. His dad told him to get a job, he fucking dropped the group and started working on the fucking lorries, saying, "I need a steady career." We couldn't believe it… “So I told him on the phone, "Either come or you're out." So he had to make a decision between me and his dad then, and in the end he chose me”

St. Regis Hotel interview, Sept. 5, 1971

Friends - Mal Evans

Throughout the active years of the band it was typical of them to refer to each other as their best friends and, given the lives they led, I think the simple fact that no one else could understand what it was like to be a Beatle would have meant they all shared a special bond. However, they all had friendships outside of the band and this was something that could cause issues for John when it came to Paul.

According to Tune In, Mal initially became friends with Paul during the band's initial shows at the Cavern Club then, after a suggestion from George, Mal became a part of the Beatles entourage thereafter. Mal had friendships with all the Beatles, as part of their inner circle, but from his comments it appears John took umbrage with the closeness of Mal’s friendship with Paul:

“Paul would suddenly come in with this circle saying, “This is Magical Mystery Tour, will you write that bit?” And I was choked that he’d arranged it all with Mal anyway, for a kickoff, and had all this idea going”

St. Regis Hotel interview, Sept. 5, 1971

Mal also comes up when John discusses his recollections of the writing of Eleanor Rigby:

“So rather than ask me, “John, do these lyrics—” Because by that period, he didn’t want to say that – to me. Okay? So what he would say was, “Hey, you guys, finish off the lyrics,”... “ Now, I sat there with Mal Evans, a road manager who was a telephone installer, and Neil Aspinall, who was a not-completed student accountant who became our road manager. And I was insulted and hurt that he’d thrown it out in the air”...” There might be a version that they contributed, but there isn’t a line in there that they put in.“

Playboy interview, David Sheff 1980

John’s discomfort with the closeness of Paul’s relationship with Mal was something that wasn’t lost on Mal’s wife Lil:

“He was always at their beck and call. He was a nice fella to have around, so much so that it could provoke little jealousies within the band. When I met Yoko years after Mal died, she said John had told her he’d been very jealous at one point of Mal’s relationship with Paul.”

Lil Evans interview with Ray Connolly, 2005

Love interests - Linda McCartney

Throughout their friendship both John and Paul had quite a few love interests, which (to varying degrees) prompted jealousy between them.

Although John displayed jealousy of a few of Paul’s love interests this was no more apparent than with Paul’s first wife Linda McCartney, which is confirmed by both John’s words and actions regarding Linda and her partnership with Paul:

“"Then Klein informed Lennon that McCartney had secretly been increasing his stake in Northern Songs. ‘John flew into a rage,’ recalled Apple executive Peter Brown. ‘At one point I thought he was really going to hit Paul, but he managed to calm himself down.’ One unconfirmed report of this meeting had Lennon leaping towards Linda McCartney, his fists raised in her face"

Peter Doggett, You Never Give Me Your Money

"Int: When did you first meet her [Linda]? John: The first time I saw her was after that press conference to announce Apple in America. We were just going back to the airport and she was in the car with us. I didn't think she was particularly attractive, I wondered what he was bothering having her in the car for. A bit too tweedy, you know. But she sat in the car and took photographs and that was it. And the next minute she's married him."

St. Regis Hotel interview, Sept. 5, 1971

“I was reading your letter and wondering what middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it... "What the hell—it’s Linda! . . . Linda— if you don’t care what I say—shut up!—let Paul write—or whatever.”

"Of course, the money angle is important—to all of us—especially after all the petty shit that came from your insane family/in laws—and GOD HELP YOU OUT, PAUL—see you in two years—I reckon you’ll be out then"

Draft letter from John Lennon to Linda McCartney, circa 1971

"The presumption is a) the Beatles would get together again or are even thinking about it and b) if they got together, John and Yoko split, Paul and Linda split"

John (with Yoko) talks to John Fielding on Weekend World, 1973

"John often speculated on why Paul and Linda remained married while, at the same time, resenting their evident happiness, to the extent that he had Green do a tarot reading to ensure him that Paul and Linda were really secretly miserable and were going to divorce within a year"

According to Fred Seaman and John Green, source

Paul

Of course jealousy wasn't a one-way street in the Lennon-McCartney relationship. Unlike with John, for Paul I'm focusing more on the key people I believe his jealousy, regarding John, was directed to:

Stuart Sutcliffe

John met Stu at Art College and struck up a really close friendship with him. At the point that John met Stu, John had already become friends with Paul so Paul felt threatened when Stu entered the picture:

"When he [Stu] came into the band, around Christmas of 1959, we were a little jealous of him; it was something I didn’t deal with very well. We were always slightly jealous of John’s other friendships.

When Stuart came in, it felt as if he was taking the position away from George and me. We had to take a bit of a back seat."

Paul McCartney, Anthology 2000

"Paul was saying something about Stu’s girl – he was jealous because she was a great girl, and Stu hit him, on stage. And Stu wasn’t a violent guy at all."

John Lennon, 1967 Anthology 2000

"I looked up to Stu. I depended on him to tell me the truth. Stu would tell me if something was good and I’d believe him. We were awful to him sometimes. Especially Paul, always picking on him. I used to explain afterwards that we didn’t dislike him, really."

John Lennon, The Beatles Hunter Davies 1968

Yoko Ono

Of all the relationships I've already discussed, the relationship and jealousy displayed from Paul towards Yoko is probably the most widely discussed in Beatles historiography and general discourse. From the official start of Yoko's relationship with John in 1968 it was clear that Paul resented her presence in John's life and her proximity to the band:

"He even sent them [John and Yoko] a hate letter once, unsigned, typed. I brought it in with the morning mail. Paul put most of his fan mail in a big basket and let it sit for weeks, but John and Yoko opened every piece. When they got to the anonymous note, they looked puzzled, looking at each other with genuine pain in their eyes. ‘You and your Jap tart think you’re hot shit’, it said."

Francie Schwartz, Body Count 1972

"Cause she’s [Yoko] very much to do with it from John’s angle, that’s the thing, you know. And I – the thing is that I – there’s— Again, like, there’s always only two answers. One is to fight it, and fight her, and try and get The Beatles back to four people without Yoko, and sort of ask her to sit down at the board meetings. Or else, the other thing is to just realize that she’s there, you know. And he’s not gonna sort of – split with her, just for our sakes."

Paul McCartney, Let It Be Sessions, 1969

"I told John on the phone the other day that at the beginning of last year I was annoyed with him. I was jealous because of Yoko, and afraid about the break-up of a great musical partnership. It’s taken me a year to realise that they were in love. Just like Linda and me."

Paul McCartney, interview with Ray Connolly, 1970

What are the similarities and differences in the way jealousy manifested for John and Paul?

I think it's obvious but bears repeating that both John and Paul displayed jealousy towards other people who they felt would threaten their relationship so that's central to all the instances I have flagged, Jim, Mal, Linda, Stu, Yoko all posed real or imagined threats to John and Paul's partnership.

However, you'll note that I included more sources to display John's jealousy regarding Paul and that I categorised John's jealousy targets whereas I only pulled out two key individuals for Paul, this isn't to say that John was more jealous than Paul was, as jealousy isn't something you can quantify, but to highlight my opinion that Paul's jealousy regarding John was more targeted than John's jealousy regarding Paul. I think what stands out to me is that, I think generally Stu and Yoko are held up as the prime examples of Paul's jealousy of other people getting close to John, as far as we know, Paul never had significant issues with other people who formed close relationships with John like Pete Shotton, Cynthia Lennon, Magic Alex etc., why was that? I think that Paul was more threatened when he felt that John was replacing him so by bringing Stu into the band (even though he wasn't a musician) and Yoko into the studio (one instance where Paul was especially hurt was when John gave Paul's line in The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill to Yoko to sing), Paul perhaps felt that his place as John's primary collaborator was in jeopardy and that he could lose a partnership that had become central to his self-worth as a person - that, I believe, was when his jealousy was most likely to rise to the fore. John, on the other hand, had a much wider range of targets when it came to jealousy regarding Paul, why was John jealous of Linda? Linda wasn't trying to replace John as Paul's collaborator, if anything she wanted the Lennon-McCartney partnership to be stronger. Why was John jealous of Mal? Mal wasn't a musician, Mal was a huge fan of the band and constantly worked to fulfil their requests, so why was John so threatened by his friendship with Paul? For me, John's jealousy regarding Paul was more than just a fear of directly being replaced, I believe John's jealousy was fundamentally triggered by a fear of abandonment. I think the childhood trauma John experienced, of being left by both his parents, meant that whenever any of his close friendships and relationships were threatened, or he felt that someone close to him may leave him, he would act out. John fell out with his childhood best friend Pete when he got a girlfriend, John hit Cynthia when he saw her dancing with Stu, John was rude to several of Paul's love interests and ultimately John never fully accepted Paul's relationship with Linda because, although he could see that she could offer Paul the family life he always wanted, John didn't want Linda to take Paul away and give him a family that meant that Paul would no longer be able to prioritise John in his life as he had in the past.

Ultimately, we'll never know all the ways that jealousy factored into John and Paul's relationship with each other and those around them, as I'm sure it impacted several relationships in more complex ways than I can articulate (i.e. I suspect jealousy played a part in Paul's initial resentment of Brian but they grew closer over time so maybe Paul's jealousy lessened over time or Brian became less of a threat?). I do think it's important to consider that jealousy was present on both sides and was likely a factor in the breakdown of John and Paul's relationship, the breakdown of the Beatles and was a continued factor in disrupting reconciliations between John and Paul into the 70s and 1980.

#the beatles #john lennon #paul mccartney #john and paul #paul and linda #john and yoko #jealous guy #linda mccartney #yoko ono #stuart sutcliffe #mal evans #jim mccartney #brian epstein #long post #thoughts

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sanababes · 3 years

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Golden Child (II)

= twiceblackvelvet x fem!reader

(a/n: YES!! after 6 months of waiting LMAO im finally updating golden child which some of you really liked it uwuwuwu~ enjoy hihi! even though i know it's not that great-)

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"Since we have a new student today, I'm planning to carry out a Battle Trial for all of you."

Mr. Ok announced with a pleasing smile on his face. The class started to shout and cheer loudly which made your eyebrows furrow as you never know how the sudden event works. On the other hand, Sana was also happy at your adviser's news but seeing your reaction, she had a hunch that you probably had no idea what it was about.

"Uhm, if you're wondering what a Battle Trial is, it's like a test? We'll be grouped into different numbers of teams and that's how the combat will begin!" the girl said with enthusiasm.

You just nodded and thanked the latter before turning your eyes away from her captivating aura, it was something too much you can handle. Nevertheless, you decided to just relax until a harsh ball of wind smacks your head abruptly. You almost fell off your chair but luckily Sana had caught your arm on time, and if she didn't, you would probably be known as a newcomer who lets herself plummet down the floor of her classroom. Don't forget, you're the renowned 'Golden Child' too... Imagine how embarrassing that could be.

"Lalisa Manoban, you little bitc–"

Before you could curse the hell out of her, Mr. Ok had spoken up once again, "It seems like we're all ready… Shall we head to the Gym Gamma?"

The class answered 'yes' in unison before they made a beeline outside of the room. You could hear Lisa snickering behind your back which made you grumble under your breath, you faced the latter quickly and guided your right hand over her wrists. You created an ice chain around it before smirking playfully.

"Get lost."

---

After arriving at the said training area, Mr. Ok immediately ushers all of you to change into your own training suits. Sana never left your side too as you and your classmates walked to the large cemented stadium.

Then the boys and girls were divided at the moment, each of them changing from their uniforms into their own training outfits. You went ahead to the lockers nearby and scanned through the assigned names of each compartment just to find yours. After a while, you finally saw it by the farthest end and immediately pushed the password in. A blue tracksuit was provided inside the compartment and there's a few hygiene supplies in a small pouch. You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly before grabbing the suit and undoing the first few buttons of your blouse.

"I would appreciate it if you would like to show off your body, Kang." you recognized your cousin's voice.

"But do it when we're alone, okay?"

You chuckled at her tone as you faced Dahyun who was already dressed in her own suit. You gave her a pat on the cheek before whispering, "Got it, Miss Kim."

She pushed you playfully into one of the partitions which successfully got you to start changing your clothes, decently.

Dahyun waited for you, and after a few minutes, you finally got out and thanked the latter. She puts her arm around your shoulder before pulling you out of the dressing room.

"So~ How have you been doing lately?" she beams while the two of you regrouped with the other students.

"Hmm, I'm doing great," you replied. "Still sulking about this whole school and shit…"

She chuckled at your sudden change of mood, "You know how mischievous your sister is, and you wouldn't even realize it. And maybe… you can even learn more about your mother if you study here."

You just nodded languidly.

'Right... I should know more about the Mistress.'

"Everyone! Please gather around the center please!" Mr. Ok yells with excitement as he clasps his hands together.

All of the students followed their adviser's order as they stood in the middle of the stadium. You slipped your hands inside the pockets of your suit before glancing at Lisa who's currently chatting with a certain brunette.

You watched them closely, noticing the cat-like eyes of the other girl which looks significantly familiar. Nevertheless, you huffed out a sigh before moving your attention away from the two.

"Before officially starting our Battle Trial, I would like to call out our dear Class Representative," the studly man stated, then a girl immediately struts beside Mr. Ok. which made your eyebrow raise with interest.

"Sassy…" you muttered under your breath which earned a hit on your shoulder from the pale skinned girl by your side.

"For the one who's new, Im Nayeon is the name." the girl remarked as she gave you a look that you couldn't comprehend.

You bowed your head slightly and gave her a fake smile, the latter dismissed it quickly by continuing what she was tasked to say.

"Our class will be grouped to Mr. Ok's choices of teams and the fight will begin as soon as possible," Nayeon said eloquently. "Your team's main goal is just to avoid being knocked out or you could be the one who will knock your enemies out. That's all, and I wish you guys to do your best."

Your classmates started to holler around, giving the Class Rep an earnest attention. The certain latter just grins arrogantly before folding her arms onto her chest.

"Okay, moving on! Shall I start picking all of the teams?"

Mr. Ok's mouth curves in a slightest hint of smirk. But that alone, makes chills run down on your spine.

'Ahh shit, just what the hell is this fine man planning…'

"Starting off with--" teams were started to be formed, ranging from solos, duos, and trios. Coincidentally, you were grouped with that cat-eyed girl from earlier and a boy whom you never met before. They stood awkwardly, clearly keeping an obvious distance from your alluring frame. This made you chuckle quietly as you decided to greet them politely, "Uhm, hello. I'm Y/n and please, make yourselves comfortable."

Both of their eyes widen as the boy scrambles to acknowledge your sudden greetings. Meanwhile, the girl pulls herself together and just gives you a simple smile, "You can call me Jennie. By the way, I heard a lot about you from Lisa."

"Ahh, I see. That weirdo must have told you some unnecessary things as well so I would like to apologize in advance." your statement made Jennie laugh softly before she lifts one of her hands and waves it dismissively. "Don't worry, those things would be exclusive between the three of us only."

You just nodded sheepishly and changed the topic, "And you are–"

"Oh! Right, how rude of me. I'm Chan and I hope we'll be good friends from now on, mate." you gave him a passive smile and gladly accepted his friendly aspiration.

The three of you started to chat smoothly after that short introduction with each other. You learned that Jennie's quirk is Perfect Aim while Chan's quirk is Vibrate. Jennie further explained that her quirk allows her to use any weapon with accuracy in an agile manner, then Chan also explained that his quirk allows him to generate vibration or shockwaves through any kind of medium.

You instantly try to analyze their weaknesses whilst formulating a strategy in your head that could helpfully put your team at an advantage. Then, you proceeded to explain your quirk to them, the two of them were secretly doubting your power as you never showed it to the public. Nevertheless, they have no choice but to trust you in this round of the Battle Trial.

---

"Calling the next contenders!" Mr. Ok calls out. "Jennie, Y/n, and Chan versus Nayeon, Ten, and Gahyeon."

The six of you immediately walked inside the cemented platform. You glanced at your teammates and thankfully, they seemed pumped up which made you feel a little at ease. Your other classmates began to murmur as they were in awe due to the incoming line-up of contenders, with Nayeon being one of the top 5 students of Leidenschaft Univeristy, with you being the 'Golden Child', and the rest being one of the best students in Class 1-A.

You reached down to your waist and unclipped your beloved metal mask from one of the hooks of your training pants. It was an essential equipment that you need while full-on using your quirk as it regulates your respiration, this was recommended for you to use because you often have a hard time breathing when utilizing your abilities without using your mask.

"Please prepare your stance," Mr. Ok said as he slips the whistle between his lips. "The round will begin in 3…"

"2…" you exhaled heavily before heightening your senses.

"1…" a smirk started to form in the corner of your lips.

"START!"

A growl of thunder erupted from outside of the stadium, then you quickly picked up the change of color in Nayeon's eyes. Her orbs shined in yellow as she blasted a large charge of lightning towards your direction. You barely blocked her attack, instantly forming a shield of glaciers from the weight of your right foot.

You hoisted yourself sideways and began blasting ice balls towards the latter. One of them successfully hit her leg which gave you a chance to check on Jennie and Chan's situation. They were doing quite fine as Gahyeon and Jennie were against each other while that goes the same with Ten and Chan.

"Hey! I'm the one you're fighting with right now, you know," Nayeon taunted as she forms a makeshift lightning sword and swiftly jabbed it to your chest.

You groaned at the buzzing sensation spreading throughout your body, nevertheless, it didn't last long which made the spectators by the side gasp in surprise. Nayeon was strong as hell, and no one could last from her electrocution if she applied it thoroughly.

"Nice try, Nayeon-ssi." you grinned smugly before grabbing her forearm and freezing her whole dominant arm. "But I don't think charging such low strength can bring me down just like how you think it is," you crossed your left feet into her right ankle and quickly pushed her over.

The shocked bunny-like girl was caught off guard which resulted in the two of you toppling down to the ground. In the spur of the moment, your left hand held the back of her head so it wouldn't hurt Nayeon so much since the fall itself was pretty rough.

FWEET!!!

The sound of Mr. Ok's whistle resonated loudly but it didn't make you or Nayeon budge from the intense gaze that the two of you are sharing. Her piercing glare sent shivers down your spine but you didn't let her take over, your eyes reflected a nonchalant and unbothered look which triggered the latter's growing anger more.

"Ehem… Uhh, are you guys planning to stay in that position for the whole time?" your adviser teasingly said which put the rest of the class into a fit of laughter.

Nayeon immediately pushes your hand and body away before storming off to the changing room. You just chuckled lightly at her bratty attitude before lifting yourself up.

Meanwhile, Jennie and Chan shared a meaningful look with each other, making sure that they'll never let you go and will start to bug you about the 'tension' between you and Miss Class Representative.

"Moving on!" Mr. Ok clapped his hands for a few times which fortunately got the attention of the whole class.

"We got Jennie, Chan, and Y/n as the winner of this round! The three of you will get full marks for today," he announced shortly before scribbling something into his pad of notes.

"And don't worry Ten and Gahyeon, the two of you did great too… that applies to Nayeon as well."

The man continued his statement before letting the five of you out of the platform, instantly commencing the next fight with a new line-up of students.

You distanced yourself away from anyone before heating your body up due to your almost-freezing skin from your previous ministrations. Heaving a sigh of relief, you removed your metal mask and let it hang around your neck as fog of your breaths came out of your mouth.

"Y/n!"

It was Chan and Jennie, they gave you a nudge with a grin on their own faces which you would gladly smack off if you were given the chance.

"What?" you knitted your eyebrows together at their sudden disturbance.

"I think someone has taken a liking towards Nayeon~" the cat-eyed girl remarks which made you scoff as you rolled your eyes at the same time.

"You wish," you playfully pushed her shoulder. "Anyways, you guys did a great job earlier. Although, I was too pre-occupied due to Miss 'Sassy Ass Bitch' that I couldn't watch you guys fight at all."

The two just chuckled and gave you a pat on the back, "Don't worry, we actually enjoyed the show-off between you and Nayeon."

"Yeah, right," you shrugged them off and as you were about to leave, Jennie grabs your arm then leans incredibly close to your face.

"I know you're holding out," she whispered in sultry laced tone. "And that's pretty disappointing for someone like you," you can feel her pushing a finger against your chest.

"You're scared to loose control, aren't you? Especially with that flames of yours…"

You were utterly confused at her vast knowledge, but your blood started to boil as your mind started to be flooded with memories that you despise the most. A sharp pain suddenly shoots through your temple which made you wince as you closed your eyes in silent agony.

'No... Please stop...'

Those memories, it was all tainted with hatred, violence, and unpleasant recollection of your upbringing. It was a whole, opposite side that no one knows except you and him.

"How did you..." a few students nearby began to shudder as you unconsciously began to emit your dark aura.

Jennie immediately noticed this.

The girl caressed your cheek then just left a kiss on it before strutting away to her other friends. You continued to grit your teeth in silence which didn't went unnoticed by Chan.

"She can be feisty at times," he gives you a comforting rub on the back to make you calm down.

"Just don't let her get into your nerves, that would make her more gutsy." he showed you a soft smile as his gaze averted to something, or someone behind you.

"Y/n?"

~to be continued~

#kpop imagines #twice imagines #blackpink imagines #red velvet imagines #twice #bp #rv #bts #2pm #dreamcatcher #loona #gidle #jyp #series #bnha

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ussstrangeiron · 5 years

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Needed Interactions

Tony Stark has a deep, complex relationship with Steve Rogers! Ok, if you say so. Whatever. Look I’ll buy it, but please, I would MUCH rather see Tony’s relationship with......well, literally anyone, but particularly these people:

The Walking Example/Reminder of Why Tony Became Iron Man

He became Iron Man specifically because Stane was selling his weapons to terror groups in other countries, who used them to kill innocents. Here is one of the victims of Tony’s past. In the Avengers. Her entire reason for being in the Avengers is being one of Stane’s customers’ victims.

And she and Tony barely interact.

(The rest, copy-pasted from the Wanda volume)

In “Civil War” their main beef with each other was over him “locking her in her room.” All the serious shit, they somehow buried the hatched about between movies… and we never saw it.

Did she ever feel bad about triggering his PTSD to cause all that destruction, and try using her powers to help fix his mental problems after switching sides? (And maybe make another boo-boo, this time by accident?) Did Tony ever use his money and influence to help her, to try and make up for the mis-sold weapons? Do they ever relate their guilt complexes to each other or talk about PTSD? Is Tony pissed for what she did to Bruce? Did Tony give her the money to buy that new red Goth outfit? Did they two of them ever get mistaken for a sugar daddy and his young Russian mail-bride and be comically grossed out?

These are things I need to know!

You know why.

I love Shuri, I worship Shuri, but Tony should have been the one to replace that arm, and you know why. What that would have done for their story arc. How much more powerful it would be than, rather than just “Oh BTW here’s an new arm yo.”

I’ll also drop here that Bucky knew Howard; Tony knows about torture and mental instability; both are psychotically protective of people they care about, both have colossal guilt complexes.

Tony supposedly has a conflicted friendship with Steve. Bucky supposedly is super protective of Steve. ............Fine. I’ll buy it. I can’t, actually, but I can pretend to. But Tony has far more reason to have a conflicted relationship with Bucky, and Bucky has ample reason to be protective of Tony. Basically, both’s supposed relationship with Steve would be far better used with each other. I think this is the basis of Winteriron, to be honest.

Basically you have these two goldmines of angst, played by brilliant actors, who have been given the angstiest possible connection to each other..... but there’s this red, white and blue wall of cardboard standing between them.

Actually, he could be Tony’s conscience.

His impulsive actions in “Civil War” notwithstanding, anyway. That line was pretty ironic, since Tony’s conscience was exactly the reason he signed the Accords, and he made that clear to Cap. Cap clearly isn’t quite as honest as he likes to think of himself as being. In “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” it’s confirmed that Scott went into the Civil War with little information, and regrets it.

Scott is a lot like Tony, but a bit more mature. Relatively speaking, I mean. Both are obnoxious man-childs, but Scott is a dad, and grew up working class, so he sort of has that head start on Tony. Hey, here’s an idea! Maybe instead of having a beefcake propaganda mascot regurgitate nonsensical heroic cliches at Tony, have a guy who can speak Tony’s language (Snark) and who at least makes some effort to practice what he preaches. Tony and Scott’s head-butting and team-ups would be worth a trillion of Tony and Steve.

Every pop culture snark Tony makes would be countered by a torturous bad ant pun that would cause that famous eye-roll to occur.

I NEED THIS. I NEED THIS YESTERDAY.

For the love of King Odin’s nutsack. You can’t just give us two snarky, egotistical, jackass eccentric scientists, one of whom was screwed by the other’s dad and hates Starks, and not have them cross paths!

“Dr.... Pimp was it?”

“I’ve never heard that one before. Espeically not straight from forth grade to graduate school.”

Pepper and Hope would have so much to lament about together.

THIS TOO

After snark-to-snark combat with Star Lord, Dr. Strange, and God willing both Ant-Mans, I must see Tony’s reaction to learning that his final contender is a raccoon.

Duh.

After she utterly emasculates Tony in the lab, he will get back when he trains her in hand-blasting.... only for her to get back with some quip about him being a fat old man she’s just giving a workout for. Shuri, don’t talk to your future father-in-law like that.

Also, I want Shuri, Tony and Rocket to do something illegal (break into a government lab for some reason, or something like that). Christine Everhart, the reporter who hates Tony, finds out and blackmails him about it.

“...and I’ll make sure the headline just reads, ‘45 Year Old Playboy Caught In Illegal Activity With Teenage Wakandan Princess and a Raccoon.’”

To which Tony wheezes, “Awful nice of you to lower my age...” and then caves.

Also, remember in “Men in Black,” when Will Smith interrupts Tommy Lee Jones and Rip Torn’s argument in the lab with “Hey, Old Guys!” I need Shuri to do that to Tony and Pym, while they’re arguing and overlooking something obvious.

MORE DAMMIT! I NEED MORE THAN ONE SCENE BETWEEN THE MCU’S TWO BIGGEST DIVAS!

Purely for light humor and serious character development. Certainly not for ship-teasing.

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heauxcore-blog · 5 years

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bonjour ladies gents nd flowers.. i’m gonna make this simple for u .. .. u got T̴̤̀̑́́̕W̷̱̝̲̯̊O̷̢͖̰̬͂̄͂͠͝O̸̺̬̟͈͒O̶̳̿̏̄̓͝O̵̥͍̣͕͠ ̸̛͖͔̥͍͍C̸͍͚̍̈́͂̓Ḫ̶̃̒̏O̴̘̥͋͝Ï̷͓C̸̹͋͝Ë̷̡̳̝̬̊̀͊̕Ś̴̹̯̰̿̎͌̕ , yes or Yes ! the name is yuno nd here’s my bitchass son nd local furry <<33 in All truth he’s actually lowkey an angel .. despite what the b*sm test says :^) u can find the Sexie, absolutely Gorgeous version of the intro in the INTRODUCTION , STATS and OUTLINE pages Plus his PINTEREST BOARD ─── below the cut is the lazy, ‘my brainstorming draft but Nicer’ version nd me going more in detail about wolfe nd his status nd contradictions between hating fame but loving the lux life xoxo

anyway . xan already gave u a rundown on what the kwons are like. awful but very influential parents that cared more abt fame than their kids’ mental health, ffffffilthy rich & filthy famous babey, think a la kardashians, they’re a v famous v important family, all eyes on them. stay tuned for the k family clans showdown bc the kwons r coming for blood ! if i were u,, i would root for the kwons. poc AND unproblematic ? the Funniest most lovely hilarious ( nd most gorgeous too aha ) siblings ?? they r the nation’s siblings tht’s all i gotta say .

first nd foremost ? he’s a dignified virgo . now moving on:

his parents were.... .. . not the best. they r obsessed w being a picture perfect family nd having every member of the family b extremely influential nd famous . nd they forced their ideals down wolfe nd nari’s throats since v v young , that shit ain’t good. to wolfe’s dismay , the power of his last name is bigger than his will to not be it

he was not born to be under Such fame if any at all nd it shows. he resents his parents, he HATES being handed things ( read: opportunities ! ) to him Because of his last name, nd he hates the media. too bad, bc the media LOOOOOOVES him nd always has. as said on his skeleton in the main, he’s the anti fame it boy babey ! one day he’s gna throw hands at some pap and i can’t wait to see it. now he has Forcefully gotten used to it but he doesn’t hate it any less. consistency !

spite had him graduating high school as one of the top students nd getting into a prestigious university by himself, love a spiteful hard working king ! he majored in dance bc he,,, loves it. it’s his life. it has been his escapism n coping mechanism since v little. nari nd him went to ballet tgt, too bad nari quit ://// he also has kept a diary where he pours all his frustrations, joys nd secrets into :(( he’s a bit m*niac abt it tho

he is,, ,, u guessed it right v Lost in life !!! there’s nothing he rly want to be . no aspirations . no goals . so he just pushes thru doing anything, thus he’s like . a dancer slash rising model slash rising actor . Awful. but above all he is a socialité whether he likes it or not so he better Sit Down nd suck it up . eat ur food wolfe. saddest part is,,, the golden boy tht could’ve been Everything ended up losing his wings

he is kinda at Fault in that ( being a socialité that is ) bc while he may hate the media nd all the overwhelming attention he grew up w,, he Loves being rich nd Loves all the glam tht comes w his fame. wolfe loves attending all kind of events. fashion, charity, premiere events. he loves the exclusive parties, the exclusive passes nd the exclusive, privileged life. he has hardly missed an important event unless it had to do w his parents, in which he tries Everything not to attend. so when ur already famous by default,, nd u attend public events like this .. no matter how much u hate the media nd avoid it as best as possible, u just turn urself into a socialité. in a way, his parents won :/// despite that Though he also lived a relatively normal life ? wasn’t homeschooled Ever ,, has his non famous friends.. went to university .. he has normal, average things to himself nd his life nd he Loves them

anw. not to b me but he is so . .. lovely. he’s a bitch to paps but he’s actually jst a sweetheart.. . . i lov him. nd ppl love him for a reason :/// he’s the feeling of falling in love, Hard, for the very first time i will never stop saying that bc it’s him tht’s wolfe core

what i had to say abt his personality in my drafts: awkward nd dorky, lowkey moody, sasuke emo vibe while being absolutely chaotic w the impulse to do Anything jenna marbles style. he has eaten tide pods tht’s all u need to know abt him

oh god his sister is like .. . so important to him. the most important thing to him. their bond is Truly to b jealous nd envious of. so if u hurt nari... . . ur gonna win an enemy urself xoxo gossip girl ! when they were kids as mentioned earlier went to ballet classes tgt, nari had him learn movies’ lines w her nd they recreated the scenes together,, mamma mia is Their thing . it’s why they hav come to love abba sm they r an abba family first humans second abba r their real parents there i said it. they always mess w each other nd have running gags like her trying 2 make everyone believe he’s a f*rry or him playing Humiliating music very loudly everytime he has 2 pick her up nd films it ( the tweet tht brought me to apply 4 wolfe and the playlist x ) nd a New contender.. posting embarrassing childhood nd Not so childhood pics of nari bc honestly ? public pick up humiliation only wasnt cutting it anymore :^) they also hav matching tattoos it’s madness luv u rly can’t touch one w/o getting on the other’s kill list !

and tht’s it.... lemme kno if u want to plot <<<333

#bratsintro #u kno what... . . i think the last para in the introduction page sums him up rly well . i snapped w tht one #also the last bullet point in the outline page !#me : this is the lazy version ! me : still writes a lot #this is the... Funny ... lighthearted version ! KJSGNK sry..#i kno i wrote all this but like. .. . read the pages 4 better nd more info. . .. KJNSFSKGNS #mess . Mess !

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thrash-rocket · 5 years

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Wrestle Kingdom 13 Preview

For those of you who don't know Wrestle Kingdom is the biggest event for New Japan Pro Wrestling and takes place every January 4th. It closes off some storylines or at least ends a part of it storylines occasionally span years in this company hell the Golden Lovers reunion took 10 years or so. In this post I'll try to layout the back story and competitors in each match.

Pre-show: #1 contendersship for the NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team championship.

Togi Makabe and Toru Yano and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb and David Finlay vs. Hirooki Goto, Beretta and Chuckie T. vs. Minoru Suzuki, Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Hangman Page, Yujiro Takahashi and Marty Scurll

There's not a lot story to speak of here the match is replacing the New Japan rumble that is normally on the pre-show due to the current champions G.O.D. and Taiji Ishimori having matches on the main card

The winners of the match will go on to face the current champions at New Years Dash the following day

I'm not sure who's going to win this one every group has at least one person I like

I would like Murder Daddy Minoru Suzuki and K.E.S to win since it feels like K.E.S hasn't done too much

With the storyline of Chuckie T. losing his shit and the mole in Chaos I don't know how'd that play out if they won

Taguchi and Yano will probably get played up for laughs during the match

I don't have high hopes for The Elite winning since I don't know how NJPW and AEW are going to get along moving forward

NEVER Openweight Championship

Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Osprey

This match was set the night Kota won the title shortly after Osprey won the number one contendership

The two compete in different weight classes making a match for this title really the only way the two would face each other short of Osprey moving up to the heavyweight division

It is certainly a dream match for a lot of people myself included these are two of the most impressive high flyers in the business right now

However this is absolutely a high risk match both of these performers styles are extremely high risk and neither really know how not to go all out

I'm legitimately worried for Osprey he's injured himself a lot since I've been watching him I've heard a lot of people worried he may be the next Dynamite Kid and if you don't know enough about that comparison to worry you just know it should

Kota has a history of neck injuries as well

I hope these guys rear it in a bit but all that said this should be a good opener to the main card

Three-way tag team match for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado (c) vs. Sho and Yoh vs. Bushi and Shingo Takagi

I'm really hoping Shingo and Bushi win this one as I'm not a huge fan of either of the other teams Desperado and Kanemaru for being such good heels and RPG3K I'm just bot huge fans of also L.I.J has taken the spot for my favorite faction since the bullet club split.

I'm always happy to see Shingo since he's been introduced to the group to essentially fill in the spot for the injured Hiromu Takahashi.

I have no doubt that the plan was always for Shinjo to join L.I.J but the group feels incomplete with out Hiromu and I hope his injuries are healed sooner than later I think New Years Dash may still be too early but NYD does have a history of some crazy shit going down

British Heavyweight Championship

Tomohiro Ishii (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Not much to say on this match not a fan of ZSJ like there's just something about his body and face that's off to me and his matches are just his opponents having to play along with his absurd submissions

The match should be good though Ishii is much more of a brawler compared to ZSJ and had a good rivalry with Suzuki through out the year

No one can ever fill the Shibata shaped hole in my heart but the closest contenders are definitely Ishii and Suzuki

I do hope Ishii wins but if he does lose hope he goes on to win the New Japan cup because him and Goto deserve to have a run with the heavyweight championship at some point in their careers

Three-way tag team match for the IWGP Tag Team Championship

Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa (c) vs. Sanada and Evil vs. Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson

I hope Evil and Sanada win it would be fantastic for them to not only win the world tag league but the tag titles at the dome two years in a row.

I just want all the good things to happen for L.I.J

I wouldn't mind G.O.D winning from a story standpoint though because they're still running a path of destruction through the company returning to the Bullet Club of old

The Young Bucks unfortunate to say don't belong in this match I'm sorry but they've done nothing to deserve being in the match

I think how the relationship between NJPW and AEW may play into the outcome of the match and if the rest of the elite continue to show up in New Japan

IWGP United States Championship

Cody (c) vs Juice Robinson

Another match that AWE may play into

I'm rooting for Juice in this one he's just such a pure white meat babyface and comes across as so genuine in all his promo work

Cody is the perfect foil to Juice as well just comes across as an absolute snake (irl great guy tho)

This is absolutely Juice's story beating his rival Jay white to become champion the first time coming up short in the g1 and fighting with a broken hand through it and losing the title to Cody at the Fighting Sprit Unleashed event.

Juice is the ultimate underdog and I hope at some point he graduates beyond that and I think this may be the first big step to that if he wins

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Kushida (c) v.s. Taiji Ishimori

While Ishimori hasn't won any major tournaments or had any strong fueds against Kushida he's been booked strong enough to earn the spot

Kushida meanwhile has something to prove in that he is still the Ace of the Jr division in the way Tanahashi is the Ace of the heavyweights

To my knowledge these two haven't had a lot of ring time together but they're both great performers which should certainly make for a good match

Okada V.S. JAY WHITE

The only match that doesn't have any title or contendership on the line this is a match simply based on pride and revenge

At New Years Dash last year White faked out Kenny Omega about joining the bullet club instead opting to join Chaos and soon won the US title from Kenny and defeated Okada in the first day of the G1 tournament causing a rift within the group.

White turns on Okada during the Destruction tour and brings Okada's long time mentor Gedo with him as the two of them and Jado fuck off to join the Bullet Club in their current state

Jay White has come a long way from his debut as the switchblade character I think i used to think of him as babyfaced kylo Ren but now he's a much more legitimate heel than before in a way being a better Cody than Cody ever was since he still has some redeeming qualities from time to time

This year has not been good to Okada but I think he can take the loss plus it will help the bullet club look better in the long term and will leave room for the fude to reignite later on.

IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Chris Jericho (c) v.s. Tetsuya Niato

At least year's NYD Jericho attacked Niato and fucked off for a few months until he came back during Wrestling Dontaku setting up a match for the title at Dominion which Jericho won and continued to beat on Niato

Fellow LIJ members Evil came to stop Jericho planting the seeds for a match between the two but not before Jericho attacked Evil before a match against ZSJ and set forth the opportunity at Power Struggle.

This match has been in the works for most of the year while Jericho has mostly been holding the title hostage Lesnar style and I can't wait to see it

Both Chris and Niato are two of my favorite wrestlers so this should be better than their first match where Jericho pretty much brutalized Niato for most of the match

I say Niato wins they need the IC title to be active in the company again and Jericho may actually be another who will soon fall into the AEW group

Main event IWGP HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Kenny Omega v.s. Hiroshi Tanahashi

These two are some of the best performers this company has

Tana has carried the company through their dark times and been the face of the company since the early 2000s

Meanwhile Kenny touts that he will be the face of the companies westward expansion

Both have every different ideas of how the company should carry itself going forward

This is really a story of the old guard facing the new

It will be interesting to see how things will play out no matter who wins here

Kenny doesn't have a win at a main event in the dome but Tana has plenty behind him at this point

I'm split on who I'd like to win on this one but very excited to see how it plays out and what it means moving forward.

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clickbliss · 5 years

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Insurgency Sandstorm occupies an awkward place in the shooter landscape

by Amr (@siegarettes)

For my money the war in the Middle East, at least within fiction, is separated by two eras: The Bush and Obama Eras. The first marked by “shock and awe” bombing campaigns and boots-on-the-ground military action, and the latter defined by the increase of drone warfare and escalating tech fetishism. Insurgency: Sandstorm is strictly rooted in that Bush Era, War on Terror understanding of the Middle East, and while it’s not any more morally comfortable, there’s a certain fervor to the era’s perspective that feels anachronistic today. It’s in the very name: the idea of an insurgency feels outdated, and its presentation of the insurgent enemies certainly is.

Voice acting is rendered with broad Arab caricature, removed of specificity and delivered with accents that would honestly be hilarious if not for the severity that each line is delivered with. Avatars shout dialogue with desperation, convinced of the immediate danger of each situation. Insurgency believes in its verisimilitude, and wants you to believe as well. These are real people, and they’re really gonna die.

The guns, the guns are real too. Insurgency sells itself on the promise of that realism. The tech fetishism might be missing, but there’s plenty of military fetishism elsewhere. Weapons are modeled in detail, with functioning scopes and mechanisms. Bullet physics--from their trajectories to the way each caliber of bullet penetrates material--are given the same affectionate treatment. Team chat is audible if an enemy is in close proximity. Avatars choke and cough in smoke. All in the service of a creating a more lethal, more tactical game.

Insurgency: Sandstorm occupies a space somewhere between Rainbow Six: Siege and Battlefield. The quick kills call to mind the intimate firefights of Siege, but maps are generally spread over more open space and several control points, with some modes even giving access to vehicles. It doesn’t use a health based system, but you drop so fast you’ll rarely have a chance to recover from a shot. As a rule, an enemy with a sightline to you is one that’s got the kill. High lethality means that combat becomes an exercise in calculating risk, sprinting between cover and trying to find an advantageous position. Escaping disadvantage requires smart use of tools like smoke and flashbangs, or cooperation between a Commander and an Observer to bring in fire support.

Class dynamics as a whole are important, since loadouts are restricted by class and only a few players can fill each position. That prevents broken team dynamics and encourages everyone to play a role (though almost every time I ended up as a general rifleman). Respawn waves prevent formal squads from being formed, so I had to improvise a team with whoever was currently part of the reinforcements. This being an online game, that meant that most of the time there wasn’t much cooperation.

A team commander is basically needed to get anything done in Insurgency. On one memorable skirmish one player took over chat as commander, calling out points to capture and prepping the next point for a push as a group finished the capture. They called out good kills, gave good advice and warnings. Their map knowledge proved crucial, pointing out what sides were viable to move in from and which points had sightlines we could use to move into the current objective. They led us to a victory and a close call, then left as we tied up. Without them the toxicity of the space took over and the game quickly became disorganized and sour.

Rounds of Insurgency in general served as a reminder of how toxic online shooters can get. Co-op generally remains positive (generally), but any PVP match will be regularly full of either obnoxious or downright toxic players. Expect to hear a lot of shit talk, slurs and the like, as usual. Matches never became the angry shouting matches they could have been, but I assume that was just my luck. Part of this is the usual problems with unmoderated playerbases, and part is that this is exactly the kind of crowd a “hardcore” focused shooter tends to draw. Either way there’s a general low level discomfort to contend with at all times.

That’s Insurgency at its worst. At its best it reminded me of why exactly this style of shooter draws in such dedicated players. Its shooting model demands you learn each map, its sightlines and chokepoints, and doesn’t forgive anyone foolhardy enough to believe they can simply walk into the open and not get shot.

And unlike other shooters, the entire kit makes sense here. I found distinct uses and advantageous situations for each piece of equipment, and started to understand why you’d use them. Flash and smoke grenades feel useless in most shooters, but here smoke is an essential tool needed to approach and flash grenades make approaching a room with an unknown number of enemies inside a lot more comfortable. Suppression also makes approaching more than a single enemy alone a lethal encounter, which gave me a newfound appreciation for the danger of frag grenades and the area of denial ability of molotovs.

Guns, are of course, given just as much consideration. Shotguns are surprisingly lethal at medium range (which by all accounts is accurate), but are a liability in packed quarters, just as likely to cause friendly fire if you’re not careful. Rifles dominate mid to medium-long ranges, though recoil basically makes them useless at range without very short controlled bursts or single shots. And of course the snipers dominate long range and can keep enemies pinned down thanks to their suppressive fire, but need to shot with controlled breath and are subject to more physical forces thanks to the long travel of the bullets.

The general feel aims for just enough realism to sell the aesthetic and force tactical play, but avoids the parts of military sims that are cumbersome or produce long bouts of boredom and dead air. It’s a game for people who want to play soldier but don’t care enough for accuracy to engage in the bit where you walk for 20 minutes to be shot out of nowhere.

Theoretically, that’s me. And I’d even be able to look past the toxicity of the community (you sadly get used to this playing any game online), if it wasn’t for how terrible the game ran. Even on the lowest settings, at low resolution, Insurgency stutters and performs inconsistently. This isn’t even when things are going on--in otherwise quiet situations the framerate will go from entirely stable stuttering. I’m not sure what causes it (though texture streaming and anti-aliasing seem to be big problems), but what I am sure of is that there are some serious technical problems with Insurgency and a real lack of optimization.

Between the thematic problems, the community, the tech problems, a general lack of resources to properly learn the game and the unforgiving pace of rounds, Insurgency: Sandstorm is difficult to recommend. You might be able to find a server with a decent group, and outside resources might eventually help you understand the core tactics better, but Insurgency is going to make you WORK for every inch of progress. Which is a shame, since the tactical options and weapon modeling genuinely feel great. The core of the game is solid, and with some work it’s possible that Insurgency: Sandstorm could become a great shooter, if one that still carries a lot of baggage. As it is now, I can’t say that’s true.

#insurgency #insurgency sandstorm #review #pc #shooter

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peachmused · 6 years

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READ ON AO3 // SUMMARY // CHAPTER ONE / CHAPTER TWO / CHAPTER THREE / CHAPTER FOUR

okay mc would for sure be in pieces if this were canon BUT it’s not so B-) kinda really had fun writing this chapter, and managed to squeeze it in before bed! as usual, hope you enjoy reading, and if my writing’s adequate enough lol feel free to leave likes, reblogs, and/or comments! ♡ i am dESPERATE

Once the voyage through Shakespeare’s early life and influences was complete, our teacher shut off the projector, signaling the end of class. For most, this meant a five minute break in between the periods, in which they could find relief in a water or bathroom break. Alas, I was not one of the majority. The moment I stowed my books away, I knew the following minutes would be the longest ones in my life.

Importunate and increasingly cross, Yuma sauntered towards me. His eyebrows were as arched as ever, the same, murderous look falling over him. At these times, I was yet again in awe at how anyone could stand the brute.

“Get up.” he ordered, the abrasive edge to his voice making me flinch. Though I longed to remain nestled into my chair, away from the torment I was soon to endure, his unflinching stare had some hypnotic effect on me. It was the very same feeling I’d tried to resist earlier, yet this time, I was sure that victory would be in his hands. Grudgingly, I got to my feet, only to be wrenched towards him by the wrist. The boy obviously had no sense of cordiality; he dragged me out of the classroom and down the hall, ignoring my exclamations.

“Let… go!” I commanded for the sixth time. As we turned into an isolated corner, he finally released his grasp on me. I shot him a venomous stare as I rubbed my aching wrist. I could now affirm that this man had extraordinary muscles, ones that could break bones effortlessly.

Paying no heed to the damage he’d caused, Yuma stuffed his hands into his pockets, his lips turned downwards. “Shameless as ever, aren’t ya?” he growled, referring to the scowl spoiling my expression. “I should just suck you dry…” he then muttered to himself.

My frown only deepened as I tried to understand his words. Perhaps it was an abstract metaphor.

Rather than get lost in contemplation, I decided to speak up for myself. “This is violence!” I contended, raising the reddened wrist, “I can have you suspended for this!”

Eyes narrowing, Yuma opened his mouth to retort, but I quickly continued, “My family’s quite influential in this area. If I want, I can even have you expelled.”

It was at these words that something ignited within his coppery eyes, something incredibly dark and resentful. If looks could kill, I would have already been chopped and seasoned.

“Shut up!” he boomed, hurling his fist toward me. My eyes promptly squeezed shut, only to snap open at the realization that I was not his target. The wall just beside me quaked, while my cheek was left untouched. Breaths quickening, I felt my lips part as my gaze fell to the curled fist only millimeters away from me.

My words had no effect on the man. Instead, it was as if I had just sparked an unquenchable bloodthirst, one driven by fervent distaste. It was the very first time I’d ever witnessed such belligerence, and everything that came out of my mouth just seemed to make things worse.

Cautiously, I lifted my head to glance up at him. His face drew near mine, invading the invisible bubble which shrouded me.

“Acting like you’re all high and mighty… Using your so-called ‘influence’...” Yuma hissed, sending shudders through my body, “I hate girls like you the most.”

Hate. Although the feeling was mutual, it was the manner in which he spat those words which left me momentarily speechless. No one had ever admitted that they despised me, let alone disliked me. To have actually heard those words from someone after seventeen years of living, I could not think of a proper response. Something pressed against my chest, as if his words were weights crashing down upon me.

Our gazes locked onto one another, our breathing somehow synchronized. With my lips flattened, I attempted to clear my mind, in hopes of being able to spit back a biting remark.

“W-well, you’re in luck,” I sputtered, “I can’t stand the sight of you!”

The twitch of his lips left me wondering what he was going to frighten me with next. Though he could snap me in two if he so desired, something was preventing him from doing so. Instead, he continuously tormented me with threats and intimidating stares, just on the brink of murder. Secretly, I speculated over what could possibly be stopping him from physically shutting me up.

I didn’t have time to think, however, as the boy in question uncurled his fist and pressed his palm against the wall, slamming his other hand near the other side of my head. Again, I winced, my reactions only encouraging him.

“You’re lucky to still be alive…” Yuma revealed, “After ruining that day, of all days…”

Before I could press for an explanation, he lifted his chin menacingly, and continued, “How are you gonna pay me back, woman?”

As bizarre and minuscule as it sounded, perhaps I really had spoiled his plans by snagging the last seed packet. But my actions could never be the direct cause of his misfortune, so there was no sense in blaming me for it. In fact, the way he’d cornered me and demanded for an answer was beyond petty. If he so desperately needed that divine seed packet, he might as well have rushed to another store to buy one!

I felt the injustice wrench at me, and made sure to give him an earful.

“Pay you back?” I repeated incredulously, “I haven’t done anything wrong! I’m sorry your little date didn’t work out, but that isn’t my fault.” Regardless of whether I’d hit the nail on the head or not, I applauded myself for the quick thinking.

At my assumptions, Yuma’s expression hardened. Through gritted teeth, he fumed, “Don’t say things you don’t know shit about.” With each syllable, his breath tickled my neck, and I became acutely aware of the distance between us. From this close, I could take in his uncannily pale skin and inhale the woodsy scent he carried. I hadn’t noticed this before, but his natural fragrance weirdly reminded me of my grandmother’s. Zero lavender and much thicker, but similar nonetheless.

A wave of hostility crashed over us. I held my breath, my fists curling as I struggled against the urge to claw at his tangled hairs. In the meanwhile, the man stepped backwards, cracking his knuckles as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Although his body was no longer inches from mine, I couldn’t tear myself from the wall. Instead, I remained frozen in place, watching his every move. As the heavy silence began to lift, Yuma lolled his head backwards just as he’d done so earlier. Panic gripped at me, convincing me that this time, it would not end with simple threats.

“Are you really that low?” I finally blurted, my nerves in a wreck, “You’re going to hit a girl for opening her mouth?”

Squaring his shoulders, the man in question remained unbothered, his expression detached. “You’re only asking for it.” he justified, scanning me up and down as if deciding which bone to break first. My instincts told me to run for it, but as soon as I hoisted myself off the wall, two, large hands hurled me against it once more. Crying out, I reached for the back of my head, but my arms were effortlessly pinned above me.

At this point, my eyes were pressed shut, obscuring the being hovering above me. I knew that if he were to lay another finger on me that he would be faced with grave consequences, but in the moment, I was overcome with fear. Yuma radiated an unconstrained confidence, one that I now realized could drive him to butcher me into pieces.

Through the nauseating surge of terror, I managed to slip in a prayer, in hopes that the heavens would heed my pleas. Just as I did so, a voice fittingly broke the tension between us.

“Yuma.”

I snapped my eyes wide open, the cells in my body flooding with relief. We turned to meet the scornful gaze of an elegantly built form. The student who happened upon our feud was slender and sharp-featured, his dark coiffure complementing silvery eyes. Though his brows were as aggressively arched as Yuma’s, there was an aura of poise emanating from him—an attribute that was sorely foreign to a certain Grizzly.

With the simple call of his name, this stranger commandeered Yuma’s attention. I watched in fascination as the brute released his grip on me, backing away as he was told.

“You got one hell of a sixth sense, Ruki,” the taller man grumbled, languidly itching the back of his head as if he hadn’t just nearly beat a girl up. The incomer—apparently named Ruki—wore a look of genuine concern. The tone of his voice, however, radiated frustration.

“I have to,” he snapped, “otherwise you’ll end up with another fifteen demerits.” His steely gaze dropped upon me, and I only swallowed in response. Quickly forgetting my presence, he returned to scolding the boy towering above him.

“You can’t afford to start the year like this,” Ruki continued, ignoring the sour expression on Yuma’s face, “Not again—”

“—All right, all right!” Yuma interjected, side-eying me quickly. My glances switched between the two men, a million questions forming at the back of my mind. One of my more pressing questions was why, and how, the beast ever befriended someone as collected and polished as Ruki. Based upon their interactions, I also conjectured that this was not the first time Yuma acted out; it seemed like the Grizzly was quite the wreck, and that it was Ruki’s habit to pull him out of these situations. They obviously shared some connection, one that made no sense to me.

Lost in thought, I barely noticed the boys turning to leave. Curiosity gnawed at my stomach, but the aftereffects of being roughhoused lingered, forcing me to zip my lips. I flexed my wrists instead, clicking my tongue at the persisting pain.

Although I wanted nothing more than to slam the ruffian to the ground, his form was already departing. As the two retreated, I overheard a peculiar sentence that left me beyond disturbed.

“Don’t even think about feasting on her.”

Eyes widening, I stood in shock at Ruki’s crisp statement. Feast? What sort of sick fantasies did Yuma entertain?!

Revulsion rose from the pit of my stomach. I shook my head once, twice, thrice. Anything to rid myself of the assumptions clouding my brain. Maybe I’d heard wrong, I reasoned. It was highly likely, much more likely than a teenage boy to consider “feasting” on a classmate—whatever that meant.

Regardless of the true meaning of Ruki’s words, I knew that Yuma was the walking definition of pure evil. He was unafraid to use violence, letting his emotions get the better of him. Moreover, he was incredibly talented at holding grudges, taking them to the next level. It was a miracle that I even made it out alive.

I was in such a shock that it only occurred to me later, as I aimlessly wandered down the halls, that I now had some ammunition to defend myself with.

Ruki had, in a matter of seconds, revealed Yuma’s fragile studentship at Ryoutei. It seemed that attending Ryoutei meant a great deal to Yuma, despite his efforts to veil any attachment. If the delinquent’s graduation chances were on the line, then that meant I had the perfect leverage over him.

Finally, I could break into a smile. Fate was pitying me, I mused, hence the sudden turn of the tables. My smile then faded when I realized that my feet were leading me in circles. For the time being, I decided to clear my mind of anything Yuma-related and whipped out my class schedule.

As I navigated towards my next class, I stopped before the large clock in the lobby. The clock read exactly what I’d feared, making me let out a deep sigh. Half of the period had already passed, lost among the scuffles and skirmishes.

At least, after all that tension, I was starting to see a ray of hope. My last year of high school and all its wonder were still salvageable. Despite all odds, I finally had a fighting chance.

I wasn’t going to give up a normal year at Ryoutei. And if that meant ensnaring the Grizzly, then that was exactly what I would do.

#yuma mukami #yuma mukami fic #diabolik lovers #dialovers #diabolik lovers fanfic #*#fic: heavens kiss #'high and mighty' he accuses & proceeds to dominate mc #classic #ALSO you may be wondering 'why has she not reported him yet' wELL ALL I CAN SAY IS... STAY TUNED FOR TMRW #mc is dramatic and likes 2 fight with intricacy #:^)

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ishomoogoo · 6 years

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For His Amusement Ch1

this comes after Before the Fall. there are mentions of murder, blood, sex, and swearing but nothing explicit or detailed. i appreciate feedback, it helps me write better and my beta reader, DamiaOfLight, doesn’t catch everything. this has been posted on fanfiction and ao3 if you want to check it out there.

Blood, that’s all I see. Blood, then Dolarhyde, the Red fucking Dragon. For all his puffed up ambitions, all he amounted to was a busted up pile of flesh and blood. Fuck, am I shaking? Whose panting breaths are those? God, that was amazing! Where is Hannibal? I’m pretty sure we were fighting together. I slowly stand on wobbly legs and turn from the man we killed.

My god, we fucking killed together! I guess Hannibal finally got what he wanted after all. Well, after the sex of course. Couldn’t even enjoy the afterglow before Francis here barges in and goes on about his “becoming” and attacking us. Well, at least he waited for us to get dressed. Still an asshole though.

Still trying to get my breath under control, I look at Hannibal, my new lover and murder accomplice. He just looks at me, covered in blood, looking radiant and just a little smug, the bastard. He’s panting as well, but not as much, since I assume he had a little more time to compose himself. I stumble over to him and he catches me, his hands cradling my face like so many times before; my hands gripping his shoulders, trying to stay upright. I close my eyes as he caresses my face then pulls me in, sharing a tired kiss. Both of us exhausted from the fight.

We soon part and then embrace fully, Hannibal rubbing soothing hands down my trembling back and sides, me just clinging to him. I feel a laugh bubbling deep inside my chest, waiting to spill out. I soon hear him murmuring into my ear as he inhales my scent.

“Sweet Will, beautiful Will. You were amazing, you have finally become what you were meant to be.”

I just hum as my body finally calms down enough to notice that we are precariously close to the edge of the cliff, the wind blowing strong as a storm threatens to roll in and sweep us away. But I can’t move, I don’t want to, I want time to stop and live in this moment with him forever. Shit, am I horny again? What the hell, maybe we could fuck on the Dragons’ corpse. I’ve already thrown all my morals out the window anyway; why not throw some kinks into the mix as well?

I pull out of his embrace, Hannibal releasing me only to arms length, hands still fastened to my elbows. We just admire each other, breath finally evening out; just when I find my voice again, Hannibal shouts, having to raise his voice over the rising wind.

“Well, now that the danger has passed, let us go back to the house and get cleaned up. I must say that we have more than earned some rest. We will need to disappear soon though, I doubt Jack will let us be for long.”

I tilt my head and smirk at him as he starts tugging us away from the cliff.

“Aw, and here I was hoping to add insult to injury and reaffirm our relationship on his still warm and bleeding corpse.”

Still walking, he turns his head towards me and lifts a mordant brow.

“The hazards of fornicating upon the deceased not withstanding, I doubt we will be very comfortable if the weather continues to worsen as it has been over the course of the fight.”

“Tight ass.”

There is just the slightest upturn to his lips as he turns back to the path before us. Just then, the sky opens up and icy cold rain starts hammering down over us. I grimace and start running towards the light of the house we left earlier. I barely hear Hannibal shout at me as our hands slip apart. I try to stay focused as the rain starts blocking the light out as well as blurring the surroundings together in a dark grey howling mess.

I figure I’m just about there when I feel the ground slip under my right foot, and a freezing hand slips over my left wrist. I think gravity won out in the brief seconds I teetered on the edge, because the next thing I know is a strong gust of wind and I’m tipping to the right completely. As I feel myself falling, I barely register being wrapped in Hannibal’s arms as I look up to see crashing waves falling down upon us.

Oh.

Shit.

I jerk and gasp as I struggle in the dark as something suffocates me. After a few moments I manage to kick free of the blankets I was apparently wrapped in. Was it a dream? I don’t hurt nearly enough for having fallen off a cliff.

My breathing calms down and I look around, well try to anyway. It appears to be nighttime, and I can’t see much apart from a lamp that is perched on the nightstand. I lean over and fumble for the knob before freezing. Either it’s way too dark or I’m going crazy, because it looks like my arm is way smaller than it should be. Shaking my head, I turn the lamp on and look around.

I then look around again; because there is no way that I am here, unless someone recreated my childhood home in Louisiana. Maybe I did go crazy. I shake my head then swing my legs over the edge of the bed, freezing again before lurching up and rushing into the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror. From what I can see, because my chest is level with the rim of the sink, I am exactly the same age as I was before Dad moved us to New Orleans. I shakily take in the wide blue eyes, pale sickly skin, and badly cut curls that I definitely shouldn’t be seeing again. No old faded scars or fresh wounds from a fight I’m sure I just had, just a scrawny pale child who looks absolutely terrified.

Double shit.

I’m sitting on the bed when dawn filters into the filthy trailer window. I blankly stare out at the scenery while still trying to figure out what was going on. It’s been a few days since I woke up drenched in my own sweat and, apparently, 28 years younger. The day I woke up was rather uneventful, all things considered. Dad went to work at the shop, like he usually did back then, and I pretty much piddled about the trailer trying to find clues as to what was going on and hoping that it was all a dream. The second day I had to go to school, and I stopped thinking I was just dreaming while everything I knew tilted on its axis.

Here’s what I know so far. It’s 1990 and I’m 13 again, which means I have puberty to look forward to again. Great. Things don’t stop there, oh no; I didn’t just go back in time, but it seems that I may in some weird, fucked up alternate reality. I probably wouldn’t have thought this except for some gossip I over heard from some teachers that I never found very memorable the first time around.

When my alarm chirps loudly, I sigh and close my eyes to the image of the grimy, rusted trailer that sits outside my window. I open them back up and reach over to turn it off, finally getting up and getting ready for the day. Where is the library again? There is no way I’m going to school while I have no clue what’s going on. I need to read up and see what, exactly, is different about this place. Integrating into a new world will be much harder if I don’t know things that are supposedly common sense here. The first thing I’m looking into is this alpha, beta, whatever stuff the teachers were talking about, and what presenting has to do with it.

After going through the morning motions, I pick up my small ragged backpack and make sure my notebook and pencils are in it, since I don’t want dad thinking something’s up and I want to take notes. I then grab my premade sandwich and head out the door. Pausing to get my bearings, I head out of the trailer park and to the road, turning right. I hope this is the right direction, I have to walk everywhere and I never did have the best stamina before I joined the force.

It takes a little over an hour to get to the small, barely maintained building that, from my memory, only housed old newspapers and a small collection of encyclopedias and various worn out novels. Since the Internet is still in it’s early stages and a small town like this won’t have the money for a computer of any kind, I will have to personally go through as many newspapers as possible as well as skim the encyclopedias. It will take most of the day at minimum, and I may have to come back on the weekend to look at anything I have missed. As long as I get back home at a reasonable hour, dad shouldn’t know I skipped and I can go back to school with a better idea of the goings on around here.

I slowly push open the surprisingly well-oiled door and quickly look around. Not seeing anyone, I quickly dart over to where I believe the books are and grab the first three volumes of the partially worn encyclopedias. I then go to a secluded corner I spotted earlier and sit down against the wall to begin reading, starting with the A’s. As I open the first book, I skim the pages not finding much different until I come across the word Alpha. And now the words of those women make a whole lot more sense.

From what I overheard, the class clown in trailer 3 just presented as an Alpha even though everyone expected him to be a Beta since both his parents were Betas. At the time, this conversation made no sense because no one in my knowledge are dogs and operate on pack dynamics; and they sure as hell weren’t referring to the Greek alphabet. Not only did I time travel, but I also managed to wind up in a world where people had not one, but two genders. I slam the open book against my forehead and groan. Just fuck me sideways why don’t you, not only do I have to go through puberty again, I can’t even rely on my past experience since I may have to contend with a whole new set of hormones and anatomy.

I shudder and then remove my face from the innocent book, flipping to the entry on Betas and locating the correct tome with the entry on Omegas. Might as well see what I may have to prepare for. After reading everything those books have to offer I can summarize the contents into a rather simple mental list.

One, Alphas make up around 30% of the total world population and are the most aggressive of the genders. They have a very particular scent that is secreted from special glands in the body that help them to intimidate others, soothe and comfort a mate or family members, as well as help attract a mate. The glands at the base of the throat must be bitten to form a bond with their mate, which only works if it is an Omega they are paired with. It seems this bite must be re applied regularly or the bond will fade over time. Alphas can go into something called a rut when their mate is receptive or goes into heat and have something called a knot at the base of their sexual organ to ensure conception after intercourse. They are generally bigger built and the males tend to have more body hair than their Beta counterparts. I know for sure that I am not one of these just by considering my personality alone. I don’t even want to know how an Alpha female works.

Up next are the Betas. I personally think that’s what I am since they are relatively normal by my old world’s standards. They have a very neutral scent compared to the other two genders and are mildly tempered. Not much else to say about them other than they don’t have mating glands and make up most of the population. They still have scent glands but the scent tends to be weak and generally unappealing to the other genders.

Last are the Omegas. These seem to be what many would call the “fairer” sex. Physically, they are smaller and weaker than their two counterparts, and over all very feminine, with soft features and very little body hair. This includes the males, who seem to be built for child-rearing like their female counterparts. They have a unique scent like the Alphas, and have glands just like the Alphas as well. They make up less of the population than the Alphas and are the most fertile of the sexes. The thing that struck me the most was that not only females, but the males can also give birth, though there are far more female Omegas than male. Again, I don’t really want to know how that works. Other than periodic heats and submissive behavior, there isn’t much else to mention about them.

I heave out a breath and shake my head, my curls bouncing against my skull. When was my hair last cut? Oh well, doesn’t really matter. I need to see what time it is before I decide what to read next. I huff my way up form the floor, my legs groaning and seizing from the awful position I was in, and walk over to the clock on the wall. Looks like I barely have enough time to get home just a bit later than normal. I go back and pick up the books I had piled on the floor and place them back in their places before hurrying back home.

#hannigram #sherlock #a/b/o verse #alternate universe

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potetiallycurious · 7 years

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rant (the first of many)

A LOT of knowledge exists about the conspirators tactics of authoritarian (or aspiring) regimes - how do we disseminate this information to the people and more importantly, how do we do some in a way that is trusted & not just tossed away as Western propaganda (in Eastern countries) or the doings of George Soros and his band of power-hungry liberal elites (in Western countries). Obviously, one truth exists, but with the whirlwind of false information cycling on social media and even on trusted daily news sources, it’s difficult to determine fact from fiction. Each ideologically loyal individual is predestined to cling to their ideology, and rarely responds even to cold-hard facts that challenge their beliefs - thanks to this past election, any information that contrasts our beliefs can be written off as “fake news.” This is a very shitty position to be in, especially when political ideology is so blindly conflated with certain individuals or policies. People know what they believe in, and they might even be able to tell you why, but they rarely are able to come up with ACTUAL, CONCRETE evidence for why their ideology would actually be the most beneficial. Most people DO NOT do their research. Their opinions are based upon what they’ve been told - after hearing this be repeated to them over and over again, they internalize it and swear it to be face, even if empirical evidence says otherwise. GR8 EXAMPLE: FUCKING REAGANOMICS. THERE IS LEGITIMATE, TESTABLE PROOF THAT TRICKLE-DOWN ECONOMICS IS GOOD FOR THE ELITE AND BAD FOR THE REST OF THE POPULATION. YET SOMEHOW???? THE POOR/MIDDLE CLASS WHITE POPULATION OVERWHELMINGLY SUPPORTS IT?? WHY?? IF WE WERE TO ASSUME THAT HUMANS WERE RATIONAL, SELF-INTERESTED ACTORS, THIS WOULD MAKE NO FUCKING SENSE. LIKE WHY WOULD ANYONE SUPPORT A POLICY THAT IS PROVEN TO HARM THEM???? You could say that people are just stupid, but for the most part this is not true. These people live in an alternate reality, created by a political elite that had the power, organization, and incentive to do so, and an audience that was desperate for anything that would explain their misfortune/appear to provide promise for a better future. Reagan’s campaigns were SO incredibly aggressive. (Bruh this is crazy like Russia not gonna lie let me just lay this out for ya.) Poor peanut boy Jimmy Carter, who was Reagan’s predecessor, was seen as an absolute buffoon (much like ya boi Boris Yeltsin). He (like Yeltsin) inherited a political atmosphere that assumed all politicians were corrupt and incompetent. Carter viewed himself as a political outsider, and only he could turn this morally-bankrupt system around. A few unfortunate things happened to Carter: his administration was a part of some major fuck-ups internationally - some were their fault, some were not, all of them made him look bad. Two: during his administration, the US experienced one of the worst economic downturns since the gr8 depression. Doesn’t matter if that downturn was the effect of his policies or not, he was the one in power, he had to take the blame. Oddly enough, it was the rationality of Carter, and his refrain from scapegoating others that was his downfall. Try as hard as he might, Georgia-peach Jimmy Carter could not bring about the change he promised. He let down a lot of people, and reinforced the people’s negative outlook of US politics. So why is Reagan different? He, like Carter, was a political outsider that promised to bring about change using policies that ultimately failed to achieve their stated goals. The difference is, unlike Carter, Reagan was seen as TOUGH. Homeboy survived an assassination attempt, cracked down (read: created) on the War on Drugs, suppressed protestors, publicly declared the Soviet Union an “evil empire,” and (in the US mind, not really paying attention to the fact that the USSR was already in a great decline and disregarding the fact that they were already fucking themselves over) brought down the fucking wall. He accepted any and all praise whether he deserved it or not, and challenged any and all criticism. Reagan was an actor - he knew how to play to a crowd, and he was sure as hell good at it. He was really great a redirecting the blame, and knew that any action (good or bad, warranted or not) was better than no action at all. Reagan was a shit-head that left America much worse off - critics contend that his economic policies resulted in rising budget deficits, widened the wage gap, increased homelessness, and that his foreign policy actions lowered the US’s global credibility and favorability. And yet, he has somehow become idolized by the Republican party - described as the greatest president this nation has ever seen. He was a shit-head - but a shit-head that made people believe in the American dream. In Reagan’s world, the rich are rich because of hard work and perseverance, and the poor are poor because they are lazy freeloaders. It is an idealistic world - one that motivates entrepreneurship and plays very well into the belief that “God has a plan and everything happens for a reason.” Reagan’s policies were very attractive to those that deny any type of privilege got them where they were (ahem white men), and suppressed the grievances of those disadvantaged by the system (minorities, especially black males, who were the target audience systematically persecuted and disenfranchised by the war on drugs and Stop & Frisk). He opposed affirmative action policies, which by white people were seen (and are still seen) as anti-white. Reagan did not really care that he was unpopular with black people or minorities overall - he knew it didn’t matter what they thought because, well they were the minority. The majority of voters were white, and not just by pure accident. Reagan’s policies and his rhetoric disenfranchised minority voters twice over. Because individuals charged with federal crimes were and are barred from voting in elections, his “tough on crime” campaign took a large portion of black and minority individuals out of the potential pool of voters. Additionally, his economic policies made the poor even poorer - these are the people that are least likely to vote not because they don’t want to, but because they are not able to. The US does not mandate workers should be able to take off work in order to participate in elections, all the while only holding elections during regular working hours. Polling places are disastrous, with obscenely long waits just to cast a single ballot. Early voting is an imperfect system, and isn’t even allowed in all states. For many states, the only form of early voting is through the absentee ballot, which requires an excuse the state deems to be legitimate, a pool which is very limited. Furthermore, votes cast through absentee ballots are all but irrelevant - there are strict requirements for when they must be received in the mail, they often get lost, and even when they do make it on time they are rarely recorded. Politicians have even attacked early voting as unconstitutional - saying that it provides a means for rigging an election by allowing individuals to vote in multiple states (pretty sure this has been largely debunked, as cases of multiple or illegal votes is minuscule - I’m talking 10 total cases per election small). It is understandable that to those well-off enough or have jobs that do not make it difficult (read: near impossible) to take time off to go to the polls, or that live in more affluent areas that can afford to bring better organization and efficiency to election day to deem attempts to make voting more accessible as unnecessary or even corrupt. And you know what, those people are exactly who Reagan targeted & ultimately received extreme support from. Now, if you’ve been reading up to this point and thought to yourself, “Wait a minute, are you sure you’re talking about the Reagan era? That was over 30 years ago, but it sounds exactly like what’s going on today.” Yes, my friend, it does sound an awful lot like our current political environment because it is. Reagan was so influential that he basically set the precedent for politics up to this very moment. Elected officials on both sides of the isle saw what made him successful and applied his strategies to their own aspiring political machines. Every (i have no research behind this I’m just making a statement right now) administration, every successful political campaign, has been inspired by Reagan in some way. Republicans tend to attempt to make a direct connection (Reagan is their Lord and Savior, anyway) while Democrats tend to borrow his tactics while putting a more liberal spin on them (same concept, different rhetoric). There have definitely been ebbs and flows in the public’s reaction to certain policies and strategies - Obama’s campaign (probably, based on my limited knowledge) more resembled Carter’s in tone and in execution. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Trump’s rise in power and his relationship with his support-base, although much less polished, is incredibly similar to Reagan’s 30 years prior. Reagan had the nickname of “the Teflon President” because he could “do almost anything” and not get blamed for it.

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writingsubmissions · 7 years

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Fights to Make: UFC Auckland

Mark Hunt (beat Derrick Lewis) vs. Francis Ngannou: Mark Hunt is the man. This seemed set up for a Derrick Lewis win, potentially one that could even earn Lewis a title shot, but Hunt proved to have enough veteran savvy to (mostly) avoid Lewis’s big blows and eventually wear the American down towards a stoppage. And not only did Hunt knock off UFC’s top rising heavyweight and potentially retire him, he also did so while still suing the company. Baller. Anyway, I expect Hunt to continue to be a gatekeeper to the heavyweight elite, and someone UFC wants to see get knocked out, so let’s put him against Francis Ngannou, the other big rising talent at heavyweight; Ngannou’s both rawer and even scarier than Lewis, so it’d have a bunch of the same interesting dynamics that were at play for this fight.

Derek Brunson (beat Daniel Kelly) vs. David Branch: It was depressing to see the miracle run of Dan Kelly come to a quick and violent end, but it’s also nice to see Derek Brunson stop what was becoming a bit of a slide, particularly since he should’ve beaten Anderson Silva in February. I’m not really sure this was the return of the more aggressive Brunson - it’s just that he happens to have enough knockout power to knock Kelly out - but a win’s a win, and Brunson can act as a sort of plug-and-play top ten middleweight who’s an interesting enough matchup for anyone. Let’s go with David Branch, who won his return fight to UFC over Krzysztof Jotko after a run as a two-weight WSOF champ; both guys are well-rounded, and as with most fights, the result could vary wildly based off Brunson’s aggressiveness.

Derrick Lewis (lost to Mark Hunt) vs. Ruslan Magomedov: Lewis apparently retired after the fight, which was both surprisingly and not at all; he had talked a few years ago about basically retiring once he had paid off his house, but between a new, bigger contract and the fact that he’d been willing all his fights, that talk had quieted down, though one gets the feeling Lewis would’ve continued towards the belt if he won here. Anyway, Lewis left the door just open enough I’m not writing off a comeback yet, though it’ll probably be a while until he fights again - and top Russian prospect Ruslan Magomedov is currently dealing with a drug suspension, so the timeline of Lewis returning (if he does) and Magomedov being free and clear to fight will probably match up.

Daniel Kelly (lost to Derek Brunson) vs. Nate Marquardt: Well, shit. Kelly always figured to lose to Brunson in quick and brutal fashion, as long as a relatively aggressive version of Brunson showed up, but it was still sad to see one of UFC’s best stories over the last few years just get absolutely annihilated. Still, Kelly can hang around as a fairly successful novelty until he decides to retire; let’s go full old guy circuit and put him against Marquardt, a fading vet who has just enough power himself to make things interesting.

Ben Nguyen (beat Tim Elliott) vs. Ulka Sasaki/Justin Scoggins (Jun. 17) winner: Just when it looked like Tim Elliott might be able to distance himself from the pack, the flyweight randomizer pulled him right back into the glut of guys from ranking, say, 5 to 25, as Nguyen stunningly hopped on a choke and tapped him out in 49 seconds. Nguyen’s in that mix of guys who can basically win or lose to just about anyone, and have a fun fight while doing so - if you said this win earned him a shot at, say, a Jussier Formiga or Wilson Reis type, fine, but instead I’ll go the action route and put him against the winner of a fun prospect bout in Singapore.

Alexander Volkanovski (beat Mizuto Hirota) vs. Artem Lobov: Volkanovski’s one of the better Australian prospects, but I wasn’t really sold on him until now, as he faced a tough veteran test in Hirota and just dominated, showing off his strong wrestling and some thudding power, as he probably would’ve put most opponents away. Just keep moving him up the ladder - as I said after it happened, Artem Lobov’s performance against Cub Swanson showed he’s improved to where he could at least be a gatekeeper for actual prospects, and Volkanovski has proven himself as an actual prospect, so there you go.

John Moraga (beat Ashkan Mokhtarian) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo: Well, that was exactly what Moraga needed - while a lot of it was newcomer Mokhtarian looking awful, it was good to see Moraga have an impressive performance to break a rough stretch for the solid vet. With sticking on the roster out of the way, Moraga can go back to his top-ten or so gatekeeper role, so let’s put him against Figueiredo, who had an impressive debut last week against Marco Beltran to open up UFC 212.

Tim Elliott (lost to Ben Nguyen) vs. Jussier Formiga: Huh. Flyweight is weird, man - past Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez, and Henry Cejudo, there are basically twenty guys who can all beat each other, as Nguyen’s flash win over Elliott showed. I still regard Elliott as one of the better of the bunch, so I’ll give him another tough vet coming off a loss in Formiga, even if I do worry I’m falling into the trap that got Elliott cut the first time around, feeding him a bunch of tough matchups that he might lose.

Ion Cutelaba (beat Henrique da Silva) vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov: Well, that was pretty cool. Cutelaba just pretty much destroyed da Silva from even before the opening horn, as he got in the Brazilian’s face during fighter introductions, then came out and just annihilated da Silva in 22 seconds. I’m not sure Cutelaba ever becomes anything more than a fun brawler, but the Moldovan is young enough to improve - at any rate, I doubt he has the well-rounded game to hang with Gadzhimurad Antigulov, but it’d be a fun fight, pitting Cutelaba’s straight-ahead brawling with Antigulov’s straight-ahead ground and pound style.

Dan Hooker (beat Ross Pearson) vs. Desmond Green: I still have no idea what to make of Dan Hooker, though he got of a hell of a highlight-reel win here with a brutal knee straight up the middle to knock out Pearson. He’s still lanky, even up a class at lightweight, and just kind of a collection of stuff that isn’t too impressive, but sometimes can prove to be ridiculously dynamic in spots, like he was here. Desmond Green, who was a bit of a surprising young veteran signing by UFC, impressed in his UFC debut in April, so let’s do that as a fight between mid-tier prospects that may yet continue to overachieve.

Vinc Pichel (beat Damien Brown) vs. Scott Holtzman: Good for Vinc Pichel. It looked like a three-year layoff was going to leave him too rusty to beat Damien Brown, but as soon as Brown started to take over, Pichel just caught him charging in with an uppercut that absolutely flattened him. I like the idea of a fight with Holtzman next - he’s a high-level athlete still trying to figure things out, and there are still questions about if the game as a whole has passed Pichel by, so I think it’s a strong test for both fighters.

Zak Ottow (beat Kiichi Kunimoto) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada: Zak Ottow is fine, but one of the blander guys on the roster, and the Milwaukee native is now 3-for-3 as far as fairly unmemorable split decisions in the UFC thus far, with Ottow getting the nod this time around. You can kind of do whatever with him - he’s solid as either a bounce-back win for a better fighter on tough times, a solid test for a rising prospect, or just a guy you can plug in in a forgettable fight. Let’s kind of go the last route with a bit of upside and put him against Afghan striker Siyar Bahadurzada, who hasn’t had the most memorable run but sometimes provides some fun bursts of violence.

Ross Pearson (lost to Dan Hooker) vs. Mitch Clarke: The downside of Dan Hooker’s impressive up-the-middle knee knockout is that it came over Pearson, who’s rapidly hitting diminishing returns after four straight losses. I obviously wouldn’t be shocked if he was cut, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if they kept him around for one more shot, given that Pearson’s been a fairly reliable action gatekeeper for almost a decade now. Let’s put him against Canadian submission artist Mitch Clarke, who’s still apparently on the UFC roster after one-sided losses to Michael Chiesa and Joe Duffy; it’d make for a fun striker-versus-grappler matchup.

Luke Jumeau (beat Dominique Steele) vs. Jingliang Li/Frank Camacho (Jun. 17) winner: This was a nice win for Jumeau, a debuting New Zealand prospect - I don’t exactly see him as a future contender, but this showed his athleticism and power has translated well enough that he can at least hang around and impressively beat some of the dregs of the roster. I’d just go pure action fights from here on out rather than booking Jumeau as a possible future contender, so I have an eye towards putting him against China’s Li, a fun banger who faces late replacement Frank Camacho in Singapore next week.

Mizuto Hirota (lost to Alexander Volkanovski) vs. Charles Rosa: Hirota had a fine performance here, but was just physically outgunned by Volkanovski, who was able to implement his wrestling and power striking more or less at will. Hirota’s sort of like Zak Ottow above in that he’s pretty much a tough, but beatable test for anyone - let’s put him against Boston’s Charles Rosa, who’s more athletic and more aggressive, but also wilder and someone that Hirota might be able to beat as a technician.

Damien Brown (lost to Vinc Pichel) vs. Davi Ramos: For a first-round knockout loss, Brown still kind of continues to overachieve in my eyes - I figured he’d be another Australian grappler who has no success at the UFC level, but his striking has come along to where he’s kind of a fun, scrappy vet. I like the idea of him against BJJ ace Ramos, who debuted at welterweight as a late replacement in March - a grappler who’s learned how to strike against one who seemingly has yet to.

J.J. Aldrich (beat Chan Mi Jeon) vs. Kailin Curran/Aleksandra Albu (Jul. 29) winner: This was a good win for Aldrich, as she had enough technical striking to keep raw newcomer Jeon at bay, but didn’t really change a ton in terms of long-term outlook in my eyes - Aldrich is still sort of a minus athlete, and anyone stronger who can grapple with her should have a ton of success. So even fights are hard to find on a deep roster like strawweight, but either Curran or Albu, lower-level fighters who square off at UFC 214, should do.

Ashkan Mokhtarian (lost to John Moraga) vs. Ryan Benoit: Well, Mokhtarian did not look good here - admittedly, some of that is probably facing Moraga, but the Australian just looked every bit the sort of athletic, trashy grappler that his pre-UFC film suggested. Ryan Benoit’s one of the few guys who can be a gatekeeper at flyweight, so let’s just use Mokhtarian to get him a win - and hell, the Australian might be athletic enough to even have some success.

Henrique da Silva (lost to Ion Cutelaba) vs. Igor Pokrajac: It’s been a wild ride for “Frankenstein” da Silva during his one-year UFC tenure - not much was expected of him until he got two trashy wins, and just when it looked like he might be a prospect, he started collecting one-sided losses, including a 22-second knockout here. Light heavyweight is thin enough I could see da Silva getting one more shot, and let’s do it against Pokrajac, a Croatian vet who was pretty much only re-signed for a card in Zagreb last year.

Chan Mi Jeon (lost to J.J. Aldrich) vs. Pearl Gonzalez: Chan Mi Jeon is a talent, but she’s also the youngest fighter on the roster and possibly the rawest; she fought more measured here against Aldrich than she did in any of her previous fights, but she still has a long ways to go before she can really implement a ton of effective offense. Pearl Gonzalez isn’t particularly good, and got dominated by Cynthia Calvillo in her lone UFC fight - if you had to choose someone on this roster that Jeon could beat at the moment, she’s as good a choice as any.

Kiichi Kunimoto (lost to Zak Ottow) vs. Dominique Steele (lost to Luke Jumeau): Now that he’s not on a weird winning streak, Kunimoto is fairly uninspiring, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he got another UFC fight; they’re coming to his native Japan in September, this was a narrow loss, and he is a solid vet to have around. I doubt Dominique Steele gets another bout, since he really can’t win at a UFC level, but they do have him going around and losing to people in their home town or nation, so there you go.

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