#$160. kill me with a gun.
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official-lucifers-child · 4 months ago
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why did i have to pay $160 to access my physics homework? why did i have to purchase not just an online textbook (for only a year) but also an entirely separate programme for which to do homework? for one hundred and sixty usamerican dollars?
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animusrox · 2 years ago
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LETTERBOXD
1.   The Batman 2.   Everything Everywhere All at Once 3.   Prey 4.   Triangle of Sadness 5.   Barbarian 6.  The Northman 7.   Bodies Bodies Bodies 8.   The Banshees of Inisherin 9.   Bones and All 10.   Avatar: The Way of Water
Grade A
11.   Turning Red 12.   The Menu 13.   Babylon 14.   Hit the Road 15.   Cow 16.   Watcher 17.   Funny Pages 18.   Mad God 19.   On the Count of Three 20.   Armageddon Time 21.   Terrifier 2 22.   Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 23.   Smile 24.   Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 25.   Holy Spider 26.   Aftersun 27.   The Fabelmans 28.   Breaking 29.   Decision to Leave 30.   The Whale 31.   All Quiet on the Western Front 32.   Brian and Charles 33.   Piggy 34.   Saint Omer 35.   Thirteen Lives 36.   Men 37.   The Fallout 38.   Resurrection 39.   Causeway 40.  The Black Phone 41.   Official Competition 42.   Nope 43.  Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 44.   Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood 45.   Till 46.   TÁR 47.   Happening 48.   A Love Song 49.   The Outfit 50.   The Innocents 51.   Jackass Forever 52.   BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths 53.   Montana Story 54.   Three Thousand Years of Longing 55.   You Won’t Be Alone 56.   The Sadness 57.   Halloween Ends 58.   Pearl 59.   X 60.   Vesper
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notiddygothgf · 4 months ago
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4. Taste Like Nicotine
★ pairings: aki hayakawa x fem reader
★ ❝ Go back to Himeno. ❞ ❝ No. That's not what you want. ❞
★ c.w.: suggestive themes, drinking (more content warnings and tags)
★ a/n: HELLO AGAIN MY POOKIE DOOKIES!! IM BACK AGAIN. bc i have nothing better to do atm and i wanted to give yall a lil sum sum before i moved away to uni. please excuse the pacing of this chapter -- this fanfic was supposed to be a oneshot and uh... now its 160 pages in google docs LMFAOOA.. things get spicy in this chapterrr! so yeah anyway, you know the drill, keep me entertained -- keep your funny little comments coming, I absolutely love reading them. You guys motivate me to keep going! Love yall
★ w.c.;4.1k
shameless ; chapter index
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THE OFFICE WAS QUIET, the hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional rustling of papers the only sounds that broke the silence. You were alone, finishing up some last-minute paperwork after hours. The mission had gone surprisingly well—no casualties, a rare feat in your line of work. The team had even managed to kill a large Devil containing a piece of Gun Devil Flesh, a significant victory. Yet, instead of joining the others to celebrate, you had chosen to stay behind. Partly to avoid any awkward encounters with Himeno, but mostly because you felt restless, unable to shake off the events of the past few days.
As you finished up the last of your reports, you glanced at the new message on your phone.
HIMENO| you didn't come tonight.
Typing...
YOU
| I didn't think you'd wanna see me after the stunt I pulled.
HIMENO| I dont, but I wanted u to know that everyone is talking abt u
YOU
| ??
| wym
HIMENO
| your shadow didn't come tonight, either.
Typing...
YOU| look, himeno, ive actually been wanting to talk to you about that
| would you be able to meet up and talk it out?
HIMENO| id rather not honestly.
| ur a grown woman and i cant stop u from doing what u want
| but just know that people in pb. safety talk
| dont mess up a relationship with a perfectly good man for aki
| u should leave him for someone who can actually give him what he needs
YOU| I understand that I've hurt you, Himeno, and I'm sorry
| I have no intentions of being with Aki.
HIMENO| good
| dont get him mixed up in ur fucked up marriage
|  he doesnt deserve that.
You sighed, pocketing your phone. There were certain battles you simply couldn't win. This would undoubtedly be one of them.
It was late, and you knew you should head home. You gathered your things and made your way down the dimly lit hallways, your footsteps echoing in the emptiness.
As you passed the breakroom, you heard voices. One familiar voice, more specifically.
You slowed your pace, not wanting to intrude but curious enough to catch a snippet of the conversation. The door was slightly ajar, and you could see two figures inside.
"You look desperate, dude," the unknown person said, barely audible. "It's not attractive."
"I'm becoming ridiculous," Captain Hayakawa said, his voice low and strained. "I'm losing hope."
"Hope of what? Convincing a married woman to break her vows?" the other person retorted, a hint of incredulity in his tone.
Are they talking about me? You asked. You knew the answer. You simply did not want to confront it.
Hayakawa sighed. "I thought she would call me by now," he admitted, the vulnerability in his voice making your stomach churn uncomfortably. "I just... there was something there."
There was a pause, then the other person sighed, his voice softening. "God, you are ridiculous." After a moment, he added, almost reluctantly, "Shit, sorry, man. I know you like her."
"No, you're right," He replied, a note of resignation following his words. "She doesn't want to speak to me. I'm driving myself crazy waiting for someone who's never gonna call."
You felt a knot tighten in your stomach, guilt and confusion swirling together. You hadn't intended to eavesdrop, but now you couldn't just walk away without feeling a pang of something—regret, perhaps? The slip of paper with his number, still in your possession, weighed heavily in your mind. You had been avoiding the situation, avoiding him, and now it was clear how much it had affected him.
Aki's words echoed in your ears as you stood frozen in the hallway.
He was right; you hadn't called him. You hadn't even acknowledged the note, too caught up in your own turmoil and guilt to consider his feelings. Now, hearing him speak so openly, you felt a rush of emotions—sympathy, guilt, confusion. There had been a moment between you, an undeniable spark, but you had chosen to ignore it, to pretend it didn't exist.
When would it all come crashing down – your efforts? This whole situation?
The conversation in the breakroom continued, but you couldn't listen any longer. You turned away, your heart pounding. As you made your way to the exit, you couldn't help but replay Aki's words in your mind.
He had been waiting for you, hoping you would reach out, and now he was losing hope. Fuck.
He had been waiting for me.
The idea thrilled you, for some strange reason. Maybe because you hadn't felt desired like this in years – it made your head spin. But another part of you was terrified—of what it might mean, of the complications it would bring, of the impact on your marriage.
You couldn't help yourself. You did what you always did. You ran away from him.
You knew you couldn't avoid him forever, but for now, you needed time to think. .
7:45 PM
Typing... 
Hey. |
Typing...
Hello, |
Typing...
How are you? |
Typing...
Hey. They're taking me out for drinks tn as a sendoff party. I think you should be there.
SENT.
YOU | Hey. They're taking me out for drinks tn as a sendoff party.
I think you should be there.
| At the Sip-n-savor in downtown Tokyo
Seen 8:00 PM .
The night went on without a flaw. The atmosphere was infectious, and you had been trying to let loose, drink in hand, as you chatted and danced with the others. But as the night wore on, a sense of unease settled in. Maybe it was the drinks, maybe it was the memories of the overheard conversation in the breakroom, or maybe it was the subtle disappointment that someone hadn't shown up.
Excusing yourself, you made your way to the bathroom. The mirror reflected your flushed cheeks and slightly smudged makeup. You sighed, turning on the faucet and splashing some water on your face. As you washed your hands, you found yourself thinking about Aki.
Despite everything, a depraved part of you had hoped to see him tonight. You had been both relieved and disappointed when he hadn't shown up—relieved because it meant avoiding an awkward conversation, disappointed because you had been... well, actually looking forward to seeing him.
As you touched up your makeup, you couldn't help but reflect on your own conflicted feelings. You were married, committed, and yet, Aki had stirred something in you that you simply couldn't stand to ignore. It was confusing, disorienting. You weren't sure what you felt more strongly: guilt for being drawn to him or frustration that you couldn't just let it go.
"Ugh," You groaned, pressing your forehead against the sink. "'M g'nna be sick."
Feeling a bit lightheaded from the drinks, you decided to step outside for some fresh air. You left the bathroom and – completely drunk – maneuvered through the crowds to the nearest door.
The cool night breeze was a welcome relief against your warm skin, and you leaned against the balcony railing, taking deep breaths. The city lights twinkled below, and you watched them in a daze, trying to steady your thoughts.
That's when you saw him.
Aki was just entering the party, his sharp suit and dark hair making him stand out immediately. You felt your heart skip a beat. Then another. He was killing you.
He came, you thought, a strange mix of emotions flooding you. Relief, excitement, and that persistent undercurrent of guilt all tangled together.
He spotted you almost immediately and made his way over. As he approached, you couldn't help but think how painfully gorgeous he looked, the dim lighting casting a soft glow on his features. In that moment, he seemed almost like a knight in shining armor, a figure out of place in the lively, chaotic setting of the bar.
"Hey," he greeted, his voice smooth and warm, a balm to your nerves.
"Hey," you replied, trying to keep your voice steady despite the fluttering in your chest.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked, a slight concern in his tone. "You're not cold?"
He always seemed to be worried about you and the weather. Still, the chill felt nice against your hot skin, oddly enough.
I missed you, you didn't say. You didn't even think about it. You knew that in a day you would be back on the train and all of this would just be a bad dream, anyway.
You shook your head, a small smile playing on your lips. "No, I just needed some air. It's a bit stuffy in there."
Aki didn't respond immediately, and when you turned your head up to look at him, his expression was unreadable. The noise from inside the bar seemed distant, the world narrowing down to just the two of you in that moment. You felt a tug in your chest, a pull towards him that you couldn't explain, couldn't deny.
"Did you pregame the bar, or something?" You laughed quietly. It felt nice, being able to pretend nothing had ever happened between the two of you and just... enjoy each other's company. "You smell like beer."
"I was having a few drinks with my roommate before you texted me," He answered. Then, looking out onto the street, he added, "He told me I shouldn't come tonight. Said you're driving me crazy."
"So, why are you here, then?" You asked.
He looked at you. "I think you know why I'm here."
There was a brief silence, comfortable yet charged with the unspoken. You glanced at him, noticing the way his eyes lingered on you, soft but searching. It was the same look he had given you in the seminar, the museum, everywhere else, and it stirred something deep inside you.
You hated the way he made you feel.
"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked you. His voice was as deep and rich as ever, and you had about half a mind to take him up on the offer.
You shivered. You knew it wasn't from the cold air. It was him – the smell of him, his cologne, the distinct scent of nicotine that let you know he had just finished smoking a cigarette. It was an aroma so unique to him that you had grown to like it.
You were looking at his lips before you knew it, giving way to a craving you couldn't explain, "I'll try a cigarette, if you have any."
He smiled softly, reaching into his pocket and flipping open a carton of cigarettes and a lighter. He placed a cancer stick between your lips, and you felt a part of you die a little. He struck the wheel of the lighter, bringing the cigarette to life.
You coughed so hard that you nearly hacked up a lung. It had been years since your last cigarette.
Hayakawa stepped behind you, cupping a hand around your elbow, sliding it up your arm, your wrist, your fingers before he plucked the cigarette from your digits.
"First time?" He asked, warm voice hot against your neck.
"Wanted to give it a try," You shrugged. You didn't know what, exactly, had gotten into you. It seemed that with every sip of liquor you took lately, you crept closer and closer back to your old self. The sort of liquid courage that made people make very bad decisions. "Sorry. I'm a little," You waved your hands around yourself, trying to gesture 'drunk' without actually saying it.
"How brave of you," He murmured, pulling a hit from your cigarette and exhaling. He was the picture of sin – face flushed with alcohol, messy bangs, pink lips wrapped around a cancer stick. He was so pretty it hurt.
"I'll try it again when I'm sober," You offered.
"When?" He asked, breathing smoke out into the air. "Where?"
As persistent as always, you thought. Still, you didn't necessarily mind the attention anymore. You told yourself that it didn't matter – you would be out of here soon anyway, and everything would be far behind you before you knew it.
"Why is it that every time I'm inebriated... God tests me by throwing you in my way?" You laughed, Truly, you wished you had considered the implications of your words a little more before you had said them. "Just as I thought your manners had improved since the party. You behaved badly, then. You know that? Very badly," you hiccuped. "You should be ashamed of yourself, throwing– hic–throwing yourself at a married woman like that."
He didn't acknowledge your drunken ramblings, and he also didn't deny the fact that he had been doing exactly that – throwing himself at a married woman.
"Hardly my fault," He breathed out. "I just can't seem to resist you."
"Don't worry," You replied, eyeing him up dubiously as he pulled another hit from what was left of your cigarette. "I'm leaving tomorrow. Won't have to worry about resisting me after that."
"I know," He answered back. "Selfishly enough, I spent the last few hours wishing your train got delayed one more day, or something like that," He exhaled, then snuffed his cigarette out on the balcony, "Still, I'm glad I could see you before you went home."
"I wish I could say the same about you," You replied before you could stop the words from coming out.
He poked his tongue through the inside of his cheek, retorting, "You're gonna sit here and act like you didn't invite me? Like your eyes didn't light up like a child when you saw me pull up?" He turned around, commanding even more of your attention, standing at least a foot and a half taller than you. "You wanted me to come tonight."
It was true. That's the worst part. Everything he said was the truth.
"So that I could say goodbye," You said with remarkable finality, "I'm leaving after this."
You hadn't originally planned on leaving so soon, of course, but you wanted to get the hell out of here before you made another bad decision.
"Already?" He asked.
"You're the one who ran late," You replied. "This ends tonight. I'm going to say bye to everyone else, then I'll be gone."
With that being said, you made your way back to the door. You would go inside, bid everyone farewell, collect your belongings, and then–
He called your name before you could go back inside. You froze in place.
"Am I misreading the signals?" He asked.
You sighed, turning around one last time to clear the air, "This has to stop, Aki. You make me feel like... like I'm guilty of something."
He implored you, "What do you want me to do?"
"Go back to Himeno," You answered, a biting undertone seeping through your words. You were undeniably bitter about the whole situation, and under any other circumstances, you would have tried to be a good sport, but...
Himeno's words were a heavy weight on your heart.
'Don't mess up a relationship with a perfectly good man for Aki.'
'You should leave him for someone who can actually give him what he needs."
You could never be what Aki wanted. He wanted all of you – not just a week of you, clearly. You were married, and you couldn't let all of that go over a guy you'd been toeing the line with for what seemed like ages.
He was a young man. The fact of the matter was that you were a grown woman. A married one.
"She's a sweet, kind woman," You continued. You felt like you were going to be sick just being near him. Unknowingly, tears began to prickle at the corners of your eyes. "Go back and beg her to forgive you. Go be with someone who wants to be with you. Who can be with you."
"No," He answered simply. There was an intensity in his eyes that frightened you, like he would die without you, as he continued, "That's not what you want. I think we both know that. I refused a mission in Hiroshima to stay here with you. I planned to let go of another one in Beijing," He swallowed, "I can change my mind, and you'll never see me again."
"If you have any consideration for me," Your voice was a shuddering whisper, like someone could walk out any minute and hear the two of you going back and forth. "Any semblance– a shrivel of compassion, you'll give me back my peace."
He shook his head, "I can't. You know I can't. You've consumed every inch of my peace, every inch of my mind. How can I give you your peace?"
Fair point.
You had nothing to say to him. So, silently, your vision blurred with tears, you glared at him. Glared and frowned like that would make you believe he was the sole contributor to this issue. Then, again, you turned on your heel and went for the door. You entered the bar quickly.
He followed not too long after you, "I'll go to Beijing, then."
"No." You said. Your teary-eyed fury caught the eyes of more than a few confused bar patrons. "I don't want you to go."
Everyone was looking at you. Seriously, everyone. Your old coworkers, the bartenders, everybody.
You swallowed down your pride, bowing down before them all. "Good night, everyone," You said. You plucked your purse and your jacket off of the barstool. "Thank you for everything. I'm leaving."
Ignoring the confused looks and hushed whispers from the patrons, you exited the bar, your mind a whirlwind of emotions. The rain had started to fall, a soft drizzle quickly turning into a steady downpour. You barely noticed, too wrapped up in the turmoil inside your head. The cold, wet sensation of the rain soaked through your clothes, but you couldn't bring yourself to care. You just needed to get away, to clear your mind.
But of course, Aki followed after you. You could hear him calling your name, his voice barely audible over the sound of the rain. You quickened your pace, almost running, your heels splashing through puddles as you made your way down the block. His footsteps pounded behind you, matching your speed. You couldn't escape him, couldn't outrun him.
Finally, he caught up to you, grabbing your arm to stop you. "Wait, can we please talk?" he pleaded, his voice breathless and desperate.
You turned to face him, rain pouring down around you both. His hair was plastered to his forehead, his suit jacket soaked through. The intensity in his eyes matched the storm, a fierce determination that made your heart ache. You met his gaze begrudgingly, not wanting to deal with this, not wanting to deal with him.
"Have I really been imagining all of this?" He asked. He sounded broken. "Is it really all in my head? Tell me if it's a lie. Tell me to leave you alone. Tell me you mean it—all of it," he paused, taking a shuddering breath. "Or tell me the truth."
You swallowed hard, the weight of the situation crashing down on you. "I don't know how to feel, Aki," you finally admitted, your voice barely a whisper. "I'm trying to be good, but you just keep fucking—popping up everywhere. And you say these pretty things to me, and," You choked back a sob, struggling to find the right words. "I can't help myself around you."
"Running from your problems won't make me go away," he said, stepping forward to put his hands gently on your waist.
There was a long pause as you stood there in the rain, staring at each other. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of you. The storm, the bar, everything else was just a blur. You were tired—tired of running, tired of the confusion, tired of pretending that everything was fine when it wasn't.
He added, "You can't run from your feelings."
This time, it was his eyes that dropped to your lips. His tongue darted out to dampen his own, and then his eyes flicked up to your face. When he spoke, his voice was huskier than before, as if it had been tainted by an emotion that hadn't been there before. Was it lust? Passion? Whatever it was, you wanted more of it.
Your eyes widened. Your mouth had run dry. You didn't know what to say. Even being like this right now -- as close as you were, -- was against your wedding vows. This was wrong, and you couldn't do that to your own husband.
Your own husband who loved you so dearly.
Your own husband who left you hanging so many nights on end.
Your own husband, who acted as if he couldn't care if you lived or died.
As if he had sensed your train of thought wandering, Aki placed two fingers beneath your chin, lifting your face up until he was the captor of all of your attention. Him and him alone. Not your husband, but him.
"I could treat you like a princess," His eyes wandered down to your lips again, but this time there was an unspoken hunger within them. "All you have to do is ask, and I'm yours. I already am."
And, God, what a fool you had been in uttering the words, "Don't toy with my emotions. You don't want me."
He paused, awaiting something, anything. His eyes pleaded with your own, luring you in with promises of pleasure and happiness. Gently, he grabbed your hand, placing it over his breast, right above his heart.
"I want you so badly it hurts," He breathed, "For a night, for a day, for a week..." Aki closed the gap between the two of you – brought your faces closer together. Closer, until you could feel the warmth of his calm breath fanning out against your cheek. Closer, until he uttered, "As long as you'll let me have you."
"Aki, I can't-...." You paused. Yet, still, you never moved. Your body betrayed your words, dilated pupils and trembling hands giving way to your internal dilemma. "This is wrong. You know I can't do this."
You were being a hypocrite. You knew you were. One spare glance down at the placement of your hands on his chest -- one over his breast and one looped around his tie -- and you knew he could tell you were only putting up a front.
"I know," he murmured softly, words practically dying beneath the volume of the rain, "But I can't stop thinking about you."
You folded. Your eyes dropped down to his lips one last time, and that's when you knew he had already won.
Fuck it.
"Fuck you," you muttered, feeling a surge of reckless abandon.
Without thinking, you reached out and pulled him towards you, crashing your lips against his in a desperate, frenzied kiss. It was messy and wet, your tears mixing with the rain, your hands tangling in his hair as his arms finally wrapped around you.
The kiss was filled with all the pent-up emotions, the longing, the frustration, the desire. It was passion, it was anger – it was tongue and teeth and lips smearing your lipstick over the lower half of your face. It was two black holes finally colliding after circling around each other far too long.
"I can't make sense of it. I want... you," you sighed, pulling away, voice trembling, "I don't know what any of this means anymore. I don't know what to think."
"Then don't," he whispered, his breath warm against your lips. He tasted like cigarette smoke, beer and mint gum – a flavor so utterly addicting that you couldn't seem to get enough of it. "Don't think. Let me take you back to your room."
You hesitated, the reality of the situation hitting you. This was crossing a line, a line you couldn't uncross. But as you looked into his eyes, saw the same turmoil reflected back at you, you felt your resolve crumble.
You were tired of pretending.
"Okay," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the rain. It was a final, resigned acceptance, the last nail in the coffin of your restraint.
You were tired of running from the inevitable.
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a/n: dont hate me. LMFAOAOAOOAOA. i had to! i absolutely loved writing this chapter and i loved writing tipsy obsessed aki. i headcannon that he's a touchy needy bf and no one can tell me otherwise. i think you all know what happens next. im not sayin nothin tho. hehe. ANYWAYYYYY LMK WHAT YALL THOUGHTTTTT i look forward to hearing it!!! lmk what yall wanna see in the next few chapters/over the course of the story. and if youve already watched anna karenina (or read, in which case... how...) shhhhhh youve seen nothing. muah! x
credits: UNKOWN ATM. I found the cover pic on pinterest unfortch. If you know the artist, please let me know, so I can credit them properly for their work!!! This is NOT MY BEAUTIFUL DRAWINGGG. I obviously do not own csm or anything related to it. please do not reproduce, copy, or translate my works anywhere. dont fk w me im a bruja.
also: come find me on my wattpad if u wanna interact more!
taglist: @mitsuyeahhh , @sleepysnk , @enneadec , @noaabean , @em1e , @drakensdarling , @bertholdts--butt , @satanlovesusall666 , @mitsuwuyaa , @noctifule , @scaraphobia , @ask-the-insect-hashira , @lovingranchturkeyweasel , @bontensbabygirl , @slvdsjjk , @novacrystalli , @hanmastattoos , @kodzuksn , @hqtiny , @ohmaiscool15 , @redlittlequeen , @leivane , @goldeneagles-posts , @yeahblahlame , @no-oneelsebutnsu , @cookiesandcreammy , @cawwn , @the-haitani-baton , @littlelovebug98 , @armani78 , @mindurownbussines , @kokos-property , @violetmatcha , @hp-simp505 , @acethebrave , @mitsuyeahhh , @sleepysnk , @enneadec , @noaabean , @em1e , @drakensdarling , @bertholdts--butt , @satanlovesusall666 , @mitsuwuyaa , @noctifule , @scaraphobia , @ask-the-insect-hashira , @lovingranchturkeyweasel , @bontensbabygirl , @slvdsjjk , @novacrystalli , @hanmastattoos , @kodzuksn , @hqtiny , @ohmaiscool15 , @redlittlequeen , @leivane , @goldeneagles-posts , @yeahblahlame , @no-oneelsebutnsu , @cookiesandcreammy , @cawwn , @the-haitani-baton , @littlelovebug98 , @armani78 , @mindurownbussines , @kokos-property , @violetmatcha , @hp-simp505
wanna join the taglist? | shameless ; chapter index
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scotianostra · 3 months ago
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October 2nd 1721 saw the little known Battle of Coille Bhan.
This was more of a skirmish in real terms, but history recall it as a battle, to me the numbers involved make it less so. The way I look at it is that this was also an attempt by the Government of the, still quite new, Union, to impose some sort of rule to the Highland Clans, in this instance it can also go down as leading from an often overlooked Jacobite uprising in 1719, called The “Little Rising“.
The background was that government forces had failed to take the lands of Mackenzie of Seaforth. The taxes being collected by Mackenzie's factor, Donald Murchison were being sent to Mackenzie himself who was living in exile in France for his part in the '15 Jacobite uprising, after which his lands were forfeited to the crown. It was decided that a second attempt should be made to seize Mackenzie of Seaforth's estates.
This time 160 soldiers of Colonel Kirk's regiment left under the command of a Captain McNeil, who unlike their predecessors who had been ambushed in Glen Affric, McNeil took a longer but easier route from Inverness to Dingwall then onto Strath-Garve and Loch Carron.Mackenzie's force were led by Colonel Donald Murchison who had led the ambush at Glen Affric, and I bloody wish my spell check didn't keep trying to make me say Africa instead of Affric!!!
Anyway the Colonel marched his men up a mountain pass called Mam Attadale, a "gallant" relative, named Kenneth Murchison volunteered to attempt an ambush with a small party of 13 at Coille Bhan (White Wood), while the bulk of the party should remain where they were.
Captain McNeil with 18 men of his government force advanced on Kenneth Murchison's position. They received fire in which several of the government troops were wounded and one was killed. McNeil persisted in attacking his enemy and eventually he defeated them and Kenneth Murchison's men withdrew, as they were unable to resist any further, there is no mention of the Jacobite's losses.
The long and short of it is, although Captain McNeil had defeated this advance force, he soon heard of the larger group of Mackenzies waiting at Attadale under the command of Donald Murchison, unwilling to take on these men, who also held the high ground McNeil, himself wounded retreated and high-tailed it back to Inverness.
Kenneth Murchison quickly rejoined Colonel Donald on Mam Attadale, with the cheering intelligence that one salvo of thirteen guns had repelled the hundred and sixty red-coats. No further attempts were made on Mackenzie of Seaforth's lands.
This episode confirmed the view in the south that the Jacobite clans equated with banditry and disorder, but Donald Murchison was also a bold man, reading on, in the History of The Mackenzies he appeared in Edinburgh two years later with £200 in back rents, looking for someone to take it over to France, he was not so stupid as to make himself conspicuous and is said to have been wearing "the garb of a lowlander", he did however spend two weeks in the capital, and although he was a wanted man went unmolested during this time.
Mackenzie of Seaforth, also known as William dubh MacKenzie or Black MacKenzie, like may other Jacobites during earlier uprisings, was later pardoned and returned returned to Scotland in 1726, he died in 1740.
During the '45 uprising, such was the split across The Highlands one of his sons fought on the Hanoverian side in the campaign, whereas a large part of the Clan Mackenzie followed the chief's cousin George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie chose to fight for the Jacobite cause.
The pics shows moorland and Lochcarron, the expanse of land that Clan MacKenzie enjoyed as their own, and their clan crest with the motto Luceo Non Uro (I shine, not burn). MacCoinneach the Gaelic name for the clan means son of the fair bright one.
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taudad · 1 year ago
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Feedback on my 2000 pt list
So after I got absolutely curb stomped by my local Grey Knights player I have some major revisions to my 2k T’au list. The core from my 1000 pt list is unchanged and the full list is below the break. The changes are as follows:
Cut out the Stormsurge. It’s just not mobile enough to bring its full might to bear and good players know how to avoid it. Plus the nerfs to Titanic have unfortunately made it well and truly unplayable 😓
Removed the backup Ethereal and Strike team. The CP generation just isn’t worth a second Ethereal and the strike team doesn’t do enough on its own
Fleshed out both Crisis squads to full strength. This one will take the most work, modeling wise, but my last match really showcased to me that I need to lean into the XV8 team’s mobility if I actually want to kill something against skilled players
Added in my Riptide. For sheer output of shots and durability, this is great for its points and serves the same role that the Stormsurge was (unintentionally) of being a damage sponge the first few rounds. Plus it’s an excellent target of Through Unity, Devastation with its high volume of medium strength shots
Overall, I’m leaning way more heavily into XV8 suits and away from the Infantry + Stormsurge build I had going. They just weren’t able to compete with more skilled and speedy opponents
Please reblog and let me know your thoughts in the comments, I’m looking for feedback from both inside and outside the T’au player base
Ko’Shi Cadre 2k (1985 Points)
T’au Empire
Kauyon
Strike Force (2000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit (110 Points)
• 1x Battlesuit Support System
1x Battlesuit fists
1x High-output burst cannon
1x Marker Drone
1x Shield Drone
2x T’au flamer
Commander in Enforcer Battlesuit (115 Points)
• Warlord
• 1x Battlesuit fists
1x Marker Drone
2x Missile pod
1x Plasma rifle
1x Shield Drone
1x Shield Generator
• Enhancements: Exemplar of the Kauyon
Darkstrider (60 Points)
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Shade
Ethereal (70 Points)
• 1x Gun Drone
1x Honour stave
1x Hover Drone
1x Shield Drone
• Enhancements: Through Unity, Devastation
BATTLELINE
Strike Team (80 Points)
• 1x Support turret missile system
• 1x Fire Warrior Shas’ui
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Guardian Drone
1x Pulse pistol
1x Pulse rifle
1x Shield Drone
• 9x Fire Warrior
• 9x Close combat weapon
9x Pulse pistol
9x Pulse rifle
OTHER DATASHEETS
Broadside Battlesuits (90 Points)
• 1x Broadside Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit Support System
1x Crushing bulk
1x Heavy rail rifle
2x Missile Drone
1x Twin smart missile system
Crisis Battlesuits (360 Points)
• 1x Crisis Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit fists
2x Missile pod
1x Plasma rifle
2x Shield Drone
1x Shield Generator
• 5x Crisis Shas’ui
• 5x Battlesuit fists
3x Cyclic ion blaster
7x Missile pod
5x Plasma rifle
10x Shield Drone
5x Shield Generator
Crisis Battlesuits (360 Points)
• 1x Crisis Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit Support System
1x Battlesuit fists
1x Burst cannon
2x Shield Drone
2x T’au flamer
• 5x Crisis Shas’ui
• 5x Battlesuit Support System
5x Battlesuit fists
5x Burst cannon
10x Shield Drone
10x T’au flamer
Ghostkeel Battlesuit (160 Points)
• 1x Battlesuit Support System
1x Cyclic ion raker
1x Ghostkeel fists
1x Twin T’au flamer
Pathfinder Team (90 Points)
• 1x Pathfinder Shas’ui
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Pulse Accelerator Drone
1x Pulse carbine
1x Pulse pistol
• 9x Pathfinder
• 9x Close combat weapon
6x Pulse carbine
9x Pulse pistol
3x Rail rifle
2x Shield Drone
Riptide Battlesuit (180 Points)
• 1x Heavy burst cannon
2x Missile Drone
1x Riptide fists
1x Twin smart missile system
Sky Ray Gunship (130 Points)
• 1x Armoured hull
1x Seeker missile rack
2x Twin smart missile system
Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points)
• 1x Stealth Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit Support System
1x Battlesuit fists
1x Burst cannon
1x Gun Drone
1x Homing Beacon
1x Marker Drone
• 2x Stealth Shas’ui
• 2x Battlesuit fists
1x Burst cannon
1x Fusion blaster
Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points)
• 1x Stealth Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit Support System
1x Battlesuit fists
1x Fusion blaster
1x Gun Drone
1x Homing Beacon
1x Marker Drone
• 2x Stealth Shas’ui
• 2x Battlesuit fists
2x Burst cannon
Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points)
• 1x Stealth Shas’vre
• 1x Battlesuit Support System
1x Battlesuit fists
1x Fusion blaster
1x Gun Drone
1x Homing Beacon
1x Marker Drone
• 2x Stealth Shas’ui
• 2x Battlesuit fists
2x Burst cannon
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thesunsethour · 8 months ago
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welcome back to part 3 of eve procrastinating her final exams by ranking her favourite songs by her favourite artists. today it is The Beatles' turn
(as always i must stress this is my opinion only. but i am also very nosey, so please tell me *your* opinions too)
(i'm ignoring songs in different languages, naked versions, and also any cover songs, so focusing exclusively on anything penned by lennon-mccartney or harrison or starr)
(this took me a week and a half. for context my killers' list took two days and hozier took four hours)
without further ado:
189. Wild Honey Pie (spoiler alert: i'm not a white album fanatic)
188.       Dig It (vibey but odd little song)
187.       Maggie Mae (didn't know for years this was a liverpool folk song)
186.       Only A Northern Song (not weird enough to justify itself)
185.       Revolution 9 (it achieves john's goal. still hate it though)
184.       All Together Now (worse precursor to the frog chorus)
183.       It’s All Too Much (i would like to apologise to yellow submarine)
182.       Flying (criminal that this is so far down actually. i only have myself to blame)
181.       I’ll Get You (bit samey)
180.       Savoy Truffle (i wrote down 'harrison's own muzak')
179.       Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey (wtf john)
178.       Thank You Girl  (harmonica has been utilised better)
177.       Every Little Thing (pretty okay)
176.       You Like Me Too Much (george still in songwriting training)
175.       I Want To Tell You (the beginning of george's 'i don't know' refrain in his songs. keep an ear out)
174.       The Inner Light (SO very george)
173.       Her Majesty (i'm irish so this had to be this low)
172.       You Can’t Do That (great john vocals here tbh)
171.       Honey Pie (you can so clearly hear the music hall inspiration. very paul)
170.       When I Get Home (bit samey but catchy enough)
169.       There’s a Place (better harmonica)
168.       I Need You (lovely harmonies)
167.       Not a Second Time (i always forget this song exists sorry to john lennon)
166.       It’s Only Love (i always think this ones on rubber soul)
165.       I’ll Cry Instead (conversely this is very beatles for sale coded i think!)
164.       Little Child (i am a sucker for the harmonica it has to be said)
163.       You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (really campy ad-libs. a fan)
162.       I’m a Loser (john's voice is so deep in this one??)
161.       I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party (little foot tapper of a song)
160.       Piggies (george had been reading orwell! good for him)
159.       Don’t Pass Me By (ringo! hello!)
158.       I’ll Be Back (solid enough)
157.       Doctor Robert (one of the earliest examples of 'we will sing a song about a little random man')
156.       If I Needed Someone (solid george effort)
155.       Why Don’t We Do It In The Road (apparently about two monkeys fucking. okay paul)
154.       Baby’s in Black  (clever little lyrics)
153.       It Won’t Be Long (adore the coming home line)
152.       All I’ve Got to Do (sweet enough little thing)
151.       Hold Me Tight (classic paul asking for love. a staple of the genre)
150.       What Goes On (hiiiii Ringo!)
149.       Yer Blues (my notes say 'proto-morrissey-esque, but worse)
148.       Good Night (reminds me of a musical song. also originally thought this was a paul song)
147.       She’s a Woman (really dynamic paul vocals)
146.       What You’re Doing (solid paul job)
145.       No Reply (i cannot think of this song without hearing the bloopers of YOUR FACE)
144.       Happiness Is A Warm Gun (i may get killed for having this so low. reminder that this is only my opinion)
143.       Don’t Bother Me (i *think* this is the first album song that george ever wrote!)
142.       P.S. I Love You (he loves his epistolary songs does Paul)
141.       I’m Just Happy to Dance With You (another solid foot tapper)
140.       Any Time At All (love the piano in this)
139.       I’m So Tired (same)
138.       Birthday (i hate the beginning of this song with a visceral passion. rest is grand)
137.       The Night Before (very '50s)
136.       Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (the only bad thing about this song is that it means the album is over)
135.       Another Girl (bitchy little paul song)
134.       Tell Me What You See (song gets better as it goes on i think)
133.       The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (hello yoko)
132.       Long, Long, Long (reminds me of my sweet lord)
131.       Ask Me Why (real jazzy like)
130.       Rocky Raccoon (i'm not mad on this song but the middle is so catchy it reels me in)
129.       Old Brown Shoe (ringo reference check!)
128.       Revolution 1 (not as good as revolution the single)
127.       Cry Baby Cry (love paul's little jaunty section)
126.       Yes It Is (sexy)
125.       Dig A Pony ("everything has got to be just like you want it toohoohoohoohoohooo"
124.       The Word (reminds me of grease)
123.       Hey Bulldog (some bits of music here remind me of 'Across the Universe')
122.       I’m Looking Through You (GREAT guitar)
121.       Sexy Sadie (can't remember which journalist said that AM's 4 out of 5 has this vibe and YEAH)
120.       I Me Mine (i will always adore the "flowing more freely than wine" lyric. thank you george"
119.       Things We Said Today (paul's so good in this one)
118.       Tell Me Why (catchy bop)
117.       Run For Your Life ("that's the end" SO good)
116.       Good Day Sunshine (nicely jaunty)
115.       Rain (love the instrumentation in this one)
114.       I Will (quintessential mccartney this)
113.       Love You To (making this list and hearing george's improvement as a songwriter was amazing actually)
112.       Octopus’s Garden (bless ringo)
111.       I Feel Fine (SO catchy)
110.       With A Little Help From My Friends (ringo's very best)
109.       Martha My Dear (i'm scared of dogs but i'll let this one go)
108.       Drive My Car (the beeps beeps always annoyed me as a kid)
107.       For You Blue (it is what it says - sweet and lovely)
106.       Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (love the laughter in it)
105.       Good Morning Good Morning (the guitar here is simply too cool for this song. elevates it greatly)
104.       You’re Going To Lose That Girl (beach boys vibes?)
103.       She Said She Said (john and george buddies and pals)
102.       Wait (john and paul's voices go SO well together do you ever get emotional)
101.       Think For Yourself (ANOTHER great foot tapper)
100.       I’m Down (well *somebody* thinks they're elvis)
99.         Misery (just. great structurally)
98.         I Should Have Known Better ("this could only happen to me" oh, john)
97.         Can’t Buy Me Love (one of the more Lennonesque mccartney songs)
96.         One After 909 (how did paul not know what this was about for over a decade)
95.         I’ve Just Seen a Face (absolutely gorgeous guitar)
94.         This Boy (thaaaasss boyyyy)
93.         You Won’t See Me (fab little chorus)
92.         Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (BANG BANG MAXWELL'S SILVER HAMMER CAME DOWN UPON HER HEAD 🔨 🔨🔨)
91.         Dear Prudence ("the clouds will be a daisy chain" is a line i've always adored)
90.         Yellow Submarine (i remember being 6 and our teacher playing this for us on her guitar)
89.         Mean Mr Mustard (love when john does a bit of narrative songwriting)
88.         Revolution (superior revolution version)
87.         Now and Then (cried on the tram on the way to college listening to this when it came out. as you were)
86.         Polythene Pam (love when their accent peaks through)
85.         Baby, You’re A Rich Man (a true lennon-mccartney collab with john not finishing something and paul adding his two cents, or rather, ten or twenty cents)
84.         Hello, Goodbye (i love the end of this song so so much)
83.         Mother Nature’s Son (soft and sweet, poignant but not sappy, one of the most underrated beatles songs of all time)
82.         Free As A Bird (cried listening to this too)
81.         Glass Onion (intertextual metanarrative: the song)
80.         Taxman (baby's first political song <3)
79.         I Wanna Be Your Man (hiiiiii again ringo)
78.         From Me To You (harmonica time again baby!)
77.         Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite! (i think of this as a spooky halloween waltz)
76.         Within You Without You (quintessential george)
75.         I’m Only Sleeping (underrated on revolver methinks)
74.         Your Mother Should Know (these songs WERE a hit before my mother was born)
73.         All My Loving (pure vintage mccartney)
72.         Do You want to Know a Secret (baby george and his fab vocals)
71.         Here Comes The Sun (okay nobody kill me. stop looking at me like that. its been winter for seventeen months george i can't fucking see the sun)
70.         Julia (so beautiful)
69.         Love Me Do (how were they pop song professionals already?)
68.         I Saw Her Standing There (paul loves a good scream in the middle of a song)
67.         A Hard Day’s Night (most iconic beginning of any song ever)
66.         Magical Mystery Tour (he loves a bus does paul)
65.         And Your Bird Can Sing (john's vocals are GREAT here)
64.         Sun King (the superior sun song on abbey road)
63.         Please Please Me (just. iconic)
62.         Eight Days a Week (for how good it is i can't believe paul didn't play it live till like 2013 or smth)
61.         Real Love (i never knew this was a beatles song when i was a kid!)
60.         The End ("the love you take is equal to the love you make"... yeah...)
59.         Back in the USSR ("my-my-my-my-" very billy joel actually)
58.         Ticket to Ride (mouth-watering guitar)
57.         For No One (the wario of 'And Your Bird Can Sing' no i won't explain further)
56.         All You Need Is Love (the she loves you yeah yeah yeahs at the end...)
55.         Blue Jay Way (so wonderfully eerie to me)
54.         She Loves You (love the long and powerful held note on the last "glad")
53.         I Want To Hold Your Hand (they were children my god)
52.         Across the Universe (some of my favourite vocals)
51.         Carry That Weight (paul going through it, writing bangers)
50.         Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (desmond and molly jones are close friends of mine at this stage)
49.         Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (overrated a bit imo but still simply iconic)
48.         Penny Lane (sorry paul, john won the MMT round w strawberry fields but its okay this song still is a bop)
47.         Tomorrow Never Knows (fucking well done on this one lads. love it)
46.         Getting Better ("a little better all the time" v "it can't get no worse" is just. peak lennon mccartney)
45.         Got To Get You Into My Life (INSTANT banger)
44.         Michelle (i am a sucker for french as long as its not spoken by french people <3)
43.         Lovely Rita (i always loved this one because paul says "book" like how my nanny says it)
42.         Helter Skelter (loud, fast, and brilliant)
41.         Get Back (billy preston the man that you were)
40.         She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (best of the abbey road medley)
39.         I’ve Got a Feeling (i LOVE paul's deep voice)
38.         When I’m Sixty Four (i love paul's granny music. sue me)
37.         Come Together (john was so good at writing these nonsense songs)
36.         The Fool on The Hill (adore the "ohHhHhHhHhHhh")
35.         Fixing a Hole ("when i'm wrong, i'm right" is so very paul)
34.         Girl (BRILLIANT middle)
33.         Help! (vulnerable without overdoing it. just fantastic)
32.         Day Tripper (unashamedly sexy)
31.         And I Love Her (i love basically everything about this song. ranking got so hard from here)
30.         You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away (john was ON IT for Help!)
29.         Nowhere Man (my brother thinks this will be the name of john's biopic)
28.         Lady Madonna (my favourite genre of paul songs are songs where he voyeuristically imagines someone's life. they always slap)
27.         Paperback Writer (i also write at shitty newspapers and want to be a paperback writer. this song feels too targeted)
26.         In My Life (so pretty. SO pretty)
25.         The Ballad of John and Yoko (imagine the vibes in the recording studio. john. yoko. paul. and yet they made this banger)
24.         Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (my first ever favourite beatles song. has since been demoted but i still adore it)
23.         I am the Walrus (john at his weirdest best)
22.         She’s Leaving Home (i love when they write narratively)
21.         If I Fell (angelic harmonies)
20.         Don’t Let Me Down (fifth beatle billy preston supremacy)
19.         Because ("love is all, love is you"
18.         I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (vocals, instruments, lyrics, vibes, all incredible)
17.         Two Of Us (and if i said this was the best album opener?)
16.         Here, There, and Everywhere (paul says this is his favourite beatles song and you know what? he's so right for that)
15.         Oh! Darling (wario of the long and winding road. no i will not elaborate either)
14.         You Never Give Me Your Money ("OUT OF COLLEGE MONEY SPENT SEE NO FUTURE PAY NOT RENT" that is... me right this actual moment)
13.         Something (george said is anyone else gonna write one of the best love songs of all time? no okay i guess i will. and he did.)
12.         Golden Slumbers (cried to this as well. must stress i am not one to cry)
11.         Eleanor Rigby (the pinnacle of the MVS - McCartney Voyeuristic Storytelling)
10.         A Day in The Life (orchestra used to scare me when i was younger)
9.           While My Guitar Gently Weeps (george's best beatles song hands down)
8.           I’ll Follow the Sun (THE MOST UNDERRATED BEATLES SONG and i will die on this hill
7.           Yesterday (my father's favourite beatles song)
6.           The Long and Winding Road (my go to song to sing in the shower for some reason?)
5.           We Can Work It Out (pure lennon-mccartney baby!)
4.           Let It Be (the first and only song i ever learnt on ukulele and i was so proud of it)
3.           Strawberry Fields Forever (do i even have to say anything?)
2.           Blackbird (everything about this song is so beautifully perfect. paul mccartney is the best songwriter of all time okay. i've spent days upon days at this list and it's now making me emotional)
1.           Hey Jude (there's a reason it tops so many best songs of all time lists. a perfect 10. no notes. iconic. the first beatles song i played on repeat. would die slash kill to experience this live)
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crazyforkasey-blog · 2 months ago
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When we met
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Chapter 17
"Dick…Dick…Hey wait…DICK" Katie called after the captain, but he didn't turn around or even acknowledge her.
The reason Winters was walking away from regimental HQ in a hurry. Well he wanted to get out of there before he said or did something he would later regret.
Captain Winters was pissed off. After thirty-six days in the cold, snow covered Belgian forest, with constant contact with the enemy, the 101st were told they were going into reserve and that they would get a much-needed break. However, orders changed and now Winters had to send his battalion to Alsace to what if Lane and Nixon was right, would be another German attack.
Katie caught up with Winters, Speirs, Dani, McMillan, Nixon and Lane. She could tell Dani was pissed and Speirs just looked distant. McMillan listened to what Winters had to say, but was distant as well.
Lane mumbled under her breath "Doesn't the Army have someone else to plug the gaps?"
Dani looked at Lane and smiled "I don't know, you are the S3, you tell me"
Lane smiled; it was nice to have the old cheeky Dani back. Lane had worried about her since the trip to Aldbourne and at one point she was afraid they would have to send Dani off the lines while in Bastogne. Dani pushed through and came out stronger in the end.
The men lugged their belongings on to the deuce and half's that would take them 160 Miles to Drulingen. Heavy layers of snow covered the ground, the roads were slippery and the convoy crawled its way. The trip took thirty-six butt-numbing hours in truck build for functionality, not comfort.
As soon as they arrived in Drulingen, Sink sent the division to Hochenfeld and onwards to a small town called Wilkensheim, the consolation was that it was supposed to be a quiet sector.
The Moder River, normally thirty to forty feet wide was now swollen with snowmelt and in many places, it was as wide as a football field in width and swiftly flowing with brown muddy water.
The men had roofs over their heads and the foxhole hell in Bastogne was now just an unpleasant memory. Showers were set up and Red Cross clubs set up. The men enjoyed the relative peace. Contact patrols were still sent out and the air rippled with incoming and outgoing artillery shells.
A week later Mia and Katie were sitting in Katie's office at the aid station, they were talking about the war and what all they had been through.
Katie sighed "Well we so far we have jumped into Holland with the British 2nd army and stayed there for 73 Days, then been surrounded in Bastogne for 30 days, and now we are in Alsace to stop the Germans, this old war was mighty rough at times"
Mia sipped the last of her glass with her drink in it "I think we are getting there, I think we might make it through and I can't wait to go back home, I miss my brothers"
Katie smiled "I…" Before she could continue, Winters and a platoon from Fox Company barged through the door.
"Captain Hendrick" Winters shouted
Katie got on her feet "Yeah what we got, what happened?"
The lieutenant who had led the patrol answered, "We ran into a German strongpoint, machine guns and mortars…one killed six wounded"
Mia, Dani and Katie got to work, it took most of the night and by the time they were done they were exhausted. Katie walked towards second battalion HQ, she was tired and she needed to see and feel Winters. If she had her way, she would never leave his side again. Katie knew she had to talk about what had happened to her in Bastogne and Dani had tried to get her to open up, but she wasn't ready to talk yet.
Katie found Dani, Speirs, Lane, Nixon and the man she was dying to see at the HQ. She could hear someone talking and then someone laughing. Katie opened the door and walked in; she discovered why her friends were laughing. The army had finally send them winter shoe packs, arctic socks, felt insoles and six thousand yards of white cloth, enough to make two thousand snowsuits.
"We could have used them six weeks ago in Bastogne," Winters mumbled
Dani who had been feeling up Speirs "Just be glad we got them at all, they could have shipped it to the pacific" Dani got on her feet and Speirs followed. She walked over and hugged Katie "We are still going to talk"
Katie nodded "Yeah, I know"
Lane looked at Winters and Katie, they both looked tired and Lane knew they needed some peace and quiet "Nix Babe let's go"
Nixon started to protest, but then he realized what Lane was doing "Yeah let's go"
Winters looked up from the pile of paper on his desk "Nix are we heading out tomorrow?"
Nixon confirmed and Winters sighed, he was in dire need of some competent officers His S1 was ok, But his S2 who was Welsh was not yet back, he had no S3 because sink had snatched Nixon up to regiment after Hester had been promoted and appointed division G2. His S4 had wandered off the line at Noville and been AWOL since.
Winters put in a battlefield commission for Lipton and Sink approved.
Katie leaned against Winters desk and watched him work for a while, Winters finally looked up "Why don't you go to bed, sweetheart you look like you could need a good night's sleep"
Katie hugged Winters "You know what? You look like you need some sleep to" Katie took the papers Winters held in his right hand and put them on the desk. She turned down the lights and dragged Winters back to his bedroom. Katie closed the door and locked it.
"I need you to make love to me" Katie walked over and started to unbutton Winters shirt.
Winters was happy to oblige and he undressed Katie slowly and laid her down on the bed "Are you absolutely sure" He asked her.
Katie nodded, she wanted him and she needed intimacy.
A little while later after Katie had her head on Winters chest, winters was gently stroking Katie's upper arm. Katie scooted closer to him and sighed, "I love you, you do know that right?" Katie looked up at Winters
Winters kissed the top of Katie's head "I know, I love you too Honey, but Katie you have to talk about Bastogne and if you won't talk to me, then talk to Dani or Lane or whoever, just don't keep it in, I can tell it's eating at you"
Katie gently kissed Winters hand "I will, I promise"
…..
The next day 506th moved to Haguenau. Sink deployed the regiment forward with first battalion on the left and second on the right. third battalion went into reserve and they got some much-needed rest.
Rolling into Haguenau, Easy was greeted by a familiar face. Webster returned from the hospital, he was walking from truck to truck asking about men who had been killed or wounded, he stopped by first platoon's truck and attempted to climb on board.
Dani looked at him "Where the fuck have you been?"
"The hospital" Webster replied
"You must have liked that hospital, we left Holland four months ago," Liebgott told Webster.
"I wasn't there the whole time, there was rehabilitation and the replacement depot" Webster started
Dani coughed, turned and looked at Webster with red eyes "I am sure you tried to bust out and help us in Bastogne"
"I don't know, how I would have done that, Ma'am," Webster said
"Funny, because a lot of other men found a way" Dani looked at Webster with murder in her eyes.
Dani turned and shuddered; she had pneumonia and was freezing and shaking. Dani looked over at Foley "Foley…"
The young lieutenant knew Dani wanted to get rid of Webster "Second platoon Webster"
The truck stopped and the platoon and Webster jumped off "Spread out until I know where we are going" Malarkey ordered.
A shell went flying over the platoon. Malarkey just stopped and looked at it. Webster threw himself to the ground, Malarkey turned and looked at him "what's wrong Webster, nervous in the service"
Malarkey smirked and turned around; Webster got on his feet, "no sorry" 
"Come on Webster let's go talk to captain Speirs" Malarkey walked towards the CP and Webster followed him.
"Captain Speirs, what happened to Captain Winters?" Webster asked him
"He is running the whole Battalion now" Malarkey shrugged and opened the door to the CP
The CP. was bustling; Luz was fussing over Lipton. Luz looked at Dani and motioned for her to sit down on the couch Lipton was sitting on. Dani sat down and sighed.
Speirs came walking in to the room "Will the two of you go and sack out there are some beds with fresh sheets in the back"
Lipton coughed and started to get up from the couch "Just trying to make myself useful"
Dani got on her feet she was a little unsteady and when she tried to take a step her legs gave away under her, she let out a small shriek, Speirs turned around and picked her up and threw her over his shoulder he carried her into a bedroom and gently laid her down on a bed
"Stay here…I am going to find Mia or Katie" Speirs gave her a stern look and Dani just nodded.
Speirs walked back down stairs and found Winters and Nixon bent over a table with maps over the area on it. Lane walked into the CP followed by two replacement lieutenants "Dick, Nix…lieutenant Fitzpatrick, Lieutenant Jones"
Winters usually took time to meet and asses the new officers, but he didn't even look up from the map when the two men walked into the room "Fitzpatrick Fox Company, jones you are with Easy dismissed"
The two young men just looked at each other and looked at Lane for directions, Lane shrugged and called for Luz "George show these two rookies to Fox and Easy"
The three men disappeared and Lane walked over to Nixon and Winters "What got the two of you so worked up?"
"Sink wants a patrol. I am going to give this one to Fox Company…Ron mind relaying the order?" Winters asked Speirs
Speirs nodded and walked out of the CP. He headed towards Fox HQ. Speirs found the lieutenant "Cox" he greeted the man
"Speirs…What can I do for you? Where is that pretty gal of yours?" Cox asked
"Sick, she's down with a nasty case of pneumonia" Speirs sat down on a chair; Cox handed him a glass of whiskey and sat down on the opposite side of the large desk.
"Pity, I like Lieutenant Hunt…you lucked out, she is something else" Cox raised his glass.
Ron raised his glass as well "She is something alright"
The two men drank in silence and Ron put down his empty glass on the desk in front of him "Sink wants a patrol and Winters want Fox to handle it"
Cox swore under his breath "Why?"
Speirs shrugged he didn't know what good the patrol would do. He walked towards the aid station; before he got there, a shell hit and killed Bill Kiehn. Speirs followed Roe to the hospital and found Mia. She was busy treating chest colds and trench foot, side effects from the month in the cold forest.
"Mia…I need you or Katie to come to battalion HQ and check out Dani and Lip, they both got pneumonia"
Mia stopped and turned around "What…Why wasn't I told"
"We've been a little busy, but now you know half an hour McKall" Speirs told Mia and hurried out of the aid station.
Mia found Katie and told her about Speirs visit. Katie handed Roe the case of plasma she was holding and packed a bag and followed Mia to HQ. When they arrived Speirs looked up from the maps, he and a handful of officers were studying and pointed towards the back.
Walking up the stairs Katie thought about the last few months, they sure been through a lot Toccoa and dry Georgia heat seemed like another life. Katie felt like war was all she knew. Dick wouldn't stay in the army or at least she didn't think he would. Katie had a nagging feeling that Dani would stay in, she had a whole new spring in her step and Dani looked like the Dani she knew from basic training.
When she opened the door to the room Dani and Lipton were in, she almost fainted, the smell of fever, dirt and sweat met her. Katie stepped in and closed the door; she looked at the two sleeping soldiers, and knew this was going to take a while.
Speirs searched the HQ, he had seen Katie and Mia walk in, but he hadn't seen either of them since. He walked upstairs and almost bumped into Mia who came walking out of a bedroom with her arms full of dirty sheets and clothes.
"How are they doing?" He asked her
Mia stopped and looked at Speirs, He looked like he aged five years in the last two months "They are ok, they are clean and Katie just poured them both a big snaps and they just need to sleep"
Speirs shook his head "Snaps, is that the best you can do, they need penicillin and real medicine, not alcohol…I can't even…"
Mia dropped the dirty clothes on the floor and pointed at Speirs "Hey that is the love of my life in there and I trust Katie, so get your shit together Speirs and go scare some replacements" Mia picked up the laundry and stomped of mumbling something about how Speirs was a son of a bitch.
Well that went well Speirs thought and knocked on the door; he pushed the door open and looked at Dani and Lip. They were sleeping and Dani did look a lot better so maybe Mia was right.
….
The next morning news of what had happened with the replacement officer from Fox Company spread through the CP. Cox had let Fitzpatrick go on the patrol and he had stepped on a schue mine and died from shock and blood loss.
Winters ripped Cox a new one, but he was also upset with himself, he shouldn't have let Fitzpatrick join Fox without speaking to him first.
Katie found Winters at the battalion HQ. Winters was frustrated on a number of levels, He had been acting battalion commander for a while, but he was still only a Captain which placed him at a disadvantage when decisions needed to be made involving other battalions in the division. He was pissed at Cox and at himself.
"Dick…you can't blame yourself, it will eat at you" Katie put her arms around Winters and hugged him
Winters hugged her back "I know…"
Winters didn't get to say anymore, outside they heard the tell-tale sounds of someone fighting and then Dani's voice "You are a sorry excuse for a company commander you son of a bitch, that boy's death is on you"
Someone responded and then they heard Dani yelling" Let go of me, sergeant Talbert, let me go"
Katie and Winters ran outside, they noticed Speirs coming running as well and Talbert holding Dani back.
Speirs took Dani from Talbert and dismissed Cox. Katie just looked at Dani with a look on her face that said what the hell.
Dani pulled away from Speirs. Winters Looked at Dani "Care to explain?"
"Son of bitch…Cox…Cox was there on , He could have saved me from the Germans" Dani turned and walked away
Before anyone could react, Cox was on the ground, blood running down his face from his broken nose. Everybody turned to Speirs, who just took a step back and held up his hands, signaling he didn't do anything.
"Goddamn son of a bitch…" Katie mumbled under her breath and clutched her hand to her chest; she was the one who knocked the Lieutenant to the ground. No way was he going to get away with leaving her friend to the krauts. When Katie heard what Dani said, she had gone numb and before she even knew, she was doing she felt her hand connect with Cox's face.
Winters shook his head, this was a mess, he knew he had to transfer Cox and it would be a pain to find a replacement. Winters took a look at the officers gathered in front of CP. Dani was pissed and still looked sick, Speirs looked like he was going to kill Cox, and who could blame him. Nix was grinning like an idiot
Winters sighed, "Alright…Lane take Cox to the aid station, and I will speak with him later"
He then turned around and put his arm around Katie's shoulders "Come on slugger, let's get Mia to take a look at your hand and Dani get back to bed"
Dani coughed and nodded, Speirs looked at Nixon "I'll be back in five minutes"
Nix followed Winters into the CP "I hate to break the mood, but regiment want a patrol to cross the river and grab a few prisoners"
Winters ran his hands through his hair a few times and then turned and looked at Katie. Mia was bandaging her hand and she nodded that she would be ok. Her hand was just bruised and not broken, she flexed her fingers, she would be sore for a few days, but she would still be able to operate.
Nixon and Winters stepped out of the CP, Speirs and Lane joined them
"He wants us to cross the river?" Winters asked the two S3, Lane and Nixon had been promoted right after Bastogne.
"Yeah, I bet that water is cold" Nixon said
"Should be able to get you some boats," Lane said
They all heard some shell being fired and Lane and Winters looked up at the sky.
"It had to be a full moon, so much for the cover of darkness, it's going to leave the patrol exposed" Winters was not happy.
Lane, Winters and Nixon walked back to the CP
Winter removed his helmet "Listen up, regiment want a patrol for prisoners,"
Dani who was on her way up stairs stopped, turned, and looked at Lane with her fever-glazed eyes, she wanted to know what was going on, she knew she could not lead the patrol, but she still wanted to know what was going on
Speirs looked at her "Bed… now, that's an order"
The men in the room looked at the S3 officers with a look on their faces that said why, why should we risk our lives at this point in the war.
"Hey, this one comes straight from Colonel Sink, so it's not our idea" Lane said and motioned between Nixon and herself.
Winters laid out a map across the grand piano in the room "Since the river is the main line of resistance, we are going to have to cross it to get to them," Winters told Speirs.
Speirs looked at Winters and asked, "What do we need to do?"
"There is a threes storage building on the enemy side, up the embankment, we know it's occupied, you can have fifteen men, think very hard about who you want to lead the patrol, you need a lead scout and a translator, I will have the entire battalion on recovering fire" Winters gave Speirs a stern look.
"When?" Speirs asked
"Tonight at zero one hundred"
"Yes, sir," Speirs replied.
Lane looked around the room, the men and officers all looked like they were on the verge of breaking down and she got on her feet "I'll go, I can do it, just give me the remainder of third platoon and Malarkey's second"
Speirs and Winters looked at her and the both shook their heads "No"
"I can do it, I am just not another pretty face, I got this and since it's a S3 op, I am going"
Nixon sighed; he was going to need a bottle of the VAT 69 tonight if he was going to survive Lane risking her life for the bullshit mission.
Winters looked at Speirs "I want this as safe and fooled proof as possible"
Nixon looked at him "don't take any chances on this one, we are too far along for that"
Lane turned to a replacement. Lane and Nixon hadn't had the privilege of meeting Jones yet "Who are you?" She asked him
"Lieutenant Jones, Ma'am" he answered
Lane looked at Nixon "Right our West Pointer" Nixon said
Lane looked at the lieutenant "When did you graduate" she asked him
"June 6th, Ma'am" he said
"June 6th of last year?" Lane said with a surprised look on her face
"D. Day, yes ma'am" Jones said and knew Lane had taken an instant dislike to him
Nixon and Lane let out a small laugh "ok, don't get hurt" Nixon said and pushed Lane out of the room.
Nixon led Lane outside and walked down to the river "Lane…" He started
Lane looked at Nixon, he looked as battle worn as the rest of the men and he still hadn't shaved "Don't Lew, I am doing this, I am the one here…who is most ready to do this, the rest of you need rest. I won't let them send a noncom who will fuck this up, I can do this, don't worry I will be back in no time"
Nixon hugged Lane "I know, I still don't like it though"
Lane hugged him back "I know, I will be fine"
The Men and Lane were ordered to gather at CP at 1700. Lane knew she was late, the were filling the room and they looked around to see who would be leading the patrol
The men were passing out cigarettes; the new lieutenant was standing by the door.
"No way…can't he be leading" Grant said
Babe shrugged "I don't know what they decided"
"Not on his what first day here" Grant said
"Do you see any other officers here?" Liebgott asked
Cobb, Alley and two others walked into the room. McClung looked at Cobb who was pissed
"What?" he asked
"They call you up to?" McClung asked Alley
Alley asked who was in charge of the bullshit and turned and looked at Jones, as he was going to be leading the mission.
"No he ain't" Grant replied
"Well if he ain't, it's you Chuck, shifty or Moe," Babe said
"That would be better" Liebgott said anyone would be better than the replacement officer, who would get many good men killed.
Winters walked into the room followed by Lane and Martin
"Gentlemen as you can see, we have assembled 15 of you for the prisoner snatch tonight at 01.00, just a couple of points…we have secured four rubber boats to get you across the . Captain Easterday will lead the patrol" Winters told the men
The men let out a collective sigh, they would have someone who knew what they were doing leading them.
Winters went on " The whole battalion will cover your withdraw, identifying target and plan fire for them, when we hear these whistles we open up fire so don't blow them until you're back in the boat with your prisoners"
Winters went on to explain the technicalities of the mission and finally dismissed the men
Lane walked back to the house that housed the men who were going on the patrol. The men were preparing. Lane took of her helmet and looked around the room "Ok remember nothing shines and nothing rattles"
Lane looked around at the men in the basement not a single word was spoken, every man was preparing for what was a head and each of them wondered if they would make it back. The Patrol was unnecessary in Lane's opinion and the only thing they would accomplish was to get one or more of the veterans killed.
Each of them were sitting in silence, deep in thought. Some were praying, some were repeating the objective for the mission over and over again
Half an hour before they were set to off from the riverbank, Lane got on her feet "Come on boys let's get this snafu patrol over and done with"
The men got on their feet, picked up their weapons and shuffled out of the basement and towards the riverbank. Along the way, their fellow company members greeted them
Lane got in the first boat, the rest of the men followed, and they set off towards the enemy side of the river.
A couple of men fell in the river and the patrol was now short three men.
When they landed on the opposite bank Lane spread out her men, the sound of beating hearts, ragged breaths were deafening, and the tension was palpable.
Lane stopped for 30 seconds and got her shit together and then moved the patrol forward
Jackson, sweet young innocent Jackson, threw a grenade into the building and stepped in the door before it exploded.
He was screaming in agony. Webster yelled at the Germans, it was complete chaos and Lane had a hard time getting her men back to the boats.
Lane wanted to be the last one in the boat and she urged her men on, just before she stepped back in the boat a shot rang out.
Lane felt like something tore through her chest and she fell face first down into the boat, the men started to scream and a prisoner who the men thought wouldn't make it, got left on the shore.
"Shit" Martin mumbled when he felt Lane fall across his lap. Then he felt Lane's warm blood on his fingers, this wasn't good, this wasn't good at all.
Once back on their own side of the river, the men carried Lane and Jackson back to the basement. On their way there, Mia joined them and she ran alongside Lane's stretcher, she tried to get the men to carry Lane and Jackson to the hospital, but the men were panicking, there was no reasoning with them.
"Roe" Mia called out once they were inside the basement.
Doc started to treat Jackson, but he knew he was a goner. Roe turned to Mia "How is she doing?" he asked Mia
Mia removed the blanket and when she saw what they were dealing with, she knew it was only a matter of time before Lane would bleed out, she motioned for Spina to help her and they got Lane to the aid station.
"Katie…Doc, we need you" Mia called out.
Katie came running down the hall; she looked at Lane's wound and knew she had to operate on Lane at the aid station and if it was serious enough, she had to be transferred to a MASH unit.
….
Nixon and Winters heard the shot and ran toward the building where the men were gathered. A group carrying someone on a stretcher ran past the two officers. When the two officers entered the basement, the men became quiet and they all turned and looked at Winters.
Winters removed his helmet "Who got hurt?" Winters asked
Martin looked up at Winters and then his eyes shifted to Nixon, his eyes were misty "Jackson was KIA…and the Captain, Lane she…was wounded, she took one to the lung" Martin said
The sound of a helmet hitting the floor broke the dead silence in the basement "No, No, Nooooo" Nixon repeated the word repeatedly and before anyone could say anything Nixon ran out of the basement.
Winters followed his friend out of the basement, he saw Nixon running towards the aid station and Winters followed. Winters ran past Speirs and asked him to follow him.
Nixon burst through the doors and looked around, he headed for the room where could hear Katie barking orders.
A pair of strong hands stopped him "Sir…please don't make me force you out of here" Lipton looked at Nixon.
Nixon tried to push past the first sergeant, but Winters and Speirs stopped him "Nix don't" Winters told his friend and forced Nixon down onto a chair.
An hour later, most Easy Company was at the aid station or had dropped by at one time to check if there was any news. Nixon had not said anything he was drinking himself numb. Speirs and winters flanked him, so he wouldn't cause any problems. Dani had gone back to bed, she was still sick, the snaps and strudel hadn't cured her as it had Lipton.
Katie and a young medic, who had only been a month away from finishing his surgical internship, were working on Lane. The Captain was a tough one and Katie knew if it had been anyone else, the person would have been dead by now.
After what seemed like days, but had been hours they closed up and Katie knew it was up to God and Lane now, she had done what she could.
Katie thanked the medic, who just gave her a small tired smile. Katie walked out of the impromptu OP, and saw the people gathered there. Her eyes sought out Winters, he looked at her, she nodded, and Winters let out a breath.
Nixon looked and tried to get on his feet, but was unable to stand on his own, Speirs had to support him "How is she?" Nixon asked
Katie gave Nixon a small smile "She…it's up to god and Lane now…just be gentle when you go back there"
Nixon stumbled towards the back. Winters stopped "Nix…Lew go sleep I'll watch her for you"
Nixon knew Winters was right, he knew Lane would kill him if she saw him now "Yeah…just let me know if something happens"
Winters nodded "I will, don't worry"
….
Dani had enough of staying in bed and she decided to find Speirs, she found him by the river
She arrived at the same time as Sink and Colonel Harper of the 327th glider infantry regiment.
Sink had a little too much to drink and he ordered Winters to dispatch another patrol to capture additional prisoners.
Nixon and Winters exchanged a confused look, the order made absolutely no sense, Winters decided to ignore the order.
A second patrol would only result in additional casualties. The freshly fallen snow along the riverbanks turned into ice in no time during the day, which meant the Germans would hear the patrol a mile away.
Winters just said yes sir.
Winters looked at Nixon "Why the hell did he want another patrol?"
"Well the two prisoners you snatched talked about everything, OB, supply trouble, Hitler's favorite color, nothing that gets us across the river, I don't what to tell you Dick" Nixon shrugged.
Nixon told Winters "Well, Sinks been on the horn all day bragging and now he wants to show off, you gave him a successful patrol and now he wants another"
Winter let out a spiteful laugh "Successful"
They were so close to the ending and men were still dying.
Speirs came up to the small group "Dick the men are mustered, I am ready to brief them, same rooster as last night, well almost, well mostly"
"No, No I'll do it" Dick turned and walked toward the building
….
Winters gathered the men "Listen up, Colonel Sink wants another patrol tonight" Winters said
The men let out a collective groan, Winters went on to brief the men about the patrol
"Won't we be changing the plan at all?" Martin asked him
"We will be crossing at 02.00 instead of 01.00," Winters said.
There was a loud thud and Winters looked at his watch "The outpost we hit last night just went up in Smoke, tomorrow I will hand Sink a report stating we were unable to secure any prisoners, look alive we are moving of line"
Winters looked at the men "Get good night's sleep"
Winters turned and looked at Lipton "A word first sergeant" Winters motioned for Lipton to follow him.
Speirs turned and looked at Lieutenant Jones "Jones, join us at the company CP"
"Congratulations, you are here by discharged from the US Army and awarded a battlefield commission" Winters handed Lipton a set of second lieutenants bars.
Mia, who had been called to CP, came running thru the room and threw herself at Lipton "Congrats C, you so deserve it"
She then turned and looked Welsh, who had returned to the company "Harry, didn't expect to see you back so soon, I was expecting you, to nurse that scratch of yours for another month or two" she said and hugged Welsh, who picked her off the floor.
"No, I couldn't live without you anymore" Welsh said and winked at Mia.
Winters turned to Lieutenant Jones, "Regiment has seen fit to promote you to first lieutenant, congratulations they want you on their staff"
Jones shook Winters hand; Jones knew the battalion commander wanted him gone, because he couldn't use an inexperienced combat leader
Easy Company was moving on. Lane would not be going with them and Nixon was drinking himself stupid every night.
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dinoraur24 · 2 years ago
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Love in War - Prologue ------------------------------------------------ Duty After School Fanfic
Wang Tae Man x Fem!OC
Summary:
The Sunshine of 3-2 didn't expect her senior year to end up in the military during an alien apocalypse…
Hwang Ha-Yun was born to have a bright personality. Her name means sun after all. Everyone calls her the 'Sunshine of 3-2'. Mostly everyone gets along with her until she reaches her boiling point where her temper could be as hot as the sun.
Wang Tae Man, the class clown of 3-2, has been her partner in crime since the fateful day she moved next door. They've been inseparable ever since.
With an alien apocalypse added into the mix and traumas resurfaced, what will happen to their relationship? And will they be able to survive? Warning: I will not use Korean unless it is slang or cursing or titles wtv. Cuz Korean isn't my first language. So see it as subtitles. [560 words] [Other Chapters] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hwang Ha-Yun did not like shooting.
“Yah, Ha-Yun-ah! There’s an alien on your right!” shouted Wang Tae Man. He pointed to an alien creature that was making its way to her.
Ha-Yun quickly tried to aim at the creature. If she missed the shot, she’d be dead.
“Please please please let me get this one,” she mumbled to herself. She took a deep breath. A bead of sweat was threatening to trickle down her temple.
She aimed…
She pulled the trigger…
And missed.
‘You Died’ was displayed on the screen.
“Awww,” Ha-Yun groaned as she placed back the gun on the holder. She watched how the alien stabbed her character repeatedly. That made her squirm and look away. She swore she could’ve gotten it if she wasn’t such a bad shot. Shooting games were never her thing. Too much killing. She only played the shooting ones because of her best friend's pleading.
Tae Man ruffled her dark hair. He was a whole head taller than her. And with that fact, he would always take every opportunity to tease her 160 cm-ness. He’d use her head as an armrest from time to time, he’d comically bend his knees just to be on the same eye level as her, and he’d especially love stealing her stuff and holding it high in the air. She, of course, ends up jumping on him to get it. “It’s ok, Shorty. At least you outlived me.”
Ha-Yun smacked his hand away and glared at him. “Yah, you’re ruining my hair.”
A familiar glint appeared in his eyes that Ha-Yun absolutely loved but despised at the same time. He messed her hair more with both of his hands and pinched her cheeks. “But you look so cute.”
A not-so-foreign heat crept up her neck. She had never felt it before moving to high school. But their dynamic seemed to change a bit when they became teenagers. They were still thick as thieves, of course. But there was something there that wasn’t there before. He’d flirt with her and she too would do it back. And some of their touches could feel so intimate. But Ha-Yun always pushed the feelings away, not wanting to risk it. Tae Man was her anchor. God knows, what’d happen if he’s gone from her side.
So, she did what any normal best friend would do in this situation. Kicked his legs hard.
“Yah, Hwang Ha-Yun!” he shouted as he grabbed the throbbing leg.
Ha-Yun laughed and sprinted away. Not long after, Tae Man started chasing her, and off they went home after a long day at the arcade.
Their houses were right next to each other. With only a big tree separating them in the middle. So, their dads built them a treehouse connecting to their room windows. It made it 10 times easier to annoy each other. Ha-Yun would always remember how they met.
Ha-Yun moved there when she was six years old after her dad remarried. She met Tae Man while unpacking in her room. He was shouting for her from his room window across hers. When she finally opened her own, he shouted, “Hi! I’m Wang Tae Man! Who are you?”
The little girl with pigtails shouted back with waving arms. “I’m Hwang Ha-Yun!”
“That’s a pretty name! Can I call you Sunny?”
And they were inseparable ever since.
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temperedgods · 11 months ago
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Part 1 Chapter 7
I'm pretty sure that last week or the week before I mentioned it being close to the end. Well this starts on pg 92 and the end is around pg 160. Probably shouldn't have said it. But this part I like, really begins to tie in the rest of the world from the little adventure that's been going on. Also the bard is very much being the bard here.
The ride was long enough for everyone to get in some sleep, despite the rough road conditions. While the city of Cherryville was quite beautiful, especially during this time of year with all of the trees blooming, it would have to wait for later as the caravan pulled down into an unnaturally foggy valley filled with dragon bones and an intimidating stone tower.
The caravan stopped and everyone stumbled out of their rides. Lawrence ordered the drivers to stay back as Charlie quickly gave them some autographs. The group marched to the front door of the tower, two stone dragons guarding each monstrous wooden door of the tower.
Lawrence casually handed Morgan a heavy caliber pistol.
“You know I don’t like using guns.” Morgan quipped.
“You know I wouldn’t give it to you unless it was important.”
Morgan took the gun and readied it.
Joseph also had a gun, a heavy caliber revolver.
“Joseph, you have a gun?” Jordan asked.
“Of course I have a gun! Sometimes magic doesn’t cut it! Let's kill this guy so I can get back to my cube.”
“Could you get the door for us Joseph?” Lawrence asked him.
“Right right, stand back and let me take care of this.”
Joseph didn’t use something like a fireball to obliterate the door or perhaps rot to  disintegrate it but rather a simple heavy force spell that shattered the door into fine splinters. Without missing a beat all of them stepped forward and began firing into the tower, at a dragon with Naturius on its back.
The dragon had bright white scales and intense magma red eyes that glowed even in bright daylight. Its huge wings were held tightly behind its back and four fingered claws that could rip a house apart without resistance.
The hail of gunfire did nothing to the dragon as Naturius laughed behind its magic shield.
“Glad you all could come and see my official coronation as I, King Naturius, clean this land of the living.” Naturius snapped his fingers. “Mufon, men, take care of them, I have work to do.”
Naturius looked terrible. He’d been shot multiple times in the past day and previously slashed in the face by a dagger. But clerics had done their best to heal him before this encounter. Despite this he looked even worse than all of the sleep deprived members of the group.
His men and his serpent dragon descended upon the group, however Joseph wasn’t having this. With an interesting spell that reloaded all of their weapons, and a fireball, the group gained an upper hand. But this slaying of the serpent dragon and The Dismayed yielded Naturius time to escape with his new dragon, smashing through the top of the tower and flying out into the distance.
The dust settling the group looked upon the pile of corpses they had created.
“I do not like having killed an endangered species.” Lucan mumbled.
“Not getting any disagreements here my friend.” Morgan acknowledged.
Morgan crouched down by Mufon and said a small prayer, hoping that the dragon would be judged nicely by Grimbergen and Ikos.
It was here when everything that has occurred in the past two days finally caught up to everyone. Gunfire, the encounter with possibly the last vampire in existence, the mind breaking spells that said their friends were actually ready to cut their skin off, the multiple deities certainly angered, came to a head right here in a cursed tower.
Lucan stared hard into the distance while Kracak wondered how she even made it this far.
Jordan almost crumpled onto the stony floor if not saved by Malan and Riley, as they all had realized the multiple times of near death experiences.
Lawrence considered for a moment that maybe it was time for retirement.
Morgan closed the eyes of the lifeless Mufon and pulled the talisman out of his pocket. He raised the talisman high into the air, pointing at the stone statue of the other dragon. 
“Great dragon of Lunaren I call for your aid!” He yelled as his voice echoed through the tower. Everyone felt a stir in the tower.
“We are in desperate times and the followers of the goddess of darkness. Those who scurry through the night, who raise themselves to the light of the moon, we call for your aid now!” The stir turned to a tremble.
“For those who cannot fight for themselves, blinded by the light of day, we need YOU!”
The trembling stopped, then the statue erupted, throwing stone and dust everywhere revealing the dragon who slept within it.
Its scales were matte black, almost absorbing light. Wings extending out and ocean blue eyes that could light a whole room.
Morgan stared directly into the dragon’s gaze and it spoke to him telepathically.
“I am Corlyx, champion of Lunaren. I thank you for releasing me and I ask what my orders are.” Kracak rose and addressed the dragon.
“I am a follower of Lunaren and I am blessed to be in the presence of her champion.”
Corlyx angled her head.
“Then why is this follower of Polotos the one who summoned me?”
“I uh, actually haven’t really followed her in some time.” Morgan muttered.
“Wonderful! I shall show you the ways of Lunaren.”
“Sure, but we need you to deal with your half-sibling. Was here about 5 minutes ago and split with the guy who summoned them.”
“Of course it’s always Garrick who is stirring up trouble! I will help you in stopping him but I believe there are some others outside that I sensed as I was unleashed from my tomb.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow and turned to the group.
“Giant dragon says there are some people outside.”
“Are they friendly?” Charlie asked after finishing a nip of rum he had in a flask.
“Don’t know but they haven’t come inside so who’s to say?”
Morgan quickly realized Jordan had collapsed and rushed over to see them being tended to by Malan. Riley was also helping by giving her something to lay back on.
“Jordan, all of us really, have been running on fumes.” Malan explained. “I think they’ll be fine but it’s time we got a proper rest that’s not on a train or the back of a military vehicle.”
Morgan nodded to the affirmative and got back up to go investigate their visitors.
Save for Malan, Riley and Jordan, the group opened the door to see who was there. A cohort of violet robed individuals stood outside, the drivers looking on in confusion.
“Aw shit it’s them.” Joseph said glumly. He stepped forward and raised his voice. “Look guys we’re on a bit of a timetable here so if we could get moving we can get back to saving the world or whatever.”
The individuals responded by raising their right hands to eye level. Each hand cast a yellow beam that hit Joseph, dropping him and taking a tumble down the steps.
“Joseph!” Morgan yelled, being stopped in their place by another spell. Standing motionless, all of them unable to cast or raise weapons, the figure in the middle pulled his hood down.
It was Luther Armsworth, the head member of the council of mages. The others revealed themselves as the other members of the council.
“Your actions have not gone unnoticed by us and the crown, spellcasters. Your presence is demanded by the king, immediately.” Luther announced. He snapped his fingers and a door between their plane and that of Ykasha formed. He and the council members went through the portal and pulled the frozen group through with them.
No one directly watched but they heard Riley trying to quickly follow behind before the door rudely closed in front of him.
Riley barked indignantly and dispelled his bound quarterstaff. He turned and saw Joseph slowly getting up. He rushed over to help him get on his feet.
Joseph rubbed his head and groaned at the bruises he got from taking the tumble down the steps. He looked to Riley, who smiled his big dog smile. He patted Riley on the head
“Thanks bud. If you'll excuse me I have some murdering, er, business, to attend to with the mage’s council.”
Joseph looked straight up and flew high into the sky. Riley watched on as the wizard flew out of sight before seeing Malan and Jordan come out from the tower.
“Where did they go?” Malan asked Riley. He barked unsure, not knowing where the rest were taken. Jordan rubbed their head and answered.
“I think I heard Luther from the mage council. So probably the capital?”
“Do you think the dragon would take us there? It would take a while for those guys to drive us there.”
“Wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
Malan turned back and approached Corlyx.
“Ah, a follower of Mikaela. Yours and mine are quite good friends.” Corlyx announced telepathically to Malan.
“I’m glad to hear that. Could we get a lift from you? Morgan, the one who freed you, just got snatched up by some creepy old guy and his sycophants who are taking them to the capital, Gregora.”
Corlyx dipped her head down to Malan’s level.
“I believe I could help with this request.”
Riley had seen this as a perfect opportunity. He bolted straight to Corlyx and gave her a head pat. Malan giggled at the sight.
“An Anthu. It has been a long time since I have met one of these powerful warriors.” “And he’ll also be going with us too. Also my friend Jordan too.”
Corlyx looked over to Jordan, still gathering their breath.
“I can sense you two-” “Yeah more than friends, I know.”
Corlyx raised her head and extended out a large claw. The 3 hopped on and the dragon exited through the same hole Garrick and Naturius had done so earlier.
The group was spat out in front of the king’s court. Luther ushered them out of the doorway as the rest of the mages took another door to their chambers that sat on the opposite side of the king’s castle.
The hall was royally furnished, exotic wood from Atrocostas with fancy designs carved or burned into their surfaces with expert cut jewels and shiny metal adorning it. 
The king, Gregory the 8th, sat idly on his throne. Rather than in a cape, gilded silks, and a scepter, Gregory had on sports wear of tan shorts and a light blue breathable t-shirt. He had been quickly informed of this meeting and could not get time to get his fashion brigade to get him changed in time.
“You have been called here today for your paramilitary actions on Talmin soil, wanton destruction of ancient sites, and chaos within our most vital port city.” Luther announced.
“Paramilitary?” Charlie yelled “Wanton destruction? Look pal I don’t know what you see through your crystal ball but we were trying to stop that shit from happening. I just shot a dragon who breathes thunderstorms on the college and you think we’re the bad guys?!”
Luther saw the druid and the celebrity Charlie was.
“I do not take answers from Druids, or has beens.” Luther sneered.
Charlie took one step forward and began to draw his saber before Lucan and Morgan held him back.
“Luther!” The king announced, echoing through the court. Luther slowly turned to his highness. “This is not your interrogation. I asked you to bring them here and that is all. You will excuse yourself back to your council and I will debrief you afterwards. Do I make myself clear?” Luther cursed under his breath.
“I understand clearly.” Luther answered and then marched out of the court. The giant wooden door chattering as he slammed the door shut.
The king stood up from his throne and walked down the steps. He investigated each of them before finally walking forward again and reached out for a hug from Lawrence. “It has been so long my friend!” He announced in a much cheerful voice. Lawrence stepped up and returned the hug.
“I must plan another hunt for us to go on in the near future. Our last trek through the Giant’s Pass was wonderful!”
“It sure was Greg.”
“I do apologize for the Mages. We hadn’t gotten word that Northwin was already aiding you, I only got that information a minute before you arrived. If I had known that I would have had them airlift you here instead of taking that path through Ykasha.”
“We had already taken the path once. It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Nonsense I will make sure that they’re informed of this blunder in communication. And one thing they didn’t communicate with me is why you have been taking these actions. So, what has been going on Lawrence?”
“The Dismayed are here again Greg.”
Greg took a deep and long sigh. A few years wore on his already creased face.
“I was hoping this was just improper communication about some training you were doing. Not some cult trying to bring the end of the world, your bread and butter.”
Lawrence nodded along.
“I will contact Northwin and they will give you all the resources you need to stop them. And Lawrence, when you are finished with this, I would like for you to really consider having your operations under the purview of the crown. So we don’t have issues like this again. I will extend this offer to your, uh, recruits.”
Greg gestured towards the rest of the group.
“Please see yourself out as I have a match to finish. Take care of yourselves. And it is good to see you’re alive Charlie”
Lucan opened the door and they followed a path pointed out by the King’s guard. They were a collection of soldiers and spellcasters, some of the few combatants not on the Northwin payroll.
The giant gates of the castle opened and revealed the sprawling metropolis of Gregora. The castle and the mage’s council looked quaint amongst the steel highrises and brownstones that littered the city.
Joseph landed in front of the group shortly after they emerged from the castle
“Hey guys, gonna go kill the mage’s council, wanna see?”
“Absolutely!” Charlie yelped. Lawrence grabbed him by the shoulder.
“No, no murdering the mages Joseph. We have things figured out and you aren’t going to ruin those plans, Joseph.” Lawrence announced.
Joseph grumbled and remembered what else he had to say.
“Right the two clerics and the cute dog took Corlyx and they should be here any moment now. See, right there.” Joseph pointed in the sky as the entire city looked up and saw a giant black dragon fly over the city and land in an open lot.
The group rushed to the parking lot and heard car alarms go off from Corlyx’s heavy landing.
She had already dropped her 3 passengers off as they waited for their friends to regroup. Morgan greeted Jordan and Riley with a large hug between them.
“Are you alright?” Morgan asked Jordan.
“I’m fine, just still feeling exhausted. What about you, are you okay?”
“Yeah the mages didn’t roughen us up or anything. Joseph is feeling back to his usual self, albeit very angry at the council.”
“I would imagine.” Morgan pulled in for another hug and as he did so he looked to Malan. He mouthed ‘thank you’ to her as she smiled back. 
He pulled away and looked up to their dragon friend casually observing the city.
“Christon looks much different than when I saw it last.” She said to the group telepathically.
Except Lawrence and her three recent passengers, the group was confused.
“Right, Corylyx hadn’t known the name was changed with Gregory 1st. She’s been asleep long enough it was still run by the Christopher lineage.” Malan explained.
“Wow.” Charlie exclaimed. 
Corlyx quickly turned to him.
“Another champion in my sight. The one of the natural form, Janall. I am blessed by your presence.”
“Well it is always nice to meet another champion. There is Lawrence here who holds the title of the Mikaela bloodline. He’s a bit of a wet blanket but you're quite the sight to behold.”
Lawrence shot daggers at Charlie.
“We have many hunts under the moonlight and love the creatures who find solace in the nightlight.” Lucan raised an eyebrow and whispered to Kracak.
“I think Charlie is trying to flirt with the dragon.”
Kracak cracked up in laughter at the realization.
“Okay Charlie!” Morgan spoke up. “I believe you and Corlyx will have a lot of time later to speak about the night. But for now we probably need to find a place for you to stay while we get final preparations underway.”
“Ooh!” Joseph yelped. “I got a guy who can help with that.” Morgan turned.
“You do?”
“Of course I do, let me give him a call.”
Joseph prepared a 2 way message spell with some rolled up paper and copper wire. After a moment he got his contact to pick up.
“Yo what’s up?” 
“Yeah I can imagine. Listen, I have a bit of a problem with storing a dragon, could you help with that? One of the ones from the tower out by Cherryville.”
“Really? You want that?” Joseph stood for a moment pondering the barter. “Alright fine you can have it.”
“Fine whatever, see ya.” Joseph hung up.
“Alright he’ll help out, but it’s only me, the dragon, and Morgan that goes to this exchange.”
“We can get a place to stay while you go out!” Charlie replied. “I know a nice bed and breakfast that can lodge all of us.”
Without thinking Charlie began walking away towards his place with the rest following.
Joseph turned to Morgan and let him in on the situation, but only just barely.
“You’re way out of your depth with what’s about to happen, let me do the talking.”
He looked up to Corlyx.
“Take your friend and just follow me to where we need to go, okay Corlyx? It should be pretty quick.”
Corlyx nodded and knelt to give Morgan a ride.
After a quick ride out in the middle of nowhere Joseph stopped at a ravine with two people waiting at the top. The group landed and saw a human in a silver robe with a well kept goatee, jet black hair, and intimidating green eyes. With him was a Halcyon, an offshoot of the guardians of Ykasha who came to the world of Omnus for a much different life. Her skin was a pinkish violet, a long tail, silver hair that complimented her companion’s robe, and disarming light blue eyes.
“So, the one who summoned Lunaren’s dragon was a paladin?” The man announced.
“Sure did, now can you help us out with the dragon?”
“Sure. This is a freebie but I can give your dragon a bit of a boost in battle as well, given she’s about to throw down with her half brother I would assume they’re evenly matched.”
Joseph eyed him.
“Why give us this?”
“Because I am a caring person Joseph, why else? Maybe I wanna see those Dismayed creeps get what’s coming to them.”
Joseph never mentioned The Dismayed once.
“Fine, here.” Joseph held out a small canvas bag and was quickly snatched and stuffed inside the man’s pocket.
“Do you have the object that summoned the dragon?”
Morgan shook his head yes and pulled out the talisman. The man whistled.
“Wow, didn’t know that’s what that was for. I always thought it was some old trinket. Well anyways.”
The man held a scroll in one hand and casted with his other. A dark fog emerged from his hand and entered the talisman.
“There you go, now you can store your dragon in there for future use rather than holding it inside a giant stone statue. I will give a warning, that thing is now under a lot of pressure so don’t drop it or the world will probably, almost definitely, cease to exist.” Morgan’s eyes widened as he carefully slid it back into his pocket. The Halcyon chuckled at his reaction.
“Well, it hasn’t been a pleasure Joseph. Don’t ever contact me again.” “Oh you know I will. Morgan, let’s go.”
Morgan eyed the man as he turned away. The Halcyon gave him a wink and turned away with him.
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theology101 · 11 months ago
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I WANT TO SHOW YOU GUYS THE SHIPS I DREW
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This is the Jefferson-Class Battleship! She’s the largest class (in tonnage - the Tartarus is longer) available to the United Nations of Terra and Venus. Designed by Cai, Patel and Johnson inc. her primary weapon would be that massive Category-9 Coilgun (160 meters by 4.5 meters tungsten-titanium rounds accelerated to a significant percentage of Light speed) and 4 Cat-6 (84 meters by 3 meters) coilguns, she is a behemoth, especially with her compliment of 48 fighters and 12 bombers to bat for her in scraps.
The most important one in my story is the Moscow, commanded by Admiral Aleksandra Sokolov-Meyer, her first officer is Captain Thomas Hitch, navigations, sensors, weapons and comms officers (and also Aleksandra’s cast during her pov chapters) are Commanders Eliot ‘Ellie’ Swan, Sean Keynes, Aurora ‘Rory’ Margrave, and Alfonso Mendez.
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These are the Zeus-Class Destroyer (on top) and the Himalaya-Class carrier (on the bottom)
The Zeus-Class is 375 meters of basically pure gun with a box taped on the bottom for storage. Built around a a Category-9 Coilgun (160 meters by 4.5), with a massive quad reactor in the rear, she’s what Olympian Industries is known for - focussing as much firepower as possible in as small of a package possible, hence the relatively low fighter counts, 24 fighters and 12 bombers.
The Himalaya-Class carrier (285 meters long) is, like all Monarch’s (or if you’re a grandpa and still call them Nnandi-Eze) ships are generalists. This model of Himalaya, specifically the ‘North Face’ model, has installed more weaponry and armor, with 2 Cat-4s, 2 Cat-3s and 4 cat 2s added. But her 60 fighters and 24 bombers make her dangerous.
Why did I tell you about both at the same time, why its because I wanted to tell you about the Freebird!
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Commanded by the Pirate Prince Marcus St. Pierre Delacroix the Benevolent, she looks like a Zeus and Himalaya forged together, right? While not completely, the hump is different but… it pretty much is. Delacroix was a pilot under Aleksandra (Back when she was just a Captain) but was shot down into the Asteroid belt where he’s found by a family of farmers and saved.
Fyi, you can breath on certain parts of the Asteroid belt where there is artificial atmosphere, and grass etc connecting asteroids so birds can fly between
Anyways, the family are sympathizers to the Free Belt Party, which advocates for either the representation in UNTAV or complete seperation. Regardless, they want colonial rule to end. Delacroix becomes a sympathizer pretty damn quick and it takes A Single (1) incident to make Delacroix go pirate. He gets captured after causing some issues, low scale stuff, but his friends and family have enough nepotism and political power to get him pardoned. He’s being taken from the naval base on Ceres back to Earth to face formal trial (and it was planned, that he’d be absolved).
But the second he got a chance, he and some more, much more recent friends, are able to seize control of the bridge - seriously maiming his friend and long time ally Sean Keynes (“Oh I could never kill you… but I can’t have you causing problems and you need working fingers to use a keyboard. And you really won’t want to see this, so I’ll take an eye first.”) and take the ship. Where do you take it, why you take it to a Monarch Shipyard where you ‘Hold them Up’ and ‘forced’ them to graft the chasis of a mostly complete ship. Except twist! CEO Benjamin Adedeyo Nnandi or Monarch was one of the main conspirators in helping Marcus! He just told his boys to do it quick and pretend Marcus threatened them (he actually just did threaten them)
The Freebird is 525 meters long, built around a Cat 9 coilgun, with 84 fighters and 36 Bombers. With the weaponry and the insane amount of fighters lets the Freebird punch above her weightclass.
Anyways guys, what have you been up to recently? It’s been just this for me
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boyakishantriage · 2 years ago
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"that's it?" Stated the woman, hardly paying attention as she fiddled with the engine. They'd been stuck on this planet for a while now, the ship's engine repurposed into a motor vehicle the human had somehow rigged up, "Gotta spit the excess out somewhere, and I don't wanna run out of flares so... Up it goes!"
"Yeah. Just. How do humans do 160 kilometres?"
"... We run?"
" I mean obviously. But how."
"By running. A lot." She said it obviously, like there wasn't any secret to it.
"..."
"Do you think all humans can just do a century run?"
"... Maybe?"
"short answer. Uh. No. Most humans who start can barely do a century, but the thing is. We just kinda bully the people into doing it."
"excuse me?"
"hey. If you had a friend who could do something, but needs a push to do it. You'd bully them too."
"but. Bullying-"
"listen. We can run for stupid long times because we were prey. Predators used to kill us, so we ran faster."
"... That's not. But-"
"Again. I could run to the goddamn city myself in. I dunno. A week? It's only a couple hundred kilometres."
"a week? It's 56- 2000 kilometres for Krag sake!"
"no. You're right. Five days."
"... Are you insane?"
"hey. It's only you and me, while you cried like a baby I figured out how to Jerry rig this vehicles. And then you freaked out, broke your leg and I guessed my way into splinting your leg and now you can't even limp your way to the city."
Before he could mutter a reply, she'd already readied her bow into the bush. She'd done this twice before, once for some predator she slaughtered then roasted and another, distracting a predator, jumping onto the vehicle as it floated its way over a ravine.
Jake cut down the leaves, I almost breathed a sigh of relief. "Ey! Good to see ya mate!"
"Lina? What the fuck are you on?"
"I jerry rigged the shuttle into a vehicle!"
"THAT'S GENIUS. Wait. Why didn't I do that?"
"probably because you're Mr leg day and I'm the genius engineer!"
The other aliens cautiously stepped onto the ship. Flooring been welded on, leaving the engine protected in a box, with the wings sticking on the front to counteract the weight of the engine.
"Ok so. I found a bunch of spare parts, so-"
She showed off the welding tool she'd somehow made of a plasma cutter, air conditioning parts, pieces of the heating unit, all of which focused the energy from the engine to the laser cutter end.
"but you can't control the power."
"yeah. So I had to spot weld most of it, rework the levitating things and then do short bursts across the damn ship."
"so. The others..."
"yeah, so three died upon impact. Door broke upon landing, before it fell over leaving that levitator on half output."
"... But what about-"
"I was getting to that. Then the others basically ran into the claws of an angry puma after finding my stash of guns. On one hand. Why would you charge a predator with a weapon you don't know how to fire. On the other hand. I'm left with a janitor who managed to broke both of his legs upon impact."
The man almost immediately slapped the woman.
"Jesus Christ Wagstaff-"
"hey. You know I'm one cold bitch."
"Alright. Both of you stop talking. How do we stop this thing?"
"why?"
"because most of the crew is behind us."
"oh. Uhhh. Pull that lever."
The emergency door's handle lay welded to the floor, ignoring the gaping holes lining the middle of the capsule, most of the vehicle was shaded, with large pillars from the ship's wreckage doubling as support all welded onto the floor.
The ship came to a close, what few of the crew weren't left behind managed to get on.
"How did you think not to stop this ship."
"Do I need to remind you that I have serious ADHD?"
The two began bickering, as the captain sighed.
"right. So, four humans are missing and from your bickering this group is about 17 people yes?"
"AYO WHAT THE FUCK??"
It turned out that all three humans had survived, the rest of the groups weren't found along the way and I didn't want to make more vehicles. So...
The vehicle moved forward, energy spitting into the air in a massive burst of lighting, the spare walling placed precariously as a bunch of sticks held the metal circle up. (think da Vinci bridge, but with a lot more sticks)
Turns out most of the ship was ok. And not only that, but the cargo was discovered in the jungle. And they'd found the drag marks. The graves I'd dug and also the piece of chandeliered metal I'd tied to the ship that it dragged along making a stupid obvious path if the path of felled trees weren't enough of an indication of where the vehicle went.
Speaking of trees, Jake was half angry at me for making a vehicle that smashed trees to move forward. I pointed out we were in a jungle and also that I didn't really think when I do these things. And he resigned himself to the fact that for having three doctorates, I am remarkably stupid.
This is one of my old favorites. I cleaned and edited it for reposting.
Downtime on the K’laxi Starbase, two humans wheel their exercise bikes out into the common area and start a ride. Their bikes have large front wheels that hum and whirr as they pedal and they both get into the rhythm of motion, enjoying the feeling of their muscles being used.
After a few moments some K'laxi stop and watch them as they work out. Kelly and Evan don't seem to notice.
After half an hour or so of pedaling Evan finally spoke “You know what I’m sick of?”
Kelly looked up from her bike. “The whole Deathworlder thing?”
“Yes! I don’t think it’s fair that everyone says Earth is a Deathworld. It implies that we’re some kind of strange being. It’s othering!” Evan was gesturing with his water bottle as he spoke.
Kelly leaned up off the handlebars, but kept pedaling. She started counting things on her fingers. “There’s plenty of other places that have storms, plenty of other races that are strong, plenty of other places like Earth”
“Exactly! It’s trying to make us out to be a stereotype and then they don’t have to learn about us as individuals.” As he got more and more animated, drops of water from Evan's water bottle started flying around. Kelly blinked when drops hit her face.
As they talked, the crowd grew. Deep in concentration on their ride, they didn't notice the attention that they have garnered.
Evan and Kelly pedaled in silence for a while longer until Pen'mun couldn't stand it any longer. He looked up from his pad. “You realize you’re having this conversation, on a K’laxi Starbase while pedaling your excise bicycles at -" He looked at a readout on the bike "-180 watts for at least one standard hour now?”
Even looked surprised. “We’re doing a century!”
"That's when you ride continuously for 160km or so." Kelly sounded matter of fact as she reached down and took a sip from her own water bottle.
Pen'mun's pad clattered to the floor. His ears flicked down in surprised frustration. “You’re not even breathing heavy!”
Kelly nodded. “He’s right Evan. Time to step it up.”
As Evan pedaled harder, he looked up and finally noticed the crowd that had gathered. Without saying anything he poked Kelly with a finger and she looked up and did a double take. There were maybe 10 or 12 people watching the two humans pedal without going anywhere. Some in the back were having quiet wagers about how long they could go on.
"What are you all doing here?" Kelly sounded suspicious as she asked.
"Um.. just watching you ride your bikes?" A young K'laxi in the front offered and took a nervous step back.
"I can see that, but why?"
"You're riding so much and you aren't even tired!" Another in the back added.
An older K'laxi on the side of the crowd joined in. "Yeah! How long can you go? I've got 30 credits with Rem'itan that says you can't go the full 160 without stopping."
Pen'mum frowned and looked like he was having a conversation with his translator. “Translator says a century is 100, but you’re doing 160km?”
Evan sighed. “160km is 100 miles. That’s the century”
"What's a mile?" A K'laxi child from the crowd interrupted.
"Old measurement. We don't use it anymore." Kelly finally started to sound like she was having difficultly speaking while she was exerting herself.
Pen found it in himself to actually be amazed in addition to being frustrated. "You're pedaling the equivalent of one hundred sixty kilometers In one session?”
“Yeah” Kelly said between breaths “doesn’t count if you stop between.”
Evan used his nearly empty water bottle to point at Pen'mum. "You're making it sound weird Pen, it's not weird."
At that, a few more K’laxi walked up to watch. People started cheering them on, and that seemed to spur Kelly and Even to go even faster.
Pen'mum opened his mouth and shut it again. His ears fluttered in frustration and his tail poofed out in irritation. He picked up his pad from the ground and went back to his book. eyes back to his book. “Deathworlders” he muttered.
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fairweather-fangs · 2 years ago
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"Hi... I'm F. For Ferrum. My real name is Feng, I'm not supposed to give that out though, but there's alot I give out that I'm not supposed to... Don't tell Roger."
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Character details:
Letter: F
Code name: Ferrum
True name: Feng Lao(凤劳)
Age: 17
Birthdate: June 3rd
Home country: Taiwan
Orientation: Bisexual, Demi-romantic
Pronouns: He/Him
Likes: Bright neon, star gazing, getting high
Dislikes: Messy spaces, guns, working
Extra:Born into a lower middle class family in South Tiawan F lived a relatively comfortable life until his mother and father were shot and killed in a robbery at age 7. He jumped between foster homes for three years and lost four more sets of parents before being sent to an orphanage. He has a reputation as "F, the good times ruiner" for his generally rule abiding attitude but secretly his good temper and strict adherence to the rules are to remove suspension from his actual crimes: selling drugs booze and other illegal substance to the other kids.
Appearance:
Eye color: Dark brown
Hair: Black, chin length and slightly wavey
Skin tone: Copper
Height: 5'10 (178cm)
Weight: 160-170lbs (72-77kg)
Fashion sense: Comfortable, alternative but generally lowkey. Wears mostly black with occasional bright colored accessories (body harnesses are the most notable.)
Extra: Has several piercings on his face and ears but typically only wears earrings. Faded scars across most parts of his body, most from untraumatic incidents. Often wears color tinted glasses to hide how high he is.
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(=rules under cut=)
About mun:
The man behind the muse is @artificial-ascension
That's my main personal blog and everything about me is in the pinned post. If you don't feel like going there:
I'm Michael
19
He/They
My other rp blog is @making-a-killing I made a separate blog for my other muse because I like theming my blogs
Activity:
I'm very active on Tumblr and try to be active here.
If I have alot of asks or RPs going on at once it may take a while to get to all of them, but trust me I do see everything.
I may get writers block for some things but I will try to get around to everything.
I'm very open about what I'm working on so if you have questions or concerns feel free to message me. If for whatever reason I will bot be responding to your ask/response I will inform you
I'm in the Eastern U.S. but may be active anywhere from 5am (my time) at the earliest to 3am at th latest. (I have a terrible sleep schedule) However I am mich less likely to be writing or responding super late or super early. I may also be late to things if I'm away from my phone because I do that sometimes
Basic:
F gives out his first name freely, his last name however would only be known to someone with shinigami eyes. Feel free to throw around the name for fun.
I don't mind most things, if you feel like you need permission to do something to F I almost certainly don't care
NSFW is very much allowed but I require you to be 18+ for sexual material. Otherwise go crazy.
Really just try and not speak for F. That's my job, also I may do so on my other rp blog, but most F will go here.
I don't like writing much... you wouldn't be able to tell because I'm quite long winded...
And also don't be a dick. I try to be friendly but I don't fuck with any sort of bigotry in or out of character. And don't be rude to me I'll block you. I came here to have fun.
Trigger warnings for: Drug use, drug trafficing, addiction (alcohol is included as a drug for the record)
Other trigger warnings will be tagged when they come up, however these themes are prevalent throughout the blog
Rules and warnings to be expanded upon as things come up. I'm new here.
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scotianostra · 1 year ago
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October 2nd 1721 saw the little known Battle of Coille Bhan (Scottish Gaelic for White Wood).
This was more of a skirmish in real terms, but history recall it as a battle, to me the numbers involved make it less so. The way I look at it is that this was also an attempt by the Government of the, still quite new, Union, to impose some sort of rule to the Highland Clans, in this instance it can also go down as leading from an often overlooked Jacobite uprising in 1719, called The “Little Rising“.
The background was that government forces had failed to take the lands of Mackenzie of Seaforth. The taxes being collected by Mackenzie's factor, Donald Murchison were being sent to Mackenzie himself who was living in exile in France for his part in the '15 Jacobite uprising, after which his lands were forfeited to the crown. It was decided that a second attempt should be made to seize Mackenzie of Seaforth's estates.
This time 160 soldiers of Colonel Kirk's regiment left under the command of a Captain McNeil, who unlike their predecessors who had been ambushed in Glen Affric, McNeil took a longer but easier route from Inverness to Dingwall then onto Strath-Garve and Loch Carron.Mackenzie's force were led by Colonel Donald Murchison who had led the ambush at Glen Affric, and I bloody wish my spell check didn't keep trying to make me say Africa instead of Affric!!!
Anyway the Colonel marched his men up a mountain pass called Mam Attadale, a "gallant" relative, named Kenneth Murchison volunteered to attempt an ambush with a small party of 13 at Coille Bhan (White Wood), while the bulk of the party should remain where they were.
Captain McNeil with 18 men of his government force advanced on Kenneth Murchison's position. They received fire in which several of the government troops were wounded and one was killed. McNeil persisted in attacking his enemy and eventually he defeated them and Kenneth Murchison's men withdrew, as they were unable to resist any further, there is no mention of the Jacobite's losses.
The long and short of it is, although Captain McNeil had defeated this advance force, he soon heard of the larger group of Mackenzies waiting at Attadale under the command of Donald Murchison, unwilling to take on these men, who also held the high ground McNeil, himself wounded retreated and high-tailed it back to Inverness.
Kenneth Murchison quickly rejoined Colonel Donald on Mam Attadale, with the cheering intelligence that one salvo of thirteen guns had repelled the hundred and sixty red-coats. No further attempts were made on Mackenzie of Seaforth's lands.
This episode confirmed the view in the south that the Jacobite clans equated with banditry and disorder, but Donald Murchison was also a bold man, reading on, in the History of The Mackenzies he appeared in Edinburgh two years later with £200 in back rents, looking for someone to take it over to France, he was not so stupid as to make himself conspicuous and is said to have been wearing "the garb of a lowlander", he did however spend two weeks in the capital, and although he was a wanted man went unmolested during this time.
Mackenzie of Seaforth, also known as William dubh MacKenzie or Black MacKenzie, like may other Jacobites during earlier uprisings, was later pardoned and returned returned to Scotland in 1726, he died in 1740.
During the '45 uprising, such was the split across The Highlands one of his sons fought on the Hanoverian side in the campaign, whereas a large part of the Clan Mackenzie followed the chief's cousin George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie chose to fight for the Jacobite cause.
The pics showsmoorland and Lochcarron, the second is Attadale Forest Early morning cloud clearing out of the valleys. Forest can mean hunting area, hence the forest without any trees., next is the expanse of land that Clan MacKenzie enjoyed as their own, and their clan crest with the motto Luceo Non Uro (I shine, not burn). MacCoinneach the Gaelic name for the clan means son of the fair bright one.
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lenbryant · 2 years ago
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Long Post....Oops. LOL. "Fatuous claptrap" for the win! Thanks, Hiltzik.
(Hiltzik in the LA Times)
Elon Musk hosted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Twitter for DeSantis’ announcement of his presidential candidacy.
It went about as well as the April 20 launch of a rocket by Musk’s SpaceX, which ended in an explosion that destroyed the spacecraft.(Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images)
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I was taking my customary siesta Wednesday afternoon when I was jolted awake by the sound of a truck straining to go uphill. Come to discover that I had my computer tuned to Elon Musk’s Twitter, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was struggling to get out the official announcement of his candidacy for president.
The noise turned out to be Musk trying to get the thing to work in real time, amid feedback, weird musical interludes and long stretches of silence. Scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Pacific time, it finally got going on Twitter Spaces, an audio-only application on the platform, about 18 minutes late. I listened, so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.
As he struggled to resolve repeated glitches in Twitter Spaces, Musk and the moderator, a Musk acolyte named David Sacks, kept trying to assert that the technical screw-up was, in fact, a triumph brought about by the large audience. (Sacks claimed that more than 300,000 users had logged in.) “We are melting the servers, which is a good sign,” Sacks said early on. 
You can’t have a free society unless we have the freedom to debate the most important issues that are affecting our civilization.
— Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been trying to punish Walt Disney Co. for speaking out against his education law
This reminded many listeners of the claim by SpaceX, another Musk venture, that its April 20 launch of a prototype rocket, which ended with the vehicle exploding in flight four minutes after lift-off, was a success. Never mind that the launch destroyed the launchpad, showered a neighboring community with debris and prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to mount a major investigation.
Once it got underway, the Twitter event unfolded as a love fest between DeSantis and Musk. The general theme was what my mother used to describe as “I like me, who do you like?” 
Musk and DeSantis praised each other for their dedication to free speech, and Sacks brought on several right-wing sophists to add their voices. They included Jay Bhattacharya, one of the drafters of the Great Barrington Declaration, which, as I reported this week, advocated letting the COVID virus run rampant through the population in quest of the elusive goal of “herd immunity” — at the cost of hundreds of thousands of American lives. 
Another was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), whose claim to fame on a national scale was issuing a Christmas tweet in 2021 showing himself, his wife and their five kids brandishing assault weapons. “Santa, pls bring ammo,” the tweet read. (In December 2021, there were 39 mass shootings in the U.S., taking 36 lives and wounding 160.)
DeSantis said Florida was safer than blue-state cities, where “you got kids more likely to get shot than to receive a first-class education.” A reminder: One of the worst school shootings in American history took place in Parkland, Fla., in February 2018, when 17 people were killed and 17 injured. In April, DeSantis signed a law allowing Floridians to carry guns without a permit.
It would be wrong to say there weren’t some lighthearted moments during the Twitter event. Unfortunately for DeSantis, the best joke came from President Biden: While Musk was struggling to get the event launched, Biden posted a tweet that read, “This link works,” pointing to a fund-raising site for the Biden-Harris campaign.
If you were looking for policy prescriptions from the freshly minted candidate, you didn’t hear anything new. Put it this way: If you were at a party where you had to down a shot of whiskey every time DeSantis uttered the word “woke,” you were reduced to insensibility within ten or twenty minutes. If the drinking game included a shot when DeSantis took a shot at “the legacy media,” you may have needed to get your stomach pumped.
Other than that, it was a festival of cynical lies and rank hypocrisies uttered by DeSantis. 
He spoke up for free speech and open debate, for instance. “People should be exposed to different viewpoints,” he said. “You can’t have a free society unless we have the freedom to debate the most important issues that are affecting our civilization.” 
This is the guy who has waged a ferocious battle with Walt Disney Co. because Disney had spoken out against his “Don’t Say Gay” law, which stifles the teaching of gender issues in the schools.
When Sacks primed him with a question about the fight with Disney, DeSantis replied, “We believe jamming gender ideology in elementary school is wrong; Disney obviously supported injecting gender ideology in elementary school.” He added that Disney’s “corporate culture had really been outed as trying to inject matters of sex into the programming for the youth.” One doesn’t have to be a fan of Disney to see that as fatuous claptrap.
DeSantis also dismissed accusations that Florida is a hotbed of book-banning as “a hoax.” All his administration has done, he said, has been “to empower parents with the ability to review the curriculum, to know what books are being used in school.” That’s one way of looking at it. 
The right way is to observe that he’s empowered a tiny cadre of reactionary activists to force books they don’t like off the shelves of Florida schools. As the Washington Post reported Wednesday, a majority of the complaints about schoolbooks nationwide have come from just 11 complainants. Florida ranks second among the states in the number of schoolbook challenges, after Texas.
By the way, one of the Republican toadies DeSantis appointed to the board created to oversee Disney’s development district (as part of his retaliation against the company) is Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of the right-wing censorship-happy organization Moms for Liberty.
When Bhattacharya came online, DeSantis took the opportunity to boast about his success against the COVID pandemic. The truth is that Florida’s record is one of abject, lethal failure. Florida’s COVID death rate of 411 per 100,000 population is the 10th worst in the nation. DeSantis has appointed Bhattacharya to a state panel investigating federal COVID policy.
DeSantis claimed to have based his COVID policies on his determination to “look at the data.... There was a concerted effort to try to stifle dissent.” This can only be interpreted as some kind of gag. DeSantis installed a COVID crackpot, Joseph Ladapo, as Florida’s surgeon general. 
Ladapo has promoted useless anti-COVID nostrums such as ivermectin, and counseled against the COVID vaccines. “Looking at the data”? As the Tampa Bay Times has reported, based on official state documents, Ladapo deliberately removed data from an official state report on the vaccines that contradicted his claim that the vaccines were unsafe for young men; in fact, studies show that the vaccines are far safer for them than being infected by the virus.
The event ended with a paean by Musk and DeSantis to cryptocurrency, which is tantamount to enticing innocent small investors into immolating their nest eggs in a scam. 
“We should do it again,” DeSantis said in closing the feed. “We’ll make sure that we come back and do it again. This is a great platform.”
We shall see. The next DeSantis appearance on Twitter could be just as buggy, or worse. All that we can be sure of is that whatever happens, Elon Musk will deem it a great success.
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reviewsthatburn · 2 years ago
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DWELLERS is a twisting story, where two brothers fleeing something terrible end up in a situation with its own set of problems when they take over the bodies of two strangers. Tightly constructed, this winds through tense boredom and fear as Jonah and Louis try to figure out why the people they replaced have a dead body in the basement.
Full review at link.
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msclaritea · 2 years ago
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Gun buy-back program turns weapons into jewelry
DETROIT
Gun buy-back program turns weapons into jewelry
Stephanie SteinbergThe Detroit News
Gun serial numbers typically flash from holsters on hips, but Jessica Mindich would rather they flash from arms and dress shirts.
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The serial number is all that remains after Jessica Mindich turns weapons from buy-back programs into jewelry.
A philanthropic jewelry maker residing in Connecticut, Mindich, 45, created the Caliber Collection to turn illegal and unwanted guns into something that can do no harm: jewelry.
Mindich will use weapons gathered from this Saturday’s Cash for Caliber buy-back program at the Mathis Community Center in Detroit for her next set of bracelets and cuff links. During the program from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., anyone can turn in an unloaded gun — no questions asked — and receive a $50 Visa gift card in exchange.
Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, Judge Greg Mathis of the courtroom reality TV show “Judge Mathis” and Mindich organized Cash for Caliber in an attempt to get guns off Detroit streets and prevent unnecessary loss of life.
“Gun-related violence is taking a toll on our communities, especially when innocent children are dying because they’ve gotten hold to an unsecured weapon,” Napoleon says. “We want to help reduce the violence by helping people safely surrender weapons they don’t want around or that they’re afraid to have in their homes.”
This is the first buy-back program that Mindich is financing in Detroit. Over the past four years, she has turned more than 1,500 guns into jewelry pieces sold in 85 countries.
“The guns brought in from this weekend’s buyback, once rendered inoperable, will be turned over to me to create a virtuous cycle to get more guns off the street,” Mindich says.
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Caliber Collection pieces can be bought online or at the Detroit Shoppe at Somerset Collection, the Detroit Institute of Art or She stores.
Gun violence resulted in 296 deaths in Metro Detroit in 2015, according to the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. Police officials say Mother’s Day weekend this year was “particularly deadly,” with more than 21 victims of gunfire and six fatalities. The violence hasn’t spared children. In a two-month span ending in May, eight children were killed or injured by gunfire in Detroit.
The jewelry can be purchased online at CaliberCollection.com or locally at the Detroit Shoppe at Somerset Collection, the Detroit Institute of Arts gift shop and the She stores in Bloomfield Hills and Grosse Pointe. Detroit pieces range from $160 for a steel cuff bracelet to $1,325 for a brass bangle with eight diamonds.
Mindich donates 20 percent of sales to police department buy-back programs in Newark, New Jersey; Hartford, Connecticut; San Francisco and Detroit. So far, she’s raised over $135,000. Of that, $25,000 was allocated to Detroit’s buy-back event to cover the gift cards, marketing and set-up expenses.
Before Newark Mayor Cory Booker contacted her in 2012, Mindich mainly produced innovate pieces for nonprofits and fundraisers. “I didn’t know anything about guns, gun violence or how to make jewelry out of guns,” she says.
At the time, Booker was frustrated with his city’s high homicide rates, she says. So he asked her to collaborate on a collection using weapons from a ballistics lab in Newark.
“He wanted the money for Student Troy Forbush, who was injured in the Michigan State University shooting, raised to go back to the most profound purpose, ‘peace,’ ” she says. “That meant funding gun buy-back and amnesty programs.”
After 10 months embedding herself in the ballistics lab and “an incredible amount of research,” she launched Caliber Connections. Sixteen days later, Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre happened, where 20 students and six adults were killed from gunfire.
Caliber Collection became a hopeful story in a “very painful 24 hour news cycle,” she says.
“I never wanted to be the Livestrong bracelet of gun violence,” she adds, “but if this was predestined for me, I am damn well going to make an impact.”
The Caliber Collection began with 250 guns and bullet casings from the Newark Police Department. Mindich then expanded to other cities and used 74 weapons and shell casings that the Detroit Police Department swept from crime scenes.
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The cufflinks are $325. They're made with serial numbers from guns and metal from bullet casings taken off the streets by Detroit Police Department.
Mindich says street artist Shepard Fairey — who has tagged several Detroit buildings — was “instrumental” in helping her launch the buy-back program. In February, Fairey and the Library Street Collective in Detroit donated 20 percent of sales from his artwork sold at the gallery to the Caliber Foundation, started by Mindich, to help victims and families affected by gun violence.
Fairey, who designed the famous Barack Obama “Hope” poster, was charged with destruction of property last year after allegedly tagging 14 Detroit buildings and walls he wasn’t commissioned to paint. He was, however, hired to design a mural on the east side of the Compuware building owned by Dan Gilbert. Fairey is set to appear for a pre-trial hearing at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice on Friday, according to his attorney Bradley Friedman.
“Coincidentally, minutes after he completed his mural at One Campus Martius — with paint still drying under his fingernails — I ran into him and ... told them about my work combating illegal gun violence in Detroit,” Mindich says. “It is an issue he is very passionate about, and he wanted to lend his support.”
According to the Caliber Collection website, the name “Caliber” was chosen for its two meanings: “the caliber of a gun and how the caliber of a city is raised when illegal guns are taken off its streets.”
Napoleon acknowledges that it will take more than Saturday’s Cash for Caliber program to reduce the violence on the streets of Detroit, but it’s a start.
“We know that the challenge of gun violence won’t disappear overnight,” Napoleon says. “However, it is our hope that by taking in guns this week, it will prevent a number of gun-related incidents and deaths in the near future.”
Hey... it's better than nothing and more that the Republican Party is doing. We should have more artists doing this. Hit the buyback programs. Empty the pawn shops. Just melt those fuckers down.
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