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im-the-punk-who · 4 years ago

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The Real People of Black Sails!

Here’s a quick(I promise....I promise this is as short as I could make it without leaving out some really choice shit) rundown of all the real historical figures peppered throughout Black Sails! I think I caught them all but if you know of others please mention them and I’ll add them on! Under a readmore because this is....so long y’all.

Pirates & Maroons

Anne Bonny (possibly 1697 – unknown; possibly April 1782) Started life crossdressing at her dad’s behest to avoid his wife(who wasn’t Bonny’s mom), married a guy her dad didn’t like, moved to Nassau. There her husband became a spy for Rogers and Anne was like ‘Not cool bro’. She met Jack, they started fucking, and Anne discovered she was really good at stabbing things. Resumed dressing as a man and started trying to seduce Mary Read who was also dressed as a man. They did indeed fall victim to one of the classic queer blunders. Anyway, Anne’s like ‘it’s not gay I’m a chick!’ And Mary is like ‘really?? Then it’s a little gayer than you realize because I’m a chick too!’ They (probably) start banging. Rackham’s like ‘hang on! I’m the only dick in Anne’s life’ and Mary and Anne are like ‘you sure are’ and Mary shows him her boobs and then they have some sort of complicated and probably not totally consensual threeway. Then they get captured because, Jack is That Guy Who Was Too Drunk To Realize His Ship Was Under Attack and Mary and Anne had to defend the ship against like, a whole other crew. Jack is hung(not a dick joke), but both Anne and Mary plead stays of execution due to pregnancy. Anne disappears but possibly is maybe referred to later. No one knows. Neat!

Edit: According to sources from this post there is a genealogical record that refers to Anne and it records her death as 1782. Very neat!

Israel Hands (c.1701-death unknown) Israel Hands was a real pirate and Blackbeard’s first mate. Not much else is known about where he came from or his life, other than that Blackbeard shot him in the knee at one point while supposedly aiming for another man. ‘Oops my bad this pistol is from like, the 18th century or something.’ While recuperating in Bath he was arrested after Teach’s death but took a pardon in exchange for ratting out the colonial officials who had been bribed by Teach. It’s unknown what happened to him after that although That Book About Pyrites says he died a beggar in London.

Benjamin Hornigold (1680–1719) Horny4gold was one of the most well known and influential pirates of the Golden Age. Most other pirates sailed under him or with him at one point, and he was one of the founders of the Pirate Republic of Nassau. He never attacked british ships during his time as captain so that he could be like ‘but brooooo I was acting in Britain’s Interests!!! Bro!!!!!’ But his co-pirates didn’t like that and eventually voted to replace him with Sam Bellamy. He accepted the king's pardon in 1718 and became a pirate hunter instead. Bummer. He was reportedly killed in a shipwreck.

Okay listen Horingold in any universe is a fucking JOKE I have to share this passage with y’all:

“Hornigold is recorded as having attacked a sloop off the coast of Honduras, but as one of the passengers of the captured vessel recounted, "they did us no further injury than the taking most of our hats from us, having got drunk the night before, as they told us, and toss'd theirs overboard"” WHAT A JOKE.

Dr. Howell - (birth/death unknown) John Howell was a pirate surgeon forced into service by Hornigold sometime in early 1717. He sailed with various pirate crews until October before returning into the service of Governor Rogers.

Ned Low (1690–1724) N’EDWARD. Okay I’m serious again. Born in London, Lowe grew up a thief in a thief family before moving to Boston. His wife died in childbirth in 1719, so he decided ‘fuck it I’ll become a Pirate Captain’ and did just that. He was known for torturing the people on board the ships he captured before murdering them and burning the ship. Interestingly though, Lowe was known to have a huge amount of regret over abandoning his daughter when he turned pirate, and wouldn’t force married men into his service. He also reportedly would allow women to return to port safely. Because of his numerous captures and cruelties, he was one of the most well known pirates in his day. There are differing reports about Low’s death - some say his crew mutinied and marooned him and he was subsequently hung, others say his ship sunk in a storm, and some say he just straight up disappeared. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Jack Rackham - (December 26, 1682 – November 18, 1720) Really a pirate, really named himself after a housecat pattern. (No, okay, he didn’t, it was because of his threads. But wouldn’t the cat thing fit too?) Sailed with Vane, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read. Was mostly known for being That Guy Who Was Too Drunk To Realize His Ship Was Under Attack and being Anne and Mary’s captain. He was captured and sentenced to hang after the aforementioned Drunk Blunder in 1720.

Mary/Mark Read - (1685 – 28 April 1721) Much like Anne Bonny, Mary dressed as a boy for much of her youth so a parent could swindle someone out of money. From her teenage years on she continued dressing as a man to find work in the military and as a sailor. She did marry but her husband died young and so she decided to become a pirate. Like ya do. She accepted the king’s pardon in 1718, then mutinied on the privateer she was aboard, once again becoming a pirate. Because pirates are sexy. In 1720 she joined Jack Rackham’s crew and sailed with him and Bonny. Cue the whole ‘Hey you’re hot, also I’m a woman.’ ‘Oh, hey, same hat!’ with Anne. In November of 1720, Rackham’s ship was captured. Mary died of a fever in prison(likely due to her pregnancy) in 1721.

Edward Teach - (c. 1680 – 22 November 1718) He started piracy sailing under Hornigold, and built the fleet alongside him and Stede Bonnet until Hornigold retired. COOL fact about Blackbeard is he was a MASTER showman who liked to light slow burning fuses under his hat to scare his enemies, and he relied more heavily on creating an image his prizes feared than violence. He did a lot of cool shit including ransoming the entire town of Charles Town and annoying the shit out of Woodes Rogers before settling in Bath and later dying of like, a shit ton of wounds while battling Lieutenant Maynard. The battle on Roger’s ship is pretty much what happened minues the keelhauling. Afterwards he was beheaded, his head hung from the bow of Maynard’s ship, and his body was thrown in the bay in Bath, where it’s said his ghost still haunts! Funky!

Charles Vane - (1680 – 29 March 1721) Really a pirate captain! Known for being Not A Nice Dude. Sailed with Henry Jennings, Edward England and Jackie Rackhammie. He led the pirates in resisting Rogers in Nassau, and yeah he really did light a ship on fire and 18th centuryeet it into Rogers’ line in order to escape. There’s a note that he returned to Nassau to get married but I couldn’t find any info on who he married so he’s gay now. That’s a rule I just made up. Anyway so at one point his ship got into a fight with another ship and Vane ordered a retreat and the crew was like ‘this is BOOshit’ and voted him out in favor of Jack Rackham. Ouch. Vane and some of the crew that supported him left aboard the Katherine(I believe) but then they got caught in a storm that said ‘fuck you specifically to Charles Vane,’ and he was marooned on an island. He survived! Just long enough for a British ship to stop at the island for him to attempt to board, get caught, and then hung. Deus ex piratica.

(Honorary mentions)

John Silver + Captain Flint (sort of but I’m not kidding!) Okay so of course there are a bunch of suspected origins of the characters of Captain Flint and Long John Silver, but the one I like the most is of two brothers - one of whom had a peg leg! - who captured an enormous Spanish treasure and buried it near Ocracoke island. Their names were John and Owen Lloyd. (And yes, John was the one-legged brother.) In 1750 a Spanish treasure fleet named the Flotas de Indias attempted to sail from Havana to Spain in late August, and three ships were wrecked during a hurricane. By a stroke of luck, the Lloyd brothers had been blown to the same inlet as the wrecked ships Guadalupe and Soledad , and managed to convince the Captain to hire them to transport the treasure to Norfolk.

But of course because they thought the Spanish SUCKED they said ‘psyche’ and just fucked off with it while the Captain was fighting Bureaucratic red tape in North Carolina. Iconique. Owen Lloyd reportedly buried the treasure on Norman Island and the pair became folk heroes in the area, particularly in St. Kitts. (P.s., the Stevenson family ran a sugar production business on St. Kitts, and R.L. Stevenson’s great grandfather worked there as early as 1773 - just 25 years after the epic heist. COOL STORY BRO.)

Captain Throckmorton (Okay not really but I just love this guy’s name) Okay so this guy wasn’t really a pirate captain but he was a Steamboat captain in the 1830s and his name is just too ridiculous for someone to make up. Toot toot, motherfucker.

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Queen Nanny(Maroon Queen/Madi) (c. 1686 – c. 1755) The spiritual, cultural, and military leader of the Windward Maroons (who the Black Sails Maroons are based on.) She led them alongside her ‘brother’ Quao although the relationship between them isn’t known. Exact information about her origins are not known but best guess is that she was of royal lineage from present-day Ghana, born sometime in the 1680’s. She did have a husband named Adou(who may have been the same person as Quao? I’ve read conflicting stuff), but they had no children. Many of the guerilla warfare tactics we now think of as common practice were developed by Queen Nanny and the other Maroons in their fight against British incursions. (The trap that Flint lays, covering themselves with paint and leaves, and the pits the Maroons lay in the forest are tactics known to have been used by the Windward Maroons.)

Nanny was a fucking legend okay a LEGENDS ONLY legend. She was one of the most instrumental people in preserving African culture among freed slaves and Maroons, and in encouraging the resistance to slavery in the Bahamas and surrounding areas. She was one of three leaders of the First Maroon War (which the war in Black Sails is based on). She initially refused to sign the treaty offered to Cudjoe because she knew the British were losing and was like ‘Why????? Would I surrender???? In a war??? I’m winning?????’

Anyway Queen Nanny was a fucking badass please read every piece of literature you can find on her. (You should absolutely read her full bio because she was fucking badass.)

Cudjoe (not exactly, but Julius is very close) (c. 1690s – 1764) Likely a freeborn son of one of the original escaped slaves turned Maroons, Cudjoe is hailed as one of the greatest Maroon leaders(after Queen Nanny). Much like in Black Sails, these original Maroons were slaves who escaped or overran their masters, forming free communities in the Mountains of Jamaica. The treaty in Black Sails is based on the one Cudjoe negotiated with the British, wanting an ‘honorable peace’ with the enemy, rather than the continued war and better terms that Queen Nanny and Quao wanted. (sound familiarrrrrr?) I do want to note that by the end of his life he became completely disillusioned with the idea that the British should be reasoned with and basically started fights with every British superior he could.

The English, Spanish, and Scottish!

The Guthries So while there wasn’t ever a female head of the Guthrie clan in Nassau, the Guthries were a Scottish merchant clan who emigrated to Boston around 1652 due to religious and racial persecution. While most of the family stayed around Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, John Guthrie moved to Virginia and his brother James Guthrie moved to Bermuda sometime after 1683.

(James Guthrie of Suffolk County, Massachusetts was listed in the will of John Richardson, dated 7 May 1683, in which Richardson says, “I give and bequeath unto James Guthrie all I have in the world except twenty shillings to buy John Harris a ring and ten shillings to buy John Kyte a ring.” This was witnessed by John Raynsford and John Ramsey.) Fellas is it gay.

Anyway, between Virginia and Boston and James’ ties in the Bermuda islands, the family made a shit ton fencing pirated goods during the Golden Age of Piracy, particularly from the Pirate Republic of Nassau.

A John Guthrie(likely a son of James’) was also a Colonel who was part of the peace talks with Cudjoe and the Maroons. Neat!

James Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) Okay listen Oglethorpe was COOL AS FUCK. He is the founder of the colony of Georgia and is imo who Thomas Hamilton is probably based on. Oglethorpe was a HUGE humanitarian and even before he decided to form an entire colony around people not owning slaves. He advocated for better conditions for sailors, and prison reform. In 1732 he read a letter by a slave in Maryland named Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and on the spot decided slavery was terrible, divested himself of his stock in the African Trading Company, and resolved to include a law banning slavery in Georgia to the colony’s charter. Radical, man.

Speaking of Georgia, and specifically his plantation near Savannah, Oglethorpe actively spoke with the native Yamacraw who populated the land to ask permission and trade for the land he sought to build Georgia on. His plantation was meant to help debtors in London, released without any support, from falling back into debt and offering them a way forward to landownership through indentured servitude. I highly recommend anyone interested in early attempts at an equality based colonial system read up on the original charter of Georgia. (Of course there were still problems, but Oglethorpe was one of the most prominent proponents of a non hierarchical society - including limits to the acreage any person could own based on how helpful that land was to the people who worked it, and communal resources.) Oglethorpe was also a lifelong friend with Tomochichi, the chief of the Yamacraw, and worked very closely with him on colonial-indigenous relations.

Vincente de Raja (birth/death unknown) He was the real Governor and military Captain of Cuba from 1716-1717. He was a devoted pirate hunter and encouraged Spanish privateering against the pirates. Due to an attempt by Spain to increase tobacco profits at the expense of the farmers, there was a large revolt which resulted in many of the Cuban officials, including Raja, being replaced.

William Rhett (4 September 1666 – 12 January 1723) He was a merchant captain and plantation owner in Carolina who served in the colonial militia and hunted pirates. He captured Stede Bonnet and was probably just as much of an asshole as he is in the show.

Woodes Rogers - (c. 1679 – 15 July 1732) The Governor of Nassau who was largely responsible for ending piracy in the Bahamas. He really did offer a universal pardon, which a large number of the pirates took. Fun fact: before he was Governor, he rescued Alexander Selkirk, who is believed to be the guy Robinson Crusoe is based off of! Neat! He really did have a brother who really did die during his privateering exploits which also really did leave him ‘disfigured’. He got sued by his crew, went bankrupt, wrote a book, got famous for writing the book, and he really did have a wife named Sarah whom he divorced shortly after all this happened. He then became Governor of Nassau for the first time. This first term did end in him being imprisoned for debts incurred defending the island from Vane and Teach and the Spanish, but he was released, helped write that most famous A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates, and became governor again in 1728. He died in 1732 of just plain exhaustion from dealing with the bureaucracy. Alexa play tiny violin.

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sigcy · 4 years ago

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We dabble in writing fics, as well! Here’s a slowburn sigcy fic (it’s still a WIP, first posted on AO3) that Mod Cricket and I worked on together. (CW for violence.) Part Four.

[ Part One ] | [ Next Part (coming soon!)]

Overwatch’s Recall had been in operation for nearly a year. Supported by the League of Nations-- the community of city states that had united post-crisis-- Gibraltar, Hong Kong, The Vatican, Singapore, and others, Overwatch managed to squeak by. They had supplies needed, personnel in roles filled, and the Watchpoints around the world began to fill with agents and recruits alike. Their numbers weren’t like they were in their golden days, but they got things done. They were striking blows against Talon everywhere they went-- Teams taking out supplies, intel runners doing their best keeping tabs on the organization. Talon was seeking to start another Crisis-- potentially ending the human race as they knew it.

And so they had to be stopped before they reached their goal.

But it was difficult--easier said than done-- Whatever they did, it seemed that Talon always seemed to be one step ahead of them. Where Overwatch stopped an incident in one location, Talon would succeed in another. Civilian casualties-- Human and Omnic alike. With each passing day, they teetered further and further toward the cliffs of war.

Angela Ziegler was one of them-- having joined back up as soon as she could. She immediately took her place as head of medical sciences-- spearheading the organization and along with Winston, and the newly rescued Mei-Ling Zhou, hoped to point this new Overwatch down a better path. They adamantly insisted they were not a Mercenary group, nor did they have any semblance of a Blackwatch organization in their ranks. Jesse McCree and Genji Shimada served just as much as the rest of them. Reinhardt, Brigitte and Torbjorn all returned of their own volition. Miss Fareeha volunteered her time, as well. With a daring rescue to Rio, they even had Lucio Correia dos Santos and Satya Vaswani-- a Vishkar defector. Even Hanzo-- Genji’s older brother-- had joined their ranks. Lena was present, her girlfriend in toe. The little family they had all been once before seemed to come together once again. More had joined them, over time.

Thursday, November 18th, 2077.

0319.

Angela didn’t know the specifics on how the mission went down. Nor, did she entirely care at the moment. She’d been bogged down with work at base-- requisition orders, several video conferences with UN officials, and her usual filing and medical paperwork-- and had been ultimately unable to tag along on the mission. and so when she’d been awoken by Athena requesting urgent assistance to the returning team, she didn’t waste a moment getting ready. A pair of flats, her usual black-on-black, her hair thrown up into a quick, messy bun. She looked tired, but still threw on her usual bit of makeup to hide that fact.

The prisoner—patient— asset-- had been 'captured', on her request. Athena believed the man to be rather important in Talon’s ranks— one of their scientists, judging by biometric scan and matching reports alone. Siebren de Kuiper, an astrophysicist that had been institutionalized following an accident that left many people dead. He’d gone missing following another incident involving Talon agents seemingly breaking him out— and now... here he was. Working with Talon? Or for them? Her colleagues wanted to know. They all needed to know. This could severely hurt Talon as they knew it. Baptiste had been sent; their only agent who had enough know how of Talon's Fulcrum to free Dr. de Kuiper.

“Angie, You gotta be careful with that guy. His file weirds me out. Story doesn't add up.” Jesse crossed his arms in front of his chest, the American furrowing his brow at the medic as she checked over the man’s file that Athena had prepared for her. He’d taken off his hat, a gesture of respect to Angela in her wing. “Guy took a couple’a bullets and still came comin’. He’s not to be messed with, darlin’.”

“Yes, Dr. Ziegler. McCree is right.” Genji insisted, the cyborg taking a similar stance as the two of them urged Angela to be careful. “He has a power unlike anything we have ever seen. It would be best if you didn’t go in alone--”

“I will be fine, gentlemen.” She responded, giving a warm, appreciative smile to them both. She appreciated their concern-- but she had handled all sorts of patients. “If he is as unstable as you insist, It would be best not to overcrowd him. Plus-- I wasn’t there, and so he likely won’t recognize me as easily. Perhaps from the old posters... But... he will hopefully not equate me with violence. It will be okay.” She reached out and patted at them both, to which Jesse simply sighed and shook his head.

“Ya really are a handful, doc. Yer gonna getch’yerself hurt, yannow that?”

“I am aware, Jesse. Thank you.” She reached up and tapped the man’s nose with a fingertip, scanning over the datapad with her eyes one last time before she turned to the door in question.

“The prisoner has been sedated to keep him still. He is also cuffed to the bed as per procedure.” Athena’s voice piped up from the nearby wall interface-- the insignia lighting up and catching her attention. They couldn't take any chances after what had happened with Amelie and Gerard all those years ago, she supposed.

Angela was to stabilize his condition, and hopefully get any information she could out of him. She was used to strange patient cases— just look at Genji, and Reinhardt, and even McCree. First, though… She had to stop the sedative and get him coherent.

The medic dismissed the armed guards outside the door to the room— who both insisted she leave the restraints on the man, and that he was incredibly dangerous. They insisted to stay nearby— but she retorted and demanded to have at least the room’s privacy. She was sure she could handle the man herself. There was no patient that she had been unable to deal with before-- and she had almost a lifetime of experience.

And so... she stepped into the room, spying the behemoth of a man where he lay. Sedated, injured, hooked to a caduceus IV that had been slowly fixing his injuries. Returning him to the peak of health. His file claimed that he was unpredictable and dangerous, yet she entered the room unarmed-- confident. Baptiste sat nearby, arms crossed over his chest as he slept in his chair. Angela couldn't help but smile at them both. A tap to his shoulder was enough to wake Baptiste, and the other medic only straightened in his chair before looking to Dr. de Kuiper.

"He knows you, Ma'am." Baptiste mused, leaning forward in his chair.

"A lot of people know me, Jean." Her shoes tapped on the tile as she approached, quietly pinching off the sedative stream into Dr. de Kuiper's IV, and ultimately removing the needle from the injection point. It would take several minutes for him to come to, and so she simply looked over his file on a datapad--committing things to memory-- until the man began to stir, his eyes opening and his mouth curling into a confused frown. He was tall-- akin to that of Reinhardt, she supposed. He’d been given basic pants after his gear had been stripped, and was tucked in to the bed with a hardlight cuff keeping his IV arm in place, secured to the bed. Another hardlight strip crossed his hips, holding him down. His face was scarred, and his mouth curled down in a frown line-- this man had certainly led a rough life-- just looking at his face alone. His frown turned into a grimace as he shifted slightly, obviously still sore.

“Can you hear me, Dr. Kuiper?” She asked, her voice soft and as comforting as she could manage as the man furrowed his brow and blinked away the bright lights of the hospital room. His eyes focused first on the ceiling, then drifted over to her as she repeated her question-- taking the little medic in and looking her up and down--sizing her up.

In all but a moment, he was awake and coherent, snapping to attention as he seemed to realize his situation-- his face twisting in anger as he yanked his arm up at the cuff, letting out a furious growl at the restraint. His breath hitched, anger and panic setting in as he pulled again, and again, and again. He looked to Baptiste, and to Angela, and he let out another furious grunt.

“Dr. Kuiper, I need you to calm down--” She started, her hands reaching out to try and steady him-- only to have a lashing hand grasp roughly at her chest with a tightened fist, drawing her up and in close by the shirt as he half-sat up.

“Release me!” He bellowed, and at that moment the woman was lifted from the ground ever so slightly-- not by force alone, however. The room almost felt lighter, the floor rumbling as though he caused it to shift and shake. “I will be a prisoner no longer! I was promised!” The medic kicked her legs, her mouth curling into a grimace and her brows furrowing in almost fear.

“Dr. Kuiper, I--!!” She started, before Baptiste intervened.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's alright." Dark hands touched at Dr. de Kuiper's shoulders, pulling the man's attention away from his commander. "Let's talk. It's alright. No one here aims to hurt you." A pause, and Baptiste tilted his head to the side, gesturing to the glowing gold caduceus IV above his head, its line trailing into his arm. "You were at that convention, right? When she told the world about her thesis? You told me you met her then. You know her, she sent me for you!"

Sigma paused, periwinkle eyes flicking to the caduceus IV as it hung above him. There was a moment of silence, a moment of shaking breath. After a few seconds, his eyes turned back to Angela-- the spectre of a woman who had haunted him all these years, and his fist was clenched in the fabric of her shirt. She weighed so little, and he could barely tell if it was his own strength or his mind that lifted her and several other objects in the room. Bright blue eyes looked at him, surprised far more than afraid.

"Put her down, big guy. Neither of us mean you any harm." Baptiste said, and it was as though he suddenly came to. He snapped to attention, gently returning the acting-commander to the floor as though she were made of glass. Movements slow, deliberate, delicate.

"I..." Dr. de Kuiper started, slowly pulling his hand he'd used in rage back to his side. "I am so sorry."

Angela dusted herself off, nodding in thanks to Baptiste as the medic's hands moved away from Sigma's shoulders. "You are forgiven, Dr. de Kuiper." She smiled, righting her clothing as though he hadn't touched her at all.

The smile made him hate the fact he even breathed the same air as her. It was warm, kind, and genuine. Like the first light after a terrible storm. An offer of grace. His gut twisted in anxiety as she turned to retrieve a datapad that had been dropped, looking to his vitals screen and scribbling on the datapad's surface for a few moments, and throwing a knowing look to Baptiste.

"I apologize for this whole situation, Dr. de Kuiper." Baptiste murmured, moving to sit back down. "For the record, they had to cuff me as well when I first arrived here."

"It isn't the first time we have... acquired operatives from Talon. Once, one of our informants ended up killed because of our carelessness." Angela's voice was blunt, still writing on her datapad.

"Amelie La'Croix." Siebren looked down at his lap, cupping at his forehead.

Blue eyes flicked down at Siebren where he sat, mouth pressed into a line. "You know her, I presume?"

Siebren sat quietly for many moments, before nodding. "She was... A shell. Emotionless, cold. I thought that that was just how she was... I--I'd never met her prior to... what happened, but--"

"Let's not talk about her." Baptiste offered a smile, standing up and undoing the man's hardlight restraints fully. "You're at Overwatch's base of Operations, in Gibraltar. You've been asleep for a few hours."

"I don't remember going to sleep."

"The water I gave you on the ship. It--" Baptiste started to explain, but Siebren only huffed.

"You could have told me."

"That was the point, my friend. I hope you'll forgive me."

"He was only following protocol, Dr. de Kuiper." Angela mused, a gentle hand placing itself on Siebren's shoulder as she sat on the edge of his bed. Her hand was warm, and it made his heart skip a beat, periwinkle eyes looking to her searchingly.

There was a knock at the door, and Angela's attention was pulled away as the door opened to an omnic nurse bringing in a tray of food, setting it on the side table next to Siebren's bed.

"Thank you, Sybil." Angela smiled at the nurse, until she caught two more peering faces from the door frame. Jesse and Genji. Jesse's face was twisted into a distrusting almost anger, while Genji's was always unreadable. Protective, furious. She only smiled reassuringly at them both, and Jesse crossed his arms in front of his chest before the door closed, the omnic nurse leaving the room once more.

"I am sure you're hungry, friend." Baptiste mused, and Angela stood, reaching to the side table to deliver the food to Siebren's lap. Toast, an unopened bottle of Orange Juice, an apple and some yogurt-- staples in hospital cuisine.

"If this isn't enough, feel free to ask for more." Angela added, looking to Baptiste with a nod. "I will let you rest, for now. Baptiste, why don't you go back to your quarters? You deserve rest, as well." Information that was needed would have to come later.

Siebren's heart panged as he realized he'd be left alone again, and he looked up to her, and then up to Baptiste. Frantic, almost. Don't leave him alone again, he was fit for work, he was--

"No, no, I'm fine, I--"

"Dr. Ziegler, why not leave him with at least something to keep him busy?" Baptiste's tone was gentle, knowing, as he gathered his jacket from the back of the chair he'd settled into. She had no idea what he'd been through-- but Baptiste had an inkling.

Angela paused for a moment, before nodding. "My apologies, of course. I will be right back." Angela took a step back, collecting herself and disappearing through the door within a few seconds. The room fell into silence, before Baptiste only turned on his heel and laughed lightly.

"Now it makes sense, doctor." He laughed, shaking his head.

"E-Excuse me?" Siebren furrowed his brow, collecting his orange juice and cracking the bottle open.

"You love her, don't you?" He turned to Siebren, nodding, a knowing smile across his face as though he were teasing an old friend. "You love Commander Ziegler!"

#angela ziegler #overwatch #mercy #siebren de kuiper #sigma #sigcy #sigmercy #ow #Baptiste #featuring Jesse and Genji

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archadianskies · 4 years ago

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pas de deux

→ on Ao3

@dbhrarepairs Friday Day 5: Longing • Mirrors; post-revolution North/Chloe

Individuality is a new concept to deviants, and something North’s embraced. It’s different, though, when one seeks to stand out when one exists in multitudes versus someone who’s always been an individual; there are a thousand WR400s with her faceplate in Michigan alone and there is, and always will be, just one RT600. Chloe is the first, the last, the only, and North can’t go more than an hour without seeing someone with her exact same face.

During the revolution North had started to change her hair, adding more and more red to it so it was a vibrant strawberry blonde. It’s something she has control over, that and her makeup though she leaves those settings alone.

Chloe is a custom Carl Manfred model, sculpted and painted laboriously as a one off in a way that can’t be printed en masse like the rest of them. Mass production hadn’t even been an option back then, of course, given she had been Kamski’s foray into the unknown.

Meeting Kamski had been a forgettable affair and she holds no high regard for the creator of their kind, though begrudgingly there’s some respect owed given he wasn’t responsible for the WR400s and HR400s and thus can’t be blamed for life of suffering inflicted on her and her siblings. And Chloe loves him. North’s not sure why but if Chloe sees something in that disaster of a human then he certainly can’t be too bad.

Meeting Chloe had been something else entirely, and North’s glad for her ability to record and store perfect memory. Not that Chloe could ever be forgettable, but she’s grateful for the ability all the same. For the sake of diplomacy, Markus had requested they meet at the town hall and when Chloe walked in, everyone else became irrelevant.

It’s not that North’s never seen her face before, since there exists WR400 sisters with her same face, but it was the way she held herself, the way she exuded power unseen by the humans but felt by every android in the vicinity. Back during the demonstration when Markus had beckoned to their brethren, North had been in awe of such an ability but it paled in comparison to the way that petite android commanded the world around her.

“It’s an honour to meet you,” Chloe had smiled graciously and North had blinked incredulously.

“ Me ?” She’d echoed in disbelief. “You’re the First of us, why would meeting me be an honour?”

“Because you are the fire of the revolution, North,” Chloe quipped with a soft giggle, squeezing North’s hands. “You inspire our people to fight against inequality and injustice.”

She had something lovely to say to all four of them, and North could forgive a bit of flattery towards Markus, but to the rest of them? The three of them? She wasn’t so sure there existed anything one couldn’t chalk up to sheer luck and good timing; for all her bravado, for all of Josh’s sage advice, for all of Simon’s caution, they’d really just stumbled on after Markus and tried their best not to get anyone killed. That didn’t sound worthy of honour, and certainly not bestowed by Chloe RT600 herself.

“Are you going to ask her to Markus’ gallery opening?” Simon asks in the taxi, a warm soft presence against her side. Kamski is hosting a super secret meeting at his villain lair and while she holds no love for the man, his villa is a fortress when it comes to information security. It’s a black spot for CyberLife as they squabble to find footing in a post-revolution landscape now that androids have been granted the status of living, sentient beings.

“Don’t be stupid Simon, why would I ever do that?” North snaps and Simon shrugs nonchalantly.

“Because you like her, and she likes you,” the PL600 points out, and North rolls her eyes.

“She’s just being nice, because she’s a nice person,” huffing, she slumps in her seat and crosses her arms over her chest.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Simon prods. “That she’ll say no? She’d even do that graciously I’m sure.”

“She could wipe me out of existence in a single blink,” she drawls, and Simon sputters a laugh. “I’m serious! You were there at that board meeting! She totally just wiped that shady programmer’s entire online life off the face of the earth!”

“She put it back,” Simon frowns. “I think?”

“Anyway you can’t talk, don’t think I haven’t noticed you making eyes at Terminator Mr Darcy.”

“That’s not nice,” Simon says sternly and North concedes with huff.

“Okay, yeah, that wasn't. But I’m still right.”

Simon stays quiet for a few moments, expression softening. “I just can’t quite believe I have the time for…” He makes a vague gesture, and oh North absolutely gets it.

“To not be in survival mode. To have the luxury of stupid crushes on people way out of our league.”

“Yeah,” he laughs and it’s such a nice sound. He never laughed in Jericho, not even once.

“I’ll ask her out if you do,” she elbows him and he groans.

“That’s not fair!”

“It’s totally fair!”

He presses his mouth into a tight line before sighing. “Alright, deal.”

The villa really does look like a supervillain lair, though Spring has done much to soften the stark palette. The taxi pulls up and they clamber out and North wishes for the umpteenth time that she had a sense of smell. Back during her Eden days it had been a blessing not to have a sense of smell or taste, but as she watches Simon pause and inhale deeply, no doubt filling his sensors with the scent of flowers, North yearns for the ability to do the same.

They’re early, too early for Markus and Josh to have arrived yet and North is about to suggest hanging around outside before subjecting themselves to human company but the door opens.

“Good morning North, good morning Simon,” PL400 Peter greets them with a gentle smile. “Mr Kamski is having his breakfast but you may wait inside. There are light refreshments prepared in the lounge.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Simon says cordially and nods as he enters the villa. “Is Ms Chloe free?” Oh the little shit earns a jab in the ribs for that one.

“She is in the ballet studio with Ronan for a private ballet class,” Peter gestures and Simon’s cheeky somewhat grimace morphs into surprise.

“Ronan?”

“Yes, the RK900 dances with her here sometimes,” the PL400 explains, leading them down a long hallway. “You are welcome to watch, she will not mind.”

“We’d love to,” North answers because she has to get Simon back somehow for the earlier mischief. Even if her revenge is via a double-edged sword.

It’s not unknown to her, Chloe’s love of ballet- Carl Manfred had stated he’d carved her proportions based on a ballerina, and she’d spent much of her early phase absorbing movement via ballet videos.

It’s a different thing entirely, to watch her dance. She moves with such easy grace, effortlessly elegant and yet powerful at the same time. The RK900 is a fine partner, all calculated strength and cold regality. It’s one thing to tease each other about harmless crushes from afar, and another thing entirely to be so close and full of longing.

“Mind your timing, Chloe, you have to ease into it, you’re not giving yourself enough time to prepare,” the hologram of the ballet mistress commands, because of course Chloe’s ballet studio has mounted cameras and holographic capabilities. “Ronan you’re adjusting your stance too often, I want your footing to be neater. Again, please.” She claps her hand and Chloe blinks, soft piano music filling the air as they repeat the segment. Chloe catches her gaze briefly, smile brightening.

“Ask her, and I’ll ask him,” Simon bumps his shoulder to hers. “I promise.”

North thinks back on last November, on how everything changed so quickly with barely any time to process the violence, the trauma. She compares her life before, and after the 1st of December when the law recognised what they’d known all along- that they are alive, and they deserve to be free.

She’s different in some ways, and the same in many; it’s normal to long for change, but one constant in her life, one unwavering trait she’s proud of is that she never settles for the theoretical, the what-ifs, the maybes. If she wants something, she’ll fight for it; what use is longing without action?

The piano music ends and the teacher is pleased, clapping twice in praise and Chloe giggles happily as she bows in parting. The hologram fades and she reaches for North’s hands in greeting.

“Hello North, it’s so lovely to see you,” she’s beautiful and radiant like a goddess, and it’s all North can do to not buckle at the knees. She’s not one to back down from a challenge, but she thinks maybe standing defiantly against soldiers aiming rifles at them like a firing squad was easier than this.

“Would you like to go to Markus' fancy art party with me?” There, she asked. Chloe gasps in delight, squeezing her hands as she beams.

“I’d love to.”

*~*

It takes her a whole day to process Chloe’s acceptance, and also remember it had been part of a bargain she’d bullied Simon into agreeing to. The PL600 is sorting books Josh had left strewn on the meeting table when North wanders over.

“So. Did you ask him?” She demands, hands on her hips. He looks up like a deer in headlights, slowly taking a step back. “ No ?!”

“No, but-!” He bares his palms as if fending off an impending attack. Rightfully so. “I didn’t have to,” a shy, somewhat sheepish green. “He’d already asked me last week.”

There’s a pause and Simon bites his lip, taking another step back.

“I’m going to kill you,” she says evenly.

“Um-”

“SIMON!”

“Okay love you bye!” The blond tries to dart out of the room but North tackles him down and attacks him with her fingers, wriggling them into his sides. “Noooo!”

“You conniving bastard!” She shrieks and Simon laughs and laughs helplessly, trying to bat her hands away.

“Mercy! I had to do it! And she said yes!” She stops and flops onto her back beside him. After a moment, Simon scooches closer and rests his head on her shoulder. “Don’t be mad at me, you needed the push.”

“I did,” she admits and there’s no shame in the admission when the outcome far outweighs the discomfort. “Thanks Simon.”

*~*~*

{Chloe and Ronan are [rehearsing Manon].}

#chlorth #chloe rt600 #north wr400 #detroit: become human #dbhrarepairsweek #annie writes: dbh

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the-and-sign-anon · 4 years ago

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First Winter

Pairing: Supernatural x reader

Word count: 1,238

You grew up in a warmer climate than the boys, so this was your first winter. The only experience you had was watching Christmas movies, but you had no practical know-how, which became obvious to the boys when you tried to leave the bunker in November wearing only a light jacket and capris. Sam was about to stop you, but Dean silenced him and let you walk straight out the door. You came back in less than a minute later, having not even made it to your car before a cold wind cut straight through your jacket and drove you back to the warm bunker.

Now the first snow of the season had fallen and you were completely baffled. Sam took it upon himself to buy you a good coat and gloves while Jody and Alex sent a hat and scarf they’d made since taking up knitting in their free time. Before you went outside, the tall Winchester helped you into your gear and led you into the winter wonderland.

“Can I touch the snow? Or should I not?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. But it’s pretty cold, so be prepared.” Sam was really leaning into treating you like a child. He even had a fatherly sort of tone as he talked to you.

“Okay.” You pulled off one glove and knelt down to touch the cold flakes when a projectile hit you in the back of the head and sent you sprawling in the snowbank.

“Dean! Not funny!”

Dean, despite his brother’s quick scolding, was laughing hysterically and leaning over to steady himself. You had yelped when you hit the snow, so Sam dug you out and hauled you back to your feet before the snow could sink into your clothes. You took off your hat, shook the snow off of it, and returned it to your head before turning a withering glare on the eldest Winchester.

“Dean! What was that for?”

“Snowball fight, Y/N! They’re great!”

You turned to Sam for more information, which he gave while ushering you behind him and back over to the snowbank for protection from his brother. A few minutes later, Cas came at Sam’s request and started silently packing snow into balls and building an arsenal.

“Cas, why do you already know what’s happening?”

“I’ve known these boys for six years. There’s snow, Sam is helping you hide; the pieces put themselves together.”

“I thought you would be on Dean’s side.” You continued the conversation as you put your glove back on and started following the angel’s motions to make a few balls of your own.

“He’s stuffed a few too many snowballs down my shirt to have my support. I want to bury him.” Castiel replied with no emotion in his voice and a determined look in his eyes. “I’ll call in reinforcements while you use this first batch.”

Sam popped up from behind your defenses and hurled a ball at his brother. He missed, instead getting a face full of snow and dropping back down. While he brushed off his face and you threw a few horribly aimed snowballs, you heard the faint woosh of arriving angels. You glanced back and saw Gabriel, Balthazar, Hannah, and Samandriel behind you.

“Hello, Y/N. Cassie said you needed help terrorizing Dean?”

“I do. I’m a terrible shot and this is my first snowball fight.”

“We’ve got work to do, then”

Samandriel started building a better defensive wall with Hannah while Gabriel and Cas continued stockpiling snowballs. Balthazar snapped his fingers and you were in snow pants and had heating packets wrapped in your scarf and hat to keep you warmer. Sam explained the rules and started shouting taunts at Dean, who had insisted on getting backup of his own. Cas disappeared and returned with Benny, Lucifer, and Amara.

“Come on! You get a squad of angels and I get the devil and the Darkness?”

“Hey! I want to torture Sam more than I want to torture you, so I’m on your side here. And why aren’t you complaining about the vampire?”

“Don’t drag me into this, devil. Just start making snowballs.”

Amara had no complaints, giving a sort of ‘that’s fair’ shrug and getting to work on their defenses. Benny and Lucifer made snowballs, Cas returned to your side, and the war commenced within ten minutes.

To your credit, you actually hit Dean a few times. Lucifer nailed you in the face, apologized briefly with the promise that he’d meant to hit Sam, and Hannah and Amara actually got quite competitive with each other. After an hour, Benny made Dean call for a truce and everyone warily stood from their forts.

“Are you sorry for hitting me from behind with a snowball when I was just trying to see what snow felt like?”

“If I say yes, can we go make hot chocolate?”

“Will you mean it?” Sam stood at your side giving his brother a stern look. The rest of your team gave protective glares as well.

“Yeah, sure. I’m sorry and I won’t do it again.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

You smiled brightly then and turned around to descend into the bunker to warm up. Everyone else followed, Sam smacking Dean upside the head softly and pushing through the door. Balthazar, Hannah, and Benny gathered in the kitchen to make hot chocolate for everyone while you and the Winchesters warmed up and changed into dry clothes. You could briefly hear arguing from the men in the kitchen over how best to make the warm beverage, but Hannah quickly silenced them and a few minutes later Cas and Gabriel went to help with the drinks as well.

Amara, Samandriel, Lucifer, and the Winchesters sat with you around a big table you’d found in one of the many rooms in the bunker, clearly made for big conferences. You were in your most comfortable sweater and fluffy socks, trying to explain how you’d gone so many years without experiencing snow. When the rest of the group came in with mugs in their hands and passed them around, they took their seats and the conversation continued.

“You did well for your first battle, Y/N. Your aim needs a little work, but that’s not a big thing.”

“Thank you, Balthazar. Also, I’m very sorry for nearly hitting you with a snowball, I released a little earlier than I meant to.”

“It was entertaining for the rest of us, so you’ve got nothing to worry about, kiddo.”

You smiled brightly at Benny and took a sip of your drink.

“Hannah, I have to say I was impressed with your work. I didn’t know you were so good at snowball fights.” Amara looked less intimidating after changing out of her thick coat and into a gray cable sweater. You wished she could hang around more.

“I haven’t personally, but Caroline did growing up, so I sifted through a few memories and knew enough to help. I’m surprised that I didn’t get hit more.”

You all spent the rest of the evening like that; gathered around the table laughing and smiling, telling stories and teaching you more about winter. Before you went to bed, Hannah and Samandriel promised to join you in making your first snowman next week. You drifted off to sleep that night with a pleased sense of peace and accomplishment. Maybe winter wasn’t as mysterious as you first thought.

#supernatural x reader #supernatural #reader insert #female reader #anne writes #my writing

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opsecretsanta2019 · 5 years ago

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FAQs (mobile-friendly)

This is a mobile-friendly copy of the FAQs page for easy reference, accurate as of 24 October 2019. For the most updated version, please check the FAQs page in browser or on desktop.

FAQs below the cut! Mobile-friendly rules here.

Where is the application form?

It’s linked in the rules page. Please read the rules before applying, thanks!

What is this?

It’s a one piece holiday gift exchange on tumblr!

When are the deadlines?

15 Nov – Applications close. 22 Nov – Santas assigned. 27 Nov – Santas confirm assignments. 25 Dec to 31 Dec – Post the gifts! 5 Jan 2020 – Tell me if you didn’t get your gift. 9 Jan 2020 – Backup santas notified. 31 Jan 2020 – Backup santa gifts posted!

The close of each day is 11:59pm HKT (GMT + 8h). Please note that my timezone is ahead of most countries.

How do I join?

To enter, you must read the rules and complete the application form linked on the rules page.

You must send in the application form before 15th NOVEMBER 2019 at 11:59pm HKT (GMT+8h).

If you apply, please commit to creating and giving a gift.

What’s this password thing you have in the application? What password?

If you don’t know the password, please read the entire rules page carefully from top to bottom. For easy reference, here’s a link to the rules and the mobile-friendly rules.

Applications with an incorrect password will be rejected during santa/ giftee assignments, even if applicants received the response email.

Oh no! I made a mistake in my application form/ I got the password wrong/ I left out something. What do I do?

You can edit your application anytime before applications close on 15 November 2019 (2359h HKT). You should have received a response email with the edit link.

I made a typo on my password. Will I be rejected/ do I need to edit my application?

Nah, that’s fine, I’m willing to accept typos. Your application will get denied if the answer clearly shows that you don’t know the password.

Who sees the information I put in my application?

The middle section with your preferences will be copy-pasted and sent word-for-word to your santa. Your santa will also get your tumblr URL/ username. If you addressed any comments to your santa in your miscellaneous comment section, I’ll pass those along too.

Only the mods will see your email and other details. For now, that’s only me (@codedredalert) and @narramin. Since the volume of work got overwhelming, I got her on board as a mod.

She’s a close friend I trust, and while I don’t think we’ll have anyone else joining us as a moderator, If you’re very concerned about other people finding out about your email address and other application details, maybe give this event a miss.

What do I have to do when I post my gift?

Mention the name of your giftee in the post (like this: @url). Also mention @opsecretsanta2019 in the post.

Tag #opsecretsanta2019 and any appropriate compulsory warning tags (#n/sfw, #graphic violence, #major character death, #noncon or dubcon, #underage , #chose not to use warnings , #no warnings apply).

Consider writing a nice message to the giftee to go along with the gift, if you like.

If it is Not Safe For Work, please put it in a read-more and tag it appropriately.

Send me a link to your post! I will be re-blogging all gifts under #finished gifts.

How do you select Secret Santas?

I sort participants by naughty and nice into a SFW group and a NSFW group. After that, both groups are separately put through a random generator. Once giftees are drawn from the generator, I will manually check to make sure santas/ giftees share at least one mutual interest.

You should not be giving to the same person you’re receiving from.

What does it mean if I’m in the NSFW group?

If you choose NSFW, it means you are okay with making or receiving NSFW content AND are at least 21 years of age.

You do not have to create a NSFW gift if you don’t feel like it. You may or may not receive a NSFW gift.

Can I make/ receive NSFW?

To potentially receive or send NSFW material, you must be 21 years or older when applications close on 15 November 2019 2359h.

If you make something NSFW for your giftee, please put it under a read more and tag it appropriately. If your NSFW gift is/ could be flagged, please post it on another site and provide a link in a tumblr post.

Why must I be 21+ to receive/ give NSFW? I’m an adult in my country.

I don’t want drama/ legal issues about adults sending NSFW to minors. 21 is the highest age of majority as far as I’m aware, so that’s what I set it as to cover everyone. Sorry, kiddo.

I’m not 21+ yet but I will be by the time applications close. Can I still say I’m 21+?

Happy early birthday, I hope you have a great time! Please go ahead and put yourself on the NSFW list if you want. I’ll take the cut-off for age limit at the point where applications close aka 15 November 2019 2359h HKT.

What is considered NSFW?

NSFW components for the purposes of this event (loosely based on the R rating guidelines of the Motion Picture Association of America):

(1) Violence: Canon-typical depictions of violence are generally SFW (eg. brawls, blood, stabbing). However, violence that is detailed, realistic, extreme or persistent would make a work NSFW.

(2) Language/ Profanity / Swearing: Generally, swearing is SFW, but you’re encouraged to keep it mild. You have a maximum of one (1) singular “fuck” to give in a SFW work. Use it wisely. Excessive or extremely graphic swearing would make a work NSFW.

(3) Drugs/ Substance Abuse:

Canon-typical depiction of smoking is SFW (eg. chain smoking or smoking several cigarettes/cigars at once is SFW). However, smoking/ nicotine addiction that is detailed, realistic, extreme or persistent would make a work NSFW.

Canon-typical drinking of large amounts of alcohol is SFW. However, alcoholism/ alcohol addiction that is detailed, realistic, extreme or persistent would make a work NSFW.

Mention of drugs used in a medical context is SFW. Otherwise, any drug use or mention of drug use would make a work NSFW.

(4) Nudity and sexual content:

Nudity that is depicted visually (eg. art) is NSFW, regardless of whether it is sexual or not. Please post a censored/ partial preview of the art and link the full piece on another site. (Tumblr might flag it otherwise lol.)

Non-visual nudity (eg. writing) is NSFW if it is sexually-oriented. Please ensure that it is under a read-more.

All sexual content is NSFW regardless of medium.

Hugs, kisses and cuddling are SFW.

Can I opt to be in the NSFW list, but still say I don’t want to receive/ create a certain type of NSFW (eg. specifically not sexual content, or drug abuse)?

Yup! Generally, giving more information in your application is better. It’s good to be clear and upfront about your likes and dislikes. It helps me a lot in deciding if I need to re-roll when I double-check your random match. It helps your santa know what not to give you too.

Is ____ pairing/ content/ gen allowed?

As long as they’re canon One Piece characters, yes. This event aims to be as inclusive as possible. Just make sure you tag appropriately.

Are OCs/ self-insert/ Y/N fic allowed?

Sorry, nope. I’m sure you and your OCs are lovely, however, this is a One Piece event, so please only feature canon One Piece characters.

You CAN sneak in a little extra cameo if you really want. Eg. a random person in the background/ a random shopkeeper in your fic. But the focus must be on canon One Piece characters.

I personally consider ____ content problematic. Will you allow it?

The compulsory warning tags (following those on Ao3) generally cover a wide range of potentially offensive content. Please be responsible for your own content regulation by blacklisting the necessary tags. I cannot be responsible for everyone’s content consumption.

I’m personally triggered by _____. Can you tag it?

Your personal triggers will already be accounted for in the application form and the information sent to your santa. So, this shouldn’t be a problem for your gift. Also, there are the compulsory warning tags for you to blacklist if necessary.

If you think there is still a very high chance that other people’s gifts will have your trigger, send me an ask off-anon proposing (1) a feasible identification system and (2) a tag name. We’ll see if we can work something out.

I promise to hear you out. However, I will exercise my discretion as to whether it is feasible for me to impose your request on every post on this blog. If your request requires a moral judgment or a lot of work on my part, I am less likely to impose your request.

It’s not possible for me to please everyone. I’ve done my best to cover the generally-accepted warnings. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

What kinds of gifts are allowed?

Anything digital as long as you personally created it for your giftee!

SUGGESTED minimum guidelines for different types of content are below (feel free to go above and beyond if your heart desires):

– Art – 1 artwork, sketches are okay as long as characters are recognisable

– AMVs – 30 seconds. Please use only official art/ anime/ movies as your base.

– Animations – 3 seconds, sketches are okay as long as characters are recognisable

– Animatics – 30 seconds, sketches are okay as long as characters are recognisable

– Edits – 2 edits of good image quality. Please use only official art as your base.

– Fanfiction – 100 words (prose), 20 words (poetry)

– GIFsets – 2 gifs of good image quality. Please use only official art/ anime/ movies as your base.

– Music cover – 1 minute. Please cover only official One Piece songs/ motifs.

– Playlist – 10 songs. Please try to find out about your giftee’s music taste and cater to that if possible.

– Podfic/ audio reading – You MUST get permission in writing from the fic author before making the recording. In your recording, you MUST clearly state the original author, the title of the original fic, and the website where the original fic can be found. In your post, you MUST give LINKED credit to both the original author AND the original fic.

Do I need to meet a minimum for my gift?

There are suggested minimum guidelines for different types of content, but there are no strict minimums. The gift creation for this event is intended to be very achievable, stress-free, and accessible even to first-time creators.

Do I have to follow a winter theme in the gift?

Nope. Anything goes! Just try to do something you think your giftee would like according to the information you were given.

Can I send something in the mail?

Sorry, please don’t. This exchange is digital-only.

Hey I'm a writer who uses Ao3. Is there an Ao3 collection for this event which I can add my gift to?

Yup, here’s the link to the opsecretsanta2019 Ao3 collection. Please feel free to add your fic(s) to the Ao3 collection during the posting period (aka 25 December 2019 to 31 December 2019). It would be good if you could drop me a message on tumblr when you do.

I don’t know what an Ao3 collection is/ how to submit works to an Ao3 collection/ how to specify gift recipients etc?

Here are the Ao3 Collections FAQs.

I’m not very good at art/ writing/ etc.

That’s okay! As long as you put your heart into it, you’re welcome aboard!

I want to join but I’m shy/ intimidated generally/ by my giftee/ by everyone’s expectations.

Hey, it’s alright, we’re all nakama in the same anime pirate boat here to enjoy some holiday time. Just try your best and have fun!

I didn't receive my response email?

Ah, the automated emails have a daily limit, sorry. You can send me a message and I'll send you a copy manually. Thanks!

When and how will I get my Secret Santa assignment?

On or before 22 November, I will contact you via your tumblr blog. Please keep your askbox/ submit box open between 14 November 2019 and 23 November 2019.

If I can’t reach you on tumblr, I will use the email you provide in the application.

If you applied on time, but did not receive a giftee assignment, please contact me.

When should I send my gift to my Secret Santa?

Any time on or between 25 December 2019 and 31 December 2019.

Can I let my giftee know who I am?

Only once you post your gift. In other words, yes but not earlier than 25 December 2019.

Can I contact my giftee to clarify things about the gift?

Yes but you cannot reveal your identity before you post your gift (eg. use anon asks). If you can’t contact your giftee via tumblr, just do your best with the information you have.

What if my giftee doesn’t have anon asks on/ doesn’t respond?

If you can’t contact your giftee anonymously via tumblr, just do your best with the information you have. Most people wrote detailed applications, so this should be workable.

If giftees are feeling up to it, consider keeping anon asks open for the duration of this event so santas can make clarifications if they need to. It might mean that the gift turns out more to your personal taste.

Can the mods contact my giftee to ask things for me?

We’d love to but we can’t afford to take on the extra workload of being the go-between for everyone’s giftee questions.

You will get your giftee’s tumblr URL. Feel free to check out your giftee’s tumblr and see if they accept anon asks. Please respect their personal rules on interacting if you send asks.

Oops! Something has come up and I can’t participate!

If you have to drop out, please do it before 15 November 2019 if possible. I want to make sure every participant receives a gift.

If you have to drop out after 15 November 2019, please send me an ask. I will assign backup santas.

Please note that if you drop out or are deemed to have dropped out, you may or may not receive any gift.

Please note that if you don’t confirm participation by 27 November 2019, you are deemed to have dropped out.

Oh no, I missed the confirmation deadline (27 November 2019)! But I can confirm now though I’m late! Please please please will you still make sure I get a gift?

If you confirm late but before 15 December 2019, maybe, but at my discretion. If a replacement/ backup santa has already been assigned, likely no.

If you confirm on or after 15 December 2019, no. It’s up to luck whether you get one or not. May the odds be ever in your favour.

I don’t use tumblr much/ my tumblr is dead, but I will be contactable and post on tumblr for this event. Is that okay?

Yup! As long as you communicate and post according to the timelines, it’s okay.

How many mods are there?

Two. The older posts like this one use mostly “I”, since I started this event alone, but beacuse of the number of participants and the workload I got another person on board.

My art/ writing/ main is @codedredalert, and the second mod’s writing/ cursed/ main is @narramin.

Have you, the mods, ever run an event like this before?

Nope. I, Red, have participated in maybe two. Take that as you will.

Suggestions and advice from experienced people are welcome! I may not be able to use/ implement them in this event, but the learning is appreciated.

Are you, the mods, going to be participating as a giftee/ santa? I want a chance to get content from you/ give you things.

Awww thank you, that’s so sweet. Alas, I am just your humble mod. I’ll have my work cut out for me running the event and some major IRL things. Anyways, I'll be doing the matchups so I feel like I ought not to participate.

I’ll step in as a backup santa/ pinch hitter if necessary.

Since narramin leveled up from being a humble participant/ backup santa to moderator, she will be still participating, but due to her own request she won’t know her own santa. Needless to say, her santa will be randomised too.

Will you read/ comment on all the gift works?

I would like to, but I don’t want to make promises unless I’m sure I can keep them. I,,,,, will try.

Currently, I’m considering reblogging with functional tags first and slowly going through to add the fun comment tags later. I think I could make that work.

I would be in a better position to talk about this after applications close and the matchups and drop-outs are finalised. Thanks for your understanding.

Is this event affiliated with _____?

Nope, it’s just us, alone, in this coffin-boat built from our own hubris.

I don’t like your bad jokes and your weird western pirate talk. Can you stop?

Does Zoro have a sense of direction?

The question I wanted to ask isn’t answered here?

Thank you so much for reading the questions before asking. Please feel free to send an ask to this blog or an email to [email protected] .

#important #opsecretsanta2019

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girlwithlove7 · 7 years ago

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LET ME LOVE YOU {Part 3} {FINAL}

Pairing: JUNGKOOK X READER X YUGYEOM

Genre: ANGST, FLUFF

Word Count: 3056

{ PART 1 } { PART 2 } { PART 3 }

" Aren't you going to say something?" you were a little out of breath but more notably you were jittery.

After looking for Jungkook the entire morning you had eventually found him in an empty classroom which was in the far end of the corridor. When you entered the room breathless, he was sitting with his precious guitar all the while jotting something on a piece of paper.

“There is nothing to say.” he responded without even looking up.

“Jungkook…” you started, but trailed off unable to come up with proper words. You were familiar of how hot-tempered he was, but last night had left you with ample shock. You have had couple of arguments in the past but never has he ever used such unpleasant words or avoided you at such degree. Whenever you guys had an argument it didn’t took you more than one day to sort things out. This was also unusual because you didn’t even know the aim behind this feud.

You could feel irritation building up when he didn’t look at you even when he knew you were still standing there, waiting for some justification.

“What’s wrong?” you took a step towards him.

But instead of answering he replied with a question. “Where’s your boyfriend?” There, again, that evident malice in his tone made you feel as if you both were strangers.

“A-are you angry with me?” you asked calmly. You didn’t like to argue with people and especially with Jungkook. He knew that very well because that very moment he looked up at you and the moment you had eye-contact your irritation slowly faded. Jungkook’s eyes were so big and pure and every time you looked at each other, it was as if you were exploring each other’s souls. He knew all your fear, all your strengths. And though you were grown-ups now, his eyes always reminded you of the boy you fell in love with.

Yes, you were deeply in love with your best friend, though it took you a lot of courage to suppress those feelings when you heard him telling Taehyung that he looked at you as nothing more than a precious friend. It was some three years ago, but you still remember his voice. It was as if he told it to you just yesterday. For a few days you felt numb. So suffocating was the feeling of rejection that you couldn’t even look at Jungkook for a few days. And when he did ask you what the matter was, you simply told him that you were not feeling very well, which didn’t prove to be a good idea since he started spending more time with you, to cheer you up.

The heartache felt like a glove of ice, encasing your heart as a cage traps a tropical bird. Your heart longed to fly again, to stretch its wings and soar but you knew you were far gone you knew you had crossed a certain limit, but it was just out of control. He connected to a part of you which other didn’t even know exists. He saw a part of you which you never wanted to let out. He touched you, but failed to notice your reaction, beautiful and raw. For those moments he was more real than the blood in your own veins, and you felt you like the beating of my own heart.

The day you found him kissing his first and then girlfriend, you had finally accepted that it was completely your fault. You were the one who had fallen in love with him and crossed the line. He never promised you anything, neither had he ever given you hope by whispering any sweet nothings. It was all you and your uncontrolled feelings. And so, on that day you had promised yourself to completely suppress those feeling. Because for some reason you felt guilty and, so you started going out on more and more dates just, so you could develop those feelings for someone else, but it didn’t work out, till date.

Yes, occasionally the heartache was agonizing, but a part of you felt victorious for choosing your friendship over your laughable passion. Because even if you did find a suitable person for yourself, you were aware that Jungkook is a necessity.

Jungkook sighed as he placed his guitar aside and looked at you with a vacant expression. You observed the slight visibility of dark patches under his eyes and doubted if he isn’t getting enough rest, but before you could enquire he answered you.

“No…I am not angry…”

“Well, then there is certainly something that’s upsetting you…go on, tell me”

Jungkook gave a dull laugh. “Nothing’s upsetting me…I am okay. You can go back to your boyfriend.”

“Alright. Enough. I don’t understand why you keep pulling Yugyeom into this…” he laughed once again.

Your temper was a slowly filling glass. There was no problem, no outward sign of fury until now, and the moment you recollected his harsh words from last evening the liquid reached the top, then all bets were off.

“I think you owe me an apology, Jeon Jungkook.” You hissed.

“I don’t find myself guilty of anything.” He simply shrugged.

For a moment you were taken a back. Even after speaking with you so austerely he found himself not guilty of anything.

“Are you freaking kidding me?! I and Yugyeom actually cancelled our date so we could spend some quality time with you and –“

“Well how considerate of you and Yugyeom…” distastefulness was dripping in his words. For a moment you were speechless, but then it hit you.

“Is it about Yugyeom?” you whispered your question not sure if you were afraid of his answer or just inquisitive.

He just kept watching you. There was some emotion flickering in his eyes, but for the first time you found it difficult to decipher it.

“No, it isn’t.” but you could clearly see a change in his face. His jaw tensed as he pressed his tongue in his cheek. A habit, whenever he is mad, annoyed or perhaps…envious.

“It is about him, isn’t it?

“Yes, it is.” He responded without reluctance. “You see I am not very fond of Yugyeom.” You knew very well that he was reading your expression closely.

“Did you boys fight or something?”

“What are we, ten?” he chuckled as he got up placing the sheet of paper in his back pocket and made his way towards you. He was just about to walk past you when you stepped in front of him blocking his way.

“Damn it Jungkook! Will you just talk to me?” he stood there as he looked at you his cheeks tinted red. “If you haven’t fought with him then what is it? Are you jealous of him or something?”

He looked at you with hardened eyes, that once had been your salvation. But now they portrayed the pain of your unsure accusation. But then he replied, and you were left bewildered for the hundredth time in twenty-four hours.

“Yes…” he whispered.

“But why…?”

“Because…” he looked up at you with poise “…he has something that I desire intensely…”

Even after so long he was just beating around the bush. You still didn’t comprehend what he intended to say.

“Jungkook I-“

The next thing you knew, he had slammed his lips to yours and nearly knocked all wind from your lungs. You hardly had a moment to react when you felt his hand on the small of your back as he pulled you closer. You could feel his warm chest, which was chiseled to perfection. You splayed your hand against it, intending to push him away, but instead just left it there. Not only could you feel your heart flutter, but your brain was lit on fire and the warmth spread throughout your entire body. It felt like you were walking on air. It was magic, the way his lips connected with yours. His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than you could have imagined. He kissed you. Soft and slow and he tasted like November, like hot chocolate on stormy evenings and crisp autumn air.

After what felt like ages, but was just some enchanted minutes, he pulled away, but you could still feel his warm breath on your lips. You uncertainly looked up at him. The swirls of emotion you saw there made you gasp. What is it? Desire? Lust? Love?

But before any of you could exchange any words, you heard someone calling your name and all eagerness crashed as you turned around and came face-to-face with Yugyeom.

You desperately wished that he hadn’t witnessed anything, but the hurt was quite evident on his beautiful face. For a half second, the both of you stood there, staring at each other. But when you failed to give any justification, Yugyeom bowed his head as he walked away.

You were just about to follow, when Jungkook grabbed your wrist, spun you around enveloping you in a bone crushing hug.

Too much was happening in too little time. The moment Jungkook’s lips touched yours, every thought came to a standstill, but at the same time your body was on fire. You had spent days imagining how it would feel to kiss Jungkook, his body pressed against yours, drowning in his warmth, and now when it did happen it felt like a pipe dream.

His head was buried in your neck while he held you as if his life depended on it. Hugs have been quite common in your relationship, but this felt…intimate.

You didn’t hug him back but as soon as Yugyeom’s face flashed crossed your mind you placed both your hands on his arms to free yourself from his hold.

“Please…don’t leave…” you heard him whisper against your skin. The movement of his lips sending shivers down your spine.

He was holding you exactly as you have imagined, and it was creeping you out. Was this a joke? Did you really see those emotions in his eyes or were you day dreaming again? But he had undoubtedly kissed you the proof being the still present sensation on your lips. But you knew the only way to confirm your doubts was to look at him straight in his eyes because his eyes never lied and spoke much more than his lips.

You again tired to free yourself but failed. “Jungkook…” you whispered so slowly that you wondered if it was audible enough. But apparently, he did hear you, because he inched away, but kept a firm hand around you.

But the moment you met his tear-filled eyes, you were certain of one thing.

Taking a deep breath, you entangled his hands and stepped away from him. He did try to stop you. “Please…” but then he finally let you go.

You treaded back, your eyes still reading his sculpted face.

“_________” he spoke your name conscientiously, as you kept stepping away still trying to figure out your next move.

When you finally did reach a conclusion, you turned around prepared to exit the room, but stopped in your tracks when the words fell from his lips.

“I love you…”

You spun on your heels with wide eyes. You felt elation bubble in the pit of your stomach. But again, is it correct for you to be happy?

“I love you, ______...please don’t leave…stay…”

You still felt dazed and lost. Thinking and playing all the events that took place since morning you finally arrived at a conclusion. Looking him straight in the eyes you whispered, “I am sorry…” as you decisively retired from the room.

He had never felt so alone, so lost, so incapable of doing even the smallest tasks. And this was only the beginning, the beginning of the pain, the suffering and the endless line of emotions that were in store for me. He smeared away the thin trail of tear with the back of his hand. What was he expecting that you would jump in his arms and except his love? He laughed at his own foolishness.

To come so close to pure love and loose it so violently is something no medication can heal. He used to think that even when he would confess, and if you would reject him he would still cope up and deal with it somehow, but never in his wildest dream did he expect the agony to be so piercing. Heart break is a funny thing. We all know it's going to happen, yet we're never prepared for it. We underestimate its power. It's like giving a murderer a gun, and expecting not to be killed. Why are we never ready for it? Because we're in denial. We believe it won't happen. We believe the murderer will not kill us. We believe if we give him our hearts he will not crush it. Hearts shouldn't be crushed. They should be cherished and protected.

But humanity doesn’t work that way.

Jungkook knew that only you could cause him pain as deep as this. Only you can shatter his heart with just a few words. Worst part is- you know it, don’t you?

He stepped into the shower, toes flinching as they touched the chilled ceramic floor. His mind was in shreds; he would never get that picture out of his mind. Turning the knob, old and metallic, releasing thousands of lukewarm drops, darkening his hair, tickling down his aching body. His eyes fell shut over and over, each time showing him your departing images like photographs.

He sighed and then whispered to himself, “It’s going to be fine…I…I am going to be fine…” he felt like a madman, but the pep talk was needed and there is no one who can do it to him but himself. Even though he kept repeating those words he couldn’t stop the tears leaving his now swollen eyes.

After spending a good forty-five minutes under the shower, at last he stepped out. Putting on his track pants and a loose hoodie he slouched on the couch in the hall as he flipped through the television blankly. Eventually getting bored by that as well, he dropped the controller on the floor and rested his head on the back.

How many days it had taken for him to gather up courage and confess to you and yet when he did you had left. “I am sorry…” was the only reply you gave to his bold movements. Of course, the way you have left him confirmed that you had no feelings for him, at least not in the way he did for you. But than maybe he was late in letting you know. Maybe you have already developed feelings for Yugyeom.

He closed his eyes trying to regulate his beating heart. Jungkook could still feel the warmth of your lips against his and once it was done, he realized that he was addicted, he couldn't bare not to be with you and he could barely breathe when you were around. That kiss was his salvation and his torment. While his thoughts were running wild he completely missed the click of the opening door. Still trying to figure out how he will face you henceforth he didn’t realize when someone came and stood next to you. But after some time when he did feel a presence he opened his eyes and stood up immediately, shocked when he saw you standing there.

You were gasping as your skin gleamed red. Did you run to his place? You just kept looking at him and his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. You didn’t seem angry, but neither were you happy. It was just a stern expression plastered on your face. You took a step closer to him and for a moment he thought that you would slap him.

“________...”

“D-did you mean it?” you asked as your eyes searched his thoroughly.

“What?” Jungkook was confused. Whether you were referring to the kiss or his confession, he was not sure.

“What you said…did you mean it?” you asked as you expectantly raised your eyebrows.

As he stood there trying to figure out the correct answer, he was once again reminded why he fell for you in the first place. When he sees you, it's as if space and time become the finest point imaginable, as if time collapses into one tiny speck and explodes at light speed. It's as if his universe begins and ends with you. He could run forever, search forever, but in the end, every path leads right back to your heart and soul.

Cautiously he nodded his head and was just about to verbally reply warm lips pressed against his. Jungkook’s eyes widen and it took him approximately three seconds to realize that you were kissing him. With such force you had thrown yourself in his arms that he fell along with you on the couch. You part from each other as you both erupt in a fit of giggles but soon the tension was back.

You trace his lip lightly with the tip of your finger. He pouts slightly, and you have such an urge to bite it, to kiss it, to wrap the both of you up in a quilt and listen to the others gentle breathing, watching the cotton ripple like skipping stones and sharing crooked smiles. His lip feels slightly chapped under your feather light touches but you simply cannot bring yourself to give a damn. You gaze so intently at each divot of that lip, as if it could map out ancient seas and college plans and solve every mystery of this world.

You look up and meet his pleasure filled eyes.

“I love you, Kookie.” You stated confidently.

And then he gives you a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through you. But soon his expression hardened, “Yugyeom?”

“I am sure he will understand…”

He smirked as mischief lurked on the corner of his lips and eyes.

“I love you so much!” he squealed.

And once again you found yourself drowning in his touch. The only thing separating you was a cheerful Taehyung as he shouted “Finally!” and Namjoon stood there giving you both an approving nod.

#bangtan #jeon jungkook #jungkook x reader #bts #got7 #got7 yugyeom #fanfic #bts fanfction #jungkook angst #bangtan sonyeondan

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daisy-chain-gardens · 7 years ago

Text

Exchange Romance - Chapter 18

A/N: Hey guys, me again with an update finally. You may have noticed that I've added another chapter because, well, I felt like it and you'll soon find out why. I'm not sure when I'll be updating next because I'll be travelling for the next two weeks (I'm finally going home) but I hope (for your sake) that it'll be soon.Huge enormous thanks to Jenna (@allskynostars) for reading over this and helping me plot and to Simren (@wonderrful) for letting me tease her mercilessly.

Read it on AO3

“God it’s good to see you,” Betty breathed out as soon as the grainy image of his face filled her laptop screen.

“Betts, it’s been two days,” Jughead said through a soft laugh, that lazy smile she loved so much resting on his lips.

“I know but … well, I missed you.” Her voice was quiet as she looked down at the keyboard and brushed away some imaginary fluff.

“What’s up babe?” He would give anything to be able to reach out and touch her, brush that lone strand of hair out of her face and tilt her chin up, let himself get lost in the depths of her green eyes. But he couldn’t, something he had to remind himself of every day when he reached for his phone to see if she wanted to walk to school together or ask if she was free that weekend.

“I … I had another attack.” Jughead reached over and turned up the sound on his computer, her voice so quiet it was getting distorted as it poured out of his crappy speakers.

“Mum was yelling at me again. I can’t even remember what it was about but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I tried to call Polly afterwards but she wasn’t picking up and then I went to call you but time zones are a bitch so of course you were asleep and I know that you’ve had trouble sleeping so I didn’t want to wake you up or end up waking up Archie and Kevin was busy and I felt so … alone. I felt like there was no one around me that I could talk to and then on top of all the assignments I have to hand in next week and all of this stuff with my mum I just sort of freaked I guess. I don’t know, it sounds stupid now that I try and explain it.”

“Betty, there’s nothing about that that’s anywhere near stupid, okay? You have a lot going on at the moment and it’s normal to be feeling stressed about school, especially with the pressure you put on yourself to excel at everything you do. Throw a crazy mum in the mix and I’m surprised you haven’t snapped sooner. Don’t ever feel bad about having a panic attack,” Jughead reassured her, catching her eyes through the screen and refusing to break his gaze. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know Jug,” Betty choked out, brushing the tears out of her eyes. “Everything is so hard and I miss you so much and just … these last three months have been hell without you Juggie. I need you,” she said softly, letting her tears flood her face as they refused to be stopped by her attempts to control them.

“I miss you too Betts.” Against his better judgement, Jughead reached out and ran his fingers over his screen, his fingers tracing her pixelated outline. “You do know that you can call me anytime. The fact that I have trouble sleeping means that you should call me when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed or even if you just want to talk. Don’t worry about waking me up. I will gladly lose an hour or so of uneventful sleep if it means I get to talk to you.” Betty took a deep breath and nodded slowly as Jughead sent her that damn smile that he knew made her weak in the knees and agree with anything he said.

“Besides, you know that Archie is impossible to wake up once his head hits the pillow so you can’t use that as an excuse,” Jughead joked feebly as he cocked an eyebrow in jest. Betty let out a weak laugh and sighed once more, revelling in the warmth that spread through her chest at the sight of him. Whenever she was with him she felt like everything was okay but then as soon as the screen went dark she was plunged back into reality, reminded that everything around her was slowly unravelling.

“What are you looking at Betts? Do I have something on my face?” Jughead asked as his fingers flew up to play with that rebellious curl that always fell over his forehead.

“No, I’m just … looking,” Betty said cheekily, a smile playing on her lips. Jughead let out a content sigh, happy that he was able to make Betty feel even the slightest bit better.

“Jug! We’re gonna be late for school if you don’t stop flirting with your girlfriend. Hurry up!” Archie called out from the bottom of the stairs, his voice barrelling through the open door.

“I guess that’s my cue. Please please call me whenever you need to, even if it’s three in the morning.” Jughead pleaded as he started moving around the room, throwing books into his satchel haphazardly.

“I promise Jug. I love you.”

“Love you Betts, talk to you later.”

--------------------

“Would you mind if I killed Veronica accidentally on purpose?” Jughead asked casually as he accepted Betty’s video chat request.

“That depends. I’m gonna say yes because she’s basically my sister but I’m sure I could be persuaded otherwise,” Betty teased, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Things had been slowly getting better over the last few weeks. Betty had kept her promise, waking Jughead up a few times so he could help calm her down and avoid another panic attack. It was getting better, but they were getting worse.

Some days it felt like it was suffocating her; the homesickness she felt despite technically being back home. She missed him so much it seemed like a weight she had to carry around, a constant elephant in the already crowded room that housed her thoughts. She never realised just how much she missed him until she saw him on her screen, taunting her, making her feel like they were close enough to touch despite the thousands of kilometres between his lips and hers. It was always so easy between the two of them but she could tell that the distance was beginning to take its toll on him, on them.

She could hear it in the words he had started choosing carefully, feel it in unfamiliar expressions he sometimes wore when she would look at him for just that moment longer. It was starting to fall apart, they were starting to fall apart, the physical distance finally beginning to show in the prolonged silences and the awkward pauses.

But then they would have conversations like this one, the conversations that flowed so easily that she felt like they were sitting on the banks of Sweetwater River, or curled up in an armchair in the Lodge’s library, or tangled in each other as they fell asleep in her bed.

“She stole my laptop Betts! I mean, I know that I may have sort of purposely spilt part of my milkshake on her but stealing my laptop is just too far,” Jughead exclaimed, throwing his hands about expressively. Betty let out a small giggle as she watched his outburst, thinking that he looked adorable with his hat slipping down his forehead as he paced back and forth within the view of the screen.

“Do I want to know why you spilt your milkshake?” Betty asked teasingly, unable to hide how ridiculous she found the situation.

“Her and Archie were making out in Pop’s again and I swear I was aiming for Archie but then I just happened to tip my glass over exactly as Ron climbed onto Archie’s lap so technically she should be blaming Archie because it’s all his fault.” Jughead finished with a flop, falling onto his bed and shifting slightly so she could still see him.

“I think you need to go full ‘Home Alone’; set up booby traps all over the house, steal Archie’s phone and send her a text to come over, and then sit back and enjoy the show,” Betty suggested, trying so hard to be serious but not quite succeeding.

“Babe, it’s not even November, why are you already watching Christmas movies?”

“Who said I watched it recently?” Betty asked as her eyes narrowed with curiosity.

“Because last year you told me that movie is your guilty pleasure and the one Christmas movie you’d watch all year around and that you watch it whenever you’re in a crappy mood,” Jughead pointed out. Betty opened her mouth to deny it but Jughead cut her off. “And I can see the DVD case open on your desk.” If anyone ever needed the perfect example of a smug expression, all that they would have to do is take a photo of Jughead in that exact moment.

“Fine, you win. Yes, I did watch it last night but I still think that would be a great way to get back at V.”

“I think Archie would kill me before letting me use his phone. Also, you said you watched that movie last night, is everything okay Betts?” Jughead tone changed from joking to serious in a second and it caught Betty off guard.

“Same old, same old. I don’t know really. There isn’t anything specific I was just in a crappy mood last night and needed something to take my mind off … well, off everything really,” Betty said casually, knowing exactly what Jughead was going to say but not wanting him to make a big deal out of it.

“Babe, why didn’t you call me?”

“Because you’re not here!” Betty practically yelled and was suddenly grateful that her parents were out of the house. “Because, Jug, you can’t do everything for me. I can’t ask you to fix all my problems or indulge my every need as soon as I feel less than one hundred percent. You’re not here and I have to learn how to do some things for myself.” The line went silent and Betty would have thought he’d hung up if she couldn’t see Jughead’s broken heart etched across his face.

“Sorry Jughead. I didn’t mean to yell at you like that. I’m just … tired,” Betty muttered as she ran her hands over her face. They both knew that she wasn’t talking about sleep.

--------------------

Betty was in her room on a Friday night, the blinking numbers on her alarm clock were tauntingly reminding her of every second that passed, every second he was late.

How could he forget?

Those words kept spinning around and around in her head, tripping over each other and breaking through every other blossoming thought.

How could he forget? How could he forget? How could he for-

Her intrusive thoughts were cut off by the sound of her phone buzzing on her desk. She leapt off her bed and hurried over to it, simultaneously tapping in her passcode and tripping over the sneakers she’d abandoned on the floor.

“Say hi to Betty for me,” Archie voice trickled out of her phone as the image waited to load.

“Say hi to her yourself.” The first glimpse she got of Jughead was the back of his head as he yelled at Archie over his shoulder. He turned around to face her with a goofy grin as Archie’s heavy footstep became louder and louder.

“Hey Betty!” Archie said enthusiastically as he leaned over Jughead, almost squishing him. “How’s it going?”

“It’s … it’s going good thanks Arch.” She pulled her lips into her best Cooper smile and her hands automatically flew up to her hair, smoothing it out and tightening her ponytail. She knew that Jughead had noticed the motion but she was hoping he wouldn’t call her out on it in front of Archie. He must have read her expression and said nothing but continued to look at her as if she was some strange animal he’d heard about but never actually seen in real life.

Archie must have noticed the heavy silence that was settling over the two of them and slowly backed away from the screen, shutting the bedroom door behind him.

“What’s going on Betts?” Jughead said tiredly, his hands reaching up and tugging his hat off his head before throwing it somewhere off camera. His hands started running through his hair, the habit he only ever feel back into when he was dreading something or feeling uncomfortable. How ironic.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about,” she muttered bitterly as the plastic persona she’d slipped into moments ago fell away, leaving only the shell of her behind.

“Betty, don’t do this,” he sighed, collapsing onto his elbows and looking straight at her.

“Don’t do what Jug? What is it that you don’t want me to do?” She knew that she was overreacting but she couldn’t stop herself. Everything had started making her feel so numb lately but this, this was breaking through the bubble she hid herself inside. It was making her feel something and she couldn’t help but let herself indulge in just this one thing.

“Don’t cut me out Betty! We’ve talked about this. If this is going to work then we can’t keep secrets. We can’t lie to each other.” He sounded defeated and Betty almost felt bad that her words had caused that broken tone but at least she was feeling something.

“We both know I’m not the only one breaking promises around here.” She thought he wouldn’t hear. She thought she’d mumbled it quietly enough that her tiny microphone and his tiny speakers wouldn’t pick it up.

“Come on, what’s that supposed to mean?” His hand were in the air and his back was straight, almost as if he was trying to get away from her.

“You were three hours late Jug! You left me sitting here for three whole hours just waiting for you to call without so much as a single message to say you were running late or doing whatever the hell you we're doing.” Jughead’s face fell. Now he was looking at her as if he’d seen a ghost. Maybe that’s what she was to him; a lonely ghost, a whisper of a memory he could barely remember despite them only being apart for six months. She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes. She wasn’t going to turn into the girl that starts crying because her boyfriend forgets to call. She wasn’t. She wasn’t. She wa-

“You were waiting that whole time?” She could hear the pain in his voice, but it was a mere whisper over the sound of her tears as they came rushing down her cheeks. She nodded quickly and cast her eyes downwards, focusing on the ruined nail polish that coated her nails instead of the breaking boy on her screen. All that she wanted was to be in his arms, to feel him wrapped around her as she watched the world melt away while he made everything better.

But he couldn’t make it better this time because he was the one causing her pain, a pain that felt ten times worse than it should have after those long weeks of feeling nothing. She curled into herself and let her phone fall onto the bed in front of her, her knee covering the camera.

“Betts, I’m so so sorry. I was at Pop’s with Arch and Ron and we lost track of time. I didn’t realise until about an hour ago and by then I figured you’d be doing something else so I waited a bit until I saw you were online. I’m so so sorry Betts.” She could tell he meant it. Logically, her brain knew that every single word that came out of his mouth was completely and utterly sincere.

Her anxiety begged to differ.

What’s stopping him from doing that again? How do you know he didn't just forget? He could so easily be lying to you. What if he had something better to do and he just … didn’t call? What if -

“Betty? Babe, are you alright?” The voices in her head kept getting louder and louder, blocking out everything and everyone else as a familiar tightening sensation started spreading through her chest.

“Betty, I need you to take a nice deep breath. Can you do that for me?” His voice was soft and tempting, the only sound to break through the storm clouding her mind. She managed to take a shallow breath, feeling it shake as it made its way into her lungs.

“Well done Betts. Can you take another breath?” She closed her eyes and focused on his voice, letting it pulling her out of the darkness as she took another breath, letting it go slightly deeper. She managed to find a rhythm and kept going, breathing in and out and in and out until the toxic words began to numb and melt back in with everything else.

“Can you move the camera so I can see you Betts?” His voice was still gentle, almost as if he was careful not to break her. It dawned on her that maybe he already had. Betty reached for her phone and repositioned it so she appeared on the screen, trying to keep her hands from shaking but failing miserably. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her, grateful that she’d managed to avoid another panic attack and trying not to focus on the fact that he was the cause of it.

“Are you alright? I’m so sorry that I bought that on. I really didn’t mean to be so late calling you and if I had’ve known that you were waiting I would’ve left Pop’s sooner a-”

“Jughead, stop.” Betty’s words cut through his like ice, her tone frigid despite the shaky quality it possessed. “Just … just stop.” The tears came back for another round, obviously not getting their fair share the first time. “I can’t keep doing this anymore. It’s dragging us both down and I … I don’t want to say goodbye Juggie, I really don’t, but I think that’s what we need at the moment.” She couldn’t tear her gaze from her nails, couldn’t look up into his eyes because she knew the storm she would find there and the darkness her words would bring.

“Betts, Betts what are you talking about?” Jughead sounded frantic, the soothing quality his voice had just possessed disappearing without a trace.

“You can’t seriously think that this is healthy!” She screamed before taking a deep breath and forcing herself to calm down a fraction. “You forgot we had a call and that’s not even the first time,” Betty said with a slight chuckle, forcing herself to find some humor in this situation because she knew it would end in another panic attack if she didn’t.

“And then I almost had a panic attack over it which means that this is one of the many things in my life that is becoming more of a burden than a pleasure.” She knew that would sting, knew that would help convince Jughead to admit what they’d both known for longer than they cared to admit.

“If this is what you really want then I’ll support you Betty, you know I will.” His words were barely audible as they filtered out of Betty’s phone.

“I guess that’s it then,” she mumbled, finally forcing her eyes up to the screen. They both let out a sigh as they soaked each other in. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, couldn’t believe she was letting go of one of the only lights in her otherwise dull existence.

“I still love you Jug.” Her voice was still shaking as the words fell from her lips before her mind could process them. “And I think I always will. But I can’t … this is becoming a chore and I don’t want for you to become a chore for me. I want you to be someone I can come to for anything an-”

“I still am that person, Betty. I’m still here for you, even if I have a crappy way of showing it.” His fingers we're running through his hair again as his eyes locked on hers through the screen, pulling her in and refusing to let her go.

“I’m gonna miss you,” she whispered as she let herself get lost in the digital recreation of him which filled her screen.

“Trust me when I say I’m not going anywhere,” he mumbled with a smirk, bringing his trademark humor into an otherwise heartbreaking conversation.

“I’ll talk to you soon Jughead,” she said as she reached across to end the call.

“I love you Betts.”

The screen went black. And so did everything else.

#exchange romance #bughead fanfiction #bughead fluff #betty cooper #jughead jones

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t-baba · 5 years ago

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YDKJS edition 2, React's concurrent mode, and Vue 3's new features

#461 — November 1, 2019

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blinkdigital-blog · 6 years ago

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Farmer Defends World Title Against Carroll On March 15

Philly champ hosts Irishman on St Patrick’s weekend – Taylor-Volante in unification clash – Rosado meets Sulecki By - @intuboxing

Tevin Farmer will defend his IBF World Super-Featherweight title against Jono Carroll at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on Friday, March 15, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.

TICKETS WILL GO ON SALE NEXT TUESDAY (JANUARY 29)

Farmer (28-4-1 6KOs) makes the third defense of his crown in his first fight on home turf as a World champion, following a wide points win over Francisco Fonseca in New York in December, a win that followed a dominant fifth-round stoppage over Northern Irishman James Tennyson in his first defense in Boston in October.

The 28-year-old returns to the Temple University venue having boxed there in April 2017 against Arturo Reyes – the fight before his first World title showdown with Kenichi Ogawa in Las Vegas in December, where his controversial split decision loss was turned into a no-contest after the Japanese failed a drug test. The farmer would claim the vacant IBF title in August in Australia with a comprehensive points win over seasoned Aussie Billy Dib.

Unbeaten Dubliner Carroll (16-0-1 3KOs) fights for his first World title on St Patrick’s weekend against Farmer, with his shot at the title following a closely fought split draw in a final eliminator with Guillaume Frenois in Sheffield, England in December.

Farmer and Carroll have been involved in bitter social media spats and will finally come face-to-face for the first time at a press conference to launch the fight in Philly next Tuesday, and both fighters believe the fight will be as fiery as the build-up.

“He's got a World title shot on St Patrick's weekend, he should be thanking me,” said Farmer. “He's trying to get under my skin but it's impossible to get under my skin. He's making himself look bad and he's stepping up to a whole different level with me. I'm A-level and he's going to pay.

“He says we both come from tough backgrounds, the hood, that boy hasn't come from any struggle, no hood. I'm going to show him when he comes to Philly, he's going to eat his words. He's trying to get his buzz up but there are certain things that you don't say. He's made this personal and you don't want to get personal with a Philly guy like me.

“This is big for me, fighting as a World champion in Philly. When does Philly hold big World championship shows? This is big – it's a boxing town but this is as big a show as there's been here for a long time. I have to thank Eddie, Lou, and DAZN for making this a reality because often World champions don't always get the chance to fight in their home city. It doesn't happen, but it's happening for me and that shows the level of respect that Eddie, Lou and I have for each other. It's going to be a great night.

“I don't care about these other champions. You never know what is going to happen with politics and people making excuses, but I'm here, I defended the title twice in three months last year and I'm headlining at home. If people really want to fight, it's simple to do - sign the contract and turn up and fight, Latest Boxing News.

“The only thing I care about is my career, keep lining them up and I'm going to keep smoking them and keep getting paid. With or without them, my career will be the best of all those guys. I'm on a high right now. Everything is good right now, I'm doing everything I've dreamed of.”

“It is only fitting that Tevin Farmer's remarkable journey in boxing and in life comes back to his home city, Philadelphia,” said DiBella. “In 2018, from Australia to Madison Square Garden, Tevin established himself as one of the brightest and most active stars in boxing.

“This is the homecoming Tevin deserves, and if Jono Carroll fights with the same fervor that he talks, it will also be a fight befitting of a city that has long been synonymous with all action wars.”

“I'll do what I want with Tevin, he's a tiny little child and I'm not afraid of him,” said Carroll. “When we meet, if he's respectful of me, I'll be respectful back as that's how I've been brought up - but if comes talking rubbish then I'll put him in his place.

“I see a fakeness in him when I see him interviewed, I see a fake person. My thoughts on him are that he wants to be liked, but he's not. I reckon he's arrogant, that's the man I think he is and I know he's that sort of flashy person saying stupid things on Twitter.

“Tevin is a man that wants to be liked but he plays like he's Floyd Mayweather, but he's not half as good as him. He has serious holes in his armory, and I am going to poke every single one of them, I’ll break him up and stop him. “He's never met a man like me in his life. He came from a rough background yes, but so did I. We're both from crazy places but we're in the limelight now, so we have to be grown-up and responsible as we're going to have cameras around us.”

Irish sensation Katie Taylor can take a giant step towards her goal of becoming the undisputed World Lightweight champion when she aims to unify her WBA and IBF titles against WBO ruler Rose Volante.

Taylor (12-0 5KOs) added the IBF strap to her WBA title in April against Victoria Bustos in Brooklyn, New York, and has since defended the titles three times, stopping Kimberly Connor in three rounds in London in July before shutouts against Cindy Serrano in Boston in October and ending a stunning 2018 by beating Eva Wahlstrom in New York in December.

Volante (14-0 8KOs) has defended her WBO crown twice since winning the vacant title in December 2017 and the Argentine won both her defenses in Brazil 2018 by the halfway point, with Lourdes Borbua retiring after five rounds in April and Yolis Marrugo Franco stopped in three in September.

The champions put titles and unbeaten records on the line in Philadelphia, and the winner will target Belgian WBC ruler Delfine Persoon for all the belts later in the year.

“Ever since I won my first World title as a pro my goal has been to unify the Lightweight titles so this is obviously a massive step towards that,” said Taylor. “Volante is unbeaten so I'm expecting a tough fight but that's exactly the kind of challenge I want. I think the better the opponent and the bigger the challenge the better I will perform.

“It's a great card to be on especially with so many Irish fighters on the bill on St. Patrick's weekend in Philadelphia so I'm sure it will be a special occasion. “For now my focus is on Volante but of course after that fight, I would love to have all the belts as soon as possible. Hopefully, the Persoon fight can finally be made for the summer and then there are some other huge fights out there as well for the rest of the year.”

A stacked card in support of the two World title blockbusters is led by a crunch Middleweight clash between Philadelphia’s Gabriel Rosado and Pole Maciej Sulecki and an all-Philadelphia Lightweight clash between Hank Lundy and Avery Sparrow.

Rosado (24-11-1 14KOs) is back in action after a controversial all-action fight in Kansas with Luis Arias in November, the former World title challenger drawing with the Milwaukee man. The 33-year-old will be desperate to get his name back into contention for major honors with the 160lbs division red hot right now, but Sulecki (27-1 11KOs) will have the same designs on those title shots having bounced back from a loss against Daniel Jacobs in April with a second-round KO win in Poland in November.

“I'm excited to start the year back home in Philly,” said Rosado. “This is the second half of my career and the goal is to win a World title. It's only right that it starts here in Philly.”

Prospect Sparrow (9-1 3KOs) will be gunning to add a major scalp to his CV in the shape of former World title challenger Lundy (29-7-1 14KOs). Sparrow faces the second ten round clash of his career as he looks to step up his progress early in 2019.

“It's been a long time since I last fought but that's on me and I've learned from it,” said Sparrow. “Fighting someone like Hank Lundy is the kind of challenge I look forward to. It's a big fight on a big stage.”

“Once again we have a great Philly vs. Philly fight and that is always good for boxing in Philly,” said Lundy. “It's a hard fight but we're both looking down the road because we know what winning this fight will do for our careers.”

Kazakhstan’s Olympic gold medal star Daniyar Yeleussinov (5-0 3KOs) fights for the sixth time in the paid ranks ahead of what promises to be a break out year for the 27 year old, the same of which can be said for two-time Olympian and 2012 silver medalist John Joe Nevin (11-0 4KOs) who joins fellow Irish fighters on the St. Patrick’s weekend bill.

“I can’t wait for March 15 at the Liacouras Center,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “It’s our first ever event in Philadelphia and it’s an honor to promote in this great city on St Patrick’s weekend.

“Tevin Farmer is one of the great boxing underdog stories of our generation and I’m so happy he is getting the chance to bring that World championship home against a feisty and talented Jono Carroll.

“The biggest star in World boxing, Ireland’s Katie Taylor, looks to unify the division against WBO champ Rose Volante. Philly favorite Gabe Rosado takes on Poland’s Maciej Sulecki in a thrilling Middleweight match up and Olympic stars Daniyar Yeleussinov and John Joe Nevin. It’s stacked from top to bottom and it’s going to be an electric night of boxing in Philadelphia.

#Current Boxing Rankings #Professional Boxing Equipment in UK #Upcoming boxing fights #Heavyweight title fights #Cheap Boxing Equipment in UK #Latest Boxing News #Mens Boxing Kit in UK #ladies boxing kit in uk #Intuboxing Clothing Range in UK

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gibsongirlselections · 4 years ago

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China Leaves Russian Meddling in the Dust

At least Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, and their surrogates in the Mainstream Media got one point right regarding foreign interference in U.S. politics: that it is totally bogus to compare the records of Russia and China in election meddling and in other aspects of American public life, and their abilities to do so.

Trouble is, the House Speaker, the Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, and other Never Trumpers are wildly off-base about who the main culprit has been and will be for years to come. It’s not Russia, it’s China— and by orders of magnitude.

In fact, on top of efforts to shape voters’ opinions during election campaigns, Beijing for decades has been influencing American politics in ways Moscow can barely dream of.

Commenting on the spotlight that U.S. intelligence officials have placed on both countries’ interference efforts (along with Iran’s), Pelosi and Schiff declared that the analysis “provided a false sense of equivalence to the actions of foreign adversaries by listing three countries of unequal operational intent, actions, and capabilities together.”

In particular, they charged, the actions of Kremlin-linked actors seeking to undermine Vice President Biden, and seeking to help President Trump” were glossed over.

Pelosi stated subsequently, “The Chinese, they said, prefer (presumptive Democratic nominee Joe) Biden—we don’t know that, but that’s what they’re saying, but they’re not really getting involved in the presidential election.”

The liberal media, as is so often the case, echoed this Democratic talking point. According to The New York Times‘ Robert Draper, author of a long piece in the paper’s magazine section on Trump’s supposed refusal to approve anti-Russia interference measures or take seriously such findings by the intelligence community, China “is really not able to affect the integrity of our electoral system the way Russia can.”

What these Trump opponents have completely overlooked is that the Chinese are unquestionably meddling—though with some distinctive Chinese characteristics. And much more importantly, China has long been interfering in American political activities by capitalizing on the degree to which so many major American institutions have become beholden to the Chinese government through pre-Trump “bilateral ties.”

As for the narrower, more direct kind of election corrupting, you don’t need to take the word of President Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien that “China, like Russia and Iran, have engaged in cyberattacks and fishing and that sort of thing with respect to our election infrastructure and with respect to websites.”

You don’t have to take the word of Vice President Mike Pence, who in 2018 cited a national intelligence assessment that found that China “is targeting U.S. state and local governments and officials to exploit any divisions between federal and local levels on policy. It’s using wedge issues, like trade tariffs, to advance Beijing’s political influence.”

You can ignore Pence’s contention that that same year, a document circulated by Beijing stated that China must [quoting directly] “strike accurately and carefully, splitting apart different domestic groups” in the United States.

Nor do you need to take seriously the intelligence community judgement dismissed by Pelosi and Schiff that:

“China has been expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020 to shape the policy environment in the United States, pressure political figures it views as opposed to China’s interests, and deflect and counter criticism of China….Beijing recognizes that all of these efforts might affect the presidential race.”

Much harder to ignore: China’s decision at the height of the 2018 Congressional election campaigns to take out a four-page supplement in the Sunday Des Moines [Iowa] Register that clearly was “intended to undermine farm-country support for President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war.”

The New York Times itself reported that this past spring that U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that as the coronavirus pandemic was peaking in the nation, Chinese operatives were responsible for sending throughout social media scary sounding warnings that President Trump was about to lock down the entire country—complete with prepositioning troops “to help prevent looters and rioters.”

At least as worrisome: A new report from the information analysis firm Graphika documenting how, “Social media accounts from the pro-Chinese political spam network Spamouflage Dragon started posting English-language videos that attacked American policy and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in June, as the rhetorical confrontation between the United States and China escalated.”

According to Graphika, such disinformation campaigns had begun in mid-2019, but were waged in Chinese and aimed at Chinese audiences. This new phase, however, targeted at the United States, represented “a clear expansion of its scope” and even featured “clusters of accounts with AI-generated profile pictures” to convey the impression that those sending these materials were actual human beings.

Also alleging that Chinese agents are increasingly active on major social media platforms—a study from research institute Freedom House, which reported that:

“[C]hinese state-affiliated trolls are…apparently operating on [Twitter] in large numbers. In the hours and days after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters in October 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported, nearly 170,000 tweets were directed at Morey by users who seemed to be based in China as part of a coordinated intimidation campaign. Meanwhile, there have been multiple suspected efforts by pro-Beijing trolls to manipulate the ranking of content on popular sources of information outside China, including Google’s search engine Reddit,and YouTube.”

Last year, a major Hoover Institution report issued especially disturbing findings about Beijing’s efforts to influence the views (and therefore the votes) of Chinese Americans, including exploiting the potential hostage status of their relatives in China. According to the Hoover researchers:

“Among the Chinese American community, China has long sought to influence—even silence—voices critical of the PRC or supportive of Taiwan by dispatching personnel to the United States to pressure these individuals and while also pressuring their relatives in China. Beijing also views Chinese Americans as members of a worldwide Chinese diaspora that presumes them to retain not only an interest in the welfare of China but also a loosely defined cultural, and even political, allegiance to the so-called Motherland.”

In addition: “In the American media, China has all but eliminated the plethora of independent Chinese-language media outlets that once served Chinese American communities. It has co-opted existing Chinese language outlets and established its own new outlets.”

Operations aimed at Chinese Americans are anything but trivial politically. As of 2018, they represented nearly 2.6 million eligible U.S. voters, and they belonged to an Asian-American super-category that reflects the fastest growing racial and ethnic population of eligible voters in the country.

Most live in heavily Democratic states, like California, New York, and Massachusetts, but significant concentrations are also found in the battleground states where many of the 2016 presidential election margins were razor thin, and many of which look up for grabs this year, like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

More broadly, according to the Hoover study:

“In American federal and state politics, China seeks to identify and cultivate rising politicians. Like many other countries, Chinese entities employ prominent lobbying and public relations firms and cooperate with influential civil society groups. These activities complement China’s long-standing support of visits to China by members of Congress and their staffs. In some rare instances Beijing has used private citizens and companies to exploit loopholes in US regulations that prohibit direct foreign contributions to elections.”

But even more thoroughly overlooked than these narrower forms of Chinese political interference is a broader, much more dangerous type of Chinese meddling that leaves Moscow’s efforts in the dust. For example, U.S.-owned multinational companies, which have long profited at the expense of the domestic economy by offshoring production and jobs to China, have just as long carried Beijing’s water in American politics through their massive contributions to U.S. political campaigns. The same goes for Wall Street, which hasn’t sent many U.S. operations overseas, but which has long hungered for permission to do more business in the Chinese market.

These same big businesses continually and surreptitiously inject their views into American political debates by heavily financing leading think tanks —which garb their special interest agendas in the raiment of objective scholarship.

Hollywood and the rest of the U.S. entertainment industry has become so determined to brown nose China in search of profits that it’s made nearly routine rewriting and censoring material deemed offensive to China. In case you haven’t noticed, show biz figures haven’t exactly been reluctant to weigh in on U.S. political issues lately. And yes, these entertainment figures include stars and leading coaches of the National Basketball Association, who have taken a leading role in what’s become known as the Black Lives Matter movement, but who have remained conspicuously silent about the lives of inhabitants of the vast China market that’s one of their biggest and most promising cash cows.

Moreover, the gap between this indirect Chinese involvement in American politics and Russian election interference is not only yawning. It shows no signs of closing. As a result, China’s overall advantage is so great that it makes a case for a useful rule-of-thumb: Whenever you find out about someone complaining about Russia’s election interference but brushing off China’s, you can be sure that they’re not really angry about interference as such. They’re just angry about interference they don’t like.

Alan Tonelson is the founder of RealityChek, a public policy blog focusing on economics and national security, and the author of The Race to the Bottom.

The post China Leaves Russian Meddling in the Dust appeared first on The American Conservative.

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kidkei · 5 years ago

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Canine Cancer Resources and Hope

This photograph is the creator’s dog, Duncan, totally anesthetized, intubated, and prepped for a dosage of palliative radiation remedy meant to cut back the scale of his nasal carcinoma. It seems to be brutal, and but, hours later, he’d be totally recovered and asking to play a sport of catch along with his favourite ball.

For every of the previous six months, I’ve written an article for WDJ concerning the cancers that mostly afflict canines. It’s my honest hope the articles will assist any dog house owners who discover themselves in a combat for their very own canines’ lives perceive what they’re up towards, study therapy protocols and median survival occasions, and the place to search out scientific trials for and cutting-edge analysis on the varied cancers.

Gathering the data for the sequence took an enormous period of time and work, however it’s been a labor of affection – a method of paying again the numerous devoted, educated veterinary professionals who helped me get by way of the diseases of my two earlier canines.

Unfortunately, each of my beloved canines finally succumbed to their illnesses. But we loved many great days collectively whereas we lived with most cancers.

IT’S A PERSONAL FIGHT

My Border Collie, Daisy, was identified in 2010 with transitional cell carcinoma, a uncommon type of most cancers, accounting for about 2% of cancers that happen in canines. I threw myself into researching the illness and remedies and was lucky to have a gaggle of wonderful veterinary specialists on her staff.

I used to be petrified previous to Daisy’s first therapy, however her main veterinarian, Dr. Jeffrey Bryan, assured me that extreme reactions have been uncommon and this therapy would supply the perfect alternative for an prolonged life span with good high quality. My belief in her good docs was not misplaced; Daisy lived with nice high quality of life for 2½ years after analysis, present process chemotherapy throughout most of that point (see “Chemotherapy Can Be Kind,” WDJ October 2011), even enjoying with a flying disc after each therapy.

Then, in 2015, my different Border Collie, Duncan, was identified with nasal carcinoma – one other uncommon type of most cancers in canines, accounting for about 1% of all canine neoplasia. It was inoperable, however radiation remedy offered the perfect likelihood at decreasing the tumor measurement and offering an extending survival time.

Even after the expertise with Daisy, radiation remedy frightened me: my 14-year-old dog needed to be totally anesthetized day by day for 5 days in a row to obtain a therapeutic dose of radiation to his head. Duncan was a really delicate soul; I nervous about how these all-day experiences would have an effect on him, to not point out the dangers of all that anesthesia.

To my shock and delight, Duncan enthusiastically embraced the day by day street journeys of two hours every method and adored his veterinary technician. He fortunately left me within the ready room to go along with her for therapy. I’d look ahead to hours in a bookstore, shopping for method too many books and ingesting method an excessive amount of tea.

At the tip of the day I’d decide him up and we might journey house. By the time we arrived house, he had fully recovered and was able to play ball for hours (in his heaven, balls rain from the sky). He felt higher after these radiation remedies than he had within the weeks prior. There is one thing to be mentioned for the pain-relieving properties of radiation remedy.

We had hoped for a superb 12 months. We acquired an excellent month. Yes, I’d do it once more in a heartbeat.

NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

I’ve to confess that the analysis for this sequence left me discouraged; 50 years of scientific investigation into most cancers has resulted in solely reasonably improved remedies – choices that, typically, prolong sufferers’ lives for just some months at typically unimaginable value (bodily, emotional, monetary).

For perspective, I turned to somebody who has been finding out, researching, and treating canine most cancers for greater than 15 years, Jeffrey Bryan, DVM, PhD, DACVIM Oncology – sure, the identical individual I used to be fortunate to have as my canines’ first vet. Dr. Bryan is now not in personal apply, having lengthy since decamped for analysis and academia. He is now a professor of oncology on the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and director for the college’s Comparative Oncology and Epigenetics Laboratory. When I first met Dr. Bryan, he was working in a veterinary apply in San Francisco. He impressed me along with his heat and information method again when, and he’s solely gotten hotter and extra educated with time on this difficult discipline.

I requested Dr. Bryan whether or not he nonetheless feels hopeful about treating canine most cancers, and he mentioned he completely does. “What gives me hope is the fact that we make progress every year,” he instructed me. “I watch brilliant young clinicians and researchers become attracted to oncology every year, making me optimistic for creative new solutions. Companies come along with new approaches to treating cancer all the time. Some of these work very well.”

Dr. Jeffrey Bryan in 2000, when he was nonetheless in a common apply veterinarian in San Francisco. Coincidently, he’s analyzing a affected person he had been treating for mammary most cancers

Dr. Bryan jogged my memory, nevertheless, that it’s fruitless to hope for the “end” of most cancers. “Cancer will always be with us, I’m afraid,” he says. “It’s an evolutionary disease. We need to continue to get better at recognizing it early, addressing it comfortably, and fitting the most effective treatment to each patient.”

Dr. Bryan’s observations replicate a number of the latest approaches to most cancers therapy, whether or not it’s for people or canines. Some researchers are transferring towards reframing most cancers as a power sickness, one the place sufferers can coexist with most cancers cells (so long as the most cancers is prevented from rising unchecked). It is hoped that new diagnostics may be developed to offer the earliest identification potential and then eradicate cancerous cells at inception, thereby stopping them from growing into an untreatable malignancy.

As depressed as I’m concerning the prevalence of canine most cancers, I do discover hope within the work of Dr. Bryan and all of his colleagues working within the specialty of veterinary oncology. Remarkable advances have been made in treating our canine companions, supported by the developments in affiliated fields equivalent to imaging, rehabilitation, ache administration, and pharmacology. Advances within the fields of palliative care and immunotherapy have grown exponentially; the latter is particularly promising.

A FEW MORE CANINE RESOURCES

In my 5 earlier articles, I described the newest diagnostic instruments and remedies for the commonest canine cancers: mast cell tumors (July 2019), osteosarcoma (August), lymphoma (September), melanoma (October), and hemangiosarcoma (November).

There are myriad sources accessible to be taught extra about canine most cancers – the above-mentioned sorts and others that we’ve not written about – and this info, just like the illness itself, is continually altering.

If your dog (like my two Border Collies) is identified with an unusual sort, an web search will carry up a large number of outcomes; do analysis however be discerning in your method. Look for respected sources and scientific help for any claims. Many veterinary schools and specialty clinics have web sites with sections for pet house owners to be taught extra about numerous illnesses and remedies; these are credible sources for info. Below, you’ll discover some extra beginning factors for dependable info.

Veterinary oncology specialists. While an skilled common veterinary practitioner who has a particular curiosity in canine most cancers will probably be an enormous asset to you, I can’t advocate it strongly sufficient that you just search out assist from a board-certified veterinary oncologist.

These specialists have obtained in depth oncology coaching after veterinary college, handed examinations, and accomplished publication necessities to obtain certification by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). When they grow to be licensed in oncology by the ACVIM, they are going to add the letters DACVIM after their names (the “D” is for Diplomate).

You can use a function on the ACVIM web site to seek for board-certified veterinary specialists (find.vetspecialists.com). If there aren’t any oncology specialists in your space, your veterinarian ought to have the ability to seek the advice of with specialists situated farther afield to develop an acceptable therapy plan in your dog.

Clinical Trials. In order to enhance detection and therapy of illness, essentially the most promising experimental or investigational therapies should be examined in scientific trials. The security and efficacy of those therapies and procedures have usually been evaluated first in laboratory animals and the remedy is taken into account to be of potential profit to the affected person. Your dog could or could not profit from participation in a scientific trial, however these research advance veterinary science and have the potential to enhance the outcomes of future generations of canines.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) maintains the AVMA Animal Health Studies Database, which supplies info on veterinary scientific trials reported by researchers. Searches for related research may be achieved utilizing the parameters of analysis, location, species, and discipline of veterinary medication (equivalent to oncology). See ebusiness.avma.org/aahsd/study_search.aspx.

The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation funds scientific analysis with the aim of bettering the well being of canines. For a hyperlink to the trials they fund, see akcchf.org/research/participate-in-research/clinical-trials.html.

In addition, the Veterinary Cancer Society web site maintains a web page with hyperlinks to lots of the organizations that provide veterinary scientific trials. See vetcancersociety.org/pet-owners/clinical-trials/.

Books. There are a variety of books which might be very useful for advancing your understanding of canine most cancers. My favorites are:

The Dog Cancer Survival Guide, by Demian Dressler, DVM, with Susan Ettinger, DVM, DACVIM Oncology (Maui Media, 2011). A complete information for sensible, evidence-based approaches to canine cancers, together with standard, integrative, and various therapy choices, supportive care, monetary issues, and sources to assist house owners optimize lifespan and high quality of life.

Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life, by Nancy Kay, DVM (Trafalgar Square Books, 2008). An invaluable useful resource for pet house owners to assist navigate veterinary care and choices.

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Scribner, 2010). The quintessential guide about most cancers – its historical past, discoveries, setbacks, remedies, and hopes for the long run.

The First Cell and the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last, by Azra Raza (Hatchette Book Group, 2019). An exploration of the most cancers “industry” and a name for change in analysis and therapy.

Websites. There isn’t any scarcity of websites with details about canine most cancers. The record of websites with up-to-date, credible, comprehensible info is shorter. These are just a few of my advisable sources of data for pet house owners.

drsuecancervet.com and facebook.com/DrSueCancerVet. Dr. Sue Ettinger is a practising veterinarian and board-certified most cancers specialist, worldwide speaker, guide creator, and vlogger (video blogger). Her info is up-to-date and extraordinarily accessible.

dogcancerblog.com. An amazing useful resource masking all the pieces from the newest in most cancers information to sources to complete articles, that includes Dr. Demian Dressler and Dr. Susan Ettinger, authors of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.

morrisanimalfoundation.org. The Morris Animal Foundation bridges science and sources to advance the well being of animals. The basis is on the forefront of funding most cancers research in canines, together with the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, one of many largest, most complete potential canine well being research within the United States. The research’s goal is to establish the dietary, environmental, way of life, and genetic danger components for most cancers and different illnesses in canines.

ccr.cancer.gov/Comparative-Oncology-Program. The Center for Cancer Research is a division of the National Cancer Institute underneath the National Institutes of Health. In 2003, the Comparative Oncology Program was launched to assist analysis in furthering the understanding of most cancers and bettering the evaluation of remedies for people by treating companion animals. Comparative oncology is the research of naturally growing cancers in animals as fashions for human illness. Through these trials, pets achieve entry to leading edge analysis and therapeutics; the outcomes then help the additional improvement of human scientific trials. The website additionally supplies illness info, hyperlinks to scientific trials, information, and publications.

wearethecure.org/tag/pet-cancer/. This website has a “Canine Cancer Library” that gives detailed info on an ever-expanding record of sorts of cancers. The Foundation’s weblog presents newest canine most cancers information and associated tales.

merckvetmanual.com/special-pet-topics/cancer-and-tumors. General veterinary details about most cancers in pets.

scholar.google.com. An easy-to-use free search engine that accesses the total textual content or metadata of scholarly literature throughout an array of publishing codecs and disciplines; an excellent useful resource to search for revealed analysis on canine cancers.

HOLISTIC (INTEGRATIVE) VETERINARY CARE

In all of the articles about canine most cancers revealed right here, I by no means had a chance to debate holistic take care of canines present process therapy for most cancers. It’s an enormous matter, and one I hope to jot down about in a future challenge.

The creator’s Border Collie, Daisy, asking to play Frisbee instantly after certainly one of her chemotherapy therapy.

Holistic veterinarians embrace a broad method to care, not solely analyzing the affected person, but in addition the affected person’s setting, conduct, relationships, and illness patterns. Veterinarians who self-identify as holistic, integrative, or complementary could have quite a lot of academic experiences and coaching; they could increase their standard veterinary medication with chiropractic, acupuncture, herbs, and/or different modalities. Their therapy protocols, then, will rely on their schooling, coaching, and expertise.

Note: Veterinarians who establish as providing “alternative” medication won’t use standard veterinary medication or collaborate with standard veterinary practitioners. Make positive you might be clear about what they do and don’t provide.

My main veterinarian is a holistic practitioner and was a worthwhile member of Daisy’s staff. Throughout Daisy’s sickness, he supported her with acupuncture, low stage mild remedy, vitamin, and medicinal herbs. He labored carefully along with her oncologist to make sure protected and helpful integrative care. Complementary therapies may be of nice profit to pets with most cancers, and holistic veterinarians can assist create these personalised help plans.

To find a holistic veterinarian close to you, go to the web site of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, a gaggle of member veterinarians and allies who’re elevating the veterinary career by way of innovation, schooling, and advocacy of integrative medication. Go to ahvma.org/find-a-holistic-veterinarian.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

One final useful resource – an vital one. Most most cancers remedies for canines are costly, as are the diagnostics and supportive care. I used to be lucky; on the time when my canines have been stricken, I had the funds to deal with each of my canines. I don’t have these monetary sources now, however I do have pet insurance coverage for my present canines.

If you have got neither the funds nor pet insurance coverage, there are a selection of economic sources accessible for canines with most cancers; the Humane Society of the United States retains a present record of nationwide and state-specific pet monetary support organizations on the following web page: humanesociety.org/sources/are-you-having-trouble-affording-your-pet.

AGAIN: IT’S PERSONAL

The determination to deal with (or not deal with) a pet for most cancers is a private determination; there isn’t a proper or mistaken method. Cancers are a gaggle of very difficult and various illnesses with every oncology case being medically distinctive. I opted to deal with each of my canines and I used to be lucky to have gained extra time with them. More time to eat ice cream collectively. To play ball and Frisbee. To cuddle on the couch. To share synchronized respiratory whereas falling asleep collectively. To dream collectively. Every second is a present.

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adambstingus · 6 years ago

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Meet The Most Powerful Political Organization In Washington

This article was originally published in the journal Democracy. Subscribe to it here, because why not?

WASHINGTON — Coverage of the influence of money in politics tends to suffer from the same weakness that all horse-race politics writing does: it almost never connects day-to-day movements to any broader reality or purpose. We learn about the size of ad buys or overall spending plans, but there’s no so what? Following the 2012 presidential election, the political press decided, rather unanimously, that all the talk about the Citizens United decision had been overblown because, after all, Democrats more or less matched Republicans on the spending front, a Democrat was reelected to the White House, and the party even hung on to the Senate, so no rich conservative was able to buy the election. Sure, Republicans later took over the upper chamber in 2014, but plenty of Democrats still managed to win.

This focus on campaigns and elections tends to exclude coverage of the political agenda itself. In other words, what is it that Congress and the regulatory agencies are thinking about and, just as importantly, not thinking about? And so this focus has missed one of the most fundamental transformations within our political system: the way in which corporate interests have moved the playing field away from party politics and into the bowels of agencies, courts, and Congress. The media have yet to figure out how to keep score. Author and journalist Alyssa Katz, in her new book The Influence Machine, charts the history and measures the power of one of the leading drivers of this shift, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which she calls the “single most influential organization in American politics” (as would anybody else writing a book on it).

The Chamber, unique in American politics, is the only organization that simultaneously spends big money on elections, lobbies Congress heavily, drills into the regulatory process and, if all else fails, drags the government to court. As Katz keenly observes, the Chamber routinely promises to spend eye-popping sums of money on federal elections, but then in its tax documents several months later reports spending far less. Its critics suggest the Chamber does spend the money and somehow hides it from the IRS, but more likely the organization is following in the footsteps of Mark Hanna, the 19th century Roveian consultant who helped get William McKinley elected in 1896. Before the campaign was over, he returned a sizable contribution, telling the donor they had more than enough money to win. The goal of business in politics is not to win elections or run up the partisan score; the goal, rather, is to make money. If that goal can be accomplished for less, all the better.

Katz doesn’t deliver many groundbreaking revelations; close Chamber watchers won’t learn much new. But hers is the first book-length exposé of a phenomenon that is generally known only deep inside Washington: namely, that the Chamber is not what it appears. The nonprofit Chamber’s official mission is “to advance human progress through an economic, political, and social system based on individual freedom, incentive, initiative, opportunity, and responsibility.” Beyond that, it is thought to be a coalition of business groups that collectively push for a free-market agenda aimed at improving the climate for business broadly. It is also often assumed to be a partisan operation aimed simply at electing Republicans. But, in fact, it’s neither of those things. Rather, it is a gun for hire, a façade that corporations can use, for a price, to do work in Washington that they would rather not have associated with their consumer brand. All of this, Katz argues convincingly, has often flown brazenly in the face of tax law, but power in Washington trumps both the spirit and letter of the law.

The Chamber is a gun for hire, a faade that corporations can use, for a price, to do work in Washington that they would rather not have associated with their consumer brand.

In 2005, the Federal Election Commission cast a 4-2 vote finding “preliminary evidence that . . . [Chamber head Tom] Donohue had violated federal law by steering corporate campaign contributions directly to a federal campaign committee in order to influence an election,” Katz reports. Similar movements of money had destroyed the career of Tom DeLay, but the Chamber came out just fine. After the commission settled the case, three commissioners voted in 2008 to reject the settlement, deadlocking the panel. It has been so since. “Again and again, in state elections and in federal ones, including presidential races, the U.S. Chamber and its affiliated organizations were operating as political organizations and effective ones at that. But as far as the IRS was concerned, they remained educational groups, free to do what they would with their funds,” she writes.

The Chamber stands for whatever it wants to, whenever it wants to, depending on who’s paying.

Thinking of the Chamber as an organization at all winds up missing the point. Yes, it has a headquarters — a hulking one that stares down the White House from across Lafayette Square — an HR department, water coolers, and so on. But knowing what can legally be known about the Chamber gets you almost nowhere. The Chamber, instead, stands for whatever it wants to, whenever it wants to, depending on who’s paying. It has become an essential cloak for corporate special interests looking to get in and out of Washington without anybody seeing.

For decades, the Chamber tried to be what it seemed to be: a respectable coalition of businesses. But it found itself neutered by its need for consensus—companies are all in competition, after all—and easily outmatched by the combined might of labor and consumer advocates throughout the 1970s. It also was distracted by the anti-communist paranoia that consumed much of the politically active business community after World War II.

The new model was launched secretly, first uncovered on a day where the news wound up being utterly ignored. Jim VandeHei, then a reporter with The Wall Street Journal, broke it on September 11, 2001: The Chamber was selling its advocacy services to specific industries and companies at quite specific price levels. Drug makers paid for cover in a fight over pharmaceutical prices, Ford wanted to beat back legislation sparked by the deadly tire failures on its Ford Explorers, and so on. (For businesses without any particular interest at the moment, the dues paid to the Chamber are better thought of as protection money: Nice company you have there — would be a shame if a little congressional curiosity should happen to it.)

Today’s Chamber addresses a central problem for businesses in Washington: While business and business owners in general might be broadly popular — the business of America is business, after all — the particular things that individual businesses want tend to be extremely unpopular. Oil companies fighting the acceptance of climate change, insurers opposing health-care reform, tobacco companies opposing smoking regulations, gas companies opposing fracking laws, and trucking companies opposing driver-fatigue rules don’t exactly capture the public’s heart. Since the public might be broadly sympathetic to business but not individual businesses, the Chamber offers to cloak corporate self-interest in vague principles. That means that the Chamber is generally incapable of or uninterested in thinking strategically about the direction of the country. Instead, it simply moves from skirmish to skirmish, leaving behind a scorched landscape.

Katz, who is also the author of the well-received and timely Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us, is a policy writer, a cultural critic, and a member of the New York Daily News editorial board. Throughout her career, she has leaned more toward research and synthesis than banging the phones and surfacing scandal. This is not a Game Change-style book that will put you inside turbulent meetings or in the heads of officials. Neither embittered former employees nor mischievous insiders are gossiping or sharing damning emails. Nobody’s cell phone lights up while driving their Audi on the GW Parkway, or the other sorts of obscure narrative details that populate a certain genre of Washington insider literature. Her book is no less rigorous for it, but the lack of intimacy with the key figures does serve to remove a sense of drama from the narrative, and the book becomes more a compilation of facts and events, a point-by-point indictment rather than a page-turning tale. Katz’s approach yields a thorough piece of work, but the lack of tantalizing scooplets that are the currency of Washington and New York publishing today will diminish its impact.

That’s a shame, because Katz builds what is a very strong case brick by brick, and it’s remarkable to watch the Chamber’s power rise chapter by chapter. The Chamber’s first foray into the pay-for-play game came just after the November 1994 GOP takeover of Congress, from the kind of industry that desperately needed cover: tobacco. “The Chamber has been kind of a weak sister in recent times,” one Philip Morris lobbyist wrote in a memo Katz relays. “However, based on a meeting we had with Chamber staff last week (and reflective of our sharp reduction in dues), the Chamber is eager to regain its former position of policy influence AND regain its stead in our once upon a time good graces.” The memo continues, “If we go to them with a specific action agenda, I believe they will do their utmost to attempt to see it through.” So on behalf of cigarette makers, the Chamber challenged the science around addiction and the link to cancer, lobbied Congress, went to court, battled regulators, and waged a public-relations campaign — in short, the all-in-one Chamber playbook.

“My goal is simple — to build the biggest gorilla in this town — the most aggressive and vigorous business advocate our nation has ever seen,” Donohue told a tobacco executive in 1998. Katz quotes one tobacco exec memo describing the approach: “Chamber is the client, PM [Philip Morris] stays in the background, Chamber handles the day-to-day.” But what does fighting for smoking have to do with the broader business climate? The Chamber just kind of made up a rationale. “One can only imagine which industry will be next,” Donohue wrote to Congress members, pretending his work on behalf of tobacco was motivated by a “first they came for the cigarette-makers”-style solidarity, rather than the paid service it was. “The gaming industry? The beer and wine makers? Over-the-counter pharmaceutical companies? Fast food?” asked Chamber strategist Bruce Josten.

Chamber is the client, PM [Philip Morris] stays in the background, Chamber handles the day-to-day. — memo from a Philip Morris lobbyist

For decades prior to its tobacco epiphany, the Chamber had largely walked softly, without a stick, through the streets of Washington. It came into being at the urging of President Taft, who wanted a more efficient way of knowing just what it was business wanted from the government. Birthed largely at the request of the government, it was given special tax-exempt status, which the organization today deftly exploits to keep its sources of funding hidden (the Chamber and its legal arm spent more than $200 million in 2012 and 2013, the most recent years tax documents are available — a figure that will presumably grow in 2016). That the Chamber, America’s great voice of free enterprise, was created by the government is, depending on how colored your politics are by vulgar Marxism, somewhere between deliciously ironic and entirely unsurprising.

The Chamber was established to operate mostly by consensus, which, as veterans of Occupy Wall Street know all too well, means that for decades it did very little in the way of operating. When it did, it did so in collaboration with — brace yourself — Democrats. And not just any Democrat, but that man himself. “Chamber president Henry Harriman, a former textile manufacturer, spent much of the spring of 1933 across Lafayette Square from the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, collaborating with [Franklin] Roosevelt’s brain trust to develop the National Recovery Act,” writes Katz. When the Supreme Court struck down the parts of the act the Chamber liked, and FDR moved forward with New Deal programs it didn’t, it presaged a decades-long run of impotence, punctuated by panics about communism.

So while the Chamber spent the middle part of the twentieth century bickering and licking its New Deal wounds, Big Labor ran up the score. Katz relays that when an 8 percent hike in Social Security payments was being considered, the Chamber politely suggested a more modest increase. It’s hard to remember or imagine today, but there was a time when Congress bowed before the might of the consumer lobby, and businesses panicked at word that Ralph Nader’s band of raiders had an eye on their enterprise — a moment in time that Katz captures with the help of a “Mad Men” episode. “Roger Sterling is on the phone with a client,” Katz writes. “ ‘Oldsmobile. He wants to know if there’s any way around Nader,’ Sterling tells Pete Campbell, his hand on the mouthpiece. Responds Campbell, without hesitating: ‘There isn’t.’ ”

The president of the Chamber in those days, Ed Rust Sr., not only acknowledged Nader’s sway, but even made the argument in 1973 that business was better off because of him, that Nader and business ought to want the same things. Nader and the Chamber could agree, Rust said, on “products that work as they are supposed to, on warranties that protect the buyer at least as much as the seller, on services that genuinely serve.” It was a different kind of Chamber, but the forces that would create the new one were already bubbling. Rust lasted less than a year.

For Katz, it was Tom Donohue who played the pivotal role in executing the new strategy, and she lays out just how instrumental this one man has been in shaping the Chamber and, with it, Washington politics. Donohue was right for the job because he was not a businessman. Rather, he rose up as a university fundraiser, then deputy assistant postmaster general of the United States, then a lobbyist for the trucking industry, which perfectly positioned him to understand how Washington works, shorn of any pretense about free enterprise or a “pro-business climate.” For Donohue, the climate is irrelevant. What matters is who’s paying the Chamber, and what they want for it.

Some critics of the Chamber have argued that its efforts have largely backfired because the top priorities of business — infrastructure investment, comprehensive immigration reform, and a stable business climate not shaken by random threats of debt default and government shutdowns — have been foiled by the very conservative element of the GOP it helped fuel in 2010. But that assumes the Chamber cares about the overall business climate; instead, with its nihilistic approach to politics and the economy, the Chamber can fail only if its particular project fails. And in the event that happens, it’s really a failure only if the Chamber manages to get blamed and loses clients as a result.

Even readers familiar with the Chamber’s reach into the political system will be taken aback by the breadth and depth of its ability to shape the very legal structures of states where it has key business. While the stories Katz pulls together were not entirely unknown to the public at the time, the Chamber’s involvement, and its wholesale strategic assault on state judiciaries, are brazen enough that the chamber could come to define our era of corporate capture of the levers of republican government.

One instance, in Illinois, was an all-out war for a judicial seat in order to sway the outcomes of two particular cases. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance had been tagged with a $1.05 billion judgment for systematically ripping off and deceiving customers. And a jury had awarded $10 billion in a judgment against Philip Morris, a penalty for its marketing of “light” cigarettes in a way that suggested they were somehow less harmful. The Chamber needed a candidate who’d rule the “right” way on those cases and, sure enough, one was recruited by a State Farm lobbyist. The company and the Chamber pumped millions into the 2004 race. It would be an interesting judicial system that submitted verdicts to the democratic process, allowing companies on the losing end to take their case directly to the public on appeal. It would be a strange one, but at least there would be a logic to it.

But the public debate in Illinois, of course, was not about whether the verdicts against State Farm and Philip Morris should stand. It was instead a standard political fight, fought over personalities with misleading-at-best claims made about each side. The Chamber won, and while the public might not have known what the reward would be for the victor, it soon became clear. Their candidate, now dressed in robes, cast the deciding votes to throw out the two verdicts. Were this merely a case of the Chamber finding a rare opportunity to exert outsized influence in one race, it would still be a remarkable turn of events. But it was just one of numerous cases documented by Katz, many of which only became exposed as Chamber projects long after voters had gone to the polls.

Katz does her level best to wind up on a hopeful note. The raw success of the Chamber’s model, she argues, could be replicated by progressive groups working in alliance with enlightened businesses toward a common goal:

The Democratic Party could use its own version of the Chamber of Commerce — an outside intervention to force dynamic change, and unite its own activists behind a common agenda and strategy that encompasses workers, consumers, and companies that care about their welfare. The Sustainable Business Council isn’t willing to wage a war in which money is the ammunition, but someone else will have to, and the world of dynamic new business powers is not impoverished. The combatants may end up being companies like Skanska and Apple that left the U.S. Chamber, disillusioned; perhaps Google will finally heed the ceaseless calls to drop its Chamber membership and find fresh avenues for influence. The same technologies that foster crowdfunding for emerging business à la Kickstarter also harbor tremendous potential to pull together funding for political action from a constellation of fragmented companies, empowering them to form their own lobbying and campaign-cash forces to disrupt legacy industries’ deep-pocketed lock on power.

As the Republican Party increasingly operates outside the realm of reason, it’s the Democrats’ turn to answer a call to duty, and to build a bridge for business to political power based on prosperity and social advancement.

We know the strategy works. After all, it’s been done before.

Setting aside the prospect of aligning Apple with workers’ rights groups, Katz’s prescription gets her own analysis wrong: The Chamber is not a real coalition, as she makes plain throughout the book. And the promise of secrecy it offers to, say, an oil company is not one needed by the Sierra Club. Environmental and consumer groups are just fine with the public knowing they are pushing for whatever they’re pushing for, and it does the project no harm for anybody to know it. They don’t need cover.

The prospect of crowdfunding in Washington has the potential to be real in some situations, but matching the scale of billionaire industrialists, who can easily chip in several hundred million per election cycle, is no easy task. What Katz finds is not that the Chamber has found a new way to win the game, but that it is, in significant ways, playing a different game entirely. While the parties jockey for position ahead of the next election, the Chamber plays for keeps.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/meet-the-most-powerful-political-organization-in-washington/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/183299560867

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allofbeercom · 6 years ago

Text

Meet The Most Powerful Political Organization In Washington

This article was originally published in the journal Democracy. Subscribe to it here, because why not?

The Chamber is a gun for hire, a faade that corporations can use, for a price, to do work in Washington that they would rather not have associated with their consumer brand.

The Chamber stands for whatever it wants to, whenever it wants to, depending on who’s paying.

Chamber is the client, PM [Philip Morris] stays in the background, Chamber handles the day-to-day. — memo from a Philip Morris lobbyist

We know the strategy works. After all, it’s been done before.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/meet-the-most-powerful-political-organization-in-washington/

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